My Thoughts On...the VMAs.

Because you know we've just got to talk about it.

I am a huge fan of the VMAs and have been watching them since before I was even allowed to watch MTV. Seriously, I used to watch it on the lowest volume setting possible then change the channel every time I thought I heard my parents walk past my room. That was when I was like 8 or something. In fact, I remember watching quiet a few VMAs before my parents actually allowed me to watch them in the living room for my first official Video Music Awards viewing back in 2001, but we'll get back to that in a minute. 

Let's start by having a look at some of my favorite (and least favorite) fashion moments from last night's festivities.

Best Dressed

I'm giving Best Dressed to my Ultimate Girl Crush...I-G-G-Y!

Among a red carpet full of "eh" looks, Iggy Azalea brought glamour and pushed the bar just far enough with this Versace gown. She also scored points with me by being the realest (yea, I know) when it came to who she was wearing when she told Sway on the red carpet that Versace had contacted her and asked her to wear one of their pieces so they flew it out to her then had to rip the dress apart and sew her into it. That's how it happens people! She didn't wake up like this and she's not afraid to admit it.

Worst Dressed

What the hell,  Taylor?! 

First of all, I was not impressed by this year's red carpet looks. There was a lot more bad than good. Maybe even some worse than this but I picked this look for one reason. She could have done so much better! Look at those legs. I understand, you've gotta show those suckers off but no one is focused on your gorgeous gams when you look like you're wearing a diaper. 

Not everyone can pull of the bodysuit look quiet like Bey-once so don't feel bad, T-Swift but just remember this. If your shorts are so short that the inseam can't be measured then you should probably make them into a leotard or get a new outfit. Taylor should have done the latter but hey, shake it off, right?

Now for the main event.

Kicking the show off with a bang was Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj, and Jessie J with their melody of hits including Break Free, Anaconda, and Bang Bang. Here's my thoughts on the performance...

Ariana has an AH-MAY-ZING voice. It's that plain and simple. 

I don't care, I love Anaconda and Nicki Minaj. 

I have always been on the fence about Jessie J but this performance may have pushed me over to her side. 

Nicki Minaj may have had a wardrobe malfunction but girlfriend proved that the show must go on by coming out on stage holding the front of her dress together the whole time. There are not words to

describe how great that is. 

Gwen Stefani and Snoop Dogg (Snoop Lion??) presented the first award of the night and sent us all back to California My love for Gwen Stefani is immeasurable. I just do not see a point when I will not love her and it's not because we share a birthday...even though we do. October 3rd, in case y'all were wondering.

T-Swizzle redeemed herself, a bit, with her performance of Shake It Off...which is actually a really great song if you don't watch the video while listening to it. However she proved herself to be, as one of my friends said during the show, "Taylor Swift, patron saint of awkward white girls everywhere" when she paused during the performance, muttered something about not wanted to jump from the stage into a crowd full of hot guys in suits, then ran down the stairs and started signing again. She did mention something about that snake biting one of Nicki Minaj's dancers though, so that was funny but mostly I could have done without that little skit.

If you haven't heard about my love for Ed Sheeran than you must be new here.
If you get it by now then you'll completely understand that I may have gotten a bit emotional when Ed Sheeran won Best Male Video. Like what?! OMG! I felt like a proud momma...or mumma since he's British. Turns out it was Ed's first American award and I have to say he completely deserves it. Congrats, Ed!!! xx

Was it just me or was the crowd just super loud this year? I couldn't even hear Kim Kardashian-West (because that's her official title now)introduce Sam Smith. However, the Kardashian/West/Jenner Clan was absolutely adorable during the performance. The camera like panned to them 5 times in 3 minutes.

Can we just talk about how Common was sweet enough to ask for a moment of Silence in honor of both Michael Brown and his wish for peace (which I wish could have been longer but was well respected) yet the first video nominated for Best Hip Hop Video was Kanye West's Black Skinhead. I don't even want to go there. Kanye just leaves a bad taste in my mouth sometimes.

