Year: 2016

Fall Night Routine

Posted on by Steph

This past week, that I had some free days before my classes start again, I decided I wanted to incorporate into my life a night routine.  I believe that having a night routine will help your mind recognize that the time to go to sleep is approaching, and it’s also a great way to treat yourself.  So, here I present to you my routine.

Hot Cup of Chai Tea

I have been obsessed with this Chai Tea, specially with milk (Latte) lately.  I love the the taste of spices, and I find it so perfect to drink in this Fall season.  I have been really enjoying it now that at night the weather gets a bit chilly.  I fill so relax drinking it, and that’s exactly the feeling I want before going to sleep.  In the morning I like drinking it cold, to calm down in my way to work.

Vanilla Lavender Candle

After my cup of tea is ready I go to my room and light this candle from Bath and Body Works.  My go to way to relax has always been thru good smelling things like candles and body products.  And this candle just set the perfect atmosphere to whine down.

Good Book

I am currently reading Adultery by Pablo Coelho, and so far I am enjoying it.  It’s an easy and light read.  It makes you think about your life, how you are living it and things you will do differently.  From my routine, this part is the one I am most looking forward to keeping even when I start my classes again,  I have a lot of books I want to read.  Plus, reading because I want to and not because I have to is very comforting.

After I am done reading, I go wash my cup and blow off my candle, before I turn my light off I spray this Pillow Mist on my bed and climb in it.  It smells so good.  I love the lavender scent, it’s not over powering, it gives your sheet that clean smell.  Who doesn’t love sleeping in recently clean sheets? But because that is not possible every day this is the second best.

After all that I am ready to sleep.  I am still trying to stop using electronics an hour before going to sleep, but I haven’t had much luck with that, I am kind of addicted to Facebook, but I am aware of it and I am trying to work on it.

I like having this little routine and now I want to start working on a morning routine.  That one is so difficult, I feel like I am always so tired in the morning, no matter how early I go to sleep.  I am always late and running around like crazy before I go to work,  My goal is to wake up and have enough time to eat breakfast at home and not in the car, and to not feel in a hurry every morning.  I’ll keep you guys posted with how it turns out.

Do you have a routine for your mornings or nights?  What is something that helps you get ready to sleep? Let me know in the comments below.  Also if you have any tips I could use for my still in process morning routine, I would appreciated.

Always dreaming,

♥ Steph

October Makeup Wishlist (Study Motivation)

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I tend to always do a Makeup Wishlist at the start of a new semester, but this semester I didn’t came around do it.  Now that this term is coming to an end, I feel like this is the perfect time to do it, I really need the inspiration.  My goal with these wishlists is to give my best, try to earn good grades, and at the end of the semester I will reward my myself with something from the list.  They are usually high-end products, but this time I have 2 drugstore products that I really want.

1. NYX Cosmetics Lip Lingerie Liquid Lipstick

I have to admit I was late to this party, while everyone was raving about them they didn’t caught my eye.  One day I was looking for a brown lipstick and found Teddy, and decided to give it a try.  If you follow me on Instagram, this goes without saying, I am obsessed with it, I think that I wear it 4 out 7 days in the week, it looks so pretty, and it feels so good.  (I also created a “The Look” post with it, you can read it here.)  After that I went and bought Exotic that I also really like. Now I am determined to own the majority of the shades, if not all of them, I am that obsessed.

2. Wet n’ Wild ColorIcon Rainbow Highlighter

I have to confess that the only reason I haven’t bought this highlighter yet is because I can’t find it anywhere, I think it hasn’t come to Puerto Rico yet (If someone knows where I could find it, please let me know).  I really think that as soon as I see it on stores I will be buying it.  It looks so pretty, so colorful, I don’t own anything like it, it will be so fun to have in my collection. Can’t wait!


