Mountain Dew Challenge- No hands.

Today started off really good. I was feeling good about being back on here and posting more, my classes were cancelled, I watched a lot of House of Cards, I only cheated on my new diet a little bit (okay, but to be fair, that part happened after today got bad soo...) and I did my nails. But then tonight things got pretty crappy pretty quick and pretty randomly. So I was at my friend Willy's house and he gave me a Mountain Dew to help me feel better and I decided to drink it with no hands and he decided to Snapchat it to everyone I know. So I'm starting a challenge. Drink a soda- No hands. See how much you can drink and post your videos and tag me in them on YouTube. Don't forget to subscribe to my channel for more nonsensical fun as well as tutorials and other videos. 

Check out the video here. (It's only 9 seconds and there's no sound but I think it's worth it for the caption and Willy's face he makes at the end.) 

Affordable Fashion (that one post that quickly turned into "confessions of a shopaholic.")

I have been MIA for way too long. Sorry about that- I got lazy! But from here on out I am going to post at least one time a week- keep me honest. (:

This week I wanted to talk about affordable fashion. As a twenty something college student with no regular job who has a problem not spending money ("life is too short- buy the damn shoes... or jacket. Or earrings. Or necklace. Or scarf. Or dress. Or pretty bra. Or purse..."), saving money when shopping is a huge deal to me. It's also really simple, once you find the right app or thrift shop- or both. (BUY ALL THE THINGS... I think I have a problem, guys.) 

Banishing Blackheads

So recently I had a friend tell me that his friend had asked how to get rid of blackheads. And his first thought was to ask me.

 (Excuse me while I let that feed my ego a little..)

So this post was inspired by that question-

 Blackheads- how do you get rid of those little bastards- 

and for good?

Here are some rules and products that I have found effective at banishing blackheads.

Wash your face twice- DO NOT OVERWASH. 
I wash my face in the morning after I wake up and at night to remove all of my makeup and other dirt and oils that have accumulated over the course of the day, which is what blackheads are caused by- an excess buildup of dirt and oil in your pores. Right now, I am using a combination of coconut oil, baking soda, and Biore's Deep Pore Charcoal Cleanser. You can use whatever you want to wash your face as long as you wash your face. I have just found this combination of products effective with my skin because it combines exfoliating, moisturizing, and cleansing in one step and I'm super lazy. Use warm water but not water that is too hot. By over-washing or overheating your face, you can cause more breakouts. Rinse your face thoroughly and PAT dry- never rub.

Use an astringent.
By using an astringent after washing your face, you are cleaning out and closing up the pores you just opened up with the warm water and facewash. It will help shrink your pores so they will let in less dirt and oil. I like Biore's astringent but I have also used others such as witch hazel and Proactiv's. It doesn't matter what astringent you use- I prefer one that has salicylic acid in it because that's an ingredient that aids in healing and treating acne.

Lemon juice and Baking Soda

You might have been with me up until this point but hear me out- I found this on Pinterest and decided to try it and it works. The lemon juice breaks down the trapped oil and dirt that cause blackheads and the baking soda does...too? I don't know the science behind this one, I just know that I did it once every other week for a month (you DO NOT want to do it more than that because you'll dry out your skin. This stuff is powerful and also doubles up as a natural teeth whitener- same rules apply though- you don't want to wear down your enamel) and I noticed a huge difference in the size of my pores and I got less blackheads. 

Use Pore Strips

I use Biore's pore strips for when my blackheads get obnoxiously out of control. They're a temporary fix of course but combined with the other products and steps I talked about, they can definitely help in seeing less blackheads over time. Plus they're kind of cool in a really gross way.

Blot your face

I use Clean and Clear blotting strips usually but any other off-brand or brand work just as well. These help remove oil and dirt from your face throughout the day and help your skin look fresh without ruining your makeup, which, to me, is a huge bonus. 

Use a Face Mask

Not sure why I capitalized face mask but what's done is done. There are several face masks out there, it's simply a matter of finding one that works for your skin type. I have a glycolic mask from Serious Skin Care that I like when my skin's texture is uneven. I have one from Ulta called Pores Be Pure. It smells like a strawberry frappuccino from Starbucks and shrinks my pores like crazy. You can make homemade masks as well. It's really a matter of opinion but I've found masks are essential to my own personal skincare routine. 

