My New Year's Resolutions

Hi guys, I can't believe that 2015 is already over, it's crazy how fast the year went by. 

Today I wanted to share my new year's resolutions with you all so without further ado here they are

In 2016 I want to:

• Exercise More: this a goal that I have been working on for the past while and I think I am making some progress but not nearly as much as I want to be making

• Eat Healthier: this is another goal that I have already started working on and I have made some changes in my diet. I have a huge sweet tooth so it is a struggle sometimes but I have been eating more fruits and vegetables and have stopped eating certain foods

• Read More Often: I want to read more often, when I was younger I read almost everyday but since part way through high school I have been reading a lot less, not because I don't want to but because of a lack of time. I read what I have to for my classes but I haven't read a regular novel for my own enjoyment in a long time.

• Be more confident: I would love to gain more confidence and have more self esteem since the levels of those are not where I would want them to be

• Be a better me: (and a better person in general) I want to get healthier and happier in the new year and help other people do the same. Helping to spread good vibes and positivity with other people would be great!

Thank you for reading, what are some of your new years resolutions? Leave them in the comments below!

-Emily

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Winter Must Haves

Hi everyone, I hope you enjoyed your holidays.
I decided to share a few of the pieces that are my essentials for winter!

Winter 2015 Must Haves by emsessentials featuring red home décor

You can see all of my must haves above but I thought I'd choose a key few to talk more about.

Vests are a definite for me for winter and I find myself wanting to wear one basically everyday, I refrain though. Chunky sweaters are great for fall and winter so I like to stock up on these.  I especially like ones with high necks since they keep me warmer. Knitted headbands are a great accessory and very practical. I believe that Forever 21 probably has some but Etsy would have more of a variety. Over the knee boots are another favorite and as opposed to leather riding boots that are a fall staple I gear more towards suede tall boots for winter. The last thing I'll mention is nail polish. To me blue is a color I think of for winter nails, I like dark blue but some lighter blues also work for me for winter.

Thanks for reading!
-Emily
What are your must haves for winter?

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October Favorites

October is over! To me it seems like the month just flew by. Now every one is gearing up for the holidays!

There were a few things that I couldn't get enough of this October and I thought I'd share them with you guys. 

 

October Favorites 2015 by emsessentials

First up is the Maybelline Super Stay Better Skin Concealer & Corrector. This concealer gives pretty good coverage and is definitely buildable. It has a doe foot applicator and I apply it with my clean fingers. It does not break me out. It is supposed to last a long time and I find that it does. Another benefit is that it is supposed to help clear you skin after you have used it for a while. I haven't used it long enough yet but I think that it has potential! Even if it doesn't end up doing that it is still a great concealer and I will continue to buy it. There is also a foundation from the same line.

 

The next product that I have been loving is the Wet n Wild eyeshadow palette in Comfort Zone. These are very neutral and earthy colors, great for doing natural eye looks. You can use it to do more dramatic looks as well though. The pigmentation is pretty good and the shadows do not crease even without wearing primer. I was very impressed by the quality. 

Another thing I got a lot of use out of was my eyelash curler. Although I use it all the time and it wasn't an item I just recently "fell in love with" I did recently just start only curling my lashes and not always wearing mascara. Curling lashes makes such a difference and for me the curl lasts pretty long with/without mascara. Sometimes it's nice to not put it on since it can be time consuming and then a bit annoying to remove at night. I  do love mascara though! And I am a college student so I don't get too much sleep and curling my lashes makes me look so much more awake even without mascara and sometimes my eyes water a lot in the mornings and I don't want to have to worry about my mascara running.

I also really like metallic nail polish during the fall, especially golds, rose gold tones, greens, and other jewel tones such as purple.




I have been drinking a lot of tea lately. It really helped me get over a cold and there are a lot of benefits of drinking tea. There are also so many varieties so I think there is at least one flavor out there for everyone. Tea is a great beverage for the fall and winter and just symbolizes those seasons to me. My personal favorite teas are black tea, raspberry tea, and Christmas tea and as for brands I really enjoy Lipton, Twinning's of London, and Bigelow.

 
 
 
 
The last thing I thought I'd mention is a snack food. It is Popcorners! Theses are so delicious and my favorite is the kettle corn flavor, other flavors include white cheddar, butter, caramel, and sea salt. If you don't know what Popcorners are, they are basically popcorn in the form of triangle chips. There are a bit of a healthier alternative to chips and are amazing!

What were some of your October favorites? Let me know in the comments below!
Thank you for reading!
-Emily

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Fall Activities

Hi everyone, long time no see. School has been keeping me busy and I'm sure that is the same case for some of you as well!

I think that fall is such a great season. The leaves change amazing colors and the air is crisp and clean. This time of year it is so nice to be outside, it is a bit chillier out so it is perfect for wearing boots and sweaters. As well as it being the prime time for drinking tea, which I have recently umm, how should I say this... become more obsessed with. I drink it everyday now and definitely prefer it over coffee. I do like lattes and mochas though don't get me wrong, and being the common white girls that we are we know that fall also means certain Starbucks drinks too *wink, wink PSl*

In case you need any ideas for what to do to take advantage of this beautiful season I came up with a list of some ideas! I tried to break them down into categories as best as I could but some of them could fit into more then one since they overlap. I am also aware that I made up some words for the categories!

