There are some products that I love the look of and bought purely for aesthetic reasons, but some of these products also work wonders for me.

Too Faced Born This Way Foundation & Ethereal Setting Powder
These two products belong to the same family of products, so they both have that dreamy black and gold elegant packaging that I love. Of course, both products work beautifully as well. The powder has me set for most of the day where my oils don't pop up, and the foundation is medium to full coverage so it covers everything that needs to be covered.

Milani Rose Blush
The Milani Rose Blush has been a strong drugstore favorite of mine because it performs beautifully, but the rose embossing on it makes it look kind of princess like (if I could bring myself to like pink more lol)

YSL Rouge Volupte
These lipsticks are everything-not only is their packaging pretty, but the product performs just as beautifully-it feels more like a balm than a lipstick and it feels comfortable.

Charlotte Tilbury lipsticks
I just gotta throw this in here, all of CT's lipsticks are quite aesthetically pleasing with their rose gold packaging, and the ones I have perform beautifully and are easily my favorite lipsticks of all time.

Zoeva Rose Gold Brushes 
I love my Zoeva Rose Gold brushes because they look beautiful scattered in photos, but also they perform pretty well and have become my new favorite brushes, especially the powder brush.

Ted Baker perfumes
I've never had a "big girl" perfume before buying these two Ted Baker perfumes, and they look gorgeous and smell gorgeous as well. Polly smells sweeter and a bit sickly, while Mia smells more fresh and floral with just a hint of fruit.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush
The aesthetic lies in the product itself with the marbling in this blush-it contains some of the Ambient Lighting Powder and is very beautifully swirled. It also performs beautifully as well, providing a subtle hint of glow to the face.

What are your favorite aesthetically pleasing but performing products?

Even though I wear a neutral look most of these days, I'm secretly a big fan of berry tones-eyes, lips, even face. Here are some of my favorite berry tones when it comes to makeup.

Eyes: 
Urban Decay Naked Cherry-This instantly became a favorite the minute I opened the packaging, as it's so full of pretty berries and pinks.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Palette-This palette is technically more red than berry, but it still has those beautiful berry red tones I love.

Kiko Milano Long Lasting Shadow Stick (shade Burgundy)-This is secretly my favorite eyeshadow stick as the color is lovely-it's a deep shade of burgundy wine that flatters my dark brown eyes.

Blush:
Milani Baked Blush (shade Berry Amore)-This blush is not pictured but I've used this blush so much a bit of pan has started showing through. It's a beautiful deep neutral berry blush that is flattering on my neutral, slightly warm-toned skin.

Lips:
Fresh Sugar Berry Lip Treatment (discontinued)-This lip gloss is technically nourishing so it's a lip treatment, but it's such a beautiful subtle, berry color.

Milani Color Statement Lipstick (shade Brandy Berry)-This lipstick is my all time favorite berry from Milani as it's not too vampy and has the slightest touch of shimmer.

Nyx Butter Lipstick (shade Moonlit Night)-this lipstick is beautifully dark, beautifully berry, and doesn't dry out your lips at all. It's practically perfect for a drugstore lipstick.

Nyx Soft Matte Lipstick (shade Copenhagen)-This is a beautiful berry shade that dries down, but is not drying at all, so it still leaves a mark on anything your mouth touches. Another honorable mention is Transylvania, which is a deep berry purple.

Hourglass Girl Lip Stylo (shade Protector)-This lipstick is a lip crayon that is nourshing and lightweight-the perfect high end lipstick. Protector looks scarily bright purple in the tube but applies as a lovely berry purple.

Nails: 
Essie Bordeaux & Wicked-These two nail polishes from Essie are a berry lover's dream-Bordeaux is a gorgeous wine red and Wicked is a very dark wine red that looks almost black.

What are your berry makeup favorites?

This year, I'm going on yet another low buy! There are some things that I am and am not allowed to purchase, and here's some of the basic rules I have laid out:

For starters, I'm basically not allowed to buy anything unless it is a necessity-think toilet paper, contacts, that kind of thing. The only exceptions to this are if there is a sale that I really want to participate in (such as the Bath & Body Works & Victoria's Secret/VS Pink sales), if I see it at work and want it, or if it is a product that has run out and needs to be replaced.
Things I am not allowed to buy: 

• Makeup (unless it's replacements)
• Clothes (unless I see it at work and really want it within the upcoming payday period)
• Homeware/blog photo props (unless I see it at work and want it within the upcoming payday period)
• Lingerie (unless Victoria's Secret/VS Pink semi-annual sale is happening)
• Bodycare (unless Bath & Body Works Semi-Annual Sale is happening or a rare want from Lush) 
• Accessories (unless it's at work and I want it within the upcoming payday period) 
• Candles (unless they're from work and I really like the scent and it's within the upcoming payday period) 
• Useless things from Amazon
• Stationery (unless it's from work and I want it within the upcoming payday period)  
• Fast food 
• Coffee from Starbucks 

