In other news, my old mouse broke. :< Mostly because I’m just really clumsy. I replaced it with the same model in a different color, just because it fits so comfortably in my hand, and Logitech is a pretty reliable company that I trust.

Having a good mouse is so important for gaming – especially since I just recently joined an all-girls ranked team on League of Legends. We’re called the Destructive Divas, and although we haven’t played much together yet, I can see this being a long-term thing. :P Girls can be pro at video games, too! Which reminds me, I really need to invest in a good headset.

So.. what else is new? Well, I bought a new makeup primer and nail polish the other day! I went with Sally Hansen’s Complete Salon Manicure in Commander in Chic, because I’ve had amazing experiences with it before – in 3 other shades.

Not only is the formula smooth, but it can last up to a week with minor fading at the tips and minimal (if at all) chipping. I’ve never had a problem with air bubbles after application, but I do admit that the drying time is a little above average. I don’t mind, though, because I just busy myself with things on my computer while I wait for my nails to dry. :)

I adore this shade, too! It’s easily make favorite nail polish right now. Somewhere between taupe, greige, and muted purple, it’s the ideal Fall/Winter color. I would wear it all year round, though. <3 What I like the most about the shade is that it looks dramatically different under several kinds of lighting, and that it matches with all my outfits and makeup. :D

As for my new makeup primer, I’ve been meaning to switch brands and try out a new base for my foundation for a couple months, since I usually don’t like sticking to one product forever. I went with Maybelline’s Instant Age Rewind Primer because it was relatively inexpensive. The product itself gets my skin really greasy by the first couple hours, unfortunately.

It doesn’t matte-ify the dewiness of my natural complexion as much as other primers do, either. It does the bare minimum of being a mediocre base for my foundation to apply smoothly, but I’m not recommending or repurchasing. And although I usually hate what my naked face looks like, but here’s a photo of me without makeup anyway. :)

On a final note, have you guys heard of Killing Floor? It’s a co-op survival zombie game. It was 85% off on Steam the other day for only $3, and was too sweet of a deal for me to pass up. The game play reminds me of a cross between the Left 4 Dead series and Team Fortress 2. Even though I’m terrible at it right now, it’s pretty enjoyable. :) Add me- my Steam account is Mirasol. Until next time! ^.^

My coworker and I also decided to host a Valentine’s Day themed program in our building the other day, too! Residents were able to craft their own unique cards using any of the supplies available in our office, so they could give them to those special people in their lives. We even gave out heart-shaped donuts and candy!

And to make up for my recent frumpiness, I decided to at least look presentable the other day. I’ve finally gained enough courage to start posting on Lookbook.nu – it’s great motivation to be more style-conscious in my everyday outfits, and gives me the opportunity to hone my photography skills. So if you guys can do me a favor and hype this look.. that would be awesome. <3 Even if you don’t have a Lookbook account, you can still log in with your Facebook. :D

So.. my Victoria’s Secret bikini came in the mail a few days ago!! ;) I was quite ecstatic to try it on, especially since I’ve always been too scared to wear one at the beach. I know it was a little pricey at $50 for both the bandeau top and string bottom, but definitely worth it if it will drive me to lose weight. Isn’t it sexy? :o

I also found the bikini below while browsing the Hot Topic website. It was a close second when I was deciding which swimsuit to buy. :) Although it’s cute AND has Hello Kitty stamped on the butt, I didn’t think it would be as flattering.

I basically got lazy at the beginning of this semester, and haven’t even gone to the gym once – despite promising myself that I would. Instead, I’ve been cutting down my calories severely. But even that isn’t enough to get my flabby body into shape. >.<; Right now, I’m about 113 lbs. I’d love to be 105, though! ;_; So in order to improve my self-esteem, I camera whored a little bit the other night. :P

I’m really enjoying my new DSLR. :) Many of my shots still come out really blurry, though, since I have extremely shaky hands. It’s nothing a little Photoshop filter can’t fix, though, to pass for “artsy fartsy”. :] Anyway, that’s all I have for now. Stay tuned for more posts throughout the week – until next time!

