21st Birthday

 Hello everyone I must apologize for the long absence. I had been very busy with college and work and had little time to blog! I figured I'd start with a little update and then share with you what I did for my 21st Birthday Party!

So as some of you might have read in my previous posts I had moved to Portland Oregon for school and after having my first term there I can honestly say I made the right choice! Portland is everything I ever wanted in a city and I absolutely love my school. The people there are all super friendly and I had no problem making friends. Though I've returned home for the summer I'm very excited to to move into my new apartment in the city this September!

With that said I recently turned the big 2-1 on July 15th and instead of doing the typical trip to Vegas or drunken night out on the town, I decided to celebrate at my house with a few close friends and I must say it was one of the best decisions I made! I had fun setting it up too!

I wanted the party to be bold and bright to represent my whimsical personality. Also because I love taking photos I made sure to create cute props and a home made photo booth! 

For decorating I hung up homemade paper pom poms, and placed flowers with star confetti on the table and even made a "happy birthday" banner with gold paper. 

For food and drink I chose an all American back yard bbq theme. We made mini hamburger sliders, salad, watermelon,  and fruit cob-bobs. Instead of traditional birthday cake I thought it would be cute to have apple and cherrie pies! Of course since it was a 21st birthday I made sure to have lots of champagne and white wine for my guests and I. 

 In conclusion I had the most amazing time hanging out with my buddies for my 21st! It was hands down the best birthday I've had yet!

- Leah Montgomery 

Dorm Room Design

Well as you may know,  I moved to college this week and so far it' been going really well! I've made a bunch of great new friends and my professors are all awesome. Not to mention the campus is so beautiful right now with all the fresh flowers in bloom and the green grass contrasting next to carefully designed architecture.

Something I really enjoy doing is interior design, so as you can imagine I take dorm styling seriously! First off I've been tired of looking for cute ideas for designing a dorm room on the internet and running into tacky looking images of rooms that look less then comfortable. It's amazing how easy it is to create a space that not only looks good but feels good. Dorm rooms should be a cozy place to come to after a long day of studying and trekking around campus.

I wanted my room to be bright yet corky, something that could bring some sunshine to rainy Portland. I chose this duvet cover from Urban Outfitters because I loved how different it was. I'd never seen a greenish yellow bed spread before and I loved how it would be something I could keep clean easily unlike white or black bedding. For my sheets I couldn't resist these beautiful red polka dot sheets from Anthropologie  so I bravely waited for them to go on sale...and they finally did (kinda meant to be)!! I then picked some fun bright colored pillows to toss on my bed. I ended up finding some affordable ones at Urban Outfitters and World Market. To add definition I placed a cozy Target body pillow behind the other pillows.  Then I collected a few things for wall art to give it that final touch. I found that butterfly poster at Urban Outfitters, My friend gave me the Fantastic Mr Fox art print as a gift, below I have a pic of my adorable cat when he was a kitten, and I found that sweet wood quote at Joann's Crafts.

I hope I've inspired you to add a little bit flare to your dorm rooms as well!

-Leah

Book Love: Where'd You Go Bernadette

This has definitely become one of my favorites! I originally got this book because I'd heard such amazing things and partly because the cover is awesome! In truth I had no clue what to expect when I started it. The whole story plays out like a fabulously directed dramedy and boy will it get you laughing! I'm not going to say much else other then you should read it!! 

       ❤

-Leah Montgomery

Spring Smells and Bright Nails

  It's almost that time of the year again, spring officially starts in 5 days! I can't wait for pretty flowers to bloom and the smell of fresh rain in the air as well as those glorious sunny days finally returning. Some items I absolutely love to add a little touch of spring to my own life are my Go Be Lovely roll on perfume in Thai Lily, my Capri Blue  candle in Hibiscus Teakwood, and essie nail  polish in the shade of Fifth Avenue. I think it's important to have your home and body smell fresh and sweet in the spring and to express yourself with bright nail polishes. I personally love the bright red color of essie's fifth avenue, I feel it's a good red for spring time and it's one of those shades that looks lovely on everyone! It's nice to step away from the typical spring pastels and do something bold. Go Be Lovely's roll on perfume in thai lily has a refreshing tropical scent mixture of mango, brazilian teak, and 

blood orange. I love this scent because I'm not usually into floral smells and this is just such a lovely mixture that it instantly takes me on a spring break vacation on an island far away. Capri Blue has always been one of my favorite candle brands because not only are their candles beautiful but they smell oh so good! This particular scent fills my whole room with this warm and subtly floral blend of teak, sandalwood, ginger, and tobacco blossom for a romantic yet cozy feel.

-Leah Montgomery

Garlands Galore

   A quick and easy DIY project that I absolutely love is making paper garlands. They add a little whimsy to any room! I like mixing my garlands with white string lights just for a little extra twinkle. You don't need much to create them either! 

here's what you'll need:

1. Scrapbooking paper or card stock in any colors you like
2. Embroidery string
3. Glue
4. Large paper cutter or you can use scissors to cut your own shapes

  Once all your essentials are gathered it's as simple as figuring out how long you want your garland. Then make two of every shape. After you have all your shapes with their identical pair its time to glue. You decide how far you want them spaced, I tend to do 4in for my circle garlands. Simply glue both pairs together on the string and keep repeating until you reached your goal length.

