Honouring One of the Greats: Kurt Cobain's Lessons

Hey guys!

For those of you who know, today is Kurt Cobain's birthday. While I was born just a few months before this amazing human being died tragically, I believe he lives on through his music, and today, the Chronicler will be paying their respects with some life changing lessons we can all learn from Kurt Cobain.

As a side note for those who don't know Kurt Cobain or don't follow Nirvana, the band, here is a short synopsis. Nirvana was a 90s grunge punk rock band that started in Washington state. Their most well known song, in my opinion/experience, would be "Smells Like Teen Spirit", "Come As You Are", and "Dumb". They're seen as the "flagship band" for Generation X and are eligible to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year.

We can learn many lessons from Kurt Cobain. Despite dying young, he had some pretty amazing quotes throughout his lifetime. Most of us say some pretty quotable things on a daily basis, we just don't have people hanging around recording every word we say like Kurt Cobain or Marilyn Monroe or any number of celebrities. Without further introduction, here are some lessons we can learn from the late but still great Kurt Cobain:

People:

I think many of us can nod our heads at this statement. Bottom line is, people suck, you just need to choose to surround yourself with people who are less sucky than the rest.

Being Yourself:

It's good to be hated, I'm not sure why it's such a scary thing for some people. If you're hated that means you're as unabashedly you as you can be and that's nothing to be ashamed about.

Fear:

I don't know, I just really love this line. It's so sad and heartbreaking, and yet, I can look at this quote and relate. Not in that I have a daughter, but in that I look at an old photo of me and it reminds me so much of who I used to be and it makes me so sad and empowered at the same time. I think at one point or another, we've all experienced moments of terror whether it's from a memory or something, and you just freeze, your breath comes short, and you can't even think straight.... Yeah, I think we can all relate and appreciate the rawness of this line.

Human Rights:

'Nuff said. As are the next quotes below.

Love:

Generations:

Ambitions:

 Heartbreak:

Life:

Tragedy:

Expectations:

Drugs:

And with that, thank you very much for reading this post. It was outside the beauty realm, but I don't want to be just a beauty girl. I want to be one you guys can relate to and post things I find interesting and meaningful and helpful. So with that, happy birthday, Kurt, and to all of you, I hope this was educational enough to get rid of some of the posers wearing Nirvana shirts out there. Shame on Forever 21 for even selling the logo on their clothing to 12 year olds. Nirvana isn't just a cool grunge trend symbol thing you wear on a crop frigging top. Have some pride. That smiley face represents an entire generation, a whole movement, and an amazing band. It is not a trend, it does not make you look like a badass and it does not amp your "street cred". It is a representation of one of the most inspirational voices of a generation that has carried onto the next one. 

With that in mind, I leave you with one of my personal favourites, "Heart Shaped Box".

                                

XOXO, 

A. Bean

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Let's Talk Beauty: Haul!!

Hey guys! Happy post Valentine's/Singles Awareness/Family Day long weekend! Hopefully you're all getting through the day in one piece and semi sober?

Like any happily single girl, my therapy/drug of choice is makeup. So, given the recent splurge of generally couple-y days, I decided to splurge on myself. Below is a series of things I've recently purchased, both high end and drugstore, in addition, I'll be including things I would like to purchase online.

This is by far the biggest thing I splurged on price wise and it's also the product I was most excited about purchasing. I chose to buy this product over the Naked 3 palette because I found it to be far more versatile in terms of colour choices and looks I could do with that palette as opposed to the Naked 3. I've been iffy on jumping on the rose gold bandwagon since the trend started (trends always scare me unless they're classics because then they'll never go out of style). I reconciled my choice by telling myself the Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette also included some pinky colours which would work for Valentine's Day. Also, the Chocolate Bar Palette smells like honest to goodness chocolate! The perfect Valentine's Day gift for myself and really for any day of the year! Plus, Too Faced will always win the award for cutest packaging in my opinion. If you guys would like to see a tutorial with the Chocolate Bar Palette let me know in the comments!

