Summer Favorites & Essentials

Summer is halting to a close and instead of doing a blogpost on August Favorites, I decided I'd instead make a summer favorites post, similar to what I had done towards the end of spring. Once the end of August hits, it's officially fall time for me! So long summer, I definitely will not be missing you :)

Here are some of my favorites for the summertime, all the way from fashion to beauty to food to everything in between! I organized it a little differently than my Spring favorites, so I now I have something from each category represented :)

Favorite Body Wash: Bath & Body Works Bali Mango Shower Gel

Favorite Hair Product: Organix Coconut Milk Anti-Breakage Serum

Favorite Eyeshadow: Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette

Favorite Mascara: Maybelline Volum'Express Pumped Up Colossal Mascara 

Favorite Blush #1: Clinique Cheek Pop Blush in Berry Pop

Favorite Blush #2: Milani Baked Blush in Rose D'Oro

Favorite Lipstick: Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Sweet Tart

Favorite Lip Balms: Maybelline Baby Lips in Pink Quartz and Rose Rush

Favorite Lipgloss #1: Revlon Colorburst Lip Gloss in Pango Peach

Favorite Lipgloss #2: Benefit Ultra Plush Lip Gloss in Hoola

Favorite Lipgloss #3: Maybelline Color Elixir in Rose Redefined

Favorite Nailpolish: Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Nailpolish in Speedy Sunburst

Favorite Fashion Item: Maxi Skirts

Favorite Accessory: The Sak Crossbody Bag
Favorite Jewelry Piece: Target coral dangle earrings
Favorite Food Item: Smores!
Favorite Drink: Gloria Jean's coffee
Favorite Memory: Trip to NYC and DC!

Stress Relief 101

It's no secret that over the past year, I've been battling with chronic stress and a self-managed panic disorder. Unfortunately, being submerged 24/7 in a stress-loaded medical school environment takes its tolls and constantly piles on mounds of worry, fear, and thoughts of self-undermining. Some students are able to handle it magnificently and not let it affect their lives too much, while other students (like myself) are constantly pressed down by it and struggle to stay positive and keep afloat in such a fast-paced, competitive environment.

So this fall, which marks the beginning of my third year of medical school, I'm really going to work hard to try and fight the stress. I understand, though, that it's SO much easier said than done. In fact, I recall posting something similar right before boards studying time began, and I did a complete botch job at it. Thinking back to March-May of this year really triggers some PTSD-like nightmares in my head due to all the stress I had let accrue and simmer, which eventually led me to perform horribly on my board exams. It was by far one of my biggest struggles in life and I'm still affected daily by it. Thankfully, third year is sort of like a redemption for students who got low scores on boards. Clerkship grades have a huge say in residency applications, and since my core rotation marathon is about to begin in a few days time, I thought it would be appropriate to use these few days before my next rotation begins to establish a plan for those days where I'm feeling especially weighed down by stress.

I believe fall is a great time to start fresh. In fact, when I think of fall, I think of starting anew. It's a fresh new season, fresh new school year, and a fresh new opportunity for me to excel. Fall is also my favorite season and the most calming time of year for me and so it's much easier for me to be happy and optimistic.  So I've done some research on tips to reduce stress. Now, not all the stress-relieving tips work and are feasible for me so I've narrowed it down to the stress-relieving activities that I think will work the best for me. Of course, as I've said, it's a lot easier said than done but I'm motivated to try and work extra hard to minimize the stress in my life. Stress completely wreaks havoc on my body. I tend to break out a lot more, I gain weight (as evidenced by my 10 pound weight gain in the past two years), I eat terribly, I feel exhausted, and just hate the way I live when I get stressed. Therefore, I really want to try and prevent stress from piling on for the next year. Third year can definitely become stressful as I've learned from the few rotations I've been on so far. It's a full 8-12 hour day followed by studying at nights, which can take a toll if you don't plan out enough breaks and non-medical activities.

