Coming Up Roses

Amidst some good news the other week (thank you so much for your kind comments), we also got some bad news - the gazebo where we were going to get married collapsed due to the heavy snow and ice that had been perched atop it for months.  Yes, panic struck in, even though our wedding is going to be very small, I was just about to press 'order' on our invitations.  We were planning on getting married outside the city, where my fiancé is from and then having our wedding reception in Brooklyn.  Sure we could move it inside somewhere, but the only thing that I always dreamed of for my wedding was to have it outside, in the spring, surrounded by blooming trees and fragrant flowers.  We had to develop a plan B, but nothing like waiting until the last minute - our wedding is in mid-May.  Even if we had another idea it would probably be booked, however, my genius man knows me better than anyone else and suggested the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, a favorite sanctuary of mine but the likelihood that they would have a slot open was pretty slim.  Well, good news, our wedding date was the only Saturday they had left in the month! I am so happy that we will be marrying in the enchanting Rose Garden, a wonderful section of the gardens filled with such an abundance of flowers and a dreamy English gazebo, honestly I couldn't ask for more.  One of the things that I love equally to flowers are manicured gardens.  I am so excited and blessed that everything has worked out.  In order to celebrate here are just a few of the beautiful gardens that I have on my Pinterest page that have me not only dreaming of spring but our wedding.   Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

{On Life} Honoring Your Body

I have been going back and forth if I was even going to post this, but I feel like if I can spread awareness about prominent women's health issues through this platform than I will do so.  I never like to get too personal here, it can make you feel more raw and exposed.

This year was supposed to be an exciting one for me partially because I am getting married to the love of my life, but honestly my new year got off to a rocky start, health wise. I have been very lucky thus far to never have any health issues which I credit to eating right (lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and little meat) and a healthy dose of exercise.  However, when I went to my routine checkup at my doctor two things revealed themselves - she discovered a lump on my left breast and secondly I was one stage below cervical cancer. Hearing one of those things was bad but two issues at the same time, I was a nervous wreck because at 31 these are two things you do not want to hear, or rather these are things you never want to hear at any age.  I will be the first to admit that I can dramatize things when it comes to any sort of illness but for me, this was something that was worse than any other sinus or flu symptoms.  These were two things that can be fatal if not caught early through early detection.  Regarding the lump, I wasn't doing routine self-exams, I didn't think that I needed to (my grandmother had breast cancer but it was later on in life) so if I hadn't gone to my doctor routinely I never would have found it.  Also, in regards to the cervical cancer I was routinely going for six month checkups but somehow my symptoms went from mild to high in the span of a few months which called for immediate action.  I had to go into the office for two procedures and my nerves were at an all time high. I held it together for a few weeks and then one day I just burst.  Did I really have to begin fighting for my health? I ended up having an anxiety attack at work, in the middle of a presentation, it was mortifying.  Thankfully after a sonogram and biopsy, they found the lump to be benign, but it will be something that I have to monitor every six months.  And the other issue was cleared through an in-office procedure.  Why do I tell you this? Because it is incredibly important to honor your body and treat it as an irreplaceable vessel.  Go to the doctor, get your routine check-ups because in case something is wrong they can catch it early.  Life is too precious not too.

Image source FGR

Best of Beauty Milan Fall 2014

If there is one key translatable trend from Milan it is the impossibly pretty makeup looks that dominated the majority of the shows. As mentioned in my New York recap, so long is the 'no makeup, makeup look' and it is a warm hello to rosy cheeks, kohl-rimmed eyes, lashes out to there and a velvety smooth complexion.  The focus was on the upper part of the face, where boldly groomed brows provided face-framing impact while extra long lashes, either real or fake, created a soft doe-like effect.  What are your favorite looks from Milan?