dearrivarie: May 2017

Hello world! As you can tell with the title, I'm officially done with my first year of college. My room is in a total state of disaster right now with boxes and stuff just sitting everywhere (but it's better than yesterday...) This post probably won't go up today (5/18) but I still wanted to sit down and write something before everything is officially over.

The first thought that comes to mind when reflecting upon this past school year is that college isn't what I thought it would be. Maybe I watch too many movies or read too many books but I was really surprised by everything. It wasn't that I had a ton of expectations coming to college, but the things I experienced around me just weren't what I thought I would find.

My college doesn't fit the stereotypical mold that people have when they think about "college" and it's partially because I go to a Christian college where faith and education are very intertwined (future post idea?) in every day life. One of the biggest things I learned that crushed a stereotype I had for my college is that just because it's a Christian institution, doesn't make it any different than other colleges.

In terms of the "college experience," I think I probably missed out on a lot of things because I was so anxious about everything that I ended up spending most of my time in my room. I went to a couple events, but only if I knew certain people I was comfortable with would be there. The only extra-curricular activity I did was Women's Choir and that's technically a requirement for my major.

I don't know if I would do things differently next year because I enjoyed being alone sometimes despite the many waves of loneliness that hit throughout the year. One thing that will definitely change is that I'll have a roommate next year. I did have one at the beginning of this school year, but she ended up leaving for medical reasons and I had a single for pretty much the whole year. It's definitely going to be a learning experience, but the good thing is that I know my future roommate from class so we're not complete strangers. (wow...how many times can I say "year" in this paragraph)

I'll probably do a whole post talking about homesickness because was honestly the biggest struggle for me this year, but to touch on the subject lightly, homesickness sucks. I had trouble considering college to be my home and it's really just a mentality thing. There were several times where I caught myself when I said "I'll message you when I get home" and I was referring to my dorm. It's weird how sad I felt by those words and how I felt the need to correct myself time.

Either way, now that everything is packed, I can say that I have at least a small sense of home because for the past nine months, this tiny room has been my little hiding place. The pictures that I've been including are just shots around campus that I've randomly taken and what I've realized is that my campus is really beautiful despite it being small and somewhat insignificant sometimes. I joke with my visiting friends that my college is 50% nature which true (not the exact percentage) but all that nature has been pretty great to watch throughout the months because it's just one small snapshot of how amazing creation is.

Sorry if it's getting so long, but I wanted to wrap things up on some of the good that came out of this year. College is challenging and anybody who says that it's easy is either lying or ridiculously smart. With that being said, college is really the place where you create true and meaningful relationships. I may not have a ton of friends and have a super packed social schedule (I can't, I'm a music major...) but I know that I've made at least a handful of friendships that will last and that's all that matters.

One of the additional blessings I've had this year is to strengthen the friendships I made in high school. I was so worried that I would lose the closeness I experienced from my "squad" and while I didn't keep in contact with some of them and definitely drifted apart, I grew stronger with others and watched how everyone grew up which was pretty cool even though I was honestly scared at times.

Despite all the negativity that my brain is feeding me all the time regarding the bajillion things I need to worry about with college, I've honestly been so blessed this past year. I've grown in just about every aspect of my life and even if some parts weren't significantly changed, I still have three years to experience everything that college has to offer.

10:09 AM No Comments

Hello world! I know I said I wasn't going to do any more beauty posts for a while but in my defense, I hauled this a long time ago and just got around to taking photos and swatches...

Today I have my review of the Heimish Dailism Eye Palette in Cozy Coral which I have been absolutely in love with ever since I got it in the mail. I picked this up from Yesstyle a while ago and you can check out some other things I got in my haul post.

I first heard of Heimish from one of my favorite beauty YouTubers Meejmuse after she raved about the palettes and I knew I wanted to get my hands on them one day (that was maybe one year ago...) The palette originally retails on Yesstyle for anywhere between $25-$35 dollars depending on the shade but they're usually on sale as I picked up this one for $17.41

The palette comes with 8 beautiful eye shadows, a mirror (of course), and a dual ended brush. The case is a sleek black plastic with the brand name written on top in rose gold. I absolutely love the packaging of everything and my only complaint would be that the mirror/top of the case doesn't open completely. I personally find it hard to use the mirror at this angle so I usually end up using a different one.

