January Favorites

As usual, I didn't make a video SO I will do a January favorites post on here!

This is the pink gel I used on my nails for most of January and I can totally tell a difference on them.  They are stronger, thicker, and breaking MUCH less than usual. My nails are naturally pretty weak but this gel coat has made them look and feel a lot better.

I think that this is my favorite B&BW scent to wear EVER. It is the right amount of vanilla with other sweet notes, but it doesn't leave you smelling like you poured vanilla all over yourself.  It's also HUGE. I got a bottle before Thanksgiving and even with wearing it most days and using it as a room spray it has barely been used. 

The cutest hand sanitizer holder I've ever seen. Best $5 I spent all month.

I could talk about each Bobbi Brown product I've loved this month, but that would end up as a favorites post all on it's own. I use (and love) the Corrector, Creamy Concealer, Moisture Rich Foundation, Blush (Desert Pink or Desert Rose--great for fairer skin tones!), and Bronzing Powder (Golden Light--also great for light skinned people!). I got all of it for Christmas and I don't know how I lived without her products!

Maybelline Color Tattoo eyeshadow in Tough as Taupe. When I'm having a lazy day I just use this as an all over lid color. It is great and really blendable for the first 30 seconds, then after that it stays all day! Great product from the drugstore, really worth the price!

When I'm not feeling super lazy, I can throw together an eye look in a few minutes with the Naked2 palette from Urban Decay. Another Christmas present, this product has all the shadows you need to create a cool-toned very neutral eye. I love the packaging, the pigmentation of the shadows, and even s, and even the brush and lip gloss that came with it! It's a really great product and although it's pricy ($50), you get 12 very pigmented and high quality eyeshadows.

Rediscovered Favorites

Some things that I have been loving recently that I loved LOTS before and totally forgot about .  Whoops!

Yankee Candles.  I have been so happy with all of my Slatkin candles (which are cheaper than Yankees most of the time) that I abandoned all of the Yankee Candles that I have loved for so long.  I'm pretty displeased with Slatkin & Co's spring collection for B&BW though, so I have rummaged around my room trying to find yummy smelling candles and BOY I am so glad I still have these! I have some leftover Slatkin candles form Christmas but once those are out I will be buying a few more Yankee Candles!

I took a break from painting my nails for about a month (OMG! I know, right????) My nails were breaking and that kept causing my nail polish to chip really quickly so I just wore a gel coat while trying to get my nails back up to par. They are finally starting to look and feel like REAL NAILS again, so I restarted painting my nails! The color pictured is Sparrow Me the Drama by OPI, which I got last May. It isn't my favorite from the Pirates collection, but I still love it! It's the perfect dusty rose.

I watched Arrested Development a few years ago (my freshman year in college... I feel like all that I think of when I look back on that year is the plethora of TV I watched. That really explains my grades fro back then.) and I haven't rewatched any of it until recently.  I'm not rewatching episodes, but I have been  watching several YouTube clips of funny moments from the show or "Best Of" reels.  It was a really funny show. I miss it.

January Non-Beauty Favorites

Mid-week next week I'll have a January beauty favorites video up on my YouTube channel, but I also (obviously) have liked non-beauty things during the month of January! 

I am seriously obsessed with QVC. Whenever I am bored or need a quick study break, I just turn QVC on from their website (you can watch them on your computer if you don't get the channel!) and spend 10-15 minutes with the host learning all about some product that I don't need. After you watch the pitch you feel like you really need whatever it is they are talking about!

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Similarly, I'm still loving The Pioneer Woman. Her website is perfect for a quick distraction (one article) or a REALLY lazy afternoon (an entire category of articles). I watch her show with my mom and made one of her recipes (Citrus Butter Cookies) around Christmas. They were delicious. I recommend them highly.

I've started using a Keurig I got when I was in high school again.  Pressing a single button is a lot easier than using a hot water kettle to boil water, pouring it over a tea bag, then pouring out the extra water you had to add to get to the minimum. I'm not really a coffee drinker, but I do like the DD French Vanilla K-Cups. The Bigelow Green Tea are my favorite though!

I've been doing a lot of research on innovation for one of my classes (Entrepreneurship in Sport and Entertainment), and this guy keeps popping up everywhere. I think I've said before how much I love Apple (MacBook pro, iPhone, iPod shuffle, regular iPod...), and the more I learn about this guy the more fascinated I am by him. I'm currently reading his biography (loooooooong book), and even though he was a jerk to a lot of people, I still like him. He was an innovator, and if you want to be successful in the world today that's what you need to be.

Lush Favorites

I went to Lush yesterday for their Boxing Day BOGO free sale with my mom and aunt (we even made a haul video) and it made me think of doing a Lush Faves blog post!

The Abombinaball Bath Bomb (no link as it's sold out on the website =[) is a winter product, so it is in the BOGO free sale that is going on right now.  It has a sweet and citrusy smell and turns your bath water BLUE! The outer shell fizzes and bobs along the top of your bath while the inner ball (the blue part) dyes your water. It doesn't leave a stain in your tub or on your skin though--it's just fun to have really blue water!

