Happy Monday! I hope you all had a great weekend. I spent mine getting work done for my online classes so that I wouldn't have to worry about them while I am home later this week. Because of that, I don't have much to report on anything else I did this weekend, expect for eating a good portion of the pan of brownies that my roommate generously made. Instead of a weekend wrap-up, I thought I would do a "get to know me" question tag because I love reading them and finding more about the bloggers I read, and I thought you might all feel the same. Feel free to take the questions from this post and answer them about yourself on your blog!

1. What is your middle name? 
My middle name is Elizabeth...pretty basic but I like it because all the women on my mom's side of the family have Elizabeth as their middle name too.

2. What was your favorite subject in high school?
My favorite class was anatomy and physiology, but over my four years of high school, I always enjoyed math. Even calculus, haha!

3. What is your favorite drink?
Coffee. I usually go to bed excited to wake up in the morning because I look forward to having my morning coffee so much. Anyone else?!

4. What is your favorite song at the moment?
Ugh, I usually don't like questions about music because I feel like my favorite song changes every day. But today I am really feeling Sunday Morning by No Doubt (love them!) My all time favorite song is I Don't Feel Like Dancing by the Scissor Sisters...listen to it and try to not dance, its impossible!

5. What is your favorite food?
Adult Meghan says tacos or burritos. Or just Mexican food in general. Child Meghan will tell you vanilla frosting, but Adult Meghan knows thats an unrealistic favorite food.

6. What is the last thing you bought?
A Blue Moon while I was out last night with some friends.

7. Favorite book of all time?
Harry Potter series because I feel as though it taught me so many important life lessons and they are all just so good!

8. Favorite Color?
Purple! Which is funny because I don't have a lot of purple clothing, but I have a ton of purple accessories.

9. Do you have any pets?
Two cats, Rocco and Watson, and a dog, Reilly!

10. Favorite perfume?
I don't usually wear perfume, so can I just say my old reliable deodorant?

11. Favorite holiday?
CHRISTMAS. I love the spirit of Christmas and the feeling of nostalgia that accompanies the holiday. I get so excited to give gifts and there are few things that I like better than cuddling up on the couch with Christmas cookies watching a Christmas movie!

12. Are you married?
No! Not for a while for me.

13. Have you ever been out of the country?
Yes, I went to Quebec City in Quebec in 8th grade on a French class field trip for a weekend! It was a blast, and I don't think I spoke any French during the weekend...

14. Do you speak any other languages?
Does sarcasm count? If not, I can say a few words in Spanish, but not sure if that counts either...

15. How many siblings do you have?
Two! Jack and Sam.

16. What is your favorite shop?
I love Express, J. Crew and Banana Republic for clothing, and then I think Target probably goes without saying.

17. Favorite restaurant?
There is a restaurant chain in New England called Margaritas and (you guessed it) they are known for their yummy Mexican food and margs. I have had so many of my birthday dinners there and I always try to find more reasons to go!

via

18. When was the last time you cried?
Last night, I cried from laughter while I was out with some friends!

19. Favorite blog?
 This is a mean question, I have too many favorites to list!

20. Favorite movie?
Once again, I have too many that I would want to list out..but when I get asked this question, The Wedding Singer always pops into my head because that was always my answer when I was in middle school. Maybe thats my subconscious saying that its really my favorite?!

21. Favorite TV show?
I think I would have to say Gilmore Girls would have to be my all time favorite. I love the witty banter and the New England small town setting!

22. PC or Mac?
Mac!

23. What phone do you have?
iPhone 6!

24. How tall are you?
5' 6", but my family would tell you that I am rounding up from 5' 5"...

25. Can you cook?
Yes I really like cooking most of the time. Its fun to play around with different spices and flavors. My favorite thing to make are tacos... I know they are technically easy to make, but I don't use a packet of seasoning so its fun to just throw spices in!

I hope you enjoyed this sort of post today! Have a great week!

You can always have more than one favorite...

