{SCOUT bags giveaway}

Last weekend, Monica and I got together in Georgetown to shoot our trio of new SCOUT bags! Did you know that they were founded in DC in 2004? We had way too much fun walking along the gorgeous houses - Monica photographed every cute door for her cool insta series! - and carrying our bags (mine are actually filled with the things I had packed for a weekend haha). We loved all of the different patterns that you can choose from. It's fun to mix and match the prints to create your own aesthetic! We each have a little clutch with our monogram on it that we use on the weekends too :)

My first SCOUT bag was given to me in college. It was a small gift sized bag that a friend wrapped a bottle of wine in for my birthday. I'll never forget how clever I thought she was taking a nice bag that I could reuse for books or groceries and using it to put a present in. My next SCOUT bag was used as a pencil case and the third was used as a gift bag again carrying lots of goodies for a bachelorette party (it was so cute seeing them all lined up from the bride in our hotel room - it's still my primary grocery bag). You could say my addiction has been around for awhile now... 9 years to be exact, ha! The same tried and true, classic fabric bags (it's an all-weather woven fabric) now come in true wine bottle sizes - I always keep at least 4-5 in my coat closet to grab before I head to a house warming party, celebration, or need a quick thank you present - they're only $7.50! Putting a nice bottle of red or white in a cute cheery bag instantly ups the cool factor (I'm bringing one to my boyfriend's mom for MDW)!

A lot of the new SCOUT bags are made with coated cotton (hellooooo waterproof material, yes!) or coated polyester (for an insulated item) but they're still the same bright, vibrant bags you know and love. Knowing that you have a soft, colorful bag to take with you over the weekend and having it be waterproof is a total game changer y'all... I got caught in sideways rain leaving work for the train station a couple weekends ago and was so relieved that my clothes and shoes in the bag were dry... Even though I wasn't! If you use any of these bags at the beach it will keep sand and water away from your valuables.

Photography by Ashlee

When deciding what bags would be perfect for a weekend away we knew we needed a tote bag that could carry a lot of clothes but not be too overwhelming. The Weekender tote bag was an easy choice! It's super roomy, zips closed, has a little zipper side pocket for keeping things at hand, and the strap fit over our shoulders. What does every weekend bag need? A cosmetics case! There are lots of small pouches that SCOUT offers but the Packin' Heat makeup bag was just big enough without encouraging you to bring every hair product you own... weekends away are meant for spontaneity not pounds of products ;) And lastly... a cooler! We were dreaming of picnics at a winery or ice cold drinks and sandwiches on the beach! The Stiff One cooler is the perfect size for food AND drinks. It collapses really easily so you could pack it in your Weekender tote when it's not needed as well.

Now for the FUN PART!! A GIVEAWAY!! One winner will receive our trio of SCOUT bags in a pattern(s) of their choice so they can travel in style: 1 "Stiff One" cooler, 1 "Weekender" tote bag, and 1 "Packin' Heat" makeup bag! Basically the necessities for a lake, beach, road trip, etc. Hop on over to instagram to enter and fill out the widget below for more entries! Be sure to also check out Monica's post!

Thank you to everyone who entered below and on Instagram! The giveaway is now closed, and we've contacted the winner, Brianna R.

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If you won where would you take your new SCOUT bags?

Love Always,

{gift guide: my favorites + minted giveaway}

How is Christmas already this week?! Life has been flying by this month. Between holiday parties, work deadlines, girlfriends in town, and shopping for Christmas I've barely had time to sit down and write a blog post... So today I'm sharing some of my favorite things: my wish list, items I can't live without, and everything favorite all around! The best part about this list is it will work for Christmas or for a present in the New Year! Some of these items have been on my wish list for months :)

Make sure you scroll down to the bottom of this post for an awesome giveaway with Minted.com!

Psst this board is shoppable... just click the image you want to shop!

Enter HERE to win a $250 gift card to Minted.com this Christmas! All you have to do is enter your first and last name along with your email address. It's my little gift to you :) No follows necessary... although I do love when you follow me on Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat (jennrog3). Minted is fantastic because I love being able to change up my artwork and create a really personal, unique space. It is always my go-to for Mother's Day, Anniversaries, Birthdays, etc. The maps and photos are my favorite! Wouldn't this map be perfect as a house warming present? (Totally going to need to add this to my space...)

