September Favorites - 2014.

Life Faves:
- One Direction Where We Are Tour - September 12, 2014

And of course Harry Styles. Or as the bestie and I refer to him:

 "big head, much hair"

- Dodgers vs. Giants game - September 24, 2014 

 (Los Angeles Dodgers becoming the 2014 N.L. West Champions!)

September Songs:
- Fireproof by One Direction
- Shake It Off by Taylor Swift
- Anaconda by Nicki Minaj
- You vs. Me and Giants by Stereo Chemistry ((World Full of Giants EP))

For some reason I feel extremely Top 40 this month (even if I have an indie band listed), though my taste in music is pretty main stream in comparison to my best friend whom I always tease for being a music hipster. 

But what can I say, One Direction coming out with a new single a few days before we went to see them live - of course I'm going to end up completely, utterly, and irrevocably obsessed.  

Shake It Off just makes me feel silly and happy and for that I am in love (plus, my friend is in the modern dance section of the video...so that's pretty awesome). 

I tried to fight how much I liked Anaconda but after a week or two of sampling it I knew I was just a tad hooked. Plus, the video is a perfect mixture of insanity.   

Last but certainly not least, my friends just came out with their EP World Full of Giants, so of course I've been listening to it like crazy and You vs. Me and Giants in particular have been stuck in my head the past few weeks.

TV/Book/Movies:
- Two Night Stand

I was given the opportunity to see a pre-screening of Two Night Stand on the 17th and kinda fell in love a little bit. I've definitely been in a very Rom-Commy mood for the better part of September, which is a bit unusual for me so this movie hit me with all the feel good feels that any self-respecting Rom-Com should.  Miles Teller and Analeigh Tipton did a great job and with a steady balance of hilarity and cuteness and I totally recommend this little flick if you're in the mood for a feel good kick back.

- Sleepy Hollow

By far the best show from last fall in my opinion, so to say I've been waiting for Season 2 - especially after that cliffhanger - is an understatement.  Plus...Tom Mison is sort of beautiful, which never hurts. ;-)

- Stay With Me by Jennifer L. Armentrout/J. Lynn

Though at one point I thought it was impossible, I find that I am completely out of Jennifer L. Armentrout books to read, so after finishing the amazing final book in the Lux Series: Opposition, I've been very impatiently waiting for another book and on the 23rd my wish was granted. So worth the wait (though I say that begrudgingly), and definitely my personal favorite in this series. Now I'm impatiently waiting for Stone Cold Touch next month (not to mention Wicked in December!!!).

Makeup Faves:

 

- Too Faced Bonjour Soleil Bronzer Palette

I'm a bronzer girl. Blame it on my pale complexion but I feel like my face is so much more put together once I've added a bit of bronze to key areas.  So when Too Faced came out with this palette I knew it was a must have (and yeah, I was dying for The Little Black Book of Bronzers as well...but points for me for staying strong and not purchasing...) I started out wearing the Chocolate Soleil bronzer (if only because I have so much of that product that I'm trying to go through it) but I quickly moved onto the Sun Bunny bronzer which was my staple through much of summer, with a small dusting of Snow Bunny as highlighter.  This month however, I've been rocking just Snow Bunny as a very shimmery, beautiful bronzed blush.  I've already hit pan to my dismay and don't think there's been a day I haven't reached for this palette.

- Smashbox Full Exposure mascara

I've had this mascara in my arsenal since I bought the WonderVision Eye Set last holiday season.  I'm currently in a mascara overload so I figured I should try something new and attempt to sift through the masses. I honestly wasn't expecting to like this as much as I did coming off the Benefit's They're Real and Too Faced's Better Than Sex craze.  However I've found myself reaching for the Smashbox mascara.  It's performs beautifully on my lashes and is a great daily mascara. 

- BareMinerals Original Foundation

This product was probably one of my first high end makeup staples when I wasn't into beauty as much as I am now. I had replaced it in lieu of a myriad of liquid products.  However I've been wanting a lighter and more 'breathable' break for my skin which has been particularly spotty throughout August/September and I've been loving the very subtle finish it's been giving me. Natural, but put together.

