Sephora Spring Sale

*This post contains affiliate links. When you click a link, it is no cost to you and I make a small commission (pennies) from it. Thank you for supporting Sparkles and Lattes.   

The Sephora Spring sale starts on Friday for Rouge members, next Tuesday for VIB members (me) and next Thursday for Insiders. I always use this opportunity to stock up on some of my favorites...shampoo and conditioner, some make up items and usually a dry shampoo or two. What is on your list? Do you shop the sale?

So I thought I would put together a list of items I plan on purchasing and share it in case you want/need ideas.

Kerastase Blond Absolut Shampoo  This is my go to shampoo. I use it every time I wash my hair. I sometimes add in the purple shampoo by Kerastase (mix them together). My hairstylist recommends Kerastase and I love all of their products. I have used a wide variety of the shampoos and conditioners.

Kerastase Blond Absolut Conditioner  This is the conditioner that I use every single time I wash my hair. It makes my hair silky smooth. I can use it with my extensions and it lasts me awhile.

Kerastase Blond Absolut Mask  I used to use this mask all the time, but then I purchased the purple shampoo. But I am wanting to go back to this as I use it only weekly and I mix it in with just a tad bit of the conditioner and it is the perfect combo.

Kerastase Hair Oil  I mainly started using this when I got my extensions put it because your hair extensions need extra moisture. This hair oil is amazing and lasts a long time. I use one to two pumps per night and it helps keep my hair moisturized, silky and not tangled when I sleep.

Living Proof Advanced Care Dry Shampoo  This is my go to dry shampoo. I love Living Proof, but I tend to go through it quicker than I would like. This one gets all the oil out of my hair. Even after working out. It doesn't leave a white residue on my hair, smells nice and blends in very well.

Amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo  I used this in a sample size that I got from Sephora using points a long time ago and I liked it. Since I often try different dry shampoos, I am going to give this one another try.

Laura Mercier Setting Powder  I love this setting powder. I don't think any others compare to this one. It soaks up the oil on my face when I do a touch up before going out, it sets my makeup nicely and it goes on smoothly. 

Dior Addict Lip Glow  This is something I have wanted to try out and what better time than when I get 15% off. It hydrates your lips, adds a subtle color and it's by one of my favorite luxury makeup lines.

Dior Forever Matte Foundation  This is my daily foundation. I used to wear it in 2.5N, but that is more of a Summer color for me. I changed to the 1.5N and it is perfect for right now. It is long lasting, full coverage, a matte finish (great for oily skins) and blends very well.

Bum Bum Body Cream  I love this body cream and I usually buy one at the Sephora sales, use it all up and then wait until another sale comes around. It smells amazing and I put it on my thighs. I feel like it helps reduce the look of my cellulite.

If I hadn't just bought several makeup items from Tarte's Friends and Family sale, I would have bought another eyeshadow palette and their mascara.

Easter Dresses and Outfits for Girls

*This post contains affiliate links. When you click a link, it is no cost to you and I make a small commission (pennies) from it. Thank you for supporting Sparkles and Lattes.  

Just like Valentine's Day, I love shopping for Easter dresses/outfits. They usually are in a pastel with flowers or bunnies, and are so cute. I rounded up some Easter dresses and outfits for girls. I bought the girls one of these outfits, but I definitely wanted more for Spring.

Pink Tulle Dress  |  Tie Back Dress  |  Bright Pink Dress  |  Bunny Tights  |  Bunny Dress

Tulip Dress  |  Blue Floral Dress  |  Blue Floral Tank Dress

Sequin Dress  |  Green Floral Dress  |  Pink Button Up Dress  |  Yellow Top  |  Green Skirt  |  Jumpsuit

The girls have the Blue Floral Tank Dress. They wore it all Spring and Summer. It is a linen dress, so it holds up to many washes, playing outside and stains come out easily.

I am trying to decide between the  Green Floral Dress and the Yellow Top and Green Skirt. Help me decide.

Friday Favorites and Happenings

*This post contains affiliate links. When you click a link, it is no cost to you and I make a small commission (pennies) from it. Thank you for supporting Sparkles and Lattes.

Happy Friday all! We are celebrating Rory and his birthday tomorrow night. I can't wait! Other than that, we have softball practice and soaking in all the sunshine this weekend.

Anyways, onto Friday favorites and Happenings.

ONE. So I ordered one dress for the wedding that I have in August. Yes, I realize that is far away, but when you see the dress you want on sale, you order it. It comes in today, so we shall see if it fits. 

