5 Tips for Posting Regularly on Your Blog

There seems to be no end to the amount of blogging advice out there (all of which I somehow completely missed when I started my blog), but there is no such thing as too much good advice. After recently reading a few of these posts myself, I thought it would be good to share how I, as a casual lifestyle blogger, blog.

If you are a full-time blogger, making regular posts is a must. But, if you are a casual blogger, you have a little more freedom to create posts based on our own personal schedule. However, you want to post frequently enough that readers still know you are around; after all, no one wants to start following a blog only to have the blogger drop out of site for months on end. This can be tough when your blog is more of a hobby and not your top priority, so here are my suggestions for keeping regular content flowing on your blog.

1. Assess your life. The first step is to assess your life and lifestyle. Not in an existentialist "what am I here for" kind of way, but in a "When do I anticipate being the busiest, and when do I have the most free time" kind of way.

2. Write when you have the most time. Once you know when you anticipate having a lot of free time, you can plan ahead by writing the bulk of your posts then. Obviously, there will be situations that come up that can't be anticipated that may rob you of your time, but, in general, try to write as many complete posts as you can when you have the time.

3. Schedule your posts. Now that you have a months worth of posts written, it's time to spread them out, especially during times when you know you will be very busy. This is where the post scheduling feature comes in to save the day! I try to post at least once a week on this blog, so I use the post scheduler to post for me during the times that I'm super busy and can't post content myself on a weekly basis.  

4. Write out your post ideas. This has been something that I have seen time and time again on blog advice posts. Now, I'm not too good with jotting down ideas when they come to me, but I when I do get an idea for a blog post, I create a draft post in blogger. In this draft post, I make sure to include the title (or perspective title), and then a few sentences in the post body to remind me what the post is supposed to be about. This is a great way to accumulate post ideas for when boughs of writers' block set in.

5. Hang around the neighborhood. Even if you can't post as regularly as you might want to on your own blog, try to keep up with other blogs and comment frequently. Not only does this let people know that you are still around and part of the blogging world, but it's a great way to stay connected with the goings on of your favorite blogs and get new inspiration for posts.

I hope these bits of humble advice help you and give you  all some ideas on how to keep those blog posts coming!

Motivational Monday

Avon Nailwear Pro+ Nail Enamel: Coral Beat

I got suckered into buying a bunch of nail polish from Avon a few months ago just to get free shipping for orders over $35 (these kinds of promotions get my hard earned money every time), so I will be reviewing the polishes I bought. I thought I should brighten up my nail polish collection a little and went for the Nailwear Pro+ Nail Enamel in Coral Beat.

The color is great, and I like the way it doesn't clash with my skin tone the way some light orange colors do. I applied the usual two coats and a top coat, but the polish only lasted the typical 5 days before chipping and cracking. The great thing about this color is that it matches my Steve Madden satchel pretty closely!

Inspirational Monday

Throwback Thursday: Sammie - From the Bottom to the Top

Aaah, this brings back memories! Hi guys, I've been feeling super nostalgic lately, so I decided to post this song from my younger years and start a new series at the same time!

I remember when this song came out when I was in 5th grade (wow, I feel so old now!). I was absolutely in love with Sammy, and I had my mom download at least half of the songs from the first album on Napster back when it was free and illegal (boy, I'm really showing my age now).

Enjoy!

Inspirational Monday

Inspirational Monday

Review: The Body Shop Pink Grapefruit Body Butter

*Disclaimer: All products have been purchased by me for my own personal use.*

In March, The Body Shop was having a buy 1 get one half off sale online, so I decided o get my money's worth and get 4 products, since I had enjoyed their tea tree facial exfoliate. In this purchase, I bought the Tea Tree Facial Cleanser, Tea Tree Skin Clearing Lotion, the Mango Body Scrub, and the Pink Grapefruit Body Butter. On a note that is completely off topic: for the Body Shop to be such an environmental conscious company, they do waste a lot of paper in their packing materials!

For this post I will be reviewing the Pink Grapefruit Body Butter. In case you missed it the first time around, you can read my review of the Tea Tree Facial Cleanser and Tea Tree Skin Clearing Lotion.

Inspirational Monday

Inspirational Monday

The End of A Chapter

That last day at work was the longest day of my life- it seemed to take forever to get to 5:00! But I was surprised that I really did feel like I was leaving something behind. Maybe it was the gifts (I got a new Hello Kitty mug!), the card signed by everyone in the office, the hugs before I left, or just the realization that I would never have to deal with the job again, but I did feel a pang of sadness. I completly wasn't excpecting to feel this way.

