Happy Makeup Monday!

When I went to Walt Disney World for a quick 32 hours in June (read about that trip here), I knew I needed a makeup routine that would get me out of the hotel and right to the parks in the morning, but would last for the whole day... even through hot and humid Florida weather. I always want to look good in the parks, but I also don't want to spend an hour getting ready. My mornings are usually early, so I shower at night, and in the morning I just want to quickly put a few products on my face and get to the magical express.



As a matter of fact, this is a great every day makeup routine! The products I use are cruelty-free, which is an absolute necessity for me. If you're wondering if the makeup you are using tests on animals, like rabbits and even beagles, check out the Cruelty Cutter App or use the Leaping Bunny website.



tarte BB tinted treatment 12-hour primer SPF 30
Every Princess knows how important it is to moisturize and protect your skin from the sun. If you're wearing a hat, you're protected, but if you have on Mickey ears you'll need SPF! Tarte's BB primer takes care of EVERYTHING for you. Not only does it moisturize and protect your skin from the sun, but it acts as a primer to ensure your face is looking flawless. It is a light coverage, so in the hot and humid weather you won't feel like your skin is suffocating. Plus, if you have freckles like me, they will still show and your face won't look cakey. Put this on first!

tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer


After you are primed and moisturized, add a little coverage as needed. I have dark circles under my eyes always and this concealer is one of the best I've found. All you need is a tiny bit! I dab it right under my eyes and also on my lids to act as a primer for my shadow and liner. It gives me a great base! If you have any other blemishes you'd like to cover up, dab it on those spots as well. 



tarte Park Ave Princess Contour Palette
Next, this bronzer, blush, and highlighter palette adds the perfect color to your skin. This pink blush is a great shade for many different complexions and the highlighter adds just the right touch of pixie sparkle to your skin.










Neutral Eyeshadow
I use a neutral eye shadow for my park makeup. This was a palette I got in a gift set, but tarte has so many awesome options like this one and this one! I use a little sparkle in the inner corners of my eyes and the matte shades on the rest. I go for the neutral shades for park days because it is easiest if I'm switching outfits!






Clay Pot Waterproof Shadow Liner
I'm obsessed with this stuff. I have it in brown, black, and rose gold. Once it is on, it stays! You can go dramatic or natural, depending on how you apply it. This brush, the Etch & Sketch Double-Ended Bamboo Liner Brush, is the key to amazing eye liner. The bent end helps you make the perfect wing - I promise! I always used to have trouble with a cat-eye look, but this brush has helped me tremendously.







Lights, Camera, Lashes!
I've been using this tarte mascara for years, and this travel kit is the perfect way to bring it with me on trips. The eyelash curler is amazing and this mascara will last you from morning til night. Plus, it gives you dramatic, thick lashes in just a few strokes!






Almost done! Put your brows in place with some tinted brow gel and give a few sprays with a setting spray. I love this one from Urban Decay. Add your favorite lip, whether it be a moisturizing balm or full on glam color, and get to the parks!!!



So, that's it! Are there any specific products you use while in the parks??? Let me know!




 

Oh, those lovely style + travel bloggers.

Their perfectly curated outfits and cups of morning coffee mixed with winged eyeliner at the beach and magical image retouching that turns everything bright and pastel and wondrous. I could spend months perusing their blogs and their trips and the accessories they wore to that picturesque brunch on the beach.

Well, my vacation may not have been as picture perfect, but it was real-life perfect. I had grand visions of making the perfect blog post with the loveliest images of me in my fun vaca outfits but once we got there and started enjoying the trip, I wanted to focus on making memories with my husband and his family than posing for style photos. Also, I forgot my battery camera on the one day I could have spent taking excellent pics - but I say it was for the best!



Here is a badly photographed recap of our magical vacation in Fenwick, Delaware!

ACTIVITIES

Fenwick Island State Park - What a beautiful and quiet beach this was to visit! We had amazing weather for our entire week, so I was able to hit the beach 3 of those days. Parking at the state park beach was only $10 per car and a very short walk over to the actual beach itself.

An added bonus was the eclipse happening as we were on the beach. Another beach goer shared their eclipse glasses with us, so the whole family was able to witness the event.

The beach allowed dogs which was fun to watch. We had some great waves, too, so Brian and I spent a lot of time wave surfing. It was a blast! The ocean was very clean and a pretty shade of blue green which made it a pleasant experience to swim in.




Assateague Island National Seashore - My 30th birthday happened to fall during vacation, so my request was to visit Assateague and see the wild horses. The original forecast was rain on my bday, so we took our trip on a beautifully warm and sunny Tuesday.

