Beautify on a Budget

Spring is here and we all know what that means-strappy sandals, sleeveless tops and enjoying a little time in the sun. Unfortunately though the things that we love most about warmer weather are also the things that can wreck havoc on our hair and skin, not to mention the fashion

faux pas that can appear when wearing skimpier clothing. Not to worry! I have assembled some of my favorite products that will have you warm weather ready. Better yet they are all under $20!

1. Hollywood Fashion Tape. Keep those strapless dresses in place all day long with this tape. I am never without a box of this in my purse.
2. Redken Blonde Glam Pure Pearl. Get a few extra weeks out of your highlights with this great Redken product.
3. Band-Aid Active Friction Block Stick-I have written about this product before, but am adding it in for those of you who may not have seen this miraculous stick. Blisters will be a thing of the past!
4. Burt's Bees Coconut Foot Creme-I love Burt's Bees products not only because they have such cute packaging, but also because they work great at an affordable price. This is one of my favorites of their products. Put this on at night, throw on a pair of socks and you will be ready for your summer sandals by the morning.
5. Mario Badescu Enzyme Cleansing Gel-Wearing sun screen and being out in the humidity can wreck havoc on our skin making it even more important that we have a good skin care routine this time of the wear. Mario Badescu offers a great line of products that can help you out with any skin care issue. The Enzyme Cleansing Gel is a great staple and can be used for all skin types.
6. Burt's Bees Radiance Body Lotion-Cover up any slight imperfections with this shimmering lotion.
7. Olay Active Hydrating Beauty Fluid-I have been using this product since I was 17. Since I still get carded at the casino I will continue to believe that this is my fountain of youth.
8. L' Oreal Vive Pro Color Hi-Gloss Conditioner-For under $5 I have yet to find a conditioner that makes my over worked hair softer. In fact I even like it better than conditioners that I have paid triple the amount for.
9. Bath and Body Works Creamy Coconut Body Lotion-This scent instantly reminds me of the beach.

Are any of your favorite budget beauty finds missing from this list? Please do share for the rest of us!

Have You Seen This Etsy Shop?

Allow me to introduce you to Jolinne. She is not the owner of our Etsy shop this week, but she is the spark that began the creative shop we are going to meet this week. Jolinne is a beautiful shy girl who loves to play make believe. She welcomes you into her imaginary world through the art of Jolinne on Etsy, handmade art to fall in love with. The character of Jolinne was created by our shop owner this week, graphic designer Meytal. Jolinne adorns beautiful art, bookmarks, cards, magnets, mirrors and more. Let's fall into the world of Jolinne:

I'm a Princess (Purple) - Art Print

Here she is now! Jolinne wearing a vibrant purple gown and beaded necklace. Printed on archival matte paper using UltraChrome pigment ink, the image size is 7"X9".

Pocket Mirror - Jolinne

Jolinne is letting her hair down to star on this cute pocket mirror! It is 2.25", the perfect size to keep in your purse or office drawer.

Set of 8 Mini Art Prints - Girls room decor - Jolinne illustrations

Can't decide which Jolinne print is your favorite? Now you don't have to! With the set of 8 mini prints you can combine all of your favorites into a collage. Each print measures 4.5X5.25" with a small white border. If you would like a different combination of mini prints just check out the listing for details on how to purchase your choice of 8 minis.

So what have we learned about Meytal's creation Jolinne? She enjoys pretending to be a fairy, a ballerina, and wearing beautiful dresses. Jolinne also thinks that reading is cool, which leads us to our giveaway this week:

This week our winner will receive this beautiful bookmark!

How to enter:

1. Check out Jolinne on Etsy. Come back here and tell us about your favorite item in the shop.

2. Be or become a follower of this blog.

Entries will be accepted until midnight Saturday. Come back Sunday to see if you are the winner! Good luck to all!

Meytal would also like to extend an offer to the readers of Joy De Vivre. Today and tomorrow, that is the 27Th and 28Th, receive one print free of charge when you purchase a print of higher value. Just mention that you saw this promo in the notes to seller during checkout and give Meytal the details on the free print you would like to receive.

For more on Jolinne check out Meytal's mailing list at:

http://www.jolinne.com/mailing-list.html

& facebook fan page at:
www.facebook.com/pages/Jolinne/160671257466

Happy Monday

It's that time again! Time for the countdown to Friday to begin once again!

I only wish I could sleep in to 7 AM on Monday mornings!

Where will you be spending this lovely day?


image courtesy of flickr

Sending Out Good Vibes

Before Bret Michaels was looking for love on VH1 he was in one of my favorite bands when I was growing up, Poison. By watching him, C.C., Bobby and Rikki I learned to apply makeup. While I have since learned to tone down the eyeliner, I still think fondly of the guys who started my love of concerts at the tender age of 12.

