My Life: October/November 2012

Hello, dear readers,

As promised, here is an update on my life since the last time I wrote. As I mentioned at the beginning of this month, in my previous post, November has indeed been my busiest month. Let me start off with October, however, since I entirely skipped over it here on When Life Hands You Lipstick. Essentially, I accepted a bid for Delta Delta Delta sorority [technically a fraternity] in September and spent October going to meetings for it before being initiated. It was in October that I was assigned my "big," or big sister. Because I don't want to give away the name of the college I attend, nor do I want to invade the privacy of my big, I have cropped the following photos from the day the new members found out who their big sisters were:

Super awkward camera phone photo shot from above.

Wow, my face looks extra shiny! This is from the photo in which
 the "littles" sat in the front and our "bigs" sat behind us.

Beyond that, October was a bit of a blur. The only exception is Halloween. I went to visit two of my friends at one of their universities, and we all dressed up and had a good time catching up. I meant to go as Audrey Hepburn, despite the fact that I didn't have the right style of dress or correct jewelry. I ended up wearing my friend's dress and necklace, but my hair wouldn't stay up. I really didn't end up looking like anyone in particular, but one of girl guessed who I was. Can I count that as a success?

Once again, I'm cropping out my friends. I'm sure they'd be ok with me showing them, but I just want to be sure. Here is my failed Halloween costume:

I tried.

On to November, my most stressful month so far. By the way, I had never considered joining a sorority before coming to this college. I'm not into the whole stereotypical sorority scene, in which girls are judged by their appearance and what clothes they wear. I know not every sorority is like that at big colleges, but the Greek scene at my tiny campus is way smaller and much less like that. Of course, it is a group of around 30 girls, so there's bound to be some annoying aspects, but I'm glad I joined. It's a great way to meet people and get involved, regardless.

Ramble over. I was initiated into Tri Delta at the beginning of November, and then we immediately had a philanthropy event to promote and run. Then we had a Founder's Day brunch with the same university I visited on Halloween. It was fairly laid back, and I was surprised with an award for academics.

Now we're working on recruitment practice for formal rush in the spring. I went through informal recruitment, in which transfer students and upperclassmen can join. It's much more casual. It's funny preparing to bring new girls in when I just became an official member a few weeks ago. Here's a picture of me from initiation. It was in the morning, at the end of a weekend retreat. I cheated and didn't wash my makeup off the night before, because we're not supposed to wear makeup for the ceremony. I didn't want to look completely dead, but most of it came off anyway:

This is a photo of my "family," which consists of my big sister and
 my aunt [the one with her arm around me]. I don't quite
 get how that works. Note that I am nearly as white as the dress.

I realize this post has mostly centered around my sorority, but that's what keeps me the busiest outside of school itself. I also had multiple midterms, and I always have a paper to write or multiple chapters to read. I was just assigned a paper yesterday, and I have a group project now! 

On a more relaxing note, I did very much enjoy my Thanksgiving break. I turned 21 on Thanksgiving, and had a lovely evening with my family. I went out for Black Friday shopping [at 10 p.m. that night! Poor workers!] with friends. I didn't buy anything, nor did I have a great desire to, but I wanted to take advantage of the time I had to see my friends. They took me out for my birthday the next night, which was quite fun. The rest of break consisted of the weekend, which was delightful as well. I got some holiday shopping in, including gifts for a Secret Santa exchange in Tri Delta. Now I'm back at school, and I'll be busy with sorority events, choir rehearsals, a concert, schoolwork, and finals until winter break!

Just so you know, this isn't meant to be an "Esther's Excuses for Not Blogging" post, but rather me talking to you about where I've been. I have fun writing these posts.

I hope that those of you who celebrate Thanksgiving in the U.S. had a lovely holiday and that everyone is excited for the upcoming holiday season! I'm going to have to remember to bring my camera home for winter break, which starts in mid-December, so that I can actually take pictures of things that I want to write about.

Until then, I will try to squeeze in a post or two if I can. No promises, unfortunately. I hope your week is going well! 

xEsther

25 Questions Beauty Tag

Hello dear readers,

Wow! I managed to skip an entire month. November is quite possibly busier for me than October, so I'm doing this tag while I have time. I found this 25 Beauty Questions Tag on Beauty in Balance, and I thought it would be a fun way to return to the blogosphere without taking up too much time.