This giveaway is only open to US residents and will be open until 11:59pm on 12/26. Good luck!

More favorite items for your wish list...

Love Always,

{nordstrom sale giveaway}

What comes with sales? GIVEAWAYS! Yep, at the bottom of this post is an incredible giveaway to win some money to shop the final weeks of the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale! I've compiled my favorites from what's available right now! Still so many cozy looking sweaters, gorgeous accessories, stylish shoes, and wear right now handbags! What have you picked up? :)

What would you buy if you won this giveaway? Let me know below!

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Love Always,

{stone tower winery}

ASOS Dress ($25 and comes in 5 other colors - I'm wearing a US 4) // Joie Sandals // Vera Bradley Sunglasses c/o // J.Crew Panama Hat // Kendra Scott Benning Necklace in Rose Gold c/o (WIN your own)  // Loren Hope Gold Link Bracelet (similar) // David Yurman Cuff // Kendra Scott Jana Bracelet

Last weekend my little sister came to visit me for the weekend so Samantha, my best friend Kaitlyn and I packed a little cooler and headed to Stone Tower Winery out in Leesburg, Virginia! It was an easy 45 minute drive and the weather was perfect. We did a wine tasting and then grabbed a bottle of rose and sauvignon blanc to enjoy with our pretzels, cheese, hummus, and carrots out on a blanket in the shade! The views were gorgeous and we even watched a wedding go on down by a little lake.

While getting dressed I knew I wanted something light and breezy. This off the shoulder dress has been my saving grace multiple times because it goes from day to night so easily. I grabbed my favorite hat (literally had this for 2 years now) and sunglasses so that I wouldn't get sunburned. Even though I packed sunscreen in our cooler ;) I kept it easy with sandals (I wear this every day at work I think) and topped it off with my new Kendra Scott necklace!

Speaking of this necklace... You can win it!! Head on over to my Instagram to see how you can snag this gorgeous piece for yourself! Hint hint: go like the Kendra Scott Bethesda Row page ;) Their one year anniversary is coming up this month! Hard to believe I was helping them with their store opening this time last year. Time sure flies by! If you live in the area I would LOVE to see you at their One-Year Anniversary Event. They will be celebrating all day with fun surprises, giveaways and (as usual) lots of sips and sweets!! Good luck!

Love Always,

{birthday celebrations}

What a week.. I've had so much fun celebrating my birthday and truly think that this year is going to be a good one. That's what I'm telling myself at least :) The last couple of months have been hard! But May was kicked off to a great start byseeing tons of friends, going out every night, eating delicious food, toasting to good health and planning for fun trips! Now, I'm so happy it's Friday because I'm tired!!

Did you enter all of the amazing giveaways from this week? [Can I be chosen as winner? ;)] Don't forget to enter below!!

$100 to Gigi New York // Original Post

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It Cosmetics Contour Palette & Brush // Original Post

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Kendra Scott Necklace // Original Post

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Vera Bradley Makeup Bag // Original Post

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Best of Luck!! I hope everyone is excited about winning - this is my way of saying thank you for supporting this blog the last (almost) two years and always being encouraging of me! You supporting the brands I love only encourages me to bring you new content every day :) Plus, it's really fun!!

Love Always,

{sunshine & turquoise}

Another day of giveaways! Yay! This time it's a piece from my favorite jewelry company... I bet you can't guess what that would be hehe ;)

Photography by Rachel Brennan

ASOS Maxi Dress // J.Crew Jean Jacket// ASOS Cat Purse // Kendra Scott Necklace c/o // DY cuff // Sam Edelman Sandals (similar) // Butter London Nail Polish // Bite Lipstick in "pastille"

It's been all rain and and nothing but clouds in DC for the past week... I planned this shoot 4 times and shot it twice. It was quite the struggle! But I was determined to shoot this look because I'm just so in love with it. (These photos were taken in a slight fog that ended with rain... ha.) I haven't stopped wearing my jean jacket [best purchase ever] and it was the perfect addition to wear with this yellow maxi aka my sunshine. I'm pretty good about breaking out the bright colors in the spring time when it's gross and depressing outside - you have to make your own sunshine. It's the perfect compliment to this gorgeous turquoise Kendra Scott necklace. That you can win below!!! I love how the back of the stones even have a pretty look to them. This is different then my typical tassel necklace but it still provides the length and interest that I love. Double it up or wear it around your wrist - it's perfect!

