HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Helloooooo and Happy New Year's Eve! I'm so excited to start 2026 off and had to wish you a quick Happy New Year! I hope you have a safe and fun New Year's Eve with all of your loved ones. Cheers to one last hurrah with all the yummy foods, desserts, drinks and delights! As usual, I'm way past the point of return on Christmas cookies and candy... I've been slowly weaning myself off of them this week. The strategy is to just start eating a little bit less each day LOL. Despite that, somehow we still ended up with Nothing Bundt Cakes for tonight?? I needed to use up some Uber cash today and the final consensus was to get bundt cakes for everyone, hah. Mine is the Oreo- it's so yummy! I'll enjoy my last few bites of 2025 and then we're diving into detox mode in January. 

What are your NYE plans- do you usually stay up until midnight? I'm a perpetual night owl but I had an early start today so I'm feeling pretty wiped right about now. We haven't even made it to 7 o'clock yet and I've already come close to dozing off twice- I need a power nap! I'm spending the evening in with all my people with chili, snacks + appetizers! If there's good food + company, it's always a good time! 

On one last note, I'm so grateful to have you here and I can't wait to see what 2026 brings all of us! I think a lot of us would agree that 2025 was an interesting year. Like every year, there were and always are ups and downs. Some years, you're up in the ups, others you're up in the downs. Despite that, I've always believed that we all still have much to be grateful for. It's nice to spend a little time reflecting on the previous year and to start the next year off in a positive headspace. Also be sure to open your door at midnight to let last year out! Here's to the start of a wonderful year full of love, health, wealth and prosperity in all things. I'll see you on the other side! ;) 

Do you have any New Year's resolutions? I'd love to hear what they are!! -xx.

THE BEST END-OF-THE-YEAR SALES 2025

Hello hello! With just a few days of 2025 left, there are a lot of great post-holiday and end-of-the-year sales happening right now. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with loved ones and some time off of work to rest + relax. Sadly work resumed on Friday for me, however I did take a few days off from posting here on the blog. It was a nice to just soak up the holiday weekend + recover from working in retail ;) 

Despite all of the pre-Christmas spending, I do love a good sale and I'm definitely feeling the shoppies right now! I thought I'd share all of my favorite sales + a few purchases I'm making to start off 2026. 

My main priorities going into the new year are to focus on health/wellness + to start reading more books. After all of the holiday indulgence, I'm looking forward to a "diet" reset, if you will. I've about reached my limit on sugar so I'm hoping that will help me to start the year off eating cleaner. I'm also looking to add in a few more workout days- currently I try to work out at least 2x per week and I'm also active/aim for 10,000+ steps on most days. Lulu got me with their end of year sale- they have a great selection of items on sale right now so I snagged a few new matching outfits + some new sweatshirts. I'll try to link everything I purchased below! 

I also snagged this cozy sherpa pullover on major sale from Athleta. I've never purchased anything from them before but an ad got me! It was only around $50 and I love a good sweatshirt/pullover to throw on in the cooler months. If you've tried any of their workout gear, let me know your thoughts! I'm always looking for new leggings/tanks/sports bras/etc. 

Another priority going into 2026 is to stay consistent with supplements + vitamins. I've been enjoying the Mary Ruth's gummies- I have this daily multivitamin + this one for hair/skin/nails. Usually the new year is a great time to stock up- I know Amazon + a lot of the big stores tend to run deals on health/wellness items so I'm keeping an eye out. I'm also thinking of adding a new fish oil supplement to my routine- I think some additional Omega 3s would be a great addition. I've been eyeing this one. 

So far those are my purchases + wish list items. I'm always tempted to buy new books but I have a pretty large unread pile to give some attention to... I'm also very tempted by the Aritzia sale! I always have wish list items there, hehe. After my Lululemon splurge, I'm pacing myself but there's something to be said for finishing the year off with a bang! ;) 

THE BEST END-OF-YEAR SALES

+ Abercrombie (25-50% off almost everything) 

+ Agent Nateur (up to 25% off site wide) 

+ Amazon (select sale items up to 40% off site wide)

+ American Eagle (40-60% off almost everything)

+ Anthropologie (extra 50% off sale)

+ Aritzia (up to 50% off everything) 

+ Armani Beauty (30% off site wide) 

+ Athleta (extra 30% off sale styles) 

+ Bloomingdales (save up to 65% off already reduced styles)

+ Dermstore (up to 40% off site wide + an extra 10% off sale items with code EXTRA10)   

+ DNDGEL (60% off faves + 50% off everything else)

