Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Back to School: Survival Guide for Freshman~!

Hey Guys~!

and welcome to my third back to school series post. To see my makeup starter kit or my must haves for school, click on either of the links. 

 
Today though I'm going to giving advice for freshman. Going from middle school to high school can seem terrifying to some. People always assume their years in high school are going to be like their favorite TV show. High school's nothing like that. 

High school is a free place where you can express yourself and be who ever you want. You get to choose your classes, meet new people, and you get to have fun. 

But there are some things you really shouldn't do. . .
And I mean it. Don't do ANY of the things I have underlined below. 

1.) Just because you don't have a class with your best friend, you switch classes

NO. Don't do this. All it does is screw up your schedule and depending on if you have to move to an honors class or a standard class can mess you up. Every teacher is different and by possibly getting a different one, you could end up not liking him or her and you'll be stuck with them. Even if your best friend is there, she could make friends in her class too. You're not your best friend's pet, you don't need to be in every single class with her. 

2.) Pick what electives your friends are picking

This may seem difficult to do, but trust me, you'll make a ton of friends this way. If you like drawing and all your friends pick orchestra,  take drawing. You don't want your electives to be things you don't enjoy. They're supposed to be a break for you. Also by taking a class with a subject you like, you'll find people with similar interests as you. Then you can make more friends.

3.) Acting fake

This may sound harsh in some ways, but by pretending to be a slut, nerd, jock, or anything you aren't will give you some problems. For example if you've never dated a guy and you dress like a slut, you will get A LOT of perverted comments and unwanted flirting by really gross people. Also by acting fake, you are suppressing who you really are. If you like reading and you pretend to be stupid, then you aren't really experiencing high school. Like I said before, high school is a place where you should feel free and express yourself.

4.) If your friends are doing something, (drugs, alcohol, smoking, etc.) you should do it too

If one of your friends tells you to do take a smoke, don't do it. First of all you don't know where he or she got the cigarettes from. Second if they tell you it'll make you cool and popular, it's not gonna. It just makes your breath stink and no one, but your smoking buddies will want to talk to you. Don't let your friends peer pressure you into something you don't feel comfortable doing. They'll do anything to convince you, but just don't listen to them. If they tell you if you don't smoke then they won't be friends with you, then they weren't your real friends.

Here are some things you SHOULD do . . .

1.) Get involved in either a sports team, club, or school play

Doing any extra curricular activity will help you meet new people. If it's with a group of people you'll meet people with similar interests. When picking an activity pick either something you like/ you're good at or try something new. If you like soccer, try out for the team. If you like singing, join choir. 

2.) Try to make one friend in each of your classes

This can be hard for some people and you may feel like you're not friends with anyone, but put the effort in and give it a try. By making that one friend you'll be excited to go to that class.  Also they could help you become friends with other people in your class. 

3.) Keep organized

I'll admit I have problems with organization. But keeping everything organized will benefit you. Use either folders or binders to organize the materials from each of your classes. Something I did that helps is have a folder for homework. If I had to complete a packet or worksheet for homework, I'd keep it in the folder so I wouldn't have to take all my binders home. Also always make sure to have a planner or agenda book. My school sells them, but I bought my own. Using something like this to write down your assignments, tests and projects will help you keep track of everything.

4.) Have Fun~!

In high school you have more freedom. Don't abuse it, but enjoy it. You have a say in your classes, you have new people to meet. You can be who you want to be and find other people like you. It does seem scary at first and you may feel alone. But remember, even if they don't say or show it, everyone is nervous on their first day.



I hope these tips were useful and good luck in your first year of high school~!

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Rilakkuma Nail Art Tutorial~!

Hey Guys~!

I hope you're excited cause I have a nail art tutorial for you. This tutorial is inspired by Rilakkuma. If you don't know who that is, basically he's a cute bear made by San X. I love Rilakkuma, I even have a Rilakkuma hat.




Anyways for this tutorial you'll need. . .