But it is time for me to move on. I can't let fear of the unknown and longing for what has become familiar to me to stunt my growth in life. And although I had a very heartfelt sendoff, I can't forget what the other days on the job were like, and all the problems I was constantly having.

Big News!

I'm not sure if any of you have noticed, but I haven't been around in the blogging world as much for the past couple of weeks. I've been super busy with a lot of major life changes. The biggest of which is *drum roll* I have a new job in Baltimore!!!

That's right, not only do I get to leave my current job, but I finally get to move out of Philadelphia after being stuck her for three years after graduation!

As many of you know, I have been having some issues with my current job for the past year (such as here, here, and here) so it is a huge relief for me to finally be getting out of it for good. With my new job there are no unreliable student workers, no contact with students, no programs or career fairs, very few phone calls, and no daily appointments to make.

It was very odd to me that my supervisors were genuinely surprised when I told them that I had found another job and gave them my two weeks' notice, especially considering all that had been going on this year. I still can't believe they thought I was going to stay in this job! Since April I had pretty much stopped pretending that I even cared about my work, and I was so sure they suspected that I was looking for something else. But apparently, they were oblivious to everything!

However, when I told the other people in my office, most of them said that they saw this coming and could tell that I was ready to leave. What a stark contrast!! Just goes to show you have in-tuned bosses are to the goings on of their subordinates.

The second big thing is that now I will finally get an apartment of my own! That's right at 25 years old, I will finally have my own apartment!! I'm super excited about this because now I get to create and decorate a space that is truly mine.

I won't be around the blogsphere as much after today since I'm moving this weekend and I'll be getting settle in at work and all, but I will keep some posts going thanks to Blogger's  post scheduling feature.

Inspirational Monday

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure: Camelflage

I bought this Sally Hansen Complete Solon Manicure in Camelflage at the same time that I bought the Earl Grey color. I bought both polishes earlier this summer, so I was going for some softer, pastel colors. I liked this color because it is a good neutral that is still pretty noticeable without being bold. I put on the nail color on Monday evening, but it began to chip off by Thursday, even with two coats and a top coat.

Inspirational Monday

The Quest for the Perfect Bag

I'm not a bag addict at all (I usually carry around the same handbag for years until it falls apart, and only then will I buy another one), but since the summer, I have been giving a lot of thought to finding the best bag to use.

I bought this tote early in the summer from H&M, and have gotten a ton of complements on it. I don't usually go for light colors in bags, so I decided to shake up things a little by buying it. I like that it is big (about xin by xin), and that it is sturdy and stands up on its own. It's great over the summer when I had to carry extra shoes with me to switch into when I got to work, and for carrying any other large items (my umbrella for those sudden summer showers, folders, paperwork, light packages, etc).

The downside to this bag is that it can be a pain to carry during my morning commute on the trolley. Because it is big and stiff, it doesn't have a lot of give to it, and sticks out when I'm standing on the trolley, making it difficult for people to get past me, and for me to move past others when I need to. Since I don't carry as much with me during the fall and winter, I decided to look for a smaller bag.

Image from Forever 21 website

The first bag I came across was this faux leather satchel from Forever 21. I was pleasantly surprised by the size of the bag; I was expecting it to be a little smaller In fact this bag has ample room to carry what I need, including my up miniature umbrella and a few extras, with out having a bulky bag in the way. I also like the shape and the color. On the website, this satchel is listed as Pink, but one of the reviewers said that the color was really Nude, but when I got it, to me it looks like Blush. Basically, it's somewhere between the light pink/blush palette range. Either way, I like the color and think it is very feneimin. My only complaint is that the zipper can get a little stuck at the rounded corners of the bag, but other than that it seems to be perfect!

Image from DSW website

Next, I went to check out DSW to see if I could find a bag with bold color. Of all of my years of shopping on DSW's website, I never knew they sold handbags (silly, simple me)!  I fell in love with this Steve Madden Dale Mini satchel in red and a similar red Audrey Brooke satchel. Now, I'm not a designer hound, in fact, I've never even bought a designer bag for myself, but this time the Steve Madden satchel won out mainly because it is a Steve Madden product.

