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DIY Crescent Moon Dreamcatcher

posted on : April 5, 2016 posted by : Stnkrbug 0 Comment

I have been on Etsy so much lately looking at room decor, and everything else really. You can find some really adorable things on Etsy, and it’s super fun to just browse around! While I was looking the other day, I came across a really cool crescent moon dreamcatcher. I have always loved dreamcatchers, and have had a lot through the years. When I saw this one, I knew I wanted to make one like it! I absolutely love DIY-ing, so I really wanted to make one rather than buy it, especially since I knew I could simply make one myself.

I made a video about this on my channel, and I definitely recommend watching it if you make it, since it’s usually easier to follow along with video instructions!

Here is all that you will need for this DIY (side note: I got everything from Michaels just to keep this easy! This post is in no way sponsored by them, however!)

I used the twine to wrap around the metal loop, and the mini rope to make the long strings that hang off of the dreamcatcher.
I used these metal loops for the base of the dreamcatcher, which my dad cut down for me to create the crescent moon shape. You could also use these wooden ones if you’d like!

How pretty are these feathers?! I saw them and knew I had to use them for this DIY.

I also got these feathers since they are nice and fluffy and large. I also like the natural color that they add to the dreamcatcher since a lot of the pieces are white!

Here is the metal rod cut to the crescent shape!

I have been obsessed with Michaels stone and crystal collection they’ve had in the jewelry section! Everything is seriously so gorgeous, it was so hard to choose which crystal pendants to get. I have this really nerdy rock collection, so the inner rock geek in me was crying when I saw all of the stones.

I got this really pretty shimmery embroidery floss for the web part of the dreamcatcher, and I think it ended up looking so cool! I love how it’s basically a dark copper color, and it really added a cool dimension to the web, especially since they can be kind of bland sometimes.

Here’s a nifty action shot of my dad cutting the metal. He was very proud of himself for making it on the blog, ya’ll (he didn’t realize he wasn’t actually in the shot…poor guy).

These are the little clippers my dad used to cut the metal!

Let’s get started with the actual process:

To get the beginning of the twine to actually stay on the metal, I used a hot glue gun (I completely forgot to take a picture of it, sorry!) to glue the end of the twine down. After it was dry and the twine was secure, I went ahead and started to wrap the twine tightly around the metal.

I first quickly wrapped the twine, and then went back and pushed it all together more.

Once I hit the end of the metal, I did the exact same gluing process as the beginning!

For the strings that hang down, I decided to do slip knots. I first pulled off how much I wanted from the spool, and then doubled it back up it’s length so both sides where the same size. After you have one long string folded in half basically, grab just below the part where it is folded in half.

Fold the loop back behind the base (the metal rod covered in twine).

Put your fingers through the loop, and pull both lengths completely through the loop.

This is how it should look after you pull the whole thing through the loop.

Tighten up the knot, and situate it how you want!

Keep going until you have as many knots you want! I went for eight in total.

Okay, now time for the web! This is the time I definitely suggest watching the video to see exactly how this is done. I completely forgot to picture this on the first “layer” of the web, but it’s exactly the same process. To start it off, wrap the string around the base about five times, or however many you think it takes to anchor it tightly, and tie it off. So take the tale of the string and fold it to the right of the base, or in this case the second “layer” of the string.

Pull the tale over the second layer. You will see a kind of loop form, especially if you are on the second layer.

Pull the whole tale back through the loop.

Pull it tight, and make sure to try and keep it tight to make the next layer! I found this whole process to be pretty tricky at first, so you just have to remain patient, and it may take you a couple of tries to get it down. I had to start over completely twice! My web definitely isn’t perfect, but I like how it looked, anyway. After you are done with the first layer, flip the whole base over so it mirrors how it was initially, and just keep going through the same process over and over, in order to get the number of layers that you want. I believe I did four! After you are done with the final layer, take whatever tail you have left over, wrap it around the end of the base and tie it off!

Now it’s time for the fun part – decoration! My parents had this copper wire hanging around that I decided to put around some of the string (you can also find this at stores like Home Depot if your parents don’t just happen to have some haha), and I absolutely love how it turned out. To keep the feathers on, I hot glued them to the strings, and tied the string around them to make it appear as though I had tied them on rather than glued them on.

Here’s how everything turned out! I love how the gold feathers look with the more natural ones.

The crystals really add a lot as well!

I couldn’t be happier with how this dreamcatcher turned out!
You all know how much I love DIY’s, and this one was so much fun. I really hope you guys make this, and if you do, let me know on Instagram and Twitter!
Thank you so much for reading, and have a wonderful day! 🙂
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My 20th Birthday Wish List

posted on : April 1, 2016 posted by : Stnkrbug 0 Comment

I cannot believe that I am turning 20 next week. My teenage years will officially be over, and I will be entering the second decade of my life. That is a crazy thought! It seems like it was just Christmas; this year is seriously flying by. It always felt like it took a crazy long time to get to my birthday when I was younger, but now that I’m older time is starting to move a lot faster.

