Perfect Summer Dewey Skin

Hey guys!

So obvi summer is fully with us today. Ive been sweating more than a sinner in church. To quote my grandmother. (thx Nana) Anyway, now is the perfect time to rock some dewey, glowy, delicious skin. Not only is it super season appropriate- it compliments a nice tan soo well, or if you're me and don't tan ever, you can create a nice warm summer glow over your sunburn. But also, a more natural finish to the skin is much easier to maintain during the hotter months, its much less likely to slip or crease or break up on your skin. 

Ive found some great products, most of them from the drugstore, that make for the perfect summer dewey skin!

Ive talked about this before,  but the L'Oreal Magic LUMI line is PERFECT for a dewey skin finish. The Magic LUMI light finishing primer is BOMB. It can also be used as a highlighter as well if that gives you an idea of how just how crazy luminous and highlighting this thing is. Its kind of scary actually. The foundation from the Magic LUMI is amazing as well. Of course its a very dewey finish and it has sheer to medium coverage. Their eye primer is also amazing- it covers all of my veins and imperfections etc. on my eye lids while brightening the eye area and not being too  matte or cakey. Yaass for Magic LUMI.

Another really great primer that has stood out to me for dewey skin is the NYX Honey Dew Me Up primer. It has honey, which is a natural antiseptic, gold flakes to "increase skins radiance", and collagen for smoother skin. Now I'll just go ahead and say that the gold flakes thing is slightly a little bit bullshit. It does contain gold flakes, but they themselves do seemingly nothing to increase skin radiance. However, I will say that this primer is EXTREMELY moisturizing. Its formulation is much like a serum, very liquidy and water based. I wouldn't recommend this product for oily skin types. But if you are combination to dry, this primer is great for a dewey skin finish. This, applied after a moisturizer, will provide all the moisture your skin will need to glow. It is a little bit pricey, I purchased it because it seemed like an amazing idea. I honestly wouldn't repurchase at this point because of how pricey it is and how gimmicky the gold thing was- a great primer for dewey skin, but perhaps not worth the money. But definitely give it a shot if you're feeling ~*glam*~.

One of the most important and iconic aspect of the dewey glowing look is of course the highlight. Applied to the high planes of the cheekbones, a great highlight can bring light to the skin and accent the cheekbones. Becca highlighter in Moonstone IS that great highlight. This is the first Becca product I've tried, and after trying Moonstone, I can't wait to try more. They have several different shades of highlight, Opal is the most similar, but this one worked the best with my very pale skin. It is soo finely milled and not shimmery or chunky- it gives you that true glowing from within look. 

Revlon Highlighting Pallet is also a great highlight and drugstore alternative, though it serves as more of a highlighter and blush for me rather than just a highlight because of its pink strips of pigment. But you can always just isolate your brush on the highlight section. I picked this up because it reminded me of how the Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick looks, which is a really popular product nowadays and for good reason. This one is not quite as shimmery looking as the BB though. But still a good highlight or blush for my skin tone. :)

I also really love the NYX Liquid Illuminator. The pinker shade is wonderful. I think the LUMI line has a few comparable liquid illuminators and they have a bronze one, a pink, and an opal. But I tried the NYX one first and I love it. I don't really use it on top of my foundation, although you can. I find that its not as easily bendable when applied that way. I usually apply it before foundation on my highlight areas or mix it in with my foundation to give my skin an all over glow. Its BEAUTIFUL no matter what, though.

So there you have it! Summer dewey skin! Pair this with a nice tan, and some bright nail polish and you're good to go for summer.
Thanks for reading! Y'all stay out of this heat now!

XOXO

Anxiety.

Hey guys!

So first I guess I'll just say that this is kind of a weird/difficult thing to write about. I love makeup and beauty and food, and so I love writing about those things because ~duh~, but I also want this to be a space for me to write about things that are a little bit different than that. And I think that's important, not just for me and the people that know me, but also for anyone who might be reading this that shares any of my experiences. 

So,
I have anxiety. 

Now, theres a lot of confusion as to what that actually means. A lot of people use the term "anxiety" kind of like they use the word "depression"- as a way to refer to fleeting feelings of discomfort or sadness. Feeling anxious and having Anxiety with a capital A are two very different things. Anxiety is not fleeting- it is present for extended amounts of time, or almost all times. For the most part, it cannot be controlled.  That being said, Anxiety can also be triggered or experienced more often in certain situations or in response to certain stimuli. For instance, in addition to Generalized Anxiety, I have whats often referred to as Social Anxiety, or anxiety associated with social interactions and the concern of being judged by or embarrassed in front of others. There are other specific kinds of Anxiety- separation anxiety, PTSD, panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, and other more specific situational anxieties all fall under the Anxiety Disorder umbrella. Im not going to go into these because I don't experience them so I can't speak to what they are like, but knowing that every person with Anxiety is different is essential to understanding the person and the nature of the disorder itself. 

