Shopping | H&M

My fantastic mom and I had a lovely time up in Irvine! I did a quick little college tour (1 more year... eek!) and then we headed over to the Irvine Spectrum to do some shopping! The mall is so gorgeous! I could have gone CRAZY at all of the stores, but I decided that wouldn't be too smart, so I just dropped into H&M for a quick look around. Not much damage done, I promise :)

I picked up 3 bits, and I'm very excited to wear them around town! Gotta love H&M ♥

Here's the first two items I picked up. They were on a mannequin on display and it immediately caught my eye! The shorts are so flowy and comfy... and they have pockets! The pattern is kind of boho/indie and I think the orange pairs well with the shorts and my skin tone. Paired with some strappy sandals and a nice long brown purse, this outfit would be just perfect! I'm still on the hunt for a nicer necklace to wear with this... hmm....

I also picked up this little tank top! It was on sale for only $4... I mean how could I not? I thought the flower pattern was so different and unique, I totally fell for it :) It's loose and flowy... perfect for summer! I would have put on some black shorts to wear with it, but unfortunately I have none at the moment... I just couldn't pass up this little gem though! I'm really into the bold patterns right now as you can see... :)

That's it for now guys! I can promise you one thing, I'll be back at H&M in no time, because they have heaps of cute things in stock right now! Plus, my wardrobe isn't quite prepared for the summer heat just yet. I have quite a bit left from the winter, but I think it's time to refresh the closets!

~LD

The Summer Tag

My first tag! Yay! I'm not 100% sure on how to do this, but you never know until you try it, right? I was scrolling through some new blog posts when I cam across this tag from photo-jenn-ic and I thought I'd try it out! 

What's your favorite summer nail polish?

I literally cannot choose one... I really love the lighter pastel colors, but I'm also big on blues during the summer time. I'm gonna have to go with the Essie chills & thrills and mint candy apple. The first is a vibrant blue, but not too dark. The second is a sort of pastel minty green that I absolutely love!

Favorite bronzer for summer?

I'd say that during the summer season, I tend to use more bronzer/blusher combos rather than a straight bronzer, because it creates the "I was just lying in the sun getting a tan on" better than a true bronzer, in my opinion. I use the Revlon Highlighting Palette in Peach Glow to give me a subtle tanned look while also giving me a peachy tone in my cheeks. Love!

You're relaxing in a hammock on a tropical beach. What are you sipping on?

Oh! I absolutely LOVE summer drinks! At home I'm constantly trying new mixes of juice and smoothies and what not to give me those summer vibes :) I actually made something super tasty recently... I don't know what to call it, but it was like a lemon cranberry spritzer... I guess? I squeezed and strained the juice of one lemon, poured in a 1/3 of a cup of cranberry juice, and a half a can of 7 Up and some ice! Oh my goodness it was so good!

Pool or beach?

Hands down, the beach! I'm not much of a pool person to be honest... The chlorine turns my hair green and dries out my skin. After exiting a pool I always feel nauseous and slightly dizzy. I'd much rather be at the beach. My family and I ALWAYS camp at the beach every summer and I just love it! 

Sun bathe or fake tan?

To be honest, I've never tried a fake tan, nor do I want to! My mom used to try them, and you could always tell when she did cause she'd look a tad more orange than she did before... I'm afraid I might look like a troll or something... I tan pretty easily anyway, and I live close enough to the beach anyway so I think I'll stick with the natural tan!

Favorite summer scent? 

At the moment, I don't really have a true bottle of perfume, (I kind of collect the perfume samples in magazines and use those) but if I had to choose one, I am really loving the Chanel Chance Eau de Tendre! It's so sweet and light!

Favorite BBQ food?

Shrimp on the barbecue is definitely one of my favorites! And of corse, who doesn't love hot dogs? Ever since I was little I have been a HUGE fan of barbecued hot dogs... I still am :)

What's your favorite summer accessory?

My Rainbow flip flops are a must everywhere I go. They are so sturdy and comfortable once they form to your foot shape. Everyone around here has them... they're actually pretty popular haha! Besides that, I always need to grab a cute, small little across the shoulder purse... preferably brown!

What's the weather like where you live in the summer?

Summers here are basically like the weather year 'round! SoCal is pretty stable with it's weather. Clear skies, ocean breezes, never too hot. Recently though, we just had a weird little storm with showers and a thunderstorm! I think it's because we got the tail end of the hurricane down in Mexico... but that's over now and it's pretty nice out right now :)

What is your favorite thing about the summer?

