amarisafloria

I can't believe how quickly 2013 has zoomed by. "The older you get, the faster time passes" really does prove true, which means that every day should be cherished! I'll probably be the first to admit that I have wasted many days in 2013 doing absolutely nothing, but knowing that (surprisingly) encourages me to plan ahead and push myself to get out of my little bubble. I think it's very important to challenge yourself and do things out of your comfort zone.

Instead of dwelling on the things I didn't do this past year, I thought I would share a look at the things I've done and the places I've been:


It's crazy to think by this time next year, I'll be graduating from college. I was pretty indifferent about 2013 at the end of 2012, but I'm very excited for 2014! I know a lot of people don't like change, so I guess I'm a little strange for wanting (and even craving) change. But I don't mind being strange :)

Happy Friday! I hope all of you (yes, all three or four of you who actually read my blog) had a lovely Christmas week and were able to be at home with family and friends. Thankfully, I am not working this winter and am able to spend my entire break at home. It's so nice to not worry about writing papers and studying for midterms!

I've been saving my trash in a bag for quite some time, so I think it's time for an "empties" post. As you may already know, talking about trash is becoming quite popular around the Internet. Basically, I've kept all my finished products to photograph and tell you whether or not I've enjoyed using them :)


LOTIONS
Bath and Body Works' Forever Sunshine and Secret Wonderland (Currently $4!)
I will always love using Bath and Body Works' body lotions on my legs. (You'll probably hear me mention that a million more times on my blog.) Their scents linger for a long time and their lotions are surprisingly very moisturizing! I like them a lot more than the Victoria Secret body lotions and have already stocked up on three lifetimes' worth (you can view the damage done in this post from July).

Hand Food Hand Cream ($12)
I did like this, but I probably won't repurchase this again because the L'Occitane hand cream is more moisturizing for me.

MAKEUP REMOVER & WIPES
Yes to Grapefruit Correct & Repair Brightening Facial Towelettes ($6)
It smells like a combination of grapefruit and baby wipes, which is a little strange  ... but it did work very nicely at exfoliating. I will probably not be repurchasing this because the smell weirds me out, but it wasn't a bad cleanser.

Olay Fresh Effects (S'Wipe Out!) Refreshing Makeup Removal Cloths ($5)
I will never buy these or anything that has "Fresh Effects" in the title ever again. It smells like hair dye and it burned my eyes really badly, even when it didn't come into contact with them. I think it's just the scent that irritated them, but I would stay away from these if you have sensitive eyes or skin.

Simple Kind to Skin Cleansing Facial Wipes ($6)
I wanted to try this because everyone on YouTube has been talking about them, but there's nothing spectacular about these. I must give it credit and tell you that it does remove makeup very nicely, but I did not particularly like this scent. (I'm just really picky with how things smell, as you may have already noticed ...)

up & up Eye Makeup Remover ($4)
Another round of a Target brand eye makeup remover finished! I have gone through a good five bottles of these and love how easily my eye makeup comes off. I could not ask for a better money saving remover :)

FACE
Revlon Nearly Naked Pressed Powder in Medium ($10)
This was the very first powder I've ever used (I always thought that using powder meant that you had to wear foundation ... don't ask me why I thought that) and I had a good experience with it! It lasted me a good half year, so I may repurchase it after I finish my Tarte Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Finishing Powder sample (which is awesome, by the way, but I hate using loose powder.) OR if you have any good pressed powder recommendations, let me know!

The Body Shop Seaweed Clarifying Toner ($8)
The only toner I've ever tried and will probably only try. It gets the job done and smells as normal as toner can smell. I use this after I remove my makeup, but I still like to wash my face afterward. I've already bought two more during their Cyber Monday sale, hehe.

LIPS
Blistex Lip Medex (2/$3)
This stuff is magic and my lips would probably scare away all of humankind if I didn't use it everyday.

HAIR
Batiste Travel Size Dry Shampoo in Cherry ($4)
I bought this thinking it'd be a good size to try, but it didn't last me very long. However, I do like the scent and have purchased the full size version in Blush, which I mentioned in this post. If you're looking to try a Batiste dry shampoo, I would just go for the full size!

EYES
Cover Girl Clump Crusher Mascara in Very Black ($9)
This is definitely going on my list of favorite mascaras. It's very hard for me to find a mascara light enough to keep my eyelashes curled. Mascaras are usually too heavy and cause my lashes to fall almost immediately after application, but THIS STUFF. Cover Girl, bless your souls for creating such a great mascara.

YAY, I can finally throw all my trash away! Sorry if this was a bit long, but I hope this was informative and helpful. Was your opinion of something I mentioned the total opposite of mine? It's always interesting how the same thing can be so different depending on who you are!

