Rainy Days

I am currently sitting on my bed watching the rain pour down and listening to it pound in my roof.(and procrastinating studying for finals. oops) I love days like this unless I'm out in the rain. That's not too fun. I bet all of you have those special memories from your childhood of rainy days when you where stuck inside because your parents wouldn't let you go outside because they where afraid of you catching a cold. Today, I'm going to share with you what my favorite memories are from rainy days.

I have so many amazing memories of rainy days. I remember one day my sister, a girl that lived down the street, and I went puddle jumping for like two hours. We got so dirty but it was so much fun. We made a bunch of little videos of us running through the puddles. We where trying to be all artsy with the videos, but if I where able to watch them now, I would probably laugh a them. Hmmmm.. I wonder what happened to the videos. Another memory I have is when my sisters and I built a fort in the garage and we hung out in it all day until dinner time. We hung out in it during every rainy day until my parents made us take it down. One of my favorite memories is of when I used to share a room with my sister and we had bunk beds. Me, my sisters, and the girl that lived down the street all had the same type of baby called a Baby Born. One day, there was a thunderstorm and we all where sitting on the top bunk with our dolls. We where "changing" the sexes of some of the babies so our babies could date each other. My baby ended up being a boy and I named him Brian. 

Nowadays, my favorite thing to do during a rainy day is what I'm doing right now. I love to sit on my bed with my window open drinking a hot chocolate and read or do things on my computer. It puts me in my happy place and is a pick-me-up.

Tell me in the comments when you love doing on a rainy day!

Self Harm.

Hello everybody! Today's post is going to be slightly more serious than my other posts. Well maybe not "slightly" more serious. A lot more serious. I'm going to talk to you about self harm. This topic is something I take very seriously and I hate it when I see people joking around about it. "Are you gonna go home and slit your wrists now?". Seriously so uncalled for. Since it is something I feel so strongly about, I thought I could sit down and talk to you guys about it. I am going to say that I have struggled with a form of self harm, but I'm not going to share my story because I don't feel ready to, but if you want me to share it, tell me in the comments and I'll consider it. Also, before I start, I would like to say that I don't mean to offend anyone by what I say and I'm not some sort of self harm expert.

About Self Harm

Self harm comes in many different forms, but cutting it the one media focuses most on. I think it's like that because it's the most common one. Other ways of self harm include burning, hair pulling, and bruising yourself. Obviously there's so many other ways, but I'm not gonna sit here and write out a huge list. I'll put it this way: anything harmful you intentionally do to yourself is considered self harm. Some people harm themselves in less obvious ways like binge drinking, taking drugs recklessly, or starving themselves. Depression, anxiety, and being bullied are all things that can lead someone to self harm. Some people harm themselves as a way to show suicidal thoughts without killing themselves, as a way to feel in control, etc. 

If You Self  Harm...

If you self harm, there's a lot of things to think about before you do it. One of them being the possible permanent damage you can be doing to your body. It's more common than you may think to be left with scars for a long period of time. Do you really want to be in you 40's and still have to talk about self harm when people ask you about your scars. It's something that can stay with you forever even when you're done doing it. Another thing to think about is the possible health risks. You can get infections, cut too deep, etc. The most important thing you should think about is the fact that self harm doesn't solve the problem. Let's play a game of would you rather. Would you rather inflict pain on yourself, be left with scars, deal with a problem for far longer than you have to, and have to worry about covering up your self harm marks. Or would you rather deal with the problem that's making you self harm/want to self harm and learn from the experience? Take your pick. I would recommend option number two.

If you're feeling like you want to stop so bad but can't, there is a couple things I recommend for you to do. Put a rubber band around your wrist and snap it every time you want to self harm. Another thing you can do is wait 15 minutes every time you want to self harm. After waiting the 15 minutes, try to wait another 15 minutes and keep doing that until the urge to do it stops. The number one thing I want to recommend is to award yourself for everyday you go without self harming. Something you can do is draw something or write something on a piece of paper and hang up it up by your bed. If/when you self harm next, you have to take down all of the pieces of paper and start again. It'll make you think twice about self harming because you'll know that if you do it, you have to take down your pieces of paper which represents all the temptation you previously fought.

