Tag Archives: christmas

Nov2

Xmas Shopping Time! Fantastic Gift Ideas For Everyone In Your Life

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Xmas Shopping Time! Fantastic Gift Ideas For Everyone In Your Life

Can you believe it’s November already?! With the holiday season creeping up on us quicker than ever, here are some fab gift ideas for everyone on your shopping list:

Xmas Shopping Time! Fantastic Gift Ideas For Everyone In Your Life:

Christmas isn’t far away now and it’s an excellent time to start on your gift shopping! Many deals will be coming up in the next couple of months. You’ll especially want to look out for Black Friday deals later this November. You can grab some great bargains and get them all wrapped up in time for Christmas.

As fun as it is to go holiday shopping, buying gifts can be tough sometimes. Children often let you know a thousand things they’d like for Christmas. But when you buy new things for your spouse year after year, it can be hard to keep it fresh! You should also consider how to gift your parents and other family members. Here are some gift ideas for everyone.

For Him: Men can often be the toughest to buy for. They aren’t as interested in flowers and chocolate and socks and power tools can get boring after a while. When it comes to gifting your husband, father, brother or other male relatives, you might need to get creative.

It’s a good idea to try shopping online for the best gifts for men. You can find many unique gift ideas on sites such as Cuckooland.com. Perhaps your husband would enjoy some retro music equipment. Your brother might appreciate a whiskey hamper. Of course, things like male grooming equipment and accessories like watches and wallets always work. Another great option to consider are T-shirts to wear out and about or to lounge around the house. You could go the customized route or explore funny t-shirts that will provide a laugh every time he wears it.

If the men in your life are big sports fans, you might even want to consider event tickets. There are many places online to get tickets for football, rugby, or any other sport they may be interested in. You can take this gift over the top with authentic Broncos jerseys (or their favorite team) to wear while cheering them on at the game. Giving them an opportunity to support their favorite team in authentic gear will be a much-appreciated gift!

For Her: Husbands- make sure you get your wife something she loves! Getting the same perfume as last year will be disappointing. Make sure to also gift your mother well and any of the other important women in your life.

Cosmetics almost always make the beauty savvy gal smile so look into some great beauty gift ideas. Moisturizer, makeup, and hair products always come in handy! You might even want to treat the women in your life to a spa day. Every girl loves to relax and get pampered from time to time.

Jewelry is also an excellent gift idea, as long as you don’t go for anything tacky. Cute earrings or a stylish necklace will be truly appreciated. If you want to go for something unique, you can even get personalized or engraved jewelry. Make sure you get a stylish gift box to present it in!

For The Kids: Your little ones will most likely want some new toys for Christmas! You may want to check out some of the must-have toys of 2016 at MadeForMums.com if you have young children. Fill up their stockings with sweets, chocolate, and other fun gifts.

If your children are in their teens, they’ll want something a little more exciting. Christmas is the perfect time to gift them new electronics. A new laptop is a fantastic idea- it’ll motivate them to do their homework more as well as being a source of entertainment. Of course, smartphones and tablets never disappoint either. You can often get great deals on electronics on Black Friday.

If you really want to surprise your kids, you might want to get them the latest games consoles. An Xbox One or PS4 will make your youngsters very happy on Christmas morning. (Or your adult boyfriend! Ha, mine would love this!)

Who has began their holiday shopping? Who is finished already?! I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Featured Image By: Wikimedia Commons

Oct28

Want To Look Gorgeous For Your Christmas Party? Start Preparing Today!

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Want To Look Gorgeous For Your Christmas Party? Start Preparing Today!

With the holiday season right around the corner, it is important to look your best. Work parties, family get togethers, bumping into everyone and their brother at the store – it is a time when it might seem like all eyes are on you. It may only be the end of October, but these tips will help you prep for looking your best this holiday season and all year round. Take a look.

Want To Look Gorgeous For Your Christmas Party? Start Preparing Today!

