Picture Day Diary

I felt very alone when I first moved to New York. Even though I moved with my best friend and another friend of mine, I still felt...rather lonely. I lived off of saved money for a bit, just getting used to such a big change - going from a small town to an enormous metropolis was very daunting! My friends got jobs rather quickly, and it took me a while to find one. I focused so much on school back home that I had so little experience, something employers in New York find undesirable.

So, yes, I felt quite lonely at first. My friends worked almost constantly while I watched our cat. I got to go out every now and then, usually to a movie, but mostly my outside interaction was just me walking around my neighborhood. It's a bit ugly, I must say - there are a lot of ugly buildings and empty lots and rusty fences. Our little avenue felt very lacking of something, and as spring rolled around I realized what that was - trees. I was so used to seeing an abundance of trees and other nature back home that I almost took it for granted. I miss trees outside of my window. 

Recently, however, I snagged a job. While I was very apprehensive about a job, as I know many people hate their jobs and it drains them, I ended up really enjoying mine.

Everyone that works there is so nice and approachable. They welcomed me quite easily, and I fit in very quickly. It felt really great to actually begin to make new friends, something that was also contributing to my loneliness. I'd never had that many friends back home to begin with, but I felt like I wouldn't make any new friends in New York. My job has opened up a lot for me, and is slowly washing away that loneliness. I can feel myself opening up again, becoming more outgoing and adventurous. It's doing wonders for me, and I'm also finally making enough money for both rent and extra pocket money that I can spend on things I want/need. I especially can't wait to splurge on some new makeup!

I feel like I'm becoming part of some small community and enjoying myself once again. For someone who's struggled(ing) with depression and anxiety, this is pretty huge for me. I was so afraid of rejection that I failed to really put myself out there. Now that I have, and I'm seeing the results of it, I'm so happy that I did. 

Now, if only I can stop being so anxious about school...

Journaling Pt. 2

I've been keeping up with my journal a bit still, doing a few doodles and gluing letters I get from home into it. That particular letter was from my brother & sister-in-law, and my one year old nephew scribbled on it for me. I miss him.

I also found my old movie ticket stash and starting gluing those willy-nilly onto the pages (Harry Potter!! I never want to lose those tickets. 2010 feels like ages ago now). 

Just a few pages I've finished, I'm still doing a few doodles and whatnot. It's almost full, and I think I'll go out soon and buy a new journal to fill up. I need to get my hands on some magazines and clip some pictures out; I find collaging and filling up the white spaces with words to be so relaxing. 

Once I have more pages to show again I'll put those up too! :)

Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara | Review

I have a sample size of Too Faced's Better Than Sex mascara which I got in a set over Christmas. I've been slowly trying out each mascara in it, and this was the latest one I've been trying.

I've heard a lot of good things about this mascara. All sorts of beauty bloggers and Youtubers have been raving about it, so I was very excited to see it was included in the set. I'd been wanting to try it anyway, but at the time I had recently bought Tarte's Light, Camera, Lashes mascara so I didn't want to buy another pricey full-size mascara. So when I got to try a little tube of it, I was very excited!

But, I don't like this mascara. I'll just come out and say it.

I do like that it's quite lengthening and gives some lovely volume after two coats. That part is great. What I don't like is that it flakes off like crazy, to the point I have little black mascara flecks all over my cheeks all day. It also runs off my bottom lashes, so I have little black smudges under my eyes to match the flecks. It flakes off, it bleeds, and yet somehow it's hard to take off. I have to clean my eyelashes so thoroughly I'm scared they'll fall out from how rough I have to treat them. And yet it seems no matter how much I clean them, a little mascara somehow manages to stay - I still wake up with black smudges under my eyes the next morning. Not an attractive look, I tell you.

I wanted to like this mascara so badly. It's gorgeous, simple and sleek packaging called to me, the name is cheeky, and I love Too Faced. But, every brand has to have their misses. I think this is one is a miss for Too Faced. If I could return this, I would, and I never return things. That's how disappointed I was with this.

I've stopped using it regularly now, and have switched to another mascara in the set. So far I am loving it much more, and I will have a review up of it as soon as I'm sure of my opinion on it. Thank you for reading! :)

What's In My Makeup Bag?

My lil makeup bag is a small but pretty bag I kept from when I was subscribed to ipsy. The material is somewhat canvas like and quite sturdy, and I haven't yet invested in a slightly larger makeup bag (though I plan to soon!). This is the bag I carry in my purse at all times, and tend to switch a lot of it out often, especially depending on what makeup I'm wearing for the day. At any given time, though, there are at least three lipsticks in there.

So, let's take a little peek in there shall we?