"The Chocolate Bar experience begins as soon as you open the palette and the smell of sweet chocolate envelops you. The eye shadows are pigmented with pure, antioxidant-rich cocoa powder and includes 16 matte and shimmer shades of natural browns, delicate pinks and luscious plums. Includes our signature how-to Glamour Guide with three looks to get you started."  -Too Faced 

Along the same eyes category, I also splurged on eyeliner. I love eyeliner, but I stick to my drugstore eyeliner up until the point where my right eye started watering, causing my eyeliner to be a hot mess all over my eyelid. Not cute. I could've bought a drugstore waterproof eyeliner and saved myself some money, but, of course, while looking for a different palette (the LORAC Pro Palette which, as it turns out, Sephora does not carry the LORAC brand anymore *tear*), I walked by the Stila Award Winning Eyeliner display in Sephora and immediately did a U-turn. It was definitely an impulse buy, but not one I regret.  The felt tip is amazing for precision and winging eyeliner is so easy with a good liner. It saves so much time in the morning. If you guys are looking for a good eyeliner to splurge on, either for special occasions or you just prefer higher end eyeliners, you need this one in your repertoire of makeup goodies!

Moving away from the eyes, I also took my Benefit virginity. *gasp* Yes, I am now a proud owner of two Benefit products. The first thing I picked up was the Dandelion lip gloss. I haven't heard much about this product, mainly because I'm assuming that no one else is crazy enough to spend 20$ on a lip gloss, but let me tell you guys, in moments of weakness, I impulse and splurge buy like it's an Olympic sport (go Canada go!). If you're looking to splurge on lip gloss or in a mood to spoil yourself, I highly recommend this lip gloss. I applied it as soon as I got home and haven't been able to stop using it since. The tube says "ultra plush" and I was confused on what products mean when they say they're "plush"-y. Like with the Maybelline Mega Plush Mascara, I was intrigued by the plushy adjective. It's weird, but it's totally true. The Dandelion lip gloss is a really amazing gloss. It's not sticky and the scent or taste isn't bad at all! I really enjoy it and since it's almost spring, I feel like it's an excellent gloss to put me in a springy mood in the dead of this Canadian winter. Highly recommend if you're looking for a non sticky, smooth feeling gloss.

Keeping on the Benefit Beauty bandwagon, I also purchased...wait for it...the Rockateur blush. I know I said I was iffy to jump on the rose gold bandwagon, but my blush collection is very sad. I own one I use on a regular-ish basis, but for the winter time, it's not so pretty looking. I have another where only the smallest bit is more than enough. I've also really loved the whole blush as a contour thing and wanted to get a blush that would be deep enough to do that. However, the Rockateur blush is more of a highlight as a blush, but it still looks gorgeous. I applied it for the first time today and so far I'm loving it! I was iffy on the rose gold thing and had been contemplating purchasing the Rockateur blush since it came out and was raved about on the YouTube. I'm so glad I finally purchased it and look forward to buying the rest of the Benefit blushes!



Onto the drugstore goodies, I bought a bunch of Revlon things, a new eyeliner, and a new L'Oreal mascara. Surprisingly, I didn't purchase any Maybelline goodies, although it was a close call between me, the Maybelline Baby Skin, and the cash register. I didn't end up buying it in the end because of the mixed reviews, and while I was dying to try it out for myself, I was just too iffy on the purchase to fully commit (my commitment issues don't just extend to relationships, people).

The new L'Oreal Butterfly Waterproof mascara is the most recent(ish) line, I think, of L'Oreal mascaras and the wand is super funky. It's supposed to reach every lash and extend each one for a "butterfly" winged out effect.

"Its revolutionary Butterfly Brush^™ with asymmetrical lash line shape extends and lifts outer corner lashes to give you a winged-out effect, instantly volumizing lashes at the roots and stretching lashes outward. The unique Cocoon Fibers^™instantly wrap lashes in a soft, delicate veil to create silky, spectacular lashes that flutter." -L'Oreal Paris USA

I haven't tried it enough to give a full review on it, but it will be coming in the near future!

Next, I have a new eyeliner from Rimmel. It's from their Scandleyes line and it's their waterproof pencil eyeliner in the shade Nude. I love it for lining my waterliner. It's especially good for when you do choose to go the rose gold route for your eyes and want to avoid the redness that your waterline naturally takes on when applying pinky shades to your eyelids. (Thank you Emily Noel on YouTube for that tidbit, check out her main channel emilynoel83 and her second channel where she posts reviews 5 days a week! Beauty Broadcast Express)

