Aaaaaaaah! I've been gone for over a month!!! So sorry! I got all caught up with finals, and now I'm working for about 9 hours a day at a summer camp, which REALLY wears me out. But anyway, back to the post. 

So I was recently at the beach with my family and my friend, and while I was there, I spoke with my dad about the harmful ingredients in makeup. This for some reason stuck with me, and I became inspired to research to see if the makeup that I wore was dangerous. 

I ended up finding this website that rated products on a scale of 1-10 (1 being good, 10 being bad) based on the amount of carcinogens in it. I was shocked to find out that most of my products had ratings from a 4-7. 

From there, I decided to research some healthy makeup, and I took a trip to Sephora. There I bought products from Tarte, Cover Fx, and Too Faced that had good ratings. This trip was very special for me because this was the first time that I was going to be purchasing high-end makeup. I had always seen high-end makeup on Youtube, and really wanted to get some. But. every time that I went to Sephora, I wouldn't be willing to pay for the expensive makeup. This time, I splurged and spent $150 on nice and safe makeup. 

I'm never one to splurge on anything, but it has been so worth it. For years I had been wanting nice makeup, and the price was worth it. I am so much happier now because I know that my makeup is safe, and I enjoy putting on my makeup so much more. I made sure that the products that I bought had a rating of 3 or less.

After shopping at Sephora, I went home and threw out all of my makeup with the exception of 2 products that had good ratings. Now, I have a smaller amount of high-quality makeup that I love using. 

Thanks for reading! 

Emily 

To start off the night, I wash off my makeup. I used to use the Simple Cleansing Makeup Wipes, but I found that since they came in packs of 25, I went through them very quickly, and had to buy them frequently. So, in order to save money and save myself from constantly having to go to the store, I decided to switch to using the Simple Micellar Cleansing Water, and I LOVE IT. I just pour some of it onto a cotton pad, and it easily removes all of my makeup. 

After you strip your face of all the makeup, dirt, and dead skin, it's important to replenish the moisture in your skin with a moisturizer or cream. I use the Bobbi Brown Hydrating Eye Creme specifically under my eyes because the skin under your eyes is very delicate, and requires a gentler formula. I remember the last time I tried an eye creme, it made my skin go totally wonky, and it made my skin like peel off and it was so gross, and I immediately threw it away. But, this product came into my life while I was a Bobbi Brown makeup class, and they gave us a travel-sized pot of this stuff. Even though it seems like such a small pot, since you only have to use a tiny (like, seriously tiny) amount of product, this little jar can last for a long time. 

 I hope that you enjoyed these tips, and thank you for watching!

Emily 

Over the weekend, I went to a rummage sale that was run by the Visiting Nurse Service, and while I was there, I bought a few bags. Now, I have many bags, but, I just couldn't help myself because everything was so cute and inexpensive, and all of the profits went to charity. 

 The first bag I bought was this red leather bag from a brand named French, which I've never heard of before. But, I fell in love with the beautiful red color, and the shape of the bag. This is the most expensive bag that I bought, and it was $20. 

 The rucksack addiction is continuing with this next little woven backpack that only cost me $10! It closes at the front with a magnetic closure, and it is split into 2 sections: one in the front, and one in the back. The back pocket has easy access because there is a large zipper pocket in the back.  

Lastly, I just bought these two small pouches that were both $1. The top one has a fun pattern, and I'm currently storing my headphones in it so that they do not get tangled in my backpack. The bottom one is all beaded, and I'm not sure what I'm going to use it for, but it was cheap, and these little pouches always come in handy. 

Thanks for reading! 

Emily

Well that's about it. Sorry this post is so boring; I will have a cool post for next week so stay tuned!

Thank you for reading!

Emily Wallace

As you may know from my Instagram, I recently went on a trip to Paris with my mom. While there, I realized that I left some stuff at home that I shouldn't have, and I also brought some stuff that benefited me. 

So, today I'm going to share with you the things I needed in Paris, didn't need in Paris, and did not know that I needed in Paris. 

THINGS I NEEDED:

1. A small purse with a zipper. Whenever visiting any popular city, it's important to bring a bag that has a zip closure, so that you're less likely to be pick-pocketed. I brought a cream vintage Coach bag that was able to fit everything that I needed. 

2. A scarf. It was colder than I expected when I was visiting, so my most-worn item was a basic white scarf. It matched with all of my outfits, and it kept me warm. Also, many women in France wore scarves, so it made me feel less-touristy.

