I Was Busy Thinkin' Bout... Books.

Happy freaking National Book Lovers' Day, everyone! Ok, there's way too many invented holidays out there, but this one holds a special place in my heart. Why? Because after a decade+ of books just not being my thing, I have become their ultimate devourer. Seriously - flashback to 1st grade in Romania where I got a summer reading list of 100+ books and read a grand total of 1 (bless you, Wizard of Oz). As a kid, I absolutely refused to give reading a chance... to my mother's absolute disappointment.  When did I become a reader? When I started craving and enjoying me time. When I realized I wanted to be a writer/journalist and the only way to be a good writer is to be a good reader. When I came to the conclusion that I had wasted an upsetting amount of time not being intellectually curious and seeking out voices different than my own.  This is a post of redemption. There are so many strong words out there that are waiting to be picked up. My "to read" list is inflating by the minute, but for now - here I am, sharing some #appreciation for the books that shook me in the best and worst of ways. Hope you'll give them a chance.    Stephen Chbosky - The Perks of Being a Wallflower Full disclosure: I saw the movie before I read the book... and it was the most moving thing I'd ever seen, so I just had to delve into the original source. 
Rupi Kaur - Milk and Honey Her words are swords, I swear. I love her poetry. It's simple, uncomplicated and not a guessing game. So highly recommended!
Margaret Atwood - The Handmaid's Tale Again, I saw the show before reading the book, and more than anything, I was curious about how true the show had stayed to the book. Verdict: pretty impressively true. 
Jeffrey Eugenides - The Virgin Suicides This book got me through high school. 
Jeffrey Eugenides - Middlesex Another amazing book by Jeffrey Eugenides. Love his rich storytelling - there's no real climax to this book, but delving into the life of its main character was mesmerizing. 
Kelly Williams Brown - Adulting Incredibly funny and incredibly helpful. 
Jessica Knoll - Luckiest Girl Alive Came across Jessica Knoll's piece in the Lenny Letter and it really sparked my curiosity for the book. I could not. put. this. book. down. 
Anne Helen Petersen - Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud One of my most recent reads, recommended by NPR and yours truly. One of the few non-fiction books that managed to keep my interest from the very beginning to the end. 
Emma Cline - The Girls If you're into cult stories, this is your book. 
Ashley Graham - A New Model Loved reading about Ashley's beginnings. My favorite part? It's not a story about how modeling helped her see herself and her body in a new light blah blah blah - homegirl knew she wanted to model and was feeling herself to begin with!
Brandon Stanton - Humans of New York I love love LOVE HONY and what it stands for and enjoy supporting such an awesome endeavor. 
Brandon Stanton - Humans of New York Stories See above. The evolution from photos to stories was so natural and necessary. 
F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby My favorite classic and the only book I've ever re-read 2 times. Also probably the only book on this list that was completely destroyed in its movie version. Thanks, Baz!
Diane von Furstenberg - The Woman I Wanted to Be  An amazing look into my favorite designer's life. Unapologetically lived and unapologetically written. 
Fyodor Dostoyevsky - Crime and Punishment My second favorite classic, but damn, Fyodor, way to ruin it with the ending. 

Hope this will inspire y'all to pick up a new book (And don't forget to smell it. We really take these things for granted.) What are some of your favorites? I'm always seeking out new recommendations! 

#BeachDayMusts.

Alright alright alright... here's a fun tidbit of information you may not know about me: I LIVE for cute lingerie and swimsuits. As in, if I ever decided to open a business, you best believe it would be the cutest lingerie and swimsuit boutique in town.  With that in mind, is it surprising that I jumped at the opportunity to share my beach essentials with y'all as part of Adore Me's #BeachDayMusts hashtag? Nah, not really!  We all know that sunscreen and a bright, beachy towel are showstoppers (one literal, one figurative), but what else makes for a fun, stress free summer day? Well, I can think of a few things... -THE SWIMSUIT- Everybody is a bikini body! Just add a bikini (or a hella cute one piece) + water! My little number is a Nanette Lepore which I've had the luck of thrifting (brand new) at Crossroads Trading Co. for a fraction of its original price. Feeling the cut but not the monochromatic look? Check out this printed beauty by Adore Me. 

