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Monthly Archives: April 2016
Summer is right around the corner so I thought I’d share some of the things I would wear. Included in these outifts are all your summer closet must-haves.
Something more casual. Simple tank, High waisted shorts, Sunglasses, Tan sandals.
Again more casual, maybe a day around the city. Graphic Tee, Boyfriend Jeans, Slip Ons, Backpack.
Fancy(ish). Sundress, Lace Up Sandals, Watch, Neutral Crossbody.
Hope I’ve inspired you in one way or another. Which one’s your fave?
xoxo
Ahhh yes the wonderful world of youtube. Spending five plus hours binge watching makeup tutorials and room tours- don’t worry you are not the only one. No need to be ashamed. If you have yet to binge watch to this extent, below are a few of my absolute favorite beauty gurus to get you started.
- Zoella– If you haven’t heard of Zoe, well let me be the first to say you have been living under a rock. A lovely lady from the UK producing videos from makeup tutorials to hauls to challenges. Highly highly recommend binging on her videos.
- Amanda Steele– At only 16 years old she’s already so successful on youtube as well as in the modeling world. She creates lookbooks, makeup tutorials, hauls, etc. All you need in one simple (yet effective) youtube channel.
- Carli Bybel– This woman is a true makeup goddess. She works wonders with makeup. She gives all types of makeup tutorials (mainly) and a few fashion/hair type videos as well.
- Danielle Mansutti– Dani is the most adorable thing ever. With her Australian charm and amazing makeup skills she is definitely my all time favorite lady on youtube. She posts all the typical beauty guru videos along with vlogs. She even has her own line of false lashes (which I highly recommend)!!!!
- Claudia Sulewski– Based in Los Angeles you already know she’s good at what she does. One thing I love about her is how she is always so happy and energetic in her videos. She too posts all the typical beauty guru videos, but they are still worth the watch.
- Arden Rose– Something I love about Arden is how real her videos are. She isn’t the typical beauty guru- her videos are original and her sense of humor is one of the best. Definitely one of my favorite ladies too. (Plus her and her boyfriend Will are the cutest couple ever).
So there you have it. From these channels you can delve into the beauty realm of youtube and find so many more awesome guys and gals. Happy (binge) watching!
P.S.- feel free to check out my channel as well!
xoxo
In 2016 I have discovered so many new products that I have fallen in love with. Whenever I’m not at home these are my must have products.
To carry all of the contents I have a small pouch I bought from the paper source in Los Angles. Very motivational. (They don’t have it listed online, so here are a few other options. Still very cute.)
Lets start with all of my two face products. The Tarte amazonian clay BB tinted moisturizer (what a mouthful) is a-ma-zing. Plus it has SPF 20 so it’s a win win. It blends so well, and leaves a dewy natural finish. And for when I want even more of a glow, the Benefit Watt’s Up cream highlighter is perfect for that. It can also double as a brow highlight.
Next up- eyes. First off lets talk about mascara- the Benefit Roller Lash is something I have re-purchased several times. It curls your lashes beautifully while also lengthening them making this the perfect all-in-one mascara. Five stars. Another thing I always carry is the Urban Decay Naked Basics palette. It has all the perfect neutral shades for any skin tone and with this palette you can create anything from a very natural look to a dramatic smokey eye. Another urban decay essential is their primer potion. Now I must say it is a bit sticky (which is a good thing) but it can be a bit harder to blend your shadow if you don’t let it sit for a few minutes. Another thing I like to do when using this is set it with a translucent powder which helps the shadows blend easier. Lastly the Ulta store brand makeup remover. I bought this as a backup, not expecting much from it but it has become my absolute favorite eye makeup remover. It isn’t oily at all which is amazing, as I hate oily residue from makeup removers. It’s also cheap and usually there are sales like buy one get one free.