+ Leatherology (up to 60% off select sale styles) 

+ Lululemon (500+ items on markdown) 

+ Macy's (specials site wide up to 60% off)  

+ MAC Cosmetics (30% off sale items)

+ Nordstrom (up to 60% off select items)

+ Old Navy (sale items site wide + extra 15% off orders of $80+)

+ QVC (specials site wide) 

+ Ring Concierge (select items up to 50% off) 

+ Sephora (extra 20% off sale items with code BONUS20)

+ Target (select deals site wide)

+ Ulta (50% off select daily beauty steals)

+ Urban Outfitters (extra 40% off sale items) 

+ Vans (extra 40% off sale items)

+ The Vitamin Shoppe (select sale items; 10% off $65, 15% off $80, 20% off $100 + 25% $150)

-SHOP MY SALE PURCHASES HERE-

What are your NYE plans this year?

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

WHAT I'VE BEEN WATCHING: CHRISTMAS MOVIES

Happy Christmas week! I have some updates on Christmas movies!! Right now we are in it with the Netflix/Hallmark Christmas movies- light-hearted, slightly cheesy rom-coms that we all know and love! I've been watching them while wrapping presents and working on my Christmas puzzle. From my "What I Want to Watch on Netflix: Christmas Movies" post, I checked off both Champagne Problems and A Merry Little Ex-Mas. Both were cute- A Merry Little Ex-Mas definitely has the cheesy moments but I loved getting to see Alicia Silverstone back on the screen! Minka Kelly was also great, she's always so ethereal. I would've liked a little more drama or oomph for the ending of Champagne Problems, however I have no regrets and I liked a lot of the supporting characters. I have similar feelings about A Cowboy Christmas Romance. I think both were just a bit anticlimactic for my liking! 

A pleasant surprise in the mix was Christmas at the Chalet. I started this one on a whim and it's been my favorite one so far! I also had no clue Teri Hatcher was in it until I started watching. She was great- the storyline is really cute and I loved her character! The energy she has in the movie is so bubbly and fun, I was entertained the whole time. Definitely a feel good worth watching. I started A Sprinkle of Christmas because I love any cooking/baking themes but I couldn't really get into this one. 

Switching gears to Amazon, I randomly started A Cinderella Christmas which was so cute! The OG A Cinderella Story is a forever fave but I had zero expectations on what to expect here, definitely a pleasant surprised. I really think that the leading characters can really make or break a film- Emma Rigby's character, Angie, was lovely and really carried the movie IMO. Very charming, sweet and wholesome! 

I think that covers everything I've watched so far... I'm excited to dive into some of the "Classics" next! Every year I also love re-watching all of my faves like Christmas With the Kranks, This Christmas, The Family Stone, etc. 

Wishing you a wonderful week and a Merry Christmas!! - xx. 

END OF THE WEEK THOUGHTS | 12.19.25

The Christmas countdown is on! How are we doing, is everybody ready? I've been taking more of a laissez faire approach with the holidays this year. I haven't felt as pressured internally to shop shop shop and do all of the holiday things. I'm not feeling bah humbug, just more of a "it'll be what it'll be" vibe. It always ends up coming together in the end, no? We've just been going with the flow this year, ya'll, which has made a huge difference. I feel so much lighter, mentally, and just less stressed over all. Love that for me! ;) 

Obviously I love Christmas so I'm still excited for the upcoming week! I think the difference this year is we're just trying to keep it fun, ya know? I'm hoping to finish up all of my shopping this weekend and if I were smart, I would've started wrapping gifts weeks ago, lol. If push comes to shove, we always have gift bags!

Maybe I'll have a wrapping party and start my next Christmas movie. I finished watching Champagne Problems this week which was pretty cute- I like Minka Kelly. I also started this Christmas puzzle and made some Santa's Cookies tonight so we're staying festive. It's crazy how quickly the time has passed this season- every year it seems to go by a little bit faster. Here's to a few more festive days before the start of 2026! 

Wishing you all a fun and festive weekend! -- xx.

