The Ravings of an Insomniac

I always start with my undereye concealer. The one I'm currently using is the Garnier Anti-Dark Circle Eye Roller, and I'm not sure what shade this is as there was only one color when I purchased it. I roll onto my dark ring and draw a triangular shape from there to the tip of my nostril and blend out with my off-brand beauty blender.

Then I dot the Sonia Kashuk Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in Beige evenly all over my face and blend out with my fingers, or my off brand beauty blender.

Following that, I dab some L'Oreal True Match Super Blendable Crayon Concealer in Light/Medium W4-5 on any acne, scars, or hyperpigmentation on my face and blend out with my fingers.

The next step is is to add a light wash of color onto my eyelids. I've been really loving the Maybelline Color Tattoo in Inked in Pink, it's part of the Metals line, which may or may not be made permanent.

Then I sweep the No7 Maximum Volume Mascara onto my lashes. Crap mascara for volume, length, or definition (meaning all you really want in a mascara) but good for a natural look.

The last step is to dab the Pixi Tinted Brilliance Balm in Rosy Red onto my lips for a natural red lip. Read my review of this product here.

That's it. I have a pretty simple routine. Thanks for reading!

Hi! I'm in the car driving with my brother as I type these words. We're braving the road and driving 8 hours to Michigan to visit some friends, so I thought I'd share some travel tips.

1. I'm sure you've heard this one, but bring travel sized thing. Reuse little containers and pots (or you can buy travel sets for like $4) or, my favorite tip, put your product into contact lens cases. Things you only use a bit of, like eye cream and and spot treatments. Wash the case before you put your products in, of course.
2. Bring dry shampoo. Get a little travel sized dry shampoo, it's gonna be a lifesaver for long trips.
3. Make the most of your makeup. This is a tip I not only use for traveling, but for life in general. I like to double my lipstick up as cream blush, use matte white eyeshadow as highlight, double up my foundation as concealer, etc. It makes your load a lot lighter and also saves you time.
4. Buns are great hairstyles. You can dress them down or up, depending on where they are on your head and the accessories you wear with them. Bring a bun maker or a sock donut.
5. Pack your makeup as you apply it. For example, the day before or the morning of your departure, pack your makeup into your travel bag as you put your makeup on. Put on concealer, pack it. Put on foundation, pack it, so on and so forth. This prevents you from forgetting any essentials and everyday products.
6. Get a sample of your favorite perfume. Go into Sephora and ask your a sample in your favorite scent, or get a Travelo.
7. Make the most use out of your shoes when traveling. I recommend versatile shoes, like cute flats, wedges, and nice sandals.
8. Bring a blazer. Blazers are super easy to style, you can dress them up or down.

Pixi Tinted Brilliance Balm - No.7 Rosy Red

Left is blended out, right is heavily swatched.

Hey there, time for my weekly personal post.

Let's talk about Hannibal. Shall we? We shall. It's a new show, started about three weeks ago on NBC and it's fucking amazing. There's an episode on at 10 PM Eastern Time, so you can still catch up if you watch nonstop!



Isn't he cute? He's addorrrrraaaaable.

So the show's about an FBI agent that basically can empathize with anybody, meaning he can put himself in anybody's shoes. It's mainly focused on the psychological aspect of murder, dark places, and nightmares. The very talented cast includes Hugh Dancy and Mads Mikkelsen. You should definitely check it out.

Another new show that I've been really loving is Orphan Black.



The very talented Tatiana Maslany plays several characters who were basically orphan clones, copies of each other. It's intense. Such a good show.

If you haven't noticed already, I'm a huge fan of television. I love it. It gives me a nice refreshing break from my life but still keeps my mind entertained. Some may argue that TV is mindless brainwashing, but it really depends on what you do. That's basically the rule of life. Some can argue that gay marriage is wrong, other can argue that it's right. Some can say that makeup hides that natural beauty of women, some can say it enhances it.

My mom's going away for three weeks next Tuesday, and we're going to be so lost without her. Don't get me wrong, my father's an intelligent guy, but he works 14 hours a day and when he gets back he just wants to sit around and watch TV. My brother and I are smart as well, but we're really too lazy to do anything, ever.

I don't have much to talk about because lately my life's just been homework and television, so that'll be all for today! Thanks for reading.

(I wish I looked this good when I sleep)

We all have those mornings where you just don't want to get up and get ready. Trust me, I know. I am not a morning person at all. Here are some tips and tricks that I swear by and use every day to get me a bit more sleep. And for me, those 10-15 minutes of shut-eye make all the difference.

1. Prepare beforehand
Plan out your outfit the night beforehand, pack your bag, maybe even prep your breakfast if you'd like. This gives you more time in the morning, as you won't be rushing around forgetting things.

