Over this past week I was able to try out this Tea Tree shampoo by Maple Holisitics, a brand that I have never heard of before, but was very interested in their all natural ingredients. They are an all natural beauty brand that is sold online and in some Walmart stores. A representative emailed me and asked me if I wanted to try out one of their products and I was very interested in using tea tree shampoo for my hair because I have noticed my scalp has been a bit dry lately and I thought the first week of college would be a great time to try it out.
I have recently been using tea tree oil on my skin and I love how smooth it makes my skin feel. I was unsure if I was going to react or something, but my head has felt fine and my hair is actually pretty smooth. I do have to say that it doesn't have the greatest scent because there aren't any artificial scents or chemicals to make it smell flowery and sweet like most shampoos in the market. I would say that if you are interested in using natural products, this brand would be great to explore to try out. You can try out some free samples through their website, too.
This shampoo I would say is used more for treatment purposes and not as much for making your hair look voluminous or anything like that. I have noticed that I haven't been scratching my head or anything, so it really helps. I would like to look into their essential oils because I love using them in my oil diffuser and when I feel like I need to put some on for anxiety or stress. I would really recommend this brand for anyone looking for natural products!
As school begins for me, my excitement to use new stationary and school supplies has reached new heights. I have already moved into my college dorm and am so excited to share what my room likes in the upcoming weeks once I am comfortable and tidy enough to take some pictures. It has been a really awesome time discovering more about my city and I wanted to share some bits I bought for college.
So, I was really looking for some bougie stationary and I was at Sam's club with my mom and I saw this ten dollar kit that had all cooper stationary: pens, scissors, a stapler, a pencil cup, and a tape dispenser. It was such a great price and to be honest, I really am obsessed with all of it.
An essential is notebooks and I have found some very cute ones that I adore. I was at Target (not surprising) and found this pineapple one and a palm tree one. A lot of tropical themed stationary is high up on my to-get list.
Lastly, along with a MacBook, I wanted to spruce it up a bit and add some stickers from Redbubble and had to make an aesthetically pleasing cover which is green and tropical. I love Redbubble and if you buy ten stickers you get half off of all of them.
I think it really adds personality to any laptop or notebooks and can also be great to personalize things, too.
There are many more bits where these came from and I am ready to take all of you on the journey with me as I am at college. What are some essentials you like to have with you at school?
While college move in is right around the corner (a week from yesterday), there are still many things I need to consider before starting college. Trust me, I am just as nervous and anxious as the normal college freshman and I have yet to find my own routines and develop my own time management skills.
I am so excited for what's ahead: the experiences, new people, new places, and just having the freedom to make my own choices. Especially when it comes to using my time wisely. This won't be set in stone or anything and I clearly have no wisdom for this because I haven't even moved in yet. However, I feel like all of us new freshies have some type of routine or mindset when it comes to how much we want to actually study or actually workout in college. Amirite?
In college I hope that I can create a routine that I am comfortable with and can deal with while staying on top of my studies. Personally, I do want to stay focused and not dilly dally through college winging most of my exams and projects--that's just not how I have done things, at least through high school I never did. Sure there will be low points and I will get through it, and hopefully I can reflect on this post and say "Oh, yeah you totally rocked it and graduated" at the end of college. I know that routines change and people change, too.
Ask Yourself, "Who Do I Want to Be?"
Obviously the answer should be YOU. I'm not asking you to change into an alter ego or anything, but consider what type of person you want to be and what morals or beliefs you want to have or keep. I know going into college I might be exposed to alcohol, parties, drugs, boys, all that stuff. Decide before going into it or at least think about types of situations you can be exposed to and how you can make the safest and most YOU decision. I can't decide for you and I know my opinion can't really sway anyone from going to a party when they should be studying--I ain't yo mama. I know that I want to be safe and also enjoy the experiences, while also having fun and keeping up on my studies.
