Easy Holiday DIY

This might be a bit late but definitely still super simple craft ideas I couldn't pass up sharing. It's also the perfect time to pick up 'holiday craft materials' from your local craft store at a discount!

DIY Snowman Mason Jar 
mason jar
3 black buttons - (any size; varied sizes would be super cute)
10in. of ribbon/fleece
gift tag - (could be purchased or homemade)
hot glue gun
white chocolate/yogurt-covered pretzels - (could be purchased or homemade)

Simply fill the jar with your pretzels, glue the buttons onto the jar, wrap ribbon/fleece around the neck of the jar, and attach the tag. Make it even easier by skipping the tag and just write a holiday message on the lid! Voila!

Waterless Snowglobe
mason jar
3" - 5" small tree (look near the accessories for models / mini villages)
bag of "snow"
hot glue gun

Place the tree on the lid, put the mason jar on top (upside-down) and check to see if the tree sits high enough for your likely. If not, use a few pennies/washers to help add height to your tree (this will be covered by the snow). Glue the tree to the center-bottom of the lid. Spoon in 1/2 - 1 cup of the snow into the mason jar. Screw on lid, shake it up to get some of the snow to fall onto the tree. If you are an overachiever, decorate your tree using small beads.

Happy crafting!

Collection & Review: BITE Beauty

BITE has officially become my favorite line for lipstick. The lipstick crayons are so smooth and creamy, the color options are very on-trend and wearable, and the staying power is realistic for the working woman. I don't have time to be touching up my lips every hour during the workday let alone pull out a lipstick, a liner, and a gloss so these crayons are a perfect standalone product! What's even better, these pencils twist up so no sharpener is needed.

Best BITE Remix: Rhubard (plum rose), Sable* (peachy nude), Winterberry* (deep raspberry), Pomegranate (rich red)

*limited edition

Collection & Review: Buxom Lip Glosses

Buxom Winner-Takes-All Lip Set (left to right): white russian, berry blast, creamsicle, trixie, chloe, sophia

Lip Creams: mudslide, white russian, berry blast, creamsicle Lip Polishes: dolly, trixie, chloe, sophia, nicole (sample) Lip Gloss: sweet thing (sample)

During Sephora's VIB Sale I picked up a gift set from Buxom that included 6 deluxe sized lip glosses: 3 of the Lip Polish & 3 of the Lip Cream formulas (those w/ the gold tops). I already knew I liked Buxom lip gloss, as I have 1 of each formula and was curious to try out a few other colors. Buxom Cream formulas are my favorite, they aren't sticky, they have that warming tingle to them, and the smell delicious. I'm not a fan of glittery lip glosses so I tend to shy away from the Lip Polish formula since they range from having small micro-shimmers to chunkier glitter, but I do like all of the ones that came in this set. Yes, they are pricier than a drugstore gloss but they last on the lips and have a nice finish. I much prefer them to MAC or Stila glosses. 

Collection & Review: NARS Audacious Lipsticks

Bottom: Anita  Middle: Audrey  Top: Brigette 

The packaging of these NARS Audacious lipsticks makes pulling out this lipstick feel like a luxury - it better at $32 a pop!!! The metal bullet has a lovely weight, the lid secures on with a magnetic closure, and "NARS" is embossed on the lipstick itself. The satin formula is more forgiving than any matte lipstick, but I still prep with a lip balm beforehand. 

Left: Anita  Center: Audrey  Right: Brigette 

Anita is described as "antique rose" which is an interesting word choice but somehow works; it is less beige/brown than Barbara and less pink than Anna. I think it's a PERFECT mauvey-nude shade for the Autumn and Winter months. I love pairing this with a comfy white sweater, dark jeans, and brown boots. 

Audrey is described as "red current", but I think it wears more as a dark raspberry and is more wearable than the classic red lip. I would definitely recommend using a lip liner to prevent (minimal) feathering with this one - I use MAC's Half-Red ($16). To dress this down, I wear this color with a high bun, my dark-rimmed glasses and a loose, comfy cardigan. 

Brigette is described as a "nude rose"... when I think of rose I think of a much warmer pink, so I would say this is a more coral-pink with blue undertones running through it. VERY Brigitte Bardot! This isn't a shade I am typically drawn to, but I think it will be an easy way to work corals into my lip collection.

While NARS' Audacious Lipstick line has 40 colors, I feel like there are several tones within each shade so there is bound to be a nude, pink, and red that complements every skin tone... with some wild colors mixed in too. The quality of this lipstick is definitely worth the splurge but I'd recommend going into a Sephora or Nordstrom to try a few on and pick a go-to color that you'll get lots of wear out of.

XoXo, Be Beautiful.