Perfect Spring Lipsticks

Since I am so sick of this cold winter weather  & I am so ready for spring, I have been searching for some new spring colors to add to my makeup collection.

I stumbled upon the Maybelline Color Sensational Rebel Bloom lipsticks and I am honestly so obsessed with them.  They have the perfect selection of colors for spring & summer.

(From Left to right & Top to Bottom)

Petal Pink 

Orchid Ecstasy 

Lilac Flush 

Peach Poppy 

I was so impressed with the colors in the selection & also how pigmented they are.  I also found out they last for a long time which is always nice. Since they're not matte, they are also very moisturizing.

They have many more colors than the four I chose but I felt that these were the most unique from anything I had already.

I'm always on the hunt for great drugstore products, when I find more I will share with you!

What drugstore products are your favorites lately?

Easy Eye Makeup Looks

Lately I have been obsessed with these two eye makeup products.  These two looks are so easy but they look amazing.  

Clinique Chubby Stick Shadow Tint

These Clinique Chubby Sticks have to be one of my favorite high end product in my makeup collection.  I apply them all over the lid and underneath the bottom of my eyes then smudge it in with my fingers.  Then I blend it with a light toned eyeshadow up to my brow bone.  Lastly, add mascara & done!  I went with the Chubby Sticks in the shades in Mighty Moss and Lavish Lilac because I thought they went great with green eyes, but they come in so many other shades.

Maybelline Color Tattoo

I also love the Maybelline Color Tattoo eyeshadow.  It pretty much gives the same effect as the Clinique Chubby Stick but at a more affordable cost. Apply the eyeshadow on your finger and blend it all over the top lid, then with a small eyeshadow brush, lightly dip in the product and smudge on the bottom of the eye.  Blend into the eyebrow bone with a lighter shade of eyeshadow. Lastly, apply mascara.  I chose the shade Vintage Plum which is more matte and Bad to the Bronze which is more shimmery.

I defiantly suggest you try out either of these because on those days where you are just too lazy to do a lot of makeup (because I know we all have those)...these are perfect.

Winter Photography

I think my blog is the perfect place to share my photography. 

Silver Hair

I have been obsessed with the Silver Hair craze so I decided to try it myself, and I love it!

I wanted to share with you the steps I took to get this color because I am finally happy with the outcome. I also wanted to share this post in case you wanted to try it yourself.  I just want to give you a fair warning that it does damage your hair a lot, but its nothing a little deep conditioner can't fix.  That's just the price you pay! Also, if you have more yellow & brassy tones in your hair and you want a more ashy blonde, these tips would also be helpful. 

Step 1: Bleach, Bleach, Bleach.

I know bleaching your hair is bad for it, but unfortunately you must do it to achieve silver hair.  Bleach must be applied all over covering every part of your hair to get it a light enough shade.  I highly recommend you get your hair bleached at a professional salon because they most likely know what they're doing unlike yourself… I will leave my hairdressers information down below.

Step 2: Toning

After you bleach your hair, you will most likely be unsatisfied with the color of it.  When I bleached my hair it was very white with a yellow tone…and very shocking.  But don't worry, it's all part of the process.  Before toning, I recommend giving your hair a few days to rest. When its time to tone your hair, I suggest using the Wella Permanent Liquid Hair Toner in T14 or T18 (Pale Ash Blonde) and mixing it with a 20 volume developer. Follow the directions carefully.  I usually leave the toner on for 15-20 minutes.  If you're hair is more yellow I suggest leaving it on for a little longer.  To achieve this silver color you may have to repeat this step after giving your hair a rest for a while. Personally, I toned mine a total of three times.

Step 3: Maintenance 

After having silver hair for a while, I noticed you must keep up with it. My biggest recommendation is using toning shampoo.  This also helps for people with brassy blond hair.  The two brands I like are the Fudge Clean Blonde Toning Shampoo, or the Shimmer Lights Shampoo. The Fudge Clean Blonde can be purchased on Amazon and the Shimmer Lights can be purchased at Sally's Beauty Supply.  For best results, I first wet my hair all over then apply the shampoo generously to my hair in sections so I do not miss a spot.  Then I let it sit on my hair for about 20-30 min before washing it out. I follow by using a good conditioner and leave that in for about 10 min, then wash it out.  I found that the Shimmer Lights needs to take a little longer to process so I usually leave that in for 30 min.  For the Fudge Clean Blonde Shampoo, be careful because if you leave it on for too long it could leave a purple tint (fortunately I like that).

Step 4: Rock your silver hair.

Hope this helped all of you wanting to achieve Silver Hair! 

Hair Dresser: Alyssa Mack at Deanne's Hair & Spa

440-205-9480 Mentor, Ohio.

Home Decor

Lately I have been obsessed with changing up my living space and making it more my style. I will be moving into a new house after summer so that's another reason why I have been obsessed with home items!  But, I have finally finished my room and my workspace at home that I am happy with. I just wanted to share some ideas that will hopefully inspire you to change up your space.

Fairy lights

I am absolutely obsessed with fairy lights, especially in bedrooms.  I feel they make a room look so cozy and create the best kind of lighting.  You can either just use normal Christmas lights or get fun decorative kind.  I purchased the mesh ball lights from Target.

Artificial Flowers

Since I suck at keeping real flowers alive… I decided to add some artificial flowers by my desk. I filled the bottom of the vase with clear rocks (you could honestly use anything).  I purchased both the rocks & flowers at Jo-Ann Fabrics but you can get them at any craft store.  I just think they give an area a more "homey" feel.

