March Favorites

Is March really over? I feel like I just finished February's list and here we are already at March's. This month's favorites aren't full of new things; I've kinda been sticking to what I know and rediscovering old favorites. So this probably won't be the most interesting list but that's me. Not the most interesting. lol Here are the things I've been loving this month!

Sally Girl Single Eyeshadow Pots, Wet 'n Wild Silk Finish Lipstick

I've had my Sally Girl single eyeshadow pots for a few years now, but I stopped using them once my makeup collection started to grow. I started using them again this month and I'd forgotten how pigmented they were for store-brand shadows. They last all day, they're very buildable and the intensity increases with the layers, and they look even better when you use a wet application. They're in these tiny pots so they're portable, and depending on how the store handled the shadows they're also durable and don't break easily. The best part is that there are a bunch of colors and each pot only costs 99 cents. There are shimmery colors, metallics, and mattes. You'd have to check at your local Sally Beauty Supply to see what colors are being offered but there's a decent smattering of shades at mine. If I could list a point for improvement on the overall product, it would be to name the colors. 

As I described in my review for the Silk Finish lipsticks, these are a good choice if you're 1-cheap like I am, or 2-prefer to keep the lips simple throughout the day. There isn't a terribly large variety in the shades being offered, but I'm pretty sure there's at least one good color for every skintone. They too are only 99 cents, they're soft and moisturizing on the lips, and are good lipsticks to go with if you want a shiny but natural finish. 

Storm by Carian Cole

I downloaded this book for free from BookBub I think, and it was great. This debut novel by Carian Cole follows the story of two strangers who get trapped together in a truck on a deserted stretch of highway during a blizzard. The heroine of the story, Evelyn, grated on my nerves at first and I was worried I wouldn't warm to her, but I did and in the end, I understood her fully. She too was a fearful sort (something that I am still getting accustomed to sometimes, even after a decade plus), rather uptight and prone to anxiety attacks, bouts of profound doubt and insecurity and ultimately, afraid to leave her protective bubble.

Enter Storm, who is none of those things. He's good-looking and aware of it to the point of arrogance, tatted from the neck down, wears guyliner and really enjoys saying the word "fuck." Ironically, it's being unable to open the doors and leave each other's company that ends up opening so many other doors for Evelyn and the course of her life, and that time spent in the truck with the sinfully delicious Storm ends up being the best thing ever to happen to her. It's just the kind of romance that I, even in my cynicism and disillusionment, really enjoy and Evelyn was like my spirit animal in many ways. I like a dirty, fun romance where people have to get past things with themselves in order to receive something greater; it gives me a chance to live vicariously where gorgeous, tattooed men end up with regular gals like myself. LOL I enjoyed it and I think it was a favorite mainly because I related to Evelyn a lot. If you'd like to read it, here's where you can download it:

Amazon ($0.99) | iTunes ($0.99) | Nook ($0.99) 

Vikings, Duck Dynasty

Both of these are tv shows I already watched, but since I was in satellite timeout as well as blogger timeout last year, I didn't get to watch much tv at all. Luckily, I got my service back right just in time for season 3, which has been nuts so far. I love this show for a number of reasons, but this season has been really gritty and it's been equally stressful and fun to watch. Yes, sometimes tv shows stress me out. Don't act like that's never happened to you.  

Duck Dynasty is an old favorite of mine; I was introduced to the show a couple of years ago and was hooked immediately, mainly because of Si and Jase, but my interest waned a little bit last year. I haven't watched many of the newer episodes, but the first three seasons were gold to me and I've been binge-watching the episodes I'd saved on my DVR. Not too much to say about it; It's a light-hearted show, I love the older episodes and it's great to watch at night when I can't sleep. 

WWE Immortals, HellFire

I haven't been glued to the phone so I could play Immortals off and on all day like I was when I reviewed it, but it's still part of the daily routine. It's fun for me and I'm enjoying building up the coin and improving my characters. There isn't too much more to add that I didn't put in my review of the game, but I'm still having a ball with it.

