#jumpersnthings

August 24th

Lovelies, I have used so many amazing products this summer that I have absolutely adored. I am constantly recommending them to my friends, so because you guys are my friends too I thought I would share my favorites with you. These are products I’ve either been using all summer or just recently. Either way, I’ve been loving them and think you should check them out.

The first product I am going to talk to you all about is the Bumble and Bumble Surf Shampoo and Conditioner. As many of you may or may not know, I took the chop at the beginning of the summer and cut my hair down to shoulder length. I had fairly long hair before, so this was a big change for me. While in the salon, I decided that I wanted to finally try a Bumble and Bumble shampoo because I had heard great things about them. I just bought the travel size in the Surt shampoo and conditioner because I was about to be rocketing off to London and Paris and thought it would only last me through the trip.

Turned out I was wrong because as of right now I am just running out of both products. I am definitely going to go back and buy the full sized ones next because I loved these so much. My hair feels so healthy and it grows like crazy. It is already grown to armpit length (don’t have a better way to describe that) and I absolutely love the texture the shampoo gives my hair. It is so beachy and really suits my style. I know that these are expensive, but they are worth it because they last so long and will make you so happy with your hair. Do it for the good hair days! I definitely recommend this product because I absolutely adore it. You can it pick up at Sephora or visit Bumble and Bumble’s site to find the nearest supplier to their products. (x)

I know this one is a bit odd, but my next favorite is Arm & Hammer Advance White toothpaste in Extreme Whitening. I’ve never actually found a whitening toothpaste that I thought really did the job right, but when I forgot my toothpaste at home while on a trip this summer, I picked this one up. Previously, I was using a toothpaste that was expensive and was supposed to work really well, but at the end of the day it wasn’t all that great. The Arm & Hammer toothpaste whitens really well, and I like it. I know this is a little strange, but this toothpaste is awesome. This is available at a grocery store or any drugstore.

Recently I did a little Sephora hull, and one of the things I wanted to pick up was an under the eye cream. Like many other people, I get really bad dark circles under my eyes when I’m stressed and don’t sleep well. These get pretty bad for me, so I wanted to try so different ones so that I would be prepped for school. I picked up the First Aid Beauty Eye Duty Triple Remedy, and I really like it. I think it covers up well and the label claims it ‘instantly brightens, depuffs, and smooth.’ I haven’t tried any other ones yet, but I really like this one and think that it is definitely worth picking up. I will update you guys on it later when the I actually have some really bad under eye circles. You can buy it at Sephora. (x)

This next one is the Urban Decay BB cream. I bought it awhile ago, but because it is so expensive I stopped using it and began trying the drugstore ones. Over the past year or so I’ve found some pretty good BB creams, but nothing has really compared to Urban Decay’s. It is light on your skin and provides excellent coverage unlike most drugstore BB creams I’ve tried which are usually heavy and sometimes even made my foundation look painted on.

Needless to say, I am definitely back with the Urban Decay BB cream and think it is the best even if it is expensive. If you aren’t willing to pay that, I would probably recommend the Maybelline one if you can find a color that matches your skin tone. (It doesn’t blend particularly well.) If you need one that blends better because you have a tricky skin tone to match or it is between seasons and you’re losing your tan, then I’d go for the Almay Smart Shade BB cream. It is great for blending. But in my personal opinion, the Urban Decay BB cream is worth the its cost. It is available at Sephora and any where else that carries Urban Decay’s makeup.

Earlier this summer, I was wearing more makeup than I usually do everyday and then sleeping in it because my normal remover wasn’t doing its job well enough to get all the makeup off. I was having a lot of breakouts and those aren’t fun at all, so I invested in a Bobbi Brown remover. I bought the Instant Long-Wear Makeup remover, and it is working great. I just take off most of my makeup with a Neutrogena wipe and then do my eyes and any other trouble spots with the Bobbi Brown stuff. It works great and actually makes my skin feel amazing after I use it. It even can take makeup off that I’ve set with my Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray which is pretty impressive considering the Neutrogena wipes don’t really do much when that setting spray has worked its magic.

