"Just another Manic Monday..."

Mondays are definitely manic enough but before Christmas is even worse! Christmas Eve is usually so busy until the night because people are rushing to get last minute things for their Christmas Eve evening dinner or santa. To add christmas cheer I thought I'd share this...The other day I got a manicure and these were too cute not to share. A little chinese man did this cute nail art on both hands on the third finger. He started with a window, then put a snowman behind it, then added a present in the bottom left corner, a christmas tree, and finally a star on the top. It's the cutest little thing I've ever seen.

Tacky Christmas Party...for two!

My bestfriend from high school is a senior this year so I hardly ever get to see her while I'm in college. Therefore, everytime I'm home we get together. Since I was in 9th grade and she was in 7th we've always had tacky christmas parties. However, the next year she invited all of our friends again and none of them showed up but me. They all had legitimate reasons for their absence and instead of being discouraged we actually had the time of our lives, just us two. I'm not really sure where or when our friendship started  but I think it was this particular party that made us inseparable. From then on we had our normal tacky christmas parties, but just for us two while we sang Shania Twain's "Party for Two" (below).

How funny is it that they swing on a chandelier, one day I want to attempt that same stunt. Anywho, fast forward four years later and we're older, more mature, and wiser...but we are doing the same exact thing. We bought (separably) some new (just kidding...thrift store) tacky sweaters and got together to fix a Hello Kitty holiday cookie house. 

Because we were alone we couldn't take a picture together so we settled for two picture put together thanks to picstitch.

My ugly sweater actually came from the back of my mom's closet, she hasn't worn it for years. I paired it with leggings, some santa socks (hidden by my shoes), and brown boots. I didn't add jewelry, I thought the sweater was loud enough haha.

Kinda wish I had done this funny sweater instead, I found it on pinterest and thought it was just the funniest thing I've ever seen. 

 Our cute Hello Kitty holiday cookie house turned out soooo cute. FYI- it's called a holiday cookie house because it's made from sugar cookie, not gingerbread. I'm guessing because they wanted it pink?

My life is made now that I found these straw glasses at Wal-Mart! I can't take them seriously I've nearly spilled my drink on me every time I've used them because they're so funny! In the first picture I made my best friend, Tess, try them. In the second is the actual glasses in the packaging, how cute is that little boy on the cover!?

Happy Holla Days!

25 days of christmas: decorate cookies

One of our activities for our 25 days of christmas was to decorate cookies. My brother didn't like this idea and my boyfriend was surfing the web so I did them myself. Before anyone feels bad for me just a little bit, don't be, I was pretty excited to be able to make cookies by myself. I say this because boys don't usually make or decorate cookies cute so I could do whatever I wanted.

My supplies: sugar cookie mix, condiment bottles, andes mints (for another post), vanilla icing, chocolate morsels, and candy sprinkles.

I got these cute cookie cutters at a local flea market for a dollar and I was thrilled. They are just too adorable; there is a santa holding a bag, christmas tree, star, bell, and gingerbread man.

Making a mess! I forgot that flour helps everything not stick to the dough so I had a time until I figured it out.

I love baking so much, however I can NOT work a icing bag at all. It always comes out the wrong end, or the icing won't go in the bag at all, or I just can't find all the parts to start with. I obviously needed a solution. On pinterest I saw this cool idea, why not put icing in a condiment bottle so it makes a perfect line!? Also, another plus is it doesn't make such a mess. The bottles are really cheap at Walmart maybe 90 cents give or take.

getting started!

End Results: people, santas, trees, bells, stars, and one candy cane.

Hello MTV, and welcome to my crib...

Remember when MTV actually had decent shows like cribs and pimp my ride, or maybe I just thought they were cool when I was in middle school. Any who, our little gingerbread house for our 25 days of christmas activities turned out precious. We decided to get the "Rudolf the Rednosed Reindeer" (the classic Christmas movie) kit from BigLots for $10 and put it together. However, coming from someone who likes to have lots of candy to choose from when decorating; it didn't have but two candy selections: sugar balls and gumdrops, gummy characters, and two teeny candy canes. I wouldn't recommend it for someone who has kids that are really into going crazy with different candy selections. Although the gummy characters were cool, they were just too heavy and fell every two seconds. But besides the lack of candy, it turned out cute!

Breakfast for dinner!?