Since my birthday is in exactly one week, I thought it would be fun to share my birthday wish list with you all! I do not expect to get all of these things at all, it’s just fun to see all of the new items out right now and dream of getting a couple of goodies!

Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Collection
Honestly, I would be so happy to get anything from the new Tarte collection. You all know my love for Tarte, and this new collection looks so gorgeous! All of the lipsticks that are out look so pretty, and the foundation and skin care products sound divine.

Copper Birkenstocks
My love for Birkenstocks runs deep; I wear either my brown or floral pair pretty much everyday during spring and summer because they are so comfortable and cute. They go with pretty much everything, and are also so practical to wear with all of the walking I do around campus! Birkenstocks actually provide a lot of support for your feet, and I recommend them to everyone.
Calvin Klein Bralette
I know this is very “basic” of me, but I really want a Calvin Klein bralette! They are supposed to be super comfortable and soft, and I basically live in all of my lace bralettes, anyway. Also I probably only wear a bra maybe once every week or two, oops…..at least this would get a lot of use!
Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Standard Zoom Lens

Or…

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM Ultra Wide Angle Zoom Lens

I’m not sure which lens I want yet, since I’m going to be using them when I study abroad in Europe this summer. My family has a friend who is a photographer, so I need to ask him which one would be best for scenery pictures, as well as taking pictures of all of the gorgeous architecture. 


Barnes and Noble Gift Card
Honestly, I am always so happy when I get gift cards to Barnes and Noble! I am an avid reader, so there is no better gift than a good book, or a gift card that can buy a good book. Some people don’t like getting or giving gift cards since they seem less personal, but I really don’t mind it because I know they just want me to buy something that I will genuinely like.
Tickets to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in LA
Last but not least, this is a gift that I would probably just pass out if I received it. I know the likelihood of actually getting this is slim to none, but hey, a girl can dream!
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I am still in shock that my birthday is only a week away. The years go by faster and faster as you get older, which is really scary! I don’t feel like I should be 20 years old, and it also doesn’t feel like it should already be April. Where is 2016 going so quickly?!
As I get older, it also gets harder and harder to actually think about what I want to receive for my birthday. With every year, the things that are important to me are becoming less material; I now value time with family and friends over anything else, and the simple feeling of happiness. When we’re little it’s so easy to get caught up with the latest and greatest toys, and be happy just from the gift of things. I think that’s a part of everyone’s childhood, and it’s a natural, healthy experience. As we get older, though, our set of values change, and it’s no longer important to receive a ton of presents. What’s truly important is that we spend our time being happy with those we love.
Do you find it harder to make birthday lists as you get older?
Thank you so much for reading, and have a wonderful weekend! 🙂
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Why I’m Glad I Didn’t Choose My Major During Freshman Year

posted on : March 31, 2016 posted by : Stnkrbug 0 Comment

Can I just take a little time to gush about how pretty the weather has been here in Seattle? It’s going to be in the 70s tomorrow. The 70s, people. I am thrilled and have been wearing all of my summer dresses with disregard to the still-chilly-but-sunny weather. However, I did take off my sweater today and only wore a dress! Summer is coming.

On to the post for today; I wanted to talk about why I’m glad I didn’t buckle down a choose a major my freshman year of college. I am a sophomore now, and applied to my major, International Studies, this last quarter, and ended up getting in. I actually came into UW thinking about majoring in International Studies, but changed my mind several different times throughout the year. I’m glad I did this for many different reasons. One, I was able to take many different classes from all of the different majors at my university. Two, in taking many different classes, I didn’t limit myself to only one focus all throughout college. Three, I had the freedom to think about all of the things I could possible do, and in doing so, had the courage to believe in myself, and believe that I could do anything I set my mind to.

As I’ve stated before, I really like to have plans for my life. I had a plan for high school when I was in junior high, and knew all of the classes I wanted to take from talking to my older brother and neighbor. I wrote all of them out on the paper, and while I didn’t take all of these classes, I always had at least a general outline for every term. When I came to college, I fully intended on majoring in International Studies, and only taking classes pertaining to that specific major. Sure, I knew I wanted to take fun classes as well, like dance, but I wanted to be as productive as I could in regards to getting all of the requirements done.

Once I got to school, I realized that maybe International Studies wasn’t the right major for me. The initial requirements for the school of IS were boring classes with content that I had mostly learned my senior year of high school. I wasn’t enjoying myself, and didn’t feel like I could truly engage in all of the classes. After my first quarter, I started to play around with the idea of maybe becoming a vet. I took chemistry, and remembered how much I did not enjoy it in high school, and also that I would never be able to perform surgery on an animal due to my queasiness, or put one down because I would be heartbroken. I absolutely love animals, and still entertain the idea of becoming a zoologist, but being a vet isn’t the right career for me.