Happy Friday! I feel like I blinked and this week went by. Is this how adulthood always is? If so, no thank you, I am going back to grade school. I had a same old week, with online class and blogging and so sometimes I feel like my eyes are going to burn out of my head from staring at the computer for so long. I read a blog post a few months ago about glasses that blocks the blue light from getting to your eyes that is emitted from the computer...has anyone tried those? I am seriously considering getting a pair! But enough with my rambling, and lets get on with some favorites on this great Friday! I usually do favorite links that I have found throughout the week, but today I was feeling like mixing it up and doing a whole bunch of different types of favorites!

Favorite Video
Please don't ask me how many times I have watched this video this week...its too embarrassing to count! I think its definitely been around for awhile, so I probably missed it when it was first out, but better late than never! Plus I don't think I will ever be able to get the song out of my head. Its slightly obnoxious, but completely endearing.

Favorite Music
I know I am late to the party (same with the video mentioned before), but I just downloaded Spotify a few weeks ago...and I am loving it! Its great to have the flexibility to be able to listen to any song I want on all of my devices. Last week, for their #TBT playlist, they had girl anthems from the 90s that include a lot of Alanis Morissette so I was really into that this week! The only thing I don't like about it is that now since I am listening to music a ton more, I have to wait until my roommates are out of the apartment so that I can have a concert in the shower without judgment.

Favorite Blog Post
I loved all the posts this week that had the best items to get for the Sephora VIB sale that starts today. I think I even started drooling while reading a few! My favorite post about it though was from Biana from B Love Boston because everything she included in her want list are things that I would lovvee to have...especially this and this too! Are you picking anything up from this sale?! Let me know!

Favorite Quote
I know I included her in my favorites post last week, but I was watching a Kandee Johnson video about how to have more self confidence with clothing and style in general (something I have lacked until very recently!). She quoted her grandmother who gave her a comeback to say when people gave her a hard time about what she wore...She said to say "Just be glad you don't have to wear it!" and I couldn't agree more. I actually wish I had seen the video at the beginning of the week when my roommate was dissing faux fur vests (which I love!)

Favorite Moment(s) of the Week
1. Realizing that Thanksgiving is only 13 days away now! I think I can already smell the turkey...
2. Sitting down to have coffee on Wednesday and thinking about how in a week from then, I will be having a cup of coffee with my mom.
3. Buying a sweater for John for Christmas that he really wanted, and then checking back the next day and seeing that it was sold out (and I probably got the last one!)

Favorite Surprise
Finally seeing the Finding Dory trailer come out! I have only been waiting since Finding Nemo came out like ten years ago. What are your thoughts on it?

I hope you all have a great weekend!

Linking up here and here today! 

*This post does contain affiliate links*

Instagram Favorites: Fashion

I know that most of us here in the blog world appreciate Instagram...its my favorite social media account and I don't care what Essena ONeill says about it. Not only do I follow my friends and fellow bloggers, but I follow a lot of accounts for laughs, for their makeup/clothing inspiration, and for their cute animals. I did a post back in the spring about my favorite cat and dog Instagram accounts, and I thought I would continue that series today with my favorite fashion accounts.

1. @galmeetsglam //  Julia is the gal behind Gal meets Glam and she has a beautiful wardrobe. She also does so much traveling and does photo shoots in amazing locations...you have to check out her latest posts from Colorado! I feel like I talk about her a lot...both with friends and on here. She tweeted back at me a few weeks ago and I might have fangirled (a lot).

Hop on over to galmeetsglam.com to see today's post from Colorado🌨 #colorado #gmgtravels #duntonhotsprings #snowdays

A photo posted by Julia Engel (Gal Meets Glam) (@juliahengel) on Nov 9, 2015 at 12:08pm PST

2. @carly // Carly is a blogger and creator of The College Prepster so you can guess her style is...yup, preppy! I think I tend to dress fairly preppy, so I love going to her account for inspiration.

One thing I LOVE about Connecticut?! Having so many great hiking trails around. (Seriously, who am I? Hiking?! I hardly recognize myself!) I've been tracking my activity with the @garmin #vivofit! 🍂🐿🍁🐶 more on thecollegeprepster.com this afternoon!

