recent skincare/makeup favorites

1 / 18 / 23

I never used to really be into skincare, and I just washed my face with water in the shower or some random face wash from years ago. But over the past few months, I’ve really gotten into trying new skincare and makeup products, and I love having a morning and night skincare routine each day! I’m still no skincare expert by any means, but I like to find products with simple ingredients that are gentle on my face. I also have so many more items on my wishlist that I’ve heard good things about and want to try in the future!

my top 22 books of 2022

1 / 5 / 23

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love reading, and I think 2022 was my biggest reading year ever. I didn’t even intend to read as much as I did, but I read 110 books throughout the year, and found some new favorites! I love how reading has become part of my daily routine, from finding 20 minutes to read between classes to reading a few chapters before bed. I tried to explore some new genres this year, and I read fantasy for the first time in forever. I also re-read some old favorites, some great Christian books, and found my new favorite duology! This was hard to narrow down, but today I’m sharing my 22 favorite books I read in 2022!

october recap + november goals

11 / 9 / 22

fall 2022 reading list

9 / 27 / 22

It was 55 degrees on my walk to class today, so I feel like fall is finally on its way here! I have been pretty busy with school the past few weeks and haven’t had as much time to read as I hoped, but I’m trying to be better about making more time for it! One thing that has helped me knock a few books off my list is listening to audiobooks, which I usually check out on Libby from my library for free. It’s nice to be able to have a book on in the background while driving, walking to class, or even cleaning/laundry. However, nothing compares to a physical copy of a book, and I think fall is the perfect time for cozying up with a good read! This list is a mix of thrillers, fantasy, and “dark academia” genres, which I don’t usually read. I feel like fall is the perfect time to try new genres and experiment with books that may be out of my comfort zone!

photo diary no. 4: summer recap + start of school!

9 / 22 / 22

It’s been so long since I’ve done a photo diary, but these are so fun to make! I basically just go through my photo album or VSCO and choose some of my favorite photos throughout the past few months, then give a caption about what I was up to! I feel like I’ve been so busy the past few months that this blog has been pushed to the backburner, and I haven’t really updated on my life as much as I used to. The summer seriously flew by, and now here we are almost to October… it’s insane. I was home for a few weeks in May, but I actually lived in New York all summer as a live-in nanny. I got home mid-August and had a few days with my family, and now have been in school for about five weeks now! I thought this would be a fun way to catch up on my life and share some fun pics too!

on my watchlist: tv shows and movies I want to see!

9 / 2 / 22

I’ve always loved getting sucked into a good show, but with college getting busy again and having more homework, it’s been hard to find time to watch much Netflix. I also feel like I’ve seen all the “good” shows (the popular ones) and don’t know any other shows to watch. However, last week my friend and I decided to start a show together, and it became a nightly routine to go over to her apartment, eat a quick dinner, and watch an episode or two on her cozy couch. We watched The Undoing on HBO Max, a who-done-it thriller/mystery show! There’s something so fun about watching a show with a friend, instead of just alone in my room. We would react to the show together and have a debrief after. Now that we’ve finished the season, I’ve been finding lots of other shows I want to watch, and we’re already planning our next movie night! Today I thought I’d share lots of shows and movies I want to watch, plus a few of my favorites that I’ve seen recently!

summer 2022 recap

8 / 25 / 22

Hi everyone! It’s a gloomy August day as I’m writing this, and I think it’s finally hit me that summer is over (cue tears). It honestly feels like yesterday that I moved out of my apartment and back home for the summer, I can’t believe that was almost four months ago! Summer is by far my favorite season, and I got to have so many fun experiences. I was home for about three weeks in May, but spent most of my summer in Southampton, NY as a live-in nanny! It was something super out of my comfort zone but that I’m so glad I did. Today’s post is a biggg summer recap: everything I did, what I read, and lessons I learned!

spring 2022 bucket list

4 / 6 / 22

With it warming up and spring on the way, I feel like my mood has done a complete 180. Even though I’ve been very busy and had a lot going on, I have felt so much better and in a more positive mood the past few weeks, and I know it has to do with the weather. I was so tired of walking to class in the cold, dreary rain or getting home from work and it already being dark. I love that the sun goes down later and the weather is nicer. Tulips are planted all around campus, and it seems like everything is coming alive again! I only have about four more weeks left of the spring semester, and I want to take advantage of the good weather as much as possible! I came up with some fun ideas, a sort of spring mood board, to get me inspired for the season. I want to take better care of myself, eat well and workout more, be outside as much as possible, and make time for fun. I feel like I’ve gotten so consumed with schoolwork and my usual schedule that I haven’t stopped to appreciate the weather and all the fun that comes with a new season!

