The Selfie Social Media Cleanse

I would like to start off this post by saying that I, Laura, am a social media addict. My parents have always loved to tease me about how I'm not able to survive without my phone or social media, and for the first time I saw that they might be right. In honor of the new ABC comedy, Selfie, I was challenged to take a social media cleanse. There were four different categories and I qualified as a "mobile maniac." What that means is that my phone and I are attached to the hip and if I don't have it with me well... Then I get a little anxious. In this blog post I will be telling you about my social media cleanse and also a little bit about Selfie, a show about a young woman who loves social media even more than I do.

Growing Out My Pixie Cut- Month 6

We are now 6 months into this "growing out my pixie cut" journey! I can't believe how fast time has gone by and how much my hair has grown. I've never been the most patient person when it comes to growing out hair, in fact I failed countless of times to grow out my bangs over the past few years. I've always gotten tired out the growing out process and cut them back into blunt Zooey Deschanel inspired bangs, but look at me know! My hair has gone from a short pixie cut to a curly bob, and my bangs can cover my eyes when they're curly! Check out what's been happening with my hair in my latest update.

September 2014 Playlist

While I'm not in school anymore, part of me still thinks of September as back to school month. This month I've been listening to a lot of music that I used to listen to in my high school and early college years (aka the MySpace days). Don't you miss the days when you would spend minutes (or sometimes hours) trying to find the *perfect* song for your profile? I know I would spend so much time browsing the music section on MySpace trying to find obscure European bands that many of my high school peers had never heard about. I still love and listen to some of bands and singers I discovered on MySpace like The Bird and the Bee,  Feist, and Nouvelle Vague. This month's playlist is inspired by MySpace and the music discoveries I made during those years.

Get Unready With Me + Vain Pursuits Giveaway

Instead of putting makeup on, I'll be taking it off for you in today's video! I'm going to be sharing my evening skincare routine, as well as introduce you to the Canadian skincare company Vain Pursuits. Finding the right skincare product for your skin and lifestyle can sometimes be a hassle and what Vain Pursuits does is take away the guessing work. After taking an extensive survey the Vain Pursuits experts basically formulate three products based on your needs, lifestyle, and preferences. You will receive three samples with handwritten notes explaining what your item does and the ingredients. It is a very neat service with a lot of personal touches and an incredible attention to detail. I'm so happy to let you know that Vain Pursuits is going to allow 50 lucky winners to receive their own customized samples just like I did.

Face of the Day | Lykke Li Concert

Last night I went to see Lykke Li right here in San Diego and I decided to dedicate a little post to what I was wearing. Since Lykke Li is a fan of dark eye makeup I decided to ditch my soft makeup and embrace a smoky eye. I've been such a huge fan of Lykke Li since 2008 when her debut album Youth Novels was released. That was one of those life changing albums that I will always hold close to my heart. You might not know this but I used to run a Lykke Li tumblr fan page a few years ago so I'm not kidding when I say that I'm a huge fan. I'm hoping to recreate a Lykke Li makeup look very soon as a tutorial, but for now here's what I wore for the concert!

Natural Fall Makeup with Neutrogena

This is a compensated campaign in collaboration with NEUTROGENA® and Latina Bloggers Connect. However, all opinions and statements expressed are my own.

Fall is officially here and with that comes new makeup trends! While it's fun to wear a grungy smokey eye and dark lips, it's just not the most wearable look especially for work. I always try to keep things simple and quick for work so that's why I absolutely love using BB creams. In today's blog post I'm going to show you this very simple fall look featuring matte eyeshadows, a dusty rose lipstick, and the Neutrogena Visibly Even collection.

New Products from Yves Rocher

A few weeks ago Yves Rocher sent me a lovely package with a bunch of their brand new products and let me tell you I was super excited. I've been putting each item to the test and I feel like I can definitely let you know what I like about each one of the products. In this latest video you'll be getting a comprehensive overview about all the products, swatches, and also some live demos. Let me warn you, there's a lot of amazing makeup in this video so I would watch with caution.

My Rings: The Stories Behind Them + Where I Got Them

Rings are the one jewelry item that I attach sentimental value to. Whether they've been given to me or purchased by myself, I am always taken back to a specific point of my life when I look at my rings. In almost every video and "outfit of the day" post you've see me wearing a ring, and it's been that way for at least 11 years. Today I want to tell you a little bit more about my favorite rings in my collection, including my newest addition that you may have seen on Instagram last week.

Review | Annemarie Börlind Long Lasting Volume Mascara

My first venture into the world of natural cosmetics and I am already in love. I have to be completely honest with you and admit that I didn't know much about natural cosmetic brands, so when my brother bought me this mascara from Germany I was just like "what is this?" I had no idea about the brand, the product, or how a mascara could be made out of natural ingredients. All I knew was that it could not be better than my waterproof mascara, or so I thought. Let's just say that my introduction to natural makeup completely blew my mind.

Top 5 Blushes for Fall

It may not feel like fall whatsoever but I'm mentally preparing myself to rock some fall trends. Trying out the fall fashion trends is completely out of the picture due to the heat, but I will be pulling out my dark lipstick and plum eyeshadows very soon. Today I want to share with you my favorite blushes for the fall season. You'll definitely notice a trend when you see the swatches but I just really love rose blushes for the fall! Rose is a very easy color to wear and it's pairs well with dark makeup. If you're interested in hearing about my blush picks then watch the video embedded to the first top 5 post of the fall.

