Maegan Mariee | Thoughts & Lifestyle

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Wearing dresses in winter may not be everyone's first choice. I know for a fact that I don't particularly like to wear dresses, even in the summer, so the fact that this post is happening... it's a surprise!

Finding a good sweater dress is a lengthy process for me. It needs to be warm, but not TOO warm. Soft, not scratchy. And it definitely needs to be of a proper length. I have three options here that have made it to my approval list. Which, I must say, is highly coveted. Jokes.

Knit Wit Sweater Dress

Aztec Cardigan | Sold out

Leopard Print PomPom Beanie

Gray Knit Gloves

Revlon Lipstick in Love That Red

Britney Spears Curious In Control

Sunday's Loving Shift Dress

Get Lucky Santa Claus Sweatshirt

Santa Socks

Kitty Face Beanie | Sold out

Revlon Kate Moss in Red 107

Ari by Ariana Grande

School Boy Ribbed Sweater

American Eagle Pink Beanie | Sold out

Zoella Bake My Day Body Mist | Sold out

Nyx Butter Gloss in Creme Brulee

Victoria's Secret Minty Shine | Sold out

I paired all of these dresses with some black tights and whatever boots I was feeling that day. I like the casual appearance that these dresses allow you to have. You can definitely class them up, but being able to curl up and be lazy in something like this has turned me onto the sweater dress loving side.

All sweater dresses are from Tobi! Give their collection a look and sweater up your closet!

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*This post was kindly sponsored by tobi.com. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always*

Hello Lovelies!

Another quick post on what I'm currently digging my nose into. I've reached my reading goal for the year! WHOO! However, I do feel like I cheated a bit as some of those books, like two or three, were short novellas. So they took me like a second to get through. So to make up for it and because I just need to be reading something all the time, I've gone beyond my goal and of course needed to share it here with all of you.

And last, but not least, I'm reading Three Sisters, Three Queens by Philippa Gregory. However, I'm reading this on an app. I've mentioned before that checking books out of your local library is probably the best thing that you can do if you're on a budget and want to read something. But what if you don't end up liking it? Well, then you just return it! No money spent, no money lost. Sometimes it takes longer to get the books if you're waiting for a release, but I'd rather wait for something then spend money on what could be a real bore. You could also save your receipt, but sometimes those have return day limits. 

I don't think I need to mention again how in love I am with the Tudor era. Whoops, just did. Sometimes these kinds of novels can go wrong, the facts get twisted for entertainment purposes, and I end up huffing my way through it. Philippa Gregory is famous for doing just that. Don't even get me started on The Other Boleyn Girl. I decided that I would let it go for this particular novel, because I have to admit I'm incredibly curious about how this will go. It's about Catherine of Aragon, Margaret Tudor and Mary Tudor, Henry VIII's sisters. As of right now, it's in the POV of Margaret, and let me tell you she is one selfish, materialistic brat. If she was actually like this in real life, I would cry out of frustration. But since no one can know for sure, I just have to bite the bullet and see where this goes. 

UPDATE 12/16/16: I couldn't get through this. I stopped about mid-way through. I honestly just don't know if it was her writing, the character of Margaret... I just don't know. Long story short, I solidified my reasoning that I don't like Philippa Gregory's writing style.

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*This post is not sponsored, all opinions are my own and recommended at my discretion, as always*

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*This post is not sponsored by Function of Beauty. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always.*

Hello Lovelies!

So as I'm sure I've mentioned before, getting Zoella Beauty when you live in the US is no easy task. Especially her newer ranges. You can get the original range, though only select pieces and while that's all well and good, it's still rather disappointing. So I'm going to plug this again, (and I swear I'm not being paid to mention them), Feel Unique will ship everything for an extra fee. If you don't want to pay twenty something for shipping, avoid getting 'dangerous' items, like the body sprays.

With that in mind, I highly suggest you get something, at least one thing, from this Christmas range. If you like gingerbread, you're going to love it. It's not crazy heavily scented, so you can layer this stuff on and not worry about going overboard. I absolutely love the hints of spice in the Hungry Hands hand cream and I've been using it non-stop since I got it. I'm trying to save the fragrance for as long as I can, but I can see it as something I'll be wearing throughout most of the holiday season.

Hungry Hands
Beauty Spa in a Jar
Secret Scenta Fragrance Set
Lip Balm Duo
Deck the Baubles Bubble Bath
Gingerbread and Vanilla Fragrance Set
Ginger Fizz Bath Bombs

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Valentia | Facebook | Amazon | Instagram

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**This post has been kindly sponsored by Brandbacker and Valentia. All opinions are my own, as usual**

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For me, there is nothing better than curling up in a few dozen blankets and putting on a show that I know by heart. Why watch a new season of something when you can recite episode after episode word by word? Don't get me wrong, I love watching new shows and catching up on new seasons, but there is just something so satisfying of going back to your favorite shows.

