I don't get a lot of sleep. I'm sure that comes to no surprise considering that I'm a college student. However, it's not always my work that keeps me awake. Sometimes it's my own thoughts. Maybe I inherited my dad's insomnia, or maybe I've just messed up my own sleep schedule. Considering that I frequently journal anyway, I thought that it might be fun to let some of those thoughts out on here.
Today's thought: it anyone really normal? Although the term "normal" gets thrown around daily, I have never met a single normal person in my life. Although it may just be that I simply attract odd people, I strongly believe that no one in this world is or should strive to be normal.
No two people that you you meet will ever have the same personality, story, or outlook on life. Every single person has their quirks no matter how rich, poor, young, or old. I've even been friends with several sets of twins who have been completely different from each other (I am a twin myself, and I can assure you that the two of us are nothing alike). I have met people that initially seemed normal, but the more I got to know them, the more I realized that they were just as abnormal as me. In fact, the people who seem to be the most normal are often the least normal of us all.
Sometimes, putting on a front of being normal can just be a defense mechanism. Some people use it to hide pain from the past. Others may be afraid of being judged. But in my eyes, there is nothing interesting about someone who is simply "normal." Nothing sounds scarier than living a normal life with a normal job while having normal, mundane experiences. We only have one life. Why waste it being normal when you could be extraordinary?
The reality is that when people strive to be normal, they are striving for something that simply does not exist. Humans are like snowflakes. No two are alike. Some may be similar, and some may be completely different, but no two will ever be the same. But we should not strive to be the same. We are unique, crazy, emotional, messy, and sometimes irrational. However, we are also kind, curious, compassionate, generous, and intelligent. How can we put a label on a normal personality when no two are alike? Some of us are more of some of these things than others, but it is so important to contribute our unique skill sets, strengths, and interests to the world. Not only in the workplace, but in our daily lives with friends and family too.
I have some amazing people in my life, and I truly mean that. I am so grateful for all of the people who have stepped into my life at any time, even if they did not stay for very long. They have all had distinct personalities and stories that were uniquely their own, and that is what I appreciated the most about them. Imagine how boring this world would be if we were all the same!
Friday, May 20, 2016
Tuesday, May 17, 2016
Loving makeup does not make you self centered
Throughout my whole life, I have always considered myself to be a girly girl. I have always loved makeup, glitter, pink, you name it. When I was in middle school, I discovered makeup tutorials on YouTube, and I know that this may sound cliche, but my life was forever changed. I started small with things like eyeshadow, mascara, lipgloss, etc. My collection only continued (or shall I say continues) to grow from there. Although one may think that allowing a middle schooler to play with makeup could be damaging to a her self esteem, it actually had the opposite effect on me.
Throughout my life, I have always been the chubby girl. I never saw anyone in the media that looked anything like me. The girls on magazines were all thin and beautiful, and so were the popular girls at my school. If you did not have that body type, it was easy to feel as though you were less than enough. When I discovered makeup, something in me started to change. For the first time in my life, I had control over how I looked and how the world saw me. If I wanted to make my eyes pop, I could add a little bit of shimmer to my lids. If I felt a little sassy, I could (at first, badly attempt to) wing my eyeliner. The possibilities were endless!
For me, this was what made school bearable during a time where I was otherwise extremely insecure. Now I am happy with the way I look, makeup or no makeup. Makeup is something that I have made my own, and it is a craft that I continue to work on to this day. It is my creative escape. I guess what I'm really trying to say is that we should not make women feel as though they are shallow for loving makeup! We should not be telling young girls that they look like clowns for experimenting with a bright blue eyeshadow or a hot pink lip. This is the time in their lives where they can experiment and have fun with the way they look.
Throughout my life, I have always been the chubby girl. I never saw anyone in the media that looked anything like me. The girls on magazines were all thin and beautiful, and so were the popular girls at my school. If you did not have that body type, it was easy to feel as though you were less than enough. When I discovered makeup, something in me started to change. For the first time in my life, I had control over how I looked and how the world saw me. If I wanted to make my eyes pop, I could add a little bit of shimmer to my lids. If I felt a little sassy, I could (at first, badly attempt to) wing my eyeliner. The possibilities were endless!
