How to Wear a Sweatshirt

Processed with VSCOcam with p5 preset20131215-174901.jpg20131215-174827.jpgsweatshirt: Old Navy, jeans: thrifted (Target), booties: thrifted, necklace: local boutique (Gaudy Me)

Picture this: it’s Monday. You had a really late night and the weekend ended way before you were ready. Your alarm is literally screaming at you to get up and get going but your body is frozen at the thought of getting into real human clothes and looking presentable. Don’t worry. I got you.

Get the most comfortable, clean, plain gray sweatshirt you own. Add a kewl necklace and jeans. DONE.

YOU’RE WELCOME.

To plan ahead, throw your hair into some French braids Sunday night. Monday morning take them down and spray some light hold hairspray and run your fingers through it. Hair. Done. Makeup? BB cream or tinted moisturizer all day errday.

(Cool segue) Anyway, how is your holiday season going? I’ve really been out of the loop. Finals and work things have really pushed me away from this blog and I hate it. But school is done forever! My diploma will be in the mail soon and that will be the most expensive thing I own. Wee! Since then I’ve been spending my evenings catching up on the dumbest things and applying to jobs and apartment searching. Oh I didn’t tell you?

Yeah, I’m moving to Dallas. HI 🙂

I decided about a month ago to just finally go. Dallas has just been pulling me for years and there’s really no better time than now. I need a change. This year has brought me through some real tough things and while I’m thankful for that I need to do something just for me. To be an adult for once and just go. Right?

Don’t worry, I’m not leaving for a few months. Gotta kind of buy a car first. But once that happens (oh, and a job too) I’m out! This blog will still be here keeping me company and giving me homey comforts all the way there. I can’t wait to tell you guys more about it once the time gets closer but I am real excited. Did you know IKEA has an app? I’ve pretty much already decorated this fictitious apartment already. #girl

Well, I’ve got to go finish up some things for our Christmas party in the baby room tomorrow! Daycare lyfe.

Happy Thursday! 🙂

Haul: Walgreens + ULTA

Hey-oh! A while back I hit up ULTA (if you’ve never been, go!) and bought a few things then a few days ago I spent my graduation money on some things in Walgreens! So here’s what I got along with my thoughts on some of them.

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-Wet N Wild eyeshadow trios in Knock On Wood and Silent Treatment ($3)
The pigmentation on these is amazing. I started getting hooked on Wet N Wild after Emily of Beauty Broadcast raved about them over and over. The texture is so velvety and soft and not at all flaky and cheap!
Here are some swatches:
Left is Knock On Wood and on the right is Silent Treatment.

eyeshadowNext up!
-Jordana eyeliners in Blue Devine and Mint ($2)
I own some of Jordana’s lip liners and they are excellent. Creamy and super pigments and long wearing. I have them in Sedona Red and Tawny, a nude color. These liners seem to be very similar and I can’t wait to try them more!
-NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk ($6)
I bought this after my younger sister bought it and I used it a little. 🙂 It’s a great base for eyeshadow. Be sure to pat off the excess though to prevent creasing.

eyeliner

Mascaras!
-Revlon Lash Potion ($5-8 depending where you buy)
I haven’t used either of these mascaras yet, but if I’m honest I bought this one solely on the packaging and name. 🙂
-Maybelline The Colossal Volum Express ($5-8 depending where you buy)
My younger sister has used this and likes it and I liked the brush so I’ll give it a go!

Revlon brush on the right and Maybelline’s on the left.

mascara

Lips!
-Rimmel London Show Off Lip Lacquers in Stellar, Nude Eclipse, and Apocaliptic
I.LOVE.THESE. It is literally like a melted lipstick. They are not sticky at all and even though they are very rich and opaque they are easy to apply without a mirror. Please try them if you get the chance! At $5 a piece you can’t go wrong!

L to R: Stellar, Apocaliptic, Nude Eclipse

lips

-Jordana lip liner in Baby Berry ($2)
Like I said about the eye liners, the creamy texture is easy to put on and the colors look good on all skin tones.
-Maybelline Baby Lips in Strike a Rose ($3)
These are basically a tinted lip balm. They are very moisturizing and come in a variety of colors. This color is from their new line with a neon yellow, neon green, and a very purple purple! Yikes! I’ll be trying them. 🙂
-Revlon Lip Butter in Strawberry Shortcake ($7)
These are a more sheer and moisturizing lipstick. They have a little shine to them and are super easy to apply. I also have one in Raspberry Pie!

L to R: Jordana lip liner, Revlon Lip Butter, Maybelline Baby Lips

lipss

Face!
-Rimmel Stay Matte Powder Foundation in Buff Beige ($5)
I stole this powder from my sister when she came home from college and loved it so much I bought my own! It’s great for topping off a foundation and keeping my skin matte most of the day.
-Burt’s Bees Cuticle Balm ($6)
I love the smell of this and can’t wait to use it!
-Burt’s Bees Sensitive Facial Wipes ($5)
I’ve tried a couple other facial wipes and they really messed my skin up. These have not! They won’t take off all of my makeup though, so keep that in mind. I like to use them for wiping off excess makeup or hand swatches or after a day at the beach.
-Yes To Cucumbers Sensitive Moisturizer ($15)
I LOVED this in the beginning. It doesn’t smell like cucumbers unless you push your nose right against it, hah. I don’t have the best luck with moisturizers, but this one worked pretty well!
-Studio 35 Beauty Blending Sponge ($5)
BUY THIS. I kept hearing about the Beauty Blender and how amazing it was but didn’t think it was anything better than a regular sponge. My sister bought this one and I’ve used it the past few days and can’t live without it. It blends the foundation in so much better than my fingers and the finish is so much more natural.
-Wigo Teasing Comb ($4)
This is great. It’s easy to use and I don’t feel like I’m raking hard on my hair when I use it.

