august wrap-up + favorites

Hello & welcome back! How are you?

August has been a really good month for me. Soccer started, I’ve been getting ready for school, plus my birthday was on the 26th! (I’m officially 14, people. I don’t feel any different so there you have it.) Since I’ve had some time away from blogging, I’ve had a lot of time to think about how I really want my blog to be.

I recently received a new camera as a gift from my grandmother (if you’re reading this: thank you so much), so I’ll be doing a lot more photography posts. (Stay tuned!)

I really want to start doing more minimalistic posts, and start sharing some moments & pictures of different things that have inspired me and hopefully will inspire all of you too! I want my blog to become more meaningful. I want my posts to be well thought out and inspirational.

Thank you for sticking with me as my blog continues to grow and change, I really appreciate it! Anyway, let’s finally get into the post, shall we?

My first favorite from August are these lovely makeup brushes! I received this set on my birthday and I’ve been loving the brushes so far. I’ve only had them for a few days but I’ve been using them like crazy and practicing different makeup techniques.

The air is getting crisp and cool, and you know what that means: bring out the candles. I’ve been loving this sweet peony candle, but I recently traded it out for an apple cider candle to get myself in the fall mood! There’s nothing better than a cool evening with a good book, a warm sweater, and a candle.

I decided to try out the L’oreal Voluminous Carbon Black mascara (let’s be honest, I only bought it for the packaging), and I actually really like it! Of course, my favorite mascara will always be the Maybelline Great Lash, but this one comes pretty close. I have blond eyelashes, which means I don’t have eyelashes at all unless I wear dark mascara. This mascara has made my eyelashes so dark and voluminous–I would definitely buy it again, it’s pretty inexpensive too!

When it comes to drugstore makeup, Maybelline is my favorite brand, so it’s no surprise that I love their eyeshadow palette. I’ve been eyeing this palette for a while, and finally decided to buy it. I’m so glad I did!  I don’t like my eyes to be too dark (it doesn’t look good with my skin color), so this palette is perfect. The eyeshadow looks natural and feminine, and the palette has a good blend of fancy shades and neutral shades. I love it!

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That just about wraps it up. As always, thank you for sticking with my blog & reading.

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july wrap-up & favorites

Oh gosh, July went by so quickly. It really did. I actually had a really good month, though, filled with going to Great Escape, reading every single day, texting my friends, and spending a ton of time in the sunshine.

I said that I had tons of amazing content coming your way…oops. Summer got in the way. I’ve been behind in posting and commenting on other posts. But you know what, I’m fine with that–summer should be spent doing things instead of stressing out over blog posts!

Anyway, let’s get into my favorites from this month.

I didn’t buy or try out many products this month, so I actually only have two favorites. My first is the Wild Honeysuckle lotion from Bath and Body Works. I’m actually really impressed by the Bath and Body Works lotions and perfumes–they all smell so heavenly. I’ve been buying products from them for years, and this product is no exception. It’s smooth and creamy, and smells so so fresh and delicious. It’s my favorite scent out there.

Guys, you know a product is special when it’s on your favorites list twice in a row. Yup, you probably recognize this coconut water facial mist from my June Favorites post, so you probably know that I am obsessed with this stuff. If you haven’t bought it already, you need to. It smells so good, the scent is light and not overpowering, and works perfectly as a body mist as well as a facial mist. I also use it as a makeup setting spray. Sometimes I even spray some on my pillows to freshen them up. Just buy it, people. This stuff is the bomb.com!

– Other Favorites –

• I read 10 books this month–but I’m having a reading binge today, so I’m sure I can get that total up to 12 by the end of the month. Of all the books I read, my favorite was A Darker Shade Of Magic.
• I’ve been loving Oh Wonder’s new album, I’ve been listening to it over and over, along with Imagine Dragon’s new(ish) album.
• My family’s latest obsession has been brownies–I found a special recipe online where you melt a chocolate bar in the center. It’s the best thing since toasted bread. (Is that the right expression?)

