New Journal!

  

I bought a new journal last week! It's absolutely beautiful. The minute I saw it I knew I had to have it. My old moleskine is almost out of pages, and I have another journal that I keep for strictly writing/diary entries. I needed a knew one to use for both writing, sketches, and pictures and this was the winner. It's from the brand Fawnsberg, but looking at their website, it doesn't seem that they list their journals. I just happened upon this in a local bookstore and fell in love!

I also recently picked up a gardening magazine to cut out from, so I have a gigantic pile of flower pictures to eventually paste into this thing. I'm pacing myself for now - I have so much pent up journaling energy that if I'm not careful, I'll use up this entire journal in a week! 

I've been following a lot of art journal instagrams lately to really get inspired to do these again. I really missed it. There's just something so satisfying about it! And then being able to go back to your old journals in the future and see everything you did and get nostalgic - it's one of my favorite feelings. 

I've also been going a little stationery crazy since getting back into journaling. I can't stop drooling over fancy pens and washi tape, I honestly need someone to take my wallet from me. Expect more of these from me in the future, they're so fun to do and even more fun to share! 

Kitty Kitty

I've been visiting my parents in Georgia this past week (still got a week left with them! good times) and on Friday my sister-in-law and I went to a "Cats in Bow-ties" exhibit. Let me just say it was adorable and I was very happy.

Her friend from college was the photographer for the event, and she had photographed all the kitties from a local, no-kill, all-volunteer shelter. They each wore a special bow-tie and had little tags on their pictures that said whether they were adopted already or not. There were over 100 pictures, but luckily quite a few of the pictures had "adopted" underneath them! Lucky kitties. I hope the rest find good homes very soon. There were more than a few kitties I wanted to take home with me, but alas, I could not...I already live with two anyway. I'm just greedy!

(ignore my sweaty face - it was hot!)

I really should take pictures of things I do more often, but I have a horrible habit of not doing it. I suppose "living in the moment" isn't so bad, but I tend to have a wispy memory and pictures really help me capture what I loved about those days. Plus, I'd have more to blog about ;)

I hope everyone had a good weekend!

Spring, She Comes

Wow, it's been a while! I fear I've neglected this little space as of late...I'm terribly sorry about that. Life and mental health got in the way, as it always does. I switched jobs a few months ago and adjusting was...a little hard for me. I've been more stressed lately, what with also going to school, and I haven't even been able to find much time for myself or collect beautiful thoughts for this place. 

But I'm back, hopefully for a regular amount of time again! Spring has arrived at last in New York, and I remembered why it's my favorite season. The breath of fresh life, green budding trees and new flowers giving color back to this tired old city...its really refreshed me. I'm feeling better than I have in months. There are still plenty of negative little things nibbling at my brain but I'm not going to give them any focus right now.

For now, I'm just enjoying this new beauty, catching up on some old video games (hello Skyrim!), journaling here and there, and trying to eat healthier. 

"When you compare the sorrows of real life to the pleasures of the imaginary one, you will never want to live again, only to dream forever." 

-Alexander Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo 

Goodbye, 2015

2015 is officially over (has been for a few days!), and 2016 has begun. I couldn't really think of something to post about, except to say goodbye.

This was a very strange year for me, yet also a great many new things happened to me that I feel shaped me greatly as a person. I feel like I really "grew up" this year, in some ways, despite kicking and screaming the whole way. Maybe 24 is a bit late to be growing up, so to speak, but I haven't really been able to get out on my own to figure out adulthood until this year. I've made and lost some friends, learned a great many things, and as I was reflecting, I thought maybe I should write some of my accomplishments down for me to look back on later. So, 2015, here we go!

1. I moved! I've lived with my parents my whole life, and this year I took a big leap and moved quite far away from them. They weren't exactly happy, but I knew I needed to do it. I don't regret my decision. It was so hard, and I was homesick for about four months and cried myself to sleep a lot. But it was something I needed to do. You know when you can just feel that moment, and you know if you don't do it then, you'll just be twiddling your thumbs forever waiting for it to happen? Yeah, that was me. And I did it, and I'm so proud of myself.

2. I bought my very first couch. It's leather, and the cats have already ruined it, but it's my first couch and I'm quite proud of it.

3. I kept up with this blog, though I did take some small breaks here and there. I have such a hard time sticking with things, mostly because my perfectionist self gets fed up and deletes everything because it isn't good enough. I've been forcing myself not to do that this time, and to just keep working and improving slowly. I'm glad I stuck with you!

4. I got a job and have kept it for longer than three months, a first for me.

5. I realized that Brooklyn may not be the home my heart wants, but it's a great place to find myself for a bit. I know I don't want to be there for very long, but it's suiting my needs just fine right now.

6. I got back into a new college and am trying hard to graduate at a decent pace that doesn't make me feel like a failure. You'll get there, girl.

7. I've been making an effort to learn how to let things go. It's always bothered me to not know everything, but that tends to put more stress and tension on myself and others than necessary. I've been learning to step back and just be quiet sometimes, and I think I made great progress last year. Let's keep the trend going.

What was your accomplishment that you're most proud of last year?