Despite this, this bag was actually a slight disappointment for me. First, it was much smaller than I expected it to be (it is actually significantly smaller than the Forever 21 bag). The color and material are nice, although it is more of a reddish coral color than just plain red, but the biggest downside to the Steve Madden satchel is that it doesn't have inner pockets for my phone, only the inside zipper pocket, but I will just have to make due for Steve Madden's sake.The inner lining is also not sown down, so it move around and comes up when you pull on it.

Inspirational Monday

Inspirational Mondays

In lieu of how inspiring it was for to write the post 10 Things I'm Grateful For, I've decided to use each Monday as an opportunity to share an inspiring quote with all of my readers! Although this is my personal blog, I don't often talk about my personal feelings and thoughts, so that post was actually very therapeutic for me as someone who doesn't usually open up about...well,anything really.

I had an idea to do this weekly a couple of years ago, but ran out of time and inspirational quotes. But thanks to Pinterest, I can easily find more inspirational quotes than I can shake a stick at, literally!

Mondays are universally the worst day of the week, so having a little uplifting quote for the start of your week couldn't be a better idea!

10 Things I'm Grateful For

It can be a challenge at times to focus on the good in your life when it seems that everything is falling in around you. I'm in this particular spot right now, what with all the problems I've been having at work and then my job search not going as quickly as expected. Even with me feeling that I'm at my second low point in the past 3 years, I've been trying to focus on listing things that I am grateful, and not focusing on the things that I wish I had, but don't.

I was reading somewhere that the best thing to do is to make a list at the end of the day of 10 good things that happened to you, and/or 10 things you are grateful for. This way, no matter how bad your day was, you will at least end it on a positive note.

Below is my list of thing that I'm grateful for, in no particular order.

1. My life. 
Even though I may think about how I hate my life and it seems like everything is going wrong for me while things seems to magically work out perfectly for everyone else, I wouldn't dream of seriously ending it all because of one bad day, or even a bad year. The thing about being alive is, that each day is different, so you never know when things might turn around, and when you will have the best day of your life!

2. My Cat
It may sound weird to some, but I am very grateful to have my cat. I've had her since I was 6 years old, so she's about 19 years old now. I've known my cat almost as long as I've known most of my family members and I can't imagine not having her. Not only is it comforting to rub her, but when I think about all the tough and uncertain times we've been through together along with my family, and how, against all odds and probability, she's here with me now, it gives me hope for the future, and that things will eventually work out for the better. (ha, I just realized this is a very comma heavy sentence!)

3. Frozen Cappuccino
I LOVE FROZEN CAPPUCCINO! Maybe it's the combination of coldness and the high caffeine content, but whenever I am in a slump at work, I can always rely on a frozen cappuccino to offer that little pick-me-up to get me through the rest of the day.

4. My Job
As much as a whine and complain about it I am grateful to have a job, after all I have bills to pay and things to buy. I'm grateful for the one I currently have because, through my many failings and set-backs, I have actually learned a lot about myself and what supervisors are looking for in an employee. Also, my supervisors, although they are super nit-picky in my opinion, they do continue to keep me working long enough to pay the bills.

5. Clothes
I know this one may sound a little materialistic with all of the other things being family and pets and all of that other warm and fuzzy stuff, but my clothes have a special place in my personality. What I wear is a direct reflection of me and my personal style. My outfits are also a reflection of my mood, and can give me that added boost of confidence to make it through the day. For example, when I know I'm going to have a not so great meeting with the bosses, or when I just have to look my best for an event, I can always rely on a well-planned outfit to give me that extra boost of confidence I need to get me through the day.

6. My Barbie Dolls
I know, I'm 25 already! But my Barbie dolls are a big part of me. Like my cat a few of them have been with me through thick and then, and a lot of not so great periods in my childhood. Growing up poor, it was a big deal for me to get a new doll, so I made sure I took very good care of the ones I had, and still have most of these to this day, some 20 years later! To me, my dolls not only represent my childhood, but they give me a chance to create my own reality, even if it is only for a few moments.

7. Family
We all complain about our family, and we all would much rather be without them, but when everyone else in the world has turned their back on you and thrown you to the wayside, your family is there to take you back in with open arms (well, hopefully this is the case!). My family accept each other no matter what, and whenever, I am down and out and don't want to be bother, someone from my family gives me a call out of the blue, and after everything is said and done, I'm always glad they did!

