This is one of those real love 'em or hate 'em type of posts. Some people think it's a bit bratty to post about the gifts you received for Christmas. I, however, am on the other side of things. I love these types of posts because I am absolutely nosy and love to see what interesting gifts everyone got. You honestly never realize some of the cute things that are out there until you see that someone else has received them as a gift. Plus, you can get some amazing ideas for what to spend some extra Christmas money on.

And, let's be real. I'm a college student working a part-time job. I don't get to do hauls often.


Since this is quite a beauty oriented blog, I'll post the beauty bits first. My family-- mainly the mumsy-- bought me the NARS blush in Sin, which is a gorgeous color for someone who doesn't like to have rosy cheeks, as well as a Clinique All About Eyes Primer in medium (to give my eyes a tawny wash of color) and a Lancome gift set that included an Art Liner-- love-- a Hypnose Drama mascara, and an eye makeup remover.


Some books that I cannot wait to get started on! Not pictured is a huge, huge, huge vintage volume of all of Shakespeare's works that was gifted to me by my best friend after I started to nerd out over his plays in our Shakespeare class this past semester.


Remember how I said I was obsessed with Haim? Mumsy did. And after my Kindle Fire was stolen at uni that past semester, she got me a new e-reader. I actually prefer it over the tablet. And some gift cards-- the Amazon ones will likely be used to by textbooks, sadly.


A Listography notebook-- a great calmer-- and a notebook for my creative writing. I also went out and bought myself a few other notebooks to have around-- one for my journal writing, and a couple of smaller ones for school lists and work lists. I'm a list person and I have to write things down to remember them quite a lot, so notebooks are my thing.


A couple of sweaters and matching beanies to go with them. The tan on has a long chiffon back that is gorgeous. I had also gotten this necklace on my birthday but it unfortunately broke and couldn't be fixed. I had worn it every day since I had gotten it, so I was gutted. My mom is a sweetheart and got me a new one.


Last and certainly not least, the best gift in the history of gifts: my very own record player. I have loved records since I was a child spending the summers with my grandparents playing them on their ginormous record player. But their smaller ones (so I could take one home from Illinois to West Virginia) didn't work, and new ones were so expensive. Luckily thanks to the rise in hipsters-- and, hey, do what you do!-- record players are being produced again and for reasonable prices. So, of course...


... I had to go out and expand my collection. I had some of my mom's old records (Frampton Comes Alive, anyone?), but I had to get some of my favorites. So there's a mix of Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Elton John, Billy Joel, Carly Simon, and Fleetwood Mac. I was searching hard for some Springsteen, but people must really like to hold on to their Boss albums. I can't blame them.

My favorite part of Christmas is buying for others. I really enjoy trying to find something that will put a smile on the faces of my family and friends. But I admit, I was spoiled this year. I loved each and every one of my gifts and am so thankful that I was able to receive them.

Here's hoping you all had a very wonderful Christmas and have a great new year! And, of course, feel free to share any of your favorite gifts in the comments! I'm like that old nosy neighbor. I wanna know what was under your tree.

The lovely Erin over at Two Thirds Hazel came up with this lovely survey for us bloggers inspired by the celebrity questionnaire in Cosmopolitan magazine! It was right up my alley as a small-time blog as it is a nice way for my readers to get to know me without being too trite, right?

If you would like to fill out the survey for yourself, you can go over to Two Thirds Hazel and download it here!

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I don't usually "discover" new music. I stick to my classic rock, what I listening to in high school, and what is on the radio. So when I get introduced to something new, it is super exciting. That is what happened with these girls: Haim, the kind of indie-pop band of gorgeous sisters (that I kind of wish I could be). Thank you SNL for having these girls on right before Thanksgiving and allowing me to become just a little obsessed. Check out the rest of this post for some of their amazing music-- and some style inspiration, too.

Source Falling

As a person with less-than-perfect skin, I am always on the hunt for the perfect foundation. For reference, I have redness from mild rosacea and acne scars on my cheeks and chin. My skin also is pretty unpredictable-- it can do from super dry to extremely oily in the T-zone in a week.

So you can see why I might have trouble finding foundations that work for me.

Like so many of us, I had heard rave reviews of the MAKE UP FOR EVER (did you know it was all capitalized? I didn't) HD foundation. I heard so many rave reviews, I finally decided to try it for myself. At $42 for 1.01 fluid ounces, it is a little on the expensive side but it is a gorgeous foundation that will make your skin look nearly flawless.