Thank you for reading! Hope you all have a fantastic day.

What music have you been listening to lately? What are some favorites from July?

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not your mother’s shampoo & conditioner review

Hello, hello, & welcome back to another post! It’s time for another review post. I’m embarrased to admit that this post has been planned for months, but I haven’t gotten around to it. Oops. I’ve even had the photos loaded up, waiting to be edited. Again, oops. A few of the photos turned out blurry, apologies for that.

Anyway, all that aside, let’s get into the post.

My hair takes a really long time to grow. I use coconut oil and essential oils and all that amazing stuff, and while that has definitely helped my hair, it still grows very slowly. I thought about taking Biotin supplements, but many people said that their skin broke out from it, and as I have blemish-prone skin, I didn’t want to try that out. I’ve always been a fan of the Not Your Mother’s brand, and when I found out they had a shampoo and conditioner shampoo and conditioner targeted at growing out your hair, I jumped right on it.

I know I say this about almost every product I review, but the s & c are extremely inexpensive! (Maybe I’m just a cheap person, if I keep buying inexpensive products. But hey, I like saving my money.)

The reviews are actually pretty good, a lot of people said that their hair was growing like a weed, so I thought it wouldn’t hurt to try. Plus, the shampoo and conditioner are free of sulfates. (Though they do have quite a few chemicals.)

Well, well, well, my hair actually did grow pretty quickly. I didn’t take any pictures of hair growth, but I would say my hair grew a few inches more than usual in one month. I could honestly just tell, looking in the mirror. My hair seemed longer every time I checked. I’m sure if I bought more, I would see even more hair growth. But I stopped using it, for a few reasons.

My hair turned to straw. It was dry, the ends were unhealthy, and overall it just didn’t look very good. Also, I found myself needing to wash my hair more and more, because my scalp was getting extremely greasy. Once the bottles ran out, I switched to OGX shampoo and conditioner, and I’m happy to say my hair is back to normal.

So, if you want your hair to grow quickly, definitely use this product. Everyone’s hair type is different, and I know for a fact that my hair doesn’t react well with too many chemicals, which is probably why it turned so dry. If you end up with a bad haircut and want to grow your hair back long, this will also help! However, it does say on the back of the bottle this product is for already existing hair, and does not grow new hair, so keep that in mind.

Would I purchase this again? Yes, I would. It was cheap, smelled absolutely heavenly (it smelled like strawberries and hot summer days, the scent was amazing), and it worked. It truly worked. However I do think I would need a lot of hair masks to balance out my hair, because it turned extremely dry and unhealthy.

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Thank you so much for reading, as always, and I hope you have a great day.

What shampoo and conditioner brand do you like?

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June Wrap Up & Favorites

Hello & welcome back! Hope you had a fantastic July 4th!

I know I say this about every month, but June went by fast. Is it just me?! Nonetheless, it was a fun month. We celebrated my sister and my father’s birthday this month, went to Cape Cod on vacation, and spent a lot of time soaking up the sunshine!

We got back from Cape Cod last Saturday, and since then I’ve been spending these precious summer days chilling, reading, and going to the beach. I’ve also been posting a lot less on my blog…apologies! Life gets in the way sometimes, am I right?!

Anyway, let’s jump into the short & sweet post.

My first favorite from this month is the Maybelline Fit Me! concealor. After staying up late reading, I’ve been needing concealor to cover the circles under my eyes! I bought this in the shade Medium 25, and it blends in with my skin really nicely. It’s smooth, easy to blend, and really does an amazing job covering up dark circles. Let me know if you’ve tried this out.

My next favorite is the Pearlessence Coconut Water face mist. Guys, I can’t even begin to tell you how much I love this stuff. I’ve been using it for tons of things: as a setting spray for makeup, as a pick-me-up for my skin when it gets dry, after cleansing my skin….it works wonders, too. Plus it smells amazing and is inexpensive.

