Black Friday Haul

 

First things first, I hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving! I ate everything delicious so I obviously needed to burn off calories by shopping. Does that justify spending money? Not really, but I thought I’d try.

So… Black Friday happened and I mean it really happened. Is your wallet crying just like mine? Don’t worry you are not the only one. I’m not going to lie, I visited all of the basic Black Friday stores. Can you guess? That’s right I hit up Target, Walgreens, Victoria Secret, and Bath & Body. Your shocked right? Well, I guess we should get started!



Victoria Secret

I have never been super in love with Victoria Secret bras. If were being honest, I have a large chest and Victoria Secret bras always break on me. I'm not thrilled when the wire comes out of my $60 bra six months after I bought it.

However, I have wanted to try their sports bras for a really long time. Lets be real here, the Target ones just don't cut it for a 36 DD. These beauties have an underwire. I personally love avoiding that awkward uniboob. I also love that they have a zipper. It will be nice to unzip when I get the terrible underboob sweat. Shout out to everyone who knows exactly what I'm talking about.

Bath & Body

Oh my… Bath & Body. One day I will be able to walk into this store without spending money (Lies). Bath & Body had a buy 3 get 3 free deal for the entire store. At first, I didn’t think that it was that great of a deal but it actually was.

I actually did not buy much soap. I still have tons of sets from the semi-annual sale. However, they are all summer scents. The first thing I picked up was a set of Twisted Peppermint soap, lotion, and perfume. I absolutely love this scent. It is something that I just have to buy. Despite my love for the stuff, I decided to only get minis. I bought a full set last year and it lasted way longer then I wanted it to. I just don’t want to smell like a peppermint after the Holidays.

The next thing I picked up was the Wallflowers. I bought three and got the next three free! I love candles, but I obviously can’t keep them lit all day. These keep my room smelling amazing all the time.

-          Frosted Cranberry

-          Winter

-          Spiced Apple Toddy

-          Tis’ The Season

-          2 Fresh Balsam

Can you guess what I got next? Yes, it was candles. I didn’t pick up any 3 wicks because I didn’t want to spend $60. I love them but, I don’t have a money tree. The $12.50 mason jar candles were perfect. I picked up:

 

-          2 Fresh Balsam

-          Cranberry-Pear Bellini

-          Tis’ The Season

-          Merry Mistletoe

 

On top of a handful of hand sanitizer, I also grabbed one of the $20 2014 VIP Bags. These were such a great deal. Each bag came with:

 

-          3 Wick Holiday Wishes

-          A Thousand Wishes Perfume and Lotion

-          Forever Red Mini Perfume

-          Frosted Cranberry Hand soap

 

Target

Yes, Yes I did go to Target. Surprisingly, it was not that busy. My biggest purchase was at good old Target. I FINALLY bought myself a T.V. I feel like I am one of the few 19 year olds that does not have a television. It’s a small 24’’ Element T.V that fits perfectly on my bookshelf. I’m planning on transferring from my community college in the fall and I am hoping to stay in the dorm. I rather spend $100 now then almost $200 in August.

All Target clothes were 40% off! Guess what that means? I bought things… Only two things. Two cute little sweaters. The first was a simple black and grey stripped sweater. The second was kind of an “Ugly Christmas Sweater”, I couldn’t live without Snoopy. I have to say I really struggled deciding between Snoopy and The Grinch. My life decisions are really difficult aren’t they?

 

 

Walgreens

I didn’t pick up much at Walgreens, there were just a few things on sale that I couldn’t pass up. The first two things I picked up were the Color Tattoo Eye shadow Powders. I absolutely love the cream Color Tattoos so I figured I’d try these out. The fact that they were 50% off didn’t hurt either. I also picked up a packet of makeup remover wipes. Can you ever have too many of these babies? I think not. The next thing I grabbed was a small inexpensive set of brushes. I have always used my Bareminerals brushes, but I’m interested in seeing if there is a difference. The last thing I grabbed was a Fall Fight conditioner. I have long hair, I use gallons of conditioner. If I can find one on sale I grab it!

 

So yeah, that happened. Yay shopping.