 -THE SANDALS- Of course a pair of flip flops from the dollar store are highly recommended for uncontrolled spaces (the beach. a waterpark. ) where you're likely to lose things or become a thief magnet. For a more intimate gathering, however, why not bust out some cute sandals? These babies are Kathryn Amberleigh (also thrifted from Crossroads) and they definitely elevate any summer look. Add these Warby Parker sunnies and you're the walking definition of cool (mine are prescription).  -THE BEAUTY ITEM- The beach is a no-makeup zone for me, but one thing I don't want to deal with is chapped lips. I love the EOS Vanilla Bean stick, although I've heard the horror stories about burns and rashes. It just hasn't been an issue for me, so fingers crossed the product continues to work!  -THE ENTERTAINMENT- When I know I'm about to spend a day lounging around, I gots to have some options! Enter the fantastic three - good music, good magazine, good book. Nothing can make my day brighter than some bouncy reggaeton, fashion inspration, and literature escapism (or a good self-help book).  -THE MEMORY CATCHER- I'm that kid - the one whose motto is "pics or it didn't happen." It's not necessarily a social media thing - it just extends the fun! Bummed that the day is over? Looking at the candids that came out of it is a perfect evening activity.  -THE REFRESHING SNACK-  ...and of course a hefty refillable water bottle! You could go for the massive ice cream cone...but who can resist a cooling slice of watermelon? 'Tis the season to be jolly and love on those colorful fruits.  Now go out there and enjoy the gorgeous sunshine. Thanks for stopping by!

Lifestyle: NYX Honey Dew Me Up Review.

Good evening, everybody! Tonight I'm going to be doing something a wee bit different- I'm going to be trying my hand at product reviews. Particularly, we're going to be looking at the NYX Dew Me Up Primer, a fairly new addition to the NYX Cosmetics family.

I came across this product in last month's Cosmo, I believe. I was instantly attracted to the packaging and promises of this product, so I picked it up at ULTA as soon as I got the chance.

While I'm no makeup expert, I can usually tell within the first couple of uses whether or not I will be using the product, and this is definitely something that will be staying in my makeup cabinet for a while. 

First things first. Here is some of the product information available on the NYX website:

• DESCRIPTION: Inspired by honey's golden glow, we developed a primer that neutralizes the appearance of discoloration and redness. Our innovative light reflective gold flecks create a luminous look that will help keep your skin looking radiant all day.
• PERFORMANCE: This primer is loaded with beneficial ingredients for your skin. Honey is a natural antiseptic, while the gold flecks increase radiance, and collagen strengthens skin. 

That all sounds absolutely lovely, doesn't it? Let's see how true I found it all to be...

PACKAGING: From a purely aesthetic standpoint, I think the packaging is gorgeous! I love the simple sturdy look and the way it highlights the product inside. While I'm not the hugest fan of honey as nourishment, this packaging is slowly making me reconsider. However, from a sanitary standpoint, I agree with most of the product reviews I've seen- a pump would have been much better and would not have sacrificed the aesthetics.

THE PRODUCT: The Dew Me Up has a very gooey, honey-like texture. Right after application, the skin feels sticky for a couple of minutes until the product can fully dry off, leaving the skin feeling primed and moisturized. The smell is something I am completely ok with inhaling on a daily basis. The price point is a bit high for NYX (around $17), but I find it justifiable at least once. It does contain gold flecks, which I don't mind, but don't see the benefit of. More than anything, I believe they just make the product more aesthetically pleasing. I have yet to notice them contributing to the luminosity of my skin in any way.

