The Christmas season is upon us, folks! And I for one am very excited. I love everything about the holiday season. From the changing leaves in early November, to apple pies and turkey-roasted bacon on Thanksgiving, to the family Christmas parties, to sleeping with a spoon under my pillow on Christmas Eve. From November 1 to January 6th, I am the happiest little snowflake there ever could be! (except for finals week in the middle of that. Significantly less happy then)
And as per the annual tradition, I made my Christmas list! And yes, I am 19 and still making Christmas lists.
1. Portable Phone Charger: I don't know if it's just me or what, but my phone battery is CONSTANTLY dying. Maybe it's because Apple hates me, but if I'm out in the city, there's a pretty good chance my phone battery is on it's last legs. A portable charger is exactly what I need, espceially on nights when I'm coming home late from work, I get nervous if I don't have my phone available to me, just in case. As much as I love the Kate Spade chargers, it's pretty hard to willingly shell out $50, when I can get this super cute Dynex charger (in pink, of course!) from Best Buy for only $8.
2. Camp Socks: AKA the best foot sweaters around. If you don't own a pair of these magical socks, you are missing out on a serious part of your life. I honestly can't find a link, but I know for a fact that they have them at Target. And probably everywhere else too
3. Essie Polishes: I am huge on standing by favorite brands, and Essie is one of them I will always stick with. I've been happy with my polishes from them so far, and I don't plan on going back any time soon! I've been looking to add to my collection, and here's what I've narrowed it down to:
Marshmallow - just a little softer than Blanc, I like the sheerness
Dive Bar - Very different, but I LOVE the shimmer!
Borrowed & Blue - I don't have a pastel blue, and though it's not a color I use very often, it would be good to have on hand. (pun 100% intended!)
Fiji - Always good to have a good, girly, pale pink!
Luxedo - I love dark polish, it makes me feel very elegant when I have it on. I've got a burgundy color, but I need a good plum too!
Turquoise & Caicos - Turquoise = perfection. I love wearing bright colors in the winter! It just cheers everything up really.
Big Spender - What can I say? I like pink. And I like when I have a polish that can match my lipstick!
Mint Candy Apple - Another nice turquoise color! Also, it's nearly Tiffany blue, therefore I need it!
Ballet Slippers - Basically the Essie go-to color. And I have yet to nab one for myself!
All in One or Good to Go - I'm almost out of top coat! I'm super harsh on my nails, so I definitely need a really good quality top coat to keep them presentable. These two are my preferred top coats from Essie
4. Black Watch Tartan Blanket Scarf: Featured everywhere, the blanket scarf is a beautiful invention.And I have an admitted love affair with Black Watch Tartan. I am in love with this one from The Providence Story on Etsy, but it sold out! I love the frayed end instead of the fringe, I prefer it for blanket scarves. Time to hunt down another producer..
5. Books: Books are never not on my list to be honest. While I'm generally happy with a Barnes & Noble gift card, sometimes it's nice to get a physical book as a gift. While I could list out every book I want, that would take until next Christmas before I even scraped the surface. The best general mass of my To-Read list is from my 101 in 1001 List. I do already own some books on the list, but most I haven't gotten my hands on yet! (especially Girl on the Train, which has a new movie coming out soon, just a suggestion Mom!)
6. Hair Straightener: As a girl with wildly misbehaving hair, my straightener and I have had a long and complicated relationship. After some rough patches in middle school, my straightener and I we're on a great road together. That is until last winter, when he began to give up on me. Now with occasional little shocks and turning off at will, it's time for me to give my straightener the viking funeral he deserves, and move on to someone new. I love my BioIonic straightener, and I want to stay loyal to the brand. I'm going on 5 years with mine now! But their 1 Inch StyleIron is $120, which is pretty pricey for me. If anyone is looking to splurge on a straightener, I would 100% recommend BioIonic though. On the budget side, my go-to-salon always uses John Frieda styling irons, and I'm willing to check out the Sleek Finish Flat Iron for myself!
7. Tortioseshell OR Silver Monogrammed Pendant Necklace: I can't decide, but I'm leaning more towards the silver monogrammed necklace. Essentially the main point of preppy college style, I do indeed feel the need to monogram everything. Because if it's not monogrammed, is it really even yours?
8. Running Shoes: I love my Nikes, but now that I'm starting my marathon training, I want to pick up a second, better fitting pair more suited for longer runs. My pair now are really great general sneakers and have worked great up to this point. But for my next pair, I need something with a little more arch support and something that's eventually going to last 26.2 miles with me! I've been leaning towards the Saucony Ride 8 and the Ravenna 6. The Asics Gel Nimbus 17 was suggested to me too, and I really like this use of Nimbus in the name, though there is unfortunately no Nimbus 2000. Despite my research, I think the best option for me would be to go into Brooks and ask the people who actually know about running shoes.
9. Silver Boyfriend Watch: My favorite Betsy Johnson watch kicked a few weeks back, so I've been in the market for another watch to replace it. As much as I loved the Betsy one, I'm looking for something a little more downplayed, something that has more outfit flexibility. I know I want silver, but I wouldn't mind a colored face with it I haven't found one I really like quite yet, but something similar to Fossil's Virginia watch would be good.
