Wrapping It Up

I know I've mentioned it a ton but I really hate moving. It just throws everything out of whack. I haven't been able to keep up a good blogging schedule (which really grinds my gears) because I can't even keep up a good everyday life schedule lately.
I'm down to the bare bones at the old house so I keep forgetting that certain things I need to write a post about or review have already been packed away. It's just a total headache and I can't wait until this week is over and we will finally be all settled in under one roof. Fingers crossed.
Since I've been so frustrated with things not working out this week, I thought I would try to wrap up my thoughts, share some of my favorite links, and start this new week fresh. Hope you enjoy!

- Britney Spears is amazing...Jimmy Fallon is too -

In case you're new here, I am a huge fan of Britney Spears AND Jimmy Fallon...not necessarily together but I'm not going to object if they do get together, especially if it's for The Tonight Show.
Earlier this week Brit Brit stopped by The Tonight Show to promote her new lingerie line, Intimate Britney (LOVE, but we couldn't be a bit more creative with the name?). With Britney being newly single Jimmy took it upon himself to sign the pop princess up for none other than Tinder and you can watch the video here.
Did you cringe? Cause I did.
I love how nervous Britney seems in the video. Is that weird?
I mean she's like a huge star in my book so I think it's just absolutely precious that she still gets nervous doing things like the celebrity staple that is late night tv. Whatever. I love you always, Britney. No shame!

Straight from Gala's Twitter...isn't she enchanting?

- Gala Darling -
I don't even know where to begin with this wonderful human. Her blog is out of this world amazing and I could get lost in her posts for hours. She uses words like "badassery" and quotes The Craft all while taking on the incredible journey of bringing Radical Self Love to the masses. Let's just say that if you haven't checked her out then you absolutely, most definitely should.
Oh, she's just announced that she's releasing a book soon, Love & Sequins, so expect to hear my thoughts on that soon too.

- 'Why are elections for governor called "gubernatorial"? That's ridiculous.' -

This was a thought that struck me while reading a Jezebel article about Wendy Davis. I still haven't figured it out but there's a more pressing matter at hand.
The article was mostly the author's opinion on a journalist questioning whether or not Texas gubernatorial (there's that word again) candidate, Wendy Davis, told the truth when she claimed to have had two abortions in the 90s due to medical risks.
First of all, if you don't know who Wendy Davis is please educate yourself because she pretty much rocked my politics-loving world last summer. She filibustered an anti-abortion law on the Texas State Senate floor for 11-hours last year...but let's not get off on that tangent.
Well, Davis is now running for Governor of Texas and recently revealed that she had had two abortions done due to medical complications. While I question the timing of this reveal I don't question whether or not Davis is telling the truth. What kind of sicko would lie about having two abortions? However, there are people out there that are questioning Davis, such as journalist Dustin Siggins...and I think he is an absolute idiot. Go ahead, google his article and see if you agree with me, whether or not you agree with Davis.

- This is a very good read.-
Wonderfully written and thought provoking...it makes me want to write more. I'll let it speak for itself though.

Oh lord, I wish it still came on Monday 8/7c

-The Carrie Diaries -
I curse The CW with every episode I watch seeing as they cancelled this ridiculously awesome show. I'm just making my way through the second (and final) season now but I don't want it to end because I know when I do I will be writing a strongly worded email to someone somewhere begging for a third season.

- Am I the only one that goes through headphones like they're disposable? -
My new headphones have a short in them so they annoyingly only play music through one side meaning I can't stand to use them. However, I've realized that I don't want to exercise without listening to music but I don't want to listen to music out loud either. I know, I should get new headphones but I don't want to get a shit pair from Amazon just to have them break in a week and I don't want to pay ridiculous prices for a decent pair that could still short out in a week. It's a conundrum of epic proportions, believe me.

until next time,

xo

August Ipsy Glam Bag Review

Have I mentioned that I absolutely hate moving? Because I do.
While we're still not completely moved into the new house I just had to take a break from packing boxes and lugging them up and down stairs to write this review of last month's Ipsy Glam Bag...mostly because this month's is arriving soon. Oops.

August's theme was Beauty Schooled and I LOVE that!
What a great way to tie in the whole Back-to-School deal with great beauty products too. I'm not sure if it was their intent but I did notice that the products that I received were fairly basic, everyday items that beauty-beginners would be using. Perfect for a school themed bag if you ask me.