Another important thing to note is that anxiety in and of itself is not a bad thing. We as humans are meant to have anxiety to identify danger, motivate us to work towards our goals, and keep us safe. It is when "anxiety" becomes "Anxiety" that there is a problem. Anxiety is thought to be a chemical imbalance within the brain, causing unusually high amounts of anxiety feelings and other side effects. Anxiety is a natural human reaction, but for people with Anxiety, its an involuntary and disproportional reaction to whats happening around them. A solid Google search will put a lot of Anxiety information at your finger tips. 

Now that you know a little bit more about Anxiety itself (maybe you knew it already), Ill tell you a little bit about my personal experiences and why I think its important to talk about it. 

I have only recently come to terms with my own Anxiety and accepted it. I did not realize that it was a part of me until extremely recently, which seems ridiculous now, looking back, because I can see it so clearly in myself, even in my childhood. Its easiest for me, and I think probably it will be easiest to read if I do this in kind of a question and answer format. (Please remember- this is only my personal experience, and I cannot speak for everyone with Anxiety)

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1. Why is Anxiety important to talk about?
The hardest part about Anxiety, at least for me, was that it can be almost invisible to everyone but yourself. I have only had one anxiety attack (and it wasn't the rocking back and forth unable to breathe kind of attack thats often seen in Anxiety portrayals in media- although those do happen to some people with Anxiety, not all Anxiety attacks occur that way), and my nervous tick of picking at my lip is my only outward manifestations of my Anxiety. The rest is silent to everyone but me. Being alone in your anxiety is an extremely isolating experience- you think you're crazy, messed up, boring, lame, and broken. So I think it is important to talk about Anxiety in all its forms so that people can relate, understand themselves more, and most importantly not feel alone.

2. What causes Anxiety?
Anxiety education through conversation is also important because so many people misunderstand the disorder. For instance, its important to understand that Anxiety is not a character flaw- its partly caused by genetics and partly due to environmental factors. Also, women are diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder more often than men are. My mother I believe has Anxious tendencies, as well as my father. I may have inherited these tendencies genetically, but I also of course was influenced by my parents and their tendencies as I was growing up. Anxiety can be caused by many different factors all at play at once.

3. How did you come to realize that you had Anxiety?

Growing up, I always felt like I was a walking contradiction. I am a very hopeful and upbeat person for the most part, but my Anxiety filled me with dread and unidentifiable worry that was constant. I love people, but  Social Anxiety makes me want to avoid a lot of social situations. These contradictions not only made for a winding road to realizing my Anxiety, but also made it really difficult to talk to friends or family about during the initial stages of my realization. My friends would see how easily I was able to converse with them and people I was comfortable around and say, "No way! Theres no way you have Social Anxiety! You have great people skills!" What they didn't know is that my stomach turns every time I attend a party and keeps turning until I feel comfortable in the space, which is not often. What they didn't see is me spending 10 minutes mentally preparing myself  to call the doctors office to set up an appointment before hanging up 3 times. Or how I replay awkward social interactions in my head over and over again obsessively even years after they've happened, and still feel the hot teary embarrassment I did when it actually occurred. Or the days that I am just unable to spend much time outside of my room because social interaction just seems too exhausting. 

I always knew I was "weird" or "different". When I was a child, I had a very intense fear of the dark. I would literally go to bed with a pot and a stick to hit in the event of emergency, and I would silently cry myself to sleep every night. I didn't have friends in elementary school or middle school for the most part, not because I didn't want them, but because I never felt comfortable. I didn't have sleep overs. I didn't join clubs.  I never felt normal or like I was like other kids.
It was only once I started college and began reading feminist and other inclusive literature that I realized Anxiety was even a thing and that it sounded a lot like what I had felt my entire life. I started to realize that I wasn't just "messed up" or "weird", but that what I was feeling and going through was ok, and if not normal, it was at least shared by other people.

4. What does Anxiety feel like?
The best way I can describe the feeling of constant Anxiety is a mix between dread, guilt, and impending doom. As melodramatic as those sound, its really quite accurate, at least for me. Dread because I always feel like something bad is going to happen and its my fault, guilt because I am constantly questioning myself and thinking that I have done everything wrong, and impending doom because at times it feels like there is no escape from my feelings or from the vague "bad things" that are going to happen. These are very vague for the most part- there is no certain "bad thing" thats going to happen in particular, at least not for me. These feelings also vary in their intensity- most of the time they're just a humming under the surface of my day to day thoughts. Other times like during a Anxiety attack or a bout of severe Anxiety, they are very intense. During these times, they tend to take over my mind and prevent me from functioning normally or thinking of other things.

As I read in an article for the New York Times once, "Anxiety is not fear, exactly, because fear is focused on something right in front of you, a real and objective danger. It is instead a kind of fear gone wild, a generalized sense of dread about something out there that seems menacing - but that in truth is not menacing, and may not even be out there. If you're anxious, you find it difficult to talk yourself out of this foreboding; you become trapped in an endless loop of what ifs." 

