Meet My NEW $6 Primer!

Hi Beauties! 

If you have been following the YouTube beauty gurus recently, you know where this post is going...

I want to shout from the tallest building in the world to tell everyone about my new primer - the Nivea for Men Post Shave Balm. Yup, you read right! 

I don't know why or how, all I know is that it works and the lasting power and finishing are fantastic! I saw videos of bloggers comparing it to well known primers such as Makeup Forever and Smashbox so I decided to do it myself to see it with my own eyes.

For two days, I wore my ex-favorite Makeup Forever primer on one side of my face and the Nivea on the other. I was blown away with the results- the Nivea looked just as well as the Makeup Forever side! When I compared the Nivea to the Smashbox primer, the Nivea looked even better! 

I have been using it since for 6 weeks now and I definitely do not see myself going back to the other primers for three reasons -- it's WAY cheaper, smells like cologne (only for a bit), and is perfect for sensitive skin! 

Try to get your hands on it the next time you are at the drugstore and save your friends some money too by letting them know! 

Happy Galentine's Day!

Happy Galentine's Day!

I hope you are staying warm this month! Here in Philadelphia, I am currently dreading the weather every morning. Who knew the cold could make one cry for their momma? I surely did not!

Anyway, I wanted to share with you my Valentine's Day "themed" outfit. I am a girl that loves all things pink and chic so the coat/boots combo definitely spoke to me! Both the coat and boots have a great backstory to them but let's first start with the boots.

Ever since the chilly weather arrived back in fall, I had my eyes on the Stuart Weitzman "Highland" boots but with an $800 price tag you weren't going to catch me dead in them! However I wasn't sad for too long. My sister found these Steve Madden "Gorgeous" boots that look exactly like the Stuart Weitzman's but are for a fraction of the cost! When I go them, I was honestly the happiest person on this planet, everyone was wearing over the knee boots and I was kind of feeling left out, lol!

When I first opened the boots, I obviously started to model in them (don't worry, I was strutting privately in my room) and I could not help but image them with a mini dress and a long coat. A few days passed and I went to Forever to find a plaid printed coat but as I was shifting through the racks, this pink coat caught my eyes. I had seen it before on the website and I just loved the length and the color.

In my mind, I was like "You do not need anymore coats....but eh, just try it on." I was so thankful that I did because not only did I love it more, it was only $14.99! Yes, you read right, only $14.99! On the website, it was priced for 4x the price so this was definitely a sign that I needed to snag it! Anyway enough of the recaps, here is my Valentine's day outfit today! The purse is from Primark and the bracelet is Loren Hope. :)

I hope you all enjoyed this post! Stay warm and spread love! 

How To Save $ In College!

Hi Fashionistas! 

This is a post that I have been wanting to do for a very long time, especially for my new to college readers! 

After high school, everyone says that you have now entered the “college life” and that these will be the best four years of your life! I quickly realized that they were right, college years are the best years of your life! You have the opportunity to pursue your passion, make lifelong friends, gain new experiences, and create lasting memories. However, all that comes with a PRICE and no, I do not mean stress, tears, and sleepless nights, I mean actual money! Doing everything you want to do on a college budget is one of the hardest tasks when you enter the college. You will be forced to stretch a dollar to the maximum due to the endless tuition bills, books, and cost of living. However, I have provided a few tips that can help you save and make money during your years in college!

Sell Your Books!

This is the easiest way to make back the money you spent on your books! Textbooks are expensive and sometimes you don’t even need the books for more than one assignment (which is super frustrating).  It can be tempting to throw them away or stash them far inside your closet after the semester ends. However, you should sell them! You can get 80-90% of what you paid. Students are usually willing to buy a slightly used textbook from a student for $80 instead of buying one from the bookstore for $100.

Buy Your Books, Smart!

If you can, avoid the bookstores! Don’t procrastinate and as soon as the textbook lists are posted, go online and search! I use the following websites to find my textbooks for 50-60% less than the retail value. You can buy them or save even more by renting!