The Clean & Clear moisturizer is another fav from this month. It feels really cool and calming when I put it on my skin. My face has a bit of a sunburn, so it’s nice that the moisturizer has a cool feel. It has an almost gel like texture as well–overall I’ve just been really enjoying it!

– Other Favorites –

• Guys, I have been obsessed with the midnight mint mocha frap at Starbucks. It is so darned delicious. And of course I told the barista that my name was Bucky. This is what happens when you watch too many Marvel movies.
• My favorite band, Imagine Dragons, released a new album this month. I stayed up until midnight the day it was released so I could hear it right away! I love all the songs, if you haven’t listened to their music, you’re missing out.
• My hair has been in a dutch braid almost every day this month, haha I can’t get over it! It looks super pretty and is effortless & easy to do.
• I’ve been watching the show The Shannara Chronicles on Netflix…have any of you seen it? I’m liking it so far…

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There you have it! Thank you for reading, and I hope you all have an amazing day.

What have you been watching on Netflix this month? What’s your favorite Starbucks drink?

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How To Take The Perfect Instagram Photos | Guest Post

Hello & welcome back to another post! Today I have an awesome guest post for you from Taiya, a fellow teen blogger. I found her blog via Pinterest and I totally adore it! Make sure to give her a follow & leave a nice comment at the end of the post! Without further ado, let’s give the spotlight to Taiya…

A while ago, Abigail reached out to me to join my Teen Group Pinterest Board, and I checked out her blog and FELL IN LOVE! It was so refreshing and inspiring to find other teen lifestyle bloggers having great success and a wonderful following on her blog. After we emailed back and forth a few times she asked me to write a guest post for her and I couldn’t be happier to work with her and her wonderful amazing audience (that’s you!)

But before we dive right in, here is a little about me…

• I live in a small town, Canada, and when I mean small, I mean small, trust me 😉
• I have been blogging for about a year and a half now, and I couldn’t be happier with how much my blog has grown and changed for the better over these past few months!
• I may have a slight obsession of shopping for clothes (but what teenage girl doesn’t, right?…)
• I can never get enough chocolate, like seriously, I could live off chocolate if needed.
• I love dancing but you’d never catch me in a ballet class; I’m more of a dance-in-the-kitchen-to-the-radio type of dancer if yah feel me.
• And best of all…I just finished school for the summer! Yippee ☺
• You can read more about me here.

Alright, enough about me, let’s get into the photography! In this guest post I am showing you my top tips and tricks on how to take better photos, and how to get those picture-perfect Instagram pics!

#1. Keep an Eye on The Background

When taking photos, you always want to be aware of what’s in the backdrop. A cluttered room or random people in the background could definitely ruin a good picture. If you are trying to take the perfect selfie in your bedroom, I recommend checking what’s in the shot behind you. Do you have some laundry on the floor (guilty), or could you close your closet doors so it’s less messy looking? (also, guilty) Whatever it is, try to keep your background nice, clean, and minimal.

#2. Natural Lighting

When taking photos, natural light is your best friend, I promise you. Artificial light usually looks “fake” on iPhone photos and destroys the quality. When taking blog photos in my room I always try to take them mid-afternoon when the sun is shining, open my blinds, and turn off the light. For me personally, natural light is always the best way to go for the best results.

#3. Try Out Different Angles

I don’t know about you, but photos with a unique angle is always wayyy cooler than a boring straight-on shot, especially for outfit photos. A shot from the left or right side always looks awesome. So, play around with it, try close in, far out, maybe from the left side, or right side. try it out and see what you like best for that particular shot. ☺

#4. Act Natural

When posing for pictures, I know this sounds obvious, but act natural. Easier said than done, I know, but trust me when I say over-posed photos looks fake and staged. Try natural positions and remember to keep your shoulders relaxed. Using objects around you as props also helps. I love this picture not only because of the photos but the way she is effortlessly sitting on the steps in a natural pose.

