I haven't been much in a holiday mood lately and I'm pretty sure it all has to do with the weather. Where's the cold? And the snow?! Please tell me I'm not the only one wishing the temperatures would drop a little bit so that we can have our cold and snowy white Christmas!
I'll have to settle for rain here so I plan on listening to lots and lots of holiday songs to get up my festive spirit. I've put together a list of my current favorites that I've been listening to lately for you to play during the next few days and on Christmas!
You can listen to this list {plus a few!} on Spotify. I'm new to the whole Spotify thing {SO late to the game, I know} and am still trying to figure out how it works, but I thought I would try it out for this playlist post.
Also, how cute is that little reindeer ornament? It's still available at C. Wonder and I'm considering getting it because it's so adorable! Never too late to add new baubles to the tree!
I shared my favorite winter and holiday nail polish favorites earlier this week so I thought I should continue with the beauty posts and mention the lipsticks I love. During this time of the year, I tend to pull three shades - neutrals, red, and deeper shades of reds. I can't help it! When you like something, you stick to it.
I wear neutrals mostly to work and Pink Truffle from Revlon has been a favorite since they release their lip butter line. I purchased Honey from Smashbox over a month ago and have loved wearing it as an every day shade and paired with a smokey eye.
You can definitely wear a neutral lipstick or lip balm to a holiday party, but I like to be festive and wear red. Because if there is ever a good time to wear a red lipstick, the holidays is it! I prefer to wear mattes, like Smashbox's Infrared or Maybelline's Divine Wine, because you don't need to worry about touching it up as often {or ever in some cases.} Icon from Hourglass {either the lipstick or liquid lipstick version} is another great choice, and it makes your teeth look really white, which is perfect for all those pictures! For something more moisturizing that's great to throw on for a quick errand run, Revlon's Red Velvet is for you.
I've recently been painting my nails very often, as in more than once a week. Every winter and holiday season, I tend to reach for the same colors - neutrals, shades of green and blue, and lots of glitter and shimmer. LOTS of glitter... Any nail polish color I wear eventually ends up with a festive and fun glitter top coat. My nail collection consists of a lot of Essie and Deborah Lippmann so I decided to pick my top ten favorites to share with you!
I'm currently wearing Deborah Lippmann's 'Laughin' to the Bank' and it is such a beautiful and perfect emerald shade for the holiday season. One of my all-time favorites for sure! It's pricey but definitely worth it.
I've been on the search for a good holiday red so if you have one that you love, let me know!
Clinique Cheek Pop in Ginger Pop// This is one of my favorite blushes. It's a deeper coral shade with a hint of red, which makes it perfect for this time of year. Ginger Pop is very smooth and not at all powdery, even though it is a powder blush. Depending on how much you put on your brush or how heavy handed you are, this can be a sheer wash of color on the cheeks or more pigmented like the color in the pan. This should work on a lot of skin tones and I highly recommend it!
Serial Podcast // Um, hi. Are you addicted to this? Because I am so addicted to this. If you haven't listened to this weekly podcast, then you need to do so right now. Sarah Koenig is the narrator, and she tells the story of a murder that happened in Maryland in 1999. It's lots of information, from soundbites, interviews, jail phone calls, but it is so interesting and really makes you think. Did they charge the right person? Or didn't they? Gah! I wish I knew. Trust me, you will be hooked on this!
Ebates// Confession: I started Christmas shopping really early. So early that I'm already done. I did a lot of it from the comfort of my little apartment and used Ebates, a cash back program for shopping online, whenever I could. I mentioned this on Monday and had to mention it again because it's too good not to. Any site that participates in their cash back program allows you to get a certain percentage of your purchase back. That's real money back into your bank account. Yup. Sign up because it's great.
Urban Decay Naked Palette// The best Naked palette of all Naked palettes. This is the first and original twelve eyeshadow palette put out by Urban Decay in their Naked line and, in my opinion, it's the best. The shades are so pigmented and come in a variety of finishes - shimmers, glitters, mattes. You can get a really simple every day look or something smokey for a night out. If you have been thinking about getting one of these palettes, I think this one is the best of them all!