I’ve been trying to expand my world of gaming once again, though, and perhaps reclaim/uphold my previous reputation. Step one? Finally create a Steam account. Mostly because my brother and family friends play a ton of Team Fortress 2 – which I admit that I am terrible at. >.<;

I was pleased to find that Steam was having a ridiculous sale a few weeks ago, though! I was able to purchase both Dead Space and Dead Space 2 for only $10 in a bundle. :D Unfortunately, the first chapter of the first game terrified me too much to continue. (Seriously, I was jumping out of my bed and screaming in the dark whenever I’d hear any noise that could be a necromorph.) For a while, I was playing through it with Michael – but ever since the breakup, continuing the game together wasn’t an option anymore.

To be honest, I just want to know the storyline! D; Thankfully, my friend Wade doesn’t mind starting a new game with me. Since he lives in Idaho, though, I gave him my password and watch as he streams it via screen-sharing through Skype. So far, we’ve been completing one chapter per night. Technology, ftw! Excuse my stupid duck face in the screenshot below. Isn’t he a cutie? :)

In other news, he also convinced me to start playing Final Fantasy IX on an emulator. I used to be a hugeeee fan of Square/Squaresoft/SquareEnix, but for some reason never played this installment. And although I’ve heard great things about it, and I might just end up loving the gameplay and character plots, I know my heart will always belong to Final Fantasy X. <3

Unfortunately, the website also led to my discovery of the latest fashion trend that doesn’t sit so well with me – temporary lip tattoos. The brand Violent Lips produces and distributes lip appliqués in packs of three that are supposedly supposed to last up to 8 hours. My issue with this is mostly comfort – wouldn’t your lips get dry and irritated after the first hour or two? Secondly, I doubt that it would fit all lip shapes and sizes like it says it will. Third, won’t it get in the way of doing normal activities like eating and drinking? But this may be just me assuming that these temporary tattoos would be worn for practical occasions, which is probably not the case.

And despite the photos above and below looking glamorous, I bet there was much Photoshop involved to make them look that appealing. Although I don’t mind the glitter ones, there are gaudy patterns available that range from leopard print to fishnet to rainbow stripes. And I even though they’re being marketed towards fashion-forward individuals, I believe that they are much more appropriate for parades or costume parties. What do you think?

In other news, I bought the E.L.F. contour brush from Target a few weeks ago for about $3. The last brush that I was using to apply eyeshadow into my crease had rough bristles and was splaying on me. :< Which isn’t really a surprise, considering it was only $1 at a discount makeup booth on my campus. My new brush is pretty great, though. It evenly blends out my eyeshadow, and is the perfect shape to add definition to my crease without looking overdone.Furthermore, I realize that the frequency of my posts has been lacking lately. I’ve been finding myself exhausted every day, and have been putting all my free time towards other things. I just ordered a ton of things online, though, so stay tuned for a few posts on those hauls! :P On a final note, I’ll leave you with an outfit posted on Lookbook.nu by the lovely Ivy X.

I would love to have her entire wardrobe, or at least as much clothing coordination as she does. <3 Since it’s been so cold out, I rarely have any motivation to get dressed up in more than just jeans and a t-shirt with a jacket on top. On most days, I don’t even wear makeup anymore! D: I’m afraid that I’ve fallen into a miserable rut of frumpiness. Hopefully, as the weather gets warmer, I’ll have reason to look nicer on a daily basis again. Until next time! ^.^

I’m really looking forward to studying abroad in Glasgow next semester and I think that it’s going to be absolutely the best time that I’ve ever had! One of my favorite things to do here in college is go to bar trivia, so I’m sure that I’m going to really love going to pub quiz. Well right now I’m working on getting really great at all the trivia and I think that I’m going to be really great at it. I dare say that I might even impress some locals!

I like to use my wireless internet Odessa to look up all kinds of bits of trivia, including lots of stuff about UK-based shows. I watch a lot of them anyway, so I think that I’ll have that corner of pub quiz categories covered.

