Cup of Charisma

Style

10 Secret Santa Gifts Under $25

secret santa holiday gifts on a budget

Is it just me or do office Secret Santa exchanges sometimes feel like drawing straws? I’ll never forget last Christmas when I pulled the name of my company’s vice president in a game of Secret Santa. I was mortified at first and even tried to craft a way to sneak my paper back into the bowl. On the other extreme, I’ve had Secret Santas where I felt so strongly about my idea and could wax poetically about the perfect gift. No matter who I pull in Secret Santa, I always have a small reservoir of fear that comes out within the five seconds it takes for the recipient to open their gift. My internal chatter says: Will they love? Will they pretend to love? Did I miss the mark completely? What does that high pitched “awwwwwww” really mean?

December 18, 2015

cupofcharisma

Style

7 Best Apps for Holiday Shopping

Winter weather, cozy coats, festive cookies and gingerbread lattes—what’s not to love about the holidays? Long lines, heavy shopping mall traffic and depleted bank account are just a few holiday headaches that come to mind. Before you call me a Scrooge, I need to make it clear that I absolutely love December and the holiday season. Growing up, I’d scour catalogs and magazines for the perfect gifts for family and friends. I’d spend hours curating a cut-and-paste collage of my holiday shopping list. So what changed? My time. Continue Reading

December 17, 2015

cupofcharisma

11 Holiday Gifts That Give Back

December 16, 2015

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Style Uncategorized

How Fashion Mingle Will Change Blogging

Fashion Mingle Website for FAshion Professionals

I’m going to let you in on a little secret: my first foray into blogging didn’t involve brand partnerships, photographers or fancy lighting equipment. The blogging world first saw my face when I was 22 years old, facing a mirror with my iPhone 2 and wearing a Jason Wu for Target dress I fought tooth and nail for. The mirror photos eventually came to an end when I put my first blog to rest. When I started Cup of Charisma three years later, blogging was a whole new, exhilarating project—in fact, it was a job and still is. That’s why I was excited to learn about Fashion Mingle, a site that will be a premier resource for fashion industry professionals from all walks of life to connect with each other and grow their business.

December 9, 2015

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Travel Uncategorized

Exploring The Fairmont San Francisco

“I left my heart in San Francisco,” has been one of those phrases I’ve never understood. Well, that is until it happened to me. I had only seen San Francisco at a glimpse; it was a quick day trip on a west coast cruise. When I say a glimpse, it’s a bit of an overstatement. San Francisco came and went; it was as if I blinked, saw a few sea lions and left for the next destination. Aside from the difference staying six days rather than one, the main contrariety from my hazy rush of San Francisco to my six-day love affair was where I woke up to start my adventures. Luckily for me, I was waking up in the most luxurious hotel in all of San Francisco.

December 7, 2015

cupofcharisma

Events

Market Street Holiday Shopping Guide

Even in the wake of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, I can’t help but feel like I have a ton of holiday shopping to get done in the next few weeks. As much as I love sale days and online shopping, nothing replaces the feeling of being in a store and stumbling across things you never expected to. When I was invited to Market Street, a luxury shopping center in The Woodlands, I knocked off a few items from my shopping list… and added a few more to my wish list. (For those of you outside of Texas, The Woodlands is a much quieter city that makes for a nice getaway from Houston’s hustle and bustle.) Continue Reading

December 6, 2015

cupofcharisma