No Sleep 'Til NYFW

So here we are, just one day away from the kick off of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week! I've always been more excited about Fall Fashion Week during my years at FIT, since it was the beginning of the school season and everything was so fresh and new.  But this season I started working in the fashion industry so I'm particularly anxious for the spring shows. Working in the office, I've had hands on experience with all of the intimate details that go into planning such important events as these runway shows. From the seating charts, to invitations, to programs, you never really take the time to realize how much hard work goes into something that seems so fun and carefree as fashion.

Can't wait to see the new Spring looks that are set to hit the runway this week! Which shows are you most looking forward to?

Weekend Wonder

This week is an exciting one for many reasons -- and it has nothing to do with the (not so exciting) snowstorms NYC has already experienced.  Two major world events are taking off this very Thursday and Friday: the opening games of the 2014 Winter Olympics, and the kickoff of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week! Whether you love sports or fashion, there's a little bit of something for everyone to enjoy. Personally, I'm super excited for both! I discovered I really enjoy watching the Olympics during the 2012 summer games in London, so I'm definitely going to watch the winter games this year. And working in the fashion industry has given me a hands on look inside some of the hard work, amounts of detail, and weeks of planning that go into creating successful runway shows for fashion week, so there's nothing like seeing some of your hard work pay off. Can't wait for the end of the week!

Cheers to the New Year!

Wow. So another year has came and went. It's hard to believe that time passes by as quickly as it does. It's finally time to say goodbye to 2013 and welcome in a brand new year filled with hopes, wishes, and dreams coming true.

This year was a pretty big one for me, one of my best so far, I think. I had a lot of new experiences and milestones that I'll always remember. I graduated college, left the country for the first time, travelled abroad and experienced three completely different cultures, made new friends, went swimming and tubing in the Mediterranean Sea, took roadtrips with my friends, started a new job, visited a place I've always dreamed of seeing, travelled to the west coast, dyed my hair for the first time, swam dipped my feet in the Pacific Ocean, spent time with distant relatives, got a new puppy, saw the Transiberan Orchestra, took a roadtrip with my Grandparents, went on my first cruise, planted a garden and had an internship in a field I discovered I love.

Despite the minor setbacks and mildly poor experiences that I experienced in 2013, it was overall pretty fantastic. As for 2014, I'm making steps towards my career goals, bettering my quality of life and maintaining positive relationships with the ones I love.  Here's to another great year with tons more memories and great things to share.

Feeling 22!

Happy birthday to me! It wouldn't be right if I didn't dance around to Taylor Swift at least once today so...

{via}

Beauty Boxes

Have you ever heard of a beauty box?  I never had before very recently, when I heard of Birchbox. A monthly subscription of just $10 a month will land a box with a few samples right at your door.  Your box can contain a bundle of anything from makeup samples, perfume, snacks, and beauty tools.  The whole concept intrigued me as I loove to be girly, explore new products and of course try out free samples!  I decided to research it a little more so I could understand it better.  But after reading a few bloggers' reviews of Birchbox, I decided against it as they weren't really pleased each month with what they were receiving.  If I'm going to be paying for these samples, I want products that I'm actually going to use.  Through my research though I discovered Beauty Army.   Same concept as Birchbox, but with this one you get to choose the samples you receive from a preselected list that is generated especially for you based on the profile that you fill out upon sign up.  The Beauty Army beauty box is slightly more at $12 a month instead of $10, but it seems worthy since you actually get a say in what you're getting.  For an even steeper price, there's also Glossybox.  This one has a subscription fee of $21 a month, & to me that's a lot to shell out just for five travel-sized samples.  But if you have the money I'd say go for it.  I'm excited to receive my first Beauty Army beauty box.  I'll post a review when it comes!

Checking In

Hello my loves! It's definitely been way too long that I've posted anything new, but I just wanted to check in and share with you all that big surprises are coming!  Slowly but surely

Xo V

Makeup Brushes: Cleansing Tutorial

It may have never occurred to you, but it's so super important to make sure you're cleaning your makeup brushes on a regular basis.  Go take a look at them right now and I'm sure you'll see eyeshadows and bronzer dusted over the tops, and probably even caked in deep within the bristles if you've never cleaned them before.  But today's the day you start taking care of them as you would the hair on your own head.  Two reasons why it's important to take good care of your brushes are:

1.  To prolong their life!  You paid so much for that really awesome set of brushes that polish off your look perfectly, so cleaning them regularly will help them last way longer than they normally would.  A well kept makeup brush can last anywhere from six months to two years, so you should want to get the most life out of each of your expensive little beauty tools.

2.  For your own health!  With the constant buildup of makeup day after day, this can cause bacteria to grow, leading to clogged pores and unwanted breakouts. If you're all of a sudden noticing an array of acne popping up and can't pinpoint the culprit, take a close look at your brushes and you might find that they're long overdue for a cleaning.

Don't put it off any longer, because it's so super easy to clean them.  You can either buy a brush shampoo at beauty stores like Sephora or Ulta, or you can mix one of your facial cleansers with water and create your own wash. I like to use Sephora's Purifying Brush Shampoo available in stores for $6.

1.  Gather up all your brushes that are due for a cleaning.  You definitely want to grab the ones that you use everyday, and all others that have any makeup caked up in them.  If you've never cleaned your brushes before, definitely clean all of them now.

2.  Focusing on just one brush at a time, dampen it lightly with warm water.  You don't want it to be soaking wet, so just run it under the faucet for a few seconds.

3.  In a small bowl {I like to use my mini latte bowls from Anthropologie}, squeeze out some brush shampoo.  A little goes a long way so I only use two pumps for each brush, one if it's a smaller one like my eyeshadow brush.

Swirl your brush around in the bowl rotating between clockwise and counter-clockwise.  You'll start to see all the makeup coming out of the brush and collecting in the bottom of the bowl.

4.  Run your brush under the faucet again {using warm water} and use your fingers to rub the bristles to get off any excess makeup that may still be in them.

5.  Use a paper towel to squeeze out all the water from the brush.  Make sure it's as dry as you can get it!  Reshape the bristles and lay your brush flat to dry.

It'll be a while before your brushes dry completely, so an ideal time to start is right after you've applied your makeup in the morning so that they'll be dry and ready for you to use the next day.

Happy cleaning!