Was Jay Pharaoh the host or nah? I'm thinking nah and MTV just got him out there to make people laugh and keep voting going for Artist to Watch.

Last but certainly not least.

I can't even begin to talk about Beyonce's performance.
Oh lawd, Queen Bey's done done it again. I can't. I just can't. She's amazing. Her family is amazing and freaking adorable. Let's just say I want to be Beyonce more than ever now. #Flawless

Well that's it lovelies, leave a comment below letting me know your favorite part of the 2014 Video Music Awards! xo

For now I'll leave you with this precious picture...when you realize your mom is God so that means you're low-key Jesus.

Does that make Jay-Z Joseph or Mary?

until next time, 

xo

Top 5 Drugstore Beauty Products for Back to School

The Back to School series is back and I am so sorry for the delay. I've had a family emergency that's put things on hold the past few days but things are up and running once again. To reward y'all for your patience and the awesome response to the series so far stay tuned for a special bonus post coming soon.

When I think of Back to School Makeup I think "simple and affordable." So that is exactly what I wanted to bring to you today with this list of my Top 5 Drugstore Beauty Products that are specifically aimed for Back to School. All of these products are under $10 (some even under $5) and have been personally proven effective by your's truly. 

1.) You've gotta have a good base for your makeup and if you're anything like me you might be dealing with some breakouts going back to school. That's why I picked this lightweight but full coverage Flawless Finish Foundation from e.l.f. This is my favorite foundation-of-the-moment and you might have heard me mention it back in my One Brand, One Look post a couple of weeks ago. You don't want to go too heavy on the makeup in high school...save that for your club-hoppin' college days, kids...so this foundation is perfect for giving great coverage without getting too cakey and at $6 it is definitely a bargain. 

2.) I didn't actually start dealing with dark circles under my eyes until college but I can't even remember not compensating for them in my makeup routine so I've included my little miracle worker, Maybelline's Instant Age Rewind Eraser! This is definitely a holy grail beauty product for me and it is such a great lightweight but effective concealer that it is perfect for school too. The sponge tip applicator makes it super easy for beginners as well and at $7.99 it is a bit more pricey but won't break the bank.

3.) I was all about the powder back in high school. My oily acne-prone teenage skin practically demanded it but this next product probably could have kept me away from the compact so much. The Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder is my favorite powder to set and mattify my makeup as it is, key word of this post, lightweight but extremely effective. It's also easy to throw in your school bag just in case you think you might want to do a few locker mirror touch-ups.

4.) I had myself convinced that eye shadow was a mandatory part of my school uniform (not that I even wore a uniform to school but you get my drift) and this Wet n Wild Eyeshadow Trio makes eye makeup a breeze. I love Walking on Eggshells because the colors are neutral yet versatile while keeping things soft enough for a day of class. At $2.99 you'll save enough to keep you're growing collection going. :)

5.) In my opinion a makeup look is not complete without a touch of mascara. The e.l.f. 3-in-1 Mascara volumizes, lengthens, and defines you're lashes in one fell swoop making it super easy when you're running late for homeroom. Coming in at $3 makes it one of my absolute favorite drugstore mascaras, like ever. 

BONUS ITEM

6.) Yea, I know, I said Top 5 but who doesn't love a good bonus. Like I said before, I had oily skin in high school so I would have absolutely loved having this product on hand back then. The Rimmel Stay Matte Primer is my favorite way to prep my makeup to last all day and at just $7.99 it is way more affordable than some of those other primers everyone goes on and on about. Just throw this stuff on before applying your foundation and you'll see that not only does your makeup stay in place through 5th period but that oil slick that was your T-zone is no more. 

You can get money back when purchasing these products and more when you sign up for Ebates! (Up to 4% back if you used the highlighted links) For more information check out You've Gotta Know About...Ebates or click the link below!

Ebates Invite

Leave me a comment below letting me know your favorite drugstore beauty product for back to school!

