July 2012 Favorites

Oh gosh. It is now 2:30 AM on Wednesday, August 1, and I literally just flew in from Barcelona. But I had to do this for you girls. Because I promised to post every other day. So let's just pretend it's still Tuesday ;)

Anyways, here are my favorites for July of 2012!

"Keeping Up With the Kardashians" This one is right on top of the list, and there's a reason for that. I've been watching and re-watching this show every single day and I've been loving it! And, of course, because I'm so mainstream, I am totally obsessed with Scott Disick, Kourtney, and Mason. I just love this show, it's so funny, and actually quite interesting :P

Muesli and Greek Yogurt I've been having this combo every single day for breakfast, no joke. I cannot live without this stuff! It's so incredibly good and not to mention very healthy! Sometimes I add fresh berries or fruit, just to mix it up, and top it off with a drizzle of honey... Mmmm... I'm so hungry now. Which is a bad thing, considering that it's the middle of the night.

Panic! At The Disco - "Nearly Witches (Ever Since We Met)" This song has been by far my favorite song of the month! I've been listening to it non-stop, and it is now one of my Top 25 Most Played on my iPhone. Love. Brendon. Absolutely, head over heels, fangirl love. *swoon*

Tone It Up! This is actually a website, hosted by two beautiful ladies, who I absolutely adore! I actually got them recommended to me by Meghan Rosette on YouTube (she responded to my comment and I'm still in fangirl mode!). Their workouts are quick, easy workouts that you can easily do at home without any equipment and that's what I love about them! They've gotten me so toned - I love it! Definitely go check them out (they also have a YouTube channel, a fitness calendar every month, and a nutrition program!) if you're on the market to kick some fitness arse!

Dove Nourishing Curls Whipped Cream Mousse My Grandma actually got this for me and when I tried it out at first I didn't like it. But then I figured out how to use it properly and I've been using it every time after I was my hair ever since! The consistency is very weird, not like a normal mousse, but actually (hence the name) like whipped cream! It feels kind of gross when you rub it through your palms at first, but I got used to it pretty quickly. My hair is naturally wavy, and this has just been helping to really reduce the amount of frizz and define my waves!

YSL Rouge Pur Couture Vernis À Lèvres Glossy Stain I actually bought one of these for my Mom a couple of months ago, and recently found it in her makeup bag...and borrowed it. Forever. The one that I "stole" from my Mom is number 5, but then I also went out and bought myself one in the shade number 12. These are basically lip stains, except they look like lip gloss, but they feel...like lip stain! It's pretty cool. They're pretty pricey, but I'm secretly planning on getting all 20 shades (I love them that much!).

VS Push-Up Bandeu Swim Wear Top I actually mentioned this in my Swimsuit of Summer 2012 post, so I won't rave that much about this. All I can say is this is basically the only swim suit top that I wore while tanning and I've been loving it so. so much.

Corset Dresses First of all, these are very "in" right now, so that's always a plus.  And, come on, you've got to admit it, we all hate wearing bras. I am that kind of girl that won't leave the house if she already took her bra off and has to put it back on. No way. So on those lazy summer days when you just feel like lounging around in your bath robe, but you 'gotta go somewhere - this is what I've been doing. The corset method. Almost every day in the month of July I've just been slipping these bad boys (or girls?) on and BAM! you're ready to go out the door! Most of mine are from H&M - they have a ton of cute ones!

So this is it! Happy August everyone!

xoxo,
Liz

pointless picture is, of course, from weheartit

Clothing, Shoes, and Accessories Shopping List: USA Summer/Fall 2012

Hey everyone! Today I wanted to talk about my wish list/shopping list for my trip to the U.S. that is coming up pretty soon. I already made a list like this, except about beauty and makeup products, and shared it with you, so I thought it would be fun to do the same thing except with clothes. I'm going to be in the States in August, which is still summer for me (until the end, at least), but right after that I go into the fall seasons, so I'm pretty much going to be shopping for fall clothing, rather than summer clothes.

One more thing, this is pretty much a list of some necessities that I absolutely need and don't have yet (I keep losing weight and it's so hard to keep up -- I'm constantly buying smaller clothes!). So it's pretty boring, but they're my basics.

1. Monogrammed iPhone Case I like to think of myself as a preppy girl.. I'm really not, though. But I like to think that I am. And I just got my first iPhone a couple of months ago and I can finally get all of the cute cases that are made for the iPhones! The one I have right now is just a plain black one, but I think that a cute monogrammed one that you can persanolize by picking your own colors and patterns would be so cool!


2. High Waisted/Neon Shorts These are a huge trend right now, and since we don't have Urban Outfitters in Moscow (which is the only store that sells vintage high-waisted Levi's) I haven't gotten to try any or on buy any. I found some really cool glow-in-the-dark ones that I can't wait to rock at some party!


3. Running Shoes I've been into running a ton lately and the only tennis shoes that fit me now are my Reebok Easy Tones and you can't run in them at all - it's extremely bad for your ankles! The Nike Free 3.0s have been a huge trend recently and I just think all of the neon fun colors are so cute! I don't know if I'll like the feel of the Nike's or not yet, so I guess any good running shoes that I can find are on my list.


