Happy Autumn!

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Greetings friends! Today is a gorgeous September day. I woke up this morning to crisp autumn air and sunlight pouring in through my bedroom windows. The past few weeks have been very busy and I was beginning to feel a bit burnt out, but this beautiful day has unexpectedly lifted my mood and energy level. Yesterday at 10:49am, the autumn equinox marked the official beginning of fall. Some of my coworkers and I were counting down the minutes with excitement, taking great delight in the ‘official’ start to the new season, while others thought we were silly. I absolutely love this time of year, so I will proudly label myself as a countdown nerd. On a technological note, I am still without a laptop. Ever since the screen and keyboard stopped working on my Acer laptop about three weeks ago, I have been preparing myself to take the financial plunge of buying my very first Mac. My family has only ever owned PCs, but I have experienced the greener pastures of Macs through computer labs at school and I now know that I am a Mac person at heart. I carry a ‘mini Mac’ with me everyday in the form of my iPhone, and in the two months that I have owned it has repeatedly surpassed my expectations. I was skeptical towards iPhones for over a year before purchasing my own. I thought they were overrated, overpriced, and too elitist for my liking. However, after doing lots of research and purchasing my own, I have been continually impressed with their high level of organization, careful attention to detail, and rapid processing that is unmatched by other manufacturers on the market. I have a new appreciation for Steve Jobs and the work that his team puts forth to create top-notch tools for creative individuals such as myself to use in publishing our ideas and dreams. Hopefully within the next few weeks I will be able to finally purchase a macbook and then I will be able to happily publish more frequent blog posts! In the meantime, I will be organizing my bedroom, working, and enjoying the beauty of being outside during fall-time. I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend! :)

A Cranberry Lip for Autumn

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Good morning lovelies :) I am writing this from my iPhone because my laptop bit the technological dust last week… RIP :( Today I woke up to crisp autumn air and sunshine pouring in through my windows, putting me into a wonderful fall-time mood! I am super excited for autumn, with cider and bonfires, foliage and riding boots, it is one of my favorite times of the entire year! With that being said, lately I have been building a collection of beauty products for fall-time, including cranberry lipsticks. Yesterday I found some that are incredibly inexpensive with a surprisingly decent quality! While visiting Rite Aid to redeem last week’s Up Reward, I picked up five Megalast lipsticks from Wet N’ Wild. They retail for $2.99 at my local drugstore but this week Rite Aud is doing ‘buy one get one 50% off’ plus ‘spend $8 on Wet N’ Wild cosmetics’, earn $3 in Up Rewards’ so they were quite a bargain! I’m rather new to lipsticks so I can’t vouch for their quality in comparison to many other brands, however they apply smoothly, they have fantastic pigmentation, and they last for a couple hours without any need to touch up or reapply. I’m impressed to say the least and I now keep one beside my lip balm in my handbag. I definitely recommend picking some up if you are intrigued by them because I don’t think you will be disappointed! Now that I’ve provided you with a little bit of background information about the product, I will show you the look that I created for a wearable cranberry lip that is appropriate for both day and nighttime :)

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First, I primed my eyes with Urban Decay Primer Potion in ‘Eden’. Then, with a fluffy shader brush I applied Stila ‘Kitten’ eyeshadow to my entire lid and up to the lower part of the brow bone. I typically never apply a shimmery shadow beyond the base of my lid (up to the crease and beyond) but I wanted my eyes to appear to be very open and bright to soften the overall look and avoid making it too harsh. After making sure my brows were neatly groomed, I applied a black liquid liner from NYX to my entire upper lash line, ending at the outer corner, as opposed to winging it out or creating a cat eye. Then I took a kohl liner pencil from Victoria’s Secret in ‘Black Velvet’ and applied it to the outer two thirds of my lower lash line, avoiding the waterline and gently blending it with a smudger to keep the eyes looking as bright and open as possible while subtly defining the shape of the eyes with a soft definition. I finished the I look off with one coat of mascara from Bare Escentuals to the upper and lower lashes.

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I kept the cheeks simple, skipping the bronzer and instead opting for a pink blush with golden undertones (Covergirl Cheekers ‘Golden Pink’). To create the bold lip, I began by applying a thin layer of Rosebud Salve to my lips and then lightly blotting the excess with a tissue. I applied the lipstick directly to the center of my lips to create a decent coverage, but avoided the edges of my lips. After a good foundation of coverage has been applied, I took a precision brush from ELF and neatly worked on blending the lipcolor to the outer edges of my lips.