Base Coat

 
A brown, tan, or orangey brown nail polish

 
 Any nail polish color of choice

 
 A black nail polish

 
 A white nail polish

 
 Top Coat or Clear Nail Polish

 
 A dotting tool or a pin



Gather up all those polishes and let's get started (>w<)


First paint you nails with a base coat. I'm using Revlon Calcium Gel Nail Hardener. Using a base coat will help prevent the polish from staining your nails. Wait for your base coat to dry completely before continuing. 


Paint your ring finger in a brown polish and the rest of your nails whatever color you want. For my brownish orange color I'm using Life Preserver by China Glaze and for my color of choice I'm using Bikini so Teeny by Essie. It's a pretty blue color. Apply 2-3 coats of each color, so it's opaque and wait for it dry in between coats. 


With your dotting tool, make an oval with the white polish in the middle of your nail. The white polish I'm using came in a french manicure kit by Sally Hansen, but really any white nail polish will do. My dotting tool is from Sally's Beauty Supplies.


While that's drying make dots on your other nail with the same white polish. The dot's don't have to be organized like how I made mine. You can really do any sized dots in any pattern you want. I just did mine like this because I think it looks cleaner.


Once the white oval is dry take your dotting tool, clean your dotting tool before changing colors, and dip it into the black polish. The polish I'm using is a nail art polish from Milani. It has a thin brush, making nail art designs easier to make. Make two dots on the side of the white oval and one dot on the white oval like this. 


With your dotting tool or your nail polish brush, draw two diagonal lines from the bottom of the nose. These two lines will create his mouth.


 When everything is dry, apply either your top coat or clear nail polish of choice. 

And that's it, we're done~!


 I hope you guys enjoyed this nail art look and comment with any other nail tutorial ideas. See you at my next post xo














Vacation Haul~! (Clothes and Makeup)

Hey Guys~!

I got back for vacation a few days ago and I did some shopping at an outlet store, CVS, and TJmaxx. So I'm going to show you guys what I got. As I disclaimer I am not trying to brag at all. With all that said, let's get into the haul~!


So I went to an outlet store, if I remember correctly it's called Bass. I went to get a new pair of ballet flats, but I got a few more things too. The flats I got are black with little bows on them. They are super comfortable and they were 75% off (the outlet was having a HUGE sale).

I've wanted a pair of these for a long time, but everyone I'd tried on was too big. But I found a pair I liked, and it was also on sale :) I GOT MOCCASINS~! They are chestnut colored with brown laces.  What I really like about them, besides the fact they are extremely comfortable, is the floral print inside. It has red, blue, and pink flowers which look super cute. I know when I'm wearing them no one is gonna see the print, but I still like them. 


The last thing I got from the outlet was this watch. I've wanted this style of watch for a while and I'm so excited to wear this. The band is fake brown leather with gold studs. The numbers are roman numerals, so I'm going to have to get used to it.

I hadn't planed to go to CVS over my vacation to buy makeup, since I thought I packed everything I needed. But I had a few problems since I forgot some things and some things broke. 


I somehow forgot a lip balm, so I got the new Baby Lips in the shade, Strike a Rose. I didn't think it would be as pigmented as it was. I love the color and I can't wait to try more of the new Baby Lips. 


My E.L.F. eyelash curler broke and I couldn't find a Target to buy another one at, so I got this one by TRIM. I have tried this lash curler before and I really like it. I hate weak eyelash curlers and this one works great for my lashes. 


I didn't bring any nail polish, so I kind of wanted to buy a cheap one. I check a few brands but I didn't like most of the colors. I found one I liked though and it's by Wet and Wild. This is one of their fast dry nail polishes and it's in the color How I Met Your Magenta. It's a girly bubblegum pink with flecks of gold that aren't too noticeable on your nails. I put this on my nails last Wednesday while I was on vacation and it's still lasting pretty well on my nails. My only problem with this was the color was super sheer, so I had to build it up. 

Last place I shopped at was TJmaxx. I wasn't planning on buying a lot, but I kind of did. . . 


First thing I got was this dress. It's from the company Soprano. This dress is a deep midnight blue with very thin horizontal black stripes. The dress is form fitting and extenuates all the right places. What I love about this dress more than anything is the back. I don't know what this type of back is called but it looks like a bow and I ♥ bows. I'm not sure what I'm going to wear this dress to, but I don't have a lot of fall/winter dresses. 