NO SCHOOL! Gotta love that right? I love the fact that I actually have time to hang out with my friends and go places. I also LOVE the summer fruits and always come home with bags of fresh fruits from the farmer's market!

What are your plans for summer vacation?

In a few days we're taking a trip up to Mt. Laguna to camp... I used to go there every Easter as a child and do Easter egg hunts! Then the week after I'll be traveling up to Yosemite and spending some time at the river! I absolutely love Yosemite. It is so gorgeous and peaceful. I have been going there since the day I was born... so many memories! :)

~LD

Favorite Everyday Makeup Look

Hello there blogger world :) I hope everyone had a gorgeous day!

Recently, I haven't been putting much effort into my makeup (because it is summer break and I have had no reason to leave the comfort of my own bed), but today I felt a little jolt of inspiration! My lovely mother and I took a trip up to Irvine and did some shopping at the Spectrum (absolutely breathtaking outdoor mall might I add) and I wanted my makeup to look natural, but still defining. That being said, I decided on this look!

(no, my camera is not the best quality)

I actually started doing this look around the beginning of Spring this year, and I fell in love with it immediately! It's quick, easy, and it looks great! It's natural, but it still catches the eye. I've always that that light lids, darker creases, and liquid eyeliner looks amazing. 

(me eyeballs... still bad pic quality)

In order to achieve my (current) favorite natural look:

 ♥ I ALWAYS begin with my Too Faced Candlelight illuminating eyeshadow primer. It softly illuminates my lids and holds the shadow very nicely :)

♥I swipe the 1st and 3rd shades on the top row of my Maybelline The Nudes pallet across my lids, the 1st shade on the bottom row of the pallet along my crease, and the 2nd shade on the bottom row of the pallet in the very corners of my crease. I also use the first shade on the top row to highlight my brow bones. The light lids and darker creases gives the eye a pop without overpowering with shadow. I love it :)

♥I use my Revlon Colorstay Skinny liquid liner in blackout to give myself a thin cat eye. the corners of my eyes sort of point downwards, so I quite like doing cat eyes to kind of bring them back up and shape my eyes. The thin liner is not at all overpowering, and beautifully subtle!
♥Last but not least, I use my Maybelline Lash Sensational mascara in Very Black at the base of my lashes, because it seems to thicken them very nicely. I then run my Maybelline Pumped Up mascara in Very Black through to the tips of my lashes, because it nicely fans them out and isn't too thick at the tips.

And here's a pic of my lips cause I'm really loving this lipstick right now!
This is the Revlon Colorstay Ultimate Suede in Runway. I really enjoy it because it is smooth on application and it dries so that you hardly feel that it's still on! I suppose it is more of a lip stain type thing because the color really does stay! It has sort of an orangey undertone, and the color is not too bold, which fits nicely with the natural eye look :)

Voilà! I hope everyone enjoyed the multiple pics of my face haha

~LD

Pre-Fair Day 3 | FOTD & OOTD

First, I'd like to start by saying Happy 4th of July everyone!! As this is only an American thing, I'd like to wish everyone else a good day as well :)

Here's a little tidbit about what I'll be wearing to the fair tonight, including my makeup and outfit. 

Outfit

top: O'Niell

bottom: Hollister brand jeans & my trusty old vans

Makeup

Face

♥Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer in Light

♥NYX BB Cream  in Natural

♥L'oreal True Match concealer in neutral

♥bareMinerals READY powder in Light
♥Too Faced Milk Chocolate Soleil Light/Medium Matte Bronzer
♥Mary-Lou Manizer highlighter

Eyes

♥Too Faced Shadow Insurance in Candlelight
♥ Urban Decay Naked Pallet (1) Sin on lids & Sidecar along crease
♥Maybelline The Nudes Pallet (2nd from bottom row) brown in far corner crease
♥Revlon Colorstay Skinny liquid liner in Black Out
♥Maybelline Lash Sensational mascara in Very Black

Lips

♥Maybelline Colorsensational in Peachy Scene



I hope you like it! The colors are light and pink-toned... great for summer! It's super easy, took me like 20 minutes in total!

~LD

Skincare

Hello there everyone! 

This morning I was simply going through my daily skincare routine and thought, "hey, I might as well share with everyone!" so here we go!