Honey I Washed the Kids is tied for my favorite Lush soap. It is well worth the cost for its moisturizing and calming effects on my very sensitive skin! This soap smells like honey/toffee and leaves you squeaky clean!

Rockstar is my other favorite Lush soap (also sold out online). This (in my opinion) is more of a fun-smelling soap... I don't use it every day when I have it. It has a very strong candy/vanilla scent to it, and while I like it I don't think that it could ever be the only soap that I use.

The Squeaky Green Shampoo Bar is a miracle worker. I have very sensitive skin, and even my scalp tends to get very dried out or break out if I use shampoos that have too many chemicals or yucky things in  them. I've tried another shampoo bar (Jumping Juniper) that is more for oily hair, but Squeaky Green prevents oil buildup and is very easy on my scalp.

I've tried many more products from Lush and liked almost all of them, but these "favorites" are the ones I keep going back to repurchase!

Planners, Agendas, Organizers... Oh My!

Most people I know (which is mostly students since I am a student) don't buy a new planner at the start of the year. I get my planners in August before the start of the school year, but whenever December rolls around I start lusting over new planners. While I'm still in school I'll probably continue to purchase academic planners, but once I get out BOY OH BOY you can bet I will be finding one of these to use each year!

This Sarah Pinto planner reminds me of my favorite football team, the Colts!

I had a Filofax a few years ago but I didn't really have all that much going on and didn't use it very often. I love this new style (Dakota) of their planner and think I'd be able to get more use out of a Filofax once I'm out of school.

This butterfly planner from Barnes and Noble is just adorable. My mom is seriously obsessed with butterflies... she needs this!

If I had a lot more time and patience, I think I would try to create my own planner on my computer.  I feel like that would take WAYY more patience than I have for things like that though. What about you? What planner do you use? I have a Lilly Pulitzer academic planner, and it is perfect for me right now!

Funny People

No. Not the terrible Adam Sandler movie that he made with Seth Rogen that was Seth Rogen's first movie after he got skinny and wasn't as funny anymore. NOT that. The funny people who I like to listen to when I'm sad or watch when I'm bored.

Mike Birbiglia is one of THE FUNNIEST people. Just in general. Rarely does he say really bad words... he doesn't need to curse to be funny. I really like that. He makes white people jokes. I am white. I think he's REALLY funny. This is a good sampler, and if you like it you should look up "Mormon Rock" on youtube.

You probably recognize Craigy Ferg from his TV show (The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson), but OMG his stand up is hilarious! He has the best facial expressions in the universe. Seriously. He curses but he is just so funny!

David Sedaris is one of my absolute favorite writers.  I have read every single one of his books (several times) and I always laugh until I cry. I don't listen to him frequently (except when he's on NPR), but I love hearing him read his stories. He was in Orlando in late October, but unfortunately I didn't get tickets and I've been kicking myself ever since!

Do you like comedy as much as I do? Who are some of your favorites?

Favorite Winter Nail Polishes

Since I am basically a nail polish expert (lol), I thought I'd make a list of my favorite wintertime nail polishes for you guys! These aren't my pictures, but they link back to the posts they came from.

This polish is Lincoln Center by New York Color.  These nail polishes cost less than $2 and have incredible staying power for the money.  This dark red just looks so warm and cozy--I absolutely love it!

This color is Warm and Fozzie from OPI (The Muppets Collection). I love this multifaceted brown/bronze color... you really need to click through to the website to see all of the different shades that come out of this polish at different angles and in different light. I love it--it's actually what is on my nails right now!

This last polish is ELF's Dark Navy.  You can buy this nail polish for $2 at eyeslipsface.com, but they usually have sales where you buy one get one free or get free shipping. I love all of their nail polishes that I've tried! They all are really long wearing and have a rich color--you can get away with just one coat on many of the shades!

College Football

As the college football (my favorite sport) season comes to a close, I thought I’d do a post about some of my favorite teams!

I go to school at UCF, so obviously I’m including them. We didn’t have a great season this year for my senior season (5-7), but hopefully they’ll be better next year.

My mother is from Tennessee, so I’ve grown up cheering for the Volunteers. It’s been a disappointing few years for the Vols but I think next year will be our year!

 

The same way I cheer for Tennessee, I cheer for WVU. My dad is from West Virginia so I’ve cheered for WVU my whole life as well. I’m so excited that they’ll be in the Big 12 next year!

Who are your favorite college football teams??

Sick Favorites

I've been sick in bed all weekend (except for the hour I spent at Best Buy on Saturday with my laptop). Luckily I don’t have classes this week and I am starting to feel better!  These are some of my favorite things to have or do while I'm sick.

Eos Lipbalm is my favorite in general, but it’s especially nice to have a really hydrating lip balm while you’re sick. I find that whenever I am sick my lips always get really chapped.  The flat bottom on the Eos is really handy to sit on your nightstand without fear of getting toppled over!

