An Important Message

Hello everyone! So if you couldn't tell, a recent theme in my last few posts has been about trying to find yourself and your way in the world as you get older...something that can be scary and difficult for a lot of people. Back in May, my mother, sisters, and I saw Hunter Hayes in concert. The entire concert was fantastic, but one song in particular stood out to me-"Flashlight." This song, which Hayes explained before he performed it, is about being lost, but believing that there is someone, or something, out there, guiding you (like a flashlight, hence the name). Whenever you feel down or like you'll never figure anything out, something happens that makes you believe that things will be okay. 

Here's a video of Hunter Hayes explaining the meaning of the song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_k66lheupQ

Here's a link to the song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFnxJv5duLk

I hope you guys love and feel inspired by this song as much as I do,

Happy  reading,

Ashley

What Does it Mean to Be Happy?

Hello Everyone,

This semester in college, I am taking a philosophy class called "The Meaning of Human Existence." To complete the first few assignments in the course, we had to read Terry Eagleton's "The Meaning of Life." This book discusses the different perspectives of what the meaning of life is, whether there be one specific answer to the question or no answer at all. Life could have an inherent meaning, meaning that humans are to look for the answer, or an ascribed meaning (a "life is what you make of it" perspective). It also looks at the language of the question itself, for the word "life" could have different meanings for different people, and therefore the question would have different answers.
Something I found interesting in the book is the presentation of the different views of happiness, and whether or not happiness is the meaning of life. In Aristotle's point of view, happiness is a state of being. One becomes happy by living his or her life virtuously. They cannot attain it, they can only create it. In philosopher Julian Baggini's viewpoint, happiness is a state of mind. It is attained most likely through material possessions or favorable circumstances. Because life offers unfavorable circumstances, one cannot truly be happy all the time, which is why it is a state of mind, not a lifestyle.
So what does it mean to be truly happy? Eagleton brings up the point that people who live with disabilities aren't necessarily unhappy; the rest of the world may seem their situation as means for negativity, but that doesn't mean they do. I'd like to believe that happiness is a lifestyle: you can choose to be happy, despite the circumstances you're under. I don't want to have to rely on my possessions to define my happiness; sure, a new pair of shoes or perfume can make me happy, but only for a little while. The effect eventually wear's off, and it's this sense of fleeting happiness that constantly leaves us wanting more.
I want to be able to create my own happiness. I don't know if happiness is the meaning of life, but I would like to be able to live the majority of my life with a positive disposition. There are going to be negative situations and times where being happy seems impossible, but that doesn't mean you have to let it control you. If we have the power to choose to be happy, then we should do so.

Happy reading,

Ashley

The Perks of Being a New Englander

See this? This is currently the view from my bedroom window. As I sit here typing this post, thousands of snowflakes are quickly turning the northeast into a winter wonderland. This is the biggest snowstorm I've ever witnessed (and historically the biggest snowstorm since 1978) with 27+ inches of snow piling up in my yard. Classes were thankfully canceled, meaning I could spend my day forever procrastinating on all the work I have to do (let's be serious here).

Even though the winter months are freezing, the weather is almost never stable, and we can't annunciate our "R's" I wouldn't trade living in New England for anything (well, except maybe for Disneyworld, because who wouldn't). I love living in an area with so much history and so much pride. It's the home of a multitude of great schools, including Ivy Leagues Harvard, Yale, and Brown university. It's also home to actors Adam Sandler, Mindy Khaling, Amy Poehler, and Mark Whalberg (to name a few). Boston is one of my favorite places to explore, whether it's attending a Red Sox game at Fenway Park tasting a variety of foods from Faneuil Hall, or just walking down the streets of the city. So as I look out the window at what some people are calling the snowpocalypse, I can't help but take in the beauty of it all. 

So to all you New Englanders who wish you were somewhere sunny and warm, I'm with ya. But don't forget to appreciate all of the great things New England has to offer.

Happy reading,

Ashley 

Why John Mayer is Relevant to my Life

Hi everyone!

So I may be late to the John Mayer bandwagon (if there still is one), but over the past year or so, I've grown to love his music. This mainly stemmed from my attendance to one of his concerts at the end of summer 2013, for his Born and Raised Tour. I originally had not planned to go; a group of my friends had gotten tickets, and when one of them couldn't attend, I took her place. I figured why not? I wasn't a huge John Mayer fan at the time, but my friends and I were all heading off to college a couple of weeks later, so it would be one last hurrah before we went our separate ways. Long story short-I went into the concert knowing three John Mayer songs, and left yearning for more.

Within the next few months, I slowly built up my Itunes library with more and more Mayer songs. Before I knew it, I had downloaded three full albums: Room for Squares, Continuum, and Born and Raised.

Here's the thing I like about Mayer-he doesn't just write love songs. Sure, he has some pretty great ones (Back to You might be the most perfect love song, but that's a discussion for another day), but he also writes about adulthood and trying to find yourself as you get older. No Such Thing, Why Georgia, Stop this Train, Born and Raised-all of these songs are about entering adulthood and trying to make sense of life. 

 (My friends and I wearing our #mayerisback bracelets)

That's why John Mayer is relevant to my life right now. I just turned 20, and it's starting to hit me that one day I'll be a college graduate venturing out into the "real world." To be honest, it's scary thinking about the future and what it holds for me; however, it's also incredibly exciting. I can't spend my time worrying about the future; I can only accept that it's happening and try to make the most out of life.

