Favorite Beaty/Fashion YouTube Channels

Hi everyone!

Tonight I would like to share with you some of my favorite beauty/fashion youtubers. Whenever I'm bored at night, I always go on youtube and watch these girls' videos! Having a youtube account is a bit different than having a blog since it's more interactive. They can also be so much fun to watch!

#1 Sunbeamsjess

This girl is from London and she has a very fashionable, eccentric, offbeat style. All of my preppy readers may not like her style, but I love how creative she is with her clothing and I actually really like her outfits (she has SO many clothes). I don't think I would wear her exact outfits to school and such, but I really really do love them on her! She is also extremely pretty and does excellent makeup tutorials, and I love her ombre hair! She has a blog, too. (And I love listening to her accent, haha.)

#2 Stilababe09

Another one of my favorites! The girl with the channel is so entertaining and funny to watch. She has really cute outfits that are a mix of different styles and has great hair/makeup tips. Another thing I really like about her is that she doesn't have all high end makeup like most beauty YouTubers and proves that drugstore types can work just as well!

#3 BeautyBaby44

The girl on this channel has all the cutest stuff! She has an adorable room (check out her room tour) and great storage/organization tips. Her style is really girly and she has a great eye for cute things! I love her makeup collection video.

#4 beautyisaseasyas123

These girls, who are best friends, have a really vintage style, which I love. They're really trendy but buy a lot of their clothes from boutiques instead of the brands everybody gets their clothes from, which makes their styles really unique. For example, the tops they're wearing in the video are so cool!

#5 luxyhair

Two sisters run this channel and they have the BEST hair tutorials on youtube. If you are looking for new stuff to do to your hair or something for a special occasion, subscribe because they have everything! They are constantly putting up new videos and are so good with hair. They create all of their hair tutorials themselves, so all their videos have original styles to try out (and they are all surprisingly easy!) 

Do you watch videos from any of these channels? What are you favorite beauty/fashion channels?

Taylor Swift + B.O.B: Both of Us

Hey everyone!

I don't know if any of you have heard the song, but Taylor Swift recently did a duet with rapper BOB. The video came out yesterday, which inspired me to make a post sharing my thoughts.

Of course I've mentioned it before that I'm a HUGE Taylor Swift fan. So of course, I knew about and had opinions on the collaboration right when it was announced. I wasn't so sure about it, since BOB is a rapper and Taylor Swift is a country-pop singer. But I figured it could be good because of the success of Airplanes with Hayley Williams. Overall, I like the song, but I don't LOVE it and don't feel like it's all the way there. I'm not quite sure I understand the meaning of it. However, it got very positive reviews. Check out the video below:

I really like Taylor's part of the video but I feel like BOB's part has nothing to do with hers! I think she looks fabulous, I love all her outfits, and the straight hair really suits the video. 

What do you think of it?

One Lovely Blog Award

Hello readers!

Tonight I would like to thank Chloe from The Preppy Diaries for nominating me for the One Lovely Blog award!

Since I have been nominated, I have to share 7 things about myself. 

1. My favorite colors switch off a bit, but currently they are a bright royal blue and bright fuschia.  

:)

2. I have over 70 of Taylor Swift's unreleased demos. 

3. Besides fashion, I love music. I play guitar, piano, sing, and write songs. 

4. I have traveled to three different continents so far and hope to travel to all of them!

5. I used to have a guinea pig, but then it died because its cage was outside for a while and it got too hot...I know, sad. :( Now I have a beta fish named Spade and a cat named Lucy. 

6. I have synesthesia, a condition where letters, numbers, and sometimes sound all seem to have different colors to you. 

7. My favorite gum flavor is Extra Spearmint or 5 Grape, but I can never have gum because my mom never lets me buy any. 

Now, I have to nominate other bloggers I admire! If I let you know if I have nominated you, then put a link on your blog back to my blog and share seven facts about yourself. 

Thanks for reading my facts, now I want to hear from all my nominees! 

Glasses

Hi guys!

I just picked up my script for the musical I'm doing, The Music Man! I'm REALLY excited about it and was originally going to make my whole post on that, but I don't think any of my readers are into theatre so I guess I will just skip that....

