What’s in my makeup bag?

Summer is just around the corner and I’m sure we all hate the feeling of makeup melting off your face. Here are some makeup products I recommend:

Tarte Shape Tape Matte Foundation

1. Tarte Shape Tape Matte Foundation

I recently started using this foundation and so far I’m loving it. It matches well with my skin tone and has an applicator brush that makes is easy to apply to the face. Also, the foundation is vegan and oil free! I highly suggest getting a matte foundation especially for the summer because an oily foundation will feel gross. This sells for about $40.

Benefit Bad Gal Mascara

2. Benefit Bad Gal Mascara

I’m really picky with what mascara I use. When I came across this mascara though, I haven’t used any other one. This benefit mascara makes my eyelashes voluminous and also dark. I highly recommend this mascara. However, it is pretty expensive but it’s definitely worth it. This sells for about $20.

Too Faced Hangover Faced Primer

3. Too Faced Hangover Face Primer

This face primer is not too heavy on the face which is what I love. It applies really well all over the face and keeps the foundation on your face through out the day. Also, Too Faced is one of the many makeup brands that is animal-cruelty free. This sells for about $15.

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer

4. Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer

I have used this primer for many years and it never fails to amaze me on how long it keep the eyeshadow on your eyes. It’s also not that heavy on the eyes. I have the squeeze bottle but the best one is when it came an applicator brush. This makeup brand is also animal-cruelty free! This sells for about $20.

MAC Prep + Prime Fix Mist

5. MAC Prep + Prime Fix Mist

I recently bought this product and so far it really works well. It does spray like a mist so it sets the face evenly. I haven’t used it as a primer because usually I like a lotion primer. I don’t really like MAC cosmetics but this one thing I would use from them. This sells for about $26.

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Favorite Movies

1. Black Panther

Black Panther was one of the newly released Marvel movies this year. This movie is definitely one of my favorites because it’s something that Marvel has never made before. I love that the movie is all about Wakanda and it’s culture. The culture is portrayed as vibrant and has a better understanding with technology than the rest of the world. Also, the women in this movie are so powerful. Okoye, the head of Wakanda’s armed forces, is one of the strongest women in this movie. Her character is portrayed as loyal and stubborn. She will not let anybody tell her what to do. This movie was put together very well and I can watch this many times.

2. The Conjuring Series

One of the scariest movies I have seen is The Conjuring series. I list this as one of my favorite movies because a lot of scary movies don’t get to me, but this one definitely did. The demon nun scares me half to death! Throughout this movie the couple, who helps with paranormal activities, tries to figure out why a certain demon stays behind and targets a young girl of a single parent family. When the couple can’t seem to explain or prove that this young girl is being taken over a demon, the couple realizes that everything connects back to a demon from the couple’s past that has been haunting them for awhile, the demon nun. This part tripped me out because I couldn’t figure it out myself. I love that this movie was able to make me think and scare me at the same time.

3. Grown ups

This movie has to be one of the funniest movies I’ve seen. Honestly I love any films that star Adam Sandler and Kevin James. These guys are comedic superstars. Also, Chris Rock, David Spade, and Rob Schneider make this movie entertaining as well. All of these actors play as characters who is a single man who drinks too much, a father who rarely sees his three daughters, a guy is who is overweight and unemployed, a henpecked house husband, and a successful Hollywood agent married to a fashion designer. These characters are best friends that come back together because of the tragic death of their basketball coach. While the guys are back in their hometown, they plan out a summer trip with all of their families. This movie is all about these guys coming back together and finding their bond again through sneaking on to a water ride, rope swinging into a lake, competing in a basketball game with old rivals, etc. The humor in this movie is way too funny and I recommend watching it.

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Things that make me happy

1.Going to the gym

Working out at the gym is one of my favorite things to do to get away from stress. When there are days when I’m frustrated or emotional I can rely on working out to let it all out. Going to the gym makes me happy because it’s my getaway place from everything around me. Also, after working out for about two hours I feel good because I burn so many calories and sweat a lot. Slowly but surely I can get to the toned body I want.

Disneyland Castle

2. Disneyland

Disneyland is the happiest place in the world. This park allows you to relive you childhood through films like “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” to “Moana.” I can honestly say that Disneyland will never get old for me. I have many happy memories at Disneyland from high school to now. I’ll continue to make more memories there and hopefully one day my children can love Disneyland as much as I do.

3. Getting my nails done

Getting my nails done is an easy way to get my confidence up;. Being pampered is fun! Well for myself it is. Having you nails and toes cleaned up is so relaxing.