After that, I decided maybe communications would be perfect for me. I love to write, and am obviously very involved in the media through my blog and YouTube channel, so I decided to take a communications class. While I didn’t overtly hate the class, it just wasn’t my cup of tea, and I knew I wouldn’t be happy only having a career in communications. The subject matter is very interesting, but it is also pretty straight forward, and contained ideas that most people know about anyway with common sense. I don’t mean to discredit the major in any way; it’s a very important field of study, especially in today’s world, but it just isn’t something that makes me feel inspired, or want to work towards.

Over the summer between freshman and sophomore year, my interest went back to International Studies, and I looked up all of the different career choices you could have after college. One of my dreams is to travel, so the idea of traveling as your job made me very excited. I also looked more into the International Studies school at my university, and I saw that peace, diplomacy, and security are a part of one of the focuses you can choose within the major, which is right up my alley. I want to make a difference in the world, and I really felt like this major and track could help give me the tools to do so. I finished up the requirements for the major in fall quarter of this year, and applied during winter quarter. I got into the school, and now I am starting in on all of the credits required for graduation. After I was done with the prerequisites to the major, the classes have gotten much more interesting, and I find myself really enjoying the subject matter.

Throughout all of these decisions, there was one more thing nagging me in the back of my mind. As you all probably know, I have always wanted to write a book. English has always been my favorite subject in school, and is the subject in which I excel at. It excites me, and keeps me desiring to improve myself more and more. After a lot of thought, I decided I wanted to double major with International Studies and English – specifically the creative writing part of the major since there are technically two different kinds of English majors at my university. I was always afraid to major in English due to the stigma of “never getting a job from an English degree” surrounding it, but it’s what I’m passionate about, and will make me happy.

Double majoring is hard due to all of the credit requirements, and I’m making it even more difficult on myself with a minor in Spanish. Since I am so passionate about all three subject materials, I know that I can do it because I’m willing to put in the work. I’m going to have a lot of late nights ahead of me, but I know it will all be worth it.

As for choosing my major(s) this year, rather than freshman year, I’m so glad that I took the time to find out what I truly want to study and have a career in. I didn’t want to get to senior year and realize that I hated my major; I wanted to be absolutely sure that I was in the right place. Being incredibly indecisive, I think it was important for me to try out all of the different classes I could, within reason. It takes me a long time to come to a decision about anything, so choosing my major my freshman year could’ve been a disaster for me. Through taking a ton of different classes, I also got to really experience all of the different schools that are at my university.

I know I will probably question myself later down the road, as every college student and young adult does, but for now I’m happy with my decisions. I’m excited for my future and to see where my studies will take me. Who knows where I will end up! That’s a scary thought to have, especially for someone who is so anxious about everything; however, I am slowly coming to terms with the fact that I cannot control life, no matter how hard I try.

Do you like to have a plan for your life?

Thank you so much for reading, and have a wonderful day! 🙂

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5 Shows You Should Be Watching on Netflix

posted on : March 29, 2016 posted by : Stnkrbug 0 Comment
Classes have officially started up again, and yesterday was my first day back from my two week break. Since I didn’t have any finals during finals week, I had an extra week off, which both flew by and seemed to last forever. You know that feeling? It’s like time is moving so quickly, but when you look back, it seems as though you’ve been gone forever. I can’t explain how weird it felt walking back into my dorm room after two weeks! After a couple of hours, though, it felt like I hadn’t even been gone.
Because I’m back in my dorm and spring quarter has started, I thought it would be fun to do a post about some of my favorite shows I watch on Netflix, since it’s my favorite way to procrastinate on my (already) assigned homework. I honestly don’t watch Netflix that often, mainly when I go to the gym, or while I’m eating a quick snack between classes and work. There have been some really good shows that I’ve been watching, though, so I’d love to share!
Criminal Minds is one of my favorite shows; it is intense, has great story lines, and even contains some comedy. In the last couple of years, I have really been into crime shows, and Criminal Minds is definitely one of the best, in my opinion! It can be kind of scary sometimes, since the whole premise behind it is to get into criminal’s heads in order to solve the crimes that they commit. It is centered around the B.A.U. (behavioral analysis unit of the FBI), a team made up of 6-7 people depending on the season, who are profilers and solve crimes. Each episode is like a mini movie since they are all so complex!
Gilmore Girls is one of my all time favorite shows for many reasons: it is heartfelt in a non-cheesy way, centered around two strong, witty women, and the ultimate feel-good show. I grew up watching this with my mom since we are very much like Lorelei and Rory (plus my dad who is always our trusty Luke), and I recently re-watched it. This show is extremely relatable to many young women, and especially at my age, I relate to Rory so much through her struggles with finding her path in the world. I can’t tell you how excited I am for the four additional episodes that will be coming out next year!
Grey’s Anatomy has been on for a long time, and I recently started watching all of it with my friends this school year. I had watched a couple of episodes here and there, but never consistently. I have to say, I have been pleasantly surprised! Sometimes this show can be a little ridiculous, but overall it is really great with an awesome and diverse cast. Shonda Rhimes is a great writer, and all of her TV shows do really well due to her mastery. The show is backdropped by a hospital in Seattle (yay!), and is centered around a hospital with a group of doctors who really seem to have some horrible luck, with everything that happens to them. I’m on season 11 now, the last season on Netflix, so I’m excited to get caught up with current day Grey’s!
How to Get Away With Murder is a truly interesting show. I watched the pilot when it first aired, and I don’t know why I didn’t continue to watch it! I’ve been catching up with it on Netflix, and it’s really fascinating. Professor Annalise Keating is a law professor who teaches the class “how to get away with murder,” and in the first episode, some students in her class are shown struggling with trying to get rid of a body. It isn’t revealed who kills this person, or why the crime occurred, but throughout flashbacks during the episodes, viewers are able to slowly piece together the mystery. The writing is fantastic, and is written by Shonda Rhimes as well. All hail Shonda!
I can’t explain my love for Sherlock. Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman are a match made in heaven, and make a wonderful Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, respectively. The show is centered around the famous story of Sherlock Holmes and his partner in crime (solving), Dr. Watson, but set in modern times. Having been a fan of the original Sherlock Holmes, it’s really interesting to see the story set in today’s world. I am also a huge fan of both actors, and enjoy everything about this show basically! The only bad thing about this series is the wait time between seasons, but it’s definitely worth it.
All of these shows are really great, and I really recommend them if you are struggling with finding a show to watch in your free time! Netflix is great for when you have nothing else to do, and just want to sit back and relax. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I definitely need that dedicated time to let my mind focus on something else!
What are your favorite shows to watch on Netflix?

Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful day! 🙂
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Why You Should Reflect on the Things That Make You Happy

posted on : March 25, 2016 posted by : Stnkrbug 0 Comment

Happy Friday! I can’t believe it’s already time for the weekend again, this week (and spring break!) has flown by insanely fast. I’m sad that my break is coming to an end, but I’m also really excited for my classes next quarter! I’ve enjoyed my time with my puppies and kitties – I can never get enough – and I will definitely miss them when I go back to school. It’s been nice just being able to relax and not worry about school and work!

Today I wanted to talk about something that’s super important: reflecting back on what makes us happy. I was really inspired to talk about this by Renee from Lose the Road (seriously, go check out her blog – she’s one of my favorite bloggers!), because she posts about what made her happy throughout the week. This is such an awesome way to think back on the things that made you feel joy, rather than focus on all of the negative things that happened throughout the week. Scientifically, it is in our nature to focus on the negatives parts of life since those occurrences pose the most danger, so it’s really important to combat those thoughts with happy memories.
I fall victim to focusing on the negatives very easily since I worry about things so often. It’s extremely difficult for me to turn off my brain sometimes, and I just end up going over bad occurrences over and over and over to try and see if there was anything differently I could’ve done in order to change the outcome. I know so many other people struggle with this as well, and it really can be the worst. It’s hard to stop worrying about something, especially when it affected you in a negative way. This, however, causes so much unneccesary stress, because there is literally nothing you can do to change the past; it is physically impossible (unless, you know, you believe in time travel and wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff).
Even though it’s easy for me to get caught up in the anxiety of negative memories, I try to be an optimist. My brother is very much a pessimist, so when I was younger I tried to be the one who looked at the brighter sides of things. Being an optimist isn’t always easy, or doesn’t always come naturally, so thinking about what made us happy throughout the week is a great way to start seeing things in a different light. When you reflect back on positive memories rather than negative ones, life really does seem more happy, and optimism comes more easily. Thinking about what made us happy also allows us to be more grateful for those things, and not take them for granted. It puts life in perspective, and helps us understand that there will be ups and downs in life that are most often out of our control.
And while it is important to learn from your mistakes and unhappy events, it is unnecessary to focus on them incessantly. Learning from something and not being able to let it go are two different things – I’ve been there before, and let me tell you it is not healthy. Sometimes it’s best to let things go when they are only making you stress out, and aren’t offering you anything but negative side effects. It took me a long to understand this, and I still struggle with it. I still focus on things that didn’t have the best outcome, and go over them again and again in my head, but it’s getting easier to simply let go of the things that I cannot change.
As Renee does in her posts, I wanted to share a couple of things that made me happy this week!
Sleeping in with my dog until 10 a.m.
I don’t sleep in while I’m at school in Seattle, and get up around 8 almost every morning to work out before class. Since I’ve been home and haven’t had anything to get done in a timely manner, I’ve been able to sleep in more, eat breakfast whenever, and go to the gym around midday. While I really enjoy getting up early and starting my day, it’s nice to have a break from the structure! Plus, I don’t get to have my dogs and cats in my bed while I’m at school of course, so it’s been so nice to be able to cuddle with them all.
Spending the day out in the sun with my family.
It’s been pretty rainy and gloomy for most of spring break, but there was a sunny day in the beginning of the week that my family and I spent outside doing some yard work and general straightening up! Days like these used to be tedious to me as a child, since it meant a whole day of chores, but now that I’m older I really enjoy them. It’s so satisfying cleaning things up, and it was nice to spend the day with my parents because I don’t see them as often anymore. Spending the whole day outside also meant I had a whole day to throw Willow’s favorite toy over. And over. And over. Seriously, the dog does not get tired ever!
Hanging out with my family who now lives close to us.
Since my family moved a little while back, we found out we actually live about 15 minutes away from some of our family that I had never actually met! It’s been really fun getting to know them and finding out all of our similarities. I grew up near part of my dad’s side of the family, so it’s nice to meet part of his other side!
Being able to watch as many Harry Potter movies as I want.
Being on spring break has meant that I have a lot of free time on my hand, so I’ve been spending a lot of it watching Harry Potter. I always tend to do this on breaks from school since it’s something that reminds me of home, and because I’m just generally a huge Harry Potter fan. It also gives me that nice warm and fuzzy home feeling. My parents are saints, and tolerate these marathons, which is a plus.
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Those are just a couple of things that made me happy this week, and some things that definitely were the highlight of my week! These things don’t always have to be huge and extravagent; they can be as little as wearing your favorite sweater and receiving a compliment. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how big or small an event is – if it makes you happy, that is all that matters.
What made you happy this week?

