Feel Good Friday

Hello Friday friends!! Woof. What a week. The first week back on the grind can sometimes feel really challenging & it certainly felt that way for me. My Christmas break was two weeks long & it was really wonderful. I spent a lot of time with family & got to really relax + unwind. The last Saturday of break I got to attend one of my sweetest friend's wedding! It was truly magical. Her dress was so sparkly & her bridesmaids wore deep velvet green dresses. Everything was so classy & absolutely what I pictured Addy's wedding to look like. Her dance with her dad had everyone in tears. My heart feels warm just reminiscing. One of the greatest gifts I've received the last couple of years is getting to watch my very best friends marry the love of their lives! Plus, I would never complain about getting to have a stinkin' awesome dance party with some of my favorite people. ;)

I'm a big routine person though, so by the end of break I was ready to get back to my regular schedule & of course see some of my favorite middle schoolers again.

When I got back to Manhattan on Sunday I spent the better half of the day cleaning + decluttering my apartment. While I'm sad that the Christmas season is over, taking down all of the decorations was really good for me. My apartment feels clean & airy & everything is all tidied up just how I like it. Have you taken down your Christmas decorations or are you more of a procrastinator?

friday favs...

I'm sharing a bunch more products for friday favs than I usually do because y'all there's some good stuff here!! Keep scrolling to check it out.

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With it being the new year, a lot of people's New Years Resolutions include getting into shape &/or getting healthy in general. One of the ways this process starts is by cleaning out your gut. I'm sharing my favorite juice cleanse that I've found. The juice bottles come frozen & it comes with a set of directions that are super easy to follow. I'm a girl who likes her food but I was able to stick to this for the three-day-plan. If you're interested in doing a juice cleanse to kick off your New Year health journey, I encourage you to check these out!

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This year for Christmas my parents got me a roomba. My parents have one & absolutely LOVE theirs. I live in a one bedroom apartment with a cat & am also a very tidy & organized person. Because of all this, cleaning happens regularly. Both myself & my cat should be bald based off of how much we both shed -- anyone else?! Anyways, I set up my roomba & used it for the first time on Sunday when I got back to Manhattan & I'm officially jumping on the roomba bandwagon! I love that dang thing! So if you've thought about it before but haven't been able to pull the trigger, this is me telling you that you most definitely should. It's truly life changing. Who knew cleaning your house was as easy as the click of a button? ;)

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Another great item that I never knew I needed is my baby beauty blender. That's right. A baby one. I use a regular sized beauty blender to apply foundation to my face. I used to use a small brush to apply concealer to my under eyes, but my mom got me a mini one for Christmas & I kid you not, I'll never use my small concealer brush again. The baby beauty blender works wonderfully for that small area & is very easy to control.

Since high school I've been on the hunt for a good primer. My skin tends to be a tad bit oily by the end of the day, but I've found products that work for me to help contain it. I've tried tons of different primers throughout the years. Some left a white streaky mess on my face, some made my face feel tight, some would leave small clumps of product on my face, some made my foundation go on splotchy. Do you get my point here? But recently my mom showed me this NYX pore filler primer & I thought I might as well try it & y'all it. is. good. I knew after the first day that I'd found the primer I'd always been looking for! & what's even better? It's less than $7 on Amazon!!

Do you struggle with dark &/or baggy under eyes? I didn't until I started working full time. Apparently it was my initiation to the adult world. Can I give them back? Since I've never struggled with dark & baggy under eyes before, I had no idea what products I should be looking for! Through my search I've found two products that are the holy grail for me. They're both a little bit pricey but for me, they're worth every penny. The first is Tula's Glow & Get It Cooling & Brightening Eye Balm. It looks like chapstick & you apply it in that same manner but under your eye. It gives a wonderful cooling/tingling sensation & leaves a little bit of a shimmery glow that gives the illusion that you got more than five hours of sleep the night before. ;) I did a post all about this product & even shared personal before, during & after photos (they're a little alarming) so you can check out that post here if you're interested. The second product is Tarte's Shape Tape concealer. Most days at school I feel like I need a little bit more to cover up the dark circles & this concealer is the bomb.com. It comes in a tube that almost resembles a lip gloss & you apply it in that same manner but under your eye. I then use my baby beauty blender to blend it in & make sure I've got everything covered up. It lasts all day long & is really good quality! I wear shade 20B because I want something that'll really brighten up my under eyes & I have pink undertones. They have tons of shade options so you'll have no trouble finding the perfect match for you. Again, both of these products are a little up there in price, but if you struggle with dark &/or baggy under eyes like me, you might want to give them a chance.

