Friday Favorites!

(this is me playing with a new Friday banner. which one do you guys like better?)

Okay, so I know this is a bit late. Here in Pittsburgh it's actually 12:30 Saturday morning. But I got distracted and I honestly didn't have the motivation to write. But I'm catching my second wind and I'm ready to write! 

Here's what I'm loving this week (also the first week of classes for the Spring semester).

| 1 |

Starbucks

The first week of classes is always rough because it takes a couple days to get back into the swing of things, and this semester we started rehearsals for our upcoming show literally the first day back. So I've been at school from 11am to about 9pm. I literally have a caffeine addiction, so I obviously need it to keep myself going throughout the day. Not to mention a nice hot latte is perfect for this 2 degree weather! (darn you, polar vortex)

| 2 |

My North Face Jacket

My ex-boyfriends parents bought me this black fleece North Face jacket for christmas last year, and I've literally worn it every cold day since the day they gave it to me. It's perfect for the cold and snow because the snow brushes off of it super easily and you can wear a ton of layers without feeling too tight underneath. Plus is super soft so you enjoy wearing it all day!

| 3 |

C.O. Bigelow Mentha Lip Treatment

I know I've talked about this a few times before (literally this past week) but during the cold weather, this stuff is a lip-saver. I literally couldn't live without it!

| 4 |

My May Designs Planner

I reviewed my planner and notebook before, but I literally can't say enough good things about it, especially when I get busy like I have been. Everything I need to know and write down is right in one book!

| 5 |

My Combat Boots

I literally LIVE in my black combat boots. Snow, rain or shine, you'll see me wearing jeggings/leggings with my combat boots. They're my staple accessory (along with my infinity scarves) and you'll never see me without them (unless it's flip-flop weather!)

Fresh Beginnings

Today is the first day of the new semester, and I'm honestly a little excited. After a longer-than-necessary winter break with next to no hours from my job, I'm excited to start getting busy again. Granted I only have one class today (and it's an acting class, and because my first class was cancelled) we have the first read-through for the first show of the semester tonight, and our beginning of the semester department meeting tomorrow. 

Staying busy actually keeps me happier because you're constantly moving and you don't have the time or mental capacity to think about the little things that get you down. And especially in my major, we're all a family, and we're always here for each other and can never fail to make each other laugh (hello, we're actors. It's our job!). I'm excited to get the ball rolling and get started with the grand adventure that is Spring 2014!

Friday Faves

So after looking at my all of my daily reads' Friday-5 posts, I decided to join in the fun. I also realized that it would be really hard to do a months favorites post because I'm constantly finding new things, so I just decided to drop it to a weekly post. 

1. Le Pen

I'm literally obsessed with these pens. They're super thin (.03 mm point) which I like because I think thinner pens write neater. They're almost like the Papermate felt tip pens/markers that you can get basically anywhere, but the tip as actually plastic. You can get them in a set, but a bookstore in my areas sells them individually so you can get whatever colors you want, because a lot of times I don't use all the colors in the pack. I originally had four, but I ended up buying four more so I could use them for my planners and organization (hello, color coding!)

2. Snapple Iced Tea

Sometimes I get on this iced tea kick (along with my daily coffee) and all I want is iced tea. Usually I go for Arizona because I love their raspberry tea, peach tea, green tea with honey (the only plain green tea I'll drink) and their lemon, but I decided to go for the Snapple raspberry because a 6 pack was on sale! 

3. Olay Fresh Effects Facial Cleanser

To be honest, I don't use the product picture in my set or the link I gave you, I just couldn't find the product on Targets website (which is where I got it) or on Polyvore, but this product is just as good! I use the Olay Fresh Effects "Out of this Swirled" deep pore cleanser and exfoliating scrub (it's in a round container that has orange and white swirled formula in it). I LOVE this stuff in the morning because it white grapefruit and green tea in it which is super energizing in the morning. I've noticed a difference in my face too, as my skin doesn't get as oily throughout the day. 

4. e.l.f. Mineral Infused Mascara

I LOVE e.l.f. products (great quality for super cheap), and I love this mascara. Usually I go for the volumizing mascaras. but I love the brush on this because it separates my lashes really well and you don't get clumps.