I have following this exact routine for about.. oh, I'd say a month now, and I definitely see AMAZING results! My skin has completely cleared up, is soft and evenly toned. I love it!

Brush

This brush is the Earth Therapeutics Soft Complexion Brush, and I bought it at Ulta for only $6. I have had it for about 6 months now, and it's still going strong! The bristles are very soft (which is very nice, because my skin is pretty sensitive) and the brush itself is very easy to handle and maneuver. My face feels thoroughly cleaned after every wash, and aah I just love it! Definitely a repurchase :)

Face Wash

I have been using the Garnier Clean Shine Control Cleansing Gel for about a month now (it's actually my sister's... sshh don't tell!) and I absolutely love it! You can find this little beauty in any drugstore for pretty cheap, I believe we found this in Walgreens... I have been seeing products in drugstores advertizing "charcoal", and I'm not exactly sure what the benefit of charcoal is, but it must be good because this wash has done wonders for my face! It is for oily skin (I have mixed skin... oily t-zone and dry everywhere else) and it doesn't seem to over dry my skin like some other "oily skin" products tend to do. The charcoal wash smells really fresh and clean and when washed off with water, it leaves your skin feeling very cool and clean. I am definitely buying my own when this runs out!

Moisturizer 

As I mentioned above, I have sensitive skin and a mixture of dry and oily skin (fun stuff, right?). When my face gets dry, it almost seems impossible to tackle the dry spots. I have tried lotion after lotion and I've never been truly impressed.  My mom found this moisturizer on Amazon for me... it's Sebamed moisturizing face cream for sensitive skin, and we bought it for $11.99. Although 12 bucks for some face cream may seem a bit annoying, I can assure you that it's worth it! It lasts a very long time and I'm basically attached to it! My face has been dry-spot free for longer than it has ever been in my teen years. It is one of my product empties and will definitely be a repurchase!

Mist

Alright, so this is a fairly new addition to my skincare routine. It's the La Roche-Posay thermal spring water for sensitive skin (it's actually my mother's. Yes, I like to borrow products). Unfortunately, I have no idea where she found this gem... I'm assuming Ulta maybe? I don't know. I used to use the FOU mineral water which was infused with gold and other minerals, but it was like 35-50 bucks and... well... let's just say I don't have a job yet.... Anyway, I've been using this mist after my lotion for, maybe like 2 weeks I think... and I am blown away! It was that finishing touch I needed to make my skin completely clear and soft. My skin tone looks very even, and I am cutting down the amount of concealer I have to use to hide my imperfections! All in all, I am very happy with the results :)

I hope you guys found this helpful! Let me know if you have any other skincare products that you absolutely love!

~LD

Fair Fun

I went to the fair yesterday with my boyfriend and a couple of other friends and took a quick snapshot... how could I not? The lights are so pretty and something about the night makes you feel more alive.

Anyone else agree?

Anyway, I just got back from the fair today (yes, I went two days in a row) but I decided not to grab a pic of today's adventure because, well... let's just say the only thing you'd notice would be an endless sea of sweaty people.. and no pretty lights because we went during the day. Rest assured, I will be back tomorrow (yes, you read that right, it'll be a total of 3 glorious days in a row!) I know one thing for sure, I won't be doing any walking any time soon after tomorrow! :)

Although I am not one to enjoy being in large crowds of people (I tend to feel trapped and in need of fresh air), I do really enjoy the fair. It's great fun looking at all of the booths of inventions and products that people sell, and don't forget the animals! It may smell strongly of a zoo, but it's worth it (especially to see the cute little bunnies and baby pigs!) I admit, I am a bit of a wimp when it comes to fair rides. I tend to get dizzy very easily, so I don't really settle well with the spinning saucers and rides that throw you in every which direction. I do however LOVE the slides and the ferriswheel (my boyfriend actually asked me to be his at the top of the fair ferris wheel just over a year ago!). And who could forget the food! The food here is INSANE! Everything from fresh lemonade to fried coffee, cereal, oreos, and hamburgers with Krispy Kreme donuts as the buns! No, I have not tried any of the crazier fair food selections, although I can happily report that the lemonade, dip n dots, and cinnamon rolls are very tasty :)

Has anyone tried any crazy fair food? Anything that actually tastes good? Maybe I'll be a daredevil and try something out of the ordinary tomorrow... maybe :)

~LD