Giveaway Winner, December 2011, + Jen's Tag

Rafflecopter has made this giveaway so damn easy, I love it! I could weed out duplicates quickly and one click of a button and my winner is selected! :) Love, love! Next time I need to remember NOT to put in my actual @name for twitter. LOL, I didn't realize how many tweets I would be bombed with and I ended up missing a lot of mentions.. :( I hope I replied back to everyone. I really do appreciate those that have done the "tweet once a day" extra entry!!! You guys have put the biggest smile on my face every time I signed into Twitter! Because of that I feel so bad I can't give EVERYONE a gift. 

BUTTTT, don't feel discouraged because--


I have the honor of hosting a 10 winner giveaway sponsored by SneakPeeq.com!!! I will post it up VERY soon! :) YAY! More chances of winning and winners! *seal claps* Pwahah~ 

Anyways, the winner of this giveaway is...

a Rafflecopter giveaway  Congrats! I have sent you an email! Please reply within 48 hours with your mailing address or I'll have to pick another winner. Thanks for entering, everyone!!! XOXO 
December 2011

◄This is basically my "holiday look"! ツ Anytime I went anywhere, this was the easiest, fastest look to do, so tada!~ I laaav the natural lighting in the bathroom, but I hate the ugly background! Anyhooz-! My December wasn't too crazy, we spent a lot of time with family and friends. This pregnancy has made doing anything quite exhausting! I am missing the energy I had during the 2nd trimester. -___- 

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Christmas eve was very relaxing and nice. We had dinner with the family in the evening and then went to midnight mass (I'm not Catholic, but babe and his family is). On Christmas day, everyone came over to do gift exchanges and then we had Christmas dinner with friends at their house. Mmm.. I'm a little upset I wasn't thinking to take any pictures of all the food we ate. My mind was too set on eating.. Darn it! 

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I had completely forgotten my birthday was coming up until my granny dearest called me to tell me to come over and eat a nice birthday meal (our traditional short ribs & seawood soup!) On the day of my birthday, I wake up early, shower, and receive a phone call from my momma telling me she and my step dad are at the hospital! WTH?! I was freaking out & crying because we kept getting cut off (I guess there was no reception over there). What a way to start off my 25th birthday.. Luckily, they were okay. Some dumbass woman rear ended them so hard (on a regular main street) that the truck of their car was completely crushed in! They had JUST left Costco with food and supplies for the restaurant so a lot of that stuff was damaged too. What a waste. They had JUST replaced the car battery too. What a waste. 

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But all in all, they weren't hurt.. Thank GOD. We did, however, find out my momma has high blood pressure.. She needs to bring it down ASAP or they said she WILL have a stroke. They prescribed her meds, so hopefully she will get plenty of rest and it will lower. *Sigh* Didn't want to start off the new year by being a worry wart, but looks like that's how it's going to be. Anyways.. I don't want to be a Debbie Downer, so I'll move along. Thanks to those who have shown concern, totally appreciate it. 

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Remember when I couldn't decide on which Kate Spade bag to choose from? Well, I ended up not choosing  any of them. I figure, why have them spend so much money on something that I only "like". I could "like" a $20 bag from Forever21 just as easily. If they are going to spend so much money, then might as well get a bag I will absolutely LOVE, right? Well, here's my choice! (⌒.⌒)

Small Nova Check Tote

I laaav how spacious it is! It really does meet all my requirements and I've always been a Burberry lover, so why not? I love the simplicity of the check design and it's just so clean. I do however wish the handles weren't patent, I'd prefer a matte leather finish, but still, I love it nonetheless! I can fit everything in there and it's a zip top closure with plenty of pockets inside. I adore it! <3 It's no LV or Balenciaga, but I think the quality and design is perfect! Exactly what I NEED and WANT. Thank you Mindy, Babe, and Phearith! 

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Some other favorite gifts this 
Christmas/Birthday!