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So that’s it! There’s my haul! I hope you found some good things to try! I can’t wait to use these things more and let you know more information then.

Have a good day!

xx

6 Summer Hair Ideas

Summer is here ready or not! And with this good ol’ Texas heat we need some smart ways to keep our hair up and out of our faces while still looking better than your run of the mill bun. I’ve rounded up six of the simplest styles for you to try this summer!

 

 

hairs

 

1. Four Braided Buns from The Beauty Thesis
2. Hair Bow by Hair and Makeup By Steph
3. French Braided Bun from The Shine Project
4. Loopty Loop from Glamour Beauty
5. Boho Twists from Jaded Boho Dreams

Let me know if you try any of these! I’ll be trying some out during our beach vacay in the next couple of weeks!

 

Happy Thursday!

 

x

Beauty Tuesday: Cruelty Free

Happy Tuesday! You know what that means: Beauty Tuesday! Today I want to talk about some of my favorite brands that happen to be cruelty free. This means these brands do not use animal testing on any of their products. To find out more, go here! Now I’m not saying if you don’t solely buy products from companies that are cruelty free you’re a bad person. I just thought it interesting that I saw a cruelty free symbol on my NYX eyeliner this afternoon. 🙂

 

  1. NYX-$-$$

I’ve loved NYX for a while now. They have a wide variety of colors in their slide-on liners and lip pencils and have multiple MAC shadow dupes! You can find them in ULTA and on Cherry Culture’s website. Also keep a lookout on HauteLook! Here are some of my favorite products:

NYX

  1. E.L.F.-$

I’m a big ol’ fan of E.L.F.! Their products are cheap and perform really well. You can find them in most Targets or on their website eyeslipsface.com. Here are some faves!

ELF

  1. Eco Tools-$$

My sisters both use this brand and the quality of their brushes is amazing. They are affordable, soft, and well made. You can find them in ULTA, Walmart, and most drugstores like CVS and Walgreens. Here are some great examples. I’m dying for that travel kabuki brush!

ECOTOOLS

  1. Organix Hair-$

I LOVE the way these products smell. They are pretty affordable and come in a variety of flavors. 🙂 You can find them in Target, Walmart, ULTA, and drugstores! Here are the ones I really like:

ORGANIX

  1. Urban Decay-$$$

I love, love, love Urban Decay! I own the Naked pallet and the Dangerous pallet. Both of them are absolutely fantastic. I also own their Primer Potion and their 24/7 liner in Zero (black). I love everything I own from them! They are pricey, though, but to me they’re totally worth it. You can find them at ULTA, Sephora, and online. Here are my favorites!

URBANDECAY

  1. Wet N Wild-$

I’ve recently discovered Wet N Wild and love them! They’re shadows are very pigmented, soft, and super affordable. We’re talking $5 for ten full size shadows! Here are my recent favorites:

WETNWILD

So there you have it! My favorite cruelty free brands and products. If you’d like to learn about more companies that are cruelty free, here’s a list!

Have a great day! 🙂

Learn It: The Washington Hair

Happy Thursday! A couple of you asked about my hair in this post so I thought I’d do a quick tutorial! I’ve dubbed it The Washington. Remember swimming in the summer and flipping your hair back like one of those powder wigs? 😛

Enjoy!

NEED:

-Hairspray
-Elastic circular headband

hairtutorial2

ONE: Start with straight or wavy hair.
TWO: Slip elastic headband over all hair and around your head.
THREE: Take a piece of hair from the front of your head.
FOUR: Wrap the hair once around the headband.
FIVE: Continue this all the way down the side.
SIX: Do steps 3-5 on the other side and you’re done!

Finish with some hairspray!

It’s a very easy style and bonus! If you start with wet hair it will curl your hair by the time it dries. Woo! Feel free to sleep on it. It’s not going anywhere. And if some of those hairs decide to pop out during the day (or night) just tuck them right back in place. Messy is in style and this covers well. 😉

Have a good day!

When It Rains

shirt: Target, sweater: ?, pants: Target, shoes: stolen from my sister, necklace: Rue21, umbrella: Target

I gotta say, I didn’t know how I’d feel about having short hair but I love it. Like l-o-v-e it. No more rat nest when I wake up! Though it’s taking me a while to figure out what to do with it. No more blogger top knot or normal pony tail. I can’t wait to see what it looks like a couple of months from now. If I can make myself get a trim every once in a while. (Which I never do.)

Since coming back from vacation I feel like everything just kind of whooshed back into reality and left me in the middle of a hurricane saying, “What!?” I have to sing on recital next week, work on a conducting midterm, practice with my accompanist and somehow start weeding through my research for a history paper due at the end of the semester. After yesterday it all kind of mellowed out since I got some other things out of the way. But sheesh! Now I understand why vacations during school are always better if left to the summer. But you better believe I wouldn’t have given up that beach week for nothin’. Still mourning the loss…