Having Some Self Control
Something as simple as the abundance of food at college can seem like Heaven on earth, but did you really need that extra bag of chips? Or that bowl of just-okay soft serve? I think the main thing I am kind of scared about is tuning into self control and knowing when enough is enough and how I should really be making healthier decisions. Instead of binge watching Netflix, maybe take a 20 minute run instead. Or even watch The Office while you run!
Get Out of Your Comfort Zone
I am in this little safe bubble in my town and everyone knows where they are and who their friends are, and to be honest, I am so ready to meet new people. I have been with the same class for about 13 years and I am so ready to see new faces and also new cultures. I want to join different clubs and get involved on campus, too. I want to really get the most out of my college experience and I am sure many freshmen do too. While I have no idea what to expect, I am ready for a new start and new activities.
There's a lot more going on in my head right now as I begin to start school and I am sure that I will keep writing about my experiences on here when I start. I thought this might be helpful or somewhat relatable to freshmen in college or maybe seniors trying to help a newbie out. If you can take away one thing from this, then I would encourage any new freshman to consider what type of person they want to be seen as or they want to reflect off of others. It's a "fresh" start for all of us, so maybe it's time to be more open or contribute more? There's a whole list of things you could do to make sure your next four years are the best four years.
Also, I have no idea what my blogging schedule will be like when I move in or start school, so please bear with me for the next couple weeks. I would like to keep it the same as it has always been, but I will for sure be back with great stuff! I hope the transition is smooth and I am able to post regularly.
And to senior Natalie who is probably reading this, I hope you have continued to be the best you you can be and hopefully you graduated. Also, if you would like to discuss freshman topics or simply offer an opinion on becoming a new college student, please share! I'd love to hear your thoughts :)
This summer has given me a lot of time to figure things out, while also do whatever I want before I go off to college. A couple days ago I watched a video on dollar store diys and I was inspired to make a trendy, marble plant stand that only takes a couple hours to make and is fully functional and cute for any space.
Here's What You Need:
- 10" Wall Clock
- 3 Paper Towel Holders
- Spray Paint of Choice
- Marble Contact Paper or Cardstock Paper
- Scissors
- E6000 Glue
- Duct Tape
- The first part of the project requires taking out the actual clock part of the clock because that will be your top of your plant stand. It is important to keep the back of the clock, the glass (which I actually broke) and just take off the hands.
- Now is the time to cover the face of the clock with either the contact paper or another type of paper or covering of your choice. All colors are optional, so feel free to make it your own.
- Once you have covered the face of the clock which will be the top part of the stand, you can now start on the paper towel roll holders. I bought mine for two bucks at Walmart and spray painted them gold.
- On the back of the clock where the battery pack is, you have to carefully place the towel holders after they are dried onto the back of the clock. To form a stable structure I had to bend the holders out to about 45 degrees. I made the mistake of doing it on the clock and broke the glass, so bend them before placing them.
- Once you have placed all three holders onto the clock, you can glue them like crazy with E6000 at all the connecting points. To keep it in place, I taped it and left it to sit upside down over night.
I had a lot of fun with this project and was pleased with how it came out. I never have time for diys, so this was really nice to do on my own time. Besides breaking the glass top, I don't think I had any other issues or problems with the project. You can make it more your own and choose a different color clock, taller paper towel holders, or use it for anything else! I love how simple and minimal it looks and fills up this little corner space I have in my room. It's a great project to do with anyone and is really simple and inexpensive.
Here's the YouTube Video I watched! Thanks to The Sorry Girls for inspiring me to make it.
It has been only five months dog-less and our home has been missing a little pitter patter. To be honest, it has been really hard looking at everyone's dogs, especially new puppy goldens. About a week ago, my parents brought my sisters and I out to lunch and all was normal and dandy. As we are finishing our Portillo's hotdogs, my dad starts to say something; "You know we love all three of you girls and Rigly was like a son to me, however, I have always wanted a son".