I love sharing my picks + hauls with you all! Should you make a purchase through the links in this post, I'll earn some money to keep on shopping! Pretty cool, huh? :)

DAILY ESSENTIALS HAUL

Cotton Rounds // Crest Stain Remover Toothpaste // Skintimate Shaving Gel // Therabreath Mouthwash // Crest Radiant Mint Whitening Toothpaste 

**SHOP THIS POST + MORE OF MY DAILY ESSENTIALS HERE** 

I love sharing my picks + hauls with you all! Should you make a purchase through the links in this post, I'll earn some money to keep on shopping! Pretty cool, huh? :)

TOP 5 MOST POPULAR BLOG POSTS | 12.15.25

1. HATCH RESTORE ALARM CLOCK UNBOXING - Everyone must be gifting Hatch Alarm Clocks for Christmas this year, hehe!! I think the Hatch makes a great gift for anyone who values their sleeping routines and/or maybe isn't a morning person. This post is a great reference for more info on the clock itself, however I've really enjoyed mine. I love the different sound and light options and find it still functional without the monthly subscription.

Read here: Hatch Restore Alarm Clock Unboxing 

2. SALT & STONE DEODORANT REVIEW + RESTOCK HAUL - My favorite clean deodorant is still the Salt & Stone line. I love their sensitive line- the formula is nice for lower activity days and during the cooler months. They also have some amazing scents that suit both men + women. 

Read here: Salt & Stone Deodorant Review + Restock Haul 

3. REVIEWING YASSO GREEK YOGURT BARS - My favorite healthy "ice cream" is the Yasso Greek Yogurt Bars. They are so good, ya'll. Compared to regular ice cream, they're a lot less calories with some extra protein. It's the perfect sweet treat if you're trying to be mindful of your nutrition. 

Read here: Reviewing Yasso Greek Yogurt Bars 

4. OURA RING UNBOXING - Another great gift idea and one of my best purchases has been the Oura Ring. It's almost been four years since I first bought mine and I absolutely love. It's a great data-tracking tool for sleep, vitals, feminine health + more. I check my ring's data daily and it's a great tool for monitoring health. This post has a lot more info on the ring, my original unboxing + more. 

Read here: Oura Ring Unboxing 

5. DUCK DONUTS REVIEW + TASTE TEST - Duck Donuts is a such a fun concept. They're donut shops with "made to order" donuts that are yummy. This post has a review of my first time going + a rundown of a lot of the different flavors they offer. They have a lot of house-made flavors to choose from or you can customize your own! 

Read here: Duck Donuts Review + Taste Test 

What are your favorite blog posts to read? Let me know some ideas you'd like to see in 2026!! - xx. 

NEW AT SEPHORA

Hangul 2-in-1 Mask to Foam Cleanser // Mango People Glossy Lip Stain // ROZ Scalp Scrub Detox Shampoo // Gisou Honey Lip Mask // MAKEUP BY MARIO Etheral Eyes Nature Eyeshadow Palette // Hanyul Cleansing Oil // HUDA BEAUTY Easy Bake Loose Powder // innisfree Green Tea Milk Toner 

-SHOP THE POST-

I love sharing my picks + hauls with you all! Should you make a purchase through the links in this post, I'll earn some money to keep on shopping! Pretty cool, huh? :)

DECEMBER BOOK HAUL

I'm always excited to share a new book haul with you!! Anytime Target or Amazon has a sale on books, I try to buy a few from my never-ending TBR list. Right now I'm making my way through a re-read on Eclipse (I've been on a Twilight re-read + re-watch these past few months!), however I want to squeeze in a few fun holiday reads before Christmas. I always love a festive romance for the holidays- I need easy and lighthearted this time of the year!!

You may or may not know that I usually like to go into books blind without much to go on. Rarely do I read through a synopsis and if I do, it's usually forgotten about it by the time I get around to buying/reading the book. Because of that, I have no idea what any of these are actually about, lol. Most of the time I find new recommendations based on ratings, new arrivals or if I keep seeing them pop up often in TikTok videos, on Goodreads, etc. 

I love a good holiday rom-com so when I saw both Merry Christmas, You Filthy Animal and Good Spirits on the newly released/coming soon page a few months back, my attention was grabbed. I'm always drawn to cute cover art! Fast forward a little bit and both of these have been getting some great reviews which is always a green light. The only intel I really have is that Merry Christmas, You Filthy Animal is technically a spin-off sequel with secondary characters from the book How My Neighbor Stole Christmas. I contemplated reading it first, however I decided I wanted to start with the new one. 

In the past I wouldn't have been able to do it! It would've drove me nuts to read a sequel without reading the first book. Now, I'm a lot less rigid on that and decided does it even matter?? I've never really been a huge fan of spin-offs- the first books are always the best IMO and the supporting characters typically aren't as interesting to me. 

I'm kind of old school in that I love a classic, regular series where all of the books continue the same plot + story. Those I would have to read in order! In this case, I'm feeling the vibes on book two so we're starting there! Also who knows- maybe I'll love it enough to go back and read the first one too, haha. 