To go with the dress, I got this black cardigan like shrug. It's from the company Olive and Oak and I love how light it feels. It has see through horizontal stripes which blend it and the dress together and I like how it looks as an ensemble. 


I'm short, okay. My whole life I've been short, so when I saw these I knew I had to get them. These are wedge heeled sneakers!!!!!! I've wanted a pair for so long, but they're always super expensive.  I got these half price and I can't wait to wear them. I've tried them on and I noticed that they not only make me taller, but make my feet look even smaller. I'm probably going to wear them like everyday of school XD



Last thing in the haul is this bag. I've wanted a Betsy Johnson handbag for a while now. Every time I find one I like it's over my budget. However I saw this one and died over it. It's a minty turquoise color with black and gold detailing. The print on the bag has hearts, gold chains, birds and flowers. The design is called, Key to my Heart. I love the pattern on the inside too. It's a warm burgundy purple with lighter purple lips and roses. This bag is nothing like any other bag I own and I absolutely love it. 

I hope you guys enjoyed my haul and comment with what your favorite item was in the haul. See you in my next post xo

Monday, August 26, 2013

Back to School Series: Must Haves for Your School Bag~!

Hey Guys~!

So here's my second post in my back to school series. If you want to see the previous back to school post click here. Today I'll be sharing my must haves for school, not including phone or keys, and just so you know not all are beauty related. These are all the things I make sure I have in my bag before going to school. So with that let's get started >.<



First thing I can never be without in school is a pack of gum. I like to have either spearmint or fruity gum and I keep it at easy access. Personally I like either Trident or Orbit gum, but you should always have gum or some other breath freshening item with you. If your school doesn't allow gum, bring some breath mints that your can chew on instead. You can get these tiny packs of gum for less than a dollar and they're great to hide in your pocket.



No matter what the season is, I always have chapped lips. So I try to bring some type of lip balm to school and I usually keep it in my pencil case so it's easy to find. Some of the lip balms I like are Maybelline Baby Lips (duh), LypSyl, and EOS. The Baby Lips is #10 Peppermint, the LypSyl just comes in one flavor, and my EOS is Summer Fruit. All of these can be bought at a local drugstore or Target and aren't too expensive.





This may just be me, but I hate having to use the water fountains in school. At my school they're either broken or gross looking. So I try to keep a water bottle with me. It doesn't matter if you bring a metal bottle or plastic one, you should always have water with you. If I'm not having water, I bring tea in a metal bottle so it stays warm. I like doing this either when it's cold or if I have a sore throat.




If you have any skin type and you're wearing makeup, it's always good just to have a powder compact or oil bloating sheets with you, especially if it's hot where you live or if you have oily skin. No one wants to look all shiny face, so if you need to just go into the bathroom and use your powder/oil sheets. Don't touch up your makeup during class, cause it just looks weird.




Having either hand wipes or hand sanitizer is a great thing to have in your school bag. There are a ton on germs in a school and it's good to clean your hands in some way before eating. This is the hand sanitizer I like from Bath and Body Works in the scent Wild berry.  You can buy these tiny hand sanitizers for around a dollar, I think, and they last a long time.





In my school, we can listen to music so I like to bring my headphones and mp3 to school. My IPod broke so now I have a MP3, deal with it. Anyways my headphones are from Philips and if you want them here's a link, to them on Amazon. I like listening to music in my art class personally and I like listening to music while walking to school and when I'm walking home.






When I have a free block, I like to go off campus to go either to Starbucks or anywhere really. So I always like to keep some cash with me. I never take more than $15.00 to school, just in case it gets stolen. Also my school has a school store so with the money I can purchase a snack in between classes. 





Another product I think is great to have in school is either a mini body spray or roll on perfume. After gym class, you may want to freshen up and using a body spray/perfume along with a deodorant will help you smell great. This body spray I like is from Bath and Body Works in the scent Venice Dolce Berry.  My favorite perfume is Coach Poppy and you can get this roller ball one from Sephora with Poppy and Poppy Flower. I'll keep either of these in a separate bag, away from my binders and notebooks in case it somehow leaks.



