5 Mistakes I Made in My First Semester of College

Since starting this blog, I have moved to another state, started a new school, and am living with a stranger. As crazy as this might sound, it will probably make sense when I say that I have officially started college. This last semester has been full of crazy, hectic, stressful, and fun times. While college has been a great experience overall, I have made many mistakes and decided to highlight just a few of them in this blog post.

 1.  I expected friendship to form instantly. I planned to be best friends with my roommate and all of the girls in my major. This was far from what happened, as I instantly noticed that my roommate was not quite what I expected, nor did I particularly click with the girls in my major. This was extremely disappointing and made me pretty unhappy for the first month of school. It takes time to adjust to a completely new environment and make new meaningful friendships. I wish that I knew those friendships would eventually come, but that I had to wait and find the right people first.  

Does this picture even need a caption? Lets just say that yes, the pink bedding is mine. :)

      2.   I brought all of the dresses I owned, expecting to wear mostly dresses and nice clothes to class. However, when I arrived I quickly realized that everyone wore athletic shorts and T-shirts. I was very shocked by this, because not many people wore that attire at my high school. I should have brought more T-shirts.

Me trying to look all classy and nice in a dress. Whoops. :)

      3.  I did not have a rain jacket or rain boots. I figured that I had gone 18 years without such items so I would not need them now. However, the first time it rained I decided that these were very necessary items. A moat forms outside my dorm every time it rains and I unfortunately ruined a pair of shoes trudging through that muddy moat.

4.  The first month of school I cared way too much about what other people thought of me. I was afraid to be myself, and worried that I would be judged. I did not like walking around without makeup on or going to the bathroom in my oversized pajamas. While this is how my high school operated, I learned that college is very different. People do not judge one another on appearances, because everyone has flaws and quirks. At this point, people are much more mature and accepting of people’s differences (which is REALLY cool and reveals the shallowness of high school).

 

Just one out of the three forts I helped to make in the lounge this semester. 

5. The freshman fifteen is real. I quickly found myself snacking in the late hours of the night (which I never did at home). Along with unhealthy snacking and eating in general, I was much more sedimentary than usual. There would be days that I spent hours in the library without moving. Fortunately, I realized this was terrible for my health and made a drastic change that included exercising every day and choosing healthy snacks to get me through the day. After putting this new plan into action I definitely saw an improvement in my health and energy. (And I even lost a few pounds!)

Fried tortilla bowl from the cafeteria... I shudder at the amount of calories in that.... 

While these are just a few of the mistakes I have made in college, I am not looking back and regretting the choices I have made. I have learned from everything that has happened and have grown into a better and more knowledgeable person. College has really changed my perspective and outlook on life, and you can expect more blog posts about the experience. I am excited to look back in 4 years and see how much I have grown from this adventure.

In the lyrics of Tyler Ward,

            “Don’t be afraid to make mistakes-- at least you know your living”

So go out there, make mistakes, and LIVE!!

   Toodles!

     - Jess

Dorm DIY: Mini Memo Board

As you may know, I will be heading off to college in just a few short weeks. This means that very soon I will be calling a tiny, white, cinderblock room my new home. To make this transition a little easier, I have been thinking of some DIY decorations that will give my dorm a more "homie" feel. I decided that a memo board filled with pictures of family and friends would be the perfect way to create that cozy space. Making this board was so simple and budget-friendly, it is the perfect addition to any dorm room! :) 

Supplies:

Foam Board (I used a 6x6)

Fabric of your choice (I chose my school colors) 

Push Pins

Ribbon

Total Cost: Less than $5.00

Step 1: Cut your fabric to be slightly larger than your board and wrap the fabric around the corners of the board (like you would wrap a present). 

Step 2: Secure the corners with pins

Step 3: Cut ribbon that is long enough to go around the front of your board and secure them in the back with pins

I admit, this is not the prettiest back view... but the front is all you will see in the end!! :)

Step 4: Get crafty! I added some bows on the corners for a little extra touch. 

Step 5: Slide mini pictures of friends and family behind the ribbons!

And we are done! So simple and practical! Hope you found this tutorial helpful and I would love to see pictures of your mini memo boards  :) 

Thanks for reading! 

Toodles! Jess 

My Makeup Essentials Part 2

All right the next two Makeup Essentials are eyeliner and eye shadow. No look is complete without them so I’m here to tell you about these awesome products to help you look your very best.

-       MAC Paint Pot in Blackground $20

Paint Pots are a really cool product. They come in many different colors and are super versatile. It’s technically cream based eye shadow but I use mine strictly as an eyeliner and it works great! I have a little angled brush (I got mine from Beauty Brands but I have also seen them at places like Target or Sephora) that I just swipe through it and then I simply paint it on to my lash line. 

Heres the brush I use. It's really great for a nice, clean line on my upper lid. 

It goes on incredibly easily and stays all day long. How many eyeliners do you know that hold out the entire day?! Plus, I’ve had mine for a few years now and still have more than half left! You really don’t need much. I know you are supposed to throw makeup out after a certain amount of time but I have yet to have any problem with this product. (It sort of makes me question makeup expiration dates! Stay tuned for my future blog, Makeup Expiration Dates: Fact or Fiction.) In conclusion, it is by far best eyeliner I’ve ever owned and I plan to buy it in some other colors to try it out as an eye shadow. (I’ve got my eye on Let’s Skate or Bare Study)

Buy me here: MAC Paint Pot

Or at MAC stores, Macy’s, and other participating suppliers.