So enough rambling, here are some tips I've listed and hoping I can fall back on when I'm feeling down on myself.

in the morning
-try to wake up at least two hours ahead of heading out the door
-start each morning with a soothing, hot cup of green tea
-progressive relaxation
-morning yoga whilst deep breathing
-browse through daily planner
-reserve at least an hour for getting ready and preparing meals for the day

throughout the day
-eat small, nutritious meals frequently
-try to check things off planner list

in the evening
-light a soothing candle
-take a hot shower
-listen to soft, classical or piano music
-drink herbal tea and read something non-medical
-finish a craft project
-clean and organize
-explore and study in a new location
-finish all items on daily planner
-plan out next day's meals
-sleep!

on the weekends
-go for a nature walk on early weekend mornings
-attend a sermon or watch an online sermon on weekend mornings
-explore and study in a new location
-take a mini road trip
-participate in local events or community service efforts
-spa night

I ♥ Summer Tag!

I've been on a kick with these tags lately, so here's another one! Less beauty related, more random bits and bob type of questions. :) Plus I was bored and lazy sitting in bed, wanting to update my blog after my crazy long vacation last week, so here's a nice relaxed post! 

1. Favorite bronzer for summer?
I don't really wear bronzers since I'm already so tan (and get tanner with the summer)! The only bronzer-esque product I do use on a more regular basis is my Tarte Amazonian Clay Bronzer in Park Ave Princess, which I use more as a highlight or a natural-hued blush.

2. You're relaxing in a hammock, on a tropical island. What are you sipping on?
Probably an iced coffee! I'm not a huge fan of sugary drinks, so my answer would either have to be an ice cold cup of water or some form of iced coffee drink. I really like the Iced Caramel Macchiato from Starbucks, so I try to get that every once in a while. I also just like plain old iced coffee from a coffee shop when I'm treating myself to a drink. I don't really like making iced coffees at home, although I have been quite obsessed with the International Delight ready-made iced coffee drinks!

3. Favorite summer lip product?
Anything glossy! I love wearing sheer lip glosses during the summertime because they're so easy to pop on and are quite low maintenance. One of my favorite lipgloss brand for the summertime are The Body Shop glosses that smell like fruit, which makes them a fun, yummy summertime makeup product especially because they're so juicy and give the most flattering natural wash of pink-red to your lips. I also really like the Benefit Ultra Plush glosses because they're so glossy, but lightweight and smell faintly like peaches. My favorite color from this line would definitely have to be Hoola, a gorgeous and versatile bronzey-nude shade that looks absolutely amazing on its own or paired with a heavy eye look.

4. Pool or Beach?
Probably the beach because it feels so nice and calming to put your feet in the warm sand and stare out into the ocean. The ocean sounds are so incredibly calming too, especially early mornings and late evenings when it's quiet and calm on the beach! I also really like strolling along the boardwalk and taking a peak at all the wonderful shops along the way.

5. Summer = crazy hair! What's your must-have styling product?
The only thing that seems to tame my frizzy mess of hair is the Organix Coconut Milk Anti-Breakage Serum. It combats frizz amazingly well, but with the downside that it tends to weigh down your hair due to the rich oils in the product. I don't use it nearly as much as I should, but when I need something that will calm down my frizz effectively, I definitely reach the most for this product!

6. Sun bathing or fake tan?
Neither :) Natural tan, bitches! If anything, I try to avoid the sun at all costs to avoid getting darker, haha.

7. Favorite summer nail polish?
I love neon nail polishes during the summertime, so I rotate between bright oranges, pinks, purples, even yellows! My favorite one (since my fave color is pink) is the Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Nailpolish in Speedy Sunburst, a beautiful hot neon pink polish. Perfect, perfect, perfect color for the summertime and looks stunning with a tan on both fingernails and toenails!

8. Any summer traditions?
Hmm no real major traditions, but my family always takes a road trip during the summer. This year, we went to Washington DC over Memorial Day weekend. We also try to go to our favorite local summer spots, like Moraine State Park, Oglebay, and Stonewall Resort in WV. Me and my brother also try to make as many indoor s'mores as possible over our little gas stove at home! Summer traditions for me are all about spending lots and lots of quality time with the family :)

9. Favorite summer scent?
I like fruity scents during the summer, especially mango, watermelon, and strawberry. I don't tend to burn many candles during the summer, but strawberry candles seem to be my favorite. I detest coconut scents however, so anything coconut or "island" scented is definitely not my cup of tea. As far as body spray scents, I gravitate towards my fruity PINK body sprays. At the moment I'm using one called "Sweet & Flirty", which is a mix of sugar berry and pink grapefruit. Smells aaamazing and fruity, perfect for the summertime!

