Sunburn DIY Relief

I think this time of year is when I forget that sunscreen is a thing and I should probably use it. And this happened to me on Memorial Day. As you can see from the picture below, I kind of sort of fried. Being a Pinterest addict I had remembered seeing something about being able to use tea to sooth sun burns, so I thought I would give it a try and report back how well it worked!

I used 5 bags of Earl Grey tea, and let them steep on the stove for about 4 minutes and then removed the pot from the heat. I then let the pot cool for a little bit and took the tea bags out, setting them in a separate bowl. Next, I poured the tea into a separate bowl to allow the tea to cool to room temperature, and I also added the tea bags back into the bowl. Once the tea is fully cooled, soak a towel into your bowl and then lay the towel onto the affected area for a minimum of 30 minutes.

As you can see, the results are not the best. Remember though, this is all through personal experience, so it could help you! I will say that I had immediate relief from the burning/itchy feeling of the burn and have not had that sensation since doing this!

What are your favorite DIY's for the summer? Let me know in the comments below!

Mug Swap - But First, Coffee

Hello all! I have missed writing on here a lot. I do apologize for my absence. 

I wanted to share an opportunity I had! Kallie from the blog, But First, Coffee facilitates a mug swap with her followers every so often. This first happened at the end of last year (I think it's honestly been so long now) and I was matched with the lovely Ashley Gabrielle. Once you have been matched with your mug swap partner, it is your alls job to get to know one another and then eventually send each other a mug! While Ashley and I both sent out mugs out a little late, we still got them to each other. I think she would agree with me when I say that the process of emailing back and forth and giving each other blurbs about each others lives was so much fun. We do have plans to continue to keep in contact with each other, and I honestly am so excited for that also. I think because of this mug swap, I have created a connection through the blogging world that we both enjoy, as well as a new friend :-)

Ashley is so sweet, and you should definitely go check out her blog! And I mean, you probably want to see what mug she got from me, right? ;-) 

And if you're here from Ashley's blog, hi and welcome! Like I said at the beginning of this post, I haven't put out a blog post in a while due to life events and school but I have a list and a folder of pictures ready to be edited for more posts this week :-) I think anyone would sympathies that starting to get into blogging consistently is challenging, but I'm slowly working on it :-)

Hope you all have a wonderful easter, and like I said, go say hi to Ashley and follow her! Just click here!

Netflix Tag

I've only had Netflix since December 2014 (crazy, I know) but I find myself on there almost every day or at least every other day. So I figured this tag would be something fun and personal to throw up while in a bit of a hiatus from my goal of posting regularly. With school and a bit more involvement in my co-ed fraternity, my life has become more chaotic than I thought it would be this semester.
If you have any tips for blogging while in school and really getting yourself fixated on a schedule, I would love the links/comments!

1) What are your favorite series to watch on Netflix?
This is so easy - Scandal. My boyfriend and I just got Netflix back in December and this is the first thing we started to watch. We are obsessed. If you like a show that keeps you on your toes and guessing, this is the one for you. Plus, I have decided I am aspiring to be Olivia Pope ;-)

2) What are you currently watching on Netflix?
House of Cards... Yes I started it. No I do not regret anything.

3) If you could have any series; old or new, put on Netflix, what would it be?
Probably any old school Nickelodeon shows that were from the 90's. I know there are a few on Netflix, but imagine a whole category of 90's Nick... I would die!

4) What is your one peeve about Netflix?
Searching for things... I always feel like I can never find anything and just watch whatever is on the suggested or new tabs on the home page. I do not mind trying to search for things but the process is dissatisfying. Does anyone agree with me??

5) What are your essentials for a perfect night in?
Lots of blankets, favorite PJ pants, hot tea, and a stuffed animal to cuddle with :-)

6) Recommend one series or movie for someone else.
Mr. Peabody, Scandal, House of Cards, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, Sherlock. Basis of my likings :-)


I tag anyone who is reading this to fill out this tag!

Makeup Overhaul + Makeup Collection (Picture heavy)

I decided at the end of 2014 that I wanted to reorganize and declutter my makeup collection. I do not have a huge makeup collection to begin with, so I knew it would not be that big of a task. I took before and after shots of my items by purpose/type to show you how many I kept and got rid of. I love looking at these types of posts on YouTube and blogs because they are so inspiring. Sometimes we really need to appreciate what we have!! This post will also be followed by a few other organization ones soon to come! With all of this being said this post is picture heavy, but I hope you enjoy!

Face

I decided that the Lumi foundation was something I love but need to work on these other foundations. I also do not wear foundation on a daily basis so even these are a lot for me.