8. Music
It may sound cheesy, but a lot of songs have helped me get through tough spots in my life. When I was out of full-time work for almost a year and a half, this line in Firework "Maybe a reason why all the doors are closed, So you could open one that leads you to the perfect road" kept my spirits up while I applied for job after job.The saying that music is the language soul is so true. There are so many songs that hit on emotions you feel that you don't even know how to describe!

9. Chocolate
You know how us women are; we gotta have our chocolate! Sure, there's all that stuff about how chocolate mimics certain hormones and all, but it the end it boils down to the fact that it's just so good! And eating something that tastes good makes you feel good! And eating something that isn't the healthiest thing in the world when you're upset makes you feel even better!

10. Prayer
When life has you down and you don't know what to do or how you will make it out, it's good to have a higher power that you can always turn to. As a deeply religious person, praying has allowed me to release all of the fears and doubts that I could never express in words to another person.

Sally Nansen Complete Salon Manicure Nail Polish: Earl Grey

I haven't done a nail art post in a while (or any kind of post in a while for that matter!), so I thought it would be good to post this. I used Sally Nansen Complete Salon Manicure Nail Polish in Earl Grey and then the white Sally Hansen I Love Nail Art pen to make the dots.

I love the Earl Grey color because it's more of a taupe color than grey. The pen was handy for making these dots, but it was a little runny, ans you have to make sure the color has dried completely before putting on a top coat.

Overall, the Earl Grey color was nice, and the polish was thick enough to give good coverage with one coat, but I always go for two just to be safe. The downside for me was that the polish only lasted a few days before starting to chip, and some of the white spots began to wear off after a day or two. 

Chattime Shushi Bar and Restaurant

Don't worry, I haven't forgotten y'all! I've been frequenting others' blogs while I getting my blogging senses back after my nearly three month hiatus.

Earlier this summer, I had lunch with an acquaintance at Chattime, which is a Japanese noodle restaurant and sushi bar on Penn's campus. The cool thing about this restaurant (other than the neon laden club look of the interior) is that the noodles are made right there at the sushi bar area.

I ordered the Kitchen Lunch Bento.I chose the miso soup and shrimp traiyaki. The California rools, gyazo and white rice are all included. My friend had the sushi in the last picture.

The food was ok; not the best thing ever, but also not bad. The atmosphere was very...trendy. It's a great place to go for a cool lunch spot, or light (I stress the word "light" because anyone whose eaten any amount of Japanese food knows not to expect to get full) dinner with friends, but probably not the kind of place you would take your parents, what with parents being what they are and all.

T.G.I.F.!

...Which of course everyone knows means Thank God I'm Fabulous!

I hope everyone has been having a great summer! For myself, I've been having a good, but very busy summer. In fact, I don't think I've even logged into Blogger more than twice since June, let alone ready anyone else's blogs! Not that things are settling down in my personal life and at work, I will be able to get back to making at least somewhat regular posts.

I'm certainly looking forward to the long weekend, and (finally!) some R&R!

August Update

Wow, I can't believe it's been a month since my last post! It's seems like the summer is always the time when I drop off from blogging for a bit, but that may be because I'm doing more outside of work and have less downtime. To be completely honest, though, it was very liberating and refreshing not to be on my blog for a month, or even read other people's blogs. Now don't get me wrong, I love y'all, I really do, but everyone need s a break, even from the things they enjoy.

I've been mostly busy with traveling out of town, and I've also started on that job search I mentioned a while back.

Part of my traveling included the first vacation I've been on in three years: Virgina Beach!

Sun Out, Guns Out

Hope everyone is enjoying all of this nice summer weather!! Sorry I haven't been around much, but I've been so busy lately. Hopefully, though, I will have some legit posts and updates soon.

Summer Work Wear Staples: Tank Tops and Tube Tops

Summer Work Essentials by champagnestar on polyvore.com

After two years of working during urban summers (which are as hot or hotter  than summers in the South, no matter what people say!), I quickly learned how to tackle the heat with clothing that is comfy, yet can be dressed up to look professional. Two of my favorite things to wear to work when it starts to get warmer are tank tops and tube tops. "What!?! Do you work at Hooters!?!," you may ask. Of course, Hooters isn't the only place you can wear tank tops to work, but when done the right way, you can wear tank tops and even tube tops in just about any work environment. When worn over a tank top or tube top, a blazer or cardigan can make an outfit immediately office ready!

