the benefits of jojoba oil

You might be shocked to find out that one of my all time favorite cosmetic products isn't mascara, lipstick, or eyebrow gel. It's Jojoba oil, a special oil that works wonders for your face, hair and body! Surprise, right? And before you stop reading because you KNOW that more oil cannot be good for your skin, keep reading. You might be just as surprised as I was about the magical qualities of Jojoba oil.

(P.S. I know this post is really long, so you can read 1/2, take a break, and read the other half later! Sorry, I guess I just get excited?)

What it does for your EYES:

If your eyelashes are short, thin, or both, a little bit of Jojoba oil can really help. Just clean off an old mascara wand, dip it in the oil, and brush a little on your lashes before bed. If you don't have a mascara wand, just put a little bit on a Q-tip and rub that all over your lashline. In a couple of weeks, you should notice fuller, longer looking lashes! It basically moisturizes the heck out of your lashes, making them grow faster and repair any damage that could have happened through the day. This same trick works with Vaseline, but I prefer Jojoba oil just because Vaseline can be really dangerous and gross if it gets
in your eye, and Jojoba oil is perfectly safe!

What it does for your HAIR:

For me, my hair seems to be a never ending struggle. I know I'm not the only one who thinks that! Between split ends and awkward shedding, I can't keep up! One way to cure split ends is by adding a little Jojoba oil to the bottom part of your hair. This will moisturize your hair and cure split ends so that your hair can grow faster. In general, if you want to make your hair healthier, thicker, and longer, it is a really good idea to do moisturizing treatments often, depending on how thick your hair is naturally. You can find a ton of really great treatments online (some of which include Jojoba oil as a main ingredient!) You can even use it as a heat protectant before you use heat on your hair! Warning: Too much oil can make your hair look a little bit greasy. Use it sparingly or on the weekends when no one will see your hair. 

What it does for your EYEBROWS:

Bold eyebrows have been in the press ever since icons like Cara DeLevingne, Audrey Hepburn, and Camilla Belle stepped on the scene. Don't have naturally bold brows? Don't fret! A little Jojoba oil is the perfect thing to make them grow back faster and fuller than ever. If you want them to grow back in a specific shape, use a Q-tip or a clean mascara wand to brush the oil over your brows in the desired place. If you just want bigger brows, dab a little on your finger and run it over your brows. Just as it helps out your eyelashes, the oil will moisturize the brows and make them grow faster and with healthier, darker hairs.

What it does for your FACE:

Taking off your makeup is a SUPER important step to keeping your face happy. I use Jojoba oil every night to take off my eye makeup! It takes everything off with minimal scrubbing, even waterproof mascara (which can be a real pain). If you're going to use it as a makeup remover, especially for those with oily skin, you should use a facial cleanser or face wash right after. You don't want any of the oil to cause pimples (although I will say I've been using it to remove eye makeup for about a year now, and I haven't gotten any breakouts because of this oil!).

What it does for your NAILS:

I know my cuticles are always really gross and dry, but don't worry! Load up a Q-tip with some Jojoba oil and rub that on your cuticles, and voila! Nice and smooth and ready for polish. 

What it does for your LIPS:

Especially in the winter, my lips get really dry and cracked, which is never cute. Instead of a chapstick or balm which only offers temporary relief, dabbing a bit of Jojoba oil on your lips will act as a deep moisturizer. Another tip for lips: Exfoliate to remove dead skin! I'm sure you guys know this, but if you mix up a little bit of brown sugar and honey and rub it on your lips with your fingers, the dead skin will come right off. 

That's it for this post! I hope the length of this post wil make up for my lack of posting. Obviously this post isn't sponsored (but I'm open to it), I just love the product.

Have fun using my favorite all purpose product thing-y!! (I'm good with words, can't you tell??)

Stay groovy,

xo Camille

christmas wish list

The countdown to Christmas has finally begun! In anticipation of the popular holiday, I present to you my Holiday wish list. (It would be for Hanukkah, but that has already come and gone).

If you know me at all, or even glance at me in the hallways, you'll know that I wear scarves almost every day. I love how comfy and warm they are, and I'd love some more to mix and match with for various outfit combos.

I've been reading a ton lately, so some new books are always on my wish list. I have a huge list saved on my computer of books that I'm dying to read, but here are a few.