I used to be hopelessly addicted to HellFire, but after they overhauled the system I was kinda over it for awhile. Immortals kind of reminds me of HellFire though, so I went back while it was on my mind. The addiction isn't back at a level where it's a problem yet, but it has potential. lol It's an elemental-based card game where you fight enemies of differing elements (fire, earth, death & water) with a deck of your strongest cards in those same elements, leveling up and evolving characters (each character has 4 evolutions) as necessary to make them stronger, and destroying enemies with the elements that combat theirs the quickest. Much like Immortals, there are different tiered cards, with some being regular, others being less common and usually having some ability during battles, and others being extremely rare with very strong base abilities. As a lifer of the Nerd Army, I must confess that the rare cards get me excited. lol The character art for these cards is awesome. That's actually one of the best parts of the game for me, acquiring more of the same card so I can see the changes in the character's art as they evolve. Now that I've rediscovered how much I like playing the game, it's been on the brain a lot more than it was. 

Instagram, Pacifica

Hmm...I'm noticing that it's becoming a habit to include more than one thing in each category. lol I don't mean to make this run longer than usual. Moving on to apps though, I don't need to explain Instagram but it's a great source of inspiration and effective time waster for me. 

Pacifica is an app that I recently found that's supposed to help monitor and combat anxiety. I'm going to review it in the next few days so I won't give too much of it away, but it does help when I'm being overly negative because of my anxiety and allows me to get outside of that bubble sometimes. It's a good monitor for the anxious moments I have throughout the day and sometimes I need that. It doesn't necessarily help me stop an anxiety attack, but if I remember to get to the app when I'm feeling anxious, it does help me to figure out my trigger and calm myself down that much faster. 

I Can Build a Blog, Pinterest, Greatist

I Can Build a Blog is a site about the obvious, building a blog and sharpening it to something with an effective image, design and message. Some of the posts include how to create content that you're happy with, how to increase site traffic and build a consistent audience, and smaller design elements that you can change on your own, like header/footer images and the like. Dana has included a lot of relevant information for both WordPress and Blogger on this site, which is updated regularly, so the steps she gives are up to date, easy to follow and she often replies back to commenters who ask her questions. It's been a big help to me since I can't afford to overhaul the blog design on my own. 

Pinterest is where a piece of my soul has been pinned. I have spent so many hours, procrastinated on so many other tasks, and pinned so much junk to my 10+ boards over the years that I really should be collecting a paycheck for my contributions. lol Now that it's so much easier to Pin something to a board from anywhere on the Net, I end up pinning stuff almost every time I'm using the computer. It's a problem. 

Finally, Greatist is a newer website to me but I love it because it has a bit of everything on it. Food, recipes and healthy motivation, workout routines, recommendations and tips, articles for self-help and improvement purposes, and random articles about life in general. I think overall the goal is to help you live better, mentally and physically, and the daily newsletter is usually full of links to helpful articles with tips and tricks.....that I pin to an applicable board as soon as I can.  

Color and home inspiration boards, luxury and high-end product dupes

I'm still stuck on inspiration boards, but we're a quarter of the way through the year and I still have yet to actually create one for myself. I'm still not sure what I'd like to include on my own board, so right now I'm getting my inspiration from looking at other people's boards. What inspires them, how did they style their boards, how large are the boards, how do I go about going through with the things on the boards that inspire and motivate me, those are usually the questions that I ask when trying to come up with my own. I want something that speaks to me, but it's interesting seeing how other people's boards are representatives of their minds and how they work. 

I love a good product dupe, whether it's a nail polish or cheaper version of a piece of overpriced furniture from the store. I also like making things with my hands and having someone ask me where I bought this or that and being able to tell them that I made it. So much of what we see today is easily replicated for a much cheaper price, which is where the fun part comes in for me. It's fun challenging myself to see if I can come up with supply lists and accurate directions to recreate some of the more expensive home decor items I see in stores and online. It's a goal of mine to someday have a DIY series on here full of store products that I've DIY'd for a better price without sacrificing the aesthetic of the original. 

