Classy & Confused

Fall Winery Visit

Fall is so here! Nothing gets me hyped like friggin’ fall! I love the weather, the smells, the colors, the pumpkin spice, the cozy clothes, the food, and the excitement of Christmas being right around the corner. This past weekend, I went to a winery with a few friends to peep some leaves and enjoy an apple cider flight! It was perfect. The winery was cute (and packed!!!) and the cinnamon apple cider was delicious!

After that hardcore fall activity (we took pictures with pumpkins), I naturally thought our own home needed more of a fall makeover too. So I gathered together a cornucopia of seasonal goods to share with y’all.

I think these mercury glass pumpkins are so pretty and would look good as your decor year round. I also love fall, so I might be a little biased! 

I use trays on everything. We have one on our coffee table and on our dining room table. They just make everything look a little bit more pulled together, without you having to put in a lot of decorating effort. Just add a candle, a plant, and maybe a mercury glass pumpkin and you have yourself a perfect little centerpiece. 

I saw my mother in law wearing a sweater like this the other day and it just looked so dang cozy! 

A pumpkin colored turtleneck? Yes, please! This comes in other colors too if you aren’t feeling the pumpkin vibes. 

I love how warm and versatile cardigans can be! I think this one is the perfect mix of fall colors and would look super cute with a white tank top and some jeans.  

PSL jammies, enough said. 

Always Classy & Confused… and obsessed with fall,

MGW

Xeomin Injections at Sedalia Aesthetics

I am a firm believer that if you don’t like something, you should try to change it. I can’t say I was always this way. I definitely have spent a lot of time thinking that things are just the way they are and we just have to hope for a change instead of actually make it ourselves (more on that later though). So, when I started to see this tiny wrinkle form in between my eyebrows I freaked out a little bit and wanted so badly to change it. I’m not afraid of aging, I just want to throw that out there. I didn’t make this decision out of fear or anything like that. I did it purely because I wanted to change it.

I know exactly how the aforementioned wrinkle was formed. You see, when I focus in on something, like really, really focus, I bring my eyebrows together so fiercely I could hold a dang piece of paper in the chasm I make. It is deep. It is intense. And let me tell you, it gives me the worst headaches ever. As a writer and a millennial in general, I spend a lot of time staring (squinting) at my computer or phone. It isn’t that I can’t see and need glasses, it’s just that I have a very serious focus face. I focus face when reading, I focus face when driving, I focus face when cooking sometimes because I’m not that great at it.

To sum it up, the focus face gives me a headache and worsens the wrinkle.
So, I started researching how I could make it go away (mainly because of the headaches). I tried blue light filtering glasses, mid-day head massages, over the counter pain meds, essential oils, and anything else I could think of. Nothing really worked and the focus face lived on. The solution that kept popping up that I was a little bit wary of was injections. Like Botox or Xeomin injections. And at first I was like meh, hard pass, I’m not old. But the more research I did, the more this seemed to be the solution I was searching for.

I read about injections for migraines and what could happen if you got these types of injections in your twenties. I watched video after video and finally made the decision that this was what I wanted to do.

I’m giving you this intro because I don’t want anyone to think I randomly saw a small wrinkle and the next day made an appointment to have my forehead frozen. I thought about this a lot before committing to having it done.

I started shopping around for prices and looking at the reviews of medical spas in my area. I wasn’t sure if I wanted Xeomin or Botox, so I wanted to find a place that offered both. My mother-in-law works at Sedalia Aesthetics in Sedalia, MO and I had gotten a facial and countless spray tans done there before. But, this is my face we are talking about here, so I still checked all their reviews before deciding that I could trust the owner, Michelle with the task. Michelle is an RN, which made me feel very comfortable (like if I pass out, she’s got me!!). We talked about my goals (buh bye focus face) and what would be best for me to achieve them. She chose Xeomin for me, which is very similar to Botox, but produced by a different company.

I didn’t need to do anything special before my appointment, I just showed up! We went into one of their private rooms and I sat down on the chair as she got everything ready. I told her I was a little nervous and she offered to play music for me. (Injectibles playlist coming later, for sure) She cleaned off my makeup around the area and sanitized it with a wipe. I then proceeded to move my hair and touch my forehead, so she had to sanitize again… whoops! Michelle had me make my focus face for her and then she got to work injecting the Xeomin. For anyone who is afraid of the pain, it is comparable to plucking an eyebrow hair. The prick kind of hurts, but the pain is gone very quickly. The entire process took maybe 2 minutes. It was so quick and easy! After, I got an ice pack to hold on the area and felt totally fine.

