December 2016: In Review

Wow, can you believe it's already the end of December?  Not only that, it's only one day from the end of 2016! Where did the time go?  It feels like it hasn't been anywhere close to time for 2016 to be done with.

Books
I really tried to get a lot of reading done this month, not that you can tell by my progress!

This is a little young for me, but in the effort of getting my actual bookshelf a little less cluttered, I picked this one out and read it. It's really cute, and I think middle school kids would benefit from it, as it has a very "coming of age" theme.  I gave it 3.5 stars.

I'm still reading this, unfortunately. I'm not sure what it is about this book, but I'm struggling to get on a roll with it. I have probably 100 pages left, so I've done a decent job at reading. I was hoping to finish it before the end of the year but I didn't quite reach that.  Next month you'll see my final review!

I've just started this book, and you guys will be seeing a full review post on it before it comes out (hopefully), but let me say, the first little bit I've read so far has been beautiful and heartbreaking.  I'm thinking this will be a favorite of mine.

Movies

I watched one movie the whole month, which is better than what I usually do, considering I just don't watch movies ever.  It was called "Sacrifice", and is about a woman and her husband who move back to his home in Scotland to have a fresh start.  She finds a body in her backyard and is suddenly overwhelmed by the need to understand what happened, leading her on a mad hunt to discover the island's dark secret.  It's a pretty good movie honestly, I'd rate it 3.5 stars.  It's on Netflix if I've peaked your interest.

TV Shows
Hallelujah, I finished season 2 of Gossip Girl!  I'm not going to be a person who spoils it because the thought of that makes me very upset, but I will say I loved the season finale!  It had my emotions going on the wildest roller coaster I've been on in a while.

Hauls
Unfortunately, I've been doing a lot of spending this month!  I've been trying to limit what I buy because I really don't need anything, but I did let myself enjoy a little bit of splurging.  Oh well, I can't be perfect every month!

First, I'd like to start off with a small Sephora haul that I did right at the beginning of the month.  I don't need any more lip products, but you know me. I can't stop myself!  I bought a few things, and then got the big sample bag that came with a $25 purchase.

First, here are the Ciate Liquid Lip Velvets that I got. They're in a super cute little ornament package, and are three stunning colors!

Here they are all swatched!  I personally love the red and mauve, but I'll have to see what the pink looks like on my lips before I give it a glowing review unfortunately!

To get myself over the $25 requirement, I also bought these facial cleansing sponges that were on sale. I see them all the time, so they were worth buying for the experience of trying them out.

Finally, this is the sample bag I chose! There was a choice between four different ones, and this one called to me the most.  I think it's because of the lipsticks, honestly.

Here they are swatched!

Next, I have a TJMaxx Haul from when I got back home!  I saw these three notebooks and fell in love! I'll probably be using them this semester for revised notes.  I also bought at little weekly notepad that I will without a doubt use for the rest of my life! I love it. Finally I grabbed some sunglasses that are a little too big for my face, but they were an impulse buy. I might give them to someone else. We'll see!

At Target I bought a pack of mechanical pencils, some stickers, a pack of planner accessories, and three lipsticks that were on clearance!

Here are the swatches!  Bottom to top is the Rimmel, Revlon, then the Nyx. I thought they were all darker than they look swatched, so I'm not sure how I feel about these yet.  I'll try them on my lips and let you know.

Here, I have a pair of leggings I got from a local grocery store on super discount. They're small/medium, so a little snug, but I can make it work!

I've hauled a few more items, but I don't have the time to photograph it, nor the courage! I've purchased entirely too much and I'm a little ashamed.  Next month I'll be better!

Activities
December proved to be a much less busy month for me, holidays aside!  I made it through my finals, which was the first full week in December, and did very well! I got A's in all of my classes but one, where I got a B. I retook two classes I didn't do so well in before and as a result bumped my GPA up to a 3.81! How crazy is that?!

The holiday's have been a pretty exciting time for me. I'm not going to share everything I got because I personally prefer not to do that (I like keeping some things private), but I am blessed with the people in my life.

Pleasantries aside, I also let go of a negative relationship this month.  Things were not ended on positive terms, which is unfortunate, but I think in the long run I will be much happier than I was.

Notables
My notables category is just full of some random stuff that doesn't fit into any other category but still is something I wanted to share!
 

