May 2012 Favorites, Haul, & Empties

Hi everyone!

I've decided that in addition to my monthly favorites, I will be including any collective purchases I've made this past month, and the products that I've used up this month (or empties). I originally saw this idea on Gaby's Beauty Blog, however The Sunday Girl also does this every month. I may not have an empty product every month.

May Favorites:

MAC blush in lovecloud (from the tres cheek collection)
MAC blush in full of joy (from the tres cheek collection)
Benefit creaseless cream shadow in bunny hop (discontinued)
Urban Decay single eyeshadow in sell out
NYX single eyeshadow in taupe
Revlon single eyeshadow in pure pearl
Covergirl eyeshadow trio in cafe au lait





MAC blush in lovecloud & full of joy - I bought these from the tres cheek collection that came out in April. I absolutely love these colors. Lovecloud is described as a bright mid-tone pink and full of joy is described as a lavender. If they are still available near you or online, I highly recommend them. They are perfect colors for spring and summer.


Top picture (left to right): lovecloud and full of joy.



Bottom picture (top to bottom): full of joy and lovecloud.

Benefit creaseless cream shadow in bunny hop is my first and only benefit product. I'm not sure if I would purchase another shade, only because I want to try out similar products such as MAC paint pots. The color is very natural and creamy. I haven't experienced any creasing while using under eyeshadow or alone. I think cream shadow is useful as a base or as a wash of color on a lazy day.

Urban Decay single eyeshadow in sell out is a universal shade. I use this as a highlight under my brows and in the inner corners & all over the lid for a 'wide awake' look.




NYX single eyeshadow in taupe is a "best friend" color as dubbed by Allison or Amarixe on YouTube & another blogger. I love using this shade to blend out any other colors that I'm wearing. Sometimes I'll wear this all over the lid for a natural looking eye.


Revlon single eyeshadow in pure pearl is something that I have owned since high school (5+ years ago). Obviously I haven't used it in awhile and not often since there isn't a single piece of pan showing! I originally bought this WHITE shadow since it was something similar to what a friend bought. I have since moved on from white eyeshadow across the lids. Thank god I didn't follow that trend for long!! Now I use this as a highlight shade to help when I look tired.


Covergirl eyeshadow trio in cafe au lait is one of my project pan items. I've had this eyeshadow palette since high school as well, however you can clearly tell how much I've used it since then! These are nice shades for a natural everyday look, however the pigmentation can be lacking sometimes. The eyeshadows will fade throughout the day no matter what brush I use to apply it or what primer I place underneath it. I want to try shimmering sands after I finish with this palette.


Top picture (left to right): double espresso, mocha latte, and sugar rush

Bottom picture (top to bottom): sugar rush, mocha latte, and double espresso

May Collective Haul:

My new purse is from goodwill (brand is relic). This is a perfect bag for summer with the bright colors. It also helps that it was under $5.00!

The sunglasses are from Charming Charlies. They are brown with diamond accents around the sides of the glasses. These were around $12.00, however one of the diamonds fell out already! I still like them and I'll still wear them since it's not very noticeable. I like these better than the huge white pair I was wearing to replace my other favorite brown pair.

The watch is the brand studio from Kohl's. I still want a Michael Kors watch, however I'm going to wait until I graduate to buy one. This one will get me through nursing school.

The wallet is from the Coach outlet. It was on sale for $50. I use it for my cards and I absolutely love it! If you zoom in on the picture, you can see the zipper wrist wrap (whatever its called!) has a bow on it. Too cute.

This was the watch I originally bought for nursing school, however it's a little busy. I usually don't like all the bling but this watch is very pretty. I purchased this at Charming Charlies for $20.00. I love the crystals inside the watch.

Another nursing school purchase - an owl stethoscope ID tag. I bought this at Affordable Uniform for $5.00. I have been obsessed with owls for about 4 years now when I joined my sorority. If you weren't aware, I am a proud alumna member of Chi Omega!!

May Empties:

Bare Minerals mineral veil is the first and only bare minerals product that I have ever tried. I thought that this was a good finishing powder to wear over your foundation. I wear mineral foundation (non bare minerals), so I don't know how this would look over liquid foundation. I won't repurchase this (at least not right away), because I want to try other similar products.

WOW. I think this is the longest blog I have ever written. It took awhile but it was fun sharing all of this with everyone. Let me know what your May favorites and empties were! Or what you bought this month. Look out for a new blog post idea coming up within the next couple days.

XOXO

How to Succeed in School

As a college student, I have picked up a few tips and tricks on how to succeed in school. I decided to take a break from studying and let you all know some of my secrets (and not-so-secret things).



1. Get a planner. I prefer planners with a montly overview and a section for each day of the week. For the past few years, I've purchased mine from Office Max for under $20. In the month section, write down any important dates that you don't want to forget -- like, exam dates, due dates for projects and assignments, office hours, open labs, and of course days you have off! If you have a job, I recommend putting in the times and days you work as well. In the day of the week section, I recommend making to do lists. I've done them various ways, such as dividing everything into classes or times of the day, and check the box when your done!

2. Get a class binder. I prefer binders over notebooks and folders. You can choose which ever class organization tool you like. I like to have individual class binders so that it doesn't get too full or disorganized. If I have a lab class and a lecture class, I'll put them both in one binder. Dividers and tabs help in organization! I keep my class notes, syllabus, tracking calendars, review sheets, assignments, etc in my binders. I would recommend you keep your binders throughout your school years, especially college! Just recently I wish I had kept my Anatomy and Microbiology binders from previous semesters for references in my current classes.

3. Get highlighters and fun pens. Taking notes is key. If you don't like taking notes and studying (which most people don't), fun colored highlighters and pens make it easier and more creative.

4. Study 2 hours per class hour. Very few people enjoy studying, but its a must in school! Many of your instructors/teachers/professors will tell you that in order to get an A in the class, you must study 2 hours per class hour. Do it!!! However, make sure to take breaks every few hours so that your brain can process as much knowledge as possible. I recommend you go over your class notes after class or after school of the day you learned the topic.

5. Read the textbooks. I've heard that many people did not open a book for a class. However, many times your instructors/teachers/professors will take exam questions from the textbook that weren't mentioned in the notes! Make sure to read any summaries and end of chapter questions too. Some test questions may be taken from those as well. I usually will read the textbook the same day that we went over the topic in class. You could also read the textbook chapter the day before so you are prepared for class.

6. Go to class. This seems so simple, however your instructors/teachers/professors may give extra credit if many people don't show up. They give hints to exam questions and also review sessions! Some may also boost your grade at the end of the semester if you are borderline (close to an A, B, C, etc) if you attend 95% of their classes.

7. Don't procrastinate and don't cram. Many many many people do this in school. But please don't! Work on assignments as soon as you can. Finish projects weeks before they are due. Don't wait until the right before it's due when your stressed and busy. And never cram the night before an exam. Your brain will not process the information and you may fall asleep during your exam. Get a good night sleep before your exam and study ahead of time!!


That's all that I can think of at the moment. If you are in high school (or middle school), end the semester off strong! If you are in college, enjoy your summer vacation or good luck on your summer classes!

XOXO