Summer Beauty Must-Haves

The best part about summer is flaunting your natural beauty!

For an already low-maintenance type of girl when it comes to makeup and hair, summer is a wonderful time for me! I get to spend even less time primping, meaning more time in the sun! Don't get me wrong though, I still make sure that I feel confident about how I look and I do still wear makeup. The thing is, the heat and the sun already gives me a tan and my skin isn't as dry so I don't have to use as many moisturizing products. Most days, I spend 10 minutes on my hair and face and am out the door! 

Here's how I do it:

I start off with 1. BB Cream. Each person has their own preference on how they want themselves to look, so your choice of BB Cream may be different than mine. But, I have been a fan of Maybelline's since day 1! It's good on my wallet as well as my face and having that extra SPF 30 in there is awesome! BB Cream is my go-to and then if I want to look a little more done-up I'll add some blush and bronzer. 

My eyes come second. I typically don't have to do a lot with my eyes- they're blue so I like the way they look as-is. Since I'm fair skinned and light haired, I have the world's lightest eyelashes! I wear mascara every single day whether I'm going to the gym or to a party. I love Clinique's WaterProof and Smudge- Proof Volume Mascara. It won't budge all day, but comes of easily with makeup remover. It gives my eyes enough oomph to stand out but not so much that I look like Barbie. If I were going out to dinner or to an event I'd probably add liner to my waterlines and gold eyeshadow. Otherwise, I stay simple with just the mascara.

Since I stay pretty simple with my face and eye makeup, I like to play up my lips. I really like my lips, so I like to make them stand out. Lately I've been using Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer in Rhubarb. It's the perfect summery red/ pink that doesn't look too dramatic. I like to wear lip moisturizers like this during the day to keep my lips soft and protected from the sun. At night or if I had specific plans, I'd probably opt for some sort of lip stick. 

Lastly, nails! I'm a huge fan of Essie and am currently wearing Essie Fifth Avenue. It's an awesome bright red that looks good with everything. Summer time is the best time to pull out colors ranging from red and pink to orange and coral. 

How do you embrace your natural beauty in the summer?

Top Five: February 2013

In celebration of my least favorite month coming to an end, I bring you my February favorites! These  five favorites cover a wide range, and have become a part of my daily life. Here we go...my February favorites!

1. Gossip Girl

I'm sure you could have guessed that, but seriously. Gossip Girl has become my new obsession and has become a part of every aspect of my life. From my love of Blair, to the way I dress and style my hair, to the books I read, I am inspired by the GG storyline. It grabs you and takes you with it, and I dare you to try avoiding it! I even received a hand-me-down from my cousin yesterday that, though she has no idea about my GG obsession, it fits right in: she gave me a Yale t-shirt that has been passed down for many years. I'm pretty sure I never want to take it off! 

2. Pistachios

This may be the weirdest favorite, but it's so true! I make this low-carb mix of pistachios, almonds, and dark chocolate chips, and it is a life saver! I talked about my Six Week slim down, and this is my little secret! Between this and my tea, I can satisfy my sweet-tooth, salty food craving, and keep to my diet. They aren't low in calories, though. I have to be careful with the amount I eat. But they are filling and oh so yummy!

3. Clinique Mascara

I've been a huge huge fan of Clinique products for the past few years. They aren't harsh on my skin at all, which is perfect because I'm not prone to acne or anything like that. It keeps my skin looking fresh and radiant! (ahh!) Lately though, I've been loving their makeup, which is just as perfect for my skin. Having red hair, my eyelashes a very light. Having the skin of a redhead, it's very easy for my eyes to look way too made up with minimal makeup because it looks so harsh against my light skin. The Clinique High Impact mascara is perfect! It darkens my lashes, but looks natural and not clumpy at all! And, major plus, it's waterproof!! I have a feeling that this will be my go-to for quite a while. 

4. Amazon

So, we all know that I have a serious online shopping problem.... Amazon does not help. At all. Of course I've used Amazon before this month, but never like this. It seriously has everything! All in one place. It's like Pinterest: it sucks up so much time and can leave you feeling like you need to buy and try all these new things. But with Amazon, it's all so readily available and can be on your doorstep in 3 days. And they're working towards same day delivery?! I'll never leave my home again..except to show off all of my new purchases, of course!

5. Pandora

Okay, I am not new to Pandora in any way. I way overused it when it first became popular, but then it fell off my radar. Until this month, that is. Pandora has seriously stepped up their free music and I've found a way around having to use the "skip" to skip a song...twice as many skips and hour! wooo! When I'm at home, pandora is what I constantly listen to. It's introduced me to so many incredible artists, all for free! Being the happy customer that I am, I'd like to see what ad free listening is like. and for only $3 a month, it's really not that unreasonable. The only thing that could make it better would be if it didn't suck up so much data and I could use it when I don't have wifi.

There you have it! This month has been surprisingly pleasant. I took a few personal days but worked more than usual, too. I made some new discoveries as well as reintroduce myself to the old. I'm welcoming the arrival of March, spring break, the sun, and the final months of my senior year! 

I can't wait to find next month's favorites!

Spring Scents

It's been unseasonably warm these past few days and it's getting me so excited for spring. I just imagine looking out the window and seeing the gorgeous flowers blooming and hearing the birds chirping. It makes me so happy! With all the visions of flowers, I started thinking about spring scents and what my 2013 Spring perfume is going to be. I have a few favorites for spring and one that is my year round go to.

I love finding a good perfume because it becomes a little bit of who you are.

These Clinique and Philosophy perfumes are both new for this year and they embody sun and flowers, to me. They're both pretty affordable and are light scents that are good for casual days or those days where you're missing the sunshine. They don't weigh you down and aren't going to overpower your outfit or personality. These are the kinds of scents I'd spray after the beach or pool to freshen up if I'm going to lunch or something like that. 

Clinique Happy Summer Spray | Philosophy Field of Flowers

Chanel Chance and Marc Jacobs Daisy are my signature, go-to scents that I absolutely adore! I wear the original Chance daily, but the au Fraiche version is a twist on a classic that is perfect for the spring. It's flowery and sweet- just what I like! Daisy is a classic spring scent that I love and may or may not wear all year. :) It's fun and flirty while also being light and airy. These two are my absolute favorite scents and I highly recommend them for spring or all year.

Chanel Chance au Fraiche | Marc Jacobs Daisy

Embrace the freshness of spring with these flowery scents!