Work Christmas parties are often the highlight of the year and an occasion many people look forward to. It’s a chance for you and your work colleagues to let your hair down and enjoy yourselves after a stressful year. It’s also the perfect excuse to get dressed up and look your absolute best. While you understandably want to have fun, Christmas parties can help your career. If you stand out, network with others and impress your boss, you may have a promotion in your sights. So to give you the confidence to do this effectively, you need to feel good about your appearance.

Even though it might seem premature, there are things that you can do now to help you look gorgeous in time for your work party. Take a look at these tips to help you get prepared well in advance.

Get Style Inspiration: One of the benefits of getting ready for your Christmas party now is that you have plenty of time to find the perfect outfit. But before you hit the shops, you need to get some holiday style inspiration. To help you get started, talk to your boss and colleagues about the type of affair that the party will be. This will ensure that you choose an outfit that makes a statement while also being suitable for the activity. For instance, if you are going out for drinks at a local bar, a ball gown might not be appropriate.

So whether it’s a casual meal or a big holiday ball, you can start getting inspired by potential outfit ideas now. You can go on http://www.pinterest.com/ and look at fashion magazines and blogs. Social media is another resource you can use. You can also try on outfits at your favorite stores and boutiques to see how they look and make you feel. This can give you a clear idea of what suits you and what doesn’t. Don’t forget to look at possible accessories and shoes to accompany your outfit too!

Getting inspired before you start shopping can be extremely beneficial. It helps you find possible outfits that will suit your body type and colors that suit your skin tone. Knowing what kind of outfit you want to buy can simplify your shopping process and make it less stressful. You can also start planning how you want your hair and makeup to look. Don’t forget accessories too! Any holiday look isn’t complete without a touch of bling from paradigm jewelry. All of this information can make choosing a fabulous outfit for your Christmas party as easy as possible.

Whiten Your Teeth: A bright, white smile can make you seem more friendly and approachable to others. This is ideal if you plan to network and introduce yourself to others at your Christmas party. It can also make you feel more confident about your appearance which can make you feel amazing. So if you want to enhance your smile in time for your Christmas party, you need to whitening your teeth now. It can take weeks and multiple whitening sessions to get the results you want. This is why it’s always best to do this sooner rather than waiting till later.

The majority of dental surgeries now offer teeth whitening services to their patients. So contact your dentist to make an appointment. Alternatively, you can whiten your teeth by yourself at home. There are a number of kits you can buy that use either strips or mouth guards. These kits are easy to use and can give you excellent results but some are better than others. See http://TeethWhiteningAtHomeTips.com/ to find out which whitening strips are the most effective. It will be hard for you to stop smiling throughout the party when your teeth look so clean and bright.

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Smile!

Make an Appointment at Your Salon: As soon as the countdown to Christmas starts, hair and beauty salons will be overwhelmed with appointments. Remember that thousands of other people will be attending Christmas parties and want to look their best, too. To ensure that your hair looks beautiful for your party, you need to book an appointment at your salon now. This will ensure that you can have a consultation with your hairdresser beforehand to try out different hair styling ideas. You can also have your hair dyed, cut, and blow dried so it looks as fresh as possible for your party.

If you are unable to get an appointment for a consultation or cut at your hair salon, don’t panic. You can hire a mobile hairdresser to visit you at your home instead. But again make sure you make an appointment quickly as they too will get booked up.

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Pixabay Image

Start a New Skin Care Regime: When you are self-conscious of your skin, it can stop you from being confident and carefree. This is not how you want to feel when you celebrate the holidays. Instead of letting this continue, start a new skin care regime instead. This can help you get fresh and clear skin that makes you feel unstoppable. Makeup application can also be improved with clearer skin. It will go on more smoothly and stay in place longer. You also won’t have to wear as much because you won’t have blemishes or pimples to cover up.

It’s advantageous to start this regime as soon as you can to give your skin time to heal and adjust. Otherwise, you may not get the results you desire. There are countless products you can try to get glowing skin. But it’s vital that you create a regime with products that suit your skin type for the best results. Visit http://www.webmd.com/beauty/ or talk to beauty specialists to discover what your skin type is.

As part of your new regime, also get into the habit of cleaning your makeup brushes each week. Dirt, sweat, and old makeup can linger on your brushes and clog your pores. So using clean and hygienic brushes can benefit your skin significantly.

