Month: December 2016

New Year’s Eve Outfits

Hello everyone!

2017 is only days away!

New Year’s Eve is always both exciting and a little sad for me, but this year I am really ready for the new year to come. My family has a tradition where we watch movies until just before midnight. We tune into our local news channel that broadcasts all of the local celebrations, as well as the ball dropping in New York City. This year is also especially exciting since I was in New York City just yesterday, so I get to watch the ball drop having just been in Times Square!

As for the outfits, I have put together two different kinds of outfits. The first is for those of you who are going to indoor parties where you can afford to have bare legs and a shorter dress. The second outfit is for those who are going to outside events and need to bundle up for the weather.

// OUTFIT ONE //

If you’re going to a party that is indoors, New Year’s Eve is the perfect excuse to wear the most glammy and sparkly dress that you can find.

I have been waiting since February to wear this dress, since I got it on sale at H&M. So since I bought it months ago, I couldn’t find the same one online, but I found THIS cute one that is pretty similar in style. I also paired it with THIS vest from JC Penney that I have been loving this winter! As for my shoes, I wore a pair of black ankle boots that I thrifted.

// OUTFIT TWO //

A dress for New Year’s Eve is fine and good if you are indoors, but I know that a lot of people are going to outdoor events as well. Since it’s December, it obviously wouldn’t be the best idea to wear a dress in freezing weather conditions. For this, I would recommend bundling up in a parka, a sweater, and a cute scarf and boots.

I love this parka that I got at Target last year, and they still have a similar one with a fur-lined hood. I have been loving plaid blanket scarves, and THIS cute one from ModCloth is a near match to the one I’m wearing in the picture! As for the boots, I love these thigh high boots from Target. If you’re walking around a lot, pick out your most comfortable pair!

// MAKEUP //

I love holidays like this where I can go all out with my makeup! I did a more subdued smokey eye with black eye liner and red lips. These are the products that I used…

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1. Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream 8-in-1 Skin Perfector in Light

2. This is my favorite blush from The Body Shop that has since been discontinued, but THIS blush is similar from them!

3. STILA Set & Bronze Baked Powder Trio

4. NYX badunkadunk mascara has the most ridiculous name but is a fantastic mascara nonetheless.

5. Lorac Pro Matte Palette, and I used “Jet Black” to line my eyes with.

6. This is also an old quad palette from ELF, but THIS palette is basically the same shades in updated packaging. I used the sparkly gray (which would be the “crease” color on the newer palette) for the outside of my lids.

7. I lined my lips with the Rimmel Lasting Finish 1000 Kisses Stay On Lip Liner Pencil in Red Dynamite.

8. The Estee Lauder lipstick is Pure Color Creme in Scarlet Siren. However, I think that even though this is relatively new that Estee Lauder has changed their lipstick lines and added new shades, so THIS lipstick looks like relatively the same thing.

I also neglected to include my ELF Waterproof Eyeliner Pen in the picture, which I used to do the winged eyeliner.

Thank you so much for reading, I hope you all have a wonderful New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Please stay safe and stay warm! Cheers to 2017!

XOXO

L

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December Baby

Hello everyone!

 After my birthday I decided to take a week off from blogging, just to recoup from the residual finals week stress. After my last final on Friday, I loaded up my car and headed home. We just had pizza for dinner, but the next day on Saturday morning we went to a cafe in the city for chai and crepes for lunch.

After that we went to New Jersey for my grandmother’s annual Tree Trim party on Sunday. Every year most of my extended family gets together at my grandmother’s house to eat together and deck my grandparents’ gigantic tree. This year we also took some family portraits, courtesy of my father’s cousin. Since the party is always a big to-do, on Saturday night just my dad’s family with my aunt, uncle, and cousins, had dinner just the ten of us. It is always so nice to see my family, especially those who I haven’t seen since last year. For the party, I wore this beautiful velvet dress from Target.