Be Consistent

Whatever you decide to do the most effective tool in treating any kind of skin problems is being consistent with your routine. 

Hope this was helpful (: 

Check me out on Instagram here for daily beauty tips, outfit of the day posts, and makeup/hair ideas. Subscribe to my YouTube channel here for beauty tutorials and random videos. 

New Videos are UP!

So. My lame self decided to FINALLY edit all of these tutorials (my Senior Showcase... how this all started... is tomorrow. That probably has something to do with it. I WORK BEST UNDER PRESSURE.) So I've spent 10 hours editing and posting these videos to my YouTube today. Check them out. And bring me french fries while you're at it, I'm starving. And poor. So very poor...
Anyways. Here are the links to all the videos. Subscribe to my channel and don't forget to follow me on Instagram too!

@cuttingedge1420

Pictures of the LBD I got at Walmart that I talked about in my Day to Night makeup tutorial.

Things I can't live without

 My hairspray I'm using right now- Aussie's Instant Freeze 

 The Victoria's Secret texture spray I use

 My Mane 'n Tail leave in conditioner



Wednesday with Willy

The definition of me and my best friend Willy's relationship- both talking at the same time- hands out to illustrate our points. Check out my video with him- it's pretty funny (:

What's in my purse? With my friend Rachel, who is a beautiful goddess who I love!

Quick and Easy Hairstyles

Contouring Basics

Love her makeup. And hair. Saw on Pinterest. 

Everyday Eye Makeup

Not my everyday eye makeup. But I am going to do this makeup soon. Love.

Check out these videos and my others. 

♥

Winter to Spring- Wake up your Wardrobe

Hello my darlings.
I thought I'd do an "Outfit of the Day" type post. Because I'm feeling super poor and wishing I had all the money in the world to buy all of these cute new spring trends that are starting to hit the racks. So for all of you people out there who are poor like me I thought it might be fun to show some ways to spice up your wardrobe for spring with things you might already have or can find for SUPER cheap. (:

I recently went to the thrift store in town and found a tea length black dress that I refashioned into a knee length dress. I did this on an impulse and DID NOT TAKE BEFORE PICTURES (sorry. I hate myself, I suck, usual self depreciation tidbit here).

A few staples-
A cardigan
A little black dress (or two)
A pair of stellar pumps
A pair of stellar flats
A statement necklace (or two..or three.... or four.......)
A blazer
Printed leggings (I love rue21's - they're on sale BOGO 50% off this week!) 
V-neck T-shirt (I love Target's vintage tees) 

I made a few outfits using these staples. (:

But it had ruffles all over the neckline and was from the 80's or something so I took those off and did this with it.
I paired it with a grey long sleeved Nautica cardigan, a pair of leopard pumps (that are actually a size 7.5 and too big for me, if anyone is interested in purchasing them for $25, let me know), and a statement necklace.

I got another new little black dress that was lacy from Walmart (believe it or not) that came with a belt. I paired it with the same cardigan, pair of pointy toed leopard flats with studs down the back I got from Target awhile back, a statement necklace, and a leopard fedora from my awesome friend Kelsy. 

I also got a pair of printed leggings from rue21 and paired them with a grey V-neck boyfriend tee and a casual blazer from Maurice's I actually got from a thrift shop and a pair of combat boots. 

If you want more Outfit of the Day posts, follow me on Instagram @cuttingedge1420

 (:

Photoshoot!!!

Rachel and I did a photoshoot. (:
I did her hair and makeup and my own and we decided to celebrate my taking a ridiculous amount of cool pictures in cool places.

Maiden Braids

So today I am wearing my medium length hair in maiden braids which is not necessarily the easiest thing to do (or so you thought!)
It's actually extremely simple. I parted my hair in a deep part and french braided it (like you're going to pin back your bangs). Then I kept going and wrapped it around my head. When you run out of hair, secure it with a few bobby pins and you are all set. I'll do a video tutorial soon and edit this post and put the link here. (:

xoxo
Sarah Sunshine