I'd love to hear your suggestions.

until next time, 

xo

Merisa

Back to School Outfit Ideas

Continuing with this week's Back-to-School Series, I've put together a couple of classic back-to-school outfit ideas for those of you out there that are doing a bit of last minute shopping. All of the outfits, individual items, and where to buy them can be found on my Polyvore profile so be sure to check it out.

Classic Comfort

I think this outfit is so versatile and perfect whether you're still catching the bus or trekking across campus. Keeping things classic with touches of comfort and cool is definitely the key to my school style and this outfit has all of that. The neutral colors can even be exchanged for pops of bold colors to liven up the look when you just can't choose what to wear. Simple and chic definitely gets an A+ from me.

Classic Casual

Let's face it, getting up for class sucks. Sitting through lectures sucks. Dealing with crazy classmates sucks.

You might as well do all that in comfort. I love the ease of throwing on a comfy sweater, some really great boyfriend jeans, and classic Converses and leaving it at that. This look is sure to get your through even your laziest of days with ease. (Let's not even start about how cute that navy and pink flamingo backpack is...I just love it!)

 Classic Cool

Some days you wake up and you just want to put a little more effort into your look. Whether you're looking to catch the eye of that cute guy in your History class or just be a little more presentable to speak in front of your English Lit class, this outfit just has that little something extra. I love the bow accent on the flats and of course we've gotta throw a little monogram in there. 

BONUS OUTFIT!

Classic Sophistication

So this look might be a little more in tune for those autumn walks across the quad but I just love the colors and can't say no to a great cable knit sweater and riding boot combo. 

For those moments when you're looking to really turn some heads but still be school appropriate indulge in some class pieces like these. You can't go wrong.

To check out all of these pieces and more from sets I've designed head over to Polyvore. 

Leave me a comment below letting me know you're number one wardrobe staple for Back-to-School this year and keep a look out for the next installment in this week's Back-to-School Series!

until next time,

xo

Merisa

Top 5 Back to School Essentials

This will be the first time in almost 20 years (holy crap!) that I will not actually be going back to school.

I can't decide if that's something to celebrate or wallow over but I have decided that it does make me somewhat of an expert at the whole back-to-school business seeing as I have been doing it for two decades (still not okay with how that sounds). So I've compiled a short & sweet list of my tried and true back to school essentials for y'all.

1.) Five Star Flex Hybrid NoteBinder

Paper is like a number one essential when you're heading back to school. You obviously need paper for your assignments but there's also endless amounts of paper being given to you through the day. I picked up this Five Star Hybrid of a notebook and a binder at the beginning of the first semester of my Junior year of college because it was literally the last notebook Wal-mart had...I was a little late to the school supplies game that year. It comes in some really great colors. Mine was actually Teal but this Pink one is really great and would look great with a monogram!

I loved the fact that it was part binder so I could add more loose leaf paper and even rearrange papers too. However, it's flexible and thin like a notebook and even comes with pocket dividers for all those papers that have yet to be hole punched. Something I didn't enjoy, however, was definitely the price. At $9.99 it seemed a bit extreme for a notebook at the time but I'll let you in on a secret that makes it totally worth it...this notebook lasted through 4 semesters and possibly could have gone longer but you know graduation got in the way. :)

2.) Fun and Comfortable Pens & Mechanical Pencils

You're going to be writing a lot in school...it's just a given. So you're going to need comfortable things to write with but it's always good to keep things fun and interesting too. I really like the Staedtler Triplus Fineliner Pens to color code my notes, you can pick up a 10 pack in assorted colors from Amazon. While the colors are really great to keep your own notes interesting and easy to read some teachers and professors actually prefer that you only use blue or black ink on assignments so these BIC Ballpoint Pens from Target are perfect because they even come with a bonus red pen for those fun moments when you get to grade each others papers. 

Target also has BIC Mechanical Pencils in an 8ct. pack for .99 cents which you can't go wrong with.