How I'm avoiding temptation

• Only shopping in store-I'm going to try my best to stay away from online shopping (unless it's something I absolutely cannot get in store (for example, my industrial sized toilet paper because I use a lot-TMI but true)), and only shop in store. It'll help brick and mortar stores stand and it's more convenient than waiting 3-5 days for an order to come because you'll have the item immediately. This will also make me severely consider whether or not it's worth it to burn gas to get to the store I really want to go to. 
• Waiting for sales-I only shop for things I want during sales, so that really just comes down to twice a year for body stuff and undies/clothes lol 

This is to help me curb my shopping addiction, and thanks to the past year, it's already been curbed somewhat but still needs some work. I also need to start saving because within this year, I will not only be kicked off my mom's insurance plan, I will also graduate college and need to think of where to launch my career next-do I stay where I am or do I move away somewhere else?

Are you starting a low buy this year?

There were three different semi-annual sales happening: The Bath & Body Works SAS, the Victoria's Secret SAS, and the VS Pink SAS, and of course, I hit up all three.

The first store I hit up was Bath & Body Works.

As you can see, I bought 20 items, which is a lot even for me. I saved $172 and spent $88 on all of this.

I am a huge fan of the Bath & Body Works Fine Fragrance Mists, so I ended up buying 10 of them (L-R: Raspberry & Pink Lily, Rosewater & Ivy, Black Amethyst, Mediterranean Blue Waters, Capri Coastal Citrus, Toasted Praline & Pear, Iced Pear Margarita, Forever Red, Agave Papaya Sunset, Frosted Holly)

I also am a huge fan of their shower gels, so ended up getting 8 of those (Fresh Sparkling Snow, B lack Amethyst, Mediterranean Blue Waters, Clementine & Mint Leaves, Wild Strawberry, Agave Papaya Sunset, Mad About You, Iced Pear Margarita)

I also got 2 hand soaps: Sun Kissed Citrus in the Nourishing soap, and More Summer Please in the foaming hand soap formula.


From Victoria's Secret Pink, I got my hands on a pair of yoga leggings to wear to work and these are absolutely perfect-full length, cute, and flattering.

From Victoria's Secret I snagged 3 pairs of undies and a pair of satin red pajama pants with pockets as I'm always looking for pajamas to wear during winter.

What did you get during the sales?

Like every beauty and lifestyle blogger, I have some photo props I like to use, but thanks to where I work, I've been introduced to new photo props and here's a comprehensive list of all the blog photo props I like to use

Props:

• Makeup brushes 
• Makeup bags 
• Mugs
• Vanity trays 
• Notebooks & Agendas 
• Purses 
• Fake flowers 
• Candles 
• String lights 
• Sheets
• Bralettes
• Underwear (especially the ones from Victoria's Secret)
• Pens 
• Makeup brush holders 
• Various decorations
• Jewelry 
• Fancy shopping bags (ie from Sephora, Victoria's Secret, Bath & Body Works, etc.) 
• Tinsel (for holiday shots)
• Decorative mini trees (for holiday shots) 
• Books 
• Magazines 
• Xbox/PS4 Controllers (for gaming posts)
• Phone (for social media related posts) 

About a few weeks ago, I picked up some new in beauty bits, as it's been a while since I tried any new makeup (half a year to be exact).

I picked up two things from L'oreal as they were having a BOGO 50% off sale so I picked up the L'oreal Color Riche Shine Lipstick in the shade Burnished Blush, a beautiful subtle, bright pink. The other thing I picked up from L'oreal was the Infallible Fresh Wear 24 Hour Foundation. This foundation is lightweight, so it's perfect for all skin types, and it feels fresh, and it also lasts a long time. I'm not sure about the 24 hour claim but it does work very well.

The last thing I picked up was a new shade of the Milani Color Statement Lipstick-Honey Rose, a warm toned, slightly brown nude pink.

There are several Instagram accounts that seriously inspire me to photograph more, and here they are...

Faye (@fridayfaye)
I love how pretty and pink Faye's feed is, and it's seriously brought me inspiration to make my feed slightly more pink and girly.

Frauke (@frauki)
Frauke's feed is beautiful-full of nature and makes me want to explore the world around me.

Emilie (@helloemilie)
Emilie's photos are spectacular-she's a travel Instagrammer and her photos perfectly capture the beauties of the world.