3. Comfortable shoes. This one is a given, because on vacation, you walk a lot, so comfy shoes are a must. 

THINGS I DIDN'T NEED:

1. Too many jeans. I decided to bring only 3 sweaters with me, and was able to use them multiple ways because I wore it with a chambray underneath one day, and a scarf another. I did not use this for jeans, and I brought a pair or every day that I was there. This was unnecessary because I wore one pair of jeans twice, and i could have done that multiple times during my trip. 

2. Too many books. Usually, during plane rides, I like to read. But, on my flight I had free movies on the way there and back. Both ways, I was really tired and just watched some movies, and I only read one book on the plane. And I brought 3. 

THINGS I DIDN'T KNOW THAT I NEEDED:

1. A winter jacket. As I mentioned before, it was colder than I thought it was going to be in Paris, so I only brought a rain jacket, which was very useful because it rained for the majority of the trip. I was cold for the most of my trip, so I wish I had brought a heavier jacket. 

2. A good umbrella. I brought my trusty Totes umbrella, which I love because it folds up so compactly. But, this umbrella was not able to withstand the wind that I experienced in Paris, and it broke. I was able to use it makeshift-ly, but I later I just ditched it and went with my raincoat. So, I wish that I had brought a sturdier umbrella. 

Well, those were my Paris must-haves!

Thank you for reading!

Emily 

This may sound a little bizarre, but my inspiration for these were those ransom notes that you see in films where it's all spelled out in letters of different fonts from magazines and newspapers. Is that kinda dark? Maybe. 

So what you will need is: 

So first, figure out what you're going to write on your cards. Mine said "Thanks" or "Thank you". After that, go through your magazine and clip out letters in different fonts and colors that spell out your message. 

For this, I recommend that when cutting the letters out, try not to keep too much extra space around the letters, or else it does not look as good. 

Once you have cut out all of your letters, arrange them how you would like on the front of the card. I did mine in a straight line, or a rainbow shape. When you have all of your letters laid out, glue them on to the card with a glue stick. 

The only thing left to do is to write a message on the inside, and send them! 

I think that these cards are so cute, and much more personal (and inexpensive) than anything at Hallmark. You can also use this DIY to make cards for other occasions, such as birthdays and anniversaries. 

I hope you enjoyed this project, and I'm sorry that the posting has been so irregular recently, but I promise to be on schedule from now on :) 

Thanks for reading! 

Emily 

Thanks for reading!

Emily

First, you need to cut two parallel horizontal lines wherever you want. This will be how wide and tall the rip will be.

 After this, I like to take my grater and go along where you cut, which helps loosen the fibers so that they're easier to pull out.

 From here, you will be take your tweezers and pluck out the dark blue fibers that are between your cut lines. Now, this step will take some time, so I suggest that you do this while watching TV, or if you're me, watching Estee Lalonde vlogs. 

  In the beginning, it's easier take out the fibers one by one, but as you keep going, you can pull out multiple pieces in one go.

 After you pull out all of the threads, your rip should look a little something like this:

 Now, you can leave your jeans like this, but I like to rough up my rip a little more with the cheese grater, so that they look a little less forced, and more like the ones in the stores.

 After that, you repeat those steps as much as you want depending on how distressed you want your jeans to be.

To style these jeans,  I paired them with some white sneakers, a sweater, and a chunky scarf to top if off.

Top: Love Culture

Scarf: Forever 21

Belt: Gap

Sneakers: Payless

So, good news! I got a tripod, so now I can take outfit photos by myself, so be ready for some cool content coming your way. But, since I'm still kinda snowed in (title reference, ha), I was only able to take them in my room. 

This outfit is perfect for school, or running errands, and I wear it all the time. It's super casual, and extremely comfortable. I styled this outfit around my new sweater from Lord and Taylor that is so cute, and goes along with the current sixties trend. My only problem with it is that since it's a looser knit, i find that I'm always catching it on stuff, and pulling treads. 

Either way, I love this outfit, and hopefully you can take some inspiration from it! 

Sunglasses- Forever 21

Sweater- Lord and Taylor 

Jeans- American Eagle

Belt- Gap 

Shoes- Vans

Thanks for reading! 

Emily 

6. I just keep these little band-aids in my bag just in case I get a blister, because that always seems to happen whenever I wear a new pair of shoes. 

Well that was everthing! Hoped you liked it!

Thanks for reading! 

Emily