SHE BAAACK!! I’m finally back to doing Vlogmas, and I forgot how fun it is! Hope December has been treating you all well. I’m equal parts stressed and excited. Anyways, there really isn’t much else to say, so if you want to watch the first week of Vlogmas, you can watch it below 🙂
💖, B
Hey everyone! Since the last time I did a favourites post was in August, I decided to do a Fall Favourites, and highlight everything I’ve been loving lately! I feel like this season has flown by, and we are already heading into December. I hope everyone has been well and that life has been treating you good. For me, I feel like I’ve been riding a roller coaster of emotions, and it’s just starting to slow down now. But here’s to hoping that this year finishes strong, and that it’s nothing but blessings on blessings in 2019 🙂 (Also, I’m going to try and keep this post short and sweet because I actually have quite a few things I want to mention, and y’all know I love going in depth)
I feel like I’m obliged to say this since I work at an optometrist’s office, but you should avoid buying glasses online (if you can) because measurements could be off and it can ruin your vision! BUT. I did it anyways, because my vision is so bad, and if I wanted to buy a pair of glasses at an optical place, my lenses alone would be like $300+ dollars. Hennyways, I’m loving these glasses because they’re clear and I think the frame is super flattering on my face. I feel as if the clear is both neutral enough to wear with anything, but also makes a statement on my face. The best of both worlds. I love anything multifunctional!
I really loved Jen’s first book, You Are A Badass, so I was really excited to get my hands on this. I love her books in general because they are all about how your mindset can really change your life and affect it in more ways than you may be aware of. Basically, if you want to be rich (and don’t lie – we ALL do) this book is really helpful in creating the mindset you need to be rich, and to be in the right mindset to receive money (it will make more sense if you actually read the book.)
If there’s one thing you should know about me fashion-wise, it’s that I hate wearing jeans. These jeans have really changed the game for me. They are high rise, which I really love because they look really flattering on me, and they are a girlfriend fit. Which means they aren’t super tight like skinny jeans, but not super baggy like most boyfriend jeans. They are the perfect balance of flattering and comfortable!! And they are quite soft for a pair of jeans (although I’m not sure if it’s because these were hand-me-downs from my cousin and had been lived in before I owned them, or if it’s because they actually came like this).
This was truly a spur of the moment purchase during the VIB sale, but I have no regrets whatsoever. It’s super travel friendly, because the sticks are magnetic, and if you’re pretty lowkey with your makeup, this is all you would need because it comes with a concealer stick, contour stick, and highlighter stick. Ya girl is all about convenience. These are my favourite because you can’t go wrong – easy application, good blendability and color pay off and (like I said), convenient!
Once again, another spur of the moment purchase (Sephora is the place where my self-control goes to die), but no regrets as well. I understand the hype about this foundation you guys!!! It’s medium coverage, but definitely still super buildable. It lasts all day, and doesn’t look like shit at the end of it. I always get compliments when I wear this because it makes my skin look abnormally natural and dewy. I don’t find it to make me greasy whatsoever. I’m even able to get away with only using setting spray to set this for the entire day. This is exactly what I look for in a foundation, and I’m not even hesitant to say that within the past couple of weeks, ELDW has reached holy grail status in my books.
This is all I’ve been watching the past couple of weeks. I remember watching the first season in junior high, so I was hyped when Netflix started adding seasons! It’s an entertaining (or should I say, entertainting) show and I have so much respect for drag queens. They are some of the most creative, talented, brave and fierce people to walk this earth!!
And that’s it for my favourites! I’m hyped because tomorrow is December 1. Not only is it the first day of the month, it’s also the first day of Vlogmas!!!! And I’m definitely going to be doing it this year!!! Woo!!!! If you have any favourites that you would like to share with me, you can always let me know in the comments below! Also follow me on Instagram and tell me if you like the theme I have going on 😉
See you guys soon!
💖, B
I missed a March favourites post, but I’m back for April! How has everyone’s month been treating them? April was a busy month, but definitely one I needed for my sanity. After an intense year, I felt like I was truly able to relax and take some time for myself, while still keeping myself busy with my hobbies and side projects.
Sidenote: Wow my blog is turning 2 on May 5! Crazy! I have to give my thanks to everyone who has supported my blog, read my posts, given me ideas and creeped me on occasions. I’ve been able to do some pretty cool things since creating ALBOE, and I can’t wait to see where this next year in blogging takes me!
💖, B
My sister let me borrow her old Fitbit since she never uses it (but imma borrow it so much that it becomes mine – anyone with a sister knows the drill 😉 LOL). I’m not the most active person, but I really like seeing how much steps I get in a day and how much calories that I burn. Also the neurotic Capricorn in me loves the fact that I can track so many things! I especially love the water and sleep tracking feature.
I don’t know if I’ve included this in a monthly favourites yet. But definitely deserves a spot in this month’s post. Yes, I know. SK-II is luxury skincare, but there is a reason why this is priced so high. It’s a miracle product (for me at least). I use this after I tone and it seriously does wonders for my skin in terms of texture and brightness. I used this regularly since I got it (in November, for the VIB sale), and when I noticed I was running a bit low, I stopped using it so I wouldn’t run out so fast. But during that time, I noticed my skin started to feel dehydrated, bumpy and dull. I rarely change anything with my skincare routine, so I have a strong feeling it was because I stopped using the SK-II essence.
I know that Sunday Riley’s Good Genes treatment is another luxury item that has really good reviews, but in all honesty, if I had to choose between the two, SK-II blows Sunday Riley out of the water. If you can afford to splurge a bit, then I highly recommend giving this essence a try. Be mentally (and financially) prepared to become addicted to it. I bought a new bottle during the April VIB sale, so I saved a bit of money that way.
I’ve been looking for a new summer scent, and after many trials and free samples from Sephora, I settled on this guy. My ideal scent is something fresh, clean and light, and Clementine California checks all those boxes for me. It’s very citrusy and fresh, but it doesn’t make me smell like a straight up orange. Great staying power, and fades away gently.
I love listening to music when I’m doing chores or getting ready, but I’ve been trying spend my time consuming things that are going to help me develop more as a person. Optimal Living Daily is a podcast I discovered through one of my favourite Youtubers (Amy Lee, who actually narrates an episode!), and each episode is a narrated blog post or book chapter related to personal development, minimalism or productivity. Each episode is around 7 – 10 minutes long. I just find that this is something nice to listen to when you feel like you need a boost of motivation, or a push in the right direction!
No words needed.
Bazzi – Cosmic
Cardi B – Invasion of Privacy
Also I wanted to include this cute lil crochet top I made this month. I’m so proud of it! I’m working on a lavender one as well. They’re going to look so cute this summer!
I don’t believe in coincidences. To me, coincidences are meaningful signs from the universe. Just ask my boyfriend. I can’t even count how many times something has happened to us (whether we send each other the same meme at the same time, or we bring up something that the other was just thinking about) that has made me look at him with wide eyes exclaiming “OMG WE’RE MEANT TO BE!”
Okay so. Last night, at exactly 11:02 PM (I wanted to remember this moment!), I handed in my very last final exam. Meaning that I am officially done my undergrad degree. Now if I’m going to be blunt with you, I really don’t have any solid plans as to what I’m going to be doing in the next year. Of course I should look for a full time job or I should be thinking about going back to school and I should be starting to look for all these things right now, but if I’m going to be really blunt with you – I haven’t put any effort into it. At least not yet. Now, okay. I feel like most people will be rolling their eyes at me for not being realistic, but some people may also find themselves to be in the same situation as me. I initially felt like I have no experience whatsoever, so my chances of getting the job I want (I don’t even know what that is yet!) are very slim.
Anyways. Tying this back to my first paragraph about signs from the universe… You might recall that I included the book “You Are A Badass” by Jen Sincero in my January Favourites. I used to read it religiously, but when the semester started picking up, it became more difficult for me to set time aside to read. With today being my first day of “freedom”, I figured this would be the perfect time to finally sit down and read! So I picked up the book, sat down, and began reading from where I last left off. And as I continued to read, I kept thinking that there has to be someone following me around and leaving these signs for me to see because it’s scary how accurate this chapter was for my life and my current situations.
This chapter is pretty much about how she felt unqualified to get a cool job involving something she loved doing, but she felt unqualified, so she lied on her resume and ended up with the really cool job. The take-home here isn’t “lie to get your dream job!!”, it’s that saying you aren’t experienced enough is really an excuse to stop you from what you want to do, and you lack determination to do what you need to do to be successful – whatever your version of successful looks like. Rather than putting in large amounts of energy to make up excuses as to why you can’t do something, invest that energy into yourself and your dreams. Actively seek out opportunities and connections that will allow you to do what you are truly passionate about. Passion trumps fear.
It is so easy to say “don’t procrastinate!” I mean we all do it, and I swear I’m the QUEEN of procrastination. But as Jen Sincero puts it “If you’re serious about doing something, you will find a way to do it. If you’re not, you’ll find an excuse. The one thing that has really been stressing me out is the fact that I’m going out into this big, big world with no experience in my field whatsoever. And knowing that I have no experience has made me not even look for a job in my field. And I want to grow my blog, but I’ve always told myself that no one would want to work with me because of my small following. So as you can see, this chapter seems like it was aimed directly at me. I’m taking it as a sign that I must do the things I’ve been wanting to do, regardless of how experienced or knowledgable I feel. I need to stop letting fear and anxiety stop getting the best of me!
Anyways, I wanted to write this post for two reasons:
I hope this wasn’t too ranty. And I hope that you will begin to see more of me soon! Exciting things are coming!
💖, B
I’m sorry! I know this was supposed to be up on Friday, but it has been a crazy past week! (No excuses though) My days have pretty much been looking all the same. Work from morning to evening, gym for a couple hours right after work, sleep, and do it all over again the next day. I haven’t really had time to do anything leisurely, like blog or work in my bullet journal at all this month, but to be fair, I have shifted my priorities a lot, and I have less time to do “fun” things at the moment. But I’ve finally been able to sit down and write a review on the Pixi Overnight Glow Serum for you guys! I’ve been using this product this entire month, and I know a lot of you have been curious as to whether or not I liked it, so read on to find out!
Another month has flown by! May was a really good month for me. ALBOE turned 1, I got the chance to spend a lot of quality time with people and through keeping up with consistent workouts, I’ve been feeling myself getting stronger and seeing those baby gainzzzz come in! Of course, I’m still beginning, but wow, I’ve been feeling really good lately. I think it also has a lot to do with the nice weather. But anyways. Here are all the things I’ve been loving this month. You’ll notice this list is pretty random and all over the place tbh, but I think that makes monthly favourites posts really fun.
💖, B
Hey hey! It’s that time of the month again. Hehe. Here’s a sneak peek into my bullet journal for the month of May. Still trying to keep it minimal, so like last month, I used one colour and a black pen. I finally got Pilot pens, so this month looks so crisp and nice. Such basic words used to describe how pleased I am, but you’ll understand once you see it. If you want to see the layouts I created from past months, then click here!
One of my favourite songs on Future’s HNDRXX is his song with The Weeknd, called Coming Out Strong. This MOTD was inspired by that song, in particular by my favourite line in the song that says “They said I couldn’t reach Mars, so I turned to a star”. When I think of turning into a literal star, I think of a lot of glow and brightness, and I thought it would be fun to translate that into a makeup look. I also got a bunch of new Colourpop shadows, so I really wanted to incorporate them into this look. I haven’t done a MOTD in a while, and it was fun to use new products, as well as products I already own, but don’t use on an everyday basis. Kind of challenging, but I am so pleased with how this look turned out. If you’re curious to see how the look turned out, hit that read more!
💖, B
I think the most frustrating, yet rewarding part of doing my makeup is creating the perfect wing. Most days, I miraculously get it right on the first try, and other days I’m struggling for ten minutes before I give up and leave the house with janky eyeliner (which I don’t recommend lol NEVER give up on your eyeliner if you can help it). So I’ve compiled a bunch of tips and tricks that I use to help me create my wing the way I like, and maybe it’ll help you too!
WOW! My blog is already a year old! Can you believe it? I can’t. When I think back to a year ago, I honestly never would have thought ALBOE would be where it is today. I’m not saying that I’m huge and successful by any means, but I never would have imagined that I would be getting constant positive feedback from a lot of people, that I would have people who always keep up to date with my posts and that I would be able to write posts on behalf of other brands!
alittlebrittofeverything. 