The Classic Brunette

Happy Cyber Monday, everyone! Today's post is all about rounding up the best deals for you if you didn't get the chance to shop on Black Friday, or if you just want to shop some more! I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving filled with family, friends, and delicious food. I spent my week off up in Lake Tahoe with my family as per usual, and had a blast! I've rounded up all the best deals for today's Cyber Monday sales, and you don't even have to leave the comfort of your home. 

Kinsley Armelle: This is where my favorite bracelets are from! A lot of their jewelry is currently on sale, plus get an extra 15% off with my code SAMIMAST15. My personal favorites are the spiked bracelet and the ice bracelet!

Tory Burch: 30% off with code THANKS and up to 60% off sale. There are still some pairs left of my favorite riding boots!

Target: An extra 15% off the entire store along with multiple sales within each department including up to 40% off home and 25% pajamas and slippers.

Urban Outfitters: $15 off when you spend $75 and $50 off when you spend $150. I'm loving this knit sweater and these bralettes! 

Cotton On: 50% off everything! I'm obsessed with their t-shirt dresses.

Nordstrom: Extra 20% off select sale items, plus they have some really great beauty gift set deals! Shop the women's sale here!

Baublebar: Save $25 off with the code SAVE25 and $35 two or more items with code SAVE35. Such a great deal for their tassel earrings!

The Body Shop: 50% off and free shipping + if you spend $60 you get a free mega shower gel! I have this body butter and I love it!

Anastasia Beverly Hills: A variety of deals including 40% off contour kits, 20% off brows, and 10% off glow kits!

H&M: Up to 30% off! Get 20% off $30, 25% off $50, and 30% off $100.

Draper James: 20% off $200, 25% off $300, and 30% off $400+

Kate Spade: 30% off your order with code WIRED. This bunny wallet is so fun and cute!

ASOS: 30% off everything with code THANKFUL30

Steve Madden: 30% off + free shipping with code LEFTOVERS. If you liked my gold glitter flats, they still have them in silver and rose!

Banana Republic: 50% off everything!

Old Navy: 50% off everything as well!

Design Darling: 20% off with code HOLIDAY

J.Crew: 40% off everything with the code MONDAY. I have this navy puffer vest and I love it!

Boohoo: This is where I got my mermaid blanket that I was talking about on Twitter! It's 60% off everything (until noon EST) + free delivery!

Bloomingdales: 25% off almost everything!

Rebecca Taylor: 25% off with code CELEBRATE 

American Eagle: 50% off sweaters, shoes, and accessories.

Rebecca Minkoff: 25% off when you spend $100 + a free wallet with purchase! I love this classic bag!

Express: 50% off everything!

Francesca's: 30% off the entire site!

Anthropologie: 20% off full price items + free shipping when you spend $150.

Ann Taylor: 50% off + free shipping with code CYBER50!

Kendra Scott: 20% off the whole site with code SALE20

What did you score on Black Friday, and what are you planning on buying during today's deals?

Patagonia Better Sweater | Fitness Watch | Striped Button Up | Shaving Set | 

Carry On Cocktail Kit | Duffel Bag | Ugg Slipper | Festive Tie | Wool Scarf | Headphones |

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and Black Friday! I've put together another gift guide this week, this time for the guy in your life! I was really tempted to put in a pair of black socks, because that's literally what my dad and sister's boyfriend asked for this year, but they didn't make the cut. I think my favorite items here are the Carry on Cocktail Kit (how unique!) and the slippers. Both will be perfect for any holiday travels! 

What are you getting the men in your life?

A short post for all of you reading here on the blog today! It's Thanksgiving, and while I'm happy that you're taking the time to read on my little corner of the internet, I also hope that you're taking some much deserved time with your family. If you're not from the U.S. and you're like "Um, it isn't Thanksgiving here..." well go spend some time with your family anyway! Or call your parents, your siblings, your best friends and just say hello. Even if you don't celebrate Thanksgiving it doesn't mean your loved ones won't appreciate a little extra love today. 

So in the spirit of Thanksgiving and spending time with friends and family, I've decided to do a short post that is a little different from my regular posts along with my Instagram roundup. Taking some inspiration from Kayla of Kayla Blogs, I'm doing a Thankful Thursday post and sharing a few things in no particular order that I'm thankful for this holiday season. :) 

1. A family that loves me and would do pretty much anything for me. Including letting me keep the second bedroom on vacation instead of taking the pullout bed! 

