Influenster: Moda VoxBox

Welcome to the world of Influenster! Influenster described by the site is "...a community of tastemakers, social media hotshots, and educated consumers who live to give opinions of products and experiences. In Influenster Nation, influence is currency." Put simply, if you connect your account to social media accounts you will gain influence. This influence gives you greater chances to participate in their campaigns. So far I have received two Ebay gift cards as well as this box. 

Recently I was notified by email that I was chosen to receive their Moda VoxBox. The box came in the mail on schedule but I was so surprised at how large it was! I could hardly stop myself from tearing it open before I made it up the stairs and into my room.Starting from left to right on the top are the items included in the box. Disclaimer: all of the products mentioned below or in the photo were given to me for free for reviewing purposes. 

First up is the Hair Food Moisture Hair Mask worth $14.99. The first thing I loved about this hair mask was the smell. It is honey apricot and smells amazing! Not to mention my hair has been feeling so much healthier after using. I would definitely recommend this product to others!

JERGENS Ultra Healing Extra Dry Skin Moisturizer worth $5.99/$6.99: I've been using this every day for the past two weeks and I can see the difference already! My hands are noticeably softer and the skin around my nails have been so much smoother lately. Definitely a believer! 

Rimmel London Moisture Renew Lipstick $6.99-$7.49: I'm not usually a lipstick kind of girl. I have one or two for when I want to look extra dressed up but otherwise I stick to bare lips or chapstick. Regardless I was definitely excited to try out this lipstick! As someone who is used to a nude lip, the color seemed to wash me out. However I loved the feel of the lipstick! It didn't make my lips feel dry or stick at all which is a definite plus for me. 

Rimmel London Moisture Renew Lip Liner $5.99-$6.49: I've never worn a lip liner before as I tend to stay away from lip products, but this felt light as well as moisturizing. Because I'm at college and have to walk around outside in the cold between classes, my lips tend to dry out a lot faster than they used to (other than softball season). Having this has made a huge difference in my makeup routine! 

Rimmel London Scandaleyes Rockin' Curves Mascara $5.49-$5.99: I love, love, love mascara and this one was no exception! It's the first mascara I've used with a broken heart-shaped wand. I tried it out for the first time today and I am in love! My eyelashes are not very thick to begin with but this mascara compensated beautifully. It filled them out without making them look scary and spider luck-everything I wanted! 

Swiss Miss Simply Cocoa $2.29: My boyfriend is all for hot chocolate. I don't tend to like warm drinks so this pack was given to him to try out. He can be very picky with his hot chocolates but he loved the taste of it! 

Resource Spring Water $1.49: I am always up for trying new brand of water! As I tend to only drink water this was so exciting to receive. I immediately put it in my fridge and when it got cold, tried it out. Love! Also loved the fact that the bottle is 100% recyclable! 

Puffs Softpack: 1 pack for $1.99-$2.49 / 3 pack for $4.99-$5.99: Tissues are always in great need around college campuses and so these have come in great handy lately! I love how soft they are as well as the cute packaging they come in. It gives me reason to leave them on my desk rather than hide them away. 

All in all I was in no way disappointed with any of the products that I was given to review. Again all products were given to me for free and all of my opinions were not influenced in any way. Everything smelled amazing, felt amazing, and will be put to good use! I can't wait to get my next offer! 

Fall 2014

Over fall break Luke and I were lucky enough to catch good enough weather to go to a pumpkin patch as well as the park! We took advantage of the nice weather, set up my tripod, and got some fall shots together. This was our first Halloween together so we wanted to make it memorable. We went to the zoo (twice!), carved pumpkins, watched a plethora of Goosebumps, threw leaves at each other, and got lost in a corn maze. All perfect ways to spend our first fall together as a couple! Here's a look into how we spent our October.

Halloween 2014

Happy belated Halloween everyone! Halloween has always been one of my favorite times of the year. I'm not sure if it's the cute little pumpkins, putting together a costume, or the unlimited candy but I would definitely be okay with celebrating it more than once a year! Last year my roommate, my suitemate, and I decided on a group costume (the top right picture) and I walked around crowing for at least two days. This year, my best friend, my boyfriend, and I decided again on a group costume; Anna, Olaf, and Sven! If you can't tell, I tied my pumpkin design into my Halloween costume- Anna! We had all planned on going to the Zoo for a Halloween event but Luke was unfortunately called into work at the last minute. Instead, Kyra and I decided to take advantage of the beautiful (freezing) night together and we traipsed around in our costumes and got to see some zoo animals!

 It was such an amazing night! Even though we didn't get to see a lot of the animals, we still had a fantastic time seeing all of the little kids in their costumes. I counted at least twelve little Anna and Elsa's! What was your costume and if you're anything like me, what are you planning to wear next year?

