Ikea VITTSJÖ Desk to bar cart + Bar Cart Styling

June 29, 2016

We had this Ikea desk from our last apartment that we never used (it's miniature for a desk) and so Mark had the brilliant idea to turn it into a bar "cart" since he knew I really wanted one. It's not technically a cart since there are no wheels, but you get the picture. We used this blog post as our guide and inspiration. Thankfully Mark did all of the actual work cutting/sanding/staining and I just did the styling. Teamwork! I'll link as much as I can at the bottom :)
Desk: Ikea. Wine racks: Amazon. Gold wine glasses: World Market. Gold champagne flute (used for straws): World Market. Fruit straws: World Market. Cocktail swizzle sticks: Amazon (seriously the cutest). Mint julep cup: Amazon. Lemon glasses: The Dollar Store (similar). Moscow mule mugs: these were a gift, here's a similar option. Used corks: Amazon (yes, you can buy these). Cocktail strainer: Amazon. Cocktail muddler: Amazon. Acrylic wine racks: Target. Silver tray: Homegoods (similar). Decanters: Amazon and Amazon. Champagne flutes: Target. Swizzle tumbler: Crate and Barrel. Minneapolis Prints: The Minnesota Historical Society.

The "cart" is right by our kitchen table, but I moved it to get better photos, so here are a few to show you what it actually looks like:

Thanks for reading!

xo Catherine 

Palm Print Halter Dress

June 27, 2016









Dress: Ann Taylor. Belt: J. Crew (similar). Clutch: Coach (similar). Watch: Cartier. Shoes: Steve Madden (similar). Sunglasses: Ray-Ban
This might just be the dress of my dreams. I wouldn't normally go for a halter style, but I love how the high neckline makes it feel like the grown up version instead of a bad prom dress. This Ann Taylor dress was originally a midi dress and I just don't love the way those look on me, so I had it hemmed and couldn't be happier with the way it turned out! I wore this outfit out for lunch with my friend Taryn on Saturday. Special thanks to her for taking these photos! Other than lunch with her this weekend wasn't very eventful. I pretty much opted to stay inside instead of enduring the heat. Now I'm just working for the holiday weekend. I'm headed home for the Fourth and cannot wait.

Thanks for reading!
xo Catherine 

Topshop at Nordstrom

June 24, 2016


I was browsing Nordstrom's website the other day, as one does, and was clicking around through all of the Topshop pieces and found myself bookmarking every other item I came across. I love Topshop for basics and fun trendy pieces at a great price. I prefer to shop for the brand at Nordstrom because of their awesome free shipping policy. Anyway, I thought I would be doing you a disservice if I didn't share all of the awesome pieces I came across!

How's your weekend looking? This week was more full of social engagements than normal for me so I'm looking forward to a pretty low key weekend. Louie and I have a brunch date on Saturday, but other than that the plan is to do a ton of reading and catching up on TV. It's going to be hot here so we'll probably stay inside :)

Have a good one!
xo Catherine 

Four Movies You Should See/Watch

June 22, 2016


I do a lot of posts about reading here on My Inner Fabulous (Recent Reads) but I've never really recommended some recent movies I've seen. Movies are one of those things that I love to hear other people's opinions about, but it usually doesn't affect what I actually think about the movie. I enjoy reading reviews, but I may still enjoy a movie even if it got bad reviews. Now you're probably thinking, well why would I trust your opinion on any of these movies?😂 Well, you don't have to, but I'm going to tell you about them anyway! I just love movies and Mark and I watch a ton of them. You may or may not know that I'm a contractor at Google and that I specifically work on Google Play. So I'm constantly surrounded by movie talk and checking the store to see what came out for rent that week. So, like I said, a lot of movie watching 'round these parts.

First up, Eddie the Eagle. You guys. This one is just so good. I had never heard about this story before the movie, so I didn't know how it was going to end. If you haven't heard of it, it tells the story of Eddie, a young British man who grew up always wanting to compete in the Olympics. He had to wear leg braces when he was a child so no one viewed him as an athlete, but he was determined. He tried several different sports before he landed on ski jumping and then enlists Hugh Jackman's character to help him train. It's really heartwarming and there were a lot of happy tears shed. This one isn't in theaters anymore but you can rent it on Play, Amazon, iTunes, etc.

Second is A Ballerina's Tale on Netflix, which I'm assuming everyone has, so this one is easy to watch! This is a documentary that follows Misty Copeland around and tells the story of her rise to become the first African American prima ballerina. I've always been fascinated by ballet because I could never do it! I quit after like a year. I think it's so beautiful and majestic and I like that this film isn't just about pretty dancers but talks about more substantial topics like race and body type in ballet too. Now I want to read her book!

Third on my list is Creed. Yep, that's right, the Rocky movie. I'm a little late on this one, but I actually surprised myself and loved this movie. I had to watch the first Rocky beforehand for a little context (I know, I know, I should have already seen it, let's move on) but even without seeing the million other sequels I didn't feel like I was lost or missing information. I thought Michael B. Jordan did an excellent job (helps that he's so cute too!) and I just really enjoyed the storyline. I'm not into boxing/fighting or any of that stuff, but I was still able to get into it, so don't let that keep you from watching! This one is also not in theaters anymore, but the rental prices have gone down since it's not considered new anymore. 

