Here's part 1 of my study abroad adventure in Paris. I'll give you a quick BREAKDOWN of what the 30 day program I participated in included:

• unlimited public transport access (this included the metro system, the RER system, and public buses)
• education at The University of Paris, Sorbonne
• room and board at the Cité Universitaire
• entertainment (I'll go into more detail of activities we did in upcoming posts!)
• excursions (which I will also go over in upcoming posts :) ) 
• free entrance to all the museums in Paris

So where to start? I guess I'll start by saying I'm making these posts after my study abroad experience. It was just easier to enjoy the moment and then go back and reflect on my time in Paris :) 

One of the beautiful views I saw while climbing the Eiffel Tower!

I first decided I wanted to study abroad after my sister studied abroad in London. She had an amazing time and literally came back a changed person. She was much more "worldly" from the experience and she really grew from her experience. Since seeing how much she enjoyed London, I knew I wanted to study abroad. The first question of course is "Where should I go?" The obvious choice for me was Paris, France. 

In high school, I studied the French language and France for three years. I literally fell in love with the culture and history and the language itself is beautiful. Another reason why I chose Paris was because I wanted to experience something DIFFERENT. I wanted to go somewhere where the people spoke a different language, where the people acted differently, and where the culture was rich. For me, Paris encompassed all of this. 

The Notre Dame at night along the Seine River

Next, I had the pick the program. Luckily, I found a great program through my school. The specific program I chose is actually organized through another college, but anyone can sign up for the program. If you're interested in studying abroad, be sure to check what programs your school has to offer. If they don't offer a program that fits your needs, ask them to refer you to a program that would! I'm sure they'd be able to help! I signed up for my program about 6 months before I departed. That gave me enough time to prepare and brush up on my French (at this point, I hadn't spoken the language for more than 4 years so I was a little rusty!) 

The center of the Cité Universitaire

The particular building I stayed in

The main clock building! We would picnic in front of this building all the time!

In the next series of posts, I plan on writing about my experience, what I did, what I thought, etc. so be sure to keep checking back for those! They'll be coming out in the next week or so :) 

Have you studied abroad? Are you thinking of studying or traveling abroad? Let me know and we can chat :)

Keep going! The next post about studying abroad in Paris where I talk about my experience in school, Les Champs Elysees, Le Louvre, and Les Jardin Des Tuileries! 

xoxo, Morgan

LOTD: Look of the Day, Purple Neon Duochrome Smokey Sultry Look

My look of the day! A little more makeup than I usually wear, but I wanted to do something fun with my makeup today! Here's what I used and did!

First, I applied my normal foundation and put foundation over my eyelids as a base. I use the Neutrogran Healthy Skin Foundation in "70 Fresh Beige". I used the Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in "Medium". Next, I set all that with my Covergirl Professional Loose Powder in "Translucent Medium".

After I filled in my eyebrows, I started applying the eyeshadow! It's a pretty simple look :)

I put NYX jumbo eyeshadow pencil in "Milk" on my eyelid as a base so the colors would pop.

I placed this color below in the crease. It's a matte light brown color. 

I pack this color all over my lid. It's a really pretty hot purple color with a pinkish/blue duochrome finish. 

This color is a duochrome as well. It's a shimmery white color with a lavender duochrome. This went on the inner part of my eyelid and I also carried it into my tear duct area and along the inner third of my lower lash line.  

I took this medium matte brown eyeshadow color and layered it into the crease. This darkens the look and makes it a little more smokey. It also helps add dimension!

Finally, I took this matte eggplant color and put it in the outer corner of the eye. I also placed this along my lower lash line. 

To finish the whole look off, I just apply a quick cat eye and then a couple coats of mascara :) Tweet me a pic if you try this look! (@morgansbbd)

What do you think of this look? Would you rock the neon duochrome? :) I'd love for you to let me know what you think :) 

Wanna see another makeup tutorial! Here's one on how to get a beautiful Smokey Bronze Eye!

xoxo, Morgan 

Cold Busting Juice Recipe: Get Over a Cold or Flu Faster and Boost Your Immunity

I feel like I've been fighting the same cold for a few weeks now. Exactly two weeks ago, I woke up with a scratchy throat and a little congestion. As the day progressed, my cold hit me hard. I barely made it home during my commute because I was feeling so sick! I had a full-blown cold; chills, achy-ness, a stuffy nose, a vicious cough, sore throat, and severe exhaustion. YUCK!

I started to feel better after about a week (which is typical), and right when I was almost feeling normal, this past Sunday, I started feeling sick AGAIN!!! I had some chills, a little bit of a fever, worse congestion, and a bad cough. Feeling fed up, I decided to be more proactive with my cold.