recent reads: march 2022

3 / 25 / 223 / 25 / 22

Long time, no post! I haven’t made much time for the blog recently, and this semester has been crazy busy between classes, my internship, clubs, and homework. I’m so glad it’s finally warming up, and summer is only a little over a month away! We just got back from spring break, and it was honestly such a good week to unwind and relax. I didn’t do much, just went home for the week, but I got on a big reading kick again! I had barely been reading the weeks prior because of school, but over spring break I read… 10 books. From Sunday to Sunday. Yes, two of them I was already mostly done with because I had started them earlier, but still- I read nonstop! After coming back from spring break, I’m trying to keep my reading motivation alive and make time for it throughout the school day. Today I’m sharing all the books I’ve read this month and telling you my top recommendations!

january recap + february goals

2 / 6 / 222 / 6 / 22

Happy February! January was weird, because it felt like two months in one. The first half of the month I was at home, still enjoying my winter break. But as soon as I came back to school January 17, I was thrown into busy schedules and homework and meetings. January flew by for me, but I also did some fun stuff this month and had lots of big changes. I got a little down on myself because I was so motivated with my 2022 goals and really trying to stick with them, but I didn’t accomplish as much as I’d hoped. Usually I feel really productive and motivated the first month of the year, but not this time, haha. It’s okay though! February is a new month and a fresh start, and I’m really going to try to make it a good month ahead. Today I’m sharing a little January recap and some of my goals for February!

focusing on simplicity

1 / 23 / 22

I always choose a word of the year to focus on and apply to each week, and this year I was struggling to come up with what word to pick. I was going back and forth about a few, and one morning when I was doing my quiet time, it came to me: simplicity. This word applies to me in a lot of different aspects, and I’ve started to notice more and more throughout each day how much I fail at it, haha. I just started noticing how anxious I get when I’m at school and how easily I get stressed. A big reason for this is I let myself get so overwhelmed with dozens of tiny details and tasks instead of focusing on one thing at a time. I could write for pages about this topic, but I wanted to touch on the topic of simplicity and a few aspects of my life where I’m looking to apply this concept!

my 2022 reading list

1 / 10 / 22

It’s a new year, but I’m still just as into reading as ever! Last year I read 84 books, which honestly I’m surprised at myself for, haha. I didn’t think I had enough time to read that much, which just goes to show that it’s about making time, not waiting until you “find” time. I read a lot of thrillers last year, which is probably my favorite genre. As I was coming up with this year’s reading list, I wanted to branch out and read books from new authors and new genres. Some genres I haven’t really explored are historical fiction, self improvement, and memoirs, so I definitely want to read more of those this year. I came up with a list of books that I want to try to tackle over the next few months. Knowing me though, I usually get hooked on an author or series and then read whatever I’m feeling, haha. Even if I add more books to the mix, I do really want to try to check these off my list this year!

my current skincare/makeup routine

12 / 29 / 21

If you know me, you know that I’ve never really been into makeup. I rarely ever wear it, and “getting ready” usually means swiping on some mascara and brow gel. Thankfully, I have pretty clear skin, and so I kind of just let my skincare routine slip and never really put much thought into trying new products. But for some reason, over the past month or so, I’ve started to get more into makeup and taking better care of my skin. I think it’s because since I’m back at home, I’ve been working at a boutique almost every day. It’s fun to have something to dress up and get ready for, and I’ve started to develop a makeup routine (even if it’s very minimal haha). Today I wanted to share some of the products I’ve been using recently, plus some that are on my list to try in the future.

christmas brunch menu

12 / 22 / 21

How are there only three days until Christmas? The holiday season has flown by. I’ve been home for a little over a week now, and it’s been so nice to relax for a bit and spend time with family/my hometown friends. I’ve been working a lot at a local boutique, finishing up my Christmas shopping, working on my online class, and doing lots of baking! Yesterday, our family went to Memphis to see Hamilton at the Orpheum- it was so good! I was curious how it would compare to the original, since it’s a whole new cast. It was really similar, but each character put their own twist on their lines, which was cool. It was such a fun Christmas outing. With Christmas coming up so soon, we’ve finally started planning the Christmas brunch menu. Every Christmas morning, my grandmother, uncle, and cousin come over and we all have a huge brunch, then open presents. We have a few items that we have every year, like monkey bread, but we’re trying a few new recipes this year too!