3.  Urban Decay Ultimate Naked Basics

I am sure this is a product I NEED in my life.  I love all my Naked palettes (the only one I don’t own is the Naked Smokey one, and it’s on my first Study Motivation Makeup Wishlist that you can see here, and I still want it).  But this palette looks perfect for everyday, I don’t wear eye shadows everyday, but with this I am sure I will.  The colors look so pretty, and the different shades will work well from a everyday natural look to a dramatic smokey eye.

4. BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Opal

Highlighters are part of my everyday makeup routine. My favorite highlighter is Champagne Pop by Jaclyn Hill from Becca, and I really want to try another one from them, in hopes that it is the same formula and pigmentation as Champagne Pop.  I have my eye on Opal because of the color.  I tend to always go for golden/bronze shades in my highlighters, this one is gold but has a hint of pink in it, which makes me very attracted to it. I am dreaming about it.

5. Kat Von D Everlasting Mini Liquid Lipstick Set

How cute does those colors look?! I don’t own anything from Kat Von D, but most of the time they make their way into my Wishlists, I am hoping I can change that soon and this set looks like it may be it. This 8 shades go from natural to dramatic, and I am a firm believer that a girl needs to have choices.  I can see my self on a Friday night rocking that blue shade, yes please!  They have really good reviews, I am excited to see them personally on Sephora.

I will love to know what is currently on your makeup wishlist, be sure to let me know in the comment section below.

Always dreaming,

♥ Steph

The Look: Fall Lover

Posted on by Steph
Last week I celebrated my first year of blogging, you can go read the post here, and in my book, there is no better way to celebrate than with makeup.  
I got inspired with the idea of Fall, and I say idea, because theres is no Autumn in Puerto Rico, here is always Summer, always hot. I love the typical Fall colors and my Coastal Scents, Festive Fall Palette, is perfect for this time of year, and that is how this look was born. 
I applied my primer, foundation, concealer and powder, and then went to play with my eye makeup. First I applied a light cream color all over the lid to help the eyeshadows I was going to apply later blend better. And then the fun begun!
I started blending the orange color from my Wet n Wild, Art in the Streets,  eyeshadow palette in my crease, as a blending color.  Then I choose a bronze color for the upper lid and in the middle a more golden one. In the crease I applied a brown eyeshadow that I blended with the orange I first applied.  Because I wanted this look to have a lot of orange I applied that same shade in my lower lid and in the outer conner a little bit of the brown to darken the look. I did a cat eye (my favorite way to wear eyeliner), and applied a little bit of black eyeliner to the outer conner of my lower lid. The final touch was two coats of mascara. 
In my face I did a bit of contour, mostly because the foundation I’m using is bit lighter for me and I use it to give my face more color.  In the cheeks I applied a orange blush to go with the eyes, and highlighted the high points of my face and the inner conner of the eyes with the bronze shade in my Wet n Wild, megaglo Illuminating Palette in Catwalk Pink. 
To finish the look I applied what has been my favorite lip color this past few weeks, a beautiful brown matte shade that feels good on the lips. 
Here is the list of products I used: 
Face:
L’Oreal Magic Lumi Light Infusing Primer
L’Oreal True Match Lumi Cushion Foundation in N3.5
Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles in Light
Coty Airspun Translucent Loose Face Powder
Eyes:
Coastal Scents Eyeshadow Palette in Festive Fall
Wet n Wild Eyeshadow Palette in Art in the Streets
Maybelline Line Stiletto Ultimate Precision Liquid Eyeliner in Blackest Black
Too Faced Perfect Eyes Waterproof Eyeliner in Perfect Black
Maybelline Mega Flush Volum’ Express Mascara in Blackest Black
itCosmetics Brow Power Universal Brow Pencil
Cheeks:
ColourPop Super Shock Cheek in Carry-On
NYX Ombre Blush in Feel The Heat
Wet n Wild megaglo Illuminating Palette in Catwalk Pink 
Lips:
NYX Lingerie Lipstick in Teddy
Let me know in the comments if you are as excited about Fall as I am, and your favorite thing about the season. 
Always dreaming,

♥ Steph

Happy 1st Year of Blogging!

