I can't believe it's already December! This semester has gone by so quickly! I've been so busy the past 3 weeks with 10 final exams (3rd year Optometry student), but just finished my last one today! Glad to say all of them went well and I finished the semester strong. Anyways, the past week or so I've been reading everyone's "Holiday Gift Guides" and have become so excited for the holidays! I spent some time and came up with my top 21 favorite gifts all under $50. Most of these are for women so your Mom, Grandmother, Sister, Aunt, girlfriend, friend, etc but there are some that could be for the men in your life too! Some of them are super random but I promise will change your life...

It's that special time of the year again!! Starting Friday November 4th until the end of Monday November 7th, Sephora VIB Rouge members will receive 20% off with the code "20ROUGE" (online and in stores! & yes you can use the code multiple times). This is the perfect time to restock your favorite products or try some new ones you've had you eyes on. I usually try to limit myself during this sale so that I don't get too crazy, but somehow this year, I've seem to run out of EVERY SINGLE ONE of my staple beauty and skincare products at the same time (as in right NOW), so I'll have to restock everything during this sale (way more than I intended to). But, I do have my eyes on a handful of new (or new to me) products that I wanted to share with everyone. Basically I'll be spending way too much money at Sephora next weekend...

As some of you already know, I won the NARS Sarah Moon Holiday Collaborator Sweepstakes that was on Instagram this past March. Today I received the entire "Color Collection" in the mail!! I'm so excited to share photos and swatches of all of these amazing new products and review them for everyone! Please check my blog and Instagram everyday this week for updates on this new collection!

This month's Sephora Play Box included some everyday essentials - a lipstick, brow gel, eyeliner, facial moisturizer, hair mask and perfume. The brands they included this month were on point! That's one thing I love about the Sephora Play boxes, the consistency of great quality brands and products!

There's something about warm-toned eyeshadows that makes me so happy. I love every single gold, bronze, brown eyeshadow whether it's a matte or shimmer. Somehow I can convince myself that I need to buy every single one I see. (They're all different I swear!!) You can pretty much call me the Queen hoarder of warm-toned eyeshadows. I have blue eyes so I've always worn these types of shades to bright out my eyes. I highly recommend trying some of these shades if you're looking to bring out your eyes and warm up your face. I posted this photo above on Instagram back in January and it was a surprising hit (see original Instagram post here). So, I decided to post swatches of them now. Bc who doesn't love swatches?!

This was on my September wish list (view here) but when I found out they were only available on September 6-8 for VIB/VIB Rouge members at Sephora and wouldn't be available again until October 1st, I caved and ended up buying the shade Bound. I only have $100 left to spend to re-qualify for VIB Rouge for next year so I've been trying to stretch it out for all the holiday limited editions and sales but couldn't help myself. I'm so happy I purchased Bound though! I was looking for a hybrid of a lipgloss and lipstick and think I found my perfect match..

There are so many new makeup and skincare releases lately that really have caught my eye. My bank account is really going to hate me this month, but I can't help myself! 

When I first saw this on NARS Instagram page, I almost had a heart attack. ANOTHER amazing NARS palette I would have to add to my collection. I told myself that I couldn't purchase it until the Sephora VIB Rouge 20% off sale in November...(ya right!). Ya that lasted for about a month. After seeing it all over Instagram the past month, I finally gave in and decided to purchase it. I seriously have no self control when it comes to NARS or really new makeup in general or limited edition products. So basically I have zero self control. Is there a NARS rehab because if so I seriously need to go..

Wow, thank you Influenster! I'm shocked that I received the Giorgio Armani Beauty Smoky Neutrals Eye Tints and Eccentrico Mascara Vox Box. Did not expect that! Giorgio Armani is such an amazing high-end beauty brand so I'm super excited to try out these products and review them.