Hola ladies & gentleman, here's a quick get ready with me video, woop woop. Hope you guys enjoy! As always hope you're chillin' out, maxin' and relaxin' all cool on this fine Sunday! 

Later dudes,

xx
Rachel

L

KAYSON
I'm Not Your Toy - La Roux
     So, for the past 3 years I've been a fan of La Roux. Like most people I heard her song "Bulletproof" on the radio a few years ago. However, when I like an artist's song on the radio I look up there other songs that aren't their big single. I instantly liked "I'm Not Your Toy" - such an upbeat song, with sort of the same female strength message as "Bulletproof". It's about telling someone "Hey dickhead, I'm not a facking toy so stop messing with my head", and who doesn't enjoy a nice song about telling some stupid boy to F off?



TESSA
Mowgli's Road - Marina and the Diamonds
     Kayley has mentioned how much she loves Marina before so I'll save you the torture of listening to me go on about how big of a girl crush I have on her (I literally couldn't speak when I met her). This is one of her older songs but it's so so so good. Her lyrics are always spot on, like Taylor Swift for girls who aren't always writing songs about their ex-boyfriends, even though a lot of her songs do deal with boys, there are also a lot just about life in general. My favorite line from this song comes from the chorus: "And I don't know, don't know, don't know who I wanna be." Because what twenty-something can't identify with that, unless you really have your shit together? Also her voice is one of my favorites of all time. So if you haven't listened to her already, go now. That's an order. 

So I've decided that my last post for every month is going to be a bit of a conglomeration (that doesn't look like it's spelled right, but there's no red squiggly line so I'm gonna assume yes and that I'm just a kickass speller). It's going to have a couple favorites of the month, reasons this month was awesome, and other general tidbits. So, here we go!

Favorite Beauty Product: Maybelline The Falsies Volum' Express in Very Black
This shit is amazing. Tessa has raved about it for god knows who long (she tends to do that) and I finally gave in and tried it out. Holy. God. I almost went out and bought Smashbox Hyperlash but got this instead and saved about $15. If you need an amazing mascara, try this out.

Favorite Haircare/Skincare Product: The Body Shop Body Butter in Satsuma
I have been having some trouble with breakouts recently and my hair is kind of a mess, so I went with a staple in my collection - body butter. I have always loved citrus scents and this one just makes me feel happy and summery and just yummy in general.... which is weird but I don't care. Put this on after you shave your legs and your legs are smoother for seriously about two extra days and that is a big deal, my friends.

Listening to: Drive Soundtrack
I know I've already raved about this soundtrack and I will again tomorrow for On Repeat but I can't handle how much I love this soundtrack. You absolutely need to see the movie as well. You can find the entire soundtrack on Spotify because someone made it a playlist so you have no reason to not check it out. I'M SERIOUS.

Reading: A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin
Yes, I'm a Game of Thrones fan. Who isn't nowadays? I got my Dad completely hooked after getting him the first season for Father's Day. The books are possibly more amazing than the series because they go into way more detail and help you really understand what's going on during the show. If you like to read, check out this series.

Reasons this month was great (just to stay positive):
1. Wing Tuesday at Buffalo Wild Wings with the FBG has been established.
Must I say anything else?

2. I finally have the hang of my internship.
This is a big one. I finally feel comfortable here and my mentor is amazing. I can do most everything by myself now after he walked me through it about 8,748,394 times. I love what I'm doing here and have total confidence in applying to medical and/or graduate school. boom.

3. Tessa and I double dating this summer.
First off, any one of the FBG having a successful interaction with a man is a momentous occasion in and of itself. The fact that Tessa and I have (sorta) snagged two guys to hang out with that just happen to be best friends is literally the most convenient and mind-boggling event. Cute boys? Hanging out with one of my best friends? Fun things like amusement parks? If I had some pizza and a Sonic Blast I would require nothing else in life.

Well, that's all for me today.  If you have any comments/questions/requests, please leave them here! It's completely anonymous so if you're shy it's perfect for you. We really would love some feedback.

Have a great rest of June!

xx
Jen

Green tea does amazing things for your skin, whether you drink it or use it in a cleanser, moisturizer, or the like. Tea oil is known for helping with numerous types of skin. It doesn't leave skin oily or shiny, just moisturizes and leaves your skin glowing.

There are really three different ways to go about using green tea in your skin care routine.

1. Using the actual tea bag.
After you make your tea (or if you don't drink tea, just run it under hot water), rub the tea bag on your face to reduce any redness or irritation. Do this for about two minutes until the tea bag is cool.