We had no official plans for the day, so we made the 30 minute drive and decided to park in the State Park portion of the island which was $20, but gave us a pass to visit that was good for 7 days. Just to note - I did plan on taking amazing photos on this trip but realized after we arrived that my camera battery was still plugged into the charger back at the house. Brian offered to drive back so we could get it - but I decided that maybe it was just fate and to enjoy the trip through my own eyes rather than my camera lens. The State Park had a beach area, plenty of bathrooms and changing rooms, a small beach shop that also had firewood and other essentials for the many camping grounds throughout the island.

After parking at the beach front, we took a short walk and decided to drive over to another area where they had all sorts of rentals: bikes, kayaks, and even canoes and stand up paddle boards! We rented bikes and adventured through the island for about an hour. We were not disappointed - we saw so many wild horses and even some deer! It was amazing to see them walking around like it was no big deal that people's camping trailers and hanging laundry were right next to them.



Once we returned our bikes, we changed into our bathing suits and headed to the beach. It was another gorgeous, sunny day so we were able to fully enjoy the quiet time and even snoozed in the sunshine for a bit. I highly recommend taking a trip to see the horses!






Other Fun - The community we stayed in had a lot of other fun activities for us. There were free kayak and SUP rentals which we took advantage of, as well as an awesome community pool that had some of the best drinks I had all vacation!

I learned that I like kayaking much better than a stand up paddle board, and I like drinking grapefruit crushes more than either of those activities. The pool even had live music one afternoon! It was so wonderful to just sit back and relax!

FOOD

Okay, obviously the most important part of any vacation is what you're eating. When we weren't grilling at our rental home or eating cheese fries by the community pool (which coincidentally had some of the best drinks I had the whole trip) we were able to visit some local establishments.

Donuts at The Fractured Prune -


What I ate: We got 6 donuts and egg & cheese bagel breakfast sandwiches.

Donut Flavors included:
Margarita
Carnival
O.C. Sand
Morning Buzz
Peanut Butter Cup
Death By Chocolate

Thoughts: YUM! This small donut shop has multiple locations in the area. The donuts were freshly made, glazed, and topped to-order. They were hot and fresh and soooo delicious! Every flavor we got was a good one!



2. Harpoon Hanna's - This local establishment had a long wait and was pretty packed. It is right on the water and has beautiful views, as well as a deck with a bar. However, the food was unremarkable and the drinks were lackluster as well. It seems more like a touristy spot than a hidden gem. Before apps, they did bring around a basket filled with breads and muffins, and I have to say the coconut muffin was pretty good. But, that was the most memorable part of the meal.


3. Catch 54 - Probably my favorite dinner of the trip! And it just so happened to be on my 30th Birthday - which is why I have a nice glass of bubbly!

Seriously though, if you're in the area you must stop in here for dinner. The location was a bit off the main road and it wasn't busy at all. There was a back deck and outside sitting area that had a gorgeous sunset view. We sat inside, and the dining area looked new and modern. All of our apps & meals were delicious, and this Prosecco wasn't too bad either (obviously)!











4. Parched Pelican - We drove down the Ocean City, MD to eat here after finding it on Yelp. While it was a Friday night, it wasn't very busy and we were easily able to grab a table without a wait. There were both inside and outside seating areas. The outside area was located by the bar that had quite a crowd. It seems like a hot spot for OCMD vacationers to stop by for a drink and quick bite before heading out for the night.

This frose was SO good and the food was pretty tasty as well. They had an interesting menu with lots of sandwiches, burgers, and lighter fare along those lines.

I'd definitely go here again, especially for another glass of frose!





5. The Cove -
Located within the community we were staying at, The Cove was a quick walk for our first night of dinner on vacation. It had a lovely indoor dining space as well as a deck that looked over one of the communities many pond/lake areas.  My salad was very good and pretty filling and they had a nice selection of beers to choose from. The table got a few other meals & apps which they all seemed to enjoy as well. For the location, it was super easy and accessible to eat here, though if we weren't staying within the community I don't feel it would be a must-visit experience.

Vacation Essentials

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Walt Disney World is huge. Packed into 40 square miles of magic you will find perfectly themed hotels, highly rated restaurants, theme parks bustling with vacationers and Disney characters alike, shops brimming with the Disney merch of your dreams, and so much more. Seriously - you could spend weeks exploring the many facets that create the wonderful world of Disney.

But what if you're short on time?