If you haven't told anyone about your self harm, do it. Don't be scared to. Even the feeling of knowing someone knows whats going one with you, can make you feel so much better. It'll give you someone to vent to and someone to help you with it. 

If You Know Someone Who Self Harms...

If you know someone who is self harming, there's some things you can do. The very first thing you should do is research self harm (hopefully this post is helping you). Before you try to help them, it would be in your best interest to understand what they're doing. The next thing you should do is tell them that you are here for them and am ready to talk about it whenever they feel comfortable talking about it. Don't force the conversation on them. When they end up talking to you about it, don't be judgmental and don't make them feel guilty by saying things like "think about how other people feel when they see your wrists". This conversation is about your friend/family member and not other people. Focus it on them. Also, you have to understand that the process of stopping self harm is long. You can't just sit down with someone, have one conversation about it, and think that they'll stop self harming from that one conversation. I'm sorry, but it's not going to happen. It's a long journey that you'll have to take with them.

So, that's all I wanted to say. Tomorrow I'll be back with my normal posts. See ya then!

Sephora Makeup Made Simple Palette

Hi guys! Today I'm going to be reviewing the Makeup Made Simple Palette from Sephora. It comes with 27 eye shadows, 4 blushes, two bronzers, a package for traveling, and a massive mirror! My mom gave my sister and I each one for Christmas a couple years ago. It was defiantly one of my favorite Christmas presents and I became quickly obsessed with it. It's about time I tell you about it.

How it works

There are three sections containing nine eyeshadows, and two blushes or a blush and a bronzer. Use the upper left section to create a natural look. Use the upper right section to create a smoky look. Use the lower left section to create a colored look. In each section, you may notice that the color on top of each column is the lightest color in that column. That's because for each column, the eyeshadows are supposed to go together. For example, look at the one I pictured above. The left column has white, a goldish color, and blue. You would use the white from your lash line to your eyebrow, the goldish color on your lid, and the blue in your crease. Also, you can pop out each section and put it into the smaller packaging for traveling.

What I think of it

I think this palette is the best thing ever. It perfect for traveling because you can put one of the sections into a smaller packaging. It's just a matter of picking your favorite one! I personally love to bring the natural section with me because I love natural makeup. This palette also has a massive mirror in both the bigger and smaller packaging. You have every color of eyeshadow you can think of and they are so pigmented. Some are shimmer and some are matte, so there's a good variety. This did come with a guide that shows you how to create multiple looks, which I thought was a good idea and had never seen anything like it come with other palettes. I think this would be the perfect gift for someone who is just starting out in makeup, because it's amazing quality and has a good variety. 

Swatches

So, that's the Makeup Made Simple Palette! I hope you have enjoyed this post and would look into buying it if you haven't already. You won't be disappointed. I promise! If you have anything you want me to make a blog post about, tell me in the comments. Until next time, bye!

NOTD #1

Hi guys! Today I decided to do a NOTD (Nail Of The Day) as I have painted my nails with one of my favorite nail polishs ever. It's the Forever 21 Nail Polish in Jelly Bean. To achieve the color on my nails, it took two coats. I didn't use a clear base coat or a clear coat on top. I have used this nail polish a couple times before and it stayed on my nails for so long. I feel like Forever 21 beauty products gets over looked so easily, but their beauty products are amazing! I love to get face masks from there. Anyways, back to the nail polish. They stopped selling this in stores for awhile and it made me sad because I thought they where going to stop selling them forever, but when I went shopping with my sister a couple days ago, the nail polishes where back! I might have bought like ten nail polishes out of fear of them disappearing for another couple months. So, take advantage of them being back and go buy some for yourself because they truly are amazing!

