Relationships Withdrawls: The Single Life Sucks Sometimes

You know as I'm sitting here amongst my many notebooks and unwashed dishes I can't help but think about how I felt when I was in a relationship. I have to say that I miss it a lot even though I enjoy being single. When your single you don't have to be in contact with someone 24/7 or have to go out with them. You can basically just relax in your running shorts and trainers and not care about what you look like for days on end, unless you have to go out into a public setting. I love being single but I also love having someone for be there at the end of the day. As much as I want to be Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada), I can't help but yearn to be Allie who has her Noah writing her 365 letters. I don't want someone who writes me 365 texts a day but it would be nice to have a boy care about my cruddy day regardless of how boring and uneventful its been.

I was sitting with my friends at a Starbucks today and we were discussing relationships and boys/girls. We all want that one perfect person for us but being realistic we won't find the perfect being because there is no such thing. Of course there can be someone, who along with their imperfections, we find them to be the perfect match for us because just like Blair Waldorf and Chuck Bass, our demons can get along just fine. That's the kind of love I want, and possibly love is too far fetched but the closest thing will do. I would be amazing to find someone who isn't necessarily similar to me but close to a copy where we balance each other nicely. I guess I will have to go and buy a bag or chips or cookies and dwell upon my single life because to top it all off I'm lactose intolerant, so getting a tub of ice cream is not an option unless I want to toot my way back to school and continue tooting until morning. So if you are single like me do like Beyonce and dance to 'All the Single Ladies'. Its better than just laying there and mopping about it but mope once a week and dance the rest of the days and make milkshakes because milkshakes bring the boys to the yacht, even if you don't have one.

This is What I've Learned from Relationships

As the title constitutes, I will be purely writing about nothing else but my naive experience in the relationships realm. At the ripe age of five or six, maybe younger, we learn all about prince charming. Regardless if we are not able to process the whole shindig as romance, we just know he's there and that there is a princess hidden somewhere in a castle or closed up in a glass casket. Perfect relationship, right? Although closed up in a casket doesn't seem so perfect, the kiss on the other hand does. Well, when you grow up life isn't made up of woodland creatures who help you do your chores and make you a dress or godmothers who grant your wishes (not even Hogwarts). You slowly start learning about life through all sorts of life experiences and sometimes some of these suck. Unfortunately, we don't get it right the first time like Cinderella, so we have to try again several times to find our "prince charming". 

So let me spread some of my well acquired knowledge to all you beautiful women and men out there in need of some useful or useless advice. You decide which is it. 

This is kind of my number one rule now a days. If you met the guy a few weeks ago and have only spoken to him in person a few times but text a lot I would suggest not to walk the plank and head into a relationship right away. Surprisingly, I did this and it was kind of a mixture of things. Get to know the person a lot more than just through talking. Observe the way they behave around people. In my opinion it is so much better when you are friends with the person for some time before even dating them. Being friends with someone gives you the chance to see who the person is without there being an obligation to be nice to you because you are dating. I think that's one of the things people do when in relationships. They treat each other extremely well, which isn't bad but you don't really get to see their bad side or how they would treat you in the long run after they've become tired of being nice to you. 

Don't ignore a relationship that didn't work out. Sure its over and you just want to move on, depending on where you stand, but it is really beneficial that you look back on them. I like to call this the "500 Days of Summer" mantra. If you've seen the movie then you probably know what I'm referring to, and if you haven't let me explain. (I promise I won't give away any spoilers.) In the movie, Tom recalls all the things in his "relationship" with Summer but he doesn't focus on his hate or love for her but just simply sees it with open eyes, if you must. Always learn from you failed relationships, ALWAYS! Don't ignore anything. If your former love interest did something wrong, learn from that. Also look at what you did wrong. Don't just focus on what the other person did or how they hurt you because there are two people in a relationship and each one has a bit of responsibility to whether it works or doesn't. You learn a lot about yourself and a lot about people that way. The bonus, you get to learn a lot about how people work and how to avoid repeating certain mistakes.  

