a perennial debate.

For years, I wouldn't touch gold jewelry. In recent months, I started noticing 

a surprising shift in my jewelry-buying habits: I'm a total gold convert.  

find them here: 

gold {knot bracelet} silver

gold {mini-disco cone cuff} silver

gold {disco-ball bangle} silver

gold {button bangle} silver

I never thought it would happen, but I actually prefer gold these days. I will always have a soft spot in my heart for my old stand-by, silver, but gold has stolen my heart. Thanks to BaubleBar, I can indulge in both loves without breaking the bank! Where do you fall in the gold vs. silver debate? xoxo {av}

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P.S. Love jewelry? Don't forget to link up your blingy posts for tomorrow's Friday's Fancies!

gamechanger.

Let me tell you a little story: On Saturday night, I stayed up until 4:30am chatting with my girlfriends, slumber party style. On Sunday morning, our bodies still woke us up at our normal weekday time. {What happened to being able to sleep past 10:00am, college-style?} I made the three-hour drive home later that day and faced a mountain of work before I could hit the pillow again. Suffice it to say, Monday morning was brutal too. The only thing which made me look like I hadn't been hit by a truck after those late nights?
This magically wonderful product, otherwise known as Clarins Eye Contour Gel.

I don't generally like to do product posts, but I couldn't hold out on you all any longer. I first purchased the eye contour gel in October 2011. I was skeptical to pay the $35, but I listened to the woman at the Clarins counter. She told me this product would be a gamechanger, but I didn't believe her. 16 months and two tubes later, it is the one beauty product which makes my day infinitely better. After a late night or an early morning, a little bit of this on your undereyes will feel a.m.a.z.i.n.g. 

I have super sensitive skin around my eyes and wear contacts, so I was worried this product might cause me problems--but it doesn't at all. Not only does it help with puffiness, it helps my eye make-up stay on so much better. Thanks to the genes from my dear old dad, I have some serious dark circles. The Clarins Eye Contour Gel definitely helps hide them. Since I know {cv} doesn't hop on my blog frequently, I can also tell you that even he likes using this stuff. I always feel ready to embrace the day after a few drops of this goodness. I will now happily spend the $35 to replace it.

Do you have a game-changing beauty product in your arsenal? 
Help a girl out! I can't wait to see what you've got in your bag of tricks! xoxo {av}

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NOTE: THIS POST WAS NOT SPONSORED BY CLARINS. I LITERALLY LOVE THIS PRODUCT THAT MUCH.

a is for.

I don't know about you, but this weekend passed in the blink of an eye! Friday night, I spent the evening at the first birthday bash for the PVD Lady Project--a group I just joined here in Providence. As a transplant in the Ocean State, I am counting my blessings I discovered such an A+ group of women in a place so far from home. 

On Saturday, I decided to hop in the car and make a last-minute trip down to NYC. Maybe it was because {cv} was working or because I was sad I wasn't out in California celebrating my dad, but whatever it was, I made my first drive down to the Big Apple. For a girl who grew up driving around cornfields and dodging cows in the road, I was pretty proud of myself for managing the streets of New York. I had a wonderful night in on Saturday with two of my best friends and a few of their co-workers, complete with homemade molten lava cakes. {I promise a recipe soon!}

Brunch is one of my favorite meals, so when Sunday morning rolled around, we decided to go to Buvette--a wonderful little French place the three of us had been for dinner in November 2011. I indulged in a little croque monsieur to fuel up for my drive back to Rhode Island. Before heading north, I grabbed a hot chocolate with my favorite fellow Georgetown blogger. After navigating the city this time, I know I can make many more trips down in the future ;)

Sunday night, I came home to my favorite Indian food on the table--just in time to watch the Academy Awards. {cv} knows how much I love the red carpet, so he was prepared! My favorites {though it was hard to choose!} were Jessica Chastain, Naomi Watts, and Jennifer Lawrence. {jl} gets major props from me for recovering so well from her fall up the stairs! 

Though Mondays may not be my favorite, memories of a great weekend will make today just
a little easier. Having a fun Boston Bloggers event on tap tonight doesn't hurt either ;)
What moments from your weekend deserve an A?! xoxo {av}

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P.S. If you blogged about Oscar fashion, don't forget to add your link to Friday's red carpet round-up!

60.

Today, my dad turns 60. He will spend his 60th birthday in the California sunshine with my mother and two of their close friends by his side. He will run a 5K this morning to start off his 60th year and then enjoy a day tooling up the California coast with the wind in his hair. 

Though I love my mother with all my heart, I am a daddy's girl through and through. The saying goes that you can't choose your family. I'm glad that's true. My dad is truly the salt of the earth and I am beyond blessed to call him my father.

From my father, I inherited my love of running, a passion for graphic design, and the heart I wear on my sleeve. We have run more miles together than I have with any other person in my life. Through years of encouraging me on the cross country course {and in life}, he taught me how to rest on the bus. No matter how long it has been since our last run together, we always run perfectly in stride. 

My dad and I have shared 27 years on this earth and I can only hope those years were as happy for him as they have been for me. It is impossible to fathom that my dad is 60. To me, he will always be the smiling face I saw across the table at McDonald's while I ate my happy meal--looking all of 30 years old.

To my father on his 60th: thank you for teaching me what love is. Thank you for stopping whatever you're doing to take my phone calls. Thank you for being a God-fearing man and teaching me the importance of a Christ-centered life. Thank you for loving my other half, {cv}, like your own. Thank you for being you--because you are more than enough. I love you forever! {av}

{third image via Kate Headley}