Christmas Decor 2015

Christmas Decor 2015

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A caveat: if you don't love Christmas lights, trees, and/or snowmen this post is not for you!

Whew it was a little late this year, and I was getting anxious but my Christmas decorations are officially up! The tree is up, the lights are lit, and the Christmasy candles are out... and I'm feelin' the season!

So here are some of the decorations around my house, take a look at the little Christmas wonderland I've created for myself-

First, out on my balcony is all festive with a tree, presents (there is so much glitter on these!), and lights!

Now for the inside... and yes more trees! This one is made from beads and lights made by my cousins' grandma, I love it :)

And the fun knick-knacky stuff...

Then my snowman themed bookshelf...

A Santa tray for all my coffee and hot cocoa needs...

And now for the tree!

 It's full of ornaments that that are choc full of memories! My Granny would give an ornament to my brother and I every year. Most of them have survived and are on my tree. There are also some from my mom, a few my parents purchased for their first Christmas, and more from my childhood.

Once of my favorite parts of decorating the tree is reminiscing about other Christmases, ornaments, and great holiday memories with my mom.

So there's a sneak peak into my Christmas decor, what's your favorite Christmas decoration?

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Cheap Simple DIY Haircare Miracle

Cheap Simple DIY Haircare Miracle

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DIY, hair styles

Hair... I love it and I hate it. But recently although my hair has felt mostly healthy I've been having some interesting issues with it:

• Tangles that just won't come out (I mean blow drying was a pain)
• Hair falling out, in slightly alarming quantities
• Flyaways
• And overall just a not-as-soft-as-I-wanted texture

I use conditioner (of course) and only wash my hair every other day and have always had pretty healthy hair. And I haven't had tangle issues since I was young. So I went to my best friend, Google, to figure out a way to deal with this.

There were lots of hair mask options, but let's be honest, I'm not gonna waste an avacado or banana on my hair. But then out of all the DIY masks, and oils, and other ideas came a little ray of hope... Apple Cider Vinegar.

I have heard of all the many health and body benefits of using Apple Cider Vinegar - Toner, blemish treatment, weight-loss supplement, etc.... so I had a bottle that I'd been holding onto for over a year that was waiting for its time to shine!

And shine it has...

I mix 1 part Bragg Organic Raw Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar to 2 parts water in a spray bottle (you can just eyeball this, it doesn't need to be exact.

Then in the shower I shake the bottle and spray from my ends to my roots. I get right in there, to the scalp. Massage a bit and add conditioner. Then rinse out as you usually would with your conditioner. 

You may not notice a difference at first. I really figured it was doing something when I went to brush my wet hair (I know, I know that's bad... but I'm gentle) and there were ZERO tangles, the brush just slid on through. 

After using this every wash for about 2 weeks now, I've definitely noticed less fallout, more shine, and of course softer hair!

Warning... your hair will smell of vinegar for a while! But with a nice smelling conditioner and detangling spray, the smell is usually gone by the time I blow dry (usually an hour after my shower).

This vinegar is well worth the $10 as it'll last you a long while and it will change your hair! Not to mention all the other fun uses you can test with it.

Do you have any hair or skincare secrets from the kitchen?

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What I'm Thankful For - Week 4

What I'm Thankful For - Week 4

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Thoughts

Well this is the last week... it's officially the end of #ThankfulNovember. As always, I feel so much better when I'm focused on the positive things in my life and have a gratitude attitude. Although this hasn't been the easiest month or year, focusing on the things I can be thankful for really helps my attitude and my overall outlook on life.

Don't get me wrong I get down sometimes, but now I'll have these lists to go back to and remember how truly lucky and blessed I am! Happy Thanksgiving everyone, I hope you had a great holiday!

For this week I wanted to focus on the bigger things in life and the important things that I'm thankful for.

I am grateful for:

• My dog Sage, and cats Styx and Jack - It's so nice to have someone to be happy when you come home, offer snuggles, and make you laugh.
• My job, home, and car... even though I may not always be happy with these things, I have them and that's something!
• My family - there's just so much to say about them I don't even know if I'd ever be able to write it all down or truly express my gratitude but here's a few of the things my mom, brother, grandma, aunts, uncles, cousins, and second cousins do (yep it's a large family):
• Hugs when I'm feeling down
• Hilarious (and sometimes disgusting) jokes and chats
• Laughter
• A warm welcome
• Constant support and caring; whether it's through a call, a thank you, a "I'm here for you", a long talk, an invite to keep you from being lonely, or an "I love you"
• Babies who are learning and growing and laughing and so much fun
• A mom who's there no matter what (even when I'm sassy)
• A brother who offers me so much help and is just fun to hang out with
• A BCF (best cousin forever) who's just like my sister and has been such wonderful support this year
• Again there's just too much because without my family I just don't know where I'd be in life
• My health - overall I'm pretty healthy and my complaints are minor compared to so many

See I just have so much to be grateful for each and every day (I might be crying a little as I'm writing this). It's been a rough year for me and the only way I'm surviving and healing is remembering these blessings. I hope you all are able to keep that gratitude attitude going throughout this holiday season!