Storage

I really think the way that your store anything can really make a room look better.  First, I love finding cute jars & crates to store either my makeup (excuse my dirty brushes), hair accessories, jewelry, or other random items in.  They have a HUGE selection of these kind of items at Home Goods or TJ Maxx…you just have to have the patients to look around.  Secondly, the way I have my nail polish stored is probably my favorite thing about my room (I know, sad).  I saw this idea on Pinterest and just went out and bought a cupcake holder and displayed all my nail polishes on it. It's so simple and I just think it looks so pretty.

Inspirational & Polaroid Wall

I'm obsessed with pictures and quotes so I decided to make a wall out of it.  First, above my desk I have a selection of different things that inspire me.  I printed them all out the same size and then framed them with plain white frames that I got from Jo-Ann Fabrics.  Then just arranged them in a way I personally liked.  I also love the way polaroid pictures look (I NEED a polaroid camera)…Anyways, I just used pictures I already own or pictures from the internet I love and used the app Afterlight to give them the polaroid frame, printed them out, & pinned them on a cork board. 

Trinkets & Candles

I have a sick obsession with candles…I can never have enough.  I just really think candles pull together a room.  And I also love buying little trinkets to fill in those empty spaces either on my desks, bookshelves, or dresser.  The best place to find cute trinkets are obviously either antique shops, thrift stores, or even places like Home Goods.

Hope you got inspired & I will probably do another post like this once I move!

Quick & Easy Hairstyles

Here are some some quick and easy hairstyles to switch up your look.

The Half Up Ponytail & Topknot

1. You can either have loose curls or keep it straight for this look.

2. Part your hair starting from the ends of your eyebrows into a half ponytail.

3. Put hair into either a ponytail or gather it all into a bun and secure. 

(I added a black scrunchie just because I liked the look).

4. After securing, tug on the top of your hair to create volume.

5. Spray with hairspray and sea salt spray to create texture.

The High Ponytail & Topknot

1. Spray hair with sea salt spray to give it a little texture.

2. Gather all your hair on top of your head (literally) and secure into either

a ponytail or a bun...again I added the scrunchie.

3.  Pull out the strands of hair that frame your face.

4. Tug on the top of the hair to give it volume.
5. Spray with lots of hairspray!

Beachy Waves

1. Spray hair all over with sea salt spray for texture.

2. Section hair off starting with the bottom layer.

3. Gather thick sections of hair and LIGHTLY clamp down with a deep waver iron.

 (Picture below) Don't hold iron on for too long, you want to create the messy look.

4. Keep sectioning off hair and repeating.

5.  When done, tousle hair with hands and apply more sea salt spray and hairspray

*The trick to create this look is to not touch the top of the hair and the bottom

of the hair with the iron, only create waves on the underneath and middle sections.

Products Used

 Aveda Air Control Hairspray - $26.00 at Ladies & Getalmen Salon and Spa

L'orèal Elnett Hairspray - $14.99 at Ulta

Fudge Urban Iced Raspberry & Vanilla Mousse - $9.69 at Target.com

Bumble & Bumble Surf Spray - $27.00 at Sephora

Bed Head Deep Waver - $21.99 at Target.com

Scrunchie - $1.80 at Forever 21

2015

 Cheers to a new year!

As I reflected on 2014, I realized it was a pretty good year for me.

I figured out a lot about myself but I also had a great time with friends and family!

I wanted to share ways that I think I can improve this next year.

Maybe you will find these tips helpful as well!

1. De-clutter your life.

I wanted to start off this year fresh by organizing myself and getting rid of things that I no longer use anymore.  First, I started with my closet & room.  I got rid of bags and bags of things I have not touched for months…and let me tell you… my space has never felt so clean.  I have also gotten a new planner/calendar (Really cheap at Target) and mapped out important dates this year.  I will also use it to keep track of all important things in school… I recommend every single college student to invest in one if you have yet to do so.  

2. Stop worrying about others.

No, I do not mean stop caring about your loved ones, I simply mean to stop worrying about what everyone else around you is doing with their life and start focusing on yourself.  I'll admit, when I first started college I was so worried about what everyone's major was, are my grades good enough, am I having a good enough social life as everyone else… sometimes it drove me crazy.  Lately I've been focusing on what I enjoy in school and started going at my own pace with things… everyone does everything differently so don't ever feel you're missing out on things or not doing something up to everyones standards.  Besides… who wants to be like everyone else?

3.  Build your empire.

Personally, this is my #1 resolution for 2015.  Since I just hit my 20's, I feel like this is the time to finally start focusing on what you want to do with your life.  This past semester I became an art major and I love it.  I want to do everything in my power to help me succeed in that kind of lifestyle.  I want to start exploring my options and try new things….building my own empire.

4. Live in the moment.

This past year, I've been soooo worried about the future, as I'm sure many people my age as well... but I'm sick of it.  The amount of stress people put on themselves to make sure their future is perfect is ridiculous.  I would love to just start worrying about one day at a time and let fate take its tole.  Who knows what opportunities will come along!  If you're so focused on a certain plan for yourself, you might miss those great opportunities.

5. Expand your knowledge.

Obviously, there is no limit to how much you can learn.  I want to take advantage of that this year by reading as much as possible…(yeah I know, I'm a nerd).  I came across this article by POPSUGAR called the 2015 Reading Challenge and found it to be very interesting.  I plan on sticking to it and learn a lot by broadening my reading selection.  I think more people should try this out!

Hope you enjoyed (and try) some of these tips!

See you next year!