What I Got for Christmas

Because my family is spread out, I'll probably end up with a part two of this because we haven't opened presents with my dad's side of the family yet. This isn't everything, but these are some of my favorite gifts I've received so far.

Kate Spade Gold & Turquoise Hoops

Tarte Stop & Stare eyeliner and mascara set

Tarte Thoughtful Treasures kit

Kate Spade Crossbody Bag

Express Houndstooth Infinity Scarf

Keurig K-Cup Carousel

Plus, I got a gift card to Ulta and one to Starbucks which I'm very excited about. My mom and sister and I also went after-Christmas shopping, so I now own a new pair of Lucky jeans and a down coat from Eddie Bauer.

What exciting things did you get for the holidays? Look for an announcement on Wednesday and part two of What I Got for Christmas coming soon!

The Body Shop Love

I'm foregoing a "December favorites" post because honestly, with how crazy this month has been, I haven't been able to try a lot of new products. Everything I've been loving this month has been stuff I've been loving for a while. So, instead, I'm gonna show off some of the things I bought for other people this month.

Thanks to Groupon, I bought a lot of my Christmas gifts at The Body Shop this year! Back in November they were having a spend $10, get $20 deal, so I bought two of them. And I got a ton of great stuff! I hadn't been in there for a while, and I was really impressed with everything.

They have a new-ish line called Honeymania which smells awesome! It's light and not overwhelming, but still warm and cozy smelling. I bought this scent for my dad's girlfriend, my aunt, and my best friend.

Honeymania Shower Gel

Honeymania Body Spray

And then, because I fell in LOVE with the Satsuma scent, I bought myself a few things too.

Satsuma Shower Gel

Satsuma Body Butter

Technically I bought this at Ulta, but it's from The Body Shop

I also picked up a mini Tea Tree Skin Clearing Face Wash because I had to hit the $20 limit and everything I was buying was 40% off already.

I'm really interested in the Tea Tree line. My sister says she's been using tea tree oil for blemishes and it's really working for her, so I figure this can't hurt!

Anything you love from The Body Shop? Have you tried the Tea Tree line? Anything you love? Let me know!

May your days be merry and bright..

I hope everyone had a good Christmas!

We had a rather unconventional one. We went out to brunch at Regis, opened presents, and then took a Christmas nap. I watched Live from Lincoln Center specials on Audra McDonald and Kristin Chenoweth. Then Caitlin and I watched a movie called Mozart's Sister. It was a quiet Christmas, but good nonetheless.

It's been a weird holiday season. One of my best friends from high school got married and one of my friends' mother passed away on the same day. The beginning and the end of this crazy adventure we call life.

I've been spending a lot of time with my sister watching Christmas movies and just generally hanging out. Next week we take the 13 hour drive down to Florida to see our dad (and my kitties!)

Until then, however, there's lots of shopping and errands to do!

And, in case anyone's interested, here's the video I made for TAM before I left:

December 2013 Ipsy Bag

Merry Christmas Eve everyone!

Today I have my December Ipsy bag to share with you.

This month's theme was "Celebration." This bag looked like this:

And in the bag I got:

Nicka K nail polish in Classic Taupe

I love nail polish, and I've been super into neutrals lately. I'm excited about this, even if I won't get to try it for a few months.

Nyx Extra Creamy Lipstick in Ceto (546)

I'm not really into lipstick, but this seems like a pretty, wearable color.

Pop Beauty eyeshadow trio in Naturall Bare

This is what I'm most excited about. I was really hoping to get the Naturally Bare trio, and I'm really looking forward to trying it out.

Be a Bombshell The One Stick in Flustered

This is quite a color! I'm interested in it, but I'll have to be careful with it. It's really bright and pigmented which is great!

I was also supposed to get a Mirabella eyeshadow brush, but I realized it wasn't in my bag. I'm not too worried about it, though.

What do you think of this month's bag? I'm really excited about it!

Hope you guys have a great day!

100th Post

Guys, this is my 100th post! How exciting.

The holidays are so busy. I don't think they've ever been as busy for me as they were this year. 

I finished up everything at the theater on Thursday and Friday. Yesterday I packed up my car and drove the ten hours to Baltimore which, given how things could've gone, went really well. Last night my sister and I watched How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Today I slept in and then unpacked my car and went to CVS with my mom.

I'm looking forward to taking it slow for a little while. Caitlin, my mom, and I are going to the mall tomorrow to finish up some Christmas shopping, and I need to get to the Post Office to send off Alex's present. I also need to do some serious wrapping of presents (which really may involve bags and tissue paper most of the time..) and go through all of my stuff again. As much as the idea of moving somewhere permanently scares me, it would be nice to not have to pack my life into my car every 3-9 months.

Things will be changing a little come January, but I'll make that announcement soon. For now, everyone enjoy their families and the holiday season!

Scent Love

Hey guys! Just a quick update to give some scent love to new things I've picked up lately that smell SO good.

Recently Bath and Body Works was having a 2 for $22 sale on their three-wick candles. I'm not normally a candle person, but I've somehow gotten it into my head that I need some. So I picked these guys up!