Before you read this review, please understand that there will be spoilers if you have not read Divergent or Insurgent, the first two books in this trilogy. I know I should have reviewed them first, but it would turn out really terrible since I read both a year ago and have no recollection of what I was thinking or feeling. To simply put it, READ DIVERGENT. The movie is coming out early 2014 anyway so do yourself a favor and just read it!

You have been warned!

The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered — fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.

But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature — and of herself — while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.

I didn't have a hard time getting through this book, especially because I was eager to read about how it all ends.

Roth wrote Allegiant with two different narrators; one being Tris, the main narrator in the first two books, and the other being Tobias. Although I did not particularly enjoy the switching of perspectives for each chapter, I thought it was necessary for the storyline to progress and, eventually, bring closure. Surprisingly, I ended up liking Tobias' point-of-view a lot.

One of the parts I really enjoyed was when we were given a look outside the city. (In the first two books, we are not given any details on what goes on outside their main living area.) Tris and her group of friends finally travel outside of their city, where most of Allegiant takes place. Sadly, they rarely leave the inside of a building (my attempt at being discreet) so we don't get to be around the outside people much.

However, the character development of those we already know was noteworthy and remarkable—my opinions of certain characters, one in particular, changed dramatically as the story continued. I was able to sympathize for him (hint hint) near the end of the book and couldn't believe my change of heart. I think it's crucial for a book to have characters who make you feel strong emotions, and Veronica Roth did that very well.

Contrary to what a lot of people have been saying about the ending, I thought it was done well and I respect how Veronica Roth ended the trilogy. Although I am not happy with what happened, I think it was the right thing to do. Overall, I did enjoy Allegiant and thought it was a good last book.

Let me know if you want to read a discussion post about what I thought throughout the entire book. I wanted to keep the spoilers to a minimum, but I would love to talk about what happened!

This week is the last week of my semester, so finals will be taking over my life. Luckily, I have created a small Christmas playlist that will keep me sane while I study my butt off. Join me in singing along to these songs:

• Wrapped in Red (Kelly Clarkson)
• Baby, It's Cold Outside (Lady Antebellum)
• The Christmas Song (Colbie Caillat & Justin Young) — I can't find this one on YouTube, but it's up on Spotify!
• Do You Want To Build A Snowman? (Frozen)
• It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas (Michael Buble)
• Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Julia Sheer)
• Winter Song (Sara Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson)
• Merry Christmas Darling (Glee Cast)
• Santa Baby (Taylor Swift)

I am especially loving "Do You Want To Build A Snowman?" and all the other songs from Frozen, a new Disney movie. I haven't seen it yet, but I'm very excited after hearing a lot of good things about it. I hope you guys are staying warm and drinking lots of hot chocolate in this chilly weather.

Which version of The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) is your favorite? I'm on a hunt to find the best one!

If you're on the fence about purchasing a lipstick from Urban Decay, hop it and run yourself right to Sephora because you need this in your stash.


Urban Decay first came out with their Revolution lipstick line back in July and I've been eager to review it. Although I wanted to purchase all 22 tubes, it comes at $22 (plus tax) a pop so I had to control myself or I'd end up being in debt. I chose Venom, a dark plum with a hint of shimmer. It wasn't as creamy as I thought it would be, but I think that's a good thing because it doesn't smear all over the tube like Revlon lip butters do. The wear time on Venom is great — even when it comes off, a nice stain remains :) Both the packaging and formulation deserve a full five stars.


If you are looking for a quality lipstick to give your best girlfriends for Christmas, any of the Urban Decay Revolution lipsticks will not disappoint you.

Happy December! (Can you believe 2014 will be here in less than 30 days?!) I love the holiday season—Christmas music, candles and warm tea/hot chocolate complete me. Luckily, those are all perfect to accompany a good book :)


As you can tell, I really wanted to go with the winter romance theme. Since it doesn't snow or get too crazy cold in California, I might as well read about it and live vicariously through all the characters!

Let it Snow by John Green, Lauren Myracle, and Maureen Johnson
I'll be honest—John Green caught my attention and made me want to read this book. I'm really excited for this one because a review on Goodreads labeled it as having the "feel of an ABC Family made-for-TV holiday special" ... YES PLEASE.

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Priscilla, also known as The Readables on YouTube, gave this an awesome review so I'm reading it. I don't have any expectations of this book because I don't know what it's about (and I'm going to keep it that way until I read it because I don't want to be affected by anyone's opinion!)

Icing on the Lake by Catherine Clark
Although I read this around four years ago, I wanted to read it again because I remember enjoying it. Brain, don't fail me now.

Love on the Lifts by Rachel Hawthorne
Another book I've read before, but I have no recollection since I zoomed through this on an airplane ride to England. It'll probably be just like I'm reading another new book :p

Although I only read three out of the four books I chose last month, I will definitely be able to finish four this month since I'll be out of school on December 13th. It also happens to be the same day as Taylor Swift's 24th birthday, which means we'll both be celebrating (but for different reasons, haha.)