4. Workout Leggings/Pants As you can see, I'm pretty much out of workout gear that properly fits me. It's pretty sad, I know. And, frankly, I can't wait to go out and buy some cute capris to run/workout in, because I've been working out in my school uniform pants and it's been...pretty ugly and uncomfortable.


5. Gym Shorts Along with the leggings to workout I'd also like to get some shorts that it would be comfortable to run in... The ones I have now are pretty huge and very baggy, wih makes it much more hard to run... Yeah.


6. Sports Bra This also falls into the "workout gear" list of things that I need. This is going to sound really stupid, but I don't have a sports bra... So I work out in a normal bra. And it's really uncomfortable... Awakward. :/


7. Denim Jacket I used to have on of these but I think I lost it... I've been going through my wardrobe just to find all these cute dresses but they just look bad without some kind of jacket on. And since a denim jacket is pretty much a must in every wardrobe, I need one ;)


8. Brown Riding/Slouchy Boots I've been eyeing boots like these since Christmas 2010. No joke. And I've never gotten around to buying them. So I am now determined to go and get me some fall boots. I' prtty sure I'll be wearing them every. single. day.


9. Polos Let's all take a moment and cry over the fact that I have to wear a school uniform to school. Which is very, very ugly. And uncomfortable. And unfasahionable. And ugly. Or did I already mention that one? Anyhow, we have to wear red or white polos, and I recently went through my closet, just to find that i have only one polo that actually fits me. My sister's.


10. Jeggings I've been having a really hard time with these. I went to A&F this Christmas just for a couple of minutes to get myself some jeggings... So I get to the store, find the "jeggings" section, grab two pairs and leave. Then I fly back to Mosow, just to find out that the "jeggings" that I bought were actually denim. So they weren't really jeggings, but rather skinny jeans. So I am now determined to find actual "jeggings" in the store (with the help of the hot shopping assisstans, of course!).

Yep, so that's it, hope you guys had fun looking through my pretty sad list of things I need :) Please leave any requests or ides for future posts that you would like to see from me!

xoxo,
Liz

screenshots are from here, here, here, here, and here. and the collage that i put together was using this website.
 <3

Things To Do At Sleepovers

I absolutely adore sleepovers. I mean, who doesn't?! You get to spend a whole day and night (or two. or three.) with your friend(s), just goof around and have fun! In this post I will simply be listing some fun things that you can do at a sleepover with your girls!

1. Go to the Mall For me, this is kind of a no-brainer. Going to the mall is a great way to kick off a sleepover, in my opinion. I mean, there's everything at the mall - movies, stores, food, everything!

2. Makeovers Admit it. We all love taking them "before" and "after" makeover pictures ;) A great makeup palette that is perfect for giving makeovers to each other are the Coastal Scents 88 Palettes - they have all the colors you will ever need in only one palette!

3. Spa Time! Of course, you can pay the extra buck for a mani-pedi/face peel or whatnot at the spa if you want to. But I think it's way more fun (and cheap!) to give yourself/your friend a mani-pedi and make your own at-home face masks! Bubbi on YouTube has a bunch of cool, simple DIY face masks that you can make with your friend (and maybe eat some of the leftovers later ;P)

4. Movie Night Everyone does this at sleepovers, so, being Liz, I just had to include it. I love pretty much every movie genre for a sleepover, but of course comedies and chick flicks are the most fun ;) Some of my favorites that I can think of off on top of my head are "White Chicks", "Sex and the City", "Breakfast at Tiffany's", and "The Pink Panther 2". Make some healthy fruit smoothies and laugh your heads off while chilling on the couch in your footsie-pajamas ;)

5. Cake Boss I absolutely love baking! I love cooking in general, but baking is just MY THING. I love it. Love love love it. So, if you don't really like cooking/baking this might not be for you... But, come on, who doesn't love baking some delicious rainbow-colored cupcakes and them eating them up while watching some movies ;) I get some of my favorite recipes from this website - one of my favorites!

*That's Just Liz (facepalm) Fact: I didn't know guys had sleepovers until a couple of months ago*

I know this was kind of a *DUH* post, but maybe (I hope?) it helped some of you ;)

xoxo,
Liz

picture of the lovely Khloé and Kourtney from here

Liz Loves: Bronzer

Just realized that I promised to blog every other day and didn't blog yesterday when I was supposed to... Oh well, that's just Liz, so I'm compensating for that by posting today (I'll still blog tomorrow!)... So let's just pretend that it's Friday not Saturday.

Anyways, today I'm going to be sharing with y'all my favorite bronzer. I'm sorry, because this probably won't be that helpful, since everyone talks about this bronzer and it is a cult favorite, but maybe you guys would like to know what I think about it? Maybe? Hope so.

Okay. Sorry, I'm kind of scatter-minded today ;) My favorite bronzer is...*drumroll* "Laguna" by Nars. I know, I know, everyone talks about this one, but it's because it is really the best bronzer ever. It will match any skin tone, it's easy to build up or sheer out, and you can contour with it even though it has a little bit of shimmer. The shimmer is so, so tiny it's hardly noticeable, but it gives you that natural, glowy look, instead of a fake cake-faced look that some matte bronzers may give you. Some days in the summer I really don't feel like wearing any foundation or tinted moisturizer, so I just lightly dust this all over my face and it hides all of the little blemishes or imperfections that I might have on my face! It's like magic! 

