Debriefing My Summer Bucket List

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 Right before classes ended, I wrote a summer bucket list last spring. Now that summer is basically over, despite the fact that I don’t start classes until the 25th, it is time to go over the summer bucket list and figure out what I did and did not do, and maybe I should put onto my Fall bucket list.

 

1. Paint a Chevron Print : Sadly, this is not happen. I never got around to painting, especially with my busy schedule. However, this is still on my fall bucket list.

 

2. Lose ten pounds in the month of May: I did not lose ten pounds in May, HOWEVER I did lose 12 pounds by the beginning of August. With that saying, I lost weight – that’s all that matters.

 

3. Meet new friends at Clipper this summer: This DEFINITELY happened. I met some of the greatest friends I have to this day at Clipper this summer. Some of whom I am planning on moving in with too!

 

4. Go to a UW party: This did not happen, instead I went to a lot of Clipper parties with my friends.

 

5. Go completely local and organic: For the most part I’ve done that, but this didn’t happen this summer. Food is hard to buy when you’re really poor.

 

6. Buy a new Coach purse: Instead of a Coach, I bought a Longchamp.

 

7. Buy a pair of Tory Burch Flats: Yeah…. Didn’t happen.

 

8. Completely redo my wardrobe: Now, I did a decent start of a wardrobe, but mine needs a lot of work after being in Pullman for two years. So fall is the perfect chance to get a start on that. Especially with all of the cute boutiques in the Seattle area.

 

9. Find the perfect skin regiment: I did do this! I found great cleanser, exfoliator, and a fantastic moisturizer that makes my skin look even better!

 

10. Meet someone unexpected: I met my unexpected people. The greatest thing that happened this summer was not by meeting someone, but knowing someone and allowing the unexpected to happen.

 

11. Learn something new about myself: I learned many new things about myself this summer, but the mot memorable was to trust my instincts – those gut instincts tend to be right and I need to listen to them.

 

12. Tan naturally: Obviously

 

13. Become best friends with one of my new roommates: Sadly, this did not happen, but I did become best friends and made myself some future roommates!

 

14. Go to Portland: I haven’t done this yet, but I am within the next couple weeks!

 

15. Find the perfect bathing suit: I’ve been so busy focusing on work and building up my closet and so forth that I haven’t found one! This is on my spring bucket list for sure!

 

16. Start bike riding: Yeah, didn’t do this.

 

17. Go to a yoga class: Ditto as above.

 

18. Read the New Yorker regularly: This I was able to do! I love this magazine, definitely a good bucket list item to have!

 

19. Go to a local concert: Not enough hours in the summer, but going on my fall bucket list for sure!

 

20. Find the perfect breakfast place in Seattle: This one I did without even thinking about the bucket list. For my mom’s birthday, we tried Oddfellows on Capitol Hill, near Eliot Bay Books. It is INCREDIBLE. Definitely my favorite breakfast spot.

 

21. Read “Ten Little Indians” by Sherman Alexie: It is in my nightstand and being read lately! I’ll make sure to tell ya how I like it!

 

22. Find the perfect desk for school: I am on the hunt as we speak!

 

23. Order all of the Batman the Animated Series on DVD: Yeah….not enough money for this.

 

24. Fall in love with grapefruit: This easily happened within the weeks of summer beginning.

 

25. Get comfortable with my personality and my body: This happened. I got comfortable with who I am as a person, realizing my strengths and weaknesses. With that, losing weight as helped my really become happy with my body, but also realizing that I have work to do yet.

 

26. Fall in love with healthy food: I haven’t eaten fast food in months – I win.

 

27. Start cooking: As much as I wanted this one to start, it didn’t. I have a great kitchen, I’m just never home. So with this fall coming up, I’m hoping to really be able to cook.

 

28. Begin living holistically: Meh. I really need to be better about taking vitamins.

 

29. Finish Grey’s Anatomy: I’m lame and didn’t even do this.

 

30. See more independent films: Thanks to one of my really good friends who loves independent films, this was made possible this summer.

 

So this was my summer! Keep an eye out for Fall’s Bucket List!

 

My Favorite Things: Best Beauty Products

Every girl needs an arsenal of basic beauty products. Moisturizers, scrubs, creams, shampoos, conditioners, and sprays are your secrets to looking your best without putting too much makeup on and keeping your skin and hair looking fantastic. These are some of my favorite products and maybe the will become yours.

Neutrogena Naturals Cleanser: (Target – $7) For a Neutrogena cleanser, it’s a soft and gentle one that cleans skin effectively. My skin feels fresh when I use this both day and night. My skin has a tendency to get oily, so this stuff clears that oil and keeps it looking fresh throughout the day. With a fresh, clean scent to it, it’s the perfect morning and evening cleanser.

Alba Botanica Natural Even Advanced Moisturizer with Sea Moss (Target – $15) Despite finding this at Target, it’s a little expensive because it is an organic moisturizer. This is a fantastic moisturizer. Again, I have problems with oily skin, but this moisturizer blends right in with my skin and is never oily. Not only that, but I love the SPF15 in the moisturizer. It leaves my skin feeling soft to touch and keeping all oil away.

Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Cleansing Pads (Target – $8) This is probably my favorite product out of all of them. Instead of using a regular exfoliater, I use these cleansing pads. Each pad has exfoilater already on the cleansing pad. One side is rough for exfoilating, one side smooth to finish off, and then simply rinse the pad to rinse your face. This is much easier than using a regular exfoilater and it does the job better with the exfoilating cleansing pad!

