Samantha Hawes | Playdates + Pearls

12/11

Guest Post: Emily of The Style Hunter

We’re halfway through the week, loves! We will survive…at least that’s what I keep telling myself. It’s been one of those weeks for me. (You know, the ones that call for wine for breakfast…what? You don’t do that ever?)

I have Emily of The Style Hunter guest posting with me today, and we are showing you a few ways we’ve been styling Cobalt Blue into our wardrobes. First of all, I just have to tell you how much fun this adorable girl is; she’s pretty much the most fantastic person ever! I think Emily has great taste, so of course I follow her blog, but it’s her pictures that I love most. She’s always so happy, and looks carefree and like she’s having a blast! She never looks like she’s taking things too seriously….here are a few pictures to prove it. (Sorry Em, you’re just too cute to keep all to myself.)

Here’s a little about Emily, her darling blog, and how she styled cobalt blue:

Hi! I’m Emily, author of TheStyleHunter. I’m the girl that loves all things fashion. I am utterly obsessed with texture, pattern, shine and a bit too much. A girl that will wear red lipstick to a football game or layer on baubles for a trip to the grocery store. I love a good bargain and believe that the happiness in life could come from a walk around your favorite store.

Pops of color are what I’m about. Having everything else be basically neutral, with one bold color as the focal point of your look. In this case, the cobalt blue pants are clearly the star of the show. I found them at the LOFT and fell hopelessly in love. A good pair of pants is like a good car. Side note, ironically my car is blue. Hmmm, I may quite possibly see a pattern emerging. You need something reliable, that won’t stretch or break down (i.e. rip or get a hole unexpectedly) and one that will be a showstopper. Clearly these pants do the trick. Add a dash of leopard, since leopard is indeed a neutral and you are set. I will add leopard to any and every outfit I can, it might be an addiction, but one I wear proudly. Another thing I like to do when creating an outfit is to add something unexpected. I like mixing colors or patterns that some wouldn’t necessarily think of. These (on sale at Target) Sam & Libby pumps for $11 do the trick. A little bit festive, but not as dominant as the pants. That is the key to mixing. When mixing unexpected items, have one still be the dominant so that they don’t compete, but compliment in a new way.

You can shop my look here:

Pants // Tee // Scarf: similar // Leather jacket: (old) similar // Pumps // Sunnies: similar

xo, Emily

Now that you’ve fallen in love with her too, you can follow her on bloglovin’ here.

Neither Emily nor I knew what the other person was doing for this “challenge”, which honestly made it that much more fun to see the final pictures. I styled my outfit for cold, and colder weather. Austin can’t make up it’s mind and decide if it’s still fall or full-on winter yet. Here’s a glimpse of what I wore…

Come visit me over at The Style Hunter to see the rest of my pictures, and to shop my outfits.

We’re also super excited to be giving away this gorgeous blue ombre scarf from Shoptiques!

Enter the giveaway below. Hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday…and if all else fails, pop open a bottle and pour yourself a glass. It’s gotta be 5 o’clock somewhere!!

XO – Samantha

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posted by Samantha Hawes 5 Comments
Filed Under: Fashion, Giveaway, Guest Posts Tagged: cobalt blue, Fashion, fashion blogger, OOTD, outfit of the day, playdatesandpearls, the style hunter, what i wore, wiw

12/10

Gift Guide: For Him

Today is the last installment in my Gift Guide series, and I’ve saved the hardest for last. Shopping for the men in my life is always my least favorite. Men don’t ever ask for anything, and when they do actually need something, they buy it. Super helpful guys, super helpful. Hope this guide gives you a little inspiration.

Gift Guide: For Him by playdatesandpearls on Polyvore

1.|| Reading Material

2.|| Shave OR Style

3.|| Beer of the month club

4.|| Bose Noise-Cancelling Headphones

5.|| Ugg Slippers

6.|| Cologne

7.|| Movie (My husband would enjoy a movie that he could watch with his favorite tiny lady)

Stay tuned tomorrow, I’ll be guest blogging with the fabulous Emily of The Style Hunter to show you guys how we wear cobalt blue. We’ll also be giving away a pretty little clothing/accessory item, so don’t miss out.