5. Arizona Tea cans

First of all, I'm obsessed with the product in the picture because it's super delicious, but these cans are only 99 cents! AND my local Rite Aid pharmacy had them buy one, get one free with my Wellness card, so naturally I bought a whole bunch. 

Save those Winter-Chapped Lips!

It's happened to all of us- the winter wind and frigid temps can chap our lips faster than Christmas comes and goes, and we go through tons of different lip treatments to keep our lips in check! I've used everything to EOS (which I LOVE) to Burts Bee's (love this too!) and everything in between, but there are two specific products that are my go-to winter lip products.

Both of these great lip treatments are from Bath and Body Works (big shocker, I know).

They aren't B&BW brand, but they're the C.O. Bigelow line that's sold at any B&BW store.

The round tin is the Rose Salve, which isn't limited for use just on your lips. It can go on your lips, elbows, cuticles, knees or dry spots on your face. I've only used it on my lips, so I don't know how much it works on the other parts, but I LOVE this for my lips. I usually don't like flowery things, but there's an extra scent in the balm that keeps it sweeter not not over powering.

The blue tube is the Mentha Supreme 2x gloss balm and I'm literally obsessed with this stuff (I'm pretty sure I've mentioned this product in another post). I go through it like crazy and I carry it everywhere (which is why the label is hard to read). The nice thing about this stuff, is you don't need a lot of it to work so you don't have to have that glossy feel and stickiness. I like this product because it makes your lips nice and tingly, and it keeps your lips soft for ever. Even if you use it once a day, you'll start to notice a difference in how your lips feel!

Everyday Makeup Routine

Lately I've been struggling with a topic for a post (I even have a book strictly for blog ideas, but none of them seemed right at the time). But the other day, when I was looking for some new eyeliner because mine dried out, I had the idea for an everyday makeup favorites post!

1. Maybelline Baby Skin Pore Eraser- I didn't buy this necessarily for my pores, but you put it on under your foundation and it makes your face look super smooth and even. You can also wear it on it's own without foundation, and it's just a clear gel, so you don't have to worry about getting the right color. 

2. NYX Super Skinny Eye Marker liquid eyeliner- I only wear liquid eyeliner (on my lids anyway, sometimes I use a pencil on my bottom, but not often) and I LOVE this marker. I'm one of those girls who always has winged eyeliner, and I make sure they're perfect. This marker is nice because since it's a skinnier applicator, it helps with the precision. 

3. Revlon Balm Stain stick- I don't use this exact color, but I LOVE this sticks. Revlon used to have just one kind, but they recently added a matte and a lacquer balm (which is just a little shinier than the original). I love this stuff because there are so many great colors that aren't tacky, and they're not sticky like lip gloss, but it's not really heavy like a lipstick. Plus it gives you good color, but it doesn't over do it. 

4. Cover Girl Clean pressed powder- This stuff is literally just your basic, everyday powder. I get the "normal skin" line, but they also have oil control and sensitive skin. I'm probably switching this up, because I'm looking for something with a little more coverage, but it works pretty well otherwise. 

5. e.l.f. Studio Blush- I LOOOVE e.l.f. products because they're super cheap, but they work so well. You can get so much stuff for not a lot of $$$. If you look on pinterest, you can find a ton of e.l.f. dupes of the department store, expensive makeup brands. 

6. MAC Haute and Naughty Lash mascara- I actually don't have this product yet, but I plan on going out and getting it sometime this week. BUT I'm a huge mascara addict (I have 11 tubes in my collection) and I never leave the house without it on!

Emotional Healers

Everybody has that one thing that helps them cope when they're upset, whether it's writing, drawing or painting. The thing I enjoy is music. Whenever I'm feeling a little down, I pick up my guitar and play whatever comes to mind. Sometimes I pull up chords for one of my favorite songs (a few I have memorized because they're my absolute favorites) and just play until I feel better or my fingers start to hurt (whichever comes first!) It will always be the one thing that will always cheer me up, which is part of the reason why I love performing so much. It puts you in a whole other mindset, and for me it's just like exercising.  I just get this rush of endorphins and nothing hurts anymore. 

