What Have I Done?

Happy August, y'all.

I thought today I'd share a more personal post. Recently I've been feeling like I haven't accomplished anything, haven't seen anything, been anywhere. Right now, the girl I love more than anyone in the world is ten thousand miles away, and I haven't seen her in months. She doesn't care, though, that she isn't here. She's exploring the world and living in a different culture, the only thing that I've ever wanted to do.

To fight the ¨bored syndrome,¨ I thought I'd compile a list of WHY MY LIFE HAS BEEN AWESOME.

1. I've hailed a taxi cab in downtown Chicago.

2. Eaten fresh gelato so delicious that it made me want to cry.

3. Seen the Eiffel Tower.

4. Met Justin Morneau. (Who's a baseball lover? I'm a baseball lover!)

5. With only five months of part time German study, I've passed a B1 level examination.

6. Had neon pink hair.

Throwback to age 13. Eep. (HI LISA!)

7. Started this blog. Despite posting rarely, I'm always planning new posts in my head.

8. I'm currently surviving high school :) It's a pretty challenging thing.

9. Read Harry Potter in French.

10. Walked the Oregon coast, and watched the sun go down on the ocean.

I think that about sums it up. Ten simple but special things that I've done, that define me, and that not everyone has. 

Love,

Elizabeth Rose

My Top Ten Summer Nail Polishes

*Please excuse the condition of my nails. I seriously need a manicure*

Left thumb- Sephora by OPI Domestic Goddess. A grapey purple color that at first seems a jelly but covers in two coats. Perfect formula. If you like it, pick it up now, as the line is discontinued.

Left index- L'Oreal Berry Jealous. An actual jelly that works with two coats or three, lovely formula that is prone to tip wear, unfortunately. Such a fun color that I don't care.

Left middle- Nicole by OPI Diva Into the Pool. A blue metallic shade that screams summer, it glows in the sunlight. Opaque with three coats.

Left ring- China Glaze Pink-ie Promise. I love the color, a soft purpley pink with shimmer. The downside to this polish is it bubbles like a mofo. I don't tend to have trouble with bubbling (although there seems quite a few in this photo) but this one is ridiculous. Maybe it just needs a more careful hand?

Left pinkie- Wet n Wild Sunny Side Up. I haven't explored much of Wet n Wild's nail line, but this shade was calling my name, and with the Walgreens 69 cent sale, who could resist? I'm glad I purchased it, the formula is lovely and it's such a happy color without being obnoxious.

Right thumb- Sally Hansen Green With Envy. A nice green creme, opaque with two coats. Not much to say, but a nice polish in a fun color.

Right index- Zoya Micky. A neon pink with a slight silver shimmer, really lovely, opaque in three coats. Not the greatest Zoya formula I've run across, but absolutely workable.

Right middle- Orly Coachella Bound. A muted mint-sage green with no shimmer or sparkle, it's soft, work appropriate, and dries quickly, as a bonus.

Right ring- Sinful Colors Eva So Bright. My personal favorite of the shades here, Eva So Bright is a neon melon color with an impeccable formula and shiny dry down. Plus, it's two dollars. Note: it's brighter than it seems here.

Right pinkie- FLOWER Beauty Good Bud-dy. A clean teal blue creme without any formula problems. It looks slightly lumpy here because I had to do an emergency repair.

My Top Ten Summer Eyeshadows

I love eyeshadow. Did you know that? I have quite the collection, but these are a few of my favorites for summer. As usual, they're swatched over an eyeshadow base, this is Essence I Love Stage, which I've been testing out.

L'Oreal Infalliable Eyeshadow in Golden Emerald. This is the only one I own, but I've been majorly lusting after the rest of the line. Smooth, incredibly pigmented, and such unique colors with depth. Iced Latte is next on my list. Hm. Maybe I should do a lust list sorta thing.

Ulta Eyeshadow in Calla Lily. My new favorite wash of color, it's a gorgeous pinky white color that's shimmery but not glittery, perfect for everyday. It has great pigmentation and you get a lot for the price- $2 if you can snag it on sale, like right now.

L'Oreal Eyeshadow #1 from Stacked Heels Quad. This shadow is not as pigmented as the rest of these, but it's such a lovely sheer purple with an iridescent flash, I just had to put it in.

NYX Shadow #2 from Shangri-La trio. It's a super pigmented demi-matte orange that definitely takes some guts to pull off, but looks perfect with blue eyes (unfortunately, I'm a brown eyed German). I believe this trio is discontinued, so if you can find it, buy it!

Rimmel darkest shadow from Sun Safari quad. It's a nice shimmery taupe for all of you taupe lovers out there, but since it's warm toned it's great for summer. I love the rest of the quad as well.

Revlon blue from Inspired quad. A sparkly blue that makes me think of ocean water, it's almost iridescent at the right angles. The pigmentation is decent.

Revlon green from Inspired quad. I don't suppose you can tell how much I like this quad, can you? It's another sheer color, but it's so glowy and glittery and fun.

Urban Decay's Venus, from Naked Basics palette. This shadow probably needs no introduction, but I'll rehash what you already know. It's a subdued shimmery white, perfect for highlighting or as an all over lid color.

Covergirl Flamed Out Eyeshadow in Melted Gold. It's a pigmented sparkly gold that goes on smoothly. Gold is probably my favorite eyeshadow color, and this one doesn't disappoint. I like to put it over Flower Beauty's Creme Shadow in Good as Mari-Gold.

And my only cream eyeshadow, Maybelline's Tenacious Teal Color Tattoo. A rich cream shadow with wicked payoff and a lovely shimmer, it works great as an eyeshadow, base, or an eyeliner.


Thanks for reading, and have a great summer!