-       Make Up Forever Mascara $12-24

Next on the list, Mascara. Mascara is probably the most important product to have in your makeup bag. You can have perfect eye shadow and eyeliner but it will never look complete without those thick lush lashes. Plus mascara can be a lifesaver. If you are really in a hurry, throwing on a little mascara wakes up your eyes so no one knows that you pressed the snooze button three or four times. (Like I do every day) Pro-tip: wiggle the wand a little bit back and forth near your lash line and it looks like you’re wearing eyeliner!

Currently, I have been using the Make Up For Ever mascara from Sephora. I actually got this one in my birthday gift from Sephora, having no idea how much I would truly learn to love it. I swear it makes my eye lashes look at least double, maybe triple, their actual size. This is partially due to the brush. The brush is thick and round on the sides and then a little thinner on the end to promote volume and flare on the sides. The color is a nice, pure black and it never clumps. It makes my eyes look much bigger and like I said earlier, it wakes my whole face up!

Look at this big beautiful brush! How can you not get great volume with that?!

It seems to last quite awhile as well. I just have the mini size as that’s what came in my birthday gift and it seems like I have barely made a dent in it. I’ve been using it for 3 or 4 months now.  Plus if you’re not sure you want to commit, you can get it in mini size just like mine. Its only $12 as opposed to $24 so if you aren’t sure you believe me, I would encourage you to at least go out and grab the mini. It’s a little pricey but I know that I will be buying myself a full size bottle once my little one runs out!

Buy me here: Smoky Extravagant Mascara

Or visit a Sephora location.

Stay tuned for the last installment of My Makeup Essentials coming soon.

xoxo Morgan

My Makeup Essentials Mini Series: Part 1

Hi everyone! This is my first EVER blog post! (I really hope you can’t tell) I decided for my first post I’d write about something that I love: Makeup! I’m going to tell you about the products I just can’t live without. Originally I had planned all my makeup essentials to be just one post but then I realized that I had way too much to say about these amazing products. Soooo, I decided to make a mini series devoted to my favorite makeup products that I think all of you lovely ladies should have. I hope you enjoy it!

MAC Pro Longwear Concealer- $19.00

  

I know this seems a little pricey but it is a godsend. Not to be overdramatic but I don’t think I could last a single day without it. There are 16 different shades to choose from so you can definitely find a shade that perfectly matches your skin. 16 shades can seem a little daunting so I would suggest going to a store that sells MAC products, like Macy’s or a MAC outlet, and talking to one of the makeup counter geniuses. Usually they can at least help you find a good starting point and then you can test shades from there. But if you would really rather do it by yourself, here are some tips to help you figure it out:

1. The shades are separated in to two main categories: NC and NW. NC stands for Neutral Cool and is meant for people with yellowish undertones and NW, Neutral warm, works for those with pinkish undertones. They are both pretty similar but using one with the correct undertone could be the difference between an average match and the perfect match.

Pro Tip: The shade is written on the bottom of the bottle.

2. Don’t be afraid to try a bunch of different shades. You may think that you are the perfect NW candidate but it never hurts to give NC a try too! You never know which is going to look best on you.

3. 15 is going to be the lightest shade and it gets darker from there. I’m pretty light skinned so I use NC 15 and I love it.

These are both 15s but the one on the bottom is NC and the top is NW. As you can see, they are fairly similar but definitely different so make sure you find the one that looks the best on you.

4. Usually people’s first instinct is to try it out on their hand or their arm, which is good to narrow it down to shades that look like they will work but before you buy make sure to try it on your face. The best places to test it tend to be your jaw line and underneath your eyes. This way you can see how it looks on your face because your face will be a little different color then the rest of your body. As you can see in the picture above, neither NC nor NW looks great on my arm. That’s partially because its not rubbed in but mostly because the inside of my arm is a different color then my face. So be sure to rub some on your face before buying.

This is getting a little long but I have one more tip to help you out. This is going to sound a little weird but trust me; this will change your life. Here it is:

USE THIS LIKE A FOUNDATION. I honestly just smear this all over my face (I don’t even use a brush. Oops.) After you do that, you can add a little extra over problem spots. I would suggest getting an itty-bitty dollop (you really only need to push the button down about half way) and putting it right on the problem. Then use your finger and lightly tap it in to your skin. The wonderful thing about this concealer is that it doesn’t get cakey so use as many layers as you need. You can’t even tell that it’s layered; you just see beautiful, spot free skin. I told you this was a godsend.

Snatch this up at your local MAC Store or a supplier like Macy’s! Or if you already know your shade, order it here: MAC Pro Longwear Concealer

Please remember to check back soon for the next installment of My Makeup Essentials mini series!  Thanks for reading!

xoxo Morgan 

***Disclaimer***I just wanted to let you guys know that I don’t work for any of these companies so I’m not getting paid to praise them. I’m just a huge fan and love to talk about them and how they’ve changed my makeup experience.