from gardens to graveyards

(tights: h&m, boots: forever 21, everything else is vintage)

    Although nothing compares to the cemeteries in New Orleans, there is something special about exploring historical cemeteries. There are two more historical graveyards close to me, which Elmwood Cemtery is one of them. I had been longing to walk around the grounds since I drove past it a couple months ago, this past week I finally got my chance to roam around. Many famous Kansas Cityians are buried here, so it was neat finding the grave-sites and seeing which names I could remember from a history lesson. 
    While I was out in the area, I found an amazing estate/store closing sale, which I bought a bag full of lovely items for almost nothing. I think I'm too good at finding amazing sales, because my apartment is becoming quite full of miscellaneous treasures. On another note, I went to Phoenix Herb for the first time in a long time the other day. I forgot how much I adore that store and I proceeded to purchase rose petals (for bath soaks and baking), lavender (for, well many things), and some of their house tea blend. I believe I will be spending much more time there in the future. 

made at home: ginger blood orange tea

Ginger Blood Orange Tea

• A medium-sized ginger root, cut into 1/2 inch slices and peeled
• juice of two blood oranges
• 3 tablespoons of honey (or to desired amount)
• 1 pinch of cayenne pepper
• 5 cups of water

    Cut and peel the ginger root, and then place into the pot water. Bring the water and ginger root to a boil, let boil for about five minutes, then bring to a shimmer for another 10-20 minutes (the longer the ginger root is shimmering, the stronger the tea will be). After the shimmering time is up, pull the liquid mixture off the hot stove-top into a non-heated surface. Mix in the juice from two blood oranges, honey, and cayenne pepper. Serve warm, with a slice of blood orange. (The tea may also be diluted with water if a weaker ginger taste is desired.)  

     I have had an off-and-on cold for about three weeks now. The winter time always brings this upon me, and it usually goes and comes the same way each year. During these times of the year when I have a cold, I usually stray from any sort of medication... I stick to more natural ways to heal myself. Drinking ginger tea is one of those options I had starting using last year. 

     I used to make my ginger tea with lemons, sometimes with just ginger and honey, but I decided to try something else this year... with my favorite fruit, a blood orange. This tea is bitter, in-your-face-ginger, and so soothing to a shore thoart. The blood orange juice makes the tea more fruity, and produces the prettiest color in the tea. If you are experiencing an ongoing cold this winter, I would highly suggest boiling some ginger yourself. Enjoy. 

skin care & beauty routine, for a little spender

   One's beauty/skin care routine is very personal. Not personal in a way that it is private, but personal in a way that not many see inside of all of those products/recipes they use daily. I share make-up and diy skin care secrets with my friends, talk about what color of lipstick we are lusting over this season, and what kind of perfume is their go-to scent.. but I don't actually know any of their beauty/skin care routines and all the products being involve in that. But the thing is, I love learning what other's use in their beauty routines, which is one of the reasons why I am sharing mine here. 

   I have had a handle of people, over the past few months, ask me to share my diy beauty secrets and my make-up products. I was a little hesitant to share this post, because not all of my products are completely natural/diy and most of which are purchased from a drug store, but I decided to share this with those who are also college students/budget-grounded as I am. Much of my skin care products are items you would find right in your kitchen, which is mostly for the reason of using more natural products, but also because.. well, it's completely in my price range. Being a student means you are always on a budget, so I have been working with what is given to me. And honestly, most of it seems to work better than the brands I used when I was younger. 

Skin 

a. Coffee Beans: I use the beans that I grind in the morning for my coffee for a body scrub when I shower in the mornings. Simply take the grinds out of your french press or coffee machine and mix with some olive oil (or use my scrub recipe here). b. Raw Sugar: I am constantly making simple scrubs with sugar, nutmeg, and oils. I use these daily when I shower or on my face. c. Honey:. I mix honey in with whatever scrub I am using for the day, I also make sure to use this in my facial scrubs to make my skin extremely smooth. d.  Oats: I like to use oats for a bath soak at least a couple times a week, because they make your skin so soft and remove any itches or redness in your skin. I grind up my oats in a blender, then mix with some bath salts or tea tree oil for the soak. e. Japanese Cherry Blossom Shower Gel and Lotion: This is my favorite scent and has been for body washes for many years. I use this after I use a scrub, and I also use the lotion throughout the day. f. Coconut Oil: I use this after I shower or bathe for a moisturizer for my skin, I try to use it while I am still damp from getting out of the water.

Hair

a. Rice Vinegar: I use Vinegar to wash my hair, usually after a bit of baking soda with some warm water. I mix a couple tablespoons of vinegar with some warm water and massage it through.  b. Suave Hairspray: I like to lightly spray my hair with hairspray before I'm off for my day, I have found this to work quite well and be an extremely reasonable cost. I hardly do extravagant things with my hair, so I light spray works best for me. c. Suave Dry Shampoo: I hardly wash my hair, so I am constantly using dry shampoo to keep my hair from becoming oily and still maintain volume. d. Murray's Hair Pomade: My boyfriend and I actually share this item, because nothing works the way Murray's does! I use a small amount of this when my hair is damp, and crunch/sculpt waves with my fingers. I also use this for any styling I do with my bangs. e. Sea Salt: I have been using sea salt in my hair to create "beach waves" since I was 17, when I read an interview with Mary-Kate Olsen about how she got her beachy hair. I simply pour some sea salt into my palm, along with a drop of coconut oil, and mess my hair around with it while it's damp. f. Coconut oil: I use coconut oil for a leave in conditioner before I shower, in which I put some on the ends of my hair for about an hour before I shower. I then use it as a conditioner after I wash my hair.