5. How do you deal with your Anxiety?
Now that I am aware of it, it usually really helps for me to remember that it is separate from myself. I am not my anxiety, as it were. During bouts of intense Anxious feelings, it helps to know that it is my Anxiety acting up, rather than think that I myself am spinning out of control. Separating my Anxiety from myself during these times is rather like stepping off a roller coaster- it is still going at its dizzying pace, but you can watch it finish from a safe distance rather than be forced to participate. That has been extremely helpful to me, which is why I think it is so important to talk about Anxiety, so that others can identify that part of themselves as well and chose to step off of their own roller coasters if they need to.

Anxiety effects me in other ways besides just intense Anxiety times as well. For instance, Anxiety makes me usually unable to get to sleep or sleep well because my mind is still worrying about.. well, everything. Anxiety can also cause stomach problems, nervous habits, depression, headaches, and an inability to focus on tasks for very long. It can also negatively impact your relationships with other people. I experience all of these from time to time. Dealing with Anxiety and its many ways of effecting you is a personal and very complex process that is dependent on what issues you deal with yourself. I could definitely share some of the ways I personally deal with my Anxiety more specifically in another post if anyone would be interested!

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If you've gotten this far, congratulations you've made it to the end of the longest blog post ever. I hope that maybe just one of my readers might have found this helpful in any way. And please feel free to ask any questions, or talk to me personally about anything you might be going through with Anxiety or other things!
Thank you so much for reading!

XOXO

Sinful Makeup Haul

 Hey guys!

So I've been a little naughty... and I kind of did a little shopping. Oops. Although I felt as though it was a little justified. Because what makeup lover doesn't have the original Naked palette right now, amiright?! Well, however justified or not it was, it happened and here we are. Im caught up with the makeup world and also have a lot of awesome products to share with you. So its fine. 

Anastasia Beverly Hills contour palette, the original Naked palette, Rosebud Perfume Co. Rose & Mandarin Lip Balm,  Giorgio Armani Si rollerball, L'Oreal Color Riche Exclusive Collection lipsticks in Jennifer's Nude, Eva's Nude, Zoe's Red, L'Oreal Color Riche Lipcolor in Brass Coin and Spice. 

I went into Sephora with a clear goal, and I only deviated slightly, which Im pretty proud of. I researched and researched the Naked palette, trying to see if it was worth the hype, or if it was the high end neutral palette that I wanted to invest in. I was looking at the Too Faced Chocolate Bar palettes as well, but they just didn't wow me like the Naked palettes colors did. Also they had a random bright in there- a Purple in the Dark Chocolate palette I believe and a blue in the Milk Chocolate. And I knew I would never ever use those- probably not even at parties. Im just a neutral eye kinda girl. And with blue eyes, I feel like its more difficult to pull of brights like that. But maybe thats just me. 

In comparing the Naked palettes, I decided on the original because it had the most warm gold/brown shades. I think those look best with blue eyes- the orange-ish tones in browns and golds complement blue. It also has a deep black and beautiful grey, which Im excited to use for a classic cool smokey eye. It also has plenty of mattes for me- I know thats a lot of peoples beef with the Naked palettes. But Im a fan of some shimmer, so I find that the mattes in there  are definitely enough for me. Im in LOVE with the colors Virgin and Half Baked. I tried this palette for the first time this morning (besides the swatches in Sephora of course) and I was, of course, blown away. The shadows were so pigmented and dimensional and easy to blend. Like BUTTER these went on the eye. mmm. I don't know why its taken me so long to purchase this! 

My second sin was the Anastasia Beverly Hills Contouring Palette. I have heard SUCH incredible things about this palette, and again its one of those things that everyone has had and been loving for so long that Im just now investing in. So it comes with six powders, three highlight shades and three contour shades. I got the Light-Medium palette. At first I was like "but why do you need so many for just one skin tone?!" but then, I realized that with so many options, this palette is able to transcend seasons and contour styles. One of the contour shades is more warm, while the others are more cool, one is lighter and the other darker, etc. Thats so exciting because Ive been looking for a good cool toned highlighter for the autumn/winter, and the warmer one is great for summer and spring when you're getting your sun kissed glow on. The highlight shades are gorgeous, the Banana shade is excellent for setting under eye concealer, while the other two are lighter and highlight the cheek bones so well. I used it this morning as well, and I was really impressed with the formulation. So rich, pigmented and creamy. However, I noticed that it didn't sit very well on my under eye, but I think that might have been user error ;) Ill let you guys know if this palette is worth the money/hype, but I have high hopes for it. 

I have been really getting into scents lately. Ive been using the same cheap vanilla fragrance for years, but I picked up the Calvin Klein CK One scent the other day, and I love it. So I decided to try out some more high quality scents. Rollerballs are SUCH a great way to try out scents and also a great way to travel with scents. You're not paying full price for the scent, but you're able to give it a test drive as it were, beyond just sniffing it in the store. How a perfume fades over time, and also how it warms on the skin are really important aspects when choosing a fragrance. 

