TGIF! I'm working from home today because I thought I truck hit me when I woke up. I had a migraine, a very stuffy nose, and my eyes were swollen. I just needed a day, I guess. I still don't feel 100% so we'll see what happens!
SaveSave

This can be the brunch lover or the Champagne lover because I am both and as far as I'm concerned, brunch & champs go hand in hand.

My drink of choice is now a mimosa and I can always go for a glass of Champagne whether it's morning, noon, or night.

I think the reason I love brunch so much is that I like day drinking, food, my friends, and being able to come home early. I hate going out at night to a bar... who decided that it was a good idea to go out at 10 PM and come home at 2 or 3? I'd much rather kill a day and come home at 5 or 6 PM. At least you have the rest of the night to relax or do something, that is if you're not too drunk.

Brunch has really become a phenomenon in recent years and there is so much fun, brunch themed items. None of these are really big ticket items but are fun little gifts to get your friends or put in someone's stocking.

Brunch Charging Clutch Target Prosecco Shirt SOCKART Brunch Crew Socks Workout Brunch Repeat Sweatshirt Pinch Provisions Brunch Kit Pinch Provisions Hangover Kit Kate Spade Pop Fizz Clink Coin Purse Wake Me For Mimosas Sleep Mask Slip Silk Pillowcase Press for Champagne Button

xoxo
B

Another week is over, the first full week of December and we're one day closer to Christmas. Since I hit my twenties, I feel like Christmas has never felt like Christmas but I make the most out of it every year. I thought this year would feel different because I was REALLY looking forward to it, but I am feeling the same.

It just doesn't feel like Christmas. I don't feel like I'm in the Christmas spirit -- maybe because it's a little warmer than usual. I'm doing my best, watching Freeform 25 Days of Christmas & sitting by the Christmas tree, but I feel like I really need to focus on being in the Christmas mood.

Does anyone else feel like that?

The Newsette has a new website & it's so cool! Sign up here

Also, has anyone else been addicted to playing HQ? I'm in the middle of a game right now and I'm so competitive with myself. I've only gotten up to question 6 on all my games and I get so frustrated -- I just want to win!


Last weekend I went out for my 25th birthday and my goodness, was it a lot of fun. I also got very, very sick so you know it was a good time.



This week, Mercury went into retrograde and boy did I feel it. I've been getting more into astrology lately and I really like it, it's very calming and comforting.



Ok, I will stop rambling... here are my links for the week!

• Kylie is releasing concealers & I am READY
• I'm very curious about Hemp CBD capsules to help with my anxiety... 
• How to stay productive when working from home
• Gifts for the person who has a long commute... yes please! 
• The Harry Potter theories get better and better as the days go on... 
• Weight Watchers introduced Freestyle this week and I am so excited for it! Will report back! 
• If you haven't read my Weight Watchers article yet on POPSUGAR yet, go read it! 

With the entire blogosphere in the blogmas/vlogmas spirit, I figured I'd try to join in as much as I can. Most of my content this month will be Christmas & winter related so I figured I could name it blogmas and just do as much as possible.

I love a good beauty trend: highlighting, contouring, and everything in between. I love a good skincare treatment, or anything that will help make my skin better.

That's why, when I saw that lip oils were about to become a hot trend late last year, I got really excited. I was skeptical at first because the thought of slathering an oil on my lips wasn't enticing. After doing a little more research, lip oils are a mixture of a balm, a gloss, and an actual oil. They have great hydrating properties, keep your lips smooth and soft, but don't feel thick and slimy on your lips like some lip balms.

I have found that lip oils give a great tint to the lips and are a good alternative to lip gloss, or a tinted lip balm. The staying power is better than you would expect from an oil and they don't feel sticky on your lips. I actually prefer these over lip balms because they feel like they're actually doing something.

If you were hesitant to try lip oils, I promise you, you won't regret it. A lot of brands have been coming out with lip oils recently and I've tried to get my hands on as many as possible, because like I said, I have a slight addiction. I keep one in every makeup bag/purse and usually rely on these when I'm out and about instead of a lip balm.

Lancome Juicy Shaker, Laura Geller Soft & Sultry Lip Treatment Hourglass N 28 Lip Treatment Oil YSL Volupte Tint-in-Oil Sephora Oil Infusion Color & Care

I don't necessarily think I like any of these over another one -- they're all easy to apply and similar in consistency. I will say that the Hourglass is slightly thicker than the rest, and the thinnest formula is definitely the Sephora brand.

The Sephora brand was the first one I tried and it really set the bar for all the other lip oils. My favorite one, if I had to choose, is probably the YSL because it's the perfect combination of hydration, shininess, and consistency on the lips.

Have you ever tried a lip oil? What are your thoughts?

I was back on my thriller game a few weeks back when I decided to listen to The Lake House on Audible. It put me right back into my listening to books groove that I felt off of since listening to the entire Harry Potter series.

I've seen The Lake House on a bunch of different "Must Reads" lists and decided to give it a go.

Well, I didn't know what I was in for.

This was a book I probably wouldn't have been able to read because it was super long, and very, very detailed. The one thing I really disliked about this book was the fact that it contained a lot of detail that wasn't that relevant to the story.

It was a very slow moving story, but it was very good.



There are a few different plots to this story, and I think if I was reading it, I would've had a tough time figuring out what went where. With all the different plots, there was one main part of the story and that surrounded the Edevane family and the disappearance of their son, after the first World War.

70 years later, Sadie, a detective, discovers the Edevane's lake house in the English countryside. There, she discovers the fact that the case of the missing boy, Theo, was never solved.

Sadie cannot resist an unsolved case, surrounding a child *for reasons you will find out throughout the novel*, and starts to research it. She discovers that Alice Edevane, Theo's older sister, is still alive & living in London.

With a lot of twists & turns, the novel follows Sadie's desire to figure out the case while also flashing back to the past to give us more insight into who could've stolen Theo. 

It's very, very interesting and as slow as it is, it begins to pick up toward the middle & you find yourself wanting and NEEDING to know what happened to Theo.

Well, I can tell you that the ending is worth the very long, very detailed, sometimes boring book. The ending was just SO GOOD it gave my chills.

Usually when a book is very long & slow, I can get frustrated & fed up and while it did get annoying at times, the plot made it worth it. I just couldn't stop listening because I needed to know what happened and needed to see how this played out.

It was suspenseful without being scary, like other books I've reviewed *ahem: Pretty Girls*, and it was worth every minute of my time.

I HIGHLY recommend it!

What books have you read lately?


SaveSave