My picture at Lake Tahoe

4.Hiking

Hiking is not only an exercise but it’s also a way to be in nature. I grew up in the city and there’s not a lot of nature surrounding the are. However, there are hikes like Runyon Canyon nearby that allows a beautiful view overlooking the city. Although the best hike I’ve been on is in Lake Tahoe. I hiked through a forest that went on for miles, and there were big lakes that you were able to swim in (I didn’t swim in it because it was 70 degrees). This was the best hike I have been on because it was no where near the city and it was peaceful.

5. Dogs

Dogs are awesome to have. They’re always happy to see you when you come home. There are moments when they tear up shoes or furniture and it will get annoying. However, they’re animals and they just need to be trained. Honestly, we don’t deserve dogs because all they want to do is give love to their owners. As humans we go through a lot of emotions but dogs can always find a way to make us happy because they’re happy. Also, they’re the best cuddle buddies!

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Dance Community

Since I have been dancing for a couple years I have been interested in the dance community. I’m a fan of Hamilton Evans, Tricia Miranda, Wildabeast Adams, Keone Madrid, Mari Madrid, Jojo Gomez, etc. These are all well known choreographers that have had the opportunity to work with many celebrities. How cool is that! Watching their choreography on Youtube or taking their classes at Millennium Dance Complex gives me more motivation to continue what I love to do to get away from all the stress I have going in my daily life.

When I have free time in between studies, I watch dance videos. Most of the videos I watch are hip-hop or jazz funk. I find these kinds of dancing more interesting rather than contemporary because it is upbeat. The fast and hitting movements of hip-hop and jazz funk is something my body is more comfortable with doing. However, I do appreciate the fluid-like movements of contemporary because it teaches control and strength of the body, which is very beneficial to have if you want to become a dancer for your career.

The dance community is like a different culture. All the dancers I have socialized with from competitions and classes are all so supportive and friendly. Also, what I love about the dancers is that they support one another. You can be messing up choreography and feel embarrassed but they will still cheer you on to keep going. This community is all about having fun and creating art with your body.

When I started dancing in high school I had no idea what I was getting into. The dance community is so different compared to others. I started out in choir and don’t get me wrong it was fun but the dance community was way more fun! Everybody is so creative with how to move their body whether it be swaggy, popping, or technical.

Here are some of my favorite dance videos:

Tricia Miranda Choreography video

Wildabeast Choreography Video

Jojo Gomez Choreography Video

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Movie Review || AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR

Avengers: Infinity War Poster

Summary

The entire universe is in danger when the upbringing of a villain named Ultron is on the hunt for six infinity stones. The six stones are known to control time, reality, soul, space, power, and mind. With the power of all these stones together can create an unstoppable being. Ultron seeking this power for the wrong reason has the Marvel heroes from earth and space come together and try to defeat Ultron before he gets all six stones.

Last week I had the opportunity to watch “Avengers: Infinity War.” The theater was packed so I unfortunately had to sit by the front, but I was in the Dolby theater which had reclining chairs. This movie had been getting a lot of hype over the past few months because the fact that all Marvel characters are coming together in one movie. Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, Black Panther, Guardians of the Galaxy, and more! I was excited to see all the characters come together, however you should definitely watch or have watched all the previous Marvel movies before. Why is that important?

This whole movies is about taking down one powerful villain, Ultron. All the characters have a back story that leads to this moment and if you don’t know their book stories you will kind of get lost in this movies. There is so much history with all the characters that this one movies can cover only a little bit of it. The movie, “Thor: Ragnarok,” actually is one of the main movies to look at because this leads straight into the movie, “Avengers: Infinity War.”

Likes

• The women in this movie shows how truly badass these strong women can be.
• There is a lot of funny moments especially since Guardians of the Galaxy is featured in this move
• This movie is a brain teaser, it makes you think of a lot of things.

Dislikes

• I wish there was more action! It’s weird to say that since there is so many heroes in one movie but I was disappointed with the low number of scenes of fighting

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Product Review || MacBook Pro

I have always been a fan of Apple products, especially the MacBook Pro laptops. I bought myself the new MacBook Pro that released in late 2016. This is the latest release on the laptops and they have designed an awesome MacBook Pro. Here are some things that I like about the MacBook Pro:

Side View of MacBook Pro

1. Space Gray Color

I love the new color that Apple came out with for the MacBook laptops. There is only space gray and silver for the MacBook Pro, so there is not many options. Silver has always been around but the other is new. I got the space gray color for my MacBook Pro. My personal taste likes the space gray because it’s dark and looks slick. Also, if your laptop gets dirty, you won’t see it as much on this dark color.

2. Keyboard

Some keyboard keys are popped up but with the MacBook Pro it is flat. I personally like the flatness of the keyboard because my hands can easily hover over the keyboard and I can type fast. Apple did come out another feature on the keyboard which is the TouchBar. I don’t have that on my laptop but from my experience of looking at it in the Apple store, it is really cool. I personally don’t need it. The TouchBar just replaces the top row of the keyboard that controls brightness, volume, and on/off. However, I would rather have the physical keyboard keys.