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 Pixabay Image

Even though your Christmas party might be not be happening just yet, these preparations will ensure that you look gorgeous no matter what. The more you do in advance, the less stressful the getting ready process will be. So rather than leaving it till the last minute, start preparing for your Christmas party today. You won’t regret it!

What is your perfect holiday party look? What is your winter skin care regime? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Featured Image By: Pixabay

Oct27

Dreaming Of Your December Decor Yet?

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Dreaming Of Your December Decor Yet?

I know it’s early still, but why not get excited about the upcoming holidays? I know I am! All the magic and atmosphere of those few short weeks brings a little cheer that can last through the entire winter. And you get to spend all that extra time with your lovely family! There’s food, drinks, friends, gifts, and lots of lovely decorations. What’s not to like?

Whether you’re a Scrooge with no fairy lights or a grid grinder that lights up the whole street, the festive period should bring you some joy. Most of us like a small number of twinkling fairy lights on the tree. And if you have kids, you might add some outdoor lights to your roof line as well. If you’re worried about the cost, or the effect on the environment, consider LEDs. They use far less energy so they’re much cheaper to run. You can also add a timer so the lights go out automatically when you want them to.

If you love crafts and DIY, you might work on a festive project each year to create your own decorations. Perhaps you like to paint a snowy scene? Or maybe make your own paper chains to hang around the room? Of course, if you prefer to buy good quality tree decorations or fun Christmas ornaments, they will last for years and can be used again and again. Pick a theme that means something special to you and your family. Or choose something quirky each year to bring a smile to all of your faces. If crafting is so not your thing, revel in decor shopping instead. Websites like Hammacher offer a one stop shop for all of your holiday decor wants and needs. Curl up in a blanket, get cozy, and shop away to fully immerse your home in the festive spirit – no crafting required!

If you’re like me, buying gifts might be your most favorite part of the season. Or it might be the bit that you dread the most! It’s always fun, though, if you take someone along with you. A friend, mom, or sister could be the perfect companion to help you make some fun gift choices. Stop off at a cafe for an eggnog and Christmas cookies! Make a fun day of it and you’ll soon be in the festive spirit.

Real tree or artificial? There are lots of reasons for choosing an artificial tree. They can be reused. You can leave the decorations on all year while it’s in storage. And you won’t get all the mess. But you also won’t get that lovely scent. You won’t get the joy of picking the perfect size for your tiny apartment. And you won’t have all the fun of dragging it down the street! Personally, my family has had the same artificial tree for years and the best thing about it is that you don’t have to take it down right away out of festiveness or laziness. Regardless of the reason, my family tree may or may not have been up until May of last year…

Do you like to have a festive centerpiece on the table for your Christmas dinner? You can make them quite easily with a few crafting essentials. Choose candles or battery powered lights for a warm glow. Just make sure your other table decorations are fire proof! Do you add decorations to your wine glasses? Glass charms come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Pick a festive set, and charm your own glasses.

It’s lots of fun decorating the tree and the rest of the house for the festive period. It can be a good way to come together as a family, too. Best of all, it’s something wonderful to enjoy looking at for a few weeks while the weather is bad!

What is your favorite holiday decoration? What was the longest that you ever had a Christmas tree up for? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Featured Image By: Flickr

Mar5

Trader Joe’s Enrich Moisturizing Face Lotion Review

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Trader Joe’s Enrich Moisturizing Face Lotion Review

Hey everyone and happy weekend! Today I’m going to be discussing my new favorite product, compliments of a Christmas gift from mi madre. I always ask for a supply of my beauty and skin care necessities for Christmas so my mom hooked me up with a new moisturizer from Trader Joe’s. I only recently started using my Trader Joe’s Enrich Moisturizing Face Lotion because I’ve been in the process of finishing a Neutrogena moisturizer since November. Last week I finally finished my Neutrogena and began my TJ’s journey and let me tell you…I’m already hooked. Take a look at their packaging and then let’s discuss:

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I’ve been writing about quite a few fragrance free products lately which is weird but I actually really don’t mind this moisturizers lack of a scent – especially because it has SPF 15 in it. I find that most skin care products that have SPF in it always smell like you’re lathering yourself up to get ready for the beach. My Neutrogena moisturizer had SPF 15 in it, as well, and you could definitely tell by its scent. When it comes to products that have any amount of SPF in it, I would prefer for it to be fragrance free so that’s a major plus for Trader Joe’s Enrich Moisturizing Face Lotion.

