my week in photos

1. my fridge

(my brother's grin makes me smile every time I look at his picture)

2. these books

(who doesn't love Tolkien?)

3. this sheet music

(I really want to learn this song, but its more difficult than I anticipated)


4. this mac 'n cheese

(because I refuse to grow up)

5. this bowl

(because it was the perfect gift from a beloved aunt, and I used it to
serve spaghetti and meatballs on Monday)

home sweet home

Halloo there!
We're now happy and settled in our new Austin home! We found a nice little 2nd-floor walk up and things went much more smoothly than I anticipated. Here are some photos of move in:

I had no idea moving could be so stressful. My father was military so we moved a lot during my childhood, but being responsible for an entire move was more than I could have imagined it to be. Now my house is normal and happy and I'm so glad to be done with it. We've already started discussing another move after our lease ends in this apartment, but I don't know if I can handle it!

Unfortunately we're still sleeping without a bed frame. We decided to stain it and then things started piling up, and the frame got put to the wayside. it's still tucked away in our storage unit on the patio! So floor it is.

I hope you enjoyed this little peek into our move!

Ch Ch Ch Changes!

When I started this blog, I told myself I wouldn't become once of those bloggers who posts infrequently and then apologizes for not blogging. And look at what I have become! I'm going through some really big changes at the moment and have had difficulty coping, so I took a quiet, unannounced hiatus to try to get my life under control again. So bear with me, this is a really wordy, TL;DR post.

I recently became engaged to my wonderful boyfriend of 3 1/2 years, who proposed April 10th. It was quiet, personal, and really romantic, and to keep it that way I'm not going to say much about it except to show you the ring!

Isn't it the most gorgeous thing you've ever seen? I'm completely enamored with it, and have been pining for it ever since we took it to the jewelers to get sized (it should come back sometime this week, yay!). The ring was originally a size 3, and because I have freakishly small hands we have to size it down to a 2.5 :O

To add to the big changes happening around here, Craig was also hired by an engineering company in Austin, TX and he starts in June. So...we're moving at the end of May after we graduate!! Ahhhhh!
It's going to be a huge change for us. He's lived in Colorado nearly his entire life, and I've lived here for 7 years. I'm a little nervous about the heat and humidity that everyone keeps reminding me about, nervous about making friends and finding a niche, and just generally nervous about the whole thing! But everything I've heard about Austin so far has been quite positive, so I can try to put my worries behind me and just enjoy the ride.

But I will always, always hold a special place in my heart for this:

(Taken at the summit of Mt. Democrat, thanks Craig)

and this:

(Boulder Flatirons: via)

But most of all, I'm going to miss my wonderful family. We're going to be 16 hours apart, which is heart-wrenching to me. I've never been more than 2 hours apart from them for any extended period of time, so this will certainly be an adjustment. 

Concerning changes on this blog, I'm going to be expanding a little. I've found that nail polish, while lovely and obsessive, isn't something I can write about constantly. I need some variety, so I'm going to try an slowly infuse extra bits of my life here. Especially our move, new apartment, etc. :D

And to encourage myself, I'm going to be taking part in the photoadayMay hosted by Fat Mum Slim, which took me slightly by surprise because April has literally flown by.

I'll post the photos to twitter daily so check back! And let me know if you're participating as well in the comments below! :)

And on that note, I have one last parting comment:

I graduate in 11 days. Commence the freaking out.

Cosmetic Cupcake Giveaway

I  also wanted to let you guys know that Michelle who writes the really lovely blog Cosmetic Cupcake is celebrating her 2nd blog birthday with a giveaway!

Go here to enter and follow her blog, she always writes the loveliest posts and her nail art is always adorable. (You should also follow her on Twitter, her instagram is always popping up with fun hauls or yummy foods)

Clinique High Impact Mascara

Why hello there!

I said I would do a mascara review a while ago, but no worries, I haven't forgotten!

Last Christmas I recieved a Clinique makeup set from my lovely aunt, and it came with a full size High Impact Mascara in 01 Black. I fell in love with it, but after a few months the tube went bad and I had to toss it. Ever since then I've been making do with random mascaras and never went to get the Clinique again. 

Then one day I decided to purchase a drugstore mascara, absolutely hated the formula, and had to reason with myself to just go and get the Clinique again. It's worth it to spend the money to buy something you love and will use until its gone, right? Much better than spending your money on something you will only use once, and never again. 

It comes in a dark green tube with a metal chrome cap. The tube has a good weighty feel to it. It looks nice, and for a lack of a better word, expensive. 

The brush is also really full and large. It's not bulky, but it's long. I measured it and its just under an inch in length. It's a traditional fiber brush which feels relatively soft. Here's a close up of the bristles:

I tend to go for a more natural look in my mascara, and this isn't terribly volumizing but it does give me good length. It has a wet formula (that I like) which makes application smooth. My eyelashes don't clump or feel like little wires poking out of my face, and I've noticed that they're no longer falling out like they were with the other mascara I was using. (Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush in black)

It doesn't have a strong scent normally, but it will smell like petrol when it goes bad. 

What I also love about this is that it comes off fairly easy. I usually have huge problems with waterproof mascaras, but this comes off quickly in the shower, and then I can just wash off the extra residue left under my eyelids when I wash my face. 

EDITED TO ADD: This is not a waterproof mascara, and comes off with soap and water. I don't know why I implied it was waterproof. Woops!

The thing about this mascara is that its not a wonder product. It doesn't have a magic formula or special bristles or anything, but I think that's why I like it. It works the way I want it to, and it works well. I will most likely continue to use this day after day, and will definitely repurchase when it runs out.

What mascaras are in your favorites bag? Or any other eye product that you love? I tend to avoid eye-shadows but I'm a huge fan of eyeliner, I wear it practically every day.