#5. Take Advantage of Street Art

If you live in a city, street art is your best friend. Colorful walls on the side of buildings or pretty street art is not only trendy, but definitely Insta-worthy! Often when I’m walking around downtown in cities I see gorgeous walls that would be the perfect backdrop for an Insta pic, so grab a friend and take a couple shots! Here are some examples: 

View this post on Instagram

caption this!!!

A post shared by Tara Michelle ⭐️ (@imtaramichelle) on Apr 11, 2017 at 5:38pm PDT

 #6. Use Filters, Sparingly

I’m all about those filters, but you definitely don’t want to go overboard. I use VSCO Cam (free app) to edit all my pictures and I LOVE their free filters. Now I would recommend avoiding those bright pink filters you used back in 2010, yeah, you know what I’m talking about, enough said, LOL. I prefer filters that are bright, crisp, and clean looking. I like to use A6, A4, and HB2 (from VSCO Cam). I will also sometimes veer off the filter path and just manually edit the photo myself. If I do that route, I usually adjust brightness, contrast, and saturation.

#7. Take OOTD Shots From A Lower Angle

If you are going for that perfect OOTD Insta, ask your photographer to crouch down a little. If you are coming from a lower of an angle, it will elongate your legs and make you look taller 😉 And who doesn’t want that?

#8. Use The Rule Of Thirds

If you haven’t heard of the rule of thirds before, don’t worry! There are tons of helpful YouTube Videos on the rule of thirds for beginners. The rule of thirds is basically a photography trick that enhances your photos and makes them more appealing to the eye. You just line the subject of your photo on a “third” line to make an interesting shot. See the first photo below? Boringgg, it’s just a plain ol’ straight on shot. The second one, taken using a “third line”, is much more interesting to the eye.

Well, girl. That’s it for this post, I really hope these tips and tricks helped you step up your photography game a little! It would mean the world to me if you popped on over to my blog and checked it out. Thanks a ton for reading, you rock ❤

 

 

 

 

 

DIY Honey Mask For Glowing Skin

I’m obsessed with facial masks. Lately, I’ve been putting on a facial mask and painting my nails–just this simple act of pampering and self care can do wonders. Turn on Netflix, light a candle, and treat yourself people!

I really like making my own masks from natural ingredients rather than buying a chemical-filled mask from the store. In today’s post, I’ll be sharing with you my favorite honey mask.

Guess what: all you need is honey. Raw honey, to be exact. Raw honey is better for your skin, so although you can use regular honey, you’ll see better results if you use organic, local raw honey.

Why honey? Honey can help with anti-aging, exfoliation, making your skin way softer, and will make your skin glow. Could it be any better?!

What you do: splash some water on your face (the honey will apply better on wet skin), and rub the raw honey all over your face. I usually rub it in for a minute or so, just to make sure it goes into my pores.

Leave the mask on for fifteen to twenty minutes, then rinse it off, cleanse your face, and mostiurze! After cleansing, I like to apply some essential oils (with a carrier, of course), and then mosturize for extra soft skin.

If you want to see even better results, do this every three days for glowing, gorgeous skin! I usually do this mask in the evenings, and whenever I wake up, my skin is so soft. Also, my blemishes are fading, which is a huge plus.

Well, that’s a wrap! As always, thank you for reading, and if you enjoyed this post make sure to leave me a comment!

Have you used honey as a facial mask? What is your go-to natural face mask?

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My Goal For Summer

Hello & welcome back to another post!

Well, summer is upon us! I was going for a walk around my backyard this morning, and as I was picking some flowers, an idea sparked for today’s post. I got rid of the post that was planned for today, snapped some pictures, and wrote this post. Today I’m going to be sharing with you my goal/mantra for this summer. Of course, I have a million goals: I want to be kinder, make more friends, etc, but I narrowed it down to one main goal.

