mascaras.
I’m obsessed with mascara. I’ve got the baby, short lashes, so mascara really lengthens them. I usually use three mascaras at one time - one mascara never has the lift, separation, thickness, and lengthening that I want. I’ve yet to find that. I doubt I will, as I’m super choosy with mascaras.
So, I decided to share with you guys all my mascaras and what I think of them!
1. Rimmel London; Lash Maxxx. Promises 3X lash multiplying effect. The brush is extremely unique - I liked that it resembled a comb and it brushed through any clumps. Kept my eyelashes from looking too “spidery”. Not great for thickening though. I mostly use this after applying any preliminary mascaras to literally brush away the clumps and clean up any grossness.
2. Maybelline; Volum’ Express Turbo Boost. This mascara is really wet-based. A little too “liquidy” for my taste. Great to liven up your eyelashes after a night of dancing. The wet foundation reapplies better on the dried mascara on your lashes. I wouldn’t use this alone - takes a long time to dry if used first or by itself.
3. Maybelline; Great Lash. I only bought this because it retailed for $3 and was waterproof. I hate the brush. It’s so small and so tiny and it’s completely pointless. I only use it for the waterproof purposes around the corners of my eyes where those teeny-tiny lashes are. However, I prefer #8 a lot more. (See 8.)
4. Urban Decay; Big Fatty. I was so disappointed in this mascara. I loved the brush - it was big, bold, and wonderful! The mascara itself was so .. crumbly. The base was really thick and it seemed as if the mascara was old and used. It’s good to use as a base before any others mascaras. It sets the lashes well in their curled position if you use an eyelash curler. The tube is really fun and such an interesting design.
5. Rimmel London; Volume Flash Mousse. I love this mascara. The mousse foundation is amazing. It’s thickening and darkening, so your eyelashes really pop. It’s also a great lengthener. I loved the brush - it’s your typical mascara brush, but the actual bristles are different and spread out. Recommend this with enthusiasm!
6. Christian Dior; Diorshow in Azure Blue. If you want something iconic and crazy and literally eye-popping, then this is the mascara for you! I accidentally bought the blue instead of the black, but I’m happy I did. It’s so unique and nothing short of spectacular. It didn’t make me look like a clown - the color is a deep blue, but neon enough to be seen under the light. Haven’t tried it yet under a blacklight, but I can’t wait to! As far thickening and lengthening, its great for both. Foundation is just the perfect balance between wet-based and a bit crumbly.
7. Maybelline; the Colossal. Out of all the mascaras I’ve written about, this is the one I use the most. Great for on the go - tube is nice and compact - and wonderful to use alone. Spreads out lashes to a thickening degree. Lengthens very well. Brush is humungous, hence, the name. Just. Plain. Fantastical. *Note to self: buy some more of this mascara, running out!
8. Maybelline; Lash Discovery Mini-Brush Waterproof. The name explains it all. It’s a mini-brush perfect for corners of the eyes, the under eyelashes, or any touchups on the go! Waterproof, so it’s sweat okay!
Hope you guys found some of these useful! I’m open to questions here as a comment or if you want it to be private, just go to the contact form and send me an email!
My routine:
I apply Big Fatty first, then the Colossal, the Volume Mousse, and finish off with a hint of the Azure Blue Diorshow!
Love & love.
christmas list!
I decided that I don’t want anything too extragavant this Christmas, but it’s never bad to dream! Some of the things on the list aren’t expensive, but there are some that … well … I won’t see for quite a few years until I become a millionaire.
- Hairspray Soundtrack (2007 movie)
- Dreamgirls Soundtrack (2006 movie)
- Betsy Johnson bag (any big tote, really. I adore big bags!)
- A gold, personalized necklace with my name. Similar to the necklace Carrie has on Sex & the City!
- Circus Album (Britney Spears)
- A pink DS with Cooking Mama & Brain Age!
- Books, books, books, and more books.
I’ll keep updating this when I figure out what else I want. I’m pretty big on musicals-turned-movies, and also a HUGE Britney fan, so they are definite must haves.
What are you guys hoping to get for Christmas? Or plan to get for your loved ones?
pre-demise.
Yes, this post is pre-demise, meaning, after tomorrow’s English class, I will no longer have the energy to breathe. I have a five-page paper due tomorrow - one I still have not started - and I’m sure I’ll be up all hours of the night, idly toying with the keyboard and occasionally eating a Butterfinger. Pathetic, I know, but this needs to be done. I’m usually great with papers, but this certain topic just screams bullshit.
You’ve all read Oedipus, I presume? Man who absolutely blind to his obvious fate. Married his mother, killed his father, ignores all around him because he’s a total pompous and arrogant asshole? Yeah, that dude.
Anyway, must analyze why he’s blind and why the seer, Teiresias, is physically blind, but can see.
This is so ridiculous, as scholars have answered these questions and done this research so many times before. I could probably google some things right now and have every answer - but I won’t. I’ll try and do this the real way: bullshitting.
