#AirheadsNeeded

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Airheads. All opinions are my own.

I've always loved Airheads Candy growing up. I liked biting into them and ripping them apart to eat them. I definitely distinctly remember them a lot during Halloween time!

Well even today, Airheads are still a beloved candy brand and are taking things to the next level. They are looking for Airheads!

Now before you get offended, let me explain.

Airheads wants to showcase life's mishaps and "airhead" moments and showcase them through their campaign that they recently launched, "The World Needs More Airheads." They are looking for fans like you to post a Vine, Insta-vid, Youtube video, anything that shows your airhead moment! All videos submitted will be featured on their site, and if you have one of the top 3 videos, you can be featured in an Airheads tv commercial!

If you want to enter:

1. Upload a Vine, Insta-vid, or Youtube video of your airhead moment. 
2. Hashtag it #AirheadsNeeded
3. Visit the Airheads Tumblr to submit your video for a chance to win. 

Your video can be one that you recorded a long time ago, or it could be one that you just created! 

Keep an eye out for my Youtube channel for my entry. You know I can't pass up an opportunity like this! Show me your Airhead moment!

YOUTUBE: 100 Subscribers + Filipinos at Boxing Matches

Soo lately, I've been busy with lots of school-related activities, but aside from that, I've also been working on improving my Youtube channel and getting around to uploading videos more regularly.

I recently passed just over 100 subscribers and so I found the time in my schedule to make a short update video and to thank my viewers for their support in my channel so far!

While my channel has primarily been a beauty/random vlog channel, I stated in my channel's introduction video that I would soon be getting into more different types of videos. I want to do more comedic videos where I get to talk about things I've noticed around me in a funny way, and I also hope to get back into the habit of doing cover videos. Since coming to college, most singing that I do is purely for choir or church due to the fact that I've been focusing so much on my writing lately.

I also just posted my newest video on my channel; you should check it out! In honor of boxer Manny Pacquiao's recent win against Timothy Bradley, I decided to talk a little bit about the different types of Filipinos you meet at a Pacquiao fight! Hey, even if you aren't Filipino, maybe your family gets this way too, whether it's at boxing matches, football games, or whatever sport you guys watch together. Let me know what you think!

 

Until next time,

4 Not-So-Typical Date Ideas

My boyfriend, Darell, and I have been together for almost four years. In the span of those four years, we've tried out and done so many different dates. Doing too much of the same thing is boring and can be unhealthy for your relationship (although it doesn't necessarily mean it is).

For Darell and I, our usual dates we resort to (which I'm sure you all in relationships can relate to) are:
eating out, watching movies (either at home or in theaters), or lazy days at home.

Some days they're really fun or memorable but let's face it: unless you're eating out somewhere fancy or watching a midnight premiere or have tons of things to do at home, then it's not always the most fun thing. (And besides, staying at home for us means that he's on his computer playing videogames while I fend for myself!)

Anyway, onto the date ideas!

Spring Break Recap - CA, OR, WA

If you've been keeping up with my Twitter and Instagram, then you would know that I recently came back from spring break up in the Pacific Northwest--Northern California, Washington, and Oregon. It was a lot of fun, but it was primarily for my university's annual choir tour!

I'll let the pictures speak for themselves, but here was our basic travel schedule (60+ hours on a bus over the course of 10 days with 45 women): 

SoCal to Gilroy, Ca (San Jose area)

Gilroy, Ca to Portland, Oregon

Portland, Or to Klamath Falls, Or (close to the border of Cali and Oregon)

Klamath Falls, Or to Seattle, Wa (We stayed in Seattle for two days)

Seattle, Wa to Prineville, Or (Central Oregon, close to Bend, Oregon)

Prineville, Or to Walnut Grove, Ca (half an hour from Sacramento)

Walnut Grove to Home! 

Here is my trip in pictures!

Blogger Spotlight: Allison of Because I Said So

Today I am spotlighting one of my sponsors, Allison from Because I Said So! She has my number 2 ad package on the blog this month, so she is getting a nice introduction post dedicated to her!

Allison's blog is witty. That is one of the first things I noticed about it when I visited her blog for the first time. A few of the things she writes about are sarcastic, which I love. One of my favorite posts on her blog is her Shopaholics Anonymous post. So many of the points she talked about were so true! We both love shopping, although judging by some of her points she may win that Shopaholic award... haha. 

