A BEAUTIFUL WORLD OCTOBER (PHOTO CHALLENGE)

As most of you already know, I love photo shoots (hence my outfits)! Being in front of the camera is the bomb. Though sometimes it's nice to step back and be the camera girl instead of the subject. I've always loved photography and posing, and smiling for the camera, and since I've created my blog I've learned and grown so, so, so much! I've invested in a beautiful canon camera that has totally brought my photography to a whole new level, and it honestly makes photo shoots so much more enjoyable and rewarding! With that said, I've noticed what my true photography love is, and it's product styling! I love creating a beautiful layout, and play with color tones. 

So, If you're like me and enjoy taking photos of nature, beauty, collections, than I have a very fun announcement! For years, I've seen the 30 day photo challenge on pinterest, always pinning them because I had high hopes of someday completing it! However, those pins are now lost among my boards, and thousands of other pins. Plus, taking photos at a different angle, or of bokeh just doesn't interest my photography love at all. Instead I'd rather take photos of the beauty that's around me. Since it is fall, I had an idea of creating my own instagram photo challenge for the month of october! Fall is the season for true inspiration, and perfect time to remember your day throughout the month. So the challenge is named "A Beautiful World" (october). I'd love for you to join me, via Instagram or Facebook! Please join the fun with the hashtag #abeautifulworldoct. I'd love to add some of your photos on my page to encourage others that beauty can be found all around, and can be easily welcomed into your world!! 

 

25 RANDOM FACTS ABOUT ME

oday I'm sharing 25 random facts about myself and this blog! I've done this before here on the blog, so today I am going to try to share some things that you probably don't know about me (hopefully).

Gilmore Girls is probably my favorite tv show! I love Lorelai and her character, gosh she just cracks me up, and I love her light personality. Rory, is a sweetheart and I love her and Logan together!

I hate having sandy/wet feet at the beach! The feeling of rinsing them, ahh best feeling ever!

My favorite blogs are; WishWishWish, Maiedae, Into The Woods, and A Beautiful Mess! All have such beautiful content, and these four are the one's I keep up with on a weekly basis, and always love what I read/see. Must check them out!

You may already know this about me but I may have a huge obsession with Justin Bieber. Yep. The secret is out. I might regret this...but I just love him and his music too much! Favorite song; Love Me Like You Do, or In Love With The Thought Of You!

 I binge on Netflix all the time, and right now I'm addicted to Psych. Yes I'm late to the trend of this hilarious tv show, but it has to be said that Gus is the best character ever! Agreed?

Francesca's is my favorite place to shop. I like to call it a mini homegoods/anthropology for teenagers! Their watches is the only place I buy mine, because it's the exact style, and size that I feel the most confident to wear.

My favorite number is 16, I honestly don't know why. Maybe because it's because when I was little I always wanted to be 16, and I dreamed of my sweet 16 birthday all the time with my friends.

I have kept my stuffed animal that reminds me of my childhood puppy named Daisy. It's a cute little white dog that's my favorite. I just can't get rid of it, even at 18 lol.

My favorite nail polish of all time for my toes, are any shade of blue, especially turquoise.

My favorite vacation of all time has been my trip to Maui. I went with my grandparents and best friend, Alex! It was my first time to Hawaii, and by far my favorite island yet (I've been to Oahu too). You can click here, to view my entire trip because I blogged a lot while I was there.

I absolutely love going to concerts. I've been to three so far, and I plan on attending much more in the future cause I just think they're the best!

Anything dipped in chocolate, I'll eat it!

My favorite type of blog posts to write/edit/capture is how-to tips & tricks! I love creating content that's encouraging and helpful for my readers.

I love, love, love makeup! BareMinerals, and Urban Decay are my go-to brands because of the quality, and colors! I love to take the time to switch up my makeup looks, and experiment with different colors and blending techniques. Yes, did I mention I love makeup?

I am officially a college student. It's crazy to think about how time zoom's by. Okay college please be good to me!

Wearing high heels means my night consists of some serious special celebration. I almost never have the opportunity to put on my favorite pair of heels, but when I do I love the way it makes me feel.

Ripped blue jeans are the way to go in my book! I love jeans so much, I've been guilty of wearing them to bed instead of putting some pj pants!

