2015 Goals & 2014 accomplishments

2014 was a great year! I accomplished so much and met so many of my goals that I had set.
One of my goals was to be more present and in the moment. I think I got better at this, but I still have to work a little bit more on it.
The next goal was to find my career. I finally found something I am really passionate about. Working in a school has taught me that I really want to become a teacher and change the lives of our future leaders. I’m currently working on my masters degree in secondary education and I’m so excited to be starting my student teaching here pretty soon.
My 2014 vacation dreams pretty much happened, with the exception of Hawaii. We traveled to Mexico and saw so many different things. We had the time of our lives there. Also, this time I didn’t get as sick, which was nice.

We went to Reno in October and didn’t win as much as we did on our honeymoon, but we still had a very relaxing time.

My goals for 2015 are a little bit different, but I think I can accomplish them.
My first goal is to floss more. I started this goal at the end of 2014 and I think I will stick with it. The overall health of my teeth has improved tremendously. Weird but practical.
My next goal is to eat out less and save more money. I do want to travel more and I think eating out less is one way I can make this happen. It’s so expensive and so bad for your health. I’m definitely going to stick to this goal.
My last goal is super simple. I want to try a macaroon. I’ve never tried one before and I want to see what the hype is all about. I have noticed that there are different flavors so I think I want to try something simple like maybe a strawberry macaroon.
Vacation Dreams:
Hopefully this year Oscar and I can make it to Texas. Texas is so much fun and there are so many things to do there. I definitely want to travel to Corpus Christi and check out the Selena museum. It’s on my bucket list.
In February, Oscar and I are going to go to Portland, Oregon because it’s going to be my 25th birthday! In Portland we have plans to go to Dave & Busters because we’ve never been. The commercials make it look like it’s so much fun and there are no kids. Definitely an added bonus.
In March, Oscar and I will be going to a symphony. This symphony will be in Seattle and I’m not sure what kind of adventures we will have, but it’s my first time going to a symphony.
In April, Oscar and I are going to travel to Mount Vernon and go to the tulip festival with my mom. I’ve never been but Oscar has and he has taken some wonderful photos. I’m really excited to go.

Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving beautiful people!

Makeup of the day:

Michelle Phan said this was the new duck face. It’s supposed to be all the rage in Asia. That girl is so fab so I’ll do whatever she says is hot. 😜

Xoxo,
Lyss

Horchata

Things you will need:
1 cup long-grain white rice, rinsed
1 cinnamon stick, preferably Mexican, broken into pieces
1 cup milk
Water
1 cup sugar, or to taste
Strainer
Blender
Large bowl

Directions

Coarsely blend rice, broken up cinnamon stick, & 4 cups water in a blender.

Pour into large bowl & add 3 cups of water. Soak for 2 hours.

In small batches, purée the mixer in the blender. Strain into a pitcher.

Add 1 cup of milk and sugar. Chill.

Stir well before serving.

Original Recipe by Aaron Sanchez found on the Food Network at:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/aaron-sanchez/aaron-sanchezs-horchata-recipe.html

Hope yours turns out yummy!

Xoxo,
Lyss

Vintage pitcher from my Grandma Trevino 💜

Falling for Winter Trends

Brrrr it’s chilly in Washington right now! I’ve been scoping blogs and Pinterest for ideas on how to dress cute during this time of the year. I’ve come to the realization that the beautiful ladies of Pinterest live in a land where winters require no jacket.
Let’s be real. It’s FREEZING.
So I’ve come up with ideas of key pieces on trend to reuse between fall and winter. They are pieces I own/want to buy. When I am looking for fashionable things, I want to get something I know will be on trend for a few years. I don’t like to pay a lot either. I’m thinking along the lines of $20 and under max for pieces. After all I do work in education.

The first piece that I have had for 4 winters now is my faux leather jacket. I paid $20 at Ross for it and it is so awesome to mix with. Chunky scarves in the winter or a light scarf in the fall take this jacket between seasons.
Leggings are the type of pants that you can wear with almost anything and they looks so good. They are also so comfy and perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Or any occasion where you know you’re going to be eating a lot.
Black boots are perfect because they’re comfortable and stylish. They have been on trend for quite some time now and I don’t see them dying out for at least a couple more years.
Sequins are supposed to be big this year but I don’t have any place arrive in a full on sequin skirt or dress. That would be a little much. I do think that a sequence shirt or scarf is the perfect touch to an outfit.
I’ve also seen so many different looks Pinterest with plaid. It’s so cute and refreshing but also one of those trends that come in and out of style. I think I want to get a plaid scarf and button up shirt. I would wear the plaid button up shirt with white semi puffy vest. Pair it with leggings and boots and voila!
Oversized sweaters sound so amazing as well. It looks perfect for lounging around the house or going to visit my parents/ in-laws.

