just because: 20% off black&bronze

from now until sunday receive 20% OFF your black&bronze order. this is just a little 'thank you' whether you've purchased something before or for just being a wicked individual. i think you're great!

enter coupon code JUSTBECAUSE at checkout!

#duh

this weekend a bunch of us headed up to megs cottage for the long weekend. sitting around the fire i counted 22 people, 22 of the best pals a girl could ask for - all in one spot. 

these are my friends. that is my boyfriend. yep, the one with his pants down #duh

my catch phrase of the weekend: hashtag duh...using the word 'hashtag' in real life is really funny....to me...

truth: my friends are babes.

such a great weekend with amazing friends. it makes me so excited for summer; i want 100 more of these days!

i have a few days off in a row next week so i am planning to head up to my cottage for some R&R and boy am i excited!! it's almost june you guys & that is really exciting!! i'm excited for this summer as there always seems to be something going on, my schedule already seems pretty full for summer & it's barely started! plus i turn 27 on june 13th & i'm kind of exciting. getting older doesn't scare me, it makes me excited to see what's in store!

clean living: the gnarly whale

it seemed like you guys appreciated the last post about natural products i have found/love, so here's more yummy all natural products i've found!

i was originally drawn to the gnarly whale because i really liked their simple black & white branding (i'm a sucker for that stuff) i then read the scents & ingredients & thought they sounded delicious! the price was right so i made my first purchase. the hair detangler came in a great little hemp bag & they included a cute note/coupon code for my next purchase (such a smart idea for etsy sellers to keep customers coming back) but i would have anyway as their products are great!

oh you love creamsicles? ya, who doesn't?! this lip balm smells so so sooo good! & the best part is i'm not licking any harsh chemicals off my lips. i haven't switched over all of my makeup yet, but the lip balms & lipsticks had me the most worried as it can be ingested.

since i started lightening my hair i've had to use a hair detangler every time i wash my hair. this one works great & smells amazing!! i use it even if my hair isn't tangly...which truthfully doesn't happen very often anymore.

the gnarly whale currently has a coupon code for free product in their shop announcement so it's a great time to order some goodies!



side note: i do not have any affiliations with this shop, i just really love their products & wanted to share with you!

secrets to happiness I

i'm going to start a new feature on this little blog called 'secrets to happiness' it's not going to be a weekly or bi-weekly & maybe not even monthly feature (because i can't commit to that) so it will just appear when it does & i promise they'll be good.

personally i've always wondered if i'd ever be 100% happy. that probably sounds more depressing than it is. it's not to say i'm not happy, because i am, but there always seems to be something [more] that i assume could make me happier, whatever that may be. 

remove all notions that you will be 100% happy when ______ happens

- you have kids

- you get married

- you get that promotion or 'career' job

- you buy a home

- you move somewhere new

- etc, etc, etc

my first secret to happiness is probably the biggest one i have learned in my life. it's one that i've had a hard time learning even though it might seem obvious to others, because i, like most people, really love having things to look forward to, but that's not what life is all about. if you remove the notion that some thing is going to make you happy, you'll be set free. it doesn't even have to be as major as some of things i listed, it could even be you trying to justify a purchase, ex: i'll be happier when i buy this pair of shoes' yes, you might be happy, momentarily. it will be fleeting because eventually those shoes will wear out, or get ruined, and quite frankly your happiness should not be based on material things.

back to the topic of being '100% happy'. truth be told, it's not realistic. the only constant is change. we are constantly wanting and needing to make changes because we always want more for our self  and that's a good thing. what would life be about if we eventually reached an ultimate happiness & then just had nothing to do, nothing to dream about & nothing to push us forward & keep us going. 

we need to stop basing our happiness on things that we think might make us happier if we had them. think about why you are happy right now. think about all of the amazing things that you currently have...right now, and i guarantee you you'll have a smile on your face within seconds.

get out there & be happy.