This bronzer is more on the more expensive side, but, I mean, it is a Nars product, and it literally lasts you forever!

Hope you enjoyed this!

xoxo,

Liz

screenshot is from here <3

My Favorite Animal + Mini Update

Hey! Did you miss me? No? Oh...

Oh well, too bad, because I'm back anyways! :P So I'm here with a little update. You may or may not have noticed that I didn't post yesterday... The thing is, I've been posting everyday for about a little more than a month now and it didn't really bother me at first. I used to blog every night before I go to bed, but now, I'm just, like, give me a break. But I still will be posting every other day, though! When school starts, though, (August 28 for me!) I will probably only be posting once a week. School gets kind of stressful for me, and I think if I post every Tuesday it'll be a nice balance :)

Okay, getting on to the "fun" part of this blog post. My favowite animawl ^.^

I love animals. Always have, always will. I love horses, dogs, cats, fish, parrots, hamsters, pandas -- all of them! So it's pretty hard for me to decide on my absolute number one favorite. And of course, I cheated a little.

My favorite "pet" would be a dog, probably. Even though I'm pretty lazy at times and kind of chill, I just like dogs a little more than I like cats. Actually. No. Arrrgh, I don't know, I can't decide! I love dogs because they're so hyper and loving, so affectionate and cute! But I also love how elegant and lady-like cats are!

My favorite "animal" animal (animal animal :p) would have to be a peacock. I love them. The little baby chicks are so cute and the male peacocks are just so...majestic. I love their colors and just everything about them!

Yeah, hope you guys enjoyed this! Let me know what your favorite animal (or animals) is in the comments below!

xoxo,
Liz

P.S. Oh, and by the way, HAPPY BIRTHDAY ONE DIRECTION!!! Tell me if you girls are celebrating or not! I am :P

picture from here ;)

Liz Loves: Mascara

Hey everyone! It's me again :) And today I come to you with a new type of a blog post. I decided to call them "Liz Loves". Basically, I'm just going to share my favorite products from each makeup category with you guys, so hopefully these kind of posts will help you girls more!

Today I'm going to be sharing with you one of my definite makeup must-have products. Actually, I think that if I could only use one makeup product (except lip balm) for the rest of my life would be this one. It is the Clarins Wonder Length mascara. I'm pretty sure this is reformulated now, but when I got my very first tube of this (in 2010, I think) it used to be in a much better-looking tube -- it was velvet-y looking and just...just nicer. But as far as the formulation being different from the original, I don't think it's changed much...

The texture of the mascara and the wand is what I love most. The texture feels very velvet-y and smooth, the wand is basically just long and swirly. The wand and the formula of the mascara combined create a very natural finish and that's why I love it! it lengthens your lashes like no other, but it looks so natural that you can't even tell that you're wearing mascara! I've never used this mascara in Black, I've only used the Brown color, which, I find makes it look even more natural.

So, if you usually wear natural or very little makeup I'd recommend this mascara to you! But if you're into more of that dramatic eye look, I wouldn't necessarily recommend this to you, but you definitely can build it up by applying more coats if you wish.

Hope you guys enjoyed this! I'd show you some "before" and "after" pictures with this mascara, but I am currently out of it :( But when I do repurchase it I definitely will insert some pictures into this post!

xoxo,
Liz

Get Yo Freak On Tag!

I know, I know, I didn't post yesterday... I just had a really bad day and I felt very stressed out and I just couldn't post anything, because...well, I just didn't feel like it.

But, here I am again today! Feeling much better and happier, and here with yet another tag :) This one, as you can see, is the "Get Yo Freak On" tag. I've seen a couple of people do it on YouTube and I thought it would be a fun thing to do here. Feel free to answer the questions in the comments below, because I TAG YOU :p

Okay, here we go.

1. What's a nickname only your family calls you? Um, I don't know if I have a nickname... No, I don't think I have one.

2. What's a weird habit of yours?  Well, I drink tons of milk, if that counts as a habit...If not, then...well, I like pretending that I have a Texan accent :p Which, I don't, but I like pretending that I do.

3. Do you have any weird phobias? I have anachrophobia (I think that's how it's spelled) -- I'm scared of spiders, but actually weird phobias... I don't think I do... 

4. What's a song you secretly love to blast and belt out when you're alone? "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" by Panic! At The Disco, or anything by Lady Gaga or Katy Perry for that matter.

5. What's one of your biggest pet peeves? When people are rude and just...yeah, just rude. Hate rude people.

6. What's one of your nervous habits? Well, I wear a ring on my pointer finger on my left hand, and whenever I'm nervous or just bored I always take the ring off and then put it back on.

7. What side of the bed do you sleep on? The side that's further away from the door. Because I feel that if the Boogie Monster comes through the door, I'll hear him, and if I'm further away from the door, then I'll have time to escape :p 

8. What was your first stuffed animal and it's name? Actually, I don't remember... It was probably a teddy bear, but I don't really know his name... 

