for boston.

'Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. 

Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.'  

- Martin Luther King, Jr. 

My endless thoughts & prayers are with everyone & anyone affected by the events in Boston yesterday. In the wake of violence like this, let us choose to love & support one another. And let us be comforted by acts of hope, kindness, & solidarity.

best of youtube beauty lately.

This past Thursday, I wrote a post sharing why I watch YouTube beauty videos. Today, I want to share with you some of my favorite channels, as well as specific videos on each of those channels that I've found especially inspiring lately.

So, without further ado...

| Tanya Burr
March Favorites
Drugstore Makeup

| MakeupByTiffanyD
Drugstore Foundation Routine

| leighannsays
Favorites & Unfavorites
Empties

| amarixe
Used Up Products
Bath & Body Works Candles & Fragrances

| chelseawears
Looking Forward to Spring, Part One
Looking Forward to Spring, Part Two
Looking Forward to Spring, Part Three
Looking Forward to Spring, Part Four

| Pink So Foxy
Weekly Makeup Basket
DIY Sugar Cookie Scrub

| AprilAthena7
Drugstore Haul & Review

| zoella
February Favorites
British Slang

And everything from the following channels:
emilynoel83 - Informative, inspiring, & interesting.
allthatglitters21 - Comforting & inspiring.

Do you watch Youtube beauty videos? What are some channels I need to check out?

the sunday currently, volume 30.

This weekend is the Azalea Festival here in Wilmington, & while we haven't yet taken part in the main festivities, we did venture downtown for dinner last night on the water at Elijah's. We went at the perfect time to catch the golden sunset, which you can view above. We sat amongst an interesting mix of those who had been drinking all day, & those who were out with their families. The food was delicious - fish & chips, red chowder, a new castle, a blue moon - & I can't wait to go back.

Today, we plan to go have a late breakfast downtown, go shopping, go for a nice long workout, & clean up our disaster zone apartment a bit. If time allows, we'll head down to check out the Azalea festivities. 

reading a lot of blogs lately, & no books [ahem... Little Women].

writing in my journal about anxiety. This week hasn't been the best: I've had nightmares, worry, & stress pervading my thoughts. It really does help to write, & to pray, & to talk to like-minded friends. 

listening to Justin talking about houses.

thinking that the observation hours I've been racking up has been really eye-opening. I'm learning so much already, & I really am excited about it.

smelling like Warm Vanilla Sugar from Bath & Body Works lately. Back to basics, folks.

wishing anxiety didn't exist.

hoping that the Witch Hazel toner I picked up at Walgreens the other night will be exactly what my skin needed to feel inspired to FINALLY clear up. I've been on antibiotics to clear my skin, & while they have drastically improved its state, there is still some progress to be made. Here's hoping.

wearing my engagement ring again, because it finally arrived on Tuesday, after being gone for weeks being repaired. It is extra sparkly & beautiful now - as evidenced here - & I love it. I've caught myself staring at it, just like I did for months after we got engaged. It makes me happy. Thank you, Justin. 

loving going to church lately. It is just what I need to center me, clear my mind, & focus on what's important for the week.

wanting to document my road trip to Shreveport. Each time I make this trek via the interstate - rather than the air - I always dream of documenting the journey, but I never do. Maybe this will be the time?

needing to stop making blogging more difficult than it needs to be. I've been over-analyzing & holding back, & really, that just leads to procrastination. I just need to let go & write. That's the whole point of this blogging thing, right?

feeling happy that I finally got over to the eye doctor on Thursday. I've been needing contacts for ages. Procrastinators may deal with unneeded stress, but they also get to celebrate the little things they finally get around to accomplishing. And that's where I'll end my support of procrastination.

clicking TeuxDeux to keep me on task, & this Paleo Lemon Bars recipe to encourage me to get in the kitchen. That's right, it still hasn't happened, even though I posted a recipe last week too.

photo: instagram

six months married.

Today marks our six month wedding anniversary. It already feels like we've come so far since that day in October. I can honestly say, I didn't really feel married until about five months in. Yes, it actually took that long for it to really sink in. But I love being married to my best friend: I love how ridiculous & goofy we get to be on a daily basis. You know, it's fun. But growing up is the strangest thing - how is it possible that I am married? And have been, for half a year already? I guess I'll find out eventually. Until then, I'll relish the fact that this year, we aren't going through the stress of planning a wedding. While I treasure those days in Kinston, as well as the process leading up to our wedding day, it's nice to have come so far since then, & to have put such a large project behind us.

Oh, & I also used to have blonde hair. Those were the days.

photo: by Lindsey Hudson

friday's fancies #66: back to basics.

slouchy top | brogues | pants | tank | necklace | earrings | nail polish | watch

Honestly, I'm not even sure that this outfit would work. But in my head, it comes off as preppy with a romantic twist, & I like that. I mentioned in my first post-redesign entry, that my mantra as of late has been back to basics. I feel that this look is indicative of that: clean lines, simple colors, classic shoes & accessories, & a lovely soft pink polish. With a return to school in my future, I think an outfit like this would be perfect for a day of hitting the books, hanging around in coffee shops, & furthering my career.

This weekend, Justin & I plan to attend some of the Azalea Festival activities downtown. This very event was going on last year, around the time we were looking into moving here. I'm excited to be on this side of the festivities this year! We need to really take advantage of this weekend, since it'll be the last one we spend together for an entire month.

this week's posts:

polka dots + crawfish boils

the sunday currently

wilmington snapshot: st. patrick's day parade

why i watch youtube beauty videos

link-up: friday's fancies \ {long distance loving}

why i watch youtube beauty videos.