Emily Eddington AKA emilynoel83
on YouTube

Alright, time to hop into the bulkier portion of my drugstore haul where I got four Revlon lip things.
For a long time, I've been dying to get the Revlon Matte Balms, but the shades I wanted were never at Walmart (shameless cheap student moment, guys). I was able to snag two that seemed fun to play with. The first being the purple shade, Shameless. The colour itself is pretty scary, but I've seen a few girls on YouTube rocking the purple lip, so I'm excited to try it out for myself and put my own spin on it to make it wearable for the everyday student with a passion for makeup. The next colour I was able to get my hands on is the shade called Elusive. It's a strong pinky shade which I thought would be nice for everyday wear, but since I'm in love with the nude lips, I haven't had a chance to fully fall in love with it yet. Overall, the balm stains act like a lip balm to me in that they glide on super easily. The crayon-like packaging/appearance/application had be a bit weary at first purely because I thought it would tug like some of my drugstore lip liners, but alas, it's a smooth application process and the colour pay off is super vibrant. The purple appears exactly as it is on your lips which was my primary concern when swatching these at the store. Nobody wants a faint purple lip when they buy a vibrant purple looking product. A tutorial on How To Rock the Purple Lip will be up in the near future! (In other words, after spring break!)

Swatches from left to right: Revlon Colorburst Balm Stain
in Shameless and Elusive, next to it is the quilted Revlon Gloss
in Peony, Dandelion gloss by Benefit, Rockateur Blush by Benefit

Next, I purchased two glosses to go along with the balm stains for an added shine. The first, being the Revlon gloss with a quilted cap detailing and it's in the shade Peony. It's a gorgeous peachy pink shade with flecks of shimmer in it. The gloss is nothing like the Dandelion gloss I mentioned earlier by Benefit, but over top of a nude lip and Peony looks gorgeous. I tried applying it over Elusive and wasn't as impressed with the results, so for this gloss I'd recommend using it over a nude lip if you want to give it that pinkinsh tint without being too over the top.
The next gloss I bought from Revlon was one of the cheaper ones since I just wanted something that could compliment the Shameless matte balm. I know it's weird to apply a gloss over a product that should be matte, but I can't help it. My lips get chapped and start cracking and it's not cute, so sometimes a sister needs her gloss ok? This gloss I purchased was about 6$ and it's in a deep plumy shade. I'm still experimenting with the look, so like I said, I let you guys know my full thoughts in an upcoming tutorial featuring Shameless and possibly the berry shade which I can't remember the name of to save my life. If nothing else, I feel like I can wear the berry shade over top of one of my red lipsticks to deepen the colour, or even pair it with my Revlon Black Cherry Lipstick to amp up the vamp.

That is everything in my most recent splurges! I hope you guys enjoyed and let me know what products you'd like to see a review/demo/tutorial with in the comments or hit me up on Twitter or Instagram to keep up with all my daily adventures and random selfies!

I will also have listed down below things I intend on order online, but haven't gotten around to doing so yet. Mainly for me, but also for you guys to see some great products which aren't available in stores (at least not in Canada).

• LORAC Pro Palette: this palette retails for 42$ online and like I said before, is not available at Sephora in Canada. This palette looks super versatile with matte shades on the top row and shimmery shades on the bottom. I've seen numerous beauty gurus on YouTube mention this palette and how much they love it, and I feel like this palette is good for any look you want to accomplish for daily wear/use.
• BH Cosmetics Pop Art Brush set: I mainly like this one because the colourful brushes look fun. Yes, I'm one of those, don't judge me, you know you get suckered in by the packaging too. The brush set itself is 24.95$ on their site. My brush collection is sad and in desperate need of friends, so I figure this investment will be a good kick off to my collection. I'm awful at choosing brushes individually and much prefer a set so that a) I feel like I'm spending less money on a set as opposed to buying multiple individual brushes, and b) I have no clue what to do when it comes to individual brushes in terms of what I need and don't need. A brush set sets you up with a good foundation which is vital for every aspect of your life. (#justificationsofabrokestudent)
• Sigma brushes: I don't know which one, I don't know which set, but I have made it my goal to own at least a set of sigma brushes. They have a set I've been eyeing for a while, but it's 140$ and it comes with basically every brush an amateur makeup person would need. I'll see how it goes with the BH Cosmetics brushes first before I commit to sigma. If nothing else, I will definitely be purchasing the F80 brush which I hear about so much! 
• ELF Cosmetics Small Stipple Brush: one of my favourite beauty gurus (emilynoel83) talks about this brush until she is blue in the face and I figure a 3$ brush? Why not. I've had some issues finding ELF at my local drugstore which is why somewhere down and along in the near future, I'll be ordering that brush and seeing what the hype is about.

And that is everything to this post! I hope you guys enjoyed it and I'll be sure to upload some tutorials I've done for you guys including my everyday makeup look, a Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette tutorial, and the Revlon Shameless Matte Balm tutorial.