Hamburger and fries, is a meal I order pretty much everywhere. Yep. No cheese, totally plain. If I feel like gettin' crazy I'll add some BBQ sauce, and onion rings. Haha - I know people laugh at me all the time over this.

I love blogging with a drink/coffee sittin' right by me! It's like a power boost, and it keeps me blogging until I've finished!

I love to dance! Freestyle behind closed doors is the best, but I'm also down for some party group dancing!

I'm in the process of receiving my license, but it's taking slower than I'd like. Mostly because I am still working my way towards driving on the freeway! Besides that though, I really do love driving. It makes me feel so free, and of course responsible!

My sister and I are super close! I love her to death, and literally can call her my best friend.

My Pinterest boards are pretty amazing! I might have been a little too obsessed with it - therefore my number of pins is super high!

British accent is my favorite to listen to. Seriously would love to have one myself. If I did I don't think I'd ever stop talking! Like ever.

I go through candles super fast especially through the fall season! My favorite scents are vanilla, and anything sugary such as cupcake, brownie, or chocolate.

IPSY SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE

ubscription services are very fun to experience! For three months I continued my subscription to Ipsy which, is a beauty box. It is $10 a month and comes with four to five travel size beauty samples, along with a fun makeup case. I'm not gonna lie, the makeup cases were the reason why I wanted to try Ipsy so badly, and my last month finally came with an adorable case - one that just screamed Ipsy to me! So since I was really able to see what Ipsy was like for three months straight, I thought I'd do a review and share my thoughts about it!

When you sign up they have you take a quiz to get to know your beauty taste ranging from the brand you like, the way your makeup is applied, nail polish brand you prefer, and what beauty products you'd like to receive. It's a very thorough quiz. However, I felt like Ipsy didn't follow through with what I selected all throughout my personalized quiz. Overall I wasn't pleased with Ipsy and the bag's I received for three months in a row. Instead I opened a case that had "no namer" brands, and products I would not use. It's safe to say that I spent my ten dollars only on a makeup case, because it's the only thing I didn't toss in the garbage.

                                     

My last month before I ended my subscription, was actually decent. I kept a few products this time, and item's I was in need of. Plus can I just say how cute this case is? I can't wait to use it for my purse! It's so summery and colorful - something I'll really enjoy using. Subscription services are so fun because of the whole surprise that comes with it, but the downfall is you don't know what you're getting. That was the case with this service. As much as I loved the price (compared to most) and also the fact that it includes a case + hot pink packages in the mail, it just wasn't worth it in the long run! If you enjoy all beauty products (unlike me) and are interested in trying a service you might want to give it a try for yourself because I do have many friends who love Ipsy very much. I'm so sad this service didn't work out for me and my makeup preference because I really do love the whole idea.

3 BEAUTIFYING FOODS

t's amazing to me that food controls more of our body than we realize. Food has a lot of power over our beauty. So our food choices can benefit our beauty routine in so many ways. I thought it would be such a great idea to do some research and find out what food groups enhance my beauty appearance. There are so many foods that can help, so I've chosen three to talk about in this post. I learned so much while researching the beauty benefits of the three foods I selected, and I'll definitely be including these foods into my diet on a regular basis.

STRAWBERRIES: These beautiful berries provide wonders for your skin. It prevents anti-aging, acne, oily skin, and my favorite skin lightening. If you've ever made a strawberry banana face mask it's because strawberry juice lightens blemishes and acne scars. Not only are these berries wonderful to eat, but also for face masks!

NUTS: Nuts are the perfect snack to pop in your mouth when feeling low on energy. But little did I know, just how beneficial they are for your overall body health. Almonds in particular are packed with protein and essential fatty acids. These nuts are used to help lower blood pressure, but as a bonus help swelling and inflammation. If you want clear skin almonds are known to do the trick!

AVOCADO'S: Yes and there's a reason why girls will smash up an avocado and spread it all over their face - it's so moisturizing for the skin! The fatty acid that comes from an avocado releases moisture in the epidermal layer of your skin, providing that smooth and soft touch for your skin. Plus it helps the redness and irritation of your skin!  

