Holiday Gift Guide 2016

December 19, 2016



      There's less than one week until Christmas, so time is running out to buy gifts for our nearest and dearest. Every year, I struggle to pick out gifts because I either have too many ideas that I can't afford, or I have absolutely no ideas at all! This year, it's been a bit easier than usual, so I decided to create a gift guide. 

Holiday Wish List 2016

December 12, 2016


     I'm back with my 3rd annual holiday wish list! I started doing this in 2014, and it was helpful for "Santa", as well as my friends and family. I did it again in 2015, and now here we are with 2016's edition. I feel like I have to give the disclaimer that I don't except all or any of these items for Christmas, they're just a few things I have my eyes on. I've tried to include items varying in prices so you can get a variety of ideas for your own wish lists, as well as ideas of what to get friends! Stay tuned for a few more holiday posts this season, xoxo Lauren!

Book Talk: Leave Your Mark by Aliza Licht

December 1, 2016

     It's taken me a few days to get back into the swing of things since being off for Thanksgiving break, but I'm finally back! For me, Thanksgiving was restful yet busy. Somehow between stuffing my face with my sister's lasagna and Black Friday shopping into the early morning, I found time to read.

Thanksgiving Dance 2016

November 21, 2016

     Welcome back! I can't believe that November is almost over, which means that Thanksgiving, AKA my favorite holiday, is only a few days away. Until then I'll be cuddled up in my bed every night watch the Thanksgiving episodes of Gossip Girl (everyone knows they're the best) and waiting for the Gilmore Girls revival to be released on Netflix! This past Saturday, I attended my school's annual Thanksgiving Dance. I've been on the committee for the past two years, and since I'm a senior this was my last year to attend. I went, again, with my best friend Kyra; our pictures didn't turn out great so here are a couple I took with my sister before leaving!

Girlboss Radio

November 10, 2016

     It's been a while, over two weeks, but I'm back today to talk about something a little different, a podcast. Last October, I blogged about a book called #GIRLBOSS that I had just started reading. I finished it shortly after writing that post and I ended up loving, Sophia Amoruso's story is captivating and well-told, while giving insightful advice about the fashion industry and the world of business. A few months ago, I found out about Sophia Amoruso's podcast by the same name through one of my favorite bloggers, Nicole, who writes Empire Styles.

Vegan Pumpkin Pie

October 24, 2016


     The end of October is full of pumpkins; pumpkin spice lattes at Starbucks (and everywhere else these days) and carving pumpkins for Halloween. My favorite pumpkin-related food of all time is my sister’s pumpkin pie, but I usually don’t get that until Thanksgiving, which is kind of a shame. This past weekend, I was craving my sister’s pumpkin pie so badly and I was prepared to beg and barter and until she made one, until I realized that her famous recipe is. not. vegan. 

Pumpkin Patch

October 3, 2016
  
   Today is my good friend Lexi's birthday, happy birthday Lexi ♥︎! This past Saturday, Lexi and I, along with 9 of her closest gal pals, celebrated by going to a pumpkin patch. It such a fun fall activity and the weather was gorgeous, so I couldn't help but take a bunch of pictures!

ColourPop Lippies

September 29, 2016

A few weeks ago, around Labor Day I think, ColourPop was having a sale. For a year now I've been waiting for a reason to try out their lip products, as I've heard so many great things. With lipsticks priced at just $6, I couldn't resist. In my order, I purchased three lips products and got one for free which was super exciting.

Summer to Fall OOTD

September 19, 2016
    

    So, this Friday marks the first day of fall! Fall fashion is my favorite thing ever and I always find myself wanting to wear sweaters and boots the day the season begins, but when the weather stays in the 80s well into October, it's not possible. Instead, I slowly transition into fall fashion by mixing my favorite summer pieces with some autumnal accents. 

bh Cosmetics Carli Bybel Palette

September 12, 2016

     If you don't know who Carli Bybel is, look her up on YouTube right now (or after you read this post). I've recently become a big fan of her, not just because of her style and beauty, but also her lifestyle as far as faith and being vegan. When I found out she was releasing a palette I looked it up online and fell in love. I added it to my wishlist and a few weeks later I got it for my birthday!

Agenda Organization - Erin Condren Life Planner

September 5, 2016
I'm back today to share my annual agenda organization post! You may remember my Kate Spade one's from last year and the year before, and if you've been reading this blog for a really long time you may remember my Lilly Pulitzer agenda from freshman year. Maintaining organization in my agenda is super important to me during the school year, it's the only way I can keep track of all of my extracurriculars, internship events, appointments, homework, and this year, student government.