We’ll see how good I actually am at pub quiz, competing with people in their homeland, but I’m really ready to give it my best shot. In the meantime, I’ll make sure that I’m dominating in bar trivia in my college town.

For those of you who haven’t watched a performance of The Vagina Monologues, I strongly suggest going to one! My campus hosts a performance annually around this time of the year, and I don’t regret seeing it for the first time when I was a college freshman. Personally, my favorite monologue from the play is ‘My Vagina Was My Village’. It’s very haunting, dark, and personal. Here is Eve Ensler talking about the inspiration behind it, then later performing it.

I also decided to keep my door decs simple this month. I went into Adobe Photoshop and made name tags that say “Hello, my name is..” in six different languages! The paper I printed them out on was kind of thin, though, so I dont expect them to last very long before getting worn or ripped down.

In other news, I ran out of mascara pretty quickly this month. Decided to give Maybelline’s The Colossal a try. It was about $7 at Target, and the name was promising! I thought that if it was anything like Maybelline’s The Falsies, I’d love it just as much.

Unfortunately, I’m not a huge fan of the bright yellow packing or the brush. The bristles don’t catch every eyelash upon application, and makes it difficult to get product on in a few strokes. The formula itself is also very dry. So between these two factors, it takes a REALLY long time to get the effect I want.

Even then, my lashes don’t end up looking as dramatic as I would like. The length and volume just aren’t enough for my tastes. It give you more of a natural look, and the impact isn’t even close to “colossal”. Definitely not repurchasing or recommending. Until next time! ^.^

True, there are many ways to fix broken makeup. In fact, I came across the YouTube video below and wanted to try out her method. Unfortunately, I’m quite clumsy and ended up making a mess that couldn’t be salvaged. >.<;

So I headed into Macy’s last week and talked to a beauty specialist at the MAC counter to determine what kind of shade would look best on me. Even though I insisted that pink and shimmery colors look awful on my skin tone, she proved me wrong after trying three different blushes on me. I walked out with the MAC Mineralize Blush in Gleeful – described on the website as a “deep dirty blue pink with gold pearl”. The shimmer isn’t overpowering at all, and actually just gives me a healthy glow. :)

Because cheap drugstore blushes tend to become blotchy on my oily skin and completely disappear by the end of the day, I didn’t mind spending the extra money for a quality product. I’ve also been using the application technique that I learned from a makeup artist that I recently subscribed to on YouTube.

And I must admit, there is definitely a world of difference between his method and my previous one. :P My cheekbones end up looking higher! :D In other news, my neighbor dropped off a late Christmas present at my house. The small box contained a roll-on tube of the Ralph Lauren Always Yours,  a Covergirl Outlast Lipstain, and a Covergirl Moisturizing Topcoat. Although I love the perfume and lip balm, the lip stain applies uneven and dry.

Regardless, it still makes for a good picture. (I’m trying really hard to take better photos with my new camera. Am I improving?) Until next time! ^.^

We dropped by Victoria’s Secret PINK to pick up a present for one of her friends, and I couldn’t help but peek into the huge clearance bins full of neon-colored underwear. These two were too cute to pass up. :P

What I was really aiming to get, though, was a nice pair of gym pants. I’ve really strayed from my diet this past winter break, and have already gained several pounds. As part of my New Year’s Resolution, I’ve promised myself to go to the gym two or three times a week. At least once a week, if I’m particularly busy with school and work. My class schedule is even convenient enough to attend the open gym hours in my quad, so I shouldn’t have any excuses.

These yoga pants from Aerie were on sale for $25. Not only are they super soft and comfortable, but they can also double as a pair of leggings. The fit options I had were skinny, straight, and flare. I went with the skinnies because the others would have been way too long on my short legs.