For me, this was what made school bearable during a time where I was otherwise extremely insecure. Now I am happy with the way I look, makeup or no makeup. Makeup is something that I have made my own, and it is a craft that I continue to work on to this day. It is my creative escape. I guess what I'm really trying to say is that we should not make women feel as though they are shallow for loving makeup! We should not be telling young girls that they look like clowns for experimenting with a bright blue eyeshadow or a hot pink lip. This is the time in their lives where they can experiment and have fun with the way they look.
Saturday, February 13, 2016
Things I had to learn the hard way
Quit slacking
Girl, I'm so serious when I say this. Pull yourself together and do your math homework. Maybe it will even help you out on your tests.
Do not be afraid to ask for help
Having questions does not make you dumb. The people in your life care about you and are always going to be willing to help you.
Thinner eyebrows are not always better
Stop going to that nail salon across the street to get your brows waxed. They are not doing you any favors.
Stop comparing yourself to others
You are not everyone else, and you should embrace that! There is nothing wrong with who you are. You are unique and you should be proud of that.
Find beauty within yourself
Stop looking to others for validation! Boys who overlook you because you're fat where never worth your time to begin with. You is kind, you is smart, you is important.
Your natural hair is beautiful!
STOP getting relaxers. They are damaging your hair. Your hair will get long af in college once all that relaxed hair grows out!
It's okay to eliminate negative people from your life
You're a nice person, so people are going to like you. I know that this may seem like a good thing, but the reality is that you will attract a lot of negative people who will try to bring you down with them along the way. Remember that you become who you spend your time with. Chose your friends wisely, and do not be afraid to dump these people.
Stop focusing on your weaknesses
Yes, you are bad at math. But you are great in other areas! Focus on those and don't let the your challenges stress you out too much.
Don't stress out about college
You will get into college, and you will make the right choice.
Your parents are not out to get you
As a teenager living under your parents' roof, it is easy to feel as though your parents are trying to keep you from having fun. When you move out and live on your own, you will realize that this world can be a scary place without your parents there to protect and guide you.
Girl, I'm so serious when I say this. Pull yourself together and do your math homework. Maybe it will even help you out on your tests.
Do not be afraid to ask for help
Having questions does not make you dumb. The people in your life care about you and are always going to be willing to help you.
Thinner eyebrows are not always better
Stop going to that nail salon across the street to get your brows waxed. They are not doing you any favors.
Stop comparing yourself to others
You are not everyone else, and you should embrace that! There is nothing wrong with who you are. You are unique and you should be proud of that.
Find beauty within yourself
Stop looking to others for validation! Boys who overlook you because you're fat where never worth your time to begin with. You is kind, you is smart, you is important.
Your natural hair is beautiful!
STOP getting relaxers. They are damaging your hair. Your hair will get long af in college once all that relaxed hair grows out!
It's okay to eliminate negative people from your life
You're a nice person, so people are going to like you. I know that this may seem like a good thing, but the reality is that you will attract a lot of negative people who will try to bring you down with them along the way. Remember that you become who you spend your time with. Chose your friends wisely, and do not be afraid to dump these people.
Stop focusing on your weaknesses
Yes, you are bad at math. But you are great in other areas! Focus on those and don't let the your challenges stress you out too much.
Don't stress out about college
You will get into college, and you will make the right choice.
Your parents are not out to get you
As a teenager living under your parents' roof, it is easy to feel as though your parents are trying to keep you from having fun. When you move out and live on your own, you will realize that this world can be a scary place without your parents there to protect and guide you.
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
My 7 Tips for Improving Self Confidence
As you may have seen from my previous post, this year is my year of self discovery and confidence. Although I am a work in progress, I can share some tips that have been working for me so far.
1. Take care of your body
1. Take care of your body
- You deserve it! I know that I feel the best about myself when I take extra time to take care of my body, and other people can see that too!
- I have a terrible habit of looking at the ground when I walk and looking away when people speak to me. Recently, I have been making a conscious effort to look around at the world and smile at people (I even say hi sometimes- scary, I know) when I am walking somewhere. If you open yourself up to the world, the world will open up to you.
- This sounds crazy, but walk like a boss ass bitch and you will start to feel like one!
- Stop beating your self up over your weaknesses! Everyone has them! Instead, focus on improving your best assets so you can be the best version of yourself that you possibly can be.
- Although it can be difficult, try to leave your insecurities at the door. Your limitations are 100% mental. If you tell yourself that you are the best, you will be unstoppable.
