5 chick flicks to drown your single sorrows this V-Day

Valentine's Day is officially one week away, which means it's almost time for my party of one pity fest.  This is the one day a year I can unequivocally, without-a-doubt, tell you that being single sucks. All those tricks in the office get pro-flowers, tacky stuffed animals and chocolate dipped strawberries delivered and I spend my day cursing them in my head.

I know "it's only a day" and every year I tell myself I'm not going to care that the only boy in my life still pees in his pull-up at night, but there is just something about Valentine's Day that makes me feel at one with Bridget Jones.

 "This Year's Resolutions: Stop smoking. Stop drinking. Find inner poise. Go to the gym three times a week. Don't flirt with the boss. Reduce thighs. Learn to love thighs. Forget about thighs. Stop making lists." 
- Bridget Jones

Although I've contemplated a bath with an electrical appliance to ease the pain, drowning my sorrows in a marathon of chick flicks is a much safer and less drastic alternative.  I'm totally stealing this idea from my doppelganger Lauren Conrad, but here are my top five  favorite chick flicks of all time.

All my single ladies: What are you planning on doing this Valentines Day?  
Anyone care to join me for a Chick Flick marathon?

Random snaps

I have some snaps from life so far in February that I thought I'd share today.  

First up we have the many faces of my nephew Reese during Taco Thursday last week. You can get a glimpse into his little personality here.

The fixins:

Can you believe how big our new pup Bear is already?  Reese and Bear chillin with Aunt Lindsey in the Starbucks line.

My mom was in town this weekend and we had some mexican food and skinny girl margs Friday night:

Sunday I had 3 cups of this maple pecan coffee and felt like I was on crack.

Blueberry muffins and turkey bacon. Yum in my tum. 

I thought I'd also show you how my room is coming along.  Well, my bed and vanity area anyway.

This isn't the best picture, but here is where I get pretty. That is an earring holder sans my earrings on the wall. 

Last but not least, here I am looking real rough on Super Bowl Sunday. Forehead wrinkles in the house.   

Oopsies. I forgot to tell y'all I had a BLATE.

I really don't like the word "blate" (blogger + date = blate) for some reason.  It rubs me the wrong way, but I can't think of a better word, so blate it is.  

I don't know how I forgot to blog this epic event, but better late than never, right?  Caroline from Shades of Gray and I met exactly 2 weeks ago.  As many of you may know, Caroline and the hair poof queen PinkLouLou are real life besties.  

About a year ago all three of us have bonded over our in-a-prope humor, undying love for wine and affinity for trashy TV.  Well, Carol and I more so with the trashy TV.  Anywho, Caroline was in Dallas for a work conference and we got to meet up for some drinks before she flew back to Kentucky.  It was a blast and I wish we had more time to spend together.  More so I wish PLL could have flown down here too, but we all three will unite before this year is over and that's a promise.  

I made her do the "rawr"

Oh wait, PLL was there!

Sike.  I wish!  But we did send her this pic of us making "PLL" out with our hands.  She was there in spirit.

Oh and how sweet was Carol to bring me loot from Kentucky?  The famous Bluegrass Winners Cookbook, Maker's Mark Gourmet Sauce and this fancy schmancy Maker's Mark Shot Glass.  Love it all and loved our "blate"!

My skin story and pre-makeup skincare routine

Every time I receive a compliment on my skin, I think to myself, "if only you knew."  Then it hit me. You would know if I shared my skin story, so here we are.

Even to this day, my skin is FAR from perfect, but with a little self-tanner and make-up, it won't haunt you in your sleep.  However, there was a period of time when it might have.  Not really. I'm being dramatic.  But there was a time when I was REALLY self conscience about my skin.  Ahhh, the middle school awkward years, I don't miss you at all.

In case you are wondering, yes, that is a jean skort.

