I would say that I have definitely added some new members to my skincare routine and I am really loving them all more than I ever have with skincare products I've tried in the past. The air is starting to get crisp and I've noticed that my face is drier than ever. Yes, I am using many products towards my acne prone skin, so that is important to consider with the amount of dryness I have. 

I'm not so adventurous when it comes to types of skincare products: cleanser, moisturizer, makeup remover, eye cream, lip balm, and lotion about sums it up. However, I've come to realize that my skin benefits from quality ingredients in products and lack of harsh chemicals and all that bad juju. 

Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cleanser- This is just a classic unscented cleanser and I have been using it for about six months now. It honestly has proven to be the most gentle on my sensitive and acne prone skin. I also have the acne and oily skin cleanser that they have. A little goes a long way and my face feels so fresh and never dried out. 

Kiehl's Lip Balm #1- I love this lip balm out of all the others I use, haha. I'll admit imma chapstick hoarder, but what can I say, I love smooth lips. Especially during the colder months, I feel like this is just a classic comforting lip balm to have with you. 

Glossier Coconut Balm Dotcom- To mix it up and add some flavor, I've already raved about Glossier and their Balm Dotcom range. The coconut one brings me back to summer, but it's a great scent nonetheless. 

Honey House Naturals Mango Lip Butter- Another lip balm I reach for is this mango lip butter which is much thicker than the two lip balms I mentioned before. It's almost like beeswax to the extreme. If you've tried Burt's Bees, it's a bit similar, but it is richer and is super moisturizing. 

Keihl's Ultra Facial Overnight Hydrating Mask- The winner of all my current skincare products is this little guy I received in a sample box. I've tried numerous moisturizers and this one, which is a mask, revitalizes dry skin as you sleep! How cool is that? I was hesitant about having a product being left on my face without it really being rubbed in, but it's proved to work wonders on my dry patches below my nose and on my chin. 

Clinique All About Eyes- I definitely can't go to bed with dry eyes. That's a big no-no. Dryness everywhere just hurts and burns. So, using this has really helped with not only red eyes and bags but softening up my under eyes a ton. 

It can be difficult adjusting to the drastic change in seasons, especially when your skin doesn't know how to react. I've been loving these products lately and was wondering what you guys were too and if you feel the same way when it comes to winter skincare. All I know is that I need warm and soft skin! Also, I will be taking a week off in the spirit of finals week as I push through and get a lot of work done. I'll see you all in the next two weeks! 

I know the holiday season is nearing us—or is basically already here according to Target and many other chain businesses that just can't calm the f*ck down for a bit until they put out Christmas lights and decorations. Just this past weekend I put up lights on my neighbor's tree! What a quick goodbye to Halloween. I'm not even sure people are even concerned about Thanksgiving this year. Anyway, time is going by and everything seems to be closer than we thought. 

You know, something as simple as an "okay," can be taken in so many different ways in so many different contexts. I won't go into examples, but it's definitely true. Our definitions of it vary so much. However, I want to make sure that everybody understands that whatever they're currently going through, good or bad, is going to be okay. 

I've talked so much about my mental health and it in general because self-care is pivotal in all of our wellbeings; we have to make sure that we can allow ourselves to feel good, sad, mad, stressed, overwhelmed, confused, and everything else your brain may throw at you. We need to also understand that we are all human and sometimes life can seem like a living hell, but that's okay. 

I want this post to feel light-hearted because I could go into a lot of deep topics about not being okay, and the message is short and simple—you are going to get through it. I may not know how, the circumstances, the reasons, or the context, but I feel like a lot of people never take a step back to breathe. Talk it out, think it out, and know that you can do anything you put your mind to.

You will fail and struggle, but a positive and a persistent mindset conquers all. You get to decide what holds you back and you get to decide what drives you forward. People are there to support you and praise you. Wake up every day knowing that you get a chance to start over. 

One of my good friends, Isaac, and I sat for about three hours in a Starbucks chatting all things life: our current happenings, future goals, our social lives, and everything else to catch up with because we haven't seen each other in about a year. However, he's one of those friends you could not see in a year and then meet up and feel like you saw them yesterday. Both of us got to talking about where we were and wanted to be, it was crazy just how ambitious both of us have become since high school and all we've achieved. 