Ready? Let’s get into the post.

If I had to sum up last summer in one word, I would say discovery. Last summer, I really learned a lot about myself and my personality. I hope I will continue to learn things about myself as the summer goes on, but I have one main goal for this summer: Personal Growth.

I would love to grow my hair longer while we’re talking about growth…;) But that’s not the kind of growth I’m talking about!

I want to grow in my interests and beliefs. I want to stop worrying about little things and just relax. I want to grow to be comfortable in my own skin. I want to grow my blog, and make it bigger and better.

I want to grow and develop my friendships with others. I want to grow to be kinder, stronger, more positive. Though I’m already very emotionally strong (I don’t cry or get affected by things very often), I want to grow to be even more emotionally strong, so that what people think of me doesn’t matter.

I also want to grow in my faith. I want to be even closer to God and read the Bible twice a day. (I’m currently reading it once a day.)

Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.

Colossians 2:6-7

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This was a quick post, but I hope you enjoyed. Thank you for reading! I hope that this summer will be a summer filled with growth for all of you. Have a fantastic day, catch ya on the flip side!

What is your main goal for this summer?

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May Wrap-Up + Favorites

May, where did you go? Is it just me, or was May a super quick month? Maybe it’s just me. It’s actually been a great month for me. School ended in the beginning of May for me, so I’ve just been getting ready for summer and hanging out with friends.

In terms of blogging, though, I’ve been failing. Oops. Aside from hitting the big 1K, I’ve only posted a few times, and I’m not very proud of the posts I put out. Luckily I have amazing stuff planned for June, I’m super excited, so stay tuned!

Anyway, into the post!

My first favorite from this month is Revlon nail polish. I’ve really been enjoying putting aside time for myself to paint my nails and make them look pretty, and for almost every manicure, I’ve used Revlon. I did a review, if you’d like to check it out here’s the link.

Next we have this adorable flower choker. I bought this in a set with other chokers, and I’ve been obsessed. I’ve worn a choker almost every day since I bought the set. I just love how chokers can make your outfit look more pulled together & chic! Here’s the link to my review on them.

This bracelet was one of my presents from Christmas, and I’ve been wearing it so much this month. It’s actually hand made (I believe it’s from Africa if I’m remembering correctly), and it has so much personality. I always get a ton of compliments when I wear it. I love wearing this with a casual black dress and sandals.

– Other Favorites –

-My favorite Netflix show from this month is Lost. I’ve been watching it like crazy. It has so many plot twists and turns that I never see coming, which is part of the fun.

-My favorite blog of this month is Natalie’s blog (www.natalievinh.com) I’ve seriously been checking her blog every day, her posts are so down to earth and super fun to read. If you haven’t followed her blog, go check it out, you won’t be disappointed.

-This entire month, I’ve been craving dried banana chips and eating them like crazy. I also can’t stop eating chocolate. The addiction is real, people.

-Since school is out and I have even more time to read, I’ve been gobbling up books like crazy and reading them in a day. I’m currently reading Dualed. I can’t tell if I like it so far…I’ll let you know when I finish.

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Well, that’s a wrap folks. Thank you for reading, and I’ll catch you on the flip side! Have a splendid day.

What have you been loving this month?

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20 Things You May Not Know About Me

Heyo & welcome back to another post! I hope you all had a fantastic Memorial Day.

So, I’ve been blogging for years, yet I feel like I still haven’t talked about myself very much. Or maybe I’ve been talking about myself too much. (Oops.) In today’s post, I’m going to be sharing 20 facts about me that you may not know, so you’ll get to know a little more about me.  A lot of bloggers do this and it seemed like a fun post, so here goes!