She's just a normal girl talking about the world the way she sees it. I like how she says things how they are. If you haven't checked her out already, I say go do it! You won't regret it. 

Follow Allison!

Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Instagram

Stay Prepped for Spring Break!

While my spring break is coming to a close, it is just getting started almost everywhere else, and that means fun in the sun! That also means packing and making sure you have everything you need for a memorable (and fun) spring break.

#HCSurvivalKits

I recently got my HerCampus Spring Break Survival Kit to have for my Spring Break and even beyond that! I was so excited to get right on with using all of these items for myself (and to share with friends, of course!)

What I Got:

• Biotera Ultra Color Care Conditioner - I personally have never dyed my hair, but almost everyone around me has, so they say that this conditioner is great for protecting colored hair. The box full of these samples I received was perfect for my roommate and next-door neighbors (who all dye their hair).
• Tresemme Keratin Smooth 7 Day Trial - I got a few boxes (shown in red box) of these week-long samples to use and I took them on my choir tour this week! They are said to protect your hair against heat and make it stronger and healthier. I can definitely vouch for the smoother hair--plus, it doesn't make my hair greasy like many other shampoos and conditioners do!
• Neuro Sleep - This is supposed to help you fall asleep better! This also came with a cute pair of eye covers to help you do just that! 
• HerCampus Koozies - I got two in blue and pink; now I'll always have something to keep my drinks warm or cold when necessary! 
• HerCampus Sunglasses - No explanation necessary. It's spring break!
• HerCampus Bumper Sticker - It's simple, it's cute, and it's a sticker. What more do you need?
• HerCampus Cup - Of course, adding a cup to rep HerCampus isn't such a bad thing [;
• European Wax Center Free Coupon - FREE. This allows for a free bikini, brow, and underarm waxing at any of European Wax Center's locations nationwide!
• Yokini - They are known for their slimming bikinis and thanks to HerCampus, they're offering 20% off the swimsuit of choice and tossing in free lettering too if you want to customize your bikini!
• Chipotle Cards - These were hands down, my favorite. Chipotle is a staple in any college diet and these coupon cards allowed me for a free meal at chipotle and free chips and guacamole! I got myself a bowl thanks to these cards. 

Free + Chipotle = amazing

So that was how HerCampus prepared me for this spring break! Which of these items would you be most excited for? 

Go Free with Gaufree! + GIVEAWAY (CLOSED)

Disclosure: I was provided a meal courtesy of Gaufree for a media tasting event/review. All opinions are my own. 

Hey, everyone! I meant to post yesterday but my school's wifi was down for about twelve hours, so I wasn't able to post! However, I am back today with a restraurant review and exclusive giveaway for Southern California residents (If you're not from Southern California, I apologize)!

So I recently went to a media tasting event in Irvine, California at a new artisan waffle shop that just opened up--Gaufree: Artisan Waffle Sandwiches.

In French, Dutch, and Hungarian, Gaufre means waffle! The founder of Gaufree, Paul Hortobagyi, decided to play on words and add an extra "e" to play on the words "Go Free." The name and pronunciation of Gaufree also has to do with Hortobagyi's desire to "Go Free" from corporate America and to be an independent entrepreneur.

So, when you walk into the restaurant, it has a very cool vibe with its main colors being red, yellow, and gray. I really like the squares on the wall and how the layout of the restaurant is, mixed with benches, booths, and normal tables. On the tables they have cards to break the ice with people sitting at the table, entitled, "Do You Know Me?" Which I thought was a fun and simple way to get conversations started and to get to know someone!

We were given a sample menu to choose items from, and since I had my boyfriend, Darell, with me, we both decided to get different entrees. I decided to get an Organic Eggs & Applewood Bacon waffle sandwich while Darell got the Philly Cheese Steak. The Organic Eggs & Applewood Bacon sandwich also came with garden herb pesto sauce. The Philly Cheese Steak also comes with sautéed peppers, sweet onions, and melted Swiss Cheese. We also got a side of their Belgian Street Corner Fries and Gaufree's Homemade Pure Cane Sugar Natural Lemonade. The food came with two dipping sauces: homemade ketchup and garlic aoli sauce--the last container in the picture below is a side of peppers.

Journos in SD

I haven't done a personal post in a while! It's not that I don't like to anymore, it's just that there have been lots of things coming up that I've been writing! I've especially been doing many more review posts lately, which isn't always a bad thing.

