LifeStyle: How to get the wax out of used candle jars

For today I wanna crack into a helpful “LifeStyle” post. When I go shopping at some of my favorite boutiques I always end up getting adorable candles with the most beautiful jars and lids. But once the candle runs out what to do? I’ve got a helpful trick on how to get that extra wax and wick out without using a knife and scratching the jar (or throwing the jar away).

I love using the jars with lids to store travel size/sample beauty products, jewelry, and small trinkets. They also make great Christmas gifts too! (Imagine, a super cute jar with some Holiday candy and a gift card to Ulta <3)

Super Easy Steps:

Step One: use the candle till it can no longer burn.

Step Two: Boil water (enough to fill the entire jar) and pour into your candle jar (make sure to fill it to the top).

Completely used up candle. As you can see there is some wax left.

Once the water is boiled; pour into the jar to the top. Wait a few minutes then put the top on the candle.

Step Three: Let the water sit over night to loosen up the remaining wax and the wick base.

Water is filled to the top. You can already see wax loosening/melting from the bottom.

Once you let the water sit you’ll notice the wax makes a film on top. Just pop the film and remove the water.

Step Four: Next day, pour the water out and remove the wick base (properly dispose the wick base), and clean the inside of the jar out with some dish soap.

Pouring out all the water. And I dispose the wick into the trash can.

Clean the jar out. If you need extra help getting the wick out of the jar (mine was glued to the bottom) use some Dawn! It works wonders.

Step Five: Dry the jar out with a dry cloth or paper towel. Vola! You now have a cleaned out candle jar! 

6 ULTA + 6 Sephora gift sets under $50 (These are AMAZING deals!)

I’m the gal who LOVES gift sets. I love giving them, and love receiving them. So this year when skimming through Sephora and Ulta I fell IN LOVE with their gift sets. After shopping both I have 6 from Sephora and 6 from Ulta I feel are the best bang for your buck and whoever you’re shopping for will LOVE!

Ulta. 
When shopping at Ulta I was aiming for sets that are Ulta Exclusive. I found some that aren’t just exclusive but all come with a gift with purchase! (a gift for yourself or to add with the gift set!). I really was amazed at these gift sets. And the prices are perfect! 

1. PUR The Grinch Beware of Perfection Mask set $28
This set is so much fun! I love the swatch colors of the masks and how they each look like little Christmas ornaments.

2. Ulta Luscious Lips and Lashes set. $29
With a set like this you get little bit of everything. Different shades of lip colors and tons of different style mascaras. Perfect for testing new looks.

3. Tarte Busy Girl Beauty Intro set $29
I really enjoy this set cause its universal to all skintones. And the products are great quality.

4. Clinique Stars of Clinique set $29.50
This set is so so perfect. You get all the ‘super star’ products that Clinique is known for in perfect airport friendly sizes. From makeup to skincare.

5. Benefit Cosmetics B Right Delights Set $42
Ulta has all the Benefit Christmas Holiday sets. I selected this one cause I literally LOVE their skincare line. Each Benefit Gift set is universal to all skin tones. Sephora only has 2 of the Benefit sets while Ulta has a larger selection.

6. Mario Batescu Classic set $38
This Mario set is the Cult Classics. Its great of all skin tones and promised to have anyone who tries this to become a Mario girl. 

1. Sephora Favorite Skincare set $30

First of all, you get the most bang for your buck on this one. You have all sorts of skincare products and all different brands. These products work best on all skin types too which is even better!

2. LOccitance Holiday Crackers set $34

The packaging is so festive! And you get 8 travel sizes of their best products! All the shower products are over 1oz! 

3. Charlotte Tilbury’s Party Girl Eye and Lip Kit $45 

This is a perfect kit if you want to try some Charlotte Tilbury but you don’t want to pay the Charlotte price. NOW, the lipstick is very very small in this set but its perfect if you’re traveling or (like I said) you want to test the products!

4. Wander Beauty Morning Makeover Eye and Lip set $34

Some gold eye masks, mascara and lip color. What else would you need? This morning makeover is luxury at a very affordable price!

5. IT Cosmetics “Its Time to Celebrate You!” set $48

This set gives you some of the best of the best. IT cosmetics is becoming a huge trend because of its amazing results. This makeup and skincare set will wow you at first use!

6. Dr. Brandt Skincare “No Filter Needed” set $48

We would ALL love some beauty products that help us turn of the photo filter... And this Dr. Brandt kit does just that! The product sizes is nice and the packaging is perfect.

Sista + Gals Gift Guide

Today’s post is a gift guide on what to give the girls in your life! This could be your sister, your coworkers, or even your best friends.
I really really enjoy shopping for my girlfriends gifts. Each one is so uniquely different and I try my best to shop for their style but also purchase similar items so no one will feel out of place. I’m big on getting one particular item that all of them get and then add on little items that fit her style. When it comes to my sister I like to spoil her as well.
Below you’ll see a gift guide of all the different types of girls in your life as well as some other ideas (like gifts for her doggie!)! Enjoy!

For the gal who loves “Girls Night" - this wine night kit (pictured above) is perfect! It has tons of fun games and activities for wine + girl time. You can find this at Francescas. You can also find other cute girl night gift sets at Urban Outfitters, World Market, and Etsy!

The “Joanna Gaines” gal - If she loves “Joanna’s” style; gift her Joanna decor! Some amazing room spray and candle set from Target will have her home smelling amazing. Also, Joanna's “Homebody” book is a perfect coffee table book (can be purchased where books are sold).

The gal with the green thumb - if she has a cute balcony, back yard, or window box where she loves to plant her own herbs; these adorable garden sets from World Market will make her holidays bright! You can also find other cute herbs at Lowes/other home improvement stores.