I did have a little bit of a headache as the day went on, but after sleeping, that is totally gone. Michelle gave me instructions for after-care which was really just don’t lay down for four hours and don’t work out. Something that was surprising to me when I started doing my injectables research was that you don’t see the results immediately. It can take a few days to see the full results, so I can’t give you any crazy before and after pictures just yet.

Even though it has only been a day since I got the Xeomin, I can already tell you I am really happy with my decision. I felt comfortable during the whole experience and know that I can reach out to Michelle if I have any questions or concerns. I am super excited to continue going to Sedalia Aesthetics and can’t wait to be able to share it with all of you!

Always Classy & Confused,
MGW

You can check Sedalia Aesthetics out online at https://sedaliaaesthetics.myonlineappointment.com/Home

Or on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/sedaliaaesthetics/

Link to my jacket https://amzn.to/31oJiOF

Kylie Jenner by KKW Fragrance Review

So, I bought perfume online. Like I didn’t smell it at all, I just read the description and thought, sure, let’s try it! And I promise you, I am not this type of person. I like to heavily research any beauty product I buy and testing things out before I spend money on them is important to me. But the other day I spritzed my last little bit of perfume and knew I needed to start searching for my next scent.

I recently invested in the latest season of Keeping Up With the Kardashians because I love them and feel no other explanation is needed. After watching Kim live her life for a few episodes, I felt compelled to check out her fragrance line and see if maybe that was where I would find my next scent. The only issue was that I couldn’t actually smell before buying, I just had to trust that Kim Kardashian West had good taste in perfume. I am pleased to say that yes, she does.

My shopping criteria was something around the $40 mark and would be good for cooler weather. What scents are good for cooler weather? I don’t know, but I just felt like I would know them when I read them. After reading every single description on the KKW Fragrance website I came upon the Nude Lips. The Lips line are the Kylie Jenner and KKW Fragrance collaboration that I am sure you have seen all over social media.

Here is the Nude Lips description straight from the website:

VANILLA AMBER MUSK

INSTANTLY EXPOSED. TONE-ON-TONE BOUQUETS OF MAGNOLIA, JASMINE, AND PEONY ARE DRENCHED WITH WARM, SOLAR SPICES AND BARELY-THERE LILY OF THE VALLEY. MELTED TAHITIAN VANILLA IS LUMINIZED WITH SUPERFINE AMBER CRYSTALS AND SKIN MUSKS FOR THAT LINGERING ON THE SKIN FEELING.

OPENING: SOLAR SPICES, LILY OF THE VALLEY
HEART: NUDE MAGNOLIA, JASMINE, PEONY
FINISH: TAHITIAN VANILLA, VIBRANT AMBER, MUSK

The price was right at $40, which worked with my planned budget. I hoped over to Ulta (because, cashback!) and decided to just try it out. It just came and omg. I cannot believe how much I actually like it. I usually think that celeb perfumes smell kind of cheap and meh, but this is not that at all. I’ve compiled a list of five things I think it smells like to help you get an idea of this scent.

  1. A grown up version of Bath and Body Works Warm Vanilla Sugar. Like a sexier, I have more than $18 in my bank account version.
  2. Comforting. I think the vanilla and light floral notes are feminine without being overly feminine so it just smells warm and comforting. Kind of like a hug, but from Kim Kardashian West.
  3. Not over powering. This is the kind of perfume that knows it is great and doesn’t need to throw it in your face. If it were a woman, it would be the type of woman who is superior to you but instead of flaunting it, just tries to help you out and cheer you on.
  4. All the things from the description… at different times. At first you really smell the vanilla, but then as I keep getting whiffs of it, I start to smell more of the floral scents. It like legitimately has layers to it.
  5. Like a friggin’ bang for your buck. I will admit, the packaging is heavy. That is until I took the top off the bottle and realized most of the weight was in the top lip. Either way, I do feel like this is pretty reasonably priced for how much I love it. I will definitely purchase it again.

The bottle it came in is really cool and I actually love the look of the lips so much. I love when perfume can kind of double as decor and doesn’t look sad (or cheap) sitting on your counter or dresser. I am seriously so shockingly happy with this purchase and just really felt the need to share that with all of you.

If you want to grab your own bottle, I’ve linked the KKW Fragrances below. Also, if you want to get that cash back ($10 on your first purchase!!) here is the link to sign up! https://www.rakuten.com/r/MAGGER75?eeid=28187

Always Classy & Confused,

MGW

St. Louis Wine Walk

I think girl time is insanely necessary. Nothing hypes me up like some time with my girlfriends! So, when Ballpark Village in St. Louis invited me and a friend to be VIPs for their STL Wine Walk, I jumped at the chance. 