[ Mophie Juice Pack Plus (Black) ] Just in case you don't know what this is.. It's an iPhone case that protects and can charge your phone at the same time! :) It's super convenient and when you charge the case, it also charges your phone so there's really no need for you to ever take it off. The only downfall is that its a bit bulky and heavy.. But what do you expect?! You're basically carrying around an extra battery! [ Shany Brush Set (w/ brush roll) ] [ XOXO Rose Gold Watch ] My girlfriend and I were talking about how much we want the Michael Kors rose gold watch, but of course it's a bit pricey. Her hubs got her a sweet Liz Claiborne one and I was so surprised and touched when they gifted me with this XOXO one for my birthday. I'm not a big fan of the XOXO brand, but this watch is seriously GORGEOUS! [ Hello Kitty Eye Shadow/ Lip Gloss Palette ] Sister in-law gifted this to me! She is so thoughtful! We both LOVE Hello Kitty and I was actually thinking about getting this from Sephora since it's now on sale! :) It's a lot bigger than I thought it was (I only saw it online) and I absolutely LAAAV the tin container it comes in!! I can re-use it for so many other things. I'll do a review post on this palette when I get a chance. [ Nars Highlighting/ Blush ] My holy grail NARS blush and highlighting blush! :) [ Wall Mount Mirror ] Thank you, P! :) I've been wanting one because my vanity mirror is just to far away to do close up makeup and I don't like that I don't have a free hand with my other mirrors. This little wall mount makes things just so much easier![ Salon Express Nail Stamping Kit (x4) ] So I've seen this on other blogs and then went on a long search for them at so many different Rite Aids and Sally's Beauty Supply, but they were ALL sold out. -_- The commercial played when I was at home with babe and told him about my unsuccessful mission to find that. The next day, I saw that it was one of my Christmas gifts! LOOL, I was SHOCKED! How in the world?? After I told how I wanted it, he literally went through hell and back to find it! He went to SOO many different stores, called around, and FINALLY as he was about to give up, someone found an extra one, which he snagged up. Isn't he sooo freaking sweet?! And then he goes into the closet and pulls out THREE MORE! HAHAHA, I started dying! I remembered me saying how hard it was to find and he bought the rest of whatever they had left. So funny.. He even said, "Well, I thought you could it for your future giveaways or something.." What a freaking sweetheart. GOD, I am so lucky to have such a thoughtful man. <3  & let's not forget about my "Princess"..

She's the Nikon D5100 I got as my super, duper early birthday present (back in October). She's my other baby (next to my actual baby in my tummy). I haven't been able to carry her around too much because my purse wasn't big enough, but now with my new Burberry tote, she fits perfectly inside! ツ Yay to more picture taking! I've been looking into all these different extras I can use in a mini studio for beauty-related products/portraits, baby pictures, and even photo shoots of family and friends. I don't plan on taking this too seriously where I am looking to make money from it, but more like taking on a new hobby (that I enjoy!). Everyone has been so wonderful and gifting me with such useful things for my "studio". Majority of the camera related goodies are from hubs and the tripod is from the brother & sister in-law. I am so lucky to have such amazing, supportive people in my life! 

[ Photo Light Box ] I had actually made my own DIY lightbox, which I really need to post about. It works wonderfully, but one thing I didn't like is the light I was using. I can't seem to find the right bulbs for my lamps! Babe actually saw a great deal on this light box set online and ordered it for me! It works just as great, comes with bright AWESOME lights, mini tripod, and even changeable backdrops. And I love that you can fold it up into a carrying case! 

[ Dolica Proline 62" Tripod ] I've been wanting to get a larger tripod so I can take steadier pictures (and babe wants to make a naught tape.. LOOL, jk!) Brother and sister in-law came me this amazing one for Christmas! You can adjust the height and positioning on it too. Love it! 

[ SanDisk Class 10 32GB HD Memory Card ] Another thing I've been meaning to get was a high GB memory card so I can take faster pictures and longer videos of my boy. Babe gifted me with an awesome Class 10 this Christmas! Hooya! It certainly DOES write a lot faster!