9. What's the drink you always order at Starbucks? I used to always order an Iced Skim Latté in the summer seasons and in the winter seasons I order a Chai Tea Latté (can you tell that I love milk?), but about a week ago I decided to try the Iced White Mocha and I love it! So that's what I'm going to be getting now ;)

10. What's a beauty rule you preach, but never actually practice? Don't pull on your eyelid. I know, I know, it's bad, and I try not to do it, but sometimes I just can't help it! 

11. Which way do you face in the shower? I actually face the shower curtain when I'm showering... Don't know why, that's just Liz :p

12. Do you have any 'weird' body 'skills'? Not that I know of. I'm just that average :/
 
13. What's your favorite comfort food thats 'bad' but you love to eat it anyways? I don't sad 'bad' food at all... So yeah. But lasagna or seafood paella, if that counts as 'bad' food.

14. What's a phrase or exclamation you always say? "Dang it!" or "That's just Liz!" or "Pshhhhh" :p

15. Time to sleep, what are you actually wearing? A tank top and sleeping shorts usually...or a huge oversized t-shirt.

16. What did you used to wear that you thought was cool but now you realize it wasn't that hot? Well, I can't think of anything that I wore, but I did do something with my hair a couple of years ago... Anyways, I thought I was a 'scene kid' and I used to straighten my naturally wavy hair every day and tease it, etc. Yeah... I was pretty weird...


Anyways, I now realize this was pretty boring, but oh well :)


xoxo,
Liz


very very creepy pic that made me poop my pants is from this website

Travel Savvy: Unpacking

Why hello there! I come to you today with yet another post from the "Travel Savvy" series. This one is about my least favorite thing to do in the world...unpacking. I hate it so so so much and I always end up unpacking very messily and then when I leave the place I'm staying I always end up forgetting something! But recently I've been traveling a lot and I feel like I've pretty much mastered the art of unpacking. So here I am, sharing my tips and tricks for unpacking with you :)

1. Organize This one is pretty simple and self-explanatory. The moment you take your clothes out of your suitcase(s) fold them all up and organize them in piles. The way I do mine is usually like so: a pile of sheer tops (that I need to wear a bandeau or tank top under), a pile of t-shirts and tank tops, a pile of jeans, a pile of shorts and skirts, and a pile of underwear. I normally hang up my dresses and/or coats, jackets, cardigans, etc. This step is so simple, yet it is key to unpacking -- if everything is messy and unorganized you'll end up losing things and making an even bigger mess!

2. Keep it Simple Don't over-use the space that is given for you to store your things (especially toiletries). If you just keep everything (I'm talking about toiletries here) in a train case/big bag it will be harder to find stuff, but it will be so much easier to pack back when you leave the place you're staying in.

3. Keep a List You guys know I love making lists and this is no exception. If you (which I strongly advise you do) make a packing list before leaving, listing all of the things that you packed for the trip and adding items that you might have bought while traveling, it will be much easier to unpack by category and pack the stuff back up when you're ready to leave :)

xoxo,
Liz

picture from here

Current Obsessions: Music

Okay. Okay. Breathe in, Liz. Calm down. Out. In-2-3, out-2-3.

IT'S NOT WORKING >.<

About a week ago (I know, you're going to say I'm slow after what I say next but I really am slow, so...yeah, don't judge) I've discovered a band. A relatively old band. And it's called *drumroll* Panic! At The Disco. I know, this is a pretty popular alternative band and I've always been more of a "pop" kind of girl. But recently I've just been loving alternative! It's like, all of the sudden *BOOM* my style changes from girly to edgy and I start liking alternative and punk rock (I still love my pop though!).

Getting to the point of this post.

Some of you might know that I like Lana Del Rey a lot...and I think her music is alternative. But Panic! At The Disco beats all of my favorite alternative bands. I have been so obsessed with them lately! My favorite song right now that I absolutely lovelovelove is "Nearly Witches (Ever Since We Met)". I just can't get enough of it!

Another song that I've been loving is actually by a girl who makes singing videos on YouTube, Jayme Dee. Some of you may know her from "The Hunger Games" movie soundtrack called "Rules". I've discovered her about 2-3 months ago and she recently came out with a new single "Tip Toes". I don't think it's available on iTunes yet (or anywhere else, for that matter), but I just listen to it from YouTube and I can't wait for it to actually go up on iTunes so I can buy this baby already!!!

And the last song that I've been obsessing over these couple of weeks is yet by another girl on YouTube, Drew Tabor. I absolutely adore her, her voice is amazing! She's inspired me in so many ways and her style is so different and unique from anyone else's that I've ever seen! Anyways, the song is called "Shoutout". Her EP just came out yesterday and I just know bought it and I love every single song from the album!

Hope you guys liked this! Let me know what your favorite songs are in the comments below :)

xoxo,
Liz

P.S. Andrea, yes I do still love "Pursuit of Happiness" :* (check out her blog "Stories of a Teenage Girl"!)

My Favorite Drink

I don't know when it started, but probably since New Year's this year I suddenly became addicted to milk. All (or most) of my friends know it's one thing I can now not live without. I drink about a liter of milk every day :p I drink milk with my breakfast every single day and I just drink it when I feel kind of hungry, but not really hungry (you know what I'm talking about? because i know you do ;)).