I also finally picked up Mile High by Liz Tomforde. This book has been on my wish list for so long and is constantly raved about on TikTok. I vaguely remember reading the synopsis on this- I'm pretty sure it takes places in Chicago and our male lover is an athlete. That's about it! It's also part of a spinoff series, lol. I may or may not read the sequels but I'm at least excited for this one!! 

-SHOP THE POST-

**SHOP THESE BOOKS + MORE OF MY READING LIST HERE**

*ADD ME ON GOODREADS HERE :)*

What books have you been reading?

I love sharing my picks + hauls with you all! Should you make a purchase through the links in this post, I'll earn some money to keep on shopping! Pretty cool, huh? :)

WHAT I WANT TO WATCH ON NETFLIX: CHRISTMAS MOVIES

Every year I wait too long to start watching Christmas movies, I usually end up watching more after Christmas than before. I always have big ambitions to tackle both my favorites + new ones, however time seems to slip away. This year I'm pushing myself to start early and we're kicking things off with all new (to me) movies. I perused Netflix and found these starting picks- a few are new 2025 releases and some older additions that look promising!

From the new and trending, my three picks are: Jingle Bell Heist, Champagne Problems and A Merry Little Ex-Mas. I've already heard positive feedback on Jingle Bell Heist which looks cute. I like that the storyline is a bit different than a lot of the Netflix/Hallmark rom-coms, I'm excited to watch! Champagne Problems and A Merry Little Ex-Mas I was pretty much sold on when I saw Alicia Silverstone and Minka Kelly. Alicia will always be my fave!! 

I watched a few different trailers of older movies I've never seen and both A Lot Like Christmas and The Noel Diary made the list. A Lot Like Christmas is giving classic Netflix Hallmark, The Noel Diary is a bit more dramatic. I typically go for lighthearted and fun on Netflix, however the more heartfelt movies usually end up on my favorites list. I like a little bit of sentimentality thrown in there too! 

NETLIX CHRISTMAS MOVIE WATCH LIST

+ Jingle Bell Heist
+ Champagne Problems
+ A Merry Little Ex-Mas
+ A Lot Like Christmas
+ The Noel Diary

Let me know your favorite Christmas movies so I can watch them too!

WEEKLY CRUMBL | 12.5.25

Okay ya'll, I have been trying to do a little food detox after all of the Thanksgiving indulgences. I've been cutting back on sweets especially, HOWEVER, the opportunity to try this week's Crumbl cookies presented itself so here we are! Lolllll. These reviews are also some of my most popular posts so I couldn't not share it with you. This week's lineup is sneaking in some holiday flavors with the following: Brownie Batter Cookie, Holiday Tree Cake, Snickerdoodle Sandwich Cookie, Sea Salt Toffee Skillet Cookie, Raspberry Cheesecake Cookie and Sticky Toffee Pudding.

Definitely a wide variety- I was excited to see the Holiday Tree Cake and Sticky Toffee Pudding. I've always been curious to try Sticky Toffee Pudding- you don't really find it here in the US so I thought it was neat they included it for the week! They're also both bringing in the Christmas vibes which is super fun right after Thanksgiving. 

I would say the Holiday Tree Cake was a pretty good take on everyone's favorite Christmas Tree cakes! I always love the texture of Crumbl's cakes- very fluffy and moist. The flavor on this one wasn't exactly like Little Debbie but it was what you'd expect from a white cake + frosting combo. Very sweet and sugary! The frosting itself was on the thicker/hard side, I'm sure to try and replicate that tree cake coating. I also love the design- so cute and festive! 

The Sticky Toffee Pudding was a no go for me- definitely a bummer! Because I don't have anything to compare it to, I'm not sure what to go off in terms of comparison. It just wasn't my jam. The texture of the cake was pretty dry and not what I'd expect for toffee pudding. I also felt like it lacked flavor and daresay had a bitter hint? The vanilla bean whipped cream on top was delicious and helped, just not enough for me to reorder. If I'm lucky enough to visit England one day, it's on my bucket list to try out the real deal! 

I'm pretty sure I've had the Brownie Batter before- ya'll know I'm in the middle on the chocolate flavors. Most I can pass on. This one is super fudgy and does have that brownie vibe Ya'll know I always say the chocolate flavors are a little too bitter for my liking- this one wasn't bad but I could take it or leave it.