So I picked up the Giorgio Armani Si rollerball because I have heard really great things, and when I picked it up and smelled it, it was just so me. I am always going to gravitate towards warm, slightly musky scents like vanilla or cider. I am never going to be a sweet, candy, or floral girl when it comes to fragrances. My scents always have to have some depth to them. Si smells rich and sexy and simultaneously fresh and clean. It is deep, but so feminine at the same time. Its main note is vanilla, which might be why I like it so much. Its so much more "grown up" and complex than the cheaper vanilla scent I was using. So Ive graduated to a big girl vanilla scent. Im definitely a "signature scent" kind of girl, and this scent is definitely a contender for the scent I will start wearing all the time, although I'm still in the market. 

LASTLY, and most certainly my favorite part, the lipsticks! If it isn't obvious from my handle, lipstick is absolutely my favorite beauty product. I have so (too) many, and Im constantly looking for more. The lip is where Ill take chances in my makeup- bright pinks, purples, deep browns, DEEP reds, this is where Weirdly, I also own no high end lipsticks. All of my favorites are from the drugstore. Id love to invest in some high end products, but I just find it so difficult to spend the money when there are such great drugstore options! L'Oreal, NYX and Rimmel are my favorite drugstore brands for lip products.

The new(ish) L'Oreal line of celebrity lipsticks is soo gorgeous. They have nudes and reds for every skin tone inspired by celebrities like JLo and Blake Lively. The packaging is also incredible, I love the matte black and gold- it looks and feels like a high end lip product. I picked up JLo's Nude (top right), Evas Nude (middle right), and Zoes Red (bottom right). All of these are gorgeous and so creamy and opaque, and I'm especially exited about that beautiful berry red!! yaaas. 

They're regular Colour Riche line is also amazing, and they have such a great amount of color options. They come in a gold packaging, similar to the celebrity lipsticks. I picked up Spice (top left), and Brass Coin (bottom left). Gorgeous browns, one creamy and one with a little shimmer.

Alright thats all of my bad choices for today! 

Thanks for reading, see you next time!

XOXO

June Favorites!

Hey guys!

So I know that this is coming about a week late, since you know, its July. But better late than never right? Anyway, here are my favorite things that Ive been obsessed with over the month of June. A lot of summery colors, shimmery things, and some great brushes! 

Alright, first off perhaps a kind of boring favorite (unless you love makeup brushes as much as I do). These brushes are AMAZING. They're also cruelty free and super soft. They have synthetic taklon bristles, so unlike real-hair or natural bristles, they don't absorb all of your product and waste it. Which is super great. I have the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush, the Multi Task Brush, the Essential Foundation Brush, and the Domed Shadow Brush. My favorite is the expert face brush because its just so versatile. You can use it for foundation application, blending, blush, contouring, anything really. Another thing about these brushes is that they're so cheap. They're found in drugstores- I've only seen them in Walgreens, but you can probably find them elsewhere as well. So for a cheap, excellent, drugstore product, 10/10 highly recommend. 

It's extremely important to clean your brushes, so that your brushes last longer, and it also prevents bacteria from being spread over your face. Since I loved the beauty blender I decided to try their cleanser. And its SO GOOD. Ive never seen a brush cleanser work so well and quickly. Basically you just swoosh a wet brush (or beauty blender) around in the tin and then rinse them and all the makeup is GONE. Its actually a miracle. I got this at Sephora. It is rather pricey, but I will say that Ive had it for months now and you can't even tell Ive used it at all, so it will last you for a while. 

For the summer months, Ive been really really loving a dewey, natural skin finish for my face. Not only is it really summery, but dewey looks tend to be more light and easier to keep throughout the day. I can't stand heavy makeup when its hot like this- it just makes me feel gross and even more hot. Gross. 

Anyway, Ive been loving L'Oreal's True Match LUMI line for all my dewey skin needs. They have a primer, a foundation, and a liquid illuminator that I also love, but this powder glow illuminator is my ultimate favorite. They have a couple different colors of this illuminator, I think one was more pink, and the other was more like a bronzer. I chose this one because my face is already too pink as it is, and I was looking for more of a highlighter instead of a more brown bronzer (which it would have been on me because Im so pale). So this ones more of a cool toned illuminator and it looks so great on the high planes of your cheeks. It makes you look so glowy! Ah!

Another thing Ive been loving for the summer is an orange-y lip. Ive tried a lot of orange lippies, and many times they're more of a gloss or sheer color or they're REALLY bright like highlighter orange. I love both, but this lipstick from the Rimmel Kate Moss collection is the perfect middle ground. Its the color 110. Its not super bright orange, it has a little coral in it. But its also incredibly pigmented as all Kate Moss Lipsticks are. All of the lipsticks in this line are incredibly pigmented, amazingly creamy, and they also smell really good. Which might be weird, but its true. They all go on so well and have insane staying power as well. 