2. Using the tea in your cleanser.

This is what I mean by ground tea, it's easier to mix with the cleanser

This is my preferred method. Put your normal amount of cleanser in a bowl, cut open the tea bag, and mix the two together. Leave this mixture on for about five minutes and then rinse off. Buying just generic green tea would work best for this. I have a loose leaf green tea and I normally just squeeze extra tea or add tea to the mixture if I don't have a bag that has ground tea.

3. Green Tea Mask
Cut open a tea bag and mix it with honey (make sure it's untreated, raw honey) until it becomes a paste. Apply to your face and leave on for five to ten minutes and rinse off with warm water.

If you make green tea a part of your skin care routine, you will have glowing, less irritated skin in no time! This is a cheap way to help your skin out, a 40 count box of Lipton Green Tea is less than $4.

xx Tori

This little gem I happened to receive in a Birchbox about a month back (at least I think it was last months.. I could be wrong. Don't quote me on that) and I've been in love with it from the second I opened the packaging.

The packaging is the standard Cargo tin, which I actually quite enjoy. I had owned one of their blushes and an eyeshadow duo previously and I find that the packaging doesn't get dirty in comparison to others. The full size blush that I own is a little big, but still useable for travel inside of a make up bag, but the size I have for Los Cabos is absolutely perfect and doesn't take up too much space at all. My only complaint on the packaging is that I constantly have to check that I'm grabbing the right product since they all look the same, and considering this blush and my eyeshadow duo are the same size.

Los Cabos is a gorgeous peachy shade, or as the Cargo website describes it a "soft tangerine." It has a slight shimmer to it. It reminds me a lot of NARS Orgasm, but with a more orange tone than pink. I've been reaching for this over my e.l.f. St. Lucia blush & bronzer kit (drugstore dupe for NARS Orgasm and Laguna).

The shade is perfect for summer. In fact, when fellow Broke Girls Jen, Rachel and I had an outing to the pool the other day (a rare sight, even more rare, we were around males, but that's another story) since this blush is a part of Cargo's Water Resistant make-up line it was the perfect way to put it through the test. I wouldn't say that it lasted the whole time on my skin, but we were out for quite a while, and a lot of water contact was involved... I think that was a given since we were swimming but whatever. Point being, it didn't smudge which is a great attribute because no one wants to have streaks of make up running down their face when you're at the pool with attractive boys or really anytime for that matter. Sorry for my tangent but you get my point.

I only have the sample size of this since it was a part of my Birchbox, as mentioned before, but I have no doubt that I will end up purchasing the full-size. This could easily become a summer staple for me so let's hope they keep it around long enough for me to snag up a full size!

You can get the full size for $26 from Cargo Cosmetics or Ulta stores.

xx
Tessa

Hello, sweets! So, if you've ever had microdermabrasion or a facial in general you know how amazing your face looks and feels. Unfortunately, they're not exactly on the cheap side. So, I've found this little DIY recipe that leaves your skin feeling great and looking a little bit more bright! 


What you'll need:
-A bowl or cup
-Baking Soda
-Circular face brush 



Let me know how your experiences are trying it!

xo Kayson

 Why hello there, I hope you're all having a wonderful/lazy Sunday like I am. Considering this weekend has been much busier than I originally anticipated (I'm in a state of shock after all this social interaction), my post will be just a wee bit short this week. Anyhow, I thought I'd share what I'm currently donning on my nails.





      All self control seems to go out the window when I browse the nail polish stands, and on a recent trip to Walmart I picked up three new polishes. Frugal. Still, I found this Sally Hansen shade which reminds me a great deal of Watermelon by Essie yet cost considerably less - only $1.97. Even better, it was completely opaque after one coat and caused no bubbling at all. I've found the same of the Xtreme Wear line as well. Needless to say this was a solid purchase on my behalf and I look forward to adding more from this range to my collection. 

     Just for reference, I preceded the Sally Hansen color with Essie's Millionails strengthening base coat/treatment. I do think it helps ever so slightly to prevent my nails from peeling or breaking, though it does leave them a little yellow after removal. I followed up Tough Love (which, beeteedubs, is 3 free - meaning no DBP, Toluene or Formaldehyde) with my standard Revlon top coat. This always leaves a semi-gel finish to my manicure and does, in fact, dry quickly. Woop.

    So there you have it folks. Enjoy the last of your weekend!

xx
Rachel

*oh p.s. my knuckle rings are from Forever 21. 3 for $1.80. Aww yeah.

 KAYSON
Dreams - The Cranberries
     So this is just a BIT of a throw back but, this is easily one of my favorite songs of ALL time. So it would only make sense that it is constantly on my playlists. It's such a unique genre not to mention her voice is beautifully unique. I originally heard this song on "my so-called life" back in middle school, The-N would play reruns of it. I immediately fell in love with it! Essentially, it's just a great song if you're unwillingly falling for someone. Would recommend without a doubt. 

