March Photo Journal Challenge

Hey everyone! I thought I'd pop in and tell you that I am planning on participating in Deaf Girl Musings challenge she recently posted. You can read that post here, but basically for the entire month of March, I will take one picture a day to create a photo journal. Here's the list:

 I'm really excited because I love taking pictures, but often just forget to! Plus, I am very sentimental so I will enjoy having something to look back on.
 Feel free to join in with us, you don't even need to have a blog!

As far as how I will incorporate this into my blog, every monday I will share that previous week's pictures :) Can't wait!

February Ipsy Bag

I'm back for another round what I got in my I
psy bag this month!

1. Mally Evercolor Starlight Waterproof Eyeliner in shade Starlight

What they say:
This creamy formula glides effortlessly onto the lid and locks into lower rim to beautifully define your eyes. Create a fine line or a thicker line with no pulling or tugging. Wear it as a shadow by applying to the lid and smudge. Rich and full, this liner will give a strong coverage that lasts all day. 

What I say: Overall, I was really pleased to see this in my bag. I've always wanted to try Mally products and this certainly did not disappoint. It really is waterproof and took makeup remover for me to remove it. Only thing is that I wish I received a more wearable color besides silver.

2. RituOil by Uberliss

What they say:
Quench your hair’s thirst with the Überliss RituOil! Engineered with a light blend of Orchid & Argan Oil, RituOil will preserve precious moisture within the hair fiber by sealing the cuticle & will safeguard it from thermal damage. The end result will be amazingly soft, shiny, & frizz-free hair. 

What I say: I liked this! It did a great job on my damaged ends and left my hair very soft.

3. 9 Pan Eye Shadow Compact by Jesse's Girl in shade Behind Blue Eyes

What they say:
Jesse's Girl put together four great eye shadow collections suitable for all: Brown Eyed Girl, Behind Blue Eyes, Tickled Pink, and The Eyes Have It. Each compact features nine coordinating eye shadows in a sleek, travel-friendly case 

What I say: I was kind of put-off by this because I don't normally wear blue shadows, but I was pleasantly surprised that there were some other great more neutral shades thrown in. I will definitely use an eye primer with these because some's pigmentation is better than others, but I will get some great use out of this palette!

4. Plump Pout Mini by POP Beauty in shade Peony Petal

What they say:
This plumping pout perfector combines the high-shine of a lacquered gloss with the long wear of a stain and is packed full of lip-plumping peptides and avocado and jojoba oils. Lightweight, creamy texture immediately merges with lips & delivers intense glossy color for an extremely long-lasting finish! 

What I say: I am not a lip gloss person. I hate that sticky feeling, bleh. But, I did try this one out to see how the color looked. I was shocked! It did NOT feel like a gloss, but more of a balm. I don't think it did anything to plump my lips like they claim, but this may be the only gloss I will wear. I love love love the color too, it's the perfect neutral shade!

Top Mally pencil
Bottom POP gloss (for some reason it's showing more vibrant and red on screen than it is in real life)

5. Nail Polish by Zoya  in shade Odette

What they say:
This season's Zoya Nail polish are full of pure pigment, intense color and modern complexity that are a perfect transition into Spring.

(exude my awful nails)

What I say: If you've been following these for a while now, you know that I receive this nail polish brand pretty often. While I'm not complaining, because I actually really love the formula and colors, I was a bit disappointed to see it in my bag again. I always get nervous that I'll get a shade I don't like, etc. But this time, I was so happy with my color! It's the perfect transition shade from winter to spring. I love purples so I will get lots of use out of this!


That's all for this month. Overall, I was very very pleased with my bag this time. I loved everything that came :)

Sign up for Ipsy here!

What WE Wore Wednesday

Say that title five times fast.

 WIWW is back folks! Well, sorta. I just have one (well two really) outfits to share today. 

The other weekend my family and I went to our favorite Moroccan restaurant and before we went my brother snapped a few pictures of what my sister-in-law, Holly, and I were wearing!

My outfit was rather plain but I thought Holly's was just too darn cute not to share!

Here's what she's wearing:

Sweater and dress/ Urban Outfitters

Leggings/ Target

Boots (which are adorable)/ DSW

and my dress came from a garage sale (old navy) the wedges are from target and my earrings were a souvenir from Paris. 

and now for a blooper pic:

I'm pretty sure this was us saying "What the heck!" to my brother because he took one picture of us and left. I mean we are girls!! We need options!

The Lizzie Bennet Diaries

Hey, do you wanna know how I spent my entire weekend?

Well, don't you worry, I am about to tell you.

On friday, I decided to start watching a web series called The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. I didn't expect to go through ALL 100(!!) videos by the time sunday night rolled around, but that's just what I did. I'm surprised I just now found out about it, (it's over a year or so old) but once I started, I just could.not.stop.

To say the least, It was really really good. Basically it's a modern adaptation of 'Pride and Prejudice' through a video blog online. It's funny, clever and even at times emotional and sad. Not only that, but it's just a genius way to re-tell the story. The way they take the original and adapt it to current issues is just amazing. (Not to mention that it's an Emmy award winner series!)

 I kinda was sad when I came to the end and now I wanna watch it all over again. 

Now, I've moved on to their current series, Emma Approved, an adaptation of Austen's novel 'Emma.' 