MacBook Pro keyboard/ TouchBar

3. The Light Weight

With the new MacBook Pro, Apple made the laptops as tiny as the MacBook Air. The MacBook Pro is super thin which makes is only weight about 3 pounds. Compared to my old MacBook Pro that weighed about 5 pounds, this new laptop was mind blowing. Being really light, it is easy to carry and you can bring it everywhere! When I used to put my old laptop in my backpack, my back would hurt because it was so heavy. Now with this new MacBook Pro, I can say my back doesn’t ache anymore when I take off my backpack.

4. High Performance Processor

The new processor in the MacBook Pro has been the best thing I have experienced with this laptop. Before, with my old MacBook Pro, it took awhile for webpages to load, as well as the apps like Photos. With the high speed processor, my laptop is able to keep up with my research for school and launch multiple apps and websites at the same time.

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Things that really get my goat

1. The Way People Drive

It irritates me when people drive slow. Especially if people have nice sporty cars and they are not going as fast as everybody else, then I get mad. Also, it annoys me when people merge into a lane without signaling. I’ve seen in some instances that people will assume the car in the next lane will give room for their car to merge into that lane without signaling and causes the other person to break heavily. DO YOU NOT REALIZE THAT YOU CAN CAUSE AN ACCIDENT.

Funny Picture about slow walkers

2. Slow Walkers

When I’m on my way to class I encounter slow walkers all the time. I get annoyed at the fact they can see me behind them and they don’t kindly move out of the way. I understand if you’re not in a rush and you want to take your time. However, don’t block others from getting to where they need to be. It’s not that hard to be aware of your surroundings.

3. People Chewing with Mouth Open

My sister sometime chews with her mouth open and it makes me cringe. The sound of the smacking of food in somebody else’s mouth sounds disgusting. I think the fact it sounds wet and loud, I get annoyed very easily. Also, eating with your mouth closed is a polite act to do. You probably heard that saying to not talk with your mouth full. It’s basically the same concept. Nobody wants to hear or even see the food being chewed in your mouth!

Los Angeles Traffic

4. Traffic

Los Angeles traffic is one of the worst things to experience on the freeway. Traffic annoys me because I’m a fast driver and the fact that I have to go 5 MPH in traffic it makes me go crazy. Also, I hate sitting in the car for a long time because my butt will go numb.

5. Slow Wifi

I experience slow wifi all the time when I go to the school library because hundreds of students are using the same wifi. Slow wifi holds me back from doing my assignments faster because I have to wait for it to load the website. Also, since I’m not able to do my assignments until the webpage loads fully, I lose my focus and will lead to myself procrastinating and doing the assignments later.

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Bad Habits of Mine.

1. Procrastination

   When it comes to school work or doing chores, I always tell myself that I have time and will do it later. This is where it messes me up because in some instances I have to stay up late and finish my assignment the day before its due. Also, when I have to polish furniture in my room, i don’t do it until probably a month later. Usually I have to polish it every 2 weeks because of the build up of dust. I would be able to give this habit up  but I get easily distracted which is why I don’t get things done later.

   

   Meme about being awake late at night

2. Staying up late

   I am a night owl. I don’t sleep until about 12 or 1 in the morning. Even if I wanted to sleep early, I would have to take a sleeping aid. I have a lot that goes on in my mind at night so that’s why I usually don’t go to sleep until late at night. My classes start at 7 AM so it makes it worse myself considering that I have to wake up at 6 AM, which in result, I will only sleep for 5 hours every night.

3. Slouching

   As I’m writing about this bad habit I already corrected my posture. I always thought that it’s comfortable to let your back curve, however this can result into back problems in the future. Naturally our spine should be straight. In order for myself to hopefully break out of this habit I always think that I can possibly get Lumbago if I continue on.

   

   Cappuccino

4. Drinking coffee

   I’m tired almost tired everyday and I drink coffee as a source to wake me up. As I said before, I stay up late so I don’t get a lot of sleep. Sometimes coffee is the first thing I drink. I probably drink coffee once a day. Some people drink tea as a source of caffeine, but unlike them it doesn’t work for me. However, tea is probably healthier than coffee and I should give it a try.

5. Putting Laundry away

   Putting my dirty laundry in the washer and dryer is no problem for me, however when it comes to putting the clean clothes away after, I seem to not do it until couple days later. After doing my laundry, I always leave my clean clothes cluttered in a basket and it will get wrinkled. I’m too lazy sometimes to fold my clothes and put it in my drawers and closet.

 

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Coachella Tips!

