May Recap 2016

   Oh boy, May has definitely thrown me for a loop because it picked up speed like no other. The month started out strong, but as the beginning of SPP got closer, the month flew by. I spent most of the month enjoying my last moments of infinite free time and preparing to take on my classes. So, let's get into what I've been up to!

Week One

   

  The first week of May was pretty relaxed for me. The only major thing that I happened to do was  taking a Thursday hiking trip down to Matthiessen State Park. If you are familiar with the Starved Rock area, these trails are just down the street from Starved Rock. I have been to both, and I think Matthiessen might be my favorite. The main feature of the park is the "trail" in the park's central canyon. It's not fully a trail because most of getting through the canyon involves hopping over rocks and trying not to fall into the creek. The adrenaline of trying to figure out how to make it from one rock to another without getting wet was invigorating and just being able to "get lost in the woods" was such a great change from my everyday routine. If you haven't been able to tell, I really love being in nature, and I was so happy that I could spend the day taking all the natural beauty in. The rest of the weekend I just spent at home. I knew the next couple of weekends would be busy ones for me, so I wanted to spend some time enjoying being at home before heading off to the city. I went out to dinner with my family to celebrate an early mother's day. We had sushi at one of our favorite places, checked out this new dessert place that I've been dying to try, and also a new brewery. My parents are on the younger side, so it's actually not that weird to go out with them for drinks. Craft beer is kind of our thing and we are always testing new places in the Chicagoland area. 

The park map

The stairs down to the trail. These were a pain on the hike back

One of my favorite pics of the trip. These were the stairs to get into the canyon trail.

I had to hop over many rocks to get this pic. It was definitely worth it.

Adding our mark to the rock pile in the canyon.

The path on the upper portion of the trails. They were also breathtaking.

Dessert at Snow Dragon Shavery! I had milk tea shaved ice.

Celebrating Mother's Day with my gorgeous Mama.

Week Two

     Week two was my last week of work before starting my summer program, and it was very bittersweet. Of course, I was thrilled to be moving on to the next chapter in my life, but I was sad that I had to leave the wonderful group of people that have made work feel like home for the past year. We spent the weekend celebrating together. Friday, they threw me a "good-bye" dinner. It was so sweet and I was so happy to have so much support in pursuing my medical school dreams from this amazing group of people. They kept telling me how proud they were of me, and you better believe it was hard not to get teary-eyed. The next morning, I joined Crystal and our other friend/co-worker Shay for a hike at one of our favorite spots. Then later in the day, I went over to Crystal's for a party because she was celebrating her birthday. We all had a blast dancing and just being silly. Aside from work, I took an impromptu trip to Indianapolis at the beginning of the week with my Cousin. He's moving there and I went along to help him look for an apartment. I had never been to Indy, so it was nice to see what it was like.

Saw this and had to take a picture. "Do it for the blog" has become my motto.

We gave a shout out to the B-day girl at dinner.

With Shay and Crystal!

My home squad<3

We were dying. Our manager, Nora, is the one in front and she's a riot.

Week Three

     Week three was prep week. I spent most of the week relaxing at home and getting myself ready to move into my dorm on Saturday. I also spent my last couple days at home packing and spending time with my family. I had a sleepover on Thursday with Elida, so that we could watch the Grey's season finale (Who's excited about next season?!?) and also spend some quality time. Once I moved in Saturday, I spent the rest of the weekend hanging out with my roommate so that we could get to know one another. Saturday, we checked out the area around the school and were so glad that we found the best place to get milkshakes. Sunday, we walked around the touristy parts of Chicago. We grabbed brunch, checked out the Chicago Riverwalk (I hadn't had the chance to check it out, so I was happy to do that), and just enjoyed the beautiful weather. So far, we've been getting along wonderfully and I am so glad that I lucked out in the roomie department. Sadly, she's going to one of our other campuses, so I won't be able to room with her past the summer, but I can already tell we will be having a great time (or as much of a great time as we can have).

Loved this adorable mug from Elida's kitchen.

Elida's mom makes the best Mexican breakfast.