6. Find time to do what you love
- Sometimes with work and school, the things that we love doing tend to be put on a back burner. It's important to make time for yourself! It's what keeps us sane and gives us purpose. When you feel good about what you're doing, you will feel good about yourself.
- You aren't perfect, and that's okay. No one is! But that's what makes us human, and that's what makes us interesting. Imagine how boring this world would be if we were all the same!
Tuesday, January 5, 2016
Rainbow eyes and pink lips
As we all know, college is notorious for all-nighters, and during finals week I pulled two! They were both hell. Fortunately, after the second one I didn't have any finals that day because I had to submit an essay instead of taking an actual exam. When I came home from the library that next morning, I could not fall asleep! I think that it was stress related. So I decided, what better way to destress than to do a crazy eyeshadow look?! I had just finished binge season 6 of watching Ru Paul's drag race that weekend, so I was inspired to do something crazy. I am actually really proud of how it turned out. I will put a complete list of products used in the caption of this photo (also, please excuse the American Flag scarf chillin' on top of my head. I decided to try a twist out before I tried to go to bed)
When I got the idea of doing a rainbow look, I immediately knew that I wanted to do warm colors on top and cool colors on the bottom with a pop of glitter and a strong black wing. I started by using "Sweet Cream" all over my lid up to my brow bone. This helps all of the other colors blend easily. I also put "Hazelnut" in my crease. It's a little bit darker than my skin color, so it was the perfect way to add a bit of definition to my crease before I started adding colors. I can't exactly tell you which colors I used from my Coastal Scents palette, but I really played around and built up colors until I got the exact colors that I wanted. I made sure to plan my inner and outer corner so that they would blend with the cooler colors on the bottom. For example, I put a dark purple on the outer corner of the top lid, which blended perfectly with the dark blue on the outer part of my lower lash line. I also used a light yellow on the inner corner of my top lid, which blended well with the green on the inner part of my lower lash line. I found that it helped to look at a color wheel while I was working and making sure that each color blended into the next to avoid any harsh lines. I finished off the eyes by popping that glitter liquid eye liner on the outer half of my lower lash line, lining my eyes with a gel eyeliner, and adding a couple coats of mascara. I didn't use any lashes for this look because I was just playing around in my room, but I think that any great pair of falsies would look KILLER with this eye look!
I loved the pop of pink that MAC's "All Fired Up" added. I think that it went perfectly with the look (and it went with the top that I was wearing, which is a bonus!).
I love doing fun looks like these because this is not something that I would typically take the time to do on a normal day, and it lets me play with my creative side. It is seriously the BEST stress reliever!
When I got the idea of doing a rainbow look, I immediately knew that I wanted to do warm colors on top and cool colors on the bottom with a pop of glitter and a strong black wing. I started by using "Sweet Cream" all over my lid up to my brow bone. This helps all of the other colors blend easily. I also put "Hazelnut" in my crease. It's a little bit darker than my skin color, so it was the perfect way to add a bit of definition to my crease before I started adding colors. I can't exactly tell you which colors I used from my Coastal Scents palette, but I really played around and built up colors until I got the exact colors that I wanted. I made sure to plan my inner and outer corner so that they would blend with the cooler colors on the bottom. For example, I put a dark purple on the outer corner of the top lid, which blended perfectly with the dark blue on the outer part of my lower lash line. I also used a light yellow on the inner corner of my top lid, which blended well with the green on the inner part of my lower lash line. I found that it helped to look at a color wheel while I was working and making sure that each color blended into the next to avoid any harsh lines. I finished off the eyes by popping that glitter liquid eye liner on the outer half of my lower lash line, lining my eyes with a gel eyeliner, and adding a couple coats of mascara. I didn't use any lashes for this look because I was just playing around in my room, but I think that any great pair of falsies would look KILLER with this eye look!
I loved the pop of pink that MAC's "All Fired Up" added. I think that it went perfectly with the look (and it went with the top that I was wearing, which is a bonus!).
I love doing fun looks like these because this is not something that I would typically take the time to do on a normal day, and it lets me play with my creative side. It is seriously the BEST stress reliever!
Monday, January 4, 2016
20 Before 20. #2 Dye my hair
So I know that this really isn't a big deal to most people, but I felt like I needed some kind of change in my life. A couple of weeks ago, I decided to dye my hair (for the first time in my life!). It's really not that drastic of a change, but my hair dresser and I decided on a technique called "balayge" which is basically like highlights, but they are placed more randomly throughout the hair. It also gets a little bit lighter towards the end (kind of like ombre). I'm still debating whether or not I should go a bit lighter, but I might save that for the summer. I love that my hair has more definition now, rather than being all one color.