My laptop, green nail polish, cookbooks, food trucks, sunlight, the 1920s

I've had my child (my laptop) back for a month and it's been such a beautiful reunion. She still needs a couple of small fixes but otherwise it's been wonderful. Green polish made its mark on my nails for just about the entire month, and that too was wonderful. March is home to one of my favorite holidays and one of my favorite colors, so obviously I had to celebrate in style. lol 

Lately, I've been feeling really inspired with the different things I want to cook, learn to cook and the dishes I'd like to experiment with cooking. So my nose has been in more than a few cookbooks throughout the month. When I cleaned out underneath my bed earlier this month, I found a (don't you even think of judging me) Richard Simmons cookbook that I'd apparently thrifted a few years prior, and the clowning session that my entire household (that's 7 people, folks) had at my expense afterward still haunts me. lol That was just the beginning though, I've been looking through cookbooks and perusing recipes ever since. Cooking is one of the few things I am good at, and I love it. That brings me to food trucks and my goal to one day have one of my own. It combines the next favorite on my list with cooking, traveling around the city, and feeding people. I'm ready for it. 

Sunlight. Precious sunlight. Now that winter is officially over, the sun is back out in full force here in Texas and it's been glorious. Two weeks ago it was in the mid '50s, and this weekend is looking to be somewhere near 90. I feel bad complaining when I know we didn't get a fraction of what the rest of the country got this past winter, but hell, I was cold. So welcome, spring. I've been waiting for ya. 

Finally, the '20s has been on my mind ever since I did a post about the Harlem Renaissance over on my vintage blog. It's been a favorite decade of mine for a few years, but for some reason that post just kicked things into overdrive for me. The fashion was great, there was no shortage of entertainment, but culturally and nationally there were so many significant things happening, the Renaissance being one of those things. It's a very informative decade to explore. 

Sorry this month's post ran so long. I didn't intend to have more than one favorite for just about each category, but there it is. If you've made it this far, thank you. I'll try to shorten things up for April's list. What were some of your favorites this month? And I'm sorry I don't have a documentary recommendation this month, ever since I got my satellite restored I've been binge-DVR'ing and haven't been on Netflix too much so I haven't seen any new ones. When I am on there, I'm usually watching Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries. Which coincidentally, is set in the late '20s. See how it all comes full circle? LOL See you soon!

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WWE Immortals

As I said last year when I reviewed the WWE Network, I'm a stan for professional wrestling. And as I also said last year when I reviewed the Network, this is going to be a lengthy post so....well, deal with it. If you just want the gist, skip down a little bit for the quick details; the pros and cons are right under that. Anyway, I know that according to the WWE machine I should be saying 'sports entertainment,' but bump it. They're wrestling in that ring and that's what I've been calling it for 28 years, so that's what it is to me. But regardless of how you describe it, I'm a lifer. I've been watching for as long as I can remember, and minus a few years where I took sabbaticals (but still kept up with the happenings for the most part), it's always been a big part of my life. I've played some of the games over the years as well; just to kick it old school for a minute, I still own Day of Reckoning 2 for the GameCube; it's probably scratched all to hell by now but I'd still play it. lol I'm not really one for sports games in general (I tried Smackdown vs Raw on the Wii, lost horribly and decided that the Wii style of fighting wasn't for me LOL), but I'm open to trying something new when the mood calls for it. Well, such a mood has been called for (lol) and that brings me to the latest game release from WWE, the mobile-exclusive WWE Immortals. 

Source

What is it? 

A card based fighting game using some of today's most popular WWE Superstars....with a little supernatural help. Think of it as a little WWE with some Injustice and a touch of HellFire (if you play that game) thrown in for good measure. 