The gal who loves to pamper - If she loves to pamper herself there’s TONS of options. Lush has these Ah-mazing gift sets stuff full of fun treats. Also stores like Ulta, Sephora, Aerie, and World Market are packed with fun spa treatment sets - from bath bombs to foot scrubs.

Makeup gal - Luckily; all our favorite makeup stores (Sephora, Ulta, department store beauty counters, etc) has countless options for beauty gift sets. If your girlfriend is into lip kits grab her a lip set. If she's all about her eyes grab her a set with tons of mascara options. 

Dog- Mama gal friend - If her dog is her first born child; really give her a sweet surprise by purchasing some cute doggie gifts! All pets stores have the cutest holiday toys and treats. But you can also go on Amazon or Etsy and find designer inspired pet toys (like a Chanel doggie purse plush toy!)

Other Amazing gift options - Book a spa day for you and your bestie (or even just a trip to the nail salon). Take her out for dinner and pay the tab. Go on Groupon and purchase a fun activity like a helicopter ride or even sky diving (those would be some cool instagram bestie pics!). If she’s struggling to pay off her student loans gift her the sweetest gift of paying one of her monthly payments! Surprise her with a build-a-bear. Purchase custom tumblrs or custom best friend charm necklaces. 

Mom Gift Guide

Todays gift guide is all about Mom. Of course, every mom says “don’t worry about buying me anything baby” But you know she wants (and deserves) to be spoiled too! And if your mom is like mine, she wont tell you what to get her so you have to do some creative work. Luckily, I’ve done some homework and found some gifts that every mom will wow over!

For that skincare mom: Some of my go-to gifts for my mom is It! Cosmetics - this year they have a Lifechange skin set that has all the cult favorites. Also Estee Lauder Advance night repair complex is a must have for any skincare routine. These can be found at beauty retailers like sephora, ulta, and department stores.

The Bath and Body Works mom: all moms love BBW’s 3 wick candles. And best part is BBW does some amazing bogo sales on them too! You gotta do the homework on what scent she’ll like but my personal favorite is anything Christmas scented!

For our Nordy moms: if mom is all about Nordy then grab her up something from the jewelry counter; like a Kendra Scott Elisa necklace! Or to help her feel rested and loved grab a super soft robe and slip beauty sleep pillow - all at Nordstrom.

Kitchen mamas: Pioneer Woman has came out with this beautiful Adeline Collection. Its all super affordable and can be found at Walmart! I promise she will love this vintage and classic look.

Fitness moms: if shes into her figure grab her up some chic Pure Barre accessories or Target’s amazing fitness equipment line!

Little bit of luxury: wanna spoil her beyond belief? La Mer Cream de la Mer the glowing collection is a high $255 but has some of that miracle broth that will make her feel luxe!

Other gift worthy items: My mom is a secret fan of some TLC (yes the show but also some loving care for herself) so I always grab her up a spa package. Massage envy has some super affordable options! Or just grab a gift certificate at your favorite nail salon. Wine box subscriptions make fun gifts too! And your mom will love the surprise box she’ll receive 4x a year on some great wine options. Mommy and me dates are great too; do a little DIY project and have her be surprised when you have her a ‘day pass’ for a mommy and me date - this gift will give you some customization but also some one on one bonding!

Christmas Gift Shopping Tips

For this post I want to focus on a topic that I always seem to struggle with during the cooler months. Setting up a Christmas shopping budget without going in debt. We all want to purchase gifts for family members (and of course our best friends), but the hardest part is making sure you have money to pay your monthly bills. Here are some of my tips I’m using this year for Christmas shopping and avoiding going into debt.

1. Start Shopping Early, Like today.
Shopping early for Christmas isn’t a bad thing. In fact it’s a smart and good thing. In fact, I try to start doing small gift shopping as early as July for family that I know will want and keep the gift I purchase. 

2. When you see something on sale, get it.
This is something I enjoy doing on items for my girlfriends. For example, when Bath and Body Works does a special promo on travel size hand sanitizers I will do the promo and grab up some for my girls stocking stuffers. Another Example: When I see some nice prints in American Eagle Boxers and their 50% off promo is going on I’ll grab up a pair for my husband.

3. Write a List and keep it in your wallet.
A list is perfect for making sure you know what to get for who and having it in your wallet for easy access. In my cars dashboard I have a pen so when I do purchase something off the list I strike it out.

4. Set a FIRM budget per person and stick to it.
I cant stress this enough. A budget is a must for buying gifts and sticking to it. With my family we all talk about how much we plan to spend on each person. My girlfriends its a bit all over the place so I try to stick with a odd number like “3 small items ranging from $25-30” that I can wrap or place in a gift box. 

5. All else fails, gift cards.
I like to do gift cards as a last resort. I enjoy wrapping items and I enjoy getting the ‘perfect item’ for someone. But at times if you have a hard person to shop for getting a gift card to a specific store must do

6. Under $10 homemade gifts for those you’re not aquatinted to
I also enjoy the homemade gifts for family friends I’m not too familiar with. I spark ideas from Pinterest and try to stick with a super low budget. A fun homemade gift is the hot cocoa mug set (you can buy most of the items from the dollar store). 

******* What about Regifting?***** 

I’m NOT a big fan of regifting. I’ve seen moms regift their kids toys to others (for Christmas and Baby Showers) and it’s OBVIOUSLY clear it was an item they didn’t want. I personally think its rude and lacks the thoughtfulness and individuality of the receiver. If you’re regifting; make sure its an item the person will want and appreciate (Example: someone says they want a wine glass set. AND you received an extra set as a wedding gift, win win). But regifting is a touchy subject and during the holidays I feel you should think more about the person you’re giving the gift to instead of trying to hand off something you don’t want.