Skincare 101

Finding the perfect foundation is important, creating a sultry smoky eye is vital, making sure your winged eyeliner looks the same on both eyes is crucial, but making sure you care for your skin is at the top of the beauty list. Without a clean, moisturize, healthy face you’re harming your skin by putting more makeup on it, plus you just won’t look as good! Think of your face as a canvas and your makeup as your paint. If you have a clean, blank canvas to paint on, your art will be more vibrant and clean. If your canvas is dirty and wrinkled, it’s hard to create the next Mona Lisa. Your skin is the same way, be sure to care for it daily, so you can be confident in your healthy skin and always have a beautiful canvas to paint on.

Everyone’s skin type is different, there are people with oily skin, or dry skin, or even a combination of both. Be sure that when you buy skincare product, mainly moisturizers, it fits your skin type. I have combination skin, where some parts of my face are dry and some are oily, so I like to use more water based moisturizers. Water based moisturizers are better for oily and combination skin because they won’t leave as much oil onto your skin, while oil based moisturizers are better geared towards dry skin. My favorite moisturizer to use is the Shiseido IBUKI Refining Moisturizer, this moisturizer isn’t too heavy on my skin and can still make my skin smooth and hydrated, plus it doesn’t contain any parabens or sulfates. The Shiseido skincare products are absolutely amazing and I would seriously recommend all of them. Though they are on the pricier side, it’s so worth it when it comes to caring for your skin!

Finding the right cleanser can also be different for everyone. For cleansers, you have to look at what you want from the cleanser. You can choose acne cleansers, deep cleansing cleansers, makeup removing cleansers, etc. I recommend having both a morning cleanser and a night cleanser because then you can make sure you have a clean face after you put on makeup. For morning cleansers, I use the Biore Deep Pore Charcoal Cleanser because it not only can wake me up in the morning, it can exfoliate my skin as well. At night, I like to use the Shiseido Pureness Deep Cleansing Foam because it can take away my makeup I had on all day and target any blemishes or imperfections I have as well. Many people also like to use a cleansing brush or sponge to clean their face. I, personally, have a Clarisonic Mini to help cleanse my face, but I don't use it that much. I think the product just gets stuck into the brush head and it just is too time-consuming to clean out the brush. I think hands work just fine! 

While I love to put on makeup and create a whole new unique look, it's not good to always put so much makeup on everyday. Let your skin breathe a little. The best solution to having perfect skin is to let it be. I can promise you I'm guilty for always putting on makeup, but I will always limit myself. If I feel like my skins not at it's best, I just skip foundation and just apply some mascara and fill in my eyebrows. Remember, you skin doesn't look beautiful after you put on makeup, your skin should look beautiful on its own. Love and care for it!

Yes I am a Feminist. Yes I Love Fashion.

In today’s society, we must label everything. We perceive anything with only one thought, “She’s smart,” “He’s strong,” “They’re scary,” “She’s pretty.” In our minds, we somehow only think a person can only be good at or represent one thing that describes them. We also have formulated specific details that describe a person just by what he/she believes in, participates in, looks likes, etc. For example, an Asian is known to be smart, plays an instrument, and eats rice. A gay man is suppose to act flamboyant, know how to twerk, and love Kim Kardashian. A cheerleader is supposed to be stupid, blonde, and skinny. But are any of these true? I mean, sure maybe these personalities do fit some people, but there are 7 billion people in the world! There’s no way everyone can fit into a perceived stereotype society has made.

A controversial topic (why its controversial, I have no clue) that has surfaced our media and attention is feminism. You see more and more tweets, posts, pictures about women and men supporting the equality of men and women. And I think that’s great! Women deserve the same opportunities as men! Women should be treated the same as men! Women are awesome!! But of course, there’s now a stereotype of women who support feminism. Because if I believe in something, I’m automatically going behave and act the EXACT same way as those who believe in the same I do, right?

Feminist supporters are now perceived to be independent, despise men, and does the exact opposite of what a perceived “normal” woman should do. Feminists don’t shave their arms, feminist hate wearing makeup because men don’t, and feminist are just angry. All the time. The word feminist has now become a negative connotation in society because the already placed stereotype on women demands women to be happy with life as long as they have a husband.

I am a feminist. I think everyone should be a feminist. I think everyone should want the equality of both men and women. But here’s the thing, I love fashion and beauty. I love wearing makeup and trying out new makeup looks. I love shopping and buying the latest trends seen in Vogue and Elle. For goodness sake, I am a pageant girl. I see evening gowns and I just want to cry with happiness. But I am also a feminist. And yes, I can be both a feminist and a fashionista because in no way will I ever follow some stereotype placed on society.

The Stress of Show Choir Hair

Just yesterday, my show choir performed in my high school’s Christmas concert “Cocoa and Carols.” I arrived at school at 10 and left at 5 at night, every hair I saw was getting teased, sweaty costumes where flown everywhere, and the excitement of performing our show was evident in all of our faces, and I realized, it’s officially show choir season.