Sunset at Coachella

Coachella is something that I think everybody should experience. This year’s lineup was amazing! I was able to see The Weeknd (my favorite artist), Beyonce, and Eminem. If you’re not familiar what Coachella is, it is an annual music festival that is located in Indio, California and goes on for 3 days. You have probably seen the festival on social media like Instagram. It is usually known as a Bohemian style festival, so it’s really fun to dress up in lace and floral outfits. However, save up your money because it’s definitely expensive! From my experience with Coachella I will give you some tips to have the best time there:

Tip 1: The Weather

Indio, around the time Coachella comes back, usually gets pretty hot. I would recommend on wearing shorts and tank tops to wear. However, if you’re okay with wearing just a bathing suit and maybe a little something to cover up then that’s okay too. From my experience, I had 100 degree weather for the entire weekend so the less clothing the better! Also, definitely put on sunscreen before going, or ever bringing it with you because you’re in the sun the entire time! When it comes to night time, its gets pretty cold so I would bring extra clothes like jackets or pants to put on later when going home. If you don’t want to hold on to your extra clothes then look at tip 2 to know where to store it.

Tip 2: Lockers

Coachella has lockers to put your stuff in while you’re enjoying yourself at the festival. HOWEVER, you need to reserve and buy the lockers ahead of time online. Go to Coachella’s website and reserve the lockers there. Do this months before the festival comes.

Tip 3: Good View of your favorite artists

There is millions of people that Coachella so it will be crowded time to time. If you want to get a good view of the stage then I would recommend on going to the sides of the stage. Usually a lot of people don’t go to the sides because they think of going to the middle the most, but that’s where you will be cramped and claustrophobic. From my experience I went to the side of the stage to see The Weeknd and I was able to see him the entire time.

Tip 4: The Food

I would save some cash for the food as well because like all music festivals they are going to make everything expensive. I had a lemonade that was $8! That is ridiculously expensive however it was pretty bomb. There is many food options like ice cream, burgers, mac and cheese, tacos, burritos, french fries, etc. Depending on what you get, the food is pretty decent. I liked the burger and fries, jalapeno cheese stuffed pretzel, and lemonade. Those were definitely my favorite.

Tip 5: Stay Hydrated!

This tip is the most important because you will need a bunch of water! They do sell water there but of course its more expensive than usual. You are allowed to bring in a empty water bottle to refill it at refill stations located inside Coachella. However, I think the water tastes dirty and got me sick a little bit. In my opinion, just keep buying water bottles from vendors but otherwise if you’re on budget or don’t really mind the water, then go for it. I understand water is water! So do whatever you’re comfortable with.

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Turtles All The Way Down By John Green || Book Review

Book Cover of Turtles All the Way Down

You’re right that self isn’t simple, Aza. Maybe it’s not even singular. Self is a plurality, but pluralities can also be integrated, right? Think of a rainbow. It’s one arc of light, but also seven differently colored arcs of light.

Summary

Are you in high school? About to head off to college? In Turtles All The Way Down by John Green, Aza Holmes is a high school girl who suffers from terrible anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Her best friend, Daisy, is a bubbly, hard working Chuck E. Cheese employee who stands by her despite Aza’s mental problems. One day, news came out about a billionaire, Russel Pickett, who has gone missing and a $100,000 reward would be given if found or had any leading evidence. Coincidentally, the billionaire’s son, Davis Pickett,  was a childhood friend of Aza’s.  Daisy persuades Aza to take a canoe down the river behind Aza’s house to Davis’ mansion to reconnect with Davis and try to solve the mystery of his dad’s disappearance which could lead to a large reward for the girls. Over the next few months, Aza and Davis begin dating, the girls fall into the large payday they had hoped for, relationships are tested, and Aza’s compulsions and worries cause her to unravel.

Likes

• John Green gives us an inside look into the mind of Aza who is struggling with mental problems and how this affects how she thinks of herself as a person.
• Aza is someone who is struggling to find her identity, which everyone can relate to at some point in their life.
• There is symbolism when it comes to the circle and spiral patterns, so that’s why there is a spiral pattern on the book cover.
• I like that even though Aza might be a lot to handle with, Daisy sticks by her side.

Dislikes

• Even though this book had mystery with trying to find Russel, the billionaire, there wasn’t enough of that mystery in the book and I wish there was more.
• Why the title, Turtles All The Way Down? Still have no idea what it means.

… I realized something Davis must have already known: Spirals grow infinitely small the farther you follow them inward, but they also grow infinitely large the farther you follow them out.

Overall

Even though this was a young adult novel, it had heavy subject matter. Although, John Green did a good job on making it not too heavy on the characters. There is plenty of humor spots throughout the novel to keep the story not too depressing. I like that this book deals with the reality of life that Aza and most teens have to journey through. However, it is mainly what takes place in their heads throughout this time and that’s where my interest got lost.

word count: 389