Updates + April Favorites

HI ALL! Sorry I’ve been so MIA. This quarter has been the most difficult and time-consuming quarter of my college life so far! Endless research papers, long hours at the library, and lots of Iced Skinny Caramel Macchiatos from Starbucks.

And when I say lots, I do mean LOTS.

Anyways, my schedule has finally lightened up (for now), and I now have some time to work on this blog. As you can see, there have been and will be a few changes to this blog:

1. I’ve decided to merge my beauty blog with this blog.
2. I’ve changed the name from PinkaLISA to Lots of Lisa. I just like Lots of Lisa better, and it gives another definition for LOL ;D
3. I will be tinkering with the design of this blog until I end up with something that I like.
4.  I have made a resolution to update this blog more often. I will be uploading a new blog every Friday, so make sure to check in every week!
5. I will document more of my college life so you all can sort of experience college with me!

Alright, well that’s about it on updates! Time to tell you all about my April favorites!

1.       Nivea Lip Butter in Vanilla & Macadamia Nut

        I’ll admit, at first, I didn’t really like this product. I thought it did not live up to its hype and was a waste of my $3 that I could have used to buy myself another caramel macchiato! But as I used it more and got deeper into the product, I’ve realized that this stuff is AMAZING!! It only sucks at first because the top of it is a bit waxy, but as you dig deeper into it, you get the “buttery” part of the product. It moisturizes my lips very well, not to mention the smell of it makes me want to just get a spoonful of it and eat it (don’t worry, I didn’t). 

2.       Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation

        You know when you love something so much that it makes you want to scream? Well…… GAAAWWWWHHHH!!! I LOVE THIS FOUNDATION!!!! It’s like if foundation and awesomeness had a baby, Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua would be that baby. This is a water-based foundation; therefore, it blends easily into your skin. It offers a light coverage that is perfect as an everyday sort of foundation.
         It is expensive (about $50 a bottle), but I believe it is worth the investment. There is no other foundation on the market that is quite like this bottle of perfection. I’ve tried multiple less expensive foundations, trying to find a dupe that is available at drugstores, but there has not been a foundation created that comes close to what the Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua foundation is like. I’ve heard things about Bourjois, a UK high-street brand (high-street = drugstore), offering a foundation similar to the Chanel Aqua foundation. This makes sense since Bourjois and Chanel are owned by the same company.

3.       Maybelline Color Tattoo in Barely Beige

        Lately for those days when I only have a couple of minute to do my makeup, I always reach for my Color Tattoo in Barely Beige, pop some on my lids, quickly coat my lashes with mascara, and head out the door. The Barely Beige color came out last Fall as a limited edition color, then Maybelline came out with a similar color called Barely Branded in Winter. It is such a simple yet beautiful product that you can use as a base or on its own. It is shimmery, but because it is a very natural color, the shimmer help to bring some light to your lids to make your eyes look bright and open.

4.       Maybelline Color Whisper in Coral Ambition

        Because Spring has arrived, it’s time to bust out those bright lipsticks! However, I don’t like wearing super bright lipsticks that shout “HEY! Look at my neon pink lips!” The Maybelline Color Whisper range allows me to wear bright shades that are toned down a bit. Since coral is a very popular when Spring comes around, my favorite color for this time of the season from the Color Whisper line is Coral Ambition. In the packaging, it looks like a bright slightly pinky coral that may seem almost scary if you didn’t know it would only give you a hint of color. On the lips though, it’s the perfect coral color for an everyday look.
        Also, what I love about this product is that it reminds me of sherbet! I LOVE SHERBET!!!!! If you gave me a pint of sherbet ice cream, I would eat all of it in one sitting. I know, I have a problem… I also think the product may smell like sherbet, but that may just be in my mind.

5.       Aloe King Aloe Vera Juice

        Guys, I have a confession to make. I’ve been drinking sooooo much……… drinking aloe vera juice that is. What did you think I was drinking?! Cheeky readers. ;D
        It all started when my roommate gave me a bottle of Aloe King’s Aloe Vera Juice in Pomegranate. I blame her for my addiction. After I finished that bottle, I went to Albertson’s and bought two more bottles in different flavors. Then I went onto buying the big bottles of aloe vera juice. I’ve probably gone through at least 5 small bottles and 3 big bottles within 2 months! IT’S SO ADDICTING!!!
        Since it’s getting warmer here in SoCal, this drink is very refreshing after walking around campus all day. They come in a variety of flavors like strawberry, peach, mango, pomegranate, pineapple, and original. I especially love the little bits of aloe vera that you can chew on. In addition to its delicious fruity taste, aloe vera is very beneficial to your skin. My prediction is that instead of milk tea stores, there will be aloe vera juice stores in the future! Team Aloe Vera FTW!!   

