10 Favorites of 2012

Show
From Criminal Minds to Grey's Anatomy and now American Horror Story has that special place in my heart. AHS is so unexpectedly good.

Online Store
Yesstyle.com. Now I've only made one order this year but it was a good one. Remember?

Image: Stuart Miles | FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Girl Crush
I've been crushing hard on Adriana Lima this year. That girl is all kinds of hot and I wish I could spend at least a day looking like her.

Quote
"Don’t be pushed by your problems; be led by your dreams." -Author Unknown

Image from their channel

People
Judy and Benji of itsJudysLife on Youtube. They are an amazing couple that share their everyday lives with the world. They give me hope, this is what I want my life to be like someday.

Product
NYX HD Photogenic Concealer in Nutmeg. This covers all my dark marks and under eye circles perfectly!

Image: stockimages | FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Decision
Going natural. Meaning I am no longer relaxing my hair with harmful chemicals and I am now planning on growing out my hair with my natural texture. Best decision I have ever made.

Dessert
As far as my favorite dessert that I have made it's going to be my Oreo Cheesecake Bites...as I like to call them. Recipe here.

Image: Sicha Pongjivanich|FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Trend
Big statement, collar, necklaces. I just love it, nothing more to it.

Moment
My favorite moment of 2012 was when I reconnected with my half sister through Facebook, then though phone convos.

BYOC

www.motto.com.au

How much makeup do you wear daily, how long does it take you and are you loyal to certain brands?

I don't wear too much makeup. At least in my opinion. No one can really say you're wearing "too much makeup." Every body has a different preference. As for brands, I just buy what I see.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sunsurfr/

Repeat question: I’m going to pick a person not knowing your relationship with them (or even if there is one) and you try to describe this person in 5 words/short sentences.  

Your oldest paternal aunt.

It really sucks that I'm going to have to skip this question because I hardly know my oldest paternal aunt. It really is a shame.

Tell me about your first real kiss and how old you were.

I was in the first grade and I had a crush on a boy named Timothy. I guess he liked me too because every day during recess/free time we would go behind a bookshelf and makeout the whole time. I don't remember much but I do remember how amazing it was! That's the only thing I remember too...he was a pretty damn good kisser for his age.

scrapetv.com

If I gave you $1000.00 and told you that you had to give it to a charity – which charity would you choose and why?

I would choose any charity that would help get care to children and teens that have come out of abusive homes and relationships and have no place to stay, no food to eat and no money to take care of themselves. I'm not familiar with names but any organization that can do that can have my money.

http://gegojr.deviantart.com/

Repeat question: Summarize your week in blog land and in real life.

Blog life has been great! Although I'm not blogging every day, I really am enjoying posting regularly. Especially now that school has started.

Real life, very tiring. I am exhausted after running around that big school trying to get to class on time! It's a workout in itself. I've been seeing Sean a lot around the halls and its insanely awkward. Probably not for him, but definitely for me. It's just weird. If he knew how much I've been thinking about him over the summer, he'd be feeling awkward too. I'm trying to forget about him and hoping we can be friends once track starts but for now I want to avoid him as much as possible.

Thoughts #11- Natural is Beautiful

www.healthybeautyproject.com

I now realize that I never told you about the day I went with zero makeup to school.

I know that lots of girls come to school with no makeup and some girls don't ever wear makeup at all. But me, no. I normally wear makeup every single day to school. Whether it's just a small amount of mascara or an entire eye look with eyeshadow, eye liner and mascara.

Well, I was reading Seventeen Magazine one Saturday afternoon and there was this small article where girls all around the nation took a challenge to wear no makeup for a day. One girl even said that it took her less time to get ready in the morning. Of course, knowing me and how long it takes me to get ready for school, I accepted the challenge!

I planned to do it on Monday since the weekend is over and we're back in school, but I forgot. Tuesday morning, on my first day of exams, I woke up and was prepared. I took my shower, got dressed, did my hair, and completely skipped out on the makeup. I saved a whole 10-15 minutes and instead spent it on eating a good breakfast.

Throughout my day at school, I felt so confident, so free, so...pretty. No one gave me weird looks, no one even mentioned the fact that I was makeup-less. They probably didn't notice or could care less. So the 15 minutes I spend on makeup everyday is a total waste. It made me realize that wearing a lot of makeup makes me feel fake and unattractive, when in reality, natural is the most beautiful. I can't even begin to explain how great I felt!

Of course I was scared. I was expecting that everyone would ask me why I looked so different, or what happened to me. I was also expecting that I'd feel awkward and uncomfortable and unattractive. But none of that happened. In fact, my experience was so good that I didn't really wear makeup for the rest of the week--and I loved every second of it.

30 Days Challenge- Day 11

What's in your makeup bag?

I don't have a "makeup bag", but I do keep my makeup in this thingy.

(Click to enlarge)

My friend Eva ordered it off of QVC from the brand Lori Greiner but it wasn't big enough to store her makeup so she gave it to me. Luckily I don't own a lot of makeup so it fit everything.

(Click to enlarge)

I won't go through all the makeup I have but I'll pick out my favorites...
Wet n Wild Ultimate Eye Expressions Palette in Sand Castle
Maybelline Lash Stiletto Waterproof Mascara in Brownish Black
L'Oreal True Match Foundation in Cocoa
Too Faced Shadow Insurance Mini
Maybelline Eye Studio Baked Eyeshadow Duo in Khaki Craze

(Click to enlarge)

I always reach for these when I get ready in the morning.

My New Years Resolutions

My second one:

Be more confident in myself.