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Happy 1st Birthday, Dreaming Life in Pink!

I can’t believe how fast time passes by. A year ago I was starting my new adventure in Psychology, taking some required classes to hopefully start my Masters Degree in Counseling Psychology, and here I am in my second semester (to see how I am handling it go here).
It was in one of those classes that I stared playing with the idea on my mind that I wanted a blog, writing ideas on my notebook of what I wanted to write. And a Monday, in a free period between classes I posted for the first time on Dreaming Life in Pink. You can go read my first post here. 
So many things have happened this year, I have learned, change and grown so much. I feel I am on my way to be the Steph I have always wanted to be, giving my best, enjoying life and being adventurous. 
I love having my little blog to write about what seems important to me, to get creative, to keep my self motivated to live my dreams, and my wish is that I can help other people do the same. I like spending time working on it, and I hope that you, that are reading me, enjoy spending time reading it too.
I am sure this year wouldn’t have been the same without Dreaming Life in Pink in my life, so I am very excited to be celebrating it’s 1st year. 
Wishing for many years of celebration to come. 
Always dreaming life in pink,

♥ Steph

Getting Thru Demanding Times

Posted on by Steph
(Makeup done between study sessions on a busy night.) 

I feel like I have abandoned Dreaming Life in Pink, I didn’t have much free time during the summer and now that classes have started I feel like I need to add more hours to my days just to have time to go to work and do all my school work, without feeling stressed and anxious. No one ever said having a full time job and trying to complete a Masters Degree is easy, cause it surely is not, but is not impossible and I know I am not the only one going thru it (my respects to the people that besides work and college, also have a family to take care of).

But it’s not all bad.  So, today I decided to share with you how I am getting through this demanding time of my life.

1. Investing in a career you are passionate about.


I love psychology (maybe as much as I love makeup), and being passionate about what you are studying or working with, will make things a little bit easier.  Sometimes I get frustrated with the amount of work the professors are given us, and that I sometimes find very difficult, because some of the things the professors think you already know I really don’t (considering that my Bachelors Degree was in Business Administration).  There is always a point in the week where I am in the classroom, and the professor is talking very passionately (the good thing about having great professors), and it makes sense to me again, that I am there ’cause is something that I really want and that at the end it will be worth it. 

2. Surround your self with positive and supportive people.


Even thought I know that all the sacrifices I am making at the end will be totally worth it, even if is just for personal satisfaction, having a great support system around you it’s super important.  My friends and family are the best, they are always encouraging me to go after what I want, they help get through my moments of doubt and tiredness, that always seems to come with a bad mood and tears, I am working on it, I promise (sorry, Mami!!). Plus, I am lucky to have a special someone that since I started my Master’s has always been there being my personal cheerleader, and it’s always wiling to help me, and he does helps me so, so much, even if he says other wise (thank you, Handsome).

3. Do fun things.


Keep in mind not everything has to be so serious. Find a time to do something fun, to relax the mind and the body. Try it once a week or every two weeks even if it’s just for a couple of hours, your brain will be grateful for the break, after it, go back to the serious stuff.  My BFF and I have made Friday nights, Girls Night, and it’s awesome. We go out, usually to get dinner, catch up on things and have fun. Even if when I get home I have to keep doing school work, for those couple of hours I try to not think of it and enjoy the moment. 

4. Take time for your self.


Has with #3, find time, even if its a couple of hours in the week and treat yourself. My favorite way to relax is to burn a candle (here is my current favorite), put a face mask on and lay down on my bed watching makeup videos on YouTube. I try to not do it to often, ’cause if I have a lot of things to do, I sometimes feel guilty after it, because I could be doing other “more productive” things. Even with thoughts like that, I try to have moments like this every week, I just try to not go crazy and spent to much time on YouTube (it happens…). Another thing I like doing is playing with makeup, even if it’s between study sessions and then get back to what I was doing. Having makeup on gives my more energy in whatever I am doing (even cleaning).

