Reflections on 2015

Okay, this will be a really cheesy reflection post. You've been warned.

This year, 2015, has been the hardest year of my life. I am not asking for sympathy or complaining, I never want to be the person (though I admit, sometimes I sink into self-pity). My year started off with my mom having brain surgery while my friend still battled cancer, I then had a really hard break-up, one of my best friends and I had a rough patch, another guy friend almost destroyed his and myself's friendship, and one of my friends died in September. Throughout it all, I will own up to the fact that I was not one of the easiest people to be around and I became very cynical and very stressed as a way to numb myself from everything that was going on my life. My mental and emotional state was heavily affected by the amount of rocky change I went through this year.

But this isn't a sad post. I want to set up my year so I can explain the amount of change I went through. I grew as a person. I am not the same person I was at the beginning of the year. I still mess up and I still cry and I still get stressed and frustrated easily, even when I shouldn't, but I have grown. Growth can't be measured, so I am not sure how to explain how I feel like I've grown, in all honesty, but I will try my best.

I learned that I can't make excuses for myself. At the beginning of 2015, I cut myself a lot of slack when it came to school work because of everything that was going on in my life at the time. That ended up biting me in the butt at the end of the semester because my grades just couldn't be picked up when it came to crunch time. I learned my lesson. This semester, when my friend died, to be blunt, my world stopped spinning for a few weeks, but everyone else's, it seemed, kept on spinning. I couldn't make excuses for myself because I knew from the previous semester that every grade counted. It was extremely hard. I had a lot of tears this semester, but I had to push myself through it because I didn't have any other choice. No one else was going to do my work for me.

In all honesty, I was probably way too hard on myself. But it paid off (I got better grades this semester than I did previously). I studied and I studied more. I took excellent notes. I didn't let myself fall behind. It wasn't easy. But I learned that sometimes life knocks you down, but you can't let it get the best of you. That was my biggest lesson of the year.

I also had many great experiences this year. I had one of the best summers of life! I visited family in Minnesota, became a CIT II at camp, went to Universal Studios with one of my friends, traveled to Europe (Germany, Austria, and France), and went back to my childhood home of Tennessee for the first time since moving to Colorado. There are bright spots in every year, you just have to enjoy it while it lasts.

Every year, I choose a new word or phrase that becomes my motto or goal for the rest of the year. I didn't have one this year (which I think is a good example of my mental state then). But for 2016, I've chosen the word patient. I need to be more patient. I was very grateful to have so many patient people in my life this year, who didn't take my irritability personally and were always welcome with hugs. I want to be that same kind of person to everyone else, every day in my life. I am not a naturally patient person. I have a hard time waiting for little things, but I also have a really hard time being patient with myself and everyone else. I am hard on myself, and I stress about the littlest things. I have a hard time relaxing. I let that get the best of me and I can get really frustrated with people in my life when I really shouldn't, when I should be patient and understanding of them like they are of me. My goal this year is to be more patient: to not be anxious, to give myself time to relax, to be patient with other people and to help them the way I have been helped, to try and be as forgiving as I can be, to not take things so personally.

This year has been a year of immense change and growth. I've learned a lot about helping people and being there for people and that's I really want to act on in 2016. This is a pretty cheesy post, but I really just wanted to share my reflections and everything I've learned this year. I hope everyone has a good new years! :)

Why Rey Is So Important

Hey! I have not blogged for quite a while, but now that it is Christmas Break and the hustle and bustle of the holidays has declined, I hope to get some posts lined up. I have plenty of new makeup favorites to share and I will be going to Sephora tomorrow to purchase a foundation, so look for a post on that soon.

photo credit

Anyways, I want to talk today about Rey, the heroine and protagonist of the new Star Wars movie. Let me first start off by saying that I thought the film was fantastic. It has a good plot line, phenomenal character development, and it brings back the flair and "feel" of the original Star Wars. I join the bandwagon by saying it's a great film. I'm going to focus on Rey (obviously) so there could be some spoilers!

My favorite part of the film, however, would have to be that the heroine of the movie was a woman. Before anyone starts freaking out that I am skipping over Leia, I am not. Believe me, I am a huge Leia fan, however, Luke was the main hero of the original Star Wars. I love seeing good triumph evil in every Star Wars, but it's important to acknowledge that women are capable and deserving of that battle too. Leia was a sidekick. In this film, the main hero is a girl, Rey, and I couldn't be happier. 

