Grandma Hauls

It never fails: every time I go home to visit my family, I always come back with more than I left with. That is largely because my grandma is a shopaholic but half the time she doesn't keep the things she buys and ends up giving them to us. But hey, I'm not complaining! No matter the case, she always manages to give them to me right after I've packed my suitcase to its max capacity and I have to struggle to squeeze them in somehow or fit it all into my carry on. On one of my last trips, my grandma kept handing me things right until the exact minute I boarded my bus, from a pen that "writes really well," to gum, to disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizer - straight out of her own purse. It must just be in her nature as a grandma to give everything she possibly has to offer.

So I've decided to start a series of "grandma hauls" so I can show you the various things my grandma gives me, from the essentials to things I never knew I needed until she gave them to me, like some sort of grandma's intuition. Some of the following items are from my last two trips home.

Paul Mitchell's Tea Tree Hair and Scalp Treatment

My grandma says I have "virgin hair" because I don't do crazy things to it (oops, read about my ombre hair here), so she always wants to make sure I maintain it. I use this hair treatment maybe every other week after my regular shampoo and conditioner when I feel like my hair has been through the ringer and it needs to be re-hydrated. It has tiny micro beads and smells like mint so it's smells so good, and it makes your whole head tingle and feel refreshed long after you've washed it.

Clever Carriage Company Makeup Bag

I cannot count the number of makeup bags my grandma has given me. For some reason she has an obsession with collecting them and then giving them to me. At one point she even gave me two identical ones on two different trips home (seriously). I used as many of them as I could, one to throw in a few products when I'm going to a friend's to get ready (so I won't take my entire collection), one for when I'm traveling (and I need to take my entire makeup collection), a separate one for brushes when I travel, one for my travel toiletries, etc., until I couldn't figure out what to use them for. I even used one as a pencil case. But one day my bathroom sink broke and leaked water in the cabinet underneath and completely ruined all the makeup bags I had collected. So thankfully, when I went to visit, my grandma had ordered me a new one! It's from the Clever Carriage Company and I don't know much about them, but their website had some positive women-empowering quotes so I really liked that. My grandma said she got me this particular bag because it's turquoise and she knew it was my favorite color. Now that my makeup bag collection has depleted again, it looks like I'll be using this one frequently.

Pure Eau Fraiche for Women by Karen Low

They've always told me it's good to have more than one scent to change it up every once in a while. My grandma ended up not liking this perfume for her so she gave it to me and I think it smells so good. It's fresh and flowery and perfect for when I want to switch things up and every time I wear this one I get lots of compliments.

Olay Fresh Effects Bead Me Up Exfoliating Cleanser

No one is more concerned with our skin than my grandma. Sometimes she even calls my sister late at night and asks "Did you wash off your makeup before you went to bed?" So when I randomly, inexplicably started breaking out last year (I swear I was going through puberty ten years late), my grandma immediately sprung into action to find the best products for me to use. Now that my skin has been clearing up, I told her my main concern was getting rid of my acne scars and hyper-pigmentation, so she got me this exfoliant to help scrub away the dead skin and it definitely works! I have noticed a huge change in my skin, not only is it softer but my dark spots have also gotten a lot lighter since I started using it! It's also a lathering face wash, not a mask, so a little goes a long way which is perfect.

Dove Deodorant

Okay, I know what you're thinking - deodorant, really? You see, I am super self-conscious and hyper-aware of my armpits at ALL times. I literally carry deodorant with me wherever I go, no joke. When I was a teenager I tried Dove deodorant and absolutely hated it because it had terrible protection and I constantly had to reapply it, so I swore it off completely since then. But, my grandma said she really liked Dove so she bought me a double-pack. I wasn't thrilled, but I was too polite to say anything. However, they must've changed their formula since I last tried it or something because it's amazing! It stays on all day and even overnight. It works so well that I still smell fresh the next morning. And even though this is just the "powder" scent, it still smells sweet and fresh. One morning I woke up after a night out and I thought to myself, "What perfume am I wearing? It smells so good," and it took me a moment to realize I was smelling the deodorant! So I am happy to retract my original thoughts about Dove because their products do work.

Iman Handbag

My grandma bought her and my sister identical purses as my sister's Mother's Day gift, but the more she saw the purse, the more she felt like it was "too young" for her (I tried to convince her she could totally pull it off but she wasn't buying it - for the record, she totally could), so she decided to give me the other one! I love it because it looks ~classy and it looks small on the outside but it is so spacious on the inside, just the way I like my purses.

3-pack of Socks

I know socks aren't something "haul" worthy, but this is just one of those things that grandma's automatically know that you need without asking. I got this pair of shoes from my mom that I love to wear (seen here), but you can always see my socks peeking out over the top. I like these particular no-show socks because they're cotton so they're breathable, unlike the sheer hosiery type which can make your feet sweat and then that causes your shoes to smell, so this prevents all that hassle.

Joy Mangano Leather Lightweight Tote

This is currently my new favorite purse! My grandma knew I was looking for a large tote bag big enough to fit my laptop in, so she said when she saw this one she had to get it for me. It's so comfy and spacious and when it says "lightweight" that's no joke! I feel like it's so versatile in function and design because it goes well with just about anything I've worn so far. During the summer it served as my pool bag and I used it as my school bag for the first few days of school,  but unfortunately I had too many books for them all to fit so I had to switch bags. But whenever the opportunity arises, this is always the first bag I go to.

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So those are some of the type of things my grandma gives me on a regular basis. A lot of the things she gives me are hand-me-downs or things she didn't want anymore, but I'm never one to turn them down. Once I expressed that I thought a pair of her shoes were so cute, so she just handed them over to me and let me keep them - no questions asked - and now they're one of my favorite pairs to wear. I'll be going home again soon so I expect to be coming back with more things! Be on the look out for more "grandma hauls!"

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