If you don't want to take a spray or perfume, a scented lotion works too. I have a mini Paris Amour from Bath and Body Works that I take to school with me. It's not only great and making you smell nice, but if you get dry hands this will moisturize them.

I hope this list of must haves was helpful for you guys and comment with your must haves for school. See you guys at my next post xo~!



Saturday, August 24, 2013

YesTo Cucumbers Soothing Facial Towelettes Review~!

Hey Guys~!

I have horrible skin over the summer. It's oily, dry, acne covered and I HATE IT! I'll try anything to fix my skin, especially when it's irritated. My cheeks are naturally red and if I have irritated skin that day, I look like a tomato.

Towards the beginning of the month, I went to Target non-stop to find a face wipe or something that would remove my makeup, oils, and dirt from my face without making my skin look and feel worse. After a lot of searching and testing, I found my skin's new best friend. It's name is YesTo Cucumbers Facial Towelettes.


They come in a durable plastic-like bag that's bright green with pale cucumber slices on it. All of the information necessary before and after purchasing in easy to find such as the ingredients list and the directions. 


These wipes claim to be cleanse the skin, remove makeup, and nourish skin. It contains cucumber, aloe, and green tea extracts which are all ingredients to smooth skin's texture. Also the extracts used are completely organic.

The wipe itself is soft to the touch and looks like a typical face wipe.


It removes my B.B. cream, concealer, powder, cream eye shadow with ease. However it doesn't completely remove my waterproof mascara. My skin after using these wipes feels smoother and it's less red.

I totally recommend this wipes over other drugstore wipes. These preform how they claim to preform and the results are great. Some of you may be saying to yourselves, 'But what about the Neutrogena ones?' Well those broke me out and I tried the sensitive skin ones.  

However they are more expensive then some others. On the Target website they are $5.99 and around $6.99 in the store for a pack of 30 wipes. The Pond's wipes which I used to use are $4.69 for 30 wipes on the Target website. Also they are natural, so if you want a non-chemical option these wipes are great for you. 

I've taken these wipes on trips and they're great for travel because the packaging isn't bulky and massive. Also you can buy travel sized packs too.

Overall these are my favorite makeup wipes and I plan to try more from YesTo.

Material: ♥♥♥♥♥
Cleanser Formula: ♥♥♥♥
Price: ♥♥♥♥♥

I hope this review was helpful and comment with any other ideas for reviews~!

Back to School Series: Drugstore Makeup Starter Kit~!

Hey Guys

and welcome to my back to school series~!


I decided to start this series with a makeup starter kit to help you guys who either can wear makeup to school now or have decided to start wearing makeup and don't know where to start. All of the products I'm going to be featuring in this post you can get at the drugstore. So with that out of the way, let's get started~!


Face

If you have practically flawless skin, I don't think you really need to wear a ton of makeup on your face. If you want coverage, get a tinted moisturizer or a B.B. Cream. I have two B.B. Cream Reviews you can look at if you're searching for one.

But for everyone else if you want to cover acne, redness, or any other imperfections, these drugstore products are great to try out.

Foundation


For school I don't like to have a heavy feeling face, so I like to keep my makeup light. A great foundation for school I think is Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation and I'm in the shade #110 Ivory. It has medium coverage and could be possibly built up to full coverage. It has SPF 20 so you don't have to apply a separate sunscreen. It feels very light on the skin, like you have nothing on your face. 













Concealer

I've already talked about this concealer before in my Top 5 Concealers post. If you want more information about it, read that post. During the school year I'm ALWAYS tired, so I like to have a concealer that covers my dark circles. This concealer by Physicians Formula has a yellow concealer, which cancels out the blue tones in dark circles, and a skin tone concealer, which I use to cover acne. Like the foundation, this concealer also feels light which I prefer for school. 

