We're already a couple of weeks into winter, and it's pretty obvious that this year is going to be pretty dang cold. What better way to keep warm than with a fuzzy sweater or cardigan? Staying true to my normal color scheme (red, grey, white, and black) I thought these four were absolutely adorable.

Everyone wants some rad stuff for Christmas, right? Here I put a fun little candle, a calendar (because I LOVE calendars. I don't know why!), a couple of fun books, and 3 really cute tea cups. If you click the image, you can see up close all of them really are!

I am a beanie freak (gettit, because the beanie in the picture says freak....)! Whenever I can, I throw on a beanie to complete an outfit. It's always fun to mix and match, so grey and black are my favorite (surprise). I think the ones with pom poms on the top are pretty darn fab too. 

A ton of bloggers have been super into candles lately, so I thought I'd give em' a shot! In the summer I'd always have flowers in my room to keep it smelling fresh, so I feel like it's only appropriate to have a nice smelling candle during the winter.

The one huge trend this season that I currently DON'T own any of is a plaid, flannel overshirt. Every time I try to buy one, I always some how end up chickening out. I've always really liked plaid, now more than ever, and a flannel is a fun way to spice up a cozy day.

You can't really go wrong with gift cards. I only really like giving gift cards when it's to a place that you can't really BUY them anything from that store. This includes Starbucks, Michaels Crafts, AMC Theaters, Sephora (because makeup is weird and has to fit your face and stuff idk man), etc. 

Going along with the theme of money, I'd really appreciate a little cash to donate online. I always seem to find charities or kickstarters that I get really excited about, but can't afford to fund. Especially when I log into Wikipedia (who is having a fundraiser right now) I just want to give! That's what Christmas is all about, right?

I'm a pretty low key gal when it comes to makeup. I usually only wear eyeliner and mascara, but sometimes it's fun to dress up and do something a little more exciting. I am in love with the Naked 2 matte palette, and others that you can see in the lil' image above. I'm a girly girl, what can I say?

And to finish off today's post, a little hand lotion. In the winter, my hands get so dry it looks like my fingers could fall off at any moment. This EOS hand lotion is super easy to stick in my back pack, or even pocket, and carry around to keep my hands looking human. Plus, the packaging is too pretty to resist. 

Well I hope you all enjoyed this post! Before I sign off, I'd just like to say that Christmas (or the general Holidays, whatever you celebrate) isn't all about presents and materialistic things. Giving on Christmas doesn't have to be something that you buy. It can be something as simple and festive as a heartfelt card, or even a hug. Maybe you can give your loved ones a coupon for a whole day with you, no internet, cell phones, iPods, anything! The holidays are about love and giving, and not just "stuff". 

And with that, I'll get outta here!

Happy Holidays, cuties!

xo Camille

what i'm watching ☀

 

Like a lot of the teenagers in our technology dependent generation, I watch a lot of T.V. For some reason I find sitting in front of a screen and obsessing over the problems of fictional characters relaxing. I think if we are going to further deepen our relationship as blogger and reader, telling you guys what shows I spend my time "fangirling" over should give you a better picture of the freak whose blog you started reading. Without further ado, here is a list of shows I watch, in no particular order. Enjoy!

Okay, I know it sounds immensely stupid, but trust me on this one. Teen Wolf is about a 16 year old boy named Scott, who becomes a werewolf. He and his quirky BFF, Stiles, and his crush, Allison, have to learn how to control his werewolf urges while being the star of the lacrosse team and dealing with some crazy alphas. It is a perfect teen drama, and I honestly can't get enough of it! (My favorite character is Isaac played by Daniel Sharman. No explanation needed.)

 

Under The Dome is a new show on CBS based on of Stephen King's infamous novels. It's about this small town that gets trapped under an indestructible dome, and the citizens have to learn how to survive. It's super creepy crawly because everyone is kind of going insane because no one can leave,  loved ones are on the other side, there is no way to communicate with the outside world, and they have limited resources. I hugely recommend this show for you AND your parents!

Skins is this British show about the party & druggie kind of kids somewhere in England (You might've heard of it due to it's failed American replica). What's really cool about it, is that every 2 seasons they completely change the cast, but the plot remains (mostly) the same. I highly recommend seasons (or series, as they call it in England) 1-6, or if you're familiar with Skins lingo, Gen 1, 2 and 3. The 7th season which is currently airing now is not as good as the first 6 seasons, which is really disappointing, but right now I'm too addicted to the show to stop. This one has really serious topics and pretty vile stuff, so if you aren't comfortable with that, Skins isn't for you.

