It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!!!

I <3 the holidays. And with Thanksgiving about a week away the grocery store shelves are full of holiday treats and retail stores are stocked with gift-giving goodness!

If you've been reading my blog for awhile you know I have an addiction to anything Trader Joes. Combine TJ's with the holidays and what to you get? One really happy hungry blogger!!

These Dark Chocolate Stars are one of my latest holiday finds during my recent trip to TJs.

Cookies? Check.

Chocolate? Check.

Healthy? Check. (Well, it is dark chocolate...hehehe)

Delicious? Double check!

They even come in a plastic container with a lid so you don't have to worry about using a chip clip or transferring to another box to keep them fresh.

On another note, I wanted to show you MAC's holiday gift bag from this year because I am a big fan:

When you buy a gift at MAC they will give you this gift bag for free! It is metallic white and silver and made of thick paper...not the cheap stuff. MAC has special gift bags every year during the holidays but more often than not you have to ask the sales associate for the bag because they don't always offer it. Not only does it save you the trouble of having to wrap your gift, but who wouldn't love to receive such a cute bag?

What are you excited about this holiday season?

Eye of the Day - Most Makeup I've Worn in Awhile

Hey All! I have been a bit busy the last couple weeks so I didn't get a chance to blog much and respond to comments, but I am back to my routine again. I haven't been wearing much eye makeup recently, so when I did this look the other day I thought I would snap a couple pics for you.

Here's what I used (all MAC unless noted):

Arena shadow on lid

Texture shadow in crease

Engraved Liner on upper lid

Petrol Blue Pearlglide Liner on water line and lower lid

NARS Larger Than Life Volumizing Mascara on lashes

In other news, I was at Costco recently and found the most AMAZING thing for my tastebuds:

These belgian waffles come individually pre-packaged and they are already sweetened with a cinnaminon-sugar flavor (even though the package says vanilla). They are great for grabbing as a breakfast on the go or even as a snack. However, the best part is these taste absolutely divine! Like melt-in-your-mouth-heaven-for-your-tastebuds divine. They are cooked but I just pop them in the toaster for a minute or so to heat them up....easy peasy!

On that note I am off to eat a waffle!

Holiday Spirit!

Fa la la la la, la la la la!!!

I am such a cheeseball when it comes to the holidays!! I love the decorations! I love the spirit of giving! I love time with friends and family! I love the cheer! I love the music (yes, that's me with the Mariah Carey Christmas album on repeat)! I love the sweets!!!

Oh and I love the shopping! But I tend to shop for myself just as much as I shop for others. Shhhh.....don't tell Santa!! =)

In the spirit of the holidays, I enjoy baking all sorts of treats, but occasionally I can't help but get ready made ones. Look at the amazing treats I found at Trader Joes the other day:

I never had a whoopie pie before, but this is the start of a new treat addiction!

Yes, these are even more delicious than they look!

I am OBSESSED with gingerbread. Even to the point where I have gingerbread pajamas!

What are your favorite things about the holiday?

Coffee, More Coffee, and Some Pumpkin Spice

Where does the time fly? It's November already! I'm nearing my 6-month wedding anniversary! Craaaazzzyy!!! 

I haven't been wearing much makeup the last few days because I had a cold, and so instead of makeup, I am sharing with you one of my current home-made faves: A pumpkin-spice latte coffee a la Starbucks my kitchen. 

I LOVE Starbucks holiday flavors, my favorite being the Gingerbread Latte and the Pumpkin Spice Latte coming in at a close second. Those $4 delights can add up quickly, and so I decided to try pleasing my holiday tongue with a homemade version. I made regular coffee, added in Pumpkin Pie Spice creamer from International Delights, and a dash of Pumpkin Pie Spice, and ta-da...a homemade version that is almost as good to my taste buds, but definitely better for my wallet!

What are you winter faves?

Joe's, Giotto's, Jacque's, Ming's.....This Trader Has it Going On!!

This is totally unrelated to beauty, but I think some of you can relate. Especially my mom...

The hubby and I made our first trip to Trader Joe's after moving to our new city, and we went a little crazy (and this doesn't even include refrigerated or frozen foods):

I love everything about Trader Joe's! The sauces, the breads, the pastries, the cheese, the tofu....EVERYTHING!

Where do you "trade"?

Easy Peezy Earring Organization

Happy Sunday! Wait, Sundays aren't happy....it means the start of the work week. =/ The weekend is coming to an end and boy was it a busy one for me! I went to visit my fiance (he lives 1.5 hours away from me), watched a couple movies, went to a family friend's place for dinner, went to a class, and did makeup for a friend for a photoshoot. Man, I need a weekend to recover from my weekend!

On to some fun stuff....

Awhile ago my mom had gone shopping for some home organization and she got me this really cool earring case and I wanted to share it with you all:

It opens up to reveal 4 sides that have holes and little grooves so you can store both dangly and stud type earrings. I didn't do the math, but it holds a LOT of pairs! It's great for me because I like to wear lots of different jewelry, but I rarely change my chain and pendant (I wear a religious one), instead I am constantly changing my earrings.

She got it from the Container Store and it's only $15!! You can check it out here. I love that store because they have so many cute little containers and great storage ideas. I am all about organization and I can't function if stuff is all over the place. I'm kind of like Monica from Friends, though not as compulsive as she was about the cleaning part. =)

On a random note, I made this Roasted Butternut Squash and Feta Risotto a few nights ago. It was absolutely dee-lish!! There is some onion, garlic, spinach, and some other spices in there. In the fall I really enjoy using holiday foods in my cooking, like pumpkin and cinnamon. The original recipe for this called for pumpkin but I decided to try it with Butternut Squash instead. It is not squishy like regular squash (I'm not fond of squishy veggies), and it has a nice flavor and is even a little bit sweet. Mmmm, I will definitely be making this one again!