This past June, I was in such a dilemma. A work trip brought me to Orlando and I knew I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get a few hours of magic in. Originally, I had planned to spend only a few hours there by myself on the day I was to fly home. However, my friends Sam & Lisa decided to join me and it made for one of the most action packed Disney adventures I've experienced to date!

Note: Sam is from California (AP at Disneyland!) and has only been to WDW one time previously, so I wanted to make sure she had a great experience!

Here is how we spent 36 Magic Packed Hours in Walt Disney World! 

Planning is Key
One of the great features of WDW vacations is that you are able to pre-plan so much in advance. From online check-in at your hotel, to dining reservations 180 days in advance and FastPass+ selections at 60 days in advance (when staying on Disney property), the skeleton of your days is mapped out well before your feet arrive at the resort.

Because we had only a short amount of time in the parks, we skipped making too many dining reservations. Knowing there are treats galore to be eaten, we knew we'd be well fed. The one reservation I made sure to make was for Be Our Guest. I felt this was an important reservation as it is the only way to see Beast's Castle (which is a must see!). Time in the parks was more important to us so we did not have any other reservations.



FastPasses were a bit of a challenge. With the FastPass+ system, you can only make selections in one park. I chose to make them at Magic Kingdom, since I figured it would be the most packed. Peter Pan's Flight, Haunted Mansion, and Seven Dwarves Mine Train were our selections. We ended up skipping Mine Train to head to a different park.


Hour One - Magic Kingdom
We arrived at our resort, Disney's Old Key West, bright and early at 6:30AM and were lucky enough
to be able to check in! Once we got sorted we headed over to the bus stop to board our bus for Magic Kingdom where we'd be taking advantage of Extra Magic Hours from 8AM-9AM.

Caffeine was DEFINITELY needed, so once we went through security, bag check and ticket check, we headed straight to Starbucks. Giant, sweet caffeinated drinks were purchases as well as a cupcake because, well, where else can you have a cupcake for breakfast if not at Magic Kingdom?









After dancing down Main Street USA and stopping for pictures at Cinderella's Castle and The Purple Wall, we went to our first ride in Tomorrowland: The People Mover (it was my first time!).

Lisa then went over to Space Mountain because of the short 10 minute wait time, but Sam and I skipped it. It gives me a headache! We did some shopping, got some mystery pin packs, and headed into New Fantasyland. Here we rode Peter Pan's flight, checked out the Tangled Bathrooms area, and then made our way to The Haunted Mansion for our FastPass.

After enjoying that ghostly retreat in our Doom Buggies, we went back to New Fantasyland enjoy our  reservation at Be Our Guest.





It was great to enjoy the air conditioned castle as June is hot, hot, hot in Orlando! We chose to sit in the West Wing room directly in front of the enchanted rose and enjoyed our delicious breakfast. I have to say, Be Our Guest really knocks it out of the park (sorry) when it comes to their food. A large portion of fruit along with a very savory quiche was my meal of choice for the day. They even bring out a tray of breakfast pastries! Yum!



Feeling very full, we explored the rest of New Fantasyland and then made our way to Adventureland and Frontierland. We rode Pirates of the Caribbean, I ate a Mickey Pretzel, and we did a little perusing of the merch that all these shops have to offer. We were nearing early afternoon at this point and decided we'd seen all we wanted to see in MK.

Hour 7 - Epcot
From MK, we headed to the monorail to go to Epcot however, it had been closed for what looked like a medical emergency. We were forced to reroute and eventually made it to Epcot by bus.

After getting through security, bags and ticket check again, we took the classic pics in front of the entrance with that grand and miraculous Space Ship Earth behind us. It is one of my most favorite sights in all of WDW!


Because we bypassed our Mine Train FastPass, I was able to secure us a ride on Soarin'. I sadly decided to skip my favorite ride, Mission: Space, because of the long wait time. We really wanted to enjoy our experience traveling the World Showcase so I was okay with that decision.

First we stopped at Mexico Pavilion where we shared one of my favorite foods in Epcot - cheese empanadas! I also had a marg (obvs). Our other stops included Germany Pavilion for their Grapefruit Beer, Morocco for the Vegetarian Platter, and a stop in France where I had a macaron ice cream sandwich and Sam and Lisa got crepes. We checked out the many worldly sites in each Pavilion as well as their unique merch before Soarin' Over the World.



On our way out of Epcot, we grabbed some more caffeine via Joffrey's and got on a bus to our last stop of the day - Animal Kingdom!



Hour 12 - Animal Kingdom
Again, we wanted to take advantage of the Magic Hours at AK from 11pm-1am. However - we didn't even end up staying at the park that long. We were able to secure FastPass for Expedition Everest later in the evening, so once we got to Animal Kingdom we headed straight to Pandora: World of Avatar.



