Something Cassandra

Being as I have been ready for spring since I don't know...January??? One way I have been making this winter a little more bearable is by putting fresh flowers and plants everywhere. And I mean everywhere. (Ask my mom what happened to the bar cart in the dining room ;)) Tulips are finally back in the grocery stores, so of course I had to pick some up the other day! 

So I slept out the other night and when I came home in the morning, the water was all gone and the tulips were looking pretty sad. I'm not sure if I just forgot how much water they drink or if I never really knew to begin with, but they drank all the water in one day! That brings me to the whole point of this blog post. 

I saw a tip a while ago on how to resurrect tulips, and this was the perfect time to try it out. Some of you probably know about this, but if you never tried it before, I'm here to confirm that it works! This trick also uses things that you probably have in your house. Are you ready?

Who would've thought?! I used lukewarm water, which I am not sure if that is the correct temperature to use with tulips (please correct me if I'm wrong). Then I just dropped the penny in the water, added the sugar, mixed it around a little, and added the flowers back in the jar! I'm sure there's a scientific explanation on what the sugar and penny do for the tulips, but I'll save myself the embarrassment on trying to tell you how and why it works, I'll just tell you that it does.

I do want to add that it didn't happen immediately. After about 3 hours, they were standing up about 80%. After 5 hours they were as good as ever! It is the next day now and they are still looking good. I hope you enjoyed this little tip now that we are getting closer to spring and flower season! Let me know what tips you have for flowers, and if you try this one out!

Does getting excited about new laundry tips make me an official adult? Seriously! If you told me a year ago that I would be making a blog post on towels I probably would have laughed at you. Over the past couple of months, I have been more and more interested in home decor, and home tips and a bunch of other stuff like that (hence why I made this post about the direction I'm taking my blog).

That brings us to today's post which is a method to keeping your towels white and fluffy! And if you have towels that are different colors other than white, I have a tip for you too. I also like to use this method on my sheets because there are few things better than slipping into fresh sheets that smell heavenly. 

Okay so are you ready for this super secret combination? Bleach and white vinegar. Some of you may already do this, and I know there are people against using either of these two ingredients, but it works like magic! I just use equal parts of each and boom....fresh laundry. Now if you have towels that are all different colors, you can use white vinegar and baking soda. And if you aren't comfortable using bleach, you can always just use the vinegar with your laundry detergent because the white vinegar works as a fabric softener without leaving that residue over the towels that regular fabric softeners do.

I hope you guys enjoyed this post! If you have a different method that you use on your sheets and towels, I would love to hear it and try it out as well! (I swear you probably think I'm 40 and not 22). Have a great rest of the week!!

If you wear makeup, then you know how important it is to take it off every night. Up until recently, I have always used the store bought makeup removing wipes. I think I pretty much bought every brand there is, and definitely spent a lot more money than I had to. And even though they're convenient, they're not the greatest for your skin. I've tried removing my makeup before with other DIY/Homemade items, such as coconut oil, but that was breakout city for my skin-- and if it didn't break me out, it didn't remove my makeup.

I'll admit I was a little skeptical to try this remover out just because when I see "oil" and I know it's going to be going on my face, I cringe a little on the inside. If you can't tell, I am very acne prone. I decided to give this combination a try and I have not had one breakout yet! Not only that, but it removes all of my makeup and I actually noticed a glow on my skin. YES PLEASE.

Jojoba Oil

Witch Hazel

Water

Jar

Cotton Rounds

Jojoba Oil: An antioxidant and is loaded with vitamins and minerals that are good for your skin!

Witch Hazel: Anti-inflammatory & Natural Astringent

Place the cotton rounds in the jar. Mix equal parts of the Jojoba Oil, Witch Hazel, and water together in a separate bowl and pour over the cotton rounds.

1. I recommend using a jar that seals or closes tightly, rather than having the mixture sit out in a bowl. This will help prevent the cotton rounds from drying out. A mason jar works great for this too!

2. Before I use each cotton round, I like to squeeze out excess liquid back into the jar. This way it's way less messy and it helps prevent getting oil in your eyes.

See how simple that was!? It's a lot healthier for your skin and it will save you money that you would be wasting on makeup removing wipes. Let me know if you try it out or what you use to remove your makeup!

Happy Valentine's Day! I know there was another long break between posts, ironically after the post where I said how I am going to try and post more BUT sometimes life gets in the way. The past couple of weeks have been crazy, however I do have a lot of things I want to share that I have been loving! P.S.  - If you can't tell by my decorations, I am more than ready for spring and for this cold weather to be gone.

