Greetings from across the world! I wasn't planning on writing a post on this trip, but I ended up bringing my laptop and had some spare time, so thought I would write a bit. SO much to talk about. These last two weeks have been full of adventure, family time, exploring, and the best part of it all...relaxing! I really needed this time off. Of course, it's going to stink having to go back to the real world in a week but trying not to think about that too much and just focus on the present. I really loved exploring London and New Delhi, but hands down my favorite part of this trip has been getting to know my relatives. I know, I would never have thought that meeting relatives would be the favorite part of this trip! My uncle is coming in tomorrow so super excited to spend time with him for a few days as well. I think I'm finally old enough to appreciate family relationships and the value they hold. I'm having such a blast hanging out with my grandpa...this time is truly invaluable to me and I will cherish it for the rest of my life. Spending time with my aunt in London was so cozy and heartwarming since she is one of the nicest, bubbliest people I know. A true inspiration for how everyone should model their lives. Besides meeting relatives, I've been doing a lot of traveling and exploring. In London, my dad and I took the Hop on Hop Off Bus tour that showed us all of central London and included a river cruise on the Thames. In Delhi, I've been going to different spots with my aunt, cousin, and grandpa. So far I've seen Connaught Place, Jhanpat, Chandni Chowk, Red Fort, India Gate, Qutab Minar, Lajpat Nagar, Dilli Haat...literally everything. Plus been doing tons of shopping and eating at fabulous places. I bought tons of Indian clothes since I didn't have any in my current size. Also very happy to say that I haven't gotten sick yet even though I've cheated and eaten street food twice!

My vacation formally ends next Thursday. I cannot wait to be back, but a big part of me is going to miss New Delhi, especially being with my grandpa. I have so many things planned for when I return like filling up some photo albums, making scrapbook pages, organizing my apartment, working out, playing around with new baking and cooking recipes, playing with new makeup, etc. I also have to catch up on all my beauty blogs and youtube channels, which I've been neglecting for the most part since I've been here. And of course, have a ton of school responsibilities to attend to such as finishing my research report, getting ready for the PICU, and making my rank list. So tons of excitement and tons of responsibilities to look after, womp womp. 

But for now, I'm off to brew a cup of tea, catch up on Pretty Little Liars, and just relax with the love of my life, my grandpa. :) I'll catch up on my research and medicine readings on my 15 hour flight home next week. Toodles! 

Quick and Easy Natural Makeup Routine

Hey everybody! At the time I'm writing this, I'm at Rochester, my very last residency interview! This post is pre-written and gonna go up probs later in the month. I wasn't even planning on doing a post like this, but tonight I had to attend the pre-interview dinner and only had a few minutes to get ready. As I was getting ready, I realized that it would be awesome to show you guys my go-to natural, lightweight, 5-minute, quick, easy makeup routine that I've been wearing for most of interview season. I've been driving hundreds of miles to my interviews so by the time the pre-interview dinner rolls around at night, I'm pretty lazy and don't feel like doing some elaborate look. This has pretty much been my standard look during dinners. It only requires a few products, it's easy, and makes me look put-together. Let's get to the deets!

Start with a clean face (and clean hands!). I skip foundation/BB cream so I don't have to spend time blending anything out. Since you're skipping foundation, you want to make sure you're using a high-coverage concealer. I love, love, love my Milani Secret Cover Concealer in Medium (a hidden drugstore gem!). I dot it directly on any blemishes and blend it out using my finger. I lock in my concealer with the L'Oreal True Match Super Blendable Powder in W5 using my Real Techniques Powder Brush. This also adds a bit of extra coverage and evens out my concealer. Boom, done with the face already! Next, my eyes. I always, always use primer since I have quite oily lids. Right now I'm using theBalm's Put A Lid On It Eyelid Primer, which I received in my Ipsy bag. It's a pretty good primer that gets the job done and keeps my shadow in place all day. Since we're keeping things easy and natural, I just apply a golden eyeshadow all across my lid using a flat shadow brush. The eyeshadow I'm using currently is the Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Half-Baked, a beautiful golden shade. I have a duo of it from the Sephora Favorites Bronze Bares All set I got last summer, but the shade is also sold independently and in the Naked 1 palette. I've also been loving the ColourPop Eyeshadow in Desert as an all-over lid color. I don't add anything in my crease or below my lash line, although you can if you want a smokier effect. Of course you need mascara to finish off the eye look! I'm currently loving my holy grail mascara, the CoverGirl Lashblast Volume Mascara in Black. Finally, for the cheeks I like applying a sheer peachy-pink blush since that color best suits my complexion. I used my travel-sized version of the NARS Blush in Deep Throat, which is one of my favorite everyday blush colors. I kept my lips bare because I was going out to dinner and didn't feel like fussing with any lipstick or gloss, but you can use a nude lipgloss or lip balm to finish off the look if you wish.

