about turning 24!

Hello Friends!

Fun Fact: This past Sunday, July 27^th, 2014 …I turned 24! Cue the cheesy celebration music! Honestly, I can’t believe how quickly the time flies by once you hit your 20’s.

 

I thought I’d recap my birthday festivities for you starting with the wonderful and generous gifts I was given by some truly amazing people.

First of all, I have to say thank you to my mom because without her I wouldn’t be here. I don’t know how you did it mom, but thank you for sacrificing, enduring and loving me enough to go through what you have for me. I don’t know how you did it. I love you.

This Harry Potter Owl Post messenger bag was a gift from my mom. I love the design of this bag and how casual it is. I can take it camping or out to dinner with friends and it fits in perfectly. It’s big enough to hold all of my things and then some without being too big and bulky to carry comfortably. Also, it’s Harry Potter, how can you not love it? Keep an eye out for this bag. It may be making another appearance in the future, in a rather, shall I say, magical post ;)

SPOILER ALERT: For those who haven’t read the Harry Potter Books!

July 27^th is also the day in the 7^th book when Hedwig sacrifices herself for Harry and dies in his place. This broke my heart into a million pieces when I found out. Happy Birthday to me :(

END OF SPOILER ALERT

My friends Christa, Bunky and Jerie gave me the best card ever created. 

 If you’re wondering, yes this is the accurate level of our maturity. 

 

They also gave me a set of Real Techniques brushes, the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette, Hollow City by Ransom Riggs (the sequel to Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children) and this bright peachy orange nail polish.

These Real Techniques brushes are so incredibly soft. I haven’t stopped rubbing them on my face long enough to actually use them with makeup but I’m excited to try them. Sam and Nic Chapman are the soon to be sister in laws of the lovely Tanya Burr and they also own their own line of beauty products and brushes. If you don’t know Tanya Burr, she’s a YouTube makeup guru whom Christa and myself are completely obsessed with and you should look her up right now. Sam and Nic also make makeup tutorials on YouTube so you should check them out while you’re there. I didn’t even know their products were available here in the United States so I was extremely surprised to receive these.

The Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette, oh my God, I can’t even tell you about this one without getting giddy. As an obsessive follower of all things makeup I’ve seen this palette so many times being used by the best of the best in beauty. Never in a million years did I think I would ever own one. I was so excited that I used this right away, so I apologize for the close-ups where you can definitely tell that it’s been used. 

Then again, #sorrynotsorry because this was my gift, it was my birthday and I wanted to feel special, damn it. The palette itself is just so pretty that I couldn’t stop taking pictures of it. 

Without flash

With flash

The eye shadow colors are a beautiful spectrum of neutrals that work so well together you almost don’t have to try at all. I’m in love with everything about this palette.

Hollow City is the follow up sequel to Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. I first learned about his books while camping in Gettysburg last year. I picked up a strange looking book filled with old black and white photographs and an eerie sounding description and I knew I had to have it. The story is anything but ordinary, however to avoid spoilers I’ll just tell you this. Read them. They’re a fun escape from reality with a hint of danger and darkness. The characters in these books are unlike any others and you’ll fall in love with their weird, quirky ways. The other neat thing that I love about these books is that the photos in the book are real. The author actually hunts down vintage photographs and forms a story through them. I think these are the most creative and imaginative books I’ve come across and I’m so excited to see more by this author. 

This China Glaze nail polish in the color Sun of a Peach is so bright and summery. I’ve been looking for a peachy shade that was more playful for the warmer months. I tried to recreate a nice sunset nail art look that I found on Pinterest and unfortunately this is what happened. 

Oh well, I tried. Also, I found out later that my nails look a lot like Port Wine Cheese, which if you haven’t tried it you don’t know what you’re missing. 

I’m not a big cheese fan but this is probably my favorite kind. It’s pretty to look at and tastes good on crackers, what more could you want?

My Aunt Pam, who is also my godmother, gave me these lovely hair things that she found in New York. The first is a gold hair barrette with stones that sparkle in any light. The second is a fun headband with a giant material flower for a cute boho look.

She also found this cute little coin purse with a dragonfly on it. There’s a spot on each of the dragonfly’s wings that shines bright gold in the light. She finds the coolest, most unique gifts for me and I cherish them.

The night before my birthday we ate at a pirate themed bar called Mutiny, where the items on the menu have the best names like Kraken Tentacles (Calamari) and Shiver Me Tenders (Chicken Tenders). I was serenaded after dinner by a, very possibly drunk, individual with a guitar while I blew out my candle. My loving boyfriend Chris, who puts up with all of our shenanigans, purchased these fun and hilarious t-shirts for Christa and I while we were there. 