THE BENEFITS: As far as the product description goes, I only semi-agree with the luminous skin. I see a slight difference, but not enough to warrant it being one of the product's selling points. That being said, I do agree that it helps with discoloration and redness. Lord knows my face is currently a swamp of anxiety and long nails-induced redness and this product has a. helped reduce the rash-like look of my face and b. made it as soft as a baby's bottom. In addition, contrary to most of the stuff I've been reading about it- I actually find it to be quite a kick-ass primer! I've worn it out on two occasions so far and both times, my face felt like a happy camper and kept its makeup on. I do also like it as a serum, but really believe it does its job as a primer in an impressive manner.

Skin before primer

Primer swatch

Post primer glow

There you have it, folks! My take on the NYX Honey Dew Me Up. In a nutshell, I don't regret buying it in the least, and I'm certain I will use up all of it! Have you tried the product yet? Are you thinking about trying it? Let me know your questions or opinions!

Thank you for stopping by, and as per usual, have a lovely day/night/afternoon/life!

Lifestyle: Surfer/Mermaid Waves Tutorial.

Good evening, everyone! 
Today I've got a quick method for curling hair and getting a beachy vibe up on the YouTube channel (which I'm hard at work on, so if you're interested, don't forget to subscribe). 
I'm going to admit, I sort of cheated on this look and did it on second day hair because I found myself with some extra time on my hands. I was just too eager to share this look with you!

But styled on just washed hair, this look is the bomb [dot] com and lasts forever! The first time I tried this method was my freshman year and I went 3 days without washing my hair (you say gross, I say healthy) or having to style it. It was perfect for on the go!
Thank you so much for stopping by and any constructive criticism is always much appreciated!

Lifestyle: How to Start off the Semester Right.

Good evening, everyone! Tomorrow is the first day of my last spring semester of college (say that 10 times fast), and I thought I would share with you some of the things I like to do in order to start off the semester without feeling overwhelmed.  I might be a bit late with tips for the beginning of this semester for some of you, but don't worry! These are tips that can be recycled every school year! Think of it as a little checklist of things to do. Here it goes: 1. Arrive on campus early: Although it may be difficult to part with homemade food and days upon days of Netflix, as soon as housing reopens (or at least 3 days before classes start if living off-campus), head on back to school! This will allow you to get used to being on your own again (cooking, doing chores, etc.) as well as give you the opportunity to solve any issues you may have with your school (financial aid, scheduling conflicts, etc) before campus gets crowded again and the lines are too long to deal with. 2. Purchase basic school supplies and groceries: Don't worry about books until you are sure that you'll actually be using them in class, but make sure to have a pencil + eraser, pen, and notebook by the first day of school. I tend to purchase multi-subject notebooks based on my schedule, so I'm not walking around with a handful of notebooks every day (e.g. I bought 3 2-subject notebooks: one for my two online classes, another for my Mo/We, and one more for my Tu/Th). Make sure to have at least a couple of weeks' groceries in case there won't be time to run to the store as soon as you would like to. For non-perishable items (rice, pasta, etc.), take advantage of parents' Costco or Sam's Club memberships and buy enough to get you through the semester. 3. Clean/scrub/rearrange: Do any tedious chores you might be thinking about putting off before your classes actually start. Thinking about dusting/vacuuming/cleaning out the shower? It'll be that much more satisfying to come back from the first day of class and admire the cleanliness you've created. Any type of room rearranging should also happen at this time. It's the perfect "new year, new me" thing to do before starting classes again!
4. Get in touch with old professors (and make plans to meet the new ones): Before heading into the new semester, pull up a list of the professors that know you by name and view you as a strong student. The professors that have given you letters of recommendation or allowed you to use them as a reference are of particular importance. Make sure to shoot them an email wishing them a happy new year, letting them know what you've been up to, and inquiring about their lives. Stop by office hours for the professors that are on campus and ask how they've been! If you have the syllabi yet, make plans on going to new professors' office hours to introduce yourself properly.  5. Have some materials for jobs/internship hunting: Take some time to look over any resumes, cover letters, portofolios you may have or begin creating these materials if you have not done so yet. They may come in handy for classes that require them, career fairs, or even spontaneous opportunities that might arise. These materials can always be perfected, but having the rough draft can be so satisfying!  6. IMPORTANT! Verify the requirements for your graduation- check degree audits- make sure you are on the right track and have a tentative plan for the future: This is so important! I can't tell you how many people I know that have gotten- pardon my french- screwed over by the university system. Every beginning of the semester, you should double, triple, and even quadruple check your graduation requirements and make sure you're on the right track. Do not rely on any graphs in your degree audit. Do it all by hand. It is tedious, but it will be worth it when you won't have to stay another semester for some random fine arts credit you didn't know you needed. Also, take some time to reflect on what the next step for you might be after graduation. Start looking at grad schools, or places you'd be interested in moving to post graduation. Of course, this doesn't have to be set in stone- life is pretty fluid- but just make sure you're not completely unprepared.  I hope I have given you some items to think about while you're starting off this new semester! Let me know of any important tips I have forgotten to mention! Thank you for stopping by, and good luck! 