 If you love Jane Austen definitely check it out. Even if you don't, I still feel like you'll love it because it makes the story feel so much more relatable to this day and age.  

Beware, though, because once I started it, I completely lost my weekend. 

To watch the series from the beginning, click here!

{I should note my serious new crush on Bing Lee. He's gorgeous. }

Love Your Melon

I apologize for the crickets over here, this week has sorta slipped by and blogging moved down the priority list this week. 

Anyway,  as you may know, pediatric cancer is something very near and dear to my heart!

I wanted to share with you an amazing  foundation that I saw the other day on the news and fell in love with!

Love Your Melon Foundation

Because I can't explain it as well as they do, here's what they say on their about page:

"The Love Your Melon Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) dedicated to improving the lives of children battling cancer through therapeutic treatments.  Through its Buy One – Give One program, Love Your Melon provides comfy hats to give them something to wear during this difficult time. Our hats do more than keep them warm, they restore confidence. Love Your Melon’s gifts create smiles on the faces of children battling cancer and make them feel comfortable after losing their hair due to chemotherapy treatment. For every product purchased, another of equal value is given to a child battling cancer."

What's even more awesome is that Love Your Melon goes on 'Smile Tours' and travels the country visiting children's hospitals, giving children the beanies (because when you don't have hair, you get pretty cold!) They even dress up as super heroes to pass them out, just to put a smile on a child's face. 

 As soon as I saw them, I immediately purchased one. Not only are the beanies really cute, they are surprisingly affordable (especially when you know that you're buying two for the price of one), and  they are also made in the USA! But what I loved the most about them, was the story behind it. I love that whenever I wear my beanie, I'll be reminded of those kids who stuck in a hospital fighting for their lives. I love knowing that that beanie I bought went to help bring a smile to one of those children's faces. 

I literally can't wait till mine comes in the mail ( I got the cuffed coral one)! I think I'll wear it everyday since then. 

You can order one on their website Loveyourmelon.com!

A Hair Game Changer

A couple weeks ago, I booked a hair cut appointment at a salon I had never been to before. It was my first experience at an Aveda salon, and from that moment on, my hair's life has been forever changed.   Yes, I do realize how dramatic that sounds...bare with me for a second.

I fell in love with my haircut (just added a few more layers), I loved the free massage with every appointment, score! but what I loved the most was how my hair felt afterwords. I've never felt it so soft before and it just felt so much more healthy if that's even possible. I asked the hair stylist what she used on my hair to make it feel this way, and she introduced me to this product:

Damage Remedy Daily Hair Repair Leave In Treatment

It's a leave in hair treatment that you apply after showering into damp hair. It's not only a great hair moisturizer/conditioner, it's also a heat protectant! Seeing that my hair is very dry and I curl it almost everyday, it was like a miracle product. 

So, for a few minutes I contemplated buying it. After all, I am cheap and spending $28 dollars on a hair product seemed crazy to me. Ultimately, I put it back and left the salon empty handed. 

A few days went by and I realized that my hair has yet to feel as good since that first initial use of the product. I finally decided that maybe it was worth it. Instead of going back to the salon, I decided to look online.  Well, it must have been my lucky day because there was a coupon code for a free 3 piece sample set and free shipping! I snatched it up and waited patiently for it to arrive. 

Ever since I got it in the mail, my hair has been amazingly soft and healthier looking, just like it was at the salon. I can't say enough great things about this product and I am not one to recommend something so expensive if I don't absolutely love it. I absolutely do. And, if you think about it, you are basically paying for two products (leave in conditioner and heat protectant) in one, so you are getting a better bang for your buck! 

I'd definitely recommend checking this product out if you struggle with dry (even normal!) hair or use a lot of heat styling like I do.

Happy Valentine's Day, Mon Petit Chou

Have I ever told you that Valentine's Day is my favorite holiday?

 Well, it's true. Even when I was a little girl, I would spend hours obsessing over my handmade mailbox and perfecting all the Valentine's I'd give to my classmates. In middle school, I remember buying those 'Love grams' to send to all my friends and I remember smiling so big when I'd receive some back. In fact, I still have them after all this time! I never really had a Valentine in high school or in my adult life (or ever for that matter), but that doesn't stop me from loving this day. Of course I agree with the critics that we should tell our loved ones every single day that we love them, not just on a certain day. But there is something so special and magical about this day that just makes me giddy. It's like for one day we can make complete fools out of ourselves and just be gushy and romantic and actually get away with it.

Side note: Did you know that a popular french term of endearment is "Mon petit chou" (ma petite chou if said to a girl) {pronounced mohn puh-tee shoe / mah puh-teet shoe}.  Well what that actually means "My little Cabbage."
 So yes, the french, who are known for being the language of love, call their loved ones little cabbages. Let that one sink in for a bit. They also use "Ma puce" which translates to "my flea". They are natural born romantics let me tell ya.


Anyway, Happy Valentine's Day everyone! I wish you all the romance, cabbages (& fleas), hearts and of course chocolate your heart can handle! Tonight, I'll be getting chocolate wasted with a good friend, laughing over dumb inside jokes and getting in all sorts of shenanigans together as single ladies. It couldn't get any better than that! (I'm going to pretend that last sentence was true ;) )

Plus, you know where I'll be tomorrow....