Thank you so much for checking out this post! Don't forget to leave a comment down below on what your recent beauty splurge has been whether it's high end or drugstore!

XOXO,

A. Bean

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Curly Girl Talks: Why Valentine's Day Would Make St. Valentine Cry

Hey guys!

 I hope you all had an amazing week! I've decided Fridays/Saturdays will be my Curly Girl Talks days because I find Fridays to be a time where I have more time to reflect and evaluate everything that went on over the past week. I also love doing these posts because it sets me up for a good weekend!

So without further ado, let's jump right into the post! St. Valentine would cry over what's become of his day, but that doesn't mean you should too. Valentine didn't have to worry about smearing his mascara all down his face. Whether it's Maybelline or MAC, it's such a waste of product.

Valentine's Day is highly overrated and I'm sure a lot of ladies and gentlemen out there can agree with me on this. And no, I'm not just saying this because I happen to be single every single freaking year Valentine's Day rolls around; nor am I just saying this because I'm bitter, angry, lonely, blah, blah, blah.  I'm saying it because it's true. As if guys don't spend enough money taking girls out on dates, buying them food, drinks, condoms, cupcakes, tampons (do they do that? No? Oh, well, clearly he's not whipped enough, psssht), etc. they're also expected to blow another 20 bucks on roses which will die within the next couple weeks (how's that for a long lasting symbol of love?), they also have to make reservation at the snobbiest, most expensive restaurant which will most likely offer them some bogus deal on Valentine's day -having worked in the restaurant biz over Valentine's day several years ago, I can attest to this - and then there's the chocolates, movies, and general never ending sappiness that honestly makes me want to both hurl and pop into the nearest dentist office to get rid of all the sweetness (and cavities). Can you guys tell I killed cupid?

That being said, ladies aren't exempted from all this stupidity. We agonize over date night/day outfits, the perfect gift to give, and the sexiest VS lingerie we can afford (which, let's be honest, has the potential to break the bank because that ish ain't cheap either). I also feel like ladies have to walk a fine line between sweet and outright cheesy. Well, maybe both parties do. On top of that, while watching the Sochi 2014 Opening Ceremonies this morning/afternoon, do you know how many Valentine's Day romance trailer movie things came up in one segment alone? Basically, it was back to back to back sappiness in addition to the obvious Canadian Olympic support commercials. Two words: not fun.
If I worked at a movie theatre on Valentine's day, you know what I'd do for all the whipped suckers being dragged to a cheesy romance movie? Slip them a free popcorn or movie ticket to the latest superhero movie. Honestly as far as dates go, I'd be so much more into a guy who takes me to a movie with guts and grit as opposed to fluff and a plot so cheesy, I'll need multiple barf bags just to get through the first ten minutes. Better yet, we can skip going out to the movies and stay home, flip on some Netflix and the best part? Pajamas and no makeup, ladies. Complete comfort. That's what it should be. Personally, I don't need a special day to show someone I care about them, you should show someone you care about them every day.

St. Valentine would not approve of all the stupidity that now surrounds the 14th. Uh, guys? This dude was martyred on the 14th. You know what that means? He died and you're all out buying chocolates, spending hundred of dollars on outfits, flowers, dinners, movies, makeup, salon days, and not to mention your own mental health at planning the perfect day. By all means, carry on with those dinner reservations at that "cute little Italian place" (god, I abhor "cute little italian places. Why can't the menu be in english? Do I like stumbling over the Italian names for pasta? No. Is garlic breath hot? No. Do I look like I can fit a toothbrush in this stupid little clutch? Hell no! My phone is in my boobs for crying out loud! Having worked at a "cute little Italian place" I can attest to all these claims/have possibly may or may not have been in a similar or exact situation myself), just remember, some important guy died on that day. So Happy Valentine's Day to you too. I'm sure he'd be so proud to see you two love doves sucking face and munching on some pasta.