I am flying to North Carolina today to spend time with my Mom, and visit my Grandpa who is currently fighting cancer, but I will still be posting for you like always. If you’d like to see pictures of my trip, follow my instagram feed.

There’s still time to enter these giveaways:

https://playdatesandpearls.com/how-to-wash-your-makeup-brushes/

https://playdatesandpearls.com/lust-list-12613-on-the-4th-day-of-giveaway/

XO – Samantha

posted by Samantha Hawes 2 Comments
Filed Under: Uncategorized

12/09

How To: Wash Your Makeup Brushes

We all wash our faces daily (at least I hope you do) and we spend so much time and money on our skin care regimens, but so often our makeup brushes get overlooked. Just like we cleanse the dirt and makeup from our skin, we need to regularly cleanse our brushes for the same reasons. Not only are these tools touching your delicate skin on a day-to-day basis, but they’re often times being dipped into your makeup.

These are the brushes I use most frequently, and tend to wash on a weekly basis. I also have a 2 year old who thoroughly enjoys playing in her makeup (aka chapsticks and clean makeup brushes) so I’m often having to wash more makeup brushes than I actually use in a week. Her little face is dirty, so makeup or not, her brushes get cleaned too.

I am NOT a fan of cleaning my brushes. It’s a chore, just like doing dishes, and often times my brushes will still be damp the next morning, but it’s a necessary evil. If anyone has any tips or tricks to offer, leave me a comment!!

To cleanse my brushes I use Blender Cleanser, which can be purchased through Sephora. You could also use baby shampoo, or other brush cleansers (MAC sells some). I use warm water, a pea sized amount of cleanser in the palm of my hand, and then I swirl my brush in it and rinse. If you’re washing foundation brushes you’ll likely need to repeat this step until the water runs clear. Squeeze all the water from your brush and reshape them, and then lay flat to dry on a clean towel. Smaller brushes will typically be dry within a few hours, but larger brushes will take overnight. Clean a Beauty Blender in a similar fashion by applying a pea sized amount of cleanser to the soiled area of your blender, and lather and rinse until water runs clear. Set on towel to dry.

Here are a few of my favorite makeup brushes & cleanser (which are featured above):

Real Techniques Travel Essentials

I love the domed shadow brush for applying my under eye concealer, and the multi-task brush for my bronzer.

Blender Cleanser

Beauty Blender

Flawless foundation and concealer application.

These 3 amazing items are part of todays GIVEAWAY, valued at over $50! Enter below. Good Luck!

XO – Samantha

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posted by Samantha Hawes 13 Comments
Filed Under: Beauty, DIY, Giveaway Tagged: Clean, How To, Makeup Brushes, Wash your brushes

12/06

Lust List: 12/6/13 & On The 4th Day of GIVEAWAY!

Well everyone, we survived the week, and now we get to enjoy a little R&R this weekend. Wahhooo! You know what I love most about Fridays? Knowing that I get to sleep in tomorrow morning because my husband will be home and will get up early with our daughter. I volunteer him for morning duties every Saturday. He’s a gem.

Let’s kick this Friday off right with my Lust List, and then Day 4 of my “12 Days of Giveaway”!

1.|| How Kids Decide Who To Marry (Short & Sweet Article that is sure to make you smile!)