Like I mentioned above, there are 8 shades:

Top Row (L-R): Hyacinth (Matte), Orange Flower (Satin), Cotton Plant (Satin), Amaryllis (Glitter)

Bottom Row (L-R): Gerbera (Matte), Magic Lily (Metallic), Yellow Rose (Glitter), Cymbidium (Matte)

Out of all the shades, Gerbera (#5) is probably the least pigmented as for the swatch I had to go over it 3x to get some sort of color. It's a very soft baby pink which goes great for a base but isn't very visible by itself. My personal favorites within the palette have to be Amaryllis (#4) and Yellow Rose (#7). They might not look super pigmented in the swatch but they are absolutely gorgeous glitter shades that are perfect as an accent color on the lids or on the aegyosal area.

Suffice it to say, I love this palette so much and after trying this one out, I'm set on picking up at least a couple other colors. The eyeshadows are all super soft to the touch and the glitter ones even border buttery. For the original price, I would say it's definitely worth the money but I'll probably wait till the colors I want go on sale...

5:25 PM No Comments

“Aerity…” Her father paused as if the words he was forming pained him. “I must ask you to sacrifice the promise of love for the sake of our kingdom.”She could only stare back, frozen.When a strange beast terrorizes the kingdom of Lochlanach, fear stirs revolt. In an act of desperation, a proclamation is sent to all of Eurona—kill the creature and win the ultimate prize: the daughter of King Lochson’s hand in marriage.Princess Aerity knows her duty to the kingdom but cannot bear the idea of marrying a stranger... until a brooding local hunter, Paxton Seabolt, catches her attention. There’s no denying the unspoken lure between them... or his mysterious resentment.Paxton is not the marrying type. Nor does he care much for spoiled royals and their arcane laws. He’s determined to keep his focus on the task at hand—ridding the kingdom of the beast—but the princess continues to surprise him, and the perilous secrets he’s buried begin to surface.Inspired by the Grimm Brothers’ tale “The Singing Bone,” New York Times bestselling author Wendy Higgins delivers a dark fantasy filled with rugged hunters, romantic tension, and a princess willing to risk all to save her kingdom.

I have survived finals (almost...one more to go but it's just a discussion)!! That means I have more time to read, blog, and just live. 😏 Anyway, if you follow me on Instagram, I posted a picture of The Great Hunt and promised that I would have a review posted after finals so here I am. Rather than review each individual book, I decided to review the duology as a whole since I read the two back to back and they're kind of conjoined in my mind.

I've been super hyped about this duology ever since I finished The Sweet Evil trilogy because Wendy Higgins' books are just such fun reads. The Eurona duology was amazing in a different way from her previous trilogy but were still such addicting reads. The story takes place in Lochlachnah, a kingdom with a benevolent king and a race of people who are hated and feared called the Lashed.

The Lashed are a group of people gifted with magic and each magical deed they do is marked by a clear lash at the tip of their finger. After a rebellious leader seeks to overthrow the monarchy using dark magic, all the kingdoms have shunned the Lashed. In many ways, this can be read a social commentary as events nowadays are relevant to the events within the story. I wish we could have delved more into Lashed history and their abilities but since they were oppressed for much of the story, their stories weren't told.

Aerity...according to Goodreads, you either love her or you hate her. She's not the best representation of a strong independent character in your typical female protagonist way. As the eldest daughter, she's asked to give up the chance of finding true love for the safety of her kingdom. In many ways, she is a strong character, but she's strong in a sense that she knows how to depend on others when she needs to which sometimes characters forget. Paxton is such a great supporting character and the chemistry between the two are great. He does a lot of Aerity, especially in the second book, that really fleshes out his character more.

