Year Ender: Giveaway Thank Yous! + HAPPY NEW YEAR! :D

Happy Last Day of 2012!!! :D

Since it's the New Year, I went through all the photos saved on my computer... as I was doing that, I saw pictures I took of some of the giveaway prizes I won throughout the year, so I decided that it is the perfect time to do my long-overdue giveaway thank yous. :)

Shopbop:

Thank you, SG Angela!

Shoetopia:

Thank you, Carrie!

Daisy Rae Boutique:

Thank you, Tara!

Thank you, Kayley!

Cosmic Love Accessories:

Thank you, Gemma!

Mustache Accessories:

Thank you, Jan!

Shabby Apple:

Thank you, Johanna!

Paper Heart Journals:

Thank you, Melissa!

A whole bunch of different things:

Thank you, Nicole!

WildFox Rosaries Necklace:

Thank you, StyleSays!

A whole bunch of different things:

Thank you, Tracy and Jessica!

Rosette Headband:

Thank you, Tess!

Smart Buy Glasses:

Thank you!

Vedette Shapewear:

Thank you, Jacquelyn!

Zoya Nail Polishes:

Thank you!

Pinky's Workbench Coastal Earrings:

Thank you, Amy and Adela!

I also won some other giveaways not pictured above, but I am equally grateful! 

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! :D

I am ever so grateful for all the wonderful blessings 2012 has brought.

Thank you so much, guys! I look forward to another year with you all!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! :D

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Beauty Watch 2012: Best Products Ever!

Happy Sunday!

Since the year is practically over and since we all love to talk about all things beauty-related, I'm thinking this is the perfect time to look back on the year's best products (according to People magazine):

Beauty Watch 2012: Best Products Ever!

Stars' secret weapons, experts' no-fail faves, top sellers at the beauty counter: a guide to the goods that always get great results.

***click to enlarge***

HAIR: The mane products Hollywood pros swear by to control flyaways, condition locks, and calm frizz.

John Frieda Frizz-Ease Hair Serum, Original Formula

Mason Pearson Pocket Bow Bristle Hairbrush

L'Oréal Paris Elnett Satin Hairspray, Unscented

Kérastase Bain Satin 1 Shampoo

Moroccanoil Treatment

Moroccanoil is really, really amazing!

I also find that more affordable versions of argan oil work as well. :)

FACE: Get glowing skin with these tried-and-true tools and treatments.

Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion with Pump

BeautyBlender Cosmetic Sponge

Tweezerman Classic Stainless Steel Slant Tweezer

Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser

Kate Somerville ExfoliKate Intensive Exfoliating Treatment

Clarisonic Mia 2 Sonic Skin Cleansing System in Coral

My sister raves about Clarisonic -- she said it is so worth it!

Cetaphil is also a definite winner!

MAKEUP: For the perfect flushed cheek or red lip, stock your cosmetic case with these must-haves.

Clé de Peau Beauté Concealer in Ivory

M.A.C. Russian Red Lipstick

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 in Almond

Maybelline New York Great Lash Mascara in Very Black

YSL Touche Éclat Radiant Touch in Shade No.3

Nars Orgasm Blush

Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner in Black Ink

M.A.C. lipstick in Russian Red and Nars blush in Orgasm are definitely on my list of things to buy in 2013! ;)

BODY: What works in and out of the shower to soothe and smooth your skin.

Kiehl's Creme de Corps

Dove Beauty Bar

Fresh Brown Sugar Body Polish

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant

Dove is seriously so amazing -- it doesn't dry my skin at all! :)

NAILS: Celebrity manicurists point to the three polishes that should be at every woman's fingertips.

OPI Nail Lacquer in Big Apple Red

Chanel Le Vernis Nail Colour in Vamp

Essie Nail Polish in Ballet Slippers

I love OPI! 

Chanel and Essie nail polishes are definitely on my list as well! ;)

Which of these products have you tried and loved?

Are there other products you think should be added to this list?

I hope you are all having a lovely weekend!

If I don't get to talk to you guys again before the year ends, HAPPY NEW YEAR! :D 

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Foodie Friday: Cocoa Chocolate Chip Scones

Happy Last Friday of 2012!!!

Back in November, I made a post about my little trip to Cost Plus World Market (click the link to check it out)... I mentioned that the only thing I bought was a scone mix and I also promised you guys a post all about it, so here we are! :)

I'm thinking of getting more of this and making some scones for New Year's Day breakfast -- this would be perfect with coffee, hot chocolate, or hey, tea while watching the annual Rose Parade. ;)

Sticky Fingers Scones Mix in Cocoa Chocolate Chip

Light, sweet, and crumbly, Sticky Fingers Scones Mixes are a premium English treat for breakfast, brunch, and snack time.
Sweeter than biscuits, more delicate than bread, and healthier than cake, you can enjoy yummy flavors of these all-natural scones in a snap. Simply add water, stir, and bake.

Sticky Fingers makes enjoying the authentic taste of luscious, home-baked goods as simple as possible -- short of dropping by and baking them for you!