2.|| I love this gift topper tutorial from the blog “The House That Lars Built”

3.|| I was sent a sample of an exfoliator that has officially stolen my heart. It’s the Microdermabrasion Paste from Rodan + Fields. It smells of citrus, warms as it exfoliates, and leaves your skin feeling softer than a babies bum. You guys know I love my face masks, and I will gladly put this in my top 5. It reminds me of Kate Somerville’s Exfolikate, but not as stinky, or green. I’ve had the opportunity to test a few Rodan + Fields products, and I’m really enjoying them. My favorite (daily use) products so far are part of the Redefine line, which are targeted at aging skin. I really appreciate the emphasis on using SPF, and that the package includes an eye cream focused on fighting wrinkles, which sadly, I have. I’ll do a full product review when I’ve finished sampling all the lines. For reference, my skin is combination-dry, and does breakout on occasion. I have a lot of freckles, which make my skin look discolored the older I get (I swear the little bastards are joining together to become one giant freckle!) I love exfoliating products, and brightening products, or anything that helps fight wrinkles. I have deep set eyes, and in the last 2 years I’ve developed fine lines around the inner corners of my eyes, so I’m always on the hunt for a good eye cream. A special thank you to Paula for allowing me to try all of these products out and give my honest feedback and recommendations to all of you. My opinions are my own, as always.

4.|| The perfect appetizer. These make my mouth water just looking at them.

5.|| Speaking of things that make my mouth water…Anyone want a Kahlua Hot Chocolate? Go check out this recipe from Damn Delicious.

6.|| Danielle, from THE EVERYGIRL, shares her fabulous Chicago Apartment.

7.|| My friend introduced me to the amazing world of Pinterest Fails. My husband and I cried laughing in bed the other night looking through them. My favorite part? “Nailed it!”

8.|| Beautiful new “Influence” art by Jen of MadeByGirl would be the perfect addition to any gallery wall, or inspirational piece in your office, or closet. I love that Jen’s art is always classy, and clean, and always adds a touch of glamour to any space.

9.|| When you let your kids play ball inside the house…amazing things {sometimes} happen. Watch this video until the end. Very inspiring.

10. Day 4 of my “12 Days of Giveaway”!! Win this eclectic collection of holiday gifting items, like a gold glitter journal (great for keeping in your purse and making notes or lists), a gold polka dot bag, gift tags, gold polka dot pillow boxes (perfect for gift cards), red and white striped twine, magnetic to-do list, thank you cards, all occasion “&” cards, and fun pens. I want you to recieve these goodies with plenty of time to use them, so this giveaway will only last 5 1/2 days. All entries will be verified. This entry requires to follow Playdates + Pearls (by e-mail, or on bloglovin’) AND follow Playdates + Pearls on Instagram. All additional entries are optional. Good Luck!

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Oh, and HAPPY FRIDAY LOVES!

XO – Samantha

posted by Samantha Hawes 6 Comments
Filed Under: Beauty, DIY, Food, Giveaway, Let's Chat, Lust List, Product Review Tagged: art, Christmas, Food, Giveaway, Holiday, influence, madebygirl, nailed it, pinterest, presents, Recipes

12/05

VonBon Apparel

Happy Thursday! Happy because there’s only 1 more day until the weekend, but also because I have one of my favorite companies to share with you guys today, as well as a coupon code.

You’ve all heard me talk about Vonbon before, but my love affair with this company is so strong that they deserved their own post!

I’ve searched for scarves for my tiny lady since she was old enough to wear them, and could never find anything that was modern, well made, and in her size. I started buying adult scarves for her (not cheap), cutting them in half (what a waste), and sewing them into little infinity scarves (I’m terrible at sewing, even straight lines)…then I discovered Vonbon, and the addiction started.

Jennifer and Kristen, two absolutely stunning sisters, created the Vonbon brand out of their desire to fulfill the need for quality, organic, and beautiful products suited for both mother and child. Tired of giving their expecting friends the traditional baby gifts, they began creating goods in neutral and sophisticated patterns that were easily transitioned from outfit to outfit, as well as being gender neutral. Vonbon uses only premium, organic fabrics, water based inks, and to ensure quality, they’re printed in small batches. These ladies are so incredibly sweet, and seriously care about their customers. Working with them has been so fun!

If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve seen Camryn rocking her Vonbon frequently. Here are a few of my favorite pictures of her wearing the neutral feather infinity cowl, neutral triangle infinity cowl, and the nude polka dot headband.

