maegan mariee: 2016

Post-Christmas depression. Is there any wonder why people spend more money to make themselves feel better once the twenty-sixth rolls around? All those sales. All those returns. I used to work retail, so I know it's a personal hell for those working. God speed customer service desk workers.

I'm stuck in that feeling of still having my decorations up and waiting for the new year and not wanting to take it down and definitely not wanting to get back into the routine of going back to work. I don't have the luxury of having almost two weeks off like those in school do. I miss those days, don't you? Sure, we have the freedom of being able to make adult decisions, but how free are we really when we're chained to our work place?

Ah well, I'm just blathering on in my post-Christmas sadness. A lot of good things happened this year, along with some bad, but I'd like not to focus on that and rather improve on what I'd like to accomplish. A new year is like a new slate. And while I feel like new year resolutions don't tend to stick very well, I'm going to try really hard to make a go of it this year. So here it is, some easy and some difficult new year resolutions, along with everything that I loved in 2016.

2016 Accomplishments; no matter how small!
♥moved out of hell house and into our stress-free home!
♥read and wrote a ton more. so proud of this one!
♥learned how to really calm myself when anxiety peaks.
♥got married!
♥got a raise at work!
♥started to really dig into my brain.

2017 Resolutions; a task list for the year.
♥whoops, get that car fixed! body work, new rear windshield wiper, rear brakes. yikes.
♥get healthier! work out and meal plans.
♥save more money for an amazing vacation!
♥worry less, plan more.
♥develop and stick to a routine.

And that's really all there is to my year. I want it to be a year where I don't have to worry and stress so much. Unfortunately, in this day and age, that means you need more money. I've always tried to save, as I'm sure we all have, but this is the year I'm really going to put a dent in it! It's a lot of everyday, adult things that I want to get accomplished, but it will make my life, and my husband's life, all the easier. And that is something that we could definitely use after the year we've had. So now I leave you with some images of my magical Christmas room, so I can remember it forever, and with this;

How are you going to make 2017 the best year ever?
♥

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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.

So, first things first. Girl Online: Going Solo. The third book in the series. The last book in the series? If Zoe Sugg was going to end Penny and Noah's story here, it wouldn't be a bad spot. Plus I think it would be a good decision on her part. I'd like to see something else from her in the book front. But, moving on. As usual, I'm not going to dig deep into the plot and give it all away, but I am going to say that while I didn't fall in love with this series, I did really enjoy it and would definitely recommend. It's a very easy going plot with normal, everyday hurdles. If you don't count the super popular blog and dating a rock star thing. I know this book isn't for everyone. I've read and heard a lot of talk about how YouTubers shouldn't be doing stuff like this and it's all for the money and nothing else. I don't personally buy into stuff like that and think that if other people enjoy it, then there's nothing else to it.

~~Preach over.~~ Moving on, we have Passenger. I'm not too far into this one, but this is also one of those books that has a very selective audience. I really enjoy period books, and this one is set in 18th century Manhattan and current time. Yes, it's a time travel book. Which can go one of two ways; beautifully executed or horribly, horribly wrong. Time travel is a tricky thing to write, since there really is nothing to compare it to. I will be updating this post when I finish because I feel like I'm going to have so much more to say about this.

UPDATE: 1/26/2017: Man. Where do I start? First of all, there is So. Much. Detail. An absurd amount of detail. The detail in this book is filler, I'm 100% convinced about that. Does it paint a picture? Sure. Is all of that detail necessary? No. Absolutely not. I could have gotten through this book just fine with half the amount of detail. I would have preferred a little more conversation between characters over describing the precise stitching in whatever dress she's wearing. Gah.

The story, however, I thought was well written. I got the feeling that I was reading something similar to Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children when the characters were describing the way the time travel worked. It was incredibly similar. I think the author could have done a little bit better of a job diving into her version of time travel, but it was clear and I followed along just fine. So not a disaster by my standards. All in all, I would suggest this book to you if you like this kind of thing: period pieces, time travel, slight romance, adventure, mystery. It has it all, though prepared to be skimming through some of the detail.

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.

To check books out of your local library and get them directly onto your phone, check out this app!

♥

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

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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.

The Ambient Lighting Palette from Hourglass. I think with my skin tone, I could work with at least two, if not all of these colors. And Hourglass highlighters are GORGEOUS. I've never owned anything by this brand, but I have gotten samples and good Lord, they work like a dream. Normally I would go to Becca Cosmetics for a good highlight, but I think it also might be time to try something new! That price tag though.

I don't think I could express how much I want this foundation. I've wanted it ever since I got the sample of it from the store and tried to squeeze EVERY OUNCE of it out of the little container. I know I heard of this somewhere before knowing that it was in store, most likely from a Youtuber that I can't place at the moment. But wherever I heard about it, I need this stuff. Like right now.

Of course I also want the concealer to go with it! It's not very often that I have foundations that are just right in color, I'm usually a little off when it comes to getting that down. Thankfully Sephora has this thing that scans your skin color and they match you with all the right shades in different brands. It's been super helpful, so I know that this would be stress free wear. Plus, the packaging is super cute.

Speaking of my issues when it comes to foundations, I think this would be a great help when it comes to those drugstore foundations that I already have. After all, I spent good money on those things, I shouldn't have to throw them away! While this is kind of pricey, in my opinion, I also think that this would go a long way and last a good amount of time. Depending on how often I use my foundations. I think I would get the lightening and the darkening shades, just because I never know which shade I could be getting wrong.

My lips and I have this thing going on where they get all dry and irritated, forcing me to NOT wear any of the cute lipsticks or glosses that I own. And I own a fair amount. It just doesn't look right when your lipstick is highlighting the dry skin on your lips. Especially for the fall and winter months, I think this would be a good investment to get my lips in check.

Another highlighting palette but one that I NEED RIGHT THIS INSTANT. Look at those beautiful colors! Normally, I'm a neutral, everyday shade kind of girl, but these colors just make me squeal in excitement. That purple horseshoe would be worn every single day of my life. Currently, I can only find this palette on ebay, but you can bet sooner or later, I will have this in my possession. And the blog post will be gorgeous!

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette

Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Water Foundation

Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Aquacealer Concealer

The Body Shop Shade Adjusting Drops

The Body Shop Lip Scuff

Anastasia Beverly Hills Moonchild Highlight Palette

♥