I'm starting a new Friday post dedicated to the best of the week. Products, articles, pictures, anything I found inspiring or newsworthy. I want to keep it brief, something to help jump start the weekend. 

Products to Try:

Weekend Reading:

• Watch: NYT goes into the studio with Donatella Versace as she talks about the brand and her brother. 

To Do:

I hope you enjoyed this first 'Final Look' post. If there's anything you want me to cover share it below in the comments section. And have the loveliest weekend! 

With love,

Marie 

Make-up! A fun and wonderful world that I've only recently just entered. Make-up is just the perfect way to complete a look. It's an accessory.  Some like it bold and daring, others, like myself, prefer a more subtle approach. Whatever you prefer it is important to just have fun with it!  Today I'm sharing my growing collection. I honestly got into make-up maybe in 2013 and I love putting it on. I don't think I can ever get dressed for a day out and not have make-up on. It really adds to my look and makes it complete. Make-up pulls it all together. Mines isn't anything heavy, as you'll see, but still fun.  Let's look at the list. 

I want to post something really fun this week so today I'm sharing my favorite beauty items. Later on in the week I'll be sharing favorite items from my make-up collection so stay tuned for that. I don't classify myself as a product junkie simply because I love to actually use the products I purchase. I find that, naturally, if I have too many of one thing I, of course, won't be able to use them all. So whenever I get a strong urge to purchase that new beauty balm or facial mist I remind myself that I love the one I currently have.  The best thing about my collection is that almost all the items can be purchased at a drug store! Let's get started.

My absolute favorite part of the day is heading to bed to slumber.  So in continuation of this week's theme I'm sharing my night routine here today.  It is so liberating to have a routine in place for the things I do on a daily basis.  We all make so many decisions everyday and having a system in place for the ones we make each day frees us from any burden the day's adventure may have brought. Simple routines in the morning, the afternoon, and at night makes it much more possible to live a fuller life.  Routines allow you to do the things you love when you want.  We all probably have some type of routine in place already.  So it is important to make sure that the one in place is curated for the life you want. 

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I love mornings. Calm, renewing, and hopeful. The morning stillness is something I cherish and bask in. I love moving slow and leisurely in the morning. Just having an extra 5 minutes in the bed to lounge and stretch sets the tone of my day before I even step out of the bed. So today I want to share how I make the most of my mornings to carpe diem. 

​Have you heard of Miss Crandall? Miss Prudence Crandall? Maybe you have or if you're like me this is your first encounter with her. Miss Crandall is what I'd call an authentic woman who lived by her faith and belief. So much so she risked her own life to stand firm in her values. In 1831 Miss Crandall took on a teaching position that led to her very own school for young women. The following year a young Black woman contacted Miss Crandall about enrolling in her school and Miss Crandall accepted her as she did her other students. The townsfolk weren't pleased. They pressured Miss Crandall not enroll Black children. She refused. She enrolled other young Black women who wanted to come to her school. The town's pressure grew into outrage, as parents from the town did not want their  daughters to be taught alongside Black daughters. All the young ladies from the first year was removed from the school by their parents. Miss Crandall then advertise her school as a place for "young ladies and little misses of color". 

Somehow this year started off with my reading list being filled with all forms of motivational works. I had everything from The Alchemist (yes,  I finally read that one), The Best Yes, to The Last Lecture (currently reading).  I've read, since January , seven inspirational/motivational books.  This was not by intentional design, as I get the bulk of my reading from library books that I'm usually on a wait-list for. However, it's been a great treat (as reading usually is) and an even bigger blessing to realize that God has been speaking to me through these books and through other areas of my life as well. His message is just this: That things that I want is already here, I just need to step out in faith and go get it.  I liken it to wanting a glass of water from the refrigerator, the water is there already, you just gotta get up and get it. 

If you advance confidently in the directions of your dreams and endeavor to live the life which you have imagined, you will meet with success unexpected in common hours. 

--- Henry David Thoreau 

Upon my high school graduation I received a mirror inscribed with  Thoreau's words (in a gorgeous font btw) from my high school counselor. It was my first encounter with this quote and almost 10 years later this mirror is still with me and those words have become an embodiment of my life.  Living the life you've imagined is not a destination, it's not a goal either, it's a lifestyle choice. Each day we choose how we want to live, we choose how we want to feel, we choose who we want to be. There are many things out of our control, this is true, but upon examination it's clear to see that the life which we have imagined is not.