So if you didn't know already, I am the Living Section Editor for my university newspaper, the Vanguard Voice. If you'd like to see some of my work, click here.

Every year, the Associate Collegiate Press (ACP) holds multiple conventions, and on the west coast each year, there is a national journalism convention. Last year (my first year), it was in San Francisco, and this year it was in San Diego, about two hours from where I live. 

We stayed at the Catamaran Resort, which is a Hawaii-themed type of resort. I don't have very many pictures of it, but I must say that it was pretty nice and fancy if you ask me.

After the worst of the rain! It still looks beautiful. 

The only problem was the rain. There was a rain storm here in Southern California over the weekend, so everyone was panicking as if they were about to die. I, personally, love the rain, but I definitely underestimated the power of the storm this weekend, so I came unprepared as far as extra clothes went. I only had just enough for the three days. The hotel was outdoors so to get to our hotel room and get our clothes from the cars, we had to run through a few puddles in the pouring rain, and everyone around me was screaming, which probably didn't help much.

Most of what I learned at the conference were things I learned last year in San Fran, but I learned a lot about the importance of utilizing your site for mobile and other things about photography. All in all, there were some pretty good sessions.

Give It to Me, Honey

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial. All opinions are my own.

I feel like over the course of the past few months, people have been getting sick everywhere! Thankfully, I got sick early in the sickly season and have been over it for a while. For many others, not so much.

One of the most annoying parts of being sick is when my throat is itchy and has lots of stuff in it! As a singer, it is so hard because you're not supposed to sing when your throat is in this state but it's so tempting not to. However, I'm thankful for cough drops to help relieve the pain!

I received a package of Pine Bros Softish Throat Drops in Natural Honey for review, and it was definitely different than any other cough drop I've ever used!

1. They are true to their name--they're soft(ish). They're a little chewy so that you can chew on it if you want to, but not chewy enough for you to tear the drop apart. You still have to let it dissolve in your mouth.

2. They don't give off that minty feeling when you eat any other cough drops. I found that very interesting. It really does taste like a solid form of honey in my mouth, more or less. When you open the bag it's in, the smell is very strong too. Depending on the person, you may or may not like that. I didn't like the strong smell myself.

3. There are two different types of packaging that it comes in! There is the traditional bag of drops (however, no wrapper so no way to seal/protect the drops after opening) and the little plastic container it comes in (resealable!).

I definitely prefer the resealable container over the packaged bag. Other than Natural Honey, flavors come in Wild Cherry and Black Licorice. If you don't like the minty feeling from other cough drops or want a softer kind of cough drop or even just want to try something different, you should definitely get Pine Bros Softish Throat Drops!

Disclosure: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

NEW SERIES: My (Attempted) Organized Life: Workspace

Happy Tuesday! I am so sorry I couldn't post yesterday when I normally do; I got stuck writing a paper so I had to focus on that, but that's okay because I am back with a NEW SERIES for you all!

For the next three weeks this February, every Monday (other than today), I will be highlighting a certain aspect of my life and how I like to keep organized! One of my goals for this year is to be more organized and be more consisted in it, and this series will kind of show you what I'm trying to do for myself. I love the idea and concept of organizing and keeping everything organized--my only problem is that I'm not always the best at maintaining my orderly attempts. I'm hoping that by talking about being more organized on my blog throughout this year, I feel like it could help me in being organized!

This week is about my desk/workspace, next week will be about my planning self, and the last week will be my closet. I will be documenting the series here on my blog and on my Youtube channel, so if you would rather watch something than read it, then you should subscribe to me and follow along with me there. I have this week's video already up!

With that being said, let's get started onto this week: my workspace!

Spontaneous Adventures

I have found this to be true in every spontaneous adventure that I have been and have yet to be proven wrong. 

Especially as a young adult, we am living in a time where our bodies can still get away with hanging out late at night and waking up early for classes the next day (although it is not always the best feeling). 

Although I am a planner by nature, on a day to day basis, I love spontaneity. As long as I know what I want in life, it doesn't matter what I'm doing on the day to day, as long as I get to my goal. That allows for random adventures to go out with friends when you never expected to. 

Random late-night adventures are always the best because they aren't planned. You didn't think you would have so much fun doing what you did, which is what made it so much better and so much more worth staying up later or spending more money than you thought. On top of that, we all know that the people are what make these kinds of nights the most fun and memorable. 

