Daydreaming about Lollapalooza

So I saw the lineup for Lollapalooza last night, and I think I may have died a little. It is ridiculous. I neeeed to find some way to go.

If you don't know what Lollapalooza is, it is basically "a sensory overload of 130 of the most notable and buzzworthy bands from across the globe".

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The problem for me is money, and finding someone to travel to Chicago with me haha. But I'm trying to convince my friend Elliott to go, so if he agrees then the only issue will be money. Early birthday present?? Hope so!

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If I can't go to that, I'll probably go to Moogfest in North Carolina, because it begins on my 18th birthday! That wold be really fun.

Are you going to Lollapalooza? If so I'm as jelly as a jelly doughnut. Any other music festivals you are excited about?

Being Productive...ish

Right now I'm TRYING to: study for my history final, finish reading my english book and do a project on it, algebra homework, chemistry lab write-ups, makeup algebra work, and study for a Spanish quiz.

What studying (should) look like:

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What I WISH studying would look like:

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I COULD do one of those "how to pass finals", "how to not be stressed during finals", etc. posts, but who am I kidding, you don't want study advice from me. Ok I have one piece of advice and I don't even follow it: DON'T PROCRASTINATE!

Well, that's all :) Thought I would come update everyone and distract myself some more. Do yo all procrastinate too? How do you get through these last few weeks of school?

Book Recommendation: Shoo, Jimmy Choo! by Catey Hill

Last semester in algebra we had to pick a book relating to probability, finance, economics, or anything math-y really. I was pressed for time, went to Barnes and Noble, and picked up some random probability book. I didn't even bother to read the whole thing, it made NO sense to me. However, I let my friend read it and he loved it and understood it all, and now uses probability to win arguments (ugh).

Anyway, this semester I decided I wanted a book I could actually benefit from and use in life. Again I went to Barnes and Noble, looked around in the economics and finance section, ...boring...boring...boring...pink!! Yeah the pink cover caught my attention

image from Catey Hill's blog (see below for link)

This book is so freaking useful! I do have credit card debt, and this had amazing tips to help me get out of it and how not to get into unnecessary debt anymore. I also learned that I am an impulsive spender and an absentminded spender, sometimes emotional spender. (I did learn a LOT more than that, but I'd rather not re-write her book on my blog)

This book has charts to fill out, and help on just about any financial situation (cars, taxes, retirement, debt, budgeting, and so on). The best part? Its easy to understand. I was never one to understand financial things when people explained it to me, but this girl can do it. (She also loves designer clothes like some of you I know out there).

If you are in debt, or even if you aren't in debt and you want to learn more financial tips that you can actually use, I definitely recommend this book!

She also has a blog that has a few tips.

I've fallen in love again...MAC Painterly

So I was playing around with my camera and taking pictures and whatnot, and I'm still experimenting so excuse the poor quality and blurriness. Hopefully I'll have a new camera soon :/

Anyway, recently I've just been feeling the no-makeup look for summer, especially at work where you can't really see my eyes because of my hat. I've also been feeling pretty lazy-waking up 10 minutes before I have to leave my house for school. I use mascara always, but I feel like I need SOMETHING on my lids just so I don't look too terribly slack.

Well, I've fallen in love again with MAC Painterly Paint Pot! I've had it for a while and didn't use it much, but now I use it literally everyday!

For those who don't know, MAC paint pots are creamy eye shadows that are often used as bases for powder eyeshadow. They have one for about every skin tone, but Painterly just happens to match me perfectly (it's a nude beige color). It just makes my eyelids look even and flawless, which is good for you who have veiny eyelids like I do :P

I tried to swatch it, but it was too close to my skin tone for my crappy camera to pick up. Sorry!

What do you think? Do you use MAC paint pots? Other cream eyeshadow? Lemme know :)

Friendship

I've learned a lot from my stepdad dying yesterday (Easter). But one thing that really stood out to me is the importance of having great friends, and appreciating them. Sometimes it takes a bad situation for people to realize how great their friends are, and how much they really care about you.

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My mom's friends have been great to her. They've visited her at the hospital, invited her over for dinner, offered to do her laundry, and basically anything else she needed. They have been supportive of her and told her she was strong enough to get through this. She even said that if it wasn't for my sister, me, and her friends, she doesn't know how she would've made it through this. And, as Aristotle says:

"Misfortune shows those who are not really friends"

Which is sooo right. I've been there too, noticing who my true friends are when something bad happens. I'm sure we all have though :/

Me and two of my best friends. They have been there with me through absolutely everything (and put up with me while I had an eye infection, driving me around and whatnot. Love you guys!).

