February Favorites 2016

Hey everyone! I know, this post is long overdue, but I promised I would do these every month so here are my favorite things from February! 

Music

Alternative/Pop:

Troye Sivan- BLUE 

Broods- Superstar

Alessia Cara- Scars to Your Beautiful 

Alessia Cara- River of Tears

Broods- Killing You

Broods- Sober

The Naked and Famous- Hearts Like Ours

Chairlift- Bruises

Chairlift- Amanaemonesia

Broods- Everytime

Daughter- Landfill

Ellie Goulding- My Blood

Marina and the Diamonds- I’m a Ruin

Marina and the Diamonds- Blue

Books

 

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

This is an absolutely brilliant book. The author paints the character as very witty and hilarious, and it is very entertaining to read. This is definitely one of my favorite books I’ve ever read, and I would recommend it to anyone. 

Summary:

My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla. But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean, and wearing all black- black t-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly. Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster. 

  

The Forsaken by Lisa M. Stasse

Summary:

Alenna Shawcross hasn’t seen her parents since they were dragged out of her house by government soldiers of the UNA, a new nation formed from the remnants of Canada, the USA, and Mexico. And now, as a sixteen-year-old orphan, she has failed a government personality test designed to diagnose subversive tendencies. As punishment, Alenna is banished to the wheel,a mysterious island where all the kids who fail get sent. A place where the conditions are brutal, and a civil war rages between two very different tribes of teenagers. So when Alenna meets Liam, a charismatic warrior who is planning to escape, she must find the strength to make a difficult decision: to either accept her new life on the wheel, or to embark on a journey that will uncover shocking secrets about the UNA- and her own identity as well. 

  

The Leveller by Julia Durango

Summary:

Nixy Bauer is used to her classmates being very, very unhappy to see her. After all, she’s working with the enemy- she’s on their parents’ payrolls. Nixy is a bounty hunter in a virtual reality gaming world. Kids in the MEEP, as they call it, play entirely with their minds, while their bodies languish in a sleeplike state on the couch. Irritated parents, looking to wrench their kids back to reality, hire Nixy to jump into the game and retrieve them. Luckily for Nixy and her wallet, she’s the best leveller out there. But when the game’s billionaire developer- and Nixy’s parents’ boss- loses track of his own son in the MEEP, Nixy is in for the biggest challenge of her bounty-hunting career. Wyn Salvador isn’t some lazy kid looking to escape his homework, and this is no ordinary levelling job: Wyn does not want to be found. And he’s left behind a suicide note. Nixy takes the job but quickly discovers that Wyn’s not hiding- he’s being held inside the game against his will. But who is holding him captive, and why? Nixy and Wyn attempt to fight their way out of a mind game unlike any they’ve encountered. And the battle brings them closer than either could have imagined. But when the whole world is virtual, how can Nixy possibly know what’s real? 

 
Burning Blue by Paul Griffin

Summary:

Nicole Castro is the most beautiful, popular, and wealthy girl in her high school… until a mystery assailant splashes her with acid, ruining the left side of her face. The tragedy is instantly all over the national news, but quiet loner and brilliant hacker Jay Nazzaro doesn’t just gawk and whisper like everyone else. Jay understands how it feels to be treated like a freak, and he’s determined to find out who did it. But the deeper Jay digs, the harder he falls for the surprisingly down-to-earth, vulnerable Nicole… and the more danger he’s in. Everyone is a suspect-including Nicole herself- and Jay  might just be the next victim of the list. 

Others

    

Sinful Colors Nail Polish in Daredevil

Lately I’ve been trying to wear colors I wouldn’t normally choose, and this was a great choice for me. It’s a very bright, neon pink, but it put me in the mood for the upcoming warmer months. 

     
Pink Lotus Candleholder- TJ Maxx, $8

When I saw this, I knew I had to buy it. It’s so adorable, and great for holding my candles since I have a bit of a candle obsession. 

 

January Favorites

Hello everybody! Today I have a post for you sharing my favorite things from this month. Depending on when I get my first Ipsy bag, I will either do a Ipsy unboxing or an every day makeup look so stay tuned for that. Let’s get started with today’s post!

 

Music

Lately I’ve been listening to music from my childhood. I don’t know why, it’s probably just a weird phase I’m going through, but I’ll share it with you all.

Alternative/Pop:

• Shakira’s Laundry Service album
• Rihanna’s Good Girl Gone Bad:Reloaded album
• Taylor Swift’s Fearless album

 

 

 

Books

I only have one recommended book from this month, but it’s really good so I would definitely check it out if I were you.

