EST. May 16, 2011

One year ago today, the Law Office of Matthew T. Marcellino opened it’s doors for business.

There have been many moments that I have stood by Matt as an extremely proud wife, but this one takes the cake! So a few weeks ago I started working on a surprise anniversary gift {which is really hard to do when you share a credit card}. Using one of the pictures from his website photo shoot, I decided to write out all of his accomplishments {that I was aware of} in his first year of business to frame. By the end of the list, I had tears streaming down my face. Not only was I extremely proud of Matt, I realized how blessed we've been this past year. 
 
A few nights ago, Matt and I celebrated early with a delicious dinner at our favorite restaurant, Zada Janes. Halfway through our meal, the perfect moment arrived for me to pull out the small wrapped gift from my purse. Curious and excited, Matt opened the box to find the picture of his accomplishments. When he got to the bottom of the list he looked at me confused and said "1 official shirt?" I motioned for him to dig further into the box, where he found...his first official shirt! He absolutely loved it, and for a moment I was concerned he was going to change into it right at our table out of excitement. Thankfully, he waited till the next morning to wear it...

Matt, 

I am so proud to be your wife. I know I tell you that often, but I honestly think you are so humble sometimes that you completely forget how awesome you truly are. Taking a leap of faith to "hang up a shingle" was a huge risk, and I am so thankful that everything has worked out much better than we had even hoped for. You are more courageous than I will ever be. Thank you for putting in the hours to provide for our family. This journey has brought us so close together, and I promise to continue cheering you on for all of the new challenges and triumphs to come as you continue to pursue your passion! I love you with all my heart. Happy anniversary!


Love,


Christina

Things I'm Loving Lately

Just a few things I am currently obsessing over...

Wine Swoon Carafe: guaranteed to improve the taste of cheap wine by at least $5

My new cross training New Balance Classics shoes for cross fit!

  Tan towels: The perfect amount of self tanner, wrapped in a self-contained towelette {or spray}. Just rub all over your body and let it dry for instant bronze!
 I purchase my tan towels from Ulta.

Lush handmade cosmetics: fresh, handmade, affordable cosmetics

 

This quote!

What are you loving lately?

{Click Here} for other things I am obsessing over 

Homemade Makeup Brush Cleaner

There are 3 huge reasons for regularly cleaning your makeup brushes. First, professional makeup brushes are an investment, so you should be doing your best to make them last longer. Second, dirty makeup brushes become scratchy and don’t perform well. Regular cleaning keeps your brushes soft, which is especially important if you have sensitive skin. Lastly, dirty brushes can transfer bacteria, dirt & debris, oils, dead skin cells and old makeup from your skin to your makeup products and back again. 

So, are we all in agreement that it super important to keep our makeup brushes clean? Great! 

There are tons of great brush cleansers out there. For the longest time, I swore by Cinema Secrets Professional Brush Cleaner. However, I use a lot of cleaning solution on my brushes, so I was using an entire $13 bottle {plus shipping} per cleaning. Eeek!

After doing some research, I found the very best $2.99 brush cleaner - Johnson's Baby Shampoo. There is also a natural lavender scented shampoo available. I have been regularly cleaning my makeup {and even Clarisonic} brushes with baby shampoo for over 6 months now and have more than half a bottle left. 

How to clean your brushes:

Step 1: In a small bowl or glass, combine1 cup warm water with 1 tablespoon Baby Shampoo. 

Step 2: Swoosh one brush at a time around in the mixture to clean.

Step 3: Rinse with water to remove all traces of soap.  Rinse and repeat until the water runs clear.  Make sure when you are rinsing to keep the brush hairs pointing down.

Step 4: Reshape each brush and lay them on a clean paper towel to dry completely before using. Never let your brushes dry standing up in their brush holder, the water can loosen the glue holding the brush together over time.

Note: Ideally, you should wash your brushes once a week, but who has time for that? A realistic goal is to wash your brushes at least once a month.