Gift Guide: My Christmas List

Drumroll please! My first gift guide of the season is officially here and I decided to kick things off with my own personal Christmas list! I think it's always so fun to see other people's wishlists and it definitely helps give a little inspiration if you can't think of what to ask for!

Just as a little disclaimer, this is just a wishlist! I totally do not expect to receive everything on this list as Christmas is definitely about so much more than the gifts you receive!

AG Jeans- I'm in need of a new pair of jeans and would love to add another AG pair to my closet! They are definitely a splurge but are so flattering and comfortable!

Lululemon Flare Pant- I pretty much live in leggings at school and I think this fun flare pair would be a great addition to my closet!

RayBan Clubmasters- My current pair of sunglasses broke so I think these would be a good replacement. I love how classic the shape is and how it would be a bit of a switch as my last few pairs have been aviators!

New Balance Sneakers- I'm in need of a more daily wear sneaker that I can wear with athleisure as well as casual outfits. I love the gold on these New Balances and think I would get so much use out of them!

When Less Becomes More- I've read both of Emily Ley's other books and would love to read her latest one!

Lake Pajamas- I purchased my first pair of Lake Pajamas over the summer and am obsessed with them. Now I want to add a long sleeved and long pant pair to my closet so I can continue to wear them in the cold weather!

Gold Bar Cart- With my twenty-first birthday right around the corner in April, I think this gold bar cart will be the perfect addition to the kitchen area of my apartment. In the meantime, I think it would make a darling coffee cart too!

What is on your Christmas list this year? Let me know in the comments!

November Favorites

Happy December! I feel like I say this every month but I feel like November absolutely flew by and I cannot believe that it's already December AND the last month of 2019 (so the last month of the decade). November was such a busy and fun month but I always love December (hello Christmastime!).

Here on Chic in Carolina, I share my favorites from the month before at the start of the month (check out previous editions here). I love reading these types of posts on other posts as it's fun to hear about new products! This month ranges from beauty favorites to candles to other random items!

Alterna Blowout Butter- I received this a gift with purchase at Ulta and I would definitely repurchase. You apply to wet hair before drying and it cuts down on the time you need to dry your hair and makes your hair so smooth!

Clemson Ring- I received my Clemson ring at the start of the month (which I talked about in this blog post) and I'm in love with it! Receiving your Clemson ring is a huge deal (we're second in ring sales nationwide behind Texas A&M) and I'm so honored to finally have mine!

Pumpkin Hand Sanitizer (same product, different scent)-  My mom gave this hand sanitizer to me and it's perfect for keeping in your bag. The foam hand sanitizer is a bit different but I really like it!

Capri Blue Spiced Cider Candle- I'm a big Capri Blue candle fan and the Spiced Cider one is perfect for being festive without being too Christmasy (perfect for November). I love the gold container and it would make a great gift!

Fresh Market Peppermint Bark- A little early to be talking about a Christmas favorite but this Peppermint Bark is so good! Such a great holiday treat- I bought one for my family over Thanksgiving Break then brought one back to Clemson with me. Would be a cute gift if you took off the label and added a red bow!

What were some of your November Favorites? Let me know in the comments!

Weekend Reading

Happy Saturday! I'm back with a new Weekend Reading post- it's been quite a while since the last one but basically it's a series here on Chic in Carolina where I share 10 links from around the web each weekend!

a little throwback to last Christmas- can't wait to decorate this weekend!

1. I just read "Deadly Little Scandals" and really liked it! It's the sequel to "Little White Lies", which I read earlier this year and read after hearing about it from Grace's book review!

2. I hosted Friendsgiving a few weekends ago and I loved Amy's tips for making your Friendsgiving a successful event!

3. Did you hear that You Season 2 is coming out soon? I'm so excited to watch!

4. I just picked up these end tables to use as nightstands in my bedroom at home and I love the way they look! Stay tuned for an updated room tour soon!