I recently went on one of these adventures after a photoshoot with my floor at sunset. It wasn't a late-night thing, but we definitely went to a lot of different places and ate lots of food while we were at it too. 

The weather was really cold (for Southern California standards), and my roommate Alissa and my friend/RA Emily had never had pho before. My friend Jackie knew of a really cool pho place not too far from our school, and since we were hungry for some dinner, we decided to check it out. It was a great place and I will definitely go back soon and probably do a full-on review of it! 

After that, we were talking about dessert because I was craving something sweet. I had wanted something baked, but my friend Emily was driving and really wanted to introduce us to Joe's Italian Ice, where you could get custard and Italian ice together. I only got the smallest size of the Caramel Apple ice, but I still loved it nonetheless. 

And finally, while we were eating our Italian ice, we were talking about Disneyland/Downtown Disney and Emily had mentioned how close we were to the park. So what did we decide to do? We went do Downtown Disney, of course! None of us have passes, so we figured the next best thing was to walk around Downtown Disney. That also gave me the opportunity to satisfy my baked (technically it was fried) craving by getting some of Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen's famous beignets! If you don't know what they are, they are like a donut drowning in powdered sugar, and it tastes like a funnel cake, except it's much softer and fluffier. We watched some fireworks, walked around a bit more, then we headed back home. 

That was a very abridged version of the actual adventure, but the point is that we didn't plan on going out or even hanging out together after our floor's photoshoot. However, it was Friday night and we didn't want to eat at our school's "Caf (dining hall)." It ended up being one of my favorite nights in a while. 

So if you get the opportunity to do something random, don't think about it too much (unless your safety is at risk) and just go for it! Take advantage of being young now and having the opportunities to go drive around late at night and do something crazy! You never know when something may come up and compromise all that. Just go out and have fun! 

Just... please, don't do something stupid.  

Updated, Upgraded

Happy Monday! If you've been following or reading my blog for a while, then you've probably seen that there have been a few changes happening slowly, but surely throughout the blog. Last week, I finally got around to changing my navigation menu to have a "home" button so that it could fit onto the row! And this past weekend, I was able to make quite a few more "subtle" changes to the blog:

+ SIDEBAR: I changed the fonts and sizes of the titles on the sidebar so that my sidebar wouldn't be so long.
+ SOCIAL MEDIA: With the help of Google, I was able to create myself new social media icons that I customized for myself! And quite frankly, they look so cute with the color they have.
+ NEW BLOG BUTTON: I created a blog button! I actually have a couple made, depending on the size of the sidebar, but here are the bigger versions (feel free to grab my button on the sidebar if you'd like!):

Feel free to grab my button on my sidebar if you'd like to take me with you and place it on your blog! If you like the first one, let me know and I can get you a code for that [: I like both because they are two completely different pictures, but yet I love the style of the buttons.

+ FEATURED: Otherwise known as sponsors. These are going to mostly be people who are friends with my blog or like my blog and want to display an "ad" for their blog on mine to advertise, and this brings me to my next point:
+ SPONSOR/SERVICES: I started a new page for sponsoring and other services! Sponsoring is pretty cheap and you get a lot for your money so if you are ever at all interested, give me a holler [: I am also offering blog consultation services, prices varying depending on your situation! I'm still trying to figure out what other services I can/will be offering so expect to see more ways for you to support me soon [:

Having said all of that, I would like to introduce you to my first sponsor ever! Say hello to Jay, from Mind of Mcshorty. She is originally from the Virgin Islands but going to school in Texas! She started her blog to vent and talk about her life and what she was going through. I just recently met her from the Her Campus Blogger Network and so far, she is a pretty awesome girl! I'm excited to get to know her through her blog and through having her as a sponsor on my blog this month [: Go check her out!

So, there you have it! That was an intro to my first sponsor of this blog, and a little update on the changes happening on this blog! I'm still tweaking some things, and I will update you as those happen. I also have some great series and other projects planned for you guys over the course of the next few weeks, so stay tuned and connected to me!

Bloglovin'

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Pinterest

Youtube

Until then, 

Gong Hey Fat Choy!

Today is the start of Chinese New Year! As the president of my school's Asian/Pacific-Islander Club, we decided to celebrate it a few days ago by throwing a New Year's party! I don't have any good quality pictures from the event, but with our limited budget we had to be creative with it!

I couldn't help but post with this Chinese baby decoration I bought at the local Asian market!