3.) Sticky Notes & Index Cards

Target has some really great supplies but I especially love really bright and colorful sticky notes to keep me on track. I also really like the sticky notes that are like a small notebook. I may or may not have plastered my dorm room in them during a harsh Constitutional Law study session. You'll always need index cards, they're an absolute must for any study session. 

4.) Planner/Agenda

There is no way that I could have made it through school without a planner by my side. I have loved the agendas from Lilly Pulitzer for years now (I'm on my third one!). The Lilly Pulitzer Agendas range in price from $17 for the small all the way up to $34 for the jumbo version. I've had the large one for the past two years and think it's the perfect size for me. I love the fun prints and just think it's great to be able to bring a little Lilly with me everywhere I'm going around school. 

For something that is similar in price but a bit more grown-up check out the Kate Spade Agendas, my favorite is the Medium in Gold Dots

If those are a little bit out of your price range, they definitely were for me before I started making my own money, Walmart has some really great, cheap planners that certainly get the job done.

5.) A Great Bag to Put It All In

We've gathered quiet the load of supplies thus far so of course you're going to need a really great bag to carry it all around. Personally I've noticed that I go through stages with my school bag. I was just too cool for a backpack in high school so I always carried tote backs to, well, tote my books around. You don't get a locker in college and sometimes you just don't want to make the trek back to your dorm room to grab a book in between classes so a back pack was definitely the way to go. Once my course load got lighter closer to graduation, I started carrying more purse like bags to class that could work when I brought it in to my internship too. 

I've listed some really great backpacks and bags below and even gave save & splurge options!

Backpack

Save: This Neff Scholar Tie Dye backpack is too cool and is definitely on trend with the pastel colors. You can opt to keep it class with this JanSport Coral Backpack that brings a pop of color to your school day.

Splurge: I was never one for Vera Bradley in school but this Vera Bradley Lighten Up Backpack in Ziggy Zags is cute without being that signature floral.

Bag

Save: You can definitely save a big buck and keep it Monogrammed Magnolia style with this Longchamp Inspired Monogrammed Tote on Etsy.

Splurge: What's more classic than a really great canvas tote? You can get the Vineyard Vines Stars Classic Tote  and pull a move along the lines of The College Prepster.

I absolutely love the School Satchel from TopShop and think it is the perfect option to keep things stylish and functional but also add in a pop of professionalism too.

I hope you've enjoyed my Top 5 Back-to-School Essentials! Leave a comment below telling me you're favorite thing about getting ready to go back to school.

until next time,

xo

Merisa

You've Gotta Know About...Ebates

I've decided to start a Back-to-School series since we are rapidly approaching that dreaded time of year once again. So, to get things started here's a look at something I thought you've just gotta know about before diving into your back to school shopping routine. At the end there should be some really great links for coupons and other amazing things so keep a look out!

There I was just scrolling through Instagram one day a couple of months ago when I see this...

In case you can't see, boys and girls, that's a lovely little check for almost $600! Definitely worthy of "amazing" and "omg!" in my opinion. 

After reading the description and finding out that she actually earned this check by shopping online through a website called Ebates I thought, "Oh well, I could never get as lucky to have something like that happen to me" and went on about my day. 

It wasn't until a few weeks later when I was shopping around online that I thought about the site again and decided to check it out for myself.
I was shocked by how many stores (or sites really) participated in the partnership with Ebates. 
See, Ebates pairs up with these sites to sort of advertise for them and even offer coupons directly from their site in and in exchange for moving costumer's toward the store's site the store actually gives Ebates a percentage of the money from your purchase. Ebates, being the kind folk that they are, then just returns that percentage to you!
How cool is that?

If you've been around here a bit longer than a minute than you might be able to guess that some of my favorite sites to shop on involve beauty products and clothing...shocking, right?
Well, that can be a bit of a drain on the bank account but getting a bit of that money back makes things far less painful. 

