Outfit of the Day | The Drop Waist Dress

When it comes to fashion for curvy girls, we're always encouraged to wear items with a cinched waist because somehow that will give us a more "flattering" look. As much as I love a good pair of high waisted jeans, I honestly feel like I've been missing out on a few trends because they're not considered flattering on my body shape. Now this shape will not give you an hourglass look or fit your body like a glove, this is a trend for the people who like loose fitting clothing like myself. I was honestly a bit scared about wearing anything with a drop waist, but now I'm glad I decided to try it out because it looks quite nice- even on a curvy figure. It's a different look but one that didn't feel too forced on myself.

Playing With New Makeup | Pür Cosmetics, Bésame Cosmetics, Milk Makeup

If you follow me on Snapchat, then you've probably seen me do "Mail Time" snaps showing the PR packages that are sent my way. It's such a fun way to show new products and I love getting feedback from my followers on what they want to see me use and review. In today's post I've decided to play around with a few of the new makeup products in my makeup collection. It's kind of a tutorial and first impression rolled up into one silly video- that's pretty much how I would describe this. Hopefully this will be the first of many "Playing With New Makeup" videos, although I really shouldn't be buying any more new makeup but it's just so much fun!

Outfit of the Day | Laidback Summer

The heatwave is back at it again in San Diego and I'm currently wishing that I could just live in the huge walk-in refrigerators at Costco. When it's this hot, all I want to wear is light clothing and a hat to block off the haters (in this case the sun). During my recent trip to the thrift stores I came across a pair of lightweight denim pants which I've been wearing a ton recently. They're absolutely perfect for summer because the material is very light and airy, plus unlike regular jeans these are pretty loose. I paired the pants with my thinnest white t-shirt and a boater hat for an easy laidback summer look.

Full Face Highlight Challenge

Who hasn't dreamed of wearing nothing but highlighter? I know I have! A few weeks ago 18 year-old aspiring MUA Mariya recorded a full face makeup tutorial using nothing but highlighters. And as you can probably imagine, the video quickly went viral thanks to Buzzfeed and social media. Now this isn't exactly an everyday look, but it's so much fun to play around with makeup. Participating in this challenge reminded me of why I fell in love with makeup in the first place. It's very easy to play it safe, but experimenting with new trends or techniques can be a ton of fun. I definitely have Mariya to thank for encouraging the makeup community to have fun and embrace their inner disco ball.

May 2016 Favorites

I think this might be the biggest monthly favorites video that I've filmed to date. I began trying out a lot of new skincare products in mid-April, so because of that I discovered a lot of amazing skincare products for oily/acne prone skin that I'm going to rave about in this video. If you're looking for natural or Korean skincare recommendations, then you're going to be really happy with the things I'll be recommending. Apart from skincare, May was also a great month for new beauty launches and discoveries. I was able to fully embrace light makeup and glossy lips thanks to some of the products that you'll be hearing about in my video. And the fancy Marvis Toothpastes will also be making an appearance because I'm still obsessed with them.

The 5 Product Face

If you follow me on Snapchat, then you've seen me really embrace minimal makeup recently. Sometimes I just can't be bothered by a long and complicated routine, and that's when the 5 Product Face comes into play. This is a very quick routine that you can do when you've hit snooze a few too many times or plan to do your makeup on the go. The 5 Product Face has undergone many changes over my time as a beauty blogger, but this is my latest take on the minimal makeup look. Think bronzed skin, feathered brows, and a touch of shine on the lips.

April 2016 Favorites

April was the month that I embraced some of my most minimal makeup looks. There were a few days that I would just add concealer, mascara, and a tinted lip balm. I've been switching my thicker foundations for light weight options and my matte liquid lipsticks for hydrating tinted balms. I also discovered two skincare items that have been helping out a lot on the problematic areas on my skin. I honestly didn't realize how many products were on heavy rotation this month until I gathered them all, but it should make for a good favorites video.