Instead, I'm going to talk about my glasses. I've had glasses since the summer going into third grade. At first they were little kid's pink wire ones with green ends. When I was in fourth grade, my prescription changed and I got another pair of kid's pink ones with little flower designs on the side to match my friend (she had them in silver.) When I was in sixth grade, it changed again so I switched up to adult glasses and got some gangster looking rectangle gold glasses that I thought matched my hair but were wayyy to big on me! But thankfully, in sixth grade I got contacts so I never had to wear the gold ones except for at night and in the morning. In eighth grade, it changed AGAIN (yes, at this rate I will be blind by 25). By this time, I was thinking of glasses as more of an accessory and not just some annoying thing to have on my face. That is why I decided to get these ADORABLE Coach tortoise shell glasses. (Bad picture, I know...I took it right after I got them which was a few months ago. I look so pale compared to now!)

Overall I really love them and are glasses that I would actually love to wear in public as an accessory. They are the perfect size, perfect shape, perfect color, and are sooo comfortable. Another cute thing about them is that they have the Coach different colored stripes on the inside! 

Do you have glasses? What do they look like?

OOTD + Lilly on ebay

Good evening, readers!

Sorry this post is coming so late...expect one around this time every day until this Saturday because I have my recording class until 4:30. I'm pretty depressed because I'm going to have to spend this week in a dark recording studio and then the next two in a dark theater. I will miss my yoga classes, library volunteering, and pool trips! At least the theater is only three hours, but this recording thing is 9:30-4:30. :(

Today I would like to share with you some AMAZING Lilly Pulitzer deals I have found on ebay and my OOTD! I don't think I have mentioned it, but I scored an Ibanez guitar on ebay for only $300! I just recently purchased some Lilly sailboat earrings on ebay through the "buy it now" option for only SEVEN DOLLARS WITH FREE SHIPPING! I will be sure to post them when they arrive! My sister ordered a cosmetic case, a headband, keychain, and earrings for all under $10 each. They also have the Squeeze fragrance for $7. 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Preppy-Headband-w-Lilly-Pulitzer-Fabric-10prints-4sizes-/380448064734?pt=US_Hair_Accessories&var=&hash=item589478c4de#ht_1298wt_141

http://www.ebay.com/itm/KOOZIE-RARE-LILLY-PULITZER-FABRICS-DRAGONFLY-TURTLE-BEACH-PARROT-PINK-GREEN-BLUE-/261017852783?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item3cc5e05b6f#ht_821wt_1165

http://www.ebay.com/itm/LILLY-PULITZER-ORANGES-PRINT-COSMETIC-MAKEUP-BAG-TRAVEL-CASE-/160827913170?pt=US_CSA_WH_Handbags&hash=item25721733d2#ht_1978wt_1165 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lilly-Pulitzer-Rock-My-Boat-Fabric-Pattern-Stud-Earrings-/130718563671?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e6f6efd57#ht_2011wt_1398

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lilly-Pulitzer-Pink-Tiki-Hut-Fabric-Pattern-Stud-Earrings-/130717899102?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e6f64d95e#ht_1717wt_1398

Aren't those cute???

Now, on to my OOTD. 

Today it was a bit chillier where I live so I decided to wear my new pants. I'm wearing the J. Crew mint green toothpick jeans, mint green sneakers from H and M, a belt from J. Crew, a denim button down from H and M, a green bracelet from J. Crew, and 2 vintage watches (they don't work but they're gold.)

Madagascar 3 and Brave

Hello everyone!

I think I mentioned yesterday that I recently went to go see Madagascar 3. Well, yesterday I went to see Brave. Since I have nothing else to write about today, I thought about doing a few movie reviews!

First, Madagascar 3.

Like I said before, I love the Madagascar movies. I'm not sure if this was my favorite one, though. I think I would like it more the second time around because it takes a while to absorb. In case you aren't familiar with the Madagascar series, I will give you a quick overview. So basically, there are these 4 animals. The zebra, Marty, wants an adventure so he escapes the Central Park zoo. The other animals try to chase him and get him back. They  get captured and shipped to Madagascar. In the second movie, the animals try to fly home on a plane previously built by the penguins, but it crashes in Africa and they meet their parents. In the third one, they try to fly home once again on a plane previously built by the penguins, but it crashes in Europe. The only way to get back home is to join a touring circus full of other animals. This movie was really funny, just like the others. I think the difference was that it was more action-packed and fast moving the entire time, making it seem really short, while the others had a more up and down plot with more depth. I think I will have to watch this one again to appreciate it more and really compare it to the other two. It was overall hilarious and very entertaining, though. It had the perfect ending, too!