    

6.       Once Upon a Time   

        Girls in my hall would always watch Once Upon a Time very Sunday night. At first, I didn’t bother watching it because I would sit there confused, thinking “Wait, why is her name Mary Margaret and Snow White? Is this fairytale land or the real world? WHOA! Her mother is Snow White?! But she’s her age!!!” It wasn’t until Spring Break that I decided to give this show a try. I was hooked after the first episode!! I was eager to know whether Prince Charming and Snow White would be united as lovers again. If romance isn’t your thing, there is also action in it (Snow White is very bad a** in it). The show also changed the way that I view the world, and any show that can do that is a very special one.

Thank you so much for reading! Please comment below telling me what your favorites from the month of April have been.

Don’t forget, I will be posting a new blog every Friday starting THIS FRIDAY! 

Lisa xx

Don't Worry, Be Happy!

People always tell me at least one of the following things:

“Lisa, how are you always so calm?”

“Gosh, you are such an optimist!”

“I always see you just chilling around the dorm hall. You must not have a lot of work to do.”

“IT’S FREAKING FINALS WEEK!! WHY AREN’T YOU FREAKING OUT?! LIKE FREAKING!!”

Ok, that last one was a bit dramatic, but usually it’s along the lines of those examples.

I feel as if I’m a naturally calm and optimistic person; however, there are things that I do that I feel really help me maintain that positive calmness in a very hectic and stressful environment like college.

I thought it would be a good idea to list the things that I do to stay happy and relaxed during stressful times for those of you who feel like you let those hectic times get the best of you.

DISCLAIMER: I am in no ways an expert. What works for me may not work for you.

1. Listen to music that makes you feel good.

Music has played a very large role in my life. I find it very therapeutic for times when I feel angry, sad, or stressed. I personally like pop music. Not just any pop music, but Justin Bieber and, lately, One Direction!!! Yes, I’m a belieber and directioner…. BUT I SWEAR, I’M NOT CRAZY! ;) That’s the type of music that puts me in an upbeat mood. For you, it may be the exact same thing or the exact opposite. Create a playlist that consists of songs that make you happy and/or relaxed, and listen to it when you are not feeling so great.

2. Thinking positive/motivating thoughts

I think I’ve, without knowing it, trained myself to thing positive thoughts and become to optimist that I am today. I don’t know how, but it has just happened. I did not realize it until my first quarter of college when I was under an immense amount of stress trying to adapt to this new environment and chapter in my life. I would always keep in mind that things will work out for the best in the end and that I am doing the things that I am and working my butt off in college to have a career in a field that I love. A few motivating and positive thoughts a day can do wonders to your mood. Stick post-it notes around your desk or room to remind yourself of these things!

3. Exercising doesn’t only make you physically healthy

Ever since my sophomore year of high school, I’ve been going to the gym. It wasn’t to be “skinny”; I love my body and all of my curves. The reason why I did it was because exercising makes me mentally healthy. It has become a very important stress-reliever for me over these past few years. While I am working out, it feels like I’m reducing my stress with every mile ran, weight lifted, etc. I always leave the gym feeling happy and relaxed! If going to the gym is not your thing, go out for a nice stroll around your neighborhood, hike with some friends, or maybe go for a quick swim.

4. Alone time can sometimes be the best time

If you know me, you know that I sometimes like to just chill in my room and be by myself for at least a couple of hours a day. As much as I love going out with friends, setting aside some time for only me is extremely important in my daily schedule. To put it as a simile (no matter how cheesy it may sound), I am like an iPhone that needs to be charged by itself before going out and performing its tasks. When living in a dorm where your friends are literally a few feet away 24/7, there will be times when you crave a few moments of alone time to do whatever it is you want. For me, it’s going on YouTube to watch a few videos by my favorite YouTubers. Lately, it’s been all about Jack and Finn Harries (aka JacksGap). Darn me and my fancy of hot British guys!! ;)

Speaking of YouTube, I am in the process of creating a YouTube channel! Because I have just entered college, I thought it would be a great idea to create this YouTube channel not only to document my experience at a large university, but to also show those of you who are not in college yet what it would be like. I will also do a few other random videos here and there, but documenting my time at “uni”, as they call it in the United Kingdom, is my main objective.

I hope this blog will become helpful to as many of you as possible!

Lisa xx

The Best Thing I've Ever Made

There’s one weird thing about me when it comes to baking.

