The Unwritten Road

 
    Do you find that birthdays just pop up out of no where. Is anyone else like that? Well i've decided to tackle this problem and get organized.  All my families birthdays are between November and December where as my friends are March and May. I like to take the time and get someone the perfect gift but that stresses me out when I realize the birthday is just a couple days away. Especially when you find something good online and it take a few weeks to get here.
   I decided i'm gonna get organized, I just made this template and it seems to be working well as I am able to write down any ideas of gifts and budget money. It allows me to plan ahead as I have the birthdays written down so they will not just pop out of no where. It also allows me to know what I have bought so I don't end up buying the same thing or buying a lot.

 This is just an example on how I am using a chart. You can keep it on your phone, laptop or if you like a more written option than writing in a notebook is always good. 

 

College and University is a time where you learn a lot about yourself and who you are becoming. Its a time where you grow, get stressed to the max and make wonderful memories. Here are my op 5 tips for people who are starting college, trust me they do help as I learnt the hard way from all these experiences. I thought i'd share my tips, so you don't have to go through what I did.

1.  RATEMYPROFESSOR.COM

      I learned about this site after my first year at university and let me tell you its a lifesaver. All you do is plug in your university/college and search for your professor, it will show you reviews of the prof. Its basically just reviews from others that have had that professor before it gives you information on how hard a marker they are, how they teach the material, cares about student, participation matters, and if you skip class will you pass. Trust me this has saved me from some pretty awful teachers
    for example: if you have speaking aloud in class then I would choose a prof were participation doesn't matter.

2.  Use a planner

      Yes your mom was right, you should use a planner. Now this was no problem for me as I use a planner to keep me organized with school and work. A planner helps you keep things organized and know when assignments are due. Once you get your syllabus I would go to my planner and put in all the important dates like midterms, quizzes, tests, papers or readings were due. Its just good at keeping you on top of things.

3. Its OKAY to ask for help
 
       This one took me a while to learn trust me I learned the hard way, and I wouldn't wish that on anyone. Most time profs are there to help you and take advantage of the office hours, if you have a question or want to go over something they gave you back, they are more than willing to. I was so nervous to go talk to my profs and would avoid it, I would do anything to not go and see them. Its better to just bite the bullet and go speak to them and hey if you go see them and they get to know you it can make a difference between a pass or a failing grade.
      Another thing is don't be embarrassed to get a tutor. They know the material and in most cases know what to expect in an exam. Most tutors have taken the course and for some it was barely recent, and might have even had the same prof which is a massive bonus as they know what your teacher concentrates on for tests. At my university there was a business that would put off tutorials for first year math, physics and chemistry classes before any midterm or final. If they had enough interest they would even do them all year round. Now it was $20 a class but for me for one semester it was totally worth it, I would get more out of that tutorial than I would a class.

4. GPA is important, but it won't make or break you.

      Getting good grades in university is kinda important as it allows you better opportunities and allows you to gave better registration time, but its not life or death. Trust me school has never been a strong suit for me I struggled especially in my first few years at university. I'm not gonna lie I might have failed a course or two, i'm not proud of that but it is what it is and I learned from that. Its normal for most people to have lower grades in there first year of university than what they had in high school. Its okay if your grades are not what they use to be going from high school to university is a big change and it takes a while to get use to it. Sometimes you learn university isn't for you, or that you need to change your studying techniques or finding courses that you like. Once you get into the routine of university your marks will go up. From speaking of personal experience my last year was my year of somewhat good grades, I didn't get the best grades for the first 4 years and it wasn't until my last year that I got my gpa up a little.


5. Its OKAY to change your program.

      A lot of people change their mind on the program they are studying or their major or minor and this is no big deal. I changed my mind and it was no big deal. People learn at different times when they realize a program isn't for them, and sometimes you have to try other courses to figure out what you want. You might go to college and have no idea what you want to do and thats fine to it just takes a little time.
     I figured out after 3 years that a program wasn't for me. At my university you basically do courses that can help you into a certain program or do a year of general studies. I did courses to get me into education, I applied 3 times and never got into the facility. After my 3rd time applying and not getting in I was crushed, I had no back up plan, I wasted 3 years at university I thought . I took it as a sign that meant that the program wasn't for me. So I started talking some other courses to figure out what I liked, I ended up taking a geography class with one of my friends and loved it. I ended up getting all my courses done for that major in just 2 years. I also changed my mind again as I had math as my minor, but  that quickly changed. After my 5th math course I realized university math is totally different than high school math. Its now about proofs, and proving why an angle is 90 degrees. I could do math problems but not proofs. So i changed my mind to psychology and just added on a course here and there and my minor was done in no time.

