Best Albums of 2015

So, I did this last year--I went through and listed off all the albums I loved in the past year, and this year, there are so many more!

I think I did a top five last year, but this year, I'm just going to list all the ones I loved, since there were so many! Anyways, enough chatter--let's go!

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First up is Ordinary Life by Wild Wild Horses!

demon days, released december 4.

As you can tell, this album only came out recently! I actually heard it from the amazing short film that one of my favorite actresses, Jennifer Morrison, did! It's a short EP with only four songs, but damn do the songs tell a great story. I just love it a lot, and I know I'll be listening to it a lot in the coming months!

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Next up is the second EP from Troye Sivan, WILD!

WILD, released september 3.

Troye did it again! I loved his EP last year as well, as I'm sure you can remember. This one was even better the first, and I am so excited to hear more of his music (I still need to download 'Blue Neighborhood', his actual album)! My favorite song is probably FOOLS, and that one really resonated with me. I just love the sound of this one, so it's definitely worth a listen!

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My next favorite is a little album called 25, by none other than the amazing Adele.

25, released november 20.

This one was probably a given, but my god, is this a good album! Adele's voice is so peaceful and so incredibly gorgeous, it's hard to ignore! I really love 'Hello,' obviously, but 'Million Years Ago' is beautiful as well. Just all around a great album, and I am so happy to hear some new music from her again!

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The next album up is Pentatonix, by, well, Pentatonix!

pentatonix, released october 16.

This album is the first one with mostly original songs on it, and I can't help but love every single song! My favorites are probably 'Water' and 'Rose Gold,' but there are so many amazingly arranged songs on this album! 'Light in the Hallway' and 'Take Me Home' are beautiful as well, and certainly are up there in my favorites. Seriously, Pentatonix kicked it up a notch with some wonderfully catchy songs--certainly give them a listen!

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And, next we have Made in the A.M. by One Direction!

made in the a.m., released november 13.

Okay, but, real talk? 1D may be better off without Zayn (which is so hard because he was my favorite member!). This album is quite frankly their best yet, and I loved more songs on it than I wanted to! I'm partial to 'I Want to Write You a Song' and 'History,' along with their singles off the album ('Perfect,' 'Infinity,' 'Drag Me Down,' + 'Home'). Seriously, way to step it up, boys.
(I should note that I am very excited for Zayn to release a solo album. Very excited.)

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And, last, but certainly not least, we have Halsey's Badlands album!

badlands, released august 28.

This. Album. I hadn't heard of Halsey until this year, but this album totally blew me away. Seriously, great stuff. I love the obvious choices like 'Control' and 'Gasoline,' but 'Colors' + 'Colors Pt. II' are amazing as well. It's a really dark and eerie album, but what a great album it is. Go take a listen if you've got the time!

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Well, that rounds it out for my favorite albums this year! I hope you all either share my loves, or found new music through this post! We'll see who comes back to this list next year!

December Favorites!

Wow, I cannot believe it's the end of 2015 already! This is crazy, seriously.

Anyways, I bring you one final favorites post for 2015, choc-full of... random things, as usual.

Enjoy!

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First up is NHL--namely, the Chicago Blackhawks!

the chicago blackhawks (left to right: toews, shaw, kane, sharp, keith).

Now, growing up in Wisconsin + going up to visit once I moved, I've always been around hockey. I've been to a few games down where I live now, but it's not the same, you know? Anyways, the reason I like the Blackhawks is firstly because that's the team my mom likes, and secondly because my dad is from Chicago. I love the players (Toews, Kane, Shaw, + Panarin are my personal faves), and I love that they really do work like a team, rather than one really good player and a bunch of mediocre ones. Toews + Kane are sort of the front-runners, but they certainly are helped out!
Anyways, enough rambling. I've been recently obsessed with hockey, and I even got a Jonathan Toews sweater (which basically is hockey jargon for jersey) for Christmas!

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Next up, slipper booties!

cozy cable slipper boots, $18.

I got a pair of these after they went on sale and oh my god. These are wonderful. I like that they've got a soft bottom, because it means a) lots of sliding around the house, and b) they don't feel like I'm wearing slippers! I've got them in grey, but I quite like the red ones as well. I've seen them in other places, but Gap's seem to be the overall best (in my opinion!). Seriously, treat yourself and go get a pair.

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Next, we've got the Daily Water app!

daily water app, free in app store.

I'm terrible about drinking enough water, you guys. Really terrible. So, I downloaded this app, which is awesome for keeping track of my water intake! I like how simple it is, too--just nine glasses of water on the screen, and once you've had a glass of water, you click on it, and bam! You're keeping track! It is really nice, and over the past few days, I've been averaging about 4 glasses. I think the normal or suggested amount is about 8, so I need to kick it up! I am trying to work my way up to 8, rather than going at it all in one day, though. I think I'll get there, but drinking more water is definitely one of my New Year's resolutions.

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Next, we have graphic sweaters!

fair isle crew neck sweater, $14.

I've got way too many sweaters as is (and this hot weather is not helping!), but I can't help but grab more and more sweaters when I see them! I know it's supposed to get cold here soon--or, I hope it will--so, I'd rather be prepared! Target has some really cute ones out right now, and I recently picked up the one above! Super soft and really light--it's a great little sweater!

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And, finally, we have the game Undertale.

undertale, $9.

Wow, you guys. This game is incredible. I've only just started playing it (and boy, is it hard!), but I've seen others on YouTube play it, and I'm in love! The humor is amazing, the characters are all so well-written and create a great story, and everything just meshes so well together. It's a really simple game stylistically, but it's so interesting and different. I don't play video games often because I'm usually terrible at them, but I was captivated by this one!