I usually don’t eat the things that I bake.

I usually eat the things that I cook, but rarely the things that I bake. It’s not that I think my baking is terrible. I was known in high school for making amazing baked goods! I’m proud of what I bake!! It’s just that I, in general, try to not eat a lot of sweets.

There came one Christmas day, however, when I tried out a recipe for banana cream pie. It wasn’t just a recipe for banana cream pie, though. It was Emeril Lagasse’s recipe for banana cream pie.

It took me pretty much the entire day to make that banana cream pie. I had to use a pot, hand mixer, numerous bowls, multiple mixing spoons, etc. When I assembled it, it was absolutely MASSIVE. I mean 6 inches tall massive.

Like I said previously, I don’t eat the things I bake most of the time. When I took a bite of this pie…..

My life changed!!

I ate half of the pie by myself…. Not proud of that, but I don’t care because it’s freaking delicious!!!!

It’s not too sweet and perfectly creamy. The best dessert I’ve ever made and ate. As much as I would like to credit myself for baking it, I can’t because it’s all about the recipe.  If you follow the recipe correctly, you will get the perfect pie every single time!

Here’s the link to the recipe. Take my word and make this pie for your next occasion! You’re guests will think you are an absolute genius!!

http://www.emerils.com/recipe/5022/Banana-Cream-Pie-with-Caramel-Drizzles-and-Chocolate-Sauce

Enjoy your pie!!!

Lisa xx

Prom: The Best Night of Our Teen Lives?

With prom coming up for a lot of people, I decided to write a blog about my prom experience and what to expect at prom.

A lot of people have incredibly high expectations for their prom. Besides your wedding, it’s the date that you look forward to since you are a little kid! I remember being a young girl and watching the prom episode of “Sister, Sister”. It looked so glamorous with big puffy 1990s dresses and limos!! I couldn’t wait to experience prom!!

Girls have higher expectations for prom than boys. We’ve been picturing it as the night of our teenage lives in our heads for YEARS! We imagine wearing the most beautiful dress that makes all of the other girls jealous, our hair and makeup done to make us look like a celebrity, the guy of our dreams as our date, dancing the night away with all of our friends. I can’t deny my high expectations for my prom! I was hoping to have Justin Bieber as my date!!! 

There is nothing wrong with high expectations. It shows that you have hope, and hope is a wonderful thing to have. But if your expectations become so high that it goes beyond reality, you may be setting yourself up for possible disappointment.

Let me tell you a story about my prom.

I am a naturally optimistic person who believes in having hopes and dreams that can become real with some hard work. Because of these traits, like many girls, I envisioned the absolute perfect prom. The day of the prom, I didn’t really like my dress. I bought it online, and it just didn’t look very flattering on me.

Nope. I didn’t like my dress very much. I wanted “BAMMM!!” but for me, it was more like “bam”, if that makes any sense at all x) So expectations on looking great were out the window….

One of my guy friends was my prom date. Let’s just say, he was no Prince Charming… or Justin Bieber for that matter. I was ditched during the last slow dance. (This is the part where you all collectively say “Awwwwww!!!”) I would go into further juicy detail, but I might get in trouble. Hehehehe. Maybe another time ;D Well, there went my dream for the perfect prom date….

Prom for me wasn’t all that bad, though. Below the banquet area was an arcade that we had all to ourselves. They had laser tag, and because of the ultraviolet lights and me wearing a white dress, I was like a running target because I was literally GLOWING. My closest friend and I also played one of those Terminator shooting games, and I have to add that we looked like bad mama jamas in our elegant dresses shooting zombies with huge machine guns!

Overall, it was a bittersweet night. If it wasn’t for my girl friends, it would have been worse than what it was. BUT life goes on, and we can’t fixate on the bad parts in life for long or else they can hinder us.

The Lesson:

You can go into prom with hopes of what it will turn out to be like, but just be cautious of those expectations. Think “Here is what I want my prom to be like, but I know that it may not end up being that way and if so, it will be alright in the end.”

Prom is a night to celebrate with your friends before you all depart your separate ways. Have fun and stay safe!

Lisa xx

What to Bring to College

When you are packing for college, you are constantly thinking “Should I bring this? What about that? No, I should probably leave that behind, but then again, I might really need it!” You go back and forth because you don’t want to forget about bringing something and you don’t want to bring too many things that you will never use.

Though what each person brings to college depends on them, here is a list of often overlooked items that, from my experience, I think everyone should bring.

