The Christmas Tag

I was tagged by Robin to do the Christmas Tag! I love festive tags so I was very excited to give this a go :)

Do you prefer a real Christmas tree or synthetic? 

Definitely a real Christmas tree. Yes, they are quite messy and annoying to clean up but nothing beats the smell of fresh pine needles on Christmas morning :)

You're in a coffee shop, it's December, what do you pick up?

Most of the time some kind of hot chocolate...peppermint hot chocolate or salted caramel hot chocolate is always good, although I really want to try the Gingerbread Latte from Starbucks! (Can anyone recommend it?) 

What's your favorite color scheme for decorating the tree?

I think white lights look so classy and pretty, and any ornaments will do-- I especially like gold, silver and red ones.

Giving or receiving? 

Giving if I know I've thought of a good gift.. The frustrating part is actually deciding on the right gift, and I'm pretty terrible at that! I just like to see the look on people's faces when you've given them a good gift :)

To mince pie or not to?

Is this a UK thing? Because I'm pretty sure we don't do that in the US haha..

What's your traditional Christmas lunch?

I don't really have "lunch" on Christmas because I'm always saving up for a giant dinner! For dinner we have lamb chops, mashed potatoes, broccoli bake (I can't even EXPLAIN how good it is) and lots of other yummy things.

Christmas day fashion

I'm usually in my PJs for most of the day, but once we go out I usually wear black leggings, black booties, and a pretty shirt/sweater. 

What's your favourite Christmas song?

Can I say all of them...? 

What's your favourite Christmas film?

Elf 100%. Elf in general is just one of my favorite movies ever. December is the best because they always play it on ABC Family!

Open presents before or after lunch?

My family opens presents once everyone is awake! I don't think I would have it in me to wait all day haha.

I tag Conny, Michelle, and Emily to do this tag. I love seeing everyone get in the mood for the holidays :)

The Best & Worst Looks of the 2013 AMAs

I had so much fun writing my "Top 5 Best & Worst Looks of the 2013 VMAs" post that I wanted to do another! Here are my favorite and not-so-favorite looks from the other night:

BEST:

I love both Kendall and Kylie's outfits! Kendall's Dylanex necklace looks stunning against her white Keepsake dress, and I love how her hair is behind her neck so you can see the entire necklace. Kylie's outfit is also super chic: Her Maiyet top is cropped at the perfect length, and black and white is always a perfect combination in my opinion. 

Ke$ha looked stunning last night in her Michael Costello gown. I love the her soft, wavy hair and overall, she looks super elegant. The bow on the side adds the perfect amount of interest to what would have otherwise been a simple slit black dress.

Ariana looked stunning in her Dolce and Gabbana dress. Although it looked amazing photographs, I'm sure this was the kind of dress that looked spectacular in real life. And it fits her perfectly!

Okay, so who else CAN'T STOP listening to 1D's new album Midnight Memories?! IT'S. SO. GOOD. I love how the boys showed up in corresponding black & gray looks. Each outfit is slightly different, however, ( ie. Niall sporting a pair of sneakers, Liam opting for a long gray coat instead of a blazer), and I love how they each kept true to their own styles. 

WORST: 

While this is a cool dress, there is just way too much going on for me. Instead of focusing on Ciara, I'm only wrapped up in the dress. There are so many cutouts and I just don't know where to look.

When Emma was being interviewed on the carpet by Giuliana Rancic, she talked about how obsessed she is with fashion and I couldn't help but go, "huh?" This dress definitely did not do it for me. It looks like a shiny trash bag and I'm not feeling the matching pink bag & shoes. (Sorry Emma!)

Not even supermodel Heidi Klum could make this dress look good. Between the fringe, the lace, the cutouts...there is way to much going on here and I don't like any of it. If any Project Runway contest had designed that, I'm pretty sure we would have heard Heidi's famous "aufedersein."

Matching the green in your dress to your hair is just never a good idea. This looks like a Halloween costume to me. Is anyone else getting "Wicked Witch" vibes?

Sara Silverman's dress doesn't seem to fit right and that color is blinding! I'm also not a fan of those shoes. 

Overall, I was a little underwhelmed at the fashion this year at the AMAs, but there definitely were some standouts. 

Do you agree with my picks?

