What I Got/Gave for Christmas 2016

I know this is very late, but I want to still post it for memory sake.

We had such a great Christmas, with so much love and lots of great gifts! 

For my sisters I gave a framed piece of my calligraphy.

I also gave some dipped Oreos and the framed print to some cousins.

For neighbor gifts we gave our favorite chocolate covered popcorn, if you'd like to read more about that you can go HERE!

Brittany is basically the queen of cute gifts!  She gave all the girls this super cute lipstick holder with a little nail polish.

Her family gave this to all of her neighbors and she gave me one too!  I love the mini polka dot spatula!

She also gave me this cute little sign for Valentine's Day to tell me the Valentines stuff was out in the Target Dollar Bins! She's also the Target Queen!  #goals

My Mom's best friend gave all of us girls this Angry-Mama, it this super cool microwave cleaner!  Linda is the sweetest and always finds the most unique, cool gifts!

My Mom is seriously the best!  She always goes above and beyond for all holidays and for the table settings she made these super cute name tags/favors for everyone-filled with Christmas kisses!

She gave each couple a basket full of fruit! Healthy, needed and genius!

She also gave Dallin some beef jerky and Cody gave all the boys a comic book.  The boys were so excited!  It was so cute to see!

My mom gave all us girls an apron and a towel with the booklet The Christmas Apron!  I love it!!

We were also so lucky and grateful for amazing new neighbors and other gifts from our friends and family!  My sweet best friend gave me this adorable blanket!  You can never have too many blankets in my opinion so this was a perfect gift!

My Strong sisters in law are pretty crafty and adorable and gave every couple one of these beautiful lights! I love that they give decorations for gifts each year so I can use them year after year.

I also got the cutest little gingerbread house box full of chocolates, fluffy socks and lotion from my sweet cousin Mindy!  I somehow lost the picture I had but trust me it was adorable!

Dallin gave me some great things!  We are HUGE Amazon shoppers so you've been warned!

Dallin got me:

-Bella Hand Blender with Whisk Attachment-I've wanted one of these for AGES!  So excited to give it a whirl!

-The whole Harry Potter series-A classic, I've been saying we need this for a while! haha

-Harry Potter and the Cursed Child-To finish off the series of course.

-Sunbeam Hotpad-I complain about aches and pains sometimes and he thought this would help!  He's always so thoughtful.

-Emergency Underpants-Funny story about this, this was going to be his only gag gift for my stocking but he couldn't find anything else so it ended up being the only gift in my stocking!!  Next time I'll give him better stocking stuffer ideas! :)

He also got me the biggest, greatest box of Lush products I've ever seen!!! I was SO excited to try some new products! 

When we were in Disneyland I was debating about getting a Minnie apron for a souvenir and decided they were way too much money and I had just fine aprons at home.  Dallin surprised me with one he found online for a much better deal and personally I think it's even cuter than the one we saw at Disneyland!

I had a little too much fun shopping for Dallin this year!  I just couldn't stop adding more and more to his pile! 

Here's what I got Dallin:

-Drunk Stoned or Stupid Card Game-This is such a fun game!  We played it with my family for New Years and loved it!

-Cards Against Humanity-Dallin has wanted this for a while now. 

-Calvin and Hobbes Box set-He grew up loving and reading these so a set was a necessity!

-Gemstone, Rocks and Gemstones of the world books-Dallin has always loved these kinds of things and I thought it would be fun for him to research more about them here!

-Rock collection-To give him a head start on his collection!

-Pirates of the Caribbean DVD-Dallin loved this ride at Disneyland so I tried to surprise him with the movie.

-Loads of Star Wars things I found at Thinkgeek.com!  It's seriously a geek heaven.

-Treats from Pirate O's-Doesn't get better than that!

This Oreo Milka bar was incredible!! I found this at Pirate O's as well!

Another awesome holiday season has come and gone.  It always makes me so sad how fast it seems to go.  Till next year! 

February Beauty Box Round Up

This month I received all my boxes relatively quickly so I'm excited to get this post up within the same month! 

Find out which one I think the winner is for this month down below!

Isn't my little helper just the cutest!  Emma loves makeup just as much as I do!

Target Beauty Box-Hello Hydration

In this box you'll find some favorites to help keep your hair and skin hydrated through these dry winter months.

Soap and Glory Face Soap and Clarity Face Wash-This cleanser should help purify, smooth and brighten skin without over drying.


Gliss Ultimate Repair Shampoo and Conditioner-Cleans, conditions and repairs to add strength and prevent further damage.  The smartest duo I know!


Raw Sugar Coconut and Mango Body Wash-This body wash is packed with vitamins and enzymes to brighten and soothe skin.


