These past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind. At my work-- the campus newspaper-- we have ben renovating the newsroom which meant several days of taking apart furniture and lifting heavy objects. But now it's Spring Break, which means I'm home for the week with a little bit of time on my hands. So what do I plan to do?

• Catch up on blogging.
• Read books and blogs-- especially blogs, tbh.
• Drink copious amount of minty teas.
• Work, because it's not all break time.
• Spend some time outdoors.
• Shop. Or, at least, go to shops.
• Sleep in at least once.
• Plant some herbs and succulents.
• Meditate!

It lasts all day-- and longer if you forget to remove your makeup one night and sleep in it! Oops... The only cons are some minor clumping and the fiber fall down, but those are issues I think each newbie will have to play around with to perfect. I don't necessarily think it is the fault of the mascara itself, just my lack of experience with using it. But it really opens up the eyes and is dark and gorgeous.

Interested in trying it out? You can here.

Wow, another month is behind us. For me, it was a really cold and snowy month and I was happy to get it over with... Until March dashed my hopes and dreams and dumped another eight inches of snow on my life. Luckily it seems like this will be the last bit of winter for a while as next week we will be seeing temps in the fifties and sixties-- I'm almost ready to break out the flip flops with weather like that! No, not really, but I am desperate for some warmer weather.

The cold weather wreaked havoc on my already dry and uneven skin, so  a few of my favorites this month are products that helped liven up my dull complexion. Two of them were actually deluxe samples from Sephora, so how awesome is that? The first was a sample of the Good Genes serum from the Sunday Riley brand. I had heard a lot about this product from YouTubers like Tanya Burr and Zoella, so when I found a promo code I decided to give it a try. I'm really happy I did. It has really changed my skin. It's softer, smoother, has more of a glow, and my rosacea has even diminished using this-- a huge plus! But the full size product is $110 dollars, so now I'm facing an internal struggle about taking the (very big) plunge and buying it.

My next favorite was the Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream from bareMinerals. This little sample came with four colors to try. Vanilla was a decent match but a little too light. The second color, Natural, was a much better match for me. It evened out my skin tone, was indeed very hydrating, and lasted several hours on my skin. And it just felt good!

My favorite way to apply it was with another one of my favorites (say favorite again): the Beauty Blender. This sponge applies just the right amount of product and blends it flawlessly. It's great for powder products, too, and the shape is perfect for getting large areas of your face as well as the hard to get places like around your nose.

Because I've been so focused on my skin, the keyword for the rest of my makeup has been simplicity. For my lips, the Jouer Lip Enhancer has been a miracle. It's the perfect texture and keeps my lips soft and hydrated. The Naked2 Basics palette from Urban Decay has been the only thing on my eyes because I can create so many looks with little to no effort; usually I just sweep one color across my lids and line my eyes with the darkest color. It even has good color choices for filling in your brows!

I've been using the Coastal Scents fluffy blending brush to apply those eyeshadows. It's a dupe for the MAC 217 and only costs a couple of bucks. The other brush I've been using has been the Real Techniques Bold Metals 300 brush, which is great for contouring. Turn it one way to get a strong contour line, turn it the other way to blend. It's perfect.

I have two non-beauty favorites this month: almonds and Evernote. A strange mix, but hey. Almonds are the perfect on-the-go snack and a great substitute for those of us who like salty goodies like chips. And Evernote... Oh, how do I explain the love I have for Evernote? It is great for saving school work, organizing meeting notes for things you may be involved in, saving random ideas, and writing out blog posts ahead of time. It syncs with all of your devices and saves to your account, meaning you can access it from anywhere. Seriously a lifesaver.