Fun: On My Nightstand- Diane von Furstenberg's The Woman I Wanted to Be.

Growing up, I was never an avid reader. I'll admit to that much. I remember being in first grade and having the longest list possible of 'recommended' books (which in Romanian parents talk meant required books). I went into summer with an overachiever attitude, proud of the fact that I was old enough to be assigned homework! In elementary school!

But that didn't last long as I discovered that reading just wasn't my cup of tea. Don't get me wrong, magazine articles, features, and the interwebz will be my dear friends for life, but as far as straight up books go, it's always been a challenge.

I can count the number of times I've felt unstoppable while reading on one hand. The Virgin Suicides. The Great Gatsby. The Wizard of Oz. The Harry Potter Series. 

And now, the beautiful Diane von Furstenberg. 

As a form of enrichment, I've decided to attempt to read one book per week- a mix of biographies, novels, self-help, and everything else that's good in the world.

I purchased The Woman I Wanted to Be as soon as it came out, but sadly it didn't come with a dose of motivation. Having carried it around for a while, I decided it would be the perfect first book for my little project. And luckily, I didn't even realize how good of a plan that was!

The moment I opened this book, I could not put it down. Of course, part of this is because Diane's life is one of the most interesting stories you'll ever hear. But it's not just in the story itself. It's in her tone and demeanor throughout the book. Her storytelling is enchanting, and many a times I found myself daydreaming about the exact people and moments she was describing. 

The way she speaks about her experiences as a financially and sexually liberated woman, with no judgement, with an air of ease, gave me such hope and peace of mind. She writes in a gentle matter-of-fact tone, with optimism in sickness and in health, with sincerity and intimacy. 

Reading her words was an inspiring and empowering experience, and dare I say, this is one of those rare, life-changing books. It made me curious, excited for the future, more passionate about my career choices.

She is the woman I want to be. Fearless, fun, beautiful inside and out. 

Thank you so much for stopping by! Make sure to give this book a chance. It's definitely a must-read.

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!