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December 5, 2022

Las Vegas Weekend Guide 2022

If you’re planning a trip to Las Vegas in the near future, I’ve got tons of recommendations and advice for you! Overall we had an amazing trip. We saw, ate and did everything we wanted in the two days we were there.

First off, I want to emphasize how important it is to plan for extra time in Vegas. We made reservations everywhere, and 100% of the time they were running about 30 minutes behind. Also plan for traffic if you’re going to be there on the weekend!

Food

On Friday night, we ate at Carbone which is located in the Aria. It was incredible Italian food. If you want to get into Carbone, you need to make a reservation 2-3 months ahead of time. I stalked the reservations for a whole month waiting for a spot to open up and was so excited to get one. If you’re planning on visiting during the week, it’s not as difficult to get a reservation, but definitely plan ahead if you’re wanting a Friday or Saturday resy.

Another thing to plan for when dining at Carbone is to have at least 3 hours to dine with them. The whole experience was so wonderful, but we had an 8:15 reservation and a show that started at 11. We almost missed our show and had to rush through our dinner because we didn’t know this information, so again, plan ahead!

On Saturday, we dined at the Wynn Buffet for brunch. I can easily say it was my favorite buffet I’ve ever eaten at! Everything was so yummy. They have food and desserts from just about everywhere. Truly, any food you could ever want existed at this buffet and every single dish was five-star.

If you’re planning to dine at the Wynn Buffet, I’d suggest reserving your spot and paying ahead of time on their website. We pre-payed for our entire party, (Bottomless drink package too, of course!) and it let us skip about 75 people in line who were “walk-ins”.

For dinner on Saturday evening, we went to Beauty & Essex. This restaurant is located in The Cosmopolitan and is a speak-easy of sorts. You walk up to what looks like a pawn shop, and they walk you through it to a door which leads to the restaurant. Beauty & Essex was my favorite restaurant we dined at! Everything is meant to be shareable, and I would absolutely suggest doing this. We all got to try about eight different dishes from the menu and they were all incredible. If you’re still hungry after your meal, definitely get the dessert wheel! It was full of delicious desserts curated by the chef, all in a lit-up, spinning mini ferris wheel.

Bars

On Saturday, we went to the SkyBar located in the Waldorf Astoria. They had an incredible view of Vegas, and it was a really nice place to “take a beat.” It was very chill and more slower-paced, which is needed in Vegas!

After dinner on Saturday, we went to The Chandelier Bar – also located in The Cosmopolitan. This bar is beautiful! It’s quite literally a giant chandelier (great photo-opp!). You can stand and drink in the bar or take your drink out to gamble.

Spa

On Friday morning, we had a girl’s spa day. We ended up at The Spa at The Encore. All of our experiences were wonderful! We all got 50-minute massages, then spent about 2 hours enjoying the spa amenities. They had a steam room, sauna, giant jacuzzis, several luxury showers and two plunge pools. I’d highly recommended following the steps to “rejuvenate” your body that are located on the wall of the spa. We all had never felt better after doing the steps in order!

Definitely book ahead at the spa as well, especially if you’re planning to have your spa day in the morning. Originally we wanted to go to the spa at Resort World, but most spas were booked up until about 3 PM.

On Friday, we had appointments at The Dry Bar located in The Cosmopolitan. They, as well, were running behind. We booked appointments at 5 PM and did not get seated until 6:15. Luckily, we had time built-in to accommodate this, but many girls missed their dinner reservations because of it. Again, build in extra time!

Hotel

We stayed at The Vdara which is connected to The Aria. I preferred this side of the strip over the opposite side because it felt newer and had more of the trendy activities. If I were going back, I’d most likely stay at The Vdara, The Aria or The Cosmopolitan.

Shows

We went to Absinthe which took place in a smaller venue in Caesar’s. We loved this show! Although heads up, it’s very raunchy! We were all laughing and entertained the whole show. It was like a giant variety show with comedy, improv, dancing, singing, and crazy acrobat stunts. Head’s up: don’t buy tickets towards the front if you don’t want to be involved in the show. There was tons of audience participation!

There is a sister show, Opium, that I would love to see next time we’re in town.

Outfits

Vegas was much more casual than I anticipated. However, I don’t regret dressing up at all! I’d say about 30% of the girls went all-out, but again it was very normal dress attire for the most part. Most important piece of advice I can give you ladies, wear kitten heels or comfortable shoes! Vegas has lots of walking.

