Thanksgiving Break Haul

I shopped a lot over break. But that's why I saved my money, right? And really, it was a lot of little things that I really liked. I am a little ashamed to admit, though, that I'm waiting on a few more things in the mail soon...the spoils of Cyber Monday. No shame.

Anyway, here is everything I accumulated while I was home for a measly 5 days. Also, sorry for the nasty background on these pics, it was all I could make do with.



These are all the beauty products I snatched up. To begin with, the OPI Take Ten set was my birthday present from Andrew's family, so I didn't buy that and it doesn't count but I love it so much. There are so many fantastic colors in it and it's something I use on the regular.

Tuesday night before I went home, I stopped into Sephora and snagged new concealer, which I already mentioned was a dupe for a pricier NARS, and some new eye gel, since my dark, puffy under-eye circles are UNREAL. I chose the Clarins Eye Contour Gel, because I read some really amazing reviews, and I tried it out a few times in the store, and I legitimately think it instantly de-puffs my eyes. And compared to other eye creams, it is pretty inexpensive.

While I was at Walgreens last week I got a sparkly topcoat from Wet n Wild that is a pretty good dupe for Deborah Lippman's Happy Birthday. And this one was $2. It's perfect for the holidays and I've already used it multiple times.

Wednesday afternoon when I got home, one of the first things Bridget and I bonded over was makeup. We both have been watching youtube gurus (s/o to Sarahbelle93x and imtaramichelle) and are obsessed with trying new products now. So we headed out to Target and I stocked up. I'm usually wary of drugstore brands for face makeup, but I saw the e.l.f. bronzer/blush duo and went for it, especially after I had read online that it was a NARS Orgasm semi-dupe. I love it! It's such a sweet pink color that doesn't overpower. It's gentle and natural. The bronzer, however, is a little much for me. I put it on the other night in an attempt to contour and it literally looked like I had dirt on my face. I need a little more time with that one. But, it was only $3 so definitely worth it.

I also grabbed an e.l.f. eyeshadow pencil in a neutral-gold-ish color, which I ended up really liking. It goes on super easy and adds a nice shimmer. I wear it almost every day now. And the last elf product I got was an eyeshadow brush. I don't really have one for eyeshadow, and this was only $1, so it was pretty tough to pass up.

Lastly, after my NYC liquid eyeliner shriveled up and died on me, I went for the Maybelline Line Stiletto liquid eyeliner and it's perfect. It makes a line easily, isn't clumpy or anything and stays on all day but comes off easy at night. Sold.



Every year on Black Friday, my Rochester friends and I head to our outlets for Midnight Madness and shop together. But this year the outlets opened really early on Thursday and so we ended up shopping after everything was picked over, hence why my J. Crew haul is lackluster.

What I really wanted from J. Crew were the factory version of the Pixie pant, the Gigi pant, in navy. However, when we got there, they didn't have any, and the black ones were all in sizes much larger than me. (Spoiler: I ended up caving on Cyber Monday and ordering a pair from real J. Crew). But I did manage to walk out with two (!!) navy striped long sleeve tees (my favorite) and a pair of navy velvet pants that I ended up loving more than I thought.

I also got two pairs of warm socks from American Eagle. There's only one in the picture because I was already wearing the other pair...

Here are the velvet pants in action for a screening I worked Monday:



And then Bridget and I went back to Target. I miss it so much when I'm in the Bronx.



At Target I got a Santa hat for Senior Night (which was Tuesday) and a set of sticky notes--both from the dollar section. That candle actually isn't from Target, I just thought it fit in the picture. It's a Yankee Candle in Sugared Apple and it is divine. I really wanted a holiday scented candle and this is perfect. It doesn't smell too strong and it doesn't smell weirdly like food. I've already burned through like a quarter of it...



And finally I just got this beautiful necklace from JewelMint. I had joined a few weeks ago and they kept harassing me to make a purchase and I kept fending off the offers, until they ran a deal where your first purchase was $8.99. WUT?! This set retails for around $40, and shipping was free and I was sold. It just came in and I am thrilled with it. Statement necklaces are big on my Wishlist this year.

So pretty much I have a shopping problem and I need to start channelling it into shopping for others for a while.

Christmas Beauty WIshlist

So, with Christmas (and other holidays) a little over a month away, I'm starting to compile my wishlist, mostly so my mom has a place to casually check in case she needs a little inspiration ;)

Regardless, the first section of this series (yes, it's going to be multiple posts. Judge me) is just a few beauty products I've been eying. Some are Sephora quality items, while others are just drugstore items. My rule is basically, anything that goes on my face or skin should be really high quality, and eye/lip products are okay to be cheap, since they come off easily and go bad quick, too.

But, here are a few things I wouldn't mind finding in my stocking:



Maybelline Line Stiletto: In high school, I was really big on felt-tip liquid eyeliner, but when I got to college I started wearing pencil eyeliner on my waterline, just for the sake of saving time in the morning. But, lately I've been getting back into liquid eyeliner, and the one I've been using is getting a little gross...

L'Oreal EverStyle Hairspray: A few weeks ago, I scrunched my hair for Senior Night, and even though I loved how it looked, the hair spray I used completely killed my hair. It left build up and dried me out for weeks after. When I go home for Thanksgiving, I want to pick up my curling iron and start loosely curling my hair, but I don't want to wreck my hair when it's finally getting long again. So I did a little research and found some alcohol-free styling products. I might not be able to wait for Christmas for this one.

Nyx Matte Finishing Spray: I've actually heard great things about this brand, even though they're pretty 'cheap.' I prefer my makeup to be on the more matte side, and I figured a matte-ifying spray would do the trick.

Revlon Super Lusterous Gloss in Raisin Rage: I have a really springy lip color from Bite Beauty, but I've been looking for something darker for fall. And this one is so inexpensive it would be okay if I lost it on the subway or at a party.

Essie Winter Collection: My nails have been perpetually After School Boy Blazer since September. And as much as I love the color, the holidays just call for something a little more...festive. I'm an Essie girl through and through, and I am dying to get my hands on "Shearling Darling," "Sable Collar" and "Toggle to the Top." ASAP.

And onto the Sephora products that I'm begging for this Christmas because I'm a poor college student who appreciates the finest in beauty.



Benefit They're Real! Mascara: I got this as my birthday gift from Sephora and was instantly converted. It holds a curl in my long lashes all day, and makes them look fuller. I'm ready for the big girl size.

Clinique Blushwear Craeam Stick: I am so unbelievably pale this winter, I feel like I always look sick. I've been looking for a long time at blush and I think I've settled on this Clinique cream stick. However, I have yet to make it into a Sephora to have an expert help me out, so this could potentially be completely wrong for my skin. Who knows.

Clinique Even Better Eyes Dark Circle Corrector: Can you tell I'm a huge fan of Clinique products? I have gross undereyes, which have only got worse at college. The cream I have now is essentially ineffective, but this Clinique treatment has been raved about everywhere, so it must be amazing. Right?

Benefit Boi-ing Concealer: Going along with my undereye issue...I have a Clinique concealer that I love, but it's almost gone and I'm seriously considering something a little stronger. Either Boi-ing, or Erase Paste. Jury's still out on those.

Even though I've promised a few Christmas List posts, these makeup products are the bulk of my Wish List items this year. I've had an amazing year and there's not much more I want.

However, I'm seriously doubting my ability to wait it out on some of these, and I might need to splurge on Black Friday.

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