The tissues of the gods.  Puffs plus lotion are my absolute favorite tissues because they are soothing on your nose. When you’re so sick you’re going through a box of tissues a day, it’s very rare that you find one that doesn’t crack the edges of your nose. If you’re congested I recommend Puffs Plus Vicks as well!

If you follow me on twitter you might remember that about 6 months ago I deactivated my Netflix account.  I am really busy, and I  didn’t feel like spending $10 a month in the off chance I might get a chance watch one or two movies. Luckily my brother has turned into a bit of a cinephile lately, so my mom purchased him a Netflix subscription. He logged me onto his account on my mom’s computer and I’ve spent the better part of my weekend in bed watching movies like Tangled!

I’ve also played a shameful amount of Mario Kart Wii. Toadette is my favorite!

What do you like to do when you’re sick in bed? I’m really glad that I don’t have classes to worry about this week and I got to sit around and relax while I’m sick for the first time since starting college!

TV Shows I'm Loving

I thought for today's blog post I'd let you guys know a little about some of my favorite TV shows. Only one of these is new, but they are all awesome and SO funny! I am a huge comedy fan and that's definitely reflected in my television choices.

Monday 8:00 PM - CBS

How I Met Your Mother is a show I found one night while channel surfing to procrastinate on some homework and BOY am I glad I found it! I got sick a few weeks later at a very opportune time while I wasn't missing much in my classes and watched EVERY EPISODE within a week. I love that while it's funny like a traditional sitcom, it's format is totally different--there actually so many flash backs/flash forwards that it can't be filmed in front of a live studio audience. It's really creative and unique and I think everyone should at least try to catch a couple of reruns now that it is in heavy syndication.

Tuesday 9:00 PM - FOX

New Girl is one of two new shows I have gotten around to watching this Fall (but it's the only one I can watch live).  Jess's relationship with her roommates is so funny and her quirks and mannerisms remind me so much of myself! I love when I can see myself either as or being friends with characters in a show--that's how I know it's realistic! If you haven't seen any of the episodes of New Girl yet, you really have to check it out.

Thursday 8:00 PM - CBS

The Big Bang Theory is an oldie but goodie for me. I've been watching week in and week out since the second season. I see a lot more of myself in Sheldon than I probably should, but I know people like ALL of the characters.  The group is (in general) a really smart bunch, and I think that being kinda nerdy and having a lot of nerdy friends really makes this show speak to me.  I know plenty of non-nerdy people who love it too though!

Thursday 8:30 PM - NBC

Parks and Recreation is probably my vote for most underrated comedy on TV right now.  Amy Poehler is so gosh darned funny as Leslie Knope, a member of the Parks and Recreation department of Pawnee, Indiana.  The rest of the cast play roles that you see in every job you've ever had. There's the person who doesn't care, the person everyone makes fun of, and the person who has NO CLUE what is going on. Ever. 

Hope this has inspired you to check out some of my favorite TV shows! I also consistently have been watching Up All Night, but I'm still not sure how I feel about it. Does anyone else feel the same way about some shows in their first season? Also, I am really missing 30 Rock! Can't wait for that to get back on the air!

Oh Christmas Tree...

My family put up our Christmas tree today! It's a little earlier than usual (we generally wait until the weekend before Thanksgiving since we're out of town for that whole week), but my mom is having an Avon party and wanted to get the decorations out and ready! I thought I'd make a blog post with some of my favorite ornaments!

We got this horse at Target last year on Black Friday.  I was shopping with my younger cousins (4 and 12 at the time) and they both really liked these. We got three matching ornaments--theirs stayed with them in Tennessee and mine made the trip back to Florida.

This ornament is from my kindergarten teacher Mrs. Holcomb! She gave these paper gingerbread man ornaments to each student in our class and I've kept mine for the last 15 years. Time flies!

The only one I couldn't get my hand out of the picture for... this adorable owl! I love owls so much--they are one of my top two favorite animals! This ornament is from Target (I believe it is a few years old), and SO CUTE!

My other favorite animal--TURTLES! I have no clue where this glass turtle ornament is from, but it is beautiful and a TURTLE so obviously I had to include it in my favorites!

I couldn't not include this crazy throwback ornament! McDonalds gave these Furby ornaments out as Happy Meal toys one year--does anyone else still have them?

Do you have any special ornaments you like to keep year after year? Obviously I have these, but there are SO many more sentimental ornaments I've had for as long as I can remember I got a pink tree last year after Christmas and I have a bunch of angel ornaments to put on it. I'm also really lusting after a set of glittery owl ornaments I saw at Target a few weeks ago!

October Favorites!

Can you believe it's the first Friday of November? I sure can't. October just FLEW by! I hope November flies by. Christmas is my favorite time of year!!

For those of you who don't watch YouTube beauty videos, most gurus make a vlog about their favorite makeup, beauty, and other products that they have been loving for the past month.  My October favorites video is below.  These are some things I used a lot in the month of October that I really liked and would recommend!