 

Gluten Free Adventures: Olive Garden

 

 

Today I went out to eat dinner at Olive Garden. Everyone was in the mood for Italian and I had recently seen an Olive Garden commercial that had gluten free noodles. I looked up the menu before l left and was honestly not that impressed. However, a few gluten free options are better then none.

 

My family sat down and we began to look at the menus. I awkwardly was handed a packet of paper. A packet you say? There must have been so many options! Wrong... there was four. However, Olive Garden feels the need to pair the gluten free menu and the nutritional information together. Don't get me wrong, I understand why they have it. But do they really have to staple four pages of things I can't eat to the back of my menu? Why must you be so cruel to me Olive Garden!

 

I decided to go with the Rotini with Marinara. I wasn't really in the mood for a stake or salmon. While it was nice to actually have something to eat at an Italian restaurant, I think Olive Garden could enhance the menu a little bit. Adding another type of pasta wouldn't hurt. I would be a happy camper if I could find a nice gluten free spaghetti and meatballs.

 

Anyway, I got my pasta and it looked good, it tasted good as well. It wasn't anything amazing but I'll take what I can get. The only negative thing about the pasta was that it was really slippery. I awkwardly used my fork like a shove because I couldn't get the dang things to stay on my plate. All in all, I was satisfied with my dinner. Could I have made this at home? Yes, but sometimes I just don't want to do the dishes...



When I was a senior in High School I was faced with the tough decision of choosing where I wanted to continue my education. I applied to at least 5 schools both public, private, and yes even the local community college. I completed 50 hours of tutoring for my school district in exchange for two free years at my community college. I knew that attending the community college was the most economically sound decision but I was still embarrassed about it. I hated talking about it with my friends who were going to big Universities. I hated seeing all the dorm decorations at Target and Walmart. As I am getting ready to prepare my transfer application I have realized I have nothing to be embarrassed about. My time at community college has been great. Here are the number reasons why you shouldn’t be embarrassed about going to your local CC. 

   

Money, Money, Money, Moneeey.

More than likely you will be SO much better of student debt wise if you go to a community college. I live in Missouri and attending one of the major universities here is insanely expensive, even with instate tuition. For an example, if I had started my freshman year at Mizzou I would already have over 40,000 dollars in student debt. Are you kidding me? I don’t even have 10,000 in my savings account. I didn’t have a 4.0 grade point average and I’m not a star athlete so there is no way I was getting a scholarship. Would you like to know how much I owe in student debts right now? Nothing. In a few months, I’ll have an associates degree for the costs of books.  Just think about that.

You can start over if you need to

Were you the definition of the word slacker in high school? Did you not get accepted to any four year schools? Did the ACT or SAT kick your but? Guess what, it doesn’t matter. If you’re a legal citizen and breathing you WILL get into a community college. Take your two years at community college to reinvent yourself at a student.

You don’t HAVE to know what you want to do

I have known what I want to major in for the past few years but that does not mean everyone else does. Frankly, you should not be expected to plan out the rest of your life at 18. Community college is great for those who have no idea what they want to major in. You can have an extra two years to figure it out while you earn your associates degree. You don’t have to worry about being behind after changing your major.

Your schedule will be amazing

I absolutely love my schedule. I only attend school on Tuesday and Thursday. That means I can work Monday, Wednesday, and Friday without any stress. Community colleges have to keep their classes running all day because of returning learners, parents, and people who work. That means you can take a class at eight in the morning or eight at night.

Where did I go?

Hello there again. It's been awhile since I last posted for various reasons. College classes, work, and rehearsal all started up at the same time and I was insanely busy. I also felt like no one was really reading this blog so why should I continue to post? Today I realized that I like writing so I need to post for me. A few loyal readers would be a great bonus but that's something that is just going to come with time. For now, I'm aiming to posting once a week. Im also going to start posting more then just "beauty" material. I'll be talking about lost of different things, anything that comes to mind. Hopefully it all goes well. See you next week 

Photo Journal Galena Illinois

Oh my gosh guys... Long time no see! I have been a terrible blogger. I have been crazy busy these past few weeks as I have transitioned back into my school and work schedule. No worries, I've figured my life out and now I'm back to blogging! Yay. Over the Labor Day weekend my parents and I ventured to Galena Il, which is a 5 hour drive from where I live.

