Ginger Eyes

My friend was so nice to give me this duo eyeshadow by Estee Lauder. She knew I was looking for a reliable nude palette of some type and came across this. I've been using it every since and totally skipping out on my L'oreal one. This formula and texture is so much better (of course it would be being that it's a higher brand) and the brown actually shows up without having to add multiple layers. This will last me quite some time.

Glam Bag

Have you heard? Michelle Phan (makeup youtube guru) helped develope this new beauty website called My Glam. It's similar to Birchbox  where you pay a monthly fee and get these cute little makeup samples. From my understanding though, December is already sold out. For only $10 a month I'm thinking about signing up in January. Anyone else heard about this and looking into doing it as well?

Wildfire

While everybody was doing their Cyber Monday shopping I got a nice shellac manicure. Tis the season to wear bright red on the nail bed! Ever since I discovered and fell in love with the shellac nail polish I've been getting them done at least once a month. You know the funny part? I've only stuck to the red shades. I guess I just like the way they look, all glossed up and fierce shiny. Today I decided to try the Wildfire red. Here you can see the many other color options to choose from. I have to say, the options have greatly increases since last year. I like the red shades because they just really stand out against my skin and compliment any type of rings I wear. It definitely makes the hand look prettier and get the girls wondering what kind of secret top coat you're using. Now that I've been getting these done I can spot a shellac manicure over an ordinary one any day.

Aussie Love

I've been using these two sprays almost everyday and loving them! I usually tend to avoid using my Aussie products on a daily basis because the coconut/pina colada smell really gets to me. Even though the last spray I got and their 3 Minute Miracle Deeeeep Conditioner  worked really well for me I just couldn't stand that tropical smell. It was just too much. (This may not bother most people, but I don't like pina coladas or anything coconuty smelling to begin with. Bleh.)

I saw that these two sprays were new to the line and decided to give them a try (after I did a quick sniff spray in the air to make sure they didn't use their "signature" smell.) Luckily, it was a new scent and actually quite pleasant.  Not only did they tone down the smell, but the products don't flake later throughout the day or leave my hair heavy and oily (like some other's I've tried.)

I use the Anti-Breakage Spray all over my hair right when I'm through washing it or when I'm in the process of styling it. It doesn't replace the use of mousse or hairspray, but makes your hair strands a little stronger and helps detangle knots. I have little baby hairs around my forehead as well so I make sure to get these before I put my hair in a tight bun or pony tail. The Heat Protecting spray works really good for days that I straighten or do loose spiral waves to my hair. It adds a really nice natural shine to it and holds the style pretty well. Some days when wearing my hair down I quickly spray the heat protectant as a coating before I step out of the house. Our sun rays here are super strong so I try to avoid any further heat damage to this already prone-to-dryness hair.

If you have a drugstore in your area that carries Aussie products I highly recommend trying these out and let me know what you think. And how do you like the signature Aussie scent? Do you find it overpowering like me or do you enjoy the fresh coconut smell throughout your hair?

Black Saturday

I avoided shopping on Black Friday because, well, it's always chaotic. Not that today was any better, but at least people weren't as crazy and wild. My first stop was Dillard's because my friend had mentioned they had handbags 50% off. My goal was to snatch up a nice MK bag, or maybe even a cute wallet. The outcome- all the good styles were of course long gone. Hmm, guess it wasn't meant to be. Steph scored and stocked up on Coach wristlets though to give out as Christmas gifts. Maybe I'll be one of the recipients. *grin*

Sephora didn't really have much going on, but I did fall prey for the Nars Orgasm nail polish. This color was just too pretty to pass up. Sometimes when I'm looking around in that store I get tempted to buy cosmetics that I don't even use or need! A girl's got to be  and firm shopping in there...ha! Just point A to B....nothing in between.

I got my Zelda game! I've been playing that thing none stop. After a while though I get a little nauseous from all that movement and different camera angles. Plus, in this game you need to do a lot of interaction by moving, slashing and jumping around. This will be my excuse to skip the gym on some days.

All that shopping worked up an appetite so we stopped by my favorite Korean restaurant. Their kimchi fried is the best I've had! I tried asking the server exactly how and what exact ingredients they use for the dish, but she was pretty vague and close lipped. Maybe I should have laid out her tip ahead of time... eh eh.

The afternoon ended with a nice Twilight marathon with the girls. I went to go see Breaking Dawn last weekend and so now my girlfriends and I are crazy over the saga all over again. Why must they torture us for another whole year until the next movie release?? Come on!

Oh! I finally found my nice coat for the winter. Luckily I saw the last one (in Forever 21) and it just so happened to be my size. Score! Don't you love that feeling of finding the last one of something and it just happens to be right for you? The worst is when you see it, want it, but then there's a hole or stain on it. Grudge.

I'll show pics of my jacket soon. I'm planning a trip to the Grand Canyon in the next couple weeks so that will be my excuse to whip it out, instead of just saving it for "that occasion" or "something special."

Always Thankful

This year has brought so many more opportunities and blessings for me. I'm always grateful and appreciative for the life I live and the people that surround me each and everyday. While it can seem like we don't have everything at times or things don't exactly go our way, we have to sometimes remind ourselves that there are the things that we can be thankful for and that there's always someone else out there isn't as fortunate.......

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Pumpkin pie is a must for Thanksgiving in my house. Dinner just isn't complete without a slice of this for dessert.

Too good to use

Do you have a favorite shirt, pair of shoes, handbag, or something of that nature that's really nice so you try to use it sparingly?

I catch myself doing this quite often.

I realize saving that special item for that special occasion or moment turns out to be a waste of money and time.

I was reminded of this today when organizing my closet. I came across my Longchamp bag that my mom had given me this year for my birthday. I opened the box and it was still neatly wrapped in the tissue paper unused.

Why?

Why hadn't I used it yet?

I'll tell you- I don't want it to get dirty. I'm saving it for a nice matching outfit. Maybe the right month. The right season. The perfect occasion. I actually appreciate my belongings and try to make them last as long as possible......and so many other excuses I can think of.

What's the point of even having it if I don't use it, right? I guess I get somewhat of a satisfaction knowing that I have a nice brand new purse sitting in my closet waiting to be used. But it would be better if I actually used it and got to look at it everyday (being that I change out my purse like twice a year. ha.) I guess that's just part of being girl. We get things sometimes just because in hopes of one day using it......

I'll be using this bag starting tomorrow. :) Thank you , mom!