THE LIEBSTER AWARD

I still consider myself to be a newbie at this blogger/ Instagram thing, but I believe in my short time of being involved in this "business," I've learned a few things.

First and foremost, though, I've learned that blogging is a community effort.  Without bloggers interacting with other bloggers, we wouldn't have blogger friends or blogger meetups or blogger photoshoots.  And you've got to admit, those are pretty cool things to watch and read about.  Or even be a part of.

That is why I'm thrilled to announce that I've been nominated by Caroline Grace Prep for the Liebster Award, which is a sort of questionnaire (with super amazing questions).  It's also a fantastic way to spread the word about newer blogs, and even for you readers to get the answers to those burning questions that I just know you've been thinking about for months (I crack myself up).

I'll have my nominations and questions towards the end of this post!  Please enjoy!

EVERYDAY MAKEUP ROUTINE

I didn't start wearing makeup until about 8th grade.  My only prior experience with makeup had been putting on lip gloss and watching my mom put on mascara.  Even now, I don't put on a lot of makeup everyday.  If I put on a LOT of makeup, I feel like I'm wearing pageant makeup.  If I'm wearing pageant makeup, I feel as though I should probably just go ahead and put on a pageant dress and heels as well. Not very practical for school.

I know I'm not a beauty guru (although most of my techniques have been learned by watching beauty gurus on YouTube) when it comes to everyday makeup, but I hope you can learn something from my makeup routine!

MY NEWEST OBSESSION: ANKLE BOOTS

This fall was the rise of the ankle boot.  At first I wasn't a fan because I'd only seen them styled with bohemian-type outfits, and that really isn't my style.  As fall got nearer and nearer, though, my Pinterest feed was full of cute outfits that featured ankle boots.

I started loving the ankle boot trend as much as I loved the white converse trend, and I really wanted a pair, but I had some problems:
a) The boots were WAY too expensive.
b) The boots were less expensive but really unfashionable.
c) The heels were sky high (this was especially a problem because I wanted to be able to wear them to school).
d) The boots were in the wrong color and /or size (I have a small foot, which is a blessing and a curse).

I was doing some after-Christmas shopping, and I happened to browse the Kohl's website.  Lo and behold, I finally found my ankle boots!  Better late than never, right?



I absolutely love these boots!  From the detailing on the side to the heel height to the color, they're absolutely perfect!  I was also pleasantly surprised by how great the quality is;  I had thought it would be a little less considering the price.

LABELS

Now that school has started back, I'm starting to get back into my old habits.  You know, like actually thinking about something other than what I'm eating for my next meal and what Netflix show I should watch next.  My brain likes analytical thinking, so I think it's happy to be back to more challenging cases.

Ever since about third grade, I have been the epitome of a nerd.  Or maybe that's when I realized I was a nerd.  I took pride in my nerdom (is that a word?).  In my line of thinking, if I was good at something, by George I was going to show it off!

Then middle school started, and as we all know, everything changed.  I started feeling isolated.  I was still proud of my grades, but I felt like I was automatically labeled as "smart girl" to everyone.  It's not a bad label, but it's still a label.

I'm still labeled that way today, and I probably will be throughout high school.  Somehow, it's gone beyond the "smart girl" label to the "perfectionist" label.  It's almost laughable, being teased because of perfection.

BEAUTIFUL PLACES

It's raining outside.  Correction:  it's pouring outside.  Usually I'm fond of rain, but since it is January and all, I was really hoping for snow.  On top of that, I'm feeling a little under the weather and the rain isn't helping.

I've decided to take a spur-of-the-moment vacation, and I'm leaving in about ten minutes.  Pinterest, here I come!

1. Italy

Via

I really wouldn't care where I visited, as long as it was within this country.  Since I'm Italian, this place has always topped my bucket list.  There's no way to go wrong in Italy:  great food, great shopping, great views, great, great, great!  (Also, it's my lifelong dream to relive the scenes in Roman Holiday!)