So, you now know how Ebates gets the money now let's talk about how the money gets to you. Once you got to Ebates, pick the store you want to shop on, activate Cash Back (all that involves is clicking the pop up that comes at the to of the screen), and make your purchase you will see that your little (or big) shopping trip has been recorded in your Ebates account.
After a couple of days you'll see that that shopping trip has now turned into Cash Back! 

My first experience with Ebates was great. After signing up I added the Ebates extension to Google Chrome so that I would be alerted every time I was on a site that worked with Ebates. So there I was renewing my subscription to Microsoft Office when the little pop up alerted me that I could activate Cash Back prior to checking out, so I did. 
I only purchased a month's worth of Office access which came out to around $7, a few days later I noticed that my Ebates account said that my purchase had qualified me for $10 back. That's right. I made $3 just from shopping online. 
Not bad.
Since I had made my first purchase through the site Ebates went on to inform me that I was eligible for a $10 gift card to a store of my choosing (they gave me like 3 options I think) so I picked a Walmart gift card because those suckers are always handy.
After making another purchase worthy of $10 back the quarter was up and I was sent my Big Fat Check AND my gift card.
All in all, I made $30 extra bucks from 2 online shopping ventures that cost me less than $10 each. 
I'll say it again...not bad.

Ebates breaks the year into quarters meaning that if you're a frequent Ebates user you could see a Big Fat Check every 3 months. However, if you're like me and trying to save up your cash like crazy you might see that you're Cash Back rewards are pretty low. That's okay, if your rewards amount to less than $5.01 then Ebates will just roll that money over to your next check. No worries. 

Another awesome thing about Ebates? You can choose 3 different forms of payment...the Big  Fat Check through the mail, PayPal, or if you're an incredibly generous soul you can even have your check sent to a family member or a charity organization. Pretty sweet if you ask me.

If you're not convinced enough then let me show you just how much cash you can get back from stores you know you love

Apple Store - 3% Cash Back
Forever 21 - 4% Cash Back
Sephora & ULTA - 4% Cash Back
American Eagle - 5.3% back on jeans, 4% everything else
Gap - 8% Cash Back
TOMS - 10% Cash Back + a really great coupon code
Proactiv+ - 30% Cash Back

This is just a small portion of the sites available to shop from Ebates but when you think about it that's some serious Cash Back on all your Back-to-School needs. 

If you're finally on board and you just can't wait to get your hands on one of those Big Fat Checks then I highly suggest you click the link below to sign up to Ebates immediately...it's definitely worth it.

EBATES INVITE LINK

EBATES COUPONS!

I hope you've enjoyed this look at the awesomeness that is Ebates.

Leave me a comment below letting me know what you think of the site and if you signed up.

until next time,

xo

Merisa

July 2014 Favorites

I refuse to accept the fact that July is over. Like really, August, why such a rush? I can't believe we're creeping into the last month of summer but that's all okay because that just means it's time for July Favorites!

Hmm, nope, still not okay with it being August but the show must go on.

Beauty
July was the month of brand new beauty favorites which is probably a lot more exciting for me than you but I've got some great stuff to review so let's get to it.

My first favorite is something that I knew would be a favorite before I even bought it.
I discovered this perfume when I got a sample of it from Sephora. As I dabbed the little sample on both my wrist I was floored. "Oh my gosh, this is what I want my signature fragrance to be!" was my first thought, no joke. I made my friend L try it and he said the cutest thing, "Mmm, that's what I smell when I think of you. You must have worn that for years." 
First of all, that's precious. Second, I've never even heard of this perfume before now. Third, I must buy it immediately.
So that's exactly what I did and I must say that Clean Skin is officially my new favorite perfume ever. 
It smells amazing and I love that the .5oz is perfect to throw in my bag and go. Sephora's site describes it as a "This fragrance captures the delicate scent of bare skin. Hints of dewy flower petals wrap around notes of pure creaminess and warm musk to evoke the simple scent of touchable skin. Enticing, fresh, pure: clean skin at its best." And I completely agree.




