Life Update: Japan, College, etc.

Hey Everyone!

Long time no see!  I know I keep saying I'm going to get back to posting on here more regularly, but I'm really going to put some effort into it this time!  I think I might make a post on my typical "everyday" makeup and skincare routines because they've changed quite a bit since the last time I shared.

This is as festive as I got for Halloween >.<

I think the biggest thing that has happened since I last posted is that I went to Japan for a month back in May/June.  It was beautiful and amazing and there's so much to tell.  I will definitely be making a separate post once I can organize all my thoughts and the bazillion pictures/videos I took.

Also, I still haven't graduated from university.  Mostly because I keep changing my major and can't make up my mind.  I have been wavering between art, foreign languages, and heath care.  I think I know what I'm going to do though!  My uni has a program that basically lets you design your own major if they don't have exactly what you want.  I'm going to see if I can basically create a makeshift Art Therapy degree and keep my minor in Japanese.  If it all works out how I think it will, I will basically have already taken 95% of the classes I need to graduate!  My overall plan is to apply to grad school for Occupational Therapy.  My uni has an amazing program that lets you get your doctorate in 3 years and I can really see myself being happy in that field since you get to work creatively with the human body and help people at the same time.  I think my Japanese minor might actually come in handy too, because there is a city near me with a pretty large Japanese population.

I don't usually do New Years Resolutions, but I did make some general life goals for the new year.

1. Get back into yoga!  I used to be intermediate-advanced level when I did yoga twice a day, but now I rarely do yoga once a month!  I've noticed a decrease in my flexibility and an increase in my stress.  I also get more achey than I used to.  Lately it's been hard to carve out the time (and space!) for yoga, but I want to make it a part of my life again.  Even if it's only 2-4 times a week!  An even more longterm goal is to try aerial yoga! 
2. Improve my general fitness overall!  I've been managing stress in all the wrong ways lately and it's led to a bit of weight gain and overall sluggishness.  At the very least I want to set aside 30 minutes for cardio every day.  
3. Live up to my potential.  I'm someone who has gotten A's throughout high school and college with minimal effort.  I think if I actually applied myself I could do even more, especially in Japanese.

Alright, well that's all for today folks.  I plan to post again sometime this week or next week.  Talk to you then! 

She Burns Like the Sun

Hey guys!  So you've heard me talk again and again about the sunburn I got last month, well here's a picture of what it looked like after the worst of the peeling was over.  I was still pink and so sore, but at this point I had gotten most of the dead skin off.  And this is probably the first time you've even seen me without a spot of makeup on...so yeah, be nice!

But anyways, this is what I had to deal with for a while.  It hurt too much to wear makeup (and makeup just made me look crusty anyway!) so I just slathered on moisturizer a thousand times a day and kept an icepack near at all times.

Hopefully my bare muff hasn't horribly disturbed your day!

FOTD and 12 Question Tag

Hey guys.  I'm trying to post more often which means more quick/easy posts.  Hopefully I'll get some reviews up soon.  I need a nice sunny day for good photographing lighting :]

Clinique cream liner in black, MAC Quiet, Please lipstick.

This is a look I did a few weeks ago.  I left my hair wavy and just did quick makeup.  Tom wanted to check out a "reptile rally" at a pet supplies store not far away.  I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but Tom really likes reptiles has a leopard gecko named Gin.  It's pronounced "geen" (like green with out the "r") as in Gin Ichimaru from the anime Bleach.  He's a cute little guy and he loves his mum.  I'll try to get a good picture of him.  Actually perhaps I'll do a post on all of our pets.  I just have my Daisy Mae, but Tom has Gin, Nova (a turtle) and Joanie ( a chubby dachshund).  Quite and interesting little collection.

Anyways, the "rally" was a bust as there wasn't anything interesting and Tom was convinced he knew more than the so called specialist.

