Chit-Chat ♡

So today I was woken up to the sound of drilling! Yep, we are getting new windows. I am actually really excited because my current bedroom window can't even open! So now I will be able to have the nice Autumn breeze throughout my room. 

On another note, my wisdom tooth is coming in and I am in terrible pain. Have any of you had your wisdom teeth pulled? I'm quite afraid of being put to sleep, and I have never had a tooth pulled in my life! So I don't know what to expect when I get them pulled :( All four of them are impacted...(i know, I am such a lucky girl!)

To try and make myself distracted from the pain, I hung my twinkling lights around my headboard. They were around my mirror, but hanging them this way makes it feel all cozy and Christmas-y in my room. And having a pumpkin candle lit just makes it all the better! 

I can't wait to use these in my YouTube videos. Well, I am just so anxious to start youtube I can't handle it!! Anyone have any tips? :) I'm just going to jump right in and post, haha that's how excited I am.

Have a wonderful day :-)

xx, Maddie

Manicure Monday ♡

Hello lovelies, I hope you had a restful weekend :) Over the weekend I decided to switch up my nail color. I was wearing Essie's 'Sole Mate' and I felt like I wanted to go lighter. I have never really worn light, nude-y polishes before, and I thought this Fall would be a perfect place to start. 

I decided to go with Essie's 'Mamba.' I thought it was a nice nude-y pink color, and it doesn't make my hands look dead! It still gives my nails a glow. I really like it, and I'm glad I am starting to dip my toes (or my hands, get it?) in the water for nude polishes. Cannot wait to buy more!

Any recommendations for me?!

Have a lovely week 

♡
xx, Maddie 

What's On My Face ♡

I have been seeing a lot of these posts lately, and I thought it was a pretty cool idea. I thought, why not? So I will show you what my everyday make up essentials are.

I absolutely love this foundation. It is a little pricey, it's $55. My mom bought this for me when I was in desperate need of a good foundation. Let me tell you, this stuff leaves your face looking like a china doll. Especially used with a buffing brush!

Another Chanel product! But I promise you, I received it as a gift from my mom (thanks mommy) on Christmas and it still looks untouched after almost a year! It's really worth the money because it sets you face without getting cakey or anything else unwanted. 

The beloved HOOLA! Even though it doesn't look dark, when I bronze or contour with it I look like I came back from vacation. I have a light glow and I just must have this on my face.

I have just started using this Maybelline 24HR gel eye liner, and it is perfect for perfecting a cat eye! I have been addicted to it, and since I don't wear eye shadow everyday, I like to make my liner stand out a bit.

And of course the wonderful Full Definition mascara from L'Oreal! 

Lastly, LIPS! My favorite part. I have a collection of lipsticks growing at the moment, and this one just seems to jump out at me everyday. This is "on fire red" from the vivids collection by Maybelline. Gorgeous! Perfect for Fall and Winter :)

So there you have it! Every so often I will change it up a bit of course, but this is what I've been doing for a week or two.

What's you favorite Fall beauty product so far this year?

xx, Maddie 

The Way I Eat ♡

Since this is a blog basically about my thoughts and ideas and lifestyle, I decided I should tell you, my readers and friends, the way I eat. Hmmmm where do I even start!! Beware, this is kind of a long post...

First of all, I eat very clean. By that, I mean I don't ever eat anything from a box or bag or something thats processed. I'm not saying in any way that cereal will never pass my mouth again, I just choose not to eat it. I like to fill my tummy with food and products that grow naturally from the earth, with very minimal factory work.

I also eat littler meals than a regular "American sized meal." I'm saying my meals aren't HUGE. I have a TON of protein, complex carbohydrates (more on that next) and essential fatty acids that are essential to LIVE in every meal. I make sure to get more protein because I am a semi-vegetarian, which means I choose to only eat fish and eggs, not chicken or meat. There's nothing wrong with these foods, but for my body I am better off not eating them.

To make this post a little shorter and to the point, I also choose not to eat gluten or dairy. When I do eat dairy though, I use goats cheese, as it is a lot healthier than from a cow.

Okay so now onto carbs. Most people scream and hide from this word...CARBS! Ahhhh I will get fat and bloated!! NO. STOP. NOW. COMPLEX Carbs are essential for the human to receive energy and burn unneeded fat. Some complex carbs include brown rice, quinoa, veggies, beans, and more. These complex carbs will not bloat you or make you fat, these foods will actually reduce bloating and boost your metabolism. YES! I know it's hard to believe, but it's true. Carbs that people are afraid of are foods like white flour, white flour pasta, bread and such. And indeed, yes these foods are bad for you. They are simple carbs that spike your sugar levels, and leave you feeling weak and tired a few minutes later. See the difference?!

FAT! Yes, fat. This is hard to explain in a short sentence or two. Fatty acids are essential if you want to burn unwanted fat. YES YOU JUST READ THAT RIGHT! Fat in foods like nuts, avocados, salmon, beans, and more help boost metabolism and burn fatty fat on the body. BAD fat is fat in burgers, ice cream, desserts, cheeses, and things like that. American food mostly! Haha. This fat will be stored onto your body! Most people are afraid to eat essential fat, but the truth is those foods do not make you fat.

