TMI Tuesday

One of my favorite beauty bloggers, Amarixe, posts a Monday questionnaire, so I thought I would incorporate it into a weekly feature here called TMI Tuesday! If you would like to participate, leave your answers as a comment below or link to a blog post with your answers!!

1. Mood:

Tired. A lot I need to get accomplished this week and just don't see enough time in the days!

2. When was the last time you bought an actual CD (not downloaded off of iTunes, but a physical disc)?

I bought Carrie Underwood's 'Carnival Ride' cd, so about 2 years ago maybe?

3. What sounds do you hear right at this very moment?

computer humming and me typing

4. Current nail polish:

Fingernails: nothing

Toenails: OPI Last Friday Night

5. Do you sleep with socks on?

not usually, but it's gotten cold here again!

6. I never go a day without _______?

twitter and talking to at least one of my parents

7. Current outfit:

pajamas! PINK flannel pants from Victoria's Secret and KKG semi formal tee

8. What is your all time favorite lip gloss?

Chanel Glossimer in Glaze

9. Where do you keep your cell phone at night?

On my nightstand right beside my bed

10. Weekly goals:

do decent on my two tests, get other assignments completed, BE PRODUCTIVE!!!!

Hope everyone has a wonderful day!

Tiny Target Haul

For the first time in a long while, I had a pretty low key weekend. Saturday morning I had to be at the Kappa house at 7am so we could initiate our new girls, and since our spring class is typically small, I was outta there by 9am! Since I was already up WAY before I usually am on a Saturday, I met the parents for breakfast and then did a little shopping with Kate. She needed to find a pair of earrings to wear later that night so I of course offered to tag along! On our way home we stopped at Target and I managed to pick up just a couple things.

Umberto Dry Clean Dry Shampoo $8.99

The main reason we went to Target was so that Kate could get some more dry shampoo. She swore up and down by this one, so of course I had to pick up some for myself! The only dry shampoo I've used has been the one from Tresemme, and unfortunately it leaves a gray tint to my hair...NOT what I want as a brunette! I was with here when she was getting ready and when she used this stuff it lemme tell ya IT WORKS! It game alot a volume and made her day 2 hair look MUCH better. Kate is also a fellow brunette and this didn't leave behind any kind of color residue. So I'm really excited to try this out!

e.l.f. Healthy Glow Bronzing Powder $1

I just finished the first one of these I bought, so this was merely a repurchase. For $1, this is a great product! If you like shimmery bronzers, this is a great product that definitely won't break the bank. My only complaint is that the fallout from this product is pretty substantial, but considering this price I don't mind losing some of the product. All I do with this is dust it all over my face to give that all-over glow and I'm out the door!

N.Y.C. Cover Stick around $2

I bought this simply because the Revlon Colorstay concealer I bought a while back was just not working! The Revlon concealer was a spot treatment that contains salicylic acid and really dried out my skin, so I needed to find something quick. I haven't tried this yet and I usually go for liquid concealers rather than stick, but I figured for just under $2 I would give it a shot.

A couple weeks ago Target was running a promotion for the "Bag of Beauty" on their website. All you had to do was give them your address and you were sent this cosmetic bag filled with goodies and coupons!

The makeup bag is by Sonia Kashuk and matches the rest of her line that you can find in stores. Inside there are samples from Nivea, Pantene, Revlon, Neutrogena and Frederick Fekkai along with $25 worth of coupons! It was nice to find this little surprise in my mailbox :) I think it's super smart of Target to do this kind of promoting and giving out coupons to use just at their stores. I also noticed looking at the Sunday ads that a lot of the products there are coupons for are ALSO on sale this week. Hopefully Target will be doing these kinds of promotions in the future!

I know my blogging has been sporadic recently, but school is rough! Whoever said Senior Spring was easy was most certainly NOT a science major! I do have a couple posts I want to write, including updates on Project 10 Pan (yes im still doing this despite my beauty purchases!!) and an update on my school situation. I am must more active on twitter so definitely follow me there for daily *cough*hourly*cough* updates on my life!

Hope everyone has a wonderful week!!

xoxo

***All of the products were bought with my money, with the exception of the Target beauty bag, which was sent to me after signing up on their website. I was not sponsored by any of the brands mentioned above***

What I'm Loving Wednesday

Lilly Pulitzer Tote in Kappa Kappa Gamma print

Lilly came out with four sorority prints last year and lucky for me Kappa was one of them, along with Delta Zeta, Tri Delta, and Kappa Delta. My friend has the DZ tote and these things are HUGE! Since I got my new laptop I've had issues because its too big to carry around in my Vineyard Vines or Coastal Traditions tote. So this would be PERFECT, even though this is my last semester in Kappa :(

Viva la Juicy Perfume

I am in LOVE LOVE LOVE with this perfume!!! I was at Kohls with my mom and she had a 30% off coupon so I thought it would be a perfect time to pick up a new scent, since perfume NEVER goes on sale! I originally wanted to pick up one of the Ralph Lauren scents, but both Kohls we went to didn't have ANY :( So I sprayed this on and as I continued to walk around and smell it, I quickly fell in love...even my mom loves it! The bottle I picked up is on the smaller size, retailing for $29, but with the coupon and a leftover merchandise credit I had, I only ended up paying $12!! If you like girly scents I definitely recommend giving this one a try!