On Friday night, I wore a dress from Club L London. They have tons of loud, Vegas-approved outfits. Linking my outfit here.

My Saturday outfit reminded me a lot of Taylor Swift’s VMA look when she won for “Bad Blood.” I’m obsessed with the houndstooth trend, so when I found the sequin look I had to have it!

Linking the top here, and matching skirt here.

My shoes I cannot rave about enough! They were so comfortable and practical. Excited to have these in my closet for a while! Linking them here.

I didn’t have my bag in this photo, but I loved it. It was so spacious and easy to carry for a clutch! Linking it here.

After leaving Vegas, I can definitely say it’s like Disney World for adults. We had such a great time and can’t wait to go back! Cheers to 30! 🥂💞

Xo Megan

August 30, 2022

Ulta 21 Days of Beauty – My Picks!

If you follow me on Instagram, you know my favorite time of the year is the bi-annual Ulta 21 Days of Beauty sale. For fall of 2022, there are tons of great products that I’m so excited to stock up on! I’ll be listing my picks by day in chronological order.

Wednesday, August 31st: This day has so many great picks! Starting off with the Smashbox x BECCA Highlighter in Champagne Pop. This is and will always be one of my favorite highlights of all time.

My next pick are any of the Lilly Lashes or Velour lashes. Splurging on nice lashes for special occasions is definitely worth it, in my opinion! They look amazing on camera and stay on better than drugstore lashes.

Sunday, September 4th: Another day with two favorites! The Bobbi Brown Gel Liner is amazing and super easy to apply.

I’ve been wanting to try the NARS Lip Balm since it came out, so I’ll be buying one of these!

Thursday, September 8th: For some reason, they’re grouping all of my favorite products on the same days. Great for the environment/shipping, awful for my wallet.

Starting off with the Tarte Tartelette Tubing Mascara. This mascara is amazing if you have straight lashes and works really well with falsies.

The Patchology Under Eye Patches are my favorite eye patches out there! I like to save them for special occasions.

The Dermalogica Superfoliant I’ve been dying to try. I use the Daily Microfoliant every day and it’s my absolute favorite, so I’m sure this will be just as good – if not better.

Friday, September 9th: The Jaclyn Hill highlights are some of my favorites! I’ve been wanting to try the color “Bomb” for months, so I’ll be getting that.

Saturday, September 10th: It! Cosmetic makeup brushes are seriously my favorites. You think brushes don’t really matter until you try these. They’re serious game-changers. The foundation brush is insane.

I’ve been wanting to try NudeStix for a few months now because they look incredibly easy to blend out, so I’ll be getting a shimmer and a matte shade.

Sunday, September 11th: Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray. It’s the best in the setting spray game – don’t @ me. Puts all others to shame.

Tuesday, September 13th: The LORAC Meraki palette is one of my go-tos! Such versatile colors that all blend out beautifully. Set your alarms for this one – it always sells out super quick!

Saturday, September 17th: I absolutely love all of my Kyle Lip Kits so I’ll be buying a few more colors that I don’t have! “Queen” is my favorite!

March 3, 2021

All My Wedding Vendors

Well, with eighty days left until the big day, I can officially say I’ve locked down 95% of my wedding vendors. I literally never thought those words would ever leave my mouth. I thought I’d write a full blog post about all of them incase any of you other brides-to-be need any ideas/recommendations. I’ll add the other vendors on this blog post as I lock them in!

My biggest piece of advice to all my engaged girls, book the big vendors first! Most importantly number one, venue. You can’t book anyone else without a date, and you need a venue for the date. These vendors I found booked out the furthest: venue, wedding planner, photographer, videographer, DJ, officiant (if it’s not a friend), florist, and food.

I’ve been using The Knot app to make my registry, find vendors and keep track of my guest list.

I’d say the hardest vendor for me to nail down personally was the officiant! I didn’t realize how personal and important it would be to me. (Shoutout to my Uncle Steve for being the perfect fit!)

Without further ado, here are my vendors:

Starting off with my venue. My venue is Allenbrooke Farms. I knew the first time I saw it that I wanted to get married there. It’s a perfect combination of middle-of-nowhere country and glam. It really feels like a part of my hometown, which I really wanted. The great thing about Allenbrooke Farms is that they have all sorts of rentals you can add on to your contract, which means less outsourcing for tables, table settings, tablecloths etc. They even have a Photo Booth add-on in the reception room, as well as a fireworks option. My favorite part about this venue is that the ceremony lawn is right next to the reception, so my guests don’t have to travel from the ceremony to the reception. Everyone on the Allenbrooke team is quick to respond and a dream to work with.