So, I think we should all make it a goal today, since it's the beginning of the week, to be a friend to somebody this week. It might make a huge impact on their life. And to all those true friends out there, we love you!

Easter Inspiration

Hello loves! I have to go to work in about an hour, but I thought I would do a quick Easter inspiration post!

Photos:

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Love this blog! Check out Jim's Pancakes if you haven't already seen it!

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Links and other:

Peep Sushi?! Definitely gonna make some this weekend. Thanks Lauren Conrad!

If you have children or a little sibling, take them to see Hop!

Martha Stewart of course provides us with a list of Everything Easter! Seriously, over 50 ideas!

Well, my boyfriend is coming over tonight to dye eggs with my Mom and I, which should be fun! I'm going to my boyfriend's aunt's house for lunch, then going to my aunt's house for dinner. And of course before all of that my mom is going to hide the eggs for me to find (I'm such a little kid).

*Update* - My stepdad died today :( They took him off the ventilator yesterday and he was breathing on his own but his kidneys and liver shut down. They also found out he had cancer on his liver. So, not the happy Easter I was expecting, but it will give me a chance to hang out with my mom and have a good cry with her. RIP Gary

What are your plans for Easter? Do you look for eggs too? Have a happy Easter everyone and let me know how it was!

100 Follower Giveaway!

Yes, I am going to be doing my first ever giveaway! I'm not totally sure what I'll be giving away yet, but I have some ideas :)

The giveaway will happen once I reach 100 followers, to celebrate!

Some of my ideas for the prize are:

A Tervis Tumbler (you know, those really cool cups!)

A makeup bag with some of my favorite drugstore essentials

A gift card to....somewhere. Not sure yet haha.

Other?

Let me know your thoughts and if you'd be interested in entering! Remember, this won't start until we reach 100 followers!

Prom post :)

Well last weekend was my junior prom. It was probably one of the most stressful things I've had to plan out. We had massive date mix ups and nobody planned ahead very well. My best friend Haleigh ended up going with my other best friend John. And I ended up taking Haleigh's boyfriend Ty. Sounds weird right? Well it worked out because we had a blast!

John, Haleigh, Me, and Ty

Haleigh and I

The only bad thing was that my hair looked really good when I left the salon and my house, but when we were taking our pictures, it was so windy that it was pretty much straight in the front and super curly in the back :( Oh well, it was a lot of fun though!

Haleigh and I. Best friends :)

We ate at Wasabi, a really nice Japanese/sushi restaurant. We were switching seats and I had to get up, and my heel got caught in my dress which made me fall. Ty tried to help me up, and I got halfway there and fell again. He didn't realize I fell again so he sat down. I could NOT get my heel untangled from my dress so I had to CRAWL to the other side of the table, in my dress, in a really nice restaurant. There was a table full of guys right next to us, and they alllll stopped eating and stared at me. It was soooo embarrassing!

Our shoes. Haleigh on the left and me on the right

Ty and I (Haleigh's boyfriend, haha)

Help!

Hey guys! I need some help from all of you. I think something in my CSS is messed up, because when I try to change my font size or color it goes all wacko. But besides that, I really want a new blog layout and coding and everything. If you can help me, or can recommend me to someone who can, it would be greatly appreciated. I will pay whoever does it for me!

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The Way They See It

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Slacking again I know. My mom has been going through alot, her boyfriend (who is basically my step dad) has been in the hospital in critical condition, and things aren't looking good.

Inspirational quotes always help though ^^^^^

Hmm my prom is tomorrow! I'll try to post some pictures. How's life going for everyone?

Collective Haul and Review

Hey guys! Sorry for the slackness lately. But this is going to be my first ever haul post! I tried to color code it, but for some reason I'm having text issues with blogger. It won't let me change the color and it messes up when I try to change the size. Anyway, it's a pretty big haul, I got my first paycheck from my new job and kinda went crazy, plus my boyfriend got me a Bath and Body Works gift card :P Anyway, hope you enjoy it!

1. True Blue Spa Refreshing Citrus Body Scrub

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I haven't had a chance to try this one yet, but it feels like it would do a great job exfoliating! It is a sugar scrub with coconut, avocado, almond, and jojoba oil. Just from doing a sniff test it kind of reminds me of a Sprite, you know, like the soda. But it does seem like a nice body scrub.