One of our many activities for 25 days of Christmas was breakfast for dinner and the boys were so excited to pull this activity from their candy bar. I mean, who doesn't love breakfast for dinner?! Our spread consist of bacon, pancakes and syrup, sausage, and dad's self proclaimed "best scrambled eggs ever that grandma used to make." Boy was he right about that, they were great! NOTHING beats a southern breakfast, especially when you don't have to wake up early.

Who's ready for Christmas? Me! Me! Me!

I've never been so excited for Christmas in a while, maybe because I'm home from school all month. I wanted to cherish each day of December leading up to Christmas. As I waited for my Christmas break to start I went online and got enough ideas for each day. However, the activities are for my boyfriend (20), brother(14), and I (19) so I needed to make them age appropriate and exciting. To add more incentive to participate: I wrote each activity on a piece of paper, cut them out in strips, and taped them to fun sized candy bars.

 The list:

• ·         family game night
• ·         start a new tradition of making Christmas ornaments. Imagine trimming your tree when your kids are teenagers and looking back at those little ornaments you made so long ago!
• ·         Participate in Angel Tree or another charity drive where you and your family get a chance to give to others.
• ·         Movie night with favorite Christmas treats. Actually, Christmas movies all month long!! :-)
• ·         Drive around and look at lights 
• ·         Visit a Living Nativity.
• ·         Decorate a gingerbread house.
• ·         Play bingo with dollar store prizes.
• ·         Make a Christmas card for a soldier. (If you don't know a soldier you can mail a Christmas card to Holiday Mail for Heroes, P.O. Box 5456, Capitol Heights, MD  20791-5456)
• ·         Bake a Christmas treat and visit an elderly relative or church member who needs encouragement.
• ·         Make snow globes
• ·         Drive around and look at lights 
• ·         Hot chocolate and smores party
• ·         Breakfast for dinner
• ·         Drive around and look at lights 
• ·         Drive around and look at lights 
• ·         Have a cookie decorating party. 
• ·         Let the kids open a present on Christmas Eve -- new pajamas! Not only is this a fun tradition, but it ensures they will be dressed in cute pjs for Christmas morning pictures. :-)

       If you haven't noticed already, I don't have exactly 25 activities to add flexibility with our schedules. My boyfriend works, attends the nearest community college, and volunteers at our local fire department; my brother has school and basketball practice or game every night so we aren't able to do it every night. Also some of the activities can't be picked at random because the last one is reserved for the 24th and a few depend on town activities (for example, live nativity, and parades.) Lastly I have put "drive around and look at lights" four times because we can drive in our own town and the towns around us each night.

Burke's Outlet

I've never been to a Burke's Outlet but I ran across one during a day trip. The biggest excitement of my trip was finding these wonderful shoes.  

 These cheetah print high heels were only $24.99. A pair of these Carlos Santana shoes would run about 80.00 dollars and I got them for way less than half.

                        To find a Burke's Outlet near you the website's store finder is linked here.

DIY: De-potting

             Have you ever tossed your makeup and wished you could have gotten more product but just couldn't get it out. Urban Decay is a higher end makeup line found in Ulta and Sephora. They are notorious for making "Urban Decay Primer Potion" and their "Naked" pallets. Before, primer potion came in a potion bottle like in the picture below and it was the hardest thing to get all the product. They have decided to change to the bottle but you can still do this DIY with any makeup. You can cut in a tube with scissors and saw a plastic bottle with a knife. However, do NOT try getting into anything glass, if its in glass it would have come out.

Find a "travel size" jar to fill up with product. I just happened to run out of a MAC paintpot so I recycled the jar.

            Cut the bottle with a knife or simply cut a tube with scissors. Use the wand to get every ounce of makeup left over out.

The finished product. I would have thrown the primer potion away because I thougjht it was out. However, by opening it I quickly found that there was plently left! Cheap, easy, and saves money.

Big Lots Makeup

I went to Big Lots yesterday and came across the great makeup finds. Each item I got was only 3 dollars each. I bought...

This cream blush is actually a philosophy "the supernatural lit from within healthy cream blush in "bare your soul."

I have always wanted a small retractable kabuki brush. I found this retractable kabuki brush also by philosophy is small and wrapped in a light pink leather. 

    Lastly I bought a concealer, the Revlon Age Defying Spa concealer in Medium.