12 Questions:

1. What do you order at Starbucks? I don't go there often, but when I do I get an Iced Chai 
2. What's one thing in your closet that you cannot live without? Hmm... leggings. 
3. What's one thing that most people probably wouldn't know about you? I'm a really big anime/manga fan.  I guess I don't come off as the "type" to like those things since people are always shocked when I tell them... 
4. Name one thing that you want to do before you die: Live in a foreign country.  Not just visit, actually live there for an extended period of time, not be a tourist.  
5. What's one food that you cannot live without? Frozen vegetables.  More often than not Tom and I heat up those steam packs of mixed vegetables and make rice for lunch. 
6. What quote/phrase do you live your life by? I don't really live by other people's quotes and things. I just try to be a good person by having honest intentions, not doing things to intentionally hurt people and not being afraid to stick up for and help others. 
7. What's your number one most listened to song on iTunes? Sunburn by Muse
8. What kind of style would you define yourself as having? very eclectic 
9. Favorite number: 8, very symmetrical... :]  i wonder if anyone will get that reference. 
10. Favorite books: I read a LOT so this is hard for me. I like anything David Sedaris writes.  The Awakening by Kate Chopin, The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, The Moral Instruments series by Cassandra Clare, The Hunger Games series, The Hobbit, The Golden Compass series.  I could go on for days.  Maybe I'll put up a few book reviews.  As for manga I like Fruits Basket, Soul Eater, Ouran Host Club, etc. 
11. Favorite shows: Another tough one.  I like paranormal dramas like Medium and Ghost Whisperer.  Hmm, I like True Blood, Desperate Housewives, Brothers & Sisters, and Degrassi.  As for anime i'll give anything a try but ones I have kept watching/ finished are Bleach, Inuyasha, Soul Eater, Fullmetal Alchemist, Fruits Basket, Ouran Host Club, Sailor Moon, Mahoromatic.  I'm sure there are many more that I can't think of at the moment.
12. Guilty Pleasure: This summer it's been ice cream.  It's been to hot it just sounds so good on most days.  

Hopefully this post was at least slightly interesting.  Let me know if you do the tag or even if you find any common interests :] 

Nature

Here are some "nature" photos from my area.  In Ohio we have unpredictable weather and a drastic change between seasons.  Sometimes I wish I lived in another state where it's 70 degrees and sunny year round, but I have to admit that Ohio can be quite pretty.  These are just a few shots from last year that I figured I would share with you.

This was taken at Side Cut Metropark a few days after a storm.  The flooding had gone down quite a bit, but there were still little "pools" hanging around like these.  

Waves on Lake Erie.  This picture is deceptive, those waves were actually kind of high.  I remember this was a rather gloomy day.

This was taken on the UT campus while I was walking back to the car.  This past winter was SO cold, the trek to and from classes was horrible.  I had a red nose for months, but at least the snow and ice were pretty.

I hope you enjoyed this little peak into my area.  Do you enjoy the weather where you live?  Or are you dying to leave?

ABC's of Me tag and FOTD

Hey everyone!  It's been a hectic past few weeks for me!  I got new furniture and I've been trying to organize my bedroom and my art/makeup room.  There are still a few pieces of furniture I would like to replace but I haven't found anything suitable yet.  My sleep schedule has been horrible lately too.  I've been staying up till 6am and waking around 2pm O.O  I made myself get up early today though to get back on track and be even more productive.  So tonight I'm going to do a simple post, just an FOTD and a survey I saw on a few other blogs. o


This is a makeup look I did this Winter.  I think this was taken in February or March.  I used some MAC shadows on the lid, Ulta blush in Fame and MAC Quiet, Please lipstick.  It's very simple, I wore this look quite often during that time period.  

A. Age: 20

B. Bed size: Queen, I love it.  I sleep either all stretched out or curled in a ball so it's convenient :]  

C. Chore you hate: washing dishes, for sure!  

D. Day: hmm at the moment any day is good for me.  No school or work gives me the flexibility to do what I want on most days.  Lately I've been organizing like crazy. 

E. Essential start to your day: brushing my teeth and putting on moisturizer. 

F. Favourite colour: lavender, turquoise, and yellow

G. Gold or Silver: either.  My skintone in pretty neutral so I can wear both.  Lately I have been reaching for gold though. 

I. Instruments: I have a keyboard and an acoustic guitar, but I can't play either of them.  One of my goals for this summer is to learn. 

J. Job title: student 

K. Kids: I don't have any and I'm not sure if I want them in the future.  Maybe.  

L. Live: Toledo, Ohio.  It can be oh so boring here though :[ 

M. Mum’s name: Carol  

N. Nicknames: Meg, Weeble, Weebs, M&M, sweetheart, sugarbritches, various sweets and pastry pet names that my boyfriend calls me.  