2. True Blue Spa Nourishing Body Lotion- Tahiti, Sweetie.

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I am in LOVE with this lotion. I had been using this lotion before I bought it this time, but I'm almost out so I decided to re-purchase it before I did run out. This has been my favorite go-to lotion especially during the summer. It has such a nice summery scent, very fruity and coconut-y, even though I don't like coconut I LOVE this scent. It's great to put on after you get out of the shower, because you are supposed to put it on damp skin. Definitely recommend this product!

3. True Blue Spa Silky Smooth Shave Cream

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If you are someone who goes through shaving cream like, every month, this is probably not the best option because it will get pricey. I don't go through shaving cream that quickly, so for me this is great. I used to use the Skintimite line, which I also really liked and was very affordable. I really like the way this makes my legs feel, after I'm done they are VERY smooth and hydrated, and also makes my shave very smooth, no cuts or anything. So basically, if you go through shaving cream often, this is a good special occasion shave cream. If you don't go through it very often, you should definitely check this out!

>4. Fiji Passionfruit Body Scrub

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Another body scrub. I thought having some good body scrubs around would be good for the warmer months to get rid of dead skin cells if I happen to peel from too much sun. I really like this scrub because it's very creamy and not too harsh on the skin, but it does a great job exfoliating. It also has a very delicious tropical scent that isn't too overpowering. I try to exfoliate about 1 or 2 times a week.

5. Berry Vanilla Triple Moisture Body Cream, Body Wash, and Fragrance Mist

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I've always liked the B&BW triple moisture body creams. I was actually drawn to this because I really liked the color of the bottle. When I gave it the good ole sniff test, I realllllly loved the scent too! Its very light and summery, and not too overpowering. If I fall in love with a scent, I usually get 2 or 3 items of that scent so that I can match my lotion to my spray, and so on. The triple moisture body cream is really good for night time because it is so thick.

7. Secret Wonderland Triple Moisture Body Cream, Body Wash, and Fragrance Mist

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Same explanation as above. I absolutely fell in love with this scent when I smelled it, and again was attracted to it because I really liked the cool design on the bottle. It kind of reminds me of the movie Avatar, hehe. I really like using this scent if I'm going out at night, but I also use it during the day as well. Very versatile!

8. Essie's Mint Candy Apple Nail Polish

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I really wanted to include a picture of this polish on my nails like I did for "For Audrey", but unfortunately we can't have nail polish on our nails for work and I had to take it off before I got the chance to :( So to make up for it I will link Leesha's (xsparkage) blog post on it with photos included, here. :) I absolutely LOVE this color. I think it looks a little more blue than the picture on the Essie website. But I am so sad that we can't wear nail polish at work because it is such a great spring color!

9. Vita-C+ Exfoliating Apricot Citrus Scrub

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I found this scrub at Sally Beauty for like $7. I needed a new face scrub so I decided to try this one out because it was cheap and sounded pretty good. It's not good, not bad though. I don't get that "OMG my skin feels amazing this is my new favorite product" feeling after, but it does get rid of dead skin cells and does what it's supposed to do. Wouldn't repurchase, but I don't hate it either.

10. Hemp Argan Oil Body Lotion

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Before I talk about this product, let me just say that I know all of the harmful effects of tanning, read all the articles, etc., yet I can't stop. It's literally addicting. That being said, I try to use the best products possible to try to eliminate some of the potential future damage (i.e., wrinkles) that will come. This lotion "defies aging and leaves skin beautifully soft and bright". Well, not the best moisturizer ever, not the worst either because it left me a bit sticky. I didn't really notice a "refreshed tone" (as it claims on the back), but I can't really speak for the defying age factor because I haven't used it long enough and I don't have any really visible signs of aging on my body yet. The thing I can't get past is the smell. If you've ever used a hemp product, you know what I'm talking about. Not all hemp products smell like this, but a lot do, this being one of them. I have used other hemp products that I've loved, this just hasn't done it for me.

Well that's it for this week, sorry for the lack of variety since it was mostly Bath and Body Works stuff. What have you bought this week that you've loved/hated?

In your opinion...

What is the best foundation/foundation you are using now?

I'm currently using MAC's Pro Longwear foundation, and I'm almost out. I like this foundation but I don't feel like its that perfect foundation, you know? I do love that it has SPF in it though, I try to use products that have SPF. I'm thinking about trying the Laura Mercier silk creme foundation, because I've heard great things about that. Anyway, lemme know :)

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