Comfort Factor

The worst thing about being a neuroscience major are the tests. Seriously. I understand that they expect us to want to know the material, but I don't know when in my life I will ever have to be able to recite the twenty amino acids or the glycolysis cycle. However, I can't exactly rebel against my Professor and refuse to take the test, so I've spent my weeks studying and cramming my head with lots of biology terminology. By the time the test came around, there was no way I was going to take it in any sort of actual outfit. Luckily, no one on campus bats an eye at probably the fiftieth girl that they've seen in a sweatshirt and leggings. So I threw on my comfiest shirt (with just a hint of sass), my trusty leggings, and a cozy pair of socks and boots.

(shirt - Brandy Melville; leggings - Lululemon)

(lipstick - Revlon in Cinnamon Spice)

(socks - Urban Outfitters; boots - Jeffrey Campbell)

Never Going Back

Hi there! 

As much as I hate to admit it, I'm the queen of impulse purchases. Specifically, those purchases you make when you're waiting in line and are surrounded by bins of pretty things. A few months ago, I was at Urban Outfitters, and sure enough, as I was waiting in line, I started browsing through their various knick-knacks. Although I managed to put most of the things I had picked up down, I couldn't resist picking up this brush:

It was blue, and pink, and I had vaguely recalled hearing that the brand was cool. When I opened it up at home and used it, it was love at first site. Normally, I'm not able to brush my hair when it's dry, because it ends up being a completely frizzy mess. However, one swipe of my Tangle Teezer and my hair still retained its wave. Needless to say, I was very impressed. I don't think I've picked up another type of brush since!
Lately, school has been very difficult. Having been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, I've spent the semester dealing with various side effects and never-ending exhaustion. Plus, way too many bio tests. Therefore, nothing made my week more than receiving a surprise package from the lovely folks at Tangle Teezer. To my delight, I opened the box to find two other brushes from their line: the compact styler and the aqua splash. To say that they lived up to my expectations is an understatement. 

The compact styler has to be one of the most ingenious inventions ever. Seriously. It comes in two pieces, one of which serves to protect the bristles when you're not using it. Having tried way too many awful travel brushes; I was ecstatic to receive this one. I love to travel, and brushes always seem to take up half of my toiletry bag. And when you're backpacking through India, you want to maximize as much space as possible. I love that I can just throw this brush in my bag and not have to worry about the bristles. Plus, it's really shiny. Which is definitely a bonus.

 The second brush that they sent me is the aqua splash, which is a completely waterproof brush that you can leave (and not have to worry about) in your shower. 

Because it's completely hollow, you don't have to worry about gross mildew build up, which is fantastic. As someone who has taken to only washing her hair once or twice a week, I like to make sure that when I do, my hair gets a thorough treatment. Although I would comb my conditioner through my hair, I was always skeptical as to whether I was actually able to coat all of my hair. Plus, I seemed to always end up with conditioner residue. After using this brush, however, I am over the moon. I don't think my hair has ever been this soft, and it also felt like getting a mini scalp massage in the shower :) 

Anyway, I'm so glad that I was able to add these brushes to my arsenal, and I highly recommend them. Seriously, you'll never go back to normal brushes! I'm sure several of my friends will be getting these as stocking stuffers, and I can't wait to get my hands on some of their "magic flowerpots" for the girls I babysit!

Test Shots

Life has been crazy lately; it seems like I make page long to-do lists every day, and although posting on here is always on them, it unfortunately always seems to fall by the wayside. In what seemed to be my biggest attempt at procrastination yet, I decided to pull out the over the top makeup and goof around with my camera. Here are some selects :)

(eyebrows - avon's glimmersticks in tawny; eyes - face stockholm's kräm-ögonskugga in siden, mac penultimate pen eyeliner in rapidblack, chinese brand of 'hi-tech waterproof mascara'; Cheeks - benefit's watt's up, face stockholm for j. crew blush stick in pinched; Lips - face stockholm for j. crew in chili flake)

(Chipped nail polish - essie's tarte deco)