I absolutely love show choir season, being able to perform your show in front multiple audiences, having bonding time with your show choir members during down time, and of course, seeing your hard work get paid off when you receive a good placement. But of course, there are some parts of show choir where I want to pull out my hair, literally. Figuring out and doing your hair and makeup for show choir has got to be the most stressful part of show choir. Every hair must look exactly the same, it must be out of your face, and all of the girls in your show choir must “like” the hairstyle. For makeup, I think I apply more eye shadow and blush for show choir than I do for pageants! But here’s the question that’s always been nagging me, is it that crucial for us to have the same, perfect hairstyles for show choir?

Last week, my show choir began talking about what our hair should be for this year’s show, many shouted out ideas: ponytail, half up half down, curly, straight, braided, etc. We’ve come to the final consensus that our hairstyle would be, half up half down, curly, a braided front with a small poof in the back, and a hair tie to secure it. Complicated? Yeah, well there’s more; the hair that’s in the ponytail must start from your ears, there’s a barrette that must be on the side of your braid, the poof shouldn’t be more than an inch tall, and don’t use bobby pins, you have to use a ponytail!! There are have been more and more rules and guidelines to do your hair for show choir, that by the time it’s the end of the season, only one or two people are doing everyone’s hair for show choir because they are the only ones who can do it right! Wanna hear the funny part? Hair and makeup aren’t even scored by the judges. The part that I believe has become the most stressful part of show choir doesn’t even matter in our final scoring. So why do we spend so much time finding the perfect hairstyle? Why do we make sure everyone’s hair looks exactly the same? Why do we put so much effort into hair and makeup when it’s not even scored?

Here’s what I think should happen, just pick a simple easy hairstyle, like a half up half down. If some people change the hairstyle slightly, that’s ok. Unless there’s a dramatic difference between someone’s hair and another, then change it. But really, as long as it’s out of your face, hair should never be talked more about. I much rather have stress put on other show choir elements, like spacing. Oh gosh spacing, I’m already getting anxious. Happy show choir season everyone!

Winter Essentials

Baby, it's cold outside. Really cold. Iowan weather has dropped to the low 30's and 20's and we are blessed to even get above freezing weather. Even though the temperature has turned colder than ever, doesn't mean we can't look as hot as the sun! There are many articles of clothing that is fashion forward, but can keep us comfortable and warm in this harsh season.

One of my favorite clothes to wear during the winter season is a cardigan. You can style this in a million different ways. You can dress is down with a graphic tee or you can dress it up with a cute button up or a dress. You can layer it with a flannel underneath or put on a scarf with the cardigan. There are also different kinds of cardigans you can buy. There's thick, knitted, loose cardigans or there's thin, fitted cardigans; there's black, white, cream, blue, pink, and every other color of cardigan you can wear; there's long cardigans that go down to your knees and there's short cardigans that stop at your waist. But what ever cardigan you choose or have a preference for, all of them can be styled into a cute and comfortable outfit during the winter season. 

My next essential clothing is a scarf, you can almost always find me wearing a scarf during this time year. Scarves are great winter accessories to wear because they can easily keep you warm and you'll still look fashionable. Knitted circle scarves are all the trend this season and you can find them in all different colors and styles, plus they can keep you extra warm! I love to knit my own scarves because not only am I saving money, I'm also making a one of a kind scarf that no one has made before! I can really aid to my own style. 

The last essential winter item is a good pea coat. You always see big, puffy coats that make that annoying swishy sound every time you move your arms, but it’s time for a change. Pea coats are a must for you winter closet because they are comfortable and cute. The thick material of the pea coat can keep you just as warm as the big, puffy coats and the style of the pea coat is more sophisticated and classy. Plus, you won’t look like an oompa loompa while wearing a pea coat as you would wearing a puffy coat. Of course, if you love wearing the puffy coats, you wear that coat! I just like the look of pea coats much more.

The winter can be harsh and unforgiving, lift up your spirits by wearing a cute winter outfits that can still keep you warm. Happy holidays!

Word Count: 458

Taking Runway to a New Level: The Victoria Secret Fashion Show

It’s that time of year where one of the most coveted fashion show is now being aired on television, the Victoria Secret Fashion Show. This runway show isn’t your usual runway, though. The slender T-shaped runway turns into a huge stage, the models aren’t required to just walk up and back down, and the most famous singers show off their talents during the runway show. This annual VS fashion show marks a beginning to new, unique fashion shows.

All models inspire to one day be able to walk in a VS fashion show. Only 50 girls are chosen for this prestigious honor, so whoever is chosen has reached the top in the runway model industry. Being able to walk this kind of runway isn’t like about the clothes you model, it’s about your personality. If you just walk to runway at a Victoria Secret fashion show, you’re doing it wrong. The VS fashion show isn’t necessarily about fashion, it’s about the performance.

Speaking of performance, this fashion show differs from others by also including the hottest singers to perform their top hits during the show. This year we see Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Ed Sheeran, and much more. This not only allows the audience to enjoy the models on the runway, but also enjoy the performance of the singers.

In my opinion, I think Victoria Secret was extremely smart by making their runway show into more of a performance than a runway show. VS already differed themselves by having a runway just showcasing bra’s and underwear, but now they’ve added singers, extravagant costumes, a beautiful stage, and invited the worlds most influential, popular people to come watch the show. They have truly brought a new way to perform to fashion shows.