TAG: 10 Little Secrets Tag

1. What is one product that makes you feel like a million dollars?

Mascara in general is a bit of a vice for me, but the Organic Wear mascara from Physician's Formula is definitely a product that makes me feel like a million bucks! Even if I decide against wearing a full face of makeup, I don't feel totally undone if I'm wearing this mascara. It lengthens my lashes so well. Love, love, love! 

2. What is your skincare secret?/A passed down skin care tip?

I am probably one of the worst people to ask this question to because I do a HORRIBLE job of taking care of my skin! Most frequently, I will take my makeup off with a remover wipe and then go to bed without washing my face. OOPS!

3. Share your hair care secret?
I have had a few bad haircuts in my lifetime...and when I say a few, I mean most of the cuts I've ever had have been horrible. I have always had a hard time walking into a salon and telling someone exactly what I want so I would say "Oh sure, do whatever you think would look good!" I know, I know. I only have myself to blame. Anyways, after a particularly negative experience, I just quit going to the salon all together. I went several years without so much as a trim. When I finally mustered up the courage to go back they had to take a significant amount of hair because my ends were so damaged. I had to learn the hard way that regular haircuts are the most effective way to get your hair to grow and look healthy. Bottom line? If you've had a bad haircut, don't shy away from salons all together; get back in the saddle. Just be more direct about what you want and if it's not what you hoped for, don't be afraid to ask them to fix it! You're paying for the service. You may as well have what you envisioned.

4. What is your biggest diet rule?

Personally, I don't believe in dieting. As soon as you stop "dieting" and revert back to your old eating habits, you're going to gain the weight back ten fold. So when I am trying to loose weight, I never restrict myself from eating things that I love. The idea is that if allow yourself to eat enough to satisfy the craving, you won't have a full on meltdown and over indulge. This isn't to say that you should eat junk all the time, but everything in moderation is acceptable.

5. Any workout tips?

Don't kill yourself. Everything will come with time. Obviously, if you're working out for the first time, you probably aren't going to be able to run 10 miles or lift 100lbs. It doesn't mean that you won't ever get there...just that you aren't there yet. That being said, don't be afraid to test your limits and challenge yourself. Just let your body guide you in the right direction. Rest when you need to, etc.

6. Which perfume is your secret weapon?
I absolutely swear by "Be Delicious" by DKNY. I have been wearing it for 4 years and I have yet to find a scent that even comes close! I'm not really into floral scents so this perfume works perfectly for me.

7. A clothing item of yours which always turns heads?
I am not they type of person to push boundaries with my wardrobe. I wear a lot of muted colors and jeans. Lame answer, I know. I'm sorry!

8. What is your most treasured piece of jewelery?

Lindsay, my older sister, studied abroad in college. She brought me back the most beautiful earrings from Scotland. They are heart shaped and they have the Celtic symbol at the top. Sadly, I took them off absentmindedly one evening and the dog got a hold of them. Now they're misshaped and the clasps are broken so I have to take them to the jeweler so see if they can be fixed. :(

9. Who is your style crush?

Lauren Conrad. Her style is so flawless! Anything you see her wearing, I would probably wear myself. Her line for Kohl's is gorg.

10. Tell us something we don't know about you.
I LOVEEE Joan Rivers. I think she is wildly hilarious and I am dying to see a live show. If you have never seen her stand up videos, definitely look them up online. She is the ultimate diva!

TAG: My Makeup Story

1. How old were you when you started wearing makeup?
I have been wearing makeup since I was in middle school (probably 7th or 8th grade)...But I've only been wearing it correctly for about 6 months. I never took the time to learn technique or form. It never seemed important to me, which is funny considering how much of my time is devoted to it now through blogging, etc.

2. How did you get into makeup?
My interest in makeup came from watching my older sister over the past couple of years. The whole time she was away at college I would look at pictures she posted on her Facebook page and think how gorgeous she always looked. When she graduated and moved back home 2 years ago, I started asking questions and picking up tips here and there from her. Then, about 6 months ago, she turned me onto the beauty community online.

3. What are some of your favorite brands? 
I recently started purchasing MAC products, and love them! I also really love NARS blushes, though I don't own any of my own. For drug store makeup, I LOVE NYX. In fact, I'd have to say that NYX is my all time favorite makeup brand. I've mentioned them on my blog several times before and my feelings have definitely not changed. They offer great, great products at awesome prices and I have loved just about everything I've tried from them.

4. What does makeup mean to you?
Makeup means freedom of expression and the ability to become whoever you want. At least at a surface level.