A photo posted by Carly A. Heitlinger (@carly) on Oct 28, 2015 at 1:32pm PDT

3. @emilyanngemma // Emily is the blogger behind The Sweetest Thing and I am obsessed with her style! If I could be half as trendy as she is then I would be more than happy!

This dress is 🙌🏼🙌🏼.. It's the perfect throw on & go dress and it is under $50!❤️ Details: @liketoknow.it www.liketk.it/1WGyI #liketkit #ootd #wiw #fallready

A photo posted by Emily Gemma (@emilyanngemma) on Nov 7, 2015 at 7:00pm PST

4. @maine_blonde // I found her while searching for Maine Instagram accounts and I couldn't get over how stylish she is!

I can't believe it's November! Time for #octoberfavorites. Pictured are all my favorite things - the red clutch you all loved (under $30!!), blanket scarves, capes, and my "You had me at pumpkin spice lattes" sweatshirt. I get so many compliments on all of them.🍁🍂🍁 @liketoknow.it www.liketk.it/1VGmw #liketkit

A photo posted by // Maine Blonde // (@maine_blonde) on Nov 1, 2015 at 5:48am PST

5. @inthefrow // Victoria is a British blogger/YouTuber who has her PhD in fashion, so how could I not include her on this list?! She has gorgeous style and hair that I could never even dream of pulling off, but she does it perfectly!

Over on Inthefrow.com, I'm talking how to style the sleeveless coat 💙 www.liketk.it/1UQkq

A photo posted by Victoria (@inthefrow) on Oct 27, 2015 at 12:05pm PDT

What are your favorite fashion Instagram accounts? Let me know who I need to follow!

6 Tips for Combating Stress

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a great weekend! I had a quick little trip up to northern Virginia for a memorial wheelchair basketball tournament for my mom's best friend's son (same one I wrote about last year) and it was so nice to visit with my family and my mom's best friend/her family. We hadn't seen them since the tournament last year so we were absolutely due for a visit with them! They are just the sweetest family (extended family too!) and I love spending time with all of them. Since I have written all about the tournament before, I included the link to that post above. I wanted to share a little bit about de-stressing today, instead of a weekend wrap up!

When I got back yesterday, I had the worst emotional combination of stress and anxiety and sadness. I was sad for having to say goodbye to everyone and then stress/anxiety about a presentation I had to work on for my clinical group at the hospital today. Do you ever get so worked up about doing something (homework, actual work, anything really) that you just stress about stressing about it? That's what I was doing yesterday. I worked myself up into a tizzy during the drive back to my apartment about prepping for my presentation and then when I got back, I was too worked up to work. Weird, I know! In order to chill myself out, I did a couple of short activities to make myself focus on what I needed to accomplish for the day. I wanted to share those things today just in case I could help anyone else!

1) Make a to-do list
In this case, I had to break apart all the different sections that I had to cover for my presentation and so I could focus on just one part at a time. I love the feeling of accomplishment after I get to cross something off the list and it helps to give me motivation to keep working.

2) Have some tea
Specifically herbal tea, and not a tea with caffeine in it. For me, too much caffeine makes me too wound and feeling even more anxious. Today I went for a lemon tea, but I would also recommend chamomile!

3) Take a shower
Kind of an cheesy, but I swear showering washes away my stress. Showers really relax me and help to clear my mind so I can really focus on the task at hand and not the hundred other things that are running through my mind (Like other homework/missing my family/the blog/dinner/laundry/etc) .

4) Call/text someone...
...who will really set you straight. For instance, I texted my friend who has all the same classes/work as I do and asked her if I really needed to be stressing about the presentation as much as I was. She promptly responded that I didn't need to worry for another second and that it was ridiculous that I was stressing. Although a little harsh, it was well appreciated and snapped me back to reality!

5) Work really hard for one hour
Then re-evaluate whether you should really be stressed about what your doing. Chances are, if you really kick ass in that hour, that you'll get a lot more done than previously expected and feel less stressed about whats left to do.