This is like the topic of the year. Friend zoning. That's all I have to say. If a guy/girl is interested in you and you don't like them, tell them in the nicest way possible. It sounds mean but its better to tell someone then just having them keep bugging you about it. If you don't want to hangout with them just say, "thank you but I don't want to hangout and lead you on into something that's never going to happen." That sounded kind of mean. I would just say that you just like them as a friend. Its easier and you don't have to make up excuses or lie about why you can't hangout with them. If you are the person who is getting shut down, don't pull the "friend zone" line. It is rude and it is so immature. It shows that you can't handle rejection well. You should not force someone to go out with you out of pity or guilt. It is not nice and it is the worst thing you can do. 

This has got to be a big one for me because as a person who is much better at writing than speaking, I prefer someone who I can talk to about anything and not just the weather (or whales attacking their trainers). For example, I once dated a boy with two first names that was very attractive but I couldn't find a topic of interest. It was probably the age difference or just that we had nothing in common but it was complete torture. I liked looking at him. He was nice to look at, and kiss, and such but one cannot rely on just that for a relationship to work. You have to be able to talk about the dumbest and the smartest topics. I think that we learn much more about a person who has a array of interests rather than someone who has completely opposite interests from yours. It could be interesting at first but you can't pretend to be interested every time they bring up the subject. When you have the person you can hit it off with, you just know. Also, it doesn't always have to be about talking. You have to be able to sit in silence with the person you are dating and not have it be awkward. It is unbelievable torture to sit there and not know what to say. I've tasted that flavor of that Kool-Aid and I did not enjoy it. (I apologize at my attempt of trying to be clever). In other words, I've been there, done that, and it was awful. 

One of the great things about being in a relationship or just liking someone is that the other person makes you happy. If you have a crappy day and you talk to them at the end of the day or you just get a text from them, it makes your day ten times better. You know the feeling you get of little butterflies fluttering around in your stomach or the excitement you get by seeing their name on your phone's screen. We all get it! And there is nothing wrong with someone making you less unhappy. It is so much nicer when you are in a good mood and you are with the person you like that likes you back. I do have to say that as much as it is good that this happens, you shouldn't base all your happiness on one person. It is the worst possible mistake you could make, and if not the worst then it is one of the worst. You need to make sure that you are happy with yourself before you are happy with anyone else. Don't depend on them making you happy because it is not going to be pretty. You might even end up looking like a psycho girlfriend or crush. Its nice to always have a bit of independence, specially when it comes to your happiness. 

The card above should say something more like, "lets try dating before we rush into sex." If you are starting to think that I am a total prude because of the last sentence, let me stop you right there. I do not look down upon or object with people having sex outside of a relationship or marriage. In the end, it is whatever floats your boat. In my opinion, having sex outside of a relationship is probably not such a good idea. It is like building a friends with benefits relationship and we all know one person gets hurt. A boy may tell you that he's going to date you once you have sex and its total rubbish! He may ask you to prove him that you like/love him and that is rubbish as well. If you need to prove yourself then they aren't right for you. You shouldn't be asked to prove anything. On the other end, there is nothing wrong with having a little naughty encounter with someone you find attractive. If that is what you like then go at it. In my opinion, you should know the person you are sharing your personal space and parts with before engaging in anything. If you aren't comfortable with something, tell him/her! they will understand if they care about you. Don't rush into it though. If its your first time, its best to know that you are comfortable and in terms with what you are going to do. You must also be completely sure about the person. If its not your first time, well I have nothing really to say to you because you know what your doing or have done. In my opinion, a lot of girls and guys don't know much about sex or the opposite sex. Either way, be safe and remember, as an intelligent older nurse once told me, "No glove, no love."

If you plan to travel or follow your dreams of being an amazing musician make sure you have someone who will motivate you to get there or beyond. We always hear people putting us down on what we can or can't do and we surely need at least one person to believe in us. It may be really hard to find someone who will stick with you through the hard times but when you do, that person is one to hold on to. Very few people are there for when we need them or they are just not there in general. Finding someone who is willing to give you the support, motivation, and encouragement is worth keeping around even if they aren't your one true love. You keep relationships with friends as well, although not with the same means as if it were romantic but its always best to keep good company. If a person motivates you and supports your choices, then you should do the same in return because there is nothing better than knowing that someone cares about you. 

Well, it took me quite longer than I actually expected to finish this up. It might all be common knowledge but maybe it might not, either way I hope you did enjoy my little words of wisdom. 

xx

Procrastinating!