5. Remember is just temporary.


When you think that it’s too much, that it’s to hard and that you can’t do it, remember it’s just temporary. Time will pass, even if you work hard for your dreams or you don’t, so make it worth it. At the end, chances are, you will be happier seeing your dreams and goals come true. Be strong and work for your goals, I know you can do it, and repeat it to yourself, I always tell myself that, I can do it.

6. Find the good in everything.


I consider myself a very positive person. Why bring your self down with your thoughts? I believe everything happens for a reason, so even in difficult or hard times try to find something good in it, a lesson or a blessing in disguise. There is always something to learn or take from in every situation. 

I hope I can inspire you to go after your dreams, even if they seem difficult or impossible.

♥ Steph

My Erin Condren Life Planner (My Thoughts & How I Plan)

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I have been in love with Erin Condren Life Planner for more than two years, watching videos, reading blog posts and dreaming of the day I had one in my hands. After much thinking about it, this year I decided I would make the investment, and what a great decision!  This blog post is in collaboration with Juleny from Zona Jule, you can go read her post here. 
This Erin Condren Life Planner is my life! (I also wrote about it in my Back to School Haul here). I use it as a planner/journal, I always have it with me, and I like writing things that happened that day or week that I don’t want to forget. 
On the monthly view I like writing down important dates, like birthdays, and now that my classes start this week I will also be writing due dates and exams dates here. In the corner of the page, where it says goals I like to put my goals for the month, I do it in post it notes, so that they are in a different color to make them stand out.
I have the vertical layout, and I find that it works perfectly for me, and for how I use it. I like having the different boxes for the different aspects of my life.  
To the left of the weekly view I write down my goals for that week, things I have to do, or that I have to remember.  And I usually write something in “Thoughtful Thought” at the end of the week, something that happened or I learned that I am grateful for. 
From monday to friday, it looks almost the same every week. The first box is for exercise and to track the days I practice Mindfulness (meditation). The second box is for everything, things I have to do, things I want to remember, and it’s were I will be writing my university stuff in. The third box is for work, I like writing everything I do at work, to keep track of it and to have the information accessible when I have to go to meetings or when I am asked about it. 
I don’t use stickers, they look really cute, but I think that if I use them I would have less space to write, and I usually write a lot.  I use colored pens (you can see my new ones here), and I have a colored code system, purple for exercise, pink for personal things, burgundy for the blog, blue for work, and for when my classes start I will have a color for each of them.  I like using colored pens, because it helps me keep things organized, easy to see and the colors look super cute.
I don’t have any complaints about this planner, other that it may be a bit pricey, but I find it totally worth it. The planner is good quality, and because I used it as a journal it’s something I will be keeping for years to come, I am sure it will hold up nicely.
I will love to know if you use a planner and if you do, which one and how you used it, I like taking ideas, let me know in the comments. 
Be sure to check out Juleny’s post, she has the Erin Condren Life Planner Horizontal Layout, go find out how she uses it here. 
♥ Steph

Notebook Decor DIY

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I am so excited for my classes to start this semester, I want to use all the goodies I bought for back to school (you can see my haul here). 
I found this really cute notebook at Walmart, that I really liked because of the post it notes and flags inside.
The only thing making it not perfect for me was that it is a one subject notebook, I have two classes per term this semester, and I like having just one notebook to carry around. I decided that I would fix that in a very cute and motivational way.
It was super easy, I used scrapbook paper, that I cut to fit the page and made the holes to it, so that it looked like the page and glued the scrapbook paper to the page on the notebook. I did this to the first page, and to another to the middle of the notebook. 
To make it easy to find my notes to a specific class, I put a green tab (to stay with color scheme) in the decorated pages. 
Super easy! It looks super cute, and the quotes for sure will keep me motivated thru this term. I like how it turned out, and I am thinking of always doing this to my notebooks, I love having motivational quotes to read. 

