I decided that today I'm taking it back to my roots as a beauty blogger. (If you haven't been around long enough to remember that point in time..you should probably be glad.) Even though I don't seem to post about makeup as much as I used to, I'm still a huge beauty junkie. Honestly, it's probably a bad thing at this point. I've been cleaning out my room and I have WAY too much makeup. I need an intervention. 

Anyways. 

In the past couple of months I've acquired quite a few new products, and I figured I'd do a post reviewing them!

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Rimmel London Kate Sculpting Kit

For my spring show, we had to have a contour/highlight kit. Being the procrastinator that I am, I picked this up about a week before the show at a sketchy Walmart at like, 9:00 at night because I didn't have any other time to go. That was fun. I LOVE the highlight and blush in this, although I'm not a huge fan of the contour color. I think it's too warm for my skin tone, and it's hard to contour with powder, in my opinion. You really need cream. But I adore the highlight and blush, I still use them daily! ★★★☆☆

Revlon Liquid Colorstay Skinny Eyeliner

I believe that this was another thing that I picked up for a show, although I think I got this one for Aladdin, the first show. Guys, I LOVE this eyeliner so much. Liquid eyeliner definitely isn't my strong point, but this is one of the best eyeliners I've ever used. The tip is super skinny, which makes it easier to be super precise. Also, for such a tiny bottle, you get a lot out of it- I still haven't run out, and I use it almost every day. LOVE. ★★★★★

Covergirl Full Lash Bloom Mascara

I actually can't remember when I got this mascara, I think I had just run out, so I picked this up. Definitely not my favorite mascara. It's not bad, just not one that I would pick again. ★★★☆☆

ELF Duo Eyeshadow

This was actually an eyeshadow that I received for Christmas from my grandma. Lately, I've gotten SUPER obsessed with it. It's such a nice color combination, and I really like how it goes on. My only note would be that the lighter of the two colors can occasionally be a bit splotchy if you don't blend it well. Otherwise, I love this eyeshadow! ★★★★☆

Wet n' Wild Coloricon Brow Pencil

Yet another product from a show! Being a blonde, it's never a bad idea to have a brow pencil on hand, and I really like this one a lot. It's a good color, light enough so as to look natural but pigmented enough to do its job. ★★★★☆

Aussie Hair Insurance

I picked up this heat protectant spray a while back, and whenever I actually remember, I use it before I style my hair with heat. I'm not really sure how to know if it's working or not, but my hair hasn't fried off yet, so I'm assuming that it is. Plus, it smells really good, so sometimes I just spray it around my room purely for the scent! ★★★★☆

Sleek & Shine Flat Iron Straightening Mist

I'm pretty sure that I've squealed about this before, but I'm going to do it again. I LOVE THIS STUFF. It really does help to make my hair straighter, and it smells AMAZING. Like, I'd wear it as a perfume. Also, if you have a bunch of frizz, you can spray a ton of this on the frizzy areas and brush it out, AND THE FRIZZ IS GONE. Literally, miracle product. ★★★★★

Maybelline The Falsies Push Up Drama

Honestly, I'm only reviewing this as a warning to you all. Otherwise, I wouldn't even bother. DO NOT BUY THIS MASCARA. It's legitimately the worst mascara I've ever tried. I received it in a beauty box, and I really hate it. It just clumps your lashes together. Definitely don't waste your money on this. ☆☆☆☆☆

NSPA Exotically Creamy Coconut Rich Body Butter

This is another beauty box product, but I actually liked this one. It's a super creamy, soft body butter. I love it. The only thing is that sometimes coconut gives me a headache, so I can't wear it very often. I wish that it was vanilla or even scentless. Otherwise, I love it! ★★★☆☆

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What products have YOU been using lately? Have YOU tried any of these? Let's chat!

Weekly Wrap-Up

Hey everyone!! How has your week been? Mine has been alright, fairly busy. But that's life lately I suppose, haha! Lots of rehearsals, trying to catch up on school, etc. There are worse ways to spend a week, though!