Buy: abebooks.com

Rent/Buy: Amazon.com or Chegg.com

Ebates!

It is a cash back website with absolutely no hidden fees or gimmicks! Ebates is free to join and use. When you sign up, you'll find the latest deals, coupons, promotions, and a specific cash back percentage for each store. These stores include Nordstrom, Sephora, American Eagle, Target, Amazon, Groupon, and the list goes on and on. Just search the store's website through the Ebates.com, shop as you normally would and when you buy something, you will earn cash back in your Ebates account!

Ebates accumulates your cash back money and sends you a check every three months. I always go through Ebates before buying anything! During the holiday season, I received a $60 check from them in the mail!

Campus Jobs!

Campus jobs are the easiest and most convenient jobs to get. They understand that you are in school and give you hours based on your schedule. There are so many jobs where you can even study or do homework while working, such as a desk attendant at the libraries or dorms!

Happy Hours!

College towns have some of the best (yet expensive) restaurants! If you and your friends are on a budget but want to try out the great food, go during happy hour! Restaurants offer the same quality food for reduced prices. This way you can get the most bang for your buck!

Fashionista On A Budget!  

If you follow my blog, you know that I am obsessed with Marshalls! In my outfit posts, I wear at least one or two things from Marshalls or their sister store, TJ Maxx. They stock the latest trends and great brands for amazing prices compared to the department stores.  The quality is usually great and the clothing is not crazily massed produced like stores like Forever 21, so you are bound to stand out!

Student Discounts!

There are numerous restaurants and stores that provide a student discount. You may have to ask your favorite store as the discount is not always advertised to the community. Search on Google frequently. 

http://www.bradsdeals.com/blog/student-discounts

Speak to Your Financial Aid!

Do not wait for scholarships to come to you, look for them! When scholarships are publicly advertised in your school, the whole student body receives the email and you have competition. Ask your financial advisor to let you know about private and public scholarships as soon as they are released! There is so much money year after year that is left untouched!

I hope these tips will come in handy during your college years! Make sure you study hard so you can play hard! Education is priceless!

I hope you find some of these tips useful! 

Splurge VS. Steal: M2Malletier & Forever 21!

Hi Fashionistas!

Whenever I find a dupe for a luxury item, I need to share it with the world. I do not care if you want to know or not, I will let you know even if you're not in the market for it. I just cannot keep my mouth shut! So many affordable brands are bringing us closer to high-end fashion by mimicking the designs. Now in no way am I insisting you always buy the dupes, you should splurge a little and treat yourself, but in college, ain't nobody got the time (or money) for that! Also, when I say dupes, I DO NOT mean counterfeit items that you find from vendors on the streets. These are legit items from reputable stores that resemble the real luxury inspiration.

Today, I want to talk about the M2Malletier La Fleur Du Mal clutch. When I first saw this bag, I instantly fell in love. It looked completely funky and odd but I think that was what I loved about it! It wasn't your basic cross-body or tote, it had a freakin gold bar attached to it!

Unfortunately, the closest I have gotten to owning it was in my dreams! However a few days ago, I was casually browsing the accessories section when I saw a bag that resembled nothing other than the La Fleur Du Mal clutch. It did not look quite as "high-end" as the real thing but for $25 I thought it was a crazy steal!

I'm not going to lie, I still like the real thing from M2Malletier (HERE) a whole lot better but if you love the funky yet classy design but cannot afford the price tag, go for the Forever one (HERE) ...like why not?

I hope you enjoyed the post! Cannot wait to share my next Splurge VS. Steal with y'all! 

Beauty Chit Chat: Say Bye-Bye to Raccoon Eyes!

#14

♥How can I stop my eyeliner from breaking?
Eyeliners and lipliners are so frustrating to work with when they break and leave you with a stubby point. It's like a regular number 2 pencil... no one wants to use a dull one! If this happens to you a lot, put your pencils in the freezer for 15 minutes prior to applying. This will help prevent it from breaking on you in the middle of a cat-eye masterpiece.