Stay motivated on making your dreams come true!
♥ Steph

Back to School Haul – August, 2016

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Back to School time!

I’m so excited for back to school, being honest, I’ve been excited to go back to school since classes finished in may.  I already had bought my backpack when June started, and my classes don’t start again till the end of this month, but I am super ready for when the day comes.
For all the reason I have to be excited to go back to having a lot of things to do and not much free time (although I had a very busy summer, I’ve haven’t had much free time…), school supplies are my all #1 favorite reason.  New notebook, but specially new pens make me so happy.
So, here are the things that I bought for this new semester.

Backpack

When the semester ended in may, I started an intense research to find the perfect backpack for me.  It had to be big, really big, where I could put all my things in, without feeling like it would explode. And after lots of Youtube videos I decided that I wanted a JanSport Big Student Backpack, the adventure was finding one I really liked.  I went to a lot of Journeys stores, but they only had it in black, and that was just to plain and dark for me, I didn’t want to buy it online ’cause I wanted to see it first, so I keep doing more research and found that they sell them in JCP stores, I went to the store and I found this cute floral one. Yay! Here is the link to buy it on amazon, if you are interested.

Notebook

I found this notebook browsing trough the office and school supplies aisles at Walmart.  The pretty bright pink color was the first thing that caught my eye and I really liked the idea of the bright green band holding it together, but when I opened it has sticky notes and flags attach to it! How clever! The only downside was that is a one subject notebook, but I fixed that, and you can read about it here.

Planner

Oh, this planner! I am so in love with my Erin Condren Life Planner! Totally worth every penny! I have always love planners but I never stick to them, cause I’ve never found one that I really liked and that would work great for what I wanted.  I’ve been eyeing this planner for more that a year, maybe two, but I was afraid of spending so much money in something that could end at the back of a messy drawer.  After much thinking and planning in my mind how I would use it I went and made the order, I couldn’t be more happy.  I will have a post very soon telling you my thoughts on it and how I use it.

Colorful Pens

I saw this Paper Mate Ink Joy Gel Pens at Walgreens, (Did I mention that I love school/office supplies and that I love walking trough those aisles at stores? ‘Cause I really do!), they were in a pack of 6 for like $10, and they caught my eye.  That week a spent a little too much time doing a research on pens, watching Youtube videos, reading blogs and reviews, and my search ended in Amazon.  After all my research I decided this were the ones I wanted and I found this pack of 14 pens for $15, a great deal! Sadly, as I’m writing this they are no longer at that price, but here is the link if you want to check them out.  I am loving everything about them, how they look, the colors and how they write.

Blue Pens

 
I prefer writing my notes in pen, specially blue ones.  This Pilot G2 pens are my all time favorites, although those Paper Mate Gel pens may be giving them a run for their money.  I also talk about this pens on another post that you can go read here.

More Colorful Pens

I love the Pilot G2 pens in blue, so I guess I couldn’t go wrong with these Pilot G2 colorful ones.  Totally unnecessary, I know, but they are so cute, I am loving the burgundy color one.  Except for the pink one, the colors are different from the Paper Mate ones, and I am totally happy with 2 pink pens.

Highlighters

I love marking things in color, which means I have a lot of highlighters, in my pencil pouch for school, at my desk at home and at work, but non are like this ones.  So, this purchase is totally acceptable, right? (Please say yes.)  This Sharpie’s Highlighters are so great! You can see trough them so you know exactly when to stop, ’cause I personally hate when I keep highlighting something that I didn’t want to, just ’cause I didn’t see it, now I won’t have that problem.