There is always that voice telling me "You're beautiful."

But then there is always that voice telling me I'm not.

I actually never had a problem with this until last summer when I went to Wisconsin for a track meet and a few of the guys thought it would be fun to yell nasty things at me. 

That completely thrashed my self-esteem for a while. I wore more makeup, I perfected my hair where ever I went and I even started to dress more provocatively. 

After finding myself, and watching a few episodes of The Tyra Show (laughs),  my confidence was incredibly boosted.

But my New Years Resolution will be to stay confident and to believe in myself more.

I am beautiful, everyone is,  and it's time I start seeing that.

Besides, being insecure is too much work.

Thoughts #3- Girls and Makeup

www.helpfulhealthtips.com

Makeup. I feel like girls who wear makeup are misunderstood. Not every makeup wearing girl in the world is insecure or ugly like some people think.

Wearing makeup is fun. There are so many colors to choose from, so many brands, so many products and so much you can do with it! Almost like being an artist. Your face is an empty canvas and you "paint" it with makeup. I know I always get excited when I buy new eyeshadow. Its just another thing I can play with!

nikkietutorials.com

Yes, some girls wear " a lot" of makeup. But that doesn't necessarily mean they are insecure or they think they are ugly. It could just be that they like the look of thick eyeliner, or they love wearing black eyeshadow on their entire eyelid. For them, makeup could be a hobby. Just like painting, or sewing, or any other creative hobby.
It is their preference of how much makeup is "too much" for them...not anyone else's.

Makeup is a good way to enhance your features. If you have beautiful, plump lips you can show them off with a pretty lipstick. Or if your eyes are the most gorgeous green, you can add a complementary eyeshadow color that will brighten up your eyes. When you're looking a little tired and dull, you can use some blush to bring some life into your face.

Wearing makeup is also a way to boost your confidence. I don't mean that anyone who wears makeup has no confidence without it. But makeup can give someone more confidence than they already have. 


I know that anytime I wear makeup, whether it is just a little eyeliner, a small amount of mascara, or a full face of makeup. I always feel a little more confident. Without makeup, I just feel like everyone else. I don't stand out and I don't feel as amazing as I do with makeup.

I sometimes feel insecure, with or without makeup. But everyone, men and women, boys and girls have those days.
Maybe I just got rejected, or someone said something hurtful to me and I lose a little of that confidence I've been carrying around. But I quickly pick myself back up. I accept that I'm not perfect.

You have to always keep in mind that you are beautiful, just like everyone in this world. Black, white, tall, short, thin, curvy, long hair, short hair, every race, every face, everyone is beautiful in their own way. It sounds cliche. But it's true. Even if you don't believe it.

Shopping Spree at Ulta

My best friend, Eva, and I went to Ulta yesterday and we went crazy! For Halloween, we are both being Barbies, so we got matching makeup for that, then we just bought whatever we wanted.

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Nail Polish in Jumpin' Jade

First I got nail polish. This color is so vibrant and pretty! I couldn't help but apply it to my nails the same day I bought it.

Too Faced Shadow Insurance

I haven't used this yet, but I've heard so many good reviews on this primer. I can't wait to test it out!

Revlon Matte Eyeshadow in Riviera Blue

Next, I purchased this Revlon eyeshadow. My skin tone is very deep and I've always heard that colors like blue look great on my complexion. I have not tried this yet, but it's so pretty just looking at it.

Maybelline Eye Studio Shadow in Khaki Craze

NYX Eye Shadow in Golden Amber

This color is ridiculously pretty! It's a dark, golden color and it's shimmery all over. Perfect for the Fall season!

NYX Eye Shadow in Smokie Mountain

This NYX eyeshadow looks a lot like the eyeshadow above, but this is green toned.

NYX Slim Eye Pencil in Satin Blue

This color is so pretty on my waterline. It makes the whites of my eyes ten times brighter.

NYX Trio Eye Shadow in Cherry/Cool Blue/Hot Pink

 

This eyeshadow trio is the perfect set for the Barbie costume Eva and I plan to wear together! The colors are crazy pigmented and perfectly bright.

 CoverGirl Blush in Plumberry Glow

I am in love with this blush. It's so pigmented and shows up beautifully on my skin! I can't wait to use this for my Barbie costume makeup.

NYX Lashes in Guilty Pleasure

These false lashes are so fun! I love the glitter on them, these will also be great for the Barbie makeup.


So, that's all for my shopping spree at Ulta. I also checked out wigs for my Barbie Costume and found this one for $16.99 at Spirit Halloween! It's gorgeous. I'm going back to get it tomorrow.

photo credits- 

polishorperish 

Ulta.com

NYXcosmetics.com

Spirithalloween.com

New Beginnings

In about two weeks, I'll be riding a bus to school. Not only is it the "first day of school" but it is also the first day of being a freshman. Yes! I will be in highschool. It's a little scary, but at the same time...it's very exciting! Where I live there's a high school and a freshman center. Obviously I'll be going to the freshman campus.
Yesterday was my freshman registration. I felt so confident in my shoulder-length hair extensions and cute dress. I got to catch up with my friends and see my new school. I'm really happy because I have alot of friends in my classes. I don't know how you felt about going into your freshman year...but Im more excited than I am nervous. I have new hair, makeup, clothes, and most importantly I have new confidence.

To everyone who is going into a new school year...whether it's high school, elementary school, middle school, or college; it's not always easy, but in the end it always pays off. Because after my freshman year in highschool, I'll only have three years until I go to college and work on fulfilling my dream.