July Favorites

July Favorites

So I've actually never done a favorites post, so here are some of my favorite things to wear on both my face and my body this month!

Disclaimer: ALL of these favorites are reviews and thoughts of my own, no one told me what to say and I paid for these items.  I should really call this a Target Haul because I love that store. haha!

Fashion

So one thing I've been absolutely loving this summer is a comfortable maxi skirt. I've added two to my wardrobe this summer and I seriously find myself reaching for at least one of them once a week. They are long and have cute but appropriate patterns so I wear them to work a lot. My office is a bit more casual than most, but the building itself has at least a base dress code. I wear them with a tank top and an easy flowy cardigan/cover-up and I'm so comfortable all day. The ones I have were from Target and cost $17.99. I own them in both Black Tie and Typhoon Gray Opaque.

Continuing the maxi trend, I've also been loving another maxi dress and have been trying to work the all white summer trend by wearing this dress from Target. I wore it for the fourth of July with my family. Now I usually don't go for strapless things because my ladies are a bit large and strapless bras just never do a good job, but I saw this dress and just had to have it. I did however buy it on sale in store, but it is online for $30. I wear it for nice summer occasions and always seem to pair it with simple easy gold accessories.

Moving Weekend - Update!

As you guys may know, this past weekend was absolutely crazy! I spent the entire weekend moving and hauling things 45 minutes away to my new apartment. I overall got so much done this weekend it was crazy.

Saturday:

We ended up having a really late start on Saturday. It was monsooning outside and nothing would be packed into the car. Chris and I had a late breakfast, and then Will came over and we loaded the car full of stuff to trek it back to the apartment. We basically spent all day Saturday running to and from the apartment and packing so much stuff into the car/apartment that we were exhausted. We did however end up taking my bed apart and removing the mirror off the back of the dresser. 

Sunday:

Late Post: Friday's moving update

I was supposed to post this is Friday, but I didn't really have anything to write about until very late at night, and at that point I was so exhausted I just went to sleep and didn't write this post. Either way, here is EVERYTHING that happened to Friday.

For one: I requested the day off to be able to move allllll day long. Which thank goodness they requested. I felt like I was grossly underprepared to start moving that weekend, but it all ended up coming together (which I will get too). Chris arrived at 9AM & I drove to the airport to pick him up. We called Will to tell him to come over, and after a few hours and 2 different full carloads, we drove the 45 mins to my new apartment.

OOTD - FOTD - Weight Loss Update!

This morning my wardrobe was seriously lacking because more than half my clothes, accessories, and shoes are packed up. So doing an OOTD was almost impossible, but I decided to do it anyway.

It monsooned outside my office on and off all day.

This outfit is pretty simple, just a dress I picked up a few years ago at Target. My fiance actually picked it out, and I wore it on the night we got engaged. The shoes are Pink & Pepper black madja gladiator sandals. I carried a blue teal Coach leather handbag I've had for a couple years. Its large and can hold all the things I need for school and work! (minus my laptop) I had my hair natural in just a headband. It was another wet day outside today, so I kept everything simple.

Packing up my life in a weekend~!

Unicorn Warrior Status - dont mess with the best!

Its less than a week now until I move to my new apartment. And I hadn't even started packing yet, so this past weekend I started. On Saturday everything ran exactly on schedule, my two best friends came over to help and we had an amazing time reminiscing over things. It was so amazing to find all these obscenely old things and laugh with my friends over memories. I loved reading some of the old diaries I had kept, most of them were  covered with stickers. But some of them had some weight to what I was going through at the time. In one entry that was particularly poignant to me was from when I was about 12. And it made me realize that not much as really changed. It did make me realize however, how much I have grown and how much more confident I have become since then.

Sunday however, was one of the most hilarious days ever. A ton of work was done and many more laughs ensued. I found a ton of things from when Chris and I first got together. Looking back though, I realize that our love has grown and matured and I love him more now than I ever have. Its lovely to find these things when love was blossoming and track your relationship as it bloomed.

However, I also found some of my vices: cats and unicorns.
Both boys have approved a unicorn themed apartment. Some through different means than others. The shield is a pillow pet and the sword/club is a stick unicorn that made noise. I have no shame.

In almost everything is some kind of horse/unicorn and cats.

Also, my new room-mate Will decided he would be king of the squeaky hammers. His coronation was very reminiscent of Queen Elsa's coronation in Frozen.

Squeaky Hammer Sceptre...? Uh, YES!