Are you in love yet?

The first thing most moms want to know is “How do they wash?’, and the answer is GREAT! See that red frosted cupcake? Y’all know it t went all over her scarf, but you’d never even know now. A gentle cycle later, and it was good as new. The products are so well made, and I really appreciate that the children’s infinity cowls come in a generous size, so I don’t have to worry about Camryn outgrowing them anytime soon. I can actually wrap them around her neck 3x’s if it’s extra cold outside and I want her neck to stay warm and have the ability to zip her jacket all the way up. The neutral patterns make mixing and matching headbands and infinity cowls so easy, but doesn’t give off that “matchy matchy” look. I know these will still be favorites of mine when we decide to have baby #2, and they’ll look just as adorable on a boy or girl.

Here are some other Vonbon items that I’m currently lusting over:

Gray Antler Blanket – This would be so great in a boys room, or in a girls room in need of a masculine touch to balance the pink. It’s the perfect size for tummy time, swaddling, or as a car seat blanket.

Why don’t these Stella headbands come in my size?! They’re seriously adorable.

What baby wants to wear a bib when they could wear this black & white chevron bibdana?

Blush Antler Knotted Hat

Burp cloths that won’t make you cringe.

Adult Infinity Cowl in Blush Triangles

The girls at Vonbon are giving all of you a 15% discount on your total order until December 12th with code VONBONPEARLS

Go get your Vonbon on, and snag some Christmas gifts for friends!

Be sure to enter the 3 GIVEAWAYS while there’s still time!

Giveaway 1: https://playdatesandpearls.com/on-the-first-day-of-christmas/

Giveaway 2: http://playdatesandpearls.com/on-the-second-day-of-christmas/

Giveaway 3: https://playdatesandpearls.com/on-the-3rd-day-of-christmas/

XO – Samantha

posted by Samantha Hawes Leave a Comment
Filed Under: Camryn, Fashion, Let's Chat, Product Review Tagged: Accessories, Baby, baby scarves, bibdanas, bibs, blankets, Fashion, headbands, infinity cowls, scarves, Vonbon, Women

12/04

On the 3rd Day of Christmas….

Today’s giveaway is my personal favorite. I may or may not be a coffee addict, and also obsessed with all things black, white, and gold. I bought this darling limited edition mug by Alice + Olivia for myself, and knew I needed to snag another one for one of you.

I’ve been loving Caramel Brulee lattes lately, and the crunchy little golden sugar bits on top are absolute heaven. Camryn and I make trips to Starbucks a few times a week for Mommy/Daughter dates, and usually end up at our park afterwards. If I order her a hot chocolate, she promptly corrects me with “No Mommy, Cammy likes warm chocolate, not hot!” (Yes, she refers to herself in 3rd person….she’s a pistol.) Which holiday drink is your favorite?

BONUS…The mug comes with a special treat inside!

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Because this mug is fragile, this will be a U.S. only giveaway. Sorry.

If you haven’t already entered Day 1, & Day 2‘s giveaways, GO NOW! The first winner will be announced tomorrow.

XO – Samantha

PS…A few of you have asked who won the Giveaway that I hosted with My Simple Kitchen for the Anthropology Apron and “Can’t Cook Book”. The winner was Aliesha Pentecost. Congrats to Aliesha, your gift is on it’s way!

posted by Samantha Hawes 10 Comments
Filed Under: Food, Giveaway

12/03

Gift Guide: For Her & a very special HALF birthday!

1.|| Keepsake Gift: Artifact Uprising Photo Book

2.|| Pajamas: Target Velour Robe, H&M Pajama set, H&M Slippers

3.|| Fragrance: Buy her a new perfume. I have been using Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb lately, and love it.

4.|| Decor & Fashion Obsessed: If she loves all things fashion and interior design, she’ll love receiving these coffee table books. Not only are they amazing to look through, but they’re beautiful to display. Bazaar, The Big Book Of Chic, Influence, Kate Spade.