That's it! Just a few staples and you have an easy, peasy natural makeup look that can be done in just a few minutes. I love this look for work and other professional events. It makes you look nice and bright without looking like you've caked on makeup.

Life Organization: Daily Planner

Did y'all have a good New Years? I sure did! I've actually been quite productive lately. I've been packing for my upcoming trip and have been on top of keeping my planner organized and updated, so I feel quite satisfied already this year! I've been wanting to get back into mega-organizing with a daily planner for a while now, and what better time to get it started than the New Year?

There's soooo many posts on Pinterest and YouTube about girls going crazy with their planners and buying all these things to jazz them up. There's even planners out there for $50+, which I find ridiculous. I personally like to keep my planning as simple as possible with a nice, hardy planner and a few colored fine-tip pens. I usually buy my planners from Target, but this year I saw a really beautiful, leather-bound planner at Home Goods for only $4.99. I definitely prefer leather-bound planners over spiral bound ones since nearly all of the spiral-bound planners I've had in the past fell apart after only a few months. The binding came undone and it was impossible to put the pages back together! I like fine-tip pens for writing in my planner since they keep things neat. The Sharpie pens are my favorite, but a lot of people use the Staedler pens, which I don't like that much. If you're going with ballpoint pens, I recommend finding ones with tips smaller than 0.7mm. I bought a 4-pack of Sharpie pens in assorted colors from Walmart for only $5. Amazon also sells value packs of Sharpie pens in various colors. To finish things off, I went the extra mile this year and bought some The Happy Planner stickers I found Michael's for only $5. I had a coupon which reduced them down to $2.49 for a 6-sheet pack. If you like to jazz up your planner even more with bunches of stickers, labels, Washi-tape, etc. then go for it -- Michaels, Amazon, and Etsy sell really some really cool planner accessories! I personally don't like planner organization to become mega expensive or complicated. I feel like the more complex I make it, the harder it becomes for me to stick with it.

There are so many planner layouts out there. If you're new to planning, I suggest going to different stores and online websites to find a planner that suits your style. There are tons and tons of styles at Target, Barnes and Noble, Michaels, Amazon, Etsy, etc. There are small 5x8 planners or bigger 8.5x11 planners. There are also ones that let you plan out every single hour of the day or ones that are either monthly or weekly. Seriously, it can be overwhelming looking at planners!

 The one I personally prefer is one that has a monthly calendar section along with pages to write day to day stuff. As you can see in the photo above, I use the monthly sections to write down important dates, birthdays, and deadlines. The blue pen indicates holidays/events, red pen is important dates or deadlines, and green pen is for birthdays. It looks a tad bare now, but I'm sure it will fill up more as the month comes closer. I like that the monthly calendar has a "notes" section on the side for me to write bigger goals and things I want to accomplish over the course of the month. For example, in May I want to start looking at apartments and think about having some sort of graduation party. Super compact, but still great for letting me keep track of important events and due dates.

This is what the weekly section in my planner looks like. The one shown above is for the first few days of January, when I'm not as busy, so that's why it looks a bit empty. I use the weekly section mainly as a to-do checklist for errands and projects I need to do that day. Some people use different colored pens for each category (work, school, home, blog, etc) but I think that looks a bit cluttered. This is also the section in which I use my planner stickers. I  took the photos above before I added my stickers to the planner, but I've been adding stickers on the weekly section for birthdays, deadlines, important events, etc. I like it because it jumps out at me, making it easy for me to remember important dates.