If you've read my Sephora, Lush, & More Haul then you know that I recently picked up the Mask of Magnaminty from Lush. 
I love this mask. 
It smells beyond amazing and is really invigorating. 
It's marketed as a cleanser but it's also a really great exfoliator because of the ground aduki beans in it (which sounds a lot fancier than it actually is). 
Overall, I think this is a really great mask if you have problems with breakouts and stuff or just really like the smell of peppermint like I do.

This next product is a holy grail item of so many beauty gurus on YouTube that I just had to get my hands on it. It's the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz. I've always had problems with my brows and to be perfectly honest I've just taken the road of ignoring them and hoping they get better, until recently. I say that because I recently discovered that I am a self-proclaimed pro at eye brow waxing. How did I discover this? Well, my roommate decided to purchase an at-home brow waxing kit. She was so afraid to try it herself that I said I would do it with her since my brows are crazy already. I was pretty proud with the results and she was even so impressed that she had me do her's too. 

So now that I've been doing my brows my self and keeping up with them pretty good I've been looking into products that are made specifically for brows and that's how I came across the Brow Wiz. 
Now, I have black brows...like no joke, I have naturally medium blonde hair and coarse black brows. It's awful. So in order to lighten them up a bit I use the Brow Wiz in Medium Brown mostly because that's the lightest shade above blonde that doesn't have reddish/auburn shades in it. 
The super thin pencil makes your brows look so natural and the spooly on the other end is so handy and really great at setting your brows in place. Definitely a holy grail item for me too.
While shopping on Sephora's site I was like $15 away from free shipping so I decided to go ahead and treat myself with a fun new product (even though shipping is way less than $15 and I actually ended up spending more money but hey, it was a treat). I decided to grab the Josie Maran Argan Infinity Lip and Cheek Creamy Oil in Endless Guava because it looked like a great product for summer. I had a really difficult time trying to decide between Endless Guava and Limitless Pink which is a medium pink that is more in my comfort zone but I am so glad that I chose "vibrant poppy pink" shade. I really thought I would use this as a lip color more but it has been my go-to blush shade this month and I definitely see myself using it well into the fall. I love how creamy and blendable it is too.

Music
For all my music favorites for this month check out my What My Ears Are Loving post because there was just too many faves to mention. 

TV
If you've been paying attention to this blog at all this month then you would have realized that I have been even more of a television junkie than usual. Aside from Finding Carter and Project Runway, I have been binge watching my way through 2 seasons of The Mindy Project and caught up on Witches of East End before the second season premiered.

I am counting down the days until September 16th when Season 3 of The Mindy Project premiers because I cannot wait to see what happens between Mindy and Danny. There's just so much I can say about this show that I don't even know where to begin. Mindy Kaling as Dr. Mindy Lahiri is absolutely hilarious! I love that she showcases that you can indeed be an intelligent, successful working-girl type but also harbor a love for all things pop culture and maintain a killer fashion sense without losing any of that intelligence (as so many may think is the case). I could go on and on but I'll just suggest that you go ahead and watch it because it's amazing and laugh-out-loud funny.

 I have had an obsession with witches (entertainment purposes only) since the Sabrina the Teenage Witch movie...and yes, it was a movie before it was a show, it even stars a curly haired Ryan Reynolds (for more fits and giggles you should really see Sabrina Goes to Rome and Sabrina, Down Under). That obsession carried through to my adult life making it impossible for me to ignore various incarnations of witches in pop culture, don't even get me started on how much I loved AHS: Coven. That brings me to Witches of East End. I loved the first season of this show and even rewatched it on Hulu this month. I just love the idea that the show centers around 2 young witches that have been cursed to be reborn after they die leaving their mother immortal and their aunt being able to turn into a cat and deal with the nine lives that comes with that fate. I just love the whole premise and the cute boys don't hurt.
You can join me in watching The Witches of East End every Sunday at 10 pm on Lifetime.