Wow the quality of this picture sucks! Anyway, I am procrastinating on my assignment that consists of reading a paper and writing a review on it and I just can't write now. This bad boy is about 20 pages long and I can't seem to concentrate, which is leading me to spend countless minutes and hours on tumblr and twitter. How do you keep from procrastinating?

Products I love vs. Products I don't

So far I have done reviews of single items that I've used or purchased this year alone. I thought it would be a great idea to just put loads of them together and just do them all out once. Its not that I don't love writing about each product but this post includes products that I'm not so eager about. I apologize in advance that I don't have personal pictures of the products I'm going to talk about. I don't have some of them anymore because I threw them away or I've used them up lol.

First one up is the Simple Soothing Facial Toner

Image taken from Google

I was looking for a good toner because my skin was breaking out until recently and I purchased this because I thought it would help. Before I buy anything I go out an read reviews about the product and how its worked or not worked on people who have used it. The reviews on this were all talking about how great it was and how it worked like a charm. As always, there is always that one person which the product doesn't work on and I take those into account as well. Since the reviews were amazing I went out and bought. I used it for over a month and I didn't really see a change in my skin. I kept getting spots and nothing really seemed to change. Guess I was one of the unfortunate buyers the product doesn't work for. One thing I didn't like a lot about this product, other than the fact that it did nothing to me, was the way it all pours out. You can definitely use up so much of that product really quickly. Bottom line, I don't love it. 

Second product I want to talk about are two Buxom Blushes/Blushers

Images taken from Google

Alright, these two were a purchase that I didn't plan or anticipate. I kind of just walked into the store and bought them. I initially went to Sephora to purchase one blusher that is made by Dior but I thought it was too expensive for the amount of product that you received. I asked for a similar color and the sales associate showed me the Buxom blushes. I had never used any Buxom products before so I was a bit uneasy making the purchase. I don't know if these were part of a special edition because I've gone back and I can't find them anymore. The blusher on the left is called Seduction. It is a very bright pink color but don't let it put you off. It is really nice once put on the skin. I would recommend this color during the winter more than the summer. The blusher on the right is called Breathless. It is a peach colored blusher and it is perfect for the summer. I would not wear it for winter just because it goes better with a tan. Both of these blushers have a matte finish so there is no shimmer or creaminess to them. Just good old powder blushers. The color is amazing so I love them! 

Third product is going to be Soap & Glory A Great Kisser Lipbalm

Image taken from Google

Let me start off that Soap & Glory is not found all over the states but there are some stores that do carry their products. I actually like Soap & Glory very much, so when I came across this little baby I bought it without really thinking it. First off, the scent of this is divine! It is peach scented, which makes it super amazing. It is not too strong of a scent but it makes you want to lick it right off your lips. I suppose that's why its called "great kisser", who doesn't want to kiss someone with amazing smelling lips? This balm is really, REALLY glossy. It could possibly be a lipgloss if it wanted to. Its a bit too sticky for my preference but I guess I could ignore that because of the scent. I wore it for a while and I didn't really see a change on my lips. I must be immune to all products that repair anything on the body, right? I would even put it on at night to prevent me from licking it right off my lips. It didn't work at all. Also, you have to be extremely careful not to let lint inside of it with your finger or anything because it is extremely hard to pick it off as the consistency is sticky. I have to say that I don't love it. Sorry, Soap & Glory *sad face*.

Fourth product is the Dior Show Iconic Overcurl Mascara

Image taken from Google

For starters, this was not a purchase but a sample that I received at Sephora. They have their awesome rewards/points system so you can purchase and get points and trade them for rewards. In one of my visits I chose this little guy. (Don't you think its funny how men attribute a female persona to their objects and women attribute a male? It made me chuckle a little haha). Anyway, this mascara is AMAZING! I love it! It is hands down the best mascara I've ever tried. I don't know if my eyes are sensitive but they tend to get irritated with a lot of other mascaras. When I opted to try this one, I was a bit weary but I didn't have to be. It makes your eyelashes seem so much thicker. It doesn't smear or end up everywhere. The wand is so easy to control, mind you I don't put mascara on my lower lashes but I'm sure it works great. I definitely recommend this mascara but if you are on a budget then I would save up for it lol. I love it!