5. Another recent Target purchase, this darling wrapping paper! Clearly excited for Christmas over here!

6. Love this cute printable Christmas card!

7. My Christmas Pinterest board is getting a little love getting ready for the holidays- follow along!

8. Love this guide to Charleston at Christmas

9. Obsessed with this bow cape that Kate styled on her blog

10. Many of the Black Friday deals that I shared yesterday on the blog are still going on- be sure to check that out!

Happy Saturday!

Black Friday Sales

Happy Black Friday! Thanksgiving has come and gone and now it's time to get everything ready for Christmas! Black Friday (as well as the sales that continue into the weekend) is the perfect time to get ahead on some shopping or maybe treat yourself to a few items too (I won't tell!). I'm not the biggest fan of Black Friday in stores but online with a cup of coffee? Yes, please!

I decided to round up some of my favorite retailers, the deals they're having, and my favorite pieces that are currently on sale! Happy shopping!

Alo Yoga- 70% off sale, 30% off full price items

Anthropologie- 30% off everything

Beyond Yoga- 30% off

Draper James- 25% off with code GRATEFUL

Drybar- 20% off

Evelyn Henson- 25% off with code SHOPSMALL25

Jack Rogers- 30% off with code BF2019

J. Crew- 50% off, extra 60% off sale with code FRIDAY

J. Crew Factory- 60% off, extra 60% off sale, free shipping with code YAYDEALS

Kate Spade- 40% off with code TGIBF

Kendra Scott- 25% off or 30% off orders of $300+

Lake Pajamas- whole site is on sale!

Lilly Pulitzer- Gifts with Purchase!

Lulu & Georgia- 25% off with code BIGTHANKS

Lululemon- select items on sale

Moon & Lola- 30% off with code BLACKFRIDAY2019

Serena & Lily- 25% off with code THANKFUL

Shopbop- 15% of orders $200+, 20% off orders $500+, 25% off orders $800+ with code MORE19

Swoozie's- 25% off Holiday collections with code HOLIDAY25

Target- select items on sale

Tory Burch- 30% off orders of $250+, up to 60% off sale with code THANKS

Tuckernuck- 20% off site wide, 25% off orders $500+, 30% off orders $1000+ with code BRIGHT

Ulta- select items on sale

Vineyard Vines- 40% off select items and 25% off sale with code BLACKFRI19

Happy shopping!

My Chic Week: November 22-28

Happy Friday! This week's MCW post is a particularly exciting one as I've been home this past week for Thanksgiving Break. My classes for Monday and Tuesday all canceled so I decided to go home on Thursday night, giving me an extra long break! I hope y'all are all enjoying your Thanksgiving break so far and let's catch up on what I've been up to!

Friday was my first day of break so I slept in before going to a noon class at my Pure Barre studio. This is the class I go to the most often when I'm home over the summer and I miss PB whenever I'm at school (to whoever can make these sort of things happen, I need a Pure Barre studio in Clemson please!).

After class, I came home for lunch and worked on some blog stuff. The next week and a half will be crazy with the end of the semester so I'm trying to get lots of content pre-scheduled for y'all! Friday night, my family had homemade pizza for dinner, which was so yummy!

The weather was pretty rainy and dreary on Saturday so I had a laid back day at home! I babysat for a family that lives nearby on Saturday night so nothing too crazy to report!

Sunday was another laid back day- perfect for enjoying a break from classes!

I slept till 9 on Monday before getting up, eating breakfast, and getting some blog work done before my Pure Barre class. After barre, I grabbed a juice at Clean Juice before running a few errands.

Over the summer, I rearranged my room (see the before here) so I could bring my desk to Clemson with me for the year (see my Clemson bedroom here). I needed side tables for my room and decided to get these two from Target, which I think are so cute. I definitely need to add some more decor to my room but I'm planning on sharing an updated room tour soon!

