One Direction FLOG(?!)

FLOG (n): a blog written solely for fun.

Well, I guess technically all my blogs are written for fun, but this one is just going to be a quick brief reaction to One Direction: This Is Us movie.

Now, the story behind going to see this movie is actually quite funny (at least to me). Being a semi-recent fan, I was asked by my best friend if I was planning on seeing the movie when it came out and I told her 

"It's one of those things where you don't just go to see

the movie. You know? If you're going to go ,

you have to go to the midnight showing, get their 

early, sit in line, get good seats, and fangirl the whole

time."

It was pretty clear I wasn't going to go because 1) I never go to movies and 2) I'm an old lady and don't like being out late. Well, me and the best were out getting crepes on Thursday night and remembered that This Is Us was coming out at midnight. We immediately looked up tickets and were like "we have to go, it's like a sign that we remembered it was tonight, we are already out and we are looking for something to do"

So we went to a movie theatre nearly 30 minutes away from where we live, got their early, we were first in line, got great seats, and of course, fangirl-ed the whole time. 

I want to reserve this cardboard cut out for when the theatre is done with it; the poor boys don't deserve to be in a dumpster. 

The movie was really great, I love the boys more than I did to begin with. If you're an on the fence fan, GO SEE IT. 

Anyways, I hope you guys have a really nice Labor Day Weekend and have a lot of fun.

Also, Tyler Oakley (whom I love, I'm obsessed with him) JUST posted an interview of One Direction and he did awesome! Go check it out at www.youtube.com/tyleroakley . 

And if you have any question over who is my favorite....I love Harry =]

August Matters

Hey Everyone! I wanted to get a quick post up in regards to the end of August approaching, school starting back up, the end of the year not too far off in the future, and the holidays quickly approaching. I feel like August is always a crazy and insane time of the year, but at the same time it is always exciting because it feels like the home stretch of the year because so much is beginning again. That probably only makes sense to me, but lets roll with it...
I transfered to a University this semester and I was really anxious about the whole thing because I was really comfortable at my Community College and since I plan on getting a masters, I need to get a BA and I didn't know what to get it in so I randomly chose communications. I had no idea what to expect. Well basically, it is amazing and I'm loving every single second of it! After studying so many hard sciences, it is nice to be working on something more extroverted and social. I like how the things we talk about are relative to today and things that I can relate to.

How many people can say they watched "Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke, at a teachers request, during class, on a projector screen?
I would assume not many, but these are the things I'm really appreciating about communications. Mostly looking at Robin Thicke, ha!











I always stress in August also because I know that the holidays will be here in no time and the holidays are ALWAYS a really stressful time. I don't understand how people do not get stressed at the holidays because I always freak out. Between baking and saving and shopping, I just cannot handle the pressure! Not to mention, I feel like I'm the worst gift giver in the world.

I'm not quite sure where I'm going with all of this but I wanted to try to reach out to anyone who may be sharing any of these feelings (even just a smidge) because it always helps me when I'm stressed to know that I'm Not Alone. So anyone with these stressful feelings that come along with the end of August...You're Not Alone, Either!

My Favorite De-Stressers:

Go somewhere beautiful and do something you love!
I love to blog, so when I feel drab and stressed out, I pack up my computer (and sometimes my best friend) and head over the hill to Santa Cruz and bust out a quick blog post.
Who wouldn't feel great looking at the gorgeous view while blogging and sipping on a coffee?

Speaking of coffee, grab a cup of coffee! I don't mean while you're rushing to work or walking to class, I mean take a few minutes for yourself to go to your favorite coffee shop and grab a cup of coffee. Then, the most important part is to take your time to actually enjoy it. This is something that I find I can do at least once a week to just rejuvenate myself and take a bit of "me" time.
PS If you're ever in the SF bay area, look up the nearest Philz Coffee, it's really the best.