This year, don't be that couple who is all over each other on V-day causing the rest of us happily single folk to gag and run to the nearest heart covered trash can. It's called PDA and consideration, people, learn it. Also, my go-to thought whenever I see PDA: Is that even sanitary? Like, where have those hands been? Boy, they better be clean if you're gonna even think about touching my hair, hand, face, whatever. Actually, just don't touch my hair or face. The amount of effort and hassle put into both is just not worth having your hands mess up either one. Look, admire, compliment, but do not touch. Having engaged in an embarrassing amount of PDA in my past relationship, I feel the need to publicly apologize to everybody I/we made uncomfortable at the various intersections, stoplights, campus quads, parking lots, and sidewalks. I know how it feels, and had I been of saner mind, would have never condoned such behaviour. To the especially aggrieved mother in the movie theatre parking lot, I am so very sorry you and your little things had to witness that, I wasn't aware of your presence and would have never engaged in such enthusiastic kissing had I known there was an audience. I wish I could tell you it didn't happen again after that, but alas, all I can really do is apologize for my sickening behaviour and to assure you, and everyone else, I still find PDA to be disgusting and unnecessary. Hold hands, not junks, ladies, we keep it classy here at the Chronicles. (Disclaimer: there was no grabby hands or junk holding, it just sounded better to say as a phrase.)

Do yourself and your other (whether they are significant or not, I don't know they're just kind of there aren't they?) and stay in. Spend time together, binge watch Dexter (very romantic), maybe cook a meal together (or order in together - don't forget to tip!), and really, just soak up each other's company like little lovey dovey mildewy sponges. The rest of us single ladies, and guys, can be found knocking back shots of tequila, vodka, and whiskey better than any Hispanic, Russian, or Irish person ever could. And possibly, hopefully, maybe, indulging in some bad decisions which shan't be spoken of ever again and only thought of in moments when you need to give yourself a pat on the back.

While your couple friends may be like "Oh, Valentine's Day was so sweet! So and so did this, this, and that, for me and we had such a good time!" You can stand there, scoff, snort, and be like, "Oh, yeah, Valentine's day was sweet alright. I don't know who did this, this, and that thing that shouldn't be done but was done and we had such a good time!" The best stories never start off with, "so me and my boy/girlfriend had a salad, a nice glass of wine, and then..." because as soon as someone starts a story with what they and their other did, I physically have to restrain my eyeballs from rolling to the back of my head. Also, side note, wine! Basically gross spelt with four letters. Maybe I'm not "advanced" enough with my drinking palette, but I'd rather have a beer or if I have to be fancy, a frilly girly drink. But cheap beer, you have my heart. Wine is hella nasty, I'm sorry. 

At the risk of sounding even more like the anti-valentine's chick that I am, Valentine's day has just turned into a completely commercial and highly overrated day. Can we take a moment to simultaneously groan at all the cheesy heart shaped knick knacks and baubles sold at stores every around this time? Could it get any cheaper and cheesier? Oh lord, my stomach churns at the thought. Hearts are always seasonally appropriate, but around February, they immediately represent everything that is wrong with the world amongst us single folk. That all being said....

Hahaha! Just kidding, I already have a valentine, but for those of you who don't, I'm on your side, and I'll be spending Valentine's day like Harry Potter in the Chamber of Secrets: In my room, pretending I don't exist. With a bottle of hard liquor and a sick pack. Of beer. 

So whatever your relationship status, know that it doesn't define you and we can all survive this one day of the year together because, let's face, you've been single the rest of the time leading up to Valentine's day, so what's the big deal? Think about all the cheap chocolate the day after and the potential free drinks on the 14th from guys who don't want to be alone any more than you do. 

Valentine's day, and really, every day, isn't about the things you receive, whether they are from your other or not, mean nothing. 

Treasure the memories, the thoughts, and the gestures. It's so easy to get caught up in the material things, we often forget about the things that really make a mark on us. I can speak this honestly from personal experience that it's not so much the things you're given so much as the person who's giving it, and the memories you take away with you once the day is over.  Be grateful, be kind, and most of all, be thoughtful.

XOXO,

A. Bean

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Brand Focus: Maybelline New York

Hey, guys! If you saw my Instagram, you'll know I did a full face makeup look using only Maybelline products! It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be to restrain myself to only one brand, but rather very refreshing. I feel like I'm so easily swamped with all the high end products I own/covet that I tend to forget that it's good to go back to the basics a little bit, so I created this simple every day look that is totally wearable during the winter, spring, summer, fall, day or night.

Here is a photo of the completed look. The only non Maybelline product I used was the brow pencil I used to fill in my brows. I used the Shiseido Brow Pencil in Deep Brown. This is one that I stole/borrowed-and-never-gave-back from my mom (love you, Mom...).

