BEAUTY | eyelash extensions.

Hi friends! 
Today I wanted to talk about my experience with eyelash extensions. The process, the commitment, the expense, the upkeep, etc. I have had a lot of friends asking me questions since I have gotten them so I figured I would designate a blog post to answering all of those questions. 
First of all, do I think they are worth it? The short answer: yes. 

Yes, I love them, it makes getting ready in the morning much easier/quicker. I feel prettier going out without any make-up, and just overall they make my entire look look even better. I will say though, if I had other commitments (i.e. children, extra bills, etc) these would definitely be the first "luxury" to go. In the mean time, while I am young and have some extra money I am going to keep them.
With that being said, if you do decide to get them here are some things you should know beforehand. 

First - The cost.  This is definitely something that you need to know prior to making the commitment to eyelash extensions. And yes, that's right, it's a commitment. The first application costs between 100-300 depending on where you live - honestly it could get even more expensive in more affluent parts of the nation. After the first application you then have to get the lashes refilled every month (the length of time your natural lashes fall out) and that is usually between 50-100 dollars. 

Second - The process.  The first application took me about 2 hours. Here's the run down on what happens exactly. You go into the little room, lay down, the beautician puts some sticky eye things under your eyes so she doesn't have to worry about your lower lashes getting in the way, and she begins applying each individual lash extension to your natural lash with a super strong eyelash glue. It's definitely a process, so if you are a mover and a shaker - this probably isn't the thing for you haha. Some people fall asleep and others, like myself, make some small talk with the beautician. Regardless, you are laying down for an extended period of time and you can't really move around.

Third - Upkeep.  The thing that scared me the most about eyelash extensions was that it is recommended to not wear any eyeliner/mascara with a certain kind of chemical in it because it will mess around with the glue in some scientific way that I do not know how to articulate. Listen folks. I'm an eyeliner girl. I love a cat eye. So this was very worrisome to me. BUT you know what I did? I searched long and hard for an affordable all natural eyeliner that could do what I needed, I couldn't find one I was happy with, so I just used my normal eyeliner. And you know what? My lashes stayed on so crisis averted haha. BUT - I never wear mascara (ok I did on my wedding day but that was because I needed to be extra) or waterproof makeup. I also take my makeup off with a normal make up wipe as well, I am just extra careful when taking my eyeliner off so I don't tug on my lashes. So yea, I don't really follow all of the rules to keep the lashes on longer, but I've been happy with how long mine stay on, so I'm not changing anything. Also - you are supposed to brush them at the beginning and end of the day with a normal spooly brush (mascara brush) which really isn't difficult at all. Just keeps them in their place when they decide to go crazy after a night of sleep. 

My experience with the extensions has definitely been positive and worth the money I have spent. Here is a link to the lovely lady that does mine if you are from around my area - I definitely recommend her. 
If you have any other questions, feel free to ask. I'm sure I didn't answer them all, so if you have them shoot. 
I will leave you with a cute puppy picture. Have a great rest of your weekend. :) 

If you like this post, please make sure to follow me via GFC  or Bloglovin' to stay up to date with posts.  PS: Disregard my lack of editing of the photos - I wanted to make sure you guys saw the actual extensions without filters. My eyebrows are a hot mess and I have a zit. The struggle but that's okay.  :)

influenster open box review - two.

Hey guys! If you haven't checked out or joined Influenster since the last time I posted this, stop reading and sign up now. 
Then come back.
K? K. 
Alright, now that we have that out of the way, we can get started. 
I recieved the Summer Beauty VoxBox just about a month ago and I have been trying out the products so I can give a good honest review of them. 
But here is the video of what I have gotten. 

Now onto what I think after using these products.  Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration - This is another product I love, I use sunscreen a ton and this one not only smells amazing but it moisturizes and protects me from the sun! What can be better?! Sally Hansen Hand Creme - This stuff you rub all over your hands to make them soft. It smells like a citrus-y wonderland. Clear Scalp and Hair Therapy - I loved these. I could seriously feel my hair get stronger, I used it for about 2 weeks and my hair felt so healthy! Definitely going to try to find this at Wal Mart. Too bad I left it in Columbus... 

Quaker Soft Baked Bar - I had this for breakfast, it was yummy. It tasted like Banana Nut Bread. A in my book.

Sally Hanson Magnetic Nail Polish - This is definitely a super cool product, but not the product for me. I'm not a big fan of the way it looks, I'll probably wear it once in awhile, but I'll stick with my sparkles. 

Feminine Package - Um, I feel like it is a little weird to elaborate on this one. I'll just say, it gets the job done, girls. 

So there we have it! If you haven't signed up get to it! I mean you get products for FREE, why wouldn't you? 

pretty vs. hot.

I was recently referred to a very interesting article by my English teacher. The article talked about the  "Death of Pretty", and it got me thinking. 

But first. Read it. So you understand where I am coming from. 

Now for those of you underachievers out there, I'll give you a little summery. Basically the article is saying that the new generations of girls aren't trying to be "pretty" anymore, but "hot". In other words instead of flaunting their natural beauty, they are flaunting their boobs (or booty, legs, whatever). 