I don't really have any interesting stories to share with you all. Which is kind of pathetic. Hmm. Like I said, most of the week was spent going to rehearsals and getting random stuff done. I can't think of anything stupid that I did either, so I can't really entertain you all with that.

OH! I somehow burnt pasta. How in heaven's name I managed to do that I don't know, but a bunch of the spaghetti I made had burnt ends. Cooking isn't my thing. At all.

Also, HOW IS JANUARY ALMOST OVER???? It's so weird. In a way it seems like New Year's was ages ago, but at the same time I can't believe that it's almost February and time for Valentine's Day. So weird.

Made Me Smile:

Phone calls, FaceTimes, and texts from my friends who were at competition this weekend. They actually FaceTimed me during the competition so that I could watch!!! They're seriously the best. ♥♥♥

Getting to chapter four in my novel!! I'm getting to the point where it doesn't take as long to write, because I know how I want it to work. It's so much fun!

Pizza dinners:)

Having a class that you reallyyyyyyyyy don't want to go to get cancelled. Best. Feeling. Ever!!!

Ugh:

Early morning rehearsals that aren't close to my house. Agh, mornings aren't my time of day.

Waking up randomly sore? Like, why?? Did someone attack me in my sleep or....?

WHY IS EYELINER SO HARD? One minute I'm thinking I have plenty of time to get ready and the next I have a black eye and two minutes to get out the door.

I keep thinking about how hard it's going to be to get this glitter nail polish off and I'm already dying. 

Headaches.

Loving:

The Hamilton soundtrack. Oh. My. Gosh. I am hardcore obsessed. 

Hot glazed doughnuts *insert heart eye emoji*

Fuzzy socks

The fact that it hasn't been *quite* as cold lately!!

Re-reading Pride and Prejudice. It's so perfect.

Pinning:

I'm kind of obsessed with these

These are just so pretty! They make me think of spring:)

Can I please have her hair?

This is such a cool ring

Ouch

Gosh I love this kitchen

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How was your week?

August Favorites!!

Gosh, August flew by. The fact that it's now September is kind of crazy. I'm trying my best to get used to all of the schedules, homework, etc so that I can be semi-organized, especially seeing as things just get busier and busier these next few months with rehearsals and the holiday season! I'm kind of a Christmas freak, I absolutely adore it- but I'd really like to not think about it for a while. Got to tackle this semester first!

Also, I just have to throw it out there- I ACTUALLY AM POSTING THIS ON TIME. IT'S A MIRACLE.

Sorry. That never happens, so I kind of have to celebrate on the rare occasion that it does!

Let's get into the favorites!!

(Sorry about photo quality- I'm still not able to edit any pictures at this point so all of these are either from my phone or are photos that I've already used on here before. SORRY!!!)

Beauty:

This eyeliner is absolutely fabulous! It's completely changed my views on eyeliner over the past month. If you remember, I got this in my Walmart Summer Beauty Box a few months ago. At the time I thought it was cool, but I never wore eyeliner, so I really didn't pay that much attention to it. So for the majority of July, it just stayed in my makeup bag. But towards the end of July or the beginning of August, I really started to play around with it, and a miracle happened.

I could apply eyeliner.

For me, that is a gigantic feat. I'm usually horrible with eyeliner. But this has really helped me to get better at applying it, and now I'm even starting to get the hang of wearing regular liquid eyeliner! I'm still not fabulous at it by any means, but I can actually wear eyeliner now, which I'm kind of loving.

This is another Summer Beauty Box item that I didn't really like until later. If you remember, I tried this mascara at the time and pretty much hated it- the brush did absolutely nothing for my eyelashes. I really like long, thick lashes, and this didn't provide that at all. What I realized, however, was that this is fabulous for using on your lower lashes!!! Since it's a tester size, it's perfect for the smaller lashes, and it doesn't smear under my eye like some mascaras do. I've definitely been loving that.

Books:

 I did a TON of reading this past month, so this is a fairly long category!