Last but not least, get things that make your morning brighter. I find that when I have a good morning, I set myself up to have a good day.
My favorite nutrition bar is a Luna Chocolate Peppermint Stick, it tastes so good and keeps me held over until I have time to prepare a good nutritious breakfast. This are super quick and easy to eat on my way to class, on the light rail, or in my car going to work.
Also, I'm obsessed with One Direction as of some what recently and their CD "Take Me Home" really puts me in an awesome mood, especially in the mornings when I'm tired and sleepy and the last thing I want to do is listen to radio hosts talk on and on and on

I really hope you all are having a great week, and if you're looking for a reason to smile, I hope some of my tips could help you out; I know they always help me when I'm feeling down. Stress Season is only beginning, so keep your chin up!

XOXO

YSL Babydoll Mascara...Worth The Hype?!

What does Tim Lincecum have to do with mascara reviews?!
Keep reading to find out =]

Hey Guys! Okay, so YSL is known for having really luxurious products that people really love and cling to. Their lipsticks are a cult favorite and their mascaras are said to be the best. I personally only own one of their Candy Sheer Lipsticks and have never tried their mascara. While part of me wanted to know what I was missing out on, the other [rational] side of me was really unwilling to spend at least $30 on a mascara if it wasn't going to work out for me. With my track record, most mascara's that people love, NEVER work out on me. While everyone is raving about all the Maybelline mascaras, I'm over here trying to separate my lashes and keep my eyes from watering from the awful black mess Maybelline mascara leaves on my face. I was really torn between wanting to try out YSL Babydoll mascara, but not wanting to spend the money.
After my birthday, I got some gift cards to Sephora and I wanted to treat myself to something I wouldn't typically buy for myself. Now was my chance to try the YSL mascara that so many YouTuber's are going crazy about!

The brush is a rubber bristle brush, which I tend to prefer because I can get closer to the root of my lashes while I try to build volume. The issue I ran into with this mascara, is no matter how close I get to the root of my lashes and how much I work to build volume, I cannot get my lashes any thicker or fuller! It drives me crazy because I get amazing length and great separation, I can really maneuver the brush into the inner and outer corners of my eye, and when applied to my lower lash line (which is something I very seldom do), it almost doubles as a liner, but does not smear under my eye and really does open up my eyes and make them look really wide and "babydoll" like. I just cannot get enough volume! The main thing I look for in my mascara is mega volume with some lengthening qualities as well. This is not cutting it. 

I find myself wearing this mascara on days when I want a more "natural" look, and while it is a look I go for often, I do not need a special mascara to achieve a natural lash and especially not one that costs a pretty penny. 

What I do like about this mascara is that it works well with others. I've been wearing it under a heafty coat of my beloved Tarte Lights, Camera, Flashes mascara and it makes my lashes look fake! I'm not kidding, the other day I was taking shameless selfies at a San Francisco Giant's game and I was amazed at how full my lashes looked, even in pictures. 

My final consensus on this mascara is that it is a Pass. It is not worth the hype and I would not repurchase it. While it is not horrible, I am most definitely not loving it and the price is just not doing it for me. 

You can actually see that I have eyelashes in the photograph; I was amazed!

PS. HI CHAD!

I told you...shameless selfies.
GO GIANTS!

Collective Hautelook Haul!

Good Morning, Hautelook

Hey Guys! A few weeks ago Hautelook had some really awesome brands float through so I wanted to post a quick collective haul of some of the things I picked up. Every item I got was on a really great deal! I want to say that everything I got was under or close to $10, which isn't bad for high end products! I haven't tried any of them out yet so this is just a haul, not a review =]

The first fun brand to go on sale was Urban Decay. It was a blowout sale of all their old products that they are redoing or have already redone. I took advantage of the 24/7 Glide On Eye Liners and got the colors Ransom and Binge. I really love both the colors; as always, the color payoff and lasting power of these is amazing, it took two showers to get the swatches off my hand! And I don't have any colors similar to this in my collection so I'm happy about the additions.

teeny-tiny swatches

Ransom is a bright purple and Binge is a bright navy blue color.

I also got their tinted moisturizer but have not tried it yet. The color is called Body Guard and it matches my skin pretty well. I like that it is paraben free and has SPF 20 in it. I pretty much hoard tinted face products so it's no surprise I wanted to purchase this. I'm excited to see how it holds up. 

