Shine Bright, Shine Far.

Sweater: c/o Windsor

Leggings: Madewell

Boots: c/o Ariat

Beanie: Tai Pan Trading [similar]

Wuddddup Christmas Eeeeeeve!

Is it random that whenever I hear the words "Christmas Eve" I think of Eve from Life-Size dressed up in her Christmas outfit? Which BY THE WAY, they're making a Life-Size 2. WHUT. So excited. Can't wait to shine brighter and farther.

If you've seen my Holiday Lookbook video, this outfit might look a little familiar to you! ;) Christmas isn't Christmas without an "ugly sweater" being worn at one point. amiright? I know this adorable owl sweater doesn't technically qualify as an ugly sweater cus it's so dang cute, but it's the spirit of it that counts. :) Although these pictures portray a Winter Wonderland version of Christmas for me, I'm actually having a quite green (and rainy) Christmas this year in Hawaii. It's been 4 years since I've been home for the holidays with my entire family so this will definitely be one to remember!

Have a merry lovely awesome wonderful sweet crazy Christmas, friends!

Love you alllllll.

ps. If you haven't seen my Last Minute DIY Christmas Gifts video yet, watch it HERE!

And if you didn't know, I'm daily vlogging my Hawaii and Japan trip so catch up on those vlogs HERE.

Cheers.

Perfect Holiday Leggings

Sweater: Forever 21

Leggings: c/o White Plum

Beanie: Tai Pan Trading [similar]

Boots: c/o Khombu

eeeeeeesss mondayyyyeeeeeee.

oh boy.

We have officially one week before we leave on our month long trip to Hawaii and Japan and I'm freaking out a little. I still have SO much to do and prep for and SO little time to do it! Ahhhhh. If you have any good vibes to spare, send them my way por favor...

Anyway, with Christmas approaching quickly, we are all trying our best to fit in as many holiday outfits as we can into our lives. If you're still on the search for the perfect holiday leggings, I gotchu. White Plum has the BEST collection of holiday print leggings you can find! And they're all $20 each. Yasssss. They have reindeer, snowflake, plaid, nordic, you name it, they have it. You can wear them for your family Christmas photos, to a Christmas work party, and of course, on actual Christmas day! Make sure you stock up because you'll wanna be sporting these babies all season long!

As a bonus, use the code ARIELGIVES25 for 25% off your entire White Plum purchase!

That code expires on December 11 so make sure you use it quickly!

Now back to the madness we call Monday...

Have a great day, folks!

Cheers.

The Bachelor: As told by A.

Outfit styled by Tara Brooke c/o Tai Pan Trading

Photography by Ashley Rae

Last year (doesn't that sound like forever ago? *wink) I had the opportunity to model some looks for Tai Pan Trading. The outfits were put together by my savvy stylista friend, Tara Brooke, who has such a keen eye for fashion! I fell in love with this sleeveless cardigan that I'm wearing because of the adorable print and how long and flowy it is! Also, I wish I could've snagged that olive green purse.

Sooooooo, did any of you catch the premiere of The Bachelor last night?

Aaaaaaahhhhhhh

I'm so excited for this season.

I'm dying to see what happens next week and what Ms. Sore Loser has to say to Chris in her last chance effort to be saved. But then again, in true Bachelor TV fashion, she'll probably simply ask him to reconsider, he'll say sorry I've made my choice, and she'll go home for real quietly, all within the first 2 minutes of the show. Isn't it crazy what editing can do to make a non-dramatic scene seem over the top dramatic? It's mind blowing.

Here's a little bit of my thoughts on last night's episode and the overall season:

GIRLS WHO SHOULD HAVE STAYED:

Amanda. she had legit crazy eyes up the yin yang but I ended up liking her towards the end for some reason. She wasn't catty with any of the girls and she seemed pretty genuine with Chris. Also, her crazy eyes would have been good TV.

Michelle. Only because she was from Provo and I'm bummed we didn't get to know her as well.

GIRLS WHO SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN THE BOOT:

Ashley. I couldn't tell if she was on drugs, intoxicated, or just straight up psychotic. Let's be real, this was a flat out producers choice for good TV--she'll stick around for another episode or two to serve her purpose then she'll be roseless. I cannot wait.

Kaitlyn. How is someone who said "you can plow the ---- out of my field any day," wife material? Don't know what's going on in that head of yours, Chris.

Tara. HOW. IS. SHE. STILL. HERE. and yet, I'M. SO. EXCITED. THAT. SHE. IS. STILL. HERE.

MY FAVORITES TO WIN:

Britt. This is actually the girl who is made to look like she will win (and still could) but probably won't. Obviously she is the only one Chris had an instant connection with but first impression rose recipients often don't go that far in the show. Telling by the previews, she'll probably get super offended by something Chris says or does, be too overwhelmed, then choose to go home. But then again, who knows!

