On A Day Off

I had a day off from work and although I didn't go anywhere, I enjoyed myself immensely.

I'm very much an introvert, and almost always have been. I enjoy having some alone time for myself, and feel refreshed and recharged after having spent some time doing things I love by myself. Many people are led to believe introverts are shy and quiet and hate being around people - which isn't necessarily the case. It just means that we tend to feel at our best and can recharge when we are alone. Extroverts, conversely, get their energy from being around people. There is a spectrum to the introvert-extrovert, as there is a spectrum with many things, but I won't go into that right now. 

What I'm trying to say, of course, is that I spent my day mostly alone and loved it. I read a few short stories, had some rosehip tea and apples (and I cut my finger cutting the apples - not terribly, but I will remember to be more careful), cuddled with the cats, and took some pictures. It may not sound like much, but I thoroughly loved my day.

I will end this little diary entry here, and return to my reading - but first, I will leave a poem that I particularly love, and that I find repeats itself in my head often:

I heard the old, old men say
'Everything alters,
And one by one we drop away.'
They had hands like claws, and their knees
Were twisted like the old thorn trees
By the waters.
I heard the old, old men say
'All that's beautiful drifts away
Like the waters.'

-"The Old Men Admiring Themselves In The Water," William Butler Yeats

OFRA Universal Eyebrow Pencil | Review

I received this pencil ages ago in either an ipsy bag or a Glossybox, but basically I've had it for a quite a bit.

I've used it fairly often, on and off, and it's about half the size it was when I originally got it. However, I'm not sure if I'll use the whole pencil up.

For one, this pencil goes down fast. I can sharpen it, and after one eyebrow it's practically a nub again. I also don't quite like the color - it claims to be universal, therefore good for everyone, but something about the color doesn't look right on me. Maybe it's too much of a red-brown? I'm not sure, but it doesn't quite suit me.

And lately, though it wasn't that bad before, I've noticed that the formula has gotten extremely waxy. Being a bit waxy can actually be a good thing, as it can help keep the brow hairs in place without the added help of a brow gel. But this goes above and beyond waxy, and makes my eyebrows look almost flat and wet. I'm not sure why that happened, and I'll try it again a few times just to make sure, but I wasn't horribly impressed by this pencil last time I used it.

I recently ran out of my previous brow pencil (and I plan on making an empties post, which it will be in) and turned to this one, but was sorely disappointed and had to turn to a brown eyeshadow to do my eyebrows. Not the best, but it'll do. I just bought a Nyx brow product, so I'll be using that now and seeing how it goes.

Thanks for reading. :)

A Day at the Fair

Today was my day off, and I was relaxing and enjoying it when my friend called me to come to a street fair in the neighborhood I work in. So, I threw on some clothes, took the subway and hung around for a few hours and had some fun!

It was almost unbearably hot today, and a little humid. But the fair was very lovely and fun regardless of the heat. I enjoyed looking at all the little booths and smelling the food as we walked by. I tried a few things here and there, but mostly enjoyed walking around and petting stranger's dogs.

It was a bit of a nostalgic day, too. My hometown holds a little fair every year around November that my dad used to take me to when I was younger. We haven't gone the past few years, and it's something that I really actually miss. I don't spend a lot of personal time with my dad as we aren't as close as I am with my mom, though we still love each other very much. Today, I missed being younger and spending time with my dad at a tiny little fair in a tiny little town. 

Despite the memories, I tried to make newer ones and enjoy myself for that day.

I did stop at a little crystal/gem booth, where an old man was selling gorgeous crystals and crystal jewelry. I bought a few that caught my eye. They were the only things I bought, but I didn't want to buy too much, as I have nowhere to really put anything right now.

Aren't they lovely? 

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! :)