Photo from Texturepalace

L'Oreal Lumi Cushion Foundation | Review

So as we all know by now, L'Oreal has come out with a new addition to their Lumi line - a cushion compact foundation. These types of foundations have been pretty popular in places like China and Korea already, but they've slowly started seeping into the western market. I've been dying to try a cushion foundation for ages, and had actually been eyeballing the one from Innisfree before this one came out - ready for me to just go to the store and buy!

The price is actually pretty steep (~$17), but much of the Lumi line has been more on the expensive side for drugstore items as far as I've seen. I was a little leery about buying it for $17, but I reasoned I could always take it back if I didn't like it right away.

So, a few things about this that I've personally experienced: there does seem to be a good amount of product in there, and you don't need much to apply. It's pretty light/sheer coverage, and slightly buildable, so this would not be great for anyone with extreme redness, discoloration/scars, acne, etc. because it won't cover much for you. It does, however, do a great job of evening out your skin tone if it only needs a little help. It's extremely hydrating and dewy, great for dry skin, but I'd definitely not recommend this for oily skin - this is probably one of the "dewiest" foundations I've ever tried, but I personally love that. My skin is dry as the desert and I love anything that can make give me a little glow.

The color selection is also not amazing, but not terrible. The shade I got is actually slightly too dark for me, but it's the lightest shade they had. I just blend it down my neck and make it work, and I actually kind of like having a slightly darker shade for a change. They have shades for deeper skin tones as well.

I've tested it a few times wearing it all day, usually with about two coats on. I apply it by dabbing a damp beauty sponge in the cushion and blending it, which seems to work the best for me. It doesn't emphasize my dry areas, and actually stays on pretty well (even better with a sheer powder that suits dry skin). It's very pretty and glowy, and gives a healthy sheen to my skin. I really like it for "light" make-up days, which I tend to do a lot nowadays. My current foundations can feel too heavy for me sometimes, so this is honestly perfect for someone like me. 

Again, not so great a foundation for those that want heavy/medium coverage, and possibly not so well for oily skin (maybe with some powdering it would work pretty great!), but I've personally been pretty pleased with it so far!

Big thumbs up for you, Lumi!

12.2.15

(someone was being photogenic!)

School and work are still eating up all my time. I didn't really expect much else, but I'd like it to feel a little more....fulfilling. Like I'm heading towards somewhere, you know? I don't feel like that at all. I haven't felt like that for such a long time, and it can be rather disheartening.

Often I find myself trying to find the right track again, but I just can't seem to. I feel terribly lost, but I suppose that happens to a lot of people. That is a comforting thought, usually, that I'm not alone in this sentiment.

Because of this I think about my future an inordinate amount. I think about it more than I should, rather than focusing on the present. That's a problem I'm trying to fix. I think about where I'll be in five years, rather than how I'm going to get to that place and what I'll do to get there. With those thoughts, I'll still just be thinking in five years. I think to much, and it's all I'll do. Does anyone know any good exercises to kind of pull out of your own head and focus more on things presently happening?

Also, the cold weather has been leaving me rather lonely and perhaps sadder than usual. Sometimes I forget the cold isn't very forgiving to me. 

I hope you guys are having a great December so far!

Red & Purple | Review

Today I was sifting through my makeup for an idea on what makeup products I wanted to talk about, review, etc., and I pulled out these two eyeshadow singles for no apparent reason. I thought about it for a second, and realized that to me, personally, both of these eyeshadows are very eye-catching. The packaging, the color, the little golden sheen in both - they're truly very beautiful, and I love them for that reason alone.

But, I decided to go a little deeper and review both of them. Eye-catching and beautiful doesn't always mean good. They can be chalky, not pigmented, so glittery that you get none of the color and all of the glitter. So, what about these two? Are they worth it? Let's check it out!

First up is a NAR's single in the color 'Strada.' This is one of the first eyeshadows I ever bought, and honestly I got it because it was gorgeous. It also swatched very prettily, as you can see - it's a dusky purple with gold glitter, and I was so taken with those gold glitters. I believe this cost about $20, maybe more, but after playing around with it at home I realized that I should have picked another shade (or been smart and checked the reviews!). While it swatches so prettily, it's SO difficult to work with on the eyes. If you pat it on the lid very thickly as the primary color, it will go on pretty well but it faded for me very fast, even with a primer, and mostly the glitter was left. If you blend it too much, it becomes rather muddy looking and it's practically unfixable. It's a very difficult shadow to work with, though I find it works best used sparingly, so it's not a total loss. I like to use it on the lower lid sometimes for a pop of subtle color. It's not terrible, but it's not great. Definitely better purples out there.

Now this one I actually ordered online. It's from Style Nanda's makeup brand, 3 Concept Eyes. This is the color 'Saturn.' I was intrigued by that vibrant red online, and when I got it in the package, I was so pleased with how it swatched. As you can see, it swatches a beautiful fiery golden-red color. It seems to have a gold duochrome in it, which is just beautiful. I was also very happy to find out it was pretty lovely to work with. Patting it all over my lid produces that gorgeous red color, which fades slightly throughout the day but still looks lovely. It's also a great lower lid accent if you want something more subtle. Overall, I was so happy with this eyeshadow, especially because reds can sometimes be a little disappointing. It costs 11,000 won, which is about $9.50.

I've really been getting into wearing more colorful eyeshadows lately, so hopefully I'll be able to review more for you guys soon!