Makeup Monday {Defining Eyes Palette}

This is something I've been meaning to blog about for, well, about a month now - ha! I've got lots of makeup posts I need to do because I got some fun new makeup for Christmas.

But I felt as though this Christmas present deserved a post of its own because it just might be my favorite makeup palette ever.

I've been a Naked Palette girl for a long time, and although that is still one of my favorites, this palette is even better because it contains almost everything you need to do your eyes. It has not just eyeshadows, but also a really nice eyeshadow brush, 2 gel eyeliners, and a double ended eyeliner. The only things you need to add are mascara and a primer. Awesome!

The kit is called the Defining Eyes Palette from Sigma. You can order it online because there is only 1 Sigma store located in the Mall of America. I heard about it from my favorite makeup YouTube artist, Tiffany D. She has taught me SO much over the past year, and she's the one who actually created the palette. Every single makeup product she has recommended I have loved, so I knew her palette was going to be even better!

This is what the packaging looks like....

....and here's a glimpse of what the palette all comes with!

First I'll talk about the brush. You get a dual ended brush inside the kit, and another small complimentary one when you purchase the palette. I've never been one to buy expensive brushes. My makeup brushes come from Target (nothing fancy), because I never understood how a "good" brush could make that much of a difference. Well these are high quality brushes, and there is a noticeable difference between these and my "cheap" ones. These brushes are much softer and tend to honestly apply the color better. I'm now seriously considering ordering some more Sigma brushes in the future!

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Now the eyeshadows. I haven't had a ton of time to experiment with them quite yet, but the formula of them is awesome. They don't fade or crease throughout the day. I love the colors too. At first I didn't know if I'd get a ton of use of some of the colors, especially the blue called Midnight. But I think the Midnight shade might be my favorite color in the palette! I also love both of the highlighting colors - Halo and Beam. They're my favorite highlighting eyeshadows now!

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The gel liners..... When I first got the kit, I was afraid to try out the gel liners. I admit that I am BAD at applying an eyeliner pencil to my upper lid. I can line my waterline just fine, but every time I apply it on top, it turns out to be a catastrophe. So I put off trying these until a day when I had a lot of time to apply my makeup so that if I totally messed it up, I could redo it all. Well, I ended up falling in love with them! They are 10 times easier to apply than a normal eye pencil. I used the complimentary brush, and I am now obsessed. The formal is great (they don't wear off throughout the day), and they are literally perfect! And it comes in 2 different colors - Blackout and Chocolate.

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And last but not least, the double ended eyeliner pencil. One side is white, and the other is a dark blue. I had a Sephora brand white before this, but the formula of the Defining Eyes one is much better and creamier. I also love the dark blue color too - it really makes your eyes pop.

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Another thing that I think is great about the palette is that it comes with a small book of different looks. It goes through step-by-step instructions of how to recreate them, which has really helped me. Tiffany has also done some tutorials using the palette on her YouTube channel.

These are some of my favorite looks that I've done with the palette. I can't wait to test out different looks!

(just ignore the fact that I'm holding up a random t-shirt in this....) I think my eyes stand out a little more than usual.

(And I just realized I'm wearing the same shirt I'm holding up in the previous picture - ha!)

I would for sure recommend that you go and order this palette ASAP! It's definitely worth every penny. You can check it out on Sigma's website here or you can read more about it from Tiffany here.

Babysitting & Basketball

This weekend has been great so far, and it's not even over yet!

I kicked off the weekend with a trip to Starbucks. I had a gift card from Christmas that I hadn't yet used - I don't know why it took me so long to use it.

I spent the rest of my Friday night hanging out with one of the cutest and sweetest 1-year olds! Every time I watch her she's doing something new and showing her personality a little bit more. Her new trick this time was opening the pantry door. It didn't take her long to figure out where the food is kept!

She's SO sweet. It's fun to slowly see her personality come to life!

Saturday was spent taking it easy for the most part. I love relaxing weekends after a stressful week. At night we went to the UC basketball game.