For accessories I think keeping it simple it’s a good idea. Gloves that you will have forever, cute scarves, studded earrings, and sunglasses are all you will need this winter.
For make up I am loving neutrals eyeshadows and bold lip. I finally got on board with the trend and I love it. Also cannot forget to red nails! So classic!

Sadly, there is such a thing now as too much cheetah and leopard. A full on coat or pant might be disastrous, especially if they are fuzzy! A better alternative would be a cheetah scarf or bracelet. Also, zebra is so over. It belongs out of sight until it’s come back in 15 years.

Thanks for reading and hopefully you’re inspired!

Details

Places I buy clothes:
J.C. Pennys
Ross
Burlington Coat Factory
Old Navy

Current makeup brands:
Liner: L’Oreal Lineur Intense brush tip liquid
Foundation: Tarte Amazonian Clay
Bronzer: bare minerals warmth
Lip product fave: J Cat Beauty Wonder Lip Paint in Mad Splatter

Randoms:
Mood: Christmas-y
Drink of choice: Dutch Bros. Caramelizer
Color: black & gold
Song: You & I by One Direction
Perfume: Romance by Ralph Lauren
Nail color mood: dark reds, black, grey, navy
Saturday activity: second hand shopping & bazaars

Xoxo,
Lyss

Summer Favorites 2014

Wow! It’s been such a long time since I’ve written on here. At least there have been a few visitors over the past few months who have checked out my retro posts.
This post is going to go over my Summer 2014 favorites. I love finding new products and investing in pieces that fit into my life. It may take me months of saving but during that time it allows me to think about what I’m really buying and if it’s worth it. Enough rambling, let’s begin!

First favorite of the summer goes to vacationing. Oscar and I were blessed to have traveled out of the country this year. We tried so many different things and saw so many beautiful places in Mexico. I wasn’t as sick this time so I was ready for an adventure. We stayed with Oscar’s family and they took us all over Guadalajara. That city is so huge and there are tons of things to do. We spent very little money, but we had the best time. Our last vacation of the year will be back to Reno where we plan on gambling, drinking, and site seeing. We had the best time during our honeymoon that we just had to go back! I think next year I want to go to California and visit The Winchester Manor. It sounds so interesting to me. I also want to go to the beach. We didn’t make it to the coast this year so next year we definitely need to go. We shall see though.

Next favorite is the beauty products I’ve been rocking this summer. I found my holy grail foundation this summer. I am so critical of foundation and it must meet a certain criteria. The criteria is as follows: 1) I can’t be allergic to it. 2) Must not transfer off my face when wearing 3) Must not break me out/give me pimples 4) Needs sunscreen 5) Flawless, non-cakey look 6) Not drying on skin 7) Must set well

I could probably go on, but I shouldn’t. The foundation that I’m loving is Tarte’s Amazonian Clay foundation. It states that it is a 12 hour foundation and I think that’s probably true. It applies so well with a Beauty Blender and has a great build able coverage. I’m so in love with it! It was $38 but I’m pretty sure this bottle will last me at least a year. I shop at Ulta a ton too and they gave me a $10 off coupon.

From Tarte, I have also fallen in love with their Lights, Camera, Lashes eyeliner. It goes on well and stays on well. I’m not sure if I will buy it again because it was a pretty penny, but we shall see.

Next favorite is the Naked palette from Urban Decay. I don’t love it as much as the second one but it is a wonderful addiction to my collection. I use them both almost everyday and it was the sweetest surprise from my husband. ❤️

Other faves from Urban Decay are the Perversion mascara and the 24/7 eye pencil. The mascara makes my stubby lashes long and voluminous. The eye pencil looks great for my lower lash line. Not so great for my upper lash line. A great dupe for this liner though is the gel eye pencil from Ulta’s line of makeup.

Omg has anyone seen the Disney princess collections from Walgreens? I had to pick up the ELF books from the Ariel and Snow White collection. I also picked up a snazzy Ariel makeup bag for my purse, the Ariel bronzer set, and the Ariel makeup brushes. They are the cutest things I ever did see!

Some random favorites include my soap from Bath and Body Works. It smells like grapefruit and orange. So delicious.

I also love this Walmart brand toner. The real brand gave me a serious allergic reaction but the Walmart brand is great. To take it off I’ve been using flat cotton pads. I just discovered these things and feel like they have been missing from my life!

Another little treat are these yummy cupcakes from Junebug’s bakery in Prosser. My parents brought us Oreo and Raspberry flavored cupcakes. The topping on the Oreo cupcakes taste like Oreo creme. It’s unreal.

My husband spoiled me this summer. He bought me a 3DS XL with this adorable case. I had my monogram made on etsy. My favorite games are the new Kirby game and Animal Crossing. It’s going to be great for our upcoming road trip!