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Love Always,

{everyday makeup routine}

I've gotten a couple of requests on snapchat (jennrog3) to share my everyday makeup with y'all! I try to keep it pretty basic and do the exact same thing for work every single day. That means there are no fun lipsticks, eyeliners, shadows, etc. today! However, there is a fun giveaway for my favorite contour palette and brush at the bottom!! (Featured in my contouring "how to" post!) Keep scrolling to learn how to enter to win!

I typically work in 4 phases. So if I need to go eat breakfast, pick out what to wear, or stop to instagram something I finish one phase so I don't skip anything. I have gotten on the metro having only applied mascara to one eye before... it was rather frightening. I now keep a simplified makeup bag at work. Ay yi yi!

Laura Geller Face Primer // Cover FX Under Eye Primer // Cover FX Concealer (I wear P Medium) // Mineral Veil (Transparent) // Bare Minerals Full Face Brush

The first phase is my "base." I prime my face and apply the anti-age smoothing eye primer first, let them dry, and then carefully pat on my under eye concealer. You're supposed to pat it on and not rub it on to help prevent wrinkles :) I cannot say enough good things about this concealer. I always keep an extra in my purse! My eye bags aren't designer so I need serious help in this department. The color offsets any dark circles and is dense (goes on super light though) to really cover up circles versus being translucent! I like to set my under-eye concealer with a mineral veil and use it to help matte my t-zone, too! I use the straight forward veil... no sparkles or color. I don't use foundation because my skin doesn't need it and I find it too heavy. The face primer would help keep a foundation on all day but for me it helps my contouring and blush stay put!

Contour Palette // Contour Brush // Bare Minerals All-over Face in "Warmth" // Bronzer Brush // Finishing Powder Brush (similar) // Sephora Blush in "Rose Emotion" // Cover FX Brush (for blush)

Second phase is the "face." I start off with a light dusting of bronzer on my cheekbones and nose, jaw line, collar bone (if it's a low cut shirt), and forehead. I apply a quick sweep of blush to the apples of my cheeks and a little on the tip of my nose. Then reach for my contour palette (easy tutorial in this post) and blend lightly with my finishing brush - aka the softest brush in my bag!

Eye Shadow Palette // Eyeshadow Brush

"Eye" phase - It's pretty obvious which daytime colors I like to wear best :) "pushup" is my overall lid color, "erotica" goes right above my lash line on the outside corner (blend in) and "silk teddy" goes on the inside corners of my eyes by the tear duct. I use the large end of this brush to apply the overall color and dab the bright color on my tear ducts, the small side to apply the dark along my lashes, and then use the same large end to blend the dark color into the rest of my eyelid. Eyeshadow is probably what I'm worst at... I love a palette like this because it's natural and straight forward. There's not too much you can mess up!

Eyebrow Pencil & Brush // Eyebrow Gel // Eyelash Curler // Waterproof Mascara // Stila Huge Lash

Final phase is the "brows and lashes." These are the final and most important steps in my look. Mainly because my eyebrows and eyelashes are so blonde... I never knew how to color my brows until a year ago and it changed my life (dramatic but so true). I'm also blessed with long lashes so I play those up as much as possible! This eyebrow brush has two sides - one to brush with and the other a brown pencil that looks like it could be an eyeliner. I brush my eyebrow hair up and then gradually fill in my brows to help shape them. I always brush my eyebrows after applying color to help blend it in and smudge any harsh lines. I want them to look natural!! Then I apply a clear brow gel to help them stay shaped all day (I don't pluck my eyebrows - not enough hair!) Eyelashes are easy peasy... Curl, all over base coat on top and bottom lashes with Cover Girl water proof mascara (purple tube) and then coat just the tips with the Stila huge lash (gold tube) to help lengthen them. Sometimes I'll apply a second coat of the Stila after letting the first one dry.

That's it! I take my time in the mornings but this makeup routine normally takes 10 minutes start to finish. I'm in front of clients every single day so I always like to have a full face on. If I don't do my full routine then I just use concealer, bronzer and mascara! Done and out the door :)

What makeup could you never live without? I don't know if I would choose concealer or mascara!!

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Don't forget to enter the Vera Bradley makeup bag AND the $100 to Gigi New York giveaway!

Love Always,