10. Hunter Boots: I love my hard working muck boots. They're great for the barn and working outside in the rain and mud. But when it's raining and I have class, I really cant stand wearing them. They're super heavy and not exactly pretty looking. I would love to have a pair of Hunter Rain Boots in my collection for class days. Functional, but still cute, and hopefully won't make that weird whump! noise when I walk.. My only problem with the boots is that I just can't decide between Hunter Green and Navy blue..
11. Le Pliage Longchamp Tote: Perfectly bottomless and sturdy, I can fit everything under the sun in this bag, and still have room for a book, need I even say more? I've always loved the La Pliage totes, and I think I always will. As a true lover of the color, Navy is the only option for me.
12. Duck Boots: According to the Farmer's Almanac, my spring semester is going to be very, very snowy. And as much as I love my big rain boots, they just don't cut it on winter style. I want something with a bit more of a cute factor when I'm wearing more layers that I thought I could fit under my coat. I might look a bit strange, but at least I'll have cute shoes! Of course the LL Bean Boots are my first favorites, nothing beats the original! I like the blue toe over the brown, it'll match 99% of everything I own. I also prefer the 8" over the 6", with the slush and gross all over, I'd rather have a bit more ankle coverage. There are few things worse than getting bits of snow down the top of your boots! The Sperry Saltwater Duckboot has a really nice darker leather on it and I really like the green or blue toe option. I tried on the Merona boots at Target this past weekend. While. closer to my price range, the ankle of the book was very uncomfortable to me, it really didn't have much of a shape. The jury is still out on the boots, but hopefully I'll decide on a pair soon.
13. Riding Boots: I get a new pair of boots every year and I don't know what I do, but they never last! I wear them a lot and I think I just beat them up. Here's to hoping that these ones last. I'm super picky about the zipper on some of them, I prefer the full zip, it's just easier to put on. I've got pretty large calves thanks to both riding and running, so not all boots fit me, especially the ones with super slim calves. And I hate ones with too many little buckles on them, they always catch on my jeans when I cross my legs. As a total fangirl, I'm obliged to include the most fabulous Meranda boot from Ralph Lauren. I love the dark brown color and the fab detail on the ankle. The Steve Madden Arries boot is great too. I love the color, and it's super simple looking. AND no buckles! The third pair I found is the Anne Klein Kahlan boot. They are super dark brown, which I'm not sure if I want or not, but I love the high front on them!
14. Trench Coat: Always the best go to for the fall and spring. It's a wardrobe staple for pretty much any style and a good trench coat can last for a while! I've always wanted a Burberry trench coat, but $1,700 is a little out of my price range, even for an investment purchase! Though I usually prefer tan or khaki colored coats, this one is super cute in brown! And of course, you can never go wrong with Ralph Lauren, and I do like the little skirt detail on the bottom too. But this Calvin Klein one is much closer to my realistic price range and its the super classic look.
15. Knit Hats: It's not even that chilly out yet and I cannot wait to start wearing hats again! When I was younger I loved trapper hat, you know the ones with ear flaps. I liked to wear them when I would read. Don't ask, I haven't the slightest idea why. But since then, my hat style has changed from ear flaps to poms. I'm in love with the cute little knits with the pom pom on top, silly as they might look. My goal is to get a good collection of them this year and maybe even try to knit one for myself too!
16. Black Flats: While my LC blush flats are usually my go-to shoes, I need a good pain of plain black flats. I've got a suede pair with a slight heel, but I need one that I can just throw on when I'm going to do grocery shopping or going to class.
17. Cognac Flats: A cute stylish pair! Something between heels and go-to. To be honest, I have a love for all things cognac-colored, to be honest.
18. Blow Dryer: I have wavy and naturally rather poofy hair. Generally, blow dryers and I do not get along. After many sad attempts resulting in poof-helmets rivaling Albert Einstein, I had given up on dryers. Over the summer when I was running and showering nearly every morning, I could let my hair air dry on the way to work, and generally it would look okay. It's great now, since there's no humidity. But unfortunately that no humidity comes with a cost, its cold as all heck. And I don't really feel like walking into class with icicles in my hair. So that brings me here, to shopping for hair dryers. I know I wanted one with Diffuser and Concentrator tools, to control the airflow a bit. After shopping around I landed on two Revlon brand dryers: the Pro Stylist dryer and the Laser Brilliance Infrared dryer. I don't really have a particular preference for either, but the latter seems to have a bit more consistent reviews. Here's to hoping for fewer baseball cap mornings!
19. Gift Cards to J. Crew and LL Bean: Super self explanatory, I hate when people shop for me, because I always feel bad about returning or exchanging anything! With gift cards, it's less of a hassle for everyone really.
20. Bonus Booties: I found these guys when I was looking for the riding boots, and I fell in love! I usually don't wear shorter boots, but these are cute and hardy looking and would be good for the spring, just sturdy enough to be able to handle the little rain puddles and still cute enough for anything! They're insulated too, so they're perfect for the more chilly days, great for me to wear to work. I like the brown, but they come in black and chestnut too.
Writing all that out took MUCH longer than expected! But that's it folks, my Christmas list for this year! Until next time, Happy (early) Holidays!
-Writing to you from M, Personally
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