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

This book is really good, one of the best I’ve read in a while. The author has an amazing satirical, sarcastic, and witty sense of humor which makes the book so much better.

Summary:

The fifty contestants in the Miss Teen Dream Pageant thought this was going to be a fun trip to the beach, where they could parade in their state-appropriate costumes and compete in front of the cameras. But sadly, their airplane had another idea, crashing on a desert island and leaving the survivors stranded with little food, little water, and practically no eyeliner. What’s a beauty queen to do? Continue to practice for the talent portion of the program- or wrestle snakes to the ground? Get a perfect tan- or learn to run wild? And what happens when the sexy pirates show up?

 

 

 

TV/Movies

One of my favorite TV shows right now is Pretty Little Liars. Season 6 has recently begun, but I started at the beginning so I’m around the end of season 3. I’m recording it to watch later. This show has mystery, drama, and romance, so it’s good for teenagers or for anyone who’s looking for a new series to watch.

 

 

 

 

Beauty/Makeup

Milani Illuminating Face Powder in Hermosa Rose

This product says that it’s a 3-in-1 bronzer, blush, and highlighter and it looks like it but when used on me, it’s basically just a bronzer. I’m not sure if that’s just because of my skin tone or the fact that I bought the more peachy shade, but I’m happy with it because I needed a new bronzer anyway and this works really well.

 

 

Too Faced Melted Liquid Lipstick in Ruby

I absolutely love this! This is my first higher-end lip product I’ve ever tried, and it’s incredible. I heard all sorts of great things about this, and they’re all true. It can be a bit drying if you keep it on for a very long time, so make sure to keep your lips hydrated. I wore this one school day and even ate with it on, and it stayed on all day. After eating, I did have to reapply a bit but only on the inner lip area. If you want a  good lip product that will stay on for a very long time, this is great. It retails for about $24. The only thing is with this color, it applies as a hot pink shade, and becomes red with more coats, as you can probably see on the white applicator part in the picture.

 

 

 

Others

3 set of candles from Costco, $15

First off, I love these because they are full sized candles. I got them for the price of $15, which would be the price for just one of these candles in a different store. These all have different scents, that are amazing. The packaging of the candles in super cute, and I love how they come with boxes in case you want to give them as gifts.

The green one is called Sandalwood Amber, and the description for the smell is: Warm sandalwood infused with rich amber add a heartwarming and welcoming feel of comfort to your surroundings.

This candle has a more subtle, earthy scent to it, almost masculine. It’s great for a living room/family room, or if you want to burn a candle that doesn’t have a ‘girly’ scent. It smells very fresh.

The orange and yellow candle is Pear Cider, and the description for this one is: Warm apple cider, cinnamon and ginger are blended with ripe pears to fill your home with this luscious fragrance.

This candle is wayyy stronger than the previous one. It doesn’t smell bad, but the spice scents are almost overpowering, with fruity undertones. It sort of reminds me of fall, and Christmas time, so it would be good to burn during the colder seasons.

And lastly, the purple candle is called Cranberry Pomegranate, and the description is: Splashes of cranberries and acai berries are blended with juicy pomegranate to gently infuse your home with the freshness of nature.

This candle reminds me of berries in the fall. It’s very strong with the cranberry scent, and it does smell like a more girly scent.

 

 

That’s all for today’s post. I hope you guys enjoyed it, and see you next time!

New Year/Winter Haul 2016

Hello everyone. I had been planning a haul post as well as a shopping trip for a while now, and someone told me that the mall I was going to was having great sales from after Christmas, so I bought quite a bit of stuff. I suprisingly didn’t get any clothing or makeup for Christmas, but I got a lot of money and gift cards from distant relatives so I went shopping with some friends and bought some things that I’ll be showing you today.  I haven’t done a haul post in a while now, and it’s one of my favorites so I’m pretty excited for this one. 

Side note: About 1 1/2 to 2 weeks ago, I recieved a few hurtful comments on my blog. I just wanted to let you all know that altough it didn’t bother me all that much, I’d like to keep my blog a positive place. And if you think I’m not doing something well, I’d appreciate it if you’d tell me in a constructive, supportive way instead of insulting me because I really work hard and try my best for my blog posts. And don’t be afraid to suggest something for me to change, I won’t be offended and I would like more chances to improve my blog as much as possible. With that being said, let’s get started with this haul. 

Aeropostale 

I had an Aeropostale gift card that my friend gave me a while back, and I remembered it so I ordered a couple things online. 