My Bucket List

Welcome back to my blog! Today I'm going to share with you what my bucket list is. If you don't know what a bucket list is, it's a list of things you want to do before you die. I think everyone should have one because it's an amazing way to outline what you want to do before you die. My bucket list is very travel based because traveling is something I haven't been able to do much of so far. So, without further ado, my bucket list is:

1) Travel to all 50 states

2) Go skiing 

3) Go skydiving

4) Run a marathon 

5) Go scuba diving

6) Take a ride in a hot-air balloon

7) See the northern lights

8) Learn how to play a musical instrument 

9) Drive from California to New York 

10) Go backpacking

11) Ride in a helicopter

12) Help someone in need

13) Learn sign language

14) Go horseback riding

15) Meet someone famous

16) Be in New York to see the ball drop on  New Years

17) Visit the Grand Canyon

18) Go zorbing

19) Learn to read sheet music

10) Get a tattoo 

Skincare With Honey

Hola wonderful readers of my blog! Today I'm starting another series where I'm going to tell you about things that are great for your skin, why they're great for your skin and I'm going to recommend some face mask recipes that include the ingredient I choose. Today I'm going to tell you about honey. You probably have noticed that so many face masks sold by companies contain honey. It's a no brainer that they put honey in their recipes because it's good for your sin. But do you know how it's good for you skin? 

Benefits of Honey on Skin

1) Acne- It's good for acne treatment and prevention because it's antibacterial

2) Complexion- Boosts complexion because it's moisturizing 

3) Aging- It's full of antioxidants which slows down aging

4) Pores- It opens pores which makes it easier to unclog them.

5) Gentle Exfoliator- It's full of antioxidants, enzymes, and other nutrients that cleanse and hydrate skin

6) Scar Fader- It's anti-inflammatory and antibacterial which help to decrease the appearance of scars and increase the healing of tissue

Recommended Face Mask Recipes

Number 1 (found on this site)

Ingredients

3 teaspoons raw honey

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix ingredients together and apply to your face. Leave mask on for 10-30 minutes

Number 2 (found on this site)

Ingredients

1/2 Lemon

1 tablespoon Raw Honey

Squeeze half a lemon and mix it with honey then apply the mixture to your face. Leave mask on for 15-30 minutes. Wash off with warm water

Number 3 (found on this site)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons of fresh milk

2 tablespoons of honey

Fresh juice from one lemon

1 tablespoon of yogurt

Mix ingredients then apply one layer of the mixture to your face. Wait until it dried then apply a second layer and keep applying until you have used the whole batch. When the batch is gone, wait ten minutes then wash it off with lukewarm water. 

I hope this has been useful for you and I hope that you'll try out the three face masks I mentioned. I have used them all before and have loved them. They're a perfect alternative for when you run out of masks you've bought. Tell me in the comments what you like to use in your homemade face masks.

When Inspiration Runs Dry #1

Hola! Today I woke up and realized I didn't write a blog post last night for today (I've been writing my posts in advance to avoid being in the situation of not having a post ready to go up). So, I sat down and looked at my list of ideas, but I didn't feel like writing about any of them, so I decided to share with you guys my top three favorite inspirational quotes since I'm lacking inspiration and maybe some of you are.

I haven't failed. I've just found 40,00 ways that won't work. - Thomas Edison

This one is one of my favorites because it's saying that when things don't work out your way, you haven't failed, you have just learned. It's like the saying "you learn from your own mistakes". When you fail on a test, you (hopefully) decide to study more for the next test. When you smash your toe on the leg of a table, you learn to be more careful. You get the point. This quote can also apply to bad experiences in your life. You learn from those bad experiences and it can make other bad experiences easier or it can make it so you can avoid being in bad situations. 

Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars. -Les Brown

I like this one because it's saying that you should go after your biggest dreams. Along the way you'll experience new things, so if your dreams don't come true, you will have improved your life. This one can apply to my situation with this blog. I'm shooting for a big goal. If I don't achieve that goal, I will have new experiences to take out of it, so blogging for the period that I was able to do was so worth it. Hopefully I'll reach the moon with this goal though!!

Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going. -Jim Rohn

This quote is the one I keep thinking about because of my blog. It's been a challenge blogging every day(even though I'm only on day eleven), but keeping myself motivated will turn this into something easy for me to do everyday and who knows, I could end up blogging everyday throughout 2016 and the years following. I feel like this quote applies when you start school in the fall. The first week I usually struggle so hard because I don't want to be there, but as the school year goes on, I get use to waking up at the butt crack of dawn to sit in class for seven hours.

Those are a few of my favorite inspirational quotes. I'm thinking about making this into a series where I share some quotes to keep me and you guys motivated to reach our goals. Tell me in the comments what your favorite quotes are!