Best Things I Bought from Amazon Prime 2019

2019 saw a lot of Amazon orders for our household. We've become increasingly more reliant on the benefits of Prime for a lot of our cleaning and toiletry basics, as well as gifting and shopping as we live in a pretty small town {plus, I hate going to the Wal-mart}. A few of the things I purchased last year have been somewhat life changing so I wanted to share with you!

Key-less Entry Deadbolt--this was a Christmas gift to CJM, but was really a gift for both of us! This has eliminated the worry of "where is the key" when we leave or have someone staying at the house to watch the dogs. You can set up to six unique identifying codes, it can be programmed to lock on it's own after a few seconds for safety, and was pretty easy to install. There are fancier WiFi enabled options, but this one has worked really well for us in combination with our Ring doorbell and Blink video system.

Faux Fur Wrap--with two winter weddings, I wanted to find a fashionable and warm wrap. This one is beautiful, inexpensive, and warm! I'll be wearing it again this weekend actually!

Packing Cubes--my sister in law informed me I was traveling all wrong, and boy was she right. If you don't want to check a bag, packing cubes are a must. Even if you're not flying, this has helped all my items stay much more organized, and I can actually pack more things in every bag. A win win in my book!

Revlon One Step--I actually bought this for myself in 2018, but loved it enough to gift in 2019! This is a blow dry brush that doesn't rotate, is really large so it provides a shiny, sleek look to any length of hair. I always get compliments on the volume of my 'do when I use.

Jewelry Organizer--another way to step up the traveling game. This pretty blush organizer has tons of pockets, holes for earrings to go through, and folds up to keep everything together. No more tangled necklaces here!

Micro-needle Acne Patches--I have hormonal cystic acne, and I'm allergic to benzyl peroxide. I can only use salicylic acid products, but topical treatments really don't work on cysts. These micro-needle patches gently infuse the medication into the cyst, greatly reducing the inflammation/pain/and time you spend dealing with those suckers. My little brother has also had great success with these!

Make Up Rags--Who else has ruined white rags with mascara stains? There's a lot of different make up removing cloths out there these days, but I just wanted a regular one for after washing my make up off with my preferred soaps. I found these cute black ones pre-embroidered and they've been a great addition to my bathrooms.

Amazon Essentials Sweaters--I LOVE these sweaters. They're not too thick, very stretchy, and come in a million colors. I love the for work and weekends, and the price/quality can't be beat. Perfect with black slacks for a solid "office uniform." Go get 'em!

Brightening serum--I have been struggling with some dark marks {thanks, cystic acne} this year that I didn't have in the past. I looked into some more expensive skin care lines {R+F in particular} but can't use the whole line due to allergies and sensitivities. So I tried to find a similar product with the same ingredients and stumbled upon this one with tons of great reviews. This is an intense formula--it WILL dry your skin out. But it will also actually work. I had a few spots that looked like freckles under my make up and they're totally gone or on their way out. This is basically an at home chemical peel so be sure to use good SPF and read the instructions! If you have any questions, let me know.

Cooler--"Knock off Yeti" is what we'll call this one. When our fridge died at the end of the year, this Christmas gift was a life saver. Keeps your ice, doesn't leak, isn't heavy. Need I say more? I bought a cool Georgia Southern sticker to cover the China logo.

Microfiber sheets--a million great Amazon reviews, and I need to add my own. So soft, the right 'temperature' and we both love them. No need to spend hundreds of dollars to get great sheets. Will be ordering more!

The Best Skin Care Product I've Ever Used

Facebook stresses me out. Elections stress me out. Football games stress me out.

Either way you slice it, there is a lot of stress happening in my various news feeds this week. It's homecoming here at Georgia Southern tonight, and we need to win two of our last three games to make it to a bowl game. Needless to say, this year's performance has not been as stellar in recent history.

Besides the current stressors, I live in a perpetual state of stress, unlike my sweet, typically carefree husband. When I turned 22, I began to worry about wrinkles. Now that I'm 25, I think about my skin more now than ever. I'm pretty blessed in the genetics department...both of my grandmothers look no where near their age, we tend to keep our dark hair for decades {so far, I've never colored mine!}, and I have one hot mama. But that doesn't mean that I don't want to do all I can to preserve my youth.

Let me introduce to you the best skin care product I've ever used: Anew Ultimate Supreme Advanced Performance Creme. The ultimate in luxury performance skincare that indulges your skin with a supreme experience and rewards it with immediate and long term results on most visible signs of aging, even on the most advanced ones, including deep wrinkles, creases, expression lines and skin firmness.

