Last weekend, I popped into Caudalie for their 25-minute express facial. It’s such a great treatment! I love that in under a half hour, I can leave with my skin polished and refreshed. 

I also learned something new: Eye cream is a must! My aesthetician explained how the area around your eyelids is the weakest spot on your face, and easily damaged by harmful rays from the sun. She recommended a mini-eye massage morning and night with Caudalie’s eye and lip cream to instantly brighten, moisturize and remove signs of fatigue. 

Sure, it’s a preventative step, but it’s also a relaxing way to start and end each day, don’t you think? 🙂

(Image 1, 2)

My mom and I recently attempted a small DIY project: our own chalkboard paint vases! I was super inspired by this post over at Brit + Co. We modified their design a bit, based on materials we could find, but the whole thing was so easy to make. We picked up the glass vases at Walmart, and grabbed chalkboard paint and markers at Michael’s. That was all it took!

One trick: To give the vase a real chalkboard finish, rub actual chalk on the paint after it dries. Otherwise, it just looks like the glass is covered in black paint. 

The best part was dashing out to pick up colorful tulips when we were done. Isn’t the finished design so sweet? With this vase on display, my apartment already feels a bit more like spring!

I stumbled upon a darling pop-up shop over the weekend called Potager. I went inside—just to browse—and walked out with this beautiful baking dish by Riess, a family-owned Austrian company. Don’t you love the eggplant color? I can’t wait to use it to roast spring and summer vegetables or to serve up a delicious dish like this recipe here.

What tricks do you have for making your kitchen feel prettier?

(Images via Food 52)

Happy Friday, my darling readers! How was your week? I’m so excited for a bit of down time this weekend. I also really want to see the new Wes Anderson film, The Grand Budapest Hotel. Doesn’t it look so good? Wishing you a lovely weekend ahead. Here, to get it started right, a few happy posts from around the web:

Idina on Jimmy. (Plus, the John Travolta name game.)

An ode to kitchen light.

Stamp yo’ face!

Yellow as winter antidote. 

Books you should read (if you want to).

The prettiest pasta dish ever.

Words of wisdom.

An ocean of flowers.

The cutest wedding favor.

Another reason to love JLaw.

(Image via I Dream Of)