What I got for Christmas 2013

Merry Christmas everyone! This Christmas meant the most to me since it is my last one before I go to college and become an adult. I've had such a wonderful Christmas, so I decided to share with you what I received this year.

 

 

These gifts are from my parents; our Christmas only consists of the three of us. I usually don't receive this many presents but my mom and dad tried to make my last holiday as a 'child' the best one ever. All of these gifts warmed my heart because of how much thought my parents actually put into shopping for them. My favorite gifts are all of the Vampire Weekend merchandise!  I could not be more excited to wear the clothes and play the CD's because they are my favorite band.

This year, I mostly asked for non-clothing items. I feel like the most special of gifts I can ever receive are ones that I can cherish forever. I'm looking forward to reading Let It Snow to fully embrace the holiday season whilst listening to Vampire Weekend in my new pair of very fancy pajamas.

 

The gifts I have received include (from left to right in pictures):

Vampire Weekend Shield Crew Neck

Vampire Weekend Girl's Floral T-shirt

Zara Jeweled Sweater

500 Days of Summer DVD

Let it Snow: John Green, Maureen Johnson & Lauren Myracle

King's of Leon: Mechanical Bull

GAP Pajama Set

The Body Shop Tea Tree Face Washes

Jeffrey Campbell Presley Boots

Shoe Cult Cheetah Chelsea Boot

Jeffrey Campbell Colby Slingback

Urban Outfitters Knee High & Thigh High Socks

 

I hope that all of you have had a wonderful Christmas as well!

♥- Gaby

 



Holiday Tea

People tend to associate the holidays with warm drinks and personally, I drink a cup of tea every day when the weather is cool. I'm not much of the "adventurous tea drinking type" (I really did just classify a group of people according to their tea preferences, cool, I know) so I tend to stay with different flavors of green teas. Here are a few of my favorite teas that I have in my cupboard at the moment!

 

 

 

The first tea is a rose pearl loose green tea. I found this while I was tea-tasting out in San Francisco with my mom and I just really enjoyed the traditional, light taste of this tea. Since it is loose-leaf, I brew it in my Ikea tea pot (not really much of a pot I guess).

Next will be a peppermint tea from Trader Joe's! I tend to only drink this around the holidays because I have this sense of urgency to own everything Christmas-related. This one is much more cost-friendly too, Trader Joe's has a nice selection of tea for about $2 a box. Nonetheless, it's delicious with a teaspoon of honey!

The last tea I've listed is the Disney Wonderland tea. Yes, something bought from a theme park can actually taste good. Sam bought this for me about a year ago and I've almost used the whole box up! Each little triangle is a different flavor and in all honesty, I really enjoy the box too. My favorite of the bunch is the blueberry green tea; when I brew this tea, someone usually has to comment on how the room suddenly smells like a package of fruit snacks which always makes me laugh.

 

♥- Gaby

Decorate Your Room: Holiday Edition

Happy day 4 of Blogmas 2013! Christmas is my all-time favorite holiday and this year, I decided to get more into the holiday spirit by adding a few decorations to my room. I went for a more simple and cozy look instead of the whole "Santa barfed all over my room" look. I went on the search for Christmas decorations and after scavenging for a few hours, I found the motherload at... OSH! What a surprise to find such lovely decorations at the place my dad buys mulch at.

 

I already had fairy lights dangling on the walls in my room so I decided to change it up a bit by adding lighted garland on top of my room window! I then added a few holiday accessories to my room like the frosted-wooden star dangling on my chandelier, wood-painted snowman and jingle bell tree ornament. I love crafty-looking decorations because it just looks much cozier in your home, adding a rustic feel to any room. Along with all of my decorations, I decided to light my favorite candle! My banana nut bread candle by Tuscany Candle leaves my room smelling like baked goods (which are my favorite scents in the entire world).

So I hope I've inspired a few of you out there to decorate their rooms as well! I hope everyone is enjoying their first week of December as much as I am.

Plain fairy lights: Costco
Lighted Garland: Costco
Wood Snowman: OSH
Jingle Bell Ornament: OSH
Frosted-Wood Star: OSH
Candle: TJ MAXX

♥- Gaby

Winter Inspiration: Pinterest Beauty

Happy day 2 of Blogmas 2013! Towards the end of November and beginning of December, I always look for some holiday beauty inspiration. I coordinated some of my favorite winter beauty pins from Pinterest into one perfect holiday look! From the wintery braided hair to the dark berry lip, this look has me swooning.

 

 

 

I have yet to try this look besides the dark lip but I am dying to experiment and share my experience with everyone! The simplicity of a braided updo with a bold, dark berry lip highlights pale skin during the winter time. This glittery eye immediately caught my eye as I was scrolling through my boards; how could one have such a simple yet elegant make-up? Everyone tends to go for the typical glittery-eye or silver make-up look during the winter, why not step up the game and use large pieces of glitter. I'm not exactly sure where you can buy eye foil/glitter exactly like the picture but MAC does have a great line of eye glitter in little jars. Finish off with a gold glitter French tip and voila, you've got yourself the perfect holiday look!

Braided updo + Glitter foil eye + Matte plum lip + Glitter French manicure = Winter

 

♥- Gaby