Milk has many good benefits. It is filled with the nine essential nutrients that are beneficial to our health:

• Calcium: Builds healthy bones and teeth; maintains bone mass
• Protein: Serves as a source of energy; builds/repairs muscle tissue
• Potassium: Helps maintain a healthy blood pressure
• Phosphorus: Helps strengthen bones and generate energy
• Vitamin D: Helps maintain bones
• Vitamin B12: Maintains healthy red blood cells and nerve tissue
• Vitamin A: Maintains the immune system; helps maintain normal vision and skin
• Riboflavin (B2): Converts food into energy
• Niacin: Metabolizes sugars and fatty acids

Also, it is said that milk is beneficial to weight loss (which, I'm not trying to lose any weight, but it's always nice to know ;)). Another thing to know about milk (or any dairy product) that it is best to drink/eat whole fat products, because the non-fat have lots of sugar added instead of the fat. So it's actually healthier to drink whole fat milk than non-fat!

xoxo,

Liz

picture from here and info about yummy yummy milk from this website ;)

Update On My Majestic Life

Just chilling at home in my cozy knit sweater ^.^

Made some neon friendship bracelets with my sis

Went shopping at Zara (the tweed jackets were so Chanel-esque and amazing!)

Saw the weirdest people on the streets of Madrid :/

SURVIVED 10 MINUTES OF AFRO CIRCUS!!! And learned the dance ;D

Looked up to see this clear blue sky every single day :)

My life is full of action. I do lots of things every day and each day is totally different from the last one.

Actually, I'm just being sarcastic. My life is pretty average. I love it, don't get me wrong, it's just not really...majestic. So yeah, just saying that as a disclaimer, I'm not bragging or whatever, just updating you on some things that've been happening lately!

So far my summer has been very relaxed and laid-back. Haven't been doing much...so yeah, my summer is pretty much the opposite of majestic ;)

I've been is Spain for the past two weeks and it has been amazing! Spent some time with my family and I've pretty much been just laying out by the pool sippin' on some ice water (hehe) and just livin' da life. I think this is what summer is for! At least for me :) During the summer time I just spend time with my family and enjoy myself. I think summer (or any holiday, for that matter) is a time to really relax and forget all of your problems and what's happening for a while. I try (but fail) to stay off the internet and my phone for most of the summer, pamper myself more often and pay more attention to eating healthy and working out, since during the summer time you have every day to yourself (in most cases).

I have six weeks until my first day back to school and my feelings about that are kind of mixed up... First of all, just to clear it up, I love school! It gets pretty boring at times, but more often than not I find myself missing school and the people there (yeah, you can call me a nerd :p). I'm going to the U.S. to visit my family there and then going back to Russia to go back to school :( I'm kind of sad summer will be over pretty soon, but at the same time I really want to go back to school and start being OCD and organized again :p

How's you're summer been so far? Let me know below!
I'm planning another fun post for sometime soon, so look out for that ;)

xoxo,
Liz

Ten Tips: Shopping

I do not know any teenage girl who hates shopping. I know there are, but I don't know any. And that makes me feel much, much better when I go out and spend a whole day (or two. or three) shopping. But. I don't just shop. I come prepared >.< I think it's safe to say that I'm a smart shopper. So, here are some helpful tips for all you girls who love to shop ;)

1. Make Lists It's not a secret that I love making lists. To-do lists, what-not-to-do lists, where-to-go lists, what-to-eat lists, all kinds of lists! Some of those are unnecessary, but believe me, this one is. It is so much easier to shop when you make a simple list on your phone and it can also save you tons of money! 

2. Coupon This will also help you save tons of money! You know those annoying little ad pages or cut-out coupons you see while flipping through the pages of your favorite magazine? Well, don't just flip by, ignoring them! Use them! Also, I good website that I use a lot is RetailMeNot. It has a lot of coupons that you can print out and take with you as well as online codes that you can use while shopping online.

3. Dress for the Occasion Especially if you try on the clothes that you are buying in store (I do!) you will benefit so much of wearing simple, non-layered clothing rather than sky-high heels, a skirt, a tank-top, a sweater and tons of jewelry. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes, because you're probably going to be walking around a lot. Also, don't layer your clothes! What I'd wear on a typical shopping day is just a sun-dress and my favorite flats. Comfy, yet cute :)

4. Free Hands You know that you'll have a hard time trying to rummage through all of those stacks of cute t-shirts at Forever 21 when you're carrying your huge-stuffed-to-the-top tote. Just carry an over-the-shoulder bag or a small bag with just your essentials: MoneyKeysLipgloss (a.k.a. MKL). 

5. Long Hair, Don't Care! Well, you should. You don't want your hair to be all in your face when you're walking and changing and just being out-and-about. So, as always, your safest bet is a pony or a bun! It's the perfect way to keep the hair out of your way and still look cute! Brandy Melville has these amazing headbands that can take your average top-knot to another level -- I'm loving them! And the best part? They're only three bucks!

6. Make Outfits While shopping, try not to shop for just "this shirt that will look cute with those floral leggings that I think I have somewhere in my closet". It is much easier to shop with put together outfits!  What I mean is, if you like a certain clothing item, buy a whole outfit along with it, too! It will be much easier to put outfits together at home when you buy all of them together!