This dress comes in like 15 colors. I chose one that was on sale. It is still on sale. 

Saks is having a 25% off Spring sale (no code needed) and then I added the code ACCOUNTSF onto it for an additional 10% (after creating an account) and it brought my dress down to: $145. That is still a lot, but if it fits and works, I think it will be beautiful. 

The wedding is in California at a venue that looks like a giant garden with a stone building. So pretty.

Norma Kamali Diana Ruched One-Shoulder Gown

TWO. Wednesday was Rory's birthday. We had a birthday dinner out to a new sushi place and it did not disappoint. We started off with a hamachi carpaccio. Rory also got a bowl of ramen. Then we both had a Mt. Rose roll (Shrimp, avocado, tuna, salmon, yellowtail, fried crab mix, unagi sauce, spicy mayo). I also got the Fire Ocean roll (Hamachi, maguro, sake, spicy tuna, korean spicy sauce, unagi sauce). Then we shared a Rainbow roll (California roll with tuna, salmon, yellowtail). Everything was amazing, so fresh and you could really taste the fish, but in a good way. We will definitely be going back.

THREE. I know many of you are not local, but this story is picking up in the news across the nation, and since it is close to home, I want to share it here. Naomi Irion, an 18 year old woman, from Fernley, Nevada, is missing. She has been missing since March 12th. She was on her way to work at Panasonic. She dropped her car off in the Walmart parking lot and was to get on the shuttle that takes her to her work. But she went missing that day. 

A man was caught on video getting into her car and driving it out of the parking lot. They found her car a few miles down the road. His truck is a 2020 or newer Dodge or Chevy truck. 

Here is the missing flyer and info. You can also find more details on the Lyon County Sheriff's Office page.

FOUR. Last weekend my nephew turned one. We had the best time celebrating him. If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen some of these photos. I also had posted many videos of him digging into his cake, which was so good. It was a vanilla cake with a strawberry filling.

FIVE. Weekly funnies.

Have a great weekend. I am linking up with A Little Bit of Everything.   

Happy Birthday Rory

Happiest Birthday to my dear husband, Rory. Today you are 44 years young, but I swear you look like you are in your 30s.

A few years back I wrote 39 things about him for his 39th birthday. And as much as I would love to try to write 44 new things about him, I am not sure I could even do that about myself (I did one of these before as well).

So I thought I would share some of my favorite things about him.

1. He loves old school hip hop. This makes my heart so happy as I love music so much. It is my cure all and when one of us plays some old school hip hop, he knows every word and it always makes me smile.

2. He will always defend Barry Bonds. Being a die hard Giants fan definitely has its perks (hello many World Series Championships), but it also means that we get a lot of grief from Dodgers fans. And definitely a lot of grief over Barry Bonds and if he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. When Rory believes in something or someone, he will defend them to the end.

3. He loves to garden.

4. He is a way better dancer than I am and he used to break dance. I love watching him dance at a wedding. He always busts out his old moves.

5. No matter how much Rory had for dinner, there is always room for dessert. My kids love this because they always want dessert. I was never a dessert person until Rory. And I didn't give into his love of desserts until I was pregnant with the girls.

6. When Rory gets passionate about something, he goes in full force. Whether it be his new-ish (the last two years) found love of bourbons or sports or his newer career (mortgage lending), he goes all in.

7. Rory hates sitting and being idle. He would rather be outside doing yardwork, or going for walks or snowboarding (which we sadly haven't done in two years). Even though I do enjoy relaxing. He just loves to go, go, go.

8. He is always in the known. He researches, reads and analyzes everything. I will bring something up to him and he will let me know that he has known about that for awhile and offer more insight into it.

9. He is an adventurous eater. He is always wanting to try new foods because you never know if you will like it if you don't try it. He recently wanted us to add more organ meat into our diet. I am a hard no on that one.

10. He strives to be the best dad in the world to our little ladies. He is always trying to set an example for them and wants the best for them. 

I could go on and on about Rory. Those who know him, know how amazing he is. The world is truly lucky you were born Rory. I love you!

Easter Baskets for Girls 5 - 8

*This post contains affiliate links. When you click a link, it is no cost to you and I make a small commission (pennies) from it. Thank you for supporting Sparkles and Lattes.   

I feel like the only shopping I do lately is groceries and things for Easter. I have been trying to be good with crazy high food and gas prices, so I have limited what I buy. I even returned one pair of those Kut from the Kloth jeans. Since both pairs were skinny jeans, I kept the ones that I posted the photo on Friday Favorites and Happenings. And I have worn them several times already.