After I take my makeup off, I use my moisturizer like anybody. But I think my moisturizer is really awesome, so it makes it into my favorites. The one I use is the Velocity Lightweight Moisturizer by Mary Kay. It is so lightweight that it feels like you practically have nothing on your skin and makes my face feel hydrated all day. I’ve used this one for awhile and absolutely love it.

That is it for my favorites this summer. I know they are only beauty ones, but honestly my clothing ones are just a gray tank top and a pair of high waisted Levis. I kid you not, I actually lived in that this summer. I hope you will check out some of these amazing products. You all are amazing as well. Recently I have been answering more of your questions/ messages and it has been so much fun. If you have any thoughts at all or a favorite of your own, please share it with me! Lots of love to you all. Xx. Lydia

August 20th

( written July 27th)

Hello, my lovelies. I’ve tried to write this many, many times but couldn’t. Today is my birthday, and I’m away from home, missing my bedroom where I usually write to you, my family and my friends. I’m taking a three week long Philosophy course up in Rhode Island at the moment. I mention this because it relates closely to why I am writing today’s post. You see, many people come to take courses like mine here. They come here from many different places not only from all across the US, but from all across the globe. The students can be ranging from about my own age to much younger. The opinions of a younger I met today at lunch have inspired today’s post.

This girl must have been about 12 to 13 years old. She was as thin as Cara Delevingne and clearly extremely unhappy with her body. This girl kept commenting on how underweight she was and how much food she was eating. Odd, but ignorable. Then my roommate, who is a curvy ginger bombshell, comes over to the long table snacking on a pudding cup and complaining about how unhappy she was with the flavor and lack there of. The young girl, who was sitting with her friends near us, kept telling my roommate to stop eating the chocolate dessert with the comment of “Is it worth the calories?”

Personally I found this horrifying. I’d been around this little girl a few times in the name games and such where she boasted about her thigh gap and other “ideals” of beauty girls and women have been brainwashed into craving. But it is one thing to attack yourself and quite different to attack another person. Calling somebody else fat or to watch their calories or anything else of that sort is not your job. Don’t do it. Girls beat themselves up enough because of this and  they do not need you to be judging them anywhere other than in your head. I honestly don’t care what you do there.

Far too many of my close friends have called victim to people doing similar things to the m and they’ve developed low self-esteem and even eating disorders. Doing this is endangering somebody’s peace of mind or could put an unhealthy person over the edge, endangering their life as well. Remember this in the future.

Point is, that as we continued speaking to the young girl, I discovered that according to her she was fat. Regardless of being underweight and so young, this girl did truly believe herself to be “fat” due to the words of another, including her teachers at school according to her. This girl’s self esteem was lower than the Titanic and she was bringing people down with her.

Just like every girl does.

You’ve done it. I’ve done it. The random woman you’re cousin saw on the subway has done it. But why? Does it make us feel better about ourselves? Does it do any good?

No, it doesn’t.

I’m not going to do research to answer my question, but intend I’ll tell you this; one of my biggest goals in life is to prompt a healthy image for women. i tell you my tale of today in hope that you will share in my mission and learn how wrong this is.

Maybe you’re thinking to yourself “What the hell is a feminist doing running a fashion blog?” I’m here for clothing and makeup not this shit. You’re slightly right. Many fashion golfers are models and aren’t necessarily in the best mental states due to trying so hard not to gain weight. But a woman who loves fashion us usually has a strong sense self or like to impress people by by knowing trends. She dresses as she does because it makes her feel good.

I do this because I love feeling me. I want to encourage women to be themselves and to dress like they love their bodies. Women in fashion live in the moment, and for feeling beautiful. I want you all to feel beautiful, loves. Talk to you in a real post again soon. Bye, lovelies!