W3LL People Expressionist Mascara Mini-I love that this mascara not only gives fluffy bold lashes but is also good for your lashes with nourishing ingredients.


Sun Bum Sunless Self-Tanning Towelette-Creates a natural, sunless tan with easy exfoliating and moisturizing towelettes.


Masque Bar Hydrating Face Mask-This face mask is loaded with great ingredients like aloe, collagen and vitamin E to add hydration and glow to skin.

L'Oreal Paris Pure Clay Masks-I love that I get a little sampler of all three masks in the set.  This set includes a purifying eucalyptus mask, detoxifying charcoal and an exfoliating red algae.

Shop the full sized products at Target HERE! 

Ipsy- Much Love

What squad goals are made of.

The Organic Pharmacy Lip & Eye Cream-This multipurpose product helps reduce puffiness, dark circles and lines around your eyes and hydrates, moisten and plump lips.

Trust Fund Beauty Nail Polish in I Give Good Tweet-This robin's egg blue is fresh, fun and perfect for Spring or really any season! 

NYX Professional Makeup Butter Lipstick in Lifeguard-This deep magenta is surprisingly super wearable!  I love that it is bold but still easy to wear!

Hikari Cosmetics Cream Pigment Eye Shadow in Latte-Even just a tiny bit will make your eyes pop!  Perfect to apply with your fingertips or brush or even to use as liner for a sparkly cat eye!

Biobelle #StayGorgeous and #Iwokeuplikethis Sheet Masks-I received one of these in a box last month so I was familiar with this brand and SO happy to get more!  With natural ingredients these masks help my skin look better then ever before!

Snag some tips and tricks on these products and find more about Glam Bags HERE!

Sephora Play!-The Soft Side

Subtle-yet-stunning are the results of this bag.

Clinique Pep-Start Hydroblur Moisturizer-This is seriously one of the smartest products I've heard of!  A moisturizer-meets-primer!  Why didn't people think of this sooner!?

Too Faced Lip Injection Glossy in Milkshake-A sheer tinted gloss that plumps lips instantly while hydrating and softening.

Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Quench Lip Rescue in Nude-This perfectly packaged little lip tint gives a soft natural tint and helps with hydrating chapped lips.

Sephora Collection Lashcraft Length and Volume Mascara-This mascara is jet-black and claims to volumize, lengthen and lift lashes.

Prada Candy-This warm and spicy scent has notes of caramel, vanilla, and white musk.

Origins GinZing Refreshing Eye Cream-I've heard so much about this eye cream I can't wait to try it!  Infused with coffee beans, ginseng, and magnolia extract it will brighten and depuff the undereye area.

Find out more about Sephora Play! HERE!



Beauty Box 5-The Kiss Kit

Put your best kiss forward!  A full kit all about lips.

Jean Pierre Cosmetics Pink Moisturizing Lip Mask-This mask preps lips with collagen, vitamins, and minerals to give you the best pout possible!

Tint Beauty Unicorn Lippie-A matte liquid lipstick that glides on easily and lasts all night long.

Tint Beauty Unicorn Liner-The perfect duo for your liquid lipstick for major staying power.

So Susan Colour Hybrid-This rich cream-mousse pigment adds fullness to your lips and looks great on many skin tone.  It can also be worn as a blush.

Style Essentials Lip Glow-This lip shine can be worn alone for a more natural, relaxed look or on top of a matte shade for a little more glow.

Find out more about Beauty Box 5 HERE!

Allure-Big Love

The month of love usually gets a bad rap.  Make it the month to show yourself some love with these products. 

First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads-These exfoliating pads gently exfoliates, tones, and brightens skin. 

Cargo Colorstick in Champagne-This universally flattering highlighter is super creamy and looks completely natural.

GrandeLips Hydrating Lip Plumper-A volumizing lip gloss that temporarily creates the appearance of fuller lips.

Beautycounter Lengthening Mascara-A simply elegant mascara that has everything you want in the mascara without all the "extras".  Claims to make your lashes longer, darker and just all around prettier.

Red Flower Moroccan Rose Candle-This candle is the perfect rose smell.  Perfect to light in your bathroom for a pamper night.

Olay Eyes Pro-Retinol Eye Treatment-This eye cream boasts of decreasing the appearance of even the deepest set in lines and wrinkles, even those pesky but inevitable crow's feet.

If you think this box is great you can check Allure out HERE!

That's a wrap for this months Battle of the Boxes!  And the winner for this month is....

Beauty Box 5!

Seriously I'm a little surprised by how much I love this box but I think it's such a great idea to dedicate a box to one specific thing and pack it with products that will help you achieve that look.  The colors and shades are also perfect for anyone to wear and look and feel fabulous. 

