{Guest Post & Giveaway} Niki from Glossy Blonde!

Happy Monday, everyone! I have a special treat for you all today, that's for sure.  Niki from Glossy Blonde is here to talk "makeup". You probably already know Niki- she is one of the nicest, most genuine, and beauty-savvy bloggers I know! I hope you stick around because we have a surprise for you at the end. I'm so excited to have her here, so I won't keep you waiting any longer!

Why hello there!  I'm Niki, and I blog over at Glossy Blonde. First, a little about me and my blog ~ Glossy Blonde is a lifestyle blog with a focus on beauty, style and sweets.  "Glossy" because I am obsessed with lip gloss, and "Blonde" because I'm, well, blonde.  I love love love fashion and shopping, and I am a complete beauty product addict!  I also love to bake and come up with fun and unique recipes.

So, now that we've gotten introductions out of the way, let's talk beauty. And by beauty, I mean beauty sets.  I've included some of my favorites here for you today!

Buxom Time To Shine Lip Palette / Laura Mercier Glamour Wardrobe Dual Decker Palette Smashbox Studio Pop Eye Palette / Too Faced Naked Eye Soft & Sexy Shadow Collection / Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette

*all images via BeautySets

During the holiday season (and really, all year long), cosmetics companies come out with fabulous palettes and beauty sets.  These palettes and sets not only make great gifts, but they also allow us a chance to sample a number of different products, try new shades, travel or touch-up with ease, and even learn how to put various cosmetics or shades together to create a gorgeous look. 
Which set or palette is your favorite???
I'd like to thank Alyssa for having me today. Isn't she the sweetest person on earth?!  Love her! Anyway, stop on by Glossy Blonde sometime and say hello!  I'd love to meet you!

~~~~~~~~

Thanks so much, Niki! The Naked 2 Palette is definitely on my Wish list! 

Niki is super generous to give away a Sephora gift card to one lucky reader! I also decided that in the giving spirit, I'm going to make a donation to the American Red Cross Hurricane Relief Fund in the winner's name. Please enter via Rafflecopter below.
Giveaway will be open until 12:01am Sunday, November 25. Please see the Terms and Conditions for more information.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Ice Cream for Breakfast and other Shenanigans

This weekend was a perfect end to a week off work! I'm starting the new job tomorrow (yikes) and am so grateful for being able to take a week and relax. Not that there was much relaxing this weekend.

Friday, my Mom came up at took me to Let's Dish. Let's Dish is a place where you can get pre-made, healthy meals to take home and cook yourself. You can either pick up ready made meals, have them delivered, or go into the store and put together your own meals. 

If you sign up for an in-store session, you get to pick your meals ahead of time and they give you specific instructions for each meal. They serve coffee and samples of many of the meals so you can hang out and chat in between making your meals. You then get to take everything home, put it in the freezer and have meals ready to pop in the oven/cook on the stove at your convenience. I now have a freezer full of meals thanks to Mom! 

Friday night was fun-packed among other things. I went to Happy Hour in the city with my (former) co-workers. It was fun to catch up, even though it's only been a week that I haven't been there. It feels like eternity! We even got free drinks of American Honey which is some type of bourbon (I thought of you, Steph!) and t-shirts!

I then met up with Chris, his brother who just turned 21, and his other brother and sister-in-law. We took 21-year-old brother out for his first time and wow we had fun. They wanted free t-shirts and bourbon too, so we eventually made it over to the "redneck bar" (according to Chris) where they only play country music. It's my favorite and Chris tolerated it  ended up loving it.

Everyone slept at our place where we proceeded to drink more, get pistachio shells all over (I'm still finding them), get a shot glass stuck in the disposal, and probably annoy our neighbors. After getting no sleep, we were lazy the rest of the day Saturday, during which I decided ice cream was acceptable for breakfast. We spent the rest of the weekend grocery shopping, watching movies and getting things done around the house. It was great!

Now only a few more days until Thanksgiving...I just need to get through my first days at the new job! Wish me luck! 

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post (or today if you're reading this on Monday!)... Niki will be here guest posting and you won't want to miss it! There may or may not be a giveaway, but I won't give any secrets away :)

I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Linking up for Weekend Update...

High Five for Friday

Happy Friday!
This is the one time ever that I'm a little disappointed it's Friday. It means my week off is almost over :( I start the new job on Monday and am a little bit nervous but also very excited. Mixed feelings, for sure.

I've had a great week, and as I wrote about yesterday, I'm thankful for many things.

1. To expand on yesterday's comment about the cheetah print pajamas, I've added a new set of pajamas to my collection (as in "collection" I mean one other set). They're the exact same pajamas, just a different pattern. What can I say, I know what I like.

Kohl's, Simply Vera Vera Wang

Yes, a "fashiony" pajama picture. Stylin'.