Anyways, I have been buying some Easter basket items for a few weeks now. I thought I would share some of the items that will be going into the girls baskets, plus some toys and things they have been playing with and using the last couple months.

Unicorn Floatie  |  Magical Mermaids  |  HA Bikini  |  Eyeshadow Brushes

Sandals  |  Water Bottle  |  Candy  |  Twistable Crayons

Instax Camera  |  Sweatshirt  |  Chaptstick  |  Pet Scribble

Unicorn Floatie  My girls love going into the pool and with a Graeagle trip coming up, this would be really cute for them.

Magical Mermaids  This is such a cute idea. If your kids are really into mermaids or barbies, then this will be a winner. My girls love both.

HA Bikini  My girls have this pink two piece suit and the yellow one. The quality of Hanna Andersson is amazing. We always order a size down in bathing suits since my girls are tiny but are tall.

Eyeshadow Brushes  If you followed me at Christmas time then you saw that the girls got some mineral makeup. They came with applicators, but when you use them over and over again, you need new ones. Plus they also got an eyeshadow palette from a friend that has a lot of colors in it. This is going into the girls baskets.

Sandals  Lindsay introduced me to these sandals awhile ago and we love them. They hold up very well, are cute and my girls will wear them until they fall apart. 

Water Bottle  These water bottles are so cute. The girls just got new water bottles at Christmas time, so they didn't need new ones. But we do replace them about twice a year since they get banged up.

Twistable Crayons  My girls use these whenever we go into restaurants and love them. They are super easy to use and hold up better than the traditional crayons.

Instax Camera  I have been wanting one of these for myself and the girls. They played with one at a birthday party recently and loved it. Though they go through film quite quickly.

Sweatshirt  Tell me I am not the only one whose girls want to wear crop tops? My girls see it on TV, at school and the after school program that they attend and want shirts like this. I have one that I wear with my high rise leggings (so no skin showing) and they want to be just like me. I am not into this look at all for kids, but this sweatshirt goes to the waist of their pants, is oversized and gets them closer to the look they want.

Chaptstick  My girls each have these and I have repurchased them for other holidays. They love them. They come in different flavors and different characters. This one is a favorite of theirs. 

Pet Scribble  My girls have this. My parents got it from them and they use it all the time. It really is cute and keeps me occupied.

Other items that are great...

Candy

Gimme Hair Ties

Bath Bombs

Pool Dive Toys

Card Games

Board Games

Slippers

What are you putting in your children's Easter baskets?

Friday Favorites and Happenings

*This post contains affiliate links. When you click a link, it is no cost to you and I make a small commission (pennies) from it. Thank you for supporting Sparkles and Lattes.

Happy Friday all! What do you have planned this weekend? We don't have too much going on. BUT we do have my nephew's first birthday. Crazy to think this time last year, we were in Mexico and my sister was very pregnant, but still a few weeks away from her due date. On the morning that we flew home, my sister had my nephew. And for the last year, he has been such a delight. I can't wait to celebrate him!

Anyways, onto Friday favorites and Happenings.

ONE. Speaking of my nephew, we picked him up the cutest pair of baby cowboy boots. I got them in the largest size and I sure hope they fit him for a bit. He is learning to walk and these will be perfect for him.

Cody James Infant Cowboy Boots

TWO. Speaking of cowboy boots, the girls got a new pair as well. They have had Ariat's in the past and loved them. They have the best sole on them and then they outgrew them. So they got a different pair and they had a slick bottom which was awful for the girls. I can't tell you how many times they fell down. 

So they each got to pick out a pair and this is what they chose:

Shyanne Girls Cowboy Boots (and here)

Shyanne Girls Cowboy Boots (and here)

THREE. Since I am always on the hunt for new recipes to try out, I thought I would share one that I recently tried and loved. Another IGer shared it with me and after making it, I knew this would be in the rotation. I didn't have kale on hand, so I left it out and it was still very tasty.

Creamy Gnocchi Soup with Bacon

Now I know this doesn't photograph well, but trust me when I say to make it. Rory thought it might have too many herbs when he first saw it, but they are much needed and taste good. I made it in the instant pot which made it so easy to use the one pot. Though you take the bacon out after sautéing it.

We paired it with some crusty bread since it is loaded with veggies, starch and some protein.

FOUR. As promised, I wanted to share a photo of the girls with their St. Patrick's Day dresses that I chose for them. I got the tulle dresses from Target in the green instead of the white that I posted. How cute are they?

Shamrock Dresses

FIVE. Weekly funnies.

