Back To School: Gift Ideas

The school year has started again, which means for a lot of us, many birthdays! I have put together a massive list of easy birthday gift ideas. Always remember when picking out a gift, simplicity is usually the best factor, think about them, not what you want. Also I usually don't spend more than $25 on a gift. A little bit of money goes a long way. Shop around and you'll be surprised at what you can find!

1. Put together a little gift basket for your friend. The best part about this, is you decide how much you want to spend, and what you want to put in it. There are so many ways to do this, and the whole idea is smaller gifts as opposed to one big gift. 

 Some ideas that I've done:

• My friend was moving away, and it was her birthday, so two of us got together a got her a bunch of things to remember us by. We went to Five Below, and got this cute simple beach bag, and then we went to Charlotte Russe, Forever 21, Icing, and some other random stores throughout the mall and picked up some things we knew she'd like. To make it personal, we got her a photo frame and put a picture of the three of us from our 8th grade dance! She loved the gift bag, and all the things were handpicked, so it made it super personal. 



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• For another friend, I got her a book, because she loves reading, a bracelet that I knew was totally her from amazon, some makeup, nail polish, colorful pens, and earrings!

Some ideas I plan on doing: 

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• A tumbler filled with candy, and instant teas. The kind you just add water too. This is pretty inexpensive gift, but so appreciated. It's a great failsafe plan because every high school kid appreciates food!
• A color themed box! Pick their favorite color, and buy a bunch of things that color! It's creative & you won't realize how much fun it is until you buy the most random things.
• A movie box! Buy the latest movie, or a movie you know is a favorite buy they don't own. Pick out their favorite candy, some popcorn, and other random snacks!



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• A cute  ice cream pack! Buy cones, bowls, sprinkles, chocolate, M&M's gummy's and chocolate syrup. On your way to their house, pick up their fave icecream.
• A bag filled with makeup! Go to Walgreens, or Walmart, and pick out a bunch of makeup that you know is good. Then either make a makeup bag, or buy one from Forever 21!

DIY's: Diy's can be tricky, because you never want it too look too cheap, and sometimes they just don't work! A lot of people don't really like recieiving DIY's either. Most of the time, I add my DIY's as a part of a bigger gift, like a part of my gift bags.

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• Bracelets! I love getting bracelets. You can give friendship bracelets (maybe with their name), one or two from Forever 21, DIY a beaded one (COMING SOON), and this gorogeous bangle! I love this bangle, and it's super easy to make. I'm definitely going to be making one soon.
• Collages! I love making them for my room, but I also make them for friends. Keep all your magazines and put one together. It's time consuming though, so do these during breaks or when you have no homework and put on some Netflix to catch up on TV
• A DIY brush roll with a bunch of brushes from ELF, or Real Techniques, depending on how much you want to spend. The Real Techniques start kits are perfect and together will cost around $30. 
• Rainbow cake in a jar!, recipe is byCrystalBeauty9 on youtube. I cannot wait to try this. You can obviously use store bought cake mix! But either way it's super easy. It's the perfect gift to give someone when you're at school, because they have something to munch on all day, but it's not messy and won't get everywhere, plus it's much easier to store!

Also be sure to follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and follow this blog! If you have any ideas on back to school gifts you've done, comment, so we can all help each other out! 

What's In My Week Roadtrip Make-Up Bag

These are the items I would take to a road trip for a week! I love these products and recommend them to everyone!

Everyday Items: 

1) Lotion!!! I have here a travel sized version of Be Enchanted lotion by Bath and Body Works. This is my favorite scent ever by B&BW.
2) Eyedrops- Whenever I wear my contacts for an extended time, my eyes tend to get really dry, these eye drops work great.
3) Spray hand sanitizer- This works so well because it's not that messy, and it's very easy to use!


