Last Minute Christmas Gift Guide

Here is a round up of things you can gift directly online, get delivered in the next couple of days, or pick up at your local Target. I tried to compile a list that'd have some options for all of your loved ones (and in various price ranges), so if you're really in a bind, I hope you find some help here!

The Complete Harry Potter Series with Newly Illustrated Covers ($55 on Walmart's website (with delivery before Christmas) or $70 in store at Target): I don't feel like I even need to write an explanation for this purchase, but I will say that the newly illustrated covers are so cool and the set would look gorgeous on any bibliophile's bookshelf.

Guitar wall mounts ($10): Turn any guitar into an instant work of art. These would make great stocking stuffers, especially for someone who's just moved and is trying to decorate a new space.

Paper Source Personalized Notepad Kit ($40): This set allows the gift-receiver to get online and design a custom set of notepads in minutes.

Corksicle Copper Canteen ($33): The largest size of this canteen can fit an entire bottle of wine. Sooooooo I can really just stop typing there, right? It also keeps hot beverages hot for 12 hours, and cold ones cold for 24 hours. I was recently gifted the S'well version of this canteen, and it's incredible. But this one can be delivered with free two-day Amazon Prime shipping. (There are many more colors available if your gift-ee is a guy and/or doesn't want a sparkly metallic water bottle to lug around.)

NARS Steven Klein One Shocking Moment Cheek Palette ($69): This has everything a girl needs: a bronzer, under eye brightener, contour powder and four beautiful blushes. And it's a $165 value(!).

Cards Against Humanity ($25, with $10 expansion packs): If you want to know who the most f*cked up person in your friend group or family is, buy this game. My favorite card is "A Sad Fat Dragon with No Friends." I belly laugh every.time.

iPhone Keychain Charger ($20): I talked about a tassel version here, but this one has a larger hook that you could clip directly onto a handbag or suitcase handle, which I love. This version comes in a few different colors, so it could be gifted without leaning either too feminine or masculine.

Star Wars: The Digital Movie Collection ($90): With everything moving away from physical copies and into the cloud, gifting the Star Wars nerd in your life the entire digital collection would be a pretty awesome and thoughtful gift. Plus, there's no need to worry about shipping or delivery, since you can buy this straight from the comfort of your couch (pants optional).

Black & White Truffle Oils ($35): I love drizzling white truffle oil over fried eggs or tossing piping hot french fries with a little. It never hurts to top with some freshly grated parmesan, too.

Rebecca Minkoff Mini Mac (about $200, but some colors are heavily discounted right now): I have a couple of Rebecca Minkoff bags, the Mini Mac being one of them, and they are just so incredibly beautiful, well made and durable. This black one with rose gold detailing is killing me.

Face of the Day: Twenty-Eighth Birthday Brunch

For my birthday brunch, I wanted radiant, flawless skin with a dramatic winged liner and bold lips. I planned on doing a deep, dark blackberry lip, but I saw NARS' Lana sitting on my desk and went orange, instead. For those of you that know me, you know just how me a winged liner and bold lip is, so I thought it would be perfect for a birthday celebration!

Face

L'Oreal Magic Lumi primer

L'Oreal True Match Foundation in N2 + Cover FX Custom Cover Drops in N20

Urban Decay Naked Weightless Concealer in Light Neutral (under eyes)

NYX Conceal Correct Contour Palette in Light (on blemishes/imperfections)

NYX Contour Kit

Hourglass Ambient Palette

Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips in Warm Nude

Eyes

NYX Tinted Brow Mascara in Brunette

Makeup Geek eyeshadows in Peach Smoothie, Creme Brûlée, Cocoa Bear, & Bitten (crease & outer corner)

Wet N Wild single eyeshadow in Brûlée (lid and brow bone)

Kat Von D Metal Crush Eyeshadow in Thunderstruck (inner corner)

Armani Eyes To Kill Mascara

Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in Trooper

KISS false eyelash trios in Extra Short & Short

Lips

NARS Audacious Lipstick in Lana

Top

Target ($23)

28 Things I've Learned in 28 Years

There was  a time in my life (particularly from the ages of eighteen to twenty-one) where I used to think it was impossible that any of my stupid life choices had taught me anything. But as I compiled this list, I became fully cognizant of the fact that just because you made some not-so-wise choices in your past (even one day in your past), it doesn't mean you didn't learn anything.