Available platforms: 

Android, iOS, PC (but you'll need an emulator for whichever mobile system you use first)

Price:
Free, unless you want extra items from the store


Ease of gameplay:
Very easy, the tutorial during the first match explains everything very clearly and in a way that is easy to remember, and there are always helpful prompts, like when to perform a power attack


Extras:
For an app game (a preface that is quickly losing resonance lol), this is a rather detailed game. In addition to the main storyline, there is also the option to go online, where the player can participate in online matches or daily quests. From time to time there are also challenge modes, which consist of 5 separate requirements and you get to choose which ones you'll do--but in order to reap the reward of the challenge as a whole, you must complete all of the individual quests first. You don't run out of things to do until your team's stamina is depleted, but depending on your collection, you can probably just swap out the players for those with full stamina and keep going. If you play regularly, you will most likely accumulate some stamina cards so you'll be able to use those to replenish your team's energy as well.

Kane's character art. How badass does this look, right?

Pros:

• Great graphics
• The wrestler likenesses are pretty accurate for many
• Opportunities to upgrade/strengthen your characters are layered, so you don't get to max them out easily or quickly (unless you're adding a lot of money to your account to afford upgrades)
• Challenge mode is varied
• The matches aren't as long as traditional console matches
• There are differing rewards but they're all useful; none are pointless
• Many challenges have coin payouts so its not hard to earn money and upgrade your character cards if you play regularly
• When there's no lag, you can see that the concept for the game is well-executed and the matches fast-paced
• Online mode isn't just limited to fighting with no purpose
• The character's level is always at the top of the card (except for in mystery fights), so its not often that you'll be unaware of when your cards are not evenly matched with your opponent's cards

Cons:

• LAG/FREEZE CITY!!!
• The game is very large so it can take quite awhile to download, but its still significantly smaller than Injustice
• Buying characters without loading money to replenish lost coin can leave you broke pretty quickly
• Some of the Superstars' "superhero" concepts are rather....underwhelming
• Not enough variety with the characters being offered
• Long loading time when starting a match
• Sometimes the finger taps don't connect; this happens most often with trying to block or activate Signature moves
• Challenge mode doesn't go on for very long and this doesn't leave new players with enough time to build up their cards to play
• Minor point but the major storyline of the game gets kind of lost with all of the side challenges

This part of the store is where you can buy various perks for your characters,
such as the Rock's Cooking that we don't get to smell anymore. I see what
you did there, Vince. Very cheeky. lol

My thoughts: (this is where it gets lengthy)

I didn't read any other reviews prior to my downloading the game; I wanted to find out everything on my own as I played the game so I could write an unbiased review. Moving on to expand on the pros and cons, I'm really loving the graphics and execution of this game. It reminds me a lot of Injustice, and that's not a bad thing at all. Injustice, in both console and mobile form, is an amazing game and WWE Immortals takes a bit of that concept but makes it something all its own. The facial likenesses and mannerisms are very accurate for many, and the character art, as you can see in the screenshots I've sprinkled throughout the post, was superb, in my opinion. One of my biggest complaints with games that intend to be inspired off of the likenesses of real people is that often times, it falls flat. Immortals nailed it. Check out the character art for Paige and Kane. I love it.

The cards are another one of my favorites in this game because they're far from one-dimensional. Every match helps increase the player's level, which in turn increases the stats. You can add on additional perks (extra health, damage, etc.) to the character, you can unlock their signature moves then gradually strengthen the impact of those as well, and equip them with up to 3 pieces of gear. That brings me to another piece of the game that I like; all of the characters have certain allies and enemies, which also has an impact on how the card plays. And if you don't like a particular card or don't wish to have that Superstar in your collection anymore, you can always sell it. That reminds me a bit of HellFire, where you can just level up a stronger card by merging them together. This particular card is for Roman Reigns (I chose this card at random, of course). I think the Signature moves are friggin' awesome and I love watching my opponents' health level deplete after completing one. LOL There are bronze, silver and gold characters, all of whom have differing attack and health levels.

I just took this screenshot yesterday, so obviously I've leveled up quite a bit
from the next photo I'm putting in, but this is what a character's page looks like.
Roman was one of my starter characters; I'm not sure if everyone gets the same
three cards or if they're selected for everyone at random. 

