Charleston Chowdown: Bay Street Biergarten

Last week, my organization had a Happy Hour kickoff meeting for one of our committees at the Bay Street Biergarten.  On the corner of East Bay and Chapel streets, it's a fantastic location and even has its own parking lot (Charleston peeps, you know what a plus that is!).  As you can imagine, they have tons of beer on tap and even more in cans and bottles.  I had a couple of Sam Adams Cold Snaps and they were delicious!  Additionally, we ordered a bunch of appetizers and they were amazing: stuffed pretzels, wings, freaky taters, pimento cheese sticks, and the cheese plate.  I look forward to going back when it gets a little warmer to sit on their patio, play cornhole, and try some of their entrees: German schnitzel, BBQ ribs, and even a buffalo buttermilk fried chicken sandwich - yum!  I just love the combination of the Bavarian and Southern influences!  If you're in the Charleston area, I highly suggest the Bay Street Biergarten.

(And shameless plug: any of you Charleston bloggers looking for a fun young professional group - especially those interested in golf (maybe your husbands :) ), we are always looking for new members!)

Pinks and Reds: Blush and Gloss

Oh hey, a little late for these Valentine's Day colors, but what the hey, right?!  Welcome back to the third and last installment of my favorite makeup products.  By this time in my beauty routine, I've used my BB cream, concealed, and brightened up my eyes.  This final part is where I've always struggled with makeup in the past: adding color back into my face.  Growing up, I remember my mom always had this bright pink, almost red blush that was just so bright and kind of always scared me (sorry, Mom!).  When I first started wearing makeup, I tended to err on the side of caution and used almost nothing after concealing.  Well, when I started this makeup journey last year, I discovered all of the neutral blush (and even lip color) tones, and I'm really liking it.  In addition to the products below, I've been using Cover Girl Instant Cheekbones (in Sophisticated Sable) powder to help contour and blend.

Stick/Cream Blush:
Good: Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush (in Rose Petal)
Better: L'Oreal Paris Visible Lift Color Lift Blush (in Rose Gold Lift)
Best: Maybelline Master Glaze Blush Stick (in Just-Pinched Pink)
Like I mentioned above, I use a powder cheekbone blush, so I decided that I wanted to try different cream blushes to experiment.  A combination of powder and cream really works well and blends well on my face.  I like the Maybelline Bouncy Blush, but it is a little too creamy and didn't blend as easily as I would have liked.  However, I really do love this Rose Petal color!  The L'Oreal Life Blush came in similar packaging, but went on much more like a powder but with the staying powder of a cream blush.   Honestly, the only reason I really like the Maybelline Master Glaze better is because of the applicator: the stick makes it so easy!

Lip Color:
Good: Maybelline Color Sensational Lipcolor
Better: Sei Bella Brilliance Lip Gloss
Best: L'Oreal Glossy Balm (in Lovely Mocha)
My last step and newest beauty love: lip color.  I am a chapstick girl and honestly haven't worn a lot of lipstick in my life.  For my wedding, my stylist gave me the Sei Bella lip gloss and I fell in love!  Since then, I've bought a lot of lip colors including a few Maybelline Color Sensational colors, which go more glossy than other lipsticks I've used.  My favorite, however, is a lip pen by L'Oreal, that goes on so smooth and stays on really well throughout the day: eating and drinking.  

Thanks so much for following along with all of my favorites.  As always, if you have any products you love, I'd love to read about them in the comments!  Here is a recap of all of my favorites:

Part 1 (concealer and eye shadow palettes) and Part 2 (liquid eyeliner and Maybelline mascaras)

Exploring: Charleston Tea Plantation

This weekend when Mike's dad was here, one of our many stops was the the Charleston Tea Plantation.  Who would have thought the only tea garden in the U.S. is just right down the road?  Located on Wadmalaw Island, the plantation is comprised of 127 acres of Camellia Sinensis tea plants used to make green and black tea and is the home of American Classic Tea (now a brand of Bigelow Tea).  At the plantation, we toured the factory, tasted tons of different teas, and went on a trolley tour all around the grounds.  It was seriously awesome and is a beautiful place!  So far, this has been one of my absolute favorite Charleston adventures.

Yummm - so many tastings!  I was so hyped up on caffeine by the time we left.

Greenhouse at the back of the plantation where they grow new tea plants.

Of course, we left with tons of loose leaf tea to try: peach, Governor Grey (haha we don't have Earls in the U.S.), and raspberry!