Have a great weekend. I am linking up with A Little Bit of Everything.   

Easter/Spring Dresses for Women

*This post contains affiliate links. When you click a link, it is no cost to you and I make a small commission (pennies) from it. Thank you for supporting Sparkles and Lattes.  

Can you believe that Easter is just over a month away? I can't. I have already started shopping for the girls Easter baskets and plan to get a post out soon of what I have already gotten them and then some things that are on my list. But first, I thought I would share some Easter/Spring dresses for us ladies and then some Easter/Spring dresses for the little girls.

I don't know about you, but I dress up each Easter. Some years it is dressier than others. Here is a picture from last year's Easter.

My dress was from Target and the girls dresses were from Old Navy.

And now for the women's dresses.

Flutter Dress | Swiss Dot Green Dress | Bow Dress | Tie Blue Dress | Blue and White Floral Dress

Blue Puff Sleeve Dress | Green Ribbed Dress | White and Green Floral Dress | Blue Corset Midi Dress

I have been wanting the bow dress for quite awhile. I am even considering it for a wedding that I have in August. But I just want it to go on sale. I haven't decided what I am wearing, but if I had to choose right now, I would go with the first or second dress in the top row or the first dress in the bottom row. They are all so beautiful and feminine.

Do you dress up for Easter? Do you have a Spring wedding that you are attending?

Friday Favorites and Happenings

*This post contains affiliate links. When you click a link, it is no cost to you and I make a small commission (pennies) from it. Thank you for supporting Sparkles and Lattes.

Happy Friday all! The girls start their Spring break tomorrow. It seems crazy to me that some do it now, some do it around Easter and then some have two weeks off (like my girls) and others a week. I would prefer a week off and to get out of school earlier, but it is what it is.

And can you believe that Easter is a little over a month away? Or St. Patrick's Day is this next week? I feel like I am buying things for school and holidays left and right.

Anyways, onto Friday favorites and Happenings.

ONE. So I mentioned a few weeks back that I bought some Kut from the Kloth boyfriend jeans and I love them. Well I went searching for more styles in them. I wanted to find a pair of skinny jeans in them and see if they were just as comfy as the boyfriend ones. So I ordered two pairs online...one from Amazon (through the Kut from the Kloth store) and the other from the Kut from the Kloth website. I got both of them on sale. 

The ones from amazon are high waisted, very stretchy, have a full button up fly and are so comfy. They do stretch out a little bit over the day, but I sized down to a 2 and they fit perfectly. I don't feel like they are too high either. They are about an inch and a half below my belly button.

Kut from the Kloth Mia Skinny Jeans

And the other pair...

TWO. I have a wedding to go to in August and I am already dress shopping. I have had my eye on the dress below. It is so pricey though. I am hoping to find it on sale between now and then. But this dress is so flattering, comes in several colors and would be perfect for an outdoorsy garden wedding that I am going to.

Norma Kamali Revolve Diana Gown

THREE. I always go on Pinterest and other people's blogs for nail inspiration. Otherwise, I go with neutrals. But sometimes it is fun to do something more bold. Not that my nails are bold this time. 

This next week is St. Patrick's Day and while I would love to do green nails, I would be over it by the next day. So I went with gold this time. And she faded the gold from the tip of my nail down. Also, I took this photo a few days ago because it got cold here again and I made dinner last night which meant a million hand washes which lead to my hands cracking. One of the worst parts of Winter.

Anyways, these nails are so cute for St. Patrick's Day and you won't hate them after the day since they are classic.

FOUR. So I usually wait to share my amazon finds til the beginning of the month, but I had to share this. Another blogger friend of mine shared it, I ordered it and used it about 10 minutes after it arrived. 

What is it? A lint trap cleaner. If you are like me, you have used paper towel rolls or the center of wrapping paper and pinched the end, attached it to your vacuum and tried to get all the lint out of the dryer. I am taking about taking the filter out and the inside of your lint trap.

She posted it on her IG and I immediately bought it. It arrived two days later and I used it last weekend. It was easy to use. I put it on my vacuum hose, pulled out my lint filter and went to town. I did have to pull the contraption out and take off the massive balls of lint at times, but mostly it just sucks it right up. But mine was bad and had a ton down there.

Since the hose is so small, it allowed me to get in all the corners and get every bit out. Now it is clean and I worry a whole lot less as they say that is the cause of many house fires. And it is on sale for $10.99. Seriously so worth it.

If you buy anything this month, buy this. All that lint build up is so dangerous.