2. Braid, braid, braid
I'm sure y'all know that if you braid your hair and sleep in it, you wake up with awesome waves. Dampen your hair, put an anti-frizz product if your hair gets frizzy, and braid away.

3. Reach for the tinted moisturizer
I recommend you get a tinted moisturizer (or a BB cream). They provide light coverage while doing the job of two things.

4. Multi-functional products are your friend
Lip and cheek stains, lipstick used as blush, blush used as eyeshadow, whatever it is, make more use of your makeup. This will not only save you money, but also save you precious time in the morning where you could be sleeping.

That's it, yo. Please share if you have any tips.

I am someone who loves to smell good. I love smelling things that smell good, I love people that smell good, I basically just love nice smelling things. That being said, I'm bringing you a perfume collection today.

Fair warning, this is going to be a loooong post with tons of pictures.

So in case you're new to fragrances, there are many different types. Body spray, fragrance mist, eau de perfume, eau de toilette, hair mists, perfume oils, rollerballs, solid perfumes, etc. The different type of fragrance can affect its longevity, silage (which is basically the strength of a scent) and notes. Notes are the different scents in a fragrance. Every fragrance is top notes (what you first smell when it's applied), middle notes (what you smell after the fragrance has been on you for a little bit) and base notes (what you smell when the perfume is starting to wear off). Many fragrances can be layered with a corresponding line if they have one to prolong the scent (such as body wash, lotions, hand creams, etc). You can even rub Vaseline onto the area where you're going to apply fragrance to make the scent last longer. Perfumes should be sprayed onto pulse points, such as wrists, neck, chest, back of knees, elbows, basically anywhere on the body where the pulse can be felt. There are many families in perfumes, like floral, citrus, musky, woody, and anything in between.

Keep in mind, scent is a very personal matter of opinion. What you think smells heavenly someone else might hate.

I don't have very many perfumes, most of these are body sprays. A lot of beauty gurus have at least twenty perfumes, and whenever I watch those videos a part of me is like "no bitch, you and I both know you're not going to use all of those up." That being said, I have ten perfumes and body sprays. I try to cycle through all of them.

I keep my fragrances on a little shelf in between my windows because although they're on display and look really nice there, the light won't hit it directly and change the scent of the perfume faster. The back row is full of two full sized B&BW fragrance mists, and then three minis. There's an eau de toilette (Paris Amour, it smells like apples if you're wondering) that I'm going to give away, but the box is so pretty that I couldn't help putting it on the shelf. The front row are the true perfumes.

Let's start with the actual perfumes, shall we?

So the first thing at the end is not actually a perfume, but just lemon oil. I'm a sucker for lemon scented things, so whenever I need a pick-me-up I just go and have a deep whiff of the stuff. Sometimes I rub it on my pulse points as well. (Shh I'm weird I know)


Now, if you don't know, this is one of the "classic" fragrances. It's Joy by Jean Patou, the Eau de Toilette. It's crazy expensive. My mom bought this in Paris years and years ago for muuuch less than the retail price, which, for the 1.6 oz bottle is $155. Crazy expensive. Anyways, she rarely wore it, and kept it hidden in her jewelry box (which was tucked away in her closet), so luckily the scent hasn't changed. This perfume is a very mature scent, something I would not wear unless I was going to a formal event because it's 1) so damn expensive and 2) very very fancy. It smells like jasmine and roses. It's a very simple scent, it doesn't change like a lot of other ones do, which I like a lot. I do like it, I just wouldn't normally wear it.

Top notes of Bulgarian rose, ylang-ylang, and tuberose.

Middle and base notes of jasmine from Grasse and May rose.

The next two perfumes are rollerballs, Taylor Swift's Wonderstruck (the first perfume she released) and Pacifica's Tuscan Blood Orange. I like both of these a lot. Whenever I wear these, I apply some to one wrist and rub them together, apply some to the hallows behind my ears, and on my neck. I rub those spots in with my wrists too.

The bottle of Wonderstruck is very very cute. It's in a purple bottle, with little charms on the side. It's pretty and nice to look at. The rollerball costs $18, and the 1.7 oz bottle costs $50. It smells fruity and sweet, girly and young without being too childish. I probably wear this one the most out of all my perfumes. The lasting power is okay, about three or four hours pass at school before I have to reapply.




The next rollerball I have is Pacifica's Tuscan Blood Orange perfume, which is actually a natural perfume. I got the rollerball for $12, which is great. It smells like straight up oranges and a bit of strawberries. I like this a lot. It's fresh and uplifting. However, the lasting power is terrible! It's gone in about an hour.

• Top notes: strawberry, rasberry
• Middle notes: blood orange
• Base notes: mandarin orange, sweet orange

I decided that I'm going to do one personal post per week, and in this case, it's going to be every Thursday. Why? It's NBC Thursday and usually I try to finish my work at school so I can just relax Thursday evenings.

