A marketing major and ultimate consumer at heart, I must confess (although it’s not much as a confession as a public declaration): I love to shop. Not much of a surprise, if you already know me.  Since I live approximately an hour away from the nearest mall, I am forced to do most of my shopping online. The past three Christmas’ I successfully completed ALL of my shopping for others online, never stepping foot in the mall to actually purchase a gift (I still love to peruse the stores and smell the new clothes when I can). The variety and online deals (free shipping, online coupon codes, etc) make online shopping much more cost-efficient and stress-free. The only downside: waiting for the order to arrive. My UPS man is always greeted with a smile and whatever fresh-baked goodness comes out of my oven that day. It’s like Christmas – even in the summertime!

Since it seems I’m always trying new things and going through phases, I wanted an outlet to share with you some of the items I love. Although it is not photography-related, I will be starting a new monthly series over here on your fave photography blog: Loving Lately. The items I share will be completely random and almost always generated on Polyvore, my new favorite thing. This site happens to be yet another social network site, so feel free to follow my creations over there! In the meantime, I hope you’ll tune in each month to see some things that help make my life here in the country a little more interesting (as if chasing a one year old with chocolate and applesauce on his face isn’t interesting enough)!

So to kick off the first Loving Lately Series, I’ll be giving away items #1-3 on this list to TWO {randomly selected} lucky winners!  To enter this giveaway, please leave a comment below about one or more of the items listed! The giveaway will close on FRIDAY JUNE 8th at 8:00pm. The winners will be announced on Saturday morning June 9th. The winners will receive all of the following:

1) $5 Gift Card to Starbucks to enjoy a mini cherry pie (or two)

2) Essie nailpolish in “Mint Candy Apple”

3) J. Crew iPhone 4 Case in Navy Anchors

 

1) Starbucks Mini Cherry Pie: I bought one for Camden’s first birthday and my 26th birthday this spring. They are delicious and a little easier on the diet than some of their other pastries. Yum!

2) Essie Nailpolish in “Mint Candy Apple.” I must admit that I’ve recently been hooked onto the Shellac Manicures, thanks to a friend’s recommendation! The past few times I’ve gone, I’ve gotten a color very similar. This color is all the rage this year… I even own a pair of mint jeans, which I adore!

3) J. Crew Navy Anchors iPhone 4 Case. I just ordered this for myself since my other case just got stepped on by some unnamed toddler! I love the navy anchors, and will gladly adorn my iPhone 4 with it as part of my homage to Annapolis, my hometown. Bobby has THIS case for his phone and gets so many comments on it!

4) GHD Classic 1-Inch Styler/Straightener. I bought this to replace my old, cheap straightener as recommended by this blog and I will never buy a cheap straightener again. I use this on my hair almost every day and it has not torn up my hair like my other cheap straightener. You get what you pay for with this one! I use it to straighten and curl my hair. It heats up in less than a minute and is super lightweight and not bulky for traveling.

5) Laura Mercier Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer. I use this daily for some sheer coverage on my face and I love it. It has a small amount of shimmer, which makes my *lovely” dark circles disappear and gives me a little glow to boot! It has a tiny bit of SPF in it, which makes me feel good about using it. Most of my cosmetics are now Laura Mercier and I love every single one. For those wondering, I don’t even use a foundation anymore – this has totally replaced it.

6) Ray Ban “New Wayfarer” Polarized Sunglasses. If you can spend the extra money, getting polarized lenses makes all the difference in the world. I spend a lot of time in the car driving and the glare is cut way down. I love the classic shape of the glasses (Jackie Kennedy wore these in the 60’s and Tom Cruise in the 80’s), which works well on men and women! They are pretty durable yet lightweight. I love it when Bobby borrows mine, he looks so handsome and “James Dean-esque” but the reality is that I wear them every time I step out the door. Seriously. Polarized lenses. It’s worth every extra penny.

7) TOMS Alessandra Ballet Flats. I just bought these for myself earlier this spring to wear when I shoot weddings. They are SO COMFORTABLE and cute! I own a pair of Classic TOMS, too, but for me, these are way cuter. In my experience, they hold up really well and again…are just really comfortable.

There you have it! I hope you enter in the giveaway to try some of my favorite things! Keep tuning in the rest of this week for some more awesome shoots, and next month for another “Loving Lately” series!