Every Soul A Star by Wendy Mass. If you read my blog during August, then you know how much I was freaking out over this book. I originally got it from the library, and then ended up purchasing my own copy at a local book sale. If I tried to explain this book, I would end up writing like, six paragraphs, so I'll just say this- if you ever see it at a library, please, pick it up! You won't regret it. It is just such an incredible book. I may have to do a full review on it at some point- would anyone be interested in reading that? Or have I already fangirled over it enough? ;)

I know, I know, I'm kind of late getting into The Hunger Games, but I'm really glad that I did. Honestly, I didn't have super high expectations for this book. I mean, I figured that I would enjoy it, but I kind of had it a bit stereotyped as being too teen-cliche-ish. I don't know. I've wanted to read it for a while, so that I could understand why everyone loved it. Well, now I do!! I still need to read Catching Fire and Mockingjay, but this was a great start. I'm probably going to write a full review of this, even though I know that there are like, a million reviews of it. It was a lot more thought-provoking than I expected, and it was just overall a really good book.

(edit: I actually wrote this post last week, and since then, I HAVE READ CATCHING FIRE!! OH MY GOSH IT WAS AMAZINGGGGGGGG. Okay, fangirl contained.)

Grabbed this off of Google Images because I didn't have a picture of my own- got this book from the library!

The Romeo and Juliet Code by Phoebe Stone was a really great book, also one that was better than I expected. It felt a bit young at times- I'm pretty sure the recommended age for this novel was like, 12. But I actually enjoyed it. Which leads me to my next favorite....

Also grabbed this from Google Images..

The sequel!! I actually enjoyed this book more than I did the first, although it was really sad at the end. Why do my favorite characters always die??? Despite the sadness of it, it's a really good book that I would definitely recommend. Even if you didn't really love the first book, stick around for the second- it's worth it. 

Randomness:

My planner has been kind of saving my life recently. I'll have to do a post on it to show you all, but it's been keeping me much more organized. I still need to work on organization, but this really helps. Plus, it has a quote every day, which I love!!!

I've mentioned this a ton, but frozen lemonades were also amazing this month. Agh now I want one! xD

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What were your favorites this August?

Summer Photo Challenge- Week 11!!!

Week 11...weird. I think that I've decided that next week's post is going to be the last of my Summer Photo Challenge. I start school again a week from today, so doing my last SPC post then seems appropriate. *dramatic sniff* I feel like since it's the last week of summer, I should be doing wonderful, summery things. But as I type this, I'm sitting on my couch in a nearly-dark room, as it pours down rain outside. Ah, irony.


Monday:

Okay, I'm probably just really weird. But the non-sparkly side of this actually is a pretty bronzer! I know..I'm weird...

Tuesday:

*considers painting nails* *remembers how tedious it is* *takes pictures of nail polish instead*

Wednesday:

Frozen lemonade + shopping = happy blonde!

Thursday:

 I finally finished Every Soul a Star by Wendy Mass. Oh my goodness, that book was phenomenal. I'm absolutely in love.

Friday:

I'm in love with this planner! I got it at Target for $12 and it's really awesome:):) Although with planners come school....aghhhhhhh....

Saturday:

I really like how my eye makeup turned out today! I have no idea how this happened, especially because I literally spent five minutes on it before I went to the book sale. But hey, I'm not complaining!!!

Sunday:

He was watching YouTube videos with me xD

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How was your week?

Walmart Summer Beauty Box!

Hola, chicas!!! I'm not exactly sure why I'm doing Spanish today. Okay then. Anyways, last week, I received my Walmart Summer Beauty Box in the mail! I have to say, I'm much happier with it this time around than I was last time. :) AND I'M ACTUALLY POSTING ON TIME! IT'S A MIRACLE!!!

If you aren't familiar with the program, or you haven't read my last post, the Walmart Beauty Box program is pretty simple. You pay a fee of $5 seasonally, and once every three months you're shipped a box full of samples and trial beauty products. Sometimes you get really great stuff, and sometimes it's honestly not worth it, so it really depends on the month. But hey, for only five dollars, it's worth a shot.