I'm trying to use up all my products that were tested on animals. It's such a waste to just toss them all, and they're all half-used so I can't give them away. So basically, I'm wearing makeup near every day now. I usually only wear makeup a couple times a month, less than 5. I just find it a hassle to take it off, and I'm not unsatisfied with my natural beauty either.

Daily makeup routine - make a triangle with Garnier's Anti-Dark Circle Eye Roller from my eye to the top of my nostril. Blend out with a beauty blender. Then put Maybelline Color Tattoo in Inked in Pink all over my lid with my pinky. Blend out with my ring. Then coat lashes with Maybelline Great Lash Lots of Lashes.

Animal testing is inhumane and wrong. It needs to be stopped and companies that test on animals should be boycotted until they do stop.

I need to make a run to Target. Gotta get some tinted moiturizer/foundation/dry shampoo/alcohol-free toner/mascara/cleanser/eyelid primer/smudging brush/wedge foundation sponges. As you can tell, I have a lot of stuff to get. Oh! I also need a new filter for my water Bobble.

If you don't know what a Bobble is, it looks like this.

It's basically a refillable water bottle that filters your water as you drink it. They're really cute and handy.

Anyways, it's NBC Thursday! Every Thursday, religiously, I do the dishes at 7:30, turn on my TV at 7:50, get my iPad out to check in on GetGlue (free stickers for check-ins), and wait for Community to be on, then Parks later. It used to be 30 Rock first, but then it... ended... sobsobsobsobsob. Anyways, the Christmas episode of Community's on tonight. Not sure if Parks is, but I'll stay tuned until then anyways.

Community is doing okay with Dan Harmon. It's not the same, but it's still really good. Parks and Rec has only gotten better. You should definitely watch those shows if you don't already.

I have an itch to go on an adventure. I'm making an effort to document more of my life through pictures, because I don't want to forget my teenage years.

I just realized I've seen Forrest Gump. I've spent ALL of my days thinking I never saw it. I just saw this familiar looking gifset and Googled it to see what movie it was, and it was Forrest Gump. I guess I just never knew the name of the movie until now.




It was a good movie. I should watch it again. Yeah, I'll watch it the next time I go to my bf's house. I don't even buy movies anymore, I just go to his house and watch them. He's got basically every movie to ever exist.

Apple products are so pretty. Just looking at them is like a sigh of happiness. They're sleek and sexy, also fast and simple. However, you look at the price tag and die. My iPad's been a bitch to me lately. It closes out of my apps, sometimes freezes when I turn it on, and won't save gifs. Eh, whatever.

Can we talk about something? Let's just talk about it. Iron. Man. 3. I am way too excited.



I've got a huge crush on RDJ and Tony Stark and Iron Man and Tony x Pepper and oaeijgoaegjoeaijgoaiegjoacmkjfbgsuyewioate dies

The last movie I was this excited for was Admission, starring the beautiful and amazing and intelligent and funny Tina Fey.



I never would have paired her and Paul Rudd together, but hey, it worked. It was a good movie, less of a comedy then you'd imagine, but good nonetheless.

You ever have those days where you just daydream about your bed? I had one of 'em today. I'm gonna go take my makeup off and take a nap. Thanks for reading yo.

Hey guys, I have another review for you. Today's is going to be on the C.O. Bigelow Rose Salve.

C.O. Bigelow Rose Salve - $5.50 at Bath & Body Works

This salve contains 0.8 oz of product. I got mine for $5.50 at Bath & Body Works, but it can be purchased online, from B&BW's website or C.O. Bigelow's. Rosebud Perfume Co. does have a similar product, that is $6 at Sephora, but I haven't tried that yet so I can't recommend it. Basically, this is a salve that can be used on any dry areas on the body. It's in a little red tin. The front has the brand and product name. The back has directions, claims, and ingredients. The sides of the tin have some uses for this salve. This company does not test on animals. This product was made in the USA.

Hey everyone, I have a review for you today. As you can see by the title, it's on Pond's Dry Skin Cream.

Pond's Dry Skin Cream - 6.5 oz

I got mine at Target for around $5, I believe. There is a 10.1 oz size jar of it, available for around $8. It's in a 6.5 oz plastic jar with a blue lid. The front has the product name on it, the back has some claims, directions, and ingredients. Unfortunately, Pond's does test on animals.


I really wanted to like this product. I'd read some good reviews on Makeup Alley, and it seemed perfect for my normal/dry skin.

Hey everyone, thought I'd bring you a skincare routine.

To my, skincare is the most important part of a beauty routine. Good skin makes me feel confident. I'm not 100% satisfied with my routine right now, but I'm pretty happy with it. We get along well.

Some background on my skin - it's normal/dry, and a little dull. I don't usually break out, but I do get the occasional blemish. I think my routine is pretty simple, and I try not to use too many products on my face. A lot of people have different products that they use at night and day, but not me.