Onto the actual tutorial and review for this look! For the face, I used the Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream in the shade light/medium. This was the last one they had at Walmart (don't judge me, I'm poor) and I was super excited to try out a BB cream, especially since my skin has been ridiculously dry lately. I have to say, at first I wasn't completely floored by this product because I was so used to seeing the immediate full coverage of a foundation, but after a few minutes, the product definitely corrected my redness on my cheeks and forehead, and I could definitely feel the hydrating properties of this BB cream. If you're looking for an everyday natural looking face, I recommend this product. If you have super oily skin, this product may not be right for you, since it could feel greasy on top of an oily complexion. Similarly, as I said before, it is not full coverage, but does colour correct and smooths out the look of any bumps and imperfections. Obviously if you have pimples sprouting on your face, it won't cover those, but it brings me to the next product I used which was the Maybelline Instant Dark Circle Eraser. 
This concealer is super duper creamy which makes it really easy to blend. If you use this concealer, I suggest using a face powder to set it otherwise it will crease. True to it's name, this isn't one of those products that claims more than it can do. This concealer completely erasers my dark dark circles under my eyes (thanks a lot, school). Next, to erase the pimples sprouting on the side of my face, I used my Maybelline Dream Lumi Concealer which also doubles as a highlighter. Thumbs up, Maybelline for that one! Recently, I've been kind of obsessing over highlighting my face in addition to contouring and nude lips. It's kind of a problem I willingly embrace.

For my cheeks, I have the Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in 15 Rose Petal. This blush is either hit or miss with some people I feel. Maybe I just lucked out in the shade I chose or something, but the formulation of this cream blush is unlike any other I've tried. It really does have a "bouncy" feel to it and it's super easy to blend into the cheeks. You can use a brush to do this or, if you're like me and can't afford to splurge too much on tools, your finger. Also, to apply blush, avoid applying it directly to the apples of your cheek. Rather drag it up towards your temples. Applying it directly to your apples ages you and drags down your face. If you're in your tweens/teens you can get away with it (sort of) but otherwise, dragging it up towards the temples lifts the face as opposed to dragging it down.
Next up is the eyes. Here I used the Maybelline 24hr Color Tattoo Eyeshadow in the shade Bad to the Bronze. I talked about this product in my A. Awards of Beauty and I'm mentioning it again because it's that awesome. This is honestly a holy grail beauty product for me. It creates the quickest, most effortless eye look. I used this product every day during the summer and while I can't say it lasted 24 hrs, it did last through a whole shift (11 AM - 11 PM) both inside the restaurant and out on the patio in sometimes blistering, sometimes not so blistering weather. Just swirl your ring finger in the jar to pick up some product and apply it all over the lid, taking it up slightly towards the brow bone to create the illusion of a smokey eye. It's the easiest smokey eye product you will ever use, I can promise you that.
This step looks like it took ten minutes, when really? It only takes two.
Next, I took the pencil eyeliner (I don't know the name it wiped off the pencil *sadface*) and lined half my waterline since I prefer to go the sultry cat eye look.

This liner is probably not a waterliner, but it does the trick with this little trick I recently learned from a makeup artist on YouTube (dear gossmakeupartist, thank you). This trick actually works better with a cheap black (or other coloured, whichever...) eye liner pencil. Since most eyeliner pencils are constantly slipping and sliding all around the waterline, this Maybelline one I used being no different, it's hard to find a good liner that will stay put. Instead of blowing twenty dollars on an expensive eye liner, take your cheap pencil liner and grab a lighter. Stick the tip of the pencil into the flame for literally two seconds before pulling it out. DO NOT STICK IT RIGHT IN YOUR EYE AFTER YOU JUST SET IT ON FIRE. Please. Don't. Do not do it. Wait a few seconds and TEST it on the back of your hand before sticking it inside your eyeball. This is an age old trick which I feel has been forgotten with the influx of more and more makeup products and options for eyeliners. By melting the kohl pencil tip bit thing before sticking it in your eye, it causes the product to really grip onto the waterline and stay. It's a trick that will save you so much money (to splurge on other high end products we obviously need...).
For my top lashline, I used the Maybelline masterPrecise by Eyestudio Liquid Liner. This liquid liner makes doing a cat eye super easy, and I'm all about the cat eye look! I also have zero time in the mornings to perfect my cat eye technique, so this liquid liner with a felt tip really helps speed up the process!
For mascara, I used the Maybelline Big Eyes Waterproof mascara. It's a double ended type of wand thing. One side is for the top lashes, the other for the lower lashes. I haven't seen another brand do this. Either they have the primer on one end and the mascara on the other, or one wand for volume, another for length. I like that this one has a skinnier wand for the lower lashes since nothing sucks more than getting mascara all over your under eye concealer, and wiping it off only makes it even worse. The smaller wand also helps declump and reach the tiny lashes on the inner top lash line.
For my lips, I used the Maybelline Baby Lips Dr Rescue Lip Balm in Just Peachy. Unlike the other Baby Lips, the Dr Rescue line is actually really moisturizing. I've used the clear one and the tinted one and both of them are amazing. This is a great product to have for those chapped lips in the winter time.
Finally, I topped off my lips with a swipe of the new Maybelline Color Sensationals Elixirs in the shade Nude Illusion. This gloss is the perfect nude gloss to wear every day and top off over any nude lipstick. Like I said, I have been obsessed with the nude lip look. The gloss itself is super creamy and not at all sticky or tacky, which I find to be the main issue with a lot of glosses. Another pro is this gloss is super pigmented. The colour you see in the tube is the colour you get on your lips. The lasting power of this is about an hour long before you should reapply. You don't need to apply it after an hour since you can still feel the creaminess of it, just the shine may not be so shiny. On a whole I really do love these glosses and look forward to collecting even more of them!