And the questions are...

1. Do you apply your foundation with a brush, sponge, or fingers?

I generally apply it with my fingers, since I find it easy to blend liquid foundation that way. I do, however, own a foundation brush which I prefer to use when I mix foundations or foundation and moisturizer.

2. Do you apply your eyeshadow from light to dark? or dark to light?

I don't use eyeshadow, mostly because I don't have the patience to learn how to do it well.

3. Do you prime your eyes?

As I said, I don't wear eyeshadow. Instead, I cover up the darkness on my eyelids with concealer. I guess that's irrelevant.

4. Concealer first, or after foundation?

Concealer after foundation, because otherwise I would mess up the concealer by blending foundation over it. This way I can use less concealer as well.

5. Go for manicures, or manicure yourself?

I do them myself. I did enjoy the one time I got a manicure, but I prefer to do my own.

6. Exfoliate lips, face or both?

I exfoliate my face once or twice a week when I'm at home by adding baking soda to my facial cleanser. For my lips, I exfoliate with a damp washcloth or Q-tip.

7. On average, how long does it take you to do your makeup?

It can take anywhere from 5 minutes to 15 minutes. It only takes 15 minutes or so when I decide to spend extra time perfecting my skin and/or mixing my own lip colors. 

8. Do you wear makeup everyday and everywhere?

I don't wear makeup if I don't have any plans for the day. If I'm staying in and doing homework, exercising, going to the grocery store, or with my family on a break, I don't wear it. Generally I wear it at least 6 days out of the week.

9. What release are you most excited about? (Makeup)

I’m not sure what specific releases are coming up in the makeup world, but I always like to see the holiday collections and sets from various brands. I am excited about the Skyfall collection from OPI, though I doubt I'll get anything from it.

10. What’s your weakness? Shoes, purses, clothes, jewelry, eyeshadow, lipstick or other?

Lipstick is definitely number one on that list based on how many I have, but I also have a weakness for shoes and purses.

11. Do you whiten your teeth?

No.

12. Wax eyebrows, or pluck?

I don't really do anything to mine, but I'll pluck a stray hair if there is one.

13. What do you use to contour?

I don't actually contour. I'm so pale that I don't think I'd be able to find a color to contour with if I wanted to.

14. False lashes, or natural?

Natural. Unless they're for a costume, false lashes creep me out.

15. Favorite makeup brand?

I haven't tried enough different makeup items from each brand to be able to pick a favorite.

16. Liquid eyeliner, pencil or gel?

I've only ever tried pencil.

17. Lipstick, lipgloss or chapstick?

Lipstick, without a doubt.

18. Pigments, pressed or cream eyeshadow?

If I were to wear any, I would choose pressed eyeshadow. It seems easiest to work with.

19. If you had to wear only one thing, excluding foundation; what would it be?

Lipstick. It instantly brightens up my complexion and adds color to my pale skin.

20. Favorite color?

I'm going to answer this generally and not related to makeup: I would have to say aqua and variations of it.

21. Favorite color combination?

If this is referring to eyeshadow, I'm not really sure. I personally would just wear neutrals.

22. Natural? or Dramatic? (Eye Makeup)

Hypothetically, I would choose natural for myself.

23. Do you care more for quality or name brand?

Quality.

24. Do you enjoy using face masks? If so which ones?

I don’t really use masks at the moment. When I do want to use one, I just go for pure honey. I enjoy using it because it feels refreshing.

25. What is your current addiction? (example: lipsticks, eyeshadows, earrings..)

Lipsticks are always my addiction, but I'm addicted to researching concealers and foundations for future consideration.


That's all for the 25 Beauty Questions Tag. As always, if you're interested in filling this out on your own blog or in the comments, please do. I love reading them. The last tag I filled out was the 14 Fun Facts About Me. I will be doing a post soon explaining my absence, and I should have at least a couple of photos in that one. 

I hope you had a phenomenal October and a fabulous Halloween if you chose to celebrate it!

Until next time...

xEsther

Lately I've Been Loving

Source

• OPI Mermaid's Tears. As I mentioned in this post, this particular nail polish was rather difficult to procure, and it's all I've lately been wanting to wear. I wore it for about two weeks and planned to reapply, but, alas, my nails are still bare. It's in the same family as China Glaze For Audrey, but it reads slightly more teal with a hint of gray. The best part: It's from the Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Collection. [Side note: I don't understand why so many people hated the movie. I just took it for what it was: A silly pirate movie, starring the fabulous Johnny Depp, that had nothing to do with the first three in the series. If you don't like Jack Sparrow, don't watch it!]

