Updates!

Well, this is long overdue.

So, I'm coming to you with some updates that will affect the blog. If you'd like to know, stay tuned :)

First thing's first. School. First semester ended last week, and I'm done with finals. Today is a non-student day, which means that we don't have to go to school. Today, the teachers finalize grades and the school creates and sends first semester report cards. Personally, I have no complaints. A 3 day weekend is much needed every now and then. I was able to access my schedule for second semester and I am so thrilled with my classes! I think that this semester will be better than the first, and I'm actually really excited. I have almost every class with one of my best friends, which will be so much fun. 

But enough about school. Let's talk about cheer. February and March will be 2 of the busiest months of my life, and I'm not joking. Girl's basketball and wrestling coincide. This means that I'll have 2 games (one basketball game, 1 wrestling match) to cheer at per week. These are all on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Combine that with homework and my social life sinks into a deep pit of despair. Rock bottom, if you will. Or close to it.

So, I'm guessing that you can figure out what this means for the blog. Infrequent posts, nothing too exciting. Well, I guess that's partially true. The blog isn't my priority, it's something I do for fun. So, maybe this is the last time you'll see me on here for a while. No worries, I won't fall off the face of the Earth. I still have time to be on social media. What a lot of people don't understand is that it takes a while to write a quality blog post. If there's errors in it (spelling, grammar), it makes it look really bad. I don't want to write stuff that's pointless and stupid.

But don't get me wrong. I'm not gone for good (;

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Twitter: @OhHeyMaddieA
Instagram: @itsmaddieeee

Finals Series #3: Makeup and Hair for Finals

Hey guys (: Let's jump right into today's blog post, which, as I'm sure you can tell from the title, is going to talk about a makeup look and different hair ideas for finals.

MAKEUP

• Start by moisturizing your face. If it's during the colder months, use a thicker moisturizer. Your skin will thank you! I enjoy Philosophy's Hope In A Jar for the colder months, and the Jergens Natural Glow self-tanning moisturizer for the warmer months.
• Cover any blemishes (which can come up as a result of stress. As we all know studying and tests can be pretty stressful) with some concealer. Use the spot treating method, where you only place concealer on the places that really need it. If you want to, you can also put some concealer under your eyes to cover any dark circles from lack of sleep. My favorite concealer is the Physician's Formula Conceal Rx.
• Place a little bit of a shimmery champagne-colored eye shadow on the inner corners of your eyes. This will brighten them up and make them look more awake.
• Use a bit of clear eyebrow gel to tame your eyebrows. I have naturally "bold" eyebrows, so this is pretty important for me. I use the Maybelline Great Lash Clear Mascara/Brow Gel
• Curl your eyelashes and apply mascara. Don't go overboard, make it look pretty natural. Don't forget your bottom lashes as well! The Lancome Hypnose Doll Lashes is an awesome mascara to do just this (:
• Apply some lip balm so that your lips are nice and soft! I enjoy the EOS lip balm in Strawberry Sorbet (the light pink one)
• After that, spice up your look with a bright lip color. I like to use the Maybelline Super Stay 10 hr. Stain Gloss in #100, Pink Plush. I leave it on for 5 minutes and then blot it lightly with a tissue so the color is still there, just more subdued.
• For perfume, go for something that wakes you up! Something with citrus always helps (:

HAIR

I like to have my hair out of my face when I'm taking tests. Since I have long hair, it can be a hassle to constantly have to move it out of the way. Here are some ideas that will keep your hair out of your face.

• Side braid
• Regular braid
• High ponytail that is curled or crimped (waved)
• 1/2 up, 1/2 down

I hope this helped! Good luck with the hair and makeup (:

Finals Series #2: What to Wear for Finals

At my school, Finals Week is hardly a fashion show. Most people dress comfortably. By all means, wear a nice dress and curl your hair if that's what you like to do for tests, but, in my experience, being comfortable during a test makes you less tense, which can lead to stress while you're taking the test. 

Or you can just YOLO it and wear sweatpants, whatever works for you.

Here are some ideas for bottoms:

• Cute yoga pants
• Solid colored leggings
• If you want to make your outfit more "eye-catching," you could wear leggings with a print
• Jeans (any kind that are comfortable for you)
• A cute, loose fitting skirt
• And, if it's hot enough and your school allows it, comfortable denim shorts (This is better for 2nd Semester because it will be hotter in most places)

Here are some ideas for tops:

• Hoodies
• Crewnecks
• Or any other miscellaneous sweatshirt type thing
• Cute t-shirts (not ones you would work out in (: )
• Loose fitting blouses
• Sweaters that aren't skin-tight
• Muscle tanks (Cute ones, and again, better for 2nd semester)

If you want to wear a dress, go for one that's...

• Relatively loose fitting
• Breathable
• Not super short (you don't want to get dress coded while you're in the middle of a test. Trust me, it's happened to me before)

Here are some ideas for shoes:

• Converse, or that sort of shoe style
• Vans, or that sort of shoe style
• TOMS, or that sort of shoe style
• Flats
• Ugg-style boots
• Riding boots
• Cute sandals (2nd semester)

I hope this gave you some outfit ideas for your finals! Just remember that not many people will be paying attention to your outfit while you're in the middle of class. If you all are taking a final, most people will be focused on their test, not on your clothes (:

Finals Series #1: Studying Tips

This is a list of tips that are tried and true. They work for me, and maybe they'll work for you (wow I'm so good at rhyming). 

• Set a timer for 45 minutes. Study, work, whatever you would like to call it during these 45 minutes. Once the timer goes off, set another timer for 5 minutes. During these 5 minutes, relax. Read, use your phone, etc. Repeat this until you are done studying for the night.
• If you have a cell phone, put your phone out of your direct reach (right next to you) and flip it over. This way, you can hear when the timer goes off and if it rings because you're getting a call, but you won't see the screen light up for notifications.
• Close all other tabs on your computer except for the one you're using. If you have to transfer an essay from lined notebook paper to typed, only keep Word or whatever program you use open. If you're using the Internet, close out other tabs that you had open that aren't necessary for you to complete the task.
• A little studying is better than none. Remember that.
• Study in a relatively quiet place, if that helps you. I like to study on my bed because I can be comfortable, my room is quiet, and I have plenty of room to spread out binders, textbooks, etc.
• Create a studying playlist on your phone, iPod or MP3 player, or on YouTube. Choose chill music. Some of my favorites are: The Love Club by Lorde, Midnight City by M83, The Bird and the Worm by Owl City, Good Life by OneRepublic, Counting Stars by OneRepublic, and 5 Years Time by Noah and The Whale.
• Stretch every so often. I don't know if this is something I do out of force of habit (I stretch at cheer and at home), or just to relax a little, but it helps.
• Eat healthy snacks when you study. I stay away from soda (diet or regular), chips, candy, ice cream and whatnot. Instead, I like to have fruit, smoothies, relatively healthy types of crackers, etc.
• Have a glass or bottle of water next to you at all times when you're studying. Water is, of course, very good for you, and if you're falling asleep, you can splash a little on your face (:
• If it helps you, study with people that are in your same class. Meet up at a coffee shop or something and review together. You may catch things from others that you didn't get yourself. This is helpful if you've missed class. However, make sure that all of those people are people that you know want to study. Make sure to think about how much work you will actually get done with them. Afterwards, reward yourself! Go shopping, get some exercise, eat a sweet treat, go to the movies, whatever sounds relaxing to you.

I hope you enjoyed my studying tips! Good luck!