June 28th, 2014

Good morning, my lovelies! I am so, so sorry for being so behind on posts. The beginning of summer has been hectic. First, I had exams and then I took off for Paris and London for two weeks. Both were absolutely amazing. I'm sure your schedules have been equally as insane. Today I'm going to share with you some of my favorite bloggers and other sources I get inspiration from for fashion and beauty. 

WeWoreWhat is a daily outfit inspiration blog. Personally, I love Danielle's style. I think it is clean cut and classic while still taking inspiration from the runways and keeping a modern flair. 

weworewhat.com

Instagram

Twitter

Melonlady is a personal style, beauty, and lifestyle blog run by the very talented, Helen Anderson. Helen doubles as the singer for Box Of Light which makes me love her style even more because it is fun and playful. She embraces trends and color combining the two of them into her daily outfits. The Melonlady is ace. 

Melonlady.com

YouTube

Tumblr

Inthefrow is run by the pink/ purple haired Victoria. Victoria's fashion taste is what I would refer to as minimalistic, but with pink and blue in addition to black and white. She keeps things simple and wears tons of chunky heels and cute dresses making her style fun and girly. 

Inthefrow.com

Tumblr

YouTube

I hope you like these bloggers as much as I do. I think each of them are pretty phenomenal. My fashion inspiration also comes from things around me like what a store is selling, runways, and what people in music and other sources of entertainment are doing, but at the end of the day, it come down to if I personally like it or not. As it should for anyone.

May 26th

Memorial Day Weekend

Sorry this is late, lovelies! I wanted to get all my pictures from this weekend because I was going to parties on both Saturday and Sunday. I had a lot of fun with friends and family alike this long weekend, and I hope you did too. Let’s jump into it because I have to study for my upcoming exams. (DA DA DA!) And we can discuss those later. 

Dress: Topshop x  (currently on sale) 

Earrings: Kate Spade (I couldn't find the exact ones online) $ $$

Shoes: Nine West

Purse: Kate Spade (same thing as with the earrings) $$

From left: Me, Sophie (harold-sings), and Grayson (pinkturtlesofdoom) 

I attended a lovely brunch on Saturday hosted by my good friend, Sophie. It was outdoors and on the lawn, so I went for flats. All my makeup and accessories are pretty low key. The main focuses of color are my dress and my bag. 

Dress: ASOS x

Shoes: ASOS x (these are close to them. Mine have a thicker band.) 

So, for the night party my beauty arsenal came out. (See above.) My personal favorite products are the Sephora Smart liner (eyeliner), the Naked 3 Palette, and Falsies mascara by Maybelline New York. I think these are total must haves for great eye makeup. I did my lips in the Covergirl lipstick shade of Dazzle which is a purple-pink color. I love it. 

By Sunday, I was ready for some BBQ action by the waterfront. There were some high winds so I ended up wearing leggings and a crop top.

Crop Top: Topshop

Leggings: Topshop x

Sandals: Nine West

Sunnies: Anthropologie 

Bikini top: Target

Hope you enjoyed this, Lovelies! I know it was very quick, and I did not give you links for everything. Heck, I didn't even give you explanations for what trends items followed or why I liked them. I am so sorry for my laziness. I have exams that I need to study for this week and next, so I will not be as active and may miss next week's post. Very sorry. I will try to post of the jumpersnthings instagram though, so follow me there if you want more frequent posts and stuff! Love you all and I hope this holiday has been lovely for you! Xx. Lydia

May 17th

Lovelies, I am so excited to finally write to you again. Instead of rushing an article on a Wednesday night and eventually not completing said article because it is nearing midnight, I am happily sitting in bed with a cup of Queen B’s Green Coffee (x) to my left. (I’ve just started my first cycle with them and I think it is great. They have products that help with everything from PMS to weight loss to clean and clear skin and more.) On my left is a pile of products that I wore to create my festival look. And I am so ready to tell you all about them! (As well as my clothing and accessories, of course!)

In these pictures, Sophie (x) is on the left and I am on the right.