OOTD- Outfit Of The Day

Tonight to dinner I wore a few finds of the last week or two.

First is my shirt and shorts, I got them Sunday at New York & Company. On Father's Day they had a 50% off everything in the store sale, which is still going on. The shorts look like just a normal pair of khaki shorts but in fact they are actual tan linen shorts with a metallic sheen. To see a closer view click here. The shirt is a silky hot barbie pink sleeveless shirt with elongated tails. It gives the illusion of a button down but actually it isn't and has a pocket on both breast. I found this shirt in the back section where the sale clothes are but the shirt in white, blue, and black can be found on the website here.

These vintage bracelets were found at an antique mall in Lumberton, NC called The Peddlers Mall. 

After eating at Calabash, NC I ran over to the knick knack store across the road and found this sea shell ring. It is an actual sea shell cut to wear as a ring. The nail polish I wore was Essie "Lights" and for an accent nail OPI "Designer de Better!" from "The Muppets" 2011 Holiday collection.

Girl's Night IN?

Ever have one of those nights where you want to do absolutely nothing but pamper yourself? Or maybe you are like me and the leg touch ups before you leave the house are desperately needing a complete shave. Another possibility is that you just refuse to pay almost twenty dollars for a simple pack of razors. If you have answered yes to any of these scenarios then I'm here to resolve your issue.


This Venus Tropical pack of disposable razors are amazing. Not only do they get the job done. They are cheap, VERY sharp (almost like men's razors), and the handles SMELL! Not even joking, the handles smell amazing and they're supposed to. I applaud Venus for being so smart and thoughtful.







    In case you make a mistake while shaving there is no reason to be upset. You do not have to put an ugly nude  or childish printed band-aid on your cut. Cynthia Rowley has debuted the cutest band-aids ever for a limited time. The prints include black lace, runway models, sequins, gems, gold chains, and her very own cynthia rowley logo. There are twenty to a pack and are a collector's series.

Charlotte Russe and Forever 21 Finds

I actually got a chance to do a little shopping the other day with my mom. We ran into the mall and hit Charlotte Russe and Forever 21. I bought some really cute trendy things to update my wardrobe without spending a bunch. Here's what I got...

 This Charlotte Russe print top is just too cute! The basic top is accented with vibrant blues, reds, and purples and has rhinestones across the chest. It has a slight oversized look but won't swallow you like the trendy tops that you find in any store.

                                                 Charlotte Russe- on the sale rack for $10.00!

                                               
          A closer look at this beautiful necklace and you can see the braid of turquoise. This is a trendy color and necklace and together they look stunning.

                                                 Charlotte Russe necklace- on sale for $5.00!

        I found this bright top at Forever 21. It is bright hilghliter pink (it doesn't show its true color in the picture) and it is a burnout wash so when everyone washes this shirt they each get a different effect. Like the Charlotte Russe shirt above, this shirt is slightly oversized and is perfect for the summer. It can be dressed up or thrown over a bikini top for a simple dressed down look. The necklace that I chose is also from Forever 21, it is 10+ strings of bright silver beads.

                                                           Forever 21 basic top- $12.80

                                                            Forever 21 necklace- $7.80

         I just couldn't settle for one necklace so I also selected this simple rabbit for a dressed down look. This adorable rabbit looks so similar to the rabbit  in Alice in Wonderland and it has a small rhinestone collar.

                                                        Forever 21 rabbit necklace- $3.80

Everything I found was wonderful but my favorite was this cute cocktail ring. In the first picture it looks turquoise but it is actually a light green. The stone is centered in a blinged out rhinestone setting.

                                                              Forever 21 ring- $5.80

Turquoise Thursday!

I have found, on accident, the perfect "Tiffany" color! Me and my boyfriend were grabbing a few things from  our local Wal-Mart and he told me to choose nail polishes for Easter. I have taught him that the best presents a person can get me is the one I pick out (haha just kidding, okay not really...), so he let me pick out a few of my Easter presents. I saw this Essie nail polish (pictured below) in "turquoise & caicos." I believe that is the worst name they have ever come up with but I love the color anyways.

 This is the "turquoise & caicos" up close and personal with my Tiffany & Co. jewelry box. 

 The one on the left is "Mint Candy Apple" which has been my favorite for a long time but it is much lighter.