The next brand to come through was theBalm; this one I was prepared for and was extremely excited about. In fact, I even made a post dedicated to what I was hoping would come through and what I recommend by the brand. I love when theBalm comes on Hautelook because everything is at least half off. 

I honestly haven't heard anything about their skin care line and when I saw it on Hautelook I was really intrigued because the products seemed really natural and quite nice. I decided to get this Vanilla Oil-Absorbing Face Moisturizer, which I thought may be a good dupe for the Bobbi Brown Oil-Control Moisturizer with sea weed extract and lavender. I really love the smell of this product and the packaging and beautiful and glass. I'm excited to break into this once I finish my Bobbi Brown moisturizer. 

I got this blush (their blushes are one of my absolute favorites!) in the shade Down Boy. It is a cool pink, but very subtle. It reminds me of how theBalm's Frat Boy blush doesn't look too exciting in the pan but once it is swatched on the skin is beautiful. I cannot wait to work with this color, I do not own any cool toned pinks that are quite like this one. 

Here is an image of Down Boy (bottom right) in comparison to Nars Gaitey (top right) which is extremely cool toned candy pink, and theBalm Frat Boy (bottom left), a matte peach color.

And I say it every time, how precious is the packaging?! 

also, if you do not follow my Instagram, I finally got a new desk that I can blog at home from! I am so excited about having space to spread out and blog at. I look forward to coming home and checking my blogs here at my new work station! The desk is from Ikea and I absolutely adore it!

Also, if you do not follow me on Instagram (or twitter) you should! 

Twitter: dakotaf13

Instagram: dakotasbeautyblog

#2: Products I Regret Purchasing

Here I am again with another review of a product I was extremely excited, yet apprehensive, to buy and try out that ended up failing miserably for me. On my first regretful purchase review I got feedback from some people mentioning how funny it is that what didn't work for me actually worked great for them and was life changing, and that is so true! So please bear in mind that I'm not in any way saying DO NOT BUY THIS because I know there are definitely people out there who would love these products...I am just not one of them, apparently!

Anyway, this time I, again, put off purchasing this item because it priced at over $30 and I felt like there were probably some really comparable items for cheaper or I could invest in a similar product from a hair line that I really like (::cough:Macadamia::cough::Redkin:cough::). But I knew that the Its a 10 hair care line is boarder line a cult favorite and I was dying to try something out by them.

I heard SO many rave reviews about this Miracle Leave-In Plus Kartin treatment that I figured I wanted to give it a try once I used up a split end remedy balm from some cheap-o brand that I had been using. I invested in this stuff and let me tell you, it is NOT cheap. 

I'll admit, I think it was the packaging that really drew me into it. I was going on vacation and did not want to bring a bunch of hair care supplies so I wanted something with several benefits offered. I was a sucker for the gorgeous, GORGEOUS, blue packaging with the precious orange top. I liked the small, yet substantial, packaging. I liked the fact that it promised 10 different benefits to using the product, including a promise of detangling, restored hydration, and extra silky hair. 

Maybe I'm the only person that this did absolutely nothing for except turn my hair into a tangled, goopy, mess.

I'd also like to point out that I have been using this for two months now and so it wasn't like a one and done, I don't like it; it's more of like a I don't want to waste my money but this stuff is horrible and I dread putting it into my hair every single time I blow dry. 

I'd like to bring your attention to the nozzle of this product. It is the same as a liquid-y squirt bottle nozzle which would lead me to assume that the product inside would be liquid-y and thin. This is where I was wrong. This stuff is a straight up cream in a bottle. So when I sprayed it all over my hair (with not directions or tips of use otherwise), it literally just made my hair stick together and start clumping up. This was incredibly frustrating because it makes it tangle, it is difficult to dry, and I just spent a good long time washing my hair and now it already feels dirty.

I tried to use less and comb it through quickly after spraying it so it wouldn't clump up and would hopefully work better. Still no luck.

I resorted to spraying the stuff into my hand and only running it down the ends of my hair and working my way towards the roots. This stuff just made my hair so nasty, so quickly. I don't believe it is benefiting my hair at all. Not even in the tiniest way. I honestly really hate this stuff! And that is a strong word. Unlike the Butter London Nail Polishes I regret purchasing that I feel like I can still salvage and deal with, this stuff I don't even want to look at it anymore! (that's a lie, the packaging is still beautiful).