1. The Tudors

I can hear Ami rolling her eyes all the way from Slovenia. This is one of those shows that I will put on no matter what I'm doing. Cleaning, sleeping, reading, inter-webbing. Whatever I'm doing, I like to put this on. Nine out of ten times I get sucked into it though, so cleaning and reading might not get finished. If you haven't guessed already, this is about Henry VIII and his reign, played by the wonderful Jonathan Rhys Meyers. And Henry Cavill is in it, too. (Wink).

2. Bones

I will be the first to admit that I HAVE NOT FINISHED this show yet. Why? Because I keep going back to The Tudors. Oi. In my mission to get caught up, I've started all over again at Season One and am currently in the middle of Season Two. Not much progress when you consider how many seasons there are, but I'll get there. Wait, so does this count for the list? Hm.

3. Bob's Burgers

I am a cartoon connoisseur. I don't think I will ever get out of my cartoon phase. (As I'm writing this, I'm watching the Spongebob Squarepants movie). This is another one of those shows that I will put on as background noise while I'm doing other things. In this case, I don't get sucked in, though I still know every line. Ha.

4. Gilmore Girls

With the new season about to come to Netflix pretty soon, I've started at Season One to refresh my memory. However, I've always watched this show and have a few episodes that I could watch over and over again. The nostalgia I get from this show is just unreal and I love it.

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I know what you're thinking... 'How is she just posting about this collection NOW? When there is already a Christmas range out?!' I know. I had been hoping to post it sooner, but there is always something holding me back. I.E. UK to US Customs. It's a nightmare, but recently, things have happened that's been so exciting that it was worth the wait!

If you live in the US like I do and love Zoella's beauty range, then you're in for some luck. I've always stated that you can buy her range, all of it, from Feel Unique. Although you couldn't get the perfumes, it was more than enough to have everything else. But now, you can get the perfumes without having to worry about what country you live in!

Feel Unique seems to have switched, or worked out a deal, with DHL, who does international shipping of all kinds. Meaning you can get everything from her collection and just everything on the website in general. YES! Though you do have to pay a little extra for shipping and customs checks, I personally think that it's worth it. Because I definitely didn't want to wait and see whether or not Tilly's or American Eagle would get her other collections in stock. Which seems unlikely since the original collection is in small supply.

All hail Feel Unique though, amiright.

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 Another month, another Tudor book for me to share with you!

I know I read a lot of books about this time period, but I can't help it. I am the definition of obsessed when it comes to the Tudor period. I blame sixth grade history class.

I picked up this book about Mary I. It's been on my reading list for a while now and probably the only one about Henry's oldest child that's on there. I don't know why I haven't read anything on her before... maybe because for so long I placed her in the same slot as Katherine of Aragon, who I view as slightly boring. But that's just based on what I have read about her so far, and most of that has been in Anne biographies. Which are obviously going to make her look as boring as possible. Biased.

I've been pleasantly surprised to find out that while Mary definitely shares her mother's view on religion and law (clearly, as history shows) she was also very into gambling and fashion. As sickly and religious as she was, it seems that she did inherit seventy percent of her personality from her father.

Everyone who has researched the Tudors and know anything about Henry's reign, then you would know that Mary was basically ostracized from her father in his mission to marry Anne and to shuck the church of Rome out the window. From my point of view, I only ever read bits and pieces of what was done to her. But to read in detail about it is a lot more eye opening. It's actually pretty crazy how intensely Henry wanted her to obey him. And eventually she did, but the years of neglect and downgrading of her status is incredible.

If you enjoy reading about this time period, I highly suggest you pick this up and give it a read. It's very well researched and not staunchly boring like most historical biographies can be.

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Hello Lovelies!

So I've been doing that thing where I scour the internet and add things I can't afford at the moment into my shopping cart and then just let them sit, where hopefully I'll be able to check them out sooner rather than later.

Unfortunately, being an adult is super hard and you have to pick and choose what you can afford, and getting paid bi-weekly does not help at all. So to keep myself grounded and remind myself that these products aren't going anywhere, I thought I'd post my 'shopping carts' here.

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You can use this under your makeup! I've noticed that it makes a pretty good primer for powder foundations (surprise!) and it keeps the skin moisturized all day long, not just for a few hours in the morning. If you like the dewy look, REACH FOR THIS. Seriously, I've been looking like a water sprite the last few days and it's been amazing.

For a full list of ingredients, go to the product page here and take a good look at what makes this stuff so amazing. You can also find Valentia at the following links;

Valentia | Facebook | Amazon | Instagram

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**This post has been kindly sponsored by Brandbacker and Valentia. All opinions are my own, as usual**