We still couldn't believe we have been friends for about four years, and I learned that one of the strongest assets to a long-living relationship with someone is not worried about where you're gonna be in two, three, or four years from when you meet. I think this just applies to everything, but I remember being so stressed in high school about college and now I'm at my number one dream school and I have no clue how I'm already a sophomore—it still awes me. It just kind of worked out. 

I think the desire to be "okay" directly comes from your outlook on the situation you're in because honestly, a lot of times I feel like I could be somewhere entirely different. Cut all the comparisons, doubts, or regrets, because where you are in your life should only matter to you and it is your job to find purpose in the present moment. Stop dwelling on what happened or what could happen—when all you are doing is the best you can today in time, you are going to be just fine.

I would definitely say that writing has come easily to me over the years, but when I was younger it was hard. I write so much nowadays anyway that I feel much more comfortable than I did in middle school or high school. I was not a good reader, but I was a proficient writer. 

You see, the thing is was that in my school, at least, we were taught specific ways to read, analyze, infer, and explain sorts of things that we were learning about—seems like any other school curriculum. My school was driven on the basis of standardized tests, like many schools, so what they wanted from students (in terms of writing) was the average five paragraph sandwich essay with little room to elaborate on our own thoughts because using "I" was forbidden. 

I don't resent my English schooling, but I wish it had been different because what I have learned from my own writing and college is that none of it is important (for the most part). What we should be learning is correct grammar and that is still something I struggle with constantly. Kids do not know how to properly comma splice or even the difference between "its" and "it's."

I'm no "grammar nazi" and I definitely don't discriminate based on how well or poor you write because I know that everyone is at a different level and pace when it comes to writing—a lot of people hate it. I guess my background with writing and being surrounded by English majors kind of swayed me a bit into the passion. The freedom of using my own words and thoughts to talk about whatever I want, especially on my own platform, has been one of the most gratifying experiences in my life. Writing is a part of me and always will. 

Many people ask me how I can handle writing freely, with writing for my college blog and editing, as well as, managing five to six-page papers on a weekly basis. All I can say is that when I'm in the mood, I'm a writing machine. Words can just easily flow off my fingers. I think it's not only therapeutic but introspectively reflective and releasing. 

My college writing, for one thing, has been more about my own interpretations, so instead of research and context-based writing I did in high school, I actually get to think about things on my terms not relating to a certain article or opinion of somebody else. There's no "second meaning" and my professors aren't forcing us to make wild inferences about certain metaphors or what deeper meaning something has. High school focused too much on the content and I think it strayed our abilities to create our own understanding of the texts. 

I guess the trick or key to prideful writing is that you can't really compare yours to everybody else's. I know there are far better writers than me out there, but I think recently I've gotten really comfortable with my voice and that's proven some really great work that I've made. Maybe it's also a mentality, too. My mood, for one thing, has been pretty positive lately and that's really affected the way I write and go about writing. Some weeks I feel like shit and lack the inspiration I can normally find. 

Since I have basically been writing nonstop this past couple of months, there's without a doubt that I've improved on some aspect of my writing. I still have trouble using "big" words, sentence variance, and everything else. However, little by little I've noticed that it's easier to form my complex ideas and connect them all so I don't fall astray from the main concept of my writing—or at least I think so. 

I'm the biggest critic of my own writing and no A or B on a paper can tell me whether or not I really did a good job. Of course, I make mistakes in my writing, could elaborate more on certain subjects, fix the structure of my thoughts, and so forth, but I know whether or not the writing I did was created with full effort and purpose. 

One of the biggest things I've learned with writing is that simplicity is a strong suit. Learning how to write less with concision is probably the hardest things for college students and writers in general. A lot of people feel like they have to say so much about everything, but you really need to get to the point and move on. It takes time to develop your style, voice, and comfortability with writing. It takes time, patience, and effort. I'm constantly learning and I hope everybody takes the opportunity to do the same!