It's "Princess Season"! [I'm Baaaaack!]

Wow it has been over a month since I last posted! I have just been insanely busy and honestly... a little lazy in my spare time! Haha!

Any updates since the last time I posted? Hmmm...:

1) I have a school counselor interview next week! Wow... this is huge! I am both nervous and overjoyed! I feel like I have been in school forever and FINALLY! It is starting to be beneficial!

2) I got inducted into Chi Sigma Iota-- the International Counseling Honor Society! Apparently the whole not having a life thing is paying off :) Insert cheesy nerd pic here:

I looked much cuter before the convenient rain downpour... thanks, Mother Nature!

3) Spring is here! And if the cold weather would stay away, I would be even more happy!

Alrighty, so on to the inspiration behind this post...

So formal season is upon us...or as I like to call it "Princess Season"! Once you reach a certain age, some of us relish every opportunity to get all glam-ed up and feel like a princess [let's just reflect back to when it was a life goal of mine to be a princess... ahh memories.]

I remember when prom or sorority formal time came around and I just haaaad to go out and get a new dress, new make up, and figure out what to do with this head. Also, I used to tan before big events... that glow was much more important than wrinkles... hehe. Well I just haaaaad to spend lots of money to feel like a princess. 

With the gaining of the years, I like to think I also gained a bit of wisdom... just a bit. Now, I realize that "princess" is a frame of mind. You don't need to spend a ton of money to feel like a princess. 

Let's do an experiment: So go to your mirror, strike your "Wonder Woman" pose and look at yourself for two minutes without passing judgement... embrace your inner princess! Because you are gorgeous and you would still be gorgeous in a paper bag with some mud splattered on your face :)

I know I know... Ashley, it's not socially acceptable to wear a paper bag and mud during formal season... fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine! 

I glam-ed myself... well kinda :) [I'm just not a glam person anymore, but I do enjoy wearing a little extra sparkle occasionally haha]

Earrings from Forever21
Make Up Products will be listed after the pictures :)

This dress cost me $10! TEN BUCKS, PEOPLE! I saw it and haaad to have it :)
I got it from J.R.'s... yes, I know, mind blown! Soooo pretty!

I don't really do anything with my hair... I made it big, put some waves in it with
my flat irons, then twisted and pinned back some pieces!

My eye makeup was inspired by this look on Pinterest. I also own the Naked2
palette so it was super simple!

Make Up Products I Used:
Hard Candy Sheer Envy Skin Primer
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Urban Decay Naked2 Palette
Maybelline Master Precise Felt Liquid Liner in Black
Maybelline The Falsies Volum Express Waterproof in Very Black
Benefit Erase Paste
Clinique Line Smoothing Concealer in Light
Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 Foundation in Creamy Natural
Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in Transparent
Wet n Wild Powder Blush in Pearlescent Pink
Perfect Arch Soft Powder Brow Pencil in Dark Blonde
Palladio Clear Brow Gel
L.A. Colors Moisturizing Lip Gloss in Orchid

Enjoy your Princess Season and remember every girl is a princess! :)

What's In My Carry On?

Over the Christmas holiday, I got to go visit my brother's family in Washington state! I love to travel, but anyone that knows me knows I was even more pumped to meet my baby nephew, Lincoln! My boyfriend calls me "baby-crazy", but honestly I am just "Lincoln-Crazy"! That baby is by far the cutest baby in the world! I am even more crazy about him now that I have officially met him! Soooo hard having your family on the other side of the country :(

I was one happy Auntie :)

How I spent my Christmas vacation! On the couch with this little Chunky Monkey! Couldn't have asked for more! Terrible picture of me, but let's be honest... it's not about me :)

Well enough bragging about my AMAZING nephew... hehehe...
I thought I might do a "What's In My Carry On Bag?" since I did some travelling during Christmas!

1) A Nice Sturdy Bag: Mine is an Adrienne Vittadinni laptop tote bag. Typically, I will just slide my bag under the seat in front of me because I hate putting my bag in the overhead bins. However, on the return trip, I had to put it in the bin so next time, I will probably bring a bag with a zipper since everything gets all shifted during the flight!