Makeup

a. Almay Eye Make-up Remover: I have been using this for years, and this is by far the best make-up remover I have found. b. Sally's Lip Inflation: I have also been using this for years, and it is my favorite lip gloss. I used "Nude" and I like to add a coat over my lipstick. c. Mosh Brushes:   d. Elf Eye Shadows: I adore Elf products, not just for the price, but also because they are a quality product. I have many of these pallets and use them everyday. e. MegaVolume Wet & Wild Mascara: I have recently switched to this product, after finding it on sale at Walgreens, and it honestly works as well as any other drug store mascara.  f. Rimmel London Foundation and Powder: This brand has wonderful pricing on their powder and their foundation (which drew me to them at first, not going to lie), but I actually really have grown fond of this brand. There foundation doesn't have that "make-up" smell to it, and their powder creates a completely matte effect on the face. g. Covergirl Blush: I wear the "Rose Silk", and I have recently switched to a lighter shade from my normal darker tint.    h. NYX Matte Lip Color: NYX is one of my favorite make-up brands, and I love using matte lipsticks. The one I use is "Nude" and works as well as Mac lipsticks, in my opinion. i. Nail Color: OPI is my all time favorite brand, in which I am constantly wearing Black Onyx and A-Piers to be Tan. I also love my new Essie Cute as a Button, and I always use a matte top coat from Salon Basics. j. Catbird Tarot Deck Solid Perfume: My boyfriend gifted me this for my birthday, and I am beyond in love with this sent. I feel like it was made for me. Also, wearing a solid perfume is probably the best way to wear a scent, in my opinion.

Miscellaneous 

a. Revlon Colorsilk in Black: I have been dying my hair black for the last couple of years (my hair is naturally a medium brown), and this has been my go-to hair coloring kit for that time. b. Vitamin B-12 and C-250: Since I do not eat meat, taking a B-12 vitamin daily is no option for me. I also take a Vitamin C everyday. c. Handsanitizer, Japanese Cherry Blossom: I always carry a small bottle of this with me. d. Green Tea: This is not just for drinking, but also for soaking them in your bath and placing them over your eyes (instead of a cucumber) during a facial) e. Dove ReBalance Deodorant: I have tried my fair share of organic and making deodorant in the past, but my go-to has always been this scent/brand. 

white lips kissed

    I wanted to share a few of my favorite photographs from a shoot I did with my Emily a week ago, for she has such an interesting and unique complexion. Her bright red hair (which most of it she cut off randomly, and has been wearing a short wig for awhile), her trademark facial expressions, and the fact she danced around on my bed during our shoot makes her such a character to have model for me. I wanted to do a Valentine's day themed shoot for the holiday, so we just kind of went with what we had in my bedroom one morning and made things happen. 

   This shoot was mainly inspired by the day of love, along with Peggy Lee that was playing on Pandora. I am not quite sure yet what I plan on doing with these photographs, but prints from this collection will be for sale in my shop (which is about to open!) in the upcoming days. You can see a few more of these photographs from this shoot and more of my personal collections on my photography portfolio. 

my roses blossom the whole year around

(tights: target, velvet skirt: handmade, everything else is vintage)

   I believe that the Nelson Aktin's Museum of Art is by far one the best places in Kansas City. I go here often, not just because it is five minutes away from my apartment or that the admission is free of charge, but because the museum has such a vast collection of art there is a piece for every mood. Usually though, I am feeling early American or European, the occasional modern art mood as well. I stopped here with a friend on Saturday, and mainly stuck to my favorites. Also, the courtyard dining area is by far my new favorite view. 

   I decided to bring my giant mink fur (I believe mink?)  coat out for this day, because the rest of the week is looking to be in the high 40's/50's... I guess Spring is arriving sooner than I had hoped. I also found this pair of low-top Doc Marten's at my favorite thrift store outlet for only a dollar, so I have been wearing them around in the snow this past week. Also this past week was my birthday, for which my mom baked me the richest cupcakes in the world full of cookie dough. They are so filling that I can hardly eat a whole one in one sitting... although I did have two yesterday, but I'm not counting. 

love and some verses

(tights: h&m, headband: charming charlie, everything else is vintage) 

"kisses are a better fate than wisdom."

e.e. cummings

    A huge happy Valentine's Day to everyone reading this, and I hope you day/evening was surrounded by a loved one(s). This holiday has always been one of my favorites; from the tradition of picking a Valentine, to seeing everyone in line at floral shops picking up flowers. I like to theme my outfits with holidays, so Valentine's Day is one of my favorites to do so. I picked out pinks from my closet (including a nightgown and one of my favorite pairs of tights), and paired them with a pink-flowered headband. Yes, people did in fact ask me if I dressed specifically for the holiday... and I loved it. 

    For my Valentine's Day, I went to school as usual during the day, but in the evening my boyfriend surprised me with a night of bowling and arcade games. We had planned on seeing a few bands at a holiday show, but I loved the spontaneous idea. He picked me up a dozen white roses, a bottle of blush champagne (which I mostly drank all to myself.. opps!), three of my favorite movies, and some nude matte lipstick. For him, I tracked down a collection of three short stories by one of his favorite authors, double chocolate stout, and white chocolates. Little gifts for little holidays are my favorites.