So, as I was wandering around the mall today I was talking to one of my best friends rachael about dating (of course) and when is it acceptable to go makeupless, and not dress like a lazy saturday afternoon (like the type of day where you just throw on whatever is around and walk out the door..no makeup, no cares you just want to get out run some errands and be lazy). While you can do that while you are alone or with your best friends. The question I have is when is it acceptable to basically have a lazy day in front of the guy your dating (or your new boyfriend). Like is it a couple weeks, a month, a couple months. When is it finally acceptable to romp around in lazy clothes!

Like there are these barriers when you date that you break down (and that's a good thing). Like, the first kiss, the first time you burp in front of him (we all do it), the first time he sees us engage in serious road rage, the first time you cry, the first time the ex-boyfriend comes up, and much more. But all of those come up naturally. There is something about dressing "down" if you will that adds some confusion.

When is it acceptable to not "try" with your appearance. I am talking nike shorts and an oversized T-shirt or a lazy dress with no makeup.


Oh the struggle of dating life. Let me know your thoughts below!!
Keep Calm and Carry On
xoxo
Melissa

So recently I have been on the hunt for my new perfect foundation.
Recently, I have been suffering from breakouts that appear practically out of no where. Now, I have never had acne or sensitive skin especially on my face but, I guess as I get older my face is changing here and there! (oh dear growing pains, I guess they never really go away!) Anyways, I have tried various types of foundations and powders and here is what I have found.

1. Drugstore foundations are a last resort: Personally every time I have tried to use a drugstore foundation they have never worked for me. They seem to have a yellow undertone in almost all of them and my complexion is very fair so whenever I put on any drug store brand I get that dreaded line from my chin to neck (it does NOT blend well with my skin). And I don't want to have to blend in my entire neck to match my face...that shouldn't have to happen! While these foundations cost about $7-11 they are not ideal and you end up buying and returning or just paying the same amount for an expensive foundation because you can't find one that matches.

2. Dior Nude: So this was my go-to foundation for the longest time. The foundation has a medium coverage which I liked so it didn't look like I had caked on foundation and it matched my skin perfectly!! With out a finishing powder I was still able to walk out of my house (it blended perfectly with my skin). It also was not an oily foundation which I loved because certain parts of my face are more oily than others so I was able to wear it and not worry about my skin looking shiny towards the middle of the day. The average price for this foundation is around $45 dollars but I promise it's worth it!

3. Estee Lauder Double Wear:: Okay so, this is a heavy duty foundation and that's an understatement. This foundation could last through your toughest days and you would not have to worry about touching up your face at all. It wouldn't even cross your mind. It is a full coverage foundation so it covers all blemishes and it covers up any oily bits on your skin that you may have. However this is not, I repeat  NOT a daily foundation unless you have very oily skin and even then it is very, very drying. I have fairly good skin but this foundation prohibits your skin from breathing so you get breakouts and dryness (I got severe dryness and let me tell you it did not look cute and it was very uncomfortable!) - This is a special occasion foundation where you really don't want to have to worry about your face and how it looks. (Trust me, you will be plenty confident that your face is flawless!) -- It also comes in a lighter version for a more every day wear and it is still very strong so if you have sensitive skin or you want your skin to breathe both of these are special occasion foundations. However if you don't require your skin to breathe and you don't have sensitive skin then the lighter double wear could be your every day option. (Both foundations run at about $37 a bottle) For these a little bit goes a long way.

4. Bobbie Brown Skin Foundation SPF: Okay, so this is my latest investment and I am LOVING it. For serious it makes my skin look amazing with just one light coat. While it is a light coverage foundation you can easily layer this foundation with out look like you have caked on an unhealthy amount of foundation. It also has an SPF in the foundation which I find helpful because it is summer and no one wants a sunburnt face. That extra protection is a nice reassurance. I also like that while it is a sunscreen foundation, it is not overly  oily and it also doesn't dry out my skin. It matches my skin perfectly and doesn't make me look like an oompa loompa (not cute). It's one of the best foundation investments yet! (it runs at about $47 a bottle) Again, a little goes a long way, seriously, I can get fabulous coverage with one pump of this Bobbi Brown Foundation!

