First Place!

She could do it. She knew she could. All she had to do was pack her suitcase, hop on her broom, and fly away.


Kora shivered as she tugged her thin jacket closer to her trembling body. She was freezing and sticky. Her wet, soda soaked hair clung to her face no matter how many times she tried to swipe it away. As Kora sat on the front steps of her brownstone waiting on her landlord to come unlock the door, she cursed herself for deciding to attend a college intended for Norms instead of taking her friends’ and family’s advice and attending a school back home intended for Specials. If she had just stuck with her own kind instead of running off into a world she had no business living in, this never would have happened. She wouldn't be stranded outside of her locked apartment doused in diet coke with wads of gum stuck in her blonde hair and dried spit balls littering every square inch of her outfit, with trails of mascara running down her puffy red face. She wouldn't have gotten her satchel stolen which contained her crystals, book of spells, and house key in it. And she certainly would have never met the bane of her existence, Whitney and her slew of minions.
 
Oh how Kora wished she had her spell book to whip up a hex that would put Whitney in her place, but sadly, all ill spirited spells got you was a one-way ticket to see the Council and that’s the last thing she needed. She’s in enough trouble as it is since her magic materials are now in the hands of Norms. If only her biggest worries were her finals coming up next week and getting this gum out of her hair.

Jumpsuit Fever

Jumpsuit Fever by marshyy featuring a black jumpsuit

I've been in love with the jumpsuit trend this spring! I already have three, and I'll probably buy another one soon. What are your thoughts on jumpsuits? Love them? Hate them? Sticking to rompers? How many jumpsuits should be allowed in a closet? Let me know. 

Second Place

I left.

I’m done.
I’m free.

I ran for miles. I ran without stopping even though my lungs burned something fierce and my shaky legs threatened to give out at any moment. I ran until I reached the edge of the cliff, and I collapsed gracelessly onto my knees as I greedily sucked in gasps full of the salty air.

No more shackles.
No more Godless, sleazy men.
No more torment.

I allow the relief to wash over me and the anxiety to dissolve as I look out over the clear blue waters and rolling waves. I’m finally safe. They can’t hurt me anymore. After countless months of being trapped in the dark, damp cell, after being stripped of every ounce of my dignity, and after being forced to endure the endless torture of my captor and his companions, I’m finally free, and I'm never looking back.

I fought.
I’m alive.
I’m safe.

As the sea breeze dances through my unkempt hair, I allow myself to smile for the first time in months. I can finally breathe.

Easter and Birthday Weekend

I hope everyone had a great Easter weekend! Not sure if any of you even noticed my brief hiatus, but I've been in Blowing Rock, NC since Thursday. My mom and I went for the weekend to celebrate my birthday. As of 10:15 tonight, I officially turned 23 years old. Still not exactly sure how I feel about that, (I'm getting so old, and I'm so not a fan of odd numbers) but I'm thankful for another year and hopefully many more!

I took this weekend as an opportunity to test out my new camera in a different setting. I'm definitely no expert, and I'm still learning, but I'm having so much fun discovering what all this camera can do. Let me know what you think!

Prepping for Summer

The other day as I was getting ready for work, pulling on my new Banana Republic dress and slipping into my new Vince Camuto sandals, I caught a glimpse of myself in my floor length mirror. And I was blinded. How had I not realized how ghastly pale I was? And not in a flattering porcelain skin way, but in an ashy, sickly way! All winter, I've hidden under layers of wool and leggings and neglected my skin. I've forgotten to hydrate, exfoliate, and God forbid shave on a regular basis. The sudden realization came crashing down on me: I'm not ready for summer. I'm not ready for bare legs, or bare feet (hello, have I ever even heard of a pedicure?), and I'm sure as hell not ready for bikini season. I shudder just thinking about it. I blame it all on my post grad status. If I was still in school, I wouldn't be having this problem. I'd be surrounded by girls working out, detoxing, waxing, tanning, and primping getting ready for countless formals, spring break, and beach week. Instead, I'm surrounded by my middle age coworkers and my lazy dog on a daily basis. It's time for me to care again. So after that epiphany, I hightailed it to where else? The mall. I picked up a few goodies to help me transition from lazy couch bum to summer goddess. Haha, or something like that...

Essie Nail Polish in Off the Shoulder

Self Tan by Victoria's Secret

Hot pink nails look so good against tanned skin, at least in my opinion, and it's my go to color for spring and summer. As you can see, I go the faux tan route. Since getting a scary rash from a tanning bed and discovering my first wrinkle, (yes, it happened. no, I don't want to talk about it.) I'm so over any type of tanning that doesn't come in a cream/mouse/spray form. This is the first time I've ever used VS gradual self tanner, but I have to say I'm really impressed so far. After just one application, I have a natural looking tan besides the one spot I kind of missed...I'm thinking application #2 may be the real streak free winner. 

MAC Mineralize Lipglass in Cheerful

MAC Pro Longwear Concealer in NW20

Originally, I wanted to purchase the MAC Mineralize Lipstick in Style Surge, which is a gorgeous coral, but sadly they were sold out so instead I purchased this Lipglass instead. I love this gloss! It's not sticky, and it's not nearly as tangerine orange as it looks in the tube. It's more of a sheer orange gloss that looks great on top of coral lipsticks or by itself.

Let me just take a second and praise this concealer. I really don't know what I've been doing with my life before I bought this. This stuff is amazing. I use MAC Pro Longwear Foundation and absolutely love it, so it shouldn't be such a shock that I feel the same way about the concealer, but for some reason it is. This concealer is great! It takes very little product to conceal my dark circles under my eyes, my red cheeks, and any blemishes I may have. This will be great for summer since I really don't like to wear much face makeup in the hotter months. Did I mention this stuff stays put and doesn't move until you want it to? Yeah, it's pretty much a little miracle in a bottle. Buy it. 

A Week In Pictures

*Obviously, this will be a photo heavy post, so you've been warned.*

Hope everyone is having a fabulous weekend so far! Last night, I went out with a girlfriend for cocktails, and today I had to work. Usually, that's a bit of a bummer, but we have gotten some gorgeous spring clothes in, so I spent most of the day drooling over those. Thank goodness for that employee discount! This week, at least in my opinion, flew by! Most likely because the weather was great and everyone was in a happy mood since spring is finally here :)

At the beginning of the week, I took on my first DIY project since sorority days. I made a light box so I could take better pictures. I know, mine looks a little...rough, but it does the job. So glad I found this article on Pinterest!

On my day off, I went with my Mama to buy garden supplies and do a little shopping. Afterwards, we treated ourselves to some delicious SAS cupcakes and cake pops. I got a red velvet, vanilla, and chocolate chip. They were so yummy! And aren't those hydrangeas gorgeous?

All week, I've been receiving these great little birthday promotions from all my favorite stores. I've already put one to good use (Thanks Tory Burch!), and by the end of my birthday month there will be no money left in my bank account!

I don't think I've introduced you guys to my pup yet, but this is my baby, Abby. She's a little scruffy at the moment because she's due for a grooming, but doesn't she just have such a sweet face? Or maybe I'm just a bit biased :)

I know they say April showers bring May flowers, but I must say, I'm kind of loving the April flowers in my mom's garden right now.

Morning Beauty Routine

My morning skin care routine is super short and super easy for two reasons:
a.) Finding products that are effective but don't break my uber sensitive skin out is practically a miracle.
b.) I'm not a morning person, and I like my sleep. I hit the snooze button at least 6 times every morning, so 9 times out of 10 I'm running late.

I love trying new skincare products and researching what works for my skin type, but more often than not the products I try are a miss. So I'm beyond overjoyed when I find something that works for my skin. Overall, I have clear skin, thanks to my dermatologist I've gone to since I was 16 and genetics, but my skin is very dry, and if you haven't caught on by now, super sensitive. At the moment, these products are working wonders on my skin after this harsh winter we had. I'm sure my bipolar skin will freak out come summer time, and I'll have to switch up my routine again but as of now this is what's working for me.

Step 1: I wash my face in the morning with raw organic honey. I just wet my face, squirt out a little honey, and massage it into my face like I would any cleanser. I then rinse with cool water and voila! Soft and clean skin. If you want to read up on the benefits of using honey as a cleanser, then check out this post.

Step 2: I apply Tarte Maracuja C-Brightener Eye Treatment. I've only been using this eye cream for about a week. I used to use this. So far, I really like it. It's very moisturizing and does a good job of making me look alive and bright eyed in the mornings.

Step 3: Perricone MD Vitamin C Ester 15. I then apply this cream all over my face, focusing mainly on my forehead and around my mouth area. Vitamin C is great for anti-aging. It's supposed to brighten, get rid of dark spots, help with fine lines, diminish redness...the list goes on and on. If you don't know about the powers of Vitamin C, then I highly suggest you do a little research because it's great.

Step 4: I've been using Cetaphil Daily Facial Moisturizer since I was a teenager and my dermatologist told me to buy it. I love it because it's very gentle, and it contains an SPF of 15. It absorbs into my skin really quickly and doesn't make my face red. I have a problem with moisturizers breaking me out and burning my skin. Every time I try a new one, I always end up going back to this one. It's definitely my holy grail moisturizer.

So there it is. Like I said, super quick and easy. I'm always looking for suggestions for skincare. So if you have any favorite products, send them over this way!

Pen to Paper

As some of you may know, I graduated college with an English major and Art History minor. My biggest dream in life is to be a writer, preferably a novelist. I know, I know. That's so cliche and far-fetched, blah, blah, blah. Whatever. It's my dream. In college, I obviously wrote pretty much all day every day (hello, English major status), but since graduating I've kind of gotten out of the habit, and it's become harder and harder for me to get back into the groove of writing everyday. Needless to say, I haven't entered any writing competitions since graduation. I'm sure my Creative Writing teachers would have a cow if they knew.

Here's the paragraph that actually let's you know what this post is about, but hey, if you read that useless back story, then good for you. Props. Tessa Hall, is the writer of one of my new favorite blogs and the author of the novel Purple Moon, which I have yet to read but is definitely on my list. She does a Monday Minute Challenge each week, which is a writing challenge that helps writers work on their creativity. It's a fun challenge that's not serious at all but is actually really helpful. Last week, I entered for the first time and won Honorable Mention! If you enjoy writing or if you're in need of weekly writing prompts, then I suggest you give Tessa's writing challenge a try!