7. Set the Mood Before going to the mall, start your day off right! Crank some tunes, get that mocha from Starbucks that you love and think happy thoughts! If you go shopping while in a bad mood, tired or upset you'll just end up making your day worse by getting frustrated about those amazing that ended up being too small or remembering that time you and your boyfriend broke up every time you wear that Dior perfume.

8. Forever Alone I know this won't work for every one, but this is the way I prefer to shop. Alone. I find that when I shop with tons of friends I just end up buying so much stuff that I don't need, but that my BFF thought was so cute or made my eye color pop. Even though walking around the mall eating froyo with your BFFs is fun, don't all go into the same store at the same time. Just separate, and then meet up and share all of your awesome buys with each other! And if you just can't decide if you need those $100 Steve Madden pumps, well, there's always texting ;)

9. Cash Out If you pay with cash you end up spending a significantly less amount of money than when you pay with debit cards! Just make a budget, say, $300, go to the bank, take some money off your card and spend it in cash. That way you don't just keep withdrawing money from your card!

10. Think Before You Buy That $800 LV Speedy 35 you've been eyeing for a year and know every little detail about or those $950 Christian Louboutins that would look so gorgeous with your prom dress? Think. Do you really need those shoes now or can you go to Marshalls and get an awesome deal on some Sam Edelman pumps that look almost exactly like the Louboutins? Spur of the moment splurges are always the worst. Spend your money wisely!

Hope you found these helpful! Happy shopping ;)

xoxo,

Liz

picture from one of my favorite movies (;D) from here <3

Friday the 13th

The weirdest thing happened to me that made me want to write this post. I went to Toledo on a train today (Friday the 13th) and on the way back I looked at our tickets and noticed that our train car number was 13, our row number was 13 and we arrived on platform 13. I found this so weird and kind of scary! One of my best friends is really into scary movies and we usually watch the cliché ones with her (e.g. Friday 13) and I was never really scared. Like, oh, okay, it's friday the 13th. But today I was really really scared. I mean, I was panicking. It just seems so...weird.

Anyways, what do you think about Friday the 13th? Do you "celebrate" it in any way (I watch scary movies and change my phone background to a black cat :p)? I'd love to know!

xoxo,
Liz

picture from here

My Favorite Shampoo

Holler! It's been a long day for me and I just haven't found the inspiration to post a fun and interesting post on here, so please bare with me notifying you about my favorite shampoo.

I've converted to Lush Bar shampoos about 6-7 months ago and I've tried three so far. The one's I've tried were "New", "Godiva", and "Seanik". I've used some of "New" (it smells like CHRISTMAS) and the whole "Godiva" (the banana-or-whatever-they-are chunks kept getting stuck in my hair!) and I am currently using (and loving!) my "Seanik".

To start off, here's what Lush says about this shampoo: "Soften tangled locks and add oceans of shine with this mineral-rich, sea salt volumizing shampoo. Like a trip to a blue lagoon, Seanik is made with the best ingredients from the sea; softening Irish moss seaweed, and Japanese nori seaweed to make your hair soft as silk from root to tips, and sea salt to give body and volume to hair that’s fallen flat. One seriously sexy shampoo, we added lemon oil for extra shine, and the exotic far eastern fragrance of sensual mimosa and jasmine oils to bathe you in the heady scent of tropical flora all day long". 


I can't really describe what the bar smells like, but it smells really fresh and clean, but not too strong or noticeable. The scent lingers in my hair for the whole day! Another thing that I love about this shampoo is that the moment I wash it out of my hair I can feel the cleanness of my hair. It's hard to explain...you know when they say "squeaky clean"? Well, it feels exactly like that! It feels...squeaky. And I love it! It makes my hair very voluminous and defines my curls -- I love it!


In case you were wondering how I use it -- I just get my hair wet (no DUH), take the bar, and kind of swirl it in my hair about 4-5 times. It lathers up so well, better than a normal shampoo! 


Anyways, hope you enjoyed this quick random little post ;)


xoxo,
Liz

screenshot and info from here :D

Tutorial: Summer Bronze

I am so incredibly excited to share with you guys today...my first...ever...tutorial! Yay :) So, I think I promised a fun post yesterday and here it is! In this tutorial I used the Urban Decay "Naked" palette, but really you can just work with the ones you have if you don't own this exact same palette. The eyeshadows I'm using aren't that unique and they are pretty much a must-have, so you can just sub with your own colors if you want to! The look is really simple (only 4 steps!) and perfect for the summer time. It's very natural, but it just adds that little "oomph" to your summer days :) Anyways, hope you guys like it and definitely expect more tutorials from me soon, I really enjoyed doing this one! Oh, and cut me some slack, it was my first time after all ;)

1. Prime I very strongly recommend you to always prime your eyes before you apply any eye makeup!  If the primer is good, it can totally change (in a good way!) the way your eye makeup looks and make the colors stay vibrant all day (and night). Nothing much more I can say about this step. Oh, and if you were wondering I used the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion.

2. Add color Simply tap a shimmery gold color over the first half of your eyelid to add some nice color and give you that "bronze goddess" look. For this I used Urban Decay's infamous "Half Baked" eyeshadow from the Naked palette. I find that this color looks amazing on paler skin tones as well as very tan skin. It's one of my favorites from the palette!