These are some of the foundations that I have invested in and tried. I am personally a huge fan of any foundation that blends well with my skin.

Do you have favorite foundations, or any suggestions for a fabulous foundation for me to try!? Let me know below!!

Keep Calm and Carry On
xoxo
Melissa

Life can be somewhat of a challenge and unpredictable. We get thrown curve balls and somehow there are these abrupt turns that appear in our lives (like when you are too busy singing to to your favorite song in the car and you aren't paying attention when your navigation system says turn left in 500 feet and then you realize this at the last minute and slam on the breaks to make the turn)...yeah life gives us those abrupt turns as well the only difference is that we have to find ways to make the changes work. Where as if you miss a left hand turn you can just U-turn it around..you can't really U-turn life around..unless we are in a back to the future movie...which we aren't!

So, with that thought -- life sometimes doesn't pan out how we want it to. Things don't always go according to the plan that we have set up for ourselves. Sometimes we even take detours.

But, what is so great about things not going according to plan. For example: Relationships, School, Jobs, Friendships, Fiances....is that by going through a detour or difficult time we become a stronger, better person. 

Sometimes life gives us abrupt turns and detours so that we can grow as an individual. (not idea but hey, such is life!)

Strength within a person does not happen over night, it does not happen with out some tears, and maybe even anger.

But the best thing about tears and anger is that they will eventually pass and you will be stronger and you will be able to say that you conquered something in life that you didn't expect and that is a lot better than saying that you skated by on life and have no idea how to handle certain situations. I am a firm believer that hard times are what teach us life lessons and that the more we go through (big or small) makes us able to be a better, more understanding, stronger person. 

Life hands us lemons and we shall make lemonade *with an adult twist if you wish*!

"We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face...we must do that which we think we cannot" --Eleanor Roosevelt 

Keep Calm and Carry On

xoxo 

Melissa

"For whatever it's worth: it's never too late to be whoever you want to be. I hope you live a life you're proud of, and if you're not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again."  -- F. Scott Fitzgerald

Music Madness

I love finding new music...like it is a highlight of my week if I find some new music that I can be obsessed with! Anyways when I was in Chicago I sat up late at night adventuring though iTunes and I came across Twenty One Pilots  and their song Holding On To You and I fell in love the entire song was phenomenal. (You can listen below!)

When I got home from Chicago I ended up buying the whole Album and falling in love with almost every song on the album. The amount of talent that this band has is beyond incredible. 

So I showed the band to one of my friends and she ended up loving them as much as I did and she found their album called "Twenty One Pilots" and I love this album more than words can say. Seriously, I am listening to it now and it is just perfection. The album takes you on this emotional roller coaster that will leave you smiling, laughing, crying and you will most likely find at least one song that ends up on repeat. 

Both of their albums are astounding and I am so happy that my late night iTunes sessions led me to such an amazing band. 

Below are two songs off of the album "Twenty One Pilots" 

"A car, a torch, a death" : Warning you may cry. 

"Air Catcher" I love this one as well! 

But for serious both of their albums are INCREDIBLE! 

You can connect with them on their twitter here or their facebook here. 

Have you ever heard of them? Are you as obsessed as I am? Let me know!! 

Keep Calm and Carry On 

xoxo

Melissa 

So on Thursday I went on my very first "Blate" (blogger date) with another Atlanta blogger, Rachael! We met through our blogs! Surprising right?! I was so excited to meet another person in Atlanta who loved blogging as much as I do! And we are practically soul mates! I mean, seriously. She completely understands my addiction to Starbucks, Chipotle, Kate Spade, Michael Kors, and fun nail polish colors...partially because she has the same addictions! 

Our day was filled with lots of fun adventures! Of course we had to stop in the apple store and play around with the Macs, and Rachael was giving me some fabulous blog pointers! (Note: My blog is under slight construction!) 

Because Rachael is new to Atlanta I just had to show her some of my favorite places...of course we couldn't cover all of my favorites in one day so I brought her to one of my super favorites! This Consignment shop in Buckhead called Alexis Suitecase. It is my go to place to find fabulous designer clothes or just clothes in general because they are always having fabulous deals and I just love the sales they have! 