               Side by side, "Mint Candy Apple" and "turquoise & caicos", you can tell a major difference.

"Never Pay Full Price For Fabulous" -Marshalls

         While putting on my makeup this morning I realized I was hitting pan on an eyeshadow and running out of my eye pencil. I decided to run to Ulta during lunch and happened to make it to Marshalls also. Marshalls is the reason for my cute little title. I never noticed but their trademark is just too cute and true. My journey started at Ulta, I needed a few NYX products. Low and behold I walk in and I see that NYX is having a HUGE sale on their products. (Okay maybe not HUGE, but it made me really happy that I paid nearly half for every NYX product.) I got...

A NYX mascara, eyeshadow, lip gloss, and jumbo eye pencil.

NYX Za Za Zu- $3.59

Buying the mascara was not my intention at all. I walked in Ulta and was instantly fooled into partaking in the sale. A variety of NYX mascaras were on sale because they were all from the same line (Boudoir) so I'm thinking they were just trying to get rid of them. But anywho this is the NYX Za Za Zu luscious volume mascara in BMC 07. It doesn't specify the color but from my own understanding its in black. The reasoning behind my picture is that when I saw it it reminded me of my L'oreal Voluminous Million Lashes. We shall see if they compare. Below is the difference between their wands. The NYX wand is a brush but the L'oreal is a smaller plastic wand that evenly distributes mascara to your lashes. I LOVE my L'oreal mascara so I hope the NYX mascara can do the same. 

NYX Mega Shine Lip Gloss in "Sugar Pie"- $3.29                                                                      

The next purchase was not an intention but I've always wanted to try their lip glosses. These lip glosses smell amazing and if you look closely in the picture you can see the adorable bow at the top. They have the best coverage and the applicator is wonderful. This color is very nude and gives a subtle look of gloss but isn't shimmery. 

NYX Eye Shadow in "Aloha"- $2.99

I obviously needed a new eyeshadow because the one that I use on my inner eyelid is gone and shattered. The eyeshadow on the left in the picture is on of the best NYX eyeshadows, "My Favorite Color." No really, that is the name, it's the perfect champagne eyeshadow and I couldn't find it anywhere in my Ulta. So I decided to go with "Aloha", it's really similar. It's so similar in fact that I think its the same color just given a new name. 

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in "Yogurt"- $2.69

I love this eye pencil so much! I actually put it on my whole eye lid and put my eyeshadow on top of it to give it a pretty shimmer. Not only does it look good but it helps to keep my eyeshadow on ALL day. I put "Mulch" eyeshadow by MAC on half and NYX "My Favorite Color" on the other half. The "Mulch" is blended enough to make it look like a smokey eye. Needless to say as you can see in the picture I needed a new pencil. 

Swatches

These are the swatches of all the cosmetics I bought. The first (closest to my wrist) is the lip gloss. The second is the eye pencil with the eyeshadow on top. The third thick swatch is the eyeshadow by itself. And the last swatch is the eye pencil also by itself.

Madden Girl Toriie Platform Pumps in Fuschia Fabric 4' Heels- $25.00

I can't even explain my excitement when I saw this gorgeous lovely heels. They are a beautiful satin fuschia with matching glitter on the platform and heels. Thankfully my Easter dress will match these and they were on sale! On Amazon.com they are 55 dollars and I got them for less than half at Marshalls!

                                                                                   

HAANI shirt- $14.99

This shirt is the PERFECT spring/summer baggy shirt. The popular style for the spring are the baggy or boxy non flattering shirts. I just do not care for this trend at all. I have a small body but thanks to my genes I've been blessed with a huge but and chunky arms. Thankfully my arms are very big and I keep them under control but my butt has a mind of its own and I've come to love my body the way it is. Whew, I'm off my soapbox now haha. Anyways these boxy unflattering shirts make me look HUGE because they make my small upper body look big. I have the Kim Kardashian problem, I have to wear fitting clothes up top like her to accentuate my body. So I love this shirt, its baggy in the perfect spots.

 I don't know about anybody else but this weather to me is very odd. I live on the east of North Carolina and go to college in the middle so I'm used to odd weather. This spring weather has confused me so much, its 82 degrees in April! What makes it even more strange is the rest of the week will be in the 60's. I hope everyone has a great week no matter the weather! :)