• Beauty blogs. You can check out my blog roll on my Complete Profile page. Those are just some of the blogs I read. I enjoy looking at the blog rolls of other people whose pages I regularly read, but I don't want eight million blogs on my subscription list, so I just tend to browse tons of blogs outside my own regular reading list.

• Glamour magazine. My friend subscribes to this magazine and, since we basically share each other's collections, I've been really loving it. It's a super quick read, but it doesn't feel ridiculous like magazines geared toward teens. There are plenty of pictures with articles interspersed throughout the pages, but there's nothing too dense. It's ideal light reading material for when my brain doesn't want to work too hard.

• Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Sweet Tart. I got this on a major sale, with a gift card and a coupon, so it was a little under $2 when I purchased it. I find it to be super easy to apply quickly before class, especially since I constantly think I'm running late. [This doesn't explain why I always get to class 15 to 20 minutes early.] The shine isn't too drastic, and the color shows up a vibrant pink on my lips. I love how it looks against my complexion and hair. I can't leave my dorm room without some sort of lip color on, or I feel way too washed out. With one or two reapplications, it wears down to a bit of a stain, so there's always a hint of color on my lips.

• Parks and Recreation. I literally just started watching this show yesterday, but my friends showed me some clips of the character Tom Haverford over the past weekend and now I can't get enough of it! I watched this clip on repeat before actually starting from the first season.

• New Girl. I'm so happy this show is back! The cast of characters is as ridiculous and lovable as ever, and I can't wait to see where this year's plot goes.

• Living close to home. Even though sometimes I consider whether I would have preferred living at home, I don't think I'd like commuting to school at all. That's why I love the fact that my college is close to home. I'm about an hour away from my house, which is just far enough for me to feel like I can have my own life but still have a safety net and a place to visit more often than I could at my previous university.

• "Uncharted" by Sara Bareilles, "I'll Be" by Edwin McCain, and "Us" by Regina Spektor. The first is one of my favorites by Bareilles, though I do love all of her songs. She's a pretty brilliant lyricist and has a fantastic, sassy voice. "I'll Be" got stuck in my head after watching the finale of The Glee Project: Season 2. Despite the fact that I don't watch Glee, I really enjoy that show. The winner, Blake, sang the song as his final performance, and I've been listening to it pretty often ever since. I also enjoy harmonizing to that song. [I enjoy harmonizing to any song, actually] "Us" is a song that I wouldn't normally like at all, because I don't particularly adore Regina Spektor's music or voice. However, because it's the opening song of 500 Days of Summer, one of my many favorite movies, I've recently been hooked on it. I still have no idea what it means. I do realize that not one of these songs is new.

• Family and friends. This one's a given, but particularly since I've started school, I'm very aware of how lucky I am to always have someone to call when I'm feeling unsure of myself or just need to talk. It's a great feeling.

[Aside: I currently have midterm exams and papers to write, and my reading assignments never end, but I'm certainly not going to stop posting.]

I hope your September has been great!

What have you been loving lately?

xEsther

Lazy Day Face and OPI Mermaid's Tears

Hello, dear readers,

Today has been a rather lazy day in the sense that I haven't been able to go out and about. I've mostly been inside doing homework or on the phone. Yesterday was much more fun, as I had two of my friends come to visit me at college. I plan to hula hoop this evening, so that should make me feel better about being so static today. Fingers crossed.

For no particular reason, and despite barely leaving the room, I felt the need to slap on some makeup and attempt to look more awake. After that was done, I thought, Why not take some photos of questionable quality on my MacBook and post them on my blog? So that's what I'm doing. I shall also share a couple of photos of my current nail polish, OPI Mermaid Tears.

An aside: I didn't buy Mermaid Tears when it came out as part of the Pirates of the Caribbean collection, because I was being noble and refraining from purchasing nail polish. However, that meant that by the time I got around to looking for it, it was discontinued. A journey to a nail polish/beauty supply store was to no avail, and all the bottles I found online were ridiculously expensive. Somehow, my mom managed to find one for a reasonable price and sent it to me at college. [Thanks, Mom!] I'm a little bit in love with it, and now I know not to pass up a limited edition nail polish if I'm obsessing over it. 