I was able to sport the UC t-shirt my aunt gave me for Christmas. Hopefully this time next year I'll be a bearcat!

I hadn't been to a basketball game in years. I'm definitely not a basketball girl. I usually hate to watch sporting events in general, but I actually really enjoyed myself last night.

And it's totally weird to think that I just might be graduating in that arena someday...... :)

One of my favorite things is watching the dancers and cheerleaders perform.

It was a super intense game too! UC was way up at half-time, but they ended up going into over-time and they won 71-69 in the last few seconds of the game. Crazy!

Hope you all have a great rest of your {hopefully} long weekend!

Dear 27 Year Old Allison

Dear 27 Year Old Allison,

As I write this blog post, I am 17 years old, and I can't even begin to imagine how much life has changed in 10 years. I can't even imagine myself being 27 years old, but then again I guess when I was 7 it was hard to imagine myself being 17. Time passes by so quickly, and I know that I will be 27 before I even know it.

As this point in your life, you've graduated college (hopefully - ha!). I hope and pray that you have a job that you love going to every day. And if you don't have a job you love, it's never too late to change that. Find something you like because life's too short not to enjoy yourself.

I hope you've done a lot of traveling, and I'm praying that you've been to Paris by now :) And if you have, say a prayer of thanksgiving, because right now, that's one of your biggest dreams!

I'm sure you still love to bake, and I hope you do it often - even if it's just for family and friends. I also hope you've come up with a lot of cute new cake pop designs over the years.....

I can't help but add that I'm crossing my fingers that you've visited some more Rita's! I know times change, but I don't see how my obsession with Rita's ever could :)

Of course, I can't help but wonder if you're married by now and maybe even have kids. It's weird to think that in 10 years, that's a definite possibility. I pray that even if you haven't met the "one" for you yet, you haven't given up hope that he's out there somewhere!

Another thing I'm praying hard for is that you've found a close group of friends. At 17, I feel as though I don't have a group of friends who do everything together, and I hope you've found that by now.

I hope that you're not afraid to live life despite the hardships. I can't even begin to imagine all the hard times you've faced in the last 10 years, but at the same time I can't take a wild guess at all the successes and fun times you've had too. Make sure you make the good times count for more than all of the bad times!

I hope that you've never stopped thanking God for all the blessings in your life. I know at 17 that's something I always try to do, but I'm counting on the face that you've gotten better at it!

I hope that you remember the past, but you don't live in the past. The only time you have is the present!

I hope that you're still blogging, and even if you're not, I hope you still look back at this blog every now and then to see how far you've come (and to read this letter!).

It makes me sad to think about the fact that there are people in my life right now who are probably not in your life anymore. But then again, you've probably met SO many more people to make up for it. I can't understand why God only brings certain people into our lives for a season, and I know you haven't figured that out either because I don't think that's something that can be understood. You just have to trust that everything works out for the best.

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And just to remember what it was like to be 17, here's some current things......

I'm actually writing this letter on August 5, 2012 at 11:08 PM, although I'm not going to publish it for a little while. I'm writing it while laying on my bed with Coco curled up next to me. (Actually, she's laying here licking).

I start my Senior of year of high school in a few weeks (August 22).

I'm currently wearing a black maxi dress, and I can't help but wonder if those will be in style in another 10 years.

The current president is Barack Obama, although he's up for reelection in a few months.

Michael Phelps recently won his 22th Olympic medal, making him the most dressed Olympian of all time, in the 2012 London Olympics.

My favorite TV shows right now are What Not To Wear and Say Yes to the Dress.

I have an iPhone 4S right now. It's probably the best phone on the market right now, but I'm sure it will seem lame and outdated when you're 27.

I've had my license for over a year now, and so far the only thing I've hit is the garage door. I hope you haven't hit anything else or been hit, but I know that's probably unlikely - ha! I guess everyone makes mistakes.

I'm driving my green 2001 Chevy Prizm now. Although this car works fine for me now, I hope you have better and nicer one now! I'm sure you do since I don't think the Prizm will make it another 10 years :)

My favorite social media sites right now are Twitter and Pinterest. Again, I wonder if those sites are still big - probably not!

