Tag Archives: Memorial Weekend

Watermelon Breeze Cocktails

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Our Memorial Weekend was full of great friends, delicious food, sun, swimming and creative cocktails. One of my best friends, Pala Nicole, and I whipped up an insanely delicious and skinny cocktail on Saturday that even had the boys putting down their beers and snatching our glasses for more sips. Of course this was after Jon stated he did not like “fruity drinks” and did not want one of his own. :)

Pala Nicole also helped me come up with the very popular and tasty Basil Lime Vodka Freeze, so we are on a roll with delicious and low-calorie drinks. We are going to make this our new tradition whenever we hang out…coming up with new and skinny (and strong!) cocktails.

We made these when it was already dark out so the pictures aren’t as pretty as they would have been in natural sunlight. Oh well.

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This cocktail is a simple and quick combination of watermelon vodka, fresh watermelon and ice. That’s IT! It’s not too sweet and it tastes like real, fresh watermelon. Not artificial tasting at all. It’s really refreshing and the only calories are technically from the watermelon vodka since watermelon is mainly water and extremely low in calories.

Pala Nicole, her fiance Adam, Jon and I spent about 30 minutes trying to come up with a name that would do this delicious cocktail justice. Call it whatever you want…just make it! It’s THAT good. You’re welcome! :)

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Enjoy!

Watermelon Breeze Cocktails (serves 4)

Ingredients

  • 4-6 shots of watermelon flavored vodka (we used Smirnoff)
  • 1/2 of a fresh watermelon, cut into chunks
  • 2 cups of ice

Directions

    • Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until mixed well
    • Serve immediately and garnish each glass with a piece of watermelon

Pool Day Beauty Essentials

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We have a fantastic pool at our apartment complex and it’s been getting a lot of use now that the warm weather has arrived! Since pool days involve major heat and getting wet, my beauty routine is nearly nonexistent on these days. Here are my 5 beauty essentials for lazy days at the pool with friends!

1. Chapstick with Suncreen

Sunburned lips are so incredibly painful. I have so many chapsticks but most of them don’t contain any SPF. It’s really important to only wear lip balm that includes sun protection when you’re going to be out in the sun. I’ve been using Maybelline Baby Lips clear lip balm in peppermint. It has SPF 20 and comes in a really cute container.

2. Suncreen

This should be obvious. Don’t skip sunscreen! And anything with an SPF below 15 does NOT count! I never use anything below 30 when I’m going to be swimming. I’m currently loving Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Body Mist Sunblock in SPF 30. It applies evenly and absorbs well without being greasy. You don’t have to rub it in and get it all over your hands, which I really like.

3. Bright lipstick

As you’ve seen from my past posts (here and here) I’m totally into bright lips for spring and summer. Since mascara and bronzer are pointless on pool days (I actually swim like a kid with my friends at the pool, not just lay out), I love wearing bright lips. While we were in Vegas, I bought Lancome Rouge in Love High Potency Lipcolor lipstick in Rose Boudoir. This is a great pool day lipcolor because it’s long wearing (claims to be 6 hours but I find it lasts 2-3), and Rose Boudoir is a gorgeous and bright hibiscus corally pink.

4. Leave in conditioner

The sun and chlorine can really take a toll on your hair. I like to spritz some leave-in conditioner on my ends to help protect against damage. I’m currently using Milk Shake Leave In Conditioner. It’s packed with honey, fruit extracts, proteins and vitamin E. It also smells like cake! I’m sure it’s supposed to smell like a milkshake, and it technically does, but I smell vanilla cake and frosting. YUM.

5. Bright Nail Polish

Nail polish is a great way to make a beauty statement when everything else is understated. I’m currently loving different shades of green and blue for the warm weather. My spring favorites have been Revlon Posh, pictured above, and Essie polish in Something Borrowed, Lapis of Luxury and Mint Candy Apple.

{My friends and me on Memorial Day at my pool}

What are your pool/beach day beauty essentials?

Blood Orange Sorbet Champagne Cocktails with Fresh Mint

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This is the perfect beverage for the long Memorial Weekend ahead! I made this with my mom for Mother’s Day brunch using champagne, fresh mint from her garden and Ciao Bella Blood Orange Sorbet. Ciao Bella is an all natural brand that uses organic cane juice as the sweetener. While this is still technically sugar and should only be eaten in moderation, it’s much more pure and easy on the body to digest than processed white sugar found in most sorbet.

I used a scoop of this sorbet in each glass of champagne and added freshly chopped mint. It turned out so refreshing and unique. I can’t wait to try it with lemon sorbet and fresh mint! The sorbet was nearly all melted by the time I took the picture, unfortunately. But it’s still a really pretty drink when the sorbet melts.

I hope you enjoy your long weekend and, in between all the sunbathing and drinking, take time to remember all the men and women who gave their lives serving in the United States Armed Forces.

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Enjoy!

Blood Orange Sorbet Champagne Cocktails with Fresh Mint

Ingredients:

  • Dry Champagne
  • Ciao Bella Blood Orange Sorbet (or any flavor would be great!)
  • Fresh chopped mint

Instructions:

  • Pour champagne into each glass
  • Add a scoop of sorbet
  • Garnish each drink with a generous amount of the fresh mint
  • Serve right away