My Holiday Look

One of the many reasons I love the holidays: is it's a good excuse to try new and fun makeup and outfits. The look I am showing you is what I wore to my family christmas party, but it is great for any of your holiday festivities.

Makeup: Christmas is the one of the few times you can try something new and go all out on your makeup. If you are someone who is comfortable with a little powder and mascara, then by all means go for it. This is just what I found looked best and most formal for a family party.

Dior Spray Foundation- This is a full coverage foundation, and may be a little too heavy for some, bb cream works well too. Also, this is a very high end product and is fairly expensive, drug store foundations will work great as well.
Maybelline Fit Me Concealer-  I focused this mainly under my eyes to highlight.
Naked Flushed Palette in Native- This palette comes with a blush, highlighter and bronzer. I used all three for this look

Mac Studio Careblend Pressed Powder- I dusted this lightly all over my face, but focusing it on my t-zone to prevent getting shiny throughout the night.
Elf Eyebrow Kit- This kit has a darker gel and a light powder to create the perfect eyebrow look. I used the shade medium.

This is the simple eye look I had for Christmas. 

Mac Paint Pot in Soft Ocre- I used this as a primer or base for my eyeshadow.
Naked Basic 2 Palette- I used the second lightest color, "stark" all over the lid, "cover" in my crease and "skimp" to highlight my brow bone and the inner corner of my eye.
Stila Brown Liquid Liner- I typically use black eyeliner, but so the eyes weren't so intense, I used a dark brown without a wing instead.
Revlon Eyelash Curler- I suggest curling your lashes before your mascara every time, it makes a huge difference.
Maybeline Rocket Mascara- This is one of my favorite mascaras, but I accidentally bought it in dark brown, so I begin with only one coat all over the top and bottom lashes.
Covergirl Lash Blast- This is the perfect mascara for a final coat due to its intense black finish.

Buxom Lipgloss- Buxom is known for their long lasting lip products, so I finished off my look with a red, "Roxanne" to add the perfect pop of color.

The outfit I wore to the party. 

Outfit: 
Shirt- American Eagle
Skirt- Nordstrom
Tights- Nordstrom
Shoes- Nordstrom
Scarf- TJ Maxx





Hair: 
All I did with my hair is curled it with my conair wand from Walmart. To make sure the curls stayed all night, I used my hairspray by Avion.

DIY Christmas Decor

I'm sure I'm not the only one who's favorite holiday is Christmas, so I have a few super easy DIY's to get you're room spiced up for the Holidays

1) Lights

This one isn't really a DIY project, but it can easily change your room into the Christmas spirit. I bought mine at Home Depot for a great price, but there is a good chance there are some laying around in your storage closet. Also, if you get silver or gold, you can leave them up year-round for a tumblr effect to your room. I put colored lights around my closet, but you could also just lay them down on a desk or table. 

2) Countdown to Christmas

For this project you need paint, chalkboard paint, a wooden board, chalk, and of course paint brushes. I started by painting the board I got from Michaels white. When it dried, I painted "Days 'till Christmas" in red and black. I left room for a circle, which I painted with a frosty blue colored chalkboard paint. I used chalkboard markers to write in how many days until Christmas, but traditional chalk works as well.

My Christmas countdown with 16 days to go.

3) Glittered Pinecones

This project is super easy, and all you need is pinecones (I bought mine), glitter spray paint, and a glass bowl/vase. All you have to do is spray paint the pinecones, wait for them to dry, and put them in a bowl. This is a cute centerpiece or something to put on your bedside table. 

This looked good on my windowsill and bedside table. 

4) Christmas Tree Canvas

This project is a very simple painting with a unique twist. All you need is three small canvases, paints, glue, and gold glitter (optional). Using a pencil, draw the tip of a Christmas tree with a star on top. On the next canvas, draw the body or middle of a Christmas tree. The last canvas, draw the bottom of the tree with a stump, and I put Christmas presents under my tree, but that is optional. I painted the tree dark green and the presents red with a white bow. Let it dry. Then, using an eraser of a new pencil, dip it in light green and bright red paint to create dots as the background. The last step which is optional, is going over the star you drew on the top with glue. Add on the gold glitter to create a bright star. This looks super unique when hung up as three different paintings, but it all comes together to look like one. 

