GIFT GUIDE | A VERY PET CHRISTMAS!

I'm back with another gift guide today! If you are new to the blog, be sure to check out the Holiday tab above for more gift guides and holiday posts. Today's gift guide is going to be all about the pets! We are obsessed with our animals at my house (Murphy, a toy poodle and Eddie, a tabby cat) and spoil them at Christmas every year.  Below I have my favorite pet picks for cats and dogs. Some of these (like toys) we have purchased as their Christmas gifts and others (like collars, Gingerbread house, etc.) we give them early to enjoy during the season. 

Are we crazy?!? ;)

Alright there is sooooooo much cute pet stuff out there right now. I tried to narrow it down for you all with a little bit of everything!

I love sharing my gift ideas and favorite things with you all. Should you click on or make a purchase through the links in this post, I'll earn some money to keep on shopping! Pretty neat, huh? :)

GIFTS FOR THE PETS

1. Hot Cocoa Dog Toy - These are "interactive" dog toys that Murphy loves! They all come with a "burrow" to house three small toys inside (marshmallows here) which makes it fun for them to try and dig out. Murph loves both the house and the toys. There are several other cute Christmas styles too: gingerbread house, santa + reindeer, polar bears & yule log.

2. Cat Holiday Cubes - Fun pop-up cubes!

3. Cat Toy Variety Pack - I also love this set here (only $2.99!) and this teaser "pole" one here too.

4. Pet Collars - We traded out Murphy's regular collar for a Christmas one and he looks so cute! These are also great to have for pictures (red one here // green one here). I also love this style for cats too.

5. Happy Howlidays Pet Bowl - How cute is this??!! Also comes in "Feliz Navidad" here.

6. Gingerbread House Cat Scratcher Mansion - Eddie is obsessed with these. They release new styles every Christmas and it's seriously his favorite thing! They are build-able cardboard houses with scratch pads. I purchased the Gingerbread House style this year which is huge-- they weren't kidding when they said mansion! There is also a Santa's Toy Shop and a Hot Cocoa Bar style (both which are also cute). Super affordable + easy to assemble!

7. Pet Bed - Murphy has this same bed in several colors (including the red). These are cozy for when it's cold out + I love the red for Christmas.

8. Red Truck Sweater - This sweater looks even cuter in person! We bought it for Murphy and people always compliment him on it when he's wearing it out. He doesn't usually like wearing clothes but doesn't seem to mind this one. It's soft so I think it feels comfy on him.

9. Christmas PJs- These are so so cute! I love the penguins and that they're red, super festive. Also very cozy and warm for when it's chilly at night.

10. Snowflake Toys - Comes in a set of 3. These are easy to throw/play fetch with like a ball so Murphy loves them!

11. Santa's Cookies Toy - Another "interactive" toy. So cute! Giving Murphy both this one & the snowflakes for Christmas.

Hope you all find some cute ideas for a very pet Christmas! I'll also link some other favorites of mine below for you all! Make sure you check them out too :)

Thank you all so much for reading! 

xx,

Kristen

CHECK OUT MORE GIFT GUIDES:

• BEST BEAUTY GIFT SETS
• GIFTS FOR HIM

5 CHRISTMAS MOVIES I LOVE

H A P P Y  T H A N K S G I V I N G, guys! I hope you've all had an amazing day full of food (hulllohhhh, sweet potato casserole) and relaxing with your loved ones.

One of my goals this holiday season is to watch more Christmas movies. This week at work I was chatting with one of my customers about the craziness of the holidays. She mentioned that every year, she's always so stressed out by everything on her to-do list. I think this is something we can all relate to. It's easy to get wrapped up in the decorating, gift buying, party planning, etc. that everything ends up feeling more like a chore and we forget to actually enjoy the holidays. Sometimes you just need to chill out, relax and watch the Holiday. 

Christmas movies are comforting. Cheesy, but they make me feel good. We can all use more of that. There's also nothing better than cozying up on the couch with a blanket in your fuzzy socks. I wanted to share 5 Christmas Movies that I love with you all and try to watch every year. I tend to go for light-hearted comedies but love a lil' Christmas love story too. Hopefully these will put you in the Christmas spirit! Let me know if you've seen any of them and what your favorites are!