It's not everyday you watch a film with a female protagonist. In a report from The Guardian, it was stated, "According to a 2014 study by the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, in both the US and UK just 30% of the highest-grossing movies had female leads or co-leads." Can you believe that? Women make up 50% of the world population, yet are only represented 30% of the time as a lead or co-lead. There have been plenty of great gains in film representation equality in the past few years: Katniss in The Hunger Games and Tris in Divergent shines a whole new light on dynamic female heroines, Bradley Cooper said he would join his female coworkers when negotiating contracts to ensure equal pay, and Sandra Bullock fought for a role written for men. The rise of powerful women in Hollywood is a promising sign of leveling the playing field, both financially and in terms of roles available to women.

Rey, played by Daisy Ridley (who is an incredible actress, by the way), showcases the movement of powerful women. Rey is the heroine of the film. Instead of the film largely being focused on males, like in the original Star Wars, and instead of having women fit into the traditional Hollywood boxes for women: side-kick, mother, unable to live without the love of a man (*cough* Padme *cough*), Rey leads the pack. She breaks out of prison, she doesn't wait for anyone to come and rescue her. She fights (the main villain--and wins). She does it all without wearing a gold bikini.

Leia's gold bikini turned a strong female lead (who strangled Jabba the Hut, no less) into an iconic sex symbol. It objectified the strongest female lead the original Star Wars movies had. The bikini shouldn't matter. It's a type of clothing. But it had a tremendous amount of impact, nonetheless  It turned Leia into a sexual object used to glorify Luke's rescue of her. Leia was forced to wear it, as it was her slave costume. Leia wasn't showing off her body because she wanted to (I, for one, am in full support of women wearing whatever they want, though I respect that everyone has different modesty convictions), she was showing off her body because she was forced too as Jabba's slave. It's disgusting. It wasn't necessary. But, every movie needs sex right? 

Seeing as Star Wars: the Force Awakens has made a record-breaking $1 billion faster than any film in history, I would argue no. The film has a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and continues to sell out theaters. No bikinis in sight. No objectification of women (or men) needed.

Rey, and the lovely General Leia, prove to filmmakers that women do not need to be put in traditional boxes in order for films to be successful. They do not need to wear revealing clothing to sell tickets. They do not need to be objectified in order for men to further themselves as a hero. Audiences are clearly accepting of seeing a woman lead.

That's why Rey is so important. She expands on the diversity of the Star Wars universe and proves that women are just as capable as men, and do not need to have their body exploited in order to do so. The rest of the cast adds to this: there were no demeaning comments on Rey or her gender throughout the film, no one questioning if she could handle something. Rey was treated as an equal, because she is one. She can fight just as well as any man in any Star Wars film. The other characters respected her, as they did with General Leia. She embodied power and resourcefulness and independence, traits not often see by female leads in Hollywood, and rarely seen in combination. Rey is refreshing. She's the role model I want my future children looking up to. I don't want my daughters to watch Star Wars (believe me they will) and think that a man's love defines them (Padme) or that they should wait to have a guy come and rescue them (Leia). I want them to see Rey and know that, they too, can fight with the rest of the boys and rescue themselves. Rey has a pivotal role, not just in Star Wars, but in the equalizing of Hollywood. I can't wait to see the outcome of either. :)

Makeup for Oily Skin

Yay! I successfully finished everything on my to-do list so that I could write my first blog post here. It's pretty exciting. Anyway, onto the main point, oily skin. I have extremely oily skin, like, if I wear regular foundation, my forehead is reflective within two hours. So, I have spent a lot of time and money searching and trying out the best products (both high-end and drugstore) to find out the best products for controlling oil and lasting all day. These are the best ones I've found for oily skin, plus pictures of how they wear throughout the day. I hope these help!