Get a look at this stuff. That is only two sprays and it is a cream consistency. I have no idea how that is supposed to work out for anybody. How weird that they wouldn't put it in a container that would prepare you for this thick consistency!

Anyways, this stuff has left such a bitter taste in my life that I honestly have no desire to try anything from Its a 10 hair care ever again. 

Has anyone out there used this and have any tips on how I could try to make it work? I honestly have no idea what to do! I hate to have $30 go down the drain!

Oh, The Things I've Seen (this week!)

I just wanted to share a few photos with you guys tonight, I know it is really late! I have an upcoming "Product I Regret Purchasing" review coming up within a few days but just wanted to post a few photos that I took this week.

I've found myself if Berkley, Capitola, Half Moon Bay, and Santa Cruz this week and just wanted to share some pictures that I found really beautiful. Also, this was my first time taking photos that I did not mind altering and was able to goof around with an editing program. I'm no expert or anything, but I will say that it was awfully fun seeing what some minor editing could do!

Enjoy! =]

So, first I was in Berkley. My Dad is working up there and I thought I would take advantage of the opportunity to go visit him while he was on a job site that was fun to visit.
Here is a look at some of the construction going on

 

The man himself! I wasn't even embarrassed by his outfit ;-)








We found this really delicious Cinnamon Roll shop while we were in Berkley called Cinnaholic as we were roaming the streets. I have to say, it was absolutely divine! I had a freshly baked Cinnamon Roll with Peanut Butter Frosting and Chocolate Chips. YUM!

Later this week, my Mom and I drove down to Santa Cruz and cruised over to Capitola to grab lunch. We went to a really yummy place called Gayles Bakery and split a sandwich. It was so tasty, I would highly recommend this place if you are ever in Capitola. It may seem overwhelming with tons of different options, but it is SO worth it! (Just go check out that menu, you will definitely be drooling on your keyboard). We then headed up Highway 1 to just take a drive. We found this really small beach LOADED with kite surfers. I don't know if you've ever seen kite surfers, but they are truly awing to watch. But when there are several of them out there, on a sunny day, with their brightly colored kites, it just makes you feel happy and smiley...I don't know how to explain it but it is just amazing!

We came across this cute lighthouse in Half Moon Bay. It is known as the Pigeon Point Hostel Lighthouse, as it is located at the hostel at, you guessed it, Pigeon Point. I found it to be quite symbolic actually because the Lighthouse is almost like a beacon, not only to the boats on the water, but also to those coming in looking for a place to stay with little to no spare cash. Something about lighthouses is also very awing to me I guess... ha!

 By this point clearly the sun was setting and the fog was rolling in and we were on our way home.

And is it just me, or is tea the absolute best way to wind down after you've had an exciting day? Well, decaffeinated tea, of course! 

I've really been enjoying loose leaf tea (not sure which one I'm on at the moment) from my local farmer's market. I use an empty tea bag, which you could buy at any grocery store I'm sure, and fill it with a scoop or two of tea leaves. 

I also got this delicious blueberry flavored honey from a farmer's market as well and it is delightful in this, or any, tea. 

Also, I just love this cup so much! Aside from it being bright orange and so cheerful, it says "Tea Is Liquid Wisdom". So precious! 

DIY: How To Depot Mac Eyeshadows!

This is the simplest way EVER to depot Mac eyeshadows. This would work for their blushes as well and once you have the technique down it is easy to find ways to depot eyeshadows from the drugstore and from brands other than Mac that you could put into a Z-Palette if you own one.
It may look and seem complicated, but do not be intimidated because it is nearly impossible to mess it up, it's basically just a lot of picking and maneuvering to get the shadow loose in the pot.
So without further ado, this is how I depot my Mac eyeshadows!

Things That You Will Need:
-Mac Palette (or Z-Palette. Whatever you are putting the depotted eyeshadow pan into)
-Eyeshadow in a pot
-Aluminum Foil
-Dull Butter knife (optional)
-Tweezers
-Magnetic strip (best if one side is pre-adhesived)
-Hair Flat Iron

Step 1: Preheat your hair flat iron. I use a really old one that I used to use when I was in middle school, but you can use any flat iron that you have.