I then went home to eat and then went to go pick up the little boys I nanny from school! I've been nannying the same family over the summer since high school (I also picked them up during the school year when I was in high school) and I always try to visit whenever I'm home!

Tuesday was a pretty similar day as I slept in, went to barre, then nannied in the afternoon!

On Wednesday morning, I met my two best friends from high school for coffee, which was so much fun! I don't think we managed to all get together in such a long time so it was fun to finally get to catch up! We wound up sitting in the coffee shop for almost two and a half hours, which you know means you had some catching up to do!

Wednesday night, my family hosted a bunch of our family friends over for dinner, which was so fun to see everybody!

We started off Thanksgiving with a Turkey Trot in my town, which is very family oriented and a lot of people walk the 5k (aka me and my family haha). We then came home and started cooking for dinner. It was only my immediate family this year, which was really laid back and relaxing. Although it is fun to see everything, it was kind of nice to have a chill Thanksgiving this year! We ate in the afternoon and then spent the rest of the day hanging out!

before the Turkey Trot

A selfie since it was just the 5 of us haha!

On the Blog:

10 Things To Do in the First Hour You're Awake ⎢Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Friday!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving y'all! Just wanted to pop in over here and hope that you're having a great day with family and friends celebrating all the things there is to be thankful for (including all of today's yummy food!). I am so thankful for Chic in Carolina and all that it has given me over the course of a few years!

image via

Happy Thanksgiving!

10 Things To Do in the First Hour You’re Awake

I am no means a morning person but there is nothing better than starting your day on the right foot. I put together a list of 10 things to do during the first hour that you wake up to help kick start your day and start things on the right note.

image via my room tour

1. Get Out of Bed as Quickly as Possible

In an ideal world, I'll say don't hit snooze but I should probably work on that before advising y'all to do the same! For now, I'll just say get out of bed as quickly as possible. Staying in bed only makes you want to go back to sleep and won't make getting up and being productive any easier!

2. Make your bed

If you only have time for one item on this list (rather than eating of course!), do this! Making your bed makes your whole room look pulled together even if everything else is a mess. Plus, it makes getting back into bed a little bit harder to do ;)

3. Breakfast + coffee

Being hungry definitely does not start your day on a good note so I always make time to eat breakfast in the morning. I definitely can't survive mornings without coffee so that's included too!

4. Go through your emails

I try to keep my emails at 0 so I like to go through any emails I received overnight in the morning as well as respond to any that I need to. This starts the day on a bit more of an organized note!

5. Update your agenda

My agenda definitely serves as a lifeline during busy weeks as it holds everything: my schedule, to-do lists, and random little notes. Taking a few minutes to update it as well as to look through it makes sure I don't forget anything for the day ahead plus helps me keep track of everything I need to do!

6. Prep your bag

I first pack the essentials for the day (binders for specific classes) and then the extras (different clothes for the gym, name tag for USAB events, etc.). Making sure I have everything makes for a lot less stress!

7. Drink water

I try to drink a lot of water everyday and start by drinking a cup of water right when I get up! Then I bring my Yeti tumbler with me to class and fill it up throughout the day!

8. Take a few minutes just for you

I always wake up at a time where I have time to sit down with my cup of coffee before I have to leave the house. It doesn't take more than 5 minutes but it's so nice to have a little me time before the day begins (especially a few minutes devoted to not thinking about school). I think it's so important to have a good balance between school (or work) and life and this is a good way to do that!

9. Tidy up your bedroom

The mornings where I don't have time to tidy up my room and put things always feel a bit more chaotic than the days where I do. I am definitely a bit of a neat freak but having everything put away makes me feel a little less stressed. Who doesn't love having a nice clean room to come back to at the end of the day?

10. Prep your lunch

I bring my lunch to campus a few days a week so prepping that is obviously a must! Making lunch saves so much money rather than buying something and is typically healthier too!

What are some things you do as soon as you wake up? Let me know in the comments!