Which one do you think the winner is!?

January Beauty Box Round Up

Even though it's almost the end of February I wanted to still get this up!  Instead of my usual individual beauty box unboxings I thought I'd make a round up of all of boxes I receive throughout the whole month.  So it will make it more concise and easier to choose my favorite!  Like the winner of the Battle of the Boxes-sounds so official right!?

Ipsy-Metropolis

I love that this bag is full of products that I not only can't wait to try but I actually like!  The bag reminds me of the one I received from Sephora this month too!

Sally's Box Loverecipe AcaiBerry Mask and Loverecipe Aloe Mask-These masks are great to add hydration and moisture to your face. I love the super cute packaging too!

Manna Kadar Cosmetics Paradise Blush-This blush has warm pink undertones that brighten and add color.  The slight gold shimmer is the perfect amount to add some shine without it being too much.

Pretty Woman Nail Polish in I Can't Deal-This grey nude shade is the perfect color.  I love this one!

Trust Fund Beauty Lip Gloss in Blame Game-I love that this gloss can be applied once for a natural color or add more layers for a more stand out look.

Naked Cosmetics Mica Pigment in Desert Sunset #02-This perfect shimmery champagne shade is full of color, pop, and shimmer.  These pigments last so long you just need a little bit for a long lasting, pop of color!

If you'd like more info on Ipsy's Glam Bags you can go HERE!

Beauty Box 5-Red Carpet Ready

Besides this box coming just a few days before the end of January, I love the variety they sent.  There are so many brands that I've never heard of or products that I'm so excited to try!

So Susan Light Diffuser-This contour and highlighting duo is just what you need to make your face look defined and photo-ready.  And it smells like cocoa and coconut!

Pur-lisse pur-delicate Soy Milk Cleanser-This cleanser is made with soy milk, soy proteins, whole oat and white tea to give skin a gentle, non-irritating cleanse.

Novex Bamboo Sprout Leave in Conditioner-This leave-in conditioner is made with bamboo sprout to leave your hair feeling nourished and shiny.

Nanacoco Classic Collection Nail Polish-I love the pretty purple-ish shimmer shade I received.  And the packaging is so classic.

Maskeraide Spotted Anti -Blemish Clear Spot Patches-A patch that can remove pimples!? Genius!  Put a patch on a problem area and you'll wake up with a much better situation!

To find out more about Beauty Box 5 you can go to their new website HERE!

Sephora Play!-Beauty, Set, Go!

This sporty and cute bag is full of products to revamp your new year.

tarte FRXXXTION Stick-This is an exfoliating gel cleanser in a twist-up stick.  It can also be used as a purifying and revitalizing 10-minute mask.

OUAI Treatment Masque-This restoring mask helps damaged hair while leaving it smooth with touchable softness.  Just put on for 5-10 minutes before showering and you'll notice a difference.

TORY BURCH Love Relentlessly-This fragrance is super feminine with floral scents including pink pepper, Orris root and Patchouli.  I can't believe I'm saying this, but I've been using it for almost the whole month and I LOVE it!!

Youth to the People Kale and Spinach and Hyaluronic Acid Age Prevention Cream-This is like a green smoothie for your face-packed with vitamins and antioxidants to help skin be the best it can be.

Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey-I think it is so crazy that someone in the U.S. buys Black Honey lipstick every three minutes!!  With a color that looks good on any skin tone and it's super wearable both day and night I shouldn't be so baffled.

AmorePacific Color Control Cushion Compact Broad Spectrum SPF 50+-This cushion format CC cream hydrates, protects, and is also buildable yet weightless. 

For more information about the Sephora Play! subscription just go HERE!

Allure Beauty Box-Feast for the Eyes

A mix of products for the perfect smoky eye look!

Doucce Freematic Eye Shadow-I'm so excited about this quad.  The perfect set of shades to wear alone or all together for a great smoky eye.  These shadows can pop out so if I receive more I can create my own palette full of my favorite shades.

Oscar Blandi Pronto Dry Shampoo Invisible Spray-With ingredients to absorb oil and strengthen the hair this dry shampoo will keep you looking great in between washes.

Sigma E25 Blending brush-This brush is the perfect size for traveling and perfect for a precise blend.

Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion-This facial exfoliator that brightens, moisturizes and of course exfoliates.  I love that this won't make your skin raw and dry, but leaves it moisturized and ready for any treatment cream.

Burt's Bees Lipstick in Blush Basin-This rosy-nude lipstick is super natural and moisturizing and the packaging is mostly recycled plastic and still super cute!

Biobelle Facial Mask in #Beautysecret-This mask will help alleviate different skin concerns in only 15 minutes.