After we left New Jersey, I was finally able to settle in at home. Since I’m home for a month long break, I brought practically my entire dorm back with me. After I unpacked, I also decorated my room for Christmas. This is a tradition of my own, I decorate my room and my door as well. I have my little two foot tree that I deck with my little stash of ornaments. I have my stockings that I hung over my window and my little nativity scene that I finally found all of the figures for this past summer. I didn’t do very much the rest of the week. However, I did go to visit my boyfriend for a couple of days. He is the absolute sweetest, and when he met me with a bouquet of roses on the train platform for my birthday. We just hung out and watched Bob’s Burgers, which is our current Netflix obsession. Once I got back home, the rest of the week was spent watching the Gilmore Girls revival.

On Christmas Eve, I went to my other grandparent’s house. My aunt and uncle’s family came in from California and we ate dinner with them, my grandparents, and my other aunt’s family. I ended up wearing a dress that was a present from Sarah and a gray cardigan from JC Penney.

After dinner and our gift exchange we all went to church together for the evening Christmas Eve service. My grandparents’ church is beautiful, with a large wall sized organ and high, vaulted ceilings. It;s decorated with wreaths, Christmas trees, and poinsettias.

On Christmas morning I woke up relatively early (for me, anyway!). I exchanged gifts with my parents, and we watched the Yule Log while we did so. I ended up getting the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them screenplay by JK Rowling and I spent the majority of the day reading it. Then we had our steak and vegetarian chicken dinner (steak for my parents and the veggie chicken for me of course). During dinner we watched the Charlie Brown Movie and The Family Stone. All around, it was a relaxing and peaceful holiday.

I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas! I can’t quite believe that 2016 is coming to an end so soon. I must admit that while 2016 was a pretty good year for me, on the world scale it was pretty rough. I hope that for all of our sakes, 2017 treats us all much better.

XOXO

L

OOTW: Finals Week

Hello Everyone!

 This past week has been crazy because of finals. This past semester was a good start to my Sophomore year, but honestly I am so glad that its over!

So since it was finals week, comfort was key for all of the writing I had to do for my final projects. However, I tried to be both comfortable and cute as well. The key to this is scarves and leggings 100%.

// MONDAY //

I wore jeans and a tan long sleeve shirt with my big blanket scarf that I could live in. I love this scarf because if I get cold, I can take it off and use it as a blanket. I had work on Monday and since I work in a colder place, I used it as both a scarf and as a shawl.

// TUESDAY //

I wore my favorite Hollister jeans, a white tank top and a burned amber colored cardigan. I am also featuring Victoria’s outfit because she looked fabulous! I could be mistaken but I think her dress is also from Hollister as well.

// WEDNESDAY //

I wore a hunter green top with cut-outs on the shoulders with velvet leggings. I have been loving the velvet trend, and these leggings are so comfortable. I went home early on Wednesday night since I only live about half an hour away from school, and I didn’t have to go back until Friday. My dad helped me take this picture, so he wanted to make sure I gave him credit for the picture. (There you go, dad.)

// THURSDAY //

Thursday was a long and uncomfortable day. Let’s just say, I had a lot of writing to do and I drank six cups of coffee in three hours. So, I wore this sweater that was actually a hand-me-down from my dad and leggings (again).

// FRIDAY //

Friday was my birthday!! So, in spite of the 14 degree weather, I was determined to wear this dress that my parents got me for my birthday from Francesca’s. I am in love with this dress. It is so comfortable and it fits like a glove. I saw a friend of mine wearing this dress a while ago and when I looked it up online, dresses were on sale for 50% off I think, and I was sold. However, I think I would recommend wearing tights with it on such a cold day.

After my final on Friday, I got to go home for good. We made it everyone! Now, it’s time for Christmas and Holiday celebrations! Tree trimming! Family time! Pie! Can you tell I’m excited?

This weekend, I am in New Jersey for my family’s annual Tree Trim party, which is tomorrow night. I am so excited to see everyone! I’ll share more of my birthday and Christmas party details on Monday for my weekend post, so stay tuned!

XOXO

L

Early Birthdays and Spontaneous Adventures

Hello Everyone!

After a string of uneventful weekends, this weekend was so much fun… And right before finals, too! Who would have thought?

