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

My Thoughts On...the VMAs.

Because you know we've just got to talk about it.

I am a huge fan of the VMAs and have been watching them since before I was even allowed to watch MTV. Seriously, I used to watch it on the lowest volume setting possible then change the channel every time I thought I heard my parents walk past my room. That was when I was like 8 or something. In fact, I remember watching quiet a few VMAs before my parents actually allowed me to watch them in the living room for my first official Video Music Awards viewing back in 2001, but we'll get back to that in a minute. 

Let's start by having a look at some of my favorite (and least favorite) fashion moments from last night's festivities.

Best Dressed

I'm giving Best Dressed to my Ultimate Girl Crush...I-G-G-Y!

Among a red carpet full of "eh" looks, Iggy Azalea brought glamour and pushed the bar just far enough with this Versace gown. She also scored points with me by being the realest (yea, I know) when it came to who she was wearing when she told Sway on the red carpet that Versace had contacted her and asked her to wear one of their pieces so they flew it out to her then had to rip the dress apart and sew her into it. That's how it happens people! She didn't wake up like this and she's not afraid to admit it.

Worst Dressed

What the hell,  Taylor?! 

First of all, I was not impressed by this year's red carpet looks. There was a lot more bad than good. Maybe even some worse than this but I picked this look for one reason. She could have done so much better! Look at those legs. I understand, you've gotta show those suckers off but no one is focused on your gorgeous gams when you look like you're wearing a diaper. 

Not everyone can pull of the bodysuit look quiet like Bey-once so don't feel bad, T-Swift but just remember this. If your shorts are so short that the inseam can't be measured then you should probably make them into a leotard or get a new outfit. Taylor should have done the latter but hey, shake it off, right?

Now for the main event.

Kicking the show off with a bang was Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj, and Jessie J with their melody of hits including Break Free, Anaconda, and Bang Bang. Here's my thoughts on the performance...

Ariana has an AH-MAY-ZING voice. It's that plain and simple. 

I don't care, I love Anaconda and Nicki Minaj. 

I have always been on the fence about Jessie J but this performance may have pushed me over to her side. 

Nicki Minaj may have had a wardrobe malfunction but girlfriend proved that the show must go on by coming out on stage holding the front of her dress together the whole time. There are not words to

describe how great that is. 

Gwen Stefani and Snoop Dogg (Snoop Lion??) presented the first award of the night and sent us all back to California My love for Gwen Stefani is immeasurable. I just do not see a point when I will not love her and it's not because we share a birthday...even though we do. October 3rd, in case y'all were wondering.

T-Swizzle redeemed herself, a bit, with her performance of Shake It Off...which is actually a really great song if you don't watch the video while listening to it. However she proved herself to be, as one of my friends said during the show, "Taylor Swift, patron saint of awkward white girls everywhere" when she paused during the performance, muttered something about not wanted to jump from the stage into a crowd full of hot guys in suits, then ran down the stairs and started signing again. She did mention something about that snake biting one of Nicki Minaj's dancers though, so that was funny but mostly I could have done without that little skit.

If you haven't heard about my love for Ed Sheeran than you must be new here.
If you get it by now then you'll completely understand that I may have gotten a bit emotional when Ed Sheeran won Best Male Video. Like what?! OMG! I felt like a proud momma...or mumma since he's British. Turns out it was Ed's first American award and I have to say he completely deserves it. Congrats, Ed!!! xx

Was it just me or was the crowd just super loud this year? I couldn't even hear Kim Kardashian-West (because that's her official title now)introduce Sam Smith. However, the Kardashian/West/Jenner Clan was absolutely adorable during the performance. The camera like panned to them 5 times in 3 minutes.

Can we just talk about how Common was sweet enough to ask for a moment of Silence in honor of both Michael Brown and his wish for peace (which I wish could have been longer but was well respected) yet the first video nominated for Best Hip Hop Video was Kanye West's Black Skinhead. I don't even want to go there. Kanye just leaves a bad taste in my mouth sometimes.

Was Jay Pharaoh the host or nah? I'm thinking nah and MTV just got him out there to make people laugh and keep voting going for Artist to Watch.

Last but certainly not least.

I can't even begin to talk about Beyonce's performance.
Oh lawd, Queen Bey's done done it again. I can't. I just can't. She's amazing. Her family is amazing and freaking adorable. Let's just say I want to be Beyonce more than ever now. #Flawless

Well that's it lovelies, leave a comment below letting me know your favorite part of the 2014 Video Music Awards! xo

For now I'll leave you with this precious picture...when you realize your mom is God so that means you're low-key Jesus.

Does that make Jay-Z Joseph or Mary?

until next time, 

xo