The first is the Fresh Balsam candle. I wanted something that smelled like Christmas, and though it's not really pine, it smells like lovely green things. It's described as such: The invigorating aroma of evergreen woods on a clear, fall morning features crisp eucalyptus, fir needles and cedarwood musk notes.

I think they're sold out of the 3-wick version of this because I can't find it on their website, but this candle is AMAZING. It's what I've been burning since I got it because it smells like cuddles. I know that sounds weird, but this candle reminds me of cuddling up with a guy. It's description says: Wrap yourself in a warm blend of bergamot, mahogany and a veil of musk.

The last scent I've been loving is the Satsuma scent from The Body Shop. Because I couldn't help myself the last time I went to Ulta, I picked up the mini body butter of it.

It's very tangy and citrusy, which I love. Plus, everything on The Body Shop's website is half off right now. The honey scent is really nice too. That's what I chose for all of my Christmas gifts.

Speaking of which, I'll be doing a "Beauty Things I Bought for Christmas" post soon! So keep an eye out for that!

50 Book Challenge

A week ago exactly, I officially finished my 50 Book Challenge.  I decided to challenge myself this year because during school, I never had time to read anything except required texts. I was excited to read for pleasure again. As I've gotten older, reading takes longer for me. I don't mean the actual reading speed (because I'm a speed demon) but it takes me longer to read a book because I rarely take the time to sit and read just because.

So I changed that.

At first, I was really afraid I wasn't going to make it. But thanks to spending a month in tech and two months running shows, I got through 50 books. Here they are, in all their glory:

Some of the order got screwed up because I started my challenge on December 19, 2012 instead of the first, so I had to make sure the Goodreads widget counted them toward my goal. You can check out all of the books, ratings, reviews, and more here. 

And, because I don't like reviews (and that would make this post ridiculously long) here's just a peek at my top five.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

Paper Towns by John Green

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

 Did you partake in the 2013 Reading Challenge? Did you read anything wonderful? Let me know! I'm always looking for new books to read!

Nail of the Week 12/8 & 12/15

Ah! I'm so behind!

Here are my NOTW from this week and last week.

Last week I was loving elf's Mod Mauve. I loved this color so much. I feel like it's neutral but still bright and spunky.

This week I'm wearing China Glaze's Below Deck which I thought was just a taupe, but it turns out it's a "flirty mix of taupe and violet," and I think it's gorgeous. I love neutrals that aren't just grey or beige but have a little something extra. It's nice to know that should I ever have to keep my nails neutral, I have lots of fabulous choices!

That's it for this NOTW! I'll try and get my act together with posting soon!

The most wonderful time of the year

Hi guys!

I know this is really late, but honestly, my life hasn't been that exciting lately. I felt the need to update you all on what's been happening in my life this week, though, so here goes:

Our Box Office Manager came for a few days to set up next season in our system so we can sell tickets. It was really great to see him and spend some time with him. We didn't know each other well over the summer, but I always enjoyed spending time with him when he was around. Plus, it was nice to talk to someone who's in the same boat as me with stuff and to have someone else in the office.

On Wednesday night Ryan and I drove to Portland to see a TAM alumni in The Santaland Diaries which is based on a David Sedaris story, and it was hilarious. Dusty is ridiculously talented, and he knows who I am, so that was pretty cool.

I spent Thursday and Friday working on my Marketing plan, ad renewals, and our End of the Year video. I'm actually hoping for a snow day on Monday so I can just work on it from home instead of going into the office. Everyone says it's not going to happen though. Oh well. Only one more week!

Today I slept WAY in and then went to Ulta and Target to almost completely finish up my Christmas shopping. I still have to buy something for my dad's girlfriend, but that requires me getting to The Body Shop, and the closest one is half an hour away. I'll do that once I get back to Baltimore since we're not doing Christmas with them until my sister and I get to Florida after New Years anyway.

At Ulta I picked up Nail Envy for my mom and some replacement foundation and powder for me. I also caved at the last minute and bought myself a mini The Body Shop Satsuma body butter. Seriously, the scent is amazing. Then at Target I bought gift supplies (tissue paper, bags, cards), a frame for my aunt's picture, and some gloves and a headband because it is COLD here.

I'm looking forward to going home and getting some time to relax. Hope everyone's holiday season is going well!

Influenster Violet Voxbox

A few months ago, I found out that I had been approved to receive the Violet Voxbox from Influenster.

I haven't posted about Influenster before, but for maybe about a year now I've been a member. Basically you get selected based on demographics to receive items to test and review. I hadn't received a box in a while, and I was excited to get what they said was their box for "beauty queens."

Well, it came in the mail last week, and I have to say, I was pretty disappointed. As a "beauty queen" box, I thought it failed miserably. I've received makeup products before in my Voxboxes, and there wasn't one face, eye, or lip product in this box. There was nail polish, but even that disappointed me. Here's what I got:

Goody Athletique Headband

A headband for exercising. Nothing exciting. Nothing I'm that interested in.

Sally Hansen Triple Shine Nail Polish

Normally, I'd be totally happy with nail polish, but mine came in the color Play Koi. Not really a color I'm excited about, and others I saw received completely beautiful colors. I'll probably wear it once (because that's how I do) but I'm not dying to get it on my nails.

