Product Review: Hunt Brothers Coffee French Press

I know I just keep saying it, but M and I love coffee. We will take it just about any way we can get it, but our favorite brewing method is the French Press. When I saw the option to get this nice French Press for free in exchange for my honest review, I jumped on it, because we love a good French Press and this one looked particularly well-constructed and attractive.

So here's what I think: I was right about the construction. This is really well-constructed and durable. I love the solid metal handle. It is modern and looks cool in our kitchen. The capacity is 8 cups or 4 mugs, which is perfect for two people who like to drink more than one cup of coffee in the morning. :) 

We made our coffee the way we usually would, and one interesting thing we noticed about this French Press is that the plunger and platform at the end of it stops about an inch and a half above the bottom of the container. That is different than French Presses I have seen before.

Like it? You can find it here on Amazon. 

Product Review: Oak Leaf Copper String Lights

I have been looking for some pretty, whimsical decor for our basement, and I found these copper lights. I got them free in exchange for my honest review, but I was looking for something like this anyway. I love them! Although they are waterproof, making them perfect for outdoor parties, camping, or music festivals, I put them in a mason jar for a pretty, relaxing light for our basement office/sitting room.

They don't look like much when they are not on...

But voila! 

Do you like them? You can find them here on Amazon.

Product Review: IVOR Coffee Dripper

My husband and I love coffee. I even wish I could drink it right before bed (but of course do not want to be up all night)!

After using the French press, and loving it, for many years, I decided to try this one-cup dripper, completely on a whim. Of course, it helped that I got this at a discount in exchange for my honest review, but I am glad I chose to get it!

I was a little skeptical at first, because it seems like the coffee would not brew long enough, but we ground up the coffee (a medium-fine grind, by the way), put it in the dripper, and poured our hot water over it. I was really surprised, this makes a delicious cup of coffee!

I was really happy with the cleanup process too. Just dump the coffee grounds in the trash or compost and rinse the dripper. That is it!

Even though I received this at a discount in exchange for my honest review, I believe it is worth the full price and would definitely buy this as a gift for friends or family.

If you're interested in checking it out, here is a link to the IVOR Coffee Dripper on Amazon.

Review: Paula's Choice 2% BHA Exfoliating Liquid

My skin has always been a concern for me. It isn't particularly bad, and I should feel lucky that I don't have terrible acne or scarring. However, I have always been pretty irritated by having large pores, blackheads, and skin that doesn't exfoliate well. I received Paula's Choice 2% BHA Exfoliating Liquid free for testing purposes*, and I really like it. My skin is smoother, my pores are less clogged, and my skin is brighter.

Exfoliating is so important to maintaining healthy, clean, smooth skin. It helps to eliminate dry, rough patches, even out skin tone, and reduce blackheads and acne. It is reported that most BHA products aren't formulated to penetrate pores (thus unclogging them), but Paula's Choice 2% BHA liquid is. 

If you're interested in purchasing some, head on over to paulaschoice.com and use the code PRBHA16 to get 20% off of your order!

* I received this product free for testing purposes from BzzAgent. All opinions are my own. 

Vintage Necklace Made Even Better!

I found this very pretty (and very high-quality) vintage necklace at a junk shop in Augusta, Georgia when I was visiting family and friends for a long weekend.

If you're in the area, Mema Had One is definitely worth checking out. My friend, her son, and I all had a really good time wandering around in this place for hours!

I think I may have paid about $5 for this pretty pink necklace, and although the length made it just a little awkward and frumpy, I thought it would be perfect shortened just a bit.

Here it is after I shortened it up just a bit: 

I think it is perfect. The day after I took this picture, I wore it to work (but didn't get a picture!). Life is so busy!

This was so simple, I am not even sure I can call it a refashion, but I am really happy with how it turned out.

Such a small change and a big difference! 

Born suede fringe booties!

Oh my gosh. I love wearing heels & booties with heels. They are my go-to for pretty much any occasion, especially if they are black suede, which goes with almost everything in my wardrobe. I love it! 

Bonus points if they're comfortable. 

I found these Born fringe suede pseudo-booties on eBay and I just adore them. I got them for a great price, and so when I got them and saw that the little leather ties were kind of rough-looking, I didn't mind. 

All I needed to do was change the leather ties, and they would be good as new! Luckily, I had some leather in my stash! 

Here is a before picture, although you cannot tell the leather ties are worn in this picture. I wore them like this twice and actually brought a foldable pair of flats in my work bag in case my shoes broke while walking around the metro stations! :) 

Fully restored!

New year, time to focus!

Happy New Year everyone! 

I was never good at sticking to resolutions, because I always felt like I was just doing it because I needed to choose something to fix for the new year. I love the idea of refocusing, regrouping, and reorganizing to accomplish something I want to accomplish in the new year, but I like to think that instead of resolving to do something, I would change my perspective a little bit and focus on what I want my future to look like and what I can do to take steps toward that future in the coming year. 

I got some inspiration from Levo's #31DaysofHustle campaign and decided to choose one word I would use to define my 2016. I chose the word "yes". This means saying yes to the things that I normally would not say yes to because I am worried about taking a risk or am feeling under-confident (such as taking a challenging work or personal project or taking those Judo classes I have been wanting to take). My goal is to remember that I am much more awesome than I think I am sometimes and I need to expand my horizons by saying "yes". I am sure I will be very glad I did. 

Do you have a word that describes your 2016? You can always head over to Levo for some inspiration!