Challenge mode is varied as I said above; you get 5 smaller quests, and each of them require about 10 matches. Each match is no more than 5 minutes, so you don't get stuck in the matches like on consoles that take 15-20 minutes. Most of the rewards are in the form of coins, which definitely come in handy as all character upgrades gradually increase in cost. When the game isn't lagging or freezing (which I'm going to get to in a minute), you can see how fast-paced the game is and how well it actually plays. Everything is executed quickly and the tag partner switches keep the matches exciting, as does the ability to unlock new locations. And finally, you won't often be overmatched with opponents when playing regularly; online it's a bit of a toss-up but the system-operated opponents always have their levels above the card on clear display. 

This is what the chain of fights in a battle looks like. As you gradually move
up the totem pole, the levels of your opponents will increase and the final
level will either be a leveled mini-boss by themselves or a regular tag match
that includes a mini-boss. This screenshot is from when I first started playing.

And now for the cons. This game lags and freezes like nobody's business. That was the only part of other players' reviews that I did read, so turns out that it is a universal complaint. Most of the matches I've played since downloading this game have lagged horribly, almost to the point where I can barely see my hits connecting. It's extremely irritating, has caused me to rage quit on a few occasions and has made me lose a number of matches, because even though my hits aren't connecting due to lag, the computer's hits sure are. LOL Said lag results in this problem happening frequently, more so when trying to block a hit or activate a Signature move. It's crashed my phone a few times now, most of which was mid-match, and that's incredibly annoying too. If you're pressed for space on your phone, don't bother downloading WWE Immortals--this game is nearly 2GB. 

Some of the Superstar concepts are a little underwhelming...to me anyway. Big Show is a behemoth of a man, so the possibilities of supernatural stuff they could have done is limitless...and they made him a lumberjack?? And did they really make Daniel Bryan a goat?? When I first saw one of Trish Stratus' cards, I thought it was Beth Phoenix. I think it was the outfit. But meh, some of the Superstars' concepts are a little underwhelming for me. But while I'm on the subject of the Superstars, the initial offerings for purchase aren't very varied. Each Superstar has two forms, but I keep seeing the same folks over and over in the store. I'm hoping that I simply haven't unlocked the others yet, because I'd love to see some HoF'ers and more of the current roster in this game. I think amped up versions of BNB's Bullhammer or Dolph Ziggler's Zig Zag would look sweet. I'm also digging the concept of forming and saving certain combos of characters that have particular perks when teaming, like reforming The Shield (and that totally wasn't a biased opinion....) or putting together certain members of DX or The Authority. Get on that, Vince, these are good ideas. lol Finally, unless you're ready to put some major coin in the shop, you won't be getting your hands on cards like these very easily. 

These are some of the other forms of the offered Superstars. Check those prices.

Do I recommend this game?

Yes, if you're a WWE fan and you liked Injustice, or if you're a WWE fan and like the card concept of gaming. The common denominator here though is that you should probably already be a WWE fan as I don't think the game will be as interesting for players who aren't already fans of the product. Because the concept of professional wrestling in general already holds little weight to most of mainstream society, I can't see many people who don't watch wrestling liking a game centered on said industry quite as much. I also recommend it if you're a fan like me who doesn't own the current console games and wants something with gameplay that's a bit shorter. 

Overall, I love this game. I'm really enjoying leveling up my characters and unlocking new stuff, and because I've always had a hard-on for the supernatural in general, the premise of the game isn't ridiculous to me. It's quite the contrary for me, actually. I know the realists, the "wrestling is fake and this game is dumb" folks aren't all that pleased with this game, but I don't care. Immortals is a solid game, it has a lot of potential, and I'm having a ball. There are some parts of the game that require work, so I'm hoping that future upgrades include fixes. I think a lot of attention and detail went into the development of this game in many areas, and I appreciate that. Many games are one-dimensional these days, and its easy to get bored or max out your characters quickly. Immortals deftly avoided that trap and makes it fun in the process. That lag really is for the birds, though. 