Thank you so much for reading, and have a wonderful day! 🙂
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How to: Incorporate Spring Runway Trends Into Your Wardrobe

posted on : March 23, 2016 posted by : Stnkrbug 0 Comment

There are so many spring trends this year that I am loving! A couple of them were present last year, but this year are a lot more popular. Today I wanted to talk about how to incorporate these beautiful trends into your own wardrobe, and how to wear them in an everyday setting!

Cold Shoulder
I absolutely love clothes with cold shoulders because they look so nice, and offer a little bit more warmth than a traditional tank top would. They also have such a cool bohemian vibe, which tend to be the type of clothes that I love, and can be paired with so many different things. This year, there are a lot more options for cold shoulder tops, not only dresses, so I’m really excited for that!
Runway:
From Getty Images.
This look is super chic and I love the royal blue color! While it’s a little too fancy for everyday wear, it would look gorgeous to an evening event!
Your Way
Pacsun
I absolutely love this dress! The orange is so pretty (and is also something that will be big this spring), and I love the boho vibe! This is definitely something I would wear everyday.
Fringe
Okay, it’s taken me a little while to actually like fringe. For some reason I never liked it when I was younger, but now that I’m older, I realize that it’s such a fun and cute trend, especially for spring and summer! There’s going to be a lot of it this year, and I’m really excited!
Runway:
Image from wwd.com
The colors of this dress are so pretty! The whole dress seems to have an Aztec vibe to it, and I love the patterns around the waist. The fringe definitely adds an interesting texture, and really completes the dress!
Your Way:
Jacket from Pacsun
How cool is this jacket?! I love how versatile it is; you could throw it on top of a pretty dress for a boho look, or with a statement T, like the one in the picture, for a more rocker-chic look. Either way, the fringe adds so much to this jacket, and makes it so fun!
Suede
It seems that many of the trends for Spring 2016 are really inspired by the 70’s and I’m loving it so much! Suede is no exception, and is going to be even bigger this year than it was last. I have been loving all of the suede pieces, like skirts and dresses, because they add a new dimension to your wardrobe!
Runway:
Photo from fashionista.com
All of these suede pieces are so cool, and add a really great texture to the overall look. Although suede is usually in neutral colors, it comes in a lot of different ones as well, which is nice to switch it up!
Your way:
Skirt from Pacsun
I absolutely love this skirt! Not only does it have the 70’s vibe from the suede, but it totally reminds me of a skirt from the 90’s, or something the characters in Clueless would’ve worn. The maroon color is so pretty, and the scalloped edges add a really cute touch! The buttons down the front are super cool, too. I definitely need to get a skirt like this for the spring!
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Those are three of my favorite trends that were seen on the Spring 2016 runway, and that are going to be big this year! I’m so excited for spring fashion this year, because it’s so 70’s inspired. For years, my dad has always called me his flower child, since I tend to choose clothes that are more “hippie” like, so this is definitely my year for fashion. I can’t wait to start incorporating these trends into my own wardrobe, and I hope this inspired you to do the same!
What spring 2016 trend are you most excited for?

Thank you so much for reading, and have a wonderful day! 🙂
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Tarte Amazonian Clay Matte Waterproof Bronzer Review

posted on : March 21, 2016 posted by : Stnkrbug 0 Comment
Happy second day of spring! I’m so happy that it’s officially here – it’s definitely time to start pulling out all of my dresses and skirts! I’m hoping that it’ll be a warm season since winter was pretty cold this year. Speaking of spring, I’m officially on spring break right now, even though I’ve been home for a week since I had early finals this quarter, so it’s nice to be able to relax with my family!
To start this week off, I decided to do a review of a product I recently bought: the Amazonian Clay Matte Waterproof Bronzer from tarte!