I hadn't put it up on my wall yet, but this is my painting laid out. 

5) Sparkled Snowflake

For this, you need a circle piece of wood, blue paint, Mod Podge, and gold glitter. I started by painting the wood with the light blue paint, and dried it with a hair dryer. When it was completely dry, I painted a simple snowflake design I found on google using the Mod Podge. Then, I added the gold glitter and tapped off the extra. To stop the execs glitter from falling off, use hairspray to keep it on the wood. 

Hopefully these decorations will help get you in the sprit and ready for the holidays. 

Travel Makeup and Outfit + My Carry On Essentials

I am writing this blog post at five in the morning during a layover in North Carolina. I’m on my way to Costa Rica and super excited. I thought I would share with you some of my travel essentials for plane rides, long or short. 

This was taken during the sunrise in North Carolina

Carry On;

Hand Sanitizer- Airports have so many people in a confined space, and you never now what kind of sicknesses others have.  

Lotion- It can get very dry while in high altitude, you’ll be glad you brought some lotion. 

Lip Balm- With the dryness, your lips will probably end up getting chapped. 

Magazines/Reading Material- Long plane flights are always a good time to catch up on a book you've been wanting to read. 

Electronics- I brought my IPad, Nintendo DS, and of course my phone. Those things keep me the most entertained on long flights.

Homework- Even though you are on vacation, while on a plane, you might as well get started. 

Makeup Wipes- I had an overnight flight and didn’t want to sleep with all of my makeup on, so bring a pack of makeup wipes. 

Majority of what I brought on the plane.

I like to keep my makeup super simple while traveling, and it isn’t nessecary, but here is what I usually wear:

Lights, Camera, Splashes mascara- Tarte

Fit Me concealer- Maybelline

Waterproof Pencil Eyeliner- Sephora 

Studio Carbon Pressed Powder- Mac

I always put comfy before cute when it comes to traveling. Sweats are a must for me no matter what, so I am wearing black sweatpants from my volleyball team. I paired that with a plain maroon top from American Eagle, and of course Jesus Sandals from Amazon. 

My suitcase and shoes.

Hopefully these things will be helpful for you and your future travels. I will be in Costa Rica for ten days, and will be back blogging after!

Surviving Finals 101

I just finished all of my end of the quarter finals, and somehow I survived. With seven classes and five finals, this week has been insane.  On top of that, it was the last week of my high school volleyball, so add all of the studying and excitement together, and that creates one stressful week. There are a few tips that you should follow so you can ace your tests, and still get all of the beauty sleep you need. Sounds impossible right? It takes sacrifices like giving up Netflix for a while, but it's worth it.

Study Tips- After school, I don't suggest you immediately study, because I know I like a little break for about thirty minutes before going back to academics. For everyone currently involved in a after school sport or activity, it makes this a lot more difficult, but I start studying immediately after practice. I like to start by studying the class I already have the lowest grade in. Therefore if I am not able to study everything that night, at least I have a chance to raise my grade. Study each subject by reading the notes or a specific study guide. It also helps if you have a parent or older sibling to clarify and help explain to you what you are learning. What really helps me the most is quizlet. That is by far the most fun and efficient way to learn vocabulary and terms in my opinion. Everyone has their own ways of studying, but these things are just what help me the most.

GO TO SLEEP!- Even though you want to stay up all night studying, that will not help you on your test. First of all, it is very hard trying to remember the formula for slope-intercept form at 2 am when you are half asleep. Also, you are going to be exhausted during the test and that may contribute to lowering your score.  Basically, GO TO SLEEP EARY.

The Dreaded Morning- While I am doing my makeup or getting ready, I will usually end up studying at that time too because I am so nervous. It does keep all of the information fresh in your head if you have a test first period. For clothes, keep it comfy. Finals week is the one week when I wear sweats, leggings, Uggs or Jesus sandals literally everyday. I think it makes a pretty big difference when you can comfortably take a test. Last important thing to do in the morning is to eat a large and healthy breakfast so you can stay focused all day. Also, if you can study in an elective class that you may have like Sage and I did in journalism, trust me it will help you out a lot for your next class.