TOMS Sparkle in Black

When these shoes first came out I didn't get the attraction. But as I see them more and more on campus the more I want a pair!....specifically one of the sparkle pairs! I originally wanted to gold ones but I love the black too! Anybody have a sparkle pair they just love?

I have made some headway in deciding what I'm doing in the next couple months

Over spring break I had some time to think about my plans for the future. If you have been reading for a while or follow me on twitter, you know I have been trying for THREE years now to get into pharmacy school with little success. With it now being the middle of March and I still haven't heard anything from any school, I've had to make some decisions that right now I am content with. I have decided that instead of graduating in August with my Biology degree, I have decided to postpone graduation to December, when I would graduate with my Biology degree with a minor in chemistry. I only have 7 more hours of biology to complete and only need 8 more hours of chemistry for the minor. Ill be taking 1 class and 1 lab each summer session, so in the fall I can finish up the hours for me degree in addition to taking some classes that are prerequisites for schools that I may be applying to in the fall.

SOOO....that is my plan!

What are you loving this Wednesday?

New Giveaways!

School has been INSANE the last couple weeks, hence the lack of blog posts. BUT this coming week is spring break so im hoping to update much more often!! I did want to drop by though and let yall know i have posted a couple of AWESOME giveaways on the giveaways tab above so make sure to check them out!

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

• Law and Order:SVU!!!!!

I know I know! I talk about this show all the time, but this week's episode (that JUST aired) was a-FREAKIN-mazing!! As I'm sure you can see from all the caps in this explanation haha. I'm not gonna bore you with all the details that made it awesome, but if you are not watching this show, YOU NEED TO!!!

• Kappa Kappa Bible Study

Last week we started a bible study on Wednesday nights and I absolutely LOVE it! Wednesdays are my longest days (class 10 until 5) and this gives me something to look forward to at the end of the day. All the girls are just amazing and I'm constantly reminded how blessed I am to be a part of this amazing organization.

I won!

The Southern Housewife over at Her Southern Charm recently had a giveaway for a $75 gift certificate to St. Bernard Sports, and I won!! St. Bernard has all kinds of brands from The North Face and Patagonia to Lilly Pulitzer and Vineyard Vines. I already decided that if I won the gift certificate I was going to put it towards a Patagonia Snap T Pullover. If you're on a college campus, you KNOW these are just as popular as The North Face Denali jackets. I myself am on my 2nd denali jacket and would really like a fleece pullover that I can just throw on a go. This where I need yalls help! They have both a men and women's version. How big of a difference is the fit??? I want it to be fairly loose so its comfy and I could easily wear a long sleeve shirt underneath. For reference I wear a medium in the denali jacket. PLEASE help me out guys and if you have any color recommendations send them my way!! Hope everyone is having a wonderful Monday :)

PS- guess who got the number 1 college football recruit in the country??? USC DID!!!! Welcome to the Gamecock Family Jadeveon Clowney!!!

Quick! Need Yall's Opinion!

Happy Superbowl Sunday! Tonight until 11pm PST Dogeared Jewelry is having 20% off their entire site! For those of yall not familiar with Dogeared, they have the most delicate and beautiful pieces of jewelry ever! Each piece comes on a cardboard square that has a message on it pertaining to the charm on the necklace/bracelet etc. I have been browsing this site for a couple months now and could never make a decision as to which one to get. Right now my life is kinda crazy and I'm not sure where I'll end up, so I thought this would be a perfect time to purchase an inspiring piece. Problem is I have narrowed it down to 2 and just can't decide!!

Make a wish and put on your necklace. get ready to accomplish the incredible! You can do whatever you set your mind and your heart to. wear your necklace as a reminder that you are capable of anything you imagine.

Make a wish and put on your necklace. the lotus flower grows up through the dark and out into the light of the sun. let your necklace be a reminder of the incredible beauty that can come from change. grow and believe!

Which one do I pick?? If you would like to take part in the sale, you still have a couple hours! Just enter the code SUPERSHOP2011 at checkout!

My current state of mind...

{via}

I really don't have time for a post considering these next couple days are gonna be awful! Here are my to-do lists for the next couple days...

WEDNESDAY:

• type out lab notebook (what I should be doing right now)
• ecology lab (where we're going on a field trip ie. no chance of getting out early!)
• grab dinner at Kappa house
• read psych chapters 1-3 and selected articles
• pyschology participation assignment
• study for psychology exam (thursday)
• start studying for biochem exam (that I thought was monday and is now friday!!!!)