3. Define Since this is a more summer-y look I decided not to do a crease color, but to define it by tapping a shimmery brown color on the second half of the lid. That way, it's not as obvious that you have tons of eyeshadow on but it defines your eye nicely and adds more of a shape to it. For this I used "Toasted" from the palette -- I find this color works best with the "Half Baked"!

4. Highlight Every beauty girl should own a frosty white eyeshadow in her collection. By popping some shimmery white eyeshadow into your inner tear-duct and highlighting your brow bone your face just looks so much brighter and more awake (I know everyone says it -- but it's true!). For this I used "Virgin" from the palette -- definitely a classic and well-known eyeshadow! I usually use MAC's Nylon for an inner-corner highlight, but I'm traveling right now, so I don't have it with me. Just thought I would mention it as a good frosty white color!

Aaaaaand of course, you'd finish up with some mascara (I applied one coat of Maybelline Falsies...the waterproof version) and you're ready to go! Hope you guys enjoyed this!

xoxo,

Liz

credits to my amazing sistah, Katie, for the creepy pictures of my eye! i used dis to edit the pictures!

Tumblr Tuesday: Universal Store

I'm obsessed with tumblr, that's no secret! I probably spend at least 2 hours a day just browsing my feed, looking at amazing clothes and tons of arm candy. I know, I'm such a busy person, haha :)

So, you know all those cute torn-up vintage high-waisted shorts and awesome headbands and jewelry you see on tumblr? Well, I found a store. Not just a store. A tumblr in a store. I know Brandy Melville is a big thing right now and everyone's talking about it (yes, it is a "tumblr store", but c'mon, I can't be that mainstream ;p) but this one isn't that popular. At least...I don't think it is. But anyways, it's a hipster store, definitely. By now you are probably thinking: "WHAT'S THE FRIGGIN STORE??!!". Well, it's called Universal Store. It's an Australian company and all of the stores are located only in Australia (but I'm pretty sure there's worldwide shipping!). The clothes are awesome and the prices are decent. I will be spending many, many hours shopping on this website ;) So if you want to get some amazingly tumblr-ish shorts or perhaps some cute bracelets for stacking, go check out Universal Store!

Anyways, hope you enjoyed this quick little post and I hope you like the website! I have a fun post coming up tomorrow, so look forward to that ;)

Oh, I'm not being sponsored or anything by this company, just found them through Instagram and thought it would be helpful to share with you girls!

xoxo,
Liz

photos from here and here

40 Beauty Questions Tag!

I know, I know -- a tag. Again. I'm trying to save the tags for the days when I have nothing to talk about...like today. On this lovely sunny summer day I will be doing the 40 Makeup Questions tag. It's been going on for a very long time (I'd say it's been going around since 2009 or so) and I thought it would be fun to bring it back in this post :)

Anyways, here it is!

SKINCARE
-How many times do you wash your face daily? I wash my face once or twice a day. I was it in the morning with just water and then moisturize (my face tends to get irritated if I wash it with cleanser in the morning) and then I wash my makeup off, cleanse, tone, and moisturize at night.

-What skin type do you have? (dry, oily, combo) In the summer it's normal -- not dry or oily, just perfect, but in the winter it's combination (oily on the T-Zone and normal/dry on the cheeks)

-What is your current facial wash? Clinique 3-Step Cleanser for Combination/Dry skin

-Do you exfoliate? Nope, I don't. I find that my skin is way too sensitive to exfoliate and exfoliating just gets it all red and messed up.

-What brand do you use? Since I don't exfoliate, I don't use any brand, but I used to use the Lush Sea Salt face and body scrub and I loved it (until I realized it was way too harsh for my skin)

-What moisturizer do you use? I use the Clinique Dramatically Different Daily Mouisturizer (the gel, not the lotion!). I love it! It feels very nice and not oily at all.

-Do you have freckles? Yep, I do, most of them are on my nose and under my eyes (above my cheeks...you know what I'm talking about). In the summer time, though, I get a whole lot of them!

-Do you use eye cream? Occasionally. I'm kind of young to use eye cream, but I feel like it does a lot to improve and brighten up my dark circles. I use the Benefit eye cream (don't remember the name, sorry...I think it's called "It's Potent!") and I usually use it before bed.

-Do you or did you have acne prone skin? Nope, I don't think I ever did! I used to have lots of pimples, but when I stopped eating junk-food and fried stuff they stopped popping up!

-Did you ever have to use Pro-activ? No, I didn't. I don't plan on using it any time in the future.

MAKE-UP
-What foundation do you use? I've recently (2 months ago) started using the Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Compact foundation and I love it! With all of the hype about the original Vitalumiere Aqua I decided to try it and it was amazing. At first. Then my skin started getting very very dry and the foundation just wasn't flattering on the dry patches (plus, the color was waaaay too dark for me!). So I went to the Chanel counter and saw that they came out with a new formula of the foundation. It's more moisturizing and I think it looks even more natural than the original! Can't say enough good things about this!

-How about concealer? Don't use one. I just layer on my foundation as a concealer if needed.

-Do you know your undertone color? Warm. If that's what they mean by undertone color...