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I tried a few different shades of the lip color which you can see below, but my favorite is 915B, ‘Spiked with Rum’ which I am wearing above. The other shades I purchased are 906D ‘Wine Room’, 908C ‘Sugar Plum Fairy’, 916D ‘Ravin’ Raisin’, and 918D ‘Cherry Bomb’.

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Please feel free to comment below if you have any questions :) I hope you have a great day!!

Dear High School Freshman,

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Dear High School Freshman,

As you enter the doors of your high school for the first time, it is natural to feel scared, nervous, and excited all at the same time.  You’ve seen depictions of high school in movies, on television, and heard about it from others who have been there.  You have anxiously awaited the big day and it is finally here! The next four years are going to fly by… savor every minute of them.

Find true friends who appreciate the special attributes that make you unique.  Dress the way that makes you feel your best, join the clubs that you want to be a part of, and be the person that you want to be. Nobody can be you except for YOU, never for a second forget that!! If somebody does not make an effort to be your friend, do not for a second think that you are not good enough.  People are constantly changing and growing, and sometimes friendships change but that is okay as long as you stay true to yourself.  Don’t give in to what everybody else is doing just because you feel left out.  Stick to your guns and stay true to your values, because you have the choice to do so. It is much better to do your own thing rather than follow the crowd and carry regrets. Understand the importance of having good relationships with others, but also learn the value of being independent and unique.  That mindset and knowledge will give you a strong advantage when you set out on your own and move to college someday.

During your time in high school, you will spend over four thousand hours in class; use them wisely.  I know that learning might seem like the last thing that you want to do, but you should see it in a positive light because it is a privilege denied to many.  Find a way to make learning fun, and make the most of the time that you spend in class. You will have to be present whether you pay attention or not, so engage in the material and dive right in.  You may not think that all of your classes are important, but they will all help to shape you into a well-rounded individual. Understand that most of your teachers are there because they want to give you the best education possible and they want to see you succeed.  Respect them, approach them, and allow them to help you reach your goals.  They are an integral part of your future and you never know when you might need them to help you.  They are the people who will take note of your actions and potentially submit your name for a scholarship program or write a recommendation letter for you when you apply to your dream school.

Reach for the stars Freshman, explore your options and discover your dreams.  It is never too late to discover your dreams and passions, and you are in one of the most opportunistic positions to do that.  Do you want to be an accountant? Do it.  Are you interested in being a cosmetologist? Go for it! Do you want to try to go to medical school or law school but you doubt your abilities to get in? Push for it and work as hard as you can, because you will never know if you do not try. It is important to develop a good work-ethic my friend.  Find an organizational system that works for you and stick to it.  Do not procrastinate! I’m sure at some point in high school you will, but try not to make it a habit.  Just keep your eyes set on your goals and dreams, they will push you to work hard.  Write them down right now and display them in a place that you will see them everyday.  Surround yourself with inspiration and encouragement, fill your life with positive influences.  It does not matter if your childhood was awful or you feel like nobody believes in you because I do, and I want you to understand that today is the first day of the rest of your life and you are destined to do great things if you allow the beautiful moments of your life to play out.  You will have to work for what you want in life, and at times you will fail, but the most important thing is that you believe in yourself!! I may have never met you, but I believe in you, just like I believe in me too.

Now imagine that you are being handed a blank book with hundreds of crisp pages inside.  The title on the cover has your name written on it, and the contents are to be filled with the stories of your life.  YOU have the ability to write that story.  You can’t control what events may transpire or what bumps you may hit along the road, but you can control how you respond.  You can control how you allow each situation to shape you, and hopefully it won’t be long before you learn how to take every challenge and allow it to make you stronger and wiser.  You hold the pen to your life dear friend, and I have faith in you to write a beautiful story :)

A dab of polish, a sip of seltzer: July Favorites!

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Essie Beach Party

Hello lovely friends!  Today I am sharing my very first monthly favorites post with you! I have yet to do a (insert month here) favorites post so I took great delight in selecting the products for the July lineup.  I … Continue reading →