Burt Bee’s Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream (Skagit Valley Co-Op – $5.50): For years, I have been ignoring my cuticles and my nails, thinking that as long as I trimmed them whenever they got too long and dirty then that would be enough. Over the last few months, I am learning that is not the case. With the natural smell of lemon, this cuticle cream smoothly goes n and keeps your cuticles moisturized and soft all day long.

Palmer’s Cocoa Butter (Target – $8): Since the beginning of June, I have been steadily losing weight. Ten pounds have been lost from constantly working, eating less, and eating right. Despite the weight loss, I have developed stretch marks from the lack of elastically in my skin at my hips. I have been using Palmer’s to get rid of the stretch marks, and while it is taking time, they are slowly beginning to disappear. This is a common problem for girls everywhere, so this is a product I highly recommend adding to your arsenal.

Aveda Smooth Infusion Shampoo and Conditioner (Aveda Stores – $21 a bottle): In my teenage years, I used the drug store shampoo and conditioner, Herbal Essences. I got tired of using the drug store stuff and I knew my hair could be healthier. I made a switch to Aveda. While the price tag may have you think twice, Aveda is all natural keeping hair looking healthy and less damaged than using the drug store shampoo with all of those chemicals (Garnier Fructis is fantastic for a substitute bleach for toilets).  Since using Aveda products, my hair has never looked or felt better! The smooth infusion keeps the frizz away and also keeps my hair feeling silky smooth without fail. Despite the price tag, it is worth every cent!

While this may be a short list of beauty products, it’s enough to get you started. Recently, I have decided that my collection of products needed to be expanded and I could no longer get away with the products or lack thereof like I could when I was a teenager. While these products work for me, they may not work for you. Use these recommendations as a base, but use your best instincts when it comes to your own skin.

You’re Forgetting How to Act Part 14

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Hey readers! Sorry there is no big post this week, I got really busy with work and have nothing written! However, do enjoy this week’s You’re Forgetting How to Act!

1. The best moment in your life will be when your mom helps you sneak the boy who snuck into your room out of the house so your dad will not see him. #badboys #bestmomaward

2. Peel pads are way better than using regular exfoliater. They come with their already soaped pad! #skin #beautytip

3. The only man I want to marry is Michael Westin from Burn Notice. Spies are hot. #futurehusband

4. I love reading e-books on my Kindle, but always remember to read a real book every now and then. Get a copy of one of your favorites or a classic.

5. I hate when the cute guy that I like stops snapchatting me. It always makes me get into a worse mood. #ijustwanttotalktoyou #youresocute

6. If you don’t love 500 Days of Summer — we can never be friends. #oneofthebestmovies

7. I STILL love Lupe Fiasco. What happened to that kid? He was awesome. #oneofthosemusicians

8. There is never a time where throwing up in public is appropriate. Except if you are under the age of like ten.

9. Go listen to a song by a band that you have heard of and always wanted to start listening to.

10. It is perfectly okay to get completely frustrated and throw your hands up while you stomp off to your bed. Sleep it off — it will be better in the morning. #life

Beginning With the Basics: Finding the Perfect Foundation

Foundation is the basis of all makeup. It evens out skin tone, hides redness, and cover those slight imperfections. The biggest challenge when it comes to foundation is finding the perfect one. It can be difficult to match the right foundation to your skin tone, get the right amount of coverage needed, and finding the right one to match your habits and your skin sensitivities.

There is so much advice concerning makeup on websites, beauty blogs, and various books. Before hitting the makeup counter — read as much as you possibly can on various brands, products, and types of foundation. Figure out which ones would be best for you. Would you rather a liquid foundation, powder, or both? Do you want one with sunscreen in it or without? Do you need something to match your skin according to your complexion? Will you want something that will last all day or just for a while? These are all the questions that you need to ask yourself before you go buy new foundation.

I have two pieces of foundation advice: 1) Do not buy your foundation from drug stores and 2) Find a foundation that matches your skin tone. Drug store foundation is a dangerous thing. When it comes to overall skin makeup — quality is the most

important. I pay $30 for my foundation at MAC and it is worth every single penny to me. With drug store foundation it will not last as long as more upscale makeup foundations. Cheap foundations have more chemicals that will make your skin more prone to break outs and allergic reactions. Rashes on your face are not attractive and will only be made worse with using more foundation. Finding the foundation for your skin tone is next important. There is nothing worse than that girl who cannot match her foundation to her actual skin tone. It is not classy to have your neck and your face be two different colors.

Pic Credit: Google

Next stop is a makeup counter. Go to department stores like Macy’s and Nordstrom; they have fantastic makeup counters. My preference is going to the actual MAC store. There they are better trained, understand the product better, and it is less likely to be crowded and noisy. Get yourself with a makeup sales person. Tell them if it’s your first time trying foundation, if you have a favorite foundation and what are you want, or if you want to try something new because you aren’t satisfied with your previous foundation. From there they will begin to pick products and start to match you. The most important thing to remember is to ask questions. Ask them if the product gives a more natural look or an overall coverage look.

Once you find the perfect liquid foundation, start adding onto the list. Concealer and powder foundation are musts for me. Also, begin to look at that lines various makeup removers. It’s best to buy makeup remover from the same place you buy your makeup. Lastly, also think about brushes and sponges and which works better with your new found foundation.

The best secret to finding the right foundation is knowing your skin. Make sure you find the makeup that highlights your features, not covers it all up.