Want to learn more about Allure boxes?  You can head HERE!



Winter Walmart Beauty Box-Treat Yourself This Season with Beauty

This box is full of winter staples to help hydrate your skin in these cold months!

Curel Hydratherapy Wet Skin Moisturizer-This moisturizer is activated with water!  So easy to get out of the shower moisturize super quick and towel dry like normal.

Dove Deep Moisture Nourishing Body Wash-I've tried this body wash before and it is so hydrating and smells so good!

TRESemme Fresh Start Volumizing Dry Shampoo-I'm always up to trying more drugstore dry shampoos to hopefully kick my habit of the super fabulous Living Proof PHD dry shampoo.

Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Body Yogurt-I've loved Aveeno for years!  This body lotion smells amazing and different from their original scent.

Foil Packets:
L'OREAL Pore Vanisher-This claims to help pores shrink in 3 ways:  depth, number and size.

Jergens Natural Glow Moisturizer-This easy tanner claims to give you a glow in just 3 days.

L'Oreal Smooth Intense Ultimate Straight Shampoo, Pre-Condition, and Condition-The Pre-conditioner is a treatment to intensifies straightening; to give a longer lasting straight without the damage.

Find out more about Walmart's seasonal boxes HERE!

Well there you have it!  Another month of some awesome boxes!  And the winner for this month is...

ALLURE!

I just love the variety of FULL size products that I'll actually use, and that eye shadow palette is pretty awesome!  Which one is your favorite?! 

Sugar Cookie Decorating Kits

When I think of Valentine's Day one of the first things I think of is decorating sugar cookies.  It just can't be Valentine's Day without them!  I love the process of decorating the cookies, but sometimes I like having them already decorated and really just eating them. So I've got an idea for both, if you're anything like me!

The first idea is a Sugar Cookie Decorating Kit, where you make (or buy) and package all the supplies needed to decorate the cookies.  Who wouldn't love receiving this?!  It would be a great family night activity to make and give away or even receive!

To start get some cute plates-I found these at the....you guessed it...Target Dollar Bins!

Make your sugar cookies and frosting, I made a batch of these Soft Sugar Cookies from I Heart Naptime.  I found the cutest mini heart sprinkles at Smith's from Wilton!  Portion out the cookies, frosting, and sprinkles.  I found all the packaging at Dollar Tree, a clear cup for the frosting, a cupcake liner for the lid, and a little package for the sprinkles. 

Wrap it up and attach the cutest little tag so they know just how sweet they are! 

I couldn't decide so there are two slightly different tags you can find below.

Or if you want to do all the decorating yourself, you can attach these 'Thanks for making our lives sweeter!'  tags and I just know everyone will love them!  Even if you didn't want to bake you could pick up some sugar cookies from your favorite bakery and attach it too!

If you wanted to give it as a family there are tags for 'our lives' and if you wanted to give a single cookie to a friend just from you there is a 'my life'-there's a tag for everyone really! :)

We made large heart cookies to give to individuals too!  I was short on time so I just put it on a little tray but you could package them up with a cute bag and ribbon.

Or even give some heart cookie cutters for a no-bake gift!

If you'd like the free printable for the Sugar Cookie Decorating Kit and/or Thanks for making our lives/my life sweeter! tags, you can find them right HERE!

Valentine, you take the cake!

I love cake!  Like probably more than normal people.  So I knew I had to have at least one Valentine's idea with cake involved in it somehow. 

I found these cute cupcake erasers at the Target Dollar Bins (of course), but I've seen them loads of other places too!  You could pair this cute Valentine, you take the cake! tag with so many different cake things, the options really are endless! 

You know those Little Debbie snack cakes that I basically could eat a whole box of myself?!  If you don't mind splitting them up they would be an adorable Valentine for school classes or give a box to your neighbors!    

Or if you want to get fancy pick up some of your favorite cupcakes!  

Our favorite cupcake shop in the area is Sweet Tooth Fairy!  We chose Double Chocolate Raspberry and Strawberry Shortcake, both totally delicious and conveniently packaged! 

I mean really they don't come any prettier! 

Or even take it a step further and give them an adorable little bundtlet from Nothing Bundt Cakes.  

Also conveniently packaged for gift giving and totally amazing!!  We love these cakes so much-this was the cake we chose to serve at our wedding! 

Our absolute favorite is White Chocolate Raspberry but really you can't go wrong with any flavor here, each recipe is so perfectly flavored and each cake is perfectly, dare I say it...moist! (Sorry for those who hate that word it just describes it too adequately.)

Attach the little cupcake eraser in the blank spot or write your name and you good to go!  

If you'd like the FREE Valentine, you take the cake! tags you can print them right HERE!