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I wanted to write this post/letter to give you something to look back on. A piece of your teenage years to revisit in your twenties. I know you've experienced so many different life changes, but I know that you're a much stronger and better person than I am today. Everyday you get a little bit stronger.

Again, I can't even guess what you're life is like right now. Maybe you have a nice job and live by yourself. Or maybe you're married and have taken the opportunity to travel a lot. Maybe you're even a stay-at-home mom. I don't know if you drive a BMW or a mini van. I don't know if you have your own dog or not.

But despite all these uncertainties, I trust that God has some kind of plan behind it all, even if life doesn't turn out the way I imagine it in my head right now. Even though you're still 10 years away, I'm going to start praying for the 27 year old Allison. And just for the future in general.

So, remember me but don't dwell on me. But no matter what, always remember that:

"We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us."

Love,
17 Year Old Allison

Travel Planning & Other Happenings

Hi - hope you had a great weekend! I've had a good week in general, and I am SO thankful for that. Here's what's been happening in my life lately.....

I have been watching movies like crazy as of late. Every night last week I watched a movie since I didn't have a lot of homework. Love that! These are just a few of my recent picks.....

I also watched The Vow and 13 Going on 30 too. Chick flicks are my favorite :)

Last Monday I locked my keys in my car for the first time in my life :/ I went to get gas, and I was so excited to see it for under $3 a gallon that I grabbed my phone so I could take a picture.

As soon as I snapped the picture, I realized I didn't have my keys in my hand. Since my car doesn't have automatic locks, I'm always in the habit of locking the door as soon as I open it. I hoped that I hadn't actually locked it, but no such luck. Darn!

Can you see my keys on the seat?!

Thankfully my mom was only 10 minutes away, but of course it was cold out that night and everyone wanted to get gas since it was under $3. I had 4 separate cars pull up behind me to wait for my pump, so I had to explain to 4 different people that I locked my keys in my car and that they weren't going to want to wait for my pump. Talk about embarrassing!

After that I made a b-line to Kroger's to pick up my favorite Ben & Jerry's pint - Half Baked. My whole day hadn't been real good, so I thought I deserved the treat - ha!

The rest of the week was spent laughing at Coco using my cell phone as a pillow (crazy dog!).....

.....and enjoying some unseasonably warm weather.

This weekend was another pretty good and relaxing one.

I snapped this picture of the sky Friday night because I thought it was just gorgeous.

Then I went to dinner with one of my friends to plan our Senior Trip. It's been a crazy ride trying to figure it out, and although we had to scratch our initial idea that involved going to California, I'm really looking forward to our new plan as long as we can find reasonable airfare. I'll share more details when we actually book something!

On Saturday morning my mom and I headed out to the mall to do a little shopping. I took this picture of the river when we were driving - I thought it looked like a river of clouds instead of water.

We got what we were looking for at the mall, so it was a successful shopping trip!

On the way home we stopped at Yum, a cute little cupcakery. They were out of everything except one flavor, so that made my decision really easy. It was German Chocolate, and although it was good, I was disappointed in the coconut filling since I'm not a coconut fan. Oh well - still a good treat.

That night I went out to eat with my parents and their friends. The point of the dinner was so that they could plan their "adults only" trip this summer. They had planned on going to an all-inclusive resort in Mexico for 4 nights. They ended up deciding it wasn't worth the travel time and money to only do 4 nights. So it turned into them doing a 4 night trip somewhere they could drive to. But the good news? We're all going to the all-inclusive Mexican resort for a week! We haven't booked anything yet, but my parent's friends and their kids are (most likely) going to go with us! I'm SO looking forward to it. My family had originally just planned on doing a Florida beach vacation this year, so I was thrilled with the upgrade - ha!

Today my mom's side of the family met for brunch at a cute little restaurant called Market Street Grille. We used to go there all the time (every Sunday), but we haven't been in almost a year.