Brunch at Yolk in Chicago.

The view of the Chicago River from the riverwalk.

Week Four

     I think of week four as reality week, because it had me thinking, "What did I get myself into?". Coming into this program was definitely a drastic change compared to what I had been up to the previous year. Our days are pretty packed with classes and when we aren't in class, we try to get studying in at home. It's taking some getting used to, but reminding myself that this is what I wanted is what helps me get through it. It's crazy because I've been dreaming of becoming a doctor for a while and now it's here in my grasp. We keep hearing "When you're an M1"and I still can't believe that'll be me this fall. Our week was very school oriented, but we tried to have fun on the weekend. Friday, Emily and I went out for dinner before heading to study for a couple hours. Then Saturday, we met her sister for drinks, before I went off to attend the Beyonce concert with Megan. Beyonce was absolutely incredible and I had such a great time dancing and singing with my bestie. Sunday, I grabbed brunch with my family before coming home to grab a couple things that I was missing at the dorm as well as spend some time with them before things get very hectic. 

Emily and me looking less than enthused about our 7- hour orientation.

Our delicious BBQ dinner on Friday.

Before Beyonce, we grabbed dinner at this adorable nautical-themed restaurant. I was loving the decor. 

Before Beyonce!

So thankful I got to share this experience with this gorgeous human being. #girlswhowillruntheworld

Queen B. The show was incredible.

Honestly, one of the best brunch places I've tried. I had lemon poppyseed waffles topped with a blueberry compote. 

Looking Forward

     I know the month ahead is going to be a challenging one, but I am going to do my best to kick butt. We have an exam every Monday starting June 6th. I am so excited that I am getting a taste of medical school because it has only reaffirmed that I am doing what I should be doing, but it has also shown me that I'm going to work my butt off for this. Thankfully, I am up for the challenge. Also, each month I keep getting closer to officially becoming an M1 (two more months!!)! I am excited to share all the things I'll be doing during this program and I hope that I can keep up with it all. Also, If I happen to miss a post, I greatly apologize in advance. I will be trying to do my best to keep that from happening, but I am merely human:)

I hope you guys had a great month and I can't wait to share what I've been up to next month!

~Genesis<3

Current Beauty Faves: May 2016

     As a beauty lover, I enjoy trying new products to see if I can find new favorites. For this post, I wanted to share some of the repeat offenders that I've been loving as well as some new things that I've picked up and have been enjoying!

Hair

AG Hair Simply Dry Dry Shampoo

      Part of maintaining long and color-treated hair involves washing your hair less frequently. In order to fight off an oily scalp between washes, I enlist the help of a dry shampoo. Now, I've tried quite a few dry shampoos on the market and they can be hit or miss.  But, this one has to be one of my favorites. It smells lovely and it doesn't leave any residue which is always a concern for me because I have dark roots. Another really cool thing is that I don't have to re-apply every day. If I apply it one day, the next day my hair doesn't really get oily. So, I don't have to keep piling up product in my hair. The brand also offers tinted options within their dry shampoo range, which is also really nice.

Schwarzkopf Color Save Silver Shampoo

     In order to prevent my blonde hair from turning brassy, I've been using a purple shampoo. My sister recommended this one and It's been working really well. It's actually pretty fun to use because it comes out a really deep purple and the suds it creates have a lilac tinge. It smells great and It cleans my hair without stripping my color.

Blondme Keratin Restore Mask

     I've been using this product in place of conditioner as I want something a bit thicker since having blonde hair can be drying on your ends. When I have this in my hair, my hair feels super silky. About every other wash, I'll use it as an actual mask. So, I'll apply it, tie my hair up, leave it in for about 20 minutes and then wash it out. This leaves my hair feeling super soft and conditioned. I know that it is marketed towards blondes, but I'm pretty sure anyone who just needs a deep repair mask can use it as it's not tinted.