Lifestyle: Christmas Eve Snaps.

Hello, everybody! Tonight my family celebrated Christmas Eve, which is when we traditionally open presents and eat some great Romanian dishes (but the party isn't over yet- even MORE Romanian dishes coming tomorrow!).

All cuddled up in bed, I just wanted to take a second and share a few pictures from the course of the day. Santa was lovely this year and brought me my first big girl watch! I've been craving a Michael Kors for SUCH a long time, but as with most things, could not justify the purchase. 

I also received the Naked2 Basics palette which was mostly my parents Santa being unable to tell the difference between the regular palette and the basics one. My mom seemed pretty bummed when I brought this to her attention. Sorry, mom! I promise I'll use it- I know your heart is in the right place!

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas Eve alongside their favorite people! Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all!

Thank you so much for stopping by!

Lifestyle: Where to Look for Coupons.

Hello, lovely people! Long time, no post! These past few weeks, I've been writing more papers than I've written in my first two years of college, so the absence was very much a need and 0% a want. 

Anyway, today I'd like to talk to you about my homeboy, the coupon. The less money there is in my bank account, the more I try hanging out with this guy. I've been obsessively gathering coupons since I can remember, and honestly, it shouldn't just be a poor college kid's signature behavior. 

If you have an extra 15 minutes on hand, why not save 20% off your next purchase rather than looking over your Facebook timeline again? Yes, coupons are a marketing tactic to get you in the store again, but if you learn to practice a tiny bit of self control, they might just be your savior.

First, let's look at a few places where you can pick up coupons:

For the most part, stores tend to want feedback on how they're doing- and are willing to reward those who take the time to answer! Whenever you purchase something new, do a double take on your receipt. Stores will offer 15-20% off your next purchase for about 15 minutes of your time. This is especially great when you're planning a more expensive purchase, such as shoes or coats.

One of my favorite resources is College Fashion, where a selection of the best Coupons & Sales going on around the interwebz is put up on a weekly basis. (And the site is overall awesome, beyond its Coupons & Sales section). 

Magazines usually have coupons spread out throughout their pages. Cosmo and Seventeen are big on beauty coupons, and I love People StyleWatch for clothing and accessory store offers!

Into watching beauty YouTubers? Look out for coupon codes and offers in their description boxes. I've seen a lot of them recently for the NuMe curling wands and based on how good the offers are, I'm going to be purchasing one as soon as possible.

Honorable Mention: Kohl's Cash- $10 off for each $50 in purchases. Just a great little perk when you go out and spend a bunch of money!

Important to remember: From the business' perspective, coupons are there to get you into a store and milk more money out of you. Make sure you spend your coupons on things you established as necessities before  you came across the offer. If not, coupons are a great resource to reduce the damage of retail therapy.

Happy couponing, and thank you for stopping by!

Lifestyle: The Wardrobe Purge: What to do with Unwanted Clothes.