[ Nikon Remote Control ] I ordered this Nikon remote control, because it's just so much more convenient that continuously standing behind the camera or using the timer. YAY! I can camwhore with ease! Hahaha~

[ 500W Ring Light ] I dipped into my birthday money and finally got one! For the life of my I could NOT find anyone that sold large ring lights here! All I keep coming across were macro ring lights/lamps/flashes. I was beginning to lose hope and was envying all those living in other countries that had easy access to them for cheaper. Thanks to my girl, Feelo (www.filosophie.net), I was able to find a seller through Ebay and Amazon! Thank you!! :) Hopefully the product comes intact and undamaged! He's a top rated seller with 99.7% so I'm actually not too worried. Plus he was offering a 3-year warranty too, but I didn't care for it.  

I know I have the Mophie case already, but I spotted this and it was just to damn cute and cheap to pass up! I actually ended up ordering TWO of these Hello Kitty iPhone 4/4s hard cases, because I wanted to give one to my sister in-law, but I found out she has a 3GS and she already has a HK case. Boo! ): Oh well.. I'll probably end up giving the other one away in a giveaway or gift it to someone special! ツ

Jen's TagI was also hit by my name twin, Jen (nynb.blogspot.com) to do this random tag! :) Pwahaha, here's another chance to get to know me a little better. :D 
1- What 5 beauty products can you NOT live without?
► BB Cream, hairspray, lip balm, eyeliner, & mascara.

2- How long have you been blogging for?
► On & off for almost 9 years! Started with Xanga when I was 16 years old, then created a blogger account in 2009, but moved over to Tumblr, & then started blogging religiously on here only starting this summer (2011)! I only did it to record my pregnancy journey, but met some amazing people & I'm now hooked to this community! :D

3- What's the best beauty tip you've ever gotten?
► Less is more.

4- If you had to choose, the love of your life or your career?
► The love of my life. Only because I've already met him & I wouldn't have this family of my own without him. He makes my life feel perfect & fulfilled in every way.

5- What's your biggest pet peeve?
► I have MANY pet peeves, but let's see what's bothering me at the moment.. *thinking* Hmm.. Right now, it would have to be Facebook. Nothing is personal and private anymore! WTH?! That's why I rarely go on it anymore. I don't like people in my business. And what's even more annoying it when people broadcast their drama/problems to the whole community. Seriously. Then they go back and delete it once things smooth over. How about everyone just keep your private issues OFFLINE? Why would you want people to know your business anyways? Do you really need the pity and for people to feel sorry for you? 

6- What fashion or beauty trend do you not understand/hate?
► MC Hammer-ish parachute pants! Seriously.. WHY?! I think it's the ugliest fashion clothing EVER.

7- If you could only eat one food & drink for the rest of your life, what would they be?
► Food: Soft pretzels (w/ nacho cheese).. YUMMMM!!!
► Drink: Vietnamese iced coffee.. Love! But I'd probably die from caffeine overdose (if it's possible?).

8- If you could have one super power, what would you want?
► Freeze Time: I could get anything I've ever wanted! LOL, I know that sounds bad, but I'd also be able to prevent old ladies from falling down and save babies in burning buildings! It's a win win situation, right?! 

9- What's your favorite season?
► Summer: Tanning, swimming, wearing revealing clothing, and vacations! Come on, who DOESN'T love summer?! 

10- What's the most daring thing you've ever done?
► Dang, this one is hard.. Hmm.. I honestly can't think of anything right now. I hope I HAVE though! I don't want to be a Boring Betty! 

11- Which holiday do you love the most? (Christmas, New Years, Valentines, Easter etc)
► Thanksgiving, because of the three F's: FOOOOOD, family, & friends! 
Damn, totally going to miss 2011, but so looking forward to 2012! More awesomeness to come! I'm so glad and thankful to have met and reconnected with so many wonderful people. 2012 is going to be amazing. Why? Because I have everything and everyone I need. Love you guys!