Concealer

 I am definitely a concealer girl, because unlike foundation this is something that I do wear almost every day. I am however trying to downsize certain areas of my collection for how I am wanting to organize. Since doing this

though I have added the NYX concealer pot and the Maybelline Master Conceal. This is not the only area that has changed a little in my collection.

Brows

Brows are essential. I basically just tossed what was old or I couldn't use anymore with my more vibrant red hair. (Looking for a brow pencil recommendation ^^)

Powder

Certain powders are for certain functions. The Olay powder is one that I love but was on the older side. And I had just recieved a new bare mineral veil for Christmas so I decided to toss the old one also. I may be looking for a new loose powder as well, here soon :o

Bronzer

Bronzer gives me life. The Ulta thing however I could not stand. And teh revlon one would not pick up color anymore to save my life :-(

Mascara

I feel like we all have those moments when we ahve too many open mascaras. Luckily, the oens I threw out were on their last legs. Definitely would not reccomend the ulta mascara. It did absolutely nothing :-(

Eye Bases

This is one area of my collection I thought I would struggle with most. After much deliberation though I was able to narrow down my beloved color tattoos.

Other

These last pictures I didn't feel the comparisons were worth showing, but I figured you would still like to see what I have! :-)

I hope that this post was fun! Let me know if you have any other ideas for posts or things that you would like to see, and I'll be happy to look into them! If you would like to know any specific shades or names feel free to ask in the comments. I hope you all have a  wonderful day! :-) Thanks for reading!

Happy New Years + Festive Eye Look!

Hello lovely readers! I love this time of year. I am constantly thinking. Literally there is something on my mind. So to have a time of year to be able to reflect on myself and look at what goals I would like to set for myself in the coming year is always refreshing to me. I've created a short list of goals for myself both personal and blog related!

1. Blog starting two times a week for the whole month of January & then expand on posts per week from there.
2. Create a theme for myself as well as some set days for blog posts.
3. Be more organized & utilize my planner more!
4. Go to the rec center at least three times per week for the whole month of January, and then expand from there, also.
5. Be more thoughtful/aware of the little things in life!
6. Keep in touch with my parents as well as other family more.
7. Always strive.

As far as my New Years goes, my parents and I have a tradition of going out to eat and seeing a movie. While I'm not sure on the dinner location I believe we will be seeing Mockingjay (incredibly excited). This is something very special to me, especially now that I am in college. I do not get to visit my family as much as I would like, so little traditions like this one truly mean a lot.

Finally, the eye of the evening! I posted the above picture on my twitter a few days ago. I had every intention of recreating this for my families evening out, but I ended up going with a smoky eye. Do not fret, though! I plan on doing a post with more detail on my twitter picture in the future. I instead went for a bronze, dark look only using the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette. It is safe to say that the chocolate bar palette made it to my favorites for sure! Unfortunately the picture I took does not do this look justice, because in real life the eyeshadows are darker. I am in desperate need of a new camera :-(

I hope everyone has a safe and happy new year! What are some of your resolutions? :-)

Happy Holidays + Update!

Hello lovely people! I am coming to you alive and well! I thought I would update you all on my life and what I have been up to that has made my blog come to a hiatus for a month or so now.

The end of my fall semester came to a screeching stress mess fast, which made my social and blog life also come to a halt. Never have I had to deal with some much school work at once. And once all of that was done, finals week approached which meant more studying!!

With finals week over (early for me) came traveling to my universities bowl game trip, seeing as I am in the marching band. It was a great weekend trip filled with little sleep and a ton of memories (14 hour bus drive one way!) This was my last year marching in a band, and that reality hit me hard and fast. Due to some physical complications I cannot take the physical tole of marching anymore. I will however continue to play my saxophone in other ensembles on campus :-)

As far as the new year goes, I already have some segment ideas I am wanting to do. I plan on doing a blog post on the 1st of January with my goal for my blog and what I want to accomplish. I am also working on creating a different layout for my blog. If you have any suggestions on where to get templets please let me know in the comments!

Thank you all so much for being patient. This blog is something I am really passionate about and want it to be community based with great information and ideas :-)

Hope everyone has a great New Year, and I cannot wait to see what all of you have in mind for the New Year as well!

A Reflection on my Makeup Journey - Collab with SatinMilk & Hannah Dolled Up!

I have never thought about how my makeup style has changed until I was given the opportunity to do this collab with Hannah and Ashley! 

