metropolitan museum of art | egyptian exhibit

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

I had to go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for an assignment for one of my art history classes. We had a few exhibits to choose from and I picked the Egyptian one. I don't know what it is about ancient Egyptian art, but I love everything about it and it's my favorite part of ancient western art.

photo diary | new years

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

Whoops, this post was supposed to come out first, before the one on the American Museum of Natural History but I accidentally switched these two. Copping what Stephanie does with some of her posts with the location thing, 'cause I think it's a neat way to showcase where you were at the time, without cluttering up the title. It's a little silly to be putting my own neighborhood but hey, I'm not familiar with most of New York City anyway.

photo diary | american museum of natural history

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

Going to the Museum of Natural History on New Year's Day was probably one of the worst ideas I've ever made. Somehow in my mind I thought "Well yesterday was New Year's Eve, so people are probably going back home today." It was super crowded there! Even so, James and I had a pretty good time there minus the crowds and overpriced food. But at least the overpriced food was tasty. I should have taken some photos of the building itself, but with only a prime 50mm lens I'd have to stand two streets away just to get a decent picture! So note to self: get a zoom lens.

photo diary | california academy of sciences - san francisco

i'm back!

@entarotassadar

I had an amazing time with James in California. He booked us a hotel in San Francisco for a few days and we got to explore Japan Town and the California Academy of Sciences, but honestly I'm really happy just being able to be with him. I'm back in New York now and I'm still settling in - I actually woke up late yesterday morning for work because of jet lag, so I will leave you with a few pictures from Instagram as a quick update.

It's always sad to leave, but I suppose the silver lining is we'll see each other again soon. He's coming here at the end of December, so that's something to look forward to!

travel | 3 tips for packing your cosmetics minimalistically

When it comes to traveling, I always try to pack as light as possible. Makeup and skincare, on the other hand... It goes out of control. Since I've been doing a lot of traveling this year, I've gotten quite good at being space-conscious when it comes to packing these items.

save those sample packets ♡ When you get your samples from Ulta or Sephora, save them! Oftentimes I find that I can get 3 or 5 uses out of a sample packet, and I can throw it away when I'm done which saves just a little more space on the return trip. Generally this is only a good idea if you've tried the product before, because you don't know if you'll get a bad reaction from it and you probably don't want to get said bad reaction on your trip.

transfer products into smaller jars ♡ This has been the hardest for me to master, but I think I've finally done it. Since I'm traveling carry-on only, I kind of have to do this anyway with products that come in big containers. Even so, I've learned to transfer products that contain less than the allowed 3.4oz into smaller containers - it saves a lot of space, especially if you have six other products like that. The past me would have bought my full-size sunscreen and primer with me, but for this upcoming trip I've put them into tiny jars and I'll continue to do that in my upcoming travels!

I bought my small jars here, and I reuse deluxe sample containers when I can. Just remember to label them cause you don't want someone else using your shower gel thinking it's face wash - my mom filled an empty Cetaphil bottle with her shower gel and I used it, thinking it was Cetaphil. Similarly, I filled an empty Josie Maran argan oil bottle with orange essential oil and my sister was thinking about trying it out - which would have been a huge disaster! You could also save the ones you get if you ask for samples... or just ask for samples of your favorite products in-store. Go ahead, I won't judge you ;)

simplify what you bring ♡ Let's be honest here - do I really need to take 3 blushes and 5 lipsticks with me when I'm traveling? No, I do not. But if there's enough space after I pack everything, I probably will For me the trickiest is when it comes to eyeshadows, which I will try to minimize to just one palette... but it never works out so I take two small ones - one that's more neutral, and one with some color variety.

Do you guys have any tips for packing your beauty items while traveling? What are your favorites to take with you?

what's in my | travel makeup bag

Hello! I'm terrible at updating, aren't I? n_____n I've hidden most of my previous posts (again) because I'm not satisfied with them. Plus, I'd like to start somewhat "fresh" because there has been some exciting improvements in my life! It's a little weird to share right now, but I will in due time (probably).

I recently came back from my trip to Canada and will be going back again in late June!! I prefer taking just carry-on because I'm only there for a few days, so I thought it might be a little useful to share the makeup I brought with me.

nars sheer glow foundation in ceylan (sample) / dolce & gabbana the blush luminous cheek color in tan

nars smudge proof eyeshadow base / nars creamy concealer in honey

tarte amazonian clay 12 hour blush in exposed / benefit hoola (mini) / motives pressed e/s in antique pink

motives for lala waterproof eyebrow pencil in dark brown / motives luxe precision eyeline in jet black

motives kohl pencil in onyx / naked 3 / brushes that I am too lazy to mention

The makeup bag I used is from Tarte. I got it on eBay, and I believe it was part of a set. I wanted a bag that had a compartment for my brushes, and this one is perfect! I tend to overpack on the makeup, so I limited myself to one of each "type" - because seriously, am I really going to need to use three different blushes on a four-day trip? Probably not, but I've done that before. The liquid products went into a TSA-approved baggie, but I thought it'd be appropriate to show here. I also added my Naked 3 which went into my handbag. The handle for the Bobbi Brown blush brush is longer than most brushes, so I wrapped the ferrule/bristles part in a paper towel and tucked it safely away in my backpack.

I'm happy to say that with the exception of some eye brushes, I ended up using all the products I took with me (which I'm sure many of us can't relate with, har har). What are some of your travel favorites?

Until next post,

Becky