5.|| Relaxing Spa Essentials: Milk and Honey Spa Lip Scrub, Gift Certificate, Laura Mercier Almond Coconut Honey Bath, Sugar Lychee Bath Cubes

6.|| Shoe Lover…aka every woman: Ugg Glitter Flats, Tory Burch Flats

7.|| Protect her favorite accessory in style: Marc Jacobs Gold Foil case, Kate Spade “Be Dazzling”, Cynthia Rowley Confetti case

8.|| Luxury Beauty: Marc Jacobs Eyeshadow Palette, Chanel Mascara (This stuff is amazing!!!), YSL Rouge Volupte Shine

9.|| Set the mood: Kate Spade Candles

10.|| If all else fails…buy her chocolate & Starbucks!

If you haven’t already entered my 2 current giveaways, you still have time! Enter to win a “Naughty Candle” by Illume and a Philosophy “Merry Cherry Tidings” gift set here, and enter to win the Too Faced “Be Merry & Be Bright” face palettes here. Another exciting giveaway starts tomorrow, so stay tuned!

Extra special news: Today is Camryns HALF Birthday, so we’ll be out celebrating and doing all her favorite things. What’s a birthday without cake too?! Here are some of my favorite pictures of her growing up….

4 months {Halloween 2011}

Found her toes!

Christmas 2011 {6 months}

Auntie Love

First trip to the beach

Being inappropriate with Elmo. He looks shocked!

First trip out of the US

Aunties wedding day <3

That day she learned to walk in Central Park

WooHoo I can walk!!

First ponytail (Yes, this counts!!)

Being a female driver

First kiss

Halloween 2012

Halloween 2012

Visiting Grandma in NC

Look who found her belly button!

A family that wears footie pajamas together…

Winter 2012

First vacation without Dad!

6 months

Twins

Learning to walk

After a very long day visiting Nana & Papa in WA

1 year DR visit

French Riviera

Starbucks date with Mommy

Meow

Sundays at the Farmers Market {Getting face painted}

Age 2 1/2 {Yesterday – 12/2/13}

I can’t believe my baby is already 2 1/2…where has time gone? She is such a joy and bright spot in my life, and I am the luckiest Mommy ever! I just love my tiny lady to pieces!

XO – Samantha

posted by Samantha Hawes 6 Comments
Filed Under: Uncategorized

12/02

On the SECOND day of Christmas…Giveaway + Cyber Monday

Let’s kick off the day with my Second Day of Christmas Giveaway! Keep reading for Cyber Monday links, and product info, as well as a little chit-chat.

Today I am giving away the Too Faced “Be Merry & Be Bright” face palettes valued at $45. Ulta describes them as ”12 merry and bright shadows, 2 perfect blushes, 2 sexy bronzers and a volumizing Lash Injection mascara - to create a festive face for every Christmas party. Or break apart and give one palette away and keep one for yourself! The two palettes are all in a purse-friendly kit (inspired by celebrity decorator and TV personality Mary McDonald) with a full-size Lash Injection Mascara, so you can create your look morning, noon or night.” These palettes are BEAUTIFUL, and I almost kept them for myself….almost. For a full review and swatches, check out this post. You can enter to win below. Good Luck!

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It’s officially December, and WOW, everyone is in the holiday spirit. I on the other hand haven’t even dug my holiday decor out of my closet. We bought Camryn her first Christmas tree, and decorated it, but my own tree is yet to find it’s way home with me. Ba-hum-bug. I blame my husband. Every time I even bring up the subject of getting a tree, or digging out our boxes of holiday decor, he shuts me down. We officially have more stuff than we need, so we’ll be adding very little to our wishlist this year. I guess that’s why it’s taking us longer than usual to get in the spirit and start decorating…usually I live for tree shopping and turning my house into a winter wonderland. We’re going to have a very small, relaxing Christmas this year. Instead we’re putting most of our energy into making an amazing Christmas for a family we’ve “adopted” at the Ronald McDonald House who are very far from their home in Barbados, and have a 13 year old daughter fighting cancer at Dell Children’s Hospital. Shopping for them has been SO MUCH FUN!! I’ll post more on that soon.