2. Friends that make living away from home feel like a second home.

3. A kitty cat that loves me more than life itself, although I'm still second to his treats. 

4. A college education filled with teachers I love and soon to be a degree come May!

5. My favorite blanket that I assume was my grandma's, but I've had it so long I don't even remember.

6. The target dollar section.

7. While we're on the subject of stores, let's just add in Marshalls, TJMaxx, and Homegoods.

8. My blog and everyone who makes it possible and supports me. (That's you all!!)

9. Kisses from my roommate's dog Mowgli, even if sometimes they're a little aggressive and in my face.

10. Rooms with great natural light.

Now onto my Instagram lately...

Full blog post on Scently Box HERE 

Outfit Details:

Nike Tennis Shoes (Old), similar HERE and HERE | Mesh Leggings | Cargo Jacket

Full blog post on these gift ideas under $50 HERE 

Outfit Details:

Ice Bracelet | Spiked Bracelet (Use code SAMIMAST15 for discount on bracelets!) | Sweater | 

Lip Color | Bralette (currently only $10!) | Bow Ring (old), new line, similar |

Outfit Details:

Cowl neck sweater (old), similar HERE and HERE | Bralette (currently only $10!)

 Outfit Details:

Target Blanket Scarf (not online), similar | Gold Glitter Flats (old), similar HERE, HERE and HERE | Sweater

Full blog post on this look HERE

I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving!

What are you most thankful for this year? 

Products in the September Ultra Box: Hydrangea Rose Goat Milk Soap, Exfoliating Soap Sack, Moonlight Rose Bath Bomb, Rose Lip Balm, Rose Lip Scrub, Inspiration Stone

Products in the October Ultra Box: Lavender Water Facial Cream, Lavender Patchouli Lotion, Texas shaped Lavender Soap, Set of 4 Mini Gold Dusted Lavender Bath Bombs, Lavender Sachet, Lavender Soap, Lavender Sugar Scrub, Lavender Lip Balm, Scently Fresh Aloe Cream

This post was sponsored by Scently Box. All opinions are my own, thank you for supporting the brands that make The Classic Brunette possible!

Surprise, I'm posting on Saturday! From now until Christmas I'll be posting a fun new gift guide every Saturday to help guide you into the holiday season. I thought it would be best to start of small for all us college students (and those on a budget!) and do a gift guide with everything under $50. These posts won't be too long since they aren't in my regular schedule, but I still want to be helpful if you're struggling to find a gift for a friend, family member, or significant other. I decided to post off my regular schedule for these, because I didn't want to force a thousand gift guides on you in November and December and have you be annoyed that I'm not doing my regular blog posts! So if these gift guides aren't your thing, feel free to just tune in on my regular Monday/Thursday post days :)

Anastasia Beverly Hills Glow Palette | Faux Fur Throw | Perversion Mascara | 

Glitter Cat Phone Case | Leopard Beanie | Plaid Blanket Scarf | Melted Lipstick | 

Kate Spade Card Holder | Watch | Christmas Cookie Shower Gel/Bubble Bath

What type of gift guide would you like to see next?

This is the most asked question of mine, so I thought it was high time that I finally answered it with a blog post! Now I know this might not pertain to all of you, but for those who have asked or have wondered how I edit my photos for my bright white (ish) theme on Instagram, this is exactly how I do it! I'm not sure why there's always so much secrecy surrounding how bloggers edit their photos, especially on Instagram. It seems like no one really wants to share how they get their photos to be so pretty, but I believe that sharing is caring. The best part is, all of my editing is done on my phone with free apps!

I personally like having a brighter feed, but this may not be your thing! I love having mostly light/white backgrounds, although the occasional color may pop up every once in a while. I also love having my colors be vibrant and clear, although not too aggressive. Here's what my feed currently looks like: 

Step 1: Find The Natural Light

I think this is the absolute most important step when taking Instagram photos. If you don't have good lighting, you won't have a good picture, end of story! I try to take my photos at around the same time each morning with the sun shining through my bedroom window (best between 9 and 11am!) This is one of my photos I've used on Instagram just taken in the natural lighting of my bedroom. Yes it looks dark and the colors aren't as bright as they could be, but with a few simple steps it will be looking Insta-worthy!