Jade. There is something genuine about her that I'm getting a good vibe about...
Tracy. Another girl who seems genuine. We will see though as the season goes on...

Tandra. She appears very down to early and her dress was stunning. Go Utah!

Kelsey. On the fence about this one. Her story is very touching and I liked her just going off of the first episode...but the previews made it seem like she's a wild card. I guess we will just have to wait and see!

aaaaand there you go!
The Bachelor, as told by me :)
Let's just pray that Prince Farming won't be as much as a train wreck as Juan Pablo was.

I'm dying to know your thoughts in the comments below!

Let me know who your favorites are, your predictions, and if you think I should do something like this every week!

Also a friendly reminder,

PRETTY LITTLE LIARS RETURNS TONIGHT!

Let's get ready for another season that tells us absolutely nothing!

HURRAYYYYY!!!

#lovehaterelationship

Cheers.

That one vest + White Plum GIVEAWAY

Vest: c/o White Plum
Scarf: c/o StyleGirl
Leggings: Madewell
Boots: Urban Outfitters
Beanie: Tai Pan Trading [similar]
Watch: c/o Daniel Wellington

I've seen this adorable quilted vest on several bloggers and friends and always thought it was insanely cute! So when White Plum approached me to style one of their items on my blog, I couldn't help but snag a version of the vest for myself from their shop! White Plum is a women's fashion and lifestyle brand based in Northern California. They offer vintage-inspired clothing with a modern touch for women of all ages. In a little over a year, they have grown from being a home-based business to a full fashion and lifestyle brand with multiple offices, a warehouse, and over 50 employees! I adore their wide range of clothes and accessories--right now I'm obsessed over their cozy sweaters!!

This is officially my last blog post of the 2014 year :)
I'm taking tomorrow to celebrate the year's end but I'll be popping back in to say hey to the new year on the 1st! 2014 has been an amazing year but I can't wait for what 2015 has to offer!

Cheers.

A Lovely Quilt Coat

Coat: c/o Impressions Boutique

Top: c/o Impressions Boutique

Jeans: c/o Impressions Boutique

Beanie: Tai Pan Trading [similar--only $8.90!!]

Necklace: c/o Song Yee Designs

Boots: c/o Khombu

Hey there friendship.

Hope your week's going dandy.

I've spent most of mine re-watching the entire series of The Office for the tenth time (all while working from home, of course), so I'd say it's been half a week well spent.

Today I'm wearing this very lovely quilt coat from Impressions Boutique that's been keeping me warm these past weeks! It's the perfect length, which is nice because the longer the coat, the more of your body it keeps warm (which I'm all about). With colder days ahead of us, it's important to stock your wardrobe with a variety of cute coats to wear! When I first moved to Utah, I had ONE winter coat and it was embarrassing because since I wore it every day, it looked like I wore the same outfit all season long in pictures. Yep. I was an outfit repeater. So make sure you have a choice of coats to wear this winter, especially this quilt coat because it's theee bestttttt (said in a Nacho Libre accent).

Also, these pair of Khombu boots...

If it wasn't so creepy, I'd write a love letter to these babies.

Hands down, the COMFIEST boots I've ever worn in my ENTIRE life.

It's like walking on clouds, guys. I feel like I could run a marathon in them and my feet still wouldn't be sore after (but the rest of my body would collapse). They're faux-fur lined, have a padded footbed, and the heel has a durable rubber outsole so you don't need to worry about slipping in the winter. I really can't stop saying nice things about these boots because they're freakin' perfect!

Anyway, back to binge watching The Office.

Just watched this episode and this part cracks me up every time.

Cheers.

Pom Life + GIVEAWAY!

Top: c/o Shabby Apple

Leggings: Madewell

Sweater: c/o Aeropostale -- Bethany Mota Collection

Beanie: Tai Pan Trading [similar -- only $8.90!!!]

Necklace: c/o Sage by Olivia Wares [similar]

Boots: c/o Pink Basis

My recent obsession?

Pom beanies.

I maybe possibly might have them in 5 different colors already and I'm not ashamed of it. Cus when you find something you love, why not get it in every color possible, right? This black one I'm wearing today is from Tai Pan Trading and the pom part of the beanie is out of control adorable. Yep, I'm obsessed.

I kind of took a risk with this outfit and mixed browns with blacks. I ended up loving the results though because I got to pair some of my new favorite pieces together! This top from Shabby Apple is so light and comfy--it wears like a dream! My favorite thing about it though would have to be the cool green zipper in the back--it's like a little bonus pop of color! The other brown addition to this outfit are these boots from Pink Basis. They're a bit more cushiony (is that a word?) than your usual combat boots so you can wear these around all day without feeling any pain! These boots also have a cool floral lining in them which I wish I got a picture of, but they make them that much cooler.