I also enjoy the occasional funny youtube video though. ;)

-A

Suggestions!

When I started this blog, I honestly thought I would get tired of it, but now I want to be more involved with it. Lately I've been thinking about what direction I want to take it in.

I know I want to stay as a lifestyle (with a splash of theatre) blog, but I was thinking of having theme days, just like some YouTubers such as Grace Helbig (who has a new channel here) and Colleen Ballinger (these two are my absolute favorites, super funny) have their days. At the end of every month, Grace has her "sexist" (sexy list) video of all of the things that she loved the past month. I wanted to take that idea of a monthly favorites theme and put it into blog form. 

What other themes would you guys like to see?

-A

Big-girl Decisions

For the last couple of months, I've been saving up for an iMac, to go with my Macbook (because I'm completely Apple obsessed). But lately, I've been looking at new cameras because as a design-tech major, I need a portfolio, and I need a nice camera to take pictures of my work (it would help as an acting major as well). Best Buy has a Nikon D1300 on sale for $389.99, and I have $226 saved up for my computer. 

So today I made the executive decision to take the money I've saved for my computer and buy the camera, since I'll need it more than the computer at the moment. A new camera will also be nice for blogging too. ;)

-A

Review: May Designs

One of my favorite ways to stay organized is by having a planner. I'm super specific about them though, because I want one planner for EVERYTHING- school AND personal life (work, other events). Now like most college girls, I've gone through my fair share of planners, but I have finally found the perfect one. And best of all, it's personalized (because what girl doesn't love monogrammed things)!

I don't remember where I heard about this company, but I'm so glad I did! It's called May Designs, and they make different planners and books to fit any need. They have several different types of planners, books for planning a wedding, a baby journal, a children's coloring book, and different blank books to do whatever you like. They also make personalized note cards and matching envelopes, and the best part, is you design the whole thing! You pick your pattern, your monogram, mono color, and what's inside the book. I personally have the Monthly Agenda (Months + Weeks) and the blank notebook with a Dot Grid inside.

My monthly planner is the basic Purple Chevron pattern, with the teal Octagon shape background and Fancy Script monogramming. I love this planner because it has the monthly calendar at the beginning of every month to give you an overview of your month, but the pages for the weeks are big enough to fit class assignments and other personal things (work reminders and other stuff).

My dot grid notebook is the Cross Stitch Aqua pattern, with a black rectangle background and the Flirty script for the name. I love the dot grid because you can really take advantage of all of the space and section things off without making awkward spots with lines. 

I'm completely in love with this brand, and I plan on getting my next planner from here and a set of note cards! You can browse and order from their website here!

x

-A

Weekend Update

Hello beautiful readers!

I haven't blogged at all this week, so I thought I'd give a quick update on my week. I did a little (second) job hunting because quite frankly I'm not getting enough hours to pay my bills with my main job. So Friday I had an interview at the coffee shop at the mall where I work. Thinking happy thoughts!

My ring that I ordered off Amazon finally came in and I'm super thrilled with how it looks.

Not only does it celebrate my heritage (I have a lot of Irish in me), but it's also super cute!

I had also ordered two items from the B&BW website that were online exclusives and were part of the Semi-Annual Sale because I had a gift card and I felt it was the perfect time to use it! The package came in the mail today (well yesterday, as it's already 1 AM Sunday!) and I was super excited.

They both smell SOOO good, and I'm really happy with the purchase. But now my only problem is my growing collection on B&BW Sprays

Four out of the 8 sprays- Cashmere Glow, Be Enchanted, Velvet Sugar (brand new), and Amber Blush- (not including the three minis because they're matches to the full size) are Signature Collection sprays that are around all year long. But the rest are either discontinued or seasonal scents- Merry Marshmallow Kiss (winter collection), Malibu Heat (summer, may be discontinued), White Mango Chill (discontinued, I got it at the semi-annual sale from one of the stores in the area who had some left over) and the newest to my collection; the Black Raspberry Vanilla (online exclusive, probably will be discontinued). 

It's a healthy obsession, I promise. The second new scents come out though, I get into trouble. It's always nice to have a scent for every mood though. 

-A