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Tarte Deal = Haul Time

Tarte Deal = Haul Time

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Haul, makeup

I've been on a self-imposed shopping ban this month as I had a little too much fun last month. But a few weeks ago I was notified of a Tarte deal to pick 7 items for $59! And I was totally suckered in... and I love it! So the ban starts now! No now! Now!

I have been wanting to try Tarte's powder foundation, blushes, and Lights, Cameras, Flashes mascara for a while now and this deal allowed me to do that all at once. I was extremely excited when the package arrived on Saturday... there even may have been some squealing.

So below is what I picked out and my thoughts on the products I've tried so far :)

Makeup Bag
I believe this bag was exclusive to this deal as I can't find it on their site now. It is a nice size bag that is a purple and neutral/gold fabric woven design. It will come in handy for travel (not that I do that much, but maybe).

Lights, Camera, Flashes Statement Mascara
I am always on the lookout for a great mascara that gives mega volume, length, and that is waterproof. I've loved the Lights, Camera, Lashes version for the last few years. Unfortunately it's not waterproof and as always I was trying other things. I've heard good reviews of this mascara though, and even though I'm not a plastic brush person, I thought I'd give this a try. I'll report back soon :)

Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Airbrush Foundation
Another product I'm always searching for; that holy grail foundation. This is another product I've heard good things about. I have tried it and I'd say it's a medium coverage foundation and it has a really nice matte-but-not-too-matte finish. However, on my oily skin it doesn't keep me matte for long throughout the day only around 5 hours or so.

Airbuki Bamboo Powder Foundation Brush
So glad I got this brush to use with the powder. I'm not sure I have another brush that would work. You need a stiff brush to push into the screen and pull out the foundation. Overall though I like the way this puts on the foundation in a really natural way while still providing coverage.

Lipsurgence Matte Lip Tint - Hope
As you may have noticed from this post I'm not a lipstick person, but this came with the set so I'll give it a try... haven't yet though.

Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush - Dollface
I've been wanting to try a Tarte blush for so long, and just never took the plunge. Well "hello Dollface" is it awesome (see what I did there? Oh yea)! The color of this blush looks really cool and kind of unwearable but on it gives a really nice glow to the cheeks... you just look healthy. I can't speak to the staying power, but I'll report back if it's any good.

Lipsurgence Lip Creme - Stunning
Same deal as the matte lip tint, this came as a sample with my order. But I like the color so we'll see.

Smoldereyes Amazonian Clay Waterproof Eyeliner - Brown
I've been using the Jordana eyeliner in Brown (mentioned here) as I really love how easily it glides on and blends out, but unfortunately it doesn't last as long as I'd like. So I decided to try this Tarte version as a replacement... and oh yea it's worth the extra money! It glides onto the lids like butter and blends out easily, but once it sets it stays! Now every liner will smudge on my lower lash lines due to my dry eye troubles and the constant need for eye drops. But this stuff really lasted through all that and didn't have as much smudging yet it still was pretty easy to get off. I like it!

Well that's the haul that shouldn't of happened, but did. So happy holidays to me, no more makeup until the new year! And Happy Thanksgiving to all of you in the states this week!

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What I'm Thankful For - Week 3

What I'm Thankful For - Week 3

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Thoughts

Wow, this week has been a rough one for me. Work has been... well just grrr! So it's been harder for me to come up with this week's post, but I think that's what makes this all the more important. You know, nothing cheers me up more than remember what I have to be grateful for. You know instead of bitching and moaning that I don't have the best wardrobe, the newest it makeup item, or Thanksgiving outfit, etc... I can focus on the things I do have (and am damn lucky to have!).

So here are the things I've been grateful for this week:

• I Have an apartment in a nice area and a car. Even though I've been short on funds, I have a place to call home and a car I really like.
• Christmas music is officially on the radio! (KOSI 101.1 and 107.9 in Denver). Christmas music immediately gets me into the holiday spirit and lifts my mood.
• Cleaning out my closet. I have been doing a big overhaul of decorations, clothes, and random other things all month. But I finally went through my closet and it feels great! I was really harsh on myself and decided to only keep those things I realistically wear and love. Man oh man the bags of stuff that need to go to the Goodwill.
• Cozying up under blankets... I love blankets... I love to be cozy... that is all.
• And in light of what happened in Paris last week (which is awful and horrible), I am just grateful to be alive.

Whoops things got a little serious, but these are what I've been thankful for this week. How about you?

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