2) My Cellphone: Nope, not an Iphone gal... I love my Samsung Galaxy S3! I am not really one of those people that has to get the latest electronics [not that there is anything wrong with that]... I usually keep mine until it dies then I get something new :)

3) My Nook: I know the Kindle Fire is the thing to get nowadays, but I love my Nook Color! However, my mom did just get a Kindle Fire HD and it is pretty cool! Anyway, I love to read and this is much more convenient than carrying around books [but I do love the feel of a book occasionally].

4) My Grandma Ipod: I bet some people don't even remember what the IPod Classic looks like... well here it is... oh yes, I have a Classic and if it ain't broke, don't fix it haha like I said, I use something til it dies then I update it. I love it haha

5) Earbuds:  These are the Samsung earbuds that came with my cellphone and they are AWESOME! I always like to have a good pair of earbuds, not only to listen to my ipod, but because most of the time, the complimentary earphones on the plane don't work. I cannot survive a flight without some good earphones!

6 and 7) Wallet and an "Everything Else" Bag: I just put my purse in my suitcase and keep the essentials on hand in my carry on. So I have my Belvah quilted wallet and make-up bag which hold all of those knick knacks and doo-dads that might get lost in my carry on, like ID, money, lip balm, etc...

8) Sleep Mask: Pretty self explanatory... for those of us that are easily distracted on long flights when we need to be sleeping or you have that really annoying person is keeps using flash photography on an overnight flight. Typically, I cannot sleep on flights, but it's nice to have just in case.

9) Hand Sanitizer: This the BBW mini hand sanitizer in Fresh Snow. OMG... a hand sanitizer that doesn't smell like alcohol... hallelujah! Reasons for having this are obvious: planes are icky and people on planes can be icky [not all, but some can be] :)

10) Mini Brush: Convenient size to battle plane head... you know what I mean? Nobody likes to look all crazy- haired after a long flight! 

11) Gum: Any kind will do to battle those popping ears!

12) Lip Balm: Always an essential :)

Well that's what I keep in my carry on and I hope it maybe gives you some helpful ideas for your next trip :)

2014: The Year of Skincare, Hair, and Organization [HAUL]

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! I definitely did! It was soooo great to see my family and meet my baby nephew for the first time! Now that I am back and settled back in, I should probably get back on track with my posts! :)

With the new years comes the tradition of resolutions and normally I do make the typical resolutions of exercising more, but this year I decided that particular resolution should be a "durrr...". So I strayed from that typical resolution and picked a few new ones... and try some new products while I'm at it! Yay! 

On to my New Years Resolution Haul:

Resolution #1: Battling My Winter Skin!

I am suffering people... my skin is soooo dry and itchy this year! So I am going to try these lovely products to fight it before I scratch my skin off! [P.S. Any product recommendations are welcome!]

Resolution #2: Grow Out My Hair While Also Keeping It Healthy

I have pretty much had short hair since about summer of 2008 when I chopped my goldilocks off. I had really no idea of how to take care of my long hair back then so it's unhealthy, frizzy, and ridiculously annoying. And though I cannot stand when my hair even gets to shoulder length, I am attempting to give long hair another go in the new year since my hair is much more healthy now. I will probably lob it off out of impatience and frustration, but I'll give it a try [my next decision will be what color my hair will be for this growth... my natural dark blonde or continue to highlight...hmmm]

Resolution #3: Develop a Consistent Skincare Routine

I just have not found anything that I am crazy about when it comes to a skincare routine and with my skin as dry and wintery as it is now, consistency is key. So I bought some new products to try... hopefully I fall in love!

Resolution #4: Be More Organized.

This was first purchase towards organizing my life haha I have put it off, but my love of beauty products has prevailed [and this was actually decently priced!]. I really need to be more organized and not have everything just sitting around. I'm not a neat person, but clutter can drive a gal insane! Other than my bathroom, I also have some other organization projects in mind for the new year like getting into a more consistent cleaning schedule and being much more school organized because this next semester is going to be a KILLER!

All of these products were purchased at Walmart and were on sale [woot woot!]

Hope everyone is having an amazing beginning of the year and I hope it's not too chilly where you are!