 

 

Alright, alright, I can feel the judgement. But it's a really good show! If you're not familiar with the plot of Gossip Girl, it's about the "popular" kids at a mega expensive prep school in the Upper East Side of Manhattan. I'm only on season 3, so I can't say that the entirety of the show is A+, but I can easily say that it is incredibly addicting. 

 

Another MTV show? You can tell my IQ is really high. Anyway, Awkward is this hilariously uncomfortable show about a slightly dorky girl who somehow manages to have like 3 boyfriends???? Okay, so maybe that's an exaggeration, but you get the point. With all of the quirky characters, there are so many funny moments, and times when me and my friends are rolling on the ground screaming because of something that happened in the show. Easy to say, this show is fantastic for a light teen drama.

I watch a couple of other really great shows that I want to share with you guys, but I don't want this list to get too long for y'all to read, so I'll make a condensed little list so that you can look these shows up if they sound interesting to you!

• Doctor Who
• Vanderpump Rules (reality show)
• Merlin
• Misfits
• Modern Family
• Survivor (reality show)

Tell me any shows that you think I should start watching given the things on my list! I hope you have a lovely and TV filled day!!

Stay groovy,
xo Camille

♡ share this post with your friends if it you liked it! ♡

carnivAl + ootd

A few days ago, my sister and I went to see a play that a couple of my friends were in. It was called Carnival (but pronounced car-nee-VAAA-l because it's french). It was a really fun summer outing because the theater is outdoors so we made a little picnic to snack on while we watched the play. It is a community theater play, so the set was really adorable, and the play it self was as good as it could have been (my friends should have gotten bigger parts though. Riley and Annabelle, you two were ADORABLE!!).

For some reason, Chloe and I decided to look "presentable" to say the least, so I thought I would do a lil thingy about our outfits. Chloe (my sister, if you haven't caught on yet) is mega stylish, and I was literally just wearing a tee shirt and shorts, but let's see how this goes.

On Camille:

• top: MOCA Arts Festival Tee (from a comic book festival I went to in New York.)
• shorts: Loveculture
• shoes: TARGET (shh)

 On Chloe:

• everything but the shoes: Forever 21
• shoes: Heartbreaker

Towards the end, my older sister's friends showed up and kind of stole our spot, so we went to go sit with a couple of people from school.  In the end, even though the play wasn't fantastic, Chloe and I had a lot of fun!

Stay groovy,
xo Camille

P.S. I feel awful for not blogging in more than a week! I always try to do at least 2 posts a week, so my lack of blog time since school has ended has been really embarrassing. I have a couple posts started in my drafts so I will be back blogging regularly soon! Thanks for sticking around <3

10 tricks to improve your self esteem ♫

Self esteem is a major issue with kids our age. Young adults are the target of confidence-ruining ad campaigns, and other media sources. High school itself causes anxiety when trying to establish a social life while maintaining college acceptable grades. Here are 10 easy tips to pick up your self esteem whenever you're feeling unworthy or ugly!

10. Stop abusing alcohol and drugs, or don't start. A lot of people think that being under the influence can help you escape your problems, therefore helping you cope. And yeah, you do escape for a while, but when you become completely sober, you begin to feel guilty for choosing a possibly unadvisable way to cope with your insecurities. Or, in worst case scenario, you get caught and it all goes downhill from there.

9. Exercise, or add one more activity to your day. Exercising not only makes you healthier, it also releases awesome chemicals in your brain called dopamine, which instantly makes you happier! If you're already athletic, add one more activity to your day to get your blood flowing and make you feel more accomplished.

8. Do some of your favorite things! This one is kind of obvious, but necessary to put on the list. If you are every feeling like crap, do something you love, and without fail you'll feel a little bit better. Whether its drawing, running, or writing, if it makes you smile, go for it!

7. Do that one thing that you've been meaning to do. We all have that one thing in our lives that we've really wanted to get to, but don't really seem to have the time or energy. Well guess what? Doing that one thing can actually improve your self esteem a ton! If you're apologizing to someone you pulled a kind mean prank on in the 3rd grade, or just doing an arts and craft project thats been on your "to- do list", get to it to brighten a sucky day.

6. Clean your room!! I know what you're thinking "Have you turned in to my mom?" And no, I haven't. But being in a clean environment can help you feel a lot better about yourself. In addition, actually doing the deed makes you feel accomplished and confident!