You Got This

If you were looking for your daily dose of motivation you found the right place! Everybody gets down- it's a natural way of life. We're up, we're down, and continue.

I'm here to tell you that you are awesome. Whoever you are. I know that things get tough and we got to stick together. If you find yourself overwhelmed just take a step back from the situation and breathe. Figure out a few ways that help you relax. My favorites are netflix, my animals, and a nap. Everything always looks better after a good nap! When you feel up to it, give it another go.

There are going to be times when you feel like the world is against you. There are going to be days where your alarm doesn't go off, your expensive cup of coffee spills on your new blouse, and you failed a test you thought you had aced.

Breathe. Things can only go up. Apologize for being late, buy a new and fantastic smelling laundry soap scent, and find out if you can do extra credit.

You will get through this. You are a strong and no one is more capable of being you, but you!

So grab the bull by the horns, seize the day, jump back in the saddle (when you're ready), and whatever other cheesy cliche you can think of.

You got this.

12 Long Distance Relationships Tips for College Students

The summer between freshman year and sophomore year Luke and I hadn't been dating for very long but luckily we were friends beforehand. I wont lie, being early on in our relationship made it rough to be apart for the summer. We talked a lot about it but when it came time to say goodbye, I don't believe either of us truly knew what we were getting into. He lives in Iowa and I live in Pennsylvania so there was over a thousand miles between us.

Being in a long distance relationship is not fun all of the time. It sucks getting used to having to send a text or call your significant other to tell them something rather than turn your head and speak. This was probably the hardest part for me as I really like to tell stories. 

Every relationship is different and ours is no exception! We do things that wouldn't work for other couples and vice versa. However, it did ease our minds a bit hearing about other's long distance relationship success stories. Long distance relationship sites were comforting as well as advice from our parents. You never feel completely prepared however. 

If you are in a long distance relationship or are leading up to one, I hope these tips will help to ease your mind! A LDR can be done. 

1. Trust trust trust! Being so far from each other is difficult because you almost never know what the other is doing right when they do it. Trust is key in order to keep from worrying yourself sick all of the time over what your significant other is doing or not doing. 

2. Don't betray that trust! Trust is fragile and is easily lost. Don't take advantage of the trust that is bestowed upon you. 

3. Understand that your SO's schedule might not match up to yours! There could be hour differences, summer jobs, family and friend events, and more that might keep both of you busy. Learn to work around them and be lenient when your SO has something. 

4. Keep yourself busy! Not to the point where you're never relaxing, but if you're noticing that you are constantly waiting around for your SO to call- you might need to find other things to keep your mind occupied.

5. Letters! Luke and I did a pretty poor job of sending letters as frequently as we had previously hoped, but it was still fun! Nothing is the same as getting a handwritten letter in the mail. 

6. Don't text all day if you're going to call at night! In the beginning of the summer we would text continuously throughout the day and all of our stories were taken up before we talked at night. Leave stuff to talk about!

7. Don't feel obligated to talk every night. We definitely didn't! We both understood that the time difference sucked and one of us may have had a rough day. As long as you're not leaving long lengths of time where you're not talking you will be fine. 

8. Never let yourself get to the point where your SO is just a voice. Towards the end Luke and I forgot this often. We would get into an argument and rather than remember that we were talking to the person we loved, we were awfully harsh with each other. Your SO is still human and deserves to be treated like it. Skype is a great tool so use it!

9. Spend your time wisely! Yes, being apart sucks but take advantage of it! Use the time to pick up a new hobby or sleep. I made a bucket list and attempted to get them all crossed off. Sometimes it's hard to find time to spend on yourself when you're always around your SO. Don't just sit around grumpy- get up and use the time to your advantage.  

10. Love. Never forget that this is the person you fell in love with. A long distance relationship is tough but obviously you chose it for a reason. Yes, some days are going to be awful. However when you finally get to be reunited everything will be forgotten. Make the time apart worth it.

11. Keep the bickering to a minimum; especially over text! Tone changes over texting and it's hard to make out how the other person truly said it. If it's a huge deal, talk over the phone or Skype. Every couple bickers but it increases when your apart. If you can, nip an argument early and keep it from getting out of control. We had to learn how to forgive with a hug, kiss, or touch at all. Just words alone. Definitely a learning experience!

12. Schedule dates! Just because you can't physically go out together does not mean dates are out of the question. Find a time that works for both and watch a movie together over Skype. You could also eat a meal together! 

Overall, just love on each other. An LDR is difficult from both sides and it takes a lot of compromise and an understanding heart to get through it. Luckily we only had to make it through the summer, but to go from seeing each other every day to only Skype contact was rough! Figure out a method that helps keep both of your sanity and keep the negativity out. An LDR is stressful but if you can make it through, everything else is worth it.