(Warning- I was taking these shots as the sun was going in and out, and my camera was being weird, so some of these pictures aren't as great as I would have liked. I'm sorry!)

It's here!!!

This month's goodies!

Clear Scalp & Hair Therapy Complete Care Nourishing Anti-Dandruff Shampoo. I don't really want anti-dandruff shampoo, so I don't plan on using this. It smells pretty good though!

Jergens Natural Glow 3 Days to Glow Moisturizer Medium to Tan Skin Tones. I'm not huge on foil packets, they're just kind of annoying in my opinion. I don't know that I'm going to try this either, tanning products kind of scare me, to be honest. I'm soooo pale that I'm always scared I'm going to end up orange. I don't know. Maybe I'll try this one at some point once I get a little more tan.

Ken Paves You Are Beautiful Volumizing Shampoo and Conditioner. More foil packets. Yay. Also, UGH I hate this picture so much. This was a really weird material though, and I just couldn't get a good photo to save my life. -_- Sorry about that. Despite my lack of affection for foil packets, I actually might try this, if there's enough for my hair. It's so long that I'm not sure if there's enough shampoo in the packet. I guess we'll find out!

Aveeno Protect + Hydrate Sunscreen, SPF 30. I was really impressed by this sample, the tube may be small but it is PACKED with sunscreen. You definitely get a lot out of it. I'm going to have to use this the next time I go outside, although I'm not sure if the SPF will be high enough. I burn so easily! #blondeproblems

Nivea Soft Moisturizing Creme. I really love this stuff! It's SUPER moisturizing, and it's not at all greasy. I'm definitely going to be using this sample quite a bit!

Neutrogena Healthy Volume Mascara. I was super excited to get this mascara! I absolutely LOVE mascara, it's a bit of an obsession, so I was thrilled to get to try this one. Unfortunately, it really wasn't my favorite. It did a good job of lengthening lashes, but it wasn't quite black enough for my tastes, and it didn't thicken the lashes at all. Honestly, it almost seemed like they looked thinner than usual. I'd like to try layering this with another mascara to see how that looks, but I probably won't wear this by itself very often. 

Neutrogena Healthy Skin Boosters Facial Cleanser. I haven't tried this cleanser yet, just because I like to wait to try skin care products until I don't have to go anywhere for a few days, in case it does something weird to my face. My skin is so sensitive that sometimes certain products will dry it out horribly, or it will break out really weird. Better to stay safe and wait. I'm interested to try this, though!

First off, I've just got to get this out there- it's so weird seeing Zayn on the packaging!!! It's so right and so wrong at the same time. I have to admit, this perfume actually smells pretty good. I can't use too much of it, as I learned earlier (oops!), but it does smell really good in very small amounts! I just can't use a ton, or I'll get a headache. Ugh. 

John Frieda Beachblonde Sea Waves Sea Salt Spray. I'm actually really excited to try this!!! I haven't gotten around to trying a salt spray yet, but I'd really like to see how it works. Perfect for summer- can't wait to try it!

NYC Big Bold Liquid Felt Tip Eyeliner. Guys. THEY GAVE ME A FULL EYELINER!!! Agh I'm so excited. And I actually somehow managed to lose my baby (aka my favorite liquid eyeliner), so I was going to have to go out and buy one. Well, now I don't!! This eyeliner has a really great 2-in-1 tip for really easy application. I tried it out, and it's SUPER easy to use. And that's coming from the most hopeless eyeliner girl ever. I'm looking forward to playing around with this a bit more. You do have to keep your eye closed for a moment after application to let the liner dry, but that's simple enough to learn. It also comes off extremely easily with a washcloth and water, which I love. I usually mess up so many times that easy removal is crucial. I don't want to look like a raccoon! I adore this product. :)

Overall, I'm really happy with this box. MUCH better than last season's! Did you order the Walmart Beauty Box? What did you think of it? If you didn't, are you interested in trying any of these products?