I seriously can not wait until Friday when we finally move. This next year is going to be a journey for all of us, and I can not be happier with the people I'm going to be experiencing this with.

-Jenn

Social media post!

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I promise I don't bite~

T-minus 1 week until move day!

It is exactly 1 week until I move from my childhood home to my new apartment! Oh my goodness I'm so excited but severely unprepared for this move! I feel like I dont even know where to start with the packing. I was supposed to start cleaning out my room last weekend, but I never actually got around to it. (my best friend moved back home, read here)

I know most people are probably a lot farther along than I am at this point, but I guess I need help. Or I just need a list of how to tackle my room, with my closet being a major part of it. Haha!

I'm still anxious and definitely more than a bit nervous about the whole move. But I'm also excited and looking toward the future that I'm building for myself. It is time for me to step out on my own, and although this is one of the more terrifying things to do. I'm ready.

We sign the papers next friday, and I'm hoping to get the kitchen and dining room done. It'll be a bonus if we can start the bedroom closets and organizing that (what I know will be) a mess. On Saturday is the day we move all the furniture, we're getting a big truck and hauling furniture from our respective homes. Asking for volunteers from anywhere we possibly can. ;) Sunday will hopefully result in us getting everything else in order and then another crazy week starts. My final project is due for my class next week but I have a final the wednesday after I move in. Eep!

These next few weeks will probably be nuts, but oh well, here we go~!

-Jenn

Review: Rimmel London Stay Matte Foundation

I recently have spent some lengths of time in the sun, and because its the summertime my face gets fairly shiny pretty quickly. I wasn't even looking for a foundation originally, I had just given up and was going pretty bare-faced except for a light powder and possibly a BB cream this summer.

And then I went on vacation, and got really tan.

Soooooooo my BB cream no longer matched my body, and I was going out with my Mom and some of her friends we were on vacation with. One of her friends had just bought this and offered to let me use it. So I put a little on my hand and it matched me perfectly. I applied it with my beauty blender and it kept me matte all night in the Florida beach heat. So I had to buy it for myself.

The next day I went and picked it up for myself at Walgreens for $4.99. The price was seriously on point. I've been wearing it almost exclusively since then, and I love it. My tan is fading so I'm going to have to get a lighter color soon.
Pros:

• Keeps me matte all day/all night in the muggy South FL weather.
• I barely have to use any concealer.
• Mild scent
• Doesn't irritate my sensitive skin

Although I do have to say if you are more heavy handed using your foundation it can look cakey. If your going for that dewy summer fresh faced look, you won't get it with this foundation. But that is fine with me, because I sit in an office for most of the day anyway.

The image to the left was taken outside, and the one to the right was taken in my office.

If you have any comments or questions about this foundation leave a comment below!
-Jenn

My Best Friend Moved Back Home!

Fairly short post for today, but I just want to say: My best (girl) friend moved back home!

Everyone has that one girlfriend that seriously feels like they are your kindred spirit. She and I have been friends since high school, and we have more fun together than should be possible. We've laughed together, cried together, and supported each other through everything. So when she decided it was best for her to move to Maryland 2 years ago, I was supportive, but sad that she was leaving.

We went our separate ways and we fell out of touch when she left. Our lives just moved on naturally without each other.

BUT THE B**** IS BACK.

And its like no time has passed at all, we're two years older but just as ridiculous. And I realize that seriously, this is the girlfriend I was missing in my life.

-Jenn

Who else despises the word 'diet'?

Because I definitely do.

The one thing that I have absolutely abhorred about myself since my graduation from high school is my weight gain. It didn't bother me so much when it was only that 'freshman 15' but that freshman 15 has turned into a freshman 50.

Yes, in my 6 years since I graduated high school, I have gained 50 pounds.

My weight has fluctuated a lot since then, honestly, but this is the highest I've ever been and I really needed to take charge of what I was eating and my health in general. So this past week I've been doing a fairly decent job of keeping track of the food I've been eating and making a conscious effort to eat healthy. The only thing I do not do, is exercise. Its not that I don't enjoy doing anything physical, its just that I get bored. I do not find running on a treadmill or lifting weights systematically very stimulating mentally. Starting small is probably the way to go. But where to start...?

The first thing I did was download the myFitnessPal app. I heard about it while browsing youtube and looking for ways to kickstart this "lifestyle change." The app suggests that I eat 1230 calories a day. Which is only 30 calories over what I should be eating minimum a day. I knew that was going to be hard but ugh. Misery! After a few days of realizing how many calories I was probably eating I know how I got to be as heavy as I am now.