Savannah and Maddie

The rest of my afternoon was spent decorating cookies. I feel like I haven't baked in forever, so I was so happy to get back to it this weekend.

The reason I made cookies was to experiment a bit with the icing. And although it didn't turn out the way I had initially envisioned, I am still happy with the way they turned out.

And that's been what's been going on in my life lately. I'm so blessed!

A Few Good Reads

I love to read for fun. I've always been a reader ever since I was little. One of my favorite things to do is read before bed or read on the beach. However, I haven't been able to read as much as I normally like in the last few months because of school. I've been reading a lot of books for my English class, but they are rarely books I would read simply for enjoyment.

So over Christmas break I took the opportunity to read! I had 2 full weeks of not having to work on any homework, so I did a lot of reading for pleasure. And I love to read on vacations, so our trip to Chicago gave me a lot of time to read since I can read in the car.

The first book I read was called A Gift From Tiffany's by Melissa Hill. I would definitely recommend it. It was literally right up my alley because it had a ton of things I love: jewelry from Tiffany's, New York at Christmas, a bakery (although a bread bakery, not a sweets one!), and of course, a sweet romance story. I also liked the fact that it was unpredictable. I thought I had it figured out, and about halfway through I thought to myself that this was a good book but so completely predictable. And I was totally wrong - the ending was not what I had expected, which is what I love in a novel!

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The second book I read was called Buttercream Bump Off by Jenn McKinlay. This is part of series which I absolutely adore. I love mysteries and bakeries, and this series has both! It's a murder mystery series that revolves around 2 girls that own a cupcake shop. All of the books that I've read so far in this series are great, and this one didn't disappoint.

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And the last one is called Sugar Rush by Donna Kauffman. I haven't finished this one yet, but I have about 30 pages left. I'm hoping to finish it this weekend. This is the first book in a series, and I'm excited to read more of them. Who knew there were so many fiction books surrounding bakeries? This is a romance novel about a woman who owns a cupcakery. Love!

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Can you tell that I've taken my bakery obsession to a whole new level? What can I say - I love my sweets! If you like sweets and like to read like me, check these books out - I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Chicago {Part 3}

This is the last of my Chicago posts! I feel like I've been writing about this forever, because I guess I have (Part 1 & Part 2). It's been over a week since we got home from Chicago, but there have just been a lot of things to blog about between then and now. So here's a post on our last day in Chicago: Saturday December 29th.....

We got up on Saturday and just took it easy. I got to do some reading even! (I may do a post soon about some awesome books I read over break - including this one.)

We decided to go back to the State Street Macy's (it was really close to our hotel) since we didn't have a whole lot of time there the day before. But we got there 15 minutes before it opened, so we killed time by stopping back at Magnolia Bakery - ha! This time I got a Chocolate Chip Cappuccino muffin. So good!

I actually got some good shopping done this time around (I'm talking a $300 Michael Kors coat for $50! Yes!), and we even found a part of the store we hadn't seen yet. They have a really fancy restaurant called the Walnut Room inside the store, and they always set up a big Christmas tree in the middle of it. We decided we want to eat here next time we're in Chicago.

Then since we didn't want to just head home because we had nothing to rush home for, we stopped at the Art Institute of Chicago. Definitely something I had never done before and usually not my cup of tea. I ended up liking it more than I thought I would though. The place was huge, and they had a lot of original paintings that are pretty famous and that I'd at least heard of before!

An original Monet

I don't remember who did this one, but I think it's so pretty.

Georges Seurat's "A Sunday on La Grande Jatte" - This painting was much larger in real life than I had expected it to be.

The building itself was pretty neat!

Grant Wood's "American Gothic"

Pablo Picasso's "The Old Guitarist"

Overlooking Millennium Park

Totally tilted picture, but I thought this was still neat for being taken with my iPhone while driving down the highway :)

Overall, I enjoyed every second of my Chicago trip! Even though it was my 5th time there, we did some different and new things. I just love Chicago, and I can't imagine ever getting bored with it!