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| The photo on the left is my natural hair color and texture. The photo on the right is after it was dyed and styled. |
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| Here's a selfie I took in the car on the same day (I had to change shirts because I spilled pasta sauce on the one I was wearing before haha). I was in natural light so you can definitely see the color much better, especially on the ends! |
Cheers to the New Year!
Happy 2016 everyone! Recently, I've been seeing a lot of friends making fun of the saying "new year, new me." Although it is such a cliche and EVERYONE makes resolutions (I went to the gym today and I have never seen that place so packed!), I do completely support efforts to better yourself. This year I will not be making a resolution, but more of a "dedication" meaning that I strive to dedicate this year to being the absolute best version of myself that I can be.
This October, I went on a fall retreat with my Mary Kay unit. The one thing that I really took away from it was that the only difference between myself and the successful women standing in front of me was hard work and dedication. That was it! I was just as nice, smart, and good at doing makeup as any of some of the most successful women there, so why were they successful when I was not? It's all about dedication and persistance. You've got to put yourself out there and be willing to fail, we all do at some point. Hard work pays off. You can't reap the benefits without doing the work!
Another (as DJ Khaled would say) "major key to success" is confidence. People can really see and feel confidence. In my opinion, there is nothing more inspiring than a woman who is sure of herself and completely secure in who she is. I have come to find that you have to love yourself before you can expect anyone else to love you. When you love yourself, you realize what you deserve in relationships (both platonic and romantic). You don't take crap from anybody because you know damn well that you deserve the best.
I have realized that it is time to take control of my body and diet. I have always been addicted to sugar, and I have allowed it to control my life for far too long. Sweets and chocolate are what I have always turned to whether I was stressed, happy, or sad. The ironic part is that I love working out (I'm addicted to spin classes), but I've always struggled when it came to my diet. Recently, I read a quote that said "your life, like a car, is driven from the inside" meaning that you have to take the wheel and get control over your own life because NOBODY will do it for you. It's time to make a change, even if it's one small step at a time.
So although I didn't really make a list of resolutions, I did make a list of 20 things that I would like to do before I turn 20 in June, and I am still holding myself accountable! I still have 5 months left, and I will update on what else I've checked off recently.
As for you, I hope that 2016 brings you all that you hope for and more. Although there is absolutely nothing wrong with making resolutions for the new year, don't just save your resolutions for January! We should always be striving to be better than we were yesterday. There are 364 other days in the year, so let's make all of them count.
This October, I went on a fall retreat with my Mary Kay unit. The one thing that I really took away from it was that the only difference between myself and the successful women standing in front of me was hard work and dedication. That was it! I was just as nice, smart, and good at doing makeup as any of some of the most successful women there, so why were they successful when I was not? It's all about dedication and persistance. You've got to put yourself out there and be willing to fail, we all do at some point. Hard work pays off. You can't reap the benefits without doing the work!
Another (as DJ Khaled would say) "major key to success" is confidence. People can really see and feel confidence. In my opinion, there is nothing more inspiring than a woman who is sure of herself and completely secure in who she is. I have come to find that you have to love yourself before you can expect anyone else to love you. When you love yourself, you realize what you deserve in relationships (both platonic and romantic). You don't take crap from anybody because you know damn well that you deserve the best.
I have realized that it is time to take control of my body and diet. I have always been addicted to sugar, and I have allowed it to control my life for far too long. Sweets and chocolate are what I have always turned to whether I was stressed, happy, or sad. The ironic part is that I love working out (I'm addicted to spin classes), but I've always struggled when it came to my diet. Recently, I read a quote that said "your life, like a car, is driven from the inside" meaning that you have to take the wheel and get control over your own life because NOBODY will do it for you. It's time to make a change, even if it's one small step at a time.
So although I didn't really make a list of resolutions, I did make a list of 20 things that I would like to do before I turn 20 in June, and I am still holding myself accountable! I still have 5 months left, and I will update on what else I've checked off recently.
As for you, I hope that 2016 brings you all that you hope for and more. Although there is absolutely nothing wrong with making resolutions for the new year, don't just save your resolutions for January! We should always be striving to be better than we were yesterday. There are 364 other days in the year, so let's make all of them count.
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