Loafer Love

As you may have been able to tell from some of my previous posts, I've been on the hunt for a good pair of loafers this season. I was absolutely obsessed with this pair from J.Crew, but I couldn't justify shelling out that much cash. Luckily, when I was browsing the DSW website a few weeks ago, I stumbled across this pair of mules for only $40. Given that they looked much more expensive (ahem @Gucci), on top of they fact that I happened to have a $10 certificate, I placed an order within minutes.

Intern Diaries: Vol. I

In my opinion, one of the major sources of stress for college students is the pressure to find an internship. These days it seems like employer standards are rising exponentially for college grads. When applying for competitive full-time positions, it's hard to get away with babysitting and mowing lawns during your summers off (Ahh, how I miss being paid in cash). Because internships are one of the major ways to set yourself apart on your resume, I thought I'd start a series about my experience with internships. Today I'm going to talk about the most common question regarding internships: "How do I get one?!" In later editions I'd love to go into topics like interviewing, office etiquette, etc. But for now, keep reading to see my top tips on landing an internship.

Foundation Routine

Most days, I keep my face makeup simple with some tinted moisturizer or concealer. But when I'm going for a full-coverage, budge-proof base, these are the products I reach for. The result is flawless, but still natural-looking skin. Keep reading to see my favorite face products and how I use them!

Step 1: Moisturize

Dry skin and full-coverage foundation definitely don't mix well, so I always make sure to have a layer of lightweight moisturizer underneath my makeup. For daytime, I prefer something with SPF (like this), and for night I love this one that I received as a part of my Sephora birthday gift. Because my skin is combination/oily, I definitely can't get away with anything too thick or rich. Glowy is great, but greasy isn't cute.

Step 2: Prime

When I really want things to last, I find that this setting spray (you might recognize it from a recent haul) works really well underneath my makeup as a primer. Other traditional primers I've tried haven't really made a difference in my makeup's longevity, so I usually pass. But this All-Nighter spray is a great double duty product, and I can definitely see myself using it for special occasions or in the humid summer months as both a primer and setting spray.

Step 3: Apply Foundation

In the past, wearing foundation made me feel less confident, because I felt like people could totally tell that I was wearing a layer of makeup on my face. But the combination of this Make Up For Ever foundation and Beauty Blender is a dream. While the matte aspect might turn some people away, don't let it scare you! The foundation is pretty thick, but when thinned out and applied with a damp beauty blender, it becomes super lightweight and really does give a "velvet" finish, and because it doesn't cling to any dry patches, I can wear it year-round. I also find that the coverage is enough for me to skip concealer on most days, but if my under-eyes are particularly tired, I add some of my go-to Maybelline Age Rewind.

Step 4: Set

To ensure that nothing slides around, I use my favorite powder (less than $4 from the drugstore) to set everything in place. I follow that with a couple more sprays of All-Nighter, which helps the powder sink into the skin better and give an even more natural look (without sacrificing coverage).

Step 5: Finishing Touches

Lastly, to add a bit of color and dimension, I use the work of art that is the Hourglass Ambient Lighting palette. I was lucky enough to receive this as a birthday gift from my sister, and I'm in love. I alternate between the first and second colors (Dim Light and Incandescent Light) as highlighting powders for under my eyes and on the high points of my face, and the last color (Radiant Light) is the perfect bronze shade for my cheeks (no blush necessary). The powders are really "finely-milled" (lol I've always wanted to use that phrase) and aren't overly-pigmented, so you don't have to worry about things looking too heavy or unnatural.

And that's it! My current go-to base. I hope you enjoyed this little beauty post :)

xoxo Lizzie

Spring Wishlist

Happy Spring!! In honor of the start of a new season, I thought I'd put together a quick post sharing some of the fashion pieces I have my eye on. There's something about the "spring cleaning" mentality that makes me want to refresh my wardrobe by mixing in a few new items. Because a couple of my picks are from J.Crew (their spring collection is irresistible), I wanted to let you know that they are currently offering 30% off everything until Friday! Enjoy!

ASOS Petite Skater Dress with Cotton Lace Trim

Pink Gingham

After writing my "What I Packed for Spring Break" post, I wanted to share one of the looks I put together with the pieces I brought with me to Florida. I have to admit that looking at these pictures is pretty painful considering I'm currently back in Boston with record low temps and a foot of snow on the ground :( Nonetheless, spring has to be just around the corner (right...?), and I know this white skirt/button down shirt combo will be a recurring theme in my wardrobe over the spring & summer seasons.

Luscious Lemon Bars

In middle school, I found this lemon bar recipe in a pamphlet from Publix (aka the queen of southern grocery stores), and I've been going back to it ever since. It's super simple, and most of the ingredients are likely already in your pantry. With the spring and summer months quickly approaching, these bars would make the perfect citrusy treat. Keep reading to see how they're made:

Raiding My Mom's Beauty Cabinet

One of the best things about coming home is getting to try new beauty products, courtesy of my mom's (and my sister's) makeup bags. From skincare to makeup, here's a roundup of a few of the things I've been testing out while home for spring break.

(Sidenote: quick apology to my sister Emily because I definitely didn't ask for permission to use any of her products...lol oops)

What I Packed for Spring Break

I am currently back home in sunny Florida for 10 whole days for my spring break, so I thought I'd share what I packed with you all! Since I was restricted to a carry-on luggage, I definitely pared things down and packed a few versatile pieces that I could mix and match. Keep reading to see the full run down...

The $6 Staple

A few months ago, I picked up this extremely cheap stretch knit flare skirt from Forever21 on a whim. Since then, I have gotten so much wear out of it for multiple reasons:
1. You can dress it up or dress it down
2. You don't really have to worry about ruining it, since it's only $6
3. It's super soft and comfortable

Keep reading to see how I styled it for an everyday look