 
   

   Every summer I tie dye, but i'm always up for finding different ways to tie dye. I've tried the sharpie tie dye and last year did tie dye in a mason jar and LOVED IT. This year I found another way to tie dye and its with ice, who would of thought you could tie dye with ice cause I never. I LOVE this tie dye trick, I only made mine with 1 colour as it was my first time doing it but it would look awesome with multiple colours.

What You Need

Step 1
      Soak your t-shirt or fabric in water for a few minutes then wring out the shirt as best as you can.

Step 2
     Make sure your bucket is empty and place the rack on top of the bucket. Then twist your shirt in what ever way you want and place it on the rack. Next take your ice and place it on the shirt. You will need a nice bit of ice, I used about 3 ice trays of ice. No worries the ice will stick to the shirt, just make sure that your shirt is covered in ice

Step 4
    Leave your shirt until the ice completely meals, I left mine over night.

Step 5
    Rinse your shirt to get rid of the extra dye and leave it to dry.

Hope you guys enjoy this DIY as much as I did.

   Friendships are a tough topic to talk about because there isn't much out there about it. Well thats kinda a lie there is a bit out there but its all "how to make friends","friendship goals", but nothing out there is the "real" truth about friendship.
  Everyone has different definitions of what they would considered a friend or a best friend. What I consider a friend who is someone who is there for you through the good and bad. I don't have the best back story with friendships as I did have quite a few falling outs. Through this though I have learned a lot about trust, people and honesty and wouldn't change a thing. Each falling through has had its ups downs, and some way more difficult than others. My most recent falling through with a friend has been the toughest so far because I have known them for so long, but from this I learned who my true friends are.

Throughout my experiences over the past years, I've learned major lessons. Here are the top 5 things I've learnt when it comes to friendships.


1.  Communication
      People tell you this is important for any relationship and this is totally true. Communication is key, now with this day in age everything is written either through texting or some form of messaging.  Yes texting and emailing is communication, but take the time to call or meet up with the person. There is less likely to be a misunderstanding and you can talk about it and see if you are on the same page. Also communication is key if anything is bothering you. Yes I have lost a friend due to a misunderstanding. Instead of just talking about it, she got mad at me about what she thought and I wasn't given a chance to explain my story.
      With this day in age people hide behind a screen be it a computer or phone screen so they don't have to deal with their problems. People behind the screens are afraid to talk in person, allowing them to hide is what they feed off of.
      I believe that if me and my friend actually talked in person about the issue the friendship could have been saved.

2. Put in the effort
        Just like school work if you don't put effort in then how will you learn or grow. Now here comes the struggle that the effort has to come from both ends. You both need to be putting in equal effort for balance. If you find that you are putting in way more work then you need to question the friendship.
       This happened to me in my most recent falling out, I felt as if I was putting in all the effort. I was the one texting, calling, trying to make plans because I wanted to talk or hang out. Eventually I got fed up and stopped texting as often or calling to see if they would step up. They didn't it got to the point where there was weeks without communication. After talking to them about it I realized that I wasn't gaining anything from it and I was tired of being the one to put in the effort I felt as if I was a chore to my friend. I felt as if my friend felt like hanging out with me was a chore.

3. Be Yourself
       It might seem funny to some that i'm even putting this in the list, but its true. Whats the point of having friend if you can't be yourself, if they can't be with you when you got no make-up on and you chilling in your sweats and watching tv then who are they. The entire point of your friendship is that they know the real you and you can act yourself and be a real goof around them. I have found that is some friendships that i'm not my true self but this comes with time. You start to learn who you are and you learn who your true friends are at the same time.

4. Pay Attention
       From paying attention I mean pay attention to your gut feeling, or as I would like to say red flags.  Friends should be with you through thick and thin, and support you not matter what. Friendship is not a competition, they should not be trying to one-up you in everything or trying to make you feel insecure. If you start seeing these flags don't ignore it, do something.
       Again onion my recent falling out this happened a lot and it took me a long time to figure it out but hey at least I eventially learned. This friend no matter what one-uped me in everything. One tests her goal was to always get higher than me on a test (more than likely she did), school wasn't my strong suit so this wasn't very difficult. But when we would get our test marks back she would ask what I got then laugh when I told her because her mark was better. Also during games she would cheat to win or find some excuse if she lost. I started to realize the flags, and things didn't feel right and eventually I learned that was I her punching bag.
      I learned so much from this experience, TRUST YOUR GUT.