-What do you think of fake eyelashes? I think they're good for a Halloween look or when you're on TV but not on an everyday basis! I've never used them, because I'm scared I'll mess up while applying them :p

-Did you know that you are suppose to change your mascara every 3 months? Yes, I did. And I do change it every three months (or at least I try to), but my favorite mascara (and the one I use every day) is a Clarins one and Clarins is pretty expensive, so it's kind of upsetting to throw it out after a couple of months with, like, 1/4 of the product still there :(

-What brand of mascara do you use? Clarins Wonder Length! My all time favorite!!! LOVE. IT.

-Sephora or MAC? Hmmm... Probably MAC. I could live without Spehora, but not without MAC.

-Do you have a MAC Pro-card? No... I wish I did, though!

-What makeup tools do you use in make up application? My fingers (for my foundation)...and brushes (for my eyes)...

-Do you use make-up base/primer for the eyes? Yes, I use the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion and I also usually use the Chanel "Emerville"cream eyeshadow as a base.

-For the face? Yep. I use the L'Oreal face primer (aaaaagh, I can't remember the name! But I mentioned it in my "What's In My Travel Makeup Bag?" post), but I only use it because I bought it for no apparent reason and I'm just trying to use it up. I don't really see a dramatic difference that it does to the way my face makeup looks but my face feels nice and smooth when I apply it.

-What is your favorite eyeshadow (color or shade)? Shimmery champagne/pink/beige eyeshadows are my favorite! My all-time favorite actual eyeshadows are "All That Glitters" by MAC (my first ever eyeshadow!) and "Emerville" by Chanel (I use it every single day).

-Do you use pencil or liquid eyeliner? I use pencil sometimes, not every day, and I only use liquid on special occasions (4-5 times a year) just because I find it fairly hard to apply, but I was recently practicing my liquid eyeliner skills and I think I figured out a way to apply it that works for me! And I love the way liquid eyeliner looks on my eyes, so I'll be doing that more often.

-How often do you poke your eyes with an eyeliner pencil? Never. I imagine that being pretty painful... 

-What do you think of pigment eyeshadows? I think the color payoff and the colors in general of pigments are phenomenal, but I'd never use them (being the clumsy girl that I am), because they are very very very easy to spill and ruin everything!

-Do you use mineral makeup? Nope. Never tried it, but I really want to try the MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural!

-What is your favorite lipstick? Probably YSL Rouge Volupté Perle in 114... I don't really like lipsticks, though, but this one is more like a very pigmented lip balm.

-How about lipgloss? This is hard! I love lipgloss, it's my favorite makeup category! I think MAC's "Love Alert" Dazzleglass is the one, though. I've went through two entire tubes of it! It is perfect for me -- sticky, glittery, and a berry red color! ME IN A LIPGLOSS.

-What is your favorite blush to use? I don't use blush that much, but I've recently been using Tarte's gel blush in the color Typsy -- a very nice peachy color. It might just be my new favorite blush -- I wear it every single day!

-Do you buy your makeup on ebay? No, I'd rather spend the extra buck going to a CCO for a limited edition product or something, but not ebay. Way too scared to get an old or used product!

-Do you like drugstore makeup? Yes, I do. I really like the Revlon lip products and Maybelline mascaras are good, too!

-Do you go to CCO's? (cosmetic company outlets) Never been, but I've heard a lot of fun things about them! Wish I had one near me! :(

-Did you ever consider taking make-up classes? No... I like playing around with makeup but I'd never take professional classes.

-Are you clumsy in putting on makeup? I don't think so... If I'm having a rough morning I might mess up, but I'm not necessarily clumsy (in putting on makeup, at least :p)

-Name a makeup crime that you hate? Foundation lines. Just blend! I see it a lot on waitresses, don't know why! :D But it drives me crazy and I hate it sooooo sooo much.

-Do you like colorful shades of makeup (lipstick,eyeshadow) or neutral ones? I usually like neutral eye makeup and a bolder lip.

-Which celebrity always has great make up? Taylor Swift! I love her and her music and her style and her hair and her makeup and her concerts, just everything! Her makeup is so simple yet elegant -- almost no eyeshadow and a red lip -- I love it!

-If you could leave the house using just ONE make up item,what would you use? I know this is a popular one, but mascara. It adds so much to the way you look and makes you look very bright and awake!

-Could you ever leave the house without any makeup on? Yes, definitely! I spend at least 2 days a week without any makeup on at all and sometimes I might just spend a whole week without it :p It's not a necessity in my life, I can go well without it, it's just something I like to play with :)

-Do you think you look good even without any makeup on? Sometimes. Depends on my hair. If my hair is acting nice and not frizzy then I do feel pretty and confident even without makeup on! But if my hair's all messed up and oily then I do have that sting of "not-confidence" but I really don't care ;)

-In your opinion, what is the BEST makeup line? As in...makeup brand? I'd say it's between MAC and Chanel for me... I can't decide! I love Chanel foundations, eyeliners, and eyeshadows and MAC blushes, lip glosses and everything else!

-What do you think of makeup??? I think makeup is a fun way to express yourself or just have fun. I don't see makeup as something to cover up your imperfections with, but to enhance your natural features. Pretty much what everyone else says, but it's true!

That's it my lovely unicorns! Hope you enjoyed.

I TAG YOU!

xoxo,

Liz