Powder

I have combination skin, so I have to set my T-zone with powder. I love Rimmel Stay Matte, but it isn't portable so I can't use it to touch up in school when I look like an shiny mess. A great powder with a mirror and an applicator is the L'Oreal True Match Powder. I'm in the shade N1 Soft Ivory. It has a light coverage with a matte finish and a large shade selection. It's in a durable plastic compact which it great to carry in your bag and you don't have to worry about it cracking.













Blush

I don't think blush is necessary for school and I usually don't wear it. But my favorite drugstore blush is Candid Coral by E.L.F. This blush is from the E.L.F. Studio Line and it's a coral-peachy color with flecks of gold shimmer, which brightens up the face and gives a natural, youthful glow. If I'm wearing a blush to school, I wear this one and it has great pigmentation. 




 













Eyes

Everyone has there own opinion on eye makeup. What one person may like, you could hate. So what I'm saying is what I like, could be completely different than what you like. You don't have to change your look so you match mine. Do whatever you want.

Anyways for school I like very natural eye makeup, so I use neutral shadows that compliment my eye color and shape. If your eyes aren't like mine, you can still use these products. But know that this is what I like and I think works on me.

Eye Lid Primer 

 



This isn't necessary for everyone, but for people with oily eye lids who want their makeup to last a primer will help. This one from E.L.F. is great and it's only a dollar?!?! It conceals veins on your lids too and helps shadows stay on. The one I like is in the shade Sheer cause it blends perfectly into my skin tone.



















Eye Shadow

I have two drugstore eye shadow palettes I think are great for school. One is a duo from Maybelline and it's in the color #65 Dusk. This duo comes with a shell pink and a taupe. The pink has a shiny, opal-like, finish and the taupe has tiny flecks of shimmer, which are barely noticeable. If I'm wearing this, I put the pink on my lids and lightly buff the brown into the crease. These two shadows create a quick and easy natural eye look that is wearable for everyday.

 













The other drugstore eye shadow palette I like is by Revlon and its the Revlon Custom Eyes Kit in the shade #10 Sweet Innocence. This palette comes with five eye shadows; a cool-undertone brown, warm peach, cream, natural violet, and a pale pink. These shadows feel soft to the touch and apply nicely. If I'm wearing this palette I either just put the cream color all over my lid up to the brow bone or I wear the peach on my lid, brown in my crease, and a tiny amount of the purple in my outer V.











Eye Liner

I line my water line and tight line sometimes. For both I use Rimmel Scandaleyes liners. For my water line I use the color #5 Nude. It is a peach liner that cancels out the redness on the waterline, making the eyes look brighter and more awake. I used to line my waterline with a white liner, but I prefer this instead for everyday because it's more natural looking.

For my tight line I use #4 Taupe. It's, as the name states, taupe and I love it because it looks more natural than a dark brown or a black. It helps my lashes look thicker and I've also used this for my waterline too. Both of these liners and well pigmented, creamy, and waterproof so they'll last on your eyes.








Mascara

I like thick, long lashes and The Rocket by Maybelline does that. This is one of my favorite mascaras I've tried and if you build it up, your lashes will look longer and thicker. I have mine in the color Blackest Black, I think. The spiky rubber bristles on the wand get all of my lashes and coats them evenly. However if you're going to build it up, don't wait in between coats or else the mascara will get dry and clump your lashes together.

Lips

 I have two lip products I recommend for school. Of course you could try other shades, but these are ones I feel look natural on me.


You guys should've seen this one coming, I made a whole post about my collection of them. If you haven't read that post, I LOVE MAYBELLINE BABY LIPS~! The shade I recommend for school is #30 Peach Kiss. It's a natural peachy color and it moisturizes the lips. I usually use this as my chap stick in school and because the color is so natural you don't need to look in a mirror to apply it. 











 

Another great lip product are the Revlon Lip Butters. They are super moisturizing, but not as moisturizing as the Baby Lips. I just use these for the color. The shade that looks most natural on me is #25 Peach Parfait. (I now just realized both products I like both have 'Peach' in the name. . . ) It applies smoothly and I like the color and how it looks on my lips. 















And there you have it, my drugstore makeup starter kit. If you guys want a tutorial of me using the products, comment on this post. I hope you guys found this helpful and talk to you guys later xo