That's a mini-glimpse into how I use my planner. There are a ton of sophisticated, in-depth planner reviews and tutorials out there if you want to go all out. For me, this is a simple and affordable way to organize my life. I find that when I'm able to plan and organize my busy life, it really helps me reduce stress and accomplish tasks, leaving me more satisfied and happy than I would be otherwise. I would encourage everyone to use a spare weekend to go out there, find what style of planner you like, and go at it -- have fun! See if having a planner helps you organize your life better. There's definitely no way to incorrectly use your planner. It's all about organizing your life and busy schedule while having some fun (at least for nerds like me!). Also, keep an eye out for my post on financial planning sometime soon after I come back from vacation -- I'm thinking the first week of February? In the meantime, happy planning loves!

2015 Favorites

As I was writing this post, I realized that I haven't done in a favorites post in so long! I've discovered so many new products this year from a variety of different brands. I think I hit most of the brands I wanted to try this year, which is super exciting! The only ones I still haven't tried are Chanel and Marc Jacobs, but that may change in 2016. I think my most exciting discovery this year was ColurPop. Holy moly, I've loved nearly everything I bought from their range, so narrowing down my favorites from their line was definitely a heavy task. But anyway, this is a round-up of my favorite products from this year.

Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream -- Definitely my favorite face product discovery from this year (and only $9 a pop, too!). I wear the shade Medium-Deep which suits my tone really well. While it doesn't provide full coverage, it does a good job of evening out my skin tone and making it feel hydrated. I mainly got this because I wanted a lightweight face product and this fits the bill perfectly. It doesn't weigh down my skin at all and feels incredibly light, like I haven't applied anything. I use my fingers with this product and it really blends like a dream. Definitely try if you're looking for a lightweight foundation/BB cream and don't want to splurge!

L'Oreal True Match Super Blendable Powder -- Another great drugstore find this year! I haven't used enough powders before to be able to compare this to other products, but this one works really well for me and makes my skin look nice and matte. Sometimes the Maybelline BB Cream can make my skin look a little dewy, but this one works really well with the cream and makes my skin look seamless and perfect.

Too Faced Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar Palette -- My faaaaavorite eyeshadow palette this year, and definitely my most used beauty item this year! After much of the hype around the Chocolate Bar palettes, I finally picked one up! I believe this palette was released this year, and it was the sequel to the ever-so-popular original Chocolate Bar palette. I chose the Semi-Sweet palette over the original because I felt this one had warmer colors, and more neutral shadows than its original counterpart. And not to worry, this one still smells like chocolate too! 

ColourPop Eyeshadow in Desert and Smash -- This was the first year I tried Colour Pop, and as you'll see as you read the rest of this post, I absolutely LOVE this line. They really hit the nail on the head with the formula for all of their products, and they have an amazing color range. The best part is that all of their products are incredibly affordable at only $5-8 apiece. I've tried several eyeshadow colors from ColourPop, but my favorites by far are Desert and Smash. The one pictured above is Desert, which is the most perfect everyday lid color. They both have a satin-finish formula, which means that they have a little bit of sheen on them but no sparkle, which is my personal favorite because it makes the eyes pop. I've had either Desert or Smash on my lid for probably half the year, no lie. Smash is the only eye product I've ever hit pan on, which says a lot considering how many eyeshadows I own and use regularly!

theBalm Cosmetics Nude Dude Eyeshadow in Fit -- I received this in my Ipsy bag this year, and ohhhhhh my gosh. I love this shadow! It's a gorgeous copper shade that really wakens and brightens my eyes up. My favorite part is that it's travel-size, meaning it has been my go-to shadow this interview season, especially during the pre-interview dinners. The formula is beautiful as well and really holds up well all day. Plus, I absolutely love theBalm's packaging!

Nars Blush in Deep Throat -- I received a mini-size of this blush in a 500-point perk set from Sephora towards the end of 2013. I didn't break this blush out until this spring and ohhhh my gosh, I am in love. This is the first Nars blush I've ever tried and I now see why everyone and their mother loves this shade (next to Orgasm). It's by far the most flattering peachy-pink I've ever used, and it has the perfect amount of shimmer in it. It's sheer enough that I can be a hot mess while applying this and still not manage to look clownish, but at the same time you can tell that I have a flush to my skin when I'm done applying the blush. This was on my cheeks all spring and nearly all summer, and I had to really push myself to use any other blush except this one. I will definitely be purchasing the full-size when I hit pan on this baby, which will probably be sometime very very soon.