Soyjoy Banana

I'm not excited about the banana flavoring, but I'll give it a try. I've never had a Soyjoy, so I am interested in trying it. The banana flavor just doesn't inspire me.

Goody Quikstyle

I remember one of my favorite Youtubers talking about this brush a while back, and I was interested to see what I thought. This is the only item I've tried, and while I think it actually does help my hair dry faster, it hurts! My scalp is sensitive, and this brush has no give to it, so it's actually painful to brush the hair on my actual head with it. The other thing is that my hair is very particular, so if I don't get my curling product into it while it's still pretty wet, it won't curl well. The point of this product is something that I don't want unless I'm wearing my hair natural, which rarely ever happens.

I'll report back once I actually try some of the other things, but I think Influenster totally missed the boat with this box. It seems like a weird assortment of items, and I'm not genuinely excited about one thing.

-- I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes. --

There's a fine, fine line

Sorry that I was MIA on Friday. I meant to post, but the end of this week and into the weekend has been really busy and emotionally insane, so I never got around to it.

I spent the first three days of last week working on a mailing, and then Thursday everything exploded with the website, so I had to work really hard to get us to a point where we could launch on Monday. We also started our second weekend of shows on Thursday, so I was dealing with that at the same time.

Dawn gave me Friday night off, but I ended up staying up way too late and then everything in my life exploded. I did not get a lot of sleep.

Saturday I worked all day which was probably a blessing in disguise because sitting around would've made me feel worse. We did two shows, and I finished up my website stuff in between. Once again, I ended up staying up way too late, but I got to sleep in a bit. On Sunday, I picked up our box office manager from the airport in Portland, took a short nap, and tried to distract myself from my life for the rest of the day.

These next couple of weeks before my contract ends are going to be busy and probably rough, so I'll try to keep up with this as much as I can. Right now, I have very little energy for anything I don't have to do.

My soul is tired, you guys.

Five Products I've Emptied

It's time for another in my "Products I've Used Up" series. No makeup products this time, but some stuff I use daily and love a lot.


1. Secret Outlast Deodorant in Completely Clean

I love this deodorant. It smells lovely, and although it does not protect against odor for 48 hours, it works well. 

2. Elf Mist and Set Spray

This was the second bottle of this that I've gone through, and I still love it. I think it helps keep my makeup on my face way better than any of the high end brands I've tried. For only $3, you can't beat that!

3. Onyx Professional 100% Pure Acetone

I've had this giant bottle for a while now, but once I started wearing polish on a regular basis, I went through it pretty quickly. I prefer pure acetone for removing polish (plus when I get gel manicures it's the only way to get it off!) and this is really cheap for how much product you get.

4. Origins Super Spot Remover Acne Gel

I bought this as a birthday gift for myself from Sephora, and I really liked it. I was concerned about the size of it, but all the reviews said it lasted a long time. While I wouldn't consider less than three months a long time, I did enjoy using this. Eventually, it fell victim to every acne product I use and became less effective at clearing my skin. I liked it, but I wouldn't repurchase it anytime soon.

5. L'Oreal Everstyle Curl Activating Mousse

This is my go-to curl mousse because it's the only drugstore brand I know of that is alcohol free. I've been using it for a while, and I really like it. I think it smells nice, and it definitely helps my hair curl and not frizz. The only downside is that sometimes it's a little hard for me to find. I don't know if that's because it's so popular that it's always sold out or that stores just don't order very much of it.

What products have you guys used up lately? Anything I should try? Let me know!

Nail of the Week 11/17, 11/24, & 12/1

Well, I've been slacking a bit on posting these, so today I bring you three NOTW to catch up!

Two weeks ago, I wore Julep's Marion, and I love this color. It's described as "smoky blue with silver shimmer." It does have a fairly subtle shimmer that my camera wouldn't pick up, and it makes it even more beautiful. I think the denim blue color is just gorgeous, and it had ridiculous wear time.

For Thanksgiving week I tried out the new Revlon Parfumerie polish in Autumn Spice. While I absolutely LOVED the color, I could do without the smell. I didn't realize just how much I put my hands near my face until I had this on, and the smell definitely started to make me feel ill after a while. I tried to do some triangle detailing on my middle and ring fingers with the Covergirl Hunger Games Collection polish in Seared Bronze. It didn't work out well, and the colors didn't contrast enough for it to really be worth it, but Seared Bronze is an amazing color. Gold with multi-dimensional, rainbow shimmer? Sign me up! I'm excited to wear it as a full mani.

I've been having some problems with my nails lately because it got pretty cold and dry really fast. My nails hate it. I had four of my nails break in a span of 24 hours, so that's why they're so short. This week, I went very subtle and neutral with Covergirl's Non-Stop Stone. It's a great greige (grey/beige) color, perfect for the workplace or a simple, classy look. It doesn't really show here, but it's a very cozy color. It's a really warm grey, and I love that about it.

What have you been wearing on your nails lately? Do you stick to trends or do you go for whatever?