After work, I met some friends for dinner because I was famished after not eating much for most of the day. Then, I went with a friend to pick up pizza for the end-of-the-semester Creative Writing Club pizza party. Then, right after the club meeting, my friend Missy and I went to a dance showcase at my school. The biggest club at our school is the dance club, and they are the best because anyone can get involved and do a dance. They prepare for months for the showcase every semester, and there are multiple dances that perform. I had never been to one of their showcases before, so I was really excited. I loved watching everyone’s dances, and there was a familiar face in nearly every dance. It was evident that everyone worked really hard, and you could tell everyone was having fun with it, too!

It was a cold night, but Missy and I braved the cold… In my car. It still counts.

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After the showcase, we drove around and listened to old music we love and screamed the lyrics at the top of our lungs. It turned out to be a huge destresser, and it also made for a pretty funny Snap story.

On Saturday night, since we’re all leaving for Christmas break on different days, my friends took me out to dinner for my birthday. My birthday is next Friday, but since I have a final on that day, I was looking forward to this little celebration so much! We went to a diner right in town, and the food was pretty good! Then we came back to the dorm and had some ice cream cake, and they sang “Happy Birthday.” After that we watched an episode of Bob’s Burgers. It was such a lovely time with my best friends!

Later that night, and by later I mean at about 11, I was talking to my parents on the phone. I was thinking about going home on Sunday, but my parents were baking cookies and my dad mentioned (*bribed me with*) the cookies and the possibility of coming home that night. Victoria heard me talking about cookies on the phone. As a spur-of-the-moment decision, we decided to take a road trip back to my house. We ate cookies with my parents and we all talked until about 2 in the morning with Christmas music playing all the while.

The next morning when we woke up, we went into a doughnut place in town that we had been to before, and got a half a dozen for breakfast. Victoria and I both got an Oreo doughnut, and it was divine. Especially with coffee.

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We studied for most of the afternoon, and then after having dinner with my parents we had to head back to campus. The spontaneous trip was so much fun and unexpected, for some reason it got me into the Christmas spirit even more. Maybe it was driving past all those Christmas decorations on they way there and back, maybe it was just being home. Now, even more so, I’m ready for finals to be over and to go back home. Only five more days.

Also, before I sign off, today is my one year anniversary with my blog here on WordPress! I had blogged before on Blogger, but a year ago I decided that I needed a bigger change, and I’m glad that I did! However, my old Blogger is still up. The link is in my “About Me” if you really want to read some embarrassing old posts from my Freshman year of high school.

And on that note, I’ll say goodbye and good luck to all those students out there who are taking finals this week, too! We can do it, only five (or less if you’re lucky) days left!

XOXO

L

Holiday Gift Guide

I absolutely love giving gifts! I love putting thought into the gifts that I give to the people that I love and making them happy with something that they’ll enjoy and hopefully use. However, I know from experience that shopping for the women in your life can be difficult, even if you are one yourself. So I went on a shopping trip with one of my friends recently and some things caught my eye that I thought would be good ideas for gifts! I tried to keep things on the less expensive side as well, because as a broke college kid myself I know the struggle of wanting to spoil your friends but needing to stay within a budget. Here are some of the things I found…

gift-guide

Jewelry is always a good bet. I’ve found that Francesca’s has some really cute pieces of jewelry for pretty reasonable prices. Another great place you can also go is Icing, which is a favorite of mine and my roommate’s! These earrings are really pretty, and these are cute as well! Studs can go with anything, whether for a dressed up or a more casual outfit. They go with anything, and look cute on anyone!

Also from Francesca’s, when I was there the other day I saw that they had a bunch of cute initial necklaces, which would make for a pretty personalized gift. This one is a little but simpler, but this one is a little but bigger with a longer chain.

Sweaters are also a good bet because I know that during the winter a cute and warm sweater will always be put to good use! This one from American Eagle Outfitters is on sale right now, and I checked the rest of their selection and they have a lot of cute things. But really, if you go to any department store you can some really cute options on sale this time of year.

Victoria’s Secret always has some really great sales this time of year. There’s lots of pretty scents and a bunch of different kinds of things, like lotions, sprays, and oils. So really there’s something for everyone! Especially with all the different scents, as well. Every girl has her favorite. I know that my roommate’s favorite is Wild at Heart. My personal favorite would have to be Sun Kissed.

