Favorite Jewelry - Dec. Edition

I recently did a post on my favorite beauty products so I decided to do a post on my recently worn jewelry items as well. I really do like all of these pieces and pretty much all of them are costume jewelry pieces. I didn't put a lot in this post because I only wanted to show the pieces that I wear on a weekly basis. I will list the pieces according to each category from left to right.

1. I loved these as soon as I saw them in the store. They are really the only "fancy" earrings that I wear, because I usually just wear studs. (Even though these are in fact studs ... which makes me happy.) The best way I have found to pair these is with a simple white shirt.

2. These are from the same store and are really pretty. They are these black granite type studs with gold edges.

3. You can't really tell in the picture, but these are just some simple black studs. They are my go-to earrings which I will wear if I'm not wearing any of my other earrings. 

1. As you might can tell by now, I like skulls. I have some other skull bracelets but I like this one the best because it is very simple and subtle.

2. I am a big fan of simple jewelry and this piece might just be my favorite bracelet that I've ever seen. It's also probably the most expensive bracelet that I own. Each piece that they hand-make from silver has a verse that it is inspired from. Mine is called the "Always Present" bracelet and is inspired from Psalm 46:1. 

1. I don't wear a lot of necklaces so I don't have a lot to choose from, but I do wear this a lot. I usually just wear this with a plain sweater.

2. This is my all-time favorite necklace, I just think it is so cool. When I first got it I thought it was a locket because it has a latch on the side, but it's not. My go-to outfit with this necklace is a simple denim shirt and tank top. 

Favorite Beauty Products - Dec. Edition

Last year I did a post on my "Eleven Favorites of 2011", and I considered doing another post similar to that, but I could never remember all of my beauty favorites throughout the year. Plus they often change with the seasons. Honestly I don't use a ton a makeup, just the basics. However, are my December beauty favorites, organized by their specific categories.

(Bareminerals, Original Mineral Veil; Maybelline's Fit Me Pressed Powder in 110)

(Maybelline's Age Rewind Eraser in Light/Pale; Loreal's BB Cream in Fair)

(Ulta's Eyeliner in Deep Brown; Lancome's Le Crayon in Khol)

(VS Beauty Rush Mascara in Blacktastic; Bareminerals Flawless Definition Mascara in Black)

(Philosophy's Kiss Me Lip Balm, Smith's Rosebud Salve)

There isn't much to say about these products except for the fact that I use them daily. I can personally vouch for them that they work, and they work well for me at least. The only tips I can really give are to make sure you find the right color when picking your powders and foundation. I don't really like that much heavy coverage so I choose to use just a bb cream. 

Little Girl Gift Guide

This year I surprisingly didn't have a hard time finding gifts for my sister. I guess it's because she's only eight, but either way I am pleased with the round-up of gifts I've gotten for her this year. Half the fun of Christmas is giving gifts to everyone! (The other half are all the Christmas parties!) I also have listed one or two presents that I have given her in the past, since I've never done one of these posts before. These presents could probably be appropriate for any girl between the ages of 7 and 11.

1. How to Make an American Doll Tutu: extremely easy, all you need is some ribbon, tulle, and a little girl with an American Girl Doll.
2. Nail Polish Set: here I just got a Mason jar and stuffed it with the same tulle that I used for the tutu, and layered the nail polishes inside. I just thought it gave it an extra cute visual effect. Also, for little girls you don't want to buy any too expensive nail polishes so this E.L.F. set is just right.
3. Taylor Swift poster: I got this on  clearance from Target from Taylor Swift's RED collection.
4. Decorated Monogram: this is something I made for my sister a couple years ago. Fairly simple, I just got a large wooden "G", painted it white, and decorated it with an assortment of ribbons, stickers, and buttons.
5. Here are some more links to things that might inspire you as well. (1, 2, 3)

Holiday Trees

I saw this great post a while back about making Christmas trees out of cereal boxes and decided to try it out. I'm still working on a couple but I wanted to go ahead and post this since it is getting ever closer to Christmas. This was a very simple project, taking only a couple of hours. The tree that took me the post time was the tree on the right, but it's also my favorite. Instead of using old book pages like Shauna Mailloux did, I used a Free People catalog. I also added some random spots of pink tulle just to spice it up a bit. I used the same tulle for the topper. For the smallest one, I spray painted it silver then added gold trip and and gold bead topper. Also, I used a pop tart box for the smaller one. And for the last one, all I did was wrap a Christmasy wrapping paper around it.

the Young Adult Gift Guide

The title is pretty cheesy, but I couldn't think of any other way to put it. The gifts below are designated for any high school or college girl. All of these gifts are under $25 so they would be great if you yourself are a high school or college girl and don't have a very large budget to give gifts to your friends. 

1. Hot Chocolate on a Stick: these are a neat idea and very fun to use, you can also find them at Target in the Christmas candy isle. I would also add a pretty mug or two. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) Depending on what mug and what hot chocolate you decide to go for the price can vary. (And just a girls point of view, my favorite are the elephant mug and the owl mug.)

2. Nail Art Stamping Kit: a great value set for any beauty lover. There isn't much else to say about this, except for the fact that I would highly reccommend it. ($17)

3. Scarves: I can't speak for whomever you are buying your gift for, but I love scarves! I have a large growing collection that just won't stop. Again, the prices can vary depending on which scarf you buy, but all the scarves I have listed are under $25. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)

4. Framed Pictures: these are wonderful for a simple gift exchange between two friends. You can make a collage or just give one special picture. The more unique the frame, the better. TJ Maxx also has some pretty and cheap frames that you can find. (1, 2, 3, 4)

5. Beauty Sets: Sephora has tons of value sets during Christmas that really are worth it. Think about what she likes and what shes uses a lot of. Another bonus, the fragrance and several other sets include a gift certificate for a larger size of her favorite from the set.

Spice Up Your Nude Nails

(China Glaze's Dress Me Up and Spoiled's Visually Slimming)

After painting my nails this gorgeous nude color, I was pleased with it but thought they looked a little plain and boring. So I went onto Pinterest looking for inspiration for some nail designs. I didn't find anything I liked but went ahead and started drawing on these triangles. Mine don't look the best, but I'm sure I'll get better over time. If you try this out, it works best to start with the smallest triangles and work your way out.

Lemon Pound Cake

 

On Saturday we had a bake sale at my church, so I decided to make some pound cake! But not just any pound cake, lemon pound cake. It was delicious and I ended up not taking a fourth of it so I could save some for myself. I was also more motivated to keep some of it because it was healthier than your typical pound cake.

Instead of butter I used lemon olive oil for the cake. I was skeptical, but you really could taste the lemon well. Then I just used lemons and powdered sugar for the glaze on top.