Ah, The Wardrobe Purge! Don’t think I’ve forgotten about my little de-cluttering series. While I’ve been working hard on stocking up on new fall closet staples and summer sale items (fall haul coming to the YouTube channel within the next week!), I haven’t overlooked my promise to inspire a life filled with de-cluttering and happiness. In case you have no clue what I’m talking about, check out the first two parts of my Wardrobe Purge series here and here. Now, without further ado, here are my suggestions for a peaceful break-up with your unwanted clothes.

This is for all the selfless beauties out there- all you gorgeous people that believe giving presents is the best part of Christmas. Salvation Army, Goodwill- just two of the places that will gladly accept your unwanted clothes, as long as they are in wearable condition. Local thrift stores are also a great place to drop off your unwanted clothes, and go out on the hunt for a new batch of USEFUL garments while you’re at it. For those looking to fill their hearts with joy while getting rid of some clutter, I suggest taking the time to go into an orphanage and donate to some children that are really in need- but don’t go drop things off and leave quickly. Stay a while. Make cute little friends and make sure to give them lots of smiles and hugs on top of your clothes. 

For those of you that are more into the instant gratification way of life, exchange parties are the way to go! Get a bunch of friends together (make sure you’ve got a lot of different beautiful body types so everyone has someone to exchange with), invest in some good tea and cookies, throw in a stylish chick flick (The Devil Wears Prada never gets old) and host an exchange social in the comfort of your own home. Productive girl time is where it’s at. 

Another one for my instant gratification gals. Sell those cute wearable clothes! Garage sales could be successful, depending on how much work you’re willing to put into them in terms of promotion (some cute posters + a Facebook event = pretty good exposure). For the lazier folk, I suggest Plato’s Closet for trendy teenage- early 20s clothes and Buffalo Exchange for quirkier items. I’ve never sold to Buffalo Exchange before, but Plato’s Closet was very easy to work with! They didn’t take a lot of my stuff, but paid up $11 for the three shirts they did want- which is about how much I paid for them brand new from the sales rack at various mall favorites, so I think that went pretty well!

I hope this post has inspired you to take some action in getting rid of those clothes laying around the basement. The more you get rid of stuff that you haven’t worn in forever/ don’t see yourself wearing in forever, the more it allows you to focus on those items that fit your personal style and show potential. As a plus, after you see how much you can do without, you’re going to be really picky about what comes in afterward! I wholeheartedly recommend taking that one weekend to get everything in your closet in check. 

Good luck! Thank you for stopping by! 

Lifestyle: October Goals.

Accountability. Now there’s a concept I can’t bring myself to be befriend quite yet. I’m in this intense state of junioritis which involve being completely uncensored with no regard toward acceptable societal norms. No, I don’t walk down the street in the nude (Though I do want to try naked yoga sometime soon. Pretty similar concept?), but I also don’t show the slightest sensitivity toward people’s feelings nowadays. I’ve reached being unapologetic and careless to a degree past anything acceptable- especially in my own life.

Which leads me to this- I need balance, I need shit togetherness, and I need accountability. Common denominator, anyone? That’s right! A good ol’ fashioned goals list shared with the good ol’ fashioned interwebz. Here are all the marvelous achievements I hope to unlock by the end of this month. On October 31^st sharp, I will be checking in to see how far I've come regressed. Easy does it!

The Goal: Purchase winter tickets for Los Angeles.

The Process: Come to terms with the fact that I will be spending an unreasonable amount of money. Try to convince all my professors that I deserve to be the exception to the ‘everyone needs to be in class during the final exam’ rule.

The Inspiration: My super beautiful, super talented boyfriend who will be screening his short film at USC during the fine month of December.

The Goal: Get my eating in check and move more.

The Process: Be better about cooking the food I spend over $100 for at Walmart before it goes rotten in my refrigerator and I have to throw it away. Put my fancy FitBit to good use because just cause it was an expensive little dweeb doesn’t mean it’s gonna walk my ass for me.

The Inspiration: My lazy ass is feeling a bit like an extra squished pancake lately from all that class resting and work resting and homework doing resting. And my lazy insides are feeling a bit like deathly from all that Nutella and Nutella and NUTELLA.

