la mode française

So I posted a few days ago that Angers, France may be my home next semester. It is a study abroad program where I would spend the fall semester of 2011 enrolled at Université catholique de l'Ouest. Ethan (boyfriend) will also be participating in the program with me so we are really excited!! It is still not set in stone, but we should know soon! Anyways, I thought it would be a good idea to start looking at the fashions in France, just for fun :) Take a look:

 

over and out.

Angers, France: Potential Home Next Semester

Product Review:

Boots No. 7 Intensive Moisture Mask:

Okay, so I cannot remember a time when my face was completely blemish free since before middle school. I have never had extreme acne, but I have always had a few break outs here and there, always manageable with makeup. I have tried everything from dermatologist prescribed products, to proactiv, to all natural acne remedies and just about everything in between with minimal results. I got to the point where I finally accepted my few breakouts and my face routine consisted of lots of salicylic acid to dry out what blemishes I had as fast as possible. This led to lots of dry patches on my face, but that seemed to be the lesser of the two evils. And that's how I lived with my skin. Until now. I was using my parents shower the other day (SUCH a luxury compared to the ridiculously low water pressure at my apartment) and I love trying out my mom's shampoos and face products. I was a little hesitant to use this product because I was under the impression that moisturizers that aren't acne fighting, make acne prone skin worse, but I went for it anyways. Not only was my face left EXTREMELY soft, but after rushing to Target to buy my own, my skin has rapidly cleared up over the past few days and no new blemishes have appeared. WIN-WIN-WIN! Definitely. Definitely a must buy.


Maybelline Dream Smooth Mousse:

I have been a loyal bare minerals customer for upwards of six years but the expensive prices have finally forced me elsewhere to find a more college-budget friendly option. As explained above, my skin has its problem areas so I always extensively research new products before putting them on my face, especially when its a product that is notorious for making skin problems worse. I have not used drug store makeup since middle school and I was definitely skeptical. I spent a good hour watching youtube reviews of the best drugstore foundations. What I came across what a youtube channel of a girl named Emily who is a host for a morning show. Her youtube channel, Beauty Broadcast is all about makeup. She is extremely well spoken, knowledgeable, and well respected. Her review on Maybelline's Dream Smooth Mousse sold me.

 

  I absolutely love this foundation! It has awesome coverage but feels super light. I don't use the sponge to apply it because sponges hold a lot of bacteria, instead, I use a foundation brush that I can clean regularly. It stays on all day, and all I have to do to touch up is a little mineral veil to absorb any oil that appears through the day.  The best part: it doesn't make me break out! 

over and out.

Chronicles of My Hair

Asymmetrical Bob (Fall 2008)

Random Blonde Streaks (Winter 2008)

Straight Bangs (Spring 2009)

Blonde (Summer 2009)

Light Brown (Early Fall 2009)

Purply (Winter 2009)

Blonde Attempt #2 (Spring 2010)

Long, Dark, and Wavy (Summer 2010)

REALLY Long (Summer 2010)

Collar Bone Length (Fall 2010)

Blonde-ish Pixie Cut (Winter 2010)

Grown- Out Pixie (Current Hair)

over and out.

All is fair in Love and Fondue

Monday will mark Ethan and I's third Valentine's Day together, and tonight marks our third Valentine's Day dinner at the Melting Pot. We get dressed up and spend a good two hours pigging out on four courses of deliciousness! I know you're jealous :)







over and out

L.A.X.

In many native American societies or tribes, the game was played to resolve conflicts, heal the sick, develop strong, virile men and prepare for war. Legend tells of games with more than 100 players from different tribes taking turns to play. It could be played on a field many miles in length and width (present day lacrosse is played on a field 60 yards wide and 110 yards long); sometimes the game could last for days.



Lacrosse played significant role in the community and religious life of tribes across the continent for many years. Early lacrosse was characterized by deep spiritual involvement, befitting the spirit of combat in which it was undertaken. Those who took part did so in the role of warriors, with the goal of bringing glory and honor to themselves and their tribes. The game was said to be played "for the Creator" or was referred to as "The Creator's Game."

Ethan plays on St. Edward's Lacrosse team and I got to be the photographer for their games this past weekend. I had a lot of fun and wanted to share a few of my favorite pictures from the games:


Sam


Reed


Michael "Smalls"





Harrison


Ethan


Harrison with his "mad LAX flow"


Ethan


Matt


Ryan (President)


Evan


over and out!

Outer Space.

Crayola 150 Crayon Telescoping Tower:

This was the best $17.99 I ever spent.



Even the awesome sharpener carefully hidden in the back of the 120 count box can't beat this little beauty...




Favorite Actual Color:

Sea Green (1949)



My favorite color of all time is aquamarine (my birthstone), but unfortunately the crayola color entitled "aquamarine" is really more of a sky blue. The crayon that is truest to my favorite color (truest to the actual color of the stone) is Sea Green.

Favorite Looking Crayon:

Orchid (1949)



Although purple isn't my favorite color (but it is nice!), this crayon is just really cool looking. The color when used to draw, is pretty cool, but the best part of this crayon is how it looks in it's solid form. I couldn't find a picture of it online and every picture I took didn't do it justice. But trust me on this. Go buy a variety of crayons and find the one called "Orchid."

Favorite Color Name:

Outer Space (1998)



Crayola never ceases to entertain me with the names they choose for their crayons (OPI makes a close second). Today, as I was rifling through my newly opened crayon box, I found my new favorite name. Outer Space. How cool! Its a grey hued color, but the paper sleeve on the crayon is a darker blue. Maybe it's not as cool as I personally think...

Reading Update:

I finally have started Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. I am in Chapter Six, page 61 of 288 total pages. I have absolutely no idea what is going on and I love books that do that. All that I know is that it seems to be some sort of utopia book, following in the footsteps of 1984, Anthem, and The Giver. I also love utopia books! I will probably stay up a little bit tonight since tomorrow night I have dinner/ game night with my college small group and then I will be up late studying for my American National Government Exam on Thursday morning.

Preacher Update:

The homeless man I blogged about in my post Invisible Man, Danny, is no longer camped 300 feet from the woman who murdered his friend. According to Austin American Statesman and My Fox Austin, Lou Ann Tompkins (the woman) was arrested for the murder of Darin Bell (Danny's friend). Please read the stories; they are incredibly interesting. A short summary is that she shot him in the forehead with a 9 mm and six other handguns were found in her possession. The 9 mm matched ballistics of the bullet found on the victim and she was charged with first degree murder with her bail set at $1 million.

She was arrested Saturday, December 29, the day after we had a late McDonald's dinner with Danny. When we asked Danny how we could be praying for him, he ask us to pray for rest and peace because he has been staying up every night, anticipating Lou Ann to come after him for being friends with Darin and knowing what she did. I am absolutely not implying that by spending that hour and a half with him Friday night prevented her from coming after him, but its not impossible. The things that could have happened if we hadn't stopped, or simply left early out of awkwardness. He might have ended up going back to his camp earlier. We will never know for sure, but it definitely makes me more conscious of how God is using me and my life, outside of my life, for His good and taught me that somethings are way more valuable than the avoidance of awkward situations.

over and out.