The magic within:

-Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Full Coverage Foundation in Fair Beige

-3 Concept Eyes Waterful Concealer in 001

-Anastasia Brow Whiz Pencil in Dark Brown (not pictured, it got stuck in the bag and I didn't notice)

-Nars Blush in Orgasm

-Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara

-Too Faced La Creme Lipstick in Naked Dolly

-Elf Lip Exfoliator

-Maybelline Vivid Lipstick in Brazen Berry

-Dirty Makeup Sponge

-Mini Too Faced Shadow Insurance

-Benefit's They're Real Push-up Liner

-Bite Beauty High Pigment Pencil in Pomegranate

-Real Techniques Detailer Brush (used for lips)

There you have it! I often change out the lipsticks and such, the lip exfoliator is a staple (that works pretty damn well and is only about $3) as is the brow pencil. But this is what is currently in there, I pulled this out of my bag and took some pictures for you guys. :)

Pixi Flawless Beauty Primer | Review

Today I'll be reviewing a product I've owned for some time, but didn't use until late last year and fell in love with it.

I received this little guy in an ipsy bag when I was still subscribed to them. Because many of the products in ipsy bags didn't suit me or just weren't to my taste, I often put most of them aside and didn't use them. I let this primer sit for several months before pulling it out one day to try.

This primer claims to "even skintone" and add a "youthful glow" with its hydrating formula. That was what sold me on using it, as I have quite dry skin and any product that claims to be hydrating for my skin is worth a try. 

It is quite hydrating, especially if you're applying this after you've gone through your skincare routine. It can add that lovely dewy glow that some people seek without being too overpowering, which is what endeared it to me. I love that dewy look, but often have a hard time achieving it as my dry skin sucks the moisture out of everything. A little goes a long way, and as far as the primer aspect of it, I'd say it does a fairly good job of keeping my makeup in place. It may not be the best primer, but it does its job.

It comes out almost the exact color of the packaging. I'm not sure if it's made to conform to your skin color, so I'm not sure how this would work on darker skin tones. I'm very pale and it blends into my skin quite nicely, but I can't be sure if it would be the same for everyone, unfortunately. ): And, I'm also not sure how this would work on oily skin, so I have no information about that either. It also smells somewhat like sunscreen. 

I'll most likely be buying this primer again, just because I like it that much. I also want to try other primers, of course, but I have found one that actually works for my dry skin and I intend to keep it in my stash.

Batiste Dry Shampoo | Review

Everyone and their mother has heard of Batiste dry shampoos. It comes in many different types, some not as well-received as others, but generally there are pretty good things to be heard about Batiste.

I have never tried dry shampoos before this, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I use it when I feel my hair needs an extra boost, or seems limp and dull, and most often on my "second day hair". At first, it was difficult for me to remember that this wasn't hairspray. But I kept using it, and have finally decided to give a small review on it.

I don't feel like this one, the cherry one, in particular does anything special for me. I may try the 'normal' type at some point, as well as other brands. The smell of this is slightly off-putting to me. It doesn't smell bad, just odd, even though I generally love cherry scents. It makes my hair feel somewhat dusty, even after running my fingers through it, combing slightly, etc. I'm not sure that I'm very fond of it.

My hair is very thin and fine as it is, and I have to wonder if dry shampoo may benefit those with thicker hair more. If I ever find some amazing sort of dry shampoo that knocks my socks off, I'll be sure to bring it up here, but for now my foray into that world has been less than rewarding.

I will say, though, I love the packaging! It's very vintage looking. I quite like it.

Thanks for reading!

Ology Gently Soothing Facial Towelettes | Review

I bought these make-up wipes on a whim a few weeks ago while out in Manhattan. I have a cream make-up remover already, but wanted to try some old fashioned wipes to see how they would work for me. These were ~$5 at a Duane Reade, and of course I decided to buy these instead of the $10 wipes right next to them. I've tried a few different brands of make-up wipes in the past, and none of them have really impressed me. But, that doesn't stop me from trying new ones!

The packaging is very simple and pleasing. The wipes themselves seem to retain moisture very well, and remain wet while I wipe off my face (which is very nice, nothing worse than it getting dry half-way through). It does pull a little at my skin, but it's not harsh or bad enough that I dislike them.

I'm actually quite fond of these! For $5 they're very good. They remove almost all of my make-up, and what it doesn't get (usually leftover mascara that runs to my under-eye area), I just remove with my cream remover. They don't dry out my face too badly, but I also make sure to tone and moisturize right after. I'm left with that lovely satisfied feeling that you get when you see all your make-up wiped off onto the little towel. For being rather inexpensive, these guys do a pretty great job.

I'd still like to try other make-up removing wipes to see if I can find my holy grail wipes, but I feel as if I'll definitely repurchase these in the future. For a cheaper alternative to some wipes that likely does just as good of a job, these wipes are a really great option.