I love sharing my favorite things with you all. Should you click on or make a purchase through the links in this post, I'll earn some money to keep on shopping! Pretty neat, huh? :)

Here are 5 Christmas Movies I Love (that you should watch + love too). 

1. The Family Stone - Perhaps the most heavy in terms of drama. The classic plot where everyone comes home to mom & dad's for Christmas and family drama ensues. It has a lot of comedy but a much deeper storyline. I remember watching this for the first time in theaters and being surprised by the more serious tone. Great to watch with family.

2. The Holiday - The parent trap for grown-ups! Who wouldn't want to go visit a new country on vacation and swap houses with a complete stranger? In real life, probably someone. Haha but it's all very glamorous in the movie and basically like air B&B now. Light-hearted, a lil' cheesy but a cute must-watch. 

3. This Christmas - This one is a great comedy. Another story where everyone comes home for Christmas with family drama. I love the characters in this one.

4. Jack Frost - An oldie but a goodie. This one has always been one of my family's favorites. A boy loses his father who then comes back to life as the snowman, Jack Frost. It's fun and heart-warming with a great moral to the story.

5. Just Friends - Another funny with Ryan Reynolds in his early days. After being bullied and outcast as a "loser" in high school, he leaves home and moves to Hollywood. Ten years later, he returns back to his hometown as a successful, good-looking guy and has to face the people of his past.

BONUS - The entire Harry Potter series. Always great but even better during the holidays!

Leave me a comment below with you favorite Christmas movie :)

xx,

Kristen 

WHAT I PURCHASED FROM THE SEPHORA SALE

Today I wanted to share a quick post on what I purchased from the Sephora Holiday Bonus Event! Every year Sephora has a sale for all VIB Rouge, VIB and Beauty Insiders during the month of November. It's absolutely free to sign up! I always take advantage of the sale to pick up a few new items at a discount. It's also a great time to stock up on some gifts for the holidays-- check out my gift guide on the Best Beauty Gift sets here.

I love sharing my new purchases with you all. Should you click on or make a purchase through the links in this post, I'll earn some money to keep on shopping! Pretty neat, huh? :)

This year I decided to spend most of my money on new skincare products. My skin has been struggling over the past several months and it never seems to get better (stubborn breakouts around my chin, constant dryness, etc.). I always assumed it was just hormonal acne, however after doing a bit of research I'm beginning to wonder whether I have some form of dermatitis. Because of this, I've been trying to incorporate and swap out a lot of my skincare and face products to more clean beauty or "Clean AF."

If I'm being real with you guys, "Clean" products have never really excited me. I love trying out anything and everything when it comes to beauty so to me, the clean section always seemed a bit boring with fewer options. Nonetheless, I decided to shop around for the sake of my skin. I've heard about Drunk Elephant for years but never paid much attention to the brand due to their higher price tags. I just learned they're one of the few "Clean AF" skincare brands at Sephora and their products have great reviews online. I decided to purchase one of the limited-edition gift sets they have out for the holidays (a greater value for the price) with my discount (even more savings!). I picked up the Inspector Drunk Night Kit. This one comes with a full-size of their famous Glycolic Night Serum (helps with skin tone, texture and pores) as well as deluxe travel sizes of their Jelly Cleanser, Hydration Serum, Whipped Cream moisturizer and Multivitamin Eye Cream.

I have been trying the kit out and like it so far. I will keep you all posted!

I feel like the Lala Retro Whipped Cream moisturizer in the kit has been helping my dry skin a lot so I decided to purchase another set with a full-size of the cream. This one is the Rescue Party Set. It has the full-size cream, a full-size lip balm and deluxe sizes of the same cleanser, hydration serum and eye cream. I like that they're duplicates so I can test them out for longer. They also have two other kits, the Agent Ellie Day Kit and the Big Reveal Kit (both also a great value).

Next is the Farmacy Green Screen Daily Sunscreen. I'm very protective over my skin and preventing sun damage so I wanted a clean sunscreen with great protection. This one has SPF 30 and is a physical sunscreen meaning it physically blocks harmful rays (as opposed to chemical sunscreens). I like it so far. It blends in well, doesn't leave me greasy and has no white cast.