4) Got 2B Styling Oil- This is my holy grail hair product. This is an oil, so a little goes a long way. I have a travel sized bottle from a promotional period they had. I love taking it with me when i go somewhere, because whenever I feel my hair getting too frizzy, this just flattens it a little more, defines the curls, and adds shine!
5) Burt's Bees lip balm- This is my favorite lip balm, so I love using it, whenever I can get it on sale!
6) A little hair clip- This one I cannot link, because it's the only one I have, & I have not been able to find any replacement, but I love this size, and I have very crazy hair, so this is a big must have for when I just want my hair out of my face, but I still want it down!
7) Mini white shoulders perfume- I love this perfume, it's mature, but not too much, it just works for us!
8) ELF blotting sheets- These are just oil absorbing sheets, they work pretty okay, don't take off the makeup, and for a dollar, these work super well!
9) Floss- I know this is embarrassing, but I always have floss with me, I hate having something stuck in my teeth, and you can't imagine the difference a little floss can do to your smile!
10) A first aid ointment- I get hurt a lot. So I have this with me recently, just so the wound doesn't get infected, I'm not going to link this either, because I have absolutely no idea where this is from!
11) Tjing Liang Yu balm- I love this balm for when my head hurts a lot!
12) Nail clipper/filer.

Big Makeup Bag:

1) The black profusion bag in the bag holds cotton balls!

2) Neutrogena oil free face wash- I love this stuff, it's good because it doesn't dry out my skin!

3) Secret Deodorant- It's a gel deodorant, I really like this, because I feel like I can control it, and it won't break. It's not perfect, but I like it!

4) Herbal Essences Smoothing Serum- This is for wet hair, so it's perfect for when you're on the go! I love to use it as a mousse, but mousse is just way to big to carry! So this is nice to have because it give shine and curl!

5) Body spray & Shower gel- Makes me smell good!

6) The black container contains Ponds Cold Cream Cleanser- I use to remove my eye make up.

7) Ponds mini bottle contains my Neutrogena Moisturizer- I love this moisturizer, it works great & it's too heavy on my skin!

8) The two Tresemme bottles contain my own shampoo & conditioner, I love these bottles because I can actually squeeze out the shampoo & conditioner!  

Make-up bag

1) This is the Lancome palette in Taupe craze. I love using this for everyday looks. It's nice cause there's a matte brown shade as well. It's good for everyday looks, as well as night looks. The only thing is that the shimmer all over lid shade isn't very long lasting, so it's a must to put on a primer with this.

 2) Wet N Wild Blush in Mellow Wine-  Love, love, love this blush. It's pigmented, lasts long, and is super duper cheap.
3) The Covergirl Professional mascara in clear- I like using this with my eyebrow filler! It sets it and looks great! That pencil is from Germany I believe!
4) Eyeliners- I have just a couple of brown and black eyeliners, as well as my Jordana fabu-liner.

5) Soo, I know I'm a bit crazy for having 4 mascaras... but what can I say, I just love them!
I can do a whole mascara routine, but I basically use The Color Workshop Extra Length Mascara first it separates really well, then I use the Great lash , I do not like this at all alone, but it works super well with the Benefit They're Real. I also use the ELF mascara, non waterproof on my lower lashes.

6) Loreal True Match Concealer- Concealer for my undereyes.
7) L'oreal True Match Crayon Corrector- I like using the dark shade all over my face, well where ever there are blemishes. And I use the lighter shade as a primer or highlighter!
8) Benefit Watts Up- Best highlighter there is!

 9) Loreal true match powder- I love using this straight over my concealer, it makes my makeup look so natural, and light yet flawless!
10) ELF tinted moisturizer- This is so great because it has SPF, & the color is perfect on my skin tone!

11) Maybelline colorsensational lipstain in touch of toffee. It's my lip color but better!
12) ELF Tinted lip balm- It's in Rose, it has SPF 15, it's just beautiful!
13) Covergirl Wetslicks Amazemint in Tickled Pink- I love this lip gloss, it's not sticky, but it's got great color pay off!

Brushes:

I brought brushes from the Real Techniques Core & Starter collections. A couple of eye shadow brushes, and the Ecotools eyeshadow brush! I'm going to be doing a brush collection soon, so for now I'm just going to leave it as that.

I hope this was helpful! Thank you for reading! Be sure to comment, share and react!
<3
Riya 

Back To School: Organization, Supplies, & Tips

I am not a big fan of taking around a ton of notebooks & binders individual to every class, I like to downsize... A LOT. Here's what I do to remain organized throughout the year!!!

Textbooks: I don't take all of my text books back and forth everyday. Many of my teachers don't even require you to bring it, so I either leave it at home, or in my locker. There are some I have to take back and forth, but with online text book codes available, I can choose not to bring them to and from home.
Binders: I only have binders for classes that require me to get them. I hate carrying around the bulk of them, and find that unnecessary with these other tips.