While it was hard to find some pictures, I would have to say that my makeup style has changed tremendously. I started wearing makeup when I was in the 8th grade. I only wore eye liner, mascara and eye shadow. The trio of choice was Wet n Wild's Walking on Egg Shells ;-) That was it! I mastered liquid eyeliner at this age as well, because that's all I exposed myself too. Why I have no idea but I am grateful for that now. The following picture is from high school, and I cannot even tell you to this day how I got that lower lash line to look so good.

To reflect on this for an additional second, can we admire the lack of eye brow in this picture also? x3

As far as my skin care journey goes, I am still struggling with this to this day. For some reason I can never get myself in a good routine. Heck, I can't even figure out a good routine for myself! But, I do wash my face twice a day and that's even better than what I did back in 8th grade.

It is also to reflect on the fact that as I go through my personal social media, none of my current pictures show my every day makeup. Probably because this semester it seems that I have embraced an all natural appearance more than I ever have. That in itself says a lot, because when I first started wearing makeup I did the same thing every morning. Not kidding you! Now, I wear makeup on the days that I have time or my special events. This is currently something I am trying to hash out in my life to create a go to 10 minute face, because I genuinely do love to wear makeup!

My life is a mess, and makeup for me has evolved into the thing where I can sit down and make myself feel good for how ever long I allow it. I love the process of putting on makeup and I love trying out new products... So this post has really made me realize that I need to put in a little more effort. I started wearing makeup because I loved watching the girls on youtube do it, and not I blog about it! SO CRAZY! 

This is a really rambly blog post, and I will probably go back and edit some things, but the gist is that I have evolved into someone who is putting on makeup when I can, and enjoying the collection even when I am not using it. My goal is to create a easy routine for myself as well as produce quality insight of my thoughts as well as my looks and collection to you all - thanks to this collab I have realized this!

Remember to check out the other two beautiful ladies in this collab! :-) We each took a different spin on this so there is something for every reader to enjoy!!

Have a great day!

CVS Score!

It's that time in the year where CVS has their 50%-75% off sale! My CVS store unfortunately doesn't have everything marked yet, and I was in for a quick trip when I picked up these two products. 

This past week Physicians Formula was buy one get one 50% off, so of course I couldn't pass up getting these guys for an even better price. Unfortunately, I do not have the receipt anymore but I know I didn't pay anymore that $7 for these two items!

I'm looking forward to opening these guys and testing for a review, so be on the look out for that! 

Do any of you plan on hitting up the CVS sale? If so, leave me a comment and let me know what you're wanting to score! :-)

Shown in picture

Physicians Formula Happy Booster Blush in Pink

Physicians Formula Powder Palette Multi-Colored Face Powder in Highlighter

Tid Bits

• This past week has been nothing but papers. I just turned my last one in this morning and I could not be happier.
• Going to my boyfriends for Thanksgiving this year! My college has a football game on black Friday that the band has to be at, and my drive home is a little further than his so this is just how things worked out.
• I have become obsessed with Tim Hortons Caramel Lattee Supreme's.....

FOTD #1

Hello all! Hope you all aren't freezing like I am right now. I decided to share a look that has been my go to, ever since coloring my hair! I am not ready for this snow and freezing temperatures! Therefore this look represents my love for fall and the fact that I am hanging on for dear life with this season. All of the information for this look is listed below!

What has been your go to look lately? Leave me a comment! :-)

Face: 
L'OREAL Lumi Foundation in n1-2 soft ivory
Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in 15 Fair
bareMinerals Mineral Veil
Rimmel London Stay Matte Pressed Powder in Transparent
Tarte Amazonian Clay Bronzer in Park Ave Princess
two cosmetics duo eyeshadow in Heartache (love this as a blush!) :)

Eyes:
E.L.F. Eyebrow kit in medium
Milani Bella Mandarin in the crease as a transition shade
Ulta Eyeshadow in Golden Olive all over the lid (sadly discontinued)
Urban Decay Naked 2 & Faint from the Naked Basics palette in the crease & outer V
bareMinerals eye liner in Black bean to line upper lid (discontinued)
NYX retractable eye liner in black for tight line
Covergirl Clump Crusher Extensions Mascara in Black

Lips:
Julep Lip Gloss in Awestruck

Happy Friday and a quick update!

Hello everyone! Hope this week has been treating you well. I myself have been pretty busy with school work as well has school band commitments. I thought I would get a post out to let you all know that I have created a twitter account! Like I have said (and probably will continue to say) I love interacting with people! This will be a great way for me to share posts from my blog, quick info on things such as sales, opportunities and even mini life updates/thoughts. 

Can't wait to see you all in the Twitter sphere!

@thatsamlife