5. Spend time with the right people. Again, slightly obvious, but hanging with the right or wrong people can affect your self esteem immensely. Find the people that always bring you up when you're feeling crappy, and distance yourself from the ones who make you feel less than. You only deserve the best. Remember that.

4. Go treat yourself! For me, whenever I buy anything new I feel like a total rockstar. Go out and get something that you've wanted for a while, or maybe even watch a movie that you have been dying to see. Whatever it is, think only about yourself, not about what your parents or friends want you to do.

3. Learn a new skill. Learning a new skill makes you feel unique, accomplished, cool, and definitely confident. (Plus, its always fun to show off your newfound special powers to your family and friends. Everyone loves a good "ooh" and "ahh" now and then.)

2. SLEEP. The dreadful "S" word. We all want a ton of it, but never seem to get enough of it. If you're feeling down, take a nap. But be careful not to sleep too much, any hours of sleep over 10 hours works as an antagonist, meaning it makes you even more tired. Regardless, a nice peaceful rest can always brighten your mood.

1. Do something for someone else. Whenever I do something for someone else, with no benefit to me whatsoever, I always feel like an amazing person. It gives me a kind of joy that no new sunglasses or a 2 hour nap can give me. Do something that you know will make a stranger, or someone you care about, smile, and I promise you'll smile too.

Well that's it! I hope you guys take this tips and look back at this whenever anything crappy happens.
And with that said, I hope you all have a lovely day!!
Stay groovy,
xo Camille

the importance of a journal ♫

On my recent trip to New York (quick question: ya'll want a full blow blog post about it?) my friend and I discovered this amazingly cute store called MUJI near Times Square. Stepping inside was like a trip to Japan. Everything was wooden and elegant, which was a nice 30 minute break from the bustling streets of NYC right outside. While they also sold clothes and home decor, the only thing I bought was a simple notebook and a felt pen. I kept the label on because I thought it was cute that it was completely in Japanese.

Although the reason I initially bought the notebook was for a specific purpose (to take notes at the workshop I was participating in..long story), later when I started actually writing in it, I realized that its really nice just to have a notebook to write down your thoughts. In mine, I've been writing quotes, fun facts, tips for happy living, and random things that really inspire me. Its nice to have something to look back at when you're feeling down or drained. I don't write in giant diary entries (my brain does not work like that), but little bullet points and snippets of things to make me smile. You never know, maybe one day I'll copy one of my journal pages down for you so you can get a peak into the hectic brain of Camille.

This week I have a challenge for you guys. Find a journal, whether its an old notebook or a cute one that inspires you (like my little black book). Carry it with you everywhere, document things that make you smile. I promise, its funner than it sounds.

Stay groovy,
xo Camille

my summer resolutions ♫

On the first day of every new year, people make their resolutions. They decide on things that they want to start or stop doing to make the coming year the best year possible. As a full time student, working on myself during the school year is tricky, and during breaks and weekends I just want to relax. I know, bad excuse, but it's all I got. My solution to my lazy/no-time/its-freaking-winter/ problem? Summer resolutions. Admit it, whether you are aware of it or not, everyone has a couple of things that they want to do to make the coming summer better than ever. Here are a couple of mine.

1. Learn to skateboard
          I have always been crazy envious of skater chicks. Maybe its how free they look when they're riding, or just how freaking attracted I am to skater boys, I feel like learning to glide around on 4 wheels could make this summer unforgettable.

2.Get fit!
        Every year I say the same thing: "This summer, I'm going to get a rocking bod!" and every year, it doesn't go as planned. Last year however, I actually started running, literally chasing my dreams of dropping a couple of pounds. This summer I am determined to be my healthiest self! (more on this topic later ♥)

3. Be more creative
          Art is always something that has been important to me, and during the school year I tend to build up an entire list of arts and crafts projects that I am dying to try. Whether if its flower crowns or a music video I want to shoot with my friends, I will do it all. (perfect segway into my next topic....)

4. Don't forget about friends
          Last summer I was a complete butt about actually getting up and making plans. This summer? Nu uh! There will be
so many of amusement parks, beaches, malls, and sleep overs that I'll run out of fingers and toes to count them on.

That's all of the things I can think of, but there will be more (I promise!). I'm trusting you guys to keep me on my word of actually completing these, and I'm planning on making an individual post for each one I complete.

Now get off your asses and start writing down what you want to accomplish this summer!
Stay groovy,
xo Camille