Notebooks: 

Mead Five Star Hybrid Notebinder

I only use notebooks for the classes that need them, I use one subject notebooks in the college ruled. I've tried to use 5 subject notebooks, but I usually end up with a lot of extra paper in one subject, while running out in another. I also keep a lot of loose paper with me, so if I ever do run out, I have some.
I use notebooks to actually take notes, I use loose paper from homework, it's much easier because I have to turn it in a lot.
I also like to use graph paper notebooks for math & science, those are the two classes I get a lot of homework in & it's turned it usually, so it keeps it organized.

Folders: I don't use individual folders, I use the Mead Five Star Hybrid Note Binder in 1 1/2 in. Although it's expensive, it lasts years, and truly fits everything in it. An alternative would be to get a 1 1/2 inch binder, and put in folders for each subject, or sheet protectors. I did the sheet protectors last year.
TIP:: Keep all the papers you don't need anymore (you've already had the test for this unit) in an expanding file folder. They're super affordable, around $2 at Target, Walmart, or Walgreens. This way you have all the materials organized and ready for when you have to study for finals, and since you're not carrying it with you, you're less likely to lose it! **Make sure that your teacher is truly done with this topic before you put it away, I suggest waiting a couple of days after the test**

Planner: I've tried to make my own planners, using my own calendars, so I have enough space, however it just doesn't work. Last year, what I ended up doing was keeping a print out of all the months in my everything binder, and loose paper for daily to do's. This is a very disorganized method for most people, while I liked being able to make a busy to do list, I bought a planner this year from Walmart.
TIP:: Walmart has the cheapest, and biggest varieties for planners. I don't like getting super busy planners because I find that I get tired of them after a while. I also go for a bigger planner to get more space to write.
Other Supplies:

Dixon Ticonderoga Pencils- These are the best old school pencils I've come across, they're most expensive than the average, but they are worth every penny. I use these occasionally, but I mainly use them for standardized testing, they have such a great eraser too!
TIP:: Buy random pencils too. The ones that are like $.25 for a pack of 12. Whenever someone asks you for a pencil, give them those, so that if they don't give them back, you haven't lost anything.

Post-its- I suggest getting three kinds: The regular sized ones, for bigger notes, and reminders, the flags, for text books, and highlighting, and the mini ones for annotating. These help you stay organized so you know exactly what to study.
TIP:: Also buy some Index cards for studying, they go hand in hand with the post its, best way to study vocabulary.

Highlighters- Honestly, any kind will do. I like to get a pack with lots of colors, but just buy the cheapest ones you can find. I use them to high light my notes when I'm studying.
Colorful Pens- Again, buy whatever brand you want. I don't go crazy with the color, but I like to have some variation for my notes. Now my favorite brand is Paper Mate, so that's what I've linked, I find that their pens write the smoothest.
TIP:: Don't go crazy with the color, it's makes it harder to study. Use black and blue pens and then use the colored pens to emphasize words or sentences, or to separate things.
Mechanical Pencils- I refuse to use regular pencils throughout the year. I find that the expensive mechanical pencils are definitely worth the investment. These are my favorite, they are the Pental Energize pencils. They last longer than a year, and retail for around $3 in staples, but buy the two pack in store for more color selections.
TIP:: Also stock up on extra lead right now, it's usually on sale somewhere, so you save money buying it now than later.
Erasers: These are the best erasers I've come across. They erase the most, are smooth, and last the whole year.

Biggest Tips::

• Buy all your school supplies now, they're all on sale, even the pretty ones. Stock up!! & SAVE THE RECEIPTS. After you get your list, supplies will no longer be on sale, buy binders and extra notebooks for now, and then if you find that you don't need them, save for next year, or return them! 
• Shop around, Staples, Walgreens, and Walmart are my favorite places. They have the best deals and the largest selection. I find Amazon, Target, & online sites to be over priced. They don't have the same jaw dropping deals. 
• Sometimes the prettier supplies sacrifice quality. Look for materials that will last you all year. At the same time, the quality sometimes costs a lot more. IT'S WORTH IT. 

Purse? Tote? or Backpack?:

Personally, I use a large crossbody bag. Last year I got mine from Forever 21. I'm still searching for a new one. I like to have one that fits my lunch and planner. 

I also have a back pack though, I use it on days I have lots of things to bring to school or from school. I use the Jansport Big Student Backpack. I got it for $25 from Marshalls, it's such great quality, and an amazing value.