I also feel like I've had to have tried the Raspberry Cheesecake before... if not, definitely some other cheesecake flavor. I'm usually a fan of these- the graham cracker cookie flavor is always yummy with the cheesecake topping. The cookie this time was so so- a little dry and because it's chilled, hard. The topping was delicious! The raspberry sauce was the star of the show- it's super vibrant and fresh. I love the flavor and had the cookie been better executed, this would have been my favorite one of the week! 

I have similar sentiments about the Snickerdoodle Sandwich Cookie- flavor, spot on. Texture- dry and hard from being chilled. Had this been served room temperature with fluffier cream, I think it would have been excellent. I really enjoyed the flavor! Sometimes snickerdoodle is boring for me but this one was great. To me it tasted a lot of the Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop-Tarts which are my favorite. 

Last was the Sea Salt Toffee Cookie Skillet. I have to do a little disclaimer on this one- I think I botched it a bit. Normally this one is served warm but because I wasn't eating them for awhile, everything went in the refrigerator. I reheated it later on, however the mousse topping got a little too melty so it definitely changed the vibe, lol. The flavor of this one was probably the most unique and was good, I just wasn't wowed. 

Perhaps the issue is that they spoiled us last week with the Thanksgiving pies- those were outstanding! I raved about them in last week's post but I had zero complaints about all of the ones we ordered. I'm also still coming down from food/sugar overload so I could only stomach a few bites of each! All in all, it's always in good fun and I enjoy trying out new flavors. I also love when they add in some wild cards like the Sticky Toffee Pudding! The Christmas vibes and the box are so fun too! 

Now it's back to detoxing- at least until the next must-haves come out, right? Lol- hope ya'll have the best weekend! - xx. 

What's your favorite Crumbl flavor?

DECEMBER READING LIST

DECEMBER READING LIST:

You can read the synopsis + shop each book by clicking on the title below: 

+ Merry Christmas You Filthy Animal by Meghan Quinn 

+ Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer 

+ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling 

+ Good Spirits by B.K. Borison 

*SHOP THE POST + ALL OF MY READING LIST HERE*

What are you reading this month?

PS-- I'm also on Goodreads if you want to add me here :)

I love sharing my picks + hauls with you all! Should you make a purchase through the links in this post, I'll earn some money to keep on shopping! Pretty cool, huh? :)

SKINCARE HAUL

A few of my Black Friday finds have started coming in so lots of fun hauls are coming your way!! For today's post I wanted to share some new skin/body care products I picked up- I'm so excited to try these out. It's a close toss up these days on whether I love skincare or makeup more... most of the time skincare tends to win out but lately we've been a little on the fritz. I can't seem to figure out the root cause of some breakouts/dermatitis on my face so we're a little at odds with each other, loooolllll. 

Despite the current sitch, I love trying out new products and achieving glowy, hydrated skin which skincare definitely plays a roll in. I'm still doing a lot of trial and error to help with the spots on my face so I picked up the Anua Azelaic Acid 10+ Serum. Azelaic acid is great for targeting bacteria, redness and inflammation on the face. I've been trying this Ordinary Azelaic Acid cream without too much success on the spots and because I don't know the root cause, my expectations for the serum to clear up the spots is pretty low. I actually purchased it more to target the redness on my skin and if I'm lucky, maybe it will help the spots too. Anua is a Korean brand which I love + I'm a big fan of their Hydrating Ceramide serum! 

I'm the most excited to try out AHAVA for the first time. I have had both their Deadsea Mineral Bath Salt and their Mineral Hand Cream on my wish list for the longest time. Ya'll know my love for baths runs deep! All of their products use great, high-quality ingredients and are top rated. The hand cream also made since because I was already purchasing a pair of these Paume Organic Cotton Overnight Gloves. One of my biggest pet peeves during the winter is how dry and cracked my hands get. I'm both a chronic hand washer and addicted to my space heater, lol. Definitely a winning duo for dry hands!

I'm always looking for new hand creams, masks, etc., to try and every so often I'll wear gloves to bed for some extra hydration. I recently discovered Paume and their hand gloves get an amazing review.  I was sold by several comments saying they fit well and stay on -my current pair is way too big and always comes off in my sleep. 

Hand sanitizer definitely doesn't help the dryness, however I've been been having fun buying Touchland hand sanitizers! I do feel like they're less harsh than your typical hand sanitizer? It's a little bit of a silly splurge, however they're fun and the scents are nice. I also love the spray applicator! I've been trying different scents so today I picked up Rainwater. So far my favorite is the Blue Sandalwood! 

What did you purchase for Black Friday/Cyber Monday?

**SHOP THIS POST + MORE RECENT PURCHASES HERE**

-SHOP THE POST-

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