I have been using essential oils for over a year now, and I have my diffuser going pretty much everyday. I also use them for other things for beauty and around the house (which is another post coming). I wanted to share the oils I have been using the most lately, which are from Eden's Garden. The first one is Spring Garden, which is perfect for anyone who is going through spring fever right now like I am. It brings such a fresh scent to the room and it makes February not so bad. The second one is Uplift, which I love to diffuse when I am doing school work, or when I have to be at my desk early in the morning. It has a fresh, citrus-y scent that helps wake me up. I use these oils by mixing 5 drops with water in my diffuser. 

I have been using a planner for almost two years now, and I would be totally lost without it! I find such enjoyment decorating each week and color coordinating everything, but it also helps me keep track of pretty much everything. I am more of a "go with the flow" kind of person (and if you ask my boyfriend he will totally agree) and using a planner helps me because it breaks down each day into morning, afternoon, and night, and it helps big time. Plus, having it cute and decorated on the inside makes me even more excited to write things down.

It wouldn't be a complete post if I didn't at least share one beauty favorite! I picked up the NYX Angel Veil about a month ago after it has been sold out at my Target for so long. It is such an amazing primer and helps make my makeup last throughout the day. I like it because it really does add a veil to my face, making the makeup apply so much more flawlessly. 

If you saw my most recent Youtube video, which if you didn't you can find here, then I mentioned how I've been eating more of a plant based diet. As of right now, I am not going vegan or planning to go vegan, but I do find that I enjoy plant based food a lot. This book is an explanation on why plant based diets work and different benefits to going plant-based. I always enjoyed reading about health and nutrition and it is a good way to learn more about what we're putting in our bodies. Even if you have no intentions of ever going plant based, it still is a good read and very educational!

If you've been to Bath and Body Works recently, then you probably saw their new essential oils line. I love all of the scents they currently have, but the one that stuck out the most for me is this body butter! It has natural almond oil in it, and it smells heavenly. Next time you go in, give this scent a try. I promise you won't be disappointed.

I hope you guys enjoyed this quick post to show what I've been loving lately! Like I said in my last post (which I know is like ages ago), I want to start incorporating other things in my blog and my Youtube channel other than beauty, so I thought this would be a good start! Let me know if you tried any of these items, and what you're currently loving!

As I sat down this morning to plan out my blog posts for the next couple of weeks, I found that I was struggling to come up with ideas. I've been running into this problem a lot recently, and I've been finding that when it comes time to do my "scheduled post" for that day, I make up an excuse for why I don't want to post it, or why I don't have time. I finally had the realization today that I shouldn't be limiting myself or my posts. Beauty and makeup are my biggest passion, but I want to share other parts of my life on here as well! Along with beauty and all things related to that, I've been making some diet changes recently and have been really enjoying finding and making a bunch of healthy recipes and I want to start sharing them! There's so many other things that I want to start writing about, and I think this is why I haven't posted consistently on here. I still will definitely be doing beauty and makeup posts, but I want to start sharing other things I find enjoyment in. I have a friend who's in the fitness industry that started out writing about her journey on a blog, and she created a post on Instagram the other day saying how she stopped posting consistently because she treated her blog more like a job, and that post is what started to get me realizing the same thing. BTW, you can find her blog here. She's an awesome person and such a good role model for the fitness industry.

There's no better topic to go along with this post than my goals for 2017. 2016 was a great year, and I feel like I changed so much (in a good way!). I finally had the courage to start posting about my Youtube channel and my blog on my main social media pages - which might I add was probably one of the scariest things I've done. I was receiving positive feedback from people that I didn't expect, and it was definitely a good reassurance I made a good decision!

I've never been one to have new goals at the beginning of a new year, but this year definitely feels different. I feel like I gained so much motivation for 2017, as weird as that may sound (or not even make sense at all). I decided that it was only appropriate that I make some goals to keep it going! My first goal is to graduate college. For those of you who don't know, I am currently a senior going for my bachelor's degree in Psychology. My second goal is to post consistently on here. I'm hoping to get to 3-4 times a week. My third goal is to post regularly on Youtube as well. Those are my three main "business" goals that I hopefully will accomplish in 2017!

As always, please leave me a comment if there's any specific type of post that you would like me to do. I hope you guys enjoy the direction I'm taking my blog!

With being pretty active on Instagram, I see multiple posts each day about self-tanners, and Loving Tan is one that stood out for me. First of all, the packaging is what reeled me in (pink for the win!) and I also saw many well-trusted bloggers raving about it. I have always been into tanning-- which yes I know is terrible-- but it's not the worst addiction someone can have, right? I worked at a tanning salon for a little and that is where I got my first spray tan, and where I really learned all about DHA and self-tanners and all of that jazz. I LOVED the look of a spray tan, and I loved that it is way better for your health and skin than laying in a tanning bed. Once I stopped working at the tanning salon, I used the tanning beds that were at my gym. After about two months, I decided to start getting into self-tanning and that's when I bought Loving Tan. I picked mine up here for $40 (and they have free shipping!)