I also picked up this Cover Fx concealer and made sure to snag the Tatcha Makeup Lovers Obento box this year. They released one last year that sold out SO FAST! This one comes with a full-size of their Luminous Dewy Skin Mist and deluxe sizes of a face mask, primer and face cream. I haven't been loving any of my concealers so I decided what harm would one more do? The Cover Fx one is very full coverage, blends easily and comes in a shade that is actually light enough to brighten my under eyes. Liking it so far!

That's everything, guys! So much for a quick + short post... oops. Leave me a comment below about what you have bought or are going to purchase from the Sephora sale! Also make sure you check out my bomb-ass gift guide here ;)

xx,

Kristen

GIFT GUIDE | BEST BEAUTY GIFT SETS

Hey hey! I am so excited to roll out my first #HolidayGiftGuide today. Christmas and the holiday season is the BEST time of year in my book. Although not the reason for the season, I love finding the perfect gifts for my family and friends. Because I am pretty much the best gift-giver ever, I'm going to hook you all up with some ah-mazing gift guides this year. Today lets start with the BEST BEAUTY GIFT SETS.

Almost every single major beauty brand releases some type of gift set or holiday kit. Makeup, skincare, haircare, fragrance - you name it. The best part is you always get more bang for your buck. Whether it's jumbo-sized products, extra free deluxe sizes, etc., most sets are usually valued much higher than the selling price. I've combed through all of the beauty websites and picked out my favorite sets. Below you can shop all of my favorite Makeup, Skincare, Haircare & Fragrance gift sets! Hope you all find these helpful :)

I love sharing my gift ideas and favorite things with you all. Should you click on or make a purchase through the links in this post, I'll earn some money to keep on shopping! Pretty neat, huh? :)

1. Too Faced Sweet Smell of Christmas Liquid Lipstick Set

2. Pat McGrath BlitzTrance Lipstick Duo

3. It Cosmetics Crystal Brush Set

4. Tarte Shape Tape Set

5. Grande Lips Hydrating Lip Plumper Trio

6. Tarte Passport to Paradise Set

7. Benefit Gimme Some Sugar Set

8. Sephora Favorites Lashstash To Go

9. Nails Inc. Less Bitter, More Glitter Duo

10. Laura Mercier Pret-A-Powder Set

11. Dior Diorshow Iconic Overcurl Mascara Set

12. Lilah B. Aglow Face Mist Set

13. Becca Mini Macaron Highlighter Set

14. NARS Manic Velvet Matte Lip Pencil Set

1. Kiehl's Bright Delights Set

2. Josie Maran Argan Power Duo

3. Drunk Elephant Inspector Drunk Night Kit // Day Kit // Rescue Kit // Big Reveal Kit

4. L'Occitane Shea Butter Travel Duo

5. Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm Set

6. Tatcha Makeup Lovers Obento Box

7. Clinique High Lash, Bye Lash Set

8. Peace Out Favorites

9. Laneige Kiss and Make Up Set

10. Dr. Jart Superheroes Skin Transformers Set

1. Drybar Glitter Gang

2. Drybar Full Size Faves

3. Bumble & Bumble Happy Hairdays Trio

4. IGK Dry Shampoo Set

5. Invisibobble Holiday Pack

6. Slip Silk Scrunchies Set

7. Verb Ghost Shampoo + Conditioner Set

8. T3 Interchangeable Styling Wand

1. Kilian My Kind of Love Discovery Set

2. Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb Travel Duo

3. Chanel COCO MADEMOISELLE Gift Set

4. Jo Malone Collection

5. Marc Jacobs Daisy Trio

6. Le Labo Discovery Set

7. YSL Black Opium Makeup Set

8. Sephora Favorites Deluxe Perfume Sampler (Rollerball version)

That's a wrap for my first #HolidayGiftGuide! If you're looking for an amazing #beauty gift, I hope this post will give you some great ideas. Please be sure to leave me a comment below with any other gift guide requests (or other blog posts) you'd like to see! Thank you all so much for reading :)

xx,

Kristen

OCTOBER FAVORITES

Finally figured out the IGTV shiz, you guys. If you're not following me on Insta, I posted an IGTV sharing my favorite things from October. I usually upload these videos on my YouTube channel but my poor memory card cracked and went to heaven. That wasn't going to stop me... ;)

I'm very picky with beauty products. I love testing out new makeup and skincare but it isn't uncommon for me to not have new favorites every month. October was a little out of the ordinary and I loved several of the new products I tested out. I have a few fashion faves too! I shared everything on my IGTV (minus the two things I forgot about) so as promised, here are all the extra deets...