The story itself is really engaging and fast paced. There are some slow moments where nothing is really happening and there are certain reactions and twists that could have been developed better. The duology isn't perfect but it's an interesting story and I had a lot of fun reading it regardless so that gives the Eurona duology a thumbs up from me.

The Great Pursuit by Wendy Higgins

| ISBN: 0062381361 | Pages: 512 |

Publication Date: March 7, 2017 | Source: Own |

| Rating: 4 out of 5 stars |

★★★★

Lochlanach has traded the great beast for something far more terrible, a Lashed enemy veiled in beauty, deception, and a vengeance passed down through generations: Rozaria Rocato. And she’s offering the hunter Paxton Seabolt power and acceptance he could never receive in his homeland. Pax must decide how far he’s willing to go under her tutelage, knowing she is the opponent of Princess Aerity Lochson.
In a land where traditionalists dread change, the Lochlan throne must contend with mysterious foes and traitors, while attempting to keep revolt at bay. As dire circumstances strike the royal family, matters of the castle are left in Aerity’s hands. It's time to put aside her fears and grasp the reign, taking actions that have the potential to save or destroy her people.
One hunt has ended, but the pursuit for love and justice continue. In this sequel to The Great Hunt from New York Times bestselling author Wendy Higgins, political intrigue and romance intensify in another thrilling fantasy. Princess Aerity embraces a quest for identity and passion before making the ultimate sacrifice for her kingdom.

4:53 PM No Comments

Hello world! Finals week is officially upon me and I'm really feeling the stress and pressure that comes with it. Of course, since this seems to be a recurring theme this past semester, I have decided to write a post instead of studying. We can count this as a little study break because my brain is close to going haywire.

Anyway, I wanted to do a bunch of posts about my college experience since I'm getting close to finishing my freshman year and I just think it'd be cool to catalog my thoughts on different topics throughout the years. So, as you can tell from the title, I wanted to share my experience and thoughts on juries and musicianships and in order to make things easier to read I thought I'd insert some pictures I took months ago for a haul that I never got around to posting cause I already have them edited. :)

All right, so for those who don't know what I'm talking about - I'm a music education major and my primary instrument is piano. For music majors, we have two "performance" opportunities that we need to participate in. The first is musicianship which is a class where you have to perform a piece in front of your peers and they, along with a professor, get the chance to critique you on your performance. For my college specifically, we need to sign up for two slots per semester. The second one is the jury which is essentially a final exam for your instrument. For my jury specifically, the panel of judges (made up of piano professors) pick a technique (scales or etudes) for me to start before moving on to two pieces, one that I pick and one that they choose on the spot.

For me personally, I'm a nervous wreck when it comes to performing in public so both of these requirements are really stressful for me. Before college, I had a nightmare image in my mind about musicianship and how it would be like a roasting session in front of everyone. During my first semester, I was super nervous for both musicianship and juries days before they actually happened and I would still be shaking the day of. For this semester, I didn't get nervous until literally five minutes before which I think messed me up more since it was a sudden adrenaline rush.

Looking back on the experience, I can't say that exposure has made me a better performer. I honestly don't know if I was expecting to be more comfortable with performing after just one year, but I don't really see much of a difference. I definitely didn't put in as much effort piano-wise spring semester which is really bad because you can never have a break as a music major, but it's been a big struggle trying to find the motivation to practice and get things done. One of the things I definitely need to work on is defining my practicing method because it's going to play a huge role for everything in the upcoming years.

I don't know if this post was actually informative or helpful in terms of juries and musicianship because I feel like it's such a random topic that isn't something people are naturally curious about but it's been fun analyzing my thoughts throughout the year. I knew that I wanted to keep track of my anxieties regarding performance so this was definitely interesting to reflect upon. In short, juries and musicianship still scare the crap out of me and I wait for the day when I can perform without my entire body going into a panic mood.

So I guess this concludes my first college related post and I'll definitely be posting more reflecting upon my first year of college once finals wrap up. If there are any particular topics you're interested in, please let me know in the comments and I'll get to drafting up a post. I just hope to post more in general even though I'm still going to be so busy since I haven't been posting very frequently...I don't know, but I want to try :)