Senior Year

August 28, 2016

The Best (Vegan) Waffles

August 21, 2016


Today's post was originally going to be a smoothie bowl recipe that I'm obsessed with. I've had it 2x this week, and I even went to the store to get strawberries, kiwi, and banana's to make it looks super cute. Alas, some people weren't meant to cook (or even make smoothies for that matter), because while it tasted great, the texture was off and it looked disgusting. While I was struggling to make a basic smoothie, my sister was behind me making waffles. My sister, Olivia, isn't vegan, but she's been making vegan recipes lately so that I can eat them too (she's pretty cool like that). Her vegan waffles looked way better than my soupy smoothie, so I switched gears and started photographing those instead. I even let her use the fruit I bought to top it. 

Pür Cosmetics Volume Vixen 4-in-1 Mascara

August 8, 2016

It was time for me to try a new mascara, so when I was in Montreal I ventured into a pharmacy and picked out this one from Pür Cosmetics. Of course, the company is cruelty-free, which is one of my biggest factors in beauty products.

Eating and Shopping | Montreal, Quebec, Canada

August 1, 2016
Yesterday was our last day in Montreal! Even though we only had 3 days, we did so much that it felt like a week! We didn't do as much today, nevertheless, I'm going to share my day with you.

July Favorites

July 31, 2016

This month's favorites post is a bit late and I'm so sorry about that! I overestimated the amount of time I would have to do blog posts while on vacation, and I'm literally typing this on my phone while waiting for the valet to bring the car so we can go to breakfast! 

Osheaga | Montreal, Quebec, Canada


I'm sitting in bed this morning trying to get this post done before we head out for breakfast. I'm super exhausted as we didn't get back to the hotel until 1AM this morning, but I think once I get food I'll be much better. Osheaga was a blast, and I'm so grateful I got to go and experience it.

Sight Seeing | Montreal, Quebec, Canada

July 30, 2016

Hi all! If you follow me on twitter you may know that I'm in Montreal for the weekend. My family goes on vacation to a new country right before school starts every year, and this year we chose Canada! The main reason we're here is for Osheaga, the music festival, but unfortunately, we were unable to get the three-day passes, so we're just going on Saturday.

Book Talk: The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty

July 17, 2016
{via: goodreads}

I finished reading Liane Moriarty's The Husband's Secret last week, and for almost the entire book I was sure that I wasn't going to be writing a book talk about it. Then, I read the epilogue and I was completely thrown for a loop. While I enjoyed the book a lot, it wasn't the type of book that made me think really hard or guess what was going to happen next. It was kind of way that my mind could relax and enjoy the drama without thinking too hard...until I read the epilogue.

Cruelty-Free Beauty Favorites

July 7, 2016

Hello everyone! If you didn't know, I'm vegan, not only in the food I eat but in all areas of my life. This means I only use vegan and cruelty-free products. I've listed my favorites below and I'll keep adding to it. Enjoy!

Book + Movie Talk: Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

July 3, 2016

When I read Me Before You over a year ago, I had no idea it was going to be made into a film. Jojo Moyes' novel moved me in unexpected ways and seeing it on the big screen was (almost) everything I wanted from the film.

June Favorites

June 30, 2016

I can't believe we are already done with June, and essentially half way through 2016! I have a bunch of favorites for this month due to the end of the school year and the beginning of summer!

Kylie Lip Kit vs. NYX Lingerie Lipstick

June 24, 2016

A few weeks back I did a review of the Kylie Jenner Lip Kit, and since I've been wearing it a lot I got the idea from my friends and family to do a comparison with a similar, but less expensive product. A lot of Kylie Cosmetics doubters claim you can get the same product for a fraction of the price from brands like ColorPop and NYX. Since I've been going through an obsession with NYX lip products, I decided to purchase the NYX Lingerie Lipstick and do a comparison.

Bahamas/Father's Day 2016

June 20, 2016

This is our family's 4th year in a row celebrating the summer in the Bahamas, and our 2nd year spending father's day here. In honor of father's day, we spent the day soaking up as much sun as we could in the plethora of pools housed by Atlantis (see cool GoPro vids on my Insta soon: @misslaurenalston)!


Beauty Hack: For Whitening Teeth

June 16, 2016
I always hate looking back at photos and seeing how yellow my teeth look or having to whiten them in photos. Dental hygiene is super important, and even though I brush and floss every day my teeth aren't always a white and bright as I would like. Crest White Strips and similar products can be costly, so I found a way to whiten my teeth for free!