O. Overnight hospital stays: Infected chicken pox in my mouth when I was very small and getting my adenoids taken out.  

P. Pet peeve: the term "pet peeve" and narrow minded people. 

Q. Quote from a movie: haha anything from Scary Movie 3.  I'm always spitting out lines from that movie.  Hilarious. 

R. Right or left handed: right 

S. Siblings: Carlos and Tanya, both older than me. 

T. Time you wake up: usually around noon, unless I have school. 

U. Underwear: anything comfy and cute. 

V. Vegetables you dislike: Hmm this is a hard one, I like most vegetables.  I disliked eggplant the one time I cooked it, but perhaps it was my fault.  

W. What makes you run late: picking out what to wear and putting on my makeup

X. X-Rays you’ve had: lots, most of them when I was rather young so I don't remember specifics. 

Y. Yummy food you make: Palak daal, vegetarian shepherd's pie, roasted cauliflower...I like to cook. 

Z. Zoo: The Toledo Zoo.  It's pretty nice, you should go if you have the opportunity to. 


Let me know if you decide to do the tag, I'd love to read it :] 

FOTD from New Years

Hey guys!  I'm still trying to get caught up with pictures, so this one is all the way from New Years.  I remember I modeled this after a Michelle Phan tutorial.  I like how it came out, much more complicated than my normal makeup.    I know I used my Coastal Scents palettes for the eyes and MAC jest for the highlight, but that's all I can remember.

The camera didn't pick up the glitter on the inner corners of my eyes :[ 

This picture captures the vibrancy of the colors a little better.

Since I last made a post a lot has happened!  I took my final exams, found out about scholarships, started Spring cleaning, signed up for next Fall's classes, turned 20, etc.
First off, I didn't get the art scholarship that I was hoping for.  At first I was really disappointed but I talked to the other people in my class and the only one who got anything was a senior.  So now I feel much better about it.  I did get a $1500 general scholarship through the university though.  It isn't as much as I first had, but I'm still working on bringing my cumulative GPA back up.  Actually this semester I got a 4.0!  I am SO excited about that and very proud of myself.  I never even got a 4.0 in high school!  Here's a screenshot to prove it!  ^.^

I'm really excited for next semester!  I've been staying pretty busy lately, I've set a lot of goals for this Summer.  Hopefully I will be motivated to post more regularly though.  How have you guys been lately?

Simple Cat Eye look

Hey everyone!  This is a quick EOTD from a while ago.  I just did an easy winged eyeliner, neutral brown eyes, and nude-ish lips.  I think I used Wet 'n' Wild eyeshadows from the Comfort Zone palette, clinique creme liner, and MAC Marquis d' lipstick (from the Wonder Woman collection) and Ulta blush in Fame.

Front view

Above View

It's quick and easy so it's a nice look for me to do when I go to class.

You can see the "wing" better in this one

Speaking of classes I'm all registered for Fall 2011.  I'm taking Spanish, Japanese, Drawing III (Anatomy Drawing), Internet & and World Wide Web, and Dreamweaver Web Page Development.  I'm pretty excited about most of them :]

Well that's all for today, I have an unbelievable number of papers to write and a final project for Drawing II to get done.

Hope everyone is doing well!

electric blue eye makeup

Hey guys!  I'm just going to do a quick post today.  I'm slammed with art projects, studying for a couple quizzes & a midterm, and two 5 page papers.  The curriculum for my program is changing next year, so I'll have to look into how it affects me.  Also I'm still thinking about taking on a minor in a non-art related field.  I'm considering Japanese or Spanish.  We'll see :P 


Anyways, back to blog business.  I did this look a few weeks ago.  I just felt like wearing something different to school that day. 

Do you like the bigger pictures?  


On the eyes:
-Clinique gel liner winged out on the top lashline
-Mac carbon eyeshadow to set top eyeliner
-NYX slim pencil liner in electric blue winged out on the waterline
-Mac electric eel eyeshadow, used to set the blue liner
-LashBlast volume on top and lower lashes


On my face:
-Mac studio sculpt foundation in NW 20
-Mac select cover up concealer in NW 20
-Ulta blush in fame
-Mac eyeshadow in jest used as a highlight


On my lips: 
-Mac quiet, please lipstick


Hope you guys like this look!  Also, I don't think I've mentioned it on here yet.  This summer I'm going to Chicago to take a class (or perhaps multiple classes) at MakeUp First school of makeup artistry.  I love makeup and I figured it would be a great thing to do on the side with school.  