5. Not all friendships will stand the test of time
      Yes this is true, there isn't much to say except not all friendships are meant to be.

Recently I have been reaching for the same products when getting ready in the morning, so I thought that I would share what I am currently loving.




    Urban Decay Naked 2 pallete, the formula for these eyeshadows is amazing and its totally worth the money. The colors that I have been using the most is YDK (3rd last color) in my crease, using Bootycall (3rd color in) on my lid with Foxy(1st color) as a highlight on my brow bone and my inner corner.


   Victoria Secret fragrence mist in Summer Sun. The description of the scent is Caribbean Guava and Pineapple, the scent is a nice fruity, fresh and clean smell. I have been using this mist for months now, and it has become my signature summer scent this year.


     These sneakers I have been wearing since I have made them, I have a blog post coming up on them. They are nice to add to a bit of color to an outfit, most days I have on jeans or jean shorts with a plan t-shirt so this adds a little something to my outfit.

What is everyone else current favourites?

I love makeup, but it can get pretty expensive quite fast. This is why I love finding great deals at the drugstore, you can't be the amazing price for an awesome product. I've tried quite a few drugstore products and these are my top 10 drugstore products for under $10.

1. Garnier Micellar Water ($8.97)

        This product is my most favourite product of all. Now it is a more recent product than the others in the list. Micellar water has been around for a few years now and the one I first heard about was Bioderma and its only been the past year that I've seen them in the drugstore. I've tried other brands like Simple Micellar water but the Garnier Micellar water is the better bang for your buck as it is 400ml. This product is great at removing makeup, it works way better than any makeup wipe i've used and removes waterproof makeup with ease.

2. Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser ($9.96)
3. NYC Smooth Skin Loose Powder ($4.47)


   Primers are becoming more and more popular at the drugstore. This was one of the first primers i've tried and love it. Now it is a silicone base primer so if you don't like a silicone base this is not the primer for you. I find that this primer may not minimize pores as mine are not large anyways but it does help with the staying power of my makeup. There is not much to say about this product except its your typical drugstore primer

   NYC loose powder, where to begin with this product. When I first started using makeup and to be honest wasn't up until a few years ago NYC was the makeup I used because it was so inexpensive. As my love of makeup grew I bought more expensive things and totally forgot about this brand. A few months ago I heard people comparing this product to the Makeup Forever Loose Powder and to be honest I prefere this cheaper alternative. I find that the powder sits on my face better and doesn't settle into my fine lines around my eyes. The only downside to this product is you have to be careful as the holes that dispense the makeup are rarely large so its extremely easy to make a mess (speaking from experience)

4. Malani Baked Blush ($8.49)
5. Hard Candy Baked Bronzer ($9.98)


        I find that Milani products aren't as readily available at the drugstore where I live but there makeup is great. I stumbled across there blushes last summer, and let me tell you the formula and color payoff is just like a high end blush. They are true to color and add a nice flush of color to your face, also there is no fall out of the product or transfer onto clothes. This product is great as its drugstore price but quality of high end.

        Hard Candy is a makeup brand only found at Wal-Mart and I first heard of this brand when everyone was raving about the glamfoulage concealer (its a great full coverage concealer). This product is a baked bronzer, but as you can tell it is very pale, this is why I use it as a highlighter. It is great as a highlighter on the tops of your cheekbones, inner corner etc. The highlight isn't to intense either it adds just the fight amount of glow to the skin.

6. Maybelline Dream Lumi Concealer ($9.96)
7. NYX  blush ($8)

       Now i'm not the biggest lipstick wearer but these are the ones I grab if I'm putting on lipstick. I have Zoella to thank as I was on the hunt for the Rimmel 107 lipstick that she wears and it is the prefect shade of red. Once trying the lipstick I fell involve with the formula as it fells like there is nothing on my lips and the shade range is awesome from a great red to a nude.

 Instead of throwing out your candle when its all used up, why not recycle it. I always struggle trying to find ways to store my make-up brushes and then an idea came to me that the candle jar is the perfect size to store my brushes. The only problem was that there was still the wax and wicks where still there, trust me it is not difficult at all. I used a bath and body works candle but any candle in a glass jar would work.



What you need
 ♡ used up candle
 ♡ glitter
 ♡ mod podge
 ♡ nail polish remover
 ♡  foam paint brush
 ♡ knife


Step 1
  Start with taking your used up candle and putting it in the freezer for several hours. I left my candle in the freezer over night

Step 2
  You will need your candle from the freezer and a knife. Start by going around the wax with the knife and then place the knife in the middle and twist it to crack the wax and then remove the wax.