Finals week is so stressful and I hope these tips will ease the pain a little. If you have a way to study that's been working, stick with it, but hopefully some of these will help. Good luck on all of your tests!

Currently my desk.

$20 Makeup Challenge

If you watch all of the "beauty blogger's" on YouTube like I do,  you are probably familiar with the $20 makeup challenge. It is pretty self explanatory, you have twenty dollars and you try to complete a full face makeup look. This is actually very helpful for middle school and high school girls when they can't afford high end makeup. I save up my money for a car, and I don't want it to slowly go away because I wanted the newest foundation from Sephora. Almost everything in this look is from Walmart, so keep in mind this isn't necessarily the prettiest makeup possible, but it sure is cheap.

All of the makeup used in the challenge.

Foundation- L'orèal Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream ($7.96)
Concealer- NYC Cover Stick ($1.99)
Bronzer- NYC "Sunny" Bronzer ($2.59)
Mascara- Maybelline Great Lash ($3.97)
Eyeliner- L.A. Colors Eyeliner ($1)
Eyebrows- ELF Lash and Brow Clear Gel ($1)
Lips- NYC Liquid Lipshine ($1.49)



Total- $20 even

The Ultimate Staycation

In Utah, we get a five day break from school and call it UEA. I have friends going to California, Florida, and even one person is going to Argentina. During the weekend, Spring Break, or any day you don’t have school, sometimes it’s nice to do more than watch netflix with friends. If your parents are making you stay home this break, I have some great ideas on how you can make this break, or even any weekend feel like a vacation. 

Spa Day-When all of my friends are on vacation and I have already watched seven episodes of Desperate Housewives, I like to switch it up a little and create a spa day for myself. That usually consist of fancy water, face masks, nail painting, and of course a relaxing bubble bath. I enjoy making my own face mask to give me something else to do. My personal favorite is the rose face mask because it is super easy and can really help out your skin. I like to play the spa radio on pandora, make some cucumber-mint water and take a candle lit bubble bath with my soothing face mask on. 

Be a Tourist- Wherever you may live, I'm sure there is something beautiful to see and something exciting to do. If a tourist came to the town you live, what would they do? In Park City, Utah where I live, in the fall people come to hike, stay at the lodges, and eat at the amazing restaurants. If you can get a family member to join you, act like you have never been there before and take in the beautiful scenery.

Guardsman's Pass is a beautiful area to hike in Park City

Whatever you end up doing for your stay cation, try to unplug from the digital world, to will be worth it. 

Simple and Quick School Makeup

Hi everyone, this is my first blog post ever, and I am super excited to begin blogging. To start, I am going to share with you the makeup I use when I am getting ready for school super quick.

The first thing I do in the morning is my makeup, in fact it is also my favorite thing. To start off, I use the Maybelline Fit Me concealer and apply it under my eyes and on any blemishes or red areas. After blending that in, I use my Coola matte bb cream as my foundation. It is light coverage so if you want a natural look, this product is perfect. I next use Mac's Studio Careblend pressed powder to reduce shine, and keep my foundation on all day. If I end up looking pale, Benefit's Hoola bronzer is a simple step to put some life back into your completion. The fist thing for eyes I do it use Benefit's push-up eyeliner on my top lash-line. A wing is optional but I usually don't include that in my everyday look. Before mascara, I think it is incredibly important to curl your lashes. My all-time favorite mascara is the Maybelline Rocket mascara in black. I apply it to the top lashes twice and once on the bottom to create long and voluminous lashes.

Obviously you can use variations of these products, or use whatever amount of makeup you are comfortable with. You can add to this look, and of course take away, but this is one of the simplest makeup looks, and super easy for beginners.  I will try to keeps all of my post as helpful and practical makeup and style tips. Keep reading this blog on how you can survive freshman year as a girl.

A picture of my eye using the makeup described