Holiday Gift Guide: Men

For part two of my Holiday Gift Guide, let's talk about what to get the men in your life.

TIE | Ties are a standard gift, but lots of fun patterns and colors can make them a little more interesting. Opt for a festive Christmas plaid or a design with their university logo so that it's a bit more personalized to the individual. 

COFFEE TABLE BOOK | Some guys simply love coffee table books about their favorite things! Cars, movies, whatever they are interested in - you can find a coffee table book about it. I know some guys who could spend hours looking at these and learning more about their favorite topics. They'll make a great addition to any man's library.

CUFF LINKS | Cuff links are a super fun way to add a personal touch to dress attire. These racecar cuff links are so cute and I think they add the perfect silly touch without being too over the top. There are tons of great options for cuff links if you're looking to get them for the men in your life!

PERSONALIZED FLASK | For the over-21-years-old dude, a needlepoint flask is such a fun gift idea! I think it would make a great gift because it can be personalized with initials or even a picture of something they love, and it's not something most guys would buy for themselves.

WATCH | I don't think you can ever go wrong with watches. This one in particular can be worn daily and matches every outfit, making it the perfect piece. Plus, Daniel Wellington is so popular right now and his styles are timeless, so you know that it can be worn for years to come and will never go out of style.

BOTTLE OPENER | This golf bar bottle opener is super fun! It's so small which makes it easy to carry around on the go, and it's a bit more fun than a traditional and plain bottle opener. Once again, these come in a variety of styles - my friends have this one and they think it is absolutely hilarious!

KEY FOB | Guys always have a ton of keys and things to be carrying around, and I've noticed a lot more guys carrying keys on their belt loop or in their pockets. This monogrammed key fob can keep your keys in order, and easily clips on to a belt loop, duffel bag, or anything else!

SUNGLASSES | You can never go wrong with a pair of shades. The classic Ray-Ban aviators are great for guys because they are always in style and can be worn no matter what his fashion style.

WALLET | I've given wallets as gifts to guys before, and they are always a huge hit! It's such an essential and something guys get lazy about buying when their old wallet starts to fall apart, so it makes a fabulous gift and your guy will thank you!

COLOGNE | Once again, cologne is a classic. Having a signature scent is so nice and who doesn't love a guy that smells great? It's like a gift that keeps on giving - he'll think of you when he wears this cologne, and you'll have a guy that smells AMAZING.

Holiday Gift Guide: Women

Welcome to my Holiday Gift Guide series for 2015!! Today's post is all about what to get the women in your life, from moms to sisters, to even best friends or yourself.

PEACE SIGN DECOR | I think this is absolutely cheeky and adorable! I've been thinking about how I would want to redecorate my room at home or ways I may want to spice up my apartment next year, and I think this cute peace sign would look absolutely fabulous on a coffee table or nightstand. How cute!

RING | BaubleBar came out with a few rings along the same line as their Mason Ring, and I am in love with them. This style is great because it's so simple and has no rhinestones or embellishments, and yet it is unique because of its spacey design.

PERFUME | Perfumes are always a great gift to give because they can be very personal and there are so many to choose from. I love all of Marc Jacobs's scents and love the packaging too! If you're hesitant about what perfume to buy, I suggest the Sephora Favorites Perfume Sampler so that your gift recipient can try out multiple fragrances and redeem a full size of their favorite one! 

PLEASURE READING | It's difficult to get pleasure reading done during the year when things are busy and people are in school. However, breaks are a great time to crack open a new book, and I think Mindy Kaling's book would be a great choice! I haven't read it myself, but I know that it's what I'll be choosing to read over winter break.

LUXURY LIPSTICK | For your makeup addict, a fancy lipstick line one of Nars's Lip Pencils would be the perfect addition to their collection.

BLANKET SCARF | Who doesn't love a good blanket scarf?! One part scarf, one part blanket, and in every plaid to exist. There's bound to be an option for everyone! And they keep you sooo cozy when it's chilly outside.

LACE UP FLATS | These flats are super cute and totally on trend. Great for any shoe lover, they will add the perfect touch of uniqueness and pizzazz to an otherwise simple winter outfit. They're also much more interesting that a Plain Jane ballet flat, making them totally worth the buy.

BOLD EARRINGS | I live in these Kate Spade earrings. They match just about everything and come in every color in the spectrum (even glitter). I don't know a single person who wouldn't love to receive a pair of these; they instantly make any outfit just a little bit dressier.