FIVE. Weekly funnies.

Have a great weekend. I am linking up with A Little Bit of Everything.   

St. Patrick's Day Attire for the Whole Family

*This post contains affiliate links. When you click a link, it is no cost to you and I make a small commission (pennies) from it. Thank you for supporting Sparkles and Lattes. 

Can you believe that St. Patrick's Day is one week away? I can't. We don't do anything big for St. Patty's day other than wear some green or something festive. We are usually in Puerto Vallarta as it is always the girls Spring Break. So we usually have some beers sometime during the day and that is about it. 

This year we will not be in Mexico as the flights were insane. But maybe next year or later this year for Mexico.

Anyways, I wanted to grab something festive for my girls and I thought I would share my finds for the whole family. I soooo wish my husband would wear those clover golf pants!

Girls Lucky Shirt | Baby Shamrock Dress | Baby's First St. Patrick's | Toddler Shamrock Dress | Girls So Lucky Shirt

Boys Yoda Shirt | Kids Happy Go Lucky Shirt | Clover Sweatshirt | Girls Tie Dye Clover Shirt | Girls Clover Dress

Women's Love Shirt | Women's Glitter Shamrock Shirt | Women's Clover Leggings | Women's Clover Sleep Set | Men's Clover Golf Pants

I order the girls the Girls Clover Dress. I ordered it in the green version and the one I posted is the white version. They just didn't have the girls size in the white one.

As for me, Mondays are a work from home day, so I just might order those Women's Clover Leggings or the Women's Glitter Shamrock Shirt.

Are you dressing up or St. Patrick's Day?

Friday Favorites and Happenings

*This post contains affiliate links. When you click a link, it is no cost to you and I make a small commission (pennies) from it. Thank you for supporting Sparkles and Lattes.

Happy Friday all! Anyone exhausted? We have been on the go so much lately and it is catching up to me. We have a very busy weekend ahead with three birthday parties and a birthday dinner celebration. I am hoping for relaxing evenings in between.

Anyways, onto Friday favorites and Happenings.

ONE. I had my follow-up HSG yesterday. You can read about my journey here if you have no idea what I am talking about. Since it has been about a month and a half since my surgery, they wanted to do another HSG to see if the scar tissue was forming again.

I think this time hurt more than the first, and that might be because they were actually able to inject a bunch of dye. The first time, the catheter stopped 1/4 inch into my cervix and dye barely went in. This time I felt the catheter again, then the balloon being inflated and the dye being injected.

So far I was told that the left side is completely open and barely any scarring, but the right fallopian tube had blockages, but that she wanted to look at the scans more closely after the procedure was over. Then she would send the results to my doctor and we can go from there.

So I am taking that as a win so far. But if there is blockages I am wondering if I have it removed just to be sure and not experience pain later on (the pain got so bad last time) or do I let it ride and hope for the best? 

For now, we wait to hear from my doctor.

TWO. Last weekend we watched my nephew so my sister and brother-in-law could have a date night with some friends. We have had this planned for a few weeks to a month and we were so excited to see Caiden. It feels like he grew 4 inches and gained 5 pounds since we have seen him. 

He is just on the move all the time, so that meant walking him around our house over and over again. And all the cute baby squeals. It was so much fun hanging out with a babe for an evening, but we were all tired when they left. Even the girls were tired. 

And in just 16 days, he will be turning 1. I can't believe it!!!

THREE. As I mentioned last week, we got our Peloton on Friday. I have been wanting one for about two years and since Rory's company had a deal on the bike and membership, Rory finally gave in. I did my first ride on Saturday morning (which was really my 9th ride since I had an account from when I stayed in hotels that had Pelotons) and then another on Monday, Thursday and this morning. It is addicting for sure, but it makes me feel like I am so out of shape. 

It truly kicks my butt. I have done the Britney Spears ride, the Eminem ride and a few random others. So what are your favorite rides? Also, add me as a friend....my user name is daniellekira

FOUR. So I started looking at Summer dresses. Yes I am manifesting the warmer weather by shopping for warmer Summer clothes. We had two days this week that were 70 degrees and it felt like Spring time. The previous two weeks and today have been cold and wet. 

I ordered this dress since I love one that is similar that I got last year. I am hoping it fits, isn't see through and is comfy and easy to wear. And it is only $39, so that is a steal (considering I paid about $70 for my other one). It comes in a navy, red and white.

BB Dakota by Steve Madden Madison Dress

FIVE. Weekly funnies.

Have a great weekend. I am linking up with A Little Bit of Everything.