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My mom & I both have pretty thick eyebrows naturally which is both a blessing & a curse. It doesn't take much to fill them in, however, they also have a mind of their own & sometimes look a little wild. I saw another blogger share this product & snagged it when it was on sale at Sephora. It's Benefit's 24-Hour Brow Setting Gel. It's a clear gel that comes in a tube similar to mascara & after you're content with your eyebrows, you apply the gel by lightly brushing through it in a similar manner that you'd apply mascara. This product really works & keeps my brows in place all day & sometimes even the next morning when I wake up! It looks really natural at the same time. A perk of this product is that you can buy a full size or a mini size. I bought the mini the first time because I wasn't sure if I'd like it but I definitely do!

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In case you missed them, check out the following links to see our posts from this week...

12 things we're loving -- Christmas gift recap edition: On Tuesday we shared our monthly 12 things we're loving post, but we added a little spin for the month of January. My mom, sisters & I each listed three Christmas gift items that we love & why!

New Years Resolutions -- yes, no, maybe so?: What're your thoughts on New Years Resolutions? Surprisingly, my mom & I have pretty different views on them & you might relate to one of us. Check it out!

Alli Home Tour Part 1: Living Room: This is my first year living on my own which means that I've got to spend a lot of time figuring out my style & how to decorate my apartment. We thought it'd be fun to do a series on home decor & how to do it within a budget. Enjoy a peak into my cozy space I've been living in this year.

bachelor recap...

Any bachelor/bachelorette fans out there?! Ya girl Alli Rice is! I'm a hopeless romantic so I get such a kick out of watching people attempt to win someone over & fall in love on TV. Plus, the drama can be pretty entertaining too! ;) I thought it'd be fun to do a little recap of the latest episode on my weekly Friday post. If you're not a fan of the bachelor, feel free to skip over this section & check out my weekend plans instead.

I've been watching the bachelor since Sean Lowe's season & even pushed through Ben Higgins' season when I lived in an all girls dorm my freshman year of college. There'd be 100+ girls all swooning in the basement around the only TV with cable. Ahh the good ol' days.

In case you need a little catching up, the bachelor for this season is Peter Weber. You can tell he's a cutie just by his name! Peter was on Hannah Brown's season & was sent home just before the final two met Hannah's parents. Poor Peter was heartbroken. I mean cry-all-the-way-home heartbroken. It was sad to watch him be sad. Hannah ended up choosing Jed Wyatt who turned out to be kind of a prick & confessed to the rumors that he had a longterm girlfriend when he came on the show. Hannah broke things off with Jed & in turn joined Dancing with the Stars which she ended up winning. There's nothing that says 'I'm hot & you're not' like winning the Mirror Ball Trophy & shakin' your booty on TV every week. Take that, Jed. So then Peter was announced as the bachelor & I think the entire United States let out a big awwhhhh all together. Peter's season premiered on January 6th & it was too funny. The girls were drunk, super emotional & just smitten kitten for Peter the pilot. Peter was genuinely so sweet & you can tell he's just so ready to find his person.

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Some of my thoughts on some of the girls based on this first episode...

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I thought Hannah Ann was super cute & sweet until she started swooping in & stealing Peter from the other girls over & over. That's just always something that rubs me the wrong way. Lol I would never survive this show. Peter seemed to be on board.

The painting of the smoky mountains that her & her dad made together. Weird. She made the comment that she's not here to sit on the couch & drink wine, but that's exactly what I'm here for & I'm going to do it while enjoying this show!

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My first opinion of Sarah is that she's super cute & I wish we would've seen more of her. Looking forward to that in the upcoming episodes!

Plus, how does she look so cute in joggers with glasses & a bun on top of her head?!

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Victoria P.'s story about her life made me feel a lot of compassion for her, however, I kind of think the girl might be crazy because of her spinning teacup story. I, too, get carsick very easily, but I would never talk about it on TV & refer to it as a traumatic experience! She was truly freaking out on the gyroscope & Peter was just giggling like a little kid in a candy shop & continuing to spin her! Cracked me up.

