Pictures from Puerto Rico

Hey everyone! I got back from Puerto Rico on Friday, but I had to work the rest of the weekend so I took a couple more days off. Big thanks to Willow of Willow's World for contributing a guest post while I was gone!

This also happens to be Rhinestone Religion's 100th post, so take a quick second to give me a little clap and a "yay!" Anyway, I thought I'd share a couple of my favorite pictures from the trip to get back into the swing of things. Enjoy!

Monday

Unfortunately, things didn't really go as planned for us on Monday. We had wanted to take the ferry to Culebra island, but it was full so we went to Vieques instead. Then, it started to rain and the waves were choppy so we weren't able to go snorkeling like we had intended. We walked up and down the beach though, and ate at a local restaurant and bar and just enjoyed the warm weather and relaxing atmosphere. 

Candid picture of me eating. Cute, right? /sarcasm

I do however, find this picture of my boyfriend eating to be the cutest thing ever. 

We also weren't able to do the Bioluminescent Bay tour, which is one of the big attractions in Puerto Rico. The bay on the main island was booked up through the week, and we couldn't stay until dark on Vieques because the ferry back left at 6PM -- Oh well, I guess it's just an excuse to go back! 

Tuesday

Tuesday we took a snorkeling trip with East Wind Excursions. I didn't get too many pictures from the actual trip since we were mostly in the water. I was a little disappointed with it to be honest, it was sold as a snorkeling trip but we were only able to go for about 30 minutes before getting called back to the boat for lunch and heading off to another beach where there weren't any reefs to snorkel in. We basically went on a very long beach trip on a small island. Even when things weren't going as planned though, I tried to remind myself "At least I'm in Puerto Rico." 

Wednesday

Thankfully things started to go more smoothly towards the end of the trip! Wednesday we went to Old San Juan, a more historic area of Puerto Rico. The streets were narrow, hilly and cobblestone and the houses all packed together. It definitely had a little bit of a European feel to it. 

Most of the day was spent exploring Castillo de San Cristobal, one of Old San Juan's two fortresses. Historic sites are some of my favorite places to visit when I travel, even if it does get a little tourist-y. It's so cool to think about how many people have been where you're standing and how long ago. And it being a fortress, thinking about how many people have died right there. 

These turrets are a pretty iconic image in Puerto Rico, an image just like this is on the license plates!

Also, there are iguanas everywhere. I took a picture pretty much every time we encountered one because the only time I ever see them is in the Zoo. In Puerto Rico, they're like squirrels. The one above is my favorite of my many iguana snaps though, look how majestic that little guy looks!

Second favorite is definitely this next one of this huge sucker we saw by the hotel pool.

I really wanted to wear my new dress that I wore from my last outfit post to Puerto Rico. I didn't realize how windy it was going to be and I had more than one incident where I had to quickly flatten my skirt down to avoid flashing the entirety of Old San Juan my pink lace underwear! Thankfully the boyfriend did a pretty good job of keeping an eye on it for me.

Thursday

Friday we drove to El Yunque rain forest, the only tropical rain forest in the United States. It was absolutely gorgeous, though we only had time to drive through most of it and stop at the landmarks instead of hiking a trail.

Later, we took a second snorkeling trip off of Vieques with much better results. We were able to go for a couple of hours. My boyfriend saw a sea turtle, sting rays and a barracuda, but I wasn't in the right spot at the right time. On the boat ride back to the main island though, we saw a whale come to the surface which was really neat. 

La Coca Falls

Even though the trip wasn't without its frustrations (what vacation isn't?) it was such a fun way to spend my Spring Break and I can't wait to do more traveling. 

I think my Spring Break was earlier than most people's but did you or are you planning on going anywhere for yours? Tell me in the comments! 

A Few of my Favorite Lipsticks [Guest Post]

Today's guest post is courtesy of Willow of Willow's World where she talks about beauty and makeup related topics, sharing helpful swatches and her favorite products. Be sure to show her some love! 