So I hopped on PINTEREST and look over juicing recipes for a cold. After looking at a couple, I started noticing a pattern of ingredients. Combining this with what I already had in stock in my fridge, I came up with my own concoction. So here is the recipe for my cold or flu busting juice!

 Ingredients:

1 - Large Apple

2 - Oranges

1/2 - Lemon 

4 - Organic Carrots

2 - Orange Bell Peppers

1 - Piece of Ginger (about half the size of your thumb)

1/2 oz - Apple Cider Vinegar 

*I'm using the Jack LaLanne Juicer. 

Here is are all of my fruits and vegetables prepped and ready to go into the juicer! (side note: you don't need to cut them this small. I just got a little enthusiastic. The pieces just need to be small enough that they fit down the chute. Also, I keep a bag nearby to put all the pulp/extra bits in. I'm assuming it can't be good for the sink to put all that extra stuff down it!) 

And here is the finished product! It was nice and tasty! Not overly sweet, but not too vegetable-tasting, if you know what I mean. It also made a good amount, so I had enough to drink all afternoon. I also wanted to add, be careful with the ginger! The taste of ginger is very strong so be sure to add little, tiny pieces at a time if you're unsure. I would also do the same with the apple cider vinegar! 

This drink is full vitamins, particularly vitamin A and C, which are very helpful for getting over a cold or flu and boosting your immunity :) 

And if you want to see a tutorial on how I do my makeup when I'm feeling under the weather, watch the video below! :)

xoxo, Morgan 

[Review] Revlon Colorburst Laquer/Matte Balm Review

Happy Friday! Today, I'm going to talk a little bit about the Revlon Colorburst Laquer/Matte Balms! These are the colors I have!

 (From left to right) Shameless, Flirtatious, Coquette

(From left to right) Coquette, Flirtatious, Shameless

Coquette: A nice, bright pink. It does have some light silver glitter to it. I like to wear this color when I'm not wearing a ton of makeup, but want a little pink to my lips. 

Flirtatious: A beautiful and wearable red. I LOVE this color. Right now, it is my go-to red. It has some shimmer-y glitter to it as well. If you're afraid of wearing red, I'd definitely recommend trying this one! It gives you a nice, red lip without being too dramatic. 

Shameless: This color is UH-MAZING. I had to drive to three different CVS stores to track this color down! It's a TRUE purple color. The swatch shown above is exactly how it comes off on the lips. This color is definitely for girls who are not afraid to rock a bold lip. I'm looking forward to doing a look with color soon!

Conclusion: I really enjoy these laquers/balm. They wear very nicely and they are very true to color. The packaging is convenient and they have a nice minty smell to them...very refreshing!

But Morgan...is it worth the money?

Yes! I LOVE these lipsticks! I feel like they are so unique and great for both girls who are new to wearing lipstick and the seasoned lipstick wearer. And at around 6-7 dollars, you get a great product that will last you a while!

[Review] NYX Round Lipstick Review

Today I'm going to do a review today on the NYX Round Lipsticks! I have 12 different shades so let's just get into it! :) Let's go ahead and look at the swatches! These are pretty true to how they look in real like by I'll go one by one and try to describe the colors to the best of my ability!

(From left to right) Athena, Cinnamon Sugar, Chambord, Heredes, Margarita, Vitamin, Femme, Watermelon, Peach, Gardenia, Hebe, Saturn

Athena: HOLY CRAP. This color is light! I would never wear this color personally because it's a super light pink. It is a very frosty color and has white/light pink shimmer to it. 

Cinnamon Sugar: This color is very...brown. I think it would like nice on people with a darker skin tone because it would almost come out to a nude. But this color actually doesn't look that bad on me with a lip gloss on top. I just don't reach for it very often. It does have shimmer and light glitter in it. 

Chambord: This is a nice bronze-y color. Again, it does need a gloss on top to me it most wearable. Not a color I reach for very often though. It does have light copper-y shimmer. 

Heredes: This color is a dark brown-y peach color. This one has no shimmer and it very opaque!

Margarita: This is an ultra-shimmery medium peachy/pink color. This one has a ton of shimmer and light glitter in it!

Vitamin: This is a lighter peach-y color. Again, it has a ton of shimmer and gold glitter to it. It does have a slight gold undertone. 

Femme: I actually kind of like this color because it's just so SHOCKINGLY pink. It is literally a neon pink and it's a fun going out lipstick. Not for the faint at heart! Also, there's no shimmer, just pure color.

