Sunday, August 30, 2009

Dealing with the Consequences of Procrastination

So I've been putting off my summer work for quite some time. I have a bit of reading, some essay writing, a few short answer questions, and a bunch of math problems left to do. And just a little more than a week left. So, here's MY way of dealing with procrastination and catching up on work on which I'm seriously behind.
  • STOP procrastinating. Now that you've realized how far behind you are, STOP putting off all your work. You're going to have to buckle down and do it now.
  • Make a list and a rough plan of action. Figure out all that you have to do, and try to plan out how to finish it in what little time you have left. If you have a book to read, divide the number of pages you need to read by the number of days you have left. The result is how many pages you must read per day.
  • If you're really behind, pull an almost-all-nighter. I wouldn't recommend pulling an all-nighter, because you'll be useless the next day. But stay up extra super late and shut yourself off from the outside world. Eat yummy healthy non-junk foods and lock yourself in your room. Read for hours, or write your essay non-stop, or keep working on that problem until you finally get it. If you're more of a morning person, try going to sleep early and waking up very very VERY early in the morning, so that you can get work done without any distractions from other people.
  • Speaking of essays, STOP EDITING AS YOU GO. Just keep writing. Seriously, don't stop. If you revise and edit as you write, you'll never finish. Wait until you’re done.
  • Another way to finish essays faster is to outline first. Make an outline of the points you want to make (and include the sub-points within each paragraph) so that you don't deviate from your thesis statement. This will also help because you won’t be sitting there forever trying to think of what to write next.
  • Try to devote a full day to catching up on your work. If you can find a day where you have little or nothing to do, take advantage of it and devote several hours to reading or writing. This has saved me countless times.
So, what about you, my dears? How do you catch up when you're behind on work? Let me know quickly; I need all the help I can get! Wish me luck!

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Makeup Review: CoverGirl Eye Enhancers 4-Kit (Tropical Fusion)

So I bought this quad recently, and I have to say I was impressed CoverGirl's eye shadows. They are very well-pigmented, and, as you can see, they have some very pretty colors. This quad is called Tropical Fusion. It contains a lovely blue, a turquoise-teal-green kinda color, a vibrant orange, and a lime green-yellow. Here are some swatches:










No base or primer was used. The top row is applied wet and the bottom dry. They all show up pretty well except for the yellow-green, which is not quite so pigmented. What I really like is that they look slightly metallic when applied wet (you may not be able to see it in that picture though, sorry).

Now I want more of these! Some of my favorites (which I may be getting soon) are Firecracker, Blazing Blues, and Dazzling Metallics (you can see them here).

I might do a rainbow-themed makeup tutorial with these in the future. What do you think? Do you have any favorite drugstore brands like CoverGirl? If so, tell me! I need to start spending less money on makeup.

Artist of the Moment: The Coffin Daggers

I saw The Coffin Daggers (not to be confused with Coffin Draggers) at Musikfest this past summer, and they were great. From what I can remember, the Musikfest booklet said that they were "surf rock with punk and sci-fi influences" (not a direct quote). A few of my friends have said that this sounds "weird", but they are WRONG WRONG WRONG. This music is AMAZING, and I play it super loudly whenever I'm getting ready for a night out, a big event, etc. because it pumps me up and energizes me!

Some of my favorite songs are Breaking Tide, The Rumble, and Hornet's Nest. It's all instrumental, and it seriously just makes you wanna dance! Run along and go listen on iTunes now!

Friday, August 28, 2009

Makeup Review - L'Oréal HiP (Riotous and Platinum)

Hi there! I recently purchased some HiP (High-intensity Pigments) shadows from L'Oréal Paris. I got Riotous and Platinum.









Riotous is a lime green and a lovely khaki green. Platinum is a fabulous, very metallic silver (even though it looks kinda white here) and a black with tiny silver sparkles. Here are some swatches...
The top row is applied wet and the bottom row is dry. Riotous is on the left and Platinum on the right.
Note: The silver is very reflective whether it is wet or dry, but in this picture the light hit the wet row and not the dry row quite so much.
The pigments are very nice. I've only used the shadows a few times so far, but as far as first impressions go...