Before I get started though, I’d like to thank my friend, Sophie, for being so supportive of my blog while we were at the festival. She was open to taking pictures for you guys and was just really great. (As Sophie always is.) She reads these articles, so I hope she sees this. You guys can find her at harold-sings.tumblr.com. Now back to the article!

Skirt: exact  similar a whole bunch of ‘em

Shirt: $ $$ $$

Doc Martens: $$$

There isn’t any particular reason I wore what I wore other than how reasonable the look was considering the weather report. You see, according to weather.com it was supposed to be raining, supper muddy, and bascily just gross. So, I decided that I was not going to deal with that is converse or sandals, but in the most badass combat boots ever. Not those skimpy little Steve Maddens that are all for show, but some real ones that you can do anything in. God, I love these shoes. Then with that I decided that because of the rain it could be either very cold or very humid and warm, so a maxi is a great choice. Just warm enough because you cover your legs and just cool enough because there aren’t jeans pasted on by the thick air. Then I chose my stripped top because it is comfortable and makes my boobs look good. (Also because the stripe trend, also known as nautical, is back again this year.) Turns out this comfortable and very modest look paid off though because I got some compliments from the women walking around in very uncomfortable outfits.

All pieces are vintage, but for the hand chain. Check out Vanessa Mooney (x), Rock ‘N Rose (x), and Katie Dean Jewelry (x) for pieces like mine.

Raven Goddess hand chain: $$

I think the jewelry for this look is what makes it scream festival. I literally grabbed tons of bangles and pushed them onto my wrists. This meant I had a lot of color and clashing, which was perfect for that messy and relaxed festival vibe. For my necklaces, I chose necklaces with three different lengths, so they could all be easily seen. Multiple necklaces tend to have an aura of festival, gypsy, and hippie around them which was perfect for my boho look. To increase this, one of my necklaces had a black beaded chain and a larger pendent which takes the combination to a new level.

My hair for the festival was inspired by a look in Lou Teasdale’s book, The Craft. (You can purchase it here! x) Unlike her version of the look, mine is did not have a center part which ended up not mattering nearly as much as it could have. You can try it either way. To create my look, I first coated my hair in a nice layer of Argan Oil (x) before flat ironing it. After doing this, I took my Batiste dry shampoo (available at your local drugstore) and sprayed it under my hair and basically everywhere. Hair stylists all over agree, you can never use too much dry shampoo. (I’ve heard that the Fudge Urban dry shampoos are amazing if you want a higher quality one, but I have never used them.) I then massaged my scalp to get the dry shampoo working before using Kenra creme paste (x) on my cowlicks to subdue them. I then braided my hair tightly away from my face and pinned it. The final step was spraying Bumble and bumble Surf Spray (x) lightly all over, which did not have the same effect it usually would because of the flat ironing.

Moisturizer: Mary Kay Velocity *

BB Cream: Almay Smart Shade light/ medium

Primer: Smashbox Photo Finish

Foundation: NARS Sheer matte Foundation Mont Blanc *

Highlighter: Smashbox Baked Stardust *

Bronzer: Physicians Formula

Eyeshadow Primer: Urban Decay Original

Eyeshadow: The Naked 3 Palette by Urban Decay

Brow Mascara: Sephora

Eyeliner: Sephora Smart liner *

Mascara: Maybelline New York Falsies Waterproof

Setting Spray: Urban Decay All Nighter *

All of the products above are ones that I like, but products with an asterix next to their name are ones I’ve found particularly amazing.

March 4th

My lovelies, I had so much fun writing these. These are some of the greatest miscellaneous tips I know. Some of these are just plain old weird or obvious, but others are miracle workers. I hope you all find them helpful and get a chance to read each and every one! Maybe you will find them as spectacular as I do, but maybe you won’t. Please tell me what you think at my inbox. I love you all so much, and I find it so amazing to watch your numbers gain. Remember to check out my new Instagram for Jumpersnthings (x) and follow too for daily stuff! Like I just said, but need to say again because it is true; I love you sooooo much, lovelies! Xx. Lydia

If you wiggle your mascara brush as you apply it then it won’t be as clumpy.

