Cause you're a sky full of stars...

Hi guys!

Man it's been a while since I've done a personal post.

The past few weeks have been very stressful and exhausting for me. Trying to recreate something you have no basis for is not fun. Essentially the person who had my job before me did much of her work on her personal computer and then never transferred it to the marketing laptop. So I've been trying to recreate things we did last for with nothing to reference. It's led to a lot of mistakes and things going wrong.

Thankfully, I think I'm finally past all that. I'm really looking forward to doing this again without everything going wrong this time. I feel much more prepared for next year already.

This past week alone I got up at 5 and 6 am and worked a 16 hour and 15 hour day. But, we're about to go into opening all shows, and (I think) that once that happens things should go a lot more smoothly.

Of course there are always frustrations and those have come up multiple times. Overall, though, I think things are going very well everywhere. I'm constantly overwhelmed by how friendly and talented this company is. Definitely a huge improvement from last year. Honestly, I think everything is better than last year. I sold more ads; Amy is kicking ass on our Silent Auction; the talent is better; the drama is less; and we spent less money on important things.

I can't believe it's already July. This year is flying past. I have so many things to look forward to in the next year. All I need is to stop living paycheck to paycheck, and I may finally feel like I'm getting things under control.

PopSugar Special Edition Summer Box

Hi guys!

Today (very late) I have my 2014 PopSugar Special Edition Summer Box to share with you. Someone very special to me gifted this box to me for my birthday (which is in August) and I'm kind of in love with it.

This is what it contained:

Sisters of Los Angeles City Rocks Glasses

London, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York. Colorful and the perfect size. I can't wait to move into my own place so I can use these!

Blue Tropics Pouch

A great size for traveling or a beach trip. The reverse size says "Live Love Aloha" which I love. 

Sachajuan Ocean Mist

My newfound obsession with beach sprays is really happy about this. It'll be the next one to go into my rotation, and I can't wait!

Soixante Neuf Jewels by Joie Jager Horn Necklace

I love turquoise, so the color of this really drew me in. I'm not usually a fan of gold jewelry, but this is so pretty and unique that I don't much care. It's long which I'm not used to wearing, but I think it's a great statement piece.

Tarte Cheek Stain and Lipsurgence Power Pigment in Tipsy

The cheek stain is the product I've been using the most. I love the color and the staying power. It's really buildable and easy to apply. The only downfall is that it takes a little while to stop being tacky, but it's something I can deal with because I love the color so much. 

The Ingredient Finder Eliunt Extra Virgin Olive Oil

I probably won't use this for a while, but fancy olive oil is always a good thing. Maybe I'll christen my first meal in my first apartment with it!

So that's everything. I loved this box, and I'm so appreciative of the wonderful person who got it for me. Happy (early) birthday to me!

August Favorites

1. Suave Dry Shampoo

I recently finished the TRESemme dry shampoo I'd had forever, so I decided to try something new. While I'm not sure it works as well as the TRESemme one, it was definitely a favorite this month. It smells WAY better than the TRESemme, and it works nicely. Next up: snagging the Batiste one from the TJMaxx in Augusta!

2. The Devil in the White City

I raved about this book before, and I'm raving again. Seriously, it's so well done. It focuses on the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago and "America's First Serial Killer" H.H. Holmes. It's written like a novel, but every conversation in it comes from letters and transcripts, so it all actually happened. If you enjoy history and creepy stuff (like serial killers) I would highly suggest this book.

3. Blurred Lines

With all the controversy from the VMAs, I almost hate to admit that this was a favorite, but I can't help it. It's so damn catchy! And while I don't agree with Robin Thicke and his image or values, it doesn't stop being a catchy song. 

4. My Forever 21 Headscarf

I definitely got a lot of use out of my headscarf this month! It's just such an easy way to class up second day or "I don't care" hair. I'm all about looking cute without trying, and this makes it so easy! I've been into Forever 21 recently looking for more, but I think they're only online now. 