I started seeing a dermatologist on the reg at around 10-years-old.  I have been on almost every antibiotic pill there is for your skin, used every topical treatment, tried Proactive, given over the counter products a whirl and finally, my most extreme measure was going on Accutane in the 9th grade.

Prior to going on Accutane, I had several sessions of "acne surgery".  Basically this witch of a woman aka my dermatologist would clean my skin with this horrific tool.  I had tears streaming down my face the entire time because it hurt so bad and she would snarl, "Calm down, I didn't tell you this wasn't going to hurt."  OK mam, but I'm allowed to cry if it feels like someone is taking an ice pick to my face.  I hated her and switched dermatologists shortly after.

Accutane has some severe side effects, but it was the final measure after exhausting all other options and I was willing to do whatever it took. Accutane worked, but the results didn't last forever. I still suffered from breakouts all throughout college and almost went on Accutane again. I discontinued using prescription medicine for my skin a few years ago because it seems as though I've finally outgrown my acne days.  Knock on wood.

Don't get my wrong, I get breakouts from time to time.  However, I have to be very dillgent about how I care for my skin, and this is what I swear by. 

I've mentioned this before, but I use Johnson & Johnson's Purpose Cleansing Wash to wash my face every day and night without exception NO MATTER HOW TIRED I AM.  I force myself.

I love it because it is soap-free so it does not dry your face and it won't ever sting your eyes, so it's ideal for removing your eye make-up. I rarely ever have to use eye make-up remover.  Seriously, I have not used any other face wash since middle school and I refuse to waiver.  You can find it at Wal-Mart, Target, CVS, Walgreens, etc.

I don't religiously use toner, and I definitely try to lay off of it in the winter.  When I do use it, I love Clinique Clarifying Lotion in Level 4 for very oily skin or Level 3 for oily skin.  I use Level 4 during the day because it's stronger and helps control oil longer.  My skin is VERY oily so I like toner for helping to control the shine.  I really don't think toner is a skincare necessity, but I'm no expert.  Just my opinion.

For the longest I used Purpose Lotion too, but it was too heavy and greasy for my skin, so about a year ago I made the switch to Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel and I've never looked back.  This stuff is amazing.

This gel is designed to balance moisture in the cheeks but control oil in the t-zone.  The only downfall to this lotion is that it contains no SPF, but I use foundation with SPF instead.

If I know I'm going to be out in the sun for any prolonged period of time, I apply sunscreen because my skin is so, so, so fair.  During the summer I am psychotic about staying in the shade if I'm ever by a pool and I always wear a big floppy hat and a towel over my face if there is no shade available.  

I swear I've been burnt through a car window on a car trip before, but people tell me that's impossible.  I see your side-eye too, but I promise it happened!

My favorite sunscreen for the face is Neutrogena's Age Shield Face Sunblock in 110 SPF.  Yes, 110.  I am petrified of wrinkles and skin cancer.  I've found this sunscreen is the most lightweight formula with the best protection.    

That is my pre-makeup skin routine!  All the products I use are very affordable and my skin stays in fairly decent shape.  Please let me know if you have any questions or skin care secrets that you swear by.

I will share my face make-up and nightly skin care routine in upcoming posts.

Meet my Fab Feb Sponsors!

I feel like I'm channeling my inner Patti Stanger when she says "Meet my Millionaires!"  Except I'm not here to introduce you to rich tools, but instead, my fab February sponsors!  This is my first time ever accepting sponsors on my blog, and I hope to do this again! 

Instead of me telling you how awesome these eight ladies are, I'm going to let them do all the talking.  Take it away girls ... 

Hi Bargain Blonde readers! I'm Sarah and I write over at Total Basset Case. Over in my neck of the woods I write about our crazy, yet loveable, basset hound Floyd and his many 

adventures.  

I also love to talk about meal planning, recipes, DIY projects and weekly outfit posts! 