I tried on these two outfits and they were my favorites! And those pants, yep...they were two sizes smaller than what I was in March so I Was jumping up and down for joy (the pants and shirt don't go too well together but I couldn't find anything else that they would look amazing with). I am also regretting not getting the above dress! 

Rachael LOVED the consignment shop as well she was so happy that she even bought this AMAZING Steve Madden Purse for fall (its gorgeous!) 

We ate at this new sandwich place called Which Wich and it was so good! I got an Italian sub and it was just delightful! No Blate is truly complete with out some amazing food! 

I then took shameless selfies in my car while sitting in traffic! 

I had such a blast on my blate with Rachael, there are going to be many more blates to come! You can check out her blog here and her twitter here!  And heck even like her facebook page!

Have you ever been on a blate?! I'd love to hear about it! 

I am so excited to start school in the fall (okay, okay I know that sounds dorky) but here's why!! 

So for two years of my college experience I went to a community college...near my house. The tutiton was cheap and I wanted to get my feet on the ground (there is nothing wrong with admitting that you need a little more time to figure yourself out). And that is exactly what my community college experience allowed me to do. 

While I would not tell anyone to go to the community college I went to I owe it my thanks and praise. Not because of the education I received but because it basically forced me to learn how to be alone and be at peace with myself. The school I went to was not the sort-of place you want to make friends unless you are really into partying or you don't have a lot of life goals (I know it sounds awful). But, I found it so hard to be alone and in the process I found out who I was as a person because I spent so much time alone. 

I found myself and what I wanted out of life thanks to the community college, I got more in touch with myself. I found self respect, confidence, and I was able to revisit times in my past that I wanted to learn from. 

While I did not want to go to this school I learned more than textbook knowledge. I also made one really good friend from this school who had the same life goals and we talk almost daily and I am so thankful that I was able to make one solid friend from a school full of people that make me cringe! 

Anyways, thanks to this school I was able to transfer to a four year school (Kennesaw State University) where I will be finishing out my college degree and I am so, so, so, so excited!!!...oh and nervous!! Go Owls! 

But I am more excited than anything I have never felt more prepared to start a new adventure.

Did you transfer schools or are you planning to transfer schools? Tell me about it below! 

Keep Calm and Carry On! 

xoxox

Melissa

So, I pre-ordered my Lilly Pulitzer Agenda back in June and when I pre-ordered it the website told me that it would not arrive until mid August. However, surprise!!! This past Friday there was a lovely gift waiting for me in my mail box!! My new holy grail came in the mail, and let me tell you I am so, so, so, ready to start using it!! I am loving the elephants (my second favorite animal after of course camels!).

They also made some great improvements to the agendas, the month tabs are laminated now so they don't get frayed and OF COURSE the stickers to use are just out right adorable! I am so ready for fall semester to get here so I can fill this planner up.... (if only I could fill it up with just lots of social events and not papers, and exams!) But such is the student life!! 

Did you order a planner from Lilly Pulitzer (or somewhere else?!) let me know below! 

Keep Calm and Carry On! 

xoxo 

Melissa 

Fashion Trends: Shoulder Pads.

Remember when women of the 80's wore shoulder pads and thought that they were "fashionable"? Remember when women basically forced themselves to have broad shoulders? (especially business women!).

Well, thankfully we are no longer in the 80's...however looking back at fashion trends of the 80's some are slowly starting to come back. I remember I was wearing this "hipster" like dress and a woman told me she had something similar in her attic from when she was around my age. While I love that hipster dress I know that it is a fashion trend that has come back from the grave. But, there are some fashion trends that need to rest in peace in their grave for good. 

(Does this not make you cringe?)

So, why shoulder pads? Why were they EVER a thing? Seriously, I am already pretty broad shouldered so the thought of something making me look broader makes me shiver a bit. I don't want to look like a linebacker..thanks but no thanks. 

If you look at these women who wore shoulder pads they were mainly business women as I said before and I wonder if the reason that women started wearing shoulder pads is to somehow fit in with men because if you look at the rest of their business attire it is very conservative...not a lot of skin is showing and they wore stockings if they even dared to show a little leg. (where as now office attire is very casual, and the fashions you can wear into the office are not exceedingly conservative) 

But also you see it a lot in runway fashion, and in casual wear honestly. It is a trend that I feel so confused by. Giant pieces of foam you can place on your shoulders so you look broader....no.