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Well, that's all for my favorites this month. Happy New Year, everyone! <3

Last Minute Christmas Gifts (Under $20)

This post was inspired by the fact that I still haven't gotten my dad a present (sorry, Dad!) for Christmas, and I thought--why don't I just make a quick post about super quick, super cute presents for those last-minute presents you might need to get?

This is for all of you procrastinators, forgetters, and anyone else who might just need one or two more gift ideas! All of these can be easily picked up in stores, since it's getting too close to order anything!

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The first idea is a simple one: an adult coloring book and some markers/colored pencils to go along with it!

lost ocean: an inky adventure & coloring book, $17.

enchanted forest: an inky quest & coloring book, $16.

Now, these are a bit pricey, but they are such good gifts to give. I've got quite a few now, and they are the most wonderful way to relieve stress! I bring mine with me wherever I go, and if I've got a few minutes of downtime, I'll color! Really, though, these are wonderful for anyone, since they don't require any drawing skills. I've definitely seen cheaper ones, but the Johanna Basford are the best ones, in my opinion!

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Next up, we've got mugs!

threshold moscow mule mug, $10.

threshold reindeer mug, $5.

coffee mug with red sweater, $5.

I'm very partial to the mugs from Target! They're so well-made, and not overly expensive. But, I have also seen some from TJ Maxx/Marshalls/Home Goods that are quite cute, too! The nice thing about mugs is that they are relatively inexpensive, which means you could add a few packets of coffee, tea, candy, or hot cocoa mix into the mug when you're giving it! Something like that gives it a little more personalization!

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Next, candles!

(left to right) winter, mahogany teakwood, sweater weather, $15.

sleigh ride, gingerbread house, $9.

Again, I'm super partial to Target + Bath and Body Works for good candles, since I think they've got the absolute best. Above are some of my favorite scents, and I believe as I'm posting this, the big, 3-wick candles are only $15 at B+BW, which is awesome! But, honestly, candles are great gifts for Christmas, since it gives you an opportunity to share your favorite scents with your closest friends and family. The packaging for candles is so beautiful, too, so they're great to set out around the house!

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Next up are portable phone chargers!

ankit glitter phone power bank $10.

style power mobile battery charger, $14.

These are great for the techies in your life! They're all relatively inexpensive, and I have seen them in multiple places. They're really great for someone who's always on their phone, or someone who travels a lot and doesn't have a lot of time to sit and plug their phone into a wall. I love the idea of them, and since they're sort of a novelty rather than a necessity, most people wouldn't buy one for themselves. Seriously, a great gift.

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And, finally, accessory sets!

scarf and tech gloves, $5.

scarf and beanie set, $20.

Seriously, these are incredible presents, and you can almost certainly get sets under $20! I love Forever 21's options, but H&M has some pretty nice accessories, as well. They're really thoughtful (or, at least I think they are!) and they're perfect for the chillier months of the year. Plus, they're gifts that can last a long time, since there's no growing out of them, or too much wear and tear.

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I hope this list helped you procrastinators out! Let me know if you've thought of any other great, last-minute gifts for people! I know there are more out there!

November Favorites!

Oh, god--it's already December! I am so excited to get into the holiday spirit, you have no idea! Actually, I've been in the holiday spirit since November 1st, if we're being honest.

I completely bypassed Thanksgiving, actually. Sorry, America!

Anyways, here are my favorites from the past month!

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First, I've got the comfiest sweatshirt ever.

out from under cozy funnel neck sweatshirt, $49.

I cannot tell you all how wonderfully comfortable this sweatshirt is! It's so soft and so light, and I wear it all the time around my apartment. I also have a real fondness for the funnel neck, since I'v got a rather long neck that gets cold. I think I'd look kind of stupid walking around my apartment with a scarf on! Anyways, this sweatshirt is the best thing ever. Ever.

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Next up, we've got Lush's bath bombs!

dashing santa bath bomb, $6.

I finally, finally, finally hopped on the bath bomb train! I went home for my birthday, and there's a Lush store in the mall I work in, so I popped in and sniffed all of them before deciding to try a Christmas-y one! This one smells just like Christmas--it definitely smells orange-y, but it's not too citrus-y? I think maybe there's some peppermint or something else in it. You have to believe me on this one. He smells amazing. Warning, though, I didn't think it through, but it left my bathwater red, which was... interesting to take a bath in, haha! But, I'm going home in a week and fully intend on buying another!

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Next, we've got Ghirardelli's peppermint bark!

ghirardelli peppermint bark, $5 (for a bag).

As much as I love all things Christmas, peppermint bark is what I look forward to the most! It's so delicious, and as soon as I see it on the shelves, I grab, like, eight bags. They're just too good! And, I think a lot of it is that they're a novelty--like, I can only get them once a year, for only a month or so. They really just help me get into the Christmas mood, and I am so excited to fill up on these this Christmas!

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And, finally, we've got Monument Valley!

monument valley, app store.

I cannot tell you how beautiful this game is! It's largely based on moving around parts of an optical illusion, and little Princess Ida (in the picture above) is trying to save her kingdom. It's a beautifully done game, and I've been playing it a lot to try and get my brain in better shape! I downloaded the free half of it, but I think for the second part it's $2? I can't remember. But, honestly, one of the most beautifully and creatively designed games I have ever played.

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So, that's it for this month's favorites! Can't wait to show you my December favorites!