Here are twenty-eight things I've learned in my twenty-eight years on earth, many of which I very much wish I could've told the high school version of myself and my best friends, too. Maybe you'll read something that resonates or you'll think of something I could still really stand to learn. Either way, I hope this will be a fun, enlightening, empowering way to celebrate my birthday this year.

1. Love yourself.

2. Empower the other women in your life. I am sick of women putting other women down. We can all be fun, smart, beautiful and successful. There is room enough for all of us at the top, and acting any differently only adds unnecessary negativity into our lives. It is more than okay to be a girls' girl.

3. Eat the f*cking donut. I guess this is connected to Numbers 1 and 18, but seriously, just f*cking eat it.

4. Call your mother (or step-mother or any other applicable mother figure). Just do it. She wants to talk to you, and trust me, you NEED to talk to her.

5. Let it go. Move. On. Take a deep breath and take a step forward and away from whatever it is that's holding you back.

6. Exercise. Not necessarily to lose weight or tone up, but because it'll help you deal with any negativity and stress in your life.

7. And in the same vein, rid yourself of negative people. My brain (and heart, for that matter) only has the capacity to hold the lyrics to every single Backstreet Boys and N*Sync song, which means there is absolutely no room to waste my thoughts on negative people.

8. Drink water.

9. Stop doing things simply because other people want you to. Unless, of course, it's your boss, then please, for the love of God, do what she asked you to do.

10. It's not fun or funny to pretend to be stupid. You worked your ass off to get where you are, so act like it. Being a ditz was only cool circa 1995: the "Clueless" era.

11. Be kind...

12. But do NOT, under any circumstances, be a pushover. 

13. Never compare your relationship to others' and never compare others' relationship to your own.

14. It's okay to cry.

15. And it's also okay to have an off day. I feel like I was never told this as a child, and I still have days, where when I'm not running down the road, hugging and kissing strangers and babies alike, that I feel like some sort of asshole. That's not the case at all though. You don't have to be sunshine and rainbows every day to be a normal, functioning part of society. If you need to sneak out of work at 4:30 and get in pajamas and take a nap, maybe that's just what you need. And that's okay.

16. Try something, anything, new, be it food or adventure or anything else. I didn't eat a Brussels sprout until nine months ago. Like, WHAT? That's ridiculous.

17. Wear red lipstick (or a smokey eye or an agressive amount of blush or bold brow fillers) because it's YOUR face. And if people don't like it, please point them in the direction of Numbers 2, 5, 7 & 9 above (and tell them I sent you).

18. Stop shaming your body. How can you be kind to others when you can't even be kind to yourself? This is something I struggle with every minute of every day, but I'm trying. 

19. Accept help.

20. Always allow yourself the opportunity to be a better version of yourself.

21. Appreciate the friends you have but be open to making new, amazing friends, too. I made a friend over the past few months that's been such an incredible, loving, positive and empowering force in my life that I almost can't imagine a time when we weren't friends. Just because you're not a student anymore, and friends aren't a dime a dozen, it doesn't mean that good friends aren't destined to come in your life and stay there forever.

23. Have patience...

24. But not too much patience.

25. Don't go to bed mad at your significant other. A friend of mine's father always says, "do you want to be right or do you want to be in love?" Apologize (yes, even if you don't mean it), kiss goodnight and wake up in the morning with a fresh perspective. Sometimes my "fresh perspective" tells me that I was right, and so I wake up and keep arguing with P when we're drinking coffee, but oh well...

26. Stop saying "sorry" (and "no problem," for that matter).

27. Learn something, anything, from a past relationship, be it romantic or platonic. People come and go from our lives for a reason, and there's always something you can learn from the idiot you dated when you were seventeen. Always.

28. Drink champagne. On any day and for any reason or for absolutely no reason at all.