For summer, I really appreciate a moisturizing lip product. Usually lipsticks kind of dehydrate my lips, especially if they are a matte shade. This lipstick is more of a cream finish, and it is absolutely the most moisturizing lipstick I've ever tried. Thats true for the whole Kate Moss line, but this one especially. 

For a while, I had incredibly dry skin on my face. My face felt rough and painful and dry and uncomfortable. Makeup did not sit well on my skin at all, and I have no idea where it came from. I usually have combination skin, but usually my skin leaned towards too oily rather than too dry. So I was desperate for a moisturizer that could save my skin. I tried other Neutrogena moisturizers, No7 moisturizers, and pretty much everything I could find. And NOTHING worked. One day I was in Walmart of all places with Boyfriend, and I saw this. It is for Extra Dry Skin, and it claims to "instantly quench skin" which sounded perfect. And it cleared up my skin literally after one use. I put it on at night and my skin was almost back to normal the next day when I woke up. It was incredible. This moisturizer is also oil free, fragrance free and dye free, so its great for my sensitive and combination skin.

Another summery shade of lipstick for you. Im loving this barbie pink color. Its the color 585 Persian Melon from Revlon. Ugh its so creamy and pigmented. And so summery. Ugh. Creamy finish. Moisturizing. Thats it.

As far as music, I'm loving Chris Thile's album How to Grow A Woman from the Ground. It has a great blue grass feel which I always love during the summer because Im outside or farming most of the time.

Ive also been watching Gran Hotel on Netflix. Its so bad. But so good. But we all watch terrible TV during the summer right? Its basically an extremely dramatic Spanish hotel drama. If you are bored and have nothing to do, plz watch. Because you'll love it. And watch all the seasons. Sorry not sorry.

Thanks for reading guys! 

XOXO

June Birchbox

Hey guys!

So I'm subscribed to Birchbox. For those of you who don't know what that is, you pay 10 dollars a month for a box of about 5 sample sized products for you to try. The boxes are beautiful and the brands are really high quality, so its a really good way to try all kinds of different things and not spend a lot of money. And its a really nice way to treat yourself every month as well. :) When you sign up for the box, you indicate your skin tone, hair type, skin type, and what products you would enjoy most as well! Its a really great system. 

Anyway, I thought that I'd unbox my June box with you and show you the samples I got!

So first off, the packaging is amazing. These little boxes are gorgeous! I reuse them for makeup storage in my drawers after I use them, because they're just too pretty to throw away. 

This month I received five product samples and the cutest little mint headband! 

The Pure Vida is nice and mint green with tiny lace detailing and a Pure Vida charm. The company also donates some of their profits to various charities benefiting ocean conservation to children's education. They usually come in sets of eight with various color options!

Vasanti Brighten Up Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator 

 I have actually received this Vasanti cleanser before in another Birchbox, and I'm glad Ive gotten it again! It contains papaya enzymes which break down dead skin cells, microderm crystals which reduce the appearance of fine lines and acne scars, and aloe, vitamins E & B and coconut to nourish skin and prevent irritation. This is an excellent exfoliating wash because of how small the crystals are. Although, like many physical exfoliators (as opposed to chemical exfoliators) they can be rough on the skin, especially if you have sensitive skin. I can only use this wash occasionally. 

Tribe Dry Texturizing Spray

 The first thing I have to say about this product is that it smells GREAT. Im awful at describing smells, but it smells so rich and not flowery, which I very much appreciate. Im not a fan of flowery scents, I'm more of a deep scent kind of girl. This product is kind of a hybrid between a dry spray shampoo and a texturizer- it doesn't leave the white residue that a lot of dry shampoos do, but it also isnt quite as heavy as a texturizer. I carry this in my purse at work or when Im out and about on a busy day, to freshen up in this hot weather.

Harvey Prince Hello Body Cream

This product is also one that has a stand out scent. It smells like a really expensive perfume, but isn't perfumey. If that makes sense. Its again, a rather rich scent as opposed to flowery. Its also a really light cream and absorbs quickly into the skin, leaving moisture and its lovely scent behind. 

Coola Mineral Sunscream Natural BB Cream

Im always all about a BB cream with sunscreen during the summer months. This one is so nice! Of course, not much coverage because its a BB cream, but it does even out the skin tone somewhat as well as leaving it silky and protected from the sun! Great for a good skin day or a day in the hot sun. 

Marcelle Waterproof Eyeliner in Indigo

Wow is this eyeliner a beautiful color or what? The full size product is in a pack of 3 colors, on teal and the other a berry shade. Im glad I got this one- I think it will look great with my blue eyes. Ive also become really excited about wearing colored eyeliner now that Benefit has come out with their new colored Push Up liners and mascaras. This pencil is creamy and also doesn't contain perfumes and is hypoallergenic. I will say that a few layers may be required to achieve true opaqueness.

