Tan Towel Testimonial

I bought my first Tan Towel product at the end of the summer in a huge clearance sale from a store a few down from where I work. It was $7 and I was impulse buying because it was on sale. I'd used it a few times here and there to test it out, but I had never really tried it with a specific purpose.

That's where New Years comes into play. I was pasty and knew I didn't really want to wear tights with my dress options, so I had limited options. After having a few scary moles removed early in the summer (TMI, but one was sent for testing, and thankfully came back benign!), I swore off tanning in a bed for the rest of my life. I used to go a lot (ever seen Carolina Cup pictures of me last year? That was probably the height of my tanning...yikes!) and I don't think I'll ever be able to go back in a tanning bed. ANYWAY, my options were limited. I had tossed my bottle of Tan Towel "On the Glow" in my bag before I left for school BY ACCIDENT. I thought it was a different moisturizer I keep on a shelf in my room, but I'm sure thankful I took it!

I applied 3 "coats" of this lotion (I don't use the actual "towels" just the lotion) over two days and shaving my legs in between use 2 and 3. It's kind of a slimy lotion--but absolutely in a good way--it goes on so evenly and dries quickly. It also doesn't have a bad odor and works fast. In the span of two days I developed a GREAT color, just enough to be a-ok for NYE!

This is totally a silly picture from NYE, but I have the middle legs and you can see a little bit of the color--and my nude pumps!

Tan Towel also makes an "On the Glow" for faces, and I have that one as well, but I've never tried it! I'm always nervous to try new facial products on because with my breakouts, I can never tell how they are going to react. I'm definitely eager to try these out once I get all that under control.

Tan Towel is a bit more expensive than normal sunless/self tanners, BUT I justify it by knowing a spray tan (which can be WAY worse if you get a bad one or botched one) or tanning membership is even more expensive. An 8oz bottle runs between $11-18 depending on where you get it, but I've gotten at least 10 uses out of my bottle. Like I said, it spreads out so a lot goes a far way!

Do you use a self tanner? Which kind do you prefer?

xxKatie

5 Steps to NYE

1. A dress: This Michael Kors number is on sale and perfect for NYE! Gold, sequins, go big or go home for New Years. Everyone else will be shiny and glittery with you, so pick a dress you love for this fun night!

2. A photobooth: Choose a dynamic backdrop, set up a camera and add in a few props to spice up the photos--your iPhone and Instagram can do all the heavy lifting! A set like this from the Confetti System is festive and fun!

3. A playlist: Pick your favorite current tunes, or find a good Pandora or Spotify playlist. Add in old school tunes like the Beach Boys through 90's with the Backstreet Boys to a little top 40! There'll be a song in there for everyone AND tons of dancing to be done!

4. A drink: Something bubbly is normally the ticket, but why not create your own signature cocktail to enjoy? It can catch on just in time to ring in 2013!

5. A crew: A true New Years is entirely incomplete if you don't have people to celebrate it with! Grab your crowd, and even if you stay in and watch the ball drop, you're still starting the new year in the best of company!

Although I won't be in SC for the big night, I'll be celebrating just as heartily with a crew from home!

xxKatie

Playlist: Bowl So Hard

So I made my own adaptation of the Jay-Z and Kanye song just for the bowl game! I'm officially on my way by the time that y'all will be reading this!

Here's my Capital One Bowl Game Playlist:

(Warning: this is a pump-up playlist after all, beware of some lyrics!!)

1. My Time by Fabolous and Jeremih

2. My Kinda Party by Jason Aldean

3. Carolina by Eric Church

4. All I Do Is Win by DJ Khaled 

5. On to the Next One by Jay-Z 

6. "Ball So Hard" by Jay-Z and Kanye West (that's not the real name...)

7. Bang Bang Pow Pow by T-Pain featuring Lil' Wayne

8. Dixie Lullaby by Pat Green

9. Love in a College Town by Luke Bryan

10. Good Morning by Chamillionaire 

11. Get Buck in Here by DJ Felli Fel

12. Rock Out With You Gamecock Out by Dinobrite Productions

13. You Be Killin' 'Em by Fabolous 

14. If You Ain't Here to Party by Luke Bryan

15. This is Why I'm Hot by Mims

I'm not 100% sure if you'll be able to hear the Gamecock song or not, but check out the rest of the playlist here on Spotify! (Shout out to whoever suggested I start posting my playlists!!! Kudos!)

xxKatie

NYE

This NYE scene from "Sex and the City" is one of my favorite New Years Eve scenes in any movie! I feel like it is a very realistic depiction of all different kinds of NYE's that everyone has and I LOVE the Celtic Auld Lang Syne being sung in the background. (A few parts of the clip are a bit more risque than others--it is SATC after all!) 

I hope everyone has a wonderful NYE! As for me, I'll be watching the ball drop and sleeping since my big plans are heading down to Orlando for the big Capital One Bowl Game on the first of January! Please everyone be safe! If you haven't heard yet about the AAA Tipsy Tow, please check here to see if it's available in your city!

I can't wait to see what 2012 has in store for me, my family, my friends, all you followers and your loved ones!!

xxKatie

Roadtrippin'

The rest of my break is pretty much scheduled and set! With the exception of 3 days until I go back to school, I will be in states other than MD! Today we leave to go see my Mom's side of the family in New York. We'll be there today and the next three days.

This picture was taken a million years ago, but this is the older half of the cousins that we'll be seeing!

I have about half of the day on the 30th, all of the 31st and then the next day, at 7am I leave for Orlando for the Capital One Bowl to cheer on the Carolina Gamecocks!

Miss Colleen and I will be some of the Gamecock fans traveling to see the Gamecocks in their last game of the 2011 season! I can't wait to see them for the last time as a junior!!

I get back around noon on the 3rd, and I will be leaving for school most likely on the 5th or 6th (can you believe we're already talking about JANUARY!?) to head back down to South Carolina! 

Then I'll be so lucky as to be reunited with THIS crew for my big day shortly after that!! I can't wait to see them again and celebrate my birthday!

When does everyone else go back to school? I'm definitely on the earlier side of things!!

xxKatie

New Year's Eve (the Movie!)

I know with Christmas in T-minus 2 days, everyone's brains are on that, but I'm referring to "New Year's Eve" the movie! I saw it as part of a work Christmas party (so that counts as Christmas-y, right?) and wanted to share--without spoiling--it with y'all!

This was  my favorite storyline of the movie! It was sweet and silly and fun to watch. Zac Efron is as cute as ever however in a few parts he looks a little over spray-tanned! Anyway, tan or not, I loved watching these two go back and forth for their plot line.

Although sometimes annoying, the Katherine Heigl/Bon Jovi (random?) was my next favorite plot line. They were the funniest pairing of people and the fact that Bon Jovi was even in the movie was funny in my opinion! 

Third favorite wasn't this pair, but just the idea of Ludacris being an actor. This rapper-now-apparently-actor had a total of maybe 20 lines in the movie. It was just surprising to see him as an actor in a movie like this! Here's to a big cast, right?

Have you seen NYE? Did you like it? For me it was a fun way to kick off the holiday season!

xxKatie