Letters From My Past Self

I recently dug up an old journal that got in college to help me sort out my thought during this transitional phase of my life while I'm on the go. I was flipping through the first few pages when I found the journal entries I had written when I got my first part-time job in 2011 (too bad I wasn't blogging then!). After the last entry was a whole page where I had written "Get a full time job by end of August" all down the page. It's funny because not only do I not remember writing this, but it totally came true. On August 31, 2012, I started my first full time job. And on the next page, I am going to write "Get a full time job in another state by end of September." Let's see what happens!

I don't know about you, but it feels sort of surreal to me when ever I read things that I've written long ago. I t feels like I'm reading some else's writing, but then I know every emotion and detail they are describing.I usually tear out the old pages of journals when I reuse them, but this time I decided to keep the previous entries in. See it as my way of reflecting on the past and using it to help motivate me for the future.

Review: The Body Shop Tea Tree Facial Cleanser and Clearing Lotion

*Disclaimer: All products have been purchased by me for my own personal use.*

Strait outta the box!

I couple of months ago, The Body Shop was having a buy 1 get one half off sale online, so I decided o get my money's worth and get 4 products, since I had enjoyed their tea tree facial exfoliate. In this purchase, I bought the Tea Tree facial Cleanser, Tea tree Skin Clearing Lotion, the Mango Body Scrub, and the Pink Grapefruit Body Butter. On a note that is completely off topic: for the Body Shop to be such an environmental conscious company, they do waste a lot of paper in their packing materials!

For this post I will be reviewing the Tea tree Facial Cleanser and the Tea Tree Skin Clearing Lotion.

Review: ORS Incredibly Rich Moisturizing Hair Lotion

*Disclaimer: All products have been purchased by me for my own personal use.*
 

Image from ORS website

Hair is a big part of African American culture, especially for women (for better or worse). Whether you're into extravagant weave or not, you can't show up somewhere with your hair looking a hot mess.

Not only that, but it takes a lot of time, effort, and products for African American women to take care of their hair, from moisturizers, to hair oil, to gel, to relaxers. As much of a demand as there is for hair care products, it's actually pretty hard to find products that work the way they say they do.

Most African Americans have naturally dry hair, so we have to use moisturizers and oils so our hair doesn't become too dry and brittle. Way back when, the only thing that did the trick was hair grease, which is what it sounds like, grease that you put in your hair. Nowadays, there are a ton of hair moisturizers to choose from.

I've tried a lot of hair moisturizers, but the best is ORS Olive Oil Incredibly Rich Moisturizing Hair Lotion. All of the ORS products, including the relaxer, have olive oil in them for natural moisture retention.

First off, the thing I like about the hair lotion is that it has a subtle, non-offensive smell. Some hair moisturizers, especially the ones with natural ingredients, can smell horrible. The ORS hair lotion has a subtle smell that does not have a lot of fragrance so that people think you've dumped a bottle of perfume on your head.

Secondly, the lotion itself is thick and rich, but it doesn't leave your hair weighed down, and it absorbs quickly, so there is no build up and no residue when you touch your hair. It also gives your hair a healthy shine.

The bottle says to use a small amount, but since my hair is very thick, I use about double the amount specified. Depending on how dry your hair gets, you can probably get away with only using this hair lotion every few days (I usually moisturize my hair once a week, but that's only because I'm pretty bad at moisturizing my hair frequently enough).

I would definitely recommend ORS Olive Oil Incredibly Rich Moisturizing Hair Lotion as a hair moisturizer. It's thick and creamy, but isn't heavy once you put it on. It also does a great job of moisturizing. When I use it regularly, I notice that my hair isn't as brittle, and I have less breakage (meaning not as much hair in the sink after combing)!

Audrey Hepburn Redone

 

Model Muse

This photo shoot of Nadia was inspired by this Audrey Hepburn canvas that I bought for my mom last year. The dress and necklace are from the Matinee Today outfit from the 90s, and the gloves are from one of the Millicent Roberts accessory packs.

Hope everyone has a fab long weekend!!

Looking Back: 3 Years Ago

Picture from allposters.com

May 19th this year is Commencement. I was a little surprised to realize that my commencement happened three years ago to the date! I wrote a post last year about my perspective on things since graduating, so this year I decided to do something similar.

I left the Commencement ceremony excited and full of hope: I was brimming to the top with the naive belief that finding a job would be no problem for an Ivy League graduate, and I was super excited that I would be leaving and never having to come back to Penn again. Now, it's not that I hated college, but for me it had accomplished it's goal; I had my degree, which was what I went to college for, and I was done.