Next, Brave.                                                       

My reactions were a bit mixed on this. It was a lot darker than the typical Disney/Pixar film, even a bit scary (especially for the regular Disney audience of kids.) It started out GREAT- it was funny, was really building up the action, and had a bit of suspense to it because of the forward right at the beginning of the movie. But then it took a really unexpected plot twist and the story completely changed. The movie is about a young girl living in Scotland who is the princess. Her mother wants her to act like a princess, but she is a total tomboy and would prefer to do archery and ride horses. She gets especially mad at her mother when her suitors from other kingdoms come. She has to determine who to marry by how they fight, and she can fight better than all of them. I thought this was going to have the same girl-power message of Disney's Mulan where she rebels against society and changes tradition, but when she casts a spell on her mother in hopes to change her opinions that has unexpected results, the story turns dark, suspenseful, and into a mother-daughter story. Overall, this DID have a good message and I actually liked the mysterious, eerie-ness of the story. I was just expecting the movie to carry out what I thought the story was building up, but it actually was building it off of the little forward at the very beginning. It was a pretty great movie, but not my favorite thing in the world. Once again, I would probably enjoy this more the second time I watch it because now I know how it all connects. 

Have you seen either of these movies? What did you think?

Recent Deals at J. Crew

Hi guys!

I'm not sure if any of you noticed the minor glitch I had this morning- my blog disappeared! I couldn't even get into my google account because there was "unusual activity" or something. However, I got it back now (thank goodness!) Today I thought I would share some amazing deals I recently got yesterday at the mall after seeing Madagascar 3! (which was really good by the way- I'm Madagascar's biggest fan). I LOVE getting things on sale and never buy things full price unless it's cheap. Especially from J. Crew! I don't know why you would spend all the money to buy something full price when it all goes on sale anyway. I think the best deal I've ever gotten was either a pair of Sperrys for $13 or a Vineyard Vines polo dress for $8. I got both of those and many others at Sierra Trading, a huge store in the middle of nowhere in Wyoming. We always stop there whenever we drive to Colorado. All the people in Wyoming have terrible style so the super cute stuff is MAJORLY on sale and the hiking boots and such are full price. Which is sad and amazing for me at the same time. Anyway, nothing can beat that, but J. Crew sometimes comes close! This is what I recently bought (on two different trips):

This tweed skirt (is actually darker than the picture)

These chino sailboat shorts 

These black shorts

These mint green toothpick jeans (a little darker than in the picture)

This belt

All of these items were under $20 (except for the pants which were like $35 and I had to pay for them). My sister also got this navy and white striped dress with an anchor on it and zippers on the side, which I will HAVE to steal from her! Now is a great time to find deals at J. Crew- have you been there lately?

Yoga

Hi everyone!

Yesterday cYa was at my house and we decided to make my cookies. We made normal sized ones and then one GIANT one....

I am eating one right now, actually, and they are pretty good, except for they are really hard. cYa put in powdered sugar instead of regular sugar. Ugh. 

Anyway, I started my yoga class on Tuesday. I did yoga last summer with the same instructor who specializes with teen yoga. I totally forgot what a great activity it is! It is relaxing, good exercise, and good practice for focus. I'm thinking about signing up during the school year because it would be a great way to focus and relieve stress. 

I think my favorite part of yoga class is being in the room. It is dimly lit, there is tropical music, and there is a buddha! When we start class, we usually start with sun salutation. Then we pick one thing to focus on, usually it's a certain muscle. At the end we do havashima (I don't know how to spell it) which is when we just lay there and the instructor describes a setting. After I leave the class, I feel relaxed and worry-free!

Yoga is a great activity because it develops your strength, flexibility, and focus. I also love it because it is so noncompetitive. I love the way that you get a workout during yoga while practicing relaxation and focus. It's a great connection  between your mind and body. 

Here is my yoga outfit! (Yes, it's in the morning, so my hair looks bad and I'm wearing my glasses....)