Oscar also bought me the prettiest pair of sunglasses. It’s my first expensive, good quality glasses. I tried them on at Sunglass Hut last month and instantly fell in love. I knew they had to be mine. I ordered them online so they aren’t here yet but I can’t wait for them to be here. They are Tory Burch and of course black. Amazon had them for about $65 cheaper so I snatched them up. I am so excited!

I had an amazing summer but I’m ready for fall.

I leave you with this adorable quote.

xo,

Lyss

*Disclaimer* All products were purchased with my own money. A majority of these items were purchased from buying and selling trading cards. We work hard for these treats and are very blessed. Love you all.

*Note* Some images taken from Google but watermark was left on. Check out their blog. Could be a great read.

Buzzfeed Love

Hello! Today I want to share one of
my favorite apps of 2014: Buzzfeed. I love their little stories, videos, and quizzes. Sometimes when I’m bored, I get on Buzzfeed and take quizzes. They are so fun and funny!

Below is a compilation of all my quiz results over the past three months

*Warning* some results might be raunchy! I don’t honestly remember 😜

Favorite Updates!

Wow! It has been quite a long time since I’ve blogged, but I’m back! I want to talk about my February, March, and April favorites. There’s no particular order for these items, just simply new finds I have to share with somebody out there reading this.

Let’s start off with some beauty love.

My latest obsession is NYX products. I’m dying to try everything from them. So far I’ve tried 5 lip glosses from them and they are AMAZING. The butter glosses are exactly what the name states for your lips. There isn’t anything sticky about these gorgeous glosses either. The Mega Shine gloss is also a winner for me and a better product than Mac lip glass. I would say I prefer NYX over Mac in the lip department.

I own Eclair, Apple Strudel, & Cherry Pie butters

NYX lippies are a new must-have item for me!

My next favorite I purchased after watching a video by DulceCandy. She hauled an amazing product by Urban Decay called Illuminated Shimmering Powder for face and body. At $30, I put off purchasing this product. I received some birthday money from family and new I had to have this. It is an Ulta exclusive and I had to go to 2 Ulta’s to find it, but I really, really wanted it. The product is a very pigmented shimmering powder that can be used as a highlighter for cheeks and the upper body. I’m thinking this summer it will be used to get my shiny shoulders that I’d kill for. Click here to view the product!

Going back to NYX products, I’ve also started using The Wonder Pencil. It’s a nude eyeliner that is supposed to make your eyes pop while still keeping them looking classy. I like this product because it can also be used to define brows and lips. I’m not too ready to define my lips but I like to keep my options open.

I use the color light to really pop.

This month I’ve been wearing false lashes everyday. I love, love the Ardell individual lashes. They are easy to apply and last forever. They also look so gorgeous!

My next favorite is one of the coolest things ever! It’s a subscription to Ipsy, a company founded by Michelle Phan. It’s so cool because for $10 a month you get 5 full sized samples or full sized products. Some statement brands I have gotten so far are Bare Minerals, Urban Decay, Benefit, and Nicole by OPI.

It also comes in the prettiest pink bubble mailer!

Click here to join Ipsy using my referral link. 💜

Lately my skin has been whack. It’s been really dry and flaky. I think it’s because of our new home’s water and m my skin adjusting to it. I had to take care of my nasty peeling skin so I picked up a “fake” Clarisonic. It’s by Olay and I use it all the time. My skin has seen a dramatic improvement, which makes for a better application of my makeup. I purchased it at Target using more birthday money (thanks Mom!) for about $25. Here’s the link if you’re interested in a skin care device that won’t break the bank.

Next is my nail polish winter hoard for spring. Nail polish is so easy to collect and I have to have my toes nicely painted. My collection just needs some better storage and I’m looking into that right now.

My last beauty favorite is my Hot Tools salon blow dryer. I bought it at Sally’s and it has the longest cord. I love the various settings and it also helps dry my long, thick hair in record time.
It was on clearance for $40 but it was a half off day. I scored this bad boy for $20!

Let’s move on to other miscellaneous faves!

One obsession I have right now is the TV show Pretty Little Liars. It’s so much fun, suspenseful, and each episode is 44 minutes long. The clothes in that show are cute too but sometimes they dress these 25 year old actors up so strange! Nobody wears pigtails in high school either. Trust me.

I love the intro for this show too! Creepy but cool.

My go-to spring scent for my house right now is my Orange You Glad Scentsy bar. It gives my home a light, airy, and fresh atmosphere. It’s not overpowering either. I couldn’t find it on the website so I hope it wasn’t discontinued.

That’s all the little favorites I can think of right now!

Until next time!

Xoxo,
Lyss

Review: NYX Green Concealer

I have a miracle concealer for people with red skin. It’s the green concealer by Nyx. It comes in a 0.25 oz jar and a little goes a long way. It’s $5 and they sell it at Ulta.