Washing your hair or hands too often can be bad for it. Wash your hair with shampoo and conditioner only as often as every other day, but showering and washing with water can be done daily. If you are one of those people who cannot live without washing their hands constantly (as in once every hour regardless of meals or using the restroom) then you should carry around moisturizer because washing too often dries out your skin.

Letting your hair dry without heat or putting it up in a towel is healthiest. Basically, you should try not to touch your hair until it is dry because it decreases the chance of you creating dead ends and stuff.

When you use heat products on your hair, always protect your hair with something. I know people who complain all the time about their hair being really unhealthy and it is because they use heat products like blow dryers, flat irons, and curling wands for everything and never protect their hair before hand. In a summery what happens is heat products dry out your hair and burn it, so it is dead. That sounds so lame, but it is the quickest explanation. Try products like Tresemmé Heat Tamer Spray.

Drink as much water as you can throughout the day and eat protein and other good things. It is simple ABC style logic. If you are eating well and are hydrated, your hair and skin will be too. So, lots of water and protein (and other good stuff)! I like to try to eat lots of peanuts and raisins when I am in the mood for a snack because they are filling.

Use lip balm before and while you have lipstick on. Lots of lipsticks dry out your lips, so always have lip balm in your back pocket or bag while you are wearing it. Sometimes the lip balms causes the color to fade faster, so make sure to also bring you’re wanted color.

This is probably going to be the weirdest tip on here, but use extra conditioner (or shampoo) as shaving cream. Conditioner moisturizes your legs so that you don’t have to do it again immediately after you get out of the shower. Say goodbye to ashy knees, ladies!  

If you want more volume to your lashes, put some of your eyeliner on the inside of your upper lid as well. Careful, this can hurt if you are sensitive!

When you get in the shower, make the water the hottest you can bare. This will open up your pores. Before you get out, turn the hot water off completely and spin in circles for ten to thirty seconds. This will close all your pores up again, so that you are squeaky clean with tinnier pores. You will also notice that your skin gets softer, and you won’t feel that chilly feeling when you get out of the shower. You should also do this when you wash your face and your hands.

Remove your makeup every night and wash your face twice a day. I knew these loosely, and I am sure you did too. But somebody needs to remind us every now and again.

When applying eyeliner, pull the outside corner of your eye so that the skin becomes tight, this makes it easier to apply it.

Always carry a good pair of sunglasses and wear makeup with SPF protection in it even if it is the dead of winter. Other than hair color, the quickest sign of aging is somebody’s skin. Sun exposure will age you faster than anything else because it will give you wrinkles and blemishes of all sorts. Sunglasses will protect your eyes because they too can be damaged by prolonged exposure to UV rays. By all means, do get some sun, but take advantage of the wide brimmed hat trend going on right now. A fake spray tan out of a bottle is always better than looking older than you are or getting skin cancer in my opinion.

Shoulder bags elongate your body and make you look effortlessly taller as do wearing one color and nude shoes. If you want to look taller, you should also ear boot with thicker heels. For some reason when a shoe is one color and the heel is thicker, people just don’t tend to notice that it is a heel as quickly.

If you have darker skin then you can get away with bright colors and should not wear as much makeup that is black is your skin is very dark because it will not turn out how you wanted. Use the colorful eye and lip makeup trends to your advantage!

Anybody can wear heels. If a pair of heels make you feel confident and more like you, wear them everyday. Screw what they think. Same goes for a red lip. (Or in more popular trends purple lips!)

Always carry feminine hygiene products, lip balm, and hair bands with you. Always.

Giving in to one little craving is better than holding it in and bingeing, but it is up to you if you will eat one chocolate square and be done or save off and eat a tub of ice cream later.

Diet soda makes you bloated, so go for a regular when in a crop top, bikini, or whatever else.

You can used your lipstick as your blush if you put a little on your finger and then apply it like it was blush. This is honestly one of my favorite tricks. This way your lipstick and blush match, it is quick, and it requires absolutely no thought.