Place foil over the bottom plate as it heats up so that the foil begins to get hot too

Step 2: Find the small crack in the Mac Eyeshadow pot where the pan is inserted into the pot. It is near where the pot opens up 

I then use a dull butter knife and wedge it into that crack and just wiggle it around until the top pops out of the pot. If you prefer to use tweezers, they would work too. Be sure to apply pressure towards the top of the pan because you wouldn't want it to fly out and crack your eyeshadow!

Step 3: Once the pan pops out, it should look something like this image below; it will still have a black plastic pan around the color. Stick that on top of the foil that is on your hair flat iron, but no longer than 30 seconds! It does not take very long long. This step is important to melt the glue that holds the eyeshadow pan into the black plastic. 

Save this! For the "Back To Mac" recycle program

Step 4: 

Begin to apply pressure to the underside of the pan with tweezers to push the colored eyeshadow pan through the black plastic. I like to use tweezers because they are sharp and can help pull the eyeshadow pan from the other side. 

You should now have 3 parts!

An optional step that I chose to skip is using rubbing alcohol to get some of the sticky glue off of the eyeshadow pan. I skip this step because the goo doesn't bother me as I feel like it helps keep the eyeshadow pan in the palette. 

Step 5: Another optional step, but this is one that I do, is create a label. I use my moms label machine on the smallest font size to type out the name of the eyeshadow. This particular one is called "Free To Be", it is a gorgeous matte peach color. 

After I print it out, I trim it down to as small as possible and stick it onto the back of the pan. Like I said, this is completely optional!

Step 6: I then add a small magnet to the bottom of the pan so it can stay in my magnetic Mac Palette.

And Voila! Now you have a convenient way to keep your Mac eyeshadows as well as an empty black eyeshadow pot that you can take back to Mac! After accumulating 6 of their recyclable items you can return them to a Mac counter you can get a free lipstick! Or if you return to an actual Mac Store, you can get a lipstick, lipglass, or eyeshadow! Additional rules may apply, check the link I supplied up above for further details!

My new Mac palette is off to a beautiful start!

(Vex, Saddle, Free To Be)

Inspired By Beautiful Things #1

I'd like to start another series here on Beauty and Blogging. Something that is important to me outside of blogging about beauty, is blogging about other things that make me feel truly happy and inspired. So although these things may seem random, I think it will be fun to see if others are inspired by the same things or what does inspire other people. 

Harmonicas are my absolute favorite instrument. I grew up with a very strong music education within my household. My Dad is a huge Classic Rock fan and so I grew up listening to nothing but classic rock. I'm actually named after John Lennon's building that he lived and died in front of in New York, so the music taste sort of comes with the name. I am a huge John Lennon fan as well as a HUGE Beatles fanatic. I remember in my senior year of high school being able to skip a class period of Physiology because my English teacher thought I should come to his film studies class to watch "A Hard Day's Night" as I had never seen it before. This is a day I'll never forget because it really is not every day you get to watch a fantastic movie at school that stars your absolute favorite musicians. This scene has always stuck out to me where the boys are on the train and they are playing cards and flirting with ladies and jamming. Since the day I watched this film nearly 4 years ago, this song has been my ringtone on my phone. Anytime I hear that Harmonica, I just feel happy and alive.

Another one of my lifelong favorite musical artists was pretty much known for his lyrics, his piano, his guitar, and his harmonica. He sings one of my absolute favorite lyrics in one of his songs;  it just really speaks to me and I think that that is what music is really all about. 

"Yes, to dance beneath a diamond sky with one hand waving free. Silhouetted by the sea, circled by the circus sands with all memory and fate driven deep beneath the waves. Let me forget about today until tomorrow."

I mean, honestly, does it get more beautiful than that? I want that plastered all over my whole entire life to see in every direction that I turn. Is that excessive? Maybe just a little. 

And this little cutie is also really enjoying the beauty of the harmonica!