10. Favorite BBQ food?
I would have to say some form of marinated chicken or my favorite picknicky-BBQ food....POTATO SALAD! I'm not a huge burger person, but I love marinated chicken breasts such as the one my dad often makes during the summertime. Also, I gotta eat potato salad at least once during the summertime or else it's a fail of a summer for me!

11. What's your favorite summer-proof product?
Hmm not quite sure about this one....I would have to say deodorant since it combats any sweatiness or smelliness I may develop throughout the day, haha. I sweat A LOT during the summer, so deodorant is an absolute must for me! Also, eyeshadow primers are a godsend for the summer since they help my shadow stick on all day no matter how much I sweat.

12. Any summer vacation plans this year? No plans?
No huge summer vacation plans were made this year. However, I had an absolute BLAST with my parents in Washington DC in May this year and then having a mini-reunion with my undergrad friends in Washington DC last week! I also got to spend a few days exploring NYC with my mom last week, which were absolutely wonderful. So although I didn't get to go any crazy fancy places, I got to spend a lot of quality time with close friends and family, which I'm incredibly thankful for :)

Recipe Box ♥

Condensing my Pinterest recipe posts into one, simple, easy list. :)
Hope to have all of these tried and tested by the end of the year!

Breakfast

• Andouille cajun potatoes
• Baked cheddar and eggs
• Banana bread protein muffins
• Chocolate chip protein pancakes
• Crustless quiche
• Egg white, tomato, and mozzarella on wheat bread
• Hash brown egg white nests
• Mini bacon and potato frittatas
• Parmesan roasted potatoes
• Roasted rosemary potatoes
• Sea salt and vinegar potatoes with goat cheese and chives
• Sunny side-up egg with spinach breakfast sandwich
• Toast with peanut butter and strawberries
• Toast with plain greek yogurt and blueberries

Lunch

• Avocado egg salad sandwich
• Avocado and spinach grilled cheese sandwich 
• BBQ Chicken salad
• Chicken and broccoli stromboli
• Chicken caesar wrap
• Chicken parmesan wrap
• Chicken pesto on a baguette
• Crunch lover's chopped chicken salad
• Egg white and spinach feta wrap
• Ham sandwich with Laughing Cow spreadable cheese
• Margherita (tomato and mozzarella) sandwich
• Mini pizza bagels
• Peanut butter and banana sandwich
• Pizza chicken burger
• String cheese bites
• Turkey lettuce wraps
• Veggie cream cheese and cucumber sandwiches
• Zucchini parmesan crusted chicken nuggets

Dinner

• Baked breaded tofu
• Baked ravioli
• Broccoli pesto pasta
• Cauliflower crust grilled chicken and three cheese pizza
• Cheesy smoked sausage and pasta skillet
• Cheesy veggie pasta bake
• Cheesy zucchini rice
• Chicken alfredo lasagna roll-ups
• Chicken and spinach pasta bake
• Chicken broccoli alfredo stuffed shells
• Chicken enchiladas
• Chicken florentine pasta
• Chicken fried brown rice
• Chicken lasagna with roasted red pepper sauce
• Chicken roll-a-tini
• Chicken vegetable soup
• Creamy pesto three cheese tortellini with chicken 
• Creamy spinach tomato tortellini
• Crock pot cashew chicken
• Four cheese white pizza 
• Garlic herb marinated chicken
• Garlic parmesan chicken lasagna bake
• Garlic pesto chicken with tomato cream penne
• Greek yogurt mashed potatoes
• Grilled fennel sausage pizza 
• Honey lime chicken
• Lemon chicken parmesan
• Kung pao chicken
• Oven-made chicken fajitas 
• Oven chicken tacos
• Pad see ew 
• Panda express chow mein 
• Pasta al limone
• Pesto chicken lasagna 
• Pesto and mozzarella stuffed chicken 
• Skinny mexican pizza
• Soba noodles with peanut dressing
• Southwestern chicken wraps
• Spinach and tomato ranch pizza
• Tomato and chicken pizza
• White cheese and chicken lasagna
• Zucchini bake with feta and thyme