Most of this simple Chinese New Year's Eve party that we had involved lots of DIY things--one of them was using this wooden board painted with chalkboard paint to create a backdrop for our photobooth! I wrote Happy New Year in Chinese characters, the spelled out version of it in Cantonese, and the old Chinese version of the word "horse" for year of the Horse! To add more embellishment to the board, I doodled a bit and drew some Chinese coins as well.

We even made Chinese lanterns out of scrapbooking and construction paper! I will definitely keep this simple and easy DIY in mind for future events! I got the idea from Pinterest, but my friend and I learned how to make them through an Australian craft site for kids! 

This post is shorter than my usual posts, but I just wanted to give a short update on my life and say Happy Lunar New Year, year of the horse! 

What I Love About the Carrie Diaries (and Austin Butler)

This past weekend I got hooked on a new show: the Carrie Diaries. If you don't know what the show's about, it is a prequel to Sex and the City, where it goes back to the 1980's when Carrie Bradshaw (the main character from both series) was a teenager dreaming about Manhattan.

Thankfully, there have only been two seasons so I haven't missed much. I'm currently almost halfway through the second season, and it's still in the middle of the season so I'll have something to look forward to when I'm done. I'm so into this show that I almost forgot to write a blog post for today, so right now I'm taking a break to write!

I must say, Annasophia Robb is amazing in this series, although Carrie gets really irritating and dramatic at times. Other than that, I love her hair, her outfits, and her whole persona. Seeing all of hers and everyone else's amazing outfits reminds me why I was so obsessed with the 80's a few years back. The good thing about this show is that it goes past the typical workout outfits that everyone knows and shows off more everyday outfits, though some may be a little too glamourous.

Another thing I love about Carrie? She's a writer, just like me. She has huge dreams to work for a magazine, but the difference between her and I is that she's actually doing it, while in high school! Now I know that this is so unrealistic and unlikely especially in New York today, but it's really awesome watching her live out her dream at the fictional Interview Magazine. It's almost like I'm living vicariously through her.

Another favorite of mine from the show? Well, I can show you better than I can tell you.

Austin Butler. I've been a fan of him since he made small appearances on shows like Zoey 101 and iCarly a few years back. And wow, he has grown up!

Not only is he easy on the eyes, but his character, Sebastian Kydd, is a bad boy who is madly in love with Carrie! Austin Butler is known for playing the bad boy in his roles, but Sebastian is also a good guy who treats the girl he loves so well and with so much respect. He just has a pretty messed up past, so it translates into some of his actions sometimes.

This may be a small spoiler for anyone who may want to watch the show or get into it, but he respects her even when she tells him she hates him! He looks at her like he's her everything, and he is so vulnerable with her, something you don't normally expect from a so-called "bad boy." He was the first to tell her he loves her, and he just keeps coming back to her even after she blows up on him and breaks up with him multiple times.

With that being said, I love how the show portrays their relationship. You know right from the first episode that they have a thing for each other, so much of the series surrounds that, even if the two may not be dating each other at the moment (sometimes dating other people). There is just something so raw about Sebastian's feelings and his vulnerability that makes their romance feel so real (even if Carrie's dramatic actioins may not feel so real). I really like it. It's different from most other shows I've seen where the romance between the main character and that person is put off for so much of the series.

There are a few things about Carrie's and Sebastian's relationship that reminds me of my own. I can relate to many of the emotions and even situations that they go through throughout the course of the show. Everyone has that person that they keep going back to no matter what they go through, good and bad. Even when things get really bad, you can't help but keep loving them. In Sebastian's case, you love them so much that you'll take the heat from that person and sacrifice your happiness for theirs.

I'm still watching through the series and I'd like to get back to it now, so I'll stop right there. If you haven't gotten into the Carrie Diaries but have been thinking about it, I recommend you watch it! It's worth a shot. The show brings out the dreamer in me, which I think is the intention. It just might do the same for you too.

So You Want to Start a Blog?

I've been seeing many of my friends starting blogs, and people have been asking me about blogging lately, so I felt it would be appropriate to put it all into a post! I'm in no means a blogging expert, but if you want to get into blogging (whether for personal posts or sponsored posts/less personal posts), then this simple list should help you get into it! It's not too detailed because most people I know want to start a blog as a diary, but if you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to ask me!