5. If you could only wear 4 products on your face what would they be?
Foundation--because you can always double it up over problem areas in place of concealer.
Blush--because I'm very fair toned and I need color.
Mascara--because I have really long lashes but they're blonde so they're hard to see without mascara. Also, I feel like mascara can really make or break a look.
Lipgloss--because you always need something on your lips and if you find something with good pigmentation you don't need lipstick.

6. What is your favorite thing about makeup?
To me, makeup is an art form. It's a way to express yourself or how you're feeling. I love that you can literally transform your face.

7. What do you think about drugstore makeup vs high end makeup?
I don't own a lot of high end makeup. Not because I don't want to, but because I can't justify spending the money on it at this phase in my life. The majority of the makeup I own is from the drugstore and I love it. I also feel like with either type, you're going to have hits and misses. You just have to find what works for you and go with it.

8. What is one tip of advice you can give to a beginner?
Take your time and don't get frustrated if a look you're trying to recreate doesn't come out perfectly on your first try. Just like anything else you've had to learn in your life, this takes time and patience but you'll get there!

9. What is one makeup trend you never understood?
Lipstick shades 100x lighter than your natural skin tone. No, that is not a nude lip, ma'am. You look like you died...twice.

10. What do you think about the beauty community on YouTube/Blogger?
I think that it's a great place to meet new people and learn about new products, as well as  new techniques. However, like I've mentioned 100x before, there is a lot of hate and cyber bullying that occurs and I think that's truly sad. If you don't like someone, don't watch their videos or read their blog...pretty simple! Overall, I attribute a lot of what I've learned to watching videos--so I think it's great.

TAG: 19 Random Facts

Before we get into this tag, I just wanted to apologize for being MIA for the past several days. My husband and I have both been ill and I've haven't had the energy to do much of anything. Yesterday was so rough that I could hardly stand up without feeling like I was going to pass out. Luckily, my Mom is a nurse and she told me what medicine to pick up so I'm feeling quite a bit better today. Plus, my amazing sister brought me loads of medicine, soup, cough drops, ginger ale & chocolate last night. It's times like this that I am truly grateful for my family. (:

Anyhow, this tag is circulating YouTube right but I thought it would be fun to bring it to the blogging world. It was created by Liz [iheartmakeup92]. You can find her YT channel here. Let's jump right in!

High School

Wedding Day

1. I married my "high school sweetheart." Matt and I started dating my freshman year of high school [2004]. We actually broke up for about 6 months my junior year but, obviously, got back together. We got engaged on Christmas Eve of 2009, the year after I graduated, and got married on September 10, 2011. 

From L to R: Jessica, Me, Lindsay, Meghan

2. I have 3 sisters. I have always joked that I have one of each kind--1 full sister [Lindsay 24], 1 half sister [Meghan, 11]  and 1 step sister [Jessica, 22]. While I grew up with Lindsay and Meghan, Jessica lives in Washington and we don't get to see her as much as we'd like to. She flew in for my wedding and Lindsay and I are in talks of going to see her soon, hopefully this year!

3. I have a cat named Boston. I got him when I was 19. I lived alone at the time and I was really lonely. I wanted a dog but I was working full time at the hospital and wasn't home enough to care for a dog, so I ended up with Bos. He is seriously my little baby. I adore him! Fun fact--he is named after the Boston Redsox [a baseball team in the States]. My sister, Lindsay, picked the name.


4. I have always wanted to pursue social work. For as long as I can remember, I've felt a "calling" to help people. I went away to school in 2010 to pursue my degree but when Matt and I got engaged, I moved home to be closer to him. Unfortunately, there is only one college in my area that offers a social work program and it's a private school. The tuition is upwards of $30,000 per year and we can't afford it. I'm hoping that once we pay down our other student debt, I'll finally be able to go back to school.


5. I am insanely afraid of snakes. Even as a child, the sight of a snake made me want to vomit. I'm not sure what it is...I just cannot handle them. I have frequent nightmares about them and I even check the toilet before sitting down now because I saw a photo of a snake coming out of a toilet! My husband always jokes that he is going to put a rubber snake in the toilet to scare me...let's hope, for his sake, that he never tries it! ;) 


6. I still love, and frequently listen to, 90s music. I'll never forget my sister and I making up dance routines to N'SYNC in our garage. I have to say, though, that my all time favorite 90s band is the Spice Girls.