♥What eye shadow colors are the best for dark skins?
This question is a bit hard. I have seen extremely talented make-up artists use the craziest colors on their eyes and still look flawless. I love doing make-up but one thing I never mess with is eyeshadow--it requires too much patience from me! My best advice is to use deep burgundies, plums, and copper tones for an understated look to complement your warm skin tone. If you are feeling a bit on the adventurous side, definitely play around with neon brights such as electric blues and purples!

♥How can I prevent my wing eyeliner from smudging?
This is so common! It is so easy to go from fierce to a raccoon throughout the day. If I am going to a special event or a party where I know I will sweat a bit, I like to line the top and bottom of my wing with concealer. It will take a few extra minutes but it is totally worth it! Apply some on a thin brush and sweep it underneath and above your wing, it acts like a lipliner for your eyes.

I hope these tips were helpful today! 

DIY: Affordable Wall Art!

Hi Friends!

I'm obsessed with DIY projects. I may be too lazy to do them all but I love watching videos and pictorials on them. During the summer and winter breaks, I love the late night Netflix and DIY sessions. I have been into making canvases for the past year and my apartment bedroom is full of them! I literally have seven hanging up on the walls of my little room and two outside in the living area.

With temporary apartments it is so difficult to decorate when your lease/contract does not allow you to do certain things and to be honest, it's not completely worth the money for one or two years...definitely not on a college budget!

An easy way to spice up any room is by displaying wall art whether it is pictures, canvases, or random frames with prints. Prints from Etsy or Amazon can cost you anywhere from $7-$25, but why pay that when you can DIY them yourself in under 10 minutes and for only $2!

You will need:

Photo printing paper

Printer

Frames

Pinterest

How To:

1.) Go on Pinterest.com and find a print you love (quotes, pictures, patterns, anything)
2.) Save the picture onto your desktop
3.) Resize the image to fit your chosen frame. I resized all of mine to 8 in. X 11.5 in. You can even alter the sharpness, color, and tone of your image at this step.
4.) Print the image onto photo paper and pop it into your frame!

I bought certificate frames from A.C. Moore which I later found at the Dollar Store for only a $1. The simplicity of the certificate frames is nice because it allows the print to shine and stand out. The best thing about this particular DIY is that I can change the print at anytime. I am so indecisive and grow bored of decor very quickly so I can now theme my living area according to my mood, occasion, and any holiday!

Hope you recreate your own! Have a great day! 

The Winter Blues...!

Happy New Year!

I hope you all a wonderful holiday! I desperately needed this break from school! I was able to spend great quality time with all my friends and family which felt necessary after the fall semester rollercoaster. I will be heading back to school in a few days and the craziness will once again begin. However, I know a nice degree will come at the end of it all so I have to keep reminding myself that "Punam you gotta do whatcha gotta do". 

For New Years, my cousin came to visit from North Carolina. She is a year older than me but we used to spend almost every single holiday together when we were younger. However, now as we are older and with her also being in pharmacy school, our conflicting schedules for the past 4 years made it so difficult to spend the New Years together. I am very thankful that it all worked out this year! 

She always comes up to my family home so this time I wanted to show her around the wonderful city of Philadelphia where I go to school. We celebrated New Years up there and did touristy things such as eat, see the Liberty Bell, eat some more, Love Park, eat until we couldn't fit into our pants, and go to Magic Gardens!

With the temps in the low 20s on our way to Magic Gardens it was a serious hassle to doll up and look cute. Thankfully when I opened my suitcase, I saw that I had packed my blue coat and a faux fur stool. This winter, colored coats inspired by men's blazers are very popular and luckily, if you head over to your Forever 21right now, there should be a huge selection on dramatic clearance. I bought this coat, amongst others, for only $14.99! With the holidays over with, stores are trying to get rid of the pre-Thanksgiving stock.

For the rest of the outfit, I wore a matching baby blue shirt and two basic leggings, yes two -- double up girls before your legs fall off. To cover my neck, ears, and mouth when I was walking, I wore the faux fur stool which I now probably owe my life to--it was incredibly warm! All in all, bundling up warm served to my advantage as the "garden" was outdoors. If you are ever in the area, you MUST visit, it was absolutely gorgeous and the artist Isaiah Zagar is extraordinary talented!  