5. Andy Grammer

While "Blurred Lines" may be the song of my summer, Andy Grammer may become a more permanent figure in my life. My roommates introduced me to the song "Fine by Me," and after loving it a lot (I think I might've listened to it 4 or 5 times in a row on the drive home) I looked into more of his stuff, and I'm permanently in love. He definitely falls into the Josh Kelley/Jason Mraz category for me: soulful, upbeat, and mellow. Everything I love!


6. Olay Fresh Effects Moisturizer

I've only been using this for about a week and a half now, but I'm already ready to share it with you! I picked this up after seeing Stefanie from EleventhGorgeous on Youtube talk about it, and I love it! It says it's between a gel and a lotion, and definitely has a satiny finish. I like that I don't wake up crazy greasy from it like I did from the Simple one, and how light it feels. I definitely need to check out more in this line. I already love the shine free cleanser, and I'm excited to try more!

7. Softsoap Limited Edition Summer Scent in Maui Coconut Splash

The first time I posted about this, I mentioned that I couldn't find it, and I picked up the Pacific Sunset scent instead. Well, I finished that one, and I needed more, and Walmart had this one in stock. So, I picked it up, and pretty much fell in love. This is what I wanted the Coconut Island Quench scent to be, but it failed horribly. This scent, however, is lovely. It's very refreshing and coconutty, and the formula of the soap is great. It lathers nicely and washes clean, but it's still thick enough to make you feel like it's doing something. The Limited Edition Summer Scents still seem to be around, so stock up before they're gone!

And that's it for the month of August! What have you guys been loving this month?

Maybelline Polka Dots and Electro Baby Lips

Hi guys!

Taking a moment to reflect on Cory Monteith's death this morning. I don't watch Glee, but losing yet another member of the arts community is never a good thing. My heart goes out to his family, friends, cast mates, and fans.

This is just a quick update to let you know about some new stuff I got!

No doubt by now you've heard about the new Polka Dots and Electro collections from Maybelline. From the time I first heard about the Polka Dots collection, I knew I wanted Clearly Spotted. I wasn't too interested in the Electro collection until I saw Emily Noel's blog post.

I've been searching for a good coral lip product (balm, stain, lipstick - I wasn't picky!) and I hadn't found one that I really wanted. While the Oh! Orange Baby Lips is obviously orange, it's sheer enough that when it mixes with your natural lip color, it turns a pretty peachy, coraly color.

On Monday, I picked up both of them at CVS (I love that the CVSes here actually carry the limited edition stuff I'm looking for!) and I'm in love.

I'm currently wearing Clearly Spotted on my nails over Julep's Renee, and it's awesome. It looks like paint splatter which is something I'm totally into, and it's actually really great for hiding small chips.

Please ignore my index finger!

Honestly, looking at the pictures I have now, they don't do this polish justice. I would definitely suggest looking at other swatches if you're into the paint splatter thing.

As for the Baby Lips, I tried to try the line itself before, but ended up accidentally buying the mint one (I'm starting to sense a theme..) which I don't like, so I hadn't tried it until this. I'm really sorry I didn't, because I love it. I'm definitely planning to pick up a non-colored one so I can have both.

Are you excited about either of these collections? What limited edition collections are you most excited about this summer?

Softsoap Limited Edition Summer 2013

A while back, I journeyed to Walmart to see if they had the new summer Softsoaps in yet. They didn't, but they still had some of the spring ones. I ended up picking up the Forever Springtime scent because as glorious as the Lemonade Berry Splash sounded, it was way to strong for me. I love the Forever Springtime scent, but I was really on the hunt for the summer ones.

The second day I was in Monmouth, I ventured to the Walmart in Augusta to buy a few things. I decided to peruse the beauty aisles, and while I was at it, I saw one of the summer Softsoaps!

Unfortunately, they only had the Pacific Sunset scent, but since that sounded more appealing to me anyway, I wasn't too disappointed. 

I'm still finishing up my Forever Springtime, but I'm excited to start in on the Pacific Sunset. I really enjoy switching up my body wash and rarely using the same scent twice! Is anyone loving either of these? Have you found them yet?