I had been using a bronzer from the Body Shop for about three years, and being me, dropped it while I was in a rush to get ready one morning. Naturally, it shattered, and I was forced to trade in my trusty bronzer for something new. In hindsight, this was probably a good thing, because I’m pretty sure the Body Shop bronzer wasn’t the right shade for me. I think it had oxidized over the years, because lately I had noticed that it had become very orange.
Because my skin is pretty pale, it’s hard to find a contour that isn’t too dark. I don’t really use bronzer to make my skin look more tan, especially this time of year, just as a contour on my cheeks, nose, and forehead. Since I want my contour to look natural, it’s important to get a bronzer that is the right color, and one that blends well with my BB cream.
I stopped into Sephora to get a new bronzer, and wasn’t really set on getting a certain brand or product. I knew I wanted to check out the bronzers from Benefit and tarte, and of course I decided on one from tarte because of my love of the brand. I also asked the advice of one of the sales associates, and he recommended this bronzer to me because it’s one of the lightest ones they have, and would be the most complimentary to my skin.

After a couple of swatch tests, I definitely agreed with him, and decided to buy the tarte bronzer. I was initially impressed with the consistency of the bronzer, and the color was really pretty. When I put on my makeup the next day, I used the bronzer and was really happy! It went on very smoothly, was very blendable, and was the perfect color for contour on my skin! I have loved tarte products for years now, so I’m really glad that I ended up liking this bronzer. It also comes in a shimmery shade that is a little bit darker, but I decided the matte one would be better for me. Also, a little bit goes a long way with this bronzer, which is really nice so I won’t use it up quickly!

 The swatch on the top is a couple of layers of the bronzer, so it’s definitely build-able if you need a darker shade.

The only downside to this bronzer is there aren’t any other shades, just the Park Avenue Princess shade that I bought. Of course tarte has other bronzers with different colors, so you could definitely check that out if you need something lighter or darker. Luckily this ended up being the perfect color for my skin, but if it hadn’t, I would’ve had to start the whole process of finding a different bronzer again.
I can’t attest to the waterproof part of the bronzer, as I haven’t worn it in the water or anything. I don’t really know how useful it will be to have a waterproof bronzer, and it does seem a bit unnecessary because I probably won’t wear bronzer if I know I’m going to be swimming, or getting really wet. Who knows, though, it might come in really handy one day when it’s humid in the summer haha.

I really like that the packaging itself has a mirror, because I used my other bronzer’s mirror to do my makeup when I didn’t have use of a bigger mirror, like in the car. The packaging is also really high quality, and very sturdy; hopefully when I inevitably drop this bronzer, it wont shatter as well! There’s also a magnet to keep the compact together, and it works really well. Tarte always has really good packaging I have found, and I love all of the natural colors they use, since most of their products are (more or less) natural.
All in all, I really love this bronzer, and I think I have found my new favorite! The shade is perfect for my skin, and the overall texture of the product is really great. Tarte has never let me down, and this product is no exception.

What’s your favorite bronzer?

Thank you so much for reading and have a wonderful day! 🙂

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How My Fitbit Keeps Me Motivated | Fit Friday

posted on : March 18, 2016 posted by : Stnkrbug 0 Comment

It is once again Friday (did this week fly by or what?) and I have another Fit Friday post! I have really been loving doing these because I’ve been super motivated with fitness for the past couple of years. I always swam and danced as a kid, so when I got to college I really wanted to make sure that I stayed fit. This meant I would have to learn how to use the gym – I never had to use it before because I always had my sports to keep me in shape. It can be hard to get up every single morning to go and work out, but it’s definitely worth it when you feel energized and happy afterwards.

Because it can be hard to stay on track, I love to use my Fitbit Surge to keep me motivated! I am the kind of person who is really self-motivated and goal-oriented, so I love beating my own personal records from my Fitbit. Since my Fitbit keeps track of my daily steps, my first goal is to get to 10,000, and then I like to try and beat my previous day’s steps. This keeps me constantly in motion, and really helps to keep my day on track!
I workout everyday but Friday (it’s important to have a rest day!) and I use my Fitbit to keep track of my exercise. I run about three miles, and then do workouts for my abs, legs, upper body, etc., depending on what day it is. It’s really cool to see how I am progressing with how fast my miles are, if I run a little bit farther, and how many calories I burn. The calories part I tend to focus less on because it isn’t the reason why I work out; I like to stay in shape because I like how I feel mentally and physically when my body is at its best. Staying in shape allows me to stay motivated in all aspects of my life, gives me energy, and makes me a whole lot more happy!

There are also a ton of settings that Fitbit’s have, so I can choose which activity I’m doing in order for my Fitbit to better track my heart rate, and other stats. This is so helpful for when I’m running, doing general workouts, biking, or doing yoga! I have been doing a lot of different kinds of exercise so it’s awesome to have all of the different settings to choose from so I can best track my workouts. It’s cool to compare all of my workouts, too, and compare how I feel physically to all of the stats.