Winter Beauty Essentials

Now that it's getting nippier outside, I thought I would share with you all my Winter Beauty Essentials although it technically won't be winter for about another month.

Victoria's Secret Pink Warm & Cozy Supersoft Body Lotion: In the winter my body craves moisture! After I get out of the shower, I love to lather my legs & arms with a creamy moisturizer. I love this scent of Victoria's Secret Pink Body Lotion in the winter because it smells exactly how it's called: warm and cozy. And who doesn't want to smell warm and cozy when it's windy and freezing outside?

L'oreal Infallible Lipstick in Bold Bordeaux: Around this time of year is when it feels right to wear darker lips again. This lip color is the perfect shade, not too light but not too dark. The best part is that it is super buildable--you could definitely go a lighter berry shade for day, and add another layer for a more plum shade at night.

Aquaphor: Aquaphor is definitely at the top of my Winter Beauty Essentials list. While some people swear by Vaseline, I've got to say it just doesn't do it for me. I feel like my lips suck it right in and they never feel properly moisturized for more than twenty minutes. I'm also not really a fan of the way it is packaged in little tubs. Instead of dipping my fingers in a tub of Vaseline all the time, I much prefer a nice and neat tube of Aquaphor. Aquaphor seriously works wonders! A little bit goes a long way, so a tube of this will last you forever. I love to pat some on my lips right before bed, so that when I wake up in the morning my lips feel soft and smooth. In the winter everyone starts to get colds more often, and this is also great for relieving a red and irritated nose. I rub a little bit of this around it before bed and it feels so much better when I wake up.

Dark Colored Nail Polish: I love a darker manicure in the winter, and these two colors are definitely my top picks at the moment. Yes, I've jumped on board the craze that is Essie's After School Boy Blazer and I'm wearing it on my nails right now. It's the perfect dark blue/black shade and is a universally flattering color. The second color I picked out is a dark burgundy color, which I feel is definitely a winter essential. This one is from Lord & Taylor's winter collection of mini nail polishes.

What are your top beauty picks for winter? 

Autumn/Winter Looks for Less

   Ankle Boots- Rag & Bone ($495.00) vs. Steve Madden ($129.95) 
 Checked Pants- Zara ($59.90 ) vs. H&M ($24.95 )    
Scarf- Zara ($79.90) vs. Nordstrom ($19.50)   
Jewel Embellished Sweater- J Crew ($168.00) vs. Topshop ($92.00)  

As I was carrying out my usual routine of filling up online shopping carts with items I could never afford, I decided to do a little research to try and find similar items for a fraction of the price. This was actually pretty fun to do...it was kind of like a treasure hunt! I took some of fall/winter's trendiest essentials (plaid/tartan pants, embellished sweater, etc) and ended up finding strikingly similar items for about a quarter of the price. So, I clicked "remove" on the $80 checked Zara scarf in my online shopping bag, and then clicked "Order" on a $20 scarf from Nordstrom. If you do a little research, you can be very "on trend" and save heaps of mula. Just think about what you could do with all that extra cash... 

Need an idea? Well, you'll find me at Starbucks getting plenty of salted caramel hot chocolates.

My Fall Music Playlist

Unedited version of photo taken from tumblr.

Yes, I know that some of these songs are old. Yes, I know that they're not the most "unique" songs. But perhaps they will remind you of a song you forgot, or maybe you're currently jamming to one right now and you'll think, "Hey, I love that song too!" And if you've never heard of any/all of these songs (although I'm pretty sure you've at least heard of 1D's newest song unless you live under a rock), here's to a hoping you'll find some you like. I selected all my favorites at the moment that to me, at least, give off a "fall" vibe. So no, you will not find any beachy tunes on this playlist ... you might have to wait until June for those to come out. 

What is on your playlist at the moment? I love finding new songs so please tell me your faves :)

1. Something I Need - One Republic
2. I Will Wait Live Cover - Little Mix
3. Kiss Me - Ed Sheeran
4. I Lived - One Republic
5. Chocolate - The 1975
6. Move - Little Mix
7. Story Of My Life - One Direction
8. Wish List - Neon Trees <- this song gets me in the Christmas spirit every year (for the past couple years that is)
9. She Will Stay Beneath The Moon - Adam Barnes
10. The Last Time - Taylor Swift ft. Gary Lightbody 

All the songs are linked right here ^ so all you have to do is click away!