That is everything for my brand focus post, if you guys enjoyed it, please let me know! If you guys love/hate or have any other products by Maybelline you love or don't love, then definitely let me know in the comments! Thank you so much for checking out my post and I hope you have a great day, night, afternoon, morning, night, month, year, week, whatever!

XOXO,

A. Bean

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PSsssssssssst! - #beandrugstoregirl if you love drugstore makeup just as much as I do!

Curly Girly Talk: Why You Shouldn't Date the Guy from your Checklist

Hey guys! 

I hope you all had a great Friday night! Today, I wanted to do a post outside the beauty realm again. This post popped into my head earlier this week, but I was trying to focus on my favourites post and my motivational post for this week, I didn't have the chance to delve further than the title for this post. So, taking advantage of the couple hours I have before my adventure today, I thought I'd take the opportunity to do this post for you guys!

Since it's officially February, which also means Valentine's Day is in a couple weeks, I thought I'd give all you ladies, single or not, some nugget of advice to think about this month.

We all have a checklist, don't lie. Certain traits, whether it's physical or emotional, we look for in a potential relationship. It's through these ideas we believe we will find the key to our happiness and success in a relationship. Well, I'm here to tell you to ditch the list and seek someone outside of your narrow list of requirements. My relationship experience is by no means vast, but having seen and dealt with the aftermath of a few relationships from others, I think I have a pretty solid base for my arguments here.

I've dated (sort of...) two guys in the past, both crazy different, but upon reflection, shared a few similarities. One of them met almost none of my requirements except for maybe one or two, and the other met nearly all of them, except maybe one or two. My point is, the guy who met none of my requirements didn't actually treat me half as badly as I thought and was more than happy to indulge me whenever I wanted; the second guy who met all of my requirements treated me really, really well, but wasn't looking for someone to treat so much as someone to treat him, which I'm okay with every once in a while, but in the early stages of a relationship, I revert to a more traditional standpoint as far as dates go. Both guys did not meet my height requirement, which turned out to be a plus for me because that meant no looming and no awkward neck breaking kisses, eye gazing, etc. And as it turns out the guy who met most of my requirements right down to the car he drove, was my biggest mistake ever. So, whip out your checklists, ladies and gentlemen, there's no judgment here, and let's start debunking why dating your checklist guy is all wrong for you.

Here's my checklist:

Obviously, there's a few more points, but these are basically my main ones. I did an even amount of physical and non physical traits I look/hope for in a guy so you can see what I value most in a partner. Right away we can scrap my height requirement. It's a big deal to me that the guy be taller, not from a traditional the-guy-has-to-be-taller-than-the-girl point of view, but more from a comfort point of view. Like I said, I hate being loomed over and that is unfortunately a trait that follows all tall people whether they mean to do it or not. It gives me an uncomfortable feeling having someone standing/hovering right over me, so maybe taller than me, but not dwarfing me. My next requirement is just one that breaks my heart to throw away because I'm a sucker for clear blue eyes and dark hair, but who isn't? People lucky enough to have that DNA combination are always crazy gorgeous (i.e. Carli Bybel, Josh Kloss, Bunny aka Grav3yardgirl, Jared Leto...etc.). Blue eyes are an optional thing though since both guys I dated both had dark eyes - in addition to blue eyes being insanely beautiful, they are also hard to find on brunettes - and honestly, eye colour doesn't mean all that much in the end as long as what you can see in their eyes is beautiful. So cross that one off your list, girl! This next one has me crying a little at the loss. The first guy I dated was by no means a gym rat and was slowly but surely on a one way train ride to beergutsville, but that being said, he also sparked my newfound palette for beers. See? Little things. He said he used to be a gym rat in high school, football team and all that jazz, but as most people seem to do, slacked on the gym and healthy eating road as soon as he was out of high school, which had been for almost four years. He was sweetish, and indulgent which is always appreciated, but there was just no spark. I never understood the spark thing until I was staring at an embarrassingly sparkless relationship. The last guy I dated was the exact opposite in every way and I think there was some definite wattage being thrown off, but that was probably a culmination of excitement, anticipation, and dying summer air. Point is, muscled and lean or not, a muscled bod is a sign, to me, of dedication, hard work, and drop dead gorgeousness, and so for those reasons, I think it's okay to leave a gym rat requirement up there. If your man puts as much effort into himself, imagine the amount of effort he'll put into a relationship? I speak, not from experience, but pure blind hope here.