Speaking of shopping, today is Cyber Monday. Here are the stores I’ll be shopping:

Starbucks: Take $25 off any purchase of $60 or more + free standard shipping. I bought a few of these over the weekend as gifts.

Tory Burch: 20-30% off (based on spend) with code HOLIDAY

H&M: 40% off your entire purchase + 25% off sale items. I bought these pajamas, more of my favorite skinny jeans, and a few gifts for the girl I “adopted”.

Old Navy: 30% off with code CYBER. I bought Camryn a few bits and bobs: PJ’s, shoes, and more shoes

Gap & Banana Republic: 40% off with code CYBER (My sister asked for workout gear for xmas, so I snagged these, and some other goodies. Sister, if you’re reading this, stop snooping. Geez!)

Lulu & Georgia: 30% off with code THANKS30

CWonder: 30% off everything with code GIFTS30. I absolutely love this monogrammed jewelry box.

Ulta: Deals on individual products, including 25% off Body Shop products. They are also offering $10 off all purchases of $50 or more, and a free gift bag worth $100 when making a $40 purchase or more.

JCrew Factory: 50% off everything with code HOLIDAY50

Lands End: 30% off everything with code WONDERLAND

ASOS: 20% (additional) off everything using code EXTRA20

Serena & Lily: 20% off with code THANKS20

And my personal favorite…. Freshly Picked Moccs: 25% off your entire purchase with code BESTYEAREVER

Bath & Body Works is also running a bunch of sales, and are offering the VIP bag for $20. I bought this last year and was really happy with the products.

This is NOT a sponsored post, these are just places I’ll be shopping (or have already shopped for Black Friday).

I will update this list with any new information as I recieve it.

XO – Samantha

posted by Samantha Hawes 8 Comments
Filed Under: Beauty, Giveaway Tagged: Beauty, Cyber Monday, Deals, Giveaway, Holidays, Makeup, product reviews, Too Faced

11/29

On the FIRST Day of Christmas….

I may not be your true love, but you can call me Mrs. Claus, because I have some very exciting gifts for all of you! Starting today, I will be hosting a giveaway every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday until December 25th. Each giveaway will be separate, and YES, you can enter all 12. The winners will be chosen randomly, so there is a chance that you could win more than one of these fabulous prizes. Entering will be easy, all you have to do is follow Playdates + Pearls via e-mail or on Bloglovin’, and “Like” us on facebook. Additional entries will also be available by following us on Twitter, Instagram, tweeting about the giveaway, leaving a comment, etc. The more you enter, the better your chances are of winning. Each prize has been hand picked by yours truly, and will make the perfect gift to yourself or your loved ones.

So here’s the real question…have you been Naughty, or Nice?

The first item in my First Day of Christmas Giveaway is this Illume “Naughty” candle. This candle has a spicy, holiday scent. You know what would pair nicely with this oh-so-naughty candle? The Merry Cherry Tidings gift set from Philosophy.

Light your candle, fill your bath with warm cherry scented bubbles, and enjoy!

One of you will be the lucky recipient of these two delicious smelling items. Enter Below. Good Luck!

XO – Samantha

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posted by Samantha Hawes 13 Comments
Filed Under: Uncategorized

11/28

Happy Thanksgiving

XO – Samantha

posted by Samantha Hawes 1 Comment
Filed Under: Uncategorized

Guest Post: Emily of The Style Hunter

Gift Guide: For Him

How To: Wash Your Makeup Brushes

Lust List: 12/6/13 & On The 4th Day of GIVEAWAY!

VonBon Apparel

On the 3rd Day of Christmas….

Gift Guide: For Her & a very special HALF birthday!

On the SECOND day of Christmas…Giveaway + Cyber Monday

On the FIRST Day of Christmas….

Happy Thanksgiving

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