Galena is a  cute little tourist town that has a huge shopping street. I'm sure the locals just love the tourists takeovers throughout the summer! It was such an interesting little area. You could easily spend a day venturing into all the stores they have. A took a few photos share with you along the way!



 

I think one of Galena's goals is to make everyone gain 5 pounds while they are there. Seriously, the candy stores are amazing! All kinds of chocolate, caramel covered apples, and even Gelato. I wanted to eat everything...

 



               

Oh look... I forgot to use the square photo frame. Go me! One of my favorite stores was a little home shop. They had the cutest fall decorations and were even starting to pull out a few Christmas items. I wish we could have purchased something but we had absolutely not extra room in the car.

               

   

I kid you not when I say there was a whole store dedicated completely to Root beer. They had any brand you could possibly want. I had one of the Diets and I have to say it was pretty delicious.

 



            

There was even a candle store... And guess what? I bought nothing! They had some amazing smelling candles but they were pricy. If you didn't like any of the scents they had, you could make your own candle! I thought it was a fun idea but I'm not about to spend $20 on a 12 oz. candle.

 

           

This will excite all of the gluten free readers! Do you get the pun? Hehe Silly Yak... This bakery had homemade doughnuts... FREAKING SPRINKLE COVERED DOUGHNUTS. Were they delicious? I can't tell you because it was closed Sunday and Monday. I was sad all the way home...

What's In my Book Bag?

Ah yes, it's everyone's favorite time of year... Back to school! Yaaaaaay. The excitement is killing me. While sitting in 90 minute classes isn't exactly exciting, you can make it a little bit easier with a well stocked bag. 

I'm currently in college so this may be somewhat different for you if you're attending high school. 

To start off with, the bag itself is from Vera Bradley. I've had this for two years so I don't remember the print... I know, I'm terrible! I was tired of carrying around a boring old backpack, so I decided to get this one for $110. I know that is step for a bag but I use this all the time. It's great for short vacations! 

Something I find essential for school is hand sanitizer. I always use the B&B hand gels because I love the scents and I can hang it on the outside of my bag. Seriously, go get yourself some. I can't even tell you how many people I hear walking out of the bathroom without washing their hands. Eww. 

I always keep a planner, extra pens, and perfume in the front pocket of the bag. Not everyone likes using planners, but I think it's totally helpful. It takes two minutes to write things down and it will help you avoid forgetting about an assignment or a test. This planner was only $3 from Walmart. Cheap and cute! 

In the main pocket I keep typical boring school things. My textbooks, two binders, a notebook, and my laptop. I could honestly go without the binders because I don't use them much but they are very helpful keeping everything organized. My courses are technology based so I mainly use my laptop. I find it much easier to keep organized notes! 

Alright guys, that wasn't the most exciting post but heading back to school is unavoidable. Good luck and have fun studying!

- Katie

Elf Haul

Hello friends... I'm putting the back to school post on hold. It's a work in progress! I decided I would talk about a few thing I picked up from Walmart the other day. Yay shopping!

I normally don't purchase makeup from elf but most of these products are not actual makeup. I also bought a lip exfoliater, but for some reason I did not photograph it. 

Eyebrow Kit

Everyone has been obsessed with eyebrow products lately. It really gives you a polished look. I however am lucky enough to have really think eyebrows. I have to tweeze the dang things every day, but on the other hand I don't have to  fill them in. So, I won't be using the powder half of this duo. I am however excited to try the gel. It will be great to lock my pesky eyebrows into place. 

Zit Zapper

I have never seen any acne products from elf before. I'm pretty much willing to try any acne product out there. Most of the time, it can't hurt. I'm actually really excited to try this out. It's just a spot treatment but I'm obsessed with the applicator. It's a roller ball! There's something that's always grossed me out about having to touch a big nasty zit. 

Makeup Lock & Seal

I usually lock my makeup in with primer and setting powder, but lately I have noticed it doesn't have the same staying power. I know a lot of companies have a setting spray but I thought this lot contraption looked interesting. I have no issue with my foundation, it's been my eye makup that's been smearing an fading. I like that I can place this product right where I want it to go. 

Stay tuned to see if any of these products end up in a monthly favorite. I know for a fact that at least one of them will be! Have a great weak.

- Katie