  • The silver really has to be used sparingly, except in very special occasions. I tried it all over the lid and it was a bit much! I simply couldn't pull it off with the outfit I was wearing. Maybe at a different occasion, if I were wearing a little black dress or my silver ruffle-y dress, but not for a casual party.
  • The black seems as if it would be very nice for a smokey eye with a slightly different touch (because of the teeny tiny silver sparkles).
  • The khaki goes very well with brown shadow, and surprisingly, it looks great with shimmery peach shadow!
  • The silver looks great on the top inner corners of eyes - it really opens them up!
I might do a tutorial with one of these shadow duos soon. What do you think?

Name Change

Just a quick post: I've changed the name of the blog. The previous name referred to a blog I had a while ago, but I think we needed a name change, don't you? So we are now officially called "I Love..." and are located at iloveblogazine.blogspot.com (extra note: I had to call it a 'blogazine' rather than a 'blog' because so many domain names were already taken).

Hopefully you all like the new name! More posts later today. (Most likely about some of my favorite blogs, musicians, and more!)

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Movie Review: District 9

I saw District 9 last week, and I LOVED it. I even cried a little at a few parts, and you know I don't cry. If you're thinking that this movie isn't for you because you don't like science fiction, you're WRONG. This is not your typical sci-fi movie!

District 9 is a very intense movie. I'm not going to give anything away because it's best to see this movie without knowing what's going to happen, but I will say that there is some character development for the aliens, which I didn't expect. District 9 is a thrilling movie with themes pertaining to prejudice and Apartheid.

There are some pretty gross parts, but you're just gonna have to get over it. You really shouldn't miss this movie! And the best part: it's an in independent film, so Hollywood didn't mess it up (if it had, Christian Bale probably would have been the lead).

And a quick question

What are your favorite healthy foods (particularly produce)? Is there anything out of the ordinary that you love, which is also good for you?

I personally LOVE:
  • Pomegranite juice
  • Raspberries and Blackberries
  • Strawberries
  • Brocolli
  • Dried fruit, walnuts, carob chips
I need ideas for new healthy foods to eat. Especially fruits and veggies. Tell me what YOU like! :D

Back-to-School!

Okay folks, we're getting to the final countdown here! I've got a little less than two weeks until school starts for me, and I'm definitely starting to feel a little rushed with all the work I have left to do (250 pages left to read, an essay to finish, questions to answer, and 24 math problems to do, not to mention clothes and supplies to buy). So, in the spirit of procrastination, here's a playlist to pump you up for the new school year...

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Want Want Want Wednesdays 8/26

It's Wednesday, so here is what I am currently wanting (now if only I could get a job...):
  • Lime Crime makeup: So bright, it's illegal!
  • Coffee, tea, chocolate, soda.... in other words, caffeine! I'm not really allowed anymore due to insomnia and headaches, but I'm seriously going through withdrawal.
  • Tights! Especially blue, purple, and brown.
  • Some shiny new school supplies for the new school year! :D (particularly a zillion different colored highlighters for annotating passages in English class!)
  • And finally, the ability to read faster.... still have 300 pages in The Fountainhead!

So, what are the things you just GOTTA have right now? Makeup? A pony? Sugar? A new mattress?! :P Tell me!

Thursday, August 6, 2009

I'm baaaaaaack!

Hey there! I got bored and wanted to start a blog again. So I'm back with double the sporkiness!

Today I bought (actually my mommy got it for me as a "reward" cuz I had to get bloodwork and have a bit of a phobia of needles :D) some amazingly bright and pretty eyeshadow by Cover Girl called Eye Enhancers in the color Tropical Fusion. It's so pretty! I can't wait to try it out!

















Just look at it! It's GORGEOUS!

Ooooookay, so that's it for now. Tomorrow I'm going to DC and will tell you all about it. :DDDDD