 Hola! So last Saturday I actually dressed myself before Rachel dragged me to the mall and out to eat. The struggle was so real to get out of bed before noon. Anyway, I figured I might as well use my outfit for my post of the week since it's unlikely I'll look this normal again until tomorrow. I guess that's not that long.... my job has a very informal dress code which means I wear tshirts and rolled up jeans with Sperry's every day. Original, I know. Alright, well here goes!


I wanted to wear something that would allow me to be comfortable in both the searing Kansas sun and the blasting air conditioning of the mall. I got to Rachel's and realized I needed something to cover up so I stole this checked shirt from her. (Did I give that back yet?) Here's what I'm wearing:

Floral Lace Shirt - Target, no longer available
Checked Shirt - Rachel's
High Waisted Shorts - Charlotte Russe, no longer available
Bag - Forever 21, $29.80








Onwards to the makeup:

Foundation - Benefit Oxygen Wow Liquid Foundation, $36
Concealer - Benefit Boi-ing in 01, $20
Under-eye Concealer - Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser, $11
Powder - Maybelline Dream Matte Powder, $8
Blush - Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-hour Blush in Natural Beauty, $25
Eyebrows - NARS Duo Eyeshadow in Madrague, $34
Eyeliner - Stila Liquid Eyeliner in Brown, $20
Mascara - Benefit They're Real!, $23
Lipstick - MAC in Vegas Volt, $15 (this is the one I got Tori!)

Hoping the rest of your Thursday and weekend is great!

xx
Jen

     When I supposed to be studying for finals, I went ahead and bought a bunch of books to read over the summer. Amazon is definitely not my friend. Adding up the receipts, I spent almost $45 on these seven books. I normally like to read nonfiction, memoirs, genres of those sorts.

     So, starting with a book I have finished (I've started about three),

1. I Am An Emotional Creature by Eve Ensler
     This book of poetry and prose was different than I'm used to reading, but Eve Ensler definitely captivated my attention when I saw an interview with her on the documentary America the Beautiful. Naturally, I enjoyed some pieces more than others, but the ones I liked, I love and still reread them.

2. Insecure At Last by Eve Ensler
     I mean, Amazon recommended it to me, so I thought that was a good enough reason. I have started on this book and am about 40 pages in. She talks about the dynamics between what it means to be insecure. It is a really interesting perspective that most people strive to be secure in their lives, when in reality, we learn about ourselves and about other people better and more fully when we are insecure and vulnerable.

3. Clearly, I didn't think this through by Anna Goldfarb
     As a genius blogger, I am expecting great things of this book. Anna Goldfarb is hilarious and holds nothing back in terms of family and her personal life which I think makes her so wonderful. I hope that her wit shines through in this book. And let's be honest, the amount of times I catch myself saying, "clearly, I didn't think this through," it should be mandatory that I read it.

4. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling
     I have been wanting to read this for awhile now. I catch myself wanting to repeat some of the things I've said for Anna Goldfarb about Mindy Kaling (I must have a type for role models). Anywho, this will probably be the next book I start after finishing Insecure At Last.

5. Finding Your Element by Sir Ken Robinson
     I normally don't read books of this sort, which dare I classify as a self help book. I was feeling a bit lost in my studies when I once again had bailed on my major. I saw a TED talk with Sir Robinson in which is discussed how our education system is failing us and what we can do about it. Finding Your Element is armed with exercises to make you think about what you are good at and what you are passionate about and how to use those aptitudes to do something you love. I'm about half way through this book and I actually really love it and find it immensely helpful.

6. Epiphany by Elise Ballard
     Another book I have yet to finish. Epiphany is just a conglomeration of interviews about different people's epiphany moments. They are not necessarily their epiphany about their career, but mostly in other aspects of their lives; religion, relationships, hobbies, etc. It's an interesting read that you can obviously pick up at any point and read in between, and skip over certain points if you wanted.

7. Incognito by David Eagleman
     To be quite honest, I'm not even 100% sure what this one is about, all I know is it is about the brain. Good. Well done, Tori. I picked it up because Amazon recommended it to me. I'm pretty sure Rachel has read it, or is in the process of reading it. With chapters titled, "There's Someone In My Head, but It's Not Me," and "Why Blameworthiness Is The Wrong Question," i'm sure it will be interesting.

**Other books I am meaning to read this summer; The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell, Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer, and Unmasking the Face by Paul Ekman

 Yoooo!

     Sorry this is up so late but you know how it goes with work and what not. Anyway, here is my new video opening my Ipsy Glam Bag! Here's a link for more info on ipsy!

My personal profile is kansasbeautyy

xxx
Tessa