Eraser 

I take my notes on pens, but in exams I prefer to write with a pencil, because if I make a mistake I find it easier to erase it and keep writing, that if I were writing with a pen.  I bought this cute pink eraser at Walgreens one day at my lunch break, to use it for work, but liked it so much, it does a great job not leaving any mark, that I went the next day and bought another one to keep at my pencil pouch for school.
Do you share my love for school/office suplies?  What gets you or got you more excited for back to school? Please let me know in the comments below.
I’m excited for the new semester and to keep writing on the blog.  Be on the look out for a look inside my Erin Condren Life Planner.
Keep dreaming life and working for your dreams.
♥ Steph

Dates with Myself

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You know how there is a list on your mind of the things you want to do, places you want to go, but hadn’t had the opportunity to. My list was long, until I decided I was done waiting for the perfect time, and I would start doing them. And thats when my dates with myself started.

First, I want you to know that I was the type of person that didn’t like going out alone, not even having lunch alone.  The only thing I used to do alone, once in a while, was seeing a movie in a theater, if I didn’t find company.  So, that being said, I like being around people, and I am very social.  But there are a lot of places I want to go, and things I want to do and sometimes is hard finding the right time for everyone to do those things, and I was feeling like I was losing opportunities and experiences waiting.

My first “date” was as an end of semester celebration, I decided I deserved some me time, to relax and have a good time.  I planned ahead and told everyone I could my plans, that way I wouldn’t back out, plus, the countdown was exciting. 
The day came, and on my way over I kept thinking I should just buy food on a drive-thru and eat in my car, cause, “what would I do alone in a restaurant table?”.  I pushed the thoughts away and went with my plan. After I was in the place, sitting alone in the table, I was so proud of my self.  I distracted myself people watching and spending some time on social media until the food arrive. Then I went to see a movie and after that I did some walking at the mall. That night when I got home, I was so happy, proud and pleased with myself, it was an awesome experience. 

After that day I told myself I can do anything I want and that I won’t deprive myself of experiences just because I am alone.  When I decide I want to do something alone, at first I feel self conscious, but I let the though pass, and I focus on having a great time.  These little decisions make me feel powerful and in control of my life, I feel stronger and independent and I love how I’m feeling.  I am not saying I prefer going out alone, I still like company, but I learned that the only thing I need to have fun is my attitude. 
I challenge you to take yourself out in a date and have fun. Control those thoughts that hold you back and be determined to have a good time. I am sure you wont regret giving yourself some quality time.
Never stop dreaming.
♥ Steph

Random Favorites: May 2016

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After a long break, I am here again.  Today I am sharing my random favorites for this past months. They are not makeup related, since I barely wore makeup for the past month, I preferred having 10 more minutes of sleep instead of doing my makeup, priorities. 

The Bag Organic Body Scrub – Sugar

I discover this body scrub through Facebook, and I am so glad I did!  After a long, stressful day I like taking long showers with yummy smelling products and this has been a great addition to my little destress routine. It has a wonderful sweet scent with a hint of citrus, perfect to help you relax.

Bath and Body Works 3-Wick Candle – Sugared Peony Petals

Along with the scrub, after my shower I like to burn a candle to keep the relaxation mood on.  I find this scent perfect for night time, it’s not to floral, not to sweet, with right amount of vanilla.

Bath and Body Works Fine Fragance Mist – French Lavender Honey

I bet you already know I like things that smell good.  After every shower I sprit myself with this body spray, and it has been the only scent I have been using on my body for the past couple of months.  I even have one in my purse with and a hand cream of the same scent.  Lavender is one of my favorite scents, so it’s no surprise why I love this body spray.

Pilot G2 Premium Gel Roller – Fine, Blue

This pens are my all time favorites, I have a couple in my school backpack, in my desk at home and at work.  I like that they are gel, they feel good to grip and slide so smoothly when you write, for me they are a most have.

goodnessknows Snack Squares – Cranberry, Almond, Dark Chocolate

Last but most important, my favorite snack.  I usually don’t like dark chocolate, but the combination of nuts, cranberry and dark chocolate tastes so good.  And the best part is that the ingredients list is pretty clean, which doesn’t make you feel bad about eating them. I try to always have one handy for when I am craving something sweet.
Let me know your random favorites, I like finding new products to love.
♥ Steph