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Wet 'n Wild Silk Finish Lipstick

Wet 'n Wild recently came out with a new 'line,' so to speak, of beauty products all priced at 99 cents. WnW is a pretty affordable brand to begin with, but what I think makes this line a bit different from the others is that its more diverse in its offerings. There are nail polishes, lipsticks, eye pencils, single shadows, and even some false lashes. I've bought a few products from each category, but I thought I'd start this next batch of reviews with the product I've bought the most from that line, which would be the Silk Finish lipsticks. I've bought 4 from the Silk Finish line so far, and here's what I thought:

--Blind Date is more of a sheer pink, which is good if you're after a light, everyday shade. One coat fits the bill for an understated lip, but for me personally, I'd go for two coats.

--Cherry Frost is the lipstick I wore for Christmas, and I love it. One thing I noticed about the lipsticks, this shade in particular, is that they don't photograph true to color. This red is actually more vivid than it shows in this photo. It also has some glitter in it, but it doesn't overpower the color itself unless you apply more than a couple of layers.















--Black Orchid and Dark Wine are extremely similar in color, but Black Orchid has more of a brown undertone to it than Dark Wine does. This is a very pigmented lipstick, and the brown pigment increases as you apply more layers. One thorough layer should be enough with this one.

--Dark Wine is just as intense as Black Orchid to me, but it looks a bit more brick than brown. It too has a bit of glitter in it and like the others, only needs one thorough coat to give your lips some color.


These photos are mostly unedited so they're mostly true to how they originally photographed; I just used the Punch filter to make the photos a little bit brighter.

Pros:


--Much smoother in application than the Megalast lipsticks
--Most of the colors allow for buildable layers
--There's a large array of shades in the line to choose from
--Slightly shiny finish, don't feel drying on the lips or give them a dry appearance
--A light application of the darker shades goes a long way
--The obvious, they're all only 99 cents
--A bit versatile with application options




Cons:

--Definitely not smudgeproof, they rub and smudge very easily
--Even though there are many shades, many of them are pretty similar
--The wall swatches are a bit different from the actual color of the lipstick as well as the color swatch on the bottom of the tube; it feels a little misleading
--The lack of being true to color extends to the photos; the colors tend to look a little dull
--The darker shades stain the lips a little bit upon removal
--The lipstick breaks in the tube or the twist-off cap also activates the twist-up of the wand, smudging the lipstick





My thoughts:

First things first. If you're expecting a Revlon or MAC-quality lipstick, then you'll be disappointed. It's not quite that high-end. Same goes if you're expecting a color that will last throughout meals or a workday without constant reapplication. If you want something that will last long enough to run errands or just want something for everyday, casual wear, then these fit the bill. They don't last terribly long without needing to reapply, but if you don't need it to stay on very long then you should be fine. I prefer the application and feel of these over the Megalast line, but as far as the intensity of the color, the Megalasts are still better.

My primary complaints would be the copious smudging and lack of staying power, but I think that's a complaint across the board for all of the Wet 'n Wild lipsticks that I have. Another complaint with most Wet 'n Wild lipsticks that I have is that the formula of the lipstick causes it to break very easily, even if you're not rough on your products. So it has the potential to get very messy, which is annoying for obvious reasons. The cap complaint is only significant because with the twist-off cap that these lipsticks seem to have, when you try to twist off the cap sometimes it'll twist up the tube as well, bringing more of the lipstick up and smudging the cap. But if you decide to just pull the cap off rather than twisting it, you risk scratching the lipstick, which has happened to me quite a few times. I think they should be just a little easier to remove so that you don't damage the lipstick or smudge the cap. When I ran across these at Walgreens, I noticed that some of the wall swatches were much lighter than the actual lipstick, which I didn't really understand. But don't go by the wall swatches or the color codes on the bottom; I didn't find them to be accurate.

I like all of the Silk Finish lipsticks that I have, and the fact that they're not as intense as the Megalasts allows for a bit more versatility. You can lightly dot it on if you're going for a light coloring, you can use it with a lipliner to enhance the color, or you can go all out and apply a couple of layers. I love that they're only 99 cents, and I think they live up to their name of having a silk finish. They're very smooth on the lips and don't leave your lips looking dry after you remove it. I like these lipsticks a lot.