Lands' End Quilted PrimaLoft Parka // I don't think Lands' End gets enough love. I've been doing quite a bit of my online shopping here lately because of the great quality and classic pieces. I've been wearing this coat since I got it and love it's classic shape, quilting, and faux-leather trim. Even better, it's super warm so it's great for late fall and early winter temperatures.
Old Navy Bucket Bag // I was late to the bucket bag bandwagon, but I am never getting off. This bag can hold so much and is pretty great quality. It's great for toting to work or just a day for running errands.
Sam Edelman Penny Boot in Wide Calf // I have a hard time finding boots that fit because my calves are a bit larger than what most {aka every single pair out there} allow. I did a lot of searching before coming across these and they are my new favorite pair! It's made of a nice quality leather and goes well with so many outfits. I've had to stop myself from wearing them every day! If you're in need of wide calf boots, these are perfect!
What are some of your favorites from the month of November? I'd love to know!
*Note: I know I've mentioned Ebates twice in one week now, but no, they have not contacted me to do this. I just genuinely really love using them when shopping online!
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and that your weekend was filled with lots of fun family time. I tried to stay away from the internet as much as possible while I was home for the holiday, but I managed to squeeze in a few hours of online window shopping. I thought I would share with you my favorite Cyber Monday deals, but first - a few tips!
1. I've read, heard, and been told that the best online deals should be discounts of 30% off or more. This has stuck with me so you'll see that the stores I mention aren't offering anything below that.
2. Check the details! Some brands will have restrictions on what the discount does and doesn't apply to. It can be a real bummer to add things to your cart and then realize that you're not getting that 40% off.
3. Use Ebates! If you haven't heard of this before, let me give you a quick overview. Ebates offers cash back when you do your shopping online so you'll get back a certain percentage from what you spent. How could you not love that? If you add the Ebates button to your toolbar, it will automatically tell you if the site you're visiting has a cash back deal. And because it's Cyber Monday, a lot of stores have doubled their cash back!
4. Do your shopping as early as possible. Some stores may have limited stock on those items you have your eye on so it's best to check back as often as possible if you're holding back on pressing that 'checkout' button.
5. But some of the best deals might happen later on in the day. You'll be getting so many emails and notifications about sales, but don't be surprised if you see one right before you go to bed about brands suddenly offering free shipping when they weren't in the morning. Like I said, it's best to be checking throughout the day.
And onto the sales!
J. Crew is offering 30% off full-price items and 40% off on their sale with the code MONDAY. I recently picked up a few things for an upcoming vacation but have my eye on a few more pieces like this beaded popover and these glitter loafers. Shop my favorites below!...
ASOS is offering 30% off with the code ILOVEMONDAYS. I love shopping here for fun dresses and they have a ton of pretty ones for the holidays! It's a great place to get that cheeky holiday sweater too. More of my favorites are here...
Tory Burch is offering up to 30% off today with the code LUCKY. And if you spend $150, you get a nice little thank you gift too! Tory Burch handbags are a personal favorite of mine and now is a great time to pick one up! These are some of the things I'm loving...
Lands' End has become one of my favorite places to shop, and today they're offering 40% off and free shipping. Use the code CYBER with the PIN 1234 at checkout to grab some really great outerwear {amazing quality and so warm!} and sweaters for the upcoming cold-weather season. Take a look at what else I'm loving here...
Kate Spade has 30% off their entire site with the code CYBER30! I love so much in their line but their handbags and jewelry are probably at the top of my list. It's too hard to single out a few when I love all of their pretty things! Here are more of my favorite things...
I've saved the best for last... Ann Taylor {and Loft!} is offering 50% off your entire purchase today! Use the code CYBER50 to take advantage of one of the best sales today! I popped into an Ann Taylor store a few months and pretty much loved everything they had. It is quickly becoming one of my go-to stores! Shop my picks below...
A few other sales I'm loving: BaubleBar and their Cyber Monday Insta-Steal {love these little games!}, Old Navy is 40% off with the code CYBER, and Ulta is having a ton of sales on some great makeup products!
And don't forget to take a look at this year's holiday gift guides! There are some great things to pick up for your loved ones and some to gift to yourself!