Things I eat on a daily basis are meals like this:
Breakfast- Oatmeal, mixed with flax meal, chopped apples, chopped almonds, and stevia
               - Green Protein Smoothie: frozen banana slices, flax or hemp seed, kale, superfood protein mix, stevia, ice

Lunch- Salmon on a bed of steamed veggies, kale or rice
          - Tuna on gluten free Ezekiel Protein bread, with avocado, kale, and pico de gallo
          - Toasted Ezekiel bread spread with almond or peanut butter, topped with sliced apples and cinnamon

*I will post many many dinner and snack ideas! There are way too many to type up right now haha. I will be posting many meal ideas along this journey!*

I try just to eat the best things possible! But you should know, I bake almost everyday cookies, and energy balls that taste like peanut butter cups, and brownies filled with...kidney beans. Yes, kidney beans. You have no idea what I make! And the funny thing is, I feed my creations to friends and they think I buy them at the store or something...I'm very sneaky! I would also like to note that never in a million years will I ever give up chocolate. I just can't. So, there you go :-)

I hope everyone understands where I am trying to go with this, haha! I just wanted to post this to clear a lot of questions up. 

Have a lovely day <3

xx, Maddie

Girl Crush: Ariana Grande ♡

Okay, so recently Ariana Grande has been crazy busy. From traveling to the UK and doing press for her new TV series Sam&Cat. If you haven't heard of her yet (where have you been?!), she is a 20 year old TV actress turned world famous singer, known for her Mariah Carey vocals. 

I started obsessing over her about a year ago. I dunno, something about her just really seems to connect with me. She is very spiritual, just like I am, and she isn't afraid of what people think about her or what she does, which is a trait I like very strongly in people!

I always love the editing she does on her photos. Does anyone know what apps she uses?

Getting to the style side of things: Can we just stare in awe at these photos!? Ari (I feel like I'm best friends with her when I call her that, hehe) knows exactly what to wear at any given moment, and she looks great in any picture. 

I also want to address another thing: her weight. Yes, indeed she is a very tiny thing for a 20 year old. BUT, she has said many many times that she does not have any sort of eating problem. She has simply cut out bad food, and replaced it with the best of the best healthy food. I can understand this because I did this a year ago, and I lost all of my baby weight and cured my acne. In a tumblr post here and here, she stated that she exercises everyday and eats a lot of food every 2-4 hours!! YES THIS WORKS. I eat like this 6-7 times a day. You might think you will gain weight, but it does the exact opposite. I will do another post on this, just because this is about Ariana, and things can get very long lol :)

Well anyway that wraps up one of my girl crushes lol. Do any of you like her? Who are some of your girl crushes?

xx, Maddie

Lunch Time ♡

So almost everyday or every other day, I eat salmon. I am actually addicted. And I have mastered the way to cook it on the stove top! This was my lunch yesterday:

My specialty (and what my family devours many dinners a week): Carrot Fries

My salmon salad

Mixed in my lovely salad, I chopped fresh Kale. I have gotten used to eating this, so it really has no flavor to me. Someone who has never eaten this before might get a bitter taste in their mouth. Anyway, I love this leaf so I eat it everyday! I mixed the salmon, and also threw in guacamole, sunflower seeds, and pico de gallo. It was SO GOOD. I seasoned it with Himalayan pink sea salt, lemon pepper, and olive oil.

For the carrot fries, all you need to do is chop carrots in half length wise, like above, and cut them how ever skinny you want them. Then, lay them on a cookie sheet and coat them with olive oil and sea salt! Put whatever seasoning you want on them and cook them for about 45 to 50 minutes on 350 degrees. Voila!

Let me know if you like seeing some of my meals or snack ideas! :)

Have a lovely day

xx, Maddie

Weekend Drugstore Haul

So this weekend I was sort of stuck in my house. I don't have my drivers license yet (even though I should by now) so I can't go anywhere when my parents aren't home. I decided to ride my bike down to my corner. On my corner there is a few restaurants, stores, and a drugstore! As you can imagine, I was lured in...I might of spent a few bucks on some new items :-)

Ahh, look at how pretty! Yes. I finally got my hands on Essie's "After School Boy Blazer." I cannot wait to try it out

I thought these colors looked absolutely lovely together. I have been looking for nice nude colors, since I have never really gone with a nude color. I picked up "Mademoiselle" and "Mamba."

And the beloved Kate Moss Rimmel lipstick in 107. It is the perfect shade Fall and Winter. It is a deep red wine color. And by the looks of it, it looks pretty smooth and buttery! :)

I thought this color was a really pretty nude. It's not a washed out nude, but it has a pinky feel to it. I am new to nude lipsticks, so this is what I went with. Maybelline "Pearly Pink"

Sticking with Maybelline, I got my hands on the 24 hour color tattoos!!! I am SOO excited to start using these babies. Look at how pretty they look!

This is Bad to the Bronze. It has buildable coverage, so you can make it soft and subtle or loud and shimmery!

 Tough as Taupe. I will be sporting this color daily. It is the perfect neutral shade for everyday.

So those are just a couple of things I picked up :) And sorry for my hands, they are looking very dry and pale. Its the changing weather!! Bare with me!

xx, Maddie