I think that this is so true. How many times to you walk around and see those girls that have super low cut shirts and super short, short, shorts?

I mean, I'm not going to lie, I wear low-cut shirts. But I have no boobs, like, no cleavage or anything so I can pull it off relatively, and the shirts aren't that low. And I do love me some short shorts, but never shorts that show the bottom of my butt cheeks. 

I believe that you can pull of hot, the same time you are pulling off pretty. 

You know what I mean? It isn't a horrible thing to dress hot once and awhile. It's natural to want others to look at you and envy you. But there are certain extremes. You don't want to do that every day. 

We lose site of pretty. We take pretty for granted. 

Those pretty brown eyes, the pretty freckles on your face, the lovely porcelain skin, the things that people hate about themselves are actually the prettiest features on them. And people try to cover those brown eyes with contacts, hide those freckles with concealer, and get rid of that porcelain skin by tanning. 

Do you guys not understand that you are beautiful? Do you understand that you are more beautiful as an individual rather than conforming to be societies version of "hot"? 

Why do you want to be hot? Is it to get that guy you see walking down the hallway? Is it to make that girl jealous? Sure, strive to be hot. But understand this, if you flaunt your natural beauty you will have much better attention. 

Remember that. 

You are beautiful. 

Every single one of you.

Even if you don't think so, even if others have made remarks about your looks, whether it is about weight, height, or like for me your "pig nose" , know that those who are saying those things are the ones who are striving to be "hot". The ones who are worried more about their looks than anything else. They are the jealous ones. The people that are not unique at all. 

Unique is beautiful. Know that you have no flaws. God made you beautiful. 

And everyone can see that, whether you want to believe it or not. 

 

Photo's from Pinterest & Weheartit.com

forest green look.

CAUTION: I am kind of silly, I hope you don't judge me. ;)

Hey, since the last make-up/eyeshadow tutorial was such a big hit, I figured that I would try it again. I thought of this again, after all of my makeup was done, so I just went through it while I had it one. (Sorry!) But here it is! I don't have very good lighting in my room so it might be hard to see at times, but I hope you can get the jist of what the look is. :)

Oh! And I didn't mean to put more sparkle on my eyes...that was an accident. ;)

First: PRIME.

Second: Cream eyeshadow on BROW BONE.

Third: Forest Green on outer V.

Fourth: Inside Outer V brown.

Fifth: BLEND.

Sixth: Shimmer it out (From tear duct to inner third of bottom lashes.

Seventh: Double Wing it.

Eighth: Masssscara.

Hope you enjoyed this! If you didn't, sorry, I'm new. ;)

treat your skin right, yo.

Hey guys.

I know, I know, I have been slacking and I am really sorry about that. I've just been having a busy week and enjoying some time with my Grandma. :) So let me make up for it with a super awesome post!

The summer season is coming up and what more do girls want for this season other than beautiful skin? Okay, maybe a super hot bod, but for me I think that skin is equally important in overall beauty. Now, I have super duper sensitive skin and it sucks. But hey, I take care of my skin and it really doesn't look all that bad. So, let me share some of my tips with you. :)

First off, color is your friend. And no I do not mean all of those yummy and colorful M&M's, I mean really color. What looks more yummy than a crisp, juicy red apple? Nothing. Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables. When it concerns your skin, you are what you eat. Break up with the pizza. Tell him that you don't want to have a blotchy pepperoni face. I'm sure he'll understand. ;)

Keep your skin clean and moisturize dry skin. You should moisturize every night and every morning. This is a big one for me because I have really dry skin and I need to moisturize it every day, if I didn't...well...I don't want to even go there. Lol.

A little sun is healthy and mood-lifting. But you need to protect it with sunscreen. This is BIG. You don't want to get cancer just because you are too lazy to take the time to protect your skin. It aggravates me so much when girls feel like they need to be tan to be beautiful, when in the long run you are putting yourself at a great risk for skin cancer. So please, if you are one of those girls, protect your skin.

Green tea is anti-inflammatory and in the lab has been shown to heal skin. I love green tea, and it just makes you feel so light and healthy.

WAH-TAHH! Drink it. Want boient, clear, healthy, beautiful skin? Water. Water. Water. I can't say it enough. You should drink at least 6 cups of water a day to be healthy. This also helps with weight loss too.

Exercise to shed stress hormones and improve circulation. I know, exxxxercise. Ew, right? Well there are other forms of exercise other than running and crunches. Hit up some Zumba classes. Yoga, maybe? It really does make you feel less stressed.

Get your beauty sleep. Not that you need it, but skin regenerates and hormones balance while you are sleeping. Meaning, while you sleep your skin sleeps. :)

Don’t smoke and stay away from second hand smoke and other obvious pollutants. This is kind of common knowledge, but it's a biggie. Not only is smoking verrrry unattractive, but it takes so much toll on your health. I'm sorry, but I don't want wrinkles. No thanks.

 Smile. It instantly makes your skin look gorgeous. :)

Don’t force your beauty. Enhance it. Avoid drastic changes and a lot of makeup.Don't worry guys, eyeshadow is fine ;) I was freakin' out too. Express who you are. Don’t mask the real you. Your beautiful. :)