Do I recommend this product? Yes


Where can you buy this product?
Dollar General, Walgreens, Walmart

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What I Love About My Room

With March already upon us, it's a good time to get to some of that pesky Spring cleaning that everyone (or maybe just me) puts off for a tomorrow that never comes. lol I've been needing to clean out underneath my bed for years so I could switch the layout, but to be quite honest I wasn't looking forward to cleaning out that particular Pandora's box so I continued to procrastinate about doing it. While I was looking for some inspiration on how I'd like my room to look (someday, Rome wasn't built in a night lol) I found a company called Parachute. Parachute is a bedding company that specializes in a number of bedding products, from entire sets to inserts, all with the focus of providing the consumer with premium-quality products that help create a better sleeping experience. By the by, this isn't a sponsored post. I can only hope that one day, my room looks that cleanly styled. One can dream, right? My bed, and my bedroom overall, had pieces of me in it but I don't feel like they were a reflection of who I am, if that makes any sense. I think one's bedroom, especially if one lives at home or with roommates, is very important in terms of self-expression and reflects a bit on the state of mind. For me personally, when I'm more anxious and disorganized mentally, it shows in my lack of attention to the state of my bedroom. When I'm feeling focused and organized, my room reflects that or helps me to remain that way when I get stressed. With some of these things in there and the focal point of my room being closer to what I like out of my room, I feel like its a bit closer now to speaking to who I am. 

I've recently noticed that there's quite a few DIY projects around my room, many of which didn't make the list, but I wanted to include a few of my favorites, as well as what I did with my bed because I finally! decided to quit being a chicken last week and get to all the junk I had cooped up underneath it. Now be warned, these photos (as are many of my other photos so I'm sure you're used to it by now lol) are from my Nexus so I apologize if they're not as high-quality and sophisticated as you'd probably like. Anyway, here are some of my favorite things!

1. My bed

How it usually looks.....just before
I mess it back up LOL

When I first thought about redoing my room, my bed was horribly disorganized, from the color scheme to all the junk I have on it all the time, and I initially didn't include it on my list. One of the pros of being single is that I don't have to share the other side of my bed, so it's easy to just shove stuff over to the other side when I'm ready to go to sleep. But because I don't have to share the other side of my bed, it becomes an unintentional mecca for clutter, especially when you're a recovering packrat like myself. I blog from home and am often in bed due to health issues, so for me my bed is pretty much the focal point of my bedroom. I blog from here (I'm writing this post from here now lol), do any additional work from here, take most blog photos here, eat, drink and sleep here, and on the rare occasions anyone is in here with me they're usually at the foot of the bed because it took up so much space that I couldn't put in any additional furniture. It became more of a practical piece of furniture than anything else. It wasn't a reflection of me though, and I didn't like that. I didn't like that my bed usually had 857 things on it (because I'm usually doing 850 things at one time lol), and I hated that when you came in the room, that was all you saw. I finally decided to get off my duff, work up the energy and just get it done. I love the look and feel of a made bed; if your bed is the focal point of your room like mine was then it's imperative that it shows off your room and personal style in a good way.

How my bed looks....on rare occasions 

But I've since changed my bed around and it now looks more like a daybed, which leaves me with less space to fill on the bed, gave me significantly more space in the room, and is now something that I enjoy showing off. It was always comfortable for sleep, but now I value said comfort, as cheesy as that sounds. I chose a black and blood red theme for it mainly because I just like how the colors mesh together, but also because it fit my personality and what I wanted out of my bedroom, which was a more mature look and feel. It's simple but I like it and love being in it more now than I did before. I know it's nothing beautiful like those beds in the show rooms (or the ones on Parachute's website lol), but it's comfortable and I like it.

