The Teen Dream ♡ Outfit Inspo

The Teen Dream by dollsofthevalley featuring plus size skirts

I recently purchased these shoes, top, and skirt and I made this outfit with them on Polyvore! The top and skirt are both from Simply Be and the shoes are from ASOS. I love these shoes so much but I'm still waiting for my order from Simply Be to get here. I'm so excited though because this outfit is SO cute and it reminds me of the 90s. ♡

Gingham top / Alice & You PVC skirt / ASOS vegan shoes  / MARC BY MARC JACOBS earrings

♡ My First Sewing Projects ♡

I finally started sewing a few months ago thanks to my very sweet and patient neighbor/family friend! Sewing is so fun and I love it so much but I still have a lot to learn. I started out making usamimi headbands! I've probably made more than 12 now but they're super simple to make and they're so cute too. 

This is what they look like! If you want me to make a separate post about how I made them let me know in the comments. ♡ 

The second thing that I made was a circle skirt. I watched tons of tutorials online but I was so confused I had to ask my neighbor for help. She basically made me a pattern in less than 10 minutes, haha. She told me to rip out the seams every time I messed up but she was so sweet about it, I'm so happy that she was patient enough to help me! 

I plan on making so many more things so I will definitely post about them as I make them. ♡ - Hope

I'm sorry I haven't updated this blog in forever! I've been dealing with school and trying to find a job but I really want to start posting on here again. I originally wanted this blog to be about my outfits and my sewing progress so I'm going to try to start sticking to that theme more! And thanks so much to those of you that still follow me on here. I'm sorry again for not posting as frequently. 

♡ Maintaining Oily Skin ♡

Oily skin is really hard to maintain but I'm going to share with you guys some of my tips on how I keep my face shine free! I've had oily skin ever since I hit puberty and it's always bothered me but I've learned a lot on how to work with it over the years. But anyways let me know if you guys like this post! ♡

♡ 10 Tips For Maintaining Oily Skin ♡

♡ 1. Drink lots of water & eat healthier foods! Water is so good for you and it helps your skin and hair too, so drink lots of it. And greasy foods make your skin more oily.

♡ 2. Cleanse, Treat, and Moisturize in that order. You probably think that you shouldn't moisturize your skin because it's oily but moisturizing your skin with a lotion (not a cream!) is actually really good for your skin.

♡ 3. Use lightweight oil-free cleansing products. Avoid thick & heavy cream cleansing products!

♡ 4. Don't constantly wash your face. When you do this it dries out your skin and makes your body produce even more oil!

♡ 5. Exfoliate once a week! When dead skin cells build up on your skin it will leave it looking dull and flaky. But be sure to use a soft exfoliant so that you're not putting your skin under too much stress.

♡ 6. Don't put hot water on your face, it strips the natural oils from your face and while that sounds heavenly it actually makes your skin lose all of it's moisture, again making your skin produce more oil!

♡ 7. Buy some blotting sheets! I use NYX's tea trea oil blotting sheets.
♡ 8. If you wear lots of makeup remember to wash it off at the end of the day.
♡ 9. Foundation as well as your cleansing products should be oil-free too! Or use a powder foundation and spray your blending sponge with water before applying it.
♡ 10. For the blackheads that won't go away use biore's pore strips! :)

♡ Face Mask For Oily Skin ♡

Mix 3 tbsp. banana, 1 tsp. honey, and a few drops of lemon juice until they form a smooth paste. Apply to face while avoiding the eye area and leave it on for 20 minutes then rinse with cool water!  Only use this mask once a week!!!

♡ Favorite Makeup Products ♡

♡ 1. Naked 3 - I've been wearing the Naked 3 palette pretty much everyday since I got it. I love it so much! I've made a post about how I wear the palette and I will link that right here. :)
♡ 2. EOS Strawberry Sorbet - I actually just bought this for the first time last month and I instantly fell in love with it! It smells heavenly and it feels amazing on my lips.
♡ 3. NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream - I have these matte lip creams in Monte Carlo, Istanbul, and Addis Ababa. My favorite is the Istanbul and I sometimes put it on with the Addis Ababa underneath it and it looks really nice!
♡ 4. L'Oreal's BB Cream - My skin is really oily and I don't really like wearing foundation so I wear BB cream instead. I love this one by l'oreal because it's really light on my face but it still gives me coverage.
♡ 5. Too Faced Size Queen Mascara - This mascara is really really amazing in my opinion. I curl my eyelashes before and after I put it on and they look amazing!
♡ 6. E.L.F. Studio Eyebrow Kit -  This is only $3 and it is the best eyebrow product I've ever tried. It's really easy to use, first you apply the gel and then the powder. After that I usually spray hairspray on my spooly brush and then put it on my eyebrows so that they stay in the shape I want them too.

Thank you for reading! If you want to you can follow me on twitter here. I'm almost always on there. ♡

xoxo Hope

♡ 60's Bouffant & DIY Hair Mask ♡

Hello lovelies! ♡ Someone on instagram a long time ago asked me how I get my hair big like Lana & Priscilla and I'm finally getting around to writing about it. Pretty much all I do is style the ends of my hair, curly/wavy or straight, and then I tease the top of my head about where the crown is! Be sure to use lots of hairspray so that your hair will stay in place while you're out. ♡  I use a bristle brush, and I spray my hair before I tease it and then I spray it again once I've smoothed out the top. Smoothing out the top is verrrrry important so that your hair doesn't look like a birds nest!!! 

Teasing your hair is actually really bad for your hair so I try to only do it when I'm leaving my house, lol. I've been thinking about buying one of these hair extensions so that I don't have to put my hair under any more stress and then I can still have this super cute hairstyle! But in the meantime here's the recipe for a DIY hair mask I use whenever I feel like my hair really needs it.

♡ DIY Hair Mask ♡

All you'll need are eggs, honey, and extra virgin olive oil. My hair is long but it's also very thin so I only use one egg, 1 tablespoon of honey, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. If your hair is long and thick you might need to use 2 eggs and adjust the olive oil and honey measurements too. Once you've done that you can massage the mixture into your scalp and coat the rest of your hair too. Leave it on for about 30 minutes and then go wash it out with shampoo and conditioner. I use gloves while putting the mixture in and I also use a shower cap while I'm wearing it because it's a lot less messy!

I have another post that I made last year on how I keep my hair long & healthy which I will link here. ♡

Thank you for reading!!! xo Hope

♥ Cute Things @ Mod Cloth! ♥

Hello! I'm sorry I haven't been posting very much lately, I've been busy with trying to figure out my school situation but I'm getting back on track with that again so I will be posting more on here again. :) ♥  But today I'm just going to be posting a few things Mod Cloth is selling right now that caught my eye!

Enjoy!! ♥

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