Thanks for reading guys!
XOXO

Peaches With Favorite

Hey guys!

I was off work yesterday (finally) so we decided to go pick some peaches to eat and bake with! Peach season is late June through early July, so it was the perfect time for it. There was a good mix of very ripe to almost ripe on the trees- you always want to get a variety so that you don't have to eat them all at once.  The orchard we went to also has strawberries (May) and apples (August-October). Were definitely going to go back to get some apples for autumn apple pies :) 

For those of you dating someone or thinking about asking someone on a date, I would highly recommend going and picking some produce! Its so fun and its one of those dates where its ok to talk a lot or not to talk at all. Thats always what I used to get nervous about on dates- "What are we going to talk about?!" And I always liked outside dates better than inside dates :) You can also extend it by eating the peaches afterwards!

We decided to utilize our peaches immediately and make some baked goodies. I was going to modify my favorite apple pie recipe for peaches, but they turned out to be way too squishy to make into a pie, so we opted for something I made up instead. World, welcome the Really Easy Peach Dumpling Tarts. 

I basically just took some crust we had made previously and chilled (ps the best crust ever- so flaky yet savory. Special post on that to come), cut it into little triangles, placed some peach slices on the bigger half of the triangle, sprinkled some sugar, cinnamon, and butter onto the peaches, and then rolled up the triangles like crescent rolls. Then we put them in a baking pan with more butter and baked them at 350 for about 30 minutes. They turned out DELICIOUS, especially with a little vanilla ice cream. But then again, I don't know how they could have not been delicious, honestly. They're basically just sugar and butter. You can't go wrong there. 

Thanks for reading!

XOXO

Little Ulta Haul

Hey guys!
So, I went into Ulta with a purpose- I needed a concealer. Desperately. I was at the point where I was having to swirl the little applicator in the corners of the tube of concealer just to have enough to cover whatever spots I might have. So it was red alert. But of course, as it is whenever you enter an Ulta, you always come out with more than you bargained for. 



I picked up Urban Decay Afterglow blusher in the shade Fetish, Urban Decay pressed finishing powder in Naked Light, Urban Decay Naked Skin concealer in Fair/Neutral and Urban Decay super saturated high gloss lip color in Punch Drunk. As you can see, I went a little crazy at the Urban Decay counter.
Usually I don’t go for finishing powders as I really like my skin to remain quite dewey and I feel a lot of times, powders can leave my face feeling cakey and unnatural. Especially in the summer months, I like my face to feel as natural as possible- its just so much more comfortable. But ALSO during the summer months is when makeup tends to wear off the most- due to sweating, being outside more etc. But, I had heard a lot of good things about the Urban Decay finishing powders, which is why I picked it up. And this finishing powder is exactly what I was looking for. It goes on so smoothly and leaves your skin feeling smooth and silky, rather than chalky as some powders do. It also doesn’t lay heavily on the skin- it remains quite natural looking. And it makes your skin look flawless. It covered up my red splotchy patches on my cheeks as well as my under eye circles. It also has amazing staying  power- It literally lasted me all day without allowing my makeup to fade once. I love this product.



The afterglow blusher is also incredible. As you can see, the color is a matte coral-y shade and it makes my skin look super healthy. The color looks so pretty and natural and the application is great.
The concealer is very nice as well, but admittedly nothing to write home about. Its rather sheer, which would be great for good skin days if you want to just wear minimal makeup, but not so good for covering up troublesome spots. I will say that it sits on the skin very well and is very easy to apply. But I am still in the market for a concealer that will affectively cover up spots and under eye circles.Any suggestions would be highly appreciated! 



The little orange lippie is GORGEOUS. Ive been on the lookout for a bright orange shade for the summer season and I found it! It goes on so smoothly and is so highly pigmented. I also love high gloss for summer months as well. It doesn’t dry out your lips and isn’t sticky like a lot of high gloss lip products tend to be.
Well thats all for now!
Thanks for reading!
XOXO

Drugstore Haul

Hi guys!

So Ill just go ahead and say that Im a sucker for drug store sales. And Ill also say that I am absolutely ridiculous when it comes to lipsticks. If you couldn’t tell by my username. I need help. But I got this stuff anyway, and Im so excited to share these products with you guys! :)

I picked up Rimmel’s Match Perfection foundation in 101 Ivory, Rimmel’s Kate Moss Lipstick in the shade 107, Rimmel’s Show Off Lip Velvet lip gloss, a Rimmel lip liner in Ravish, two Rimmel Provocalips Kiss Proof Lip colors, one in Play with Fire an the other in Kiss Fatal. I also grabbed a Revlon creme lipstick in Persian Melon and a Wet n’ Wild Megaslicks balm stain in See If I Carrot!. (haha)

Ill just go ahead and say that I have absolutely loved this Rimmel foundation. It goes on so nicely and has great coverage. The finish is spectacular and velvety- not too dewey and not too matte. And it smells really nice. As weird as that sounds. It smells really fresh, which is surprisingly great. 