Although an annoying tip, I thought I would include it anyway as the last one...

6) Plan ahead to prevent stress!
Like I said, its an annoying tip, I know! There is always good intentions to plan ahead and get everything done so that you don't have to worry about XYZ in the future, right? In this case, I actually had got a good chunk of the work done before the weekend started, since I had known that I was going to be super busy with the tournament. I think had I just done an hour or two more of work before the weekend then I would have been way less stressed yesterday evening. Even though I could have done more, I know I still helped myself a lot by getting some done beforehand. If I hadn't, this post probably wouldn't have been able to be written last night! For the most part, I am pretty good about planning and use my planner and to-do lists to help keep me in line.

I know there are so many tips out there, but these are the ones that I have found to work best for me! What are your tips for de-stressing?

Its not too early for Christmas music, right?

Happy Friday everyone! I hope you all had a great week and recovered nicely from any Halloween exhaustion that you might have had! My week was pretty much the same old, same old with clinical, online classes and blog work. Since I spent so much time on my computer this week, I took my breaks in between work by browsing Twitter and YouTube, which gave me a lot of favorite links for this Friday! Here they are...

1. James Corden in Phantom of the Opera
James Corden is the host of The Late Late Show on CBS, and to be honest, I had never heard of him until I watched him present an award at this year's Emmys. He was absolutely hilarious and I googled him, asking myself "who is this guy and why haven't I heard of him before?!". After watching a few of his show's clips, I am totally hooked. While browsing YouTube this week, I found a clip from his show that I hadn't seen, but was hilarious. If you are a Phantom of the Opera fan, or just someone who likes to laugh (and who doesn't?) you have to watch this clip!

2. Kandee Johnson Makeup Videos

NEW VIDee-Oh! When you turn into a 90's Pop Art Painting! Go watch it...it took me days to edit and it was made with so much love and hope-you-love-it-ness! Click the link in my bio to see it! PS. Who likes my new video intro?!?! I made it myself...hee hee hee #cartoon #makeup

A photo posted by Kandee Johnson (@kandeejohnson) on Nov 5, 2015 at 3:54pm PST

Kandee Johnson is a makeup artist who does amazing transformations...I watched so many this week and was just mesmerized. My favorite was the barbie one! If you check out her channel, tell me which one is your favorite!

3. 25 Days of Christmas Schedule

Now that Halloween is over, its time to start celebrating Christmas. I know, I know...I am one of those people that likes to start celebrating early! I can't wait to watch all of these! Anyone else?!

4. This post from Pinky @ Pink Persistence and this post from Julia @ Gal Meets Glam
These two were my favorite blog posts from this week! Pinky's post about gratitude really motivated me to start recognizing and giving thanks for the great things that I have in my life (both big and small!). She is always to inspirational and I love reading her posts!
The next post is a fashion post from Gal Meets Glam, and I just can't get over how gorgeous that purple coat is! She has amazing style and lives in the ever-fabulous San Francisco!

5. My own video....
...is that too cheesy? I am just so excited that I finally put myself out there! Thank you so much for the nice comments on my post about it the other day...I was so so flattered and reading those comments made my heart feel like it was going to explode out of my chest. Internet friends are the best! Also, speaking of friends...I have kept this blog a secret from my non-internet friends, up until last night when I sent the link to my best friend. (If you're reading, hi Sarah!) I was so nervous even though I had no reason to be, and she was more than supportive and excited about this blog. I feel like I can just tell everyone now!

I hope you all have a great weekend! What were your favorites for the week?

Everyday Makeup Routine | Video

Guys, I did it! Although it took a long time to film and edit, and a few years of working up the courage too...I finally hit publish on a YouTube video! It is my everyday makeup routine and I actually had a lot of fun filming it (once I got through the nerves). It is a little embarrassing to watch back for me, because I use a lot of poor transitions ("and then, and then, and then, and then!") and I make a lot of weird faces. Its a little long as well, but I tried to cut out as much as I could and still have it be a smooth video. I hope you enjoy it!