The Goal: Keep up with my three times per week blog post editorial calendar.

The Process: Start planning the entire week during the previous weekend. Stop being a chicken about asking semi-unknown people to take my outfit photos. I’ve missed some really good ones during September because my shyness was unbearable.

The Inspiration: Life without my baby is a bit lot bleak. One of my greatest joys in life is coming back to this little corner of the internet where I am in charge of eeeeeeeerythang, and a little part of me dies every time I feel like I’m not doing enough to keep this blog alive.

The Goal: Start looking at summer internships and graduate schools.

The Process: Find a day when I am not sleep deprived and incoherent and start researching and reaching out to professors/friends/family/professionals about internship opportunities and graduate school advice. Equally important: finally put together that portfolio.

The Inspiration: You know those kids that live and breathe #collegelyfe and wholeheartedly believe that college is going to be the best time of their lives? Yeah, I’m not one of those. I crave the moments when I get to pay for my own food and health insurance and phone bills. I guess I already pay for some of that on my own, but you get the idea. I’m just one of those people that feels they could do better out in the real world than stuck at school in New Mexico.

The Goal: Become more spiritual/in touch with my body and mind.

The Process: More yoga. More meditation attempts. More Zen Habits (Especially more Zen Habits. Brilliant blog!). More Buddhist-based self-help books. More being in my own mind.

The Inspiration: I’m not religious and I don’t desire to be. However, I believe and crave feeling as a part of something bigger than myself. I generally see myself as well rounded, but this is one last puzzle piece that’s completely new and unexplored by me. Also, I just generally need to calm the fannypack down. 

And here ya have it. Everything I can be held accountable for as of right NOW. I will check in with these goals at the end of the month and see how far I've come/what I will continue to pursue! What are some of your goals for the month? I'd love to know! 

Lifestyle: Tumblr Style Letters Tutorial.

Hello, everyone!

It's been a while, but I finally took a breather and managed to post this. In my dorm room tour last week, I promised a little tutorial on the letters on my wall, so here goes nothing! This is an easy peasy tutorial, so whenever you're looking for a quick way to spice up your dorm room, look no further:

Step 1: First of all, think about what you want your wall to say. Write out your entire phrase, then figure out how many letters you'll need of each. It's easier than taking each letter as it comes. Mine says "On va s'aimer, On va danser, C'est la vie." It's part of one of the catchiest songs ever! 

Step 2: After you've figured out the number of letters you need, it's time to choose the font. Dafont.com is one of my favorites, because there's a lot of pretty fonts on there. I always choose the ones that say 'Free for personal use."

Step 3: After downloading the font, open up Word and place your paper on top of your laptop screen. Trace the font on the piece of paper that you're putting on the wall. Use the part that will not be shown. Do this only for symmetrical letters, such as O, A, U, etc. 

Step 4: Other letters will come out backwards when you finish cutting them. For those, you should first transcribe the letter onto a white piece of paper, cut that up, then post it on the front part of the piece you'll be using on the wall. Cut your letters out. 

Step 5: Voila! Add some cute lights (these ones are from Target), and you've got yourself some cute new decor. For my letters, I reused an old Lilly Pulitzer planner because I absolutely loved the prints on each month page. 

Let me know if anything doesn't make sense- I'm currently on a special diet of no sleep, and plenty of homework and unhealthy sweets and greasy foods, so I might not be the most eloquent. I still wanted to share my procedure with you guys, though! Now I'm ready to collapse and cuddle with my stuffed animals! Nighty night! 

Lifestyle: Dorm Room Tour.

Hi, everyone! Since my outfit posts seem to be going on a bit of a hiatus for lack of photographers, I've decided it would be a good time to try somewhat expanding my YouTube channel, as well as my lifestyle and tutorial type posts. Naturally, I'll be getting back to my beloved outfit posts as soon as I possibly can- I'm just working with more of a mix right now :)

Thank you for stopping by! Let me know what you think about my new dorm room!