Avon has been developing this product for over 10 years. And who doesn't want to use a product that has actual gold and pearl extract?! This creme literally shimmers and makes my skin glow. Additionally, this is skin care that I can afford. This brand new product is currently on sale for $35, and will only be $50 when it's full priced. As amazing as other products sound, I cannot commit to a $200+ skin care routine, especially when I see visible, lightning fast results through Avon.

 Besides being much more affordable and smelling amazing, this product has smoothed and moisturized my skin, while reducing overall acne and fading scars. It really is a one stop shop! Check out this video about how to really maximize your nighttime routine results using the Vitamin C serum and the retinol Line Eraser.

Interested? Shop with me and order your own regimine from my Avon representative store: https://piperellice.avonrepresentative.com/ . Some of my favorite products in addition to the Ultimate Supreme Creme, Vitamin C serum, and Line Eraser are the 18 hour long lasting foundation, makeup primer, and mineral powder!  

5 Favorite Beauty Products

I get a lot of questions about my head. Specifically my skin, hair, and makeup! So I wanted to share a few of my favorites in the various departments, with this post focusing on just a few of my longtime favorite beauty products. Some of these I've been using religiously for years, and some are newer things that I wonder how I ever lived without. Let me know what's on your tried and true list, too!

I've never been a big hair product user, other than hairspray. I'll try things, but not commit because they don't seem to work with the various straight/curled/blown/etc. hairstyles that I might rotate through. I started using this texturizing spray a few weeks ago when I cut my hair. It smells great, but also gives my thick but fine hair some texture that works with however I want to style it. I love how much body it gives to my waves especially! 

I spray it on my hair when damp, and then blow or air dry. If I curl my hair with my curling iron, I'll spray a little more on my roots to give my hair some life, and a little on the curls before softening the curls with my hands for a looser look.

I've always struggled with cystic acne. It's the worst. It's painful, under the skin, and produces huge bumps. Because it's subcutaneous, the only thing that will really help control the cysts is oral medication, which I've been taking for years. I have found that this Maria Badescu drying lotion formula helps zap regular pimples overnight, and is the only topical thing I've tried that keeps the cysts minimal and speeds up the healing process. Also, as someone who is allergic to a lot of acne products due to the benzoyl peroxide, this is a favorite since it doesn't include that ingredient!

I realized too, that in high school I was totally drying my skin out thinking the oil was causing the break out. While the drying lotion is wonderful in small doses, overall I've begun to super moisturize my face and have seen wonderful results. I love Burt's Bees Intense Hydration cream cleanser {with natural probiotics to help kill bacteria on your face!}, followed by an apricot scrub, and then a moisturizer for the right balance for my face.

At night is when I apply any wrinkle creams or additional products. I usually feel like they're too greasy to apply in the morning before putting on my make up. After showering and washing my face, I've started apply two different Avon products. One is the Anew Clinical Line Eraser with Retinol. Amazing stuff. I'm actually out of it at the moment, but am ordering again. This is by far the best early-stage wrinkle product I've tried. After putting it on the very first night, I noticed that the fine lines around my mouth were totally gone. It was amazing. My mom has had great experience with it too, and as far as wrinkle creams go, this is one of the most affordable options!

With the line eraser, I like to use this Vitamin C serum. It has helped smooth and brighten my skin like nothing else! It feels so rich, and a little goes a very long way. This serum also helps protect your skin from sun damage and pollutants in the air! You can purchase both directly through me {and ship straight to your door!} by clicking the links above or by shopping at https://piperellice.avonrepresentative.com/

This Tresseme hair spray is my absolute favorite. The level four is the best one for my hair: holds things in place without being crunchy or totally frozen. It smells good, is inexpensive, and works in high humidity which is a must for me in South Georgia! 

Queen Helene products were a surprising find for me back in high school. My grandmother introduced me to the cocoa butter lotion that moisturizes my skin but absorbs extremely quickly. I used to not like wearing lotion in the summer because it felt so hot and sticky, but I love how this formula doesn't feel that way. Plus the scent is pleasant but doesn't distract from my perfume.

I enjoy doing a face mask about once a week. It keeps my pores tightened and my skin clear. It's also a little relaxing time that I enjoy! This mint julep masque is bright green, which was hilarious the first time the husband saw it on me! But my favorite part is how minty and tingly it feels on my skin. Sometimes I'll do this masque followed by the skin tightening mud masque a few days later. This is a great drugstore line overall!
 

Have you used any of these products?