On another note, my mom has discovered my blog. God knows how, but she’s pretty good at googling, so I’m sure she was bored one day and googled my name and stumbled upon it. I thought about this and wondered if I should make my posts private to those who register, but I feel that it’s better to keep it public. I’d like to have her check in once in a while on her daughter, seeing as she doesn’t at all in real life. You see that, Mom? Yes, you don’t participate much in my life - try and change that, eh?
Also! On the friend front, this guy I know has totally been up and down the sane train and I’m not sure if he’s now diagnosed crazy or if he just hasn’t slept much. He’s been doing this weird “talk to me, don’t talk to me” dance lately and I’m getting severely confused. Just the other day he told me: “Let me know when you want to talk to me.” Who said I didn’t want to? Ugh, who knows? He’s one of those guys who takes things too seriously and then feels like a jackass the next day because they did something stupid. I HOPE HE READS THIS. YES, YOU ARE BEING RETARDED. So, stop! Spare yourself the trouble and get over things! Move on! Live happily ever after!
Must stop procrastinating. Will write a post-demise post tomorow .. if the demise doesn’t hit me too strong.
Love & love.
plugins that i love to use!
Favorite Wordpress Plug-ins & Widgets!
I’m taking a page out of Katy’s blog and am going to list all of the plug-ins I currently use. There is no way to describe how amazing and hassle-free these all are. Everything is self-explanatory and it literally does the job for you! There are so many plug-ins out there, but I’ll recommend a few on here:
(These are all compatible with Wordpress 2.6.3)
Akismet checks your comments against the Akismet web service to see if they look like spam or not. You need a WordPress.com API key to use it. You can review the spam it catches under “Comments.” This is so much easier than using any form of Captcha. This should already be installed on your Wordpress, just go to Plugins, activate, and use your API key. (To acquire an API key, you must register at wordpress.com and the API key should be on your dashboard.)
This plug-in is amazing. I literally did nothing. Just installed, activated the plug-in, and copy and pasted the code into my contact page! You can mix around the actual templates to make all different kinds of forms.
I love flickr and having the ability to post up the thumbnails on my blog with no problems is wonderful. You can choose how many pictures you’d like to show, if you’d like to show them all at random, and the size. So simple and so appealing to the eye.
There is no way to describe this plugin, but absolutely orgasmic. I’m such a bookworm and I read constantly, so having a little archive to store what I’m currently reading, what I plan to read, and what I’ve already read is so convenient. There’s no need to save images for your books - the plug-in does everything from finding the ISBN on Amazon to having options for each book. I recommend this for the bookworms of the wordpress world.
WordPress 2.5+ ONLY. Enhance your Registration Page. Add Custom Logo, Password Field, Invitation Codes, Disclaimer, Captcha Validation, Email Validation, User Moderation, Profile Fields and more. I liked this because the user got to choose what password they wanted and it’s customizable for your specific theme.
This displays all your twitter messages in your sidebar. I liked this plugin better than the others out there, because it was the only one that consistently featured the messages. Most of the other plugins would disappear and not even show.
Back up your database! This saves everything. I have this done weekly and sent to my email address just incase!
Granular user and group access controls for private posts. I love this because it restricts your posts to people who are registered, to those individuals who YOU placed in separate groups, and sometimes only to yourself! It’s a great plugin to have if you only want your clique to read your one post and hide it away from other people, family, or people from your school.
*I currently use Wordpress 2.6.3
Random Irritations.
So, I generally don’t get annoyed by many things, but today had to be the worst day ever. To help wooosah my nerves, I’m going to list them all and hope I forget they ever existed and move on with my merry life.
1. Church. Okay, I’m not even remotely religious - I’m a self-proclaimed spirtualist, but there is not a religious bone in my body. I believe in prayer and faith - but I like to control who I believe in, what I believe in, and when I can believe in it. Sure, this sounds a little too flexible to be categorized as faith, but being hauled out of sleep to attend Mass is not my cup of tea. My mother likes to think of herself as religious, though I’m sure she’s broken about a million of the vows that we were sworn into at birth. She’s Catholic and she wholly believes that attending Mass every Sunday will save our doomed souls. I don’t. To each his own. I’m not going to rely on my routine of going to church to save me from damnation. When the time comes, God will judge me based on who I was as a person, what I did to help others, and what I did to improve myself into a better person.
2. Ikea’s strangely laid out floor plan. Don’t get me wrong. I fucking love Ikea - but it’s like they threw all the shit they’re selling into one mess of a store. I jumped onto a bed - donned with about everything I loved - but each damn thing was in a different area of the store! And this store is like a MAZE. I ran into the same closet about seventy times. Fuck me if I can’t figure out if textiles is on the left of bedroom or if lighting fixtures is downstairs underneath bathrooms. And the MIRRORS. I was walking merrily in the bedroom section when BAM - I was looking at ninety-seven Sydens mimicking my every move.
3. My brother’s quick reaction to object. Oh. Lord. “Those green frames are for your pictures!” said my mother. “They’re fucking ugly as hell!” said my brother. I’m going to admit - the frames wouldn’t match our senior portraits, but I wouldn’t respond like that! I merely said, “Don’t you think we need something more formal?” The ENTIRE day was him complaining about absolutely EVERYTHING on this planet. I won’t go into detail, because I’m pretty sure you guys would hunt me down, demand to know who he is, and kick him in the shins.