So I know this post may have seemed a little random and not exactly what you are looking for but, not to fear, because tomorrow I have a very exciting DIY/how to coming! I just feel like if you're feeling inspired, maybe you can inspire someone else. Life is all about what you love and what makes you happy.

Quick Post: Elle and Blair Fowler Macy's Meet up

As the anticipation was killing me, I snapped this quick picture of Elle and Blair at my local Macy's while they were signing their new book "Where Beauty Lies". I found it so random that Elle and Blair Fowler were coming to San Jose, of all places, for a book signing. I find my hometown to be quite small and boring and was amazed they would come here as opposed to somewhere like San Francisco, which is just over an hour away. Regardless, the whole thing was very exciting news to me!
Lucky for me, I did not have work today so me and my bestie packed ourselves into the car with Starbucks in hand and headed down to Valley Fair.

Upon waiting in line, I was not surprised to find ourselves as some of the oldest people waiting in line (besides moms and grandparents). I love seeing younger girls waiting at book signings because I remember being that person and Elle and Blair are so beautiful and such great role models it's incredible to see so many girls excited to meet them, not to mention many of these girls have probably never met someone they idolize before. Once the show got rolling, the line moved quite quickly. There was a VIP line and a general line to wait in; VIP access was granted to people who spend $50 at the Macy's Style Lab, they were given a copy of Elle and Blair's book and got to be the first group of people to meet them. This was only offered to the first 120 people to show up and spend $50. My friend and I stood in the general line and just waited it out.
The girls were kind and talkative and seemed genuinely excited to meet everybody. They took time to talk to everyone individually and signed books and took pictures. We also received and 8X10 photo of them that was signed by both Elle and Blair. When we got to the front of the line, Blair immediately asked us if we were from San Jose and how we liked it. When we joked about how it wasn't that great, she responded by talking about her hometown and how often times people think it's cool but how she thinks it's pretty boring. It was nice to have an actual conversation with them that, even if it was small talk, seemed natural and obviously she was listening because she had a statement to respond with. Both Elle and Blair seemed prepared and were talking to each other and their fans during conversation that made it seem like a very personal experience, even if it was only 30 seconds!

My friend who doesn't know too much about Elle or Blair (but was excited to meet them regardless) even approached the line saying "Oh wow, they are both so gorgeous!" And it's true, they are both beautiful and really bubbly. Elle seemed a little bit more shy than Blair, but as anyone who watches them knows, Blair is really talkative and bubbly.

I know that they've lost subscribers and fans because they have so many endorsements and sponsors now that their reviews can seem insincere. It's important as fans and viewers to realize that this is their life, and that this is their job. Companies pursue people who are interested in their products and feel that they could get good advertising out of because the individuals they chose can actually get good use out of their product. However, it would be incredibly difficult to give a product a positive review if it is something you really would not recommend to someone. They chose what would be useful and beneficial to their viewers. Regardless of the endorsements, they are both the same people they've always been! Both Elle and Blair have written blogs now that I personally enjoy following more than their videos because they seem to post more consistently, and honestly, sometimes written blogs are so much more convenient to check in on. Not to mention, I enjoy to wake up and enjoy my coffee while catching up on Blogs on my days off and so I'm so pleased that they are writing out reviews now.

They have a few more tour dates in this current book tour so I recommend checking out that list to see if they're coming anywhere near you! They are really sweet and fun to meet with. Also, be sure to check out those blog links that I gave up above, and also check out their youtube channels!
Blair's Youtube Channel
Elle's Youtube Channel

Fun Walmart Finds (on vacation)

Hey Everyone! This is just a quick post about two really awesome things I found at Walmart while I'm on vacation. Honestly, is there anything better than finding awesome, cheap things while on vacation?

This is called a Beauty Spoon, you can use it to scrape out all the pesky reminence left over in your make-up and body care products. This is something that I'm super excited about!

#science (haha) 

Brush Guards that can be used for travel or for after you finish cleaning the brushes and want to shape them while they dry. These are an AMAZING idea, I'm very excited to try these out.

#morescience 

Both these items were about $5, which is totally affordable. Gotta love random, good finds at Walmart!