And since I’ve been meaning to accumulate more points on my AE rewards card, we swung by American Eagle so I could buy these two v-neck shirts. They were buy one get one half off! :D It’s a relief to finally have some sleeved tops in my wardrobe, too, since more than half of my basics are tanktops. :P

What I like the most about them is the perfect plunge of the neckline. My problem with other v-neck shirts is that they either dip too far down, or are barely lower than a crew neck tee. This cut shows just the right amount of cleavage, in my personal opinion. ;)

I was meaning to get a new swimsuit, too, but decided that it was too early in the year to shop around for one. Besides, I don’t have a beach-ready body yet. x_x I would love to get this tankini set from AE when it goes on sale, though.

Anyway, that’s how I spent what was left of my Christmas money. At least, most of it. I bought something else, too, but I’ll save that for another blog post. :P Until next time! ^.^

Throughout high school and early college, I went on and off Proactiv. Unfortunately, it tended to dry out my skin and once gave me a really bad case of seborrheic dermatitis – which left some ugly scars on the skin around my eyes. Ever since, I have been trying to find the perfect products that work with my skin type. It’s been a long vicious cycle of trial-and-error, but I think my new regimen has proven to be effective thus far.

Last week, I bought two things at my local drugstore: Aveeno Ultra-Calming Foaming Cleanser and Neutrogena Alcohol-Free Toner. The former came with a free sample-sized bottle of Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion, too! (Which just so happens to be my favorite moisturizer.) The decision to purchase these two products was influenced by the members of MakeupAlley, my go-to website for reliable beauty reviews.

Although it’s only been a week, I can already notice a significant difference in my skin tone. My pores are visibly smaller, and my dark spots are a bit lighter. The cleanser doesn’t completely remove my makeup, but I don’t mind because I usually remove it with lotion beforehand anyway. And the toner doesn’t dry my skin out as much as the Proactiv toner did, but the sensitive skin at the corners of my eyes begin to flake if I don’t moisturize well afterwards.

Hopefully, this new routine will prevent future breakouts and eventually even out my complexion. Until then, all I can do is wait and hope for the best. If these products don’t meet my needs in the end, I think it would be worth the money to invest in higher-end skin care products. I’ve had my eye on Philisophy’s Purity Made Simple and Clinique’s Mild Clarifying Lotion, but I’m not willing to splurge on them if there are less expensive alternatives. All I want is clear, bright, healthy skin – is it really too much to ask for? I’ll keep you guys updated. :P

I haven’t used this brand since early high school, when I was still obsessed with having bright red hair. So I figured that stepping outside of my brand name comfort zone just this once wouldn’t hurt. After leaving the mixture in for about a hour, here are the results:

Maybe it’s because I had recently dyed my hair dark a couple of months ago that the color came out uneven. But it’s really not that bad. My roots lifted to a warm medium brown, while the length of the back turned a light golden brown. My bangs are still dark, though, which is disappointing. But I guess my previously bleached hair from last spring exaggerated the dye’s “multi-faceted” promise.

My hair also isn’t as “shimmering” as I would like. Garnier Nutrisse definitely makes my hair shinier – and this is from years and years of experience, btw. So although I don’t mind the color gradient, I think having four different shades of brown on your head looks careless if not styled. Ultimately, I’m probably not going to try L’Oreal Féria again anytime soon.

In other news, I was at BJs the other day when my mom pointed out this conditioner to me. I had heard of and seen the Organix brand before in drugstores, but never made a purchase. The promise of straighter hair is always appealing to me, though. The four main advertised ingredients in this product are coconut oil, keratin proteins, avocado oil, and cocoa butter – all of which are known to be great for your hair. The fact that it smells deliciously like cocoa butter is a huge plus for me, too.

And although I’ve only used this conditioner three times, it has already made a significant difference in the texture of my hair. Not only is it softer, but it feels healthier and smoother. Unfortunately, it isn’t straighter when I air-dry it. But I’m assuming it takes continued use to take effect.

On a final note, have you guys heard of the NoMoreRack scam? Personally, I have had no experience with the website. I do admit that many of the deals seem too good to be true! But after doing a bit of research, several other bloggers have had no negative experiences with them at all. You can even read NoMoreRack reviews with a quick Google search if you’re still not convinced.