When I am browsing the market for a new moisturizer, I’m always very concerned about the texture of it. I can’t stand products that are greasy, oily, or too thick. Lucky for me, none of these issues were a problem with TJ’s face lotion. The texture was so lusciously creamy and it actually was quite thick – I know, I know, I just said that this was a problem. BUT to me, there’s a big difference between a thickness that’s goopy and heavy and one that is nice and rich. Obviously, Trader Joe’s lotion texture was the latter or I would not be using it!

The final “must” for me when it comes to a new moisturizer or lotion is how well it absorbs. I have to say, I was very impressed with how quickly Trader Joe’s lotion absorbed considering that it is a bit thicker than what I normally would use. A quarter sized squeeze sunk into my skin in record time and it left absolutely no residue. My skin felt hydrated and soft and I was amazed at the way my skin looked after using it. My prized super pale epidermis (science!) looked like porcelain. My face looked and felt so supple and I was blown away. I’ve never used a moisturizer before that had such evident results after ONE USE. You can’t beat that!

Of course, I’m going to have to rate Trader Joe’s Enrich Moisturizing Face Lotion with: five stars. I really can’t recommend this product enough, especially for those with a normal to dry skin type. I’m aware that the packaging says that all skin types can use it but I fear that it might be a bit too heavy for problem skin. But, I suppose a thin layer can’t hurt!

So there you have it, my Trader Joe’s Enrich Moisturizing Face Lotion Review! Has anyone used this moisturizer before? What did you think of it? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb21

Hello, It’s Me!

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Hello, It’s Me!

Hey there everyone and happy Sunday! I hope all of you are having a wonderful and relaxing weekend. I’ve noticed that I haven’t put up a whole lot of pictures of me on the ol’ blog lately. To remedy that, I had my dad break out his prized camera and snap some pictures of me during this past week. We shot some pictures outside and as you can see, Ohio got quite a bit of snow! (So much so that I was snowed in at home for an afternoon!) We also took some pics on our cool, color blocked hallway for your viewing pleasure. Take a look:

^^^ Thanks, dad! ❤

What I Wore:

  • Featured Image Jacket: This was one of my Christmas gifts, compliments of Target. You can read all about it in my post, New Coat Heaven.
  • Killin’ It Hoodie: My hoodie dress is one of my all time favorite Forever 21 finds which you can read about in my Monday Update: Forever 21 Haul Edition.
  • Black Skinnies: I got these from Express about a year or so ago. They used to have the coolest snakeskin pattern printed on them but unfortunately it faded away after over a year of washing. -_-
  • Zipper Front Heels: These babies are one of my steals that I got from Kohl’s a while back ago which you can read about in, If The Shoe Fits – Apt. 9 Edition.
  • Teal Fingerless Gloves: My glovies are one of my favorite accessories that I own. My mom got these for me from TJMaxx when I was in high school. It was on a day that I didn’t feel like going to school so we went shopping instead! I love them just as much now as I did when I first got them.

It was so nice to be able to spend the afternoon being photographed by my dear old dad. He definitely shot some winners and it was a great way to spend time together! How has everyone’s weekend been? What kind of weather are you having in your neck of the woods right now? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan8

Philosophy Spiced Gingerbread Cookie Shower Gel Review

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Philosophy Spiced Gingerbread Cookie Shower Gel Review

Helloooo everyone and TGIF!! This Christmas I was given some Philosophy bath and body care goodies by my boyfriend’s mom. I’ve never tried any of Philosophy’s products before but have always wanted to because the scents sound amazing and I’ve heard many rave reviews. Needless to say, when I received a lotion and my Spiced Gingerbread Cookie shower gel, I was beyond excited! For the most part, I agree with the excellent reviews that I’ve heard, so let’s discuss:

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Philosophy is a brand that I would never buy on my own because to my understanding, it’s quite expensive. Receiving the lotion and shower gel as a gift was so special to me and I couldn’t wait to give the products a try! I stored my lotion in my stockpile because I’m still working on finishing a bottle from The Body Shop. Then, I stowed the gel safely in my shower to enjoy the following morning.