Step 2: Snapseed

Snapseed is the ultimate photo editing app for me. About 90% of my editing happens within this app, and it's not so difficult to understand once you start playing around with all the different tools!

Step 2a: Increase Brightness

To get to brightness, tap on the little pencil on the bottom right, from there click tune image, brightness should pop up. Drag your finger from left to right to increase brightness. Depending on the photo, I normally increase brightness between 75-100. If a photo has more light, or if it starts to become over highlighted I use less, if the photo is pretty dark I go higher. Very simple!

Step 2b: Brushes

After brightness, I go back to the main pop up menu and click brushes. Once there I switch the brush to Exposure. I drop the exposure down to -0.3 and start tapping/moving my finger on the parts of the image that have color. For this image it would be the scarves, the pumpkins, and possibly the pillows. I always make sure I've only colored in the parts with color, otherwise parts of the image I wanted to keep brighter could accidentally become dark. 

Step 2c: Healing

I don't do this with all of my photos, only the ones that need it. If there's something that doesn't belong, like say an extra unwanted part of a pillow like in this photo, I want to remove it. I go to the Healing part of the menu and draw a patch with my finger over the unwanted area and it fills it in. This is also great for hiding blemishes in selfies by the way, haha!

Step 2d: More Exposure

Sometimes I decide that I want my photo to be even brighter at this stage of the process. This is when I go back to the brushes and hit either +0.3 or +0.7 Exposure, once again depending on the photo. For this photo I went up to +0.7 because you could still see the detail of the photo through the increased exposure. I once again draw the "brush" over everything except the colors in the photo (avoiding the spots that I used -0.3 exposure on before!). Then, when it's at a brightness level I like I move onto the next step.

Step 2e: Sharpening

I always like to sharpen my image just to make the clarity better. I never really go above +25 though, because I don't want the photo looking to fake or too pixelated! 

Step 3: VSCO Filter

After doing all my edits in Snapseed, I finally move over to VSCO. I use the A6 filter for every single photo. Although I don't normally go past +3, using this filter gives a cohesive look to my feed which helps all the photos blend together. It makes my photos look a little more gray and bright, which is what I like! 

That's the whole editing process! It looks like a lot of steps if you're unfamiliar with editing photos, but once you get the steps down like I have it takes less than 5 minutes. Of course I recommend playing around with each app and different filters to find out what suits you. Here's the before/after of the photo above:

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #WetSkinMoisturizer #CollectiveBias

I absolutely love when the weather turns colder. I can finally pull out my jackets, burn some candles, drink some hot cocoa, and turn up the Christmas music! Seriously though, I haven't stopped listening to Christmas music since November 1st and I'm pretty sure I've gone through every single Christmas song already...Oops! Even though I spend my time in both northern and southern California, it can still get a little chilly and my beauty routine is definitely affected by it. I have dry skin to begin with, so once cold weather hits my skin is practically doomed to flake and peel. If it's like that for me in California, I can't even imagine what it's like for everyone in states that are actually cold! So today I thought I would share some of my tips for avoiding dry skin and staying moisturized so that we can all keep feeling like our best selves during the winter months.

1. Drink More Water

I may not be the best at grabbing water as my first choice beverage, but just because I love Diet Coke more doesn't mean I don't recognize just how important it is! Starting each day with a big glass of water can do wonders for your skin, especially if the weather is constantly drying it out. So even if you already drink a lot of water, it doesn't hurt to have one or two more glasses a day!

2. Use Lip Scrub + Chapstick Regularly

Okay maybe it's because I'm a chapstick addict, but I always have some on me wherever I go. During the winter my lips get so dry that every few days I have to use a lip scrub to get off all the dead skin. I always know when to use the scrub again because when I try to put on any kind of lip color I can see all the places where my lips are uneven from dead skin. There are plenty of great lip scrubs out there, but I always think it's a fun DIY project to make your own! I like to find new ones by searching on Pinterest.