I really got to enjoying one of the apps on my phone, called Mahjong Journey. It's a game where you match tiles up, and I think it's a great way to de-stress for a few minutes.

Posts Recap
November 2016: In Review
Sample Round Up: November 2016
Borghese Fango Purificante Mud Mask Review
How to Prepare for Next Semester
Tarte Friends & Family Sale
Sephora Play! December 2016

Listening to:
This month I've been rocking out to a lot of soundtracks again.  The King Arthur soundtrack has been on repeat once again, and in the past few days I've been singing along to the Wicked soundtrack.  I just love listening to them! 

That's everything I have for you guys this month.  I got back to school in a week, so I'm getting myself pumped up for that!  Back to business as usual soon. I'll have a lot of exciting updates for you next month!

Hugs and Kisses,
The Cornfed Princess

Sephora Play! December 2016

Hello everyone!

I'm back today with one of my favorite boxes to unbox and love on every month!

That's right, it's my Sephora Play!

The bag this month is so beautiful; easily my favorite, hands down. The black is beautiful and it looks more rose gold than what the picture is showing.  This is one of my favorite color combinations ever, so yeah. Pretty pumped!

Here's all the products that came in my bag this month! It's a very makeup heavy box, and trust me when I say I'll never complain about that! I love getting new makeup to try, especially when it's popular items. That way I'm not spending a ridiculous amount on something I might not even like!

The first thing I pulled out of my bag was this Lancome Hypnose Drama mascara!  I've heard quite a bit about the mascaras that Lancome sells, and most of it is good.  I'm probably not going to crack this open for quite a while, as I have lots of other mascaras right now, but I'll try it eventually to see if the hype is worth it!  I'm a little scared to fall in love with it, though; a full size will run you at $27.50.

Next I got the Make Up For Ever Step 1 Smoothing Primer. I've received the nourishing primer before from an Ipsy bag, but never this one. I have however seen this one around a lot more.  The primer itself is a skin tone, and I'm interested to see how this does in regards to hiding my pores & fine lines; they're very prominent! 

The only color product I received this month was this Sephora Collection Cream Lip Stain in the shade "Always Red".  I've never tried this formula out, but I think the idea of it sounds pretty unique. Like a creamy liquid lipstick that transforms itself into a stain, but also turns matte? I'll have to play around with this before I give my final opinion.

Here's a swatch of the color! It's a stunning blue based red, and I do believe that this is one of those universal reds.  The color choice is just perfect for the time of year!

This is definitely something I'm beyond excited for!  In my box I got the Urban Decay All-Nighter Setting Spray.  This is definitely a cult classic among beauty gurus for a makeup setting spray, and just about everyone uses it.  I personally don't use setting sprays, but there's not any real reason for that. I just don't have one I use!  I'm so excited to try this out and see how it does for keeping my makeup around.

Next we have the Drybar Dry Shampoo.  I own quite a few different dry shampoo samples like this, so I probably won't be cracking this open any time soon.  However, I have seen it here and there.  For me, I struggle to see how there can be something special about a dry shampoo.  If it absorbs my oils, it's good for me. A full size of this dry shampoo is $23.

Finally, I got the Elizabeth & James Nirvana Rose fragrance! I'm super excited to see what I think about this, because I'm very half and half on florals but enjoy rose. This, along with Bourbon, are the two newest scents from E&J.  Their most well known fragrances are the Nirvana Black & White, which could be worn separately or together.

Well, that's it for this month's Sephora Play!  Every item this month seems like it's popular for one reason or another, and I've heard of them because of it.

What do you guys think?  Have you tried any of these items before? Have you heard of them? Let me know!

Hugs and Kisses,
The Cornfed Princess

Tarte Friends & Family Sale Haul

Hello everyone!  I decided that the deals for the Tarte Friends & Family sale were too good to pass up; it was 30% off of everything and free shipping after $25 I think? Whatever it was, I spent enough to get it for free!

I've been eyeing these items for quite some time now, and when I saw the sale I knew that this was the time to get them!

I picked up the 8 pack of Tarte mini matte lip paints and the Grav3yardGirl collab with Tarte in the shade Texas Toast!  I've been loving both of these items but unwilling to shell out the dollars; I am still in college.