Finally, for a book lover, “Milk and Honey,” is a collection of poetry by Rupi Kaur, and is beautifully written. When I picked this book up in the bookstore I couldn’t put it down! The illustrations are simple and gorgeous, too! Also, to check and see if this poetry would be your cup of tea, then check out Rupi Kaur’s (the author’s) instagram, @rupikaur_ . She has posted pictures of pages from the book, so check them out to see if you’ll definitely like it before you buy it!

Some final ideas off the top of my head for simple and inexpensive gifts would be a plaid blanket scarf, tea with a cute mug to go with it, or a small decoration from a local artist would make for a thoughtful gift, too!

Happy shopping, I wish you good luck in finding the perfect gift for that someone special! But just remember, sometimes the most perfect gift of all is just time spent together! Set up a girl’s night out for your friends and surprise them with something like tickets to the theater or a concert! Or give your significant other a gift card for a restaurant you both like and tell them to pick a date when you can both go together! Honestly, these are the gifts I love giving and receiving the most. Memories are precious and priceless.

XOXO

L

 

Haul: Hollister, JC Penney, and Accent Z

Hello everyone!

My roommate and I went shopping the night before we both left for Thanksgiving Break. It was a long… long week. Or really, it was a long month. Three projects were due within the span of two days, right before we left for break. So, after I turned in my course paper for my British Literature class, my last project, we decided to go to the mall. I had been wanting to go on a shopping trip for a long time, so after a busy and stressful week seemed like the best time to go! We ended up going to a bunch of stores, but I got things from JC Penney, Hollister, and a new store I had never been to before called Accent Z.

I got these thigh high boots from Accent Z. I had been looking for a cute and reasonably priced pair, and I stumbled across these. I had never heard of the store before, but my roommate and I decided to go in on a whim and I’m so glad we did! Tia and I were both able to get a pair of boots because they were buy one get one half off. The girl that checked us out was super nice and I think she gave us a discount on top of that. I’ve worn them about twice since, and I love them! I looked online and I couldn’t find the exact pair, but this pair from Target is similar and is also at a pretty good price.

Then we went to Hollister, where I got this long sleeve gray lace-up top and the pink lace off the shoulder body suit. Hollister was having a 40% off sale, but be warned, the sale says it’s 40% off the entire store but it isn’t! I was bitten by that by the gray top but I liked it so much I wanted to get it anyway. Tia got a couple of cute things, too, including a great jacket she was able to get a really great price for!

At JC Penney I got the gray knit cardigan and the white vest. The white vest is faux fur and it is so furry and comfortable I don’t think I’m ever going to take it off.

I wore some of the pieces in an outfit and today and I’m really happy about the way it turned out!

outfit

 

XOXO

L

 

November Favorites

Hello Everyone!

How did it get to be December already?? I thought I would do my first favorites post this month, because there were some things that I definitely used and wore over and over. Here are four things that I really loved during November.

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This pink sweater is by far my favorite sweater right now. I got it at a local Community Aid, and it is so fluffy and comfortable and perfect to wear with jeans or leggings. I also love the soft pink color…. Cute and comfortable! What else can you ask for, really? I looked online and since I thrifted it I couldn’t find an exact match, but this one is cute and is fairly priced, if you want one that is slightly similar!

The Lorac Pro Matte Palette is next, and I am pretty sure I’ve worn these colors every day for a month, if not even longer. The colors are so nice and natural, and the pigmentation is perfect. The colors stay for a really long time without primer. My favorite color in the palette would be the “Pink Mauve,” it’s light but you can still tell you’re wearing eye shadow. Here it is on Amazon, if you’re interested!

The DKNY Be Delicious perfume isn’t just a favorite this month, I’ve worn this perfume every fall and winter for years! I love the smell of the apples, it makes me think of orchards and happy memories 🙂 Here it is on Amazon!

The black choker is quite possibly my favorite of my favorites this month, just because it’s so easy to get. I got this faux leather chord from AC Moore’s! Chokers can be so expensive at the mall… I just go to the craft store and pick out ribbons and strips of velvet that I like and tie it around my neck, and there you go! The smaller rolls can be pretty inexpensive, and if you go online or use the in store fliers at Micheal’s or AC Moore’s, you can get pretty good coupons usually!

Thank you for reading, happy December everyone!

XOXO

L