Flash forward 3 years, and it took me a year and a half to get my first full-time job, which is getting really old, really fast. I'm also still stuck at Penn which is getting worse everyday because I still have to deal with student issues, student events, and student life in general, which were the things that I was so ready to get away from. I feel like I'm stunted in some way by still being surrounded by students and the same environment that I should have left behind three years ago. I feel like after graduating 3 years ago and at 25, someone has hit the pause button on my life, and I'm going nowhere, just standing still in time. (Honestly, I have no idea how people manage to work in higher education for more than 5 years, let alone 30 or 40?!)

Looking back on the past three years, I wonder was it really worth it to go to Penn in the long run. I wonder how things would have turned out if I had went to UGA instead (I would probably have been dragged into my family's drunken drama there, though), or any other school.

Review: Skintimate Moisturizing Cream Shave

*Disclaimer: All products have been purchased by me for my own personal use.*

Today I'll be giving my thoughts on Skintimate Moisturizing Cream Shave.

I never use cream when I shave, so I'm not actually sure how I came by this (I think it was something my mom bought and then passed on to me honestly). I usually just stick to old fashion shower gel or body wash.

Anyway, since I had this bottle, I thought I would at least give it a try. I've never tried any of the Skintimate products, but according to the commercials, they're supposed to be great at giving you a close shave and leaving you skin feeling smooth and soft.

This particular product has exfoliating "pearls" and is supposed to leave you feeling revitalized.

I've been using this product for about three months now, and here are my thoughts:

As you can see, the cream is very thick. You can also feel the exfoliating "pearls" but otherwise it is smooth. The cream goes on smoothly over wet skin, but, because it's so thick, it blocks up your razor and can be a pain to clean out, so you really have to make sure you use a small amount to create a thin layer over your skin. When I first started suing it, I would put a lot of it on, and after about three or four uses, my razor was pretty much useless and beyond hope as for as cleaning it out was concerned.

The exfoliating "pearls" are supposed to scrub away dead skin/excess particles to give you a closer shave, and I did notice that this cream left my skin feeling smoother than when I shaved without it.

Pros:

• Very thick and smooth
• Gives you a close shave and leaves your skin feeling smoother

Cons:

• Because it's so thick, it can clog your razor and be very difficult to wash off of your skin if you use a lot of it

On a scale of 1-5, I give this product a 4 because of the clogging factor. Other than this, it works well.

5 Tips for New (and Old) Bloggers

...Or things I wish I new when I started blogging way back when.

It took me a lot of trial and error over the course of three years to get to the happy blogging place that I am now. I was actually inspired to write this post by a post a read on how to be a happy blogger (thanks to Bloglovin's top 10 picks of the week!). These are the top 5 things that I think every blogger should now starting out (and even those who have been at it for a while):

Dolli Luv Posts

Anyone who has been following my blog for at least a year has probably pick up on several of the interests that I have that could be viewed by some as being not exactly age appropriate (Hello Kitty, computer games, all manner of cuteness). But guess what: it doesn't stop there! Every since I was 4 years old, I've had a passion for Barbie that managed to withstand the test of the pre-teen years and high school.

Lately, I've been taking a lot of pictures of my dolls and decided to create a new blog, Dolli Luv, to showcase my collection. Well..., managing one blog is work enough, but managing two is a whole other story! I created Dolli Luv a while ago, but for about 2 or three months, it just sat there blank and all sad looking with only the banner up. I've managed to make a few posts, but other than that I've completely ignored it. 

Given how difficult it is for me to make more than 4 posts on this blog each month, I thought it would be better to drop Dolli Luv as a separate blog and just turn it into a post series. Now, each month you can see pictures of my Barbie dolls *super yay*!!

Liebster Award No. 3!

Epic Win!!

Well, what do you know; I've been nominated for my third Liebster Award, and the second one this year (I wonder is this a record)! I guess it just goes to show how my popularity is growing! This nomination came from Corinne over at cat eyes & thigh highs.

The rules:

You must link back to the person who nominated you!

You must answer the 11 questions given by the person who nominated you.

You must post 11 random facts about yourself.

You must pick 11 nominees with under 200 followers to answer your questions.

You cannot nominate the person who nominated you.

You must tell the nominees that they have been nominated by you.