Christmas Eve makeup

I know this is late, but I figured I would show you anyway :]

I spent Christmas Eve at Tom's grandma's house (on his father's side) as usual. I was going for a smokey silver eye to go with my outfit. I didn't get a full-body picture that night, but I wore an oversized grey/blue sweater belted with black leggings. Belted oversize sweaters with leggings have kind of become my "uniform" this winter. It's just to comfortable & easy and it looks put together.

I apologize for the lighting, I took these in my boyfriend's (poorly lit) bedroom right before we left. And well...it's wintertime in Ohio...it gets dark at like 5:00 :[ Colors are washed out and whatnot, but you get the idea of it, right? :]

I hope everyone is having fun and staying warm! I'm absolutely loving school this semester (so far)!

Life Update

Happy New Year, everyone!

I know it's late, but I've been busy getting ready for school (which started this week). I have quite a few pictures stored up so you can look forward to seeing some makeup, a lens review with a creepy look, and some uber short fringe.

So what happened to me in 2010? Well...

-I became a college sophomore

-I turned 19

-Took out my lip ring

-Found out the my dad had skin cancer

-Found out that Dad is healthy :D

-Tom's mom started & finished chemo and started radiation (she is also doing fantastic, cancer is completely gone, radiation is just a precaution)

-Tom and I celebrated our 4th year together

-I finally quit my job

-I had a ton of fun with my friends and family

Even with the low points, some of which were really horrible, I had a pretty good year. I hope 2011 will be better!

I'll leave you with one of my many 2010 makeup looks

I used Coastal Scents 88 palette on my eyes and Mac Viva Glam IV on my lips. It's simple, but it works for going to the mall :]

Hope everyone that has school enjoys their classes and has fun!

A bit about myself

After debating whether or not to just jump into this blog or tell a bit about myself first, I have decided that introductions are in order. That's me --> I'm a complete goofball, i know. I'm eighteen. I'm a student at The University of Toledo working toward a BFA in drawing. I love doing girly things like getting my hair and nails done, but I have a rather twisted sense of humor and I don't always act very ladylike! I'm new to the whole blogging community but I plan on using this blog for anything I find fun/interesting/creative! Hopefully people other than myself will find it entertaining :P

your week been going? My week has been lovely so far.

This is my darling pug, Daisy Mae! I adore her!en g

I decided to put up a poll to provide a little more information on myself! oing? My week has been lovely so far. I

1. How has your week been going? My week has been lovely so far. I haven't had to go to school at all due to all the snow. Although I only go two days a week in the first place.

2. Do you color your hair? Occasionally when I get quite bored with it, but I usually end up dying it back to normal after a bit.

3. What’s on your nails? Sally Hansen Xtreme wear in Celeb City and gunmetal. It really is a long lasting polish. I've had it on for about three days and it still looks nice.

4. What are your favorite TV shows? Oh goodness, I love TV! But unfortunately I hardly ever get to watch my favorite shows :[! A few of my favorites are True Blood, Brothers and Sisters, Desperate Housewives, anything on HGTV, Food Network, Bravo, DIY, and Discovery channels. I also enjoy animated shows like Family Guy, American Dad, Futurama and various anime.

5. Are there other cosmetics that you love as much as nail polish? Yes! Although I love nail polish, I couldn't live without mascara!

6. Are you a fan of Nutella? mmmm yes. I don't like peanut butter, so Nutella is the perfect alternative.

7. What’s your favorite base and top coat? I actually use Nail Life nail revitalizer as both a base and top coat even though that isn't what it's meant for. It is the only thing that has worked to really strengthen my nails!

8. Do you love boots? How many pairs do you own? I do love boots for wintertime, but I only have one pair :[

9. Would you rather spend a 2 week (all paid) vacation lounging on a beach in Fiji, touring the city streets of Japan, or rugged hiking in Australia? Oh my! I would gladly do any of these and hope to experience them all in the future. Right now though, I would really love to visit Japan.

10. What is your favorite physical thing about yourself? Hmm at the moment I would have to say my hair. I just got it cut and I absolutely adore it!