I love sharing my favorite things with you all. Should you click on or make a purchase through the links in this post, I'll earn some money to keep on shopping! Pretty neat, huh? :)

-BEAUTY-

1. Too Faced Gingerbread Spice Palette

I think I fell in love with this before I even had my hands on one. Srsly though, YOU GUYS. How freakkkkinnn' cute is this? I love it. I consider it an added bonus that it actually performs well (kidding!) but this palette is amazing. Very cute, great color selection and I love the pigmentation. She also smells super yummy and is so fun for the holidays. Definitely a great gift item!

2. Huda Beauty Mauve Obsessions Palette

I love these mini-sized Huda palettes. Her large ones are stunning (I have my eye on this one) but I love how easy and practical the little ones are. I like to carry them in my makeup bag on the go since they're small and compact (perfect for travel). The mattes blend like a dream for an easy everyday look but the shimmers are nice if you want to add some pizazz. 

3. Josie Maran Vibrancy Foundation

This one is a surprise for me. I bought this last year and was not a fan. My skin has been acting up recently so in an effort to use cleaner products (Josie is very clean),  I pulled this out and gave it another go. Since then, it's been a go-to foundation for me. It provides very nice coverage and has a dewy finish. I also love that the lightest shade matches my pale-ass perfectly and isn't too dark. I'm not sure what changed for me but it is good. I'm definitely curious about the new vibrancy concealer now too!

4. Lawless Beauty Woke Up Like This Foundation

I vibe with the Lawless Beauty vibe. Another amazing luxurious, clean beauty brand. This foundation provides a long-wearing, dewy finish that is full-coverage. It's not joking when it says full coverage. It gives a flawless finish and I love that it's not harmful for my skin.

5. Marc Jacobs Tan-Tastic Omega Coconut Bronzer

This bronzer is holy-grail status. It is so so good. This one has a universally-flattering tone that is the perfect shade of bronze: not too orange or muddy. Because it's so neutral, I think it would work well for many skin tones. I'm very fair and sometimes have an issue with bronzers being too orange- this one works well for me and is easy to buff out.

6. Hourglass Arch Brow Pencil
Great shape. Great payoff. Great packaging.

7. Fenty Beauty Liquid Eye Liner
Great shape. Great payoff. Great packaging. ;)

8. Sephora Lashcraft Mascara
I've been really enjoying both the length & volume and the big volume versions from Sephora's Lashcraft mascara line. Both do a nice job at separating the lashes and providing volume without clumping.  

9. Burt's Bees Beeswax Chapstick 
If I could only keep one lip product for the rest of my life, I would choose this. If it's not broke, don't fix it. Jokes aside, this is my all-time favorite chapstick/lip balm/etc. It hydrates well and is very long-wearing. I usually apply this before bed and it is still on my lips by morning. It just works! 

10. Dr. Teal's Bubble Bath
I take a bubble bath every single night to relax and wind down before bed. It's my thing. I really enjoy the Dr. Teal's Bubble Bath line (their epsom salts are also very nice). All of the products are very relaxing and have great bubble pay-off (essential to a BUBBLE bath). 

-FASHION-

1. Wubbly Fleece Pullover
My new favorite pullover! Super comfy + warm for running errands. I ordered this one (on sale for under $50!) in a size small but found this much cheaper version (like $32!) that I also want to order. I'm thinking of buying the burgundy/"garnet" shade or the maroon. 

2. Zella Leggings & Spanx Leggings
I always bust out my leggings once it starts to get a bit chilly outside. My two favorite pairs are these ones from Zella and the Spanx ones. I've been wearing them a ton this month! 

3. Adidas Sneakers
I've been obsessed with these sneaks and they go great with my pullover + leggings! This particular style is super lightweight and very comfy to walk in. I sized down a half-size.

4. Earrings
These are beautiful and sparkly! They looked real but the best part is they're super affordable. They come in three color options- silver, gold + rose gold.


xx,


Kristen