Here are some of the products I mentioned in the video:

Rimmel Lasting Finish Foundation in Ivory
NYX HD Concealer
Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in Translucent
Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade in Soft Brown
Urban Decay Naked Basics 2 Palette
Benefit Roller Lash Mascara
NYC Matte Bronzer in Sunny
Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Wild Rose
MAC Lipstick in Velvet Teddy

Let me know what you think!

*This post does contain affiliate links*

Weekend of Pamper

Hello friends, and happy November! I hope you all had a super fun (and safe!) Halloween weekend. I had planned to take it super easy this weekend because I had a hectic weekend last week and i'm about to have another busy (but fun!) weekend coming up. My introverted self can't handle so many busy weekends in a row, so I have to plan chill-out time or else I get too anxious and weird. Hence why this weekend may seem blah to you, but it was great for me!

Friday
Since all of my "normal" classes are online and when I actually go to class, its clinical at the hospital, I spend a lot of time at my computer getting work done. Friday was no exception to this! I crossed a few things off my to-do list, but most importantly, I figured out a new television show to indulge in. I started Nurse Jackie on Showtime, have any of you seen it? I haven't been big into medical shows, other than Grey's Anatomy, maybe because I now know how unrealistic those shows are. But I thought I would try one out anyway.  I am a few episodes in, and so far its funny but I haven't really felt "the hook" yet...aka the need to be watching every spare second of my day.
Anyways, I finished off Friday with Mexican food with my roommate and watching Hocus Pocus! Also, right before I went to bed, I threw on a mask (as promised from Friday's post) to help absorb oils from my super greasy skin. I went with Mario Badescu Silver Power, which really helps to make my skin less oily and keep it feeling fresh for the next day.

Saturday
I had a lazy morning, which I justified as Saturday was "a holiday". I trimmed and tweezed my sorry looking eyebrows, and then questioned myself on shouldn't just drop of out college now and become an eyebrow stylist because I just had so much fun cleaning up mine. Is that weird? Probably.
Later, I headed to Ulta to pick out a new facial cleanser, and since I can't leave Ulta with just one thing, I ended up with a new foundation too. Next, I went to Plato's closet to look for jeans that don't get saggy a few hours into wearing them. I have jeans that fit great in the first 15 minutes out of the dryer, but loosen up so much! I tried on a few pairs, but just had no luck. Do you have any suggestions on what brands/fabric blends/tips for finding jeans that don't get saggy? Please let me know!
Once home, I spent the rest of the day watching scary Halloween movies (Sleepy Hollow, The Sixth Sense, and House on Haunted Hill!) and treated myself to a cookie in a mug, which I am thinking of sharing the recipe for later in the week!

Sunday
So yesterday, I maybe, kinda, sorta filmed an everyday makeup routine video that I might edit and upload to YouTube. I have wanted to start making videos for a few years now but just never could work up the courage to actually sit down and do it. You can definitely tell in the first minute or two of the video that I am super nervous, but afterwards I relax and it actually was a lot more fun than I ever realized it could be! It sounds silly because I am just by myself putting makeup on in my room so why be nervous? The camera was really intimidating at first, but then I just told myself to pretend that it was a friend in front of me instead and it got a heck of a lot easier. So maybe I'll just need another couple of years to work up the courage to actually upload it? I don't know!
Other than the video and classwork, I tried out my new facial cleanser, which I already know I am going to love. I wanted a product with glycolic acid in it for a bit of chemical exfoliation, so I went with the Mario Badescu Glycolic Foaming Cleanser. When I first used it, I half expected my skin to just slough off like a snake because of the glycolic acid (ew, sorry if that is a gross mental image), but it just made my skin feel less oily and less like there was a build up of dead skin cells. I know it'll definitely take a few more weeks of use to get its full benefit and I will let you know how it ultimately works!

Monday Motivation

I have a busy week coming up and just wanted to give myself some motivation that I could carry with me today (and basically the rest of time!). Thought I would share it with you all, as well! I hope you have a great Monday!

*This post does contain affiliate links