Lustables Pt. 1

One fact about me I’m not sure if I have shared on the blogsphere is that I am a major makeup geek. When I am not reading, doing homework, binge watching a tv show or enjoying my sleep, you can often find me watching makeup tutorials on YouTube. I’d say I started falling in love with the world of makeup artistry a few years ago, but it wasn’t until about a year and a half ago that I started courting the idea and slowly dabbling into the world more and more. I think now it has been moving more and more into a full out love affair.

I was inspired by BlushableMe to start doing these little collective posts called “Lustables” because as a college student with a car payment my wish list seems to ever grow longer and rarely get smaller. While I still day dream that I will one day win the lottery, this is where I just thought it would be fun to share what I am currently drooling over and lusting after, hence the title. Here we go!

1. When I discovered that Mac would be releasing a Rocky Horror collection in honor of their 40th anniversary my thought process was literally me screaming like a fan girl. Long story short, I love Rocky Horror. End of story. Even my boyfriend told me he would go with me to buy it and he doesn’t really like makeup.

2. Rhianna’s Viva Glam 2 lipstick. Just a really gorgeous crystal mauve shade that I think would look great on my pale complexion.

3. Lorac Pro Palette 2. So beautiful! All the wants!

4. Tarte’s Fall Palette. I am absolutely loving all the fall makeup collections. Ugh why can’t I be rich?

5. Nars blush in Orgasm. Ah yes, the cult favorite. Me Gusta.

Let me know if you guys enjoyed this wishlist type post.

5 Tips for a Successful Semester

There is one universal truth that we will all experience throughout our college career: Life can be stressful. Especially with an average of 15-someodd units, a job, and trying to balance a social life on top of all that! From experience, this can definitely get a bit hectic. So here are some small tips that can help make for a happier, more productive and less stressful semester.

1. Find a creative outlet. You need some way to get your mind off of school every now and again. Find something that makes you happy, makes you laugh, or just take a deep breath. For some it is art, for others it could be journaling, or even meditating. For me, it is either curling up in my blanket and reading, or writing this blog. Find something that gets your mind completely away from what is stressing you out.

2. Get up, get out, get moving! Exercise and being outdoors is such a great way to relax your mind and help you refocus. You could try working out in the on-campus gym, or if that isn’t your scene, work out along with YouTube exercise Gu-Ru’s. Even if it is just taking a walk around the dorms when you feel like your eyes start going cross-eyed from studying haha. Do something to get the blood pumping and the endorphins flowing. In the words of Elle Woods (Legally Blonde actually does teach life/college lessons)

3. Plan Ahead! I did a whole post on time-management, IT IS ESSENTIAL PEOPLE! There is nothing that screams “stressed” more than not being sure what you need to do, forgetting deadlines, or cramming last minute because you didn’t make time. Save yourself a lot of trouble by just planning ahead and taking a few minutes at the beginning of each day, or just every week to make a study schedule or plan of attack.
                    

4. Get enough Z’s. I know personally one thing that can always make for a less than fun morning, or day, is when I am constantly yawning and counting down the minutes to when I can return to bed and go to sleep. So make sure you take enough time to get a good 8-10 hours of sleep each night. There are so many reasons why sleep is important, your health, being on top of your game and improving your retention, to name a few. So make sure you make sleep a priority. All-nighters don’t have to be an essential part of college, make them a rarity.

5. Remember that you need to put yourself first. (This is for all aspects of your life.) I met a lot of people who don’t remember that partying and hanging out all the time aren’t the most important things. While social interaction and being with friends is important, you need to prioritize and remember that partying vs. studying for an exam or doing your homework should be a no-brainer. Or, most commonly, your health. You just overall need to make sure that in the end you are acting in a way that will be beneficial for you in the long run, not just “fun” in the moment. I know I sound like a parent but this is something I have had to learn as well. Sometimes you have to make the less fun choices. As callous as it sounds, you will have to push distractions, and sometimes people, out of your path to success.

                             

I hope these tips helped a bit, and as always, good luck.

<3 Kimmie

   

Where Was I on September 11th, 2000

In all honesty, I really don't remember most of the details of where I was because I was only six at the time.

So here are the few details that I do remember:
I remember my mom and dad watching the story on the news before they went to work and dropped me and my sister school.

I remember is being at school and sitting in class. I remember the principle coming in over the intercom and saying the towers had fallen and we needed to have a moment of silence. (I think we watched President Bush's address.)

I remember that my mom had to work that whole weekend because she works at a travel company and had to reroute flights and tours.

I remember my mom and dad calling our east coast family, even though they were in Kentucky and Florida, we still wanted to know they were ok and talk to them about the tragety.

I remember not really understanding what had happend, I just remember knowing that it was bad and that it was a sad day.
It is hard to believe that it has been 13 years since that dreadful day. (Also hard to believe that I am 19! But that is digressing). I know that so many people's lives were forever changed by that day and that it is a day we will never forget. It has shaped the way our country, and others involved, to this day. I hope some day the war that started that day will come to an end, but I don't know when that will be.

Money Talks - Budgeting Tips for Students

Growing up, our parents are always talking to us about budgeting, trying to instil the habit in our lives of saving and sticking to a strict breakdown. Most of us don’t really give budgeting much thought during our adolescent years, however, when entering the college/grown-up world, it becomes a necessity. So here are some tips to get you going and figure out how to master at least this aspect of adulthood!

First step, write down all your reoccurring monthly expenses, the huge blocks that you know you have to pay regularly (ex. Tuition payments, car payments, insurance, gym membership, subscriptions, etc.) By mapping out these regular expenses you can see where your money is going, where you have spending room and/or what items you could cut out.

Now that you have your regular spending blocks set aside, think about how much you spend on other stuff such as gas, food, personal items, etc. These are the categories that fluctuate each month and where it is really easy to spend above your means. One thing I like to do is establish categories (gas, food, personal expenses, etc.) and then look at how much I spend on average and try to find a balance.

Take advantage of online tools and apps. The one that I personally swear by is Mint.com (they have the app for both Android and iPhone). They track your spending, allow you to set budgets and track it for you, and so many other features. For a busy college student trying to manage their own expenses, this is a heaven sent. It is definitely worth checking out to help keep track of expenses.

SAVE, SAVE, SAVE! I can’t stress how important it is to not spend outside your means or just blow all your money. Focus on the stuff you need to pay first, then look at the money you have left, put some of it into savings and you can spend the rest. You always want to have extra money in case or unexpected emergencies or expenses.

The hardest part about a budget is sticking to it. So until the habit develops you really need to watch your spending. One thing that helps me is I have my boyfriend by my budget inforcer, he will even listen to me talk about how there is something I want to buy and will remind me if I have the budget for it or not (then listen to me complain if I don’t LOL!).

Side tips, one way I made extra money was from being a note taker for the disability center. At Concordia they paid me $20 a unit for the classes I took notes for and all I had to do was take clean and decent notes then go to the office and photo copy them. Done. Also, on campus jobs are great because they will work around your schedule more so than most part time jobs.

For more budgeting tips, Mint.com has a blog, newsletters and advice forums and two webpages I went to were Yahoo Finance and Debt.org.

Hope these tips helped and, as always, good luck! <3 Kimmie