The day after Christmas, I turned the water in my shower on nice and hot and took a deep sniff of the gel as I waited for the water to heat up. The Spiced Gingerbread Cookie scent was to die for! It was the perfect combination of sweet and spicy and it was balanced out impeccably. The fragrance was potent but not so much so that it was overpowering. Had it been too sweet, the smell would have been too sugary and young. Had it been spicier, the scent would be much too pungent. The in between level that was concocted by Philosophy really was wonderful.

Once I was in the shower, I poured a small amount onto my scruffy and lathered up. I was pleasantly surprised at how well a small amount of the gel bubbled. This shower gel was really nice to use because the texture of it once it was lathered was very creamy – it didn’t feel harsh like some gels tend to do. My skin felt soft and smooth after I washed myself rather than dry and tight…I didn’t even feel the need to apply lotion afterwards, which was an added bonus!

My only minor complaint about Philosophy’s product is the bottle that it comes in. I know, I know – I’m such a stickler! But seriously, the plastic that the bottle is made out of is incredibly strong and firm, so squeezing the gel out proved to be quite difficult. I’ve used bottles like this before and once there’s not much gel left it gets even harder to use. I’m really not looking forward to that. I wish the bottle had a pump on it because that would make it a lot easier to get the product out rather than squeezing it for dear life!

All in all, I’m really enjoying my Philosophy Spiced Gingerbread Cookie shower gel and I’m going to rate it with: four stars. There is no question that Philosophy makes excellent products. I don’t plan on buying it for myself once my lotion and shower gel are all used up, however. Despite how nice each of them are, I’m sure I can find similar products elsewhere for a cheaper price!

So there you have it, my Philosophy Spiced Gingerbread Cookie Shower Gel Review! Who uses any of Philosophy’s products? What is your favorite scent by them? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan5

Christmas Gift Night – Sister Style!

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Christmas Gift Night – Sister Style!

Hellooo everyone and happy Tuesday! This Saturday I was surprised with the literal best Christmas gift ever…Two tickets to see Elf the musical with my beloved big sister, Kristen! My sister purchased us two tickets for a night on the town to see one of our favorite movies turned into a musical at Playhouse Square in Cleveland, Ohio. Take a look at us being pretty (!!) and then let’s discuss:

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Last Friday night when Kristen asked me if I had plans for the following evening, I didn’t think anything of it. But when Saturday came around the next day and she texted me with meticulous plans for when to pick her up, I started to get suspicious. When I called her to ask her where we were going for our hang out she told me it was for my Christmas gift and asked if I wanted to know what it was. The thing about me, though, is that I HATE surprises with a capital H and a capital ATE – so of course I wanted to know! That’s when she told me that she got us two tickets to see Elf the musical at 7:15 sharp this evening! I was blown away!!!

After I came out of my happiness coma we began to make plans for when I could pick her up and where we would go for dinner. We settled on our favorite…Taco Bell! Afterwards, she treated me to a full tank of gas and we went on our merry way to Playhouse Square in Cleveland. The drive was easy peasy and once we were in the downtown Cleveland area we got to enjoy seeing all of the buildings lit up beautifully for the holidays – it was awesome!

We arrived at the theater in perfect timing and Kristen managed to get amazing tickets for our date night. We were about twelve rows away from the stage and smack dab in the middle so our view was spectacular. While we waited for the show to begin, we took lots of sister pictures and I also took a picture of the stage, which is my featured image photo. I couldn’t take any pictures during the show, of course, but rest assured that it was incredible!

Elf the musical was simply fantastic. The actors were sublime, the music was catchy, the set was darling (it was storybook themed), and the choreography was superb. Kristen and I had a blast watching one of our favorite films come to life on the stage. The story from the movie was modified a little but all of the changes were clever and made perfect sense. We were in stitches the entire show and spent the whole car ride back to  her apartment quoting the musical.