It was a first visit for all of us and we spent a good amount of time exploring this new and amazing world. Luckily, the wait time for Flights of Passage was only 90 minutes which we took as a positive. The wait for the ride, though long, was filled with great detail and helped make the time go by a littttttle more quickly. Though long, the wait was SO WORTH IT. This ride is an incredible feat of creative vision and execution. I don't want to spoil it for those who have not yet had a chance to experience it - but WOW. Prepare to be amazing.



After Flights of Passage we LITERALLY RAN to Expedition Everest in order to make our FastPass. We ran right past Rivers of Light, which looked awesome at high speeds (just kidding we were probably very slow) but we made it! I love seeing Mr. Yeti on that coaster and we even got to sit front row. There was a group of rowdy teen boys that slightly tarnished our experience - they even had middle fingers in the PhotoPass Photo. It was super disappointing. But the cast member gave us another FastPass to ride again when we explained the situation. We ended up giving them away but it was still a good gesture.

Afterwards, we were hungry and tired and our feet hurt super bad. It must have been around 9:30pm and we decided to get some food in Pandora before returning to our hotel. I have written a post on my thoughts of the Pandora food which you can read here. (Spoiler alert: it was so very good.)

Hour 17 - Beauty Rest
Back at Old Key West, Lisa and Sam went on a hunt for water bottles and a hot tub to rest their aching feet. I chose to take a nice hot shower and get myself into bed. Getting rest and hydrating so SO IMPORTANT for quick trips when you're trying to make every moment of the day count. This is why we chose to not make early breakfast reservations - a little extra sleep and time to pack was important and we knew we'd be well fed either way.


Hour 24 - Back to Animal Kingdom
Up and at 'em! We awoke early to pack, check-out of the hotel, check our bags for our return, and get back to Animal Kingdom. Their Extra Magic Hours began at 8AM and we hadn't gotten a chance to ride Na'vi River Journey the day before in Pandora as it had been temporarily closed. Once in Animal Kingdom, we got some bright, sunshiny pics over at the Tree of Life before heading to Starbucks for, you guessed it, COFFEE. I got the most epic Mickey Shaped Cinnamon Bun and a cold brew. It was delish and I highly recommend you try one next time you need a sweet breakfast!

Sadly Na'Vi River Journey was still down and we never had a chance to ride it. We did, however, get to see the Pandora store (which there was a line to get into), I had a Night Blossom (SO GOOD), and we rode Dinosaur.



Hour 28 - Hollywood Studios
Our last hours were spent seeking the glitz and the glamour of a bustling movie town over in Hollywood Studios. We were able to see the Stormtroopers march down Hollywood Boulevard before heading to our FastPasses at Tower of Terror and then going to Star Tours.

















Hour 32 - All Good Things Must Come to an End
At this point we were ready to get out of the sun and head back to the hotel to grab our bags and get to the airport. Little did we know, our flights would be delayed over and over again... but that is another story for another day.



Here are my pointers for getting as much in as possible in a quick trip to Walt Disney World:

1. Plan ahead as much as possible. Disney gives you so many tools to plan ahead! Use these wisely to make a great outlay for your days to ensure you have loose schedule to follow. This enables you to make educated decisions as to what you can and cannot fit into the hours you have allotted. Also, it will ensure you get to ride your favorites with the FastPass option.
2. Understand that not everything will go as planned. We never got a ride on the monorail because of it being shut down and that is okay. We also had to miss a few rides we would have liked to ride, but those decisions sometimes have to be made on the fly in order to make the most of the trip.
3. Don't spend a lot of times on dining reservations during a short trip. There are plenty of delicious food and drink options in the park that you can eat on the go to ensure you get in all the rides and sights in that you want to see. However, if there is a special dining experience you'd like to experience, like we did for Be Our Guest, it is worth it to make the reservation! 
4. Make sure you get enough rest and water, and take short breaks during the day. You can't enjoy anything Walt Disney World has to offer if you're not feeling good, and that is why it is so important to make sure you get sleep and are constantly drinking water. Know which rides are good to take a rest on - like The Peoplemover! Stay hydrated in those hot temps and make sure your body is well rested because...
5. Your feet are gonna hurt and you are going to be tired. It doesn't matter if you wear the most comfy shoes in the world and if you get 15 hours of sleep the night before. Spending that many hours on your feet is going to be painful and being in the sun all day is going to take a lot out of you. 
6. Soak it all in and enjoy every moment because it will fly by!