A lot of people who use this trick mix the baking soda with their toothpaste to whiten their teeth, and while this works, I've found a better technique. I used this trick on prom night as well as graduation, and I brushed my teeth with my regular toothpaste, then coated my wet toothbrush with baking soda, then used mouthwash. Completing the steps in this order provides the best possible result. 

I like this trick because most people have baking soda in their home, so no matter where I am as long as I have a toothbrush I'm all set! Leave me a comment letting me know if this works for you, or what your favorite beauty hacks are. Stay tuned, xo Lauren.

Vegan What I Eat in a Day

June 8, 2016

I have officially been vegan for 3 weeks now, so I wanted to share with you a recipe for each meal of the day!

Kylie Cosmetics Lip Kit

June 5, 2016


I've tweeted about it (follow me on twitter) and mentioned it in my May favorites, but I finally got my hands on my Kylie Jenner Lip Kit!  I ordered Posie K, which is a magenta/pink and is perfect for my everyday look. I know that a lot of people want to read reviews before purchasing so today I'm providing you with an in-depth review of my lip kit!

May Favorites

May 31, 2016
Today is the last day of May, which means my monthly favorites. This month, for me, signifies the end of the school and the beginning of summer. It was a great month full of experiences like prom, being elected secretary of my school, and an amazing trip to the lake with friends/fellow student government officers! Because I had such a fulfilling month, I'm super excited about all of my favorites!

Prom 2016

May 22, 2016
{me and my bff}
Last night I had my first prom! I didn't have a date, so I went with a group of friends and I had such a great time. Aside from dancing the night away, I genuinely had a good time spending the day getting ready. 

Revice Denim

May 17, 2016

One Monday evening, while I was sitting in the doctor's office waiting for my name to be called, I was browsing Instagram (follow me @misslaurenalston) when I discovered the account @revice_denim. If you know me, then you know that jeans are my absolute favorite thing to wear. I wear jeans at least 3 days a week because for me they are the most comfortable thing ever. I'm always looking for new brands that could fit my body better, because as you may have seen in my Finding the Perfect Skinny Jean post from last year, it's super hard to find jeans that fit my body shape. 


Author Spotlight: Jeannette Walls

May 12, 2016
{courtesy of Jeanette Walls' Offical Facebook page}
I wouldn't be surprised if you have already heard of Jeannette Walls due to the boom in popularity of her novels the year before last. In case you haven't heard of her, she's the author of The Glass Castle, The Silver Star, and my most recent read, Half Broke Horses

April Favorites

April 30, 2016
So I am back with this month favorites post, and this month contains a bunch of favorites that I'm super excited about! I've been feeling great lately, which means lots of interesting things for me to share with you all.

Gonza Tacos Y Tequila, Durham NC

April 20, 2016

Although I live in Chapel Hill, I venture into Durham from time to time.  I've recently discovered that Downtown Durham was some pretty amazing restaurants, so I thought I would share with you one of my favorites: Gonza Tacos y Tequila.

How I Cleared My Skin

April 16, 2016

A few weeks ago, I started to notice that my skin was breaking out a bunch.  I'm not sure if it was from stress, poor eating habits, allergy shots, or just being a teenager.  It was making me really uncomfortable being around people or in pictures and I didn't know how to solve it! To clarify (no pun intended), I had clusters of pimples in between my eyebrows and one big Rudolph-like under the skin pimple on my nose.

French Braids

April 12, 2016

You guys may or may not have noticed that for the most part I always wear my hair the same way, straight, parted on the left, and sometimes with a headband. The primary reason for this is that I have hair that's short, thin, and extremely delicate. This makes it hard and risky to try out new hairstyles. I've been saying for awhile that I want to grow out my hair so I can wear it in two braids all the time because it's a hairstyle that looks good with my face and it's not super hard. I decided to wear it even though my hair is still short, and I love the way it turned out.

March Favorites

March 31, 2016
As always, here I am on the last day of the month to showcase my favorites.  This month is a bit strange because there is a wide variety of things I have to share with you!

February Favorites

February 29, 2016
People usually think that February flies by because it's a shorter month, but I feel like it's been quite a long month this year. I'm back again to share my favorites from the month with you!

January Favorites

January 31, 2016
I'm back!  January has been such a strange month for me, so I haven't been posting as much as I'd like to, but to be completely honest I was in a creative slump and didn't have any ideas for new posts! A favorites post isn't super original, but this month I have quite a few things I want to share with you all!

Happiness - What I Learned In 2015

January 8, 2016
{via: tumblr}
Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all brought in the new year with a bang and enjoyed your first week of 2016! I thought I'd start out my blog this year with a post about happiness.
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