I purchased the Ultra Dark mousse. Loving Tan also has a two hour express mousse, however that doesn't come in the Ultra Dark shade. For the application mitt, I heard a couple different reviews saying how the Loving Tan mitt wasn't the best, so I went to Sephora and bought a Vita Liberata mitt which you can get here. A big fear I hear everyone talk about with tanning and self-tanners is how they don't want to come out orange. Although Oompa Loompa is never cute on anyone, I figured if it comes out orange I can always exfoliate to take the tan off and it's like it never happened. Loving Tan claims to give a "Natural Olive Colour." 

Since I bought the regular mousse, the tan takes between 6-8 hours to develop, so I waited until I was home for the night to start tanning. I showered and shaved and exfoliated before I applied the tan so it would apply more even. Once I was out of the shower, I applied a lotion to my hands, knees, feet and elbows very generously. Tan is more pigmented with dry skin, so you want your hands especially, and all of the other places on your body that tend to be dryer to have a barrier over top of them for a more even tan. 

When applying the tanner, it's best to work in sections. Make sure you fully blend the tan in by applying using circular motions. I also used a foundation brush to help blend in specific areas such as my neck and hands. You can find the one I used here. Once I finish a section, I let it dry for about a minute before moving on to the next. The first time I self-tanned I didn't apply the tanner to my face, just in case my body had a reaction to the formula. The second time I tanned, I applied it to my face using the foundation brush after I applied a light moisturizer. I washed the tan off my face after about two hours before I went to bed just so I didn't have an unnaturally dark face! I slept with the rest of the tan on overnight.

When I woke up, I jumped in the shower and washed off the excess tan with my Dove moisturizing body wash and my hands. You want to make sure you don't exfoliate your skin, otherwise you'll remove the tan! I also then moisturized my whole body once I got out. The tan applied very evenly, and I was very impressed with how it looked at my neck and chest area (which is what I was most nervous about). The only spot that I think came out a little uneven was my hands, which is always the most challenging to get an even tan. The second time I applied the tanner I spent a little more time with the foundation brush blending on my hands and the result was a lot better!

After about a week, the tan was fading and I was ready to re-apply it. To remove it, I started off using their Tan Removing glove which came free, however I didn't really like that and I just used my regular exfoliator which is currently this one. 

I would definitely recommend this self-tanner! I am very happy with the results, and the color it gives. It is definitely a more natural color and I never once got told I looked orange (win!).  For a paler person, or one who is less comfortable starting out, I would suggest the Medium or Dark shades that Loving Tan offers, rather than jumping into the Ultra Dark right away. 

1. Exfoliate before you shave to get a smoother surface.

2. If you experience sensitivity when shaving, shave the day before or earlier in the day and give time for your skin to recover.

3. I found body butters to work better than "Intense Moisturizing Lotions" when it comes to applying tan evenly on my hands and feet.

4. If it is one of your first times, apply the tanner in a spot that won't be seen to get used to the way it applies and blending it in. I chose my legs since it's winter and I'm not wearing shorts right now.

5. Moisturize everyday to keep the tan lasting longer.

6. Use a foundation or a buffing brush to better blend the tan into your skin, specifically on your face, neck, hands and feet.

Let me know if you tried Loving Tan before and your thoughts on it, or if you have a different brand I should try out!

xo, Cassandra

One of my New Year's resolutions was to be more adventurous with my makeup. By being more adventurous, I mean using colors outside of the typical neutrals that I always use and doing different techniques. Once I decided this, I had to have the Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance palette.

This palette has been out for a while now, and the colors in it are beautiful. They are a good range of mattes and three shimmer colors, and there are both neutral and bold colors. As with any other Anastasia palette, the pigmentation of the shades are incredible, and they blend very easily with each other. I picked mine up from Ulta for $42. You can find the palette here. With my love for pink, I am actually quite surprised I didn't pick this palette up earlier. My favorite shades in the palette currently are Burnt Orange, which makes a beautiful transition shade, Vermeer, which is a pretty shimmery pink shade, and Venetian Red which is a different but beautiful way to deepen up a look.

Below I added some pictures of a look I created using this palette as well as a tutorial on how to achieve this look. I hope you enjoy!

What are your thoughts on this palette?

xo, Cassandra