But why 80's, why shoulder pads?  Why something so ugly and honestly so uncomfortable? I can not ask this enough. If you have ever tried on ANYTHING with shoulder pads you know that they are a bit uncomfortable, and if they come out of place you not only have broad shoulders but you have broad (offset or pointy) shoulders. I honestly do not understand the concept of something to make you look wider or more manly. It baffles me.

Do you think shoulder pads should rest in peace for all eternity? Let me know below! 

Keep Calm and Carry On 

xoxo 

Melissa

When I was in middle school and high school I wanted everyone to like me and I wanted people to think I was "cool" (I look back and think...what even does that mean) When I was 15 People's opinons of me weighed in a lot especially when it came to my life, my likes, and my interests. I didn't want to be seen as lame, weird, or stupid. I wanted everyone to like me, and I thought there was something wrong with me if someone didn't like me. I'd ask myself "what's wrong with me" "what did I do?" and so on.

The answer was simple..there was nothing wrong with me and I did nothing wrong. 

I was punishing myself for being me. I was changing my likes and dislikes because someone told me that they didn't like them. 

Luckily I am no longer 15 and caring what everyone thought. 

I truly stopped caring what people thought when I started college. I think I started to actually fall in love with myself (cliche I know but it is very true). I never understood what someone meant when they said you have to love yourself before someone can love you. 

But my second semester of college it dawned on me, it doesn't matter if someone doesn't like me because for one, not everyone is going to like me...that's just life. Just like I can't like everybody. And second, their opinions of me in the end don't matter.  At the end of the day it's me, myself, and I. No one else's opinions follow me home and the people themselves don't follow me home. 

I also realized that we are all a little weird and awkward. And if you make yourself out to not be weird or awkward you are just lying to yourself and to other people (but most importantly to yourself).

I embrace my weirdness and awkwardness, and if someone doesn't like it then oh well. They obviously were not meant to be in my life. 

I finally said I don't care to what people thought and I started living my life for me. Talk about a weight lifted off of my shoulders. 

I notice that I no longer care if someone thinks I am weird because they are probably a little weird too! 

"You will open your eyes and see yourself for who you are. Especially for everything that made you so different from all the awful normals"

Keep Calm and Carry On!
xoxo
Melissa

So as I have said before I am on my weight loss adventure. It has had it's ups and downs the past couple of weeks.
When I was up in Chicago I did not record anything that I ate....at all. I mean I did not go hog wild with all the food but I ate what I wanted in moderation....and tried really hard not to feel guilty (of course I still felt kinda guilty).

And in the process of feeling guilty I realized that I had packed running clothes and running shoes and thank goodness for that.

Halfway through my week in Chicago I grabbed my running shoes and turned on my music and went for what I thought would be a struggle of a run ( meaning I would eventually be walking...not running). I didn't pack my knee brace and as I have said I had serious knee surgery in December that I am finally coming back from. So, anyways, I threw on my running shoes and told myself I was going to run at a steady pace for as long as I could. And I did!! I ran for 1.6 miles with out stopping and did under 30 mins...which is a huge accomplishment for this recovering gimp! (I struggled a little bit but I did not stop!)

As I traveled home I got right back on track from day one of being home. I was recording what I ate and I did not let my vacation week affect the rest of my weight loss adventure. Because, it doesn't matter if you have one bad week it matters if you have 3 bad weeks or more!

So, coming home I decided I was going to try to run again! So, I threw on my running shoes and headed over to the track and told myself that I would run for as long as I could. This run was actually easier than my run in Chicago!! I noticed that I was making process when it came to my breath support and my body didn't feel like I was dragging. I actually wanted to continue running. I realized that the more I kept running the easier it got!! I ran TWO miles in under 30mins and I felt like I had conquered part of my journey!! Not even 8 months post operation and I am able to run two miles with out pain!

Part of my success is because I blast music and drown out everything around me!


Hello accomplishment!!