Subtle Blue Eyeliner

I think by now I should just rebrand myself as the "minimal makeup YouTuber" because all the looks I wear are very easy and don't require many products. A few weeks ago when I uploaded my Messy Hair Tutorial a lot of you requested I film this makeup look, and so I did. Bright cobalt blue eyeliner is one of the biggest makeup trends for spring/summer 2016, but it can be an intimidating color if you're not used to bright makeup. This is a subtle version of the trend that will work incredible with brown eyes, but honestly any person can rock this look. All you need is an eyeshadow stick and a blue eyeliner to achieve this easy eye look.

Natural Strobing

I don't what has gotten into me lately but this oily skin gal has been embracing dewy skin. It all started when I got the stunning Sleek Makeup Highlighting Palette in Precious Metals in my life. The palette includes three cream highlight shades and one powder highlight, all the shades give your skin a natural and luminous glow. If you've been wanting to try out the strobing technique but found a lot of the tutorials too dramatic for everyday life, then maybe you'll enjoy this subtle take on the trend.

March 2016 Favorites

I refuse to believe that March is now over! I still remember how excited I was to attend #WeAllGrow Summit earlier in the month, then in a blink of an eye the month ended and now we're suddenly in April. This last month was an incredible month for high-end and budget friendly beauty discoveries, definitely much better than February that's for sure. My top beauty finds in March ended up in this latest favorites video and you'll definitely be seeing the ones that didn't make it in next month's video. There's been an incredible amount of amazing beauty products launching as of late, way too many for one favorites video.

Review | Pür Cosmetics Fully Charged Mascara

A brand that has been impressing me a lot lately with their new launches is Pür Cosmetics. The HydraFluid Water Foundation was an incredible spring/summer foundation discovery and the Cameo Contour Stick is a very practical product with an amazing beauty blending sponge. Pür's latest makeup launch is the Fully Charged Mascara which is an anti-aging mascara that promises all day lift, volume, and curl. The mascara also has some other very interesting claims and ingredients which are not all that common in the mascara world.

February 2016 Favorites

I have a confession to make, February wasn't a very exciting month for me. February for me tends to be an awkwardly short month that just doesn't really stand out, and this year was no exception. Beauty-wise I mostly used my holy grail items, so there weren't too many outstanding discoveries to rave about. This video is much shorter than other favorite videos, but I managed to compile a decent selection of affordable items. There's also a few music favorites for you since I surprisingly got many comments and messages after last month's music favorites.

Review | Pür HydraFluid Water Serum Foundation

When it comes to foundation, I personally prefer something with a light consistency and natural coverage. I really don't like the feel of a heavy foundation or seeing a lot of product caked on my face, it just doesn't go well with having a really oily complexion. The new HydraFluid Water Serum Foundation by Pür Cosmetics is a lightweight foundation with skincare properties. The foundation has a beautiful radiant look (which even I can appreciate) and it feels a lot like a serum. In today's review I'm going to be showing you how this foundation applies and swatching all five shades available.

Tips for a Longer Lasting Mani and Pedi

There's nothing worse than painting your nails and then discovering that it has somehow chipped on the second day. I've been in that position plenty of times and you never know whether to suck it up or repaint your chipped nails again. In this blog post I've teamed up with Bellus Academy's Director of Spa Nails, Trudy Reynolds, to bring you some tips to make your manis and pedis last a whole lot longer.

Haul | Yves Rocher, Ulta, Urban Outfitters, and Target

I know I probably need to stop spending so much money, but I managed to score some amazing deals last week. I also picked some items that I really needed like a shampoo, toner, and even shoes! Most of the things I purchased are brand new to me so as you may imagine I'm quite excited to try them out. I also received amazing samples this time around, including a full-sized face and neck cream from Yves Rocher. When I saw that "sample" I swear I said "daaaaaaaamn" out loud because I was honestly expecting something much smaller.