'Murica Holiday 2012 Shopping List: Clothes

Happy Wednesday everyone! Today (or rather, tonight) I will be sharing my clothing shopping list for the holidays this year! I'm having really bad "writers block" right now (I'm no writer...but let's just pretend I am for a minute -.-), so I'm sorry if this post is more boring than usual :P

Anyways, I *surprisingly* don't have that many things on my clothing shopping list! I thought I'd have so much more! Oh well, you can always add to it ;) I'm just going to hop right in now, because, honestly, I'm pretty tired and I just can't wait to go to bed...so I'll make it short and sweet.

1) New Years Eve/New Years Party Dress I have been eyeing sequined dresses ever since I saw Serena Van Der Woodsen on Gossip Girl wear one (and that was a long time ago, believe me!), but I was always afraid that I wouldn't be able to pull it off! But since I lost weight last year I've been trying them on in stores and O. M. G. I'm in love. But I've never really had a good reason to buy one, so I thought New Years parties are the perfect occasion!

2) Red J.Crew Peacoat The winter coat I wear all the time now is way too big for me and, honestly, it looks like a took my big brothers old coat and decided to wear it. It looks awful. Oversized things look cute on some people...and I'm sad to say that I am not one of those lucky girls -.- So, needless to say, I'm in desperate need of a stylish, form-fitting, bright winter coat. And what's better than a red peacoat?! Plus, it's from J.Crew ;)

3) Colorful Polos THIS YEAR IS MY LAST YEAR OF SCHOOL UNIFORMS WOOT WOOT!!! But I still love my polos, haha :P They are just so comfy and effortless...but still put-together. I love them. Now I basically only have white, navy, and red ones (poo on you, school uniform), oh, and one yellow one too...but I really want some different colored ones, too! So, yeah. Gotta get me some of dat haha :P

4) J.Crew Pixie Pants Can you tell yet that I'm obsessed with J.Crew??? Because I am. And it's bad. Reeeeally bad. Like "I-might-need-to-ask-for-a-loan-from-my-friends" bad :P I absolutely love leggings, and yes...I do wear them as pants. Sometimes! Sometimes. And only if my shirt covers my butt ;) But Pixie Pants... Oh my gosh, they are the perfect medium between a pant and a legging! It's magic! I swear, I don't know if I can survive another day without these! Need. Need. NEED.

5) Patagonia Fleece Sweater I don't have to explain this purchase, now do I? It's cold here, okay? And all I want for Christmas is some warm, fuzzy, soft, precious, white, gorgeous, preppy, classic...sweater. A boyfriend would be nice too, but that's not happening anytime soon -.-

6) Patagonia "Vagabunda" Vest I'm in desperate need of a warm vest that I could wear in the winter/fall/spring seasons when I'm horseback riding... I get so cold in my sweaters that I have now! I'm also asking for this for Christmas, so let's hope Santa actually listens to my hints :P

7) Tweed Jacket I'm not going to talk much about this, because I talk about these all the time (...no, that's a lie, actually I just need to go to bed - it's pretty late). Anyways, I've wanted these for a long time, bla bla bla, the usual. I just want one, okay??? But some of them (okay, most of them) are so freaking expensive, and that's why I've been putting buying one of these for a long time... But now that I can actually afford one (-.-)... ;)

8) Frat Collection T-Shirt If you haven't heard of these - these are just basically shirts that are a solid color, but then the pocket on the left side (from your view) has a pattern on it (anywhere from gingham to the American flag!) that you can pick yourself! Since I'm usually extremely casual - I thought these would be perfect for dem hot summers in Texas ;)

9) Khaki Jeggings I just really want a pair, okay??? I love jeggings from A&F, so I'll probably be getting these from there - they're so stretchy and comfortable! And yeah, this is just a staple in every wardrobe, I think, and even though I already have a pair from American Eagle I need a new one, because, honestly I don't really like the material that much! :/

10) Light-Wash Jeans Surprisingly, I only own dark-wash jeans! And I think light-wash ones are so much more flattering on me! I'm surprised I don't own a pair, but I guess it's time to get one ;)

11) J.Crew Red Minnie Pants I really really want to get a pair of red pants! So. Badly. And, I mean, it's fine if they're from some other store - not from J.Crew, I mean - but J.Crew has such good quality!.. Anyways, these are at the bottom of my list, because...well, I could live without them, but I really want a pair! I just think they would make every single outfit pop so much more (and everyone will be staring at your pants...just saying ahah). And that is all I have to say to defend myself haha :/

Oooookay, that's it, folks! Hope ya'll enjoyed and hopefully got some inspiration from this post <3

xoxo,
Liz

How To Save Up Money

Why hello there :) Sorry I haven't been on my usual blogging schedule, but as you can see - I'm back on track! Whoopie ;) Anyways, as some of you may or may not know I am kind of an organization/control/everything else freak and I'm pretty much obsessed with shopping...and saving up money. Weird, I know right, two totally opposite things that I am totally obsessed with. Now, most of the things I buy I get myself with my own money (well, my allowance, but I also do some work for my Dad which I get payed for too). And even though I am extremely bad with economy (at least I think I am) and math, for some reason I just love talking about savings and spendings (no idea why)!