Yes, they say Ship Happens. My new life motto.

By far my absolute favorite present this year was something that wasn’t material or physical at all. My best friend Christa filmed, edited and uploaded a secret video filled with pictures and memories from our past 12 years of friendship. I laughed and cried my way through her video but the smile never left my face. I am so lucky and honored to have such an amazing person like her in my life. We both grew up together, leaning on one another for emotional support and I honestly wouldn’t be half of the person that I am today if she hadn’t been by my side for all of those years. I wish I could be anywhere near as selfless and caring of a friend as she is.

 Click here to watch my surprise birthday video made by Christa!


I didn’t spend my birthday out at some fancy restaurant or out at a hot nightclub where the ground pulses with the beat from the speakers. I spent my 24^th birthday surrounded by some of the closest friends a girl can have and a bottle of Captain Morgan while we all played Clue (that’s right, the board game from our childhood) and you know what? That’s what I’ll truly remember. Not a room full of strangers but a room full of friendship, laughter and love. It sounds cheesy and made up but it’s true. These people mean the world to me and I’m thrilled beyond words that these simple nights together making each other laugh until it hurts are what I’ll remember when I’m old, gray and probably senile. That's what it's all about, folks.

See you soon friends,

Lynn

about going nude for the summer.

Nude makeup that is!

Hello Friends! 

Nude makeup is a massive trend this summer. I’m not usually one to follow trends but I can’t deny that I love the look of nude lips and clean makeup. I decided to put my reservations aside and jump on the bandwagon for once. These are the nude products that I currently own and my thoughts on them.

 Rimmel London Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal Eyeliner in 005 Nude

I was so excited when I saw this brand of eyeliner in a nude color. I already own the 001 Black kohl pencil and I love how easily it applies and that you can smudge it across your waterline for an edgy look. I also have the Soft Kohl pencil in 071 Pure White, which I use as an inner eye highlighter and on my waterline to brighten up my eyes. However, I just recently tried the nude version for the first time and I have to say it doesn’t do much. It did cover up the marks my mascara left in my tear duct area but other than that I didn’t really notice a difference. It’s almost as if you’re not wearing eyeliner at all which, maybe that’s what it’s supposed to do but why pay money for a product when you can just simply not wear eyeliner in the first place? Maybe I’m missing the point but it seems rather redundant to me. It is a nice eyeliner and I’m sure I’ll use it simply because it sits in my makeup bag but other than for a natural, nude look I’m not sure what more you can do with this one.

Rimmel London Lasting Finish by Kate Moss Lipstick in 14

This lipstick is very misleading. It’s gorgeous under the bright lights of your nearest drugstore, but I wish I’d read the reviews on it before buying it. I have extremely pale, nearly see-through skin and this color does nothing for me. If you apply more than one coat it turns brown/beige and looks too harsh. However, I found that if I apply a small amount then finish it off with a pink colored lip-gloss it works perfectly. The downside is that you have to be extremely careful applying this especially if you’re out somewhere. This isn’t a lipstick you can apply without a mirror unless you like that dark, back from the dead look. The upside is that this tube will probably last me a lifetime because of how sparingly I apply it.

Maybelline Baby Lips in 030 Peach Kiss

Okay, so I’m guilty of being a fan of Baby Lips since before I discovered this shade. I also have the peppermint one that I use constantly. This nude color is exactly what I was looking for in a lip color. Now this is a color you can apply on the go, without a mirror and without worrying that you’ll look like you just dug your way out of a grave. The formula is so creamy and moisturizing and the color is buildable so you can choose how much or little you want to display. This tube has made its home in my purse and I have to say I find myself picking this over my Kate Moss lipstick most days. It’s an effortless, fun color and that’s exactly what I was looking for

Almay Liquid Lip Balm in 200 Nudetrients

This is the pink lip gloss that I’ve been applying over my Kate Moss lip stick. This lip gloss which is actually called a liquid lip balm over on Almay’s website is lovely. It’s light and cheery enough to use on it’s own but also pale and sheer enough to enjoy as a glossy coating over your favorite color. This color is on the edge of nude/baby pink and I adore it. It helps that there are subtle sparkles in it to pick up the light on a warm spring/summer day. Also, it smells like icing, if that doesn’t sell you I don’t know what will.

 

 

Here are some pictures of me wearing the Rimmel London eyeliner pencil and the Maybelline Baby Lips lip balm on a night out! 

See you soon friends, 

Lynn