Marrying McAfee | Getting Ready

My mom made me a clover crown, just like
she used to when I played outside when I was little

{Read about the pre-wedding events here}

 After the rehearsal dinner, the girls and I all came back to my house for one last sleepover before the wedding. They surprised me with a box full of sweet notes and letters to read right before bed, which was the sweetest thing ever. My bridesmaids didn't miss a single detail the entire time, and I am so grateful for such precious memories. 

On Saturday morning, we got up early and headed to the wedding venue, Quinney Oaks Plantation in Millen, GA. Hair started at 9 a.m. as there were a lot of heads to do! We spent the morning relaxing, setting up some of the decorations, and listening to music. For lunch, some of the moms brought us Dairy Queen box lunches which was delicious and very needed after a week of not eating much due to nerves! Plus, who doesn't want a hot fudge sundae before they get married?! 

After lunch, I started my make up and my MOH's pageant pro sister came to do everyone else's make up for them. Once we had all hair and make up done, the bridesmaids put on their gowns and were ushered out of the room while my mom and my maid and matron of honor helped me dress. I was thankful for those moments with my mom and Kirstie and Niki, two of my longest friends. It was a great quiet time to reconnect briefly before things really kicked into high gear. 

We did a special little "first look" with my ladies in our dressing room and I love looking at pictures of their priceless reactions! My mom then prayed over me and my marriage which really turned on the waterworks for everyone. I'm so blessed to have such a godly example of a woman from my mother, and love these pictures that Ari Merritt Photography captured of that moment! 

Hair by Jordan Reddick at 30 Volume Salon in Statesboro 

Trying to cool off with my gin bottle!

My amazing Matron & Maid of Honor

Prom 2k16

I love prom season. Even before I was able to go, I remember buying the special prom dress magazines and picking out my favorite ones. I now have the pleasure of driving by two dress shops on my way to work every morning, and I imagine which ones I'd pick for prom now as they sparkle in the windows.

On Saturday, I went to Georgia Southern's Sweetheart Circle to take pictures of my best friend's little sister, who is now a lot like my own little sister, too! Her date was a little late, as he had to win a baseball game early Saturday afternoon, so it gave us an opportunity to get some great shots of her amazing dress/romper. He joined her in Savannah for dinner a little later in the evening, and they looked great together!

Prom dresses are so very different from when I was in high school. A lot more bling, and more 'pieces' than my solid dresses. I love seeing what everyone picks out to show off their personality!

My sweet Statesboro family

Isn't she a beauty?

Bathing Beauty

Between bachelorette planning, and plotting the best honeymoon cruise there ever was, I've bought a ton of new bathing suits. I may have even gone a little overboard...get it? 

I just couldn't help myself! Target has a ton of new cuties this year, and many that I can mix and match. I also love a good one piece, and I've scooped up two--one from Target, and a Trina Turk from last summer that was an eBay NWT steal! 

At the end of last summer, I picked up a beautiful floral caftan cover-up from Talbots. I really loved it because it was much more dress than cover-up, and was wonderful to wear into beach side restaurants. They don't have anything similar this season, but Target does! 

Top Left | Top Right 
Bottom Left | Bottom Right 

Hot Pink Ruffle

Trina Turk, similar

I've been a long time lover of the one piece, especially ones that have a little extra oomph! Both of these have somewhat of a plunging neckline, but they do keep you securely protected which is important.

I really loved the hot pink ruffle bikini top, and multi color Triangl inspired suit. And I totally think the cheetah print top will work with some hot pink bottoms, even if Christopher finds that combination a little questionable! What do you think?

Check back in this week for a bachelorette weekend recap!

My Go-To Bronzer

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Multiple times over the last two weeks, I've had friends asking for bronzer recommendations. With spring approaching, everyone is trying to get a little faux-glow on! In the summer, I like to use e.l.f. blush and bronzer combos that have a hint of shimmer which is fun. But for everyday, I have recently fallen in love with this NYX contour palette.

With eight shades of bronzers and highlighters {and only one with shimmer!} this is a great palette for every day use. The darker shades are easily build-able, but a little goes a long way. I purchased this set in December, and can hardly tell I've used any product at all! 

I like to use the darker shades to carve out sharper cheekbones, along the sides of my nose to help visually straighten it, and along my hair and jaw lines to warm up my face. The yellowish shade I use underneath my eyes after applying concealer to help it set and smooth out dark circles, and the lighter shades I use on my T-zone. A touch of shimmer on the eyes, cheek bones, and tip of the nose, and you're done!  