So today I will be talking about exactly that. And since Black Friday just recently passed and Cyber Monday is tomorrow (plus, the whole Holiday shopping season is now officially open) I thought it would be helpful to some of you if I wrote a post about how I save my money and how you can too.

The very first thing I do when I try to make a budget is see how much money I need (find a goal). You need something to save up for (ex.: $1000 for Christmas presents, or $700 for a pair of shoes you really want, or $50 for a Dior makeup palette) - whatever! After you have your goal and you know exactly how much money you need to save up, find out how much money you have now. You need to know this to see how much money you actually need to save. Are you $50 or $500 away from your goal? After you're done with that, the next thing you want to do is calculate how much money you earn in a month. Is it just your weekly allowance or your monthly salary? Then, calculate how long it will take you to get to your goal (goal divided by monthly income = number of months it'll take you to save).

Now onto how to actually save up to your goal. Now, I found that keeping a 'journal' works best for me - I make all of my calculations there, record all of my spendings and income, etc. Another thing that helps me save money is devoting a certain amount of money for spendings. Of course, that'll push back your saving time, but I, personally, can't go, like, 6 months without spending at least some money! Also, stay focused on your goal to keep yourself motivated ;)

Yep, sorry if this wasn't as helpful as you thought it would be, but at least I tried, right? haha :P

xoxo,
Liz

true true picture from here

'Murica 2012 Shopping List: Shoes & Accessories

O. M. G. Guys, I totally forgot to blog on Wednesday even though I was planning on it! Haha, oh well, better late than never I guess ;)

Oh, and Happy *post* Thanksgiving! :) TURKEY DAYYYY

But, yeah, anyways, today I will be sharing a long (whoops haha) list of what I'm planning to buy during the holidays... Black Friday is tomorrow - WHO'S EXCITED?! Yeah, so I'll be shopping a lot online, and also during winter break :) Yep. Hope you all find this somewhat helpful/inspirational :)

1) Hunter Boot Socks Ever since I've gotten my first pair of Hunter boots (this spring) I've always wanted a pair of the socks made especially for the boots, so I can somehow wear them in the winter time! Anyways, I'm not sure what color I'm going to get yet, but I have teal boots...so...yeah.

2) Nike Free 2.0 (or any good running shoes) My Reebok EasyTones really need a replacement. That's really all I have to say. I feel like a can justify a nice pair of running shoes because I've been working out so much lately and everyone just loves these shoes (I mean, I love them too, people just say they're really nice for physical activity and jogging)...plus, I mean c'mon - the colors are amazing.

3) Michael Kors 'Jet Set' Tortoise Watch All I need to say is - I am in desperate need of a watch. And yes, I could just go out to Target and get the cheapest one I could find, but no. I have to go get a Michael Kors one, because of course, mainstream stuff gets the best of me -.-

4) Jack Rogers Sandals Now, these are for the summer time (there is no way I am wearing these when it's -25 Celsius in the winter time in Russia -.-), but in the high 90s (Fahrenheit) in Texas during the summer time... You'll be sure I be wearing these all the freaking time. Wise investment? Yes.

5) Tory Burch 'Reva' Flats I have been lusting over these babies for...well, quite a while now but I just.... Mehhhh I don't know! People say they're a pain to break in but once you've done that - you're good to go. But, the thing is, my feet are already pretty much ruined from "breaking in" shoes, so I'm kind of hesitant on these... BUT THEY'RE SO PRETTTTTYYYYY

6) Bubble Necklace This is, like, a "preppy" staple.... But I just cannot find it anywhere in Moscow! So I cannot wait to go to Mericuh and get me some BUBBLE NECKLACES. Might be doing a post on how to style them later on, actually ;)

7) Cowboy Boots Don't judge. I'm from Texas, okay? It's allowed. Haha, but really, I really really want cowboy boots, and the only pair I have are ones that I had when I was...oh, about 6 years old. Needless to say - I kinda need a new pair of cowboy boots. OH MY GOSH I AM SO WEARING THEM TO A TAYLOR SWIFT CONCERT <3

