Fall Favorites 2012

Bueller.....Bueller......Bueller

I know I already warned that this blog would be fairly random as far as topics go, and I'm about to prove that! I read other blogs and watch YouTube channels and I have seen the constant theme of fall inspired videos. Even though this blog is new, I have decided to take a leap of faith and share some of my fall favorites in hopes that it may send more readers my way. Fall is probably my favorite season and I thought it would be fun to share some of the things I'm loving this season that put me in the fall mood.

FALL FAVORITES 2012

 

One of the reasons that I love fall, and anytime it's chilly outside, is that I can light a candle inside and it never fails to put me in a great mood. All summer long, I tend to wear fruity and floral scents so by the time fall rolls around I am beyond ready for something different. The Leaves candle from Bath and Body Works came out a while back and I always overlooked it by the title. Typically the name of the candle reflects what it smells like, and I had no interest in smelling leaves. I was so wrong. A few of the YouTube channels that I watch recommended Leaves and I finally gave it a go this fall. In essence, this is fall in a candle. I can't recommend it enough. The next candle is one that I purchased last year in the mini version, but loved it so much that I bought the 3-wick version this year. I love anything pumpkin, so I knew I would love this candle before giving it a sniff. It's definitely a sweeter scent, so it's not burned all the time like Leaves.

I already said in my last blog that I am a nail junkie. It's a little ridiculous how much nail polish I have, but I'm one of those people that has nail polish for every season. These are just a few that I have worn through the month of October and will continue to wear this fall. The first one on the left is OPI's Warm and Fozzie which was in the Muppets collection that came out last fall. I used to only wear shades of pink/red and purple when I was in high school, but my collection has definitely expanded as I've tried new things. I'm actually wearing this color as I type this and I totally love it. It's one of those colors that I really only like to wear in the fall, so I'm excited to be able to wear it again. I know it looks like a brownish/golden tone from the picture and at first glance I would say that that is accurate. However, at a closer glance there are other colors that are clearly visible. There is a reddish, green, and maybe even yellow glitter that make this color more interesting. It's actually more like a shimmer. The next polish is Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Wine Not. It's the perfect fall red, and I will definitely even wear it around the upcoming holidays because it is a festive color. The next color is Essie Smokin' Hot, which is one of the polishes that I have most recently purchased and tried. I love this color, but the picture, and even the way it looks in person through the bottle is not the way it looks on the nail. It looks like a taupe/purple but it actually dries a much darker purple/black color. Luckily I was fine with it because it still looks nice, but this proves that sometimes the polish looks different on the nail than it does in the bottle. The next polish actually is like that. It is OPI Lourve Me Lourve Me Not. I know it looks bright, but it actually dries slightly darker. Not quite a plum, but it's heading that direction. It's slightly shimmery in the bottle, but it's not noticeable on the nail.

This next thing I am obsessed with this fall is the eyeliner from bareMinerals. I have another waterproof eyeliner from them, but it is black, while this one is plum. This eyeliner is also called "round the clock waterproof eyeliner" and when it says round the clock, it means it. I wouldn't say that it actually looks plum when applied, but I'm okay with that because of the staying power. I have actually fallen asleep (bad, I know) without taking my makeup off and when I woke up, it looked as perfect as when I applied it the day before. I purchased this because I'll be going to my second Marine Ball in Seattle this year and wanted to find an eyeliner that wouldn't smudge. I have found a winner here!

These are just a few of my favorite things right now, but the list is sure to go on as fall continues.

On a side note, tomorrow I will be registering for my LAST semester of classes. It seems crazy because it doesn't seem that long ago that I was signing up for my very first semester of classes. College is an exciting/scary time in the life of any young person, and while most people want to stay forever, I am one of those people that am ready to be in the world outside of college. I have been a student for practically all of my life so I'm definitely ready for something different. I know that sounds crazy because no one wants the responsibility of adulthood after college. I have always been that strange person that wanted to grow up. I can't say I'm looking forward to bills, but I am looking forward to the life that I have waiting on me beyond graduation!

Happy Sunday everyone!

xx Anna

 

Introduction

I realized that my freshman year of college (back in 2009) I had intended to blog about my experiences living with a foreign roommate. That didn't quite happen. I think I only blogged for about seven days. I'm sure my former roommate did some blog-worthy things, but I suppose I got caught up with school and totally spaced blogging. Now I am a senior and about to graduate in May. That's only 6 months away. Not that I'm counting....okay, maybe I am.

The reason I plan on blogging the next 6 months, or beyond depending on if people actually read this, is because my life is changing and evolving over the next 6 months like I never thought possible. I think a lot of seniors have similar experiences, but mine seems particularly hectic. The story begins with me choosing (3 years ago) to be an English Teaching major. I thought I would enjoy being a teacher, but it turns out that I'm not so confidant in that career path and think I would be happier doing something else. Luckily for me, I have English to fall back on and will be getting a BA in English Literary Studies in May.

Not only did I make the last minute decision to take my career on another path, but I have no idea where I will be living in 6 months. Because my husband is a Marine, who is currently stationed near Seattle, WA, is scheduled to move to a new unit one month before I graduate, I have no idea where we will be. We at least know that it will be California or North Carolina and we're rooting for the latter. I'm pretty sure there is nothing scarier than the combination of graduating in 6 months and not knowing where you will live.

Everyone who blogs always says that you need to have a focus to find a target audience. Well, that's not so easy when you love a variety of different things and want to be able to talk about all of them. I couldn't narrow it down to one topic, so I thought maybe I could see how a complex blog would work and go from there. Posts may vary from school and all that exciting stuff, to my latest nail polish obsession, and my food/cooking finds. If my crazy idea doesn't work, then maybe I'll have to narrow my ideas. I'm hoping that I can find an audience that finds what I have to say remotely interesting. With my first, rather pathetic attempt to blog, my family members were the ones to read my blogs. For this blog, I'm hoping to go beyond that and find people who can relate to my situation that aren't my family. More later.

xx Anna