Cute Cosmetic Bags

Cosmetic bags are one of those things that you can never have too many of. Although I own a few, it seems like I can never find them when I'm in need! I think that cosmetic bags are the perfect gift because you can fill them up with a gift card, makeup, candy, or just leave it empty, and you know that whoever receives the bag will use it. Here are a few super cute ones!

paisley | black | zebra | rope | pearl | crochet

How cute are these bags?

xoxo,

Alyssa

Lovely Links

Happy Friday, friends! It has come to my attention that I have never done a "links" post, so I thought that it was about time! Here are some links that have caught my attention lately!

{via}

I got my hair cut on Monday and here's the pic that I showed the stylist

Need some Thanksgiving outfit ideas? Check out Katie's post!

I love this post about self praise!

The importance of taking time for yourself

How fun is this yellow jacket in Renee's post?

Okay, if this isn't house goals, then I don't know what is.

HOLY YUM

I'm convinced that this is the perfect Christmas skirt!

xoxo,

Alyssa

How to Eat Less Sugar

I would consider myself to eat pretty healthy, except when it comes to this time of year. Between Halloween candy (one piece? ha!), festive fall treats, and all the fun Christmas sweets coming up, it's hard to avoid sugar. Here are some tips that I use to keep from eating too many sweets!

Less is more.

Instead of having a bowl of 30 M and M's and then refilling that bowl 5 times, try only putting 10 M and M's in the bowl. You can still refill the bowl 5 times (although you probably shouldn't), and you will feel like you've had a lot when you have really just tricked yourself. 

Chew gum. 

Whenever you are tempted by sweets but you know you shouldn't have them, chew a piece of gum. It will give you a taste of sweetness and give your mouth something to do. 

Move the sweets out of sight. 

I don't know about anyone else, but when I see that my mom bought ice cream, I suddenly really want it! If I had never seen it, I wouldn't have wanted it. Move the sweets out of sight and you won't be reminded and tempted by them. 

Eat fruit.

Sometimes sugar cravings are signs that you're really just hungry! Instead of reaching for a few cookies, try eating an orange or an apple. You will get a taste of sweetness without the calories and fat!

Remember that I'm not saying to never eat sweets- everything is okay in moderation!

xoxo,

Alyssa

Holiday Wishlist 2015

It is no secret that the gift-giving season is fast approaching! Each year, I like to make a list of items that I have recently had my eye on that I would love to receive. With my birthday at the end of November and Christmas a few weeks after, I just use the list for both. By no means am I expecting to receive all (or any) of the items on this list; it is more of a fun, imaginative thing!

I mentioned in this post that California is supposed to have a very rainy winter, so of course I need some rain boots! These from J.Crew are just too cute. I love burning candles while doing my homework or blogging- you can never have too many! I've had my eye on this bag for months now, and I just love it! It's such a nice size and it's great quality. I've been meaning to pick up a bralette for a while now- they're super cute and really comfy. One of my favorite Instagram accounts (@humansofny) made a book! It's filled with the images and captions from his account. I have been wanting a set of simple rings that I could alternate each day, and this set is perfect! I've had my eye on a Clarisonic for a while now, and I think that the reviews have finally convinced me that I'm in need of one!

What's on your wish-list?

xoxo,

Alyssa

October Favorites

Okay, is it just me or did October fly by?? It's crazy that it's November already, but I am quite excited! November and December are by far my favorite months, and it's starting to cool down here after a much extended summer. Here's what I loved in October!

one: Booties
Okay, I'm sorry for talking about these booties non-stop; I just can't help myself! For the price, they are great quality and are super cute! Unfortunately, they are no longer on Forever 21's website, but check in stores (there are so many other cute pairs of booties there too!). 

two: Baking
In fall and winter I find myself baking more. Lately I have been making these apple chips, festive sugar cookies, pumpkin muffins, and pumpkin cranberry scones. I can't wait to try some new fall recipes this month!

three: pumpkins
If you follow me on instagram (@lotsoflys), then you may have seen a few pictures featuring pumpkins! I have a cute mini pumpkin (literally the size of the grapefruit) on my desk at home, and I just find it so fun to decorate with pumpkins! Carving pumpkins is also super enjoyable, and overall I just love pumpkins and the fall vibe that they carry with them. 

xoxo,
Alyssa

Rain Fashion Essentials

I'm not sure how well known it is in other parts of the nation, but here in California I have been hearing about the El Nino non-stop! Weather experts have predicted an El Nino for this winter, which is basically a very rainy weather pattern. Because I live in So Cal and we have been experiencing a historic drought, my rain apparel is not very extensive, so I have been doing some browsing in search of the cutest rain gear I could find!

chelsea boots | umbrella | rain jacket | hunters

Boots are obviously an essential, as rain can ruin any shoe not suitable for water. I'm not sure if I like the more "traditional" rain boot height, such as Hunters, or if the chelsea boots are more my style. Either way, they're both super cute! As for jackets, I would probably go with a navy or greem jacket that repels water; nothing too crazy. An umbrella is such an essential and this one from Kate Spade is too cute. I'm not sure if you can read it, but it says " rain check?".

What are your essentials for rainy days?

xoxo,
Alyssa

Weekend Recap

Hey gals! I hope you guys had a great Halloween weekend. Mine was super fun, so I thought that it would be appropriate to share what I did! 

I caught a cold on Wednesday, and felt under the weather for pretty much the whole weekend. Hopefully I'll be healthy again soon! I didn't have school on Friday (#blessed), but I did have high school soccer practice at 6:30 am, which was less than ideal. After I got home from that, I showered and attempted to nap, but I can never nap so I ended up just pinning away on Pinterest #typical. Friday night was my high school's pink out football game, so I went over to one of my friend's house and got ready for that. If there had been a most pink contest, we would've won- ha! My high school crushed the opponent and it was a fun night. 

Saturday was Halloween! I'm not the biggest fan of Halloween, but this year's was definitely one of my favorites! In the morning, I carved my pumpkin (nothing like the last minute) and I think it came out super cute/looks like a 6 year old carved it.

Later, using the seeds from my cat-pumpkin, I made some cinnamon sugar pumpkin seeds (recipe here).

I'm a freshman in high school, so this is probably my last year trick-or-treating, so I wanted to do something really fun. I invited 10 friends from school over and we ate and then went trick or treating, and then hung out after. 

One of my best friends,Victoria, and I dressed up as Blair and Serena from Gossip Girl, and I think our costumes turned out really well. I did a post all about my costume, which you can read here.

Here's a group photo of everyone "in-character". Everyone's costumes were really cute and creative (How funny is Donald Trump in the right corner? What's funnier is that he said "Trick or Trump" when we knocked on peoples' doors!). 

On Sunday, I didn't do much except homework and some blogging. Why is it that on long weekends we have more homework? Sigh. 

What did you do this weekend?

xoxo,

Alyssa