8) Sperry TopSider Women's Authentic Original 2-Eye Boat Shoe in the color 'Sahara Leather' I've heard so incredibly much about these - comfortable, preppy, cute, amazing colors... Needless to say, I've been obsessing over these for quite a long time haha :P

9) L.L. Bean 8" Thinsulate Duck Boots So I have my UGGs (ugh) for the winter time and I guess I can wear my Hunter boots too but I just really really want (and need) a super cute (and ugly at the same time) pair of boots for the very very cold winters here! Can't wait to style these with some slouchy socks and just ahhhhhhh

Okie dokie, I'm finally done with this post (couldn't upload it for 3 days -.-), so I hope you guys enjoy it haha :P

Anna: IT WAS THE BEST OF TIMES, IT WAS THE WORST OF TI- #jennamarbles ahaha

Thanksgiving Outfit Ideas

Hey! I haven't blogged in such a long time! And I'm sad to say, that I won't be blogging this weekend, either :( I'm really sorry, I've just had so much stuff going on so I kind of had to put my blogging on a back-burner... Yeah. Anyways, Thanksgiving is coming up, so I came up with 3 different outfits for 3 different occasions. And even if you don't celebrate Thanksgiving I'm pretty sure these outfits would cut as fall/winter outfits as well ;)

1) Formal I'd wear this outfit to a dinner out with the family or somewhere more formal... Yeah, haha I'm awkward at writing today :P Anyways, I absolutely love the burgundy dress and the forest green bubble necklace (plus the matching earrings...WANT!)! And I think the black flats and tights kind of dress the outfit down, but don't make it too casual. 

2) Semi-dressy Actually, now that I look at these outfits, it kinda looks like this one is almost the same level of "dressiness" as the first one...but the pants pretty much dress it down haha ;) So yeah, forest green and burgundy are my favorite fall colors (can you tell?) and leopard loafers are a must for the fall time. Pearls - also a must. So yeah, that pretty much sums it up ;)

3) Super casual This is me. No, but really - I'm pretty sure this is what I'm going to wear on Thanksgiving dinner. I mean, I'm going to sit in my living room with my parents and just chilling at home all day - I'm not going to get all dressed up and put a dress on and such. No. Imma put my coziest knit sweater, UGGs, and burgundy jeggings on ;) So yeah, if you're spending Thanksgiving in your dining room like a certain person I know (ekhem) - then this, ma ladays, if for you ;)

Okay, haha, I hope ya'll enjoyed and maybe got some inspiration :) 

xoxo,

Liz

What To Do When: You Can't Fall Asleep

Hi there, sleepyheads ;) Haha, please ignore my awkward weirdness that you may encounter in this post - I just woke up from a 6 hour nap... And I'm pretty sure another sleepless night awaits. Ever since I pulled an all-nighter with my BFF at our sleepover, my sleeping pattern's been all messed up - can't fall asleep 'till 4, wake up at 2, etc. Thankfully, I've had Fall break this week, but tomorrow is the first day of back to school, and quite frankly, I don't find that idea very appealing :/

Anyways, I promise I won't ramble on for much longer :) So in this post I'll just be sharing some ideas on what to do when you can't fall asleep at night (or whichever time of day). Actually, this'll be a new series I'll be doing, called "What To Do When", so if you have any recommendations for further posts like these - leave them in the comments!

1. Read. This one is as simple as it sounds. Just pick up a book (or a Kindle in my case) and start reading. If you don't like reading, maybe try listening to an audiobook - I don't like them that much, though, because I like making up the voices and intonations of the characters myself (being the actress that I am, ahah ;D). But I find that just after reading a couple of chapters I get instantly tired and sleepy. Just make sure that the book isn't something hard-to-read, otherwise your brain will get tired, but your body will still be wide awake!
2. Make yourself a cup o'tea ;) Especially in these cold Fall months I love tea! I wrote all about my recent obsession with peppermint tea in my last post, so I'm not going to say much more. But I just find that a good ole cup o'tea makes it all better :) 
3. Listen to relaxing music. Now, different people like different music, but I'm pretty sure no one will pass on some Frank Sinatra ;) I don't usually listen to music like his, but my Mom always told me that I loved Frank Sinatra when I was a tiny little baby, and whenever I listen to his music I fell asleep instantly. So, a couple of months ago, when I was having problems falling asleep (what else is new?) - I decided to buy a couple of his albums. And, honestly I don't know why, I fall asleep after, like 2 songs! Magic ;) But, whatever you do, DO NOT LISTEN TO UPBEAT SONGS - it will just make you hyper, believe me.
4. Have a snack Now, I know, this sounds horrible - late night snacking, yadayadayada. But, if you kids (I'm just kidding, by the way) would do your research, you'd know that protein actually helps you fall asleep! So I usually drink a glass of milk before bed. But if you're really having problems - I'd suggest eating some Greek yogurt. It's just the right snack to satisfy your cravings, and it's packed with protein ;)
5. Watch an old favorite movie. The delio is - if you're not tired yet, then after watching an old favorite movie for 2 hours, you most likely will be. I always watch "Breakfast At Tiffany's" when I can't fall asleep - it's so old-school and, let's face it, pretty boring at times, I find it puts me to sleep in the blink of an eye ;)