I hope you enjoyed this post! Have a great 2016! 

All About My Makeup Routine!

Hi Beauties!

I hope your holidays are going well! I have been hanging out and getting ready around many friends and family this holiday break. Common questions that I have been receiving and have received many times before are "What order do you put your makeup on?" "What highlighter do you use?" "Wait, what is that orange gunk that you're using under your eye?"

All of these are questions that I find myself asking other girls when they are applying their makeup, too. I was going to compile these questions in a "Beauty Chit Chat," but I thought it would be more informational if I dedicated it its own post! 

Disclaimer: I am by no means a makeup expert. I am a regular girl that loves and finds it therapeutic to experiment with new makeup and looks. I have a lot to learn and would love to hear your personal tips! 

What order?

My makeup order depends on whether I am going for a full-face look or a casual daytime look. My full face/night-out look requires more products in comparison to my casual daytime look.

Full Face Order: Moisturizer, primer, corrector, concealer, foundation, concealer again (to highlight), eyebrows, bronzer (to contour), blush, eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara, highlight, and lipstick

Casual Face Order: Moisturizer, corrector, foundation, eyebrows, eyeliner, mascara, blush, and lipstick

PS: If you are wondering what I mean by "corrector", please refer to my Beauty Chit Chat post from last month! |HERE|

What brands are you using? 

Primer: NYX

Corrector: Orange Shade NYX

Concealer: Maybelline 

Blush: City Color Cosmetics

Foundation: Kat Von D

Bronzer Contour: Anastasia Beverly Hills

Eyebrow Pomade: Anastasia Beverly Hills

Mascara: Maybelline

Gel Eyeliner: Maybelline 

Highlighter: The Balm Cosmetics

Makeup Tools:

I have realized over the years that your makeup is helpless without the right proper makeup tools. My favorite and most frequently used tool is the Beauty Blender. I literally use this sponge for everything, from blending out my concealer and foundation to applying my contour and blush. I have essentially stopped using face brushes completely! 

For the eyes, I use an angled eyeliner brush to apply my gel liner and to conquer the brows, I use an even thinner angled brush to apply my dipbrow pomade.

I hope you try out some of the products that I mentioned above. If you can only try one, you must try the Balm Cosmetics Mary-Lou Manizer highlighter! Please tell me your makeup order and favorites in the comments!

Beauty Chit Chat: Winter Skin Battle!

#13

♥Can I still use foundation on dry winter skin?

No matter how dewy a foundation may be, it will never look good on dry winter skin. The flakes beneath will poke through your foundation and look obvious. Before applying foundation, exfoliate your skin with an exfoliating scrub to get rid of the dry skin and apply a thick moisturizer. The thicker, the better. Leave it on your skin for at least 15 minutes before applying your foundation. If your skin is too greasy after 15 minutes, wipe the excess off with a makeup wipe or toner. 

♥How can I fix my rough, cracked hands?

This happens to the best of us, don't worry. If you need extreme repair, apply a thick layer of hand lotion or body butter and cover your hands with a pair of tight winter gloves overnight or as long as you can. This will help lock in the moisture. For daily care, apply lotion after each hand wash and a little cuticle oil around the nail beds at night. 

The dry winter air can take such a toll on your skin so stay warm and moisturized! 

Timeless Jewels Under $50!

Happy Holidays! 

Last year, I complied a trillion gift guides for anyone in your life. This year, I have really been into quality and timeless jewelry pieces that I can cherish and wear for years. Quality and timeless comes for a hefty price at times, however, I scoured the internet and found pieces that would make perfect presents for a friend or even yourself for under $50. If you accessorize all the time, sometimes, or only once in a blue moon, these pieces will serve you year after year!  

ONE | TWO | THREE | FOUR | FIVE | SIX | SEVEN | EIGHT

I hope you find something you love from here!