You don't have to become a new you during this PANDEMIC

No, you don't have to become a new person, pursue your wildest dreams, and be productive every single second of the day during this quarantine period. You don't have to post it on the internet to self validate so that people think you're doing something. However, you can be conscious of using your time wisely. If there is one thing I will never forget is when I first heard the phrase, "Money comes and goes. Your time won't." That's something that I will carry with me for the rest of my days. It's actually those same words that drove me to quit my 9-5 life and start living. That's a story for another day though! 

Affordable & Easy Hairstyles: INH Hair Brit Ponytail Extension

After two continuous years of having the short hair bug I decided, last summer, to let it grow out! This was honestly an issue I would never have since my hair tends to grow, extremely fast! However, the hair growth has been a drag. Almost a year later since my last haircut and I'm still not at my desired length. I decided to turn to hair extensions! Now, when it comes to hair I am no high maintenance person. I had actually cut my hair because I felt like my long hair was too much to keep up with. Yeah, I was wrong about that one. I have spent countless amount of hours researching extensions that fit my budget and are easy to use. This led me to INH Hair!

HOW TO PREPARE TO ASK FOR A RAISE

If there is something, jumping into the workforce by the age of 17 has taught me is to speak up for what you want.

A little back story: As soon as I graduated high school, that summer, I decided that I wanted to make my own money and I also discovered my true love for clothes. I did not have a car, I didn't even have a savings account, I just had my body and my mother in the back of my head telling me to focus only on school. The problem is that what I wanted out of this, the learning experience and all that jazz no one could give me but myself. So, I walked blocks to get the nearest bus stop and clock into my shift at Banana Republic. There I learned what busting your butt really was. I also learned what I brought to the table and how I could use that to my advantage for personal growth and income. With that being said, all the hard work and sacrificing was not done in vain. These small learning experiences prepared me for higher paying jobs, how to play the game and win.

See, negotiating pay is very nerve wracking, not going to lie, I played every kind of scenario in my head. For example: “what if they tell me to leave and replace me?” “what if they say no?” Now working successfully in the corporate world and having negotiated a couple thousands in the last 4 years I feel like I would share my tips on how I got there.

I Got My First Allure Beauty Box! | HIT OR MISS?

I am a fan of subscription boxes and I will admit that until the death of me. It's like a little gift from you to you every month, lol. I have tried boxes such as Birchbox, Boxy Charm, Bark Box and now the Allure Beauty Box. I typically aim for boxes that have reasonable value. For example, I love deluxe size products or full size product boxes simply because I feel like you get your moneys worth. If you haven't read my blog post on Boxy Charm, check it out here!

LOS ANGELES, MALIBU, SANTA MONICA & PALM SPRINGS IN 5 DAYS | TRAVEL TIPS

So here we are, reading a travel blog post... by me! Lol. When I first started my blog I didn't think I would be doing any travel posts, simply because I rarely travel. Why I never did, I do not know. As many might call it, I seem to have the "travel bug". I LOVE TRAVELING. I feel like I can't stop now. I just got back from the west coast and I am already rummaging to squeeze one more in by the end of the year. My current job allows me some paid time off and I plan on using that up on.... TRAVEL. You know, little trips here and there. For this trip I returned to my favorite state, CALIFORNIA! I love California. There is just so much to offer there. Want the beach? Drive to Santa Monica, Malibu, etc. Want the desert? Head on over to Palm Springs! Do you want the mountains? Just go a little north! If the opportunity were to present itself and I can move to the west coast, I would in a heartbeat. Am I rambling? I am, huh? I just want to get all these things out before we get to the nitty gritty of what it costs and what to do in Cali. I went for a total of five (5) days and that might have been a little too short for me. However, we tried to make every minute count. All the days for waking up before the crack of dawn for work have trained me for this moment! I had no issues waking up earlier than the rest of California, I was determined to make every second count. Honestly, that's how vacations go for me, I like to wake up early and get my day started so that I can squeeze as many things as possible while I'm there. Also, saves time with traffic, which, if you have visited or live in a populated city you know how time consuming this can be.

I will be discussing a budget throughout this post and would like to note that this trip was split between two people, therefore, the budget was a little bigger and gave more room to splurge on things. But a trip on your own is totally do-able! I hope to one day be able to provide you with a guide for the "solo travelers" out there! This is actually on my life bucket list!

Favorite Beauty Masks At The Moment

Ever since I passed the age of 21 (which is not too long ago!) I obsess over taking care of my skin probably more than I should. Nah, who am I kidding, one should always be obsessed with their skin! Honestly though, if your base is healthy (skin) then either a. your skin will be so bomb you might want to opt for zero makeup, or b. your makeup beat will be absolutely stunning and flawless! I choose both.

Acne has always been a battle for me and I try to focus my skincare ventures on fighting that issue. Now, in my experience, many anti acne products result in over drying of the skin. Overly dry skin is something you do not want, or at least I run away from. I hate the tight feeling as well as the itchy feeling. If you follow my journey through instagram (which you totally should! ... please?) you will always see me trying a new mask or just a mask that I love. One might say "ok, you mask too much!" but in reality, when I mask I tend to spot treat. What that is - is me simply applying the mask to the area where it is focused to tackle or at least advertised to tackle and where I want it to work. I will be showing and talking a little bit about my go to face masks and how I normally use them. Now, shall we?

Things I Have Learned In My 20's: Updated List

If you may recall a couple posts down to my blog post titled "Styling Camo + 6 Things My 20's Have Taught me" you might have read my little list on what I have learned along the way.. Well I am here to let you guys in on the tea of a couple other things I have learned! Some are pretty depressing if I must say but others are so extremely happy! Looks like I come bearing gifts today because I also have a cute little #ootd to share with you guys! This one was so much fun to style and shop for!