I tried to adjust the lighting and contrast of some of the photos, but they're honestly still pretty washed out and poor quality.  No color changes or any other sort of editing has been done besides that. Without further ado, here is my face of the day:

Products used:

1. Cover Girl Aqua Smoothers Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15 in 805 Fair/Light
2. Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer in Ivory                                                                              (under my eyes and down the bridge of my nose)
3. Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in Transparent
4. Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in 300 Rose Blush

As you can see, this isn't a flawless face. This is what I use when I want to get my makeup done quickly and efficiently, making myself look much more awake while letting some imperfections peek through. I always alternate the lipsticks, often layering more than one to create the perfect color, but Rimmel's Rose Blush is one of my go-tos for a natural, fresh-faced look. I'm almost out of the tinted moisturizer, so I'll need to bring my back-up to college next time I go home. Apparently, this is now being marketed as a BB Cream. Total sales gimmick, in my opinion.

On to the nail polish:

Despite the grainy quality of the photographs, these are pretty accurate depictions of the color. In the second, the nail polish in the bottle itself appears more blue than in real life.

What nail polish shades have you been loving lately? Are you transitioning to darker fall shades, or do you still play around with all sorts of colors?

I hope you've had a lovely weekend and have more great things in store for you during the coming week!

xEsther

YBF Lipsticks, College Again, and Where Did August Go?

Hello, dear readers,

I somehow managed to skip an entire month of blogging, and it's made me realize how much I miss it. Of course, now that I'm ready to get back in the swing of things, I've been bombarded with reading assignments from just the first two days of class. If you aren't already aware, I am a transfer student coming in as a junior to my new college. I'll go ahead and be honest and admit that so far I don't love it here. 

The academics seem great, but it's such a small school that it's hard to break into cliques. Yes, cliques exist on a campus of 1500 or so students [my high school had somewhere between 2000 and 2500!]. Granted, they're bigger than in high school and without any actual drama among groups, but that doesn't make it any easier to come in as an upperclassman and feel right at home. It seems like I'm the only one who feels that way, though. Maybe it's because I just came from a campus of over 40,000 students. I'm used to enjoying a certain anonymity among the masses and a social life among my own friends.

Complaining aside, I do look forward to joining some activities and hopefully getting my life together in a way that allows me to blog more often than I have been. That doesn't mean that I won't ever get lazy and skip weeks, but I'd rather not skip months anymore! I will be posting an updated skincare routine at some point, but I have yet to take the pictures. I don't really have a set foundation routine right now; it varies by day/time of day/the condition of my skin. I can, however, do a post about some of the products that make regular appearances in my makeup routine. There are some new additions to my face makeup family, so I'll eventually be sharing those.

Now onto current news: I'll wager that most of you have heard of HauteLook , but I'll explain it anyway for those of you who haven't. It's a flash sale site for beauty, clothing, and home goods brands for men, women, and children. It will have a sale on, say, Stila Cosmetics starting at 8 a.m. EST on a Wednesday, and ending Friday at 8 a.m. Right now, there are sales on brands ranging from Sibu Beauty to Minnetonka; Lucky Brand Men to Skechers Backpacks for kids.

A little over a week ago, HauteLook had a sale on a relatively new beauty line called ybf cosmetics, which stands for your best friend. There was a set of six lipsticks for $12.50, and I thought that was a pretty good deal. The shipping was not the greatest, because it tacked on an extra $6.00 or so, but my mom was kind enough to order it for me as a back to college [here goes nothingl "surprise." [Side note: I realize the term "college" is like high school for some countries outside of the U.S., but I mean it in terms of university. You've probably guessed that by now.]

Apologies for not taking my own pictures, but here is what I received:

Source

Source

Rather than take all the pictures from other websites, I'm going to direct you to this wonderful post that pretty much nails everything there is to say about these lipsticks. I can add that they are paraben free; if that's a concern of yours, you may be interested. They really are very versatile shades, and you can layer them any way you please. You can layer any lipstick, actually, but these happen to come in a cute and convenient set. I love the heart-shaped packaging and the fact that there are essentially four variations of red. I would say that there's a cool-toned red, an orangey red, and a cherry red.