Face of the Day | Off To Work

The past few days have been extremely hot here in San Diego. It's been in the mid 90s (~35ºC), a bit humid, and overall very unpleasant. Because of that I've been making an effort to keep my makeup as light as possible just like I did today. Even though the makeup doesn't look any different from what I normally wear, I did use some new products in today's look because I'm in the middle of testing out a few items. So without further ado let's jump right into this latest "face of the day post."

Outfit of the Day | Mint Condition

Time for another outfit of the day! That's the second one this month, I think I deserve a pat on the back. Last weekend when my boyfriend came to visit me it was really hot, too hot to wear a short sleeve + jeans combo. Recently I purchased my first trapeze top and let me tell you this is the most comfortable sleeveless top ever! I love how loose this top is because it didn't cling on to my body whatsoever, plus no one will be able to notice if you ate too much cheese. So now that I have your attention, let me show you my casual outfit with a pop of mint.

Color Scheme | Peach

You might be wondering why I'm posting about peach colored makeup as we head into the fall but when it comes to makeup I'm not one that follows the "rules." Peach makeup is flattering year round so I decided to dedicate a blog post entirely to my favorite peachy colored items in my makeup collection. There's some great blush options options that will pair very nicely with a cat eye. Peachy nudes lip products are the perfect companion to a dark smokey eye. And if you're looking to try out any dark lipsticks this fall, then a soft peachy eyeshadow will let your lips be the main attraction. Peaches might not be in season at the moment but the following products are definitely very fresh.

Review | Tarte Amazonian Colored Clay Tinted Brow Gel

Once upon a time my brows had a life of their own... they were big, bushy, and out of control. Nowadays I have become somewhat of a brow product hoarder. I have everything from eyebrow pencils to brow gels in my ever growing brow stash, but today I want to talk about one of Tarte's newest releases. The Tarte Amazonian Colored Clay Tinted Brow Gel is a nifty brow gel with the tiniest brush I have ever seen. Tarte claims that the brow gel will deposit the perfect amount of pigment and provide 12-hour hold for groomed brows that will last all day! So let me tell you about my little friend...

Review | E.L.F. Studio Translucent Mattifying Powder

Powder is not just a makeup product to me, it's a life necessity. Without powder I will feel like a human disco ball, or even worse a human mirror because my skin is excessively oily. Most people only get oily in their t-zone but I'd consider myself extremely lucky if I only got oily in those areas. I've tried my fair share of mattifying powders from both high end stores and the drugstore. In my quest to find the perfect inexpensive mattifying powder I stumbled upon the E.L.F. Studio Translucent Mattifying Powder at Target one night. As much as I would like to tell you that this is a must-have for oily skin girls, I sadly can't. In fact I think this product is not even worth the $3 that it retails for.

Tutorial | Simple & Quick Makeup

As much as I love makeup sometimes I just don't have the time to just sit there and blend out 4 different eyeshadows. I am a girl who loves sleeping so I'll gladly trade some makeup time for more sleep. This is a makeup tutorial for those of you who don't have a lot of time in the morning to create an intricate look for school, work, or a lunch with your friends. Most of the products I used are from the drugstore so it will be super easy to recreate. Also, I did things a little different in this tutorial but you'll have to watch it to find out.

What's new at Project Pie

If you're subscribed to my vlog channel or follow me on Instagram then you've seen my love for Project Pie plenty of times before. I first went to Project Pie back in January and since then I've been head over heels in love with their customizable artisan pizzas, chill vibe, and their soda fountain. I'm a girl who likes to eat good food and not break the bank, and Project Pie allows me to try different pizza combinations for less than $10. My homies from the Project Pie Twitter (hello guys!) recently asked me if I wanted to try the newest items in the menu and I said YES! Why would I say no to a great food chain that has given me several food comas?

Review | Me Now Generation II Long Lasting Lip Gloss from Born Pretty Store

Long lasting lip products have become somewhat of an obsession of mine this year. I've tried a good amount of these lip products and I recently got the opportunity to try yet another one from Born Pretty Store. When I saw this product online it immediately reminded me of the much hyped about Sephora Cream Lip Stain that I reviewed a few months ago. The Cream Lip Stain retails for $13 while the Born Pretty Store option retails for $3.55 so naturally I began to compare these two because I like saving money just like many of you out there. So how does the affordable option compare to the higher end matte lip cream?

Beauty and Skincare Haul

I'm done hoarding all these new products and ready for another haul video. I have a few things I bought recently, some which were sent to me, and then things I asked my parents to get me during their European vacation. There's a little bit of everything from nail polishes to a gentle makeup remover in this haul. I'll also be giving you guys a sneak peek at upcoming blog reviews and just like always you can request reviews in the comments below.

Warby Parker | Percey Charcoal Fade

Here is the last Warby Parker blog post of the sunglasses series! If you're new to my blog, I've taken various pictures of me wearing Warby Parker frames in the past so people can have an easier time choosing a frame to purchase or add to their home try-on box. You can check out all the blog posts here. In this Warby Parker post I'll be talking about the modern take on round glasses, the Percy frames!

Outfit of the Day | Back to School (not really)

Happy Monday! I haven't done an outfit of the day in over a month so I figured that it was time for a new post. This is what I wore last Friday when I visited my boyfriend. The outfit features a very comfortable loose baby doll dress that I got at Zara during their summer sale. If you're a girl who basically lives in t-shirts then you have to check out baby doll dresses. I know this style of dress isn't everyone's cup of tea but they're an incredibly comfortable option for casual or long days at school.