Okaaaay, that's it for tonight peeps ;) Sweet dreams :*

xoxo,

Liz

oh, and of course, the picture is from here

October 2012 Favorites

Hey gurl hey :) I don't know why, but I've been in a terrible mood since I woke up (even though I had an amazing week...), so I'll try and make this short and (hopefully) sweet. October was a pretty cool month... Had it's ups and downs for me but I'm just glad that I got a week off of school to get my mind off of things (I was getting way too stressed). But now I started procrastinating again really badly, and I need to learn all of my lines for the play, which is in, like, 2.5 weeks... But I'm too lazy to :( 

Anyways, getting to the actual favorites.

• MAC "Mulch" eyeshadow I've hardly had time to do my makeup lately (oh, the many advantages and disadvantage of the snooze button), so all I've been doing on my eyes is priming them (and covering up my icky veins) with the MAC "Groundwork" paintpot, which is another one of my favorites this month, and then just taking a pencil brush and lining the upper lashline and the outer 1/4 of my lower lashline with "Mulch". And let me tell you - I think I'll be doing this for quite a while now.

• Clinique Stay-Matte Sheer Pressed Powder Oil-Free As I've mentioned above, I don't really have time to do my makeup in the morning, so I've just been taking a big-arse brush, taking as much of this powder as I possibly can, and brushing it all over my face. And let me tell you - no matter how much of this powder you put on, it will never look cakey. Amazing.

• Chanel "Rouge Noir 18" nailpolish I have...about 90 nail polishes. I know, I know. I'm trying to give them away to as many friends as I can so I can start re-vamping my collection - I HATE THE COLORS I HAVE NOW. But the thing is, I promised myself not to buy anymore until at least half of mine are gone. Well, guess what. Promises are broken. Haha ;) I went out and finally let myself buy me a vampy, plumy red (a very very dark red) one that I'm absolutely in love with. Definitely recommend this one. Applies very nicely in 2 coats and lasts about 2-3 days without chipping with a topcoat.

• Guerlain "Le Petit Robe Noir" perfume So...the same day I bought the Chanel nailpolish...I finally decided to splurge on a new perfume (I haven't bought one since Christmas!). I've been eyeing this one for quite a while and when I finally got home and sprayed it all over myself I felt like the happiest girl on the planet. Now, I'm no expert on scents, so I found an article online that says what it smells like... Yeah, you can read it here ;)

• Taylor Swift's "RED" album Now, I already raved about this wonderful musical masterpiece in a previous post, so I won't rave about it much more. Just, just go listen to it. Go buy it. Download it illegally. I don't care just do it. Haha ;)

• Tory Burch "Jess" Riding Boots I cannot even begin to describe how much I love these babies. And, again, I won't say much 'cause I've talked about them many, many times before. All I'm saying is, they are so worth the splurge - they are extremely easy to break in (only took me, like, 2 days), extremely comfortable, and extremely fashionable yet classy ;) I don't think I'll be wearing them much more here (well, maybe during Christmas time in Texas), because it's always raining and I don't wanna ruin them, but I sure will be getting a heck of a lot of wear out of them for the next, oh I don't know, 15 years of my life ;) OMG, imagine how cool and vintage they're going to be when I pass them on to my daughter! Aaha ;)

• Peppermint tea During the spring and summer months I absolutely HATE drinking tea - it makes me really hot and I just do not. want it. *unless it's ice tea ;)* But it's been getting pretty darn cold here so I've been drinking at least 2 cups a day of ma peppermint tea. I honestly love it to the moon and back. Can't really say anything else.

Anyways, typing this up definitely cheered me up, I hope ya'll are having an amazing weekend so far!

xoxo,

Liz