2. The lighting

I'd still prefer the lights to go around the entire room, but I'm
beginning to like how this looks too. It was way easier
to photograph than when they went around all 4 walls. lol

Last month when I first decided I wanted to do this post, I had lighting going around all 4 walls, but most of the lights have since shorted (I used them nightly and they were up for 8 years) so I took them down and when I moved my bed, I put up the new lights just to frame the bed. These lights do a lot for helping me to relax at night. They're just regular white Christmas lights, but they give my room a soothing glow when I turn off my bedroom lights and turn these on. My favorite thing to do at night when I want to try and relax is to turn the room lights off, turn these on, light a few candles and some incense, and turn on Netflix's Fireplace for Your Home. It creates a very calming atmosphere and because I have frequent insomnia with anxiety that tends to peak at night, this is a godsend for me.

I really like how this looks. If only I
could keep it looking this clean.

3. The curtains around my bed

I've had curtains framing my bed for so long that the entire room looks off without them there. I think they create a more luxurious feel when you let them hang around the bed. I've loved canopy beds since I was a kid but I never had one for myself so I just cheap-o DIY'd this one and hung the curtains from my ceiling. When I'm not watching tv and I'm holed up in bed for the night, I'll pull the curtains down and do the things I said for my lighting. For some reason, it helps when you want to dial it down a bit and relax. It's probably just me but it reminds me of a fort, and who doesn't like a good fort? The curtains themselves provide a bit more privacy, but depending on the level of transparency, they'll keep you from feeling boxed in.

4. My jewelry/headband displays

Looks like I'm going to need
another of these frames.

I'm almost out of space on this one too so it's about time to put
up another frame. I love earrings, can you tell?

I love this part of my room because the jewelry frames and racks are a reflection of my style, they're a great dupe for wall art, and they help me keep track of my jewelry, which continues to increase. It's also easier to plan outfits with my jewelry when I can see it. I know I'm not the only one who does that. Anyway, everything for this project cost about $5 and took around an hour to make, and I love a simple, quick DIY project. The first frame is for my necklaces and bracelets, and the second is for my continually growing collection of hoop and dangly earrings.

My next headband acquisition is a pair of sparkly bunny
ears for Easter. lol My niece loves putting these on, but then
realizes she can't see it anymore, so she snatches it off. 

Underneath my jewelry frames is my holiday headband rack, which is my 1-year-old niece's favorite part of my room. lol I have a thing for collecting crazy, usually holiday-themed headbands and I love showing them off, so I put them on the wall. And yes, I do wear them in public. LOL This is a favorite part of my room because they always make me smile, especially when I'm having a bad day. They're corny and light-hearted but sort of quirky and funny, and I'd like to think that that's how I am too.

Extra:
*An unofficial favorite part of my room is what I call my 'puzzle door,' which is where I hang all of my completed puzzles. Doing puzzles is a big hobby of mine and I hate the idea of throwing them away after putting in all that time to complete them, so I thought I'd make an accent wall of sorts by hanging the collection as it grows on my bathroom door. The puzzles are all drastically different from one another so they don't follow a specific layout or theme, and that variation is what makes it look so fun. I'm still adding on to it but I like how it looks so far; it's definitely different from the typical wall art but that's what I like about it. And that, kids, is reason #888 why I'm single. I'm the type of boob to be excited about putting together more puzzles for a puzzle accent spot in my bedroom.

*The other unofficial extra favorite (actually, it's #1 on the list) is my snack box, which is a small box underneath my desk that I hide all of my edible goodies in. There is a large place in my heart for junk food, and I usually try to keep the box stocked for movie nights or when I'm up late researching/finishing a blog post. I love me some snacks. Mmm. Is there a Campbell's soup emoji for the "Mmm" thing? lol

And those are a few of my favorite things! What are some of your favorite things in your bedroom? What types of things (color scheme, overall theme, etc.) do you implement in your room that reflect your personality? A few years ago, I split my closet in half and used one half for my clothes, and the other for what I nicknamed the Cryin' & Craftin' closet. LOL I wallpapered that half of the closet, set up a chair and my crafting supplies, and when I wanted to craft or do my homework in peace, that's where I went. And when I just needed a minute, I'd close the closet door, have a little cry, and call it a day. lol What do you have in your bedroom to promote relaxation? Have any creative ideas to make the most out of a small space? Let me know and I hope you liked this post!

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