Sephora Birthday Review

It's that time of year again (although for many of you it's probably past that time) where I review the sephora birthday gift. This years brand was Nars and let me tell you it didn't disappoint. 

Satin Lip Pencil in Rikugien: This lovely pencil is a pinky nude "my lips but better" kind of color. It's got a sheen to it but its definitely not a gloss, just a like you licked your lips. I like the color, it's a very unique one, but the formula itself is so-so. It's very similar to tarte lipsurgance, but comes off on everything and isn't quite as moisturizing. 

Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella: Staying power!! This pencil is a very finicky one to get on, because it's so bright and matte. Just use a precise hand and follow the contour of the lip. Otherwise, I love everything about it. Hours of wear, and my lips don't feel dry, and the color is just slightly darker than a firetruck red which I think is very elegant. I would very much recommend this one! Just be careful because like the satin, it can come off on things fairly easy. My favorite of the set!

Larger than Life Longwear Pencil Eyeliner: (only for rouge members) This is a very nice (twist up… yay for no sharpening) black eyeliner that is up there with the rest of them. Even though it says long wear, the staying power isn't fantastic, but it's very easy to use and not at all smudgy compared to other eyeliners I've tried. With a little eye base, I'd say that this is pretty good!

Overall I'd say better than last year in terms of products and quality. I do really like the lip pencils and they are a nice little travel thing or just everyday wear. You can find the kit here. Can't wait to see whats for next year!

The Top Things I've Learned in High School

I keep trying to tell myself I'm done with high school but it hasn't quite hit yet, even though my graduation was nearly two weeks ago. I've compiled a few things that I think are most important that I've learned from both my perspective and my parents perspective:

Talk to people: Whether that's getting help from a teacher, making friends, or talking to a counselor I found that talking to people and having a mutual understanding is very important. People want you to be successful. 

A bad grade doesn't necessarily mean its "bad": I constantly hear the "Crap I got a D my parents are going to kill me." But my parents and I had the understanding that as long as the long term grades were better, than short term grades that don't matter as much aren't bad. 

Enjoy it: I sometimes thought that I skipped out on the fun experiences of high school and focused too much on the work and stress. I wish I got involved more, and even spent more of my time on after school activities than I did on worrying about getting stuff done. 

These are the three best things I can think to say in a very generalized category. If you're going into high school or already there, or even a parent wondering about a child, I hope this helps!

Cute Room Decor Idea

It's almost summer and this room decor that has been going on since December is almost to a close. This is one of the ideas that I had for my room which I absolutely love. It's a bunch of cute unique motivational sayings that are hung up right behind my bed, so I can see them every time I go to bed at night. They are 9 card stock pictures, and I purchased them on ModCloth which has some of the most unique vintage-y home products. The frames were bulk purchased from Amazon and are just cheap 8x10 frames. You can lighten up any room with them, and I highly recommend it!

Beauty Hacks: 3 things to do with Q-Tips

I am ALWAYS the girl to skip steps, quicken my routine. I've discovered three ways to use Q-tips, and I thought now is the time to let the secret out.

1. Take off that under eye mascara smudge with a Q-tip. Simply cover it in some moisturizer, preferably for eyes, but any works, and lightly sweep it under the eye. It not only takes off that stubborn makeup, but you don't have to wipe off the excess product on your skin, because it will actually help moisturize! Not to mention, this is great for those with sensitive skin, and you don't want to use a wipe to quickly get the makeup off, because I find it can sometimes burn a little. 

2. Apply a smoky eye. Take the cotton swab, and either press or twist it into powder, and shake off the excess. It creates the perfect amount of shadow for under the eye, as well as a great blending tool if brushes are too much of a hassle, or too much money. I find that it also doesn't have as much fallout than some brushes, saving time from having to clean all the excess powder up. This also works great for cream eyeshadow too. 

3. Take off excess mascara and clumps. Use the stick of the Q-tip and basically brush it along the lashes. It takes of excess wet mascara without taking off any of the volume or length, and it doesn't get all over your hands and clump if you just try to use your fingers. It's sanitary, and a fantastic tool to use when you just want to quickly set your mascara. 

Travel Pictures: Hawaii Part 2

So yeah, I finally got around to posting some Hawaii pt. 2 photos. All above water photos, and some are very simple, but I still love them. Hope you enjoy!

All work here is my own. Please do not print or distribute without permission. Contacts about prints can be found in the Contact Me page. Thank you!

Little Thoughts

So time for another inside Alex's head time. Recently, my very good friends have been having a lot of relationship complications with guys, other friends, and parents. Not anything detrimental and relationship breaking, just some small things that kinda hits them a bit. And while trying my hardest to not sound superficial, I think that sometimes it's difficult to be the one who is always giving the advice. 

I'm actually a bit older than all of my friends. Less than a year, but sometimes I think it makes a difference. Either that, or I have a really old soul. But when you have to be the one trying to make people feel better all the time, it becomes a bit difficult to care for yourself as well. I've reached the point where sometimes I wish that I can have some of the smaller problems that can be solved with some loving friend advice, instead of the bigger ones. 

But enough of the complaining, because I am a pretty lucky person. 

Well those are my thoughts! Feel free to share your experiences, similar or not, in the comments. I'd love to hear from you!

It's Been a Year…

WHAT?!

It's amazing when you think about how fast time really does go by. It's been a long and trying year, but I think I've gotten a bit of this blogging thing down by now. I'm still learning, but I've definitely learned to be patient with myself, and accept quality over quantity. What will you continue to see? Everything you have been, and continued growth (hopefully). It might be hard to believe this small accomplishment means so much to me, but it really does. It's like an online journal that I want people to read. I get to put down what I want to say into words, but also share it to the world. If you've ever had any urge to blog, absolutely go for it. It's not about the views or comments that you see in the hundreds on big bloggers. It's about you. Your thoughts, that people will see. 

So yeah, that's my year 1 thought. Thanks to everyone who has even stopped by and even just read one word. It means the world.