Next, my wedding planner. Literally, my wedding planner, Emily at As We Gather, deserves seven bottles of champagne. She’s been the sweetest most understanding person I’ve counted on my entire wedding planning, and re-planning process. Our calls are some of my favorite because she’s so in-the-know, but also the most reassuring and kind-hearted. I truly don’t know what I’d do without her. If you’re looking for a planner who feels like your best friend but never misses a beat, look no further.

Picture credit: @lauramollphoto

My photographer, Laura Moll; I still cannot believe I have the honor of her shooting my wedding. Her creative and aesthetic eye is unlike any I’ve seen in a wedding photographer. Everything looks absolutely perfect and classic. Laura was born with a natural gift and it shows in every. single. photo. Even her iPhone pictures I’m like, how? Not only that, but I’ve never met anyone more humble and kind. She makes me feel so comfortable around her, which for being in front of the camera is a must.

My florist, White Blooms Florals. Carre is a visionary. After my first meeting with her, she magically understood my entire vision and put it together beautifully in a .pdf for me to ooo and ahhh over. Then, she did it a second time when I had to reschedule. Carre is so easy-going and a dream to work with.

My flowers, Fifty Flowers. This company I am truly obsessed with. They let you, the bride/groom buy wholesale flowers direct. You can have them shipped to your florist to assemble, or assemble them yourself! This company is amazing for any budget and the team is amazing. Quick communication and tons of flower options.

Angel Moreno is my videographer. When I was researching videographers, I came across his page and instantly knew I wanted him to do our video. He is so talented and creative, and has been so great to work with.

My DJ is JR and I booked him through Premier. I’ve known JR for years and I still can’t believe he agreed to DJ my wedding. He’s so sweet and amazing at what he does, and I love the fact that we’ve known each other so long.

Like I said above, my officiant is actually my uncle! They had so many companies that you could hire people to marry you, but I hated how impersonal that felt. We also wanted there to be religious aspects to the ceremony, and my uncle really checked all of those boxes.

My wedding dress is Maggie Sottero. There are three dress lines under the Maggie Sottero umbrella, and every single one of them are absolutely stunning. They have any type of dress you can imagine, and are in most bridal shops.

I am so excited to have a custom Daphne Newman veil. Daphne is so kind and beyond talented. I cannot wait to show you all what she and I dreamt up!

Again, not my shoes! I absolutely love this pair, though. Picture credit: @bellabelleshoes

My wedding shoes are Bella Belle. I wanted shoes that were classic, beautiful and comfortable. Bella Belle checks all of those boxes. The reviews on all of their shoes are phenomenal and they have endless designs to choose from. They call them the “12-hour-shoe,” and those are words I love to hear.

My bridesmaids will be wearing dresses by Show Me Your Mumu. Their dress selection and color selection is unmatched. They have several different designs for every color, and you can order swatches to make sure they match your colors. They also offer tons of satin options, which I personally went with.

While we’re on the subject of bridesmaids, my bridesmaids robes for getting ready I have never been more excited for. I went with a company called Robed With Love and oh my gosh. I’ve never seen robes more perfect and beautiful.

For food, we wanted something a little less traditional and a little Memphis flare, so we went with Central BBQ. Why yes, I would like to eating southern comfort food at my wedding. Who wouldn’t?

My cocktail hour will be catered by my future sister-in-law’s company, In Good Company. They make cheese boards and appetizers that are to die for. We all know how much I love a good charcuterie board.

For my hair and makeup, I wanted someone I knew and trusted with my face because I am very picky. I’m so honored that Libby Barnes is doing it for the big day! She’s done my glam for tons of press stuff and truly had a natural talent. She never fails to make me feel like my most beautiful self.

My wedding bands will be done by none-other than American Jewelry. They made my engagement ring and everything they do is perfection. We just picked ours out a few weeks ago and they’re even more perfect than I could have dreamt up. Taylor and Sailor go above and beyond to make sure everything from your jewelry to your experience is perfection. (“MEGAN15” gets you $$ off, too!)

For invitations and wedding paper, I went with The Knot Paper. All of their designs are beautiful and the process was incredibly easy.

There’s a company called Alphalit which I’m sure you’ve seen on social media. They’re all the rage these days, and I’m so excited to have them setting up their beautiful letters to say “The McKays” outside of our venue on our wedding day. They’re so old Hollywood glamorous and make a great photo-opp.

