Mac & Anastasia Makeup Haul & Review!

July 29, 2017April 29, 2018 by memoallure, posted in Make Up

Mac lipsticks are always my go-to products, but it was time that I branch out and buy more of their eye shadows other than the one I have from my favorites list. I may have went all out and bought 5 of them…

Makeup Haul — **From left to right:** Steamy Frost, Humid Frost, Nylon Frost, Tempting Lustre, Brown Down

Yeah, I have a problem… I’m addicted to makeup. The first step of an addiction is admitting it, right? Thinking I’m in good place then. Let’s move on to why I bought that many all at once. As an esthetician, (or MUA, stylists, etc.) you get a discount from many companies. Here’s a full list here. I have a discount with MAC, so my impulsive buy didn’t cost me a fortune. I highly suggest you apply for the discounts (if applicable) – so worth it!

I bought these about a month or two ago and wanted to really test them out before I wrote a review! Verdict: I love them! The white one is officially my favorite highlighter for the inner corner of my eyes and to highlight my eyebrows. The browns (two on the right) go perfectly together. I’m not sure if you can see clearly the one on the right, but it’s a matte brown. I feel that a matte brown should be a stable for everyone.

Green eye shadows tend to go really well with hazel/green eyes as well as brown eyes, which is why I bought that one. It’s also a beautiful green. The blue on the left isn’t necessarily a color that matches my brown eyes perfectly, but I didn’t have a color like that and thought it would be nice to branch out and try different makeup looks with it. I feel like anyone with blue eyes would look stunning with that shade (Steamy Frost). I may test this out on my best friend Kelsie. She’s letting me test makeup on her this week, which I may share here if she lets me!

Overall, I loved the colors I chose and Mac eyeshadows get an A+ in my book. Now, I just want to buy more…

I wanted to test some of Anastasia’s eye shadows as well as I have never purchased anything from them other than their eyebrow pencils. I am curious to try their renaissance palette. If anyone has tried it, leave a comment below to let me know if you would recommend it!

The individual palette’s were a bit of a disappointment. There is too much residue and fall out. The colors are beautiful which makes it somewhat worth it, but it is quite annoying. If I had to choose between MAC or Anastasia, MAC would be the winner, although, like I said interested to know if the palette does the same. On the positive side, with an eyeshadow primer and makeup setting spray, you should be good for having these eyeshadows be long-wearing. I don’t want to disappoint you or stop you from buying a shade you might be obsessed with! Just wanted to give you a warning!

The both of the gold colors are so beautiful and I chose the pink to branch out and do a different look! These are individual and the packaging comes for free when you buy 4.

I also had to try the highlighter palette from Anastasia by Nicole Guerrioro after all the hype about it. Conclusion: I like it… I don’t love it. Maybe because I went from Becca’s Champagne Pop highlighter to these ones. I had to leave my comfort zone with using Becca’s highlighter and try something new. Don’t get me wrong, I do like the different shades in the palette, which I think is great for any MUA who is working with different skin tones. I also like it because I can even wear these highlighters for work because it’s not too intense. The “Forever Lit” color is also great for the inner corner of the eyes.

Hope you guys learned something cool today and hope you got some inspiration to branch out with different colors like myself. 🙂

Until next time,

Ozz

“Makeup is a powerful way to effectively reveal something unique about your inner self.” – Unknown

*Disclaimer: I am not sponsored by either of these companies and all opinions are my own.

For full disclosure of this site, please read this.

How to Take Care of Your Skin After Vacation

July 26, 2017April 29, 2018 by memoallure, posted in Health, Lifestyle

Flying can be quite damaging to our skins. It dehydrates our skin and gets rid of all our natural oil. There’s not much we can do while this is happening — after the fact is when we can start to take action.

I certainly do not like the feeling flying does to my skin, but I know if I use these products my skin will be in good shape in no time. Even if you are not flying, traveling in anyway tends to be damaging as we do not give the same care we normally do to our skin.

Trust me, as an esthetician, I am super careful with my skin, but it is still not “perfect” because there’s a lot that goes into the health of your skin other than just the use of products.

The below listed products will help the outer layer of your skin, which is called the epidermis. It is important to not only take care of the outer layer, but it is also crucial to implement a healthy diet that works best for you and your skin. By having a healthy diet you are able to to target the inner layer of your skin, which is called the dermis.

Personally, for me I know cheese makes me break out. On vacation, I may have indulged, but now back on track to not consume as much for the repercussions are not worth it.

If you do not already know what your skin is sensitive to, perhaps you could be mindful about it this week of what you eat and how your skin reacts to it. It may take a few days for it to react so just watch out for that.

I would suggest, on top of the healthy diet, to drink plenty of water. Particularly with lemon. If you want to know the benefits of lemon and the health shot recipe, you can check it out here. This will allow all the toxins to escape your beautiful body and replenish with the good.

Alright, onto the actual products that I use to get my skin in order after vacation…

The products are also my current favorites and some of them I’ve been using for a while. These products have been working really well with my skin, but keep in mind — everyone’s skin is different. For me, my skin is combination — it is both oily and dry. For that reason, maybe these products are not what you are looking for if you have other type of skin. But don’t you worry, I know some of them will work for everyone.

Go-to products to help skin after vacation:

Kate Somerville Oil Free Moisturizer:

I love this for the reason that it is oil free, but not only that, it is also one of my favorite moisturizers. Back in the days of working at Sephora, I used to use this all the time, and totally forgot about it until now when I really needed a good moisturizer after my trip to Turkey. It’s lightweight and the right amount of creaminess. This product is also not tested on animals, for anyone who tries to be conscious of that. I currently do not use a serum with this moisturizer, but I will soon and can update you guys on which one I choose.

Mask of Magnaminty by Lush:

I’ve been loving Lush products for quite some time now, and especially in the winter when I can take a nice bath with their bath bombs. This mask made by them is my second bottle that I’ve bought, so you can trust the credibility of its greatness. It is both a face and body mask and the one I especially bought is self-preserving. What that basically means is it doesn’t have synthetic preservatives and it is preserved with more honey than usual, making it more natural, and bonus: more hydrating! This one is perfect for me because I can target both my dry and oily skin at the same time. It is a deep-cleanse with peppermint oil and aduki beans. It has a little sticker on it telling you who made it and when the expiration date is. I also love Lush’s products because they don’t test on animals, in fact, they are fighting animal testing. Another bonus: keep your bottles and return it back to them with 5 bottles and they will give you a free mask.

Peter Thomas Roth Max Complexion Correction Pads:

These I use as my exfoliating treatment. I’ve had these for a few months now and they last forever. There is 60 pads in each bottle and it is made with 2% salicylic acid and 10% glycolic acid complex. This is good for anyone who suffers with acne to anyone with normal skin types. It is a good way to get rid of any bacteria that is laying on the outer layer of the skin. This one is great for after vacation for that reason as well as the exfoliating properties. I, myself, tend to break out after going on vacation, so this product here really saves me. But of course, as always, be conscious of what your skin needs and what it can tolerate.

Caudalie Beauty Elixir

This is a nice little mist/toner that you can carry around with you anywhere. It feels refreshing and is a good mist to spray before applying your moisturizer. This is good for any skin types and especially good for tightening the pores, eliminating dry and dull skin. I did not have this with me before going on my flight, but if I did, I would’ve sprayed it on my face on the plane. This product does not have any damaging chemicals such as parabens, sulfates or phthalates. You may also use this to set your makeup.

5.Peter Tomas Roth Cucumber De-Tox Hydra-Gel Eye Patches:

My last product isn’t particularly good for the appearance of your full face, but it makes everything come together. I love these eye patches for when I want to pamper myself, but not only that, they actually work really well. I put this on the list as I am guessing most vacations sometimes tend to not be sleep friendly. You are either excited to get the day started and wake up early or you go out late and don’t get enough sleep. Whatever is the case, these are perfect to either take with you to de-puff or after the fact to really give your skin the loving it needs.

That is all for my current skin favorites and products I’ve been using after going on vacation! Let me know if you have any questions, I’d be happy to help 🙂

Until next time,

Ozzy

For full disclosure of this site, please read this.

“The secret to living well and longer is: eat half, walk double, laugh triple and love without measure.” – Tibetian Proverb

memoallure.com - fun exercises to try in Boston

Fun Fitness Classes to Try in Boston

July 21, 2017April 29, 2018 by memoallure, posted in Health, Lifestyle

Before heading off to Turkey, I bought a class pass package of 6, which allows you to try any classes up to two times for a specific studio with a time frame of 2 weeks!

When I bought it, they had a deal for only $30 for the 2 weeks. I only had about a week and a few days to use, so I had to get it all in before I left. This led me to try a new studio every day for 5 days straight!

My body hated me by the end of it, but I sure did step up my endurance and strength by the end of it. I think out of the 6 places I tried, there was only one of them that wasn’t my jam, which did not make it on my list below.

Group exercise classes are great in that they allow you to push harder and motivate you to keep pace with everyone else in the room. When you head to the gym yourself, most often than not, you tend to get lazy and don’t really get a good work out in — if you are anything like me. With these classes, you can guarantee a good workout and great results in no time!

Here are fun classes to try in Boston, in order of my liking:

Turnstyle – South End

This is easily now my favorite place ever. Guys, I am genuinely really excited to go back to this studio. I am so obsessed. I usually don’t like spending money on classes as I believe they are overly priced, but this place has my heart. Since I had a deal with Class Pass, I didn’t feel guilty about spending the money, but regardless, I am hooked and will surely buy a package with Turnstyle.

Turnstyle is a cycling studio with other types of exercises available, such as boot camp. I tried cycling two or three other times at different studios, but never really got into it. I didn’t really feel that it was effective nor did I find it enjoyable. This place has got it figured out! The seats were super comfy and this was a serious sweat inducing work out! It’s of course as effective as you make it. It’s so much fun perhaps due to the music, which is great. When I went, the playlist was Drake, Rihanna and Justin Bieber, which worked out for me perfectly. They have other combinations you can choose from and go to the class that you’d think you’d enjoy the music the most. It’s also a super fun environment. I ended up trying their boot camp class as well and once again the music was SO on point. The genre was hip-hop, which tends to get me going when I want to do an intense workout. It was very motivating and so much fun.

Side note, the class wasn’t easy at all and I was hurting for days, but I guess you guys already might’ve guessed that 🙂 They also have a free class for any friend you refer, so if you decide to try this studio and want to give my name, I would forever be grateful 🙂

2. Burn – South End (2 Locations)

The first location I tried was on Columbus ave, which is a small studio, albeit still a wonderful studio. The first floor is where the exercises are done, and the basement is where they have changing rooms and lockers. They only have one shower and it’s upstairs, which is a bit inconvenient. The class I tried with this studio was a boot camp style class. It was so much fun….or as much fun as a boot camp class can be. It was a full body work out and by the end of it — my whole body was shaking. This one definitely had me in full “mind over matter” mode, but regardless of the mentality part, it seriously was a fun class. The second location is on Boylston Street, right across from the Prudential. This location is bigger and a little nicer. With this studio, I tried a yoga boot-camp style class. By this time, my body couldn’t handle a hard workout as I did 5 days of new classes, so this was perfect for me. It’s effective and not as intense.

3. Swet Studio – South End

This was a really cool studio with a really awesome vibe. This one is located on Tremont Street and close to Turnstyle. They have aerial yoga, rowing and meditation classes. I tried the rowing abs class, which was a nice effective workout without feeling like I was going to die. I’ve never tried rowing before so it was cool to incorporate that into the exercise. I will have to go back to this studio to try their hammock exercises!

4. TITLE Boxing – Newbury Street

Okay, I am also obsessed with this place. It’s a nice little gem on Newbury Street. They have other location and one of them being in Somerville which is fairly new. It is technically a gym, but their kickboxing/boxing classes are the main attraction. They have great music, which on my book is a check plus. It’s also intense, but fun. I tried the kickboxing class and by the end of it, I was punching and kicking so hard that I really impressed myself. This class I think is great for when you want to prove to yourself that you are so much stronger than you think 🙂

5. Barry’s Bootcamp – Financial District

I’m sure many people know of how great Barry’s workouts are, but I didn’t think it would be right if it didn’t make my list. This is one of those classes that you can take to start off a good fitness regime. The classes are intense to say the least, but it pushes you really to your fullest potential — fitness wise. This is great for any levels because it’s really what you make it. You can choose to push yourself as hard or as little as you want. The classes are in sets of two. One group does a set on the treadmill and the other does strength training, then you keep switching. I would suggest this to anyone who has a membership to any gym, but has been stuck in a rut of doing the same thing or not being able to push yourself because you’ve gotten a bit lazy. Barry’s will push you to your limits!

That’s all for my list! Let me know if you try any of them, and always remember:

“You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think, and loved more than you know.”

Thank you for your time.

Ozzy

For full disclosure of this site, please read this.

Apps I Cannot Live Without

July 15, 2017April 29, 2018 by memoallure, posted in Lifestyle

This is a post to say that technology is cool. I tend to gravitate towards saying technology is taking away our inner peace, but in this case — it is allowing us to be more organized, better planners and less stressed.

There are overwhelming number of apps out there these days that it’s truly hard to choose one that works best for you or find one that will help you the most.

The following are ones that I have found to be most useful and the ones that I could not delete if I had to for extra storage.

Without further ado, here are my favorite apps:

1. Chill

This one is good if you are trying to practice mindfulness each day and need a reminder throughout the day. It will send you as many reminders throughout the day as you choose and will allow you to come back to your center. I absolutely love this one. It also has quotes each day, which are mindfulness related and it really brings you so much peace just by reading it and applying it to your day.

2. Word Swag

Love this one for creating quotes on pictures. It comes with many pictures you can choose from and then you can either enter a quote you choose yourself or there are automatic options they have for you. You can type it any way you like. If you check out my Instagram account, you will see what I mean.

3. Smart Ride

This one I use for when I am using the bus/train for work or any other time. It tells you exactly what time your bus/train will be arriving. It’s very convenient. You can also plan trips. For example, if I am going to a place I’ve never been and need to be at that location at a certain time, I can enter that time and location and it will tell me what time I need to leave my house and what time I will get there. I like this for when I don’t know where I’m going as it tells me how to get there.

4. Prime Photos

I love this for storing my photos. If I need to delete photos due to storage needs, I will dump all my pictures on my phone in this app and can go back to them whenever I’d like. It’s convenient and if I were to lose my phone or break it, I can always count on having my pictures be in here.

5. Simple Habit

This guided meditation app has stuck with me. It’s not that it is particularly the best, but I’ve really gotten used to. I love this for a quick and convenient meditation practice, for days that I do not want to do it myself. It’s easy and helpful.

Hope this was helpful. Have a wonderful weekend!

xx, Ozzy

For full disclosure of this site, please read this.

Memoallure - How To Survive Quarter Life Crisis

What I Wish I Knew Before Turning 25

July 11, 2017April 29, 2018 by memoallure, posted in Lifestyle, Motivation

You don’t just turn into adulthood with grace… you kind of tumble into it. Not really sure where you’re going, what you’re “supposed” to be doing, or where you’ll go next. Welcome to your 20’s. A moment in time where NOTHING makes sense and everything is anxiety induced.

A lot of people don’t understand the struggles of being an almost adult. It’s the situation where the cup is exactly half full and half empty. It’s truly confusing. When you tumble into your mid-twenties, it’s like a hurricane coming your way which you had no idea was coming. Would’ve been nice if there was a warning…

Quarter Life Crisis is So Real:

Going through a quarter life crisis is a trial of confused identity, misguided purpose, and hopeless days. You feel lost, anxious, and panicked. We are all desperate to hold onto our youth which is slipping through our fingers, and yet are excited for the stability adulthood brings.

Quarter life crisis is a gut-wrenching feeling of fear, uncertainty and hoping things will get better. The monster in our head is constantly questioning: “Am I pursuing the right career? Should I have stayed at my last job? Will I ever be happy with my career?”. It’s all confusing and there really is no right answer. The positive side is, this is completely normal (yay?) and you are not alone!

Even if everything feels impossible now, there are plenty ways to make the ride a bit easier and enjoyable.

Purpose:

The times are changing and what our parents did is not necessarily what we are meant to do. As a millennial, we want more adventure and a bigger purpose. We want to feel like we are making a difference, while enjoying the ride. Due to this characteristic, most of us are struggling to enjoy the 9-5 lifestyle. We are all trying to move away from the typical: stay with a good company for 20-30 years, retire and then enjoy your life. We may be somewhat selfish in that we want to enjoy our life NOW. Not when we are at an old age and may not be in the best health condition to do all the adventurous things our little heart’s desire. We are coming up with more creative ways to make our future brighter and don’t necessarily want to be tied down to something that will drain our energy and creativity.

What I wish I knew…

What I wish I knew before turning 25 is that you don’t need to follow one path to “success”. There is no one path. Stop feeling like you must do all the right things — everything will unfold like it’s meant to. All the tribulations and struggles you are going through now are truly part of the process. Think of yourself as a masterpiece that hasn’t been perfected yet. It must go through many tests to become a braver, stronger, more resilient, and smarter human being.

Being a constant learner is part of the ride and you must look at it with young eyes as you did when you were a little kid. See everything like you are for the first time, which keeps things interesting and allows you to feel most alive, and always welcome whatever comes your way. Most importantly, don’t forget to always get rid of anything that bursts your happiness.

What I have noticed about being 25 so far is….

Quarter life crisis is so real
Life isn’t all sugar and plums and struggles are real part of everyday life
Anxiety is very real and very annoying
Rush through life and you have missed the small miracles that happen each day

If I could go back in time, I would tell little me that you need to look at life with curiosity, awareness, and awe. Never lose hope or sight of who you are. Stop letting people take control of your life. Learn to say no and learn to keep your head up no matter what. Smile at every opportunity, don’t ever take anything too seriously. You got yourself a ticket to the best show you’ll ever experience and that is this amazing life. Don’t waste it trying to live it like how somebody else wants you to live it. This is your show, don’t ever waste it being anything but happy. Always ask yourself, what would make me happy today? If the answer isn’t clear, then it may be time to make changes and adjust accordingly.

What comes next?

The only thing that is guaranteed in this life is death. We all know that is inescapable. So, don’t ever act or do something because it might be guaranteed. Experience it, try it out, look at it, feel it, smell it, but know that it is temporary.

Life is a crazy ride, who knows what will happen today, tomorrow, or next year. It’s truly amazing for that reason. It’s filled with so many adventures that awaits at the end of our comfort zone. Always live for the moment. Don’t fill your days with anxiety waiting for better days to come. Keep your inner peace by doing things that your soul is yearning for. Even something small as choosing the type of coffee that makes you happy is an enough reason to smile and be happy.

The Phases of a Quarter Life Crisis:

The phases of going through a quarter life crisis is necessary and it will get better within some time. Dr. Oliver Robinson at the University of Greenwich did a recent study and wrote about Emerging adulthood, early adulthood, and quarter-life crisis: Updating Erikson for the 21^st century, in which he talked about the 5 phases of going through a quarter-life crisis:

Phase One: You feel trapped by your life choices, like your job, relationship, or both. You’re living on “autopilot.”
Phase Two: You get a sense of “I’ve got to get out of this” and feel a growing sense that change is possible if you just take a leap.
Phase Three: You quit the job, end the relationship, or break the commitment that’s making you feel trapped. Then you detach and enter a “time out” period where try to rediscover who you are and who you want to be.
Phase Four: You begin rebuilding your life slowly but surely.
Phase Five: You develop new commitments that are more in line with your interests and aspirations.

If you look at it through these phases, you can assure yourself that everything will be fine. You are just trying to figure out your life at such a vital and fragile time. Things don’t have to be perfect for you to enjoy your youth and your life. Every age is special which brings a new adventure and a whole new depth of clarity to your future. Keep listening to yourself and trust your gut feelings, they seem to already know what you are meant to do.

Keep in mind that happy and successful people have experienced exactly what you are experiencing right now, including your parents. It is a time of a whole lot of confusion and unnecessary stress you put on yourself. If you need reassurance, talk to your friends your age, or talk to anyone else that may be going through something like this. They will tell you the same thing. You are going to make it through this, with a whole lot of grace, happiness, good times, and miracles.

Don’t forget, don’t waste your ticket to this show of life on anything that doesn’t align with your values or allows you to be who you are!

Thanks for reading!

Follow me on my journey on Instagram & Facebook & Twitter!

Until next time,

Ozzy

For full disclosure of this site, please read this.

“Take chances. Take risks. Today is the oldest you’ve ever been. And the youngest you’ll ever be.” – Unknown

DIY Habit Tracker

July 4, 2017April 29, 2018 by memoallure, posted in Lifestyle

Today I want to take a stab at helping you with your habits and perhaps help you achieve in controlling them.

Habits are a weird part of life. We all tend to live in auto-pilot mode a good chunk of our lives. Automatic is what has become our reality and future. Looking at it from this perspective — the future even will involve self-driving cars, making things and our future even more automatic!

Times are changing and more and more we are starting to rely on things that are faster, quicker, more efficient, but we are more and more forgetting the simpler things in life. It is great and all and we are all blessed to have such advanced technology, but nothing comes without a repercussion.

All this automation and the use of technology has made us less in tune with our bodies. It has made us more like robots. Including me, I’ve noticed sometimes it is difficult for me to focus on the moment. I catch myself thinking about the next moment which takes away the magic of the present moment. Our minds have made it a habit to keep pushing our brains to rush ourselves. We are always on the go, and don’t take too much time for ourselves. You can start by perhaps reading how to take breaks at work or how to unwind.

Focusing on the present moment allows us to be more at peace and not let the moments pass by waiting for a better moment. The best moment is always the present — it’s when you can take chances, be free, be adventurous, speak your mind and be fully in tune with your body. If you need help focusing on the present, I would suggest trying the self-love meditation or mindful eating — both of which allows your body to heighten your senses and get in touch with yourself in the present moment.

Too often we let moments pass, instead of taking in fully what is going on around us. I truly believe mindfulness and keeping track of your habits enriches your life on a whole new level. I am not coming here to say I know best, or that my habits are perfect, matter of fact, not even close, but I want us to improve them each and everyday. I thought that we could work together to get a better grip of our habits and understand ourselves better.

Habits are good in that once our brain learns one particular habit, it can focus on something else. There are many habits in which you are unaware of nor do you actually realize they are embedded habits in your daily routine — for example, your brain is wired to have the habit of walking to the train station for work or turning on the T.V. first thing when you get home or brushing your teeth, etc. These are all habits you barely think about, but is something you do without having much of a thought process. Think of it this way as well, do you randomly go open the fridge sometimes and have no idea why or how you ended up there even though, you are not even hungry? Well, it’s because your brain is wired to eat out of boredom.

Having a system to track your habits could be eye opening. It is also good to be mindful of what your brain is doing out of automatic habits. Habits can be quite difficult to break, but if you are consistent and figure out the whys and when exactly you do it then you will be able to break in no time. They say it takes 21 days to form a new habit, but I think people think they can slack off once that 21 days is over, which is not true. It takes about 66 days to make it an automatic behavior. So stick it out and you will get there!

I want you to figure out what is important to you — what do you value? For me, I chose going to the gym, reading my book before bed and meditating. Those are the habits I am trying to form and incorporate to my everyday routine. Yours may be waking up earlier, going to bed earlier, stop over-eating/stop eating junk, drinking more water, watching less TV or whatever it may be. I want you to take some time to really think about what would really enrich your life. Once you have figured that out, you can make your tracker. I bought this compass from Amazon to make a “perfect” circle or as perfect as it can get. The pens are also from Amazon, they write really well.

I drew 3 other circles inside the big circle. Then, made the straight lines to differentiate each day and all you have to do is color in the box of the activity you have completed. Evaluate it each week and see what your weak points are, and strive to take a more conscious approach to improve for the following week. Once your 30 day is over, take a look at it and see if anything shocks you and see what you can improve on. Do this as many times as necessary or when it has become an effortless behavior. It’s not going to be perfect and you will forget some days, but just keep trying and always keep it on the back of your mind to take a track of it everyday.

I also think this is a fun way of keeping track of your habits, not only is it eye opening, but more so a good tool to guarantee success of your future.

Since it is still early on in the month, it may be a good idea to start now. If you are curious about how habits really work, then I would recommend you read “The Power of Habit”. I also wrote about it in detail here, if you are curious before buying.

Let me know if you have any questions! You can find me on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook!

Until next time,

Ozzy

For full disclosure of this site, please read this.

“Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.” – William Penn

5 Struggles Every Girl Must Deal With

July 3, 2017April 29, 2018 by memoallure, posted in Lifestyle

Sneezing while putting on mascara:

This situation usually goes like this: “Yasss, love this mascara, ugh yes perfect length, slayyyy bitch, ….oh no….don’t do it…don’t do it….*sneezes*…my life is over.

I don’t know about you, but I feel like this always happens to me at the most inconvenient times. It’s a battlefield trying to fix the repercussions of all the smudge underneath your eyes. In fact, it may be the most annoying thing to fix. I feel like once it happens, there’s no going back. You’re just going to have to rock that smudge underneath your eyes and convince the world that looking like Einstein is the new thing…so fetch! (Don’t listen to Regina George, yes you can make fetch happen!)

2. Lipstick on your teeth:

For some weird reason, no one has your back when you have lipstick on your teeth. Like come on ladies, let’s all be more connected and become a clan to help a lady out when they have lipstick on their teeth…. asking for a friend here.

Unlike the Einstein look, this one isn’t something you can rock confidently. You just look weird AF and this may be a girls’ worst nightmare if it happens on a first date, hence why we got to become a clan to make sure we’re there for each other when this happens. No one gets left behind, and every lady will be saved!

Calculating when to text a guy back:

5 struggles every women faces

This situation usually goes like this: “Ugh, he hasn’t texted me in hourrrrssssss, *looks at the last time you texted him* …oh it’s only been 10 minutes. Alright, pep talk: you got this, you are a bad ass bitch, and any guy would be lucky to have you!!!… *more minute’s pass* okay, what the heck is his problem that he can’t text me right away, I deserve better. I am an independent woman and I don’t need a man to define me! *finally texts you back* YYAAAYYY, I love him. Ok, ok, ok…act cool. Don’t open it right away. He took forever texting me…14 minutes to be exact. Okay, I can’t open it just yet because then he will know I read it and that I’ve been waiting around for his response. Act cool, act cool, you’re cool….wait longer than him, you can text him 16 minutes later, because then you will win the battle of who takes longer to text! Another pep talk: YOU GOT THE WILLPOWER! *becomes impatient and opens* uhg crap, now what do I say…..*calls/texts her squad of friends to find the perfect response*

When your crush snaps you, but you look like crap….

5 Struggles Every Women Faces

This situation goes more like this: *sitting in bed, comfy in pjs, no makeup on, no bra, Netflix on…life is gooood* “I am in my most zen moment right now, stress free, love life, ugh yes I need all the snacks in the world right now” *gets a snap from crush* NOOOO, shit, why is he asking me to see my face? It’s night time, shouldn’t he know it’s my bed time?

The time you wait to let your nails dry after painting them might be the most stressful situation:

5 Struggles Every Women Faces

The whole ‘I’m a confident, I can hold my own, don’t need no one attitude’ quickly changes once a woman paints her nails. We are at our most vulnerable state until our nails dry. I think if you ever wanted to approach a woman, this might be a good time, other times I’d say watch out!

Thanks for reading! Hope this brought a little happiness to your Monday!

xx, Ozzy

For full disclosure of this site, please read this.

“Be Strong Enough to Stand Alone, Smart Enough to Know When You Need Help, and Brave Enough to Ask For It.” – Unknown

Home Is Where the Heart Is ♥

July 1, 2017 by , posted in Lifestyle

Hey everyone,

My apologies for being a bit MIA for a few days, it’s been a hectic week. I’ve been scrambling around to get stuff together for my trip to Turkey. I will be arriving very shortly. As some of you may know, I was born in Turkey and came to the U.S. at age 9. Huge transition for sure, but now that I look back at it, I can’t believe I was lucky enough to have the chance to move to one of the greatest countries. My future definitely would have looked a whole lot different if I resided in Turkey.

Being an immigrant and going through all the changes and struggles is not an easy road, but if I could go back in time to let the little girl know that this is all a blessing in disguise, and that she is very lucky, I would. I am writing this on my flight to Turkey right now and getting flashbacks of my plane ride with my sister and mom way back in 2001. That was my first time going on a plane and I was so happy the whole time because it meant that I would get to see my dad. My dad was in the Turkish Air Force and part of NATO for 20 years which meant we moved around a lot. My dad was always gone for long periods of time and as a little kid, I hated being apart, so naturally I would do anything to be with him. One of the many destinations for him was America, and ever since then, he knew he wanted to live there. Shortly after, he moved there to test it out and we followed a few months later. I knew America was a “big deal” as a little kid, but I didn’t really care much about it, all I wanted was to be reunited with my father.

In the summer of 2001, is when one of the biggest changes of my life happened. We bought a one-way ticket to the U.S. and never really looked back. We didn’t pack much because we didn’t think it would be a permanent move. We assumed we would only stay about a year and come home to Turkey. Well, as you might already guess, that did not happen. Boston has been my “home” for about 16 years now.

One of the biggest challenges of being an immigrant is learning a new language. I did not know one word coming to the U.S. Usually in Turkey, they start teaching you English in fourth grade, but I left in third grade, missing those classes. I think the only word I knew was “Hello” and I remember going into my classroom in fourth grade and being mind blown with what my teacher was saying. I did not understand anything that came out of her mouth. It was actually kind of humorous. Slowly, and fortunately due to my age, I picked it up fairly quickly. Another challenge that surfaces is building a new home from scratch. You have to start all over and build a new life. It’s not as easy as you might think. It’s especially not easy when you constantly think, there’s a chance, your family will change their minds, and you will move back.

The one memory that comes to mind often is flashbacks of being in a cab in Turkey and saying goodbye to my grandparents and the rest of my family. That moment will be a permanent image in my head for the rest of my life because in that moment I realized a huge change was in the works. I knew in that moment that nothing would be the same anymore. I spent a lot of my childhood with my grandparents and we would stay the whole summer with them. Moving to the U.S. meant that that tradition was gone. Although, on the plus side new traditions arose, and new adventures in the U.S. which I enjoyed every bit of!

Turkey will always have a little piece of my heart and is a big part of what has shaped me to be the girl I am today – compassionate, gentle and loving. I still have a little bit of my culture embedded in me and being able to have a second country to call home is one of the best feelings. I didn’t always feel that gratitude towards it growing up, because I always felt “different” than everyone else. Now, I embrace that and treat it like it’s magic. I believe everyone has to embrace what makes them different, that is when you get to be you and be truest to your core.

Also, I feel that having my culture embedded in me has been able to make it easier for me to resonate with other immigrants all around the world on a deeper level. The funny thing about America is, we are all immigrants, and we all tend to forget that sometimes. That’s one of the best characteristics about America and why it has become so free and less judgmental is due to the uniqueness of community of people from all around the world.

I am so grateful for my move to the U.S. and being able to have the opportunity to go to one of the best colleges, to have had such amazing experiences, and to have the job I have today. All of this is not possible overseas at other developing countries. That’s why I emphasis on taking advantage of our blessings and go after what we want, and help others who are not as fortunate.

The saying “Home is where the heart is”, resonates with me a lot because whenever I think of Turkey, it warms my heart, my soul knows it was a good memory for me. I think “home” always has a warm place in all our hearts, wherever that may be. Even if it wasn’t a good situation, you will always remember where you came from. When we don’t forget where we come from, we bring forth a part of us that differentiates us from many others.

I think the best thing to do if the thought of home doesn’t bring pleasant memories, is to see who it made you today and how you grew from it to become much stronger and resilient. You will always have that place that has shaped and made you who you are, and the magical part is it doesn’t have to be your full story — it’s only one chapter, the rest is still unwritten….

Have a wonderful weekend, and if you’ve read this far, thank you so much!

Until next time,

Ozzy

For full disclosure of this site, please read this.