As part of getting ready for the new year, I like to go through my closet and dresser to see if there are any clothes that I should donate. I look for items that I didn’t wear the entire year, or things that no longer fit, or just things that don’t make me happy. Whatever those items are, we pack them up and donate them. After going through and organizing, I could see what I had and what I needed more clearly.
If you’re looking for some gift-giving inspiration for the holidays, take a look at my holiday gift guide. There’s a little something for everyone — from cool tech finds to cute winter clothes to skincare — you’ll be sure to get the inspiration you need. These are all things I love, or would love to receive during the holidays.
I am all about creating the perfect space for me. I only want to surround myself with things that I love, and things that are serving me. I did an entire post on items to get rid of and purge from your life, and overall I am feeling really great about not having “excess” in my life. With that said, we have had a dining room table without chairs for over two years now. We finally found the perfect chairs and made the decision to buy them. I love them so far; and the best part is that they are from Target!
With the holidays approaching, you may be getting ready to host an event at your home. Preparing for your guests to arrive doesn’t have to be a huge ordeal. You obviously want your guests to feel welcome and feel comfortable in your home, so these are my 7 tips to prepare for your guests and to ensure your guests’ stay is enjoyable:
This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here
Many of you may be traveling for the upcoming holidays. It’s always fun to go somewhere new or see friends & family, but it can be difficult deciding what to pack or just carrying everything you want.
I always try to pack just the “essentials” so my bags aren’t loaded down and I’ll have room in case I get a few souvenirs. You really need to ask yourself what you want; try to only bring products that have multiple uses. For example: with makeup, see if you can find a blush you like that can double as an eyeshadow. Or a dark eyeshadow that you can also use to fill in your brows. With beauty items, it can be a little more tricky. You don’t want to neglect your skin while you are on holiday, but you don’t want to carry your full sized bottles either.
This is where those sample sizes from Sephora or little mini bottles of products come in handy. I always save the samples for traveling because they hardly take up any room and you can just discard them when you are done. If you don’t have the sample sizes of the product you want to bring with you, there are always those mini travel bottles you can buy at the drugstore.
Here’s my travel makeup bag:
This bag is actually a clutch from the Marc Jacobs collaboration with Target last year; it’s a shiny metallic pouch that’s fairly large and fits all you see here ^ very nicely.
Here’s my skincare and toiletries bag:
This bag was a gift with purchase at Victoria’s Secret a few years ago. It’s metallic gold, but has vertical pink stripes inside and it’s pretty large.
What’s inside?
Let me know if you have any holiday travel plans coming up and what your must-have beauty travel essentials are! ❤
This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here
My favorite fragrance of all time. Flowerbomb makes me happy. I first tried the $25 $29 (prices have gone up!) rollerball from Sephora and fell in love. Try it if you haven’t already — very strong floral notes! Amazing!
Lancome’s Star Bronzer comes in six shimmer shades and three matte shades. I use my matte bronzer in shade 02 Sunkiss for slight conturing. This bronzer isn’t too dark or muddy and will look natural on many different complexions.
I love these cleansing wipes. With these, there is no excuse to not remove my makeup before going to bed. They remove all of your makeup and don’t leave your face feeling oily. The refill packs come with 25 wipes for about $4.50 – $7, depending on sales and where you shop. I’ve seen a 4 x 25ct. + 1x 14ct. at Costco for about $11! Best deal ever if you can get it.
Of course, it’s best to actually wash your face, but on those nights when you might be too tired, these will do the trick. You never want to go to bed with your makeup on!
I’m not much of a “breakfast” person — I eat in the morning, but I don’t like “breakfast” foods….except for eggs benedict! Definitely my favorite breakfast-y food!
I only recently have started drinking these again. I’ve talked about these before, and I still enjoy them every once in a while. Make your own!!
Nothing is more relaxing or makes me feel cleaner than a LUSH bath. So perfect! My favorite combination is The Comforter and a Sex Bomb bath bomb. I love LUSH! See my other LUSH posts HERE, HERE, and HERE
I can see my nails growing and staying strong when I take these, but if I skip just one day, my nails will break. :/ But these, in combination with my B-12s help my nails to grow and stay strong. I don’t really notice a difference in my hair or skin, but I’m sure it’s helping in some way. These pills are packed with vitamins and biotin. You can get them from HSN.com.
I loved The Killer’s – Battle Born, so I decided to re-discover some of their older music. I’ve been listening to Sam’s Town a lot lately and I love it.
I love going to Target — I can get everything I want in one stop. Plus, it’s where I was able to find my Fitbit Flex when it was backordered online. Target has everything and the Target App has coupons for some of those items. Some is better than none! What’s awesome is that they can scan the coupon directly from your phone — no clipping coupons or having to remember to bring them when you shop.