February 15, 2021

Skincare + Beauty Must-Haves

Over the past year, I’ve acquired what I consider to be the holy grail of beauty and skincare products. I have combination skin and thankfully in my late 20s, my acne has gone away for the most part. (Besides an annoying zit a couple times a month.) I do tend to have sensitive skin. I filmed a YouTube video about them, but I decided to write them all out in a blog post for you also. You can find the YouTube video below:

Starting it off with some promo codes! “MEGANMACE” gets you 15% off all of the TULA site: https://bit.ly/3jEGN5C

I like to buy some of my favorite beauty products on Revolve because the codes “TULIP” and “CANDY” get you an extra 10% off, and they always have free 2-day shipping.

Cleansers:

Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel: This is the cleanser I use more in the winter months as it works better on my dry skin.

TULA Cult Classic Cleanser: I use this cleanser when I can actually feel the oil on my skin. Definitely used a lot more in the summer months, but a couple times a week in the winter for sure.

Exfoliant:

Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant: Again, this is a product I tend to use more in the summer months, but definitely use it a couple times a week in the winter. I really does make your skin smooth and exfoliated without over-drying.

Serums:

Herbivore PRISM Serum: This serum I’ve been using for almost a year and it’s one of those products I have absolutely nothing but positive things to say about. It makes my skin glow and helps keep those pesky under-the-skin-bumps at bay.

The New Co. THE PILL Serum: I’ve been rotating this serum into my skincare routine in place of the PRISM serum and it does essentially the same thing, just a little less of the “glow.” If you gave oily skin I would recommend this serum over the PRISM.

Elizabeth Arden Vitamin C Capsules: THESE WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE. No, really. I’ve never seen my skin look better than after using these capsules. You can try a free sample at Macy’s before you commit, but just a warning, you’ll be hooked.

Acne Spot Treatment:

TULA Go Away Acne Spot Treatment: This stuff is hands down the best spot treatment I’ve ever used. I wish it had been around in high school when I had a new zit every day. CAUTION: It’s unbelievably strong. A little goes a long way and apply with a Q-tip.

Toner Pads:

TULA Balancing Act Toner Pads: I rave about these to everyone I know. They have helped my skin SO MUCH. I’ve never seen it so smooth and my pores so small. I didn’t know this, but toner pads actually help your skin absorb your serums and moisturizers better. I will forever be using these pads.

Dark Spot Corrector:

First Aid Beauty Niacinamide Dark Spot Corrector: This stuff is amazing for sun spots and acne spots. I used to use the Clinique Dark Spot Corrector but this stuff blows it out of the water.

Teeth Whitening:

Go Smile On-The Go Teeth Whitening Pen: I swear by this thing! I have very sensitive teeth, like can’t open my mouth the day after I used traditional white strips sensitive. This pen doesn’t bother my teeth and it’s so easy to use. I keep one in my purse and one by my bed. Best part? It’s only $19 and tastes like mint.

Moisturizers:

fresh Deep Hydration Cream: It will take a lot to get me to stop using this moisturizer. I’ve been using it for over a year and I’ve turned so many of my friends on to it. It hydrates without making me oily and leaves the prettiest sheen on your face. I use this everyday before makeup and before I go to bed.

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream: If you have eczema or extremely dry skin, you can use this magical moisturizer anywhere. I don’t know what’s in it, but I know why everyone raves about it! I use it on my dry patches of skin I get throughout the year.

IT! Cosmetics Confidence in a Neck Cream: DON’T FORGET ABOUT YOUR NECK. For real, one of my biggest fears is getting “tech neck.” You neck sometimes shows your age more than your face can, so please take care of her! I love this neck cream by IT! Cosmetics.

Eye Creams:

Dr. Brandt No More Needles Under Eye De-Puff Cream: My mom and sister swear by this stuff! I don’t personally have puffy eyes, just sunken in and dark. If you have puffy eyes I can confidently recommend this one.

Dermalogica Vitamin C Under-Eye Cream: If there’s a place to use Vitamin C it’s under your eyes! I’ve been using this one for about a year now and I love what it does for me.

Self-Tanner:

Australian Glow: Y’all this stuff is magic! The base is more green so you won’t look orange at all. It also doesn’t smell and fades beautifully. I use the Dark color but will switch to the Ultra Dark in the summer.

Loving Tan: My second favorite self-tanner! This one gets me a little bit darker than the Australian Glow and works a little bit faster if you’re in a rush!

I can’t wait to see what you think of my favorites! Comment anything else I absolutely need to try!

xo Megan