I haven’t traveled to St. Louis in a few years, so this was the perfect excuse to make a weekend trip to the other side of the state. I picked up my friend Jess on Saturday morning (after a v. important Starbs run) and headed east! The drive really wasn’t as long as I had expected and we made it to our hotel with plenty of time to freshen up before walking to Ballpark Village. We were fortunate enough to get a great hotel with a view of the Arch that was also within walking distance to Bush Stadium.

Typical tourist pic with the arch

During our short time in St. Louis we managed to cram in the full wine walk (yeah, it is a lot of wine, you are correct), a trip to the City Museum (a few more drinks were had), pizza from Imos, and a ride on the mechanical bull at PBR in Ballpark Village (what do you expect after wine and cocktails?!).

City Museum
In the VIP Tent (so fun!) next to the stadium

I was really impressed with Ballpark Village and the variety of bars and restaurants they had to offer in the area! Best of all, it was all inside so we didn’t have to worry about the weather whatsoever! While I’ll always be a Kansas City fan at heart, I am definitely excited for my next trip back to STL!

Always Classy & Confused,

MGW

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Kansas City Mini-Moon

I have absolutely no regrets about deciding not to take a full honeymoon right after the wedding. My hubby completely agrees with that statement too. When we started thinking about where we wanted to honeymoon, it seemed like we couldn’t agree on anything. The honeymoon became a point of stress for us (me). We argued about it endlessly until I finally got so frustrated that I decided we just shouldn’t go anywhere. I will admit I made that decision out of spite originally, but now I am so happy we decided to just stay home. After the wedding we were both exhausted, we missed our cats and our home, and just wanted to spend some time alone, together. 

Neither one of us took a ton of time off work, which left us with just a few days to celebrate our nuptials. 

While we’ve lived in Kansas City for a couple years now, we haven’t really done all the “Kansas City” things. Having a minimoon in our city gave us a chance to really explore! It felt so good to wake up in our home on Monday morning knowing we would get to spend the entire day doing whatever we wanted together. We had no obligations or itineraries and it was amazing. We ended up sleeping in, grabbing coffee, and then heading to the Nelson-Atkins Art Museum to mosey around. Somehow, it was our first time visiting the museum! We spent a few hours marveling at the art and getting hyped about seeing work from artists we knew. (I’m looking at you, Monet.) After getting cultured, we headed to the Country Club Plaza for a late lunch at Gram & Dunn. This was another place that we had never been and it was exciting getting to experience new things in a city we both love. We spent the rest of our mini-moon time eating leftovers, watching Netflix, and playing with our cats. 

Even though it wasn’t some insanely insta-worthy trip, it was just what we needed. We both ended our staycation feeling refreshed and a little bit more ready to head back to the real world as husband and wife.

Always Classy & Confused,

MGW

Classy & Confused, Round 2

I’ve had an insane year. Like a become a part time fitness instructor, move to a new apartment, change jobs, lose a job, and get married type of insane year. When things started to get really crazy, I made the decision to take a step back from my blog, Classy & Confused. I realized I had been putting so much emphasis into wearing the right things and going to the right places, that I planned my life around creating content instead of creating content about my life. I can’t fully explain to you how tough it can be on your self-esteem when even the simplest things need to feel “picture perfect.” I felt really lost and also really terrible about myself basically alllllll the time.

Don’t get me wrong, I adored blogging and I loved what I had built in Classy & Confused, but it no longer felt authentic. Which sucks. I started to allow my value to be based off of likes and blog visits and I knew I needed to take a step back. I had let myself put more emphasis on my image than on my thoughts and words, which is something I never wanted to do. And then life got crazy and so many amazing (and terrifying) changes started hitting me and I wanted to share them all with you, but I just couldn’t. I felt like a fake. Imposter syndrome is a very real thing people! And I was suffering, hard.

So I when my blog came up for renewal and I was faced with the financial and emotional cost of what I had built, I knew it was time to step back and just live for a while. I truly believe that giving myself time away from my blog (and social media for a while) was one of the best things I could have done for myself. Even though it felt like a really rough breakup at the time, it gave me the ability to miss writing for myself and sharing all my favorite things with you.

Writing is one of my true passions in life and blogging is one of my favorite ways to express that passion. Classy & Confused feels like an old friend now, and I am excited to be back with her. I can’t wait to start sharing my sometimes classy and most definitely confused life with you again and I hope you enjoy every post along the way.

Always Classy & Confused,

MGW