Being a Bride: Michelle

Photos by Beacon Photo

Bride Name: Michelle Andrea Hamilton
Groom Name: Amari Alexander Adams
Wedding Date: November 14, 2015
Total number in wedding party: 6 bridesmaids, 8 groomsmen, 2 flower girls, 1 ring bearer = 19 (including B&G)
Total guests: 425
Venue: Ceremony St John Baptist Church; Savannah, GA Reception Hyatt Harborside Center; Savannah, GA

How you met, and the proposal: We met years ago when we were kids...our dads have been good friends for a while! Ran into each other in 2011 one weekend in City Market and exchanged numbers. Communication was slow, with only a couple of text messages maybe once a month...but finally, we went on our first date in 2012 and we've been together ever since!

The proposal was Labor day 2014. We are known for having the biggest, best cookouts for holidays...this one was even bigger and I was a little confused as to why sooooo many people were there. While my friends kept me distracted inside of the house, Amari put on a tux and drove around the block in his vintage 1963 Buick Wildcat while a red carpet was being rolled out on the driveway. I walked outside and saw the red carpet with Amari pulling up at the opposite end! He asked and I said YES, of course!

What was the best bridal shower and/or pre-wedding event you attended, and why? Our engagement party was so much fun! We had it on Halloween in 2014. We didn't want to do anything big, since the proposal was huge and we were expecting to have a huge wedding guest list, so we invited only our friends that we wanted in our wedding party. We had an Addams Family themed party and asked our friends to dress up in coordinating costumes. I was Morticia Addams and he was Gomez Addams...and get this....Amari is a licensed mortician...PERFECT! We had decorations everywhere and halloween themed refreshments!

Hands down, I had the best bachelorette party. A four day cruise from Miami to Key West, to Cozumel, Mexico; and back. Every night, my girls coordinated their clothes with one of the wedding colors and I wore the opposite...they wore red, I wore white...they wore black, I was in gold..etc. We played games, did a bar crawl, snorkeled, electric biked. It was so much fun! All I had to do was pack my bags and they handled the rest; best group of friends ever.

Photos by Beacon Photo

What was the best wedding gift you received? We received many gifts and are thankful for all of them; we are so loved! The best one, since I have to pick one, is an ornament we got for out first Christmas tree. It had dried flowers from our reception in it. So simple, but sentimental, and I can't wait to put it on our Christmas tree again next year.

Photos by Beacon Photo

What inspired your wedding day (theme/look/feel): We knew that our wedding would be in the fall during the evening, so we wanted to keep it simple and timeless. I didn't want to choose a color that was trendy currently and then look at pictures 20 years from now and question myself so we went with white, black, red, and gold accents. I love the look of satin for an evening affair, and after I found out that I could pull off a satin gown, I was all-in for a dreamy, elegant, evening feel for the wedding!

Photos by Beacon Photo

What is something you couldn’t live without for your wedding day (ex.: a certain band, a specific cake, etc.): Couldn't have DARED lived without our cakes! Beautiful, even lines. no lumps, and DELICIOUS! Tammy Acosta at Low Country Confections is awesome. I can't say enough about her to do her work justice. One of my bridesmaids hassled the hotel staff the next day about the little bit of cake that was left after the reception...that's how good it was! They located it and, needless to say, it was devoured at our farewell gathering the next day. 

If you have any wedding décor DIY tips/tutorials, or money saving suggestions, please share: I purchased a lot of things for the wedding on Etsy and Amazon. I made the table numbers: the frames came from the Dollar Store and I spray painted them gold and printed out the table numbers at home. I also saved a whole lot with our Save-The-Date Magnets by ordering from a printing service called UPrinting.com.

Photos by Beacon Photo

What was something your bridesmaids or family members did for you that made your day or pre-planning experience special? They made the experience special because of the support they showed me throughout the whole process. I had two other bridesmaids get married before me in the same year...I was in their weddings as well! It made the process easier because I had two very close friends to plan with.

At the beginning of 2015, my mom was diagnosed with cancer. I didn't share this with anyone until a couple months after we found out. Our wedding party was great with keeping us stress free while we dealt with my Mom's diagnosis. I literally have the best friends ever...I cannot thank them enough!

Photos by Beacon Photo

Connect with the Bride
Instagram: @suki_michelle
Facebook: Michelle Adams​

Essie Giveaway

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Have you entered the Essie giveaway? They're giving one lucky lady a chance to win 100 of their most popular shades! Who doesn't need 100 different colors of top quality nail polish? Head over to Essie now to enter, one time per day while the contest lasts.

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