I love wearing bold lip colours, I don’t know when it happened but I suddenly started to love wearing bright pinks, deep vampy colours and sometimes I’ll even try out a bright red or two. This never used to be the case, when I was 15 I never wore anything on my lips but I used to focus on my eyes with brightly coloured eyeshadows and thick, black eyeliner.

From L to R: Revlon Super Lustrous Black Cherry, Revlon Lip Butter Candy Apple, Boots 17 Mirror Shine Lipstick Bolshie, Art Deco Dita Von Teese Collection Shade 645, MAC Amplified Girl About Town, Revlon Balm Stain Smitten and Crush. 

I remembered to keep these in the same order as above!

The Art Deco lipstick is definitely the most pigmented lipstick I own but it felt a bit dry when I was swatching compared to Black Cherry which seemed to glide on but still be really pigmented. Candy Apple was the first Revlon Lip Butter I fell in love with after being slightly disappointed by Peach Parfait and Cotton Candy, it’s the perfect sheer red for me. Mirror Shine lipsticks are meant to be sheer but they add a little bit of colour and some shine to your lips. Perfect for when you’re scared to try out a new colour and want something sheer.  My lovely fiancé bought me Girl About Town from MAC for my birthday last year since I’d been lusting after it for so long. Revlon Balm Stains are my favourite lip products because they’re a stain and balm combined, I also like to apply them under similar coloured lipsticks for that extra bit of colour. I swear Revlon aren’t paying me, they just have the best lip products!

I slapped on a bit of Candy Apple in this picture to show you why I love it so much, please excuse the fact I still fail at putting lipstick on. Do you have a favourite lipstick? Or maybe you’re more into lipgloss or balms. Leave a comment below telling me what you love.

You can follow Willow on Bloglovin' here!

Adios!

I'm on my way to Puerto Rico right now! Get updates and pictures from my trip by following me on Twitter and Instagram. I'll be back on the 24th. Have a good spring break. :)

Polka Dot Pink

 We had a bake sale at work to raise money for our Help the Homeless drive yesterday. I wasn't initially supposed to work that night, but I was asked to cover a portion of my co-workers shift so I came in for a few hours.

Everyone decided to wear aprons to go along with the theme, but since I don't own one I thought it would be cute to wear my new dress. I think it gives off a little bit of a 50's housewife baking in the kitchen feel, don't you think? 

It's actually a halter dress, so it'll be perfect for Summer and my vacation, but I needed a way to cover it up and make it more work appropriate so I tied a white blouse around it which... kind of gives it a more country-girl vibe but oh well. 

Outfit Details

Blouse: The Limited

Dress: Lace Affair

Shoes: Aldo (similar)

Necklace: Vintage

Lace Affair might be my new favorite shop for dresses. I got this one from the site as well, I think they're really reasonably priced for the quality. I know this dress was available on another (ahem, very popular) site for $15 more than I paid for it. Love it when I use my super sleuthing powers to find bargains. 

I was a little nervous for it to come because I wasn't entirely sure on my size, but the medium fits like a dream. The hem is just right that it shows a little leg without stopping me from bending over, the waist is exactly the right size and it covers my bust enough that if I were really careful I could probably get away with wearing it without a bra, though I did opt for an adhesive one because I would really, really like avoid wardrobe malfunctions at work. 

I'm definitely packing this for Puerto Rico -- can't wait to wear this adorable dress outside without anything over it and it'll look awesome with the white sun hat I picked up for the trip. 

Oh yeah, I started tanning for the first time in my life. Notice any difference? Haha. 

Link Love 03.10.13

♥ I really liked this list of the 5 Most Popular Black Tea Blends. I've tried all of them besides the two English varieties, I guess I'll have to do some more shopping!
♥ Also tea related -- Which is Better, Coffee or Tea? Why can't we have both?
♥ How to Pack a Carry On -- I'll have to remember this when I leave next weekend!
♥ Easy ways to get flawless skin, always useful.
♥ My idol, Dita Von Teese, wears the world's first 3D printed dress. And looks even foxier than usual.

One final call for guest posters from the 16th-23rd! Just send me an email here with your idea :)