Now onto eyebrows. A few months ago I was binge watching makeup tutorials and almost every beauty guru was using the Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade. I had never heard of it until then and figured I should try it since everyone and their mother was raving about it. Well I have jumped on the bandwagon and almost every eyebrow product I own is Anastasia. The pomade is such great quality and there is so much product in the tiny little thing. But let me warn you- a little goes a very long way! Another vital product is brow gel. There are so many companies that sell clearbrow gels and tinted ones too, I use the Mary Kay clear brow gel though. I could definitely find a better one, but this one does the job. You can even purchase a clear mascara- that does the trick just as well. The last thing I have is the Anastasia Duo Brush #7. A holy grail brow tool.
Lips! I use the Lush Bubblegum Lip Sugar Scrub to plump my lips and straight after, I apply the C.O. Bigelow rose salve which is the ultimate lip moisturizer, and has several different uses. I like to apply a little bit of gloss or tinted balm after, just for a little color. Below I have the bare minerals Marvelous Moxie gloss, which gives your lips a minty fresh feel and isn’t sticky.
Finally all the brushes I carry. I won’t bore you with reviews on every single brush, but basically they are all great. From left to right: Sonia Kashuk Powder Brush, Mary Kay eyeliner/eyebrow Brush (only sold in sets), MAC 217 Blending Brush, EcoTools Full Eyeshadow Brush, Real Techniques Sculpting brush, Mary Kay Eye Smudger Brush, Sonia Kashuk Large Crease Brush, EcoTools Petite Eye Shading Brush (only sold in a set), and of course the original Beauty Blender.
If you have made it to the end I applaud you. This was quite the lengthy post, but I wanted to share it all with you. I hope I have helped you in one way or another. Questions? Comments? Leave ’em below!
xoxo
Recently I have tried my absolute best to not buy anything tested on animals whether this be a makeup brand, cleaning product brand, hair care brand etc. I had an english project that required research in the animal rights field and through this research I saw all of the terrible things these lab animals go through against their will. I suggest you take a look at some of the statistics and photos of these lab animals and hopefully you too will stop supporting this crime against animals.
You might be wondering, “How else are we supposed to know if something is safe for our use or consumption?”. Well, through more research I found other ways to test the safety of a product. One way that has proved successful is testing products on artificial human cells and skin created in state-of-the-art science labs (also known as In-Vitro testing). Through this type of testing it has made disease research, toxicity testing, testing the safety of chemicals in cosmetics, etc. all much easier and has been less expensive and more humane than using an animal as a test subject.
Another method that has been proven more efficient is research with human volunteers. The method of “microdosing” is used where an extremely small amount of a certain drug is administered to the volunteer and the body is monitored to see how the drug reacts through imaging. This has helped eliminate certain drugs without the use of any animals.
Drugs can be tested through the use of computer programs that have been created recenlty to predict how the body will react to these drugs. Certain computer programs can also provide models and simulations.
There are so many benefits to non-animal testing besides the obvious. First off, animal tests are not always effective- something that may not harm the animal can easily harm a human or even be deadly. Second, non-animal tests are more cost efficient. Lastly, cruelty-free products are not only better for the sake of animals, but for the sake of the earth too- the process in creating something cruelty-free creates less waste for the earth and also is usually more organic and contains less chemicals.
So, saying all this I have put together a list of a few brands that are 100 percent cruelty free. There are plenty of other lists out there that go into much more detail about the specifics of these brands and include more brands, but these are the most common brands I see and use daily.