The other three colors are a sheer, shimmery nude meant to top the other lipsticks, a deep wine color, and a brownish burgundy. The only discrepancy between my post and the one I've linked above is the color of the shade "Scandalous." Mine are exactly as pictured above in the company's photo, and I'm  not sure why. If you'd like to see a review with my own photos and swatches, I can do that, too.

That's all I've got for you today. Congratulations to those of you who made it through this post, and thank you to my readers for sticking with me while I sort out my life!

I hope your August was marvelous and your September is even better!

xEsther

Happy National Lipstick Day!

That's right, dear readers: Today, July 29th, happens to be National Lipstick Day here in the U.S. Apparently lipstick is the most popular cosmetic item and therefore deserves a prominent place on the national calendar. In honor of this, I thought I'd share a little tip on determining which lip colors will look good on you.

Most people only consider their skin color when browsing for the next perfect nude or vivacious fuchsia. Actually, the first feature you should look at is your lips themselves. The natural color of your lips has everything to do with how that lipstick will look on you. Unless you cover your lips with concealer first, the color you see in the tube is going to look different on your lips. For example, there's a generalization that pale pinks look good on pale girls. If I wear a super light pink lip, I look like a corpse. Here's the reason why: My lips, though not extremely pigmented, are actually a neutral reddish-pink. If I want to look alive, I can't wear anything lighter than my own lips, so an extremely light pink or nude will make me look dead.

After you've got that straight, then you consider your skin and hair color to determine whether the color will be flattering. Also, don't be surprised if you have cool-toned skin and a warm color looks good on you, and vice versa. If you have neutral lips like I do, you may have more color options than you think. More than once, I've been shocked when an obviously warm-toned color has looked flattering on. I recently got a Revlon Moondrops lipstick in the color Apple Polish, a bright orange-y red, and it's now one of my favorite summer lip colors. I'm thinking that's because not only are my lips neutral, but I have pink and yellow undertones.

I'm making this sound like a scientific study, but it's not. All of you lipstick-wearers probably already know what colors look good on you just by eyeballing them in the store. I just thought it would be fun to share how I hunt for lipsticks. Maybe the next time you're shopping for a lipstick, be a little adventurous and pick up a great shade that you normally wouldn't dream of wearing. Who knows? It might just be your new favorite.

xEsther

Mini Review: Fusion of Color Mineral Face Makeup

Aura Tint (Light), Concealer (Shell), Finishing Powder (Out and About)

Hello, dear readers,


If you have been reading my blog since at least the beginning of this year, you may remember a post called "Mini Review: Fusion of Color Lipsticks." I received three lipstick samples and three mineral face makeup samples from Fusion of Color Cosmetics back in January, I believe, and I think it's about time I did a review of the face makeup. I more than owe it to the company, especially Kathy Duncan, the woman behind the brand. [If you don't care to read the previous post, I should tell you that this is a Chicago-based company that sells exclusively online. I'm also not being paid for this; I received these sample sizes in exchange for review.] 


Until this month, I had only tried one of the powders, but I am finally ready to give you my honest opinions on the products. The first product I tried was called the Aura Tint, in the shade Light. The full size retails for $7. According to the website here, this is a colorful version of the Aura-Lusion Diamond powder, a white powder that can be used as a primer or setting powder, or it can be mixed with another foundation to achieve the correct shade.

Aura Tint (Light)

I don't think I owned foundation at the time, and I still don't use mineral foundation, but I used this as a setting powder. Considering I walked to and from school, a half-hour trek each way, this product held up really well. I found that it blended the tinted moisturizer and concealer, that I was using at the time, quite nicely. This went on silky smooth, but didn't give a completely matte finish. I actually prefer it to the Physician's Formula Mineral Wear® Talc-Free Mineral Airbrushing Pressed Powder SPF 30, that I reviewed here, because it's sheer enough for my super pale skin. 


It didn't hold up quite as well as my Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in Transparent, which can last seven or eight hours; then again, I haven't found anything that has. This is a good option for a reasonably priced mineral makeup powder that feels great going on and lasts for about five hours, even through speedy, and, yes, sweaty walking. I should say that it only fades on and around my nose and chin, where I get oily. I can't speak to its other uses, but I can say that lately I've been using it as an under eye concealer because it has a slight yellow tint that I find works better than my Hard Candy Glamouflage. I stopped using that product, because it's too dark for me and shows up orange.