  
Black Patterned Tasseled Scarf- originally $20, on clearance + an extra 30% off clearance items. Final price: $7

  
Navy Blue Henley Shirt With Light Gray Flowers- originally $25, on clearance + an extra 30% off clearance items. Final price: $5

Kohls

  

Fuzzy Thick Light Gray Sweater- on sale for $25
  

Super Soft Green and White Sweater (this is literally the softest sweater I’ve ever felt)- on sale for $20

  
Green Peter Pan Collar Polka Dotted Sweater- on sale for $30

 
    
 
Black Polka Dotted Floral Bag- on sale for $35

  
Red Chunky Knit Throw- $30

This blanket is great because it’s essentially a sweater but it’s big enough to cover your whole body. It’s very soft, and makes your room look cuter too. 

   
 
Mistletoe and Holly Candle- on sale for $10

I bought this candle after Christmas, so since it’s a Christmas themed candle it’s was on sale for a really good price. I usually don’t buy candles that often even though I love them, because they can be really expensive but the sale price for this made it worth it. I also thought the glass part was really pretty, I like the color and style. This candle has a nice, classic, Christmas tree scent which is one of my favorite smells. It’s very subtle, but still noticeable enough to make a whole room smell nicer. 

Target

  

Camel Colored Knit Cardigan- on sale for $20

   
 
Black Velvet Detail Tank Top- $20

The first picture is more accurate to the color of the garment, and in the second picture I had the flash on to depict the pattern more clearly. I thought that this was a really unique item of clothing and I have never seen something like this before. I think this would be great for layering under a cardigan like the one above. It also came in a maroon shade, and it was kind of hard for me to choose between the two but I wear black way more often plus it matches more, so I went for the black one. 

  
Black, Gray, and Red Sweater Dress- $25

Before this, I didn’t own any sweater dresses but I thought they were really adorable and versatile for winter, so I went ahead and bought this one. I like how this one is pretty long compared to others I’ve seen. It comes about mid thigh and it’s super thick and warm, perfect with tights and boots on a cold winter day. 

   
 
True Love Candle- $3

This is one of the candles that Target had in their dollar section. I believe that it came out as a Valentine’s Day candle. It also has a subtle fragrance. It smells fresh, but in a girly way. 

Bath and Body Works

  

Peppermint Marshmallow Candle- on sale for $8

I only got this one thing at Bath and Body Works because on the day I went, they had just gotten their new stuff in so there wasn’t much of a sale. However, they had a small sale area where I found this candle. I think the red bumpy glass container for this candle is very pretty and decorative. The name is pretty self explainitory, because this candle perfectly embodies the scents of peppermint and marshmallows. This is a perfect holiday candle. 

Sephora

  

Too Faced Melted Liquid Lipstick in Melted Ruby- around $23

I don’t typically shop in Sephora, just because I don’t have a job so I don’t usually have enough money to buy any products from there. I went in just to look but when I saw these I knew I had to get one. I hear and see great things about the Melted Liquid Lipsticks all of the time, so I wanted to see just how great they are. (Even when I was in the store another customer recommended them to me!) The color is beautiful. If you want to reach the color of the tube and box, you would have to layer the product a bit but it’s beautiful either way. It has incredible staying power. I wore it to school on a day that my lips were a bit dry, and it didn’t dry my lips or any more which is great. I removed it before eating just in case because I didn’t know if it would stay on, or possibly stain my skin or what. I still have to test it some more to see if it does stay on while eating, etc but this is definitely highly recommended from me. 

Forever 21

  

Emerald Green V Neck Sweater- $20

This sweater has a gorgeous color. I bought it a couple sizes too large because it was the last one and I like my sweaters to be oversized, so the neckline goes kind of deep but it’s fine if I layer a shirt underneath. It’s very thick and soft, great for a casual day at home or a cold day out. 

  
Light Aquamarine Faux Suede Skirt- $15

I saw a lot of suede skirts in Forever 21, but I loved this one because I thought the shade of blue-green was very unique. This skirt is good for if you want to be a little bit dressier but not too much. I already have a brown faux suede skirt but that one had buttons down the front so I thought it would be nice to have some variety. 

  
Black Floral Pencil Skirt- $16

This skirt is pretty formal looking. It would probably be good to wear to work if you have a job. I like the vintage sort of feel it has. 

  
Black Long Sleeved Chiffon Shift Dress with Yellow and Orange Flowers- $18

I absolutely adore this dress! It’s another item that has a sort of vintage vibe to it. It’s very flowy and loose, and I love the long sleeves because most dresses are short sleeved. I think this looks cute paired with black tights and combat boots for an edgy twist. 

That’s all for today’s post. I hope you guys liked it, and see you next time!