How it works:
The green cancels out the redness because the colors are opposites on the color wheel.

I apply a thin layer on my cheeks and voilà my color is even! I’ve added too much of this stuff and it gave my face a very flat, dull affect. I had to add bronzer and blush to balance it out but when it’s applied correctly, it’s so amazing.

To apply this I was using my concealer brush until I ordered this bad boy:

It’s a crazy, good makeup blending sponge. I only paid $1 with shipping for it. It makes applying the green concealer much faster.

You can purchase it here:
Amazon blending sponge 🙂

I’m going to try out the lavender concealer one of these days from Nyx. Nyx is a brand I really want to try more products from.

That’s all for now!
Xoxo,
Lyss 🙂

What’s in my purse?

I love watching ‘What’s in my bag’ videos on YouTube. It’s so interesting to see what different women…and some men carry in their bags. I like watching the more expensive bags (like Birkins and Louis Vuittons).
So on that note, I’m going to share with you all what’s in my bag!

My bag:

Trust me, I didn’t pay full retail. I got some killer deals with sales and coupons. Oscar sold my 3DS and I ended up paying a few dollars for it ;). Thanks Hun!

My planner:

I write appointments, bills, and hours worked in this little bad boy. Oscar liked it so much he wanted one too. $3 at Big Lots

My wallet:

I’ve traded my Coach wallet for a Coach Legacy Leather E/W Universal Case. It’s nifty because when I don’t want to take my whole purse, I can just grab this and my keys and go! It was a birthday gift from Oscar. $51 (original price $68 but I had a 25% off coupon).

My keys:

I got my lanyard from Spencer’s for $10. It’s black with rhinestones and came with a furry keychain. I have my classroom key, home key, the Sentra key, and my Cobalt key. I have a Hello Kitty keychain from my sister in-law, Madison and a Coach keychain from Oscar.

My makeup bag:

I got this as a set from my aunt at my bridal shower. She got it at Bath and Body Works. It’s super cute!

My Coach Poppy Coin Purse:

I keep my loose change in here. I paid a lot for this little bag but I used my tip money when I worked at a restaurant. $42.

Items that fell out of my makeup bag:

Trash in my bag:

Ewwwww.

I have 5 lip products in my purse. 5!!!! Who does that? I took one out and put it in my desk at work too!
They are a Clinique chubby stick, Clinique lipstick, YSL lipstick, Mac lipstick, and a Sally’s lipgloss.
Here they are:

That’s all the craziness in my bag! It gave me a nice excuse to clean it out too. I put the five lip products back in my purse though ;).

Look out for a guest blog post coming soon from one of my favorite people!

Xoxo,

Lyss

Bath and Body Works Mini Haul

One of my favorite sales of the year is the semi-annual sale at Bath and Body Works. It’s really the only time I purchase items from there.
I had two things on my list from there: candles and soap. Bath and Body candles are my favorite candles ever and are fragrant enough to make my whole house smell wonderful. I just love their unique scents!

Their soaps are also my absolute favorite because they smell so wonderful. When Oscar and I moved to our new home I picked up a few Soft Soaps from the Dollar Tree. I have two bathrooms and a kitchen that need soap so I only picked up three. I was waiting for the moment when soaps would be clearanced out at 50-75% off at B&B.

When I received a gift card from my parents for Christmas I was so stoked! I knew exactly what I wanted but I didn’t know what scents I would be picking up. My dad bought my mom a super yummy sweet clementine candle that I was on the hunt for, but unfortunately it was gone. 😦

We ended up choosing Seaside Escape, Passion Flower, and Gelato as our candles. Gelato is a sweet summery scent and I will probably burn it in June. I’m saving it to mark the beginning of summer. It sounded weird when I first looked at it, but I know it won’t be an overbearing scent like Leaves. Each candle was on sale for $10 (regular price $20).

For my soaps, I picked up six of them. Coral Reef was 75% off and the rest were $3 a piece. The regular price for each soap is $5.50. We looked everywhere for more of the Coral Reef soaps but I nabbed the last one. These soaps last longer than the Soft Soaps for us so the $3 price isn’t so bad.

I’m going to save the Holly Citrus Wreath for Christmas next year, but I plan on picking up more goodies in July.

I also had a magnificent coupon for $10 off of $30.

Here’s the breakdown of my haul:

5 soaps at $3 each: $15
1 soap at 75% off: $1.38
3 candles at $10 each: $30

Total $50.51 including tax

Minus $10 off $30

Total $39.62 including tax

Minus the $25 gift certificate
Minus some kind of discount I got for $3.48 off my purchase (thinking the soaps may have rang up 50% off?)

= $11.14 out of pocket cost

I saved $56.86 off the original price of everything! Works for me!

xoxo,
Lyss