I really enjoyed this prequel to Monster’s Inc. Disney and Pixar make the best animated movies! And what’s even cooler is the website they made for the movie – http://monstersuniversity.com/edu/. How fun!
What have you been enjoying this July?
See my favorites from last month! (Top 10 – June Favorites)
See my August Favorites HERE
This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here
I picked up Miss Jessie’s Curly Pudding from Target; $38 for the 16oz size. I’d never heard of Miss Jessie’s products, but I was interested to try it because it promised “no frizz and no crunchy curls.”
I told you I’ve been wearing my hair curly in my Summer Hair Don’t Care – 5 Tips to Protect Your Hair post. I had been using Catwalk Curlesque Defining Serum and the Catwalk Curlesque Curls Rock Amplifier by TIGI to help define my curls, but it can make my curls too crunchy if I use too much or make my hair frizzy if I use too little. So, I gave Miss Jessie’s Curly Pudding a chance.
The smell of this lavender colored pudding is not good; it reminds me of Nair hair remover cream. The texture of the Curly Pudding is just like pudding — like a whipped jello.
To use the pudding, you rub a tablespoon sized amount on your palms, and distribute to through a section of your wet hair, from roots to ends. Repeat for each section until the pudding is on every section. Then, let your hair air dry or dry it with a diffuser.
With the smell and the unusual texture of this styling product, I almost couldn’t put it in my hair. Make sure you apply it in a well-ventilated room. After I finally distributed the product through my wet hair, I gently combed it out with a wide-tooth comb. I let my hair air dry and I really liked the results the next morning.
My curls were defined and soft — no crunch or plastic curl feel. However, the smell of product in my hair was still faint even the next day. :/ Despite the smell and texture, I’ll definitely use Miss Jessie’s Curly Pudding again because the results were fantastic.
This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here
I am so excited! I stopped by Target to pick up a few things and do my routine check to see if the Fitbit Flex had come in, and today I found it! So, of course, I picked one up and cancelled the order I made online.
They only had the black color available, which was my first choice anyway. They also had the extra wristband colors available in the three pack which I might consider later on.
***Update: I got the new Fitbit ChargeHR — see my first impressions here!
Once you unbox everything, you’ll need to go to fitbit.com/setup. Select your device, the Fitbit Flex, and it will download some software onto your computer. I’m doing all of this right now so you’re getting the first impressions.
Plug in your USB connector with the Tracker and Set Up a New Fitbit device. From there, you can set up a new Fitbit account or log into your existing one. I’m creating a new account.
Once you’re all set with your account, it’ll prompt you to plug in the Wireless Sync Dongle.
The Wireless Sync Dongle does a quick search for your device. Once it finds your device, you’ll have to double tap gently on the Tracker to “confirm” syncing.
Now, whenever your Fitbit Flex is within 20ft of your Wireless Sync Dongle, it’ll automatically sync. So cool!
Your tracker battery lasts for about 5 days. To charge it, remove the tracker from the band and place it in the charger until all 5 lights are solid.
When your Flex is within 20 feet of the Wireless Sync Dongle, your Flex will sync automatically with your Fitbit account. You can also sync via your smartphone if it supports Bluetooth Low Energy (4.0). Learn more about Supported Devices or about Syncing.
Your Flex tracker should be placed inside the included wristband and worn on your non-dominant hand for best results. Flex is water resistant and can be worn in the shower and out in the rain.
On the dashboard, see your progress towards goals for:
Each light on your Flex tracker represents 20% of your goal. When you reach your goal, Flex will buzz and flash in celebration of your achievement.
To choose which goal is shown on your Flex display, go toDevice Settings in your account. You can change a goal amount on the corresponding Dashboard tile.
Sleep tracking can be turned on by tapping the top of the Flex display area until you feel the motor vibrate and the 2 outer lights turn on. Once in sleep tracking mode, the Tracker will show two lights moving side-to-side.
You can add a sleep log on the website or mobile app. Go to the Sleep section and add a sleep log. Need help? Learn More.
Set a Silent Alarm from the Devices area of your account.
Overall, I’m impressed with how small and lightweight the wristband is. The tracker came 80% charged, so I’m just waiting until that fifth light stays solid before I start wearing the device.
See my updated review HERE
This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here
I first heard about the Fitbit Flex in April and was excited for it to be released on May 1st. I signed up for the email announcement so I would be reminded to order mine. Only, I never got an email…. I went to the website during the middle of May to order one, but apparently they are on back order for 6-8weeks 8-10 weeks. I checked back recently and they’re still backordered.
Does anyone know what’s going on? Target, Amazon, and Bestbuy are all out as well. Does anyone have the Fitbit Flex? Where did you get yours and how do you like it?