Bret Michaels has been having some health problems lately and apparently he is in critical condition. I just wanted to send good thoughts out into the world for him. I hope he has a speedy recovery and keeps rockin' on!

Weekend Recap

My weekend was a little shorter than usual. Friday is normally my day off, but this week was not the norm so I went in for part of the day. Not to fret though as I managed to get off early enough to begin my weekend with a little retail therapy!

I didn't do too much damage though. Thankfully I waited and was able to score the Above-The-Fray skirt from Anthropologie, pictured above, for 50% off. I already owned the shirt pictured with it so I will definitely be recreating this look for the summer.

The Cynthia Vincent Gladiator Wedge for Target is now in my closet as well. After searching far and wide, or otherwise four Target stores several times throughout the week, I finally found them. Target sure is not making these designer pieces easy to find, but these are really cute so they were worth the effort.

Saturday Gabe and I went to a crawfish festival with our friends. I don't believe in eating food that I can find in a ditch or a mud puddle so I did not partake in the eating of said crawfish, but we still had a great time! As long as I can get my funnel cake I am a happy camper! They also had the normal healthy fair eats such as fried Twinkies, fried snickers, corn dogs and anything else they could put at the end of a stick and throw in the deep fryer! :)

This is my friend and faithful Tilt-a-Whirl partner Christine.

I didn't get too many photos. I have got to start remembering to come prepared. The iPhone, while one of my most favorite inventions ever, does not take great photos as night!

Today after going out to eat with my parents I decided to just stay home the rest of the day. There is nothing better than a lazy Sunday. Apparently Barkley feels the same:

What did you all do this weekend? Fill me in!

And Our Winner Is...

Congratulations jc! You are the winner of the Twitter Love Bird earrings from Flaunt!

Thank you so much to Lin from Flaunt for being a part of the feature this week!

Thank you also to everyone who is kind enough to check out the feature every week! And to all of the new followers, I hope you also enjoy Joy De Vivre and stick around for the fun!

With Mother's Day right around the corner don't forget to check out Flaunt!

If You Have Yet to See This...

This guy has been making the rounds on You Tube and I even saw him on Anderson Cooper last night. So if you are his parents are you happy that at least he is only being shown on CNN for being totally drunk? It could be worse right?!

It is a good thing his shoes didn't have laces! He would have really been in trouble!

And Then There Was One...

Season 7 of Project Runway has now commenced and I couldn't be happier with the winner! Seth Aaron was chosen as the final designer last night in the season finale.

Seth Aaron was one of my favorites early on. I loved his craftsmanship and the fact that he always stayed true to his style. He also appealed to my inner rocker side! Here are a few of his designs:

Did you watch Project Runway this season? Are you happy with the winner?

Happy Earth Day

To celebrate Earth Day let's take a moment to celebrate all of the beauty our great planet possesses:

Now let's take a moment to see how we can play a role in making sure Earth stays so grand. Check out the EPA's website for ideas on how you can make a difference!

photos courtesy of flickr

Have You Seen This Etsy Shop?

By definition the word flaunt means to display proudly. When you see the items in our Etsy shop, Flaunt Designs Jewelry, this week you will want to do just that! Finding inspiration from nature, art or anything that catches her eye, Lin handcrafts each piece from quality materials.

Earth sky earrings 14K gold fill smoky quartz and blue gemstone clusters

Flaunt these beautiful stud earrings. Sterling silver posts, flower swings, a sparkly briolette and blue quartz drops add up to a lovely addition for your jewelry collection.

Sari necklace 14K gold fill and blue green chalcedony gemstones

Lin's nature inspiration is clearly displayed in this delicate piece. By combining 14K gold fill chain and wire wrapped blue & green gemstones this creation is so very pretty!

Starfish charm necklace silver with Peruvian blue chalcedony

Summer is right around the corner and what a perfect accessory this would be! Sterling silver necklace, Peruvian chalcedony gemstone charm and starfish will remind you of the beach even if you are miles away!

I know you all have loved seeing all of the beautiful items in store at Flaunt. I also know that you love seeing the weekly giveaway item:

This week Flaunt has offered two choices for the giveaway! The winner chooses either the Twitter Love Bird Earrings in silver or brass!

How to enter:

1. Check out Flaunt, come back here and make a comment on your favorite item.

2. Be or become a follower of this blog.

Enter by Saturday midnight and the winner will be announced on Sunday!

Good luck to all!

Happy Monday

As the sun begins to rise, happy Monday from my home to yours!