And lastly is Me Before You. Now before you roll your eyes at me for recommending a sappy romance movie, just hear me out. Yes, this is in fact a sappy romance movie, but it has a lot of elements of comedy too and it's not nearly as predictable as most movies of its genre. Mark and I went to see this for my birthday, at a theater with reclining chairs and wine #yas, but that's beside the point. Anyways, he said he enjoyed it and I heard him chuckling throughout the movie. He also agreed that it isn't your typically boy-meets-girl romance, that there were more complex and interesting aspects to the story. And for those of you that have read the book I can say that it is very very similar. There were few things left out, and none of them were significant. I would recommend both the book and the movie if you're looking for a love story that will honestly kind of haunt you, but in a good way. I keep thinking about it and it's been a week since I saw the movie and a year since I read the book! This one is only in theaters right now, so if you're not into crying in a crowd then maybe hold off until you can rent it at home ;) 

What good movies have you seen recently?

xo Catherine 




Colourpop Ultra Matte Lip Review + Swatches

June 20, 2016


If you follow me on Snapchat (myinnerfabulous) then you got a little sneak peek into this post a week or so ago when I first received these lipsticks in the mail. If you're new or this is the first you're hearing about it then let me fill you in! Kylie Jenner has a lipstick line that runs for about $30 + shipping and is extremely popular. I've read several reviews raving about her lipsticks, and as an avid lipstick fan I was intrigued. However, I was hesitant to drop that kind of money on lipstick when I couldn't test it before buying. Then, along came this Buzzfeed article that alerted me to the brand Colourpop. Basically what the article says is that Kylie's lipstick and Colourpop's matte lipsticks have almost exactly the same formula. Turns out they use the same factory to manufacture their products. 


However, Colourpop's products run for $6 + shipping. And you can get $5 off when you sign up for their email. Well this sold me and I ordered Creeper (I know, awful name) and Mars. Here's a peek at the swatches:


Overall, I was very impressed with the product, especially for the price. I love that they're matte and they dry really quickly. That makes things kind of tricky if you mess up when you're applying though! I will say that I did find them to be pretty drying but that was easily solved by putting a little bit of Vaseline on top. 


The above and below pictures are of me wearing Creeper. It's a really true red, which I love. There's a little bit of transferring once you're wearing it. Like if you're drinking something it will leave a mark on your glass, but it's not all over the place. I honestly didn't have to reapply all day though, which is pretty amazing. 


I did find that it bled a little bit throughout the day, so I would recommend using lipliner. Either a color to match or a color that matches your lips. And be warned that using a wand to apply is kind of tricky. It took me a few tries to get it applied nicely.


Here is Colourpop's Mars. It's kind of a hot pink/berry color, which I had been searching or. 


Now I haven't actually tried Kylie's products, so I can't make a comparison, but what I really wanted when I was looking into her products was something that was long lasting, very pigmented, and matte, which I found in Colourpop's Ultra Matte products. So I'm satisfied! 


Even Louie approves :) I actually had a friend purchase one after I talked about it on snap and she says she loves it so far so I would love to hear what you think! Have you tried Colourpop or even Kylie's lipsticks? 

xo Catherine

Travel Diary: Yosemite (For the Non-Outdoorsy)

June 17, 2016

You're probably a little curious about the title of this post, aren't you? Isn't Yosemite very outdoorsy? Why would you go there if you're not "outdoorsy"? Well, yes it is, but that doesn't mean you have to drive a Subaru and own hiking boots to go there and enjoy yourself. I am very much an indoor girl and I probably would have never gone to Yosemite had I not been living in California, but I surprised myself and really enjoyed our trip. So today's post is for anyone who likes nature, but maybe from a distance, or maybe doesn't love the idea of sleeping on the ground and sharing a bathroom with hundreds of people. The things we did are very doable, even for the non-outdoorsy or out of shape (raises hand).
We stayed at Evergreen Lodge, which is about 30 minutes outside of Yosemite Valley. No camping for this girl! It was nice, but still very much a lodge. As in there are bugs everywhere. Unfortunately that's not really something you can avoid. Also, there was only wifi in one building🙄, so if you want to check your email you can't do it from the comfort of your cabin. I did, however, enjoy that they had s'mores every night :)
Our first day was rainy so we didn't want to do any crazy hikes or driving since the weather was unpredictable. We opted for Merced Grove where you can see huge sequoias via a fairly easy hike. Be warned that it's downhill the whole way there, so then it's about 30 minutes of constant uphill to get back to the start. 
On our first full day we were greeted with much better weather and we started off with the Mirror Lake trail. We were told it's deceptively named because it's more of a marsh and will dry up by the end of summer, but in early June it actually looked like a beautiful lake. This trail was quite easy because it was paved :) my kind of hiking! We then extended it by doing the Tenaya Creek trail which is more uneven and has some changes in elevation, but was still doable. Be warned that it will total about 5 miles around. 
After we finished our morning hike we had lunch (pb sandwiches, natch) and then headed over to Yosemite Falls. 
The last thing we did that day, and the absolute best part of the trip was Sentinel Dome. You drive up the mountain but then hike the last mile and a half to the top of the dome, which has 360 views of the Valley. I honestly could have skipped everything else and just done this because it was my absolute favorite. The climb up the Dome is a little hairy, but totally manageable and totally worth it. The next few photos are all from the top which is about 8100 feet!
On our last day we drove over to Hetch Hetchy, which is the reservoir where the Bay Area gets their water from. It was surprisingly cool to see the dam, and it just looked like a beautiful lake. We didn't do any hiking here because there weren't any short hikes, and we weren't in the mood for five miles :)
I would still say I'm an indoor girl, and have had my fill of the outdoors for the foreseeable future, but I'm really glad I went on this trip. It was a nice change of pace and I loved not having to do my hair or makeup for a few days ;) 

Have you ever been to Yosemite, what did you think?

xo Catherine

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