I bought color 118-Flesh, which Sephora says is "for light skin with beige undertones." I do have neutral undertones, despite my rosacea and always try to match that. The color is a little dark for my face and neck but matches with my chest and the rest of my body perfectly. I think the product matches MUFE's claims: I don't look like I'm wearing makeup, it has a very natural but glowing finish, and it is a pleasure to wear as it feels like I am wearing nothing at all.


The formula isn't too thick nor is it too liquidy. It thickens as it spreads and provides a light to medium coverage that is buildable. However, I leave it as a light, almost medium coverage and simply use a concealer to hide acne scars. If you have extremely oily skin, this foundation may be for you. I use Rimmel's Stay Matte powder all over my face and, with that, the foundation lasts five hours without getting oily and nearly twelve hours overall.

Pros:
Long-lasting
Good coverage
Wide range of colors
Looks natural

Cons:
Expensive
Not great for oily skin

Overall, I would recommend giving this foundation a try. It photographs gorgeously, as well.

While I was out searching for the new limited edition Maybelline Color Tattoos (which still haven't hit my area-- sad face), I ran into these little beauties. I'm a sucker for jumbo lip pencils and matte lip color, so I was all over this. I've been purchasing a lot of darker colors lately, so I decided to go in the opposite direction and buy two of the lighter colors in this range: 230 Complex and 235 Mischievous.


Complex is a gorgeous nude shade. It looks a little on the brown side in the tube but when swatched you see a pretty pink undertone. I would say this color is that perfect ballet slippers type of color, if you get what I'm saying. It is just the right neutral shade for those with light to medium complexions.


Mischievous is an orange-pink shade, almost a coral but not quite. I would liken it to sherbet. Even though this would have been a perfect summer color, it will be a great choice to liven up an outfit in the fall and winter. I'm trying to get into orange shades-- I felt that this would be an interesting choice to start out with. I will probably apply and rub it into my lips to lessen the pigmentation some.

Not a very catchy title, I'll admit.

Like I said, I have been super busy with school and work since everything started up at the end of August. So when I have the chance to relax or do something a little fun-- bonus points if I can write about it for work!-- I jump on the opportunity. So here is a little bit of what I did during the month of September:

It's been nearly a month since my last update. I could do another life update post but-- hello!-- I have already done enough of those and, trust me, it would be boring. I have been busy and stressed and now I'm sick on top of it all. I've been feeling a little down, so I searched the internet to find some inspiring quotes... and just some stuff that I can relate to.

I know everyone says it, but it is hard to believe August is already over. And while I'm sad to see it go-- after all, my birthday was in August-- I'm ready for autumn. I'm ready for more coffee, cooler weather, sweaters, boots, and of course the makeup choices. But this post will show you the products I was loving in this last month of summer, a month that was excruciatingly summer-like and very, very hot.


Another purchase seen in my last post was the Laura Mercier translucent powder and it has now become a staple that I don't think I would be able to live without. It makes whatever makeup I am wearing last a few hours longer and makes my face look as smooth as porcelain. But it doesn't make me appear cakey or too powdered, nor does it make me appear completely matte. It lets the glow of whatever foundation I am wearing come through, and maybe adds a candlelit kind of glow itself. It's an expensive product, but if you can afford it, well worth the money.

I am not that much into nail art because I am lazy and my nails chip and it just seems like too much hassle. But now I can look like I put a little effort into my nail with only one coat of this Maybelline Color Show nail polish in Polka Dots. You need to use an opaque base underneath before applying this polish and, word of warning, it does not look like polka dots. Better yet, it looks like paint splatters. I think this polish was only $2.99 at my local drugstore so it is definitely worth picking up.


Earlier this year I had a pretty embarrassing acne breakout on my chin and right cheek. Now that they have cleared up I've been left with some scarring and this is the only concealer I trust to cover it and keep it covered all day. The package, really, says it all: Full Cover, Waterproof. It doesn't cake and it blends smoothly. What more could a girl ask for?


Of course, everybody and their mom knows about the Naked palettes-- and for good reason! They are amazing and versatile. But lately I've only been using a couple of colors from either one. If I am wanting I smokier daytime look, I reach for the original Naked palette and apply Naked all over my lid and run Buck through my crease, blending upward. If I am wanting a more 50's look, I reach for Naked 2. I apply Foxy all over my lid and Tease through my crease. For both looks I use Blackout, from the second palette, as a liner--for the second look, I'll wing it out a bit and pair it with a red lip.

I hope you've enjoyed seeing my August Darlings! What have been your favorite products this month?