NO PRESERVATIVES

NO ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS

NO TRANS-FATS

NO CHOLESTEROL

NO EGGS

They weren't lying when they said making these scones was simple -- it was definitely very easy to follow the directions! :)

PREP: Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease baking sheet pan.

(I used my silicone baking mat, so I skipped the greasing your baking sheet part, haha.)

MIX: In bowl, add 3/4 cup of water to entire mix.

I added a little more water as I went along because the mixture was too dry.

You can definitely add more water according to how much more you need.

Stir with fork until water is completely combined and sticky dough forms.

Confession... I used a spatula to mix it, using a fork didn't really work out too well for me, haha. ;)

By the way, it smelled amazing when I was mixing this!

The kitchen smelled of delicious chocolate scones!

BAKE: Drop heaping tablespoons of dough (about 12) onto pan.

Bake 12-15 minutes.

I put them in the oven for 13 minutes and they came out perfectly. :)

I ended up having a total of 25 little scones.

You can also make it into wedges, if you'd like...

For Wedge Style: With lightly floured hands, pat the dough into a 10 inch diameter circle in the center of prepared baking sheet pan. Score deeply with knife into 8 wedges. Bake 18-20 minutes.

They were delicious and it's just the right amount of sweetness, not overpowering at all.

They are perfect with tea, coffee, hot chocolate, or even a cold glass of milk! :)

Price: $4.99

(Definitely reasonably priced! If they sold this for a higher price, I'd still get it.)

Available in: Cocoa-Chocolate Chip, Cinnamon Raisin, Carrot Spice, Vanilla Chai, Raspberry, Wild Blueberry, Tart Cherry, Raspberry White Chocolate, Lemon Poppyseed, Strawberry, Cranberry, Lemon Ginger, and Original Mix.

What do you guys think? Do you make your own scones?

Which of the flavors mentioned above would you like to try the most?

I hope you are all enjoying the last days of 2012!

If I don't get to talk to you guys again before the year ends, HAPPY NEW YEAR! :D

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What's New: MAYBELLINE® Lash Stiletto® Ultimate Length Mascara

Happy Thursday!

I just wanted to share with you guys the new mascara I got... there was a time when I had no idea how to put on mascara, but now I can't get enough, haha! ;)

The new mascara I am so excited to try is:

MAYBELLINE® Lash Stiletto® Ultimate Length Mascara

in Soft Black

DOES FOR LASHES WHAT STILETTOS DO FOR LEGS

STRETCHES LASHES for provocative length 

70% LONGER LASHES

SHINY PATENT FINISH

Price: $8.95

(May vary according to where you buy it.)

Available shades: Very Black, Soft Black, and Brownish Black

WHY YOU'LL LOVE IT:
The hottest thing lashes will ever wear. The mascara that does for lashes what stilettos do for legs.

 • Grip & Extend brush grasps each lash and coats from every angle
 • Elastic formula stretches lashes for provocative length
 • Pro-Vitamin B-5 formula conditions and smoothes for black-patent shine
• Contact lens safe
 • Ophthalmologist-tested
• Washable, also available in Waterproof formula

It sounds so amazing to me!
I cannot wait to give this a try! :)

Have you used MAYBELLINE® Lash Stiletto® Ultimate Length Mascara before?
Thoughts? Opinions?

I hope you are all enjoying the last week of 2012!!! :D

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Women's Personal Finance: What is the price for Christmas?

Source: WomensPersonalFinance.net

Merry Christmas!!! :D

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! :D

I hope you are all having a fantastic time with your family and friends!

After Christmas lunch, I am off to watch Les Misérables with my family -- so excited! :)

How's your day going?
Any fun plans for the holidays?

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Happy Holidays! :D

Happy Holidays! :D

What's New: MyNameNecklace + Hello, Winter! :D

Wedding Wednesday: Most Beautiful Brides of 2012

What's New: FashionWholesaleMart.com! :)

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What's New: MyNameNecklace + Hello, Winter! :D

Happy Friday and Happy Winter!!! :D

Christmas is literally just around the corner and winter is definitely in the air!

It is freezing here in Los Angeles (Finally!) and I am having the time of my life breaking out my coats and scarves and boots = heaven! ;)

For today's post, I just want to introduce you guys to an awesome online store called MyNameNecklace... I am totally kicking myself for not being able to share this with you guys earlier! This would totally make THE perfect Christmas gift!
But that's okay, it's never too late to give out gifts or to get yourself your own name necklace, right?! :D

Each necklace from MyNameNecklace is custom made and hand made especially for you.

A name necklace is the perfect gift for any occasion -- Christmas (eeek, sorry again!), birthdays, anniversaries, etc.

There's really no better gift than a personalized piece of jewelry! :)

Their shipping takes approximately 2-3 weeks... it's quite a long wait, but it's totally worth it!

Isn't the box so cute?!

What's inside:

They sent me the Small 18k Gold-Plated Sterling Silver "Carrie" Style Name Necklace.

This personalized small “Carrie” style necklace is the perfect gift for fans of “Sex and the City”.
This name necklace is made of 18k Gold over Sterling Silver (0.925) and comes with an 18k Gold plated Sterling Silver Box chain.