Review: Tea Tree Blackhead Exfoliating Wash

This is a review for Tea Tree Blackhead Exfoliating Wash from The Body Shop. NOTE: This product is no longer offered by The Body Shop, however, I'm writing this review as a way to give people an idea of what The Body Shop products are like. You can also read this review on A Very Sweet Blog for Tea Tree Skin Clearing Facial Wash.

I've been using this product every day for a good 6 months now, and I must admit that I love it! The Body Shop uses all 100% vegetarian ingredients (you can tell this scrub is natural because it smells like tea tree oil, and no artificial fragrances). There are crushed apricot stones in this particular product that act as exfoliating beads.

Sally Hansen Salon Effects French Mani

Well, these past  four months have completely turned the whole Global Warming thing on its head as far as I'm concerned. Here it is, a week from the beginning of April and the highs for the week are supposed to be in the low 30s, and there is snow reported for tomorrow!Unheard of!!!

Anyway, as I've mentioned before, I've been experimenting with colorful nail tips. Well, a few months ago I found out about Sally Hansen Salon Effects French Mani. Basically, these are for your tips what Salon Effects Nail Polish Strips are for your nails.

Currently, there are 8 designs, but hopefully there will be more added soon! The process for applying these is the same as the Nail polish strips.

I bought "Noir Boudoir" and "Polka Party" to start things out. I haven't used "Noir Boudoir" yet, but I decided to test out "Polka Party" with "Cotton Candy" from Avon (this is also the first picture I've posted taken with my new phone.See how clear the picture is!!)

Overall, the application is easy, but it may a little tricky to get the tips fitted right at first on your nails to look more natural. Because the strips are only so long, if you have extremely long nails, you'll probably want to trim them down to an average nail length so you can cover your nails. Also, these nail tips last about as long as the nail strips.

Definitely recommend these, especially for those who want cool nail art, but don't have the time, skill, or steady hands to actually do everything from scratch!

It Was the Best of Times, It Was the Worst of Times

Image from Photobucket, edited by me in pixlr

This is basically how my day went.

It was the first day of Spring (even though it is still pretty cold), but then I also got called into a meeting with my supervisors today to be informed that if my performance didn't improve I could be fired. They said that I needed to take more initiative, "make the job my own", and "take ownership of the position". I sort of saw it coming, and I wasn't too upset, but I was angry and pretty pissed at the situation. The way I see it, as long as I'm doing the main parts of the job, and things are getting done, all of that extra stuff doesn't matter.

I'm not worried about losing the job, I'm worried about losing the income. There's no way my mom could pay for the new apartment on her own, and I've gotten used to spending money like it's going out of style, not to mention all of my bills, student loans, ect. that I have. I'm worried about letting my family down after they sent me to an Ivy League university, and are so proud that I'm not flipping burgers or working as a cashier at Walmart. I'm worried about how this could affect my chances of getting good references for my next job.

To me, a job is a way to make money to live off of. I'm not personally invested in my job, I just work there to make money, so I don't really care about all that "making it my own" or "taking ownership"crap.

What happened to the days when you went to work, did what you were told, went home, and got paid, no strings or inflated expectations attached?

Third Blog Anniversary!!

It's hard to believe that I've been blogging fairly consistently for 3 years now! (I'll be honest; last year's anniversary seemed to have completely fell off the radar!) Surprise, surprise since most of my web related hobbies and projects usually fizzle after a year. But what has kept me coming back, and droning on mercilessly in everyone's ears (or eyes!) for the last 3 years? I must admit that I'm not quite really sure, but I think being able to share with others, and also reading the always interesting posts that others write.

It's amazing for me to see how much my blog as changed over time, both the look and the content. One of my biggest challenges throughout the years has been to blog more about me and the things that I'm interested in, which is something that I'm getting better at.

A big thanks to all of my readers and followers for making these 3 years of blogging possible!

Now on Bloglovin'!!

Yay me!! I finally made the move to Bloglovin'!! I had heard of Bloglovin' for a while now since I started blogging a few years ago, but I never thought of joining because I always felt it was only for "serious" bloggers, like the people who have their own brand to promote, or who are sponsored by companies. It wasn't until I was searching through Bloglovin' for the Liebster Award that I realized that not only are there many casual bloggers such as myself on Bloglovin', but it is also a great way to discover new blogs!

Setting up an account and adding my blog was pretty easy, although deciding what category it fit into proved to be more tricky. I was tempted to put it under "Other", but decided that "Personal" had a more appealing sound to it, and my blog is more of a personal interest blog than anything else.