3. Skip Washing Your Hair Every Once In A While

I have a bad habit of washing my hair every time I shower. I know it's bad, but I really just don't feel right without doing it! Maybe some day I'll get over my ways, but for now this is how I am. In the winter though, my hair can do one of two things: become brittle or super oily. Usually skipping a wash does the trick to make everything normal again! If you're a person who washes their hair every other day, send me your best tips in the comments!!

4. Eat more fruit and veggies

Similar to tip number one, eating certain fruits and vegetables can really hydrate your body and be a tasty snack/meal. It's better to eat fruits that are high in water content, so try eating watermelon, kiwis, apples, oranges or vegetables like celery, tomatoes, and cucumbers. Even though summer is over, it doesn't mean all the fruit and vegetables in your fridge have to be replaced with turkey and pumpkin pie!

5. Moisturize Immediately After Showering

I moisturize immediately after stepping out of the shower, which means I won't forget to do it every day! Recently I've been using Jergens Wet Skin Moisturizer. I grabbed two scents while shopping at Walmart: Jergens Wet Skin Moisturizer with Cherry Almond Essence (exclusive to Walmart) as well as the Restoring Argan Oil scent. I've always used body butter or regular lotion, but what I've noticed and loved about this product is how much lighter it is in comparison. This moisturizer contains essential oils that lock in moisture when applied to wet skin. It does a great job of making sure your skin stays soft all day after applying, which is especially awesome for my dry skin that requires me to constantly re-apply regular lotions and moisturizers. 

I put a dime sized amount on each limb right after showering then pat myself dry so the lotion can really sink into my skin. It's so fast and easy, and like I said earlier it makes it easier to remember to moisturize if I do it along with my daily shower! 

Grab a bottle for yourself at the lotion aisle of your local Walmart! And if you want to check out some more inspiration and tips for fall and winter you can check out Jergens community bloggers here.

What are your best beauty tips for fall and winter?

Sweater: Target | OTK Boots: Target | Jeans: Gap | Clutch: Kate Spade, similar |
Rings: Similar, similar | Scarf: Marshalls, similar | Sunglasses: Cotton On | Lipstick: Bite, Red Velvet

The second I see blanket scarves in stores I know the seasons have begun to change from fall to winter, or at least I know that there's cooler weather on its way to California. Although I don't have to opportunity to wear them often, they're one of my favorite accessories to style! I think they really add a little extra color and coziness to an outfit. Paired with the perfect pair of boots, these two accessories can really spice up a simple outfit!

I was so excited when I saw these OTK boots at Target a few weeks ago, and knew that at $50 I had to put them in my cart. Same thing goes for this olive green sweater, I've basically been living in it since it's just so dang comfortable. So if any of you are reading this and go to school with me and wonder why you've seen my wearing this multiple times a week, that's why! They have the sweater in a few more colors, so I'm definitely going to be adding at least one more to my closet, most likely the maroon one!

Also being the honest blogger that I am here, the day I went and shot this it was so warm outside! It was pushing at least 90 degrees, and I was getting so many looks because everyone was wearing shorts and t-shirts, but I was out in my sweater, tall boots, scarf, etc looking totally crazy! I guess that's the life of a fashion blogger for ya! 

Hope you're having a great week so far, what are your favorite cold weather accessories?

XOXO

Steph

Tea Tree Face Wash | Tea Tree Toner | Tea Tree Moisturizer/Lotion | NYX Eyelash Primer | Smashbox Shadow Primer | Hourglass Mineral Veil | Lancome Foundation | Hourglass Foundation | Rimmel London Foundation | Urban Decay Setting Powder |

RELATED POST: Best Purchases of 2016

Sometimes I feel like I'm stretched a little too thin when it comes to both of my 'jobs.' I'm a full time student, but I consider blogging to be my full time career as well. It can be difficult finding the right balance between the two, especially when I want to put all my effort into both parts of my life. With me writing my undergrad thesis and graduating in May (Terrifying.), I have a lot that has to get done this year in a little amount of time. Although I'm 99% done with all my requirements (only one more class to go in the Spring!) it definitely doesn't mean that all my work is done. 

As much as I would love to be one of those seniors that can take a break their last year and give in to the senioritis that is slowly creeping in, it just isn't practical for me to do so....at least not this semester. I've noticed these past few months that I've been a tad bit overwhelmed when it comes to finding time to finish both my schoolwork and my blog work. There are many Sunday and Wednesday nights where I'll stay up much later than I planned while trying to curate great content for y'all, but I know that isn't something that can last forever unless I want to go insane. 