1. Earplugs

You will not believe how much earplugs come in handy, especially if you are the type of person who cannot sleep when they hear even the slightest noise. Whether you are living in a dorm or an apartment, these are fantastic when the people living next door to you are being noisy whether their talking or….. doing something else……

With long days full of going to class and studying, you really need as much sleep as possible, and you can’t sleep if you hear a whole bunch of noise.

2. Old High School Notes

Whatever notes from high school you have that you think you will need in college, bring them. If you know you will be taking math classes, bring along your math notes. They are great to reference to look back at if you have any trouble. Notes are only useful if you still have them, which brings us to a very important point…

Don’t throw away your notes from high school!!!

I threw away all of my material from high school every year because I don’t like clutter. The only notes I kept were my calculus notes because I had an amazing teacher and I just couldn’t throw them away because it would be like throwing away my bibles! I did, however, throw away my accounting notes from high school. Guess what? I didn’t have to take math in college, but I did take accounting and am planning to pursue a career in accounting … I wish I had saved those notes…..

3. Comfy Slippers

If you are like me, you like to walk around in your house barefooted. When living in a dorm, you can’t really do that because the floors of a dorm hall are not as clean as the floor in your home. I didn’t want to wear proper shoes everywhere, so I opted for some fluffy pink slippers. They are great for walking around in your room and around your hall. Plus, they are incredibly comfortable and make me feel at home!

4. Air Freshener

Because in a hall, you live with many other people, there may be times when the hall just doesn’t smell right. The smells can be of eclectic food cooking in the kitchen or random mystery smells that no one knows where they are coming from. Air freshener is, therefore, much needed!

20 Facts About Me

1. I love cold and cloudy weather! Strange, since I live in a place where it's sunny 90% of the time.
2. When I come across an inspirational quote that I love, I copy it into a page in Notes on my iPhone. "Nothing is impossible, the word itself says 'I'm possible'" - Audrey Hepburn
3. One time, I ate an entire watermelon in two sittings.
4. I love watermelon. 
5. I am currently a first-year in college studying business economics.
6. I've been a vegetarian for 3 years.
7. Taking off is still the scariest part of being on an airplane for me, even though I've been on numerous airplanes since I was 3-months-old. 
8. When eating, I always make sure the first and last bites are the best.
9. My first ever cheek kiss was from Harry Styles. ;)
10. On the wall next to my bed, I have post-it notes of all of my short-term and long-term goals.

11. My fantasy dream job is to have my own vegetarian cooking show on Food Network.
12. Sunscreen is my best friend.
13. I can appear shy when I first meet people, but I warm up afterwards and show my true self. 
14. The best thing I ever ate was the spaghetti at Scarpetta in LA. That was over 3 years ago and I've been craving it everyday since.

15. I love taking on leadership positions because it highlights the person who I really am on the inside. I absolutely recommend everyone to take on leadership roles.
16. When I go home during breaks, I spend hours watching the Turner Classic Movies channel.
17. I take very colorful notes. 

18. Popcorn is my kryptonite. 
19. The best thing I've experienced was helping low-income children and families in my community by creating a Christmas party and organizing an event called the "Bookshelves in Every Home Project". 
20. I'm a naturally optimistic person.

February Personal Favorites

Here are a few non-beauty products I have loved in the month of February.

Fiber One bars

These are a MUST in college!!! I always make sure I have one in my school bag at all times. The reason why Fiber One bars are so great is in its name: fiber. Not only does fiber have so many health benefits, it controls your appetite; therefore, you won’t find your tummy grumbling during class or while studying in a quiet library. Some foods high in fiber are apples, bananas, greens, and whole grain bread. I prefer Fiber One bars because some of them are covered in chocolate!!!

Very Berry Hibiscus

My life has been changed by the Very Berry Hibiscus drink at Starbucks. I can’t believe it took me months to try it! It has just the right amount of sweetness and tartness to it, and it has BLACKBERRIES!! I wished they would use fresh blackberries though….

I went through an entire Trenta size (30 fl oz) because I loved it so much! Now that it is getting warmer, this drink is great to cool you off and give you enough energy to power through a 3 hours study session.

The Nanny

The Nanny is by far my favorite television show of all time. It is an extremely witty 1990s comedy that I’ve actually been watching for the past couple of years on and off. In February, I started watching it again from the very beginning. I’ve seen all of the episodes probably 3 times each! They just don’t make shows with that type of humor anymore. I promise that it will make you laugh like never before!

Mirrors by Justin Timberlake

My song of the month has to be Mirrors by Justin Timberlake. You can feel all of the love he has for his wife while listening to that song. The artistry of the track and the beats are simply incredible, too. Enough said. You have to listen to it if you haven’t.