 The item on top was actually just a freebie of their Amazonian clay concealer.  I haven't ever tried it out, so maybe if I'm feeling a little makeup day I'll try this out!

So, the first actual item I picked out was the Tarte tarteist lip paint in the shade "Texas Toast" which as I mentioned as a collaboration with Bunny. She's been a favorite YouTuber of mine for quite a while, but I didn't buy this simply because I have too many lipsticks to ever use. However when a sale is involved, why would it ever stop me?

The packaging is different, as you can tell. It's had the wood grain effect, which I really enjoy personally.

Here's what the actual lip paint looks like! It's a gorgeous grey-brown color that really speaks to me.  It's a little hard to see, but if you look at the handle closely you can see Bunny's signature on it as well.

The color swatched on my skin looks a little more brown than grey, but I am just in love with it!  It's a perfect fall shade.

Finally, I got all of these little minis in the matte lip paints! They are so pretty, and I'm excited to try out the formula and let you guys know what I think! Just from swatching I have an idea.

Here they all are again laid out! I'll be swatching them from left to right; lightest to darkest.

Candy

Honey

Mani

Perf

Spicy

Juicy

Latte

Soul

Alright, there's all the swatches!  All of them look really nice and smooth with the exception of Soul, which unfortunately is really patchy and kind of dry.  While all of the other colors look similar in the tube, swatched they all have their own individual color to them. I'm so excited to get some good use out of these lipsticks!

Well, that's it for today.  I hope you enjoy and if you want to, that you purchase the colors that look good! I'll give you my full review once I try these all out.

What do you think? Do most of the colors look the same? Which is your favorite? Let me know!

Hugs and Kisses,
The Cornfed Princess 

How to Prepare for Next Semester

While break is certainly a time to kick back, celebrate making it through an entire semester alive, and relax, it's also a time to get ready to have a great next semester!  The more prepared you are for the semester, the easier it is to work your way back into the school routine.  Here I have some tips on how to get yourself ready to tackle it!

Buy your textbooks as soon as you know what you need.
Don't wait until the last second!  If you get your textbooks from websites like Chegg, their prices change based on supply and demand.  Since everyone is selling their textbooks at the end of the semester, that's the cheapest time you'll get them!  The longer you wait, the more expensive they'll be.


Look over your books when you get them.
Now, I'm not saying you need to start taking notes as soon as your books arrive, but do try to look at the content.  You can see what you'll be learning about over the next semester, and see if anything sounds especially interesting or difficult. You might also get an idea for how your class will be set up.

 Create a notes list.
This is definitely an optional step, and is something I'm trying for the first time this semester. I know it might seem like a lot of work, but if you're serious about taking notes for a class, you should do it!  I broke it down by each section in a chapter, but if you'd rather just have it set up chapter by chapter that works just as well.

Set up your planner.
I always make it a habit to write my schedule down in my planner on the first week of school. I write the class, the time, and the building/room. This is incredibly helpful, especially if you're nervous about forgetting where you need to be and don't want to have it up on your phone for a solid 20 minutes trying to figure it out. Trust me, I've done that.


If you don't have a planner, now might be the time to get one! They are so helpful for keeping track of due dates, appointments, and any other thing you might want to know.  There are so many different options out there, and you can even make your own!  Anything works, and the range is from a dollar store weekly planner all the way up to the Hobonichi Techo.

Create a goal for the semester.
I know, this might seem pointless, but trust me, goals are super important to have!  Seeing them and knowing just one thing you want to improve on in the semester can be a great motivator.  And it can be something as simple as not skipping any classes, or getting your assignments done early.  You can even get more detailed, and try to create/follow a study plan.  It doesn't even have to be school related; you can have a goal to drink water or eat breakfast every day.  Just give yourself something to work towards, and when you do it, you'll feel even more accomplished.


Set up your note taking system.
I know, this is a very general thing to say, but this is a step that depends on how you work best in a classroom.  If you're someone who prefers taking notes in a binder, make sure your binder is labeled and loaded with paper.  If you prefer notebooks, get them labeled with each class!

Well, those are the tips I have for you guys! If you have anything else that's a must-do in preparing for the semester, let me know! I'd love to feel as prepared as possible.

Hugs and Kisses,
The Cornfed Princess