I've mentioned here & there in this space, that I'm a bit of a YouTube-beauty-videos junkie. It's an obsession of mine, & I have legitimately worked the watching of said videos into my routine [usually while at the gym working out], since I've been trying to revolutionize my everyday routines over the past few months. 

But, why do I watch them, right?

Well, the honest truth about my introduction to the YouTube beauty scene has roots in snobbery, I'm afraid. Lindsey & I didn't exactly know what we were getting ourselves into when we clicked on a get ready with me video one day during lunch, but we had an inkling that we would find it funny. And we did.

I'm not going to lie - we really thought it was hilarious: over-exaggerated gesturing to showcase jewelry, holding products up in the camera frame as the girl talked about them... we found ourselves in fits of giggles with each video watched.

And that first day was definitely the beginning of something - a lunch-time routine for us, & an insatiable beauty product obsession for me. 

I'm not really sure when viewing the videos crossed over into sincerity for me, but it was probably when I started to feel a change in myself - a yearning to be better, to do better, & to look better. It was about so much more than makeup. The gurus shared their struggles, hopes, thoughts, & fears, right along with every suggested shade of eyeshadow or lipstick. And I started to feel a connection - a type of one-sided, virtual friendship.

I know it sounds weird - but it's also sweet & simple, really. I went from poking fun at something, to being ultimately inspired to be my best self, by people who were strangers.

Over the years, my YouTube subscription box has been filled to the brim with a wide variety of beauty gurus. True, I have my favorites, but the truth is - they all offer something up to me: the burning desire to really take care of myself, put my best foot forward, & cultivate a lifestyle I can enjoy & take pride in. 

And that's why I watch YouTube beauty videos. 

Interested in which channels & videos I'm loving most in the YouTube Beauty Community right now? I'll be sharing some of my current favorites on Monday!

wilmington snapshot: st. patrick's day parade.

Nearly one month ago, Justin & I had our Dallas family visiting, & we were lucky enough to attend the St. Patrick's Day parade downtown. Before attending the festivities, we breakfasted at Dixie Grill, where I had the most delicious Banana Pecan French Toast, ever. Here are some snaps from the main event.

We had a blast, & I really love that Wilmington hosted such a festive event. I wonder what we'll go to next?

photos: nikon

the sunday currently, volume 29.

Happy Sunday, everyone! I hope you have all had a weekend as relaxing, productive, & restorative as mine. Justin has been in Shreveport golfing & hanging out with his best friends, & I have been here at home, cleaning, doing laundry, watching inordinate amounts of both My Fair Wedding & Awkward, &, as you may have guessed, redesigning this space.

A cleaner, more sophisticated design for this space has been a long time coming. And while I'm definitely no expert*, I'm happy with the way things have come out. Eventually, one day, I'll let a super snazzy designer get their hands on this space, but for now, I'm content.

This weekend has given me a chance to reflect on my life, & through that reflection, a mantra emerged: back to basics. No, not the Christina Aguilera album... but rather, a return to crisp, classic, simplicity. I'll write even more about this in the coming days, but I just wanted to share a little snippet of my vision for the future of this blog, through sharing my current words to live by.

reading has not been my strong suit as of late. Despite my reading schedules that were set in place so that I would finish Little Women by the end of March, I still have a good five hundred pages left to go.

writing a whole bunch of blog post drafts for the future. I've really been on a blog-writing kick lately, & my brand new space is really going to be conducive to releasing a whole lot of creative energy around here.

listening to some brand new artists as I create my Wilmington Spring [2013] playlist on Spotify. After reading Daci's post, I got really inspired to put together a list of songs that will always remind me of my first spring here in Wilmington.

thinking that I am so excited Justin is coming home today! Even though I feel like I needed this solo weekend to recharge & renew, I have really missed him, & I'm so glad he will be here soon.

smelling my Oceane perfume, which I bought from Anthropologie in Jackson when my sister, her best friend Ellen, & I were on a trip to tour Millsaps. Now that Kara is about to wrap up her Junior year, that trip is even more special to me. And I really, really love that I have a scent that takes me back to that moment in time.

wishing I had watched a little more Gilmore Girls this weekend. I just couldn't tear myself away from My Fair Wedding. It's been an addiction lately. For real.

hoping & praying for safe travels for Justin today. I can't wait to see him!

wearing professional clothes again this week, since I'll be shadowing for the second week in a row! My career is on the upswing, folks, & I'm jazzed.

loving the phone calls I have had in the past few days with my parents. It means a lot to me that they took the time out of their busy schedules to call me & chat about everything. I can't wait to hang out with them in person on my upcoming trip to Shreveport!

wanting an evening of movie-watching & dinner on the couch with Justin!

needing to paint my toenails. And that's the truth, everyone.

feeling like working out every day needs to be a priority for the next few weeks. There is a little ole wedding coming up soon that I need to look my absolute best for.

clicking a few very different links lately: Demeter, so that I can choose a new signature scent. I'm thinking of Almond, or Honey, or Baby Powder. Have you ever tried a Demeter scent before? What is your favorite? Also, Country Club Prep, with dreams of redesigning my closet, to match my redesigned blog. And finally, this recipe, with hopes of whipping something up in the kitchen soon.

photo: instagram

*somehow, in the midst of all the design madness, disqus got completely removed from my blog, which has thrown my comments section off a bit. it should be resolved in the next couple of days. oopsies!

*update: disqus is now re-installed here on siddathornton, but the comment import is taking longer than expected. if you commented on this post, don't worry - i didn't delete it. it should show back up once the import is finally complete. thank you for your patience as i get this issue resolved.