I started this journey on Monday, and the first week has been a course of trials and tribulations. (and portion control, and impulse control, and frustration) But I'm getting the hang of it.

I think I'll realize that this journey is being successful when I hit that first 20 lbs.

-Jenn

Current Game(s) I'm Playing

Console Game: Halo 4

As far as console games go, the Halo franchise has some serious roots within the Xbox community. This may be older for everyone else who likes to move on to newer things, but I personally like to hold off a bit until all the hype (and the price) calms down to start playing.

I know the history of Master Chief, and I had no idea where the storyline was going. I was seriously engrossed in this new storyline, and overall I was seriously impressed with where 343 took MC's storyline and will be happy when I get to see where the storyline goes next.  Halo games have always had an awesome multiplayer campaign, and Chris and I love to play together. We beat the campaign in a few play sessions. We played a chapter every few nights so the campaign was beaten quite quickly. We work well as a team together, so it turned out alright except for a few car/flying missions where I seriously am still terrible at driving in this game. haha.

The multiplayer, on the other hand, is really what takes the cake for me. Chris and I used to love playing teams with a large group of friends, but since we've all gone our separate ways its mainly just us now. And we find ourselves enjoying a good game of grifball or slayer instead of teams now. The only problems I've been having with the multiplayer recently is literally spawning right next to people, and the newer maps being /tiny/ causing the aforementioned problem. The tiny maps make it nice to find people, but seriously annoying when you're constantly spawning right next to 2-3 people trying to kill each other.

Casual Game: Geometry Dash

I hate this game. Seriously, I only have the free version and am about to seriously decide on whether or not I'm buying the full version or not. When I'm sitting at home in bed, and doing absolutely nothing, I find myself grabbing the iPad and opening Geometry Dash. Its a rhythm based action platformer that requires you to die a lot, get really frustrated, and refuse to play on practice mode until you get seriously desperate.

At first, it was just "Hey, complete the level, feel accomplished." and evolved into "WE PUT GOLD COINS IN IMPOSSIBLE SPOTS BUT I BELIEVE IN YOU GO GET IT."

What can I say, I'm a sucker for gold coins. But now that I've got all the gold coins in the free version, I want moooore.

Also the music they use is fantastic.

-Jenn

Post 4th of July update

I needed this past weekend.

I really feel like I got the opportunity to relax. And I got an amazingly golden tan. I did however, get to spend a lot of time with my Brother (who still snores like a banshee) and my Grandparents. I got to spend all day Friday at the pool with my Grandma. We chatted of course, and I made a few friend in 8 year-old Gabriela. She made me smile, she was interested in comics, science, and videogames. She reminded me a lot of myself, as we continued talked though, I realized that through her over-sharing she was probably going to turn away from any kind of STEM field in the future. Her parents seemed to do what most parents (without realizing it) do. Discourage their daughter from embracing what she was actually interested in, to talk more about her hair. She seemed relieved to talk to someone about how /awesome/ Mystique was (even though she was a 'bad guy') and how many different x-men there were in the universe.

I hope I made some kind of impression.

Happy 4th of July!

This weekend is one of those weekend where I just enjoy myself. I sit on the beach/poolside and soak up the sun. (while wearing the proper sunscreen, the weekend before last I seriously regretted not vigorously reapplying sunscreen).

One of the hardest things for me to do is to let go and to let my brain slow down. But where I am this weekend (Naples, FL) always has the uncanny ability to immediately make me slow down and relax. Its nice to be able to get my life off of moving, my fiance, work, school, and just life in general. Plus I get to spend some quality time with my Brother and my Grandparents that I have come to cherish.

I hope you spend the weekend enjoying yourself. I'll post pictures on Monday.


-Jenn

Moving Pains

Recently, I've decided to try and spread my wings.

Honestly, I had been almost completely dependent on my Grandparents for everything. They wanted me to focus on school, and nothing else. So I did, I didn't work, and I attempted to get good grades. In this past year, however, I've gotten a (shaky) footing and have been making a steady income. With my entire IT department (okay, there was only 3 of us) resigning and moving onto bigger and better things, my boss offered me job security. Which affords me the opportunity to be able to move closer to work and school. My family is happy for me, but I know I'll be missed. And truthfully, I'm starting to feel like the first time I moved into the dorm again.

At least this time though, I'm moving with people who I know will love and support me: My fiance and my absolute best friend.