Next, I tried out the Concealer in Shell, which is advertised as both a concealer and an eyeshadow base. The full size retails for $14. It does not claim to hide major blemishes, but rather conceal dark circles or minor flaws. The ingredients are listed on the website, so check there to find out. My picture of the ingredients came out extremely blurry.

Concealer (Shell)

Unfortunately, this is one product I would skip. The pinky shade served to actually accentuate the purplish-blue darkness underneath my eyes. The good thing is that it didn't crease. I don't use eyeshadow, but I would imagine it would be neutral enough to use as a base if you have light skin. I can't really comment on that, but this is not a product I would purchase as a concealer. 


Unless you have any greenish imperfections [i.e. a tiny bruise or something], pink concealer won't really do you any favors. You're better off with a yellow or salmon concealer for underneath the eyes. Because it's pink, it won't do anything for blemishes, either. Again, the powder itself feels light and smooth, but if you'd like to try it, buy it as an eyeshadow base or purchase a sample size [as pictured] instead.


The final product is probably my favorite. It is the finishing powder in Out and About, which is advertised to be used over foundation or alone. It has an SPF of 16, and contains rice starch to control oil. The full size retails for $12.

Finishing Powder (Out and About)

This is a very nice finishing powder, and I also enjoyed wearing it on its own. Like the Aura Tint, it has a slight yellow undertone. To me, however, it looks slightly more neutral than either of the previous products. I like the way it brushes onto my skin, evening out skin tone, and I love that it has a sufficient amount of SPF. Possibly the best thing about it is the fact that it helps control oil. I feel like it gives a very sheer coverage, but also keeps greasiness at bay for long periods of time. 

I have also tried this as an under eye concealer, and I think it works for that purpose as well. Its slight yellow tones work well to conceal any purple or blue circles, but it's not too yellow so as to be noticeable. Until I find a fuller coverage under eye concealer, I will probably be alternating between this and the Aura Tint. As you can see, this is quite a light powder so I can't say what other skin tones this would work on. Personally, I think it's pretty great.

Overall, I think Fusion of Color Cosmetics is a great company as far as quality of formulation and staying power of their mineral face makeup [not to mention the lipsticks]. I would recommend the Aura Tints and the Out and About Finishing Powder, but I would try one of the other concealers, listed on this page, if you're curious about the powder formula. If I had to choose just one to purchase, it would be Out and About. 

This review is extraordinarily overdue, and I've been feeling so guilty about it!  I'm glad it's finally out there for you to consider. Check out the website, Fusion of Color Cosmetics, for more information. 


xEsther

14 Fun Facts About Me!

Hello, dear readers,

As you may have guessed, this is another tag. I personally love when a new tag surfaces in the online beauty community, and I love reading other bloggers' answers. This particular questionnaire comes from the Fowler sisters' blog, Elle and Blair. To see the original post, click here.

Let's get right to it:

My funniest cutest nickname is: Roni. I have too many funny nicknames to choose from, so I went with the cutest.


My preferred fashion style on the weekend is: I don't really think my style fits into a category. I just go with whatever flatters me most, be it weekend or weekday. I guess comfy, girly, and/or classic? It depends on what I'm doing. I think I read way too much into tag questions. 


My go-to pick-me-up is: So far, most people have answered this with a type of food and/or drink. For me, it's either watching a feel-good chick flick or listening/singing along to music by my favorite singers [Jon Mclaughlin, Jason Mraz, Eric Hutchinson, Sara Bareilles]. If we are talking about food, though, it would probably be chocolate. Let's be real.


I feel silliest when: I'm hanging out with my friends. They're the best kind of ridiculous, as am I. 


I feel most accomplished when: I finish a big project or I've done a killer workout.


My favorite feel-good movie is: 27 Dresses. I've probably watched it 27 times. The Princess Diaries and it's sequel are up there as well. You can't go wrong with Julie Andrews and Anne Hathaway as royalty. Andrews practically is a queen, anyway.


If I could go back in time and be any age again, I would be: 18. That was a good year for me, and I got to spend two weeks in New York! I'd just like to relive that vacation. Difficult question, though. It would be weird to be really young again, as much fun as that would be.