If you want to try something new this summer, I highly recommend signing up for yoga. You will be glad you did!

Signe's Secret Ingredient Cookie Recipe

Hi guys!

Luckily the heat wave has broken today and I'm thinking of going on a jog this morning before I go work at the library. Today I have been really in the mood to share a recipe with you! I was planning on sharing a cucumber recipe that my mom was inspired to create after ordering some cucumbers from Signe's Cafe in Hilton Head Island, SC, but sadly I can't find the recipe. :( Even though I'm more in the mood to bake in the winter, I decided to share another favorite recipe with you: Signe's Secret Ingredient Cookies! I created this recipe when I was in fourth grade. (Don't worry, it is actually good.) I have been baking these cookies for parties and such since I was 9 and they are always a favorite!

Ingredients:

1 stick of butter
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
2 1/4 cups of flour 1 tsp baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 tablespoon vanilla
A few dashes of cinnamon
A small to medium handful of coconut
A bottle of caramel (like the liquid kind for ice cream)
Powdered sugar

Other things you need:
Large bowl
Small/regular sized bowl
Measuring cup
Measuring spoons
Spoon to stir
Spatula

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit. In the large bowl, combine the regular sugar and brown sugar. In the small bowl, melt the stick of butter in the microwave for 10-15 seconds until it is partway or pretty much melted. Then put the butter and egg in the large bowl with the sugar. Mix them together. Then add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir until it makes a dough. Once this is complete, it's time to add the secret ingredients! First stir in the chocolate chips to make sure they are evenly in the dough. Then add the vanilla. After that, shake in a few dashes of cinnamon, the coconut, and squirt in just a few drizzles of caramel. Once this is all mixed together, grease two large cookie sheets. Roll the dough into balls and then place them on the cookie sheet about two inches apart. Bake them for approximately 8-12 minutes. When they are cooled, take the bag of powdered sugar and sprinkle a bit on each cookie.

(These aren't the cookies, but I felt like this post needed a bit of visual representation!)

I hope this post got you in the mood to bake even though it's hot out!

Skincare

Hello readers! Where I live it has been incredibly hot lately. Like, 90 degrees. My mom has even had the air conditioning on the past few days, which she never does! I just checked the weather and it says 77 right now but it will be 91 later today. Guess we will have to keep the air on!

When it's really hot outside, it's crucial to protect your skin from the sun, which is why my skincare routine is a bit different than in the winter. So today, I thought I would discuss skincare!

In the morning, I usually use this neutrogena cleanser. It is just a basic cleanser that removes dirt/oil from your skin and makes it soft. By the way, whenever I wash my face, I always put water on it, rub in the cleanser, then rub it off with a wet washcloth (this does a bit of exfoiliating) and then put water on it again.

Sometimes I use this oil free acne wash from Neutrogena. I have never had a problem with acne, but it supposedly "stops breakouts before they start" so it's never a bad thing to use! I mostly just use it if I need some extra exfoliating or I skipped washing my face the previous night and it feels a bit greasy.

After I've used either of those to wash my face, I always use this neutrogena Healthy Defense moisturizer. It has an SPF 30, which is a bonus! I really like this moisturizer, but when I have to get a new one I would really like one with a tint because I like the coverage tinted moisturizer gives you. 

After I've put on moisturizer I usually but on a bit of this Elizabeth Arden flawless finish concealer under my eyes and wherever else I need it. Actually, that wasn't the right link to what I have, but I don't think they have it anymore....THIS is the exact one I have:

After that I sometimes put on mascara and other stuff, but that doesn't really count as skincare so maybe I will go into that in another post. 

If I'm going to go to the pool or be somewhere outside, I always use sunscreen! I have very fair skin and burn easily so I always use an SPF 50. I usually use this neutrogena sheer dry touch waterproof SPF 55 sunblock. 

At night, I switch off between the Neutrogena daily cleanser (which I probably use 3\4 of nights) and an exfoiliator. For exfoiliation, I always use this up and up apricot scrub. It is a great exfoiliator and smells really good!

I am always really happy with the skincare products I use. It is really important to wash your face twice a day! What skincare products or brands do you like to use? 