Book
I fell into such a reading slump between June and July (I blame Chelsea, Chelsea. Bang, Bang. Which I have been trying to read since Spring Break '13 and just recently finished) but one night, after watching tons of The Mindy Project, my friend suggested that I check out Mindy Kaling's Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?
I downloaded the book to my Kindle app on my iPad and headed out to the pool. It got to the point that I was getting my neighbors to peek over the hedges to see what I was laughing about all by myself, it's that funny. I loved how relateable everything was and especially enjoyed the walk down her own childhood/teenage/twenty-something memory lane struggles...because we all have them, we might as well laugh about them. Throughout the book you start to see lines that parallel The Mindy Project and I really liked that because it made the show more realistic for me knowing that she pulled stuff from her own life. 
I ended the book thinking, "Wow, she's worked so hard to get where she is I hope she only keeps going and gets even more successful." Uh, that's the definition of girl power and women supporting each other if you ask me. I highly recommend this book as a feel-good, laugh out loud read. 


Randoms
Just a heads up, all of my randoms for this month are totally food related...but that's okay.
I am a huge snacker. I love to just snack around but this month I've really made more of an effort to eat healthier (more on that later, though) so I've been loving finding healthier snacks to help me through my snacking moments. 

I discovered these Bare Crunchy Coconut Chips while out shopping one day because I'm a sucker for anything coconut. I picked up a bag of the Show Me The Honey kind and devoured them in like a week and decided to go back and pick up one of each different type. 
The Honey flavored ones are my favorite but the Simply Toasted ones are great and the Sweet 'n Heat kind tastes like a southern bbq chip so y'all know I love those too. Like I said, I love anything coconut and these are simply that...all natural coconut slices with various flavorings. What's not to love?

I grabbed the Cookies & Cream Special K Pastry Crisps while I was a the grocery store earlier this month and as you can probably tell by the picture shown here I went back and grabbed some Chocolately Caramel flavored ones too. 
I was really missing sweets and cookies after of couple of days of my healthier eating routine but these things really came through. 
Only 100 calories for 2 candy bar sized "crisps" seemed like a pretty good way to curb my cookie cravings. I really enjoyed these two flavors for two reasons, 1. they taste good! Seriously they definitely don't taste like diet anything and they're as close to a cookie as I'll let myself get right now. 2. They seriously helped me feel like I was having an indulgent snack without being too indulgent. 

If you know me at all then you probably know that I am a HUGE tea drinker. Sweet tea, fruit tea, green tea, herbal tea...you name it, I love it. So when I picked up a box of Lipton Earl Grey Black Tea (the same day I got my Coconut  Chips actually) nothing was out of the ordinary that is until I made my first tea from the package. Holy smokes this stuff is amazing! 
I've drank Earl Grey before, in fact it's what my friends and I used to order from the coffee shop on campus whenever we'd meet up before heading to the library, but I've never had Earl Grey like this before. Not only does it come in those really fun pyramid shaped tea bags but it is jam packed with amazing ingredients. 
Confession: I went through 2 boxes of this stuff in July alone. If that's not proof that it was a favorite then I don't know what is.






Now for my...
Not So Favorite
We'll just call this section The Southern Girl and the Never Ending Cold Front vs. The British Heat Wave.
Is it just me or was Snow Miser and Heat Miser fighting for Christmas in July?

 It's like July forgot what season it was in and started to spazz out. I mean I spent the majority of my time in sweatshirts and long sleeve tees this month while listening to all my favorites Brits on Twitter and YouTube talk about the boiling heatwave they were experiencing. What?! 
You took our weather, Britain! Let's hope you give it back before summer officially ends.







I hope you've enjoyed this look into my favorites for the month of July.
Leave a comment below letting me know your favorites or not so favorite for this month.

until next time.
xo
Merisa 


PS: I'm not entirely sure why but this took me like a week to write, throwing everything else off schedule so I'm so sorry but I hope you've enjoyed it nonetheless.