Desserts

• Banana chocolate chip muffins
• Banana nut muffins
• Blueberry muffins
• Brownie s'mores
• Buttermilk pancakes with maple frosting
• Caramel apple cheesecake cookie bars
• Caramel pretzel chocolate chip cookies
• Chocolate chip cookie dough cupcakes
• Chocolate chip pudding cookies
• Chocolate peanut butter mug cake
• Coffee cake
• Cupcakes with cream cheese cookie dough frosting
• Kit kat and caramel cupcakes
• Mini pies
• Mint white hot chocolate
• Molten chocolate cake
• Peanut butter chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake bars
• Red velvet brownies with white chocolate buttercream frosting
• Red velvet cupcakes with white chocolate mousse
• S'mores cheesecake bars
• Strawberry chocolate chip muffins
• Strawberry heart mini cheesecake bites
• Vanilla cupcakes with strawberry buttercream
• Whole wheat blueberry muffins 

Sinful Eating/Potlucks

• Baked spaghetti in garlic bread
• Baked tater tot dip
• Cheesy bacon potato bites
• Cheesy hash brown casserole
• Cheesy mashed potato pancakes
• Cheesy potato soup
• Cheesy stuffed garlic butter crescents
• Crescent pepperoni roll-ups
• Crockpot ranch potatoes
• French toast roll-ups
• Mac and cheese bites
• Mac and cheese pizza
• New York style white pizza
• Pepperoni pizza lasagna rolls
• Pizza nachos
• Queso blanco dip
• Spicy chicken ranch dip

Lip Product Addict Tag!

It's no secret that I love lip products. Sooo as I was reorganizing my makeup drawer, especially my favorite lippie containers, I got inspired to do this tag! 

1. What is your favorite balm or treatment?
I'd divide this question into regular lip balms and tinted lip balms. As far as regular lip balms,  my favorite one would have to be Nivea A Kiss of Milk & Honey. I discovered these last year and have been using them like crazy during the winter. They're super affordable, smell yummy, and are small enough to be stowed away in a book bag or purse.
As far as tinted lip balms go, I'm loving the CoverGirl Smoochies. I love how they are sheer, but you can build on the product for more a more opaque color. Also, these smell like cherries and are very, very affordable!  

2. What is your favorite eye catching red?
I don't have very many red lip products, since I'm quite shy about wearing bold, bright lip colors. However, when I go to a fancy or formal event, my go to red shade is Tarte LipSurgence Matte Lip Tint in Fiery. It's a bright, cherry red so it's definitely eye catching! I know it's not a classic red lipstick, but I love this product because it lasts an incredibly long time even through eating and drinking and feels super light on the lips. And plus for some reason, I think matte reds are more attractive than shiny, red lips. If I want something darker, I'll reach for my Revlon Lip Butter in Red Velvet or my Revlon Colorburst Lip Gloss in Boudreaux

3. The best luxury and drugstore product?
Most of my lip products are from the drugstore because I feel like you can very easily find good quality glosses and lipsticks at the drugstore. Plus, they're always coming out with new collections so it's very easy to hoard up on them! For luxury lip products, I would say Chanel lipsticks because they look soooo regal and beautiful, but it would be unfair because I don't actually own any (about to change that this winter though!). Therefore, my favorite luxury lip brand as of now would have to be the Benefit Ultra Plush Glosses. Now, for being a higher-end product, they're still quite affordable at $16 a pop, but the reason I'm putting them here is because they're a little pricey for how sheer they are. I buy them because I'm in LOVE with the ease of application, taste/smell, shine, and hydration these glosses provide that is unparalleled in my opinion. These are by the far the smoothest and most pleasant smelling lip glosses I have ever used (they smell like peaches!!) and will continue to buy these because of that. Again, they're very very sheer and not very buildable, but that's just another reason I love them since I tend to wear more sheer lip products and love wearing these on casual days. 
For drugstore, I'd have to divide this question up into favorite gloss and lipstick line from the drugstore. For glosses, 
For drugstore lipstick, I would have to say my favorite are the Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters. Holy moly, I absolutely HATED lipsticks before I used this product, but these changed my life forever. First off, they're a hybrid of true lipsticks and tinted lip balms, so they're very very moisturizing and creamy but still have amazing color payoff. By far the best part about these lipsticks is that you can build up the color as much as you want.  I like to wear mine sheer, so I only apply a few coats, but you can slather it on if you want a more intense look. Plus, I LOVE the color selection and own 6-7 of these babies, by far the product I own the most colors in! My favorite MLBB of all time is Pink Truffle from this line, which is been my favorite, holy-grail, most loved lip product of all time!!!!