Let's start with the face! I love the Rimmel Stay Matte Primer and I've been using it for almost a year now. (As you can see, it's almost empty.) It's a pretty thick formula, but it minimizes my pores and creates a matte canvas for foundation. If you're not using a primer and you have oily skin--start using one ASAP! It will definitely increase the longwear of your BB cream or foundation. For a lighter day, I like the Garnier BB cream for oily skin. While it's definitely not full coverage, it is the best BB cream I've found for oil control. For foundation, I do like the L'Oreal Infallible foundation. (This is the best I've found for keeping me matte) However, none of the colors match my skin tone (I have fair/light skin with a yellow undertone) so I really can't use it. Therefore, my go-to foundation is the Covergirl Outlast 3-in-1. I really like this foundation! It will last up to 8 hours without any touch-ups, and after that, I just touchup with a matte powder and it can continue to last all day. I find that this has a really buildable coverage, though the color selection isn't that great for us pale girls (the lightest shade matches me perfectly, and it has a neutral undertone; if you are fair, go with the L'Oreal Infallible). Concealer-wise, I prefer the Physician's Formula Concealer twins. The green is perfect for canceling out redness, and the skin-tone shade is very buildable and covers up acne fairly well. It does cling to dry patches, so be aware, but it is very long-lasting. Lastly, I prefer using a beauty sponge versus a brush to apply my makeup. I find the finish to be much more natural and not as streaky than with a brush. I found a knock off beauty blender at TJ Maxx for $3.99 and it works great!

To finish off the face, my all-time FAVORITE setting powder is the Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder, this powder will change your life if you're willing to spend the money. The travel size lasted me 4 months and is seriously incredible. If you bake this with the included puff, your makeup will last hours with out any oil whatsoever (after that, it's a natural, dewy look). I promise. Since mine ran out and I'm waiting on my birthday and Christmas, I have been using the Maybelline Fit Me powder for oily skin. (Side note: I hate the matching foundation. It is a splotchy mess within 5 hours.) I like this, and with the Covergirl foundation and Rimmel primer, it will keep me matte for around 5 hours or so, after that, oil breaks through. For blush and bronzer, I really love this ELF duo! The shimmer in the blush isn't noticeable and the bronzer is a perfect matte shade. All you need is a light hand for this stuff, it's very pigmented and it lasts all day (and only $3)!

Lastly, for eyes, I swear by the Urban Decay primer potion. The travel size is only $12 and has lasted me since June (and it's still going strong). This is a must-have for anyone with oily eyelids. I definitely think this is a good value for a high-end product. You can build this up to create the perfect amount of lasting power! As for eye shadow, I find the most long-lasting to be this German brand, Alverde. Obviously, it's a long way to go for eye shadow, but if you happen to be in Europe, check this brand and its shadows out. This Rimmel shadow stick is also phenomenal...I use buff beige in the inner corners of eyes and it will last all day (no joke). It's also a great eyeshadow and will stay. Promise. Lastly, I have used the Covergirl Perfect Point eyeliner for years. It lasts, even without a primer. 'Nuff said. :) 

Okay, so now for the photos of how all of this wears throughout the day! In this look, I am wearing the Rimmel primer, Covergirl foundation, Maybelline powder, Elf blush and bronzer duo, Covergirl eyeliner, Rimmel shadow stick in the corners of my eyes, Essence Kajal pencil for my eyebrows, NARS Audacious Mascara, and Revlon Matte Balm in Sultry. This photo was taken at 11 am, right after I applied my makeup.

So this is at 4 pm, 5 hours later. As you can see, my forehead and nose look a little oily, but not too bad! No touch-ups at all!

So I apologize for the poor lighting, but the sun was going down! This was at 6 pm, 7 total hours later from when I started. There is more oil, but it looks more like a dewy look. I felt in this photo, you could really tell how long the bronzer on my cheeks lasted! This is typically where I would re-powder, but for the purposes of this post, I didn't touch up whatsoever.

Well, I hope this post helps you with your oily skin! Please comment and let me know and/or share any of your makeup recommendations! Thanks for checking out my rad blog today :)

-Margaux

Welcome!

Hello everyone! My name is Margaux (pronounced Margo) and I am 16 (soon to be 17) and I live in the beautiful state of Colorado! I absolutely love beauty and fashion, as well as hiking, skiing, fitness, and organization. This blog will be an interesting mix of all of them and more, as that accurately reflects my life. I have blogged before, but never really anything personal like this so, I guess we'll see how this goes! Look for new posts every week and if you have any suggestions, please comment!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy reading Margaux's Rad Blog! :)