Skin Care Products I’m Loving Right Now

Happy Wednesday, friends! I can’t believe the first day of summer is tomorrow. Although I love the summer months, my skin does not, so much. Between the skin on my face and my body, there are so many changes that take place and so my skin care products have to change with it.

If you’ve read any of my previous skin care post then you’ll know I have combination skin on my face. This means that during the summer, when I’m all hot and sweaty, my T-zone becomes extremely oily. However, that’s not all that changes. I also tend to get more razor bumps during during the summer and the top of my arms get red little sweat bumps on them as well.

In the past I’ve always adjusted my skin care routine to match what I need for my face, but I’ve never really put too much effort in to help my body out during the summer. So, this year I’ve decided to make a conscious effort to help my skin out and I thought I’d share the products I’m using and LOVING right now with you all.

Face Products:

• Bath & Body Works Active Skincare Power Lifter activated charcoal face mask– I’ve never used a peel-off mask before, but man is it life changing. Charcoal is great for my skin because it helps keep the oiliness in check and lifts all of the gross stuff out of my skin. It’s cooling and great price for value in my opinion.

Body Products:

• Bath & Body Works Happy Vibes Exfoliating Clay Scrub– I did some research on razor bumps and the sweat bumps on my arms, and so many people recommended using a body scrub and I have to say that it really has changed my skin. Since using this scrub, my legs have been so smooth, sans razor bumps, and I’ve yet to have any sweat bumps on my arms (although summer is just beginning so we’ll see if it continues to hold up). It also smells amazing, with notes of pink citrus, pear, honeysuckle, vetiver, and orchid.
• Johnson’s Baby Oil– Again, if you’ve read any of my past skin care post you’ll know that this isn’t a new product, but something that I use every day, year round. However, during the summer, when skin is exposed the most, I think it’s so important to use this because it keeps skin soft, smooth, and completely summer ready.

If you’re struggling with any of the same problems as me, then I would highly recommend these products. I have very sensitive skin and I haven’t had any reactions to these products, and they’re all a great value. Hope you all found this helpful and if you want to see more post like this then give me a follow! 🙂

Meet My Fur Baby

Happy Saturday everyone! I hope everyone has had a good week and is it just me or did it feel like this week went by super slow?? So thankful that it is the weekend now.

To add to the great Saturday feeling I’m sure we’re all having right now, I thought I’d share some exciting news with you all … I got a cat!!

Ever since I found out I was moving into my apartment, I knew I was going to have to get a lil cat of my own (disclaimer: I LOVE dogs, but I would want my future dog to have way more space and a nice yard to run around in, so a dog is a no-go right now). To say the process of finding the perfect cat for me was difficult would be an understatement. My apartment complex requires that the cat not only be spayed/neutered (which is totally fine), but also be declawed (not totally fine). It was so hard to find a cat who fit all of the characteristics of what I wanted and be declawed already because I wouldn’t want to pay to have my cat declawed since it’s so painful for them.

All of that said, I did end up finding the most wonderful cat for me and her name is Wubbs 🙂

A little bit about her:

• Approx. 9 years old
• Manx and domestic shorthair breed (this means she has a nub for a tail which is so stinkin’ cute when she wags it)
• Tortoiseshell fur
• The most affectionate, lovey, and also very vocal cat ever

I’ve only had her for a week officially today, but I’m already so in love with her. There are still a few kinks in her behavior to try to work out (she meows like crazy at night while I’m trying to sleep and tries to open my bedroom door haha), but overall she is definitely the cat that was meant to be with me ❤ I hope you all love her as much as I do.

Products I’m Loving Right now

Hello everyone! Again, I’m happy to be back writing blog posts and sharing with you all things I’m loving and using right now. However, I’m going to stick to what I said last time I took a break from blogging, I’m not going to put too much pressure on myself to get posts out if it doesn’t feel like I’m genuinely enjoying to do so.

While the last blog post was focused on my bedroom interior, this one will be more focused on beauty, skin, and hygiene products I’ve been loving to use here recently and why I love them so much. I’ll try to provide links for the products I mention

Skin:

• Garnier Clean Shine Control Charcoal Cleansing Gel– I love this products because I have combination skin and during the summer months it starts to get really oily. This product is perfect for keeping my shiny skin under control and is helping to reduce my pores’ visibility.
• Bath and Body Works Hello Beautiful Fragrance Mist– I’ve been loving this scent because it’s perfect for summer rainy days. I’m one of those weird people who put on scents based on the weather/time of the year. haha It has notes of White Gardenia, Jasmine Petals, Magnolia Blossom, Pink Nectarine, and Cotton Musk. So it’s a very floral and fresh scent.