During my workouts, my Fitbit tracks my heart rate, which is really important. I can make sure my heart rate isn’t too high, and that I’m not pushing myself too hard. It’s also great to look back on and compare all of my workouts of the week, and see where I can improve upon. It’s also important to know what your maximum heart rate is for your age so you don’t exert your heart too much. My Fitbit helps me with this, since it tells you what your peak heart rate during a workout is, and displays your heart rate in charts and graphs, so you can easily track your progress throughout a workout.
One feature I really love is the “Free Run” selection, because it tracks my location through GPS, and tells me how far I’ve ran and all that. It also does this on the treadmill, and lets me know my mile splits. All of the sub-sections under “Run” are really great and useful to use, and are designed really well! Under “Exercise” there are a lot of sub-sections as well, and the “Hiking” selection tracks your location through GPS like the running one, so it let’s you know how far you’ve hiked! I really love that feature since I go hiking a lot with my friends.
Fitbits also track your heart rate, calories burned, steps taken, and miles walked throughout the day, so it’s fun to see your stats at the end of the day. You can swipe through all of the stats right on the Fitbit screen, so you can track them during the whole day. I track my steps more than I care to admit, because I really like hitting that 10,000 step marker. Your Fitbit vibrates like a mini-celebration once you’ve hit 10,000 steps, so it makes you feel very accomplished haha.

The regular clock display is also really cool, because it’s a visual representation of your heart rate throughout the hour. As you can see in the photo above, my heart was really going at the beginning of the hour because I was walking back from class, and then it slowed down to my resting rate once I got back to my dorm. That feature is really cool to me, because I love seeing how my heart rate has differed throughout the hour without opening the Fitbit app on my phone.
All in all, I am pretty much addicted to my Fitbit, which I’m perfectly fine with. It keeps me motivated, which helps me stay on top of my workouts, and by extension, my fitness and wellbeing. Being in shape is important to me because I feel more energized, and I am able to do so much. Taking care of your body is a great way to love yourself, which you guys know I am all about. With my immune system being so terrible as well, staying in shape helps it out a little bit so it can fight off pesky colds more quickly.

Have you ever used a fitness tracker?

Thank you so much for reading, and have a wonderful weekend! 🙂

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Product Empties!

posted on : March 16, 2016 posted by : Stnkrbug 0 Comment
I am the type of person who gets very set in her ways; I literally eat the same breakfast – oatmeal with peanut butter and dried blueberries – and lunch – greek yogurt parfait with strawberries and blueberries – every. Single. Day. I don’t get tired of it, and usually I end up eating the same dinner on most days, which is either quinoa or rice, edamame or some other type of veggie, and fake chicken (which is so delicious, let me tell you). Beauty products are no different; once I find something that I like, I tend to use it for years and never switch. I don’t think this is necessarily a bad thing, especially since I have such sensitive skin, but it’s something that I’ve noticed lately! I mean, if it ain’t broke why fix it, right?
As I’ve been running out of a lot of my favorite products lately, I decided to keep the empty containers so I could do my first empties post and video! I’ve seen so many other bloggers and YouTubers do these, and I love watching them, so I thought it would be a lot of fun to do them for myself. I adore all of these products – except for one, which we will get into a little later in this post – so I have a lot to say about them!

Make sure and check out the video I did on this, too!

I have used this face moisturizer for a long time, we’re talking like two years. First Aid Beauty used to have just a daily face moisturizer, which I actually liked better than this ultra repair one, but they got rid of it a couple of months ago, and I don’t really know why. It was the perfect amount of moisture for my skin, and this one, I’ve found, is a little too much for my skin. Due to that, I decided to get a different face lotion since I’ve used this one forever, and also because I felt like my face needed something different.

I told you guys about this body lotion in my Keratosis Pilaris post, and I love it so much! It really helps with my KP, and it’s just generally a really great moisturizer. It doesn’t have a smell, which is also really nice for my sensitive skin. I use it right after I get out of the shower, all over my body, and I’m good to go for the rest of the day. Even though it’s meant to help KP, it’s also a really great lotion for your whole body.

This has been my go-to B.B. cream for at least a year now! It works really great with my skin, and has a very slight shimmer that gives my skin a nice glow. It also has SPF 27 which is great to have in order to protect your skin from the sun! I don’t know how much I actually buy into the whole “self-adjusting shade for all skin types” selling point, but the color does match my skin, regardless. It blends in really nicely, and provides a great base for the rest of my makeup, like concealer and bronzer.

Okay, this stuff smells amazing, to the point where I want to bottle up the scent and use it as my perfume. It’s really great for the ends of my hair, which is good since that’s what it’s actually meant to be used for haha. I use about a dime size pump of the cream and put it into the ends of my hair on the days that I wash it – which is every other day. This helps keep the ends of my hair healthy and moisturized, two things that are very important since I color my hair.