I mentioned a few months ago about the breakdown I had when I was confronted with school, blogging, and a job. You can read all about the details in my Learning When To Say No post, but what it boils down to is that I learned I am not Wonder Woman, and I cannot take on everything in the world all at once. Even though I am nowhere near as stressed as I was then, I did realize that I had to find a better way to balance blogging and college these past few weeks. 

I'm sure all you who are either in school or working know what I'm talking about here if you're also a full time blogger. Sometimes it just gets a little crazy, so striking that balance is incredibly important not only for you to do your best in both areas of your life, but also for the sake of your mental health! So here are a few things I do to help balance blogging and school:

Designate Specific Work Times For Each

I dedicate my mornings and late nights to blogging, and the afternoons to school work. I don't have an actual time on the clock where I designate work, but that's only because my schedule changes daily. But my extra time before heading to school in the morning is always for either taking blog photos, writing posts, or answering emails (although let's be realistic, I'm notorious or checking my email every 15 minutes). And anything I don't finish, besides taking photos, is pushed to right before bedtime. This leaves me the whole rest of the day for my schoolwork. Although I could be a little more strict in my schedule, this has been working out pretty well for me recently!

Work On Important Assignments Early

This tip helps me stay organized so that I don't feel bombarded with all my work at once. If I know I have a paper or project in school due soon, I'll at least start it a few days (or weeks if possible) early just so I don't have to worry about it. Staying on top of assignments is key, and if I can slowly dwindle my pile of schoolwork by starting a little early, I'll do it. This way, if the day comes when the assignment is due and I feel a little stressed from blog work, I can be a little more relaxed knowing I don't have the whole project, paper, presentation, etc looming over my shoulder.

Surround  Yourself With Supportive People

I feel like this is the most important thing for anything in life. If you don't have support, there's a higher chance you'll give up or fail in whatever you do. I'm happy that the majority of people in my life are supportive of my blog and tell me often about how much they like a certain post or offer to take some photos for me. It may not seem like much, but one little comment really helps brighten my day and makes it so much more worth it to keep this blog going. I have had a few people who've made not so nice comments, but those are in the minority, and for that I'm really thankful. I've found that if you have people around you who will lift you up and encourage both your career and educational pursuits, you want to work harder in both areas. 

Stop Comparing Yourself To Others

There's always going to be someone getting better grades than you, editing their photos better than you, or coming up with new topics to write about while you're in writer's block. Comparing myself to other bloggers and students is something that I am definitely guilty of doing. It's so difficult at times when you see someone talking about a grade they got on a midterm or how they just reached a certain amount of pageviews on their blog, but playing this game is only detrimental to your success. This is especially true when you're trying to balance two competitive worlds! All you have to do is worry about yourself and do what's right for you. Everyone has different methods of how they work (whether it be in school or on their blog), and what works for one person doesn't mean it's going to work for everybody. Although I do compare myself to others, I try my absolute best not to. If I do, I'll try to do it in beneficial ways like asking someone about their study methods and adapting it to how I study or asking if there was an ecourse for blogging that someone found helpful. It's easy to look at numbers (grades, followers, pageviews, etc), but numbers aren't everything. If you can remember that and focus on your own personal goals, your balance between these worlds will definitely be easier to maintain.

Give Yourself A Break

Like I stated earlier in this post, it's easy to get overwhelmed with school and blogging. It's okay to say no to opportunities and social events or extra study sessions and just take a moment for yourself. If you take on too much responsibility you can become stressed, tired, and irritable, and no one wants that! Taking breaks is what helps me stay sane.I like to leave my weekends relatively free of school and blog commitments unless totally necessary (like writing my Monday blog posts!). For right now this mostly consists of me doing mini social media detoxes on the weekends. Although I look at social media, I'm not actively thinking about what I need to post and photos I have to take, etc. It's a nice little break from my "work week" but I also don't feel like I'm falling behind on anything either. I think giving yourself a little time to recharge, whether it be one day or a few days, is great for productivity and stress levels!

Do you blog and go to school or work full time?