16'' Chain (40cm)

Available chain lengths:

14'' (35cm) - Child

16'' (40cm) - Young Adult/Adult

18'' (45cm) - Adult

20'' (50cm)

22'' (55cm)

I chose to get the 16 inch chain -- it's just the perfect length. :)

Price: Originally $51.95, On sale for $39.95

Shipping is free!

The necklace is really beautiful!

The chain is of really excellent quality -- it's not like the regular chains you'll find at Forever21 and other similar stores.

This is the perfect accessory, I think everyone should definitely own one!

You can wear it with other necklaces -- layering necklaces is always fun! Or you can also just wear it by itself = classic! :)

Other information:

ID: 101-01-108-08 

Material: 18k Gold Over Sterling Silver 0.925 

Style: Carrie "Sex and the City" 

Thickness: 0.7mm / 0.03" 

Height of pendant: 5 - 8 mm 0.2" - 0.3" 

Chain style: Silver Box Chain Plated with 18k Gold

Since this is custom made, you can definitely choose whatever inscription you'd like. :)

Other additional information:

- One name or word per pendant. 

-  One capital letter per pendant. 

- The chain length mentioned at our website does not include the pendant. 

-  The size of the pendant varies in accordance with the name and style. 

-  The average pendant size is: 0.75 – 2 inch/ 2 – 5 cm.

Everything sounds great, right?

Click the link to get your very own Name Necklace. :)

You can also keep up to date with them through Twitter, Facebook, Blogger, Pinterest, and Google+.

What do you guys think? Do you have a name necklace?

Have you ever bought anything from MyNameNecklace before?

Happy Weekend and Happy Holidays!!! :D

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Wedding Wednesday: Most Beautiful Brides of 2012

Happy Wedding Wednesday!

I know Wednesday is practically over, but hey, it's never too late to have a Wedding Wednesday post, right?! ;)

Last year, I made a post about my favorite brides of 2011 (Check it out here!)...

And I figured I should make that a yearly thing, so here we are... 

Here are the most beautiful brides of 2012 (according to my opinion, of course):

1. Anne Hathaway -

She looks so happy and so radiant! :)

Anne wore a gorgeous strapless ivory silk point d'esprit tulle wedding gown made by Valentino especially for her.

The dress featured a romantic train embroidered with satin flowers and hand-painted in a soft pink hue.

And she totally rocked that headpiece -- so beautiful!

2. Princess Stephanie, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg -

Yes, she's not as well-known and as talked about as the Duchess of Cambridge, but look at how lovely Princess Stephanie looked on her wedding day! Everything about her is utter perfection!

And look at how gorgeous her Elie Saab wedding gown is! It's even more beautiful than Duchess Catherine's Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen wedding dress from last year's royal wedding.

(It's official: I have a huge crush on everything Elie Saab makes... have you seen Blair Waldorf's wedding dress?!)

It took a total of 3,900 hours to make this dress.

It features a 13 ft train and is embellished with 50,000 pearls and threaded with ethereal silver, while the skirt is embossed with 80,000 transparent crystals 

Aaaahhhh, I love royal weddings! Everything about this just screams "Princess"! :)

3. Camila Alves -

I love how simple but absolutely breathtaking Camila looked on her wedding day!

Besides the gorgeous lace sleeves, I loved her veil -- so delicate and so beautiful! :)

Brazilian designer Ducarmo Castelo Branco whipped up this timeless beaded lace wedding dress for Camila Alves. The bride only spent a day and a half with the designer and his team of eight seamstresses, and they surprised her with this beautiful dress 22 days later = Wow!

4. Drew Barrymore -

I love this photo!

It totally captures the gorgeous bride's happiness on her wedding day! :)

Drew's husband's father is the former CEO of Chanel, so it wasn't a surprise that the bride turned to Chanel head designer Karl Lagerfeld to create her wedding dress. The legendary designer "put together the actress's pleated muslin and organza gown, which features a skirt embroidered with flowers made of tulle and feathers and a black satin belt. After the ceremony, Barrymore donned a black Chanel tweed jacket to keep warm into the evening."

Check out Drew's wedding to Will Kopelman here.

5. Jessica Biel -

It's so unconventional, but I actually love this jumping photo of Justin Timberlake, haha!

I've always had a crush on this guy, and it's great to see him and Jessica Biel happily married. :)

The blushing bride wore a custom petal-pink gown made of silk mousseline and silk organza by Giambattista Valli.

It's not really a dress I'd choose for my own wedding, but it works for Jessica Biel -- Mrs. Timberlake definitely pulled it off. :)

There we have it, these are the most beautiful brides of 2012 for me.

I wish I had more time to talk about each of them, but no worries, just leave a comment below and we can continue chatting about these gorgeous brides and their weddings and their dresses... Plus, I'm thinking of making a post on my favorite weddings of the year just like I did last year (and fair warning, these five brides' weddings are probably gonna be it, haha!), so we can also chat more about weddings next week, haha! ;)

Do you agree with my choices?

In your opinion, who are the most beautiful brides of this year?

I hope you are all having a happy week, Christmas is almost here! :D

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