On to the non physical attributes, the funny one is kind of a big deal for me, and, I think, for anybody. Nobody wants a humourless love life. You should be able to laugh at/with the person you're with and not worry about offending/hurting them. So funny is definitely another one that should be a permenant residence on your list, but be careful how you judge funny. Funny doesn't have to be comedic funny, and funny doesn't have to be everyone finds him/her hilarious. Funny just has to be what makes you smile and what makes you feel good.  For example, I love puns. Puns make other people roll their eyes while I'm rolling on the floor. A guy who is clever enough to spin words around into a pun is instantly attractive to me. 

My next checkpoint thing, adventurous. This is key for me because I love going on adventures. I love trying new things and seeing new places and sharing new experiences. It's not often we get the opportunity to do things for the first time, but when the chance arises, seize it. Nothing feels better than doing something for the first time and experiencing it with someone you care about. That being said, adventurous doesn't have to mean leaping outside your comfort zone everyday. Adventurous can be anything you want, but when searching for an adventurous partner, be cautious with the adventuring. There's a leap of trust and then a leap that leads to a plummet. My extremes are pretty inextreme compared to some people's ideas of extreme, so make sure you're on the same page in what you want. For this reason, cross adventurous off that list, girl. You want someone to relate to, to experience things with, but not someone who's idea of adventure is leaping off a cliff or parachuting from an airplane while your idea of adventure is trying out a new restaurant or going for a walk in a park you've never been to. And vice versa, of course. Adventure is great, but if you're an introvert at heart like me, use moderation. 

Everyone wants some suave, sophisticated, and smart. If my last relationship taught me anything, it's that the most unlikely people can be delightfully surprising. I dated someone who was far from sophisticated. From the clothes he wore to the music he listened to. He was the exact opposite of the type of guy I saw myself dating aside from the type of car he drove. Despite the way things ended, he really made me reevaluate my sophisticated requirement. I don't want someone sophisticated so much as worldly and exotic. Sorry, sophisticated gents, you're not what I'm searching for. Much love and good luck to you though! There's a kind of element of excitement and unknown when you date someone who is the exact opposite of what you thought you wanted. Whether your checklist says sophisticated or grungy, ditch it and try the guy who doesn't follow your usual type.

And finally, the last trait to swipe off my checklist is my beloved Burnt Marshmallow type of guy. This metaphor is based off the idea that I would like a guy who is all hard and tough on the outside but once you poke him a little, maybe take a bite, he's all softness and gooeyness. I've had this metaphor in mind for my ideal man for a very long time and I've come to the realization that men like that exist only in the realm of romance novels. I'm sorry to say it ladies, but it's true. Modern real men aren't burnt marshmallows. They're marshmallows through and through when it comes to the woman in their life and that's not an entirely bad thing. What you want to avoid is the completely charred types who don't treat you right. My burnt marshamallow type of guy doesn't exist and rather than trying to shove the next sucker I date into that mold, I will take my marshmallow and love him as much as he loves me. And that's all we can really hope for these days. 

Fairytales may not exist but that doesn't mean your next or current relationship can't live up to the magic and love that encircles fairytales. 

By now, your list should look something like this:

Ditch your checklist, flirt with the guy who doesn't meet all your requirements and be happy with whoever you're with. Maybe the guy you'll end up with isn't who you thought your type was at all, so keep an open mind.

In the words of Daughter, "if you're still breathing you're the lucky one, cause most of us are bitter over someone."

Love life and life will love you back. 

Xoxo,

A. Bean

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