Fifth product is Benefit's Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Foundation

Image taken from Google

As I explained before, I have a rewards card for Sephora and usually it also comes with perks where you receive small samples of products. I received this foundation as a sample, which I think was a smart choice for Sephora because it saved me the trouble to ask for it. I tried it for about two weeks straight and fell in love with it. It is so light but it gives you coverage. I wouldn't say its complete coverage but its about medium coverage. It makes so much of a difference on me. My face looks even all over and more awake. I think of this as a winter foundation because the air is dryer and this is meant to give you a brightening look. My favorite part of foundations is when they don't make you break out and this didn't. I'm in the shade "I'm so money, honey" and I think its a bit light when I tan a little in the summer, which is another reason why I say its a winter foundation. I love it! 

Sixth and final product is the Mac Pro Longwear Concealer

Image taken from Google

This is one of my holy grail items! I just had to say that to start with. I adore this concealer. The texture is not runny but its not thick. I think its perfect. It goes on well under the eyes and I find that it doesn't crease. I have really bad under eye circles, I know its cliche for people to say that but I'm not lying, and they only increase if I don't sleep well. This concealer covers them really well. It is not completely because you can only conceal so much but when put with a corrector it works really well. I have to repurchase it because that's how much I love it. The only thing I don't like much is the pump. You don't really have a lot of control on how much product your get out so if you only use it around your eyes, you have a lot left over. I tend to apply this with my finger and pat it until it is all blended out. This is my favorite and its probably the product I love more than all the other products I mentioned. I LOVE IT! 

Okay, so that is it for this post. I hope this is helpful to anyone trying to figure out if these products are good or not before you buy them. 

xx

A Well Deserved Introduction

As I am taking a break from reviewing loads of chemistry, I wanted to write down a little introduction about myself. I know there is already an about page but I don't think that's enough insight to who I am as a person. Its probably important to people and it probably isn't, but what the heck?! (hmm, I should probably start with my name haha). My name is Marlene and I am a 23 year old university student. I like to buy all sorts of stuff but amongst my favorite is probably makeup. I also love buying clothes but sometimes I can't seem to find what I want in the store.

I am currently majoring in psychology and minoring in biology. I am also a pre-med student and I want to be a doctor some day. Its quite a combination of interests that I have but I really want to help people and more than just psychologically. If there are any questions you guys have about school or you are nervous about what you might find out there. Anything really! I would be glad to answer any questions to the best of my ability.

I am from the great sunny land of California. I used to live in Orange County, aka the OC, but moved to Texas about two years ago to be with my family. The transition was very hard for me as I was going through a very emotional moment in my life and I felt rather alone. Its a very depressing story in my opinion but there is nothing time can't heal.

I am also the oldest child of two. I only have one younger sister and she is a really great person. She can have her moments but there is nothing I care most about than family and friends. I think its important to keep those you love and who love you close by your side. Speaking of friends, I have some of the greatest friends. One of them is Amy. She is the most amazing person ever! I don't know what I would have done without her by now. My other friend is Justin. He is the best! I honestly cannot have better friends in the world. I've had my good share of crappy friends but let us not dwell on that. It is rather sad and a very long story to tell in one night.

I have two jobs outside of school. I consider going to school a job because it can be mentally draining and stressful. I am what you might call a work-a-holic. I love to work! I like staying busy but then again there are times that I just want to lay in bed and sleep for hours. Also, I am a pizza enthusiast. I love it! I could eat it any day of the week and mostly all the time but I try not to because then, you know, the deliciousness goes to my bum. I don't know what else to write about me. I think this was slightly easier than writing a personal essay about myself, like I did back in high school. There is something way too narcissistic about trying to sell yourself as the perfect addition to a campus that I can't join in. As I tell my friend Amy, I am completely average and normal so I don't think writing about myself could be very beneficial. Ironically enough, its like prostituting yourself haha. The screwing part happens when the universities charge you loads of money to get an education. Okay, I'm going way off topic. I hope you all like this post. It is quite random and I should have probably started with this but better late than never!

xx

Best Shampoo I've Tried Yet!

Hello everyone!