For those of you who haven't tried Bloglovin', I definitely recommend it! You can see all of the blogs you follow in one place and it's easy to get updates when there are new posts, so you can keep up with new content easier than with the blog list on Blogger. It's easy to discover new blogs since you can search by blog name, author name, or category/topic, and Bloglovin' gives you suggestions of other blogs you may be interested in based on the ones you are already following. You can also easily follow and like blogs and posts through the Bloglovin' interface. For the mobile-savvy out there, there is an app that is available for iPhone, iPad, and Android.

Leopard Print Nails

This is my second time using Funky Nails, which some of you may remember from this earlier post. This time, I fared a little better as far as the application went (as I had mentioned in my initial review, practice makes perfect!). This time, instead of folding the excess over my nails and leaving it like that, I folded the extra over my nail tips, and then filed it off, so the applique ended at the tips of my nails.

Liebster Award No. 2

Thanks to aki! of 7% Solution for tagging me earlier this month (I've been super busy so I'm just getting to it)!

I'm super excited because this is my second Liebster Award, so here goes! 

The Rules

1. Share 11 things about yourself.
2. Answer the 11 questions that your tagger gave you.
3. Choose 11 other blogs to nominate.
4. The nominees must have less than 200 Bloglovin' followers and be told via comment on their blog.
5. Think of 11 questions to ask the bloggers that were nominated.
6. Thank the person that nominated you and link back to their blog.

New Phone!!

Picture from Google images

I've finally made it to the 21st century by buying a smart phone (I must be the last person under 30 to make the big switch)! I've been putting off upgrading from my keyboard LG phone because I really didn't have a need for a smartphone, especially since I'm not big on social media. But my mom was bent on having a Samsung phone with S Beam so we can tap and share, and since Virgin Mobile was having a sale on phone, I went on and bought two of the Samsung Galaxy Victory 4G LTE's.

For me, the biggest technological advancement I've made was from dial-up to broadband. However, the smartphone upgrade hasn't been half as momentous, especially since a lot of what I do now (checking emails, taking pictures, texting, etc.) I could do on my old phone anyway. To me, my smartphone is more of a convenient luxury than a necessity. It's nice to be able to surf the web almost as easily as on my computer, to have my phone synced to my Google account, and to have the ability to use apps (especially my Google play music app which let me sync my iTunes library, so now I can play music on my phone instead of using my iPod Nano), though. The biggest two pluses for me are the ability to use phone covers, which weren't available for my LG phone, and the super-duper camera (my old phone had a pretty crappy camera that didn't even have a flash!)!

Now that I have a phone I can truly personalize, I bought this super cute "When In Paris" case from ThePhoneCovers.The case is hard, but kinda soft-ish feeling on the outside. It's pretty hard to get off once its on, so I doubt that I'll be doing a lot of switching-my-case-to-fit-my-mood. It also tends to get dirty and stained easily. I had to buy another cover because the first started to get stained from the cloth of my purse after about of month, but since the cases are only $10 with free shipping, it wasn't really a big deal.

Picture from ThePhoneCovers website

Back to the Grind

Well, it's my first day back to work after almost a week off (this is one perk about working in academia; you automatically get long vacations without have to use your vacation days), and I must admit that I'm not too thrilled about it. Now I don't mean to be one of those people who complain about their jobs, (as a matter of fact, I promised myself that I would never be like my parents and get a job I hate and talk about how I hate it day after day) but the longer I stay away from my job, the more I become annoyed with it. Maybe it's the excitement of finally getting a job that's wearing off (but don't get me wrong; I'm still very grateful to be working), or just the anticipation of coming back to work and knowing what I'll have to deal with , such as the dumb students not knowing what they want, or getting an attitude because what they want isn't possible or doesn't exist. I mean, this one guy (a graduate student at that!) emailed me wanting a comprehensive list of all the summer internships for all the consulting firms in the country! I'm pretty sure I was not that dumb as a student.

And then there is the fact that I know more about the job after one year than most of the people on my team. This is particularly frustrating because whenever I ask a question about anything I'm unfamiliar with, no one can give me an answer, and most of the time the first time that anyone has ever heard of something is when I bring it up. I also have to help my supervisors perform very basic functions on their computers (really, you can't sort your own email by the date received)! Personally, I feel that if you can't perform the basic duties of your job, then you shouldn't be allowed to continue working their, regardless of how long you have been in that office, but that's Higher Ed for you. 

Anyway, this is me venting on the second day of 2014.