Speaking of Kohl's... if you missed it the other day, they are sharing an exclusive coupon code with all you lovely people! Use code "TENBLOG" for 10% off your purchase at Kohls.com now through December 29. It can be used stacked with another coupon code. Enjoy!

2. Down time. To watch tv, movies, and relax. Me and relaxing typically don't go together- I'm always running around trying to get something done. I've made a concerted effort this week to try and be lazy. I'm loving it. Clearly, I'm loving not getting out of my pajamas, either. Last night we made an easy dinner (out of a box. gasp.) and watched "The Campaign". Stupid, yes. Funny, definitely. I recommend and so does Chris! I even got to meet up with Chris for lunch today in Annapolis where he works. It was nice to be able to do that...something that probably won't happen again for a while!

3. Family time. I had lunch with my dad the other day and am seeing my mom today. Plus, Thanksgiving is next week which means even more family time. I definitely don't get to see them enough. I really wish my brother Ben could come in from California, but hopefully he'll come back next month during the second round of holidays ;) I miss you Benji!

4. Birchbox came early this month! I was super excited until I realized one of the items was missing :( I emailed them and was given Birchbox points... I've been saving them up to buy something good, so I'll finally be able to do that. Now to decide what I want!

5. Happy Hour with the girls tonight! Can I call it "Happy Hour" if I'm not working? Should it just be called "early drinking"?? Whatever it is, I'll be required to change out of my pajamas. And that's okay.

Happy weekend, lovelies!!!

Linking up with Lauren

Thankful Thursday

I realize I spend a lot of time complaining, being anxious, and worrying about things in my life.
This is okay sometimes, everyone does it and I'm human.
I'm plenty thankful for everything in my life, but I don't consciously think about this or write about it too much.
Enter Sarah Grace's link-up. I love her positive outlook and couldn't resist joining in this week!

I'm thankful for...
waking up this morning
my warm cheetah pajamas (I must have mentioned these a thousand times this week. obsessed.)
being able to turn on heat when it was 66 degrees in the house on this chilly morning
taking a week off between jobs and being able to afford to do so
having an amazing new job to start next week
my career, license, and education
my incredible boyfriend, who never ceases to amaze me with his kindness
my loving family, and a great lunch with my dad yesterday
Starbucks K-cups and pumpkin spice creamer. incredible combination.
our new, spacious, quiet apartment
that Channing Tatum was named Sexiest Man Alive. Good call, People.com. "Agreed", said every woman ever.

Random Wednesday

Happy Wednesday! I'm so excited to link up for Shanna's very first "Random Wednesday"!
Well, friends... this is definitely random!



-I don't want to get out of my cheetah pajamas. Ever. They're so comfortable...they're super warm and perfect for the past couple nights that it's been cold. We haven't turned the heat on because it's been warm during the day and the apartment is so sunny, it heats up quickly. Night time is a different story and gets a little chilly! Coincidentally I have cheetah slippers that I also can't take off. Is it just me or does cheetah print make everything better?

-Pre-employment tasks are the worst. I've been running around getting fingerprinted, a physical, drug test, TB test, ugh! It's nice to be off work this week but a little annoying I have to get all this stuff done! Plus, it means I have to change out of my pajamas. How obnoxious!

-Speaking of pre-employment. I've been experiencing something called "nerves". A lot of them. More like anxiety towards this change in my life. I thought the hardest part would be leaving my old job, which was very difficult. I'm starting to think the hardest part is this part. The in-between time, the unknown. The adjustment to a new routine, the uncertainty and insecurity. I've tried so hard to be positive about this transition- and don't get me wrong. I am excited. I know I made the right decision. I'm just... scared. And that's okay...or at least, it will be. Right?

source

-It makes me super happy that Target is all decorated for Christmas (and the other winter holidays). And by decorated, I mean it's full of things I can buy to decorate my house. Self control, Alyssa. Self control.

-Parenthood makes me cry. Every time. I've trained myself to keep the tissue box next to me while watching.

-I've been having super weird dreams. They're extremely life-like and are freaking me out. I never remember my dreams, but lately it's been every single night. Last night I re-lived my last day of work, but it was totally different than my actual last day. Down to every detail. Yes, I'm a mental health professional and can figure that one out, but seriously?! Settle down, brain. Please!

-Last but not least, Kohl's is sharing an exclusive coupon code with all you lovely people! Use code "TENBLOG" for 10% off your purchase at Kohls.com now through December 29. It can be used stacked with another coupon code. Perfect timing for gift shopping! While you're at it, buy something for yourself and get those cheetah pajamas I just mentioned :)

Hopefully I didn't completely bore you or freak you out by all this ;) I'm loving this link-up because this is totally how my brain works. I'm always writing down extremely random things that pop into my mind so this is perfect for me. Thanks, Shanna! :)