BOHO HALO BRAID TUTORIAL

hhh I can't tell you guys how much I love this hairstyle! I'm really not great at doing hair, braids, or elegant up-do's but somehow I'm able to create this boho halo! My hairstyles consist of french braiding (if my hair is long), fishtail braid, straight hair, curly long hair, & a messy bun. So you probably understand why I was so excited to perfect this look, because finally it's something different than my regular curly hair. If you know how to braid a regular three strand braid, then that's all the technique you need for this style. I've been wearing this hairstyle so much these past weeks, and I've received so many compliments from strangers all the time (score!). So let's begin the tutorial!

WHAT YOU'LL NEED: 
Bobby pins (10-15)
2 elastic ties
brush

HOW TO CREATE THIS LOOK:
To begin your going to part your hair down the middle and pull each part in front of you to your shoulders, like you would if you were having two french braids on each side of your head. Then begin the three strand braid, but here's the catch, braid it upward so that when you lay it over the top of your head it won't have any bumps. Believe me this will make all the difference! Once both braids are secure with your elastic hair tie, begin to pin up one braid to start with. Now you're going to be laying each braid over each other that way it looks all together instead of so separate. This is what takes the most time, and the most bobby pins because you want to arrange the braids so that they feel comfortable on your head and very secure. In the photos you'll see that I placed one braid under the other (tucked it in), that way it looks like one complete braid; hence "the halo" instead of two because you have medium/short hair. Now if your hair is much longer you don't need to have two braids, maybe one one and then you pull it over to the opposite side, and then secure. So it's up to you and the length of your hair. Now your complete, you have your boho halo braid!!

BEAN + MEAT TACO MIXTURE

think this post calls for a celebration because this is my first dinner recipe post ever. I tend to only post dessert and drinks, but today that's all about to change! I'm sharing with you my grandma's taco recipe. Everyone is my family looks forward to these taco's because they are so much more tasty than regular beef taco's every restaurant offers. These mixture goes a long way (great for company) and fills you up really fast! Let's get into the recipe!

INGREDIENTS: 
2 cans of traditional refried beans
16 oz of tomato sauce
1 lb of ground beef
All the fixings for your tacos (lettuce, cheese, etc)
Taco shells

INSTRUCTIONS:
Begin to fry your meat until no pink, and then rinse under cold water to remove the grease. Remember your meat doesn't need any flavoring/seasoning because of everything you'll be adding. Then pour the tomato sauce, and refried beans and mix it all together and evenly spread and cooked. Now fry up some shells and make your taco!

HOW TO ENJOY READING

eading this past summer finally happened! I believe it's everyone's summer bucket list; reading just for their own pleasure. This too has been my wish, and I've stuck with the plan (for once). When I was in Junior High I was obsessed with a series called Christy Miller by Robin Jones Gunn, but once I finished the series, I completely lost interest in reading. I loved her writing style too much, that everything else seemed so boring compared to the 40+ books I couldn't put down. So I took a trip to the nearest Books & Noble's bookstore and browsed through the Christian fictional romance novels, and I purchased one that had an intriguing storyline, cover, and title. Long story short, I completed the book in two days! Yes, a 400 something page book was read in two days. For me, that's a huge accomplishment. While I lost myself in the novel I picked up, I thought of a few reasons why I loved it so much. Where I went wrong once I finished my favorite series. So I'm back at it, sharing some tips on how to love reading + how to get back into it.

Browse Your Local Bookstore - This may seem like a "duh" tip, but seriously it's the only way you'll be exposed to different types of books. So many people these days prefer online shopping, but when it comes to books, nothing is better than being able to touch and feel the book and pages. This way you're able to see the cover in person, read the contents, and see how thick the book really is.

Find A Good Author & Stay Faithful - It's so hard to find a good author, I mean that's the whole reason why I stopped reading after Jr. High! This past summer I discovered the wonder of Francine Rivers and her beautiful novels! My top three authors I highly recommend are; Robin Jones Gunn, Francine Rivers, and Karen Kingsbury. Once you find an author's writing style and story ideas that you love, search for other series or popular books the author has on the market.

The 5 Chapter Rule - I have to remember this rule every time I turn the first page of a book. The five chapter rule is you must read up until chapter five or so, until you decide to quit the book. It takes me a long time to get into the storyline and characters because the story is still setting itself up and everything is so rather slow. If you promise yourself to read five chapters before making a decision, than you might be very happy you never stopped back at chapter one lol.