So to anyone who's worried about getting older and entering the real world, it's okay if you don't have everything figured out now. Just keep living your life, and have faith that everything will fall into place. 

To quote John Mayer, "Act your age in the age of worry, and say worry, get out of here!"

 

Happy reading,

Ashley 

p.s. here are some of the John Mayer songs

Why Georgia:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMJk4Edm8rU

The Age of Worry 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0ToibA86zk

No Such Thing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1W2UddURXI

Stop this Train

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHhhTtqWcOM

Born and Raised

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiutMdIeflI

When in Doubt, use a B.B. Cream

Hello everyone!
    As you all know, fall is coming to an end and winter is fast approaching.  When winter comes it brings the promise of snow, Christmas, snow days, winter break...and also cold air. And with cold air also comes *dramatic pause* dry skin.
      Now dry skin is never fun, because your face can be flaky or itchy or just feel like there's absolutely no moisture. What can be even worse is that when you put on foundation or concealer, it sticks to the flakiness of your skin and makes it look cakey or even more dry than it is So how can you achieve perfect looking skin if you can't use a foundation?
    B.B. cream! B.B creams are designed to provide your skin with moisture and other nutrients while also providing some coverage and evening it out. What I find works best is if you mix a good moisturizer with your B.B. cream and spreading it on your skin with a foundation brush or even your hands if your want to (just make sure your hands are clean first!). Your skin will not only feel moisturized but most redness will be covered up with out looking flaky or caked on. Now that you have a good base, you can add blush or highlighter or whatever else you like.  You can use any moisturizer and B.B. cream that you prefer; I personally recommend Maybelline's Dream Fresh B.B Cream, Revlon's PhotoReady B.B. Cream, and Garnier's Miracle Skin Perfector B.B. Cream.

Happy reading

Ashley


                                

Some of My Favorites

Hey guys, so over the course of the summer I've picked up a few beauty products/ non-beauty products that I am in love with! Whether they're skin products or music, they've become part of my daily routine. Without further ado, here are some of my favorites.

Beauty:

         I am in love with Revlon's photo ready foundation, which I have in the shade.  natural beige It looks so natural and gives your skin a beautiful glow. It also has great coverage without appearing cakey, which is an absolute must for me because I cannot stand the look of caked on foundation.

        My next beauty favorite is my MAC paintpot in Bare Study. I wore it with my waterproof  Maybelline Falsies Mascara to work, and they lasted all day. Considering I work in an amusement park outside in the hot sun all day, long lasting makeup is a definite need, and this eyeshadow did not disappoint. The paintpot is a very light champagne color with glitter, which was perfect for the summer as well.

     For face wash, I picked up the Neutrogena Blackhead Eliminating Daily scrub which I now use every night when I wash my face. I had used the same product in the cleanser/mask version, but it's really hard to find where I live, and I find that the scrub works just as well, if not better. My skin is definitely clearer and my blackheads are not a prominent as they had been. 

   Along with face products, I also tried the Biore Pore Strips. I bought the combo pack that has 7 face strips and 7 nose strips. I think pore strips are so cool because you can actually see that they work, because once you peel them off your skin you can see the dirt buildup that gets removed. These pore strips do a great job to get rid of your clogged pores and blackheads.

 

Non-Beauty:

                 Nutella. Oh my goodness do I love nutella. I have it for breakfast on a piece of toast and put some banana slices on top of it, and it's a delicious and healthy breakfast.

                Counting Stars by One Republic. This song is so catchy and I love the message it sends and the cool gospel like vibe it has near the end.

                I See You by Luke Bryan. This is off his new album, Crash My Party, and I cannot stop listening to it. The rhythm is so cool, Luke Bryan's voice is heavenly and the       lyrics are so meaningful. My favorite lines are "I can't go anywhere, I can't do anything, no I can't close my eyes without you in my dreams. You won't leave me alone, even though I know you're gone, I look around for someone new but I see you."

Anyway those are some of my favorites I acquired over the summer! Happy reading,

-Ashley 

               

      

Why I'm Loving Neutrogena

With prom coming up, everyone wants to look perfect on what just might be the best night of their high school career. Hair, makeup, dresses, everything needs to be just right on prom night. You want to look amazing in all your pictures, and a key step to this is making sure your skin looks great too, right?

Having clear skin is a big must in order to ensure that the rest of your prom look is complete. I tend to get acne on both my face and my back, and I knew something had to be done seeing as my dress has an open back. To try to solve my problem, I picked up Neutrogena's pink grapefruit skin clearing body wash as well as their new blackhead eliminating cleanser/mask. In the past, cleansers that have contained salicylic acid have cause my skin to break out even more, and since both these cleansers contain salicylic acid I wasn't sure what to expect. However, after a week of using both products, I noticed a huge difference in my skin. Not only was it clearer, but many of my red post acne marks have faded away. I use the body wash on my back and chest every time I shower, and I use blackhead wash as a cleanser every night when I wash my face. It also doubles as a mask, so you can use it as that if you prefer. Both these products have not irritated my skin, which is pretty sensitive, but if you've had reactions to salicylic acid before I would only test a little out before you use them as complete cleansers. All in all, I give Neutrogena two thumbs up for these amazing  products.

I hope this helps everyone achieve clearer skin in time for prom! Remember, what you put into your body affects the outside too, so eat healthy foods and drink plenty of water to help your skin look great!

Happy reading!

-Ashley