To jazz up your garland tie different colors of embroidery string between each shape! I also suggest when picking paper colors do a mix of patterns and solids to add interest to the eye. 

I like to incorporate all different kinds of colors and patterns.

  You can even try mixing different garlands together. The stars and circles seem to go well! Now that you see how simple this whole process is you too can start decorating your home with a little bit of whimsy.

-Leah Montgomery

Everyday Makeup Look

   When it comes to every day makeup I try to go as natural as I possibly can while still trying to add a little bit of sass. I think its very important to enhance your best facial quality with makeup every day. Its best to embrace and highlight the things you love about your self and one way to do that is through the use of makeup!
  My facial feature I personal think is my best is my eyes, so whenever I put on makeup I like to make them stand out by using a black liquid liner and really going wild with the mascara. Since I have dark blue eyes and dark features in general I like to use black liner and mascara. One way to find if you should use black or brown liner or mascara is to look carefully at your facial features. Start by studying your lashes natural color in the mirror, are they naturally dark or are they a light brown or even blonde? If they're naturally dark you are definitely going to want to use a black mascara. If they're a light brown you might try using a dark brown mascara and if they're blonde try a brown mascara. This is an important thing to know if your looking for a natural look. Now for eye shadow I tend to stick to browns and golds as they are the most flattering to blue eyes and tend to look the most natural. For all you ladies with brown eyes your best colors for a natural look are hints of silver or even a simple light purple, and for you green eye beauties I suggest  a taupe or smokey gray. Always make sure to apply highlights of shadow in the inner corners of your eyes and upper brow bone to add extra dimension  and even brighten them up.

  When doing my foundation I like to apply it with a makeup sponge because it really creates and air brush look and an even finish. After my foundation is applied I like to go over it with a light layer of powder just to reduce shine and increase longevity, cause who wants to keep reapplying makeup all day, I know I don't. Next I like to apply a hint of blush to the apples of my cheeks and blend it all the way back to the hair line just above the cheek bone. After blush is applied I start by contouring with bronzer. First I apply the bronzer just under my cheek bones, it helps if you suck in your cheeks and applying the bronzer into the crease that is created when doing this. Then I apply bronzer just under the jaw bone and on the side of my nose (not the top) and add a hint of bronzer to the corners of my forehead near the hairline.  Once Iv'e contoured and applied eye makeup I finish with a subtle lipstick to tie the look together. Today I chose a sweet pink shade. 

   

 Makeup I used: 

• Mac Studio Fix Fluid Foundation in NC20
• Mac Mineralize Skinfinish Natural Powder
• NYX Natural Eye Shadow Pallet
• Nars Blush in Amour
• Rimmel London Sun Shimmer in Sun Queen
• L'Oreal Paris Carbon Black Telescopic Liquid Liner
• Covergirl Lashblast Fusion in Very Black
• Estee Lauder Pure Color Long Lasting Lipstick in Crystal Pink
• Brushes: Ecotools 

-Leah Montgomery

Where I'm At and What Lies Ahead

  I figured that since this is my first blog post I would start by sharing a little bit about what is currently happening in my life and what is to come in the near future.
  I should start by saying that this past year I've learned a lot about myself and I feel so much wiser and confident in who I am than I ever have. These past 12 months have been a beneficial time for me now that I look back. The 19 year old girl I once was seems like a stranger to me. Someone who was trying hard to be something she wasn't and in the end became unhappy and lost.  I found that through this process of getting to know who "I" was I also discovered who my real friends were and I'm so grateful for all of them. I think the biggest thing I learned though was patience.  This has taught me to be okay with the "now" and not worry about what's to come. Living in the present is so important and really takes away from any anxiety that occurs when thinking too far into the future. I found things always seem to work themselves out and there really is no need to worry. Another important thing I learned is optimism. With this amazing skill life can hardly ever bring you down and it's something that I think everyone should learn. Though I'm not living a life that many people would be envious of I can honestly say I wouldn't want it any other way...because it's exactly the way I want to live.
  As of right now I'm living at my family home and going to community college. This is something I never thought I would ever do, but it's been nice to be surrounded by the people who know me best. Though I've really enjoyed this whole living at home thing I'm ready to go back to University. So I'm happy to say I'll be moving to Portland, OR in about two weeks to study business at Portland State University.  I'm excited but I have no clue what to expect. I feel like it will be a good place for me though. These next few days I need to whip out my final papers for the classes I'm currently taking, as well as pack for PSU, and get everything organized for my up and coming departure.
  I think I can finally say I'm ready to head out into this big bad world after this past year. I feel armed and ready to take on what ever life may throw at me.

- Leah Montgomery