Floyd and I would love to have you stop by, hang out for awhile and say hello! You can follow us on Twitter here or 'like' us on Facebook here!  Thank you again Lindsey for having us!

I am Megan from A Suitcase and Stilettos and am very happy to be one of Lindsey's first sponsors on here!  Her and I go way back ... way back to the days of when I had a job in the US and blogged at work and I used to play email tag with her all day.  Now I am unemployed and blogging from the fjords of Norway, which is an adjustment I often write about on my blog.  

I also enjoy traveling around Europe, good beer, eating (I didn't gain 20 lbs upon moving here for nothing!), hiking, shopping, and those rare events when I find American food here in Scandinavia.  

Come stop by my blog, twitter or facebook and say hello!

Hi Bargain Blonde followers! I’m Renee, a twenty-something Southern girl and I blog over at

This Won’t Hurt A Bit.

I’m a nurse but don’t let the blog name trick ya!  I blog about all sorts of things including life, recipes, fashion and a few DIY crafts!  Well, let’s just say I attempt the crafts.  Sometimes they turn out and sometimes they don’t.  But I’m real, and I also share my failures with you in hopes that you can do it better than me!

I love to make new friends so stop by my blog, facebook or twitter and hang out a while! 

Hi!  I’m Chelsea from Choose to be Happy, a place for my life stories, adventures and happiness; my own collection of memories.  I love a good stroll down memory lane. I really do. I think there’s almost nothing better than little snapshots that take you right back to the big, small or medium sized memories and blogging lets me do just that!   

But also, my blog has become a perfect reminder to myself that while life isn’t always perfect and while saying goodbye to my baseball playing boyfriend for the loooong, long, way too long baseball season, is oooh-so low on my list, happiness is a choice. And sometimes, especially in those sad moments, you have to choose it. Come visit!  

I’m Erin and I blog at Just a Few of My Favorite Things and I’m very excited to be a sponsor for The Bargain Blonde! As you can guess from my blog title, I have many favorite things that I like to blog about! 

I love trying new makeup and painting my nails with fun designs, especially polka dots and sparkles. I love to shop and finding new cute clothes and outfits. I like to scrapbook and do fun, crafty projects! I spend way too much of my time on Pinterest, but am amazed at how inspired it makes me feel! I also like to do yoga, run and I am a big fan of sports. 

I’m an elementary school teacher and absolutely love my job!  I also love to participate in various blog link-ups because it is such a great way to find new blogs and get fun ideas from other bloggers!  Come visit me!

Oh hi! I’m Rebecca and I blog over at Frugal Fashion Mommy! I’m a twenty-something, stay at home mom from beautiful Northern California with a husband and an energetic 17 month old daughter. 

I love travelling, delicious food, and most of all finding amazing deals on clothes! I started my blog as a creative outlet for my passion for fashion, because lets be honest, who doesn’t love clothes? 

I love new friends so be sure to stop by and say hi! =)

Hi there!  I’m Becky, the girl behind Petals, Lace and Pearls. Designing, crafting and a good playlist take me on an escape to my happy place. I have ventured into the “handmade” world and started my Etsy shop as a creative outlet and something FUN for ME! 

(Oh, and maybe actually use my retail marketing degree, ha!)

On my blog  you will find my creations, thoughts, inspiration, things I find fabulous and a little about my life. I’m married to my high school sweetie and we have an 18 month old baby girl and a mini dachshund.  I love the handmade community, and the people behind it, and I am excited about my journey as a part of it!

I’m Lia Joy and I blog over at Life is aMAYESing. I’m a twenty-something Texas girl, a wife and a follower of Christ. I started this blog to write down my personal thougths about life as a newlywed and it has evolved into something so much bigger than I ever dreamed. 

Most days you’ll find me blogging about life in general, daily adventures and my passions for fashion, cooking and crafting! You’ll also find posts related to my craft business: Joyful and Chic! 

I have been so blessed in this aMAYESing life!  Come say hi!