While I was at the Rimmel counter, I saw these Kiss Proof Lip Colors. At first I was like “no way”, how does that work? But they were pretty cheap, and I always want to wear lipstick, but I never can around Boyfriend because I can’t not kiss him, but I also don’t want to get my lipstick everywhere. So I thought Id give these a shot. And guess what guys? THEY WORK. THEY ACTUALLY WORK. When you put the initial pigmented side on, it looks like any other gloss, although slightly sticky. Then, after it sets a bit, you put the clear side on, which makes it a bit more matte, and let it set for a bit. And it won’t come off! You can even rub it slightly with your finger and it doesn’t smudge. This is great for kissing, but also if you’re like me and your lipstick ends up going everywhere throughout the day, a seriously no-smudge lipstick like this one would be great for you! Check it out!!

Let me know of any drugstore recommendations that you love!

Thanks for reading! 

XOXO

A Made Up Feminist

This has been something that Ive been thinking about for a long time now. Going back to my first post on this blog where I discuss why I got into beauty, I touch on this issue a little bit. But I wanted to go a little bit more in depth with my thoughts on this subject after a really inspiring talk I had the other day with Chummy. 

In the very beginning of the feminist movement, back in the 60s and 70s, feminists urged women not to participate in sexist customs, especially those that could allow men to take advantage of and objectify them. Make up was the most clear example at the forefront of this movement. And they had a point. After all, the make up industry was advertising to women that they were not good enough as they naturally are. "Buy our products and be beautiful", "Buy our products and be desirable to men", "Buy our products and be accepted" were not uncommon, but blatantly sexist, advertising narratives. Most delightfully, the people accruing wealth from the millions of dollars women spent on beauty products were, you guessed it, predominately male. Further widening the pay gap between sexes. This "woman tax" as we might call it today, forced women, in essence, to buy these products in order to be successful and secure in herself. This put women behind financially and in other ways as well- more time spent getting ready in the morning, more time taking off makeup in the evening. Even more time participating in things not directly make up related, but things that stem from the ideas perpetrated in make up advertisements- like shaving, plucking, applying scented lotion, etc. These rituals took hours out of a woman's free time, and if women didn't choose to participate in these feminine rituals, that is if they did not wear makeup, shave their arm pits, or pluck their eyebrows, they were ridiculed by society. They were less likely to be hired (they were already far less likely to be hired than men), less likely to advance, and less likely to succeed. All these things, in effect, took up women's valuable time, preoccupied them in these rituals, and kept them behind in the work place,  and widened the gap between men and women's earnings. 

The maddening thing is, that all these problems that existed back in the 60s and 70s still exist today. Women are still expected to participate in feminine rituals to some extent. Advertisements still objectify women and tell them they are not good enough on their own. There is still a sexist pay gap. Gender stereotypes are still strongly enforced in many places. So you may be wondering where I'm going with this, as a make up & beauty enthusiast who considers herself a feminist. Why would I want to participate (nay, vehemently participate) in something that has been so oppressive and harmful for people like me who identify as female for so many years? Ill tell you why. Because fuck that shit. 

Ill be the first to say that the struggles of women with oppression are in no way comparable to the struggles and oppression of any other group. Apples and oranges as far as the facts of the situations. However, I will say that I have noticed that many past and contemporary rebellions against oppression have one thing in common- they take some aspect of their oppression and reinvent it to represent their freedom. Feminists have done this with the word "bitch", a sexist put down used to describe virtually any woman in a leadership position. Bitch Media for example, is a feminist organization with a mission "to provide and encourage an engaged, thoughtful feminist response to mainstream media and popular culture." Taking an aspect of your opression and making it your own seems to be extremely helpful and empowering to those suffering form that oppression. It gives the oppressed control over something that was used to control them. It breaks down its initial meaning and  essentially says "this is who we are, this is where we were, and we can make progress from here." In effect, this act links people today to the struggles of their predecessors, giving them strength and hope for the future. 

To me, this is what make up and participation in beauty rituals is. Taking something that was oppressive, and turning it into something liberating. Taking something that fed on insecurities and turning it into an act of self love. These acts link me to the hundreds of women of my ancestry who participated in the same rituals every day, and also struggled with sexism. My grandmother was one of the strongest woman I knew, and every day I was with her, I watched her apply lipstick and curl her eyelashes. I also watched her do her job well, be kind to others, and take shit from no one. For me, makeup is a way of being proud of my feminine identity- being unashamedly and loudly a woman. Of course, some people will feel more liberated by not wearing makeup at all, which is absolutely valid. And of course makeup is not gendered- people who identify as male or any other place on the spectrum (or off the spectrum) can also use make up to feel strong, liberated and beautiful like I do. But the very foundation (pun intended) of the feminist movement- allowing equality and choice for women and everyone- makes both choosing to wear make up or choosing to not, a feminist choice. 