Product of the Week

When it comes to doing my nails, I can be quite lazy. I regularly make vows to myself to either stop biting my nails, get them done every week, or take off the polish once it starts to chip, but I never follow through with them. That's why when I do actually paint my nails, I have one product that I absolutely adore. Besides waiting for the polish to dry, my least favorite part of doing my nails would be attempting to remove all the polish with nail polish remover. I have an affliction to cotton balls, so I would try to use paper towel, and it would end up shedding everywhere. Enter e.l.f. nail polish remover pads. I randomly picked them up one day at Target, since they were only two dollars. When I used them, I was amazed by the product. They come in a set of 12, and I can use one pad to clean off all ten nails. Although they have a little bit of a weird smell, it's nothing compared to acetone. They also don't sting, which is a problem that I would run into a lot (I may or may not bite my cuticles...). I would highly recommend these, because there's really no better way to remove nail polish. The pads are mess free, and way more inexpensive than other nail polish removers. 

(e.l.f. professional Nail Polish Remover Pads)

Basic with a Twist

A while ago, FACE Stockholm sent me a couple products to review. I wrote about the nail polish here, and the other product they sent me is their latest Dream Cream Eyeshadow. Overall, I was very happy with the product! It glides on like a dream, and the color stays all day. I was sent the color Siden, which is an opalescent grey-pink. Since Siden is such a light shade, it did require some building up, but the end result is a beautiful neutral that can be paired with anything.

Holographic

When it comes to nail polish, I'm usually a creature of habit. I frequently fall back on my trusty bottle of Essie's Tart Deco, and if I'm not sporting that, it's usually a similar pastel shade. However, FACE Stockholm recently sent me one of their newest Holographic Nail Polishes to check out. I chose the shade Athena, which is a silvery shade reminiscent of holographic sticker sheets. At first I was a little nervous about trying such an eye-catching shade, but after trying it out, I am head over heels in love. 

(Nail Polish: FACE Stocholm's Holographic Nail Polish in Athena [c/o])
Apologies for the messy manicure - I was in a hurry!

Side by Side

To this day, I'm still scared of black eyeliner. I only just became brave enough to try winged eyeliner a few months ago, and am still not sure as to whether or not I actually pull it off. It also seems that I am perpetually tired, which means that I am constantly rubbing my eyes. Although I've heard great things about Urban Decay's black 24/7 glide on eye pencils, I'm still too scared to try anything other then a pen liquid liner. Up until a week ago, MAC's rapidblack penultimate eye liner was the only black eyeliner I used, because I had received it one year for Christmas and it worked like a charm. However, when at Duane Reade with my friend Emma, she suggested I buy Jordana's FabuLiner Liquid Eyeliner. I followed her suggestion, and was pleasantly surprised with the product. Immediately, it reminded me of my rapidblack, so I decided to compare the two.

Lazy Curls

In general, I am a very lazy person. Unfortunately, this means that more often than not, my hair gets pulled up into a pony tail, because I'll fall asleep with it wet and it'll be a frizzy mess when I wake up. There's nothing I love more than having my hair in beautiful braids, but I don't have the talent or time to do that on a regular basis. However, I may have finally found a way to make my hair look good with minimal effort on my part. A while back, I received a sample of Living Proof's anti-frizz styling cream, and I used it religiously. The only problem was that after I used up my sample, I threw away the container without looking at the name. Needless to say, I've spent the last year trying to remember the name of this product, and trying various other brands to no avail. Luckily, I got an email last week from Sephora, advertising Living Proof. As soon as I looked at the email, I knew this was it, and immediately ordered a full size bottle of the anti-frizz styling cream, along with one of Sephora's Beauty Insider Perks, which included several other products from the line. I received the products at the end of last week, and have fallen in love all over again.

 Usually, when I put product into my hair, it's easy to tell. My hair will become weighed down, or will appear greasy. This means that for the most part, I've given up on trying products, especially ones that boast the ability to make your hair shiny and sleek. Living Proof's products are pretty much the only ones that I can put in my hair. The products feel completely weightless, but manage to keep my hair in natural waves and feeling silky smooth. I've now found my favorite way to do my hair, and it allows me to compromise between having my hair up, and then having it fall down in beautiful, natural looking waves.

(nourishing styling cream; prime style extender; amp^2)