What does your city have in store for you this week?

photo courtesy of flickr

Weekend Recap

I have been trying to lay low this weekend after finding out Friday that I have bronchitis. Despite that, I wasn't going to miss the annual Stroll for Epilepsy benefiting the Epilepsy Foundation of Texas. The company that I work for manufactures a medical device for patients with epilepsy so it is a yearly event that is near and dear to us. For the past two years it has been held at the Houston Zoo which is a great place for an early morning stroll.

A few of the pictures are a bit fuzzy. I had forgotten my camera and only had my trusty iPhone to document the day. I still enjoy this sea turtle photo. He or she, who really knows, was such a cutie and would follow your hand if you moved it along the aquarium.

I have always wanted a salt water aquarium as the fish are so much more vibrant than in fresh water ones. After researching how much work they are, though, I will just check out the ones that someone else is tending to!

The jaguar exhibit is the newest at the zoo. They used to be in such a sad little place, but no more. Now they are in an enclosure that is fitting for such beautiful animals.


The giraffes were just waking up to their breakfast.


This lion looks so calm now. Not so a few minutes after this photo was taken when one of my coworkers started beating on the glass. She raised up and started roaring at him. If she could get through that Plexiglass she would have shown him who was the queen of the jungle!


It was a great day and our company alone raised almost $60,000. That money will go to great things such as sending children with epilepsy to camps and retreats set up just for them. The Epilepsy Foundation also has community education programs and medical assistance. If you would like to learn more about this organization check them out here.

And Our Winner Is...

Maggie May 0403 you are the weekly winner this week!

Thank you so much to everyone who checked out "Have You Seen This Etsy Shop?" this week.

Thanks to Modern Shades of Grey for participating in the feature! Best of luck to you with your Etsy shop in the future.

Sunshine Award

Pamela, over at Ginger Girl, has bestowed upon my blog the Sunshine Award. Thank you so much Pamela! For those of you have not found her blog she has great outfit posts, fashion finds and lots of other fun randoms. Definitely check it out!

Even if this award is sunny and all there are of course rules. Let's go through those first:

1. Put the logo on your blog within a post.

2. Pass the award on to 12 bloggers.

3. Link to the nominees within your post.

4. Let them know they received this award by commenting on their blog.

5. Share the love and link to the person from whom you received this award.

I am passing the Sunshine Award to:

1. A Word From Plantress

2. Lamb Around

3. Intense Guy

4. Dry As Toast

5. The Blonde Diaries

6. Kandee the Make-up Artist

7. Peppermint Sage Designs

8. Proficiscamur!

9. Olive + Mint

10. Everyday Sassypants

11. The Blooming Wildflowers Project

12. Get It Girl Style

Happy Birthday to the Smallest Member of My Family

Happy Birthday Coalie! It seems like just yesterday you were the size of a hamster!

Have You Seen This Etsy Shop?

Why throw something away when it can be turned into a stylish new item? You shouldn't if you can repurpose things to create unique items and create an Etsy shop to display them all! Modern Shades of Grey, our shop this week, will show you how to upcycle and recycle vintage goods into accessories.

Not only does Modern Shades of Grey offer handmade necklaces, bracelets, scarves and more, they have a vintage section as well! All of those too good to be true finds that they run across on their thrifting adventures go straight to the vintage section of their shop.

Multi-tie Repurposed Bangle

Using recycled/upcycled tshirts and repurposed cardboard the Multi-Tie Repurposed Bracelet is certain to be an attention getter!

Dreaming of the Ocean Upcycled Necklace

With all of these sea inspired colors you will certainly be dreaming of the ocean! Also made from upcycled materials this necklace is made to be worn many different ways.

Vintage Vera Neumann Geometric Scarf

If you find a Vera Neumann scarf you will be getting a vintage scarf with a beautiful print. This is a perfect print to wear year round. I must confess that if one of my bloggy friends does not purchase this one I may just decide I need it in my closet! ;)

What does Modern Shades of Grey have for you all this week?

Just in time for spring, the rosette bracelet will be a perfect accessory to our lucky winner this week!

Enter by:

1. Check out Modern Shades of Grey. Come back here and leave a comment on your favorite item.

2. Be of become a follower of this blog.

Also Modern Shades of Grey is extending another offer to Joy De Vivre readers. For any purchase made during the month of April you will receive a 10% discount by messaging the shop and letting them know you saw this feature.

Read Between the Lines

With warm weather fast approaching there is nothing that gets me in a sunny mood quicker than nautical inspired clothing. Whether you will be out on the open water, hanging on the beach or land-locked, you can still celebrate the sea with these finds:

Ruffle Trim Jersey Dress

Dockline Belt

Proud Merry Pendant

Glitzy Starfish Earrings

Stripe and Ruffle Cardigan

Stayton Dress

What are your must haves for the season?

Happy Monday

Here's to a great week that doesn't leave your head spinning!

What is going on in your little corner of the world this week?

photo courtesy of flickr