4. Best MAC lipstick?
Again, I shamefully don't own any! I'm about to change that this fall and get my very first MAC lipstick.....Cosmo!!! After a ton of research I think I finally found a good MLBB shade and so decided to make this one my very first lippie from Mac. I hear amazing things, so I'm quite excited to try this formula finally!

5. Most disappointing lip product?
I'd have to say the Clinique Chubby Sticks have been by far the most disappointing products ever. It's sad because I really really love the color selection, but the product itself isn't very hydrating. It applies nicely but it dries off to a rough finish, leaving my lips feeling kinda yucky. Plus, it smells like play-dough and weird. Really sad because the color Fuller Fig was my very first MLBB purchase and I loved it, but the product itself had a terrible formula.

6. Lip Liner: Yes or No?
Nope, makes me look weird! :)

7. Favorite gloss?
This is an incredibly hard question because I love love love glosses and have quite a few favorite lines. It's a very close tie between the NYX Butter Glosses and bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie glosses, but I would have to go with the NYX Butter Glosses because they're cheaper (only $5 each!), but still amazing glosses. My favorite shades in this line are Apple Strudel and Angel Food Cake. They're also sheer, but definitely more pigmented than the Benefit glosses I mentioned above. One of the good things about this gloss is that you can pile on the product for more coverage without looking like a goopy mess. They leave my lips feeling very smooth and shiny, and feel super super super light on my lips, JUST like butter! Plus, they smell like vanilla cupcakes....nom! 
Honorable mention goes out to the bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lip Glosses for having an amazing long-wearing formula without being overly sticky, smelling yummy, having a great color selection, and being super shiny and smooth! 

8. ..Something else?!
Some other products I love that I didn't mention:

• Maybelline Baby Lips
• Maybelline Color Elixirs
• NYX Mega Shine Lip Glosses
• Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Glosses

$100 Fall Makeup Challenge

So this is a little challenge I created for myself to make sure I don't overbuy anything. And with my previous post regarding my credit card overuse, I figured this would be a good time to finalize my fall makeup purchases and make sure I won't go over board.

As you can tell, I love planning out what I buy rather than just blindly going out to stores. I find online shopping quite fun and its something I can do in my pajamas on my lazy days. For me, online shopping and even window shopping is how I destress. Plus, if you plan out your purchases, you definitely tend to spend less.

MAC
Cosmo Lipstick -- $16

SEPHORA
Too Faced Natural Eyes Palette -- $36

ULTA
Essie Nail Polish in Fishnet Stockings -- $8.50
L'Oreal Glossy Balm in Lovely Mocha -- $7.99
NYX Butter Gloss in Tiramisu -- $4.99
Revlon Parfumerie Nail Polish in Autumn Spice -- $6.49

DRUGSTORE
ELF Long Lustrous Eyeshadow in Toast -- $3.04
L'Oreal Le Gloss in Red Ravishing -- $2.98 (sale!)
L'Oreal Nail Polish in Sweet Nothings -- $2.48 (sale!)

COUPONS
Ulta weekly coupon      -$3.50

TOTAL
= $84.97!
(woooo under my limit!!)

Handling Finances

I was putting in a Sephora order this afternoon (since they're doing the 3X points for VIB members plus have a free lip product VIB gift out) and to my surprise, my order wouldn't go through. Never did I think that it was because my credit card bill for the month had been up to $545. That might not seem like a lot, but I live on my own and only support myself. And I had just paid $474 on July 7th. So, that means I've managed to spend that much money in a month.

That's outrageous to be honest, and I have no excuse for spending that much money in a month. Looking at my expenses history, it's mainly been food and grocery store trips. July was full of fast food, which piles up the credit card bill really easily. But it's weird because towards the end of the month, I had been making numerous grocery store trips a week and spending $50+ each time. I'm not saying it's bad to go stockpile your fridge, but to make healthy grocery choices and still be like 50 pounds overweight is crazy to me. 

I always say I'm going to watch my expenditure, but I always trail off on that promise after week one. Life just comes along and there goes that resolution. But, since I'm less busy that usual this month, I really want to work on fixing my finances. Here are some tips I thought up to save more money this month:

• Daily credit card balance emails
• Limit myself to $100 worth of makeup per season
• Limit myself to $100 worth of clothes, candles, accessories, home stuff, etc. per season
• Limit to $100 per month on groceries

So not a whole bunch, but these would be good to start off with and see how they go. 

Will update on my progress!