Morning
Splash face with cold water. Pat dry.

Neutrogena Healthy Skin Eye Cream - about $10

Dab a bit of Neutrogena Healthy Skin Eye Cream underneath my eyes and up to my browbones

Nivea Soft - about $5

Neutrogena Healthy Defense Daily Moisturizer SPF 50 with helioplex - $13

Massage Nivea Soft onto face, sometimes mixed with Neutrogena Healthy Defense Daily Moisturizer SPF 50 if I'm spending more than ten minutes outside.

Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew Anti-Puff Eye Roller - $12

Roll Garnier Skin Renew Anti-Puff Eye Roller underneath eyes and up to browbone

Mederma Scar Gel - $19

Scar cream with Mederma Scar Treatment. Probably not supposed to be used on the face, but oh well.

C.O. Bigelow Rose Salve - $5.50 at Bath and Body Works

Put a copious amount of lip balm on

Like I said, a lot of my night and day items correlate. You'll find the same basic products.

Night

Pond's Deep Cleansing Cleanser - purchased in Taiwan. Not sure where you can get it in America.

Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash Pink Grapefruit Foaming Scrub - $8 for the big bottle

Not sure what to call this other than face brush - purchased in Japan for 100 yen. You can get them at Sephora for six bucks a pop.

Wash face with Neutrogena Pink Grapefruit Foaming Scrub (every other day) and Pond's Deep Cleansing Mud Cleanser (when I don't use the foaming scrub). I like to use the little face brush with the Pond's.

Neutrogena Alcohol-Free Toner - around $7

Pour a little toner onto my hands and gently pat onto face. I'm using the Neutrogena Alcohol-Free Toner right now. It smells nice.

Moisturize with Neutrogena Eye Cream and Nivea Soft again

Burt's Bees Herbal Blemish Stick - $7

Apply Burt's Bees Herbal Blemish Stick to any problem areas. I popped out the unhygienic rollerball and dip a dampened cotton swab into the bottle instead.

Exfoliate lips with a DIY scrub I made out of Vaseline and sugar

Apply generous amounts of lip balm and slather Vaseline over.

I like to give myself a mini facial while putting on my moisturizer by pressing on the high points of my cheekbones and my browbones and, making L shapes with my hands, moving from the center of my face out (I do this from the top of my cheekbones, the middle, and then my jawline).

Twice a week, I give myself a facial by slathering on moisturizer and lying a hot towel on my face until it cools, which I repeat twice.

Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask - $16 for the 1.7 oz tube

Twice a week as well, I use an overnight mask on my particularly dry areas (high points of cheekbones, t-zone and eyebrows). Right now I'm using a little sample size of Origins Drink Up  Intensive Overnight Mask. Love it.

Petal Fresh Aloe & Cucumber Facial Peel Off Masque - purchased in Taiwan but $5 on Ebay

Sometimes I forget, but I try to use a mask at least once a week. I'm using a peel-off mask right now, the Petal Fresh Botanics Aloe and Cucumber Facial Peel Off Masque. I got this in Taiwan, so I'm not sure where you can get it in the states.

So that's it, guys. Thanks for reading! I appreciate it.

If you don't know what the lights are, they're basically a natural light show in the sky. They normally only appear to the extreme north and south, such as the Arctic and Antarctica. They occur when charged electrons from solar wind in the thermosphere interact with elements of the earth's atmosphere (okay, no more science until the end of my days). However, on Thursday, there was a solar flare pushed the plasma down to North America and caused the prediction of the lights to possibly be visible in North America Saturday night.



I'm in the tiiiiiiny little GOOD area, luckily. I live in Jersey, which has never had its perks until now.

I'm sure you know what the Northern Lights look like, but here are some pictures for reference. Plus I like looking at pictures of them. They're beautiful.







I went out to try to see/photograph them. I've always dreamed about the lights, having seen movies and television shows where they depicted them as these gorgeous, dancing displays of light and beauty in the sky.

Here is a detailed schedule of what happened.

7:15: (Speaking to my brother) "Hey man, wanna come see the Northern Lights?" Brother freaks out like a small child. He's 17.
7:30: Mother begins to say all these obscene things like "bring a blanket and chairs!"
7:45: Organize camera gear (although not much needs to be organized as I had that afternoon)
7:46: Wait for it to get dark
7:48: Why won't you go down, sun?
7:50: Go on the internet
8:10: Leave warm house. It's not that cold out.
8:15: No, it is that cold.

I stood around for about half an hour, looking at the sky but then I had to go because I was sleeping over at a friend's house and Orphan Black was going to be on soon.

I did not see the lights. I was so crushed.

But man, Orphan Black made up for it. If you haven't seen the show, it's new on HBO and you best go watch it.



It's so good. The main actress is so talented it's ridiculous.