High School Daze

Lately I've been digging through a bunch of my old photos and videos on the web, from random image hosting websites I've saved them too, because I'm thinking about deleting my facebook. I want everything important saved on a hard drive before I delete any of my social networking sites, and let me tell you; I have found so many documented memories that I forgot that I even had! High school seems like such a blur now. I've lost friends, but I've also gained them. I've given up on relationships and started new ones. I moved from my old town, and started a new life, but I've tried to hold on to those who were, and still are, dearest to me.

These photos and videos I've stumbled upon have created many mixed emotions; happy, sad, thoughtful, embarrassed, cherished, loved, a lot of 'I can't believe we did that!' and 'I miss you's... and there were definitely a lot of laugh-out-loud moments. Looking back on old photographs, I always tend to think; "I miss how things used to be". And yes, I do miss it; but I also think about how far I, and all of my old friends, have come in life. All of the accomplishments we've made, how much we've grown and matured, discovering our passions... these years of our lives are about shaping the kind of person we're going to be for the future. I am sad when I look at these pictures or watch these videos, but I'm also very happy. Even if I don't talk to some of the people much now, it's good to know that at one point our lives intertwined, and we shared a few, or many, good laughs.

That being said, I just wanted to make this post about cherishing those fun, embarrassing, yet unforgettable memories, and don't be afraid to go back and take a look every once in awhile. 

It may turn your bad day into a good one.

Outfit Inspo: Spring Fever

Topshop black long sleeve shirt $20 / River Island long white crochet skirt $17 / Wedge heel shoes $45 / Yellow handbag $40 / Sole Society cat eye sunglasses $25 / Black nail polish $11

Spring is slowly turning to summer, but here in the bay area we're still having a few windy and overcast days. I paired a spring-y crochet/lace shirt with a long sleeved top or sweater. It's something that can keep me warm (and cool!) and it's something I can wear out, or even acceptable enough to wear to my job. And of course, black on black; though I chose a yellow accent for a bit of a pop. - I personally like how yellow looks with black and white over the orange in the photo - Most of the outfits I choose will involve black with some kind of pop of color. Black is totally my comfort color, and you can almost always find me wearing it. I'll try to mix it up eventually, but black is stunning and goes with everything, just sayin! ;) You could also pair this with some cute sandal wedges for warmer weather, or some pink or yellow nail lacquer to brighten up the look!

So, Ta-Da! My first outfit inspiration of the week. Now, I'm not sure if I'm going to be doing these weekly, but I'm going to try my best to keep this a recurring post. I thought it would be a good idea to do an outfit inspiration post because it helps me put together a cute outfit for a decent price. I'm not one to spend a bunch of money on clothes, and by that I mean I don't like to spend over $50 on one item of clothing. (Occasionally there are exceptions, but you won't catch me buying anything over $100!) I'm not a huge name brand person either; I mean owning name brand items is definitely nice, but I just can't bring myself to spend the money on them when I can usually find something that looks generally the same for half the price or even less. I'm a huge bargain shopper, even if I have a couple hundred in my bank account, you'll still most likely find me in the sales or clearance section!

I'm also not very good at putting an outfit together, unless I can see it all at once. I'll pick up a blouse and be like, 'this will look totally cute with the (blank) that I have at home!' and then I get home and put it together and it's absolutely horrid! & at that point I have nothing to match with my new blouse. This way, I can take a photo and find a way to piece everything together in a way that looks adorable!

Links for all of the items are shown above.

Birchbox Goodies!

I received my very first Birchbox today! I have to admit that at first I was sort of disappointed; my friend posted her April box on Instagram, so I was expecting the exact same stuff that she got in hers. When I got mine though, it was sort of similar but had different, not as cool things. I then was told that they send you stuff based on the profile you've set up with their website, and I didn't even have mine set up! So May's box should be more fitting to my needs, but now that I've taken the time to read about my goodies, I am pretty satisfied!

Color Club Nailpolish in Heirloom Pearl // Harvey Prince Yogini Perfume // No. 4 High Performance Clarifying Shampoo // No. 4 Reconstructing Hair Masque // Sumitas Color Eyeliner in Deep Purple // KIND Snacks Healthy Grains Maple Pumpkin Seeds with Sea Salt Bar // Fun tip for a rainy day #33

I still have yet to use everything, (the Healthy Grains bar was yummy!) but I'm mostly excited about the purple eyeliner & the nail polish. The shampoo and hair mask would probably be more exciting if I hadn't just bought and tried out a new shampoo and conditioner that I absolutely love, and I'm not changing! (Enjoy Luxury Shampoo & Conditioner, I definitely recommend!) But I'll most likely try the No. 4 out sooner or later.

(My fun tip for a rainy day!)

All in all, I'm glad I made the decision to invest in Birchbox. I'm still a little new to the beauty world, so it's nice to get samples of a bunch of different things that I can try out. If you do sign up to birchbox, just go to their website (birchbox.com) and you can either pay $10 a month (per box) or pay $110 for the whole year. I really think it's worth it!

If you do initially decide to purchase a Birchbox prescription, please click this link to subscribe! I get points for every friend I refer, and you'll start to get points too once you buy your first box :) Each 100 points is redeemed for $10!

Blogger: To be, or not to be?

This question has come up multiple times in my life; and no, I don't mean the website! There are pros and cons to maintaining a blog, but I guess it just depends on the type of person you are. Blogs are a great way to share your story, or stories. Whether it's something significant, or you're just blogging on the daily. I want to blog because I want to put everything in my head down onto paper, or in this case a website. Whether it's an idea, a design, an opinion, a passion, a list, a review, a recipe, an interview, a haul, an 'outfit of the day', a DIY tutorial, a contest, a giveaway, a news story... or I'm just jotting down my thoughts. I want to make it permanent. I want to document my life and thoughts in a way that I can go back and look upon it years from now, and I want to share these things with other people who can benefit from it.

I don't want this blog to be negative, it's called youthphoria for a reason! I mean, yes, occasionally I'll have those posts where I'm just having an off day or I'm arguing about something I disagree with. But I don't want to post about the negative things in life, and if I ever do, I want to try to not focus on why it's negative, but on how I can make it better. I want this blog to make me a better person. I realized that sometimes I don't even notice things within myself until I write it down, my true thoughts don't ever come out unless my fingers are attached to a pen, or I'm typing away on a keyboard. I'm not very good at speaking aloud, or conveying what I'm thinking in the spoken form. This way, I can turn to a blog when I need too, or want to, talk. 

Maybe if I write down a workout regime, I'll actually do it. Or I plan a DIY tutorial or talk about reading a book I've been wanting to read, I'll actually get to it. Youthphoria can be a motivator for me, a way for me to express myself creatively, socially, and intellectually; while allowing others to read my writings, and maybe eventually they'll feel like they want to do the same.

I'm starting slow. Like I said above, maintaining a blog has a lot of pros and cons, and it can be a lot of work and time. My time is very limited right now, I'm a twenty one year old full time college student with two (soon three) jobs, and I'm in a relationship. But I'm going to try my best to at LEAST blog once a week. I'd definitely like to make that my goal. I'm still trying to figure out if this blogging thing is for me.

Here's to getting in touch with my creative side.

xo

Bree