Makeup:

• Maybelline Lash Sensational in Blackest Black– I am IN LOVE with this mascara. This is hands down the best mascara I have ever used. It lasts the entire day, doesn’t transfer under my eyes ever, and the shape of the brush is perfect for lifting and  separating lashes as well as getting bottom lashes without them looking too bold.

Dental Hygiene:

• Crest 3D White in Radiant Mint– this may be kind of an odd product to list, but seriously, this toothpaste works! I’ve always hated how my teeth have a yellowish tint to them (and I know that a slight yellow tint means your teeth are healthy) and have been wanting to find a toothpaste that isn’t harsh on my teeth to help whiten them. This toothpaste has done that, even my roommate had noticed that my teeth were looking whiter!

If you’re looking for any products that help with any of the things I talked about above, I seriously recommend you check the ones I’m using. They’ve worked wonders for me. Let me know what products you all are loving right now, I’m always looking to try new amazing products!

New Bedroom Interior Details

Happy Sunday, everyone! Wow, this actually feels a little weird – sitting down and writing a blog post for you all. It’s been so long since I’ve written one and it’s honestly just due to how busy and overwhelmed I’ve been for the past month or so. That said, in the past month I have survive final exams, graduate from college with my BS in Psychology with a minor in Neuroscience, move into a new apartment, and start my full-time job while keeping my part-time job. I’ve been in my new place now for about two weeks and I’m finally starting to get into a routine and feel really settled, so I thought it was a good time to try to jump back into this whole blogging thing.

For today’s post I’d thought I’d share with you all the bedroom interior stuff I’ve bought to make my room feel cozy, homey, and reflect my personality. I’m in love with the way my room looks and wanted to give you all the chance to see what my interior style is like. I’ll link everything that can be found online for you all.

For my bed:

• Bedding- my bedding (shams included) is from Wayfair and it is amazing. It’s super soft, fluffy, and I literally feel like I’m sleeping n a cloud with it. It also came with three throw pillows which is amazing in my opinion. I got my sheets from Gabes, which means you probably won’t be able to find the exact same ones I have, but they’re a pretty light gray color to math my decor
• Throw Pillows- again some of the throw pillows on my bed came with the comforter set I bought from wayfair, but the two mauve-y pink ones were a set I got from TJ Maxx. I LOVE TJ MAXX. There are such great finds there and for amazing prices (I got an 18 piece drinking glass set for $7 from there!!!)
• Throw Blanket- this is the same throw blanket I got when I moved into my campus apartment and it’s in this blog post

For storage:

• Cube shelves- I got this cube shelving from Target and I love it. It sits right next to my desk with two light gray cubes in it to store all of my desk essentials since the desk that came with my apartment doesn’t have any drawers.

For decor (smaller details):

• Coasters- The marble coasters on my cube shelves and bedside table are also from TJ Maxx and they’re just so cute. The marble has a pink hint to it which helps tie it into my room
• Wall Decor- I have three decorative pieces up in my room right now and the one pictured is from Bed, Bath, and Beyond, it says “good vibes,” I have two from Home Goods, one that is gray with white lettering that says “love is all around” and one that is white with gray and mauve pink lettering that says “be epic.” All of these pieces were a bargain in my opinion and they tie everything nicely together
• Fairy Lights- again, these are from my past blog post from my campus apartment, so you can to that one to find details about these
• Wax Warmer- I found this cute little guy at Walmart, when my previous wax warmer broke and it was such a steal for $11. The sad part is that it isn’t on sale anymore, but there are so many other cute ones on Walmart’s website for much cheaper.

I’m seriously so happy with how my room has been decorated. There’s still a few more things I want to get to kind of complete it, but even if I didn’t get those things, I would be happy with my room just how it is. Also, just to note, the bed frame and mattress were provided with my apartment so the headboard isn’t the one I would go for, but I’m not complaining about a free bed! If you want to see more posts like this, please give it a like and follow me on here for email updates!

5 Things I’ve Learned From My Long-Term Relationship

Hello friends and happy Saturday to you all! I’m so happy the weekend is here because I have been exhausted this week, ever since daylight savings happened this past Sunday night. However, one good thing coming out of it is that I’m staying up a little bit later, thus giving me more opportunities to think of blog posts to write for you all.