The feature that attracts me most in a person is their hair. I have to say that I love a guy with great hair so I also like to maintain my hair. You never know what guy might be admiring you from afar. Sure, there are those days that you just cannot deal with your hair because its being an unruly mess or you just feel really lazy and don't feel like styling it. I personally try not to style it as much because it is bad to put your hair through all the heat and product use. Every since I was a kid I had long hair and sometimes that is really hard to maintain, specially the ends. I have wavy hair that likes to rise like a bread in an oven when it has dried after a shower or by just being in the rain. I absolutely hate it! This increases even more in the summer because it gets really humid in Texas. I've always changed shampoos because sometimes I love them and sometimes I feel like its not working for me so I've tried all sorts of them. I usually stick to the ones you buy over in the drug store or at your local Target, but one day when I was visiting ULTA I decided that I should try a more expensive shampoo. Sometimes people say that the more expensive a thing is the better it is, but I think that it is sometimes true but sometimes it isn't. ULTA was having a sale on their shampoo that week so I said, "why not?!". (I seem to spend an a lot of my time and money at ULTA, doesn't it? haha) Like most people, I didn't feel confident enough to just grab whatever shampoo was there and smelled good, so I asked an associate at the store. I described that my hair would get really dry towards the ends and that sometimes it would just get really oily around the scalp during the third day of not washing it. She recommended that I use the Redken All Soft Shampoo because it was apparently really good and they use it in their salon. When I first bought the shampoo I was hoping it was going to be amazing, and it is! I have used this product for about three months now and my hair is really soft and it smells nice but its not an overpowering smell. I've even had my mom tell me that she loves it and she's not about spending loads of money on shampoo. The reviews on the website give this shampoo a 4.6 out of 5.0 and I have to say that I agree. Some of the common comments show the pros to be that it smells great, leaves hair soft, makes hair soft, and again it smells great. The only con is that it is a little pricey but not to fret! ULTA has a sale on these babies during the summer, and if I'm not mistaken, during the winter. The 33.8 oz bottle is retailed at $24.50 and a small amount is enough to make your whole head clean. During the sale that ULTA has the bottle cost, if I'm not mistaken, $15 and you get a free pump. So if you are looking for a new shampoo to try and don't know where to start. There are other types of Redken shampoo you can try out but I would recommend this one the most.  Just give it a go and see what you think. You can always buy the $14.50 bottle that has 10.1 oz to just try it out but I would advice everyone to wait for the sale and stock up!

p.s. I apologize for not having a picture of the product this time but it is nothing fancy looking and easy to find.

xx

I love butter!

Again, here I am procrastinating to the fullest on my chemistry homework to write a quick blog about these three beauties. Starting from the left; I have Cuppa, Silly Billy, and Giddy Kipper. I absolutely love these nail varnishes. I bought them about a month ago at ULTA because they had a sale on these for their 21 Days of sales. They have a specific name for it but I can't remember what they call their sale/s. I woke up that morning to an email from ULTA announcing these on sale for $10 compared to the regular $15. I know, I know, $10 on nail varnish is still a lot but I had always wanted to try them so I said to my self, "why not?". I managed to pick these three because there were so many other lovely colors and I wanted them all but I settled for these. ULTA also had a policy in that you could only purchase two (2 for each costumer). I suppose they do that to repel all the crazies like myself haha. Anyway, I love them. I think they are by far my favorite right now from the other varnishes that I own. One that is not included on here because it is not a butter varnish is essie's 'bikini so teeny'. If you want to know about how the colors show on the nail I would say that they are pretty dead on from what you see in the bottle. Cuppa reminds me of the See's Candy Vanilla flavored lollipop. It's not a natural color but it's just gorgeous. Silly Billy is a really nice bright orange. It's not the kind of orange that screams at you but its just a nice orange color. I think its super nice for Halloween. You know, if you like to put themes on your nails. I just wear the varnish as is. The last one, Giddy Kipper, is my favorite of all. It's such a lovely color. It is in between a blue and a purple and also has a fine shimmer to it. I wouldn't say its glitter but it adds to the color. I believe you can sort of see it on the picture above. The lasting time for these babies is about a week or week and a half depending on what you are doing. If you clean around the house and use a lot of water and soap, then these will probably start chipping after a week. Alright! this is all for this post. Its a short one this time because I don't have much to elaborate on these. Hope you like these! 

xx