Before we returned to Kristen’s place, we stopped at Giant Eagle to pick up some holiday gifts for her coworkers. The Giant Eagle that I live by is open twenty four hours and I found so much joy in just roaming the aisles with her at ten o’clock at night. We found gifts that suited our needs, as well as some treats for ourselves, and then headed back to her apartment.

Once we arrived at her place we crawled into our pajamas ASAP. As soon as we were comfy we made further preparations for our sister sleepover because this was the first night that I spent the night in her new apartment. Afterwards, I drove back to my house quickly to grab my sleeping pills and morning medication. It was no biggie, though, because we live a whole three minutes away from each other!

By the time I arrived back at her place, we were both beyond ready to hit the hay. We got tucked into her super comfy queen size bed and turned on the tube to fall asleep to. It was the absolute perfect ending to a perfect sister Christmas date night.

I can’t begin to tell you how much fun I had on Saturday night with my big sister. She completely surprised me with my Christmas gift and it will be a memory that I’ll cherish for forever. Everything that we did from our dinner and the show to even just driving around to our locations was a blast and I couldn’t think of a better way to spend our Christmas Gift Night with each other. I love you, Kristen! Thank you for treating me to an amazing evening – Sister Style!

So there you have it, my Saturday Christmas Gift Night – Sister Style! Kristen and I had a glorious time wrapping up the holiday season together and starting 2016 on a wonderful note. Have any of you seen a musical lately? What is your favorite Christmas movie to watch? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan2

Best Friend Christmas Haul

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Best Friend Christmas Haul

Helloooo everyone and happy 2016! My best friend, Lea, and I were a little bit late in celebrating Christmas with each other but it finally happened this past week and it was glorious! We had such a wonderful time opening our presents, eating Taco Bell, and girl talking to our hearts content. Take a look at what I was gifted with by my darling:

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From Lea I got:

  • A cozy fleece blanket (which I’m wrapped in right now!)
  • A to go coffee mug (which I’m obsessed with)
  • A Starbucks mini ornament
  • Bath & Body Works lotion
  • A coffee mug filled with bath and body products

I love everything that Lea got me so much but honestly I didn’t need anything from her. Our over seven years of best friendship is enough for me! It was a bit funny opening our gifts, however, because we got each other very similar presents. I got my girl a new mug and bath and body care goodies, as well, among other things! We seriously know each other too well and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I’m so looking forward to a new year full of hang outs with my best girlfriend and I’m so thankful for her friendship and the beautiful Christmas gifts I received! You’re such a doll and I love you, Lea!! ❤

I hope everyone is having a wonderful new year’s weekend! Make sure you tune in with me for this week’s Monday Update so I can tell you about how I rung in the new year! Until then, how did everyone celebrate the arrival of 2016? Who has been doing some last minute Christmas gifting to your friends and family? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec29

New Coat Heaven!

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New Coat Heaven!

Hello everyone and happy Tuesday! On Christmas day I died and found myself in New Coat Heaven. If you read yesterday’s Monday Update: Holiday Haul Edition, you’ll know that my parents gifted me with a gorgeous new coat. If you didn’t know that – then now you know! I am so madly in love with my new beauty from Target that I just had to give it some extra special attention in today’s post. Take a look at this bad boy:

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^^^ Swoon. ❤

I’ve had my eyes on this stunning knee length coat from Target for over two months but it was quite expensive so I never would have bought it for myself. While my mom and I went on one of our monthly Target excursions, I pointed the coat out to her and tried it on. I modeled the coat, expressed my desperate interest, and then hung it up and put it away so we could continue our shopping. That shopping trip was Operation: Planting the Seed.

And believe me, the seed in my mother’s brain was planted, alright. When I was gifted with the Corella Deville coat on Christmas day, my mom told me that the day after our outing she went out and bought it for me for one of my presents. She said that if she didn’t do it right away then she would have forgotten the size I needed and she didn’t want it to get sold out. What a lady! ❤

I’ve been planning outfits in my head around this knock out of a coat for days now. The unveiling of my new winter garb will take place on New Year’s Eve, when Kyle and I go out for a date night to ring in 2016. I’m going to pair it with a beautiful, knee length, floral dress along with a killer pair of heels and of course, a bright red lip! Be on the look out for pictures!!