Cosmetics
- Anastasia Beverly Hills
- The Balm Cosmetics
- BellaPierre
- Benefit Cosmetics
- Beauty Blender (Only sponges and cleansers)
- BH cosmetics
- Bite Beauty
- The Body Shop
- Burt’s Bees (owned by clorox who is not cruelty-free)
- Carmex
- Charlotte Tilbury
- ColourPop Cosmetics
- Dermalogica
- Eco Tools
- ELF cosmetics
- First Aid Beauty
- Hard Candy
- Illamasqua
- Inglot
- Jordana
- Josie Maran Cosmetics
- Jane Cosmetics
- Kat Von D
- Kylie Cosmetics
- Lime Crime
- Lush
- Makeup Geek
- Milani
- NARS
- NYX Cosmetics
- Ofra Cosmetics
- Pacifica
- Physician’s Formula
- Pixi
- Pure+Simple
- Sigma
- Soap & Glory
- Softlips
- Sonia Kashuk
- Sugarpill Cosmetics
- Too Faced
- Urban Decay
- Ulta Collection (store brand)
- Wet n Wild
- Yes to (Carrots, Cucumbers, Grapes…)
Hair Care
- Dry Bar
- John Masters Organics
- Kevin Murphy
- Manic Panic
- Moroccanoil
- Oribe
- Paul Mitchell
- Wen
Nails
- Butter London
- Deborah Lippmann
- China Glaze
- Julep
- Zoya
House Hold Products
- Better Life
- Biokleen
- Clean Via
- Dropps
- Earth Friendly Products
- Martha Stewart Clean
- Method Products
- Mountain Green
- Mrs. Myers Clean Day
- Trader Joe’s Company
- Ecostore
So next time you are out shopping refer back to this list, or just google it. But please, try to the best of your abilities to go cruelty-free (:
xoxo
Sources:
http://www.neavs.org/alternatives/in-testing
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/338051515760523991/
This is something I have struggled with for a long time. I must say, I have improved the past three years, since my move to California, but there’s still a ways to go. I accomplished this level of confidence through the people I surrounded myself with- positive, never putting each other down. That’s the key to confidence, as well as happiness. Saying those things, confidence also has to come from within. I heard a quote once, “Confidence is not walking into a room and putting others down to make myself feel better, it is about walking into a room with my head high, not caring what others think.” or something along the lines of that. I go by this quote daily. Confidence can be mistaken for arrogance a lot, which is explained in the first part of the quote. We need to realize the true meaning of confidence, before you can actually understand how to attain it. I was scrolling through tumblr and came upon this gem:
“How to Fake Confidence”
1. Hold your head high, and look others in the eye
2. Smile
3. Stop apologizing
4. Relax and be quick to laugh at yourself (but not at others!)
5. Dress in a way that indicates you have self worth
6. Use good manners (like saying please and thank you) as this is actually
a mark of self respect
7. Expect other people to believe in you, and to see and appreciate your
good qualities.
8. Before you know it, it’s no longer fake
This post seriously helped me understand what confidence was and how to obtain it, and I hope it will help you as well.
xoxo
Reading is one of the most relaxing activities while also a learning experience. Books have taught me some of the most important lessons yet. I have read tons and tons of books in the past few years, and I wanted to share with you some of my favorites so you can enjoy them as well.
- Boy Meets Boy- David Levithan
- The Fifth Wave (series)- Rick Yancey
- I’ll Give You The Sun- Jandy Nelson
- Everything Everything- Nicola Yoon
- The Glass Castle- Jeanette Walls
- Fangirl- Rainbow Rowell
- All The Bright Places- Jennifer Niven
- Night- Elie Wiesel
- Lauren Conrad Beauty (self help type of book)
Now a lot of these are young adult/romances, but if you have some free time they are most definitely worth the read. I also have a few books and series that I want to read and have heard great things about, so I’ll share those too.
- The Heart Goes Last- Margaret Atwood
- The Sweet Trilogy- Wendy Higgins
- In the Woods- Tana French
- The Passage- Justin Cronin
- Into the Wild- Jon Krakauer
- Girl, Interrupted- Susanna Kaysen
- Letter to My Daughter- Maya Angelou
Happy reading.
xoxo
Welcome to my site. Here I’ll be talking about everything from beauty tips to relaxation methods to lists of my favorite books. Stay tuned. (Visit the “About Me” page to have a look into who I am.)
xoxo