Traceless Hair Ring

     One of the perks of having a hairstylist for a sister is being able to find great, inexpensive hair products. One of the most recent hair trends has been the Invisibobble traceless hair ring. When we were picking up some hair supplies, we stumbled upon a knock-off version and it has become my new fave. Having long hair can get hot sometimes and tying up my hair was always a struggle because I didn't always want to commit to the annoying ponytail indent in my hair. Now, that's not an issue. I can put up and take down my hair and it still looks great. I got mine for around 99 cents and the original retails for around $8. If you can find a cheaper version, I say totally go for it. Is the $8 justifiable? I'd say kind of. You'll only need one and if you don't lose it, you will have it for a pretty long time. I love mine because I can use it in the shower and all I have to do is rinse and dry it after, which is something I couldn't do with a traditional ponytail holder.

Skin

Boots Botanics Shine Away Mattifying Day Cream

     I'll be honest, when it comes to skincare, I am not always up on my game. I am pretty lax about moisturizing, but I do know it's really important. So, I made it a goal of mine to try to incorporate it into my routine. I picked up this little guy at Target and it has made it on the repeat offender list ( I am currently on my third jar!). I like it because it's pretty light weight and I've noticed that my skin hasn't gotten as oily. I will say that if you use this with makeup, you do want to give it a second to settle in. But otherwise, it works really well. The price isn't that bad either ($13), when you can easily spend $40+ on a good moisturizer.

Simple Cleansing Face Wipes

   One of my staples for my beauty routine is a good set of face wipes. I like to use them to remove my makeup before washing my face and on the very rare occasion, in place of face washing. I like these because they do a really good job at removing makeup (even waterproof) and they don't sting my eyes, which I have experienced with some other face wipes. They are also available at pretty much any drugstore so they are easy to get ahold of. They've been my go-to face wipes for a couple months now and I believe I'm on my at least 5th or 6th pack.

Makeup

CoverGirl Ready Set Gorgeous Foundation

     I picked up this little guy about a month ago while I was perusing through the beauty aisle at Target. I was rather annoyed with the last foundation I tried (The Ever-Matte Shine Proof Foundation by BECCA) because it didn't work for me at all and it was rather expensive. As I hadn't tried a drugstore one in a while, I figured I'd give this one a go. I'll say, that I am rather impressed. It has been working much better than the BECCA foundation and the price point is really great. I picked mine up for around $7 which is on the lower end of the foundation spectrum (drugstore foundations usually run around the $10-$15 dollar range). I've been currently using this one as my everyday foundation and It lasts pretty well on my skin. The color doesn't oxidize and the color I chose matches my skin rather well. Is it the most amazing foundation I've ever tried? Not exactly. But, for the price, I am pretty content until I find something else higher end I'd like to try. SN: It currently holds up well, but I am interested to see how it performs during warmer weather.

Absolute New York Nano Liner and Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Definer

     I picked up the Anastasia brow definer the day after getting my hair dyed. I was looking for something that would help soften the look of my brows as they are naturally rather dark and I didn't want them to be too overwhelming with my blonde hair. My brows are naturally pretty full, so filling them in can make them look pretty intense sometimes. With this brow product, I don't really have that issue. The color is really great for my hair color (I use the shade soft brown). If you've been looking to try a brow product, this one is pretty great. Also, I went with the brow definer rather than the popular brow wiz because you get twice as much product in the brow definer for the same price.

     I got the Absolute New York Nano Liner in an ipsy bag a couple months ago and I am pretty impressed. I am a huge classic makeup fan, so naturally winged liner is a must-have for me. I tend to struggle with liners, though, because my eyes get watery from time-to-time and it causes my liner to run. Surprisingly, with this liner, I don't have that issue. The formula is pretty great and the tip of the liner is super fine, so it's really easy to use. If you are trying to get into winged liner or an easier application, I'd suggest finding something that has a fine tip like this one.

     So, that was a little glimpse into what I've currently been using. I have a couple other products that I just picked up and after I test them a bit, I'll most likely let you know what I think. I'm trying to streamline my makeup collection, so I'll hopefully be doing a bit of beauty clean up as well. I hope you guys are having a great week and that you enjoy your weekend. I'll talk to you soon!

~ Genesis<3