Life Update

It has been a really long time since the last time I posted on this blog. That is because for a while I was too busy for this, but then I didn't even want to use it anymore. And then I went to summer camp abroad for a month.
Now that I'm back and missing camp, I feel like writing, so here I am.
I don't think I'll blog as seriously as I used to. I probably won't promote my new posts so much and I don't even know how many new posts there will be.
They might just come along when I feel inspired, or after something happens, and this blog will become my place to rant. I don't know what I'm doing.
I used to put a lot of times into my posts, I wrote and proof-read so many times, then I made/took pictures and did things that helped me boost my SEO, and then I promoted my posts on social media.
I don't plan on doing all those things now.
I already have a small following and I'm just gonna hope it grows by itself. But if it doesn't, that's fine - I don't expect it to.

School starts in less than 2 weeks and I still haven't started my summer work. I'm starting a new school and I'm kind of excited, even though I'd rather my summer break lasted longer.
I got into a special International Relations class that was hard to get into, and an advanced Chemistry class. I'm excited to make new friends. I'm a little anxious but I already know a lot of people who go to that school and a couple of them share classes with me.
I bet my anxiety will really kick in on the first day.

This is it for today,
I hope I'll write again soon - this was nice.

Zoe xx

Born Pretty Haul + Review

Born Pretty has very kindly sent me some accessories to review on my blog. For those of you who followed my old blog (Zoe's Secret Style), you may know that I have collaborated with them in the past and have always liked what they do.

I got some things that I've seen similar things to on Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest, and have been meaning to buy anyway.

White Triangle Inlay Ring  - this ring is bigger than I expected, therefore I don't know how much I'll wear it, but I do like it.

Dazzling Star Necklace - I love this one. I got it in silver (it's not as dark as it seems in this picture), but it is also available in gold.

Simple Spar Long Necklace - I am obsessed with this one. I love long necklaces because I usually wear quite plain clothes (no prints), and long necklaces / layering necklaces usually spice it up a little.

Purple Rhombus Necklace - I have layered this with the necklace above before (with other things) and like the way they look together.

Overall, I'm very happy with what I got. All the necklaces come with adjustions you can make depending on how long you want the necklace to be. The quality is good, and WAY better than expected after a look at the prices.
The prices at Born Pretty, are already pretty good, but you can use my coupon code ZOET10 for an extra 10% off anything. 

Have you ever bought anything from Born Pretty? What did you think?

This post is kindly sponsored by Born Pretty, yet all opinions remain my own.

Snapchat Accounts You NEED To Follow!

Snapchat has recently become one of my favorite social media platforms (after Instagram, of course). I thought I'd share here my favorite accounts.

Stores
@asosfashion
@brandy.melville
@forever21
@missguidedsnaps
@victoriassecret

These stores share sneak peaks to future collections, behind the scenes of their offices and photoshoots! Sometimes they will have exclusive promotion codes just to Snapchat fans.

Bloggers, YouTubers and