And the journey is not even over yet! I want to be able to run 6miles with out stopping but first I will start with by the end of July I will be able to run 3 miles with out stopping!

"With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts" -- Eleanor Roosevelt

Do you have any good running playlists? Let me know!!


Keep Calm and Carry On!
xoxo
Melissa

For the longest time I have had an iPhone 3GS and I was completely happy with it. I liked it because it still got what I needed it to get done and it was still functioning...until one day. I realized about three months ago that my phone was slightly outdated ( that's an understatement). My phone was really, really, outdated and I just chose to ignore the fact that my phone was a modern day dinosaur. 

Anyways about two weeks ago I went and I joined the current iPhone world. People told me to go with droids but I guess I am too stupid for a droid. When I played with one my head started to hurt, and I felt stressed out. Even when I see one I think well you are just a lot of extra that I don't want to deal with. So, I joined the iPhone 5 clan and I am so happy that I did.

My iPhone 3 did not have a lot of apps on it and I used it mainly to just text and call..but now..oh dear. The app options are limitless. I have been doing some research on apps that are great for productivity and also apps that are good for play.

I also promised myself I would NOT join the Candy Crush Saga cult...buuuut, I did. I joined it. I have been playing it a lot on my train rides into the city and also killing time when I am just sitting around. Hello addiction. 

Also, I don't feel the need to carry post it notes every where I go because my phone won't crash every time I attempt to do something besides call or text. 

What is even better about having an up to date phone?! I am able to get a-d-o-r-a-b-l-e phone cases. Here are some that I am just obsessing over! Plus some that I already bought! 

Which one do you love?! 

Keep Calm and Carry On

xoxo

Melissa

A lot has happened in the past week I have no idea where to start! 

I will start here! 

Well I recently set off to my home city, Chicago to attend to some family business. I found out not a week before, not two days before, I found out basically four hours before our departure time that my dad and I would be setting off to Chicago for a week! I don't know about you, but that's not a lot of time to pack.
Especially for my packing habits!! Plus,  some of my go to items were in my dirty laundry, and  I did not not have enough time to wash them. But, I packed them in a bag and decided that my grandparent's house would indeed have a washer and dryer. As I have mentioned before I love, love, love lists and I always make packing lists. However, I did not have that much time to write down everything and cross it off at my leisure. Usually, I pack a day prior to leaving or sometimes two days prior to leaving so that I have enough time to make sure that I have packed everything that I need. 

Anyways, I found my self texting people back and forth, eating a snack, trying to pick out appropriate outfits, yelling at siri to tell me the weather in the areas that I would be staying, and making sure I packed tooth paste and a tooth brush. Needless to say I was not devoting time to the packing itself and it was a bit hectic because there was almost no organization to it. (I was going a little crazy, especially because my phone went off about every ten minuets with some kind of text or phone call).

Within all of this craziness I was able to get most of the things done that I needed to get done, while I was going a bit insane it was strangely productive. Though, prior to departing a I did have a smidge of down time, to which I fond myself making lists on my iPhone to make sure I had packed everything I needed. 

Needless to say I have made a list on how to pack effectively with a limited amount of time. 

1. Grab the essentials ( I am always afraid that I will forget the basics, like my phone charger,  tooth brush, tooth paste, a hair brush...ect.) 
2. Check the weather (seriously it takes about 2 mins if you have a smart phone and you will be thanking yourself later). It also stops you from going well if it is hot I'll bring this, if its cold that night...Hint the weather does change but it stays in the same ball park usually. 
3. Pack things that make you feel confident around people you don't usually see or people you don't know. (I don't know about you but if I am wearing something that I don't feel confident in I don't appear to have any confidence! Flaunt your confidence even if it means packing that dress that was in the hamper..) 
4. Breathe ( I know, we do it anyways, but take ten seconds and take a deep breath and think if there was anything that you KNOW you would need) 
5. Go, and be a travel bug. Sometimes last minuet travels are not for leisure but it is still technically traveling. 

That is the list that should help you through a packing frenzy! 

How do you effectively pack at the last minuet? Or how do you pack in general!? Let me know!!

xoxo

Keep Calm and Carry On! 

Melissa