And my heart kind of dropped. A new baby brother? No. My mom starts crying of hysteria, my sister is like forcing her chocolate cake down, my other sister is screaming, and I am speechless about to pass out. "We have always wanted to adopt...a new dog". My mom bursts out laughing and I'm sitting there still in shock.
So, here is our new pup, Cooper! We didn't think we were ready for a new dog, but we were really feeling empty and needed a fluffer to run around and play with. My parents took us immediately after lunch to the amazing breeder, who has been breeding and caring for goldens for like 15 years, and my dad had the final say on which dog. We choose the pretty mellow pup. We like the runts and the not-so-yappy dogs and boy are we so excited to get him. He is currently about 6 weeks old and we get to pick him up on September 2nd. I will be sure to include updates and cute posts up about our new doggo.
When we got Rigly from my aunt, he wasn't nearly as small, so the whole puppy thing is pretty new to us. We named Cooper after Cooperstown, New York where the Baseball Hall of Fame is and his middle name (yes, we're extra like that) is Bell after his mom Bella because she's already had two full litters within this past month! I can't wait to take him places and take really cute pictures of him.
Any puppy advice I should know?
Over this past week my mom, sister, and I made our way down to Rogersville, Missouri to visit some really close friends and we had so much fun visiting. It's always amazing how you can have really close friends that live so far away and still have a connection with them. Every visit feels just like the one before (maybe a little height difference), but it seems like our relationship just grows and grows. We forget what grades we're in or what we have to do outside of visiting because whenever we are together it doesn't feel like we've been separated at all. I love those kind of bonds.
This is one out of three beautiful dogs they have, Boot. I don't know why, but I really resonated with this dog. She's kind of a hound and reminds me of my grandma's pup. She would follow us all over their property and would always welcome you when you walked outside of their gorgeous cabin.
On one of the days, we went to Top of the Rock in Hollister, Missouri. It is this beautiful golf resort designed by Arnold Palmer and has a really great golf cart tour of the waterfalls and you go inside a cave with a built in bar! It was really amazing to see some of Missouri's hidden beauties along this mountain.
A lot of our trip was spent relaxing around their house, swimming, and driving their Ranger around and taking some sweet pictures. My best friend Cole actually took most of these pictures and is truly a pro.
Since my family and I live in the big city, it was really nice getting to go south and enjoy some peace and quiet with all of their livestock and actually seeing stars in the sky at night.
As my final summer hoorah and getaway before college starts, this was truly the cherry on top. Before I live in the busy city for the next four years, I am thankful for having to go far away to make these special visits to our beloved friends and family all throughout the year.
I just want to personally thank the Perry family for having us down for the weekend because I think I needed it before I start writing papers and focusing on school. Time has flown by, but time will not break our bond.
I begin school in about two weeks and am beyond excited to see what my journey has in store. As I sit here and write this, listening to my Spotify playlist, I have realized how ready I am to start a new adventure.
Surprisingly, Chicago has been very cool and today it reached a high of 65 degrees. Even with the sun beating down, it can sometimes get a little toasty. We are blessed with better weather that's not so oppressively hot or humid and I haven't been wearing much on my face. However, I do every now and then love to dress up and I have been loving breathable makeup. Not "natural", but comfortable makeup.
I have some older and newer products that I have been enjoying a lot this summer and I really haven't stopped using the Naked 2 Basics Palette. They are all classic colors and I love wearing taupe shades on my lids. For my eyebrows, I have been continuing to use the Anastasia Brow Pomade in Medium Brown. It has been one of my favorite brow products and I have really been wanted to try out the Brow Whiz.
As for my face, I keep it pretty simple. I normally wear a BB cream and a light powder. I wear a light base and use the Rimmel BB Cream. I love it because it protects my skin with SPF 25 and covers my imperfections without being too thick.
After I apply it with a Beauty Blender, I dust on some Mac Studio Fix Powder to mattify and keep my face from getting oily. I really love this powder and it's great to travel with because it has a mirror and a compartment for a sponge.