Step 3
 Wash out your candle holder with soap and water just to remove the residue. Also remove the price label and ingredients label on the bottom. It removes easily with water and the knife. The front label just peels off also.

Step 4
 If there is any sticky residue left n your candle from the stickers use the nail polish remover and it will easily come off.

Step 5
 Take your candle, mod podge and foam paint brush. Evenly paint the inside of the holder with mod podge and then sprinkle glitter on the inside. Turn your holder as you are spreading out the glitter to easily dispense it.



Step 6
  After the glitter is evenly around the holder shake off the excess glitter and turn it upside down to dry. It takes about 5 hours of so to dry, your best bet would to be to leave it over night.

Final product

  This DIY is so simple and easy, and you can add your own twist to it. I love how everyone can make this but everyones look completely different, you can you bright, pastel, multi or single colors. You can also make the shapes different depending on what you want.


   I did learn I few things while making the DIY and I will make sure to mention what I learned to help you guys out.

What you need
- clay (as many colors as you want)
- parchment paper
- knife
- bowl
- rolling pin
- gold nail polish or gold paint pen

  A few months ago I couldn't get to sleep and found myself on the feelunique site. Of course I ended up looking at the Zoella beauty products, since she launched her products i've been wanting to try them. I added a bunch of products into my cart and they arrived about a month later. Out of the products that I have tried os far my favourite product is the scrubbing me softly scrub which was launched with her tutti fruity collection.

 Removing nail polish can be such a hassle sometimes especially if its glitter polish. Its such a chore, but J hate the look of chipped nail polish. The new craze is the dip nail polish remover, which is more expensive than nail polish remover but cuts your time in half removing it. I have found an EASY way that you can do it yourself with items you more than likely already own. It literally took 30 seconds to make.



What you need:

- nail polish remover
- sponge
-  jar with a sealable lid


What To Do

  Roll your sponge and fit it into the jar. Depending on the size of the jar you might need more than one sponge or cut the sponge. You want to make sure that the sponge just fits in the jar (don't leave a ton of extra room).


  Next pour in your nail polish remover, just enough for the sponges to soak up the remover. I used about a third of the bottle.


How to use the nail polish dip

  Lots of makeup brands have been coming out with some new spring products. The other day I was in my local Wal-Mart and was looking in the makeup department and was intrigued by this product. The Kate Moss sculpting and highlight kit done by Rimmel London looks like the total package. It has a highlighter, blush and contour shades.  I decided to give it a try because I love having products that have multiple products inside as it makes it easy to travel and well it has cute packaging. Like who doesn't love a little bit of gold on there products.



Shades

   The Kate Moss sculpting and highlighting kit comes in 3 shades
- 001 golden sands (fair - light)
- 002 coral glow (light - medium)
- 003 golden bronze (medium - dark)

   I think the shade range is great and an suit all skin tones, I am fair but I purchased 002 coral glow because a coral blush better suits my skin tone and the contour shade is a bit more ashy in color as I found the golden sands bronzer to be a bit orange.

Color payoff/ Formula

     The color payoff and the formula of these products is awesome for drugstore products. The color is true to the container, and not to much shimmer. All 3 the highlight, blush and bronzer have a bit of shimmer which kind of steered me off first because I like my bronzer to be matte but the shimmer is just the right amount to give you a healthy glow. The highlight has more shimmer but that is to be expected as it is a highlighter. The formula is more or a velvet feel and don't feel chalky which I was afraid of. Also there is very little fall out when you put your brushes in the product. The product applies fine straight over foundation or powder, it doesn't look cakey on the skin and wears great throughout the day.


Packaging

  I'm not gonna lie the packing total won me over. I was  standing in an isle being mesmerized by all the different makeup products and then it caught my eye. It is a sleek and simple package but it is outlined in like metallic gold. The packaging is great and sturdy, it doesn't feel flimsy or that it will fall apart. I also dropped it the other day when I was applying my makeup and the packaging and makeup withstood the fall.

Price

  This is a drugstore product meaning that it is very affordable. The price will vary depending on where you live I believe mine was about $9 CAD and I purchased it at Wal-Mart as I know sometimes these items are a little more expensive at Shoppers Drug Mart.

I love this product as it gives me and nice healthy glow and hey you can't beat having 3 makeup products in one package and I can't complain about the price. Will definitely repurchase this product.