Jason (@jasoncharleshill)
Jason is another travel and nature photographer-his photos are so breathtaking and beautiful and makes me want to travel more.

Charlotte (@aquietjournal)
Charlotte's photos capture the simplicity of life perfectly-something I love.

Mandy (@thereveriecollective)
Mandy is a former blogger (formerly of A Girl, Obsessed) and now runs her own graphics business but I occasionally go back to her page to get some inspiration on photographing makeup and lifestyle bits.

Mason (@masonstrehl)
Mason's account is beautiful too-full of nature and travel photography

Hannah (@wowhannah)
Hannah is yet another nature and travel photographer who definitely deserves more followers.

Which accounts do you find inspiring on Instagram?

There are some purchases that I've made that I consider pretty, yet practical and here they are...

Steve Madden backpack
This backpack is small but roomy-a perfect travel companion or just for everyday use. It's also a blush pink, my favorite color

Guess Combat Boots
These are the perfect combo of practical and pretty-they look pretty with the gold logo on them, and they're made of leather or a leatherlike material, making them perfect for everyday wear.

What are your pretty & practical purchases?

It's already been 3 weeks since the start of the new year, but I've been thinking about what I want to get done this year, and this year holds a lot of changes for me, so I'm just gonna plonk down all my 2020 goals into this post. There's gonna be a lot of adulting stuff here, so it might be boring, it might make you click off, and if so, that's fine, but for others who want to read....carry on!

Graduate summa from college
I can't believe I've managed to hold onto a 3.75 GPA for the past year, and I plan on either keeping it that way or letting it up. I want to hold on to that grade and I'll try my damned hardest to make sure I keep my GPA to standard so I can graduate top of the class (I can't believe I've also survived a year and a half of this damn degree without giving up halfway through, yaay!)

Find a job
Not another retail job, a real, full-time, 40 hours a week, salaried job. I'm planning on either moving to Philadelphia, which is about an hour away, or back to my hometown of Dallas, where I can find a job that's suitable to my major, or if not, a job that will provide me with a living, which is, unfortunately, not something that is widely available where I live (unless I want to be stuck working retail or a lower level job, which is not what I want).

Move out
Unfortunately (fortunately for my parentals), around the end of the year, I will have to pack ship and move out (mostly for insurance purposes, but also to prove to myself that I can survive more than a week without anyone living in the same house as me). I can't believe I will be 26 this year too.

Save, save, save
This year, I will definitely have to save money (goodbye shopping trips, but not really cuz I haven't done a good one in a long while; my last one was just this month) in order to move out and prep for a job. I will still pay off my debts, but I will save best to my ability.

Pay off EVERYTHING I owe 
I owe about $3000 to various things (stupid payday loan I never should have gotten but I was desperate, credit card that I am definitely going to cancel once it's all paid off, Amazon store card (I'll keep this because I get a lot of stuff off Amazon), and paying off the rest of my iPad that I got off of Affirm-lesson learned kids, don't be me and stupidly spend money ok?), and I'm slowly working on paying it all off. I hope to have mostly everything (maybe 1-2 things) by April of this year.

Shop in person more
Having everything online makes your life more convenient, but I'm trying to shop in person more, mostly because I find that shopping in person helps me save money instead of buying stuff online. When I buy stuff online, I find that I have roughly zero self control, and with in-person shopping, I find I am able to control myself better and it forces me to talk to people too.

What are your goals for this year?

In continuance of my drugstore beauty favorites, I decided to do a high end/luxury makeup favorites as well.

Urban Decay Naked Cherry
This palette is full of berry tones, but nontheless it's a gorgeous palette and I love using it

Anastasia Beverly Hills Soft Glam
This palette is my palette of dreams because it is neutral, but with a slight rose gold touch and I love it so much.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance 
This palette is full of red tones, and I love using this for the winter, and it also makes a good berry palette as well.

BareMinerals Mineral Foundation 
I love both the original and the matte versions of this foundation, as it's literally one of the few powder foundations to work on my oily skin.

Laura Mercier Translucent Powder
This powder is one of the best powders I've ever used because it's silky, not chalky and it's more reasonably priced than other loose powders on the high end/luxury side of things.

Stila Stay All Day Liquid Liner
My ride or die liner. This stays on all day, needs a bit more makeup remover to take off, and is easy to use

Tarte Tarteist Lash Paint
My ride or die mascara. This is comfortable, and I love how the brush makes my lashes look once the product is dispensed.

Charlotte Tilbury lipsticks
I am a fan of CT lip products, and even though I've only tried two of them, I can't wait to try the rest.

YSL Rouge Volpute in Oil
This lipstick acts more like a tinted lip balm, but I love the way it feels and the colors as well.

What are