- Stila Eye Shadow Trio in Warm ((Truffle, Sorbet, Brulee))

- Revlon Softsilver Rose and Love That Pink super-lustrous lipstick

I've been loving a hot pink lip this month. I'm not really accustomed to rocking lipstick 24/7, so I've been trying to go a little bit out of my comfort zone and my go to has been Softsilver Rose by Revlon, or if I'm feeling a bit bolder Love That Pink, also by Revlon.  To give the lip more of a pop or just an overall glossy look I've been layering Urban Decay's Lip Junkie Lipgloss in Obsessed over the top to give the look a little luminosity and definition.

Fragrance of the Month: a whole new world from Disney's Jasmine line at Sephora from last year.

I'm mentally ready for fall and winter but living in Southern California means we get at least one MASSIVE heat wave and stay fairly warm throughout October. It's cooled down slightly (aka it's only in the 80's today) so I'm slowly transitioning into that fall feeling. To say that I'm excited to finally be able to wrap up in a cozy sweater and burn those warm scented candles is an understatement.  Not to mention I'm SO ready for the holidays! BRING ON HALLOWEEN!!!

Things I'm looking forward to in October:

THE WALKING DEAD

Stone Cold Touch by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Universal: Halloween Horror Nights and/or Knott's Scary Farm

Sergio, Yukie, Kate, and Theo come into town - possibly going to Disney

Halloween (duh!)

and all these little things...

I've technically had this little spot of the internet reserved since 2009, and have had the idea even longer, yet here I am coming in on the tailend of 2014 and barely writing my first post.  I suppose this type of attitude has been quite common for me the past few years, which is why I'm writing now in hopes to end the 'Oh, I'd quite like to do that' or 'Oh, I wish I was like so and so' and forcing myself to actually just go for it.  Judgements be damned!

I'm in a rut.  And I've been in a rut.  And like most ruts that people find themselves in, it's not exactly easy to escape.

So here I am, writing this out into the vast universe that is the world wide web and hoping that it'll help me move forward happily and figure out where I want to go by reflecting, enjoying the little things, and maybe on days like today where I'm feeling a little overwhelmed and pointless I can look back and see how truly inspiring life can be.

I guess I'll start this little blog off with a bang and the first smattering of extraordinary memories -

This past Friday I fangirled hard with the tweens of Los Angeles at the Rose Bowl whilst rocking out with One Direction.  Suffice it to say, I had an absolutely incredible time...even if I my eardrum got blown out when the girl behind me let out a high pitched frequency known to some as an enthusiastic scream during the 5 Seconds of Summer set.

Ironically though when it came to One Direction songs, my best friend and I ended up knowing more lyrics than the girls around us (who more than once would only scream out the chorus), which offended us greatly - I mean come on girls, don't let the twenty-somethings outdo you!!! ;-)

And even considering the intense heat wave, the standard overpriced concert merch and food, and an abundance of girls who don't understand that if you scream during a quiet song you won't be able to hear Harry's gorgeous voice, it was such an unforgettable and indescribably spectacular night.

One of the most memorable parts of the night that stuck out to me had to be when Niall started strumming some chords on the guitar while Liam tried to tell him to stop....which Niall responded by continuing and then spinning around, knees raised high whilst gleefully cackling out in a teasing tone to the audience: "You don't know that song yet...HAHAHAHA" 

((SO glad I found a clip of him doing that while scrolling through Instagram yesterday because I died when it happened.)):

                                              Niall Trolling on 1Dthrust 's Instagram.

Something fun about being a smidge older than the majority of the audience is you get to hear some hilarious, adorable, and sometimes awkward conversations that are happening around you.  One such conversation I had the joy of overhearing took place while we were leaving the stadium and it involved a teen girl loosing it over Zayn's amazing falsetto skills.  My best friend thinks she may have had an awakening at this concert as the conversation went something to the effect of:

"Oh...oh my god...when Zayn hit those high notes I just...I...I just wanted to rip my hair out!! Just rip it out!! NO! No! I want to rip someone else's hair out! I just want to rip Zayn's hair out!! Just rip his hair out when he hits that note! Oh. My. God."

It was such a perfect night and I am impatiently waiting for the release of Four and the announcement of their next tour because you can bet your asses my bestie and I will be there (and for more than one day this time (sucks to be a broke post-college kid)...and with bomb seats)!

...still in post concert bliss...

xoxo

Michele-Colleen.

Where We Are Tour 2014 - Rose Bowl, September 12