GEODE BOOKENDS | Another houseware purchase, geode bookends are unexpected but girly and whimsical. The bright colors add a pop to any room and they can really spice up a bookshelf or bedroom for an extra touch of chicness. These really get to the Environmental Science major in me *heart eyes*

SUNGLASSES | How cool are these Illesteva sunglasses? Their styles are becoming so popular with sunglass fans, and there are so many combos of frame and lens colors to mix and match. I love these bold green lenses because they give off a mysterious, X-Ray vision type look. I think Kim Possible could totally rock these.

JEWELRY TRAY | Jewelry trays are fantastic because they can be used in any and every way! Great for keys, earrings, or other odds and ends, everyone can find a home for a jewelry tray. The white and gold makes it super fab.

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Gratitude

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!! Tomorrow is going to be a day full of family, food, and thankfulness and so I wanted to take a minute to remind myself of all the things I am so incredibly thankful for.

I am so happy to be home this week with my family, relaxing and spending time catching up in the middle of a hectic semester. The week is already flying by so fast, but I know that soon enough I'll be home again to celebrate Christmas and have a longer stay back home. Taking a "break" from work is really great and I love being with my parents and sister (and my brother of course, but he goes to school with me #woohoo #twinlove).

As much as I love being home, I have started to miss my friends back at school and hope that they have safe, healthy, and happy holidays with their families as well. I can't wait to see them again and fall back into our usual Tuesday night dinner, Sunday chapter meeting, and casual hanging out routine so that we can chat about everything that we missed while we were home.

Theta's formal is coming up the week we return to school, and so I've been thinking a lot about how Theta has shaped me over the past year. My outlook on life has certainly changed dramatically and I have learned so much about myself and my aspirations through Theta. I'm itching to get back to campus and go through recruitment on the Panhellenic side of things!! I hope that all the freshmen and Potential New Members find their home and grow to be as in love with their sorority as I am with mine.

It's been wonderful to take this week to reflect on the things I am thankful for and remember to appreciate things that I often take for granted. I hope you all have a blessed Thanksgiving and spend the day doing something fun! Do you have any cool Thanksgiving Day traditions?

Turkey Day

The past few weeks, I've been browsing the Internet with the hopes of finding the perfect outfit to wear on Thanksgiving. With hundreds of capes, red sweaters, jeans, and heels in all sorts of combinations, and after looking at every pattern of blanket scarf to exist, I think I've found the style inspiration for what I'm going to wear this coming Thursday. 

Pairing a tissue thin turtleneck under a sweater dress is not something I would have thought to wear, but after seeing it on Caitlin Covington, I knew that this would be the look to rock for Thanksgiving. Sweater dresses are great because they are 1) so in season, 2) always fashionable, and 3) save room for extras (and pumpkin pie!)

Here's a look at how Caitlin wore this outfit: 

(source)

I am such a fan of this look and know that I will be wearing it again and again once I'm back to school for those chilly autumn days at the end of the semester! I'll even throw on black tights and a chunky scarf for when it gets really cold. How do you like to stay warm fashionably?

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Pout or Polish?

I was thinking the other day about just how much I hate red nail polish. I can't tell you why, and I don't think there is any rhyme or reason to why this is, but I just absolutely don't understand the idea of wearing bright red nail polish on your fingers. I have plenty of friends who love the shade, and more power to them, but I can't remember a single time when I've walked into the nail salon and thought, "Huh, I think I'll get red nail polish today." 

This got me thinking about how I choose to embrace boldness as part of my beauty routine, and I realized that I would much prefer to rock a bold lip than a bedazzled manicure. While I still shy away from dark lips sometimes because I feel as though they are so attention-drawing in a school setting, I do love putting a dark berry or wine, bright reds, and all shades of hot pink on my lips.

Yet when it comes to my nails, I almost always opt for a neutral shade. Even in the summer time, I tend to reach for Mod About You by OPI instead of a hot pink or coral (The bright, almost white-ish pink looks amazing with a tan!!). Beiges, grays, and neutral darks are my go-to nail polish shades most of the time. Just ask my mom, who literally hunted down Essie's Spin the Bottle after I realized it was the perfect nude.

Whether you choose to deck out your lips or your nails, the fall is a great time to experiment and try something new. Who knows, maybe I'll even opt for a red mani?!

Which do you prefer - fun lipsticks or unique nail polish?

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