4. Shutting your book without putting the bookmark back in. I did this so many times today that I felt super ridiculous about even reading. I had to skim the book countless times to figure out where I had left off. I don’t have a bookmark, but I do use a post-it .. which, now that I’m thinking about it, I should stop doing. I really should invest in a sturdy bookmark. Hhmm.
5. Not knowing people are over when you’re in your house clothes. My brother and sister just LOVE to have their random friends/boyfriend/girlfriend here at the house during the most random times. This bothers me to no end as I can’t saunter around in my over-sized flannel button-up. I have to change into something more “appropriate” for those to view and be as inconspicuous as possible. I’m also usually looking like a freaking wilderbeast, so I’m sure they are terrified with fright when they see me.
I would write more, but that’s just being obnoxious. Overall, I just didn’t have such a good day. I’ll write a proper, “nice” post when I get the chance. I have a job interview tomorrow and classes tomorrow! The current family that I sit for - the mom is going back to work full-time and she’s sending the kids off to daycare. My hours don’t match with theirs anymore, but I’ll be with them per diem.
The interview tomorrow is for a family in the same town as I’m in - so it’s very close. It’s $15 an hour - WONDERFUL - and it’s only for one child, which I can definitely handle!
Wish me luck!
& lots of love.
ETA
6. Someone else using your toothbrush. I woke up this morning to find that my toothbrush was already wet. Knowing that I definitely did not sleep-brush during the night, I was irked with the thought of someone else’s teeth being scrubbed by MY brush. One: that’s just unsanitary. Do people understand the amount of sporage growth on it? And add your OWN mouth grossness to that mix and you’re in for a disaster. I run my toothbrush under hot water for a few minutes before using to disinfect anything, but GEEZ. Their grime and blah all over my bristles just nauseates me. My family has no shame.
7. When you order a sandwich, and there’s like .. one slice of turkey or one teaspoon of tuna in it. Someone please get my back here - when haven’t you ordered something and opened it up to find that it’s 95% bread, 3% lettuce, tomato, mayo, and then 2% of the meat/fish/other you were salivating for. You’re chewing on your sandwich thinking, oh, didn’t know I ordered bread on bread.
And I’m done. I promise. I swear.
can’t live withouts.
So, I decided to do a weekly post on Thursdays called Can’t Live Withouts. This week, it’s going to be about fashion and the things I’ve been wearing A LOT lately!
Fashion Loves
- Scarves:
Oh, my. Scarves have been my favorite accessory ever since the weather got a lot cooler. Keeps you warm, makes you feel all fuzzy, and definitely adds that flare! I’ve been using my warm brown Pashmina as a scarf lately and it’s long and big and SO comfortable! I have many scarves and I try to use all of them. Patterns are fun, too. Solids can be sophisticated. But unique materials are always awesome!
- Leather Jacket:
I cannot live without my leather jacket. It looks totally badass, but classy at the same time. It rocks out my lipring as well, though, I think that makes me look more Marilyn Manson than Marilyn Monroe. My jacket is black and has the zip up - but planning on getting something similar to the picture above!
- Gold Leather Leggings:
Don’t have these yet, but I have the animal print leather leggings. I cannot live without leggings. At all. I’m not a denim person, so leggings are my life. And I’m not that I-wear-leggings-as-pants kind of person either. I rock them with dresses, skirts, shorts, and pretty much anything! Wear leggings alone is terrifying. Please don’t do it.
- Aviators:
I love these. They give you that urban feel. And they’re so convenient! Not too big, not too small. It compliments a lot of face shapes, so I recommend investing in one! They’ve all been seen in different shapes and colors as well so very versatile.
- Skippy’s:
I remember wearing shoes like this as a kid and now I remember why I loved them so much! So flexible! I love running around campus in these babies! Also very stylish, I think, with the right outfit and look. I like wearing them with long leggings that just graze the top. I own a black pair which I purchased from Urban Outfitter’s.
- Ankle Booties:
These are a girl’s best friend. They elongate my legs like no tomorrow! I’m short and my legs look freakishly weird sometimes, but when I put on a pair of stockings and ankle booties .. it gives the illusion of very long legs! Lightweight - not bulky like calve-length or knee-length. These are also easy to walk in and easy to slip on and zipper up! Grab a man in these, for real.
There are definitely more to this list, but I wouldn’t want your computer to crash with all the images. Among these, I love bumming it out in Ugg boots, wearing accessories (necklaces and earrings) and have been a fan of pencil skirts, vests, cardigans, pea-coats!
Still getting the hang of Wordpress, but do register! My posts are going to start becoming private.
The name is Syden Therese! I’m a writer and a fashion enthusiast with a flare for reading. I’m corny, ridicuous, and sarcastic, but my mood changes daily. I love sushi & bubble tea! Coldstone is a must. I’m a fan of Japanese dramas, Philippa Gregory, Tracy Chevalier, heels, Vogue, and scarves. I love sight-seeing and going in NYC every once in a while. My friends are my life, as is my family (as irritating as they can be). I’m and English major and I hope to be a novelist one day!