I have expressed my love for Tarte before, and this is my favorite mascara! Not only does it make my lashes look great, but it’s supposed to be good for them as well. I actually do think that it helps the general health of your lashes, and helps to condition them. My eyelashes aren’t picky at all when it comes to mascara, however, I found this one and I haven’t felt the need to try any other brands since it works so well! It’s also a huge plus that it’s from Tarte, because as I have preached before, it is a great beauty brand and doesn’t test on animals. The wooden package is also really cool, and environmentally friendly! Yay sustainability!

Usually I get the makeup removing wipes from Burt’s Bees, but this last time I didn’t have time to run to Target, and I was in desperate need for something. I knew that the little District Market on campus had these Yes to Cucumbers facial wipes, so I thought they would be fine to grab. About a week into using these, my face started to get a small rash, and these wipes slightly burned while I used them. In the end, these really messed up my skin because I had a pretty big rash on my cheek, and they just generally stung my face and were pretty abrasive. I thought they would be really nice, because they smelled so fresh, but they were truly terrible for my skin, and it took it a good week to recover from them!

I’m so glad I remembered to not recycle all of these containers after I used them, so I could do my first empties post and video! It felt oddly liberating to recycle all of them at once, and I also enjoyed reflecting back on what I like, wanted to change, and what products I didn’t like at all after using them. I really hope you guys enjoyed this post, and hopefully I’ll remember to do more in the future!

What products have you been using lately?

Thank you so much for reading, and have a wonderful day! 🙂

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A Pop of Pink for Spring

posted on : March 14, 2016 posted by : Stnkrbug 0 Comment
The cherry blossoms are in bloom at my university, and everything is starting to look like spring! I am so happy that all of the flowers are blooming – it’s definitely my favorite time of the year. Growing up, I had three cherry blossom trees at my house, and they always bloomed on or around my birthday, which made me so happy. As you all probably know, I absolutely love flowers, so I was always so excited that my favorite trees bloomed on my birthday. I’m so lucky to attend my university, because all of the buildings are so beautiful. It’s even more breathtaking when all of the flowers start blooming – especially the quad due to all of the trees.
For today’s post I was inspired by the Pantone color of the year, and Glossier (by the way, if you haven’t heard of them before, check out check out their unique beauty products)! Both hues of pink are so pretty, so it was a lot of fun to incorporate the petal-pink color. It goes perfectly with my school’s cherry blossoms, and it was a lot of fun hanging out there with Joycie (check out her blog here!) while taking some photos. I’m so glad one of the colors of the year is rose quartz, because it’s a color that I like to wear all the time since it goes with my skin tone so well. I have a lot of things in the color, so it was hard to find only a couple of things to wear in that color!

I’ve had this maxi skirt for a little while now, and I love it so much! I got it from Pacsun, and the pale pink is so beautiful, and goes with so many things. The pleats are also so cute, and the slits give it a nice breezyness. The material is really sheer, but there’s another layer that hits about mid-thigh so there’s no underwear disasters.
 This crop top is from Forever21, and is one of my favorites, because I can pair it with so much. It has a pretty floral pattern with a couple of different shades of pink, so it looks nice with whatever it’s paired with. I especially like it with this outfit, because it has both pale pink flowers, and also darker ones that go nicely with my jacket.
I got my maroon leather jacket from Nordstrom, and it’s definitely a staple in my wardrobe. It can be paired with dresses, skirts, leggings, jeans…the list goes on and on. It’s also surprisingly very warm, so it’s perfect for this time of year, when the weather continuously goes between hot and cold.

 I of course had to wear my favorite lipstick, Angelic Nude from Tarte, since it’s one of the prettiest pink lipsticks that I have come across. It pairs so well with any makeup look, and it’s super moisturizing. I also used some pale pink Urban Decay eyeshadow, which is pretty much my favorite makeup look since it’s so quick and easy to do.
It’s been raining non-stop this last couple of weeks, so we definitely lucked out in timing these photos! Just as I was walking back to my dorm it started pouring again. It seems like March showers are going to bring April flowers this year, which is just as well with me since my birthday is early April!
I also decided to wear my favorite letter necklace with this outfit, because it matches so well! This is definitely one of my favorite necklaces, and I’ve had it forever. I don’t really remember where I got it from since I’ve had it for so long! The poor chain isn’t the best anymore, so I actually need to get another hook to fix it, but it still works.
 It’s a lot more fun walking to class when you get to walk through the quad, and I don’t find myself dreading it as much. Everyone always seems happier, too, since everything is so pretty and bright!
This is one of my favorite places in the quad, because the little path with the benches is so adorable! The cherry blossoms arch over the path, so it’s always nice and shady.
I just can’t get enough of these cherry blossoms!
Well, there you have it – my pop of pink outfit for the spring! I hope you guys enjoyed this post, and love cherry blossoms as much as I do! They are, as I’m sure I have expressed thoroughly, my favorite trees, and I’m so happy it’s almost spring. This year is flying by so quickly; I can’t believe my birthday is in less than a month! It seems like Christmas was just yesterday, and here we are already to St. Patrick’s Day and Easter!
Are you excited for spring?

Thank you so much for reading, and have a wonderful day! 🙂