7. I missed my high school graduation. The high school that I went to was SO big. In fact, there were over 1,000 kids in my graduating class. I opted to not sit through graduation because I just felt overwhelmed by how may kids there were. Also, I transferred in my sophomore year. I had a hard time adjusting and never felt like I had good friends at my new school.  I know my parents wish I would have walked with my class, but all that mattered to me was actually graduating and moving on with my life. To this day I do not regret missing graduation.


8. Speaking of high school--I had some serious health scares while in high school. My sophomore year I suffered from persistent migraines. I was in and out of the ER for pain control and I saw several specialists. Doctors were throwing around things like Lupus or Multiple Sclerosis. I eventually ended up at the Diamond Headache Clinic in Chicago after suffering from a continuous migraine over the span of a month or so. I was admitted to DHC for about a week. They were able to get my headaches under control and put me on preventative meds to keep them from coming back but we never did figure out exactly what caused them. While I do still suffer from migraines, they are easier to control now. My junior year I had a 3rd degree facial burn. My Mom and younger sister were baking cookies and had stacked two pots together to make a double boiler. Because the pots weren't made for that, and they had no way to ventilate, pressure built up and they exploded. It just so happens that I had come downstairs to ask for help with my homework and I was standing right over the pots when they blew up. I was instantly blinded. I blacked out after that--but to make a long story short, I ended up at a burn clinic for close to 2 weeks. I was completely blind the entire time and they weren't sure if I would regain my sight. Thank God, I did and I have minimal scarring. My senior year I had kidney stones. They were too large to pass so I had to have them surgically broken up. High school was not a fun time for me, obviously!


9. I am a Taurus. My personality is pretty consistent with everything you read about Taurus', too! For example, I tend to be a home-body, I am pretty level headed until you make me mad...at which point, I become insanely stubborn, I have a hard time seeing things from the point of view of others, but I tend to follow the rules.


10. My favorite color is purple. It has changed a lot over the years but now I love purple. When Matt & I rented our first house, my crafting room was purple and zebra print. Now, my makeup desk is in our bedroom but I still have some of my purple and zebra print items out.

11. My celebrity crush is Jake Gyllenhaal...for obvious reasons.


12. I love Spring! I live in the midwest so the seasons change pretty frequently. I don't mind the snow in Winter, but the ice freaks me out and driving is too difficult! Summers here are unbearably hot and humid. Fall is gorgeous, too! However, I love watching the flowers bloom in Spring and the temperature is just right. I'll take 60's-70's and thunderstorms any day!


13. I don't like coffee. I know that may really surprise some of you. I have never really been a fan. I do love the smell of coffee beans, though. Is that odd? Yeah, I thought so.


14. My Dad picked my name. My Mom wanted to name me Jordan...I am so glad that never happened! I'm not a fan of names that are suited for a boy and/or a girl! I much prefer gender specific names and while Lorin is the masculine spelling of my name, there aren't many men with that name in the States.


15. I've never broken a bone. I'm probably jinxing myself by saying this, but it's true! I have sprained both of my ankles more times than I can count, but I have yet to break anything.


16. I don't have any tattoos. It's not because I am against them, I just haven't mustered up the courage to actually go have one done. I would like a small peace sign on the upper right hand corner of my right foot. I think when tattoos have meaning, they're beautiful. I don't understand people that have them all over their bodies, but they don't mean anything significant. If I am going to do something permanent to my body, you best believe it's going to mean something important to me!


17. I have had 5 piercings in my life. Two holes in each ear, and a nose ring. I went to job interview several months after having my nose pierced and decided to take it out. I was in the interview for about 3-4 hours and by the time I came out, the hole had closed. I was so upset. I haven't had it redone yet, but I plan to soon.


18. I love chinese food! I am super picky and only like certain items, but it's still one of my favorite cuisines. My favorites are egg rolls, pot stickers, and beef with broccoli. 


19. I want 3 or 4 children. I know this is going to sound so corny but I have always felt like my main purpose in life is to be a Mom. I have known that I wanted kids since I was a kid myself and that feeling has never left me. It's been a struggle for me watching several of my friends have babies. I have often felt jealous or envious of them. However, Matt and I have always been adamant about making sure we're 100% ready for children before we have them. There are things about each of our childhoods that we wouldn't want for our kids, so we're working extra hard now to make sure those things don't happen. We would like to buy a house that our children can grow up in, feel safe in and know that it's "home." Also, we want to be more financially stable so that we're able to provide our children with everything they want and need. I know that we'll have children one day, hopefully soon. All in time, right?


I hope that you guys enjoyed this post and I tag each and every one of you! If you do this tag, make sure to comment below with a link to your blog so I can check it out!

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