ColourPop Blush in Cruel Intentions -- Another favorite blush this year! I've struggled to find the perfect berry shade for me until this one popped up as part of ColurPop's fall collection. It's the perfect fall berry shade without being too dark, vampy, or cool for my taste. This baby has been on my cheeks for the majority of the fall and winter season. This one you can go overboard on easily, but the best part about Colourpop's blush mousse-powder hybrid formula is that it blends incredibly seamlessly. Next to my Hourglass blushes, these have the best blendability of any other blushes I've used. I cannot wait to try out more blush shades from this line next year!

Makeup Geek Blush in Spellbound -- I would say this blush is easily the most universally flattering blush in my collection. Not only would this shade suit a variety of skin tones (maybe not super dark ones), but it also goes well with any makeup look. It's a matte salmon-pink color that I reach for whenever I have no idea what I want to wear. I believe it was also one of the first matte blushes I have ever purchased, and what sparked my quest to add even more matte blushes in my collection. Love, love, love this blush, especially for the upcoming spring months.

Benefit Blush 3D Brightening Powder Blush in Bella Bamba -- Can you tell I was a little blush crazy this past year? Although this blush has been around since the beginning of time, I didn't purchase it until the Ulta Black Friday 2014 sale. I didn't pop it open until spring of this year. At first, I kind of regretting purchasing this after seeing how much shimmer was in this blush. But when you apply it to the cheeks, it makes you look like a goddess. It works really well to add a bit of highlight to the cheeks without looking like a glitter bomb dropped on your face. The color is also another universally flattering watermelon pink shade that suits even extremely warm skin tones like mine. I reach for this one whenever I'm in a rush and I want a multitasking blush that will not only add color but also a bit of a highlight to my cheeks. The packaging is a little chunky, but the product inside is totally worth it.

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Opal -- Everyone and their mother raved about this product this year. I didn't want to give in to the hype, especially with its hefty price tag, but when the Sephora Favorites Bronze Bears All set hit the shelves and had a nearly full size of this product for at an affordable price, I knew I had to try it. I struggled with whether or not to include this product in my favorites because it is a pain to apply especially if you have a darker skin tone that makes it obvious when you've gone overboard on highlight. However, when you use it right and apply the perfect amount, this makes me look like a goddess, which is why this is a favorite for me this year!

ColourPop Lippie Stix in Brink -- Not only does ColourPop do eyeshadows and blushes right, they have a killer selection of lippie stix (their version of lipsticks) and matching lip pencils. My favorite color is Brink, which is a matte redd-brown. I'm not a huge fan of matte lips, but this one is a really nice, everyday, work-appropriate shade for me. A little darker than a true MLBB shade, but I still feel comfortable wearing this throughout the day and the color isn't dark or vampy -- it's the most natural red-brown. Beautiful color for medium-tan skin tones and a really nice formula.

Dior Addict Lipgloss in Princess, Delice, Diablotine -- My favorite lip gloss of the year, hands down. I finally got my hands on a Dior lipgloss this past spring when I was at a duty-free shop at the Canadian border and saw a set of 3 Dior lip glosses from their Summer 2013 collection for a bargain price of $65. Plus, it was around the time of my birthday so I bought it as a gift to myself. The best part was that they were all colors I knew I would like and wear. I have the bottom three shades pictured above -- Princess (baby pink), Diablotine (coral), and Delice (peachy nude). All of the shades are warm-toned so they go really well with my skin color. Plus, even though they're full of sparkle, they don't look trashy or kiddish at all since the glitter specks are very small and fine (micro shimmer). Although the shades I have are highly dupable, the winning part of this lipgloss lies in its formula. Ohhhhhhh my gosh. I never imagined that a $29 lipgloss would be worth the price tag, but this one has me convinced otherwise. The Dior lip glosses are incredibly hydrating, very comfortable on the lips, and go on very smoothly thanks to its lip-brush applicator. None of my other lip glosses can compare to how well these glide on to my lips and the polished look it gives. Plus, the lip glosses are packaged so regally that they make me feel fancy and give me a boost of extra self-confidence! If you can afford to do so, definitely try a Dior lipgloss in a natural shade like Delice!

Essie Nailpolish in Cute As A Button -- My go-to spring and summer polish this year. I would describe it as a coral-pink even though it's showing up more warm pink in the photo above. Really nice formula and a perfect color for the warmer months!