Sometimes I like to line my under eyes with the Maybelline Color Tattoo in Gold Rush and it adds a bit of dimension and color. Then I will usually line my eyes with the L'Oreal Lineur Intense Eyeliner which has a great and easy applicator and gives you very sleek and thin lines.
To top it all off, I have been loving the Covergirl Plumpify Mascara because of how much it volumizes and "plumps" my lashes.
Lately, I have loved pink lips and a subtle pop of color on the lips has been in this season. The Laura Mercier Lipstick in French Kiss is a great pink tint for the summer. What type of makeup look have you been loving this summer?
On a somewhat cloudy and overcast Monday, my best friend Ellaby and I decided to go take a trip downtown Chicago for a get together and also because she was gone for two months in Germany for an exchange program. Also, since Lollapalooza has just ended, the city was barren and pretty calm for a girl's day out.
My outfit was kind of grunge chic. I have been loving camo print and oversized shirts and jeans. My Zara shirt is actually a unisex tee and I love the relaxed cut. I paired it with an American Eagle Bralette that adds a bit of femininity to it as well as some layered necklaces. My bottoms are also American Eagle and my Birkenstocks which gave me hella blistered feet, but well worth the look.
Ellaby and I wanted to do some of the "touristy" like things and take a couple pictures in front of the Willis Tower and by The Bean. It's never a bad time for some Instagram photo ops with my bestie! We were happy that it never rained and shopped around before we headed to my main motivation, Bombobar.
While I love paying for aesthetically appealing food, it really did taste good. I have heard many and seen many posts about this cafe place before; I just couldn't resist. They have infused donuts and gelato. I chose pistachio gelato with sprinkles, Fruity Pebbles, and a maple cream infused donut. It was a flavor explosion! Ellaby had a matcha flavored gelato with Carmel and captain crunch. I would really recommend skipping lunch or dinner at the Bar Siena which is the main restaurant and go straight to dessert!
Photo credentials to my lovely friend, Ellaby.
Of all the masks I have tried in my life, there have been many that have impressed me and some that haven't. One that I have heard of are the "bubble" masks and Elf has come out with their own version which I am very impressed by.
I love doing face masks with my friends and this one is the best for sleepovers or cozy nights in. I have realized that Elf has really stepped up their skincare game and I was interested to see how it works.
The packaging it comes in is really sleek and innovative. The dispenser is so convenient and leaves no guck to clean up or get stuck in the lid. It comes out like a gel and is very refreshing on the face.
Once it is on your face, you kind of get a fizzing sensation and then the gel becomes white and bubbly.
After about 10 minutes, the mask will "rise" and become bubbly and it might tickle a lot. I love how fresh and clean my skin feels after it and the clean up is really simple and mess-free which I appreciate.
I would really recommend this mask for oily skin types or anyone looking for a fun mask to do. You get a lot of product for a drugstore mask and normally drugstore masks are expensive and don't have much in the container. Elf ceases to impress me, so I would really suggest getting this mask!
Over this past weekend, my older sister and I decided to go downtown with my older sister and check out the Wicker Park Fest--consisting of music, food, art, and shopping. I have never really explored Wicker Park in Chicago, but I have passed through it on the way to DePaul University. Wicker Park is kind of known as the "art district" for its detailed murals, festivals, and creative residents. There wasn't going to be only one picture taken in front of a mural.
I wore a simple Adidas black and white tee, some high-rise shorts, and my Birks! This outfit probably is the definition of my style and how laid back I love to dress sometimes. It's comfy and casual.
I love exploring the city and I hope college will allow me to keep on discovering new things about it and I am ready to see how living downtown will immerse me more into the urban culture. Every city is unique and different in its own way. This festival is one of many I plan on attending in the future. What do you love about your city?
I love exploring the city and I hope college will allow me to keep on discovering new things about it and I am ready to see how living downtown will immerse me more into the urban culture. Every city is unique and different in its own way. This festival is one of many I plan on attending in the future. What do you love about your city?
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