1. What do you want to write about? 

Do you want to write all about your faith? Do you want to document your relationship with that person? Do you just need a diary? Or do you want to chronicle your adventures in school, travel, food? Pick what you want to write about and stick to it. If you intend to write about multiple subjects like I do, then you can just categorize yourself as a "lifestyle" blogger. Just make sure that you know what you want to express to your audience when you come up with this. 

2. What are you going to name your blog?

Depending on if you want to blog just for fun or yourself and/or (eventually) for compensation/as a job, this may or may not be very important to you. Regardless, pick a name that is relevant to your topic. Some people just use their name as well, which you can do too. If you can, try to use the same URL as your blog's name. 

3. Tell us about yourself.

Somewhere on your blog, tell us about yourself! When people visit your blog, they want to know who you are or at least get an idea of who you are. Other than the homepage or post I'm reading on a blog, I always like to look at peoples' "about me" pages. I like getting to know the person behind the blog. You can read my "about me" here. I just changed it up!

4. Leave a place for people to contact you!

You never know when someone might come across your blog and be touched or want to ask you more questions or want to work with you. Leave an email address or social networks for people to connect with you. You want to be accessible to your readers, especially if they aren't friends/family who don't already know you!

5. Last of all, be confident in your blog!

When I first started blogging, I was really scared and intimidated to share posts on my personal Facebook because I was scared of being negatively judged by people that I knew. While I'm still working on this tip, I'm mostly confident in sharing my posts online, especially to people I know. 

When you write or post anything online, just know that you automatically open yourself up to criticism. People may just try to hate on you, but it's your blog and it's your voice! 

However, I will also say, that while I don't want you to hide your beliefs, please do not rudely state your opinion in an ignorant way. That's not cool. There's a way to state your opinion in a stern way that can still respect the opposing opinion. 

But other than that, I think you should be bold and brave in writing your blog. If you are writing personal posts on your blog, kudos to you! I know just how hard it can be to be vulnerable for the public, but just know that there are people who will read and care about what you say. If you feel comfortable enough to write it, people will support you. 

I hope so much that while these tips are fairly simple and vague, I hope they can help you. If you have any more questions, please email me at kriselle@livinandlovin.com. 

You can always just comment below as well, haha.

Check out my part 2 to this post if you are looking for more basic tips for starting a blog! If you want some more in-depth tips, tricks, and worksheets to help you start up your blog, sign up for my FREE blog course, "I Want to Start a Blog!"

Taking the Time to Breathe

Today marks the first day of my second semester of my sophomore year of college. As I think back to last semester and balancing school, church, boyfriend, friends, this blog, and other extra curriculars, I realize that I was taking on so much at one time and just going and going and going. 

It took a point of me breaking down in the middle of a conversation with a friend last semester to realize that I needed to take the time to just breathe.

Up until that point, I'd been spending so much time relying on my own strength that eventually I caved because, well, I'm human. How could I hold myself up for so long? 

So yesterday, I kept getting the urge to paint, so I did. I'm no painter by any means, but I do love expressing my creativity through creative outlets, like painting, sculpting, crafting, anything, really. 

A word kept coming to mind all day yesterday, and the word was breathe. I think that this will definitely be my mantra this semester, seeing as how it is so important to take a step back to just reflect and relax every now and then. 

I kept the canvas simple; I wanted the word to be the focal point and to stand out from the background. 

I also used a frame I got for Christmas and filled it with paper to write a simple phrase on it. I went with "Be amazing, do amazing." To me, the quote simply means that in whatever you do, put your all into it. Make yourself and your work the best you can make it. I think that fits perfectly for this semester, and maybe even this year. 

As I go through this semester, I hope to keep both of these mantras in mind. I am ready for what's to come, and I'm just excited for what is going to happen. Let's do this! 

Feedback for a New Year!

So it's a new year, meaning that I want to make a few minor changes, and one of them is catering more to my audience! I want to know what YOU think about this blog and what I write about! I want to make sure that what I post about is relevant to you and something that you would like to share with others or learn from.

With that being said, I have a completely anonymous survey to get a few ideas from you! It's a quick, 6 question survey with a few easy questions to answer. This way, I'm able to gauge what kinds of things to write about this year! It will only take a couple minutes, so if you could please take this survey and let me know your thoughts I would love to hear from you!

Take the survey here!

Also know that if you have any other questions or anything for me, you can always email me at kriselle@livinandlovin.com

Thank you so much guys! I got a review coming up on Wednesday but I wanted to get this out of the way!