I really am in New Coat Heaven and I’m so thankful for the amazing gift compliments of my mom and dad! Who received new clothes for Christmas? What about new jewelry or accessories? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec28

Monday Update: Holiday Haul Edition

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Monday Update: Holiday Haul Edition

Hello everyone and happy Monday! Welcome to this week’s Update: Holiday Haul Edition! Lil Red made out like a bandit this Christmas and it’s still not over! I still have presents to receive from my sister and my best friend later this week. But so far, the loot has been fantastic. I feel so spoiled because I’ve never had a boyfriend during the holiday season and Kyle and his mom were nice enough to give me some amazing presents. Take a look at what I received on Christmas according to each person:

My parents:

I am SO in love with the gorgeous coat that my mom and dad got me. I’ve been eyeing this jacket from Target for over two months now and I’m so happy that it’s finally mine! My mom got it for me the day after I tried it on in front of her in October and has been hiding it for my surprise ever since. What a lady! I also received a generous donation to the Lil Red Foundation as well as a fresh supply of my favorite beauty products from The Body Shop and Trader Joe’s. Thanks, mom and dad!

My brother and sister-in-law:

From Peter and Megan I received my first Adult Coloring Book, complete with colored pencils and a sharpener. My sister and I have been interested in these for a while so I’m so excited to unleash my inner child and crack open the coloring book with her. I also got a Groupon for two free admissions to a Paint Nite. In Ohio, there are certain bars that offer a night of drinking and canvas painting and I’ve heard that they’re so much fun! It will be the perfect date night for me and Kyle!

The most special gift I got this Christmas, however, was the rosary that Peter and Megan brought home for me from their honeymoon in Italy. It’s my favorite color and it is also blessed by Pope Francis from when they had the honor of meeting him. How cool is that?!

My other brother:

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From my second oldest brother, Andrew, I received another generous donation to the Lil Red Foundation. You can’t go wrong with cold hard cash!

My boyfriend:

My darling Kyle spoiled me rotten this year with some of the most fantastic gifts ever!! He gave me an entire family of stuffed animals from Despicable Me – one of our favorite movies. I also got a stuffed Moogle from Final Fantasy, which I’m pretty stoked about! To continue with the Minion theme, Kyle got me the most comfy pair of Minion patterned fleece pajama pants, which were unfortunately in the washing machine while I was taking my haul photos! Rest assured, they’re cute. 🙂

Kyle did a wonderful job of picking me out some beautiful accessories as well. I was so surprised when I opened the boxes of gorgeous jewelry, which included two stunning bracelets and a necklace. Kyle also knocked it out of the park with a burgundy and grey infinity scarf (Which I’m wearing right now!) and burgundy and black trimmed gloves. I can’t wait to wear my new scarf with all of my favorite sweaters and pair my gloves with my new coat from my parents! Thanks, babe – I love you! ❤

My boyfriend’s mom:

I was so humbled by the lovely gifts that my boyfriend’s mom treated me to. She got me the absolute cutest ornament for my tree of a little penguin ice skating. I made sure to put it right by my human skater, which I got at a figure skating competition in New York. Mrs. Kyle’s Mom also gifted me with some luscious bath and body products from Philosophy. I’ve never used their products before but have always wanted to so I was SO excited to try both of them out! Spoiler alert: They’re amazing and they smell heavenly!

As much as I enjoyed receiving all of these beautiful presents, I enjoyed giving everyone the gifts I picked out special for them even more! I am so thankful for all of the goodies that I was gifted with but would have been just fine with only having the quality time with my family and loved ones. My Christmas this year was one of the best ever and I can’t wait to continue the celebrations this week with my sister and darling best friend!

So there you have it, this week’s Monday Update: Holiday Haul Edition! How was everyone’s holiday? What was your favorite gift that you received or gave? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah