Graduation: Next up?

Hope everyone had an excellent week! Can't believe it's almost three weeks into May. I just want to take a brief moment to Congratulate everyone Graduating this weekend and just Graduating in general this year! To the Class of 2014!

I take pride in Graduating this year (again).  It marks another big goal in my own life of achieving another Diploma: a Master of Science. They are just two letters but it changes so much of who you are. Over the last two years my path has changed a lot but my determination has always remained high. Even though  I never dreamt of receiving a MS, I am so grateful for the road that has led me to this achievement. Everything is possible and happens for a reason.

I just want to take a brief moment to acknowledge my amazing friends and family. Make sure you take time to thank your own family and friends for the support you receive. I know I wouldn't be where I am or be half the person I am without these amazing individuals.

Once again congrats to the class of 2014! Dream big!

Until next time..

Monday Blues

The last two weeks have been hectic. I have been trying to organize everything that I need to do before I leave for my trip. I went through a period of having this monotonous lifestyle to this exciting new phase. Getting to this new phase in my life has had its own hurdles. However, I couldn't be happier with where I am today because I learned a lot about myself through these difficult periods.

My friend and I were discussing yesterday how everything happens at the right time. I personally felt lost and misguided this past year, which was one of the reasons I began this blog. I wouldn't say that I am completely where I want to be in life but I am making progress towards my goals. So this sparked my interest in writing a post on how to over come hurdles.  Regardless if you are facing the "Monday blues" or just a period of uncertainty, I want to just share some simple thing that helped me through my own struggles.

The most important thing for me has been my Faith. Just reading prayers and devotionals has allowed me to clear my mind. The inner peace I rediscovered was something that I was missing. Faith has allowed me to surround myself with positive energy. No matter what religion you are, I think this is something each of us can benefit from. My friend and I follow different religions but the inner peace that we have both found through our faith and belief has allotted us to find positivity. If you consider yourself more spiritual then Yoga and meditation are other options for you.

The second thing that has helped me through my difficult time is exercising. A lot of people believe that  exercising is just for obtaining a ideal weight. Physiologically it's more then that. Exercising releases chemical substances called endorphins which trigger positive feelings. It has been a great outlet for me to let go some of the stress I carry and just once again surround myself with positive energy. If you don't want to go to a gym then consider walking outdoors. Even a little exercise can help.

My final suggestion would be to pick an outlet or hobby that allows you to be creative and provides an escape from the hurdles you are facing. For me this blog is one of the outlets. I love writing about my random passions and I love hearing people's feedback and opinions. It is one of the many ways I feel like I help other people and in return they help me too. I feel like there is so much positive things that I have began to appreciate and it is another way for me to be optimistic.

I want to end with this quote I found:

Hope you all have an amazing week! Until next time…..

Foundation Review: Laura Mercier

I am so excited to write my very first beauty product review. I love reading other blog post about beauty recommendations and product reviews. It’s actually very informative and helpful. I just began experimenting with make up myself so I know the struggle of finding the right foundation, the right tools/techniques and more importantly finding these products within a price range.  If I can help one person find a product they love through this review then I consider it a success.

Today’s foundation review is a high-end full coverage foundation by Laura Mercier. I have been looking for a full coverage foundation for a while, but struggled with finding one that matches my skin tone exactly. Laura Mercier’s foundation is amazing for several reasons. I LOVE that they have nine different color options that varies from each other with the skins undertones in mind. I have a yellow/gold undertone in my skin so its difficult matching drugstore foundations perfectly. I often times end up buying two and mixing them. It is not ideal or convenient. 

Now, as far as price point this foundation is more expensive then an average drugstore brand. The average cost for this foundation is $45.00. My recommendation for individuals who are looking to buy high-end foundation but not sure about the price, color, or brand is to go a store like Sepohra. They will help you by taking pictures of your skin and giving you recommendations based on what type of coverage you want. They will also give you sample sizes of the foundations you tried.  It’s a great opportunity to test something out before investing in it. Plus, you can wear the samples for several days just to see how you feel over a span of days instead of making an impulsive decision at the store. 

Another reason why I love Laura Mercier’s foundation is because it is highly recommended for sensitive skin. If you are like me and your skin is hard to work with then this brand might be perfect for you. I break out when I try new products and this foundation is so gentle and light. You don’t even feel like you have it on.  I haven’t noticed any outbreaks since I have been wearing it for past three days. I also love how this foundation doesn’t dry up my skin especially in the T zone.

Overall, it gives me the 12+ hour coverage that I like while allowing my skin to feel light. I highly recommend it and it will be one of my beauty favorites for months to come. Like I mentioned this product is a splurge at $45.00. However, a little product goes a long way so take that into consideration.

I have attached my photo with the foundation so you can see how the flash works with the foundation. I was pretty happy. My shade was “Sand Beige”

Until next time..

One challenge completed! OR almost

Two posts in one week! I think that in itself deserves a party but first let’s get down to business (To defeat the Huns). Yes, I am five. But for real lets begin:

As of today I have officially completed TWENTY-SEVEN days of the Simple Green Smoothie Challenge. If you didn’t know I started this challenge and want to know more about it then read my post “We crave a different kind of buzz”

My initial reaction to this challenge was all about the increase in energy that I noticed after having these smoothies. Twenty-Seven days into the challenge and this opinion stands the same. I absolutely love how energized I feel and how much longer I can concentrate. When I used to do school work before this challenge, I relied on two cups of caffeine in a span of four hours to achieve ultimate concentration. Now I have completely gone caffeine free for the twenty-seven days and have not missed it one bit. My wallet also thanks me for all the money I am saving and Starbucks on the other hand is missing me.  I think if you want to begin this challenge for an energy boost and concentration then I highly recommend it.  

I am sure many people are curious if this challenge helped me lose weight. I will address that but first I wanted to emphasize that doing this challenge for me was MORE THAN just weight loss. I just felt like I needed a detox and a clean start. Luckily by combining this challenge with proper exercise along with portion control I successfully lost 4 pounds! I do want to emphasize that results may vary for each individual but I was really happy with how this regiment worked for me. I did not stray from my goal and I think consistency is key to noticing changes.

However, not all opinions remained the same. When I initially wrote about this challenge I mentioned “sleeping better” as another positive factor. Sadly, this was not the case through out my twenty-seven days. I think that my sleep pattern is still inconsistent and something I need to work on.

There were some negative side effects of this challenge and I guess I should have expected it since it’s a detox. My skin took a while to adjust to this new regiment and as a result I broke out on my face frequently. It’s not something I am or was used to. I usually have clear skin so this was something I was very unhappy with. I had to look into alternative remedies to get rid of my new breakouts. However, this past week my skin has been doing much better and I think it might be as a result to my body finally adjusting to the change. 

My number one suggestion  when doing these types of challenges would be to keep track of your time frame. Many people start these regiments and expect results or changes within a couple of days. I really believe you have to be realistic and also consistent. If you stay committed, I am sure you will see the results you aspire for.

So many of you have also asked me will I continue this Green Smoothie detox/challenge in the future and my answer is yes! I am planning on continuing it all through May since I feel like my body has finally adjusted to it. I will probably also keep up with it after I return from vacation. Let's be honest after an Indian wedding you need a detox more then ever.

I want to end by saying thank you to everyone who supported me on this challenge/journey. I am so happy to have shared my green journey with you guys and hope it pushed all of you to have a clean start yourself!

Until next time with lots of love..