One idea that sprang into my mind during this week is what I’ve learned from being in the relationship I’m in. After being with my boyfriend for two years now, I have definitely learned a few things during this time and figured it may be helpful to some of you! So here are 5 things I’ve learned from my long-term relationship:

1. Communication is absolutely key– life changes all the time, people get new job, graduate from college, move house, and it’s extremely important to communicate during these times so that everyone is always on the same page. I also believe it’s really important to just sit down and have talks about what each of you could do to make the relationship better because no one is perfect and we make mistakes sometimes.
2. They’ll become your best friend– they’ll be your go to person to tell everything to. Having a bad day? You go to them. Heard gossip at lunch? You discuss it with them. Have great news? You’re most excited to tell them. They also just begin to know everything about you because you want to share everything with them.
3. It’s okay to hang out with your separate friend groups without each other– when you first start dating and even throughout the first year, you want to hang out with each other all the time. It’s not that my boyfriend and I don’t like hanging out with each other, we still love it, but it’s nice to have time separate from each other to hang out with our different friend groups. It’s important to make sure your friends aren’t forgotten about.
4. Quality time is really important– while it’s important to give your friends quality time, as mentioned above, it’s also extremely important to spend quality time with your significant other. A lot of the time you get stuck in the hustle and bustle of every-day-life and feel like you don’t have time for each other, but that’s when you need to make time.
5. You support them no matter what– now obviously this does not include things like murder or robbing a bank, but you support them in their highs and lows. You’re there for them no matter what season of life they’re in because you love them.

For any of you stepping into the part of life with absolutely know idea what it’s going to be like, hopefully these five things help a little bit with that!

Bold Rock Cidery: The Experience

Happy Wednesday everyone! Hope everyone is having a great week so far. I for one am having a hard time getting over the time change, my body was just not ready. Despite that though, this past weekend was so nice for me.

This past Sunday was my best friend’s 22nd birthday and to celebrate we went to Bold Rock Cidery. Her and her fiancé had been before, but I never had and had no idea what to expect. I love Bold Rock ciders so I knew I’d have no problems with their drinks, but I had no idea how much fun and cozy the atmosphere would be!

When we got there it immediately felt like I was in a large cabin in the mountain (which is kind of what is was, just one that brews haha). There were fire places going, twinkle lights, and board games. I ended up ordering their rosé cider which was delicious and also super instagram-able because of the pretty rose color it was. We sipped on our drinks and played a variety of board games for a couple hours (including Clue, Chutes and Ladders, and Operation). Afterwards we were able to go on a tour and learn some really interesting facts about Bold Rock and the history of it all.

If you’re ever in that area of Virginia, I highly recommend you check it out! Everything is priced really well in my opinion and they have a wide selection of drinks.

New-In Spring Transition Fashion

Happy Wednesday everyone! I hope you all are having a great week or spring break if you’re on one like me right now. Being that it’s spring break for me and that the weather has been teetering between the mid 40s and high 60s here, I thought it would be a great time to show you all the spring season transition clothing items I’m loving from different brands right now.

As some of you are well aware of, clothing brands always have to be one season ahead and so this means that there is tons of spring and summer items. It’s not quite spring yet and the weather still has its moments of being extremely cold (as I am writing this, there is a snow storm headed right in my direction in the next couple of days), so it’s super important to have great transition pieces in your wardrobe for this time of the year given the need to be versatile with the weather conditions.

So I went through some of my favorite online stores to shop from and picked out my favorite spring transition pieces to share with you all and to show you why they’re so great for this time of the year.

Cardigans

• Cardigans are amazing for layering because with the back-and-forth weather, it’s so necessary to be able to easily put on and take off layers, so here are some cardis I’m loving right now:

From left to right: American Eagle Lace Back Cardigan, Asos Fine Knit Cardigan, and Abercrombie & Fitch Slub Yarn Cardigan. I love that none of these are too thick or sweater-like and that the colors are great for spring.

Long and 3/4 length Sleeve Tees

• Long sleeve t-shirts scream a little more fall and winter sometimes, but given the right color and thickness, I think they’re perfect for spring time too. These light-weight tees are going to be just what you need for this season:

From left to right: American Eagle Off-The-Shoulder Bell Sleeve, Oasis (from Asos) Stripe Long Sleeve, and Forever 21 Ornate Matelasse Peplum Top

Maxi Dresses

• Maxi dresses are the perfect way to start wearing dresses without getting too cold. They’re long enough to keep your legs pretty warm, but the best type of dress for this time of year:

From left to right: American Eagle Bell Sleeve Maxi, Boohoo Carrie-Ann Front Split Maxi, and Forever 21 Striped Cutout Maxi. I love the versatility of these and how you can dress them up or dress them down depending on the occasion.