THURSDAY:

• *probably* get up early and study for psychology
• psychology exam 11am
• biology of birds class (may skip to study for biochem)
• library to study for biochem
• work 5-9 (can't find anyone to cover my shift)
• spanish homework
• back to the library till early hours of the morning

FRIDAY:

• spanish class
• biochem exam
• hopefully napping!
• work 5-10:30
• SLEEP!

OVERALL TO-DO:

• send transcript request
• clean apartment (it's such a disaster I'm about to lose my mind!)
• start training for Cooper River Bridge Run (2 months from today!!)
• keep up with Wii workouts

My Adoption Story

**please see edit note down at the bottom!**

Every Friday Kelly over at Kelly's Korner does "Show Us Your Life Friday." The topics vary every week from showing a certain room in your house to missions trips to sharing your favorite charities. This week's topic really hit home for me. I've never participated in SUYLF before, but I felt compelled to do so tonight.

Every link posted before mine has been from the parent's point of view, and I wanted to share my story from the "baby's" point of view.

For those of you visiting my blog for the first time, I am a 21 year old college senior at the University of South Carolina. I have such a fortunate and blessed life, and none of this could have happened had I not been adopted.

My parents decided to look into adoption when my mother was diagnosed with a kidney disease and the doctors highly advised against getting pregnant. So they immediately began looking into adoption. My parents were very fortunate and on October 11,1989 they got a call saying their baby was waiting (me!)

As I got older I always knew I was adopted. My birth mother decided to place me up for a private adoption because she got pregnant at a young age. My parents were very open about the fact both me and my younger brother were adopted from birth and it was never a "secret". I can't even remember a moment that they sat my down and "broke the news" to me. It was just something I always knew. Having said that, I consider my adoptive parents MY parents. I will always and forever be grateful to my birth mother (and father) for having the strength and courage to do the most selfless thing I think a person could do. I never felt unloved or abandoned or unwanted. I know my birth mother loved me so much for her to be able to do this.

Whenever I tell my story alot of people ask me if I know who my birth mother is and if I have any desire to meet her. I answer with 100% honesty. I do not know who she is and at this point, I do not feel this need or desire that I have to find her. It stems back to the fact that I never felt abandoned by her. Whenever it's brought up my parents have said that they have the file and if I wanted to they would give it to me and I could see who my birth mother is. At this point all I know is that she was really young, Catholic, and still lives in town. That's all I want to know (at this point). My feelings may change years down the road, and if the situation came up where she wanted to meet me, I don't know that I would object. At the least I would be able to meet the woman who gave me the greatest gift imaginable and thank her for her selfless decision.

My whole point of this post was to show a successful adoption story! To couples considering adoption, DO NOT GIVE UP!! I know more often than not its a long and expensive process, but I am so thankful my (adoptive) parents were there when they were. Your baby will come when the time is right, and that WILL BE YOUR CHILD. To pregnant women/couples considering adoption for their babies, take it from one of those "babies", we will be forever grateful!! I will NEVER forget that my birth mother loved me enough to give me up.

I feel like this post is very rambly and not well organized, but these are my thoughts. I am sitting here with tears in my eyes thinking just how incredibly blessed I am! I don't want to imagine what my life would be like had I not been adopted. Not to say that my life would have been awful, for all I know it could have been just as great, but it wouldn't have been this life.

This was a difficult post to write, just because I haven't shared something this personal on here before. To all my loyal readers, I appreciate every single one of you. And to new readers, thank you so much for taking time to read my story! If yall have any questions/comments, feel free to email me or leave a comment :)

xoxo

Natalie

**January 25 2013 - I originally wrote this post almost 2 years to the day, but wanted to share it again via Kelly's linkup. All the feelings I expressed back then still hold true today. If anything I believe even more now that adoption is such a special, priceless gift I couldn't be more grateful now. I've even become more open to the idea of one day meeting my birth mother, simply to show my gratitude and thankfulness. Hope you guys enjoy this post!**

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

• Target yoga pants: I went to Target last week and picked up a pair of their yoga pants and OMG you guys! If you like your sleep and just throw on stuff before you go class, these are perfect!! They were only $20 and are SO comfy! They come in a couple of different fits and lengths and are pretty much all I've been wearing all week. I'm thinking of going back and picking up a couple more pairs so I don't wear these out too quickly.


• Crystal Lite Peach Tea: When I lived at home, we ALWAYS had a pitcher of this in the fridge. So I've been addicted to this stuff for years. I just used my last 2 packets up and am already panicking! I've tried other flavors and this is the one I always seems to come back to. If you have a hard time drinking water, mixing it with CL makes it MUCH easier to drink!