Outdoorsy:

• Apple Picking
• Pumpkin Picking

Make a whole day trip out of either of the two above and take advantage of the other things offered there like hayrides and the amazing apple cider and donuts I'm sure they make. Some orchards and farms even hard animals you can look at. Baby goats are very cute and the apple orchard my family goes to also has llamas and a donkey)

• Go for a hike, a great way to get exercise and enjoy nature and the beauty of the trees and weather
• Go canoeing or kayaking

• Go camping
• Take a drive through the country
• Maybe this means you go out of your way on the drive to a restaurant or something in order to see the foliage. Or just go for a drive for the purpose of seeing the trees

Crafty:

• Look up fall or Halloween Pinterest crafts and DIYs
• Decorate your room or house for fall using decorations you already have or items you just DIYed
• Decorate your room or house (inside and/or outside for Halloween)
• You can decorate the pumpkin you picked by painting it or by other means (there are a lot of cute painted pumpkins on tumblr)

Foodsy: 

• Bake some yummy pumpkin stuff (again you can use Pinterest for inspiration)
• Pumpkin pie
• Pumpkin bread
• For me what comes to mind for fall baked goods are things like banana bread, poppy seed bread, oatmeal cookies, things with crasins (possibly muffins), apple pie, apple donuts, goodies with cinnamon....now I'm getting hungry, I will definitely need to make some of these soon!

Halloweeny:

• Go to a haunted house
• Have a party
• Make themed treats

Shoppy & City:

• Outlet Shopping
• Really nice to do in the fall since you would be walking outside from store to store
• Go shopping in the city (same concept as for outlet shopping, plus the city is extra cute and tumblr-y in the fall)
• Go for brunch in the city
• Go to the park in the city or public garden to enjoy the day
• Attend a festival or craft fair or seasonal parade if there are any

Last But Not Least, V.I.R. (Very Important Random):

• Volunteer: do something nice for other people, maybe help at a food pantry or soup kitchen

 

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Outfit Of The Day

Hi everyone, I hope that all is going well for you.  I liked my outfit more than usual and decided to share it with you today! I had work this day and this outfit worked well for that. It is very versatile tough so it can be dressed up or dressed down for any occasion.

 

 

 

 

My maxi skirt is from Macy's. Since it has a bold pattern I paired it with a plain white shirt from Ann Taylor. Keeping with the simple and slightly boho vibe I decided to wear some brown leather strappy sandals. My go to purse right now is the one you see in the pictures above and it is a leather bowler bag which I got at Marshalls. As for jewelry I wore I silver with a some what linked design and on my wrist I had on a watch with a white strap and silver face. I also had on too other bracelets that I felt went with the watch.

 

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Kinky Boots

I recently saw Kinky Boots and it was great! I really enjoy going to see plays and musicals so I was glad that Kinky Boots came to town. The plot was well developed and the acting and singing was amazing. The score was written by multiple people, including Cyndi Lauper. There were some very funny parts in the musical but it did have those inspirational undertones as well such as to follow your dreams, don't let other people get you down, and to make your life what you want it to be. I know that sounds a bit cliché but they are important messages that we should all apply to our own lives, I know I at least I need to do more of that!

A brief overview of the plot:
The musical is set in England and focuses on the son of a man who owns a shoe factory. As the son grows up he decides he does not want to run the factory and he moves to London. Then one day he gets a call letting him know his father has passed and he returns to his home town. He does not really know what to do about the factory especially because business is pretty bad. Then he has an idea that could be their "saving grace". As for what happens next, you'll have to go see the show (which I highly recommend doing)! Or you could watch the movie. I haven't seen the movie yet but plan on doing so soon since I've heard good things about it as well!

You may remember from an older post that I was in Toronto earlier this summer and went to the Bata Shoe Museum. And at the museum they actually had a pair of kinky boots from a production of the  show which I thought was a cool coincidence since I knew I was going to be seeing it!

The boots are super tall and are red of course!



I think that going to musicals or plays is an awesome thing to do with friends or with a parent or relative for some bonding time.

Have you seen anything good lately? Any musicals, plays,  movies, or tv shows that you recommend checking out?

Thanks for reading
-Emily

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My Fashion Must Haves for Fall

Thinking ahead to fall kind of signals that summer is coming to an end (and believe me that is sad) but like I said in my last post, we don't have to deny that there are some great things about fall. Including the fashion!
 
Here are what I am looking forward to being able to wear again and my personal favorite fall trends:

• Riding Boots    
• L.L. Bean Boots
• Flannel Shirts
• Dark Nail Polish 
• Dark Lip Colors
• Leather Jackets
• Jean Jackets
• Sweaters
• Scarves
• Combat Boots

Nordstrom has a great selection of boots, Macy's does as well. As for flannels, leather and jean jackets,  Forever 21 and Pacsun are usually good places to find them. OPI has some amazing colors such as "We'll Always Have Paris" a deep red wine color and "Incognito in Sausalito" which is a very, very dark blue. Butter London also has great options like "Pitter Patter", an almost midnight-purple color. I don't even know if midnight-purple is a proper way of describing a color, but we do say midnight-blue, so think of it in those terms, if that makes sense!


Thank you for reading!
What are your favorite fall trends or looks?
-Emily 

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