If I could borrow any celebrity's wardrobe, I would choose: Zooey Deschanel 


My easiest way to stay organized is by: keeping busy; that way I have to allot time for everything I need to get done.


The bravest thing I've ever done is: leave my previous university and decide to transfer to a tiny college.


One day I'd really like to: travel everywhere!


One thing I do every single day is: check all my email accounts and desperately check to see if I've gotten any real, physical mail.


My most trusty friendship advice is: Be loyal, trustworthy, and honest; don't judge or argue over stupid things; make each other laugh!


My mantra of the day is: You are only one workout away from a good mood! [This was actually on the website here, if you're interested]


There you have it: Another tag done!


If you do this tag, please leave me a link to it in the comments!


I hope your July has been fantastic so far! 


xEsther

Another Periodic Update

Hello, dear readers,

I'm sorry I'm so inconsistent with my blogging this summer. I promise I have no intention of stopping this blog; I'm just enjoying my summer as much as possible and have been too lazy to actually create a worthwhile post. So far I've been catching up with friends, shopping, reading, and getting back into regular fitness routines. I like the Exercise TV videos on YouTube, and I also search for random workouts so I can switch up my routine. I still hula hoop, but I also like interval workouts, Pilates, and Zumba and other dance workouts.  I do have reviews that will be coming up, some of which are quite overdue. I received a box of products for the summer Influenster VoxBox, which I will explain once I'm ready to review those. I have to actually use the products in order to review them! I also haven't been wearing face makeup, as it's been over 100 degrees [F] here. Don't worry, though; I still wear lipstick every day!

I hope all of my American readers had a fabulous July 4th! I went to my local parade with my friend, and one of our friends was actually driving in it. We hassled her until she got out of the car and came over to us. It was quite nice as I haven't been to the parade in a few years. I had to hop right in the shower after due to the fact that it hit 102 F [I don't know how to do the degree symbol; sorry!]. I then went to a barbecue with friends, including the two from the morning, and saw the local fireworks. Afterwards, we all went to see the opening night of the Katy Perry movie. Yes; you read that right. It was a great deal of fun singing loudly and dancing in the back row. I know, I know; it's definitely Oscar-worthy material.

I promise you will see a post from me before the summer's end; I just can't promise you when that will be! Have a wonderful weekend!

xEsther

Aaaaaaand...It's a Tag! What's Your Makeup Style?

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Hello, dear readers,


I've been in a bit of a blogging rut, as you may have noticed, so I'm doing a tag today. This one is newer and I found it on Elle & Blair. Here are my answers to the "What's Your Makeup Style?" tag.


1. EEK! You've got five minutes to do your makeup for a date. What's your minimum?
I can usually get some foundation on the center of my face to cover up redness, a tiny bit of concealer under my eyes, and some lipstick on in five minutes. I usually take longer, but I can do it if I'm in a hurry.


2. Pick a trend—crazy cat eyeliner, super hot pink blush, or feathered false lashes?
I wouldn't actually wear any of these, but crazy cat eyeliner would probably look the least certifiably insane of the three.


3. If you had to either give up all makeup for two months or give up your skincare for a week, which would you pick?
As much as I hate to say it, I would give up my skincare for a week. If I break out that week, I can cover it up, and then I'll proceed to be diligent about my skin afterwards. I don't wear face makeup every day anyway, so my skin wouldn't suffer too much.


4. What beauty products are always in your purse?
Lip balm, whatever lipstick I'm wearing that day, and hand cream. I do occasionally forget the hand cream.


5. Are there any beauty products that you keep coming back to throughout the years?
Almay Smart Shade Concealer in Light, L'Oreal Colour Riche Lipstick in Tropical Coral, Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in Rose Blush, Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in Transparent.


6. Smoky eyes or red lips?
Red lips. I love the look of a classic red lip with my very fair skin and dark hair. I'll take any excuse to wear red lipstick.


7. Lipstick or lipgloss?
Lipstick.


8. Are there any products that you never expected to like but ended up loving?
Beauty UK Lipstick in In the Buff and Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Demure.


I would love to see any of you do this tag. Again, I apologize for being such a lousy blogger. I really haven't been able to think of any great ideas, nor have I had the chance to figure out what to do for an updated skincare routine post. 


I hope you've all been enjoying June; I know I have! Have a lovely start to the week.


xEsther