I hope you all found this post helpful for when you all need to start doing some spring shopping. I tried to make sure I included a variety of both expensive and inexpensive options for you all!

*disclaimer: none of these photos are mine and are 100% owned by the companies stated

February Monthly Favorite

Happy March everyone! I love the month of March because warmer weather is slowly starting to creep back in and it’s also my boyfriend and I’s anniversary month! I’m just generally happier feeling during this month. It being March also means it’s time for my monthly favorite to share with you all and again, it’s another christmas gift I got.

My favorite things during February was a nail polish given to me by my roommate Maddison. It’s Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear nail polish in the color 174 Camel-ot

 

This shade is such a pretty neutral and also a really nice color for the start of spring. It was super long wearing, compared to other nail polishes I’ve use before, and it dried really fast. I don’t know about you all, but I get super impatient waiting for my nails to dry when I paint them and I end up smudging them, so having it dry so quickly was a huge plus in my book. I would highly recommend this specific Sally Hansen nail polish (obviously you can pick a different color though haha).

5 Everyday Beauty Hacks

Hello friends! I hope everyone’s week is going well and that it continues to go well! I personally am in much higher spirits this week as I am now all caught up with my school work and am out of the really rough patch school work-wise. And as I was getting ready for class one morning last week, it hit me that my routine consists of things that are total hacks to make my skin care/make up/hair care just that much easier. It also occurred to me that maybe not everyone knows the secret hacks of mine, so guess what I’m going to be discussing today …

Here are 5 beauty hacks that I use almost every. single. day.:

1. Moisturizing is important no matter what, but if you don’t like to use primer or have run out, put lotion on your face before you apply your makeup. It’ll help it blend more easily and last longer throughout the day
2. Use baby powder to get rid of oiliness in your hair. If you’re like me and can’t use dry shampoo because it makes your hair more oily rather than getting rid of it, then baby powder is the way to go. Just brush it through your roots and watch the oil disappear (also it’s a lot cheaper than dry shampoo)
3. When spraying perfume put it in these two specific places: 1) on your chest/near your cleavage and 2) behind your ears. The reason for the first place is that there is a major sweat gland there (you know this if you get boob sweat) and when you begin to sweat it’ll smell like your perfume. The reason for the second place is that generally when people hug you their head goes right by that area and so they’ll smell your perfume
4. When applying moisturizer on your face, always massage in circles or in an upward motion. Massaging or rubbing downwards over time can start to cause wrinkles or bags under your eyes and no one wants that
5. If you find that normal lotion isn’t helping your dry skin, use baby oil in the shower. I LIVE for this stuff. I use it every single day and I constantly get complimented on how soft my skin is.

If your like me and are a very low maintenance person when it comes to beauty, and want your beauty routines to be as easy as possible, I promise these hacks will do that for you. It used to take me at least an hour to get ready, if not longer, when I was younger and not as wise to the ways of beauty hacks, but now it takes me only 30 minutes to do EVERYTHING (including getting dressed, doing my hair, skin care, and make up). Comment below any beauty hacks you may have, I’d love to hear them!

 

5 Things I’m Grateful For

It’s the weekend, friends! It feels like each week this month ends up going by faster and faster. I’m not complaining too much because to me it feels like the weekend gets here super quickly and I LIVE for the weekends. Also, as you all know from this past Wednesday’s post, a lot of things have been going on in my life and so I thought this would be the perfect time to get back into doing my “5 Things I’m Grateful For” posts (which I’ve kind of slacked on – oops).

Here are the 5 things I’m grateful for right now:

1. My Health– having the flu has seriously made me realize that I take my health for granted some times and I cannot express how happy I am to not be sick anymore
2. Understanding Professors– again with being so sick and having to miss a lot of class time, I’ve been lucky enough to have great professors who are cooperative and helpful
3. Supportive Blogging Community– a couple of weeks ago when I announced on Instagram that I needed to take a little break from blogging to get myself together, so many of you all reassured me it was totally okay to focus on myself for a while.
4. My Family– without them I 100% would not have gotten better as quickly as I did and I owe them so much
5. My Dog– while I was sick and quarantined in my bedroom all alone for a week straight, my dog was by my side the entire time. While he’s giant and takes up my entire bed, it was really nice to have him with me to keep me company when no one else could without fear of catching the flu

It has been a crazy couple of weeks, but I’m happy to be all caught up with school works, healthy, and back to blogging for right now. I’m hoping things continue to go as smoothly as they are so far.