Plus she bites her bottom lip a lot & that kind of gives me the willies. Wearing glasses with a very nice little blue dress to the end part of the group date seemed like a strange move to me as well. She resembled Demi from Colton Underwood's season to me. Can anyone else see it?

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I love Kelley. I want to hate her because she already met Peter & they clearly have a spark -- Peter even admitted it! They're just darn cute together & you can tell they feel comfortable together which I think is a very good sign. Even though she (knowingly) cheated to win the sunset plane ride on the group date, I wasn't mad about it.

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I think Natasha was trying to be all sexy with her low slow voice & angling her face down & I hate to break it to her but the girl looked downright creepy lol. All of her personal interviews crack me up, especially the one where she explains that the girls are either cats or they're rats!

If this girl sticks around I have a feeling I'll continue to be entertained by her.

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Madison was one of my favorites from the start. I kind of get a Becca/Jojo vibe from Ben Higgins' season from her & I'm here for it because I loved both of them! I thought her dress was the most perfect fit for her. Even though the back was open, the dress was very tasteful & flattering. Plus, she's a Foster Parent Recruiter so the girl's got a soft spot in my heart from the start.

My jaw would hit the floor if I met a guy's parents on our first date! I thought the vow renewal was sweet, but seemed like an idea that was created to increase views. Judge me for saying that if you must.

However, Peter's mama seemed to really love her & isn't that what we all want to feel from our mother-in-law? You go girl!

Madison is my current fav.

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Some of my favorite quotes/scenes...

  • "Peter looks like a diiime. Like a dime fifty." So sixty cents? Okay.

  • "You need to risk it for the biscuit & he looks like a really ******* biscuit." "Buttery, flaky!"

  • "I'm sooooo happy for youu." *very dramatic eye roll*

  • *crying* "There's so many women & like they're so pretty." *sighs* "They're so pretty."

  • "I'm not gonna lie, I'm really jelly."

  • Tammy & Katrina thought that the emotional support cow that Jenna brought was a pony & that had me rolling. Do they need a lesson from small town Alli Rice on farm animals? Then when Jenna was explaining to Eunice why she brought the emotional support cow was just more than weird. I mean y'all it's a cow & it was weird. There's not much more to say.

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A few takeaways...

  • Showing off the girlies seems to be a common theme this season.

  • Was anyone else able to keep track of how many flight attendants are on the show?!

  • Is anyone else tired of hearing about Peter in the windmill or is it just me?

  • By the time the rose ceremony rolled around it was morning! & not like three a.m. but more like the-sun-was-mostly-up a.m. I need to figure out what kind of makeup & hair products these girls are using if it lasts all night long!

  • Some of these girls are literally my age. What.

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Peter's ex Hannah played a big part in the first episode & the shrieks that came from the house when she got out of the limo gave me life! One girl even asked if it was legal! I'm super curious to see how everything's going to play out, especially since he asked her to join the house when she hosts the second group date. I can't imagine that she would, but then again, Alabama Hannah seems pretty unpredictable so I guess we'll all have to wait & see. The way that Peter talks to Hannah & about Hannah makes me not believe that he's over her. There's just no way he can be. If I was one of the girls watching this back I'd be a little confused I think.

All I know is I'm rooting for Peter. Whatever that looks like, I'm here for it. #TeamPilotPete

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What about you? Do you have any favorites? If so, drop them in the comments below! I love seeing who different people seem to connect with & why. Even my sister & I (who are incredibly similar) have different favorites. Can't wait to see what next week brings!!

weekend plans...

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I don't have any major plans this weekend so it'll probably consist of continuing to read my current book Night Road by Kristin Hannah, watching my roomba clean my house (because I'm obsessed with that dang thing), meal prepping & napping (because let's be real, ya girl is tired). Every member of my family now has an apple watch & everyone is obsessed with completing all of the circles so I'll definitely be going for a few walks & enjoying the beautiful views near my apartment.

What are your plans for the weekend? Drop them below in the comments, or feel free to message us on Facebook or Instagram! We'd love to hear what you're all up to. We hope you all have a wonderful & cozy weekend!

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