Inspiration Board

I think I've mentioned it before that I've been taking a fashion design class. Well, cYa from Citrus and Style is also taking the same one, so she was going to do a post on this too today!

The class's purpose is to expose you to different types of jobs in the fashion business. Each week we have a different speaker that does a different job in fashion. Last Monday, we had a girl who worked in the "business" part of fashion. She works for Kohl's as a buyer, a person who buys clothes from different companies for Kohl's. For this job, we learned that you have to know your customer and know the current trends. This week, we had a girl who is an independent designer here in my city, more from the "artistic" part of fashion. She showed us some clothes that she designed, how she custom-makes clothes for people, and the benefits and challenges of designing independently. Next week, we are having a girl who designs clothes for departments stores and for the average person.

Overall, this class is excellent for people who want to go into the fashion business. I am not sure if fashion will be my future but I'm definitely going to keep my options open! The fun part of every class is that we get to make something at the end. Last week and this week, we've been creating inspiration boards. Next week we get to actually draw a few things! But today I thought I would share a picture of my inspiration board since I really love it. Caroline's theme is more summery and preppy, whereas my theme is more wintry and high fashion chic. Here is a picture:

It looks like it took forever to make but it actually didn't because most of the pictures on there were all part of one big picture torn out of a magazine! My favorite picture is the person at the bottom in the pink and black fuzzy top on the phone. :) Overall, every single picture on it I love so much and I'm going to keep it up in my room for inspiration (duh). Have you ever made an inspiration board?

J. Crew Summer Outfit Inspiration

Good morning, readers! I'm very excited because tonight I have another one of my fashion design classes tonight and start and start my recording class in one week! Today I thought I would share some recent J. Crew looks that have really inspired me. Like I've said before, I much prefer fall fashion over summer fashion. I love layering sweaters, skirts, tights....there is just so much variety! With summer outfits, I feel like if the one or two pieces you're wearing aren't cute, your whole outfit is doomed. And bright colors are really cute and all, but I also really like neutral and darker shades. So as you can see, I have a problem creating good summer outfits. Actually, I can do it decently, I just don't LIKE them as much as my winter outfits. I often stand in my closet wishing I could wear my riding boots and all my cute sweaters again or finding myself wearing black shorts and a cream or fall-colored top. I wish I could get into summer more!!! When I'm feeling like this with my clothes, I often look to J. Crew for inspiration. They have the best summer clothes of all time.

But see, I love this. I adore creating outfits. But you can't actually wear it in the summer, can you? You would be way too hot!

Oh my gosh, and this!!!

But you probably can't wear that, either. Well, you could, but you'd melt. 

So as I've been trying to create cute summer outfits, I realize two things: #1 you need to have the right pieces. #2 Accessories can make your outfit. 

We'll start with having the right pieces. Let's go over the summer essentials:

Button Down Shirt

(side note: my friend wore an oversized unbuttoned one over her swimsuit to the pool the other day and it was an adorable idea! I may have to try it out!)

Shorts

I love the J. Crew chino kind, but it's also essential to keep a pair of denim ones on hand. 

Tank tops and basic t shirts

Pants

If you're going to be in air conditioning or it's not boiling outside, pants are essential to keep on hand just to mix it up a bit in the summer. 

Skirts

Summer is the perfect time to wear them!

Now down to the accessories. 

Shoes

I don't know if shoes count as accessories, but whatever, I'm putting them here. 

Sometimes I think people forget how many options of summer shoes there are out there! There's flip flops, flats, sandals, sperrys, sneakers, espadrilles, wedges, Toms....

Necklaces

I'm finding these to be my new favorite accessory! I love short chunky ones or long ones with a pendant on it. 

Watches

Watches are sometimes that little extra pop that can take your outfit to the next level! A classic one like this is fabulous. 

Belts

They can really make an outfit! I love printed, neon, or just plain leather.

Now. Let's revisit those outfits. 

In the first one you see here, the model is wearing a heavy shirt over an oxford. To make this outfit work for summer, just take off the extra piece. Now you're left with just the oxford and the necklace. To complete the outfit, add a belt and a printed pair of shorts and you've got something like this: 

Which is much more appropriate for summer!

Here is another one a bit like the first one but more suited for summer:

After writing this post, I'm feeling very inspired and hope that you are too!