Watermelon: This is a copper-y bronze/orange-y color. It has a gold undertone again. There is shimmer/frost to this lipstick.

Peach: This color is not a peach color. haha. It's a nice maroon color with silver/pink shimmer. It's very interesting and a color I would wear. This is a very frosty color. 

Gardenia: A nice shimmer-y red color with pink glitter. This color is very similar to peach!

Hebe: A darker red shimmery color. This has a maroon frost to it. 

Saturn: This color is very similar to Hebe. The only difference is this color has a little bit more of a bronze tone to it!

Conclusion: I'm honestly not crazy about these lipsticks. I just don't care for the formula. They're really slippery and messy. I feel like they're going to smudge all over my face when I wear these. Also, the colors I have are almost all frosty, and I don't care for frosty lipsticks. Yes, NYX does have a lot of other lipsticks that don't have any shimmer, but I ordered these blindly online so I didn't really know what to expect.  

But Morgan... is it worth the money?

Honestly, no. Yes, they're cheap. I believe they're around 3-4 dollars at Ulta. But I feel like it would be a better idea to spend a couple dollars more and get a nicer lipstick! 

OOTD: March 13, 2014

Hiiiiii!! So this was what I wore today :) It was such a nice day and it was the first time I've worn shorts this season so today was an exciting day for me.

Top: Forever 21

Shorts: Hollister

Necklace: Tiffany's 

Watch: Michael Kors

Shoes (not pictured): White Crochet TOMs

 Andddd today was a natural makeup day! Ahhh it definitely feels like spring and that makes me extremely HAPPY :)

Hope you're all having a wonderful spring too! 

xoxo, Morgan 

Glittery Plum Nails for Spring!

So these are the nails I'm wearing this week!

Step 1: I started off with nice clean nails that I filed to the length and shape I like.

Step 2: I painted my nails with OPI's "Anti-Bleak". I think this plum/orchid color is one of my favorites colors now! (haha ignore the fact that I got some paint on my cuticles. I ALWAYS do this and just figure it'll eventually come off my skin after I was my hands a couple times.) 

Step 3: I waited a little for the base color to dry then painted a coat of Wet N' Wild's "469 Hallucinate". On a side note, I love this multi-colored glitter. It gives a super glitter-y finish in one coat!

And that's the finished look! Super simple but I just wanted to share with you guys since I thought it was pretty :) 

Hope you're all having a good week! 

xoxo, Morgan 

[Review] L'Oreal Silky Sheer Face Lotion SPF 30

SPF and sunscreen is a MUST for me...every...single...day. Rain or shine, there is some type of sunscreen on my face and neck. However, with my need for sunscreen comes the issue of finding the perfect type that works for my skin. I'm sure some of you can sympathize with me... Some are too oily, some break me out, and some are too thick. It also has to work nicely with whatever foundation I decide to wear that day. With all this in mind, I deem myself a tad picky when it comes to sunscreen.

HOWEVER, the sun gods have answered my prayers! L'Oreal came out with their Silky Sheer Face Lotion recently and while at Ulta, I literally just picked it up and bought it without thinking. I didn't even look at the box. I just saw that the SPF was 30, and at $9.99 is was a reasonable price. (I think they were also having a deal that particular week. I think L'Oreal skincare was BOGO 1/2 off.)

So now that I've started by saying that, let's look at the BREAKDOWN:

• "Broad spectrum sunscreen protection infused with skin-improving care. Helps protect skin with patented UVA/UVB filter system plus antioxidants Vitamin E and White Grapeseed."
• Love the fact that there is UVA/UVB protection. As for the skin-improving care, I haven't noticed anything yet. But honestly, I just need protection from my sunscreen. I expect other products that are specifically made to improve my skin to make a visible difference.
• "Shake well to activate this virtually weightless lotion. Absorbs quickly and layers invisibly under makeup leaving a silky soft, matte finish on the skin."
• This literally does everything it says it will. 'Nuff said. 

Conclusion: I freaking LOVE this stuff. It literally does everything it says it will. It's amazingly lightweight and it absorbs so quickly, it looks like I've applied nothing to my skin right after I've applied it. And I love that it has an SPF of 30, which I'm perfectly content with on a day-to-day basis.

But Morgan...is it worth the money?

YES MA'AM. Especially because you can find this at Ulta, where there are always "$3.50 off of a purchase of $10 or more" coupons and BOGO 1/2 off discounts. I believe it's also $9.99 at Target. So it's definitely cheap enough to just try it! I'm almost positive you'll fall in love like I have :)