Christmas Haul Update // New Year Update

I can't believe I put writing this until just now! The past few weeks have been exhausting, especially from writing everyday for a whole week for my series!

Because of my countdown to the new year series that I just ended on New Year's Day, I haven't really been able to blog about much else. A lot has happened in the past week and I'd like to take this time to share it with you guys [:

First of all, I posted a Christmas Haul last week up on Youtube! Although I didn't get much money this year, I did get a ton of awesome gifts, plus others that I got after Christmas and wasn't able to add onto this video.



Lots of bloggers have been adding disclaimers to their haul posts saying that they are not trying to show off, but simply sharing what they got in case anyone is interested in some of the same things as the blogger or needs ideas or things like that, and I will definitely say that I do my hauls for the same reason. With that being said, here's what I got:

• Gray Leather Bag: Forever 21
• Navy Blue Cardigan: RVCA
• Mustard Yellow/Green Cross Scarf: RVCA
• Mustard Yellow Beanie: RVCA
• Purple Beanie: RVCA
• Flowerbomb: Sephora
• Clean on Me Shower Gel: Sephora
• Dior Lip Gloss: Sephora
• Sephora Formula X Nail Polish in Fahrenheit: Sephora
• Boscia SuperCharge Overnight Moisture: Sephora
• White Infinity Scarf: Old Navy
• "White Citrus" Eau de Parfum: Bath & Body Works
• Dior Travel Makeup Kit with Mini Brushes and Mirror
• Yves Saint Laurent Gold Edition Makeup Palette from Travel Collection
• Sweet Pea Body Lotion: Bath & Body Works
• Sweet Pea Shower Gel: Bath & Body Works
• Black Molskine Notebook: Target
• $10 Target Gift Card
• $10 Starbucks Gift Card
• Lancome Dual-Finish Matte Porcelain D'Ivioire 
• Givenchy Healthy Glow Powder
• Lancome Absolut Rouge Lipstick in Jeweled Pink

Pretty cool line-up of gifts, huh? I am refraining as much as I can to waiting until I get back to school (which is in a few days) to start using most of this stuff, so I am excited to start the new year with a bunch of nice things. 

Last Sunday, I received a gift basket as a prize for winning a contest I entered through Mary Kay last month at the New Girl Expo! My prize was a free pampering session and a gift basket with some really nice stuff! 

In the bag, I got: 

+ Mary Kay Satin Hands Set, which includes a Hand Softener, a Hand Scrub, and a Hand Cream
+ Mint Bliss Energizing Lotion for Feet and Legs
+ Two pairs of Christmas-themed socks (hehe I love socks)
+ A red Mary Kay nail polish
+ A purple Mary Kay nail polish (I got this from a mini giveaway she did)
+ A red gift box (there was nothing in here but I can use this in the future for gifts!)
+ And a cute little bear, the one you see [: (I gave this one to my niece)
















Another addition to all these wonderful gifts was that my godmother gave me a really nice sweater from her favorite store, Gilly Hicks (part of the Abercrombie franchise), but unfortunately it's closing! She said my sweater was the last thing she bought from there, which I thought was really sweet of her. Another aunt of mine got me a really nice picture frame, and honestly I could always use some nice ones because I want to print out my pictures and display them or use the frame for some pinteresty use, haha.

Now onto New Year's Eve! I spent it with family. I normally spend it with my dad since my sister and I spend Christmas with our mom and her side of the family, but I decided to spend New Years with them too since they were actually planning on doing something. We just ate a lot, made s'mores, and danced to Just Dance hilariously until we got tired. It was a lowkey, but fun night.

Yesterday was my dad's birthday, so we celebrated it with an afternoon/night in Hollywood!

I never thought a picture like this would ever be on this site. Source: fanpop.com

We ended the night watching One Direction's movie on DVD at my godfather's house (my 16 year-old godsister is OBSESSED). I never really cared for them before, but I will say after watching it that most of them are cute (sorry Liam, I think that's the one) and I think Louis is the most attractive one, haha. I may listen to more of their music after watching their stories, which I think were pretty humble and ridiculous at the same time if you ask me, haha, but I can NEVER be like one of their crazed fans. I just can't. I just wouldn't have the energy in me to be so psychotically in love with anyone like that. Not even my boyfriend. Regardless, I do give them props for their dedication, no matter how crazy it is.

So, there goes my random post, catching you all up on life within the past week or so. Happy new year, once again, and I'm excited for what's to come!

Until then,