1. I’m an actual human being with an actual life. Shocker huh?
2. I’m Scottish! I live in America, though. My dad has red hair…if only I was born with red hair, but my hair is brown with natural highlights. {insert sad tear}
3. Most of my wardrobe is neutral colors…I usually wear black because I feel most comfortable in it.
4. I do track and field, and I’m a little bit obsessed with working out.
5. I love arm wrestling people and have a mental list of all the people I’ve beaten.
6. I am obsessed with nature. I love forests and hiking. I used to hate hiking and thought it was gross because of the bugs, but now it’s just peaceful to me.
7. Rainy days are the best kind of days in my opinion.
8. I’m a very deep person and have deep thoughts, yet I’m not very emotional and don’t cry often.
9. I don’t own a phone.
10. I eat peanut butter out of the jar. And raw brown sugar. And raw cookie dough. And brownie batter. Not sorry.
11. I go to Cape Cod every year and love the ocean, but it scares me. I have a fear of drowning and sharks, so I’m always scared to swim in the ocean.
12. I’m pretty short for my age, only 5’3.
13. I will stand up for anyone or fight for anyone if necessary.
14. I try to watch the sun set every night. A few nights ago, the sky was the shade of cotton candy, it was so gorgeous. Too bad I didn’t have my camera…
15. I laugh too much.
16. If I get my hands on any sour candy or anything with chocolate and peanut butter, I’ll eat it all.
17. I have really thick hair, so I usually need two or three thick hair ties to hold up my hair. So, I usually end up putting my hair in a dutch braid or a fishtail to get it out of my face.
18. I’m a horrible dancer (I mean, I do track, what do you want from me?), but I love the feeling of dancing. If any of you are dancers, can you teach me something?
19. I’m running out of things to say…
20. I take really long showers. (Don’t we all, though?)

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Well, there you have it, some random facts! Have a fantastic day!

What’s something interesting about you? Surprise me!

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My Choker Collection & Review

Hello, welcome back!

I’m sorry I didn’t get a post up on Monday, but I try to stick to “Quality over Quantity”, and I felt that the post I was writing wasn’t very good, so I trashed it and decided not to do a post.

In today’s post, I’m going to be sharing with you my choker collection. Let’s get into the review!

Chokers are perfect accessories that every girl should own. They add the extra touch to an outfit and can make your outfit look more put together! I’m a little late to the choker trend, but after a while looking at chokers on Pinterest, I hopped on the bandwagon and got my hands on a set of chokers.

I recently bought this set of 9 chokers from Amazon (not all of them are pictured in the photo), and I’m in love. I did my research and this set got amazing reviews, so I couldn’t pass it up. Plus it was only $7 for 9 chokers, which is pretty awesome.

This choker is my favorite, because it’s simple, but really adds the extra element to an outfit!

You get a really good variety of chokers in the set, like a basic black choker, a tattoo choker, and a yin yang choker. But you also get some creative chokers, like a flower choker and a choker that comes with a necklace. (Pictured above)

A few people were saying in the reviews that the clasps broke easily. Luckily, the clasps have worked perfectly for me, I haven’t had a problem with them so far. Fingers crossed, though, because these chokers do seem delicate.

I usually don’t like stuff to be on my neck, but so far so good, because the material that the chokers are made of is super smooth (a few are made out of velvet), and not itchy, which is a plus.

| Pros |

• Extremely inexpensive
• The shipping is super fast
• The set has a good variety of chokers
• The chokers are lightweight and not at all itchy

| Cons |

• The chokers aren’t extremely high quality or extremely well made, but they are inexpensive, so I wasn’t expecting them to be high quality. They aren’t low quality, though, which is good. They’re in-between. 😉
• The chokers honestly feel delicate to me. Maybe that’s how chokers are supposed to be? Help me out, guys.

All in all, I’m super happy with this choker set. If you’re looking for some cute chokers, these will work perfectly for you!

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Well, that’s it for today, thanks for reading!Catch you on the flip side.

Do you own any chokers? What is your opinion of chokers?

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