So for everyone who says "Why are you so insecure?","But thats so shallow!", "What are you trying to hide?", "Who are you doing this for?"... My answer is that I am not insecure, make up does not define me, it gives me strength. Taking pride in your appearance, with make up or not, is not shallow or vein. I am not hiding anything, I am practicing self love. And I'm doing this for me. 

Skincare Haul

Hey guys!

So Ive been having a lot problems with my skin lately. Ive been breaking out a lot around my T-Zone and the rest of my face has been incredibly dry. This might be considered combination skin, but a lot of times, what can present as combination skin or even oily skin can actually just be dry skin attempting to compensate by over producing oils in certain areas. So maintaining moisture in your skin and avoiding products that strip oil from your skin is really important so that your skin doesn't have to over compensate. So even if you have combination skin or even slightly oily skin, you may want to investigate some good moisturizers, even though that might seem counterintuitive. Opt for quality moisturizers over things like face washes (although if you can, opt for quality those too) because they spend more time on your skin than most anything else does- therefore they have more of a chance to do either harm or good. 

So I did some research, and the drugstore brand No7 really jumped out at me as far as quality and price. So I decided to give their line a shot. Ill let you know how they work out. 

I picked up the No7 Beautiful Skin Refreshing Toner and the No7 Beautiful Skin Day Cream for Normal/Dry skin and Night Cream for Normal/Oily skin. A toner is important to further cleans your skin after your normal cleanser- it removes the small amounts of makeup and cleanser left on your face. Toner also corrects the PH levels of your skin, which can be changed by using certain cleansers and makeup. Maintaining a normal PH is important to healthy skin. 

These moisturizes feel really great on the skin. They don't feel heavy and they absorb into the skin really quickly. I have high hopes for these products! 

Thanks for reading!

XOXO

Summer Everyday Makeup

Hey guys!

So this is one of my favorite every day makeup looks, and I just thought I’d share it with you! Ive been really loving a coral/orange lip for the summer and spring, and I think that a shimmery gold eye is perfect with it. 

For this look I used NARS Sheer Glow foundation in Siberia, Urban Decay Naked Skin concealer, Hoola Bronzer for contour, NYX Born to Glow liquid illuminator for highlighter, MAC eyebrow powder and Gimme Brow in Light/Medium, Urban Decay powder in Naked Light, and Maybelline Color Tattoo 24hr eye cream in Barely Branded. For my lips I used Rimmel’s Colour Push lippie in Lady Marmalade. 

Thanks for reading! 

XOXO

Plants & Pots!

Hey Guys! 

Finally got around to going to Savers to get some big boy pots for my little plant babies! Transferred my sage into this gorgeous copper pot that was only 2$!! 

 I got some pretty tiny pots for my little succulents as well. I got this pretty white one with little flowers on. As well as a kind of geometric clear glass one. This one is really cool because you can see the cool roots of the spiky succulent plant. Plus I put little rocks at the bottom, so thats pretty as well.

All done! Thanks for reading!

XOXO

Sephora/Drugstore Haul

Hey guys! 

Hit up Sephora with Chummy the other day in pursuit of a great brush cleaner because soap and warm water just wasn’t cutting it for brush cleaning. Cleaning your make up brushes is SO important- and not just for aesthetic reasons like the look and feel of your brushes. Clean brushes last longer so that you save money in the long run. Clean brushes also don't spread bacteria all over your face. If you use dirty brushes, bacteria from pimples or just your skin in general, accumulate and reproduce on the brush. So basically you're spreading bacteria with your makeup all over your face, which can cause more blemishes and unhealthy skin in general. So clean your brushes. Anyway... 

I picked up this BlenderClenser Solid cleanser. This stuff is GREAT. It cleans out even makeup thats deep in the brush and it conditions the brushes so well. My brushes came out SO clean and SO soft. It comes in this little tin and you basically wet the brush and the solid soap, rub it around, and ALL the makeup comes off- its magical. Thats pretty much all that I can say about a brush cleanser. But 10/10 would recommend.

In the drugstore, I picked up a couple of the Maybelline Color Tattoo 24 hour cream eyeshadows. I got the shades Bold Gold (the darker) and Barely Branded (the lighter) These eyeshadows are GORGEOUS. They look so beautiful on the eyes and they’re so shiny. They’re also quite buildable- you can apply it lightly and get a really subtle glimmer or apply it with a heavier hand and really get that foil metallic shine. These gold colors look really great with blue eyes as well!

Last, but not least, I picked up these two lip products. The Rimmel London’s Colour Rush Color Balm in Lady Marmalade, and the Rimmel London Kate Moss Lipstick in 104. The color balm is a really great, creamy coral orange. It has great staying powder as well. The Kate Moss lipstick is a pretty pinky nude. I always love the Kate Moss lipsticks- the formula is just great and moisturizing with really deep pigmentation.

Well thats it for today!

Thanks for reading guys!

XOXO