Let's start from the top. I wasn't too sure how I was going to feel about this Klorane Dry Shampoo, mostly because everything on the bottle was in French and that just reminded me too much of high school French class which was enough of a nightmare to never be reminded of it again.

I gave it a shot though, because I'm addicted to dry shampoo. My first thoughts were that I liked the nozzle and felt like it was really comfortable to use (is that weird?). Anyway, I suppose that doesn't matter so much because I don't know if that feature is carried over to the full size version too. I also really like that the product smelt nice, nothing too strong just natural and not powdery or fresh like some other dry shampoos I've tried. You definitely have to work this product into your hair though or you'll be left with a Bride-of-Frankenstein do that no one should have to deal with.

I'm already a huge fan of Dr. Brandt products from past Ipsy Glam Bags so I was super excited to see this product in my Glam Room. It's the Pores No More Pore Refiner Primer for oily/combination skin that can be used under or over makeup. Yep, you read that right, can be used over makeup too. I'm a big primer user so that was really intriguing to me but let me just say that when it says for oily to combination skin, it means it. I feel like I have combination skin that's more on the drier side so I thought this product would at least be good to help hide large pores along my T-zone, which it does wonderfully, but honestly this just got didn't look right after I applied my makeup. Not only does this primer have a harsh, chemically smell it also feels very slippery to the touch then dries out over the course of the day. I just felt like my makeup wasn't staying in place when I used this primer underneath and couldn't imagine it working any better over my makeup.

Ipsy is so hit or miss when it comes to eye shadows...but this one was a hit right from the start. First off, I love the packaging, the lid pops up to reveal a single Flying Solo shadow from J. Cat  Beauty but below that is also a little mirror and an extra small eye shadow sponge, perfect for traveling. This shade, Half Naked, is the perfect color for my skin tone in the summer. I love that it's a sheer peach with shimmer that can be used all over the lid, in the inner corners, or even as a cheek highlight. I love a good all-in-one product so this shadow definitely gets a thumbs up from me.

Oh. My. Gosh.
This lip balm is the best lip balm ever. Hands down. At least as far as all the lip balms that come in tubes like this go. From Jersey Shore Sun this Mongongo (still not sure how to pronounce that) Nutrient Dense Anti-Aging Lip Conditioner is so fabulous it had to have 4 flavors...Mandarin Green Orange Ginger, which is just as confusing as it's name. But I don't care about all that, it's just really good. So good in fact, I just had to stop typing just so I could put some more on. It feels like butter going across your lips, or something better than butter because that sounds gross, and keeps my lips hydrated for what seems like forever. I also like that it's Organic and made in the USA!

Now, for what I had waited all month for...Urban Decay Perversion Mascara.
I just don't even know where to begin with this mascara. When I heard that every Ipsy subscriber was going to receive a new Urban Decay product in their August Glam Bag I crossed my fingers that mine would be their new mascara. Well, it worked and I couldn't be happier.

Offering bigger, blacker, badder lashes that are "so intense, you might need a safe word." I don't understand why more people aren't talking about this mascara, it really does everything it says it will...I mean aside from the whole 50 Shades of Grey connotations. The formula is so creamy without being too wet and it really is blacker than black, so much so that my black eye liner paled in comparison. I definitely see this being my go-to mascara in the near future.

While August's products were an overall hit with me the actual bag was a little more than lack luster. It was down right awful. In fact, I've already chucked it. It was hard plastic and cheap. Definitely my least favorite bag so far, but that's okay the awesome products more than make up for it.

If you'd like to check out Ipsy for yourself just click here. If you're already a subscriber then leave a comment below letting me know what your favorite product from August's Glam Bag is.

until next time,
xo

August 2014 Favorites

August has been so crazy busy that I have barely worn any makeup. Seriously, hardly any at all. I've resorted to using concealer as a make-shift foundation and running bronzer all over to warm up my face but that's about it. Nothing exciting there but I do have some really great non-beauty favorites for the month of August that I just had to discuss.

Music

I feel like music has been such a huge part of my summer (did you see last month's What My Ears Have Been Loving post?) but with things calming down in the new releases department I've resorted to some old favorites tucked away in my Spotify playlists.

The Wombats - I don't even remember when I started listening to The Wombats but I can't get enough. Even new songs I've never heard before send me back to the land of nostalgia. I particularly love "Let's Dance to Joy Division", "1996", and "Anti-D". Go listen. You won't regret it.






Hoodie Allen - I have a thing for white-boy rappers. That might be a guilty pleasure but it's not a secret. I was in the pool one day when I started humming the chorus to "No Interruptions", I couldn't remember the last time I had even heard that song but I just had to play it and I didn't stop there. My personal favorites are Fame is for Assholes and Eighteen Cool. It just so happens that Hoodie released a new track, "Movie",  just in time for the end of August so I ended up getting my mix of throwback and new releases after all. PS: the new track is quickly becoming one of my favorites all on its own.

TV

I waited all month to watch the VMAs so of course the whole show made it on the list as my tv favorite. I've also watched it about a billion times since then (aka like 3 times) but if you want a look at my thoughts from the live show then check out this post.

Book - The Last Lecture

Since we're moving I've had to go through all of my books, my collection is a lot bigger than I even realized by the way, but that led to me picking out a few old favorites that I wanted to reread before I packed them all away. The Last Lecture was at the top of that list. I first read this book during the last few weeks, days really, of my junior year in high school after my AP English class finished reading The Great Gatsby early. It changed my life.

I know a lot of people say that about a lot of different books but this one really hit the nail on the head. Reading it again brings back all of those great memories but it also brings up a whole new level of awesomeness. I am forever grateful that Randy Pausch, the author of the book, decided to take his last lecture at Carnegie-Mellon and the advice he wished to preserve for his children (the book follows him as he is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer) and share it with the rest of the world. If you haven't read it or have never heard of Randy's story then google it, read it, live it. It's amazing and that's all I'm going to say.

Movie - If I Stay

This movie made it into my August favorites at the last minute...literally. I watched it on the last day of the month.
While visiting my friends at the university my sister called me up and asked if I wanted to go see a movie with her...and her boyfriend...and his mom. Uhhhh, what movie? If I Stay. Yes! I'm on my way!

I love my sister's boyfriend, he's great. I was a little worried about meeting his mom though. I mean I'm bad enough meeting my own boyfriends' mother let alone my sister's boyfriend's mother. Turns out she was totally precious and absolutely adorable. We even walked around the fair a little after the movie was over but back to the point.
This movie is precious. I had heard it was like The Fault in Our Stars Part Deux but I was attached to Augustus and Hazel Grace before seeing that, I barely even knew what this movie was about. However, I was totally on board for one reason and one reason only. Jamie Blackley. He is a cutie and get this, he's British! I was hooked.
The movie centers around Mia, played by Chloe Grace Moretz, and the incredibly difficult choice she has to make following an immense tragedy. The relationship between her and Blackley's character, Adam, is played out in a series of highs and lows that play just like long buried memories. By the time the movie wraps up, which is totally doesn't just so you know, you've personally went through the stages of grief and still don't know which way you want Mia to choose.
Oh, just to prove how hooked I am on this movie...I saw the movie on Saturday, bought the book on Sunday, and finished it on Monday. I still want more Adam and Mia.

YouTube - Velvetgh0st

Gabby aka Velvetgh0st is officially my favorite YouTuber...there, I said it. It might be the super bright colors of her channel, her lah-vely British accent, or the fact that she loves a good home haul but I can't get enough of Gabby. I'm currently obsessed with her moving in vlogs simply because they have me itching to break out on my own too. I love how she's not afraid to discuss her anxieties about vlogging and such but has kicked absolute ass on her journey moving out to Brighton. I'm proud and excited and obsessed all at the same tie. Check out her YouTube channels to see what all the fuss is about.

Food - Bolthouse Farms Vanilla Chai Tea
As I mentioned in my July Favorites, I've been making an effort to eat much healthier and exercise a whole lot more. I've gotten to the point that eating healthier isn't even a forced thing it's just what I prefer which means that I'm just not into eating certain things that my body doesn't deem super healthy for me. Sometimes that means meat. Since starting this healthy living journey I've practically become a vegetarian aside from the occasional chicken breast or bacon slice. Because of that and the fact that my exercise routine requires me to eat a lot more protein I've been looking for it in different types of food which brings me to my love for Bolthouse Farms Vanilla Chai Tea. As if vanilla, chai, and tea didn't have me hooked from the get-go the 9 grams of protein per serving certainly did. I love pouring a glass of this over ice in the morning like a good-for-you iced coffee...plus, it tastes a bit like eggnogg so I'm definitely keeping this up through the pumpkin-spice-everything season.

Because I would LOVE to hear Adam Levine's MJ impression

App
It's a good thing I don't have any beauty favorites this month because this post is already a mile and a half long and I'm not even done yet.

I have two favorite apps this month, one is on my iPad the other on my phone.
I have become addicted to reading from the PopSugar App every morning. It's gotten to the point that I pick up my iPad first thing in the morning. That's how I found out Carrie Underwood is pregnant y'all, it's kind of a big deal. I love reading all the fluffy celeb gossip and flipping through the slideshows of pictures.

My favorite app for my iPhone this month has got to be the MyFitnessPal App. This little thing is an absolute life-saver and has played a very important role in my new found healthy lifestyle but I plan on making a more in-depth post about all that very soon. I will say that I love that I can put it any food I eat and have it tell me the calories for it, I haven't found a food yet that hasn't been in the database. It also takes the calories I've burned from exercise and just walking around (with the help of my Pacer app) and factors that in too.











My last favorite for the month is the most random but probably my favorite favorite so far. It's the Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale! Oh gosh, I just love that sale. So much so that I wait for it all year and this year was no different. I plan on posting a bit more in detail about the sale very soon so keep a look out to see all the great goodies I managed to wrangle.

Leave me a comment below letting me know some of your favorites for the month of August! Don't worry, I'll have plenty of beauty favorites for September I'm sure.

until next time,

xo

Life Update

Holy crap!

This last week has been a crazy one. So crazy that my whole blogging schedule was just chucked out the window. I thought I would try to explain my absence in the form of a life update to catch y'all up on all the craziness.

Tucker as a baby!

Have I mentioned that I got a puppy? I mean he's almost a year old now but I don't really think I've mentioned him. Anyway, he's fabulous and amazing (of course). His name is Tucker Jax and he is a Yorkie.

Well, I love him to bits so when he was feeling sluggish and his jaws started to swell last week I started to freak out a bit. Turns out he was stung by a bee. It was a horrible experience for both of us. I thought he was bitten by a snake but the Vet was really cool, reassured me it was just a bee, and put my mind at ease when he showed me that Tucker loved the medicine he would have to take for the next couple of weeks. Seriously though, Tucker absolutely loves that medicine...I think he's actually going to miss it.

Our NEW House

My family and I are also moving...to a bigger and better house across town.

Which is really great but a pain in the butt. 

Mostly because it is actually a really slow process but we're getting there.

I've even started decorating my new room a bit. Let me know if y'all would like to see a post about my new found love for interior design! haha

I don't know why I'm showing this to the world but it perfectly describes
my weekend. That's me, my best friend, and my little sister. Don't judge.

On top of all that I've had to face the harsh reality that I am no longer a college student. :(

All of my friends...seriously, all of them...started college last week. 

That includes my best friend since daycare; my fellow Monogrammed Magnolia, Danielle (who started her senior year!); and my little sister. 

What's a girl to do without a crew like that? Well, by the time last week was coming to an end I was realizing just how hard of a time I was having actually dealing with everyone being gone and having fun at school without me. So I paid them all a visit and went to stay at my sister's apartment this past weekend.

The Carousel at the fair aka one of only 4 rides 

Turns out it was exactly what I needed. I loved seeing everyone and just roaming around my old stomping grounds plus the fair was in town!

After two days though, I felt incredibly old and worn completely out so I spent the day at my sister's apartment cleaning and acting like the old fart that I am.

Oh well, I'm still slowly coming to terms with the fact that my Year Off is fully underway but I feel like things are finally starting to look up. I even have a top secret plan in the works but that's for another update.

For now, I'll leave you with this little gem from my Instagram that I stole from @hellogiggles. They won't mind. 

Sometimes it's just nice to know you're not the only one that has no freaking clue what's going on. Thanks, Ricky Gervais and the lovely girls at Hello Giggles. 

until next time, darlings

xo

PS: I'm still playing catch-up so keep an eye out for my August Faves, Ipsy Review, and a few other bits and bobs left over from last month coming this week.