OPI Nailpolish in Big Apple Red -- My go-to polish this fall and winter season. It's a bright true red that is perrrrrfect for the holiday season. I first discovered this when I went to get a pedicure this past August and got this on my toes. I ended up buying the full-size bottle at Ulta because I totally fell in love with the shade and its versatility. I usually reach for oxblood-crimson shades in the fall and winter, but this one was a nice mixup to my routine this year. This has literally been on my nails nearly all of November and December -- it's really the most perfect holiday red! A classic color and must-have for any nail polish lover, plus it has a great, long-lasting formula.

New Year's Resolutions: 2016

HAPPY NEW YEAR'S, y'all!!! I can't believe it's 2016 -- which means it's another graduation year for me! So crazy to think about how far I've come. I still remember my high school and college graduations so clearly. White Coat Ceremony, which was in August 2012, seems like it was literally yesterday and now I'm graduating in just a few short months. I'm so not ready for the real world yet!

Last year, I found a really neat template on the Lauren Conrad website for listing some of my resolutions for the year. I did a year in review post yesterday seeing how I did on those resolutions and to my surprise, I didn't do as bad as I thought! So I figured I would do this again this year and see my progress come next year. I'm so excited and nervous for 2016. I'm ready to start the last leg of my medical training, but it's so scary not knowing where I'm going to be in 6 months. I don't think I want to stay in Pittsburgh for multiple reasons. One, I think it would be good to experience another city, and second because I really didn't like the program here as much as I thought I would. I didn't really gel well with the residents and don't like how overrun they look all the time. But who knows, I may end up ranking Pitt #1 and end up staying here, although I'm not crossing my fingers given my terrible Step 1 score. As scary as the thought it, there's also something exciting about starting new in a new city, a new apartment, new furniture, new everything! Scary, but still tons of fun, especially for single gals like myself. See I'm rambling again. Without further ado, my resolutions! :) 

A bad habit I'm going to break: I really want to start blogging more frequently. I'm no beauty or life expert, but I do really enjoy blogging. Not only does it help me de-stress, but I feel like it also improves my writing skills. My goal would be 2-3 posts/week, but sometimes that's really hard to accomplish. I think a goal of 5 posts a month would be easily doable, so that's going to be my goal for 2016! 

A destination I’d like to visit: Oh gosh, I have a billion places I want to travel to, but money's going be reaaaally tight for me for the next few years. Womp womp, student loans. I think my friends and I might be planning a trip this year possibly to Orlando, Florida, or the Southwest so I'm really looking forward to that if it ends up panning out! Otherwise, I really want to visit New York City once again before starting residency. 

I’m going to work harder at: Financial planning! My biggest goal for 2016 is to become better at budgeting myself. I recently purchased the Mead Organizher Expense Tracker from Amazon and I'm really looking forward to using that to budget myself. I've also created an Excel spreadsheet laying out my fixed and variable expenses during residency -- mainly to see how much of my salary I would be able to funnel into repaying student loans. Although I won't really have to start strictly budgeting myself until June when residency starts, I definitely want to start practicing early on so that the transition will be easier.  

A project I’d like to finish: I have two projects I really want to get done this year. First, is my scrapbook that I started in 2015. It's allllmost done so I really hope I'm able to totally finish it off this year, hopefully by graduation. Second, I really hope to finish creating my bucket list. I've always loved the thought of making a lifetime bucket list, and have never actually created one. So I hope I can sit down and make one this year -- and who knows, maybe even accomplish a few things on that list!

A class I’d like to take: Unfortunately, I don't think I'll have time for any sort of formal classes this year. However, I really want to get better at cake decorating and will probably watch a few YouTube videos to help me become a boss at buttercream roses and flowers. That counts as online class, right?

I’d like to spend more time doing: Baking and cooking! I fell in love with baking and cake decorating this year, and I hope to continue practicing and perfecting my baked goods and cake decorating skills. I've also started cooking and making my own dinners. I spent the first half of 2015 eating out a LOT, but the second half I've been working on cooking my own meals and experimenting with tons of Pinterest recipes. I really hope to continue and become better at cooking, baking, and cake decorating this year!

A food I want to eat more of: Protein and vegetables! I want to incorporate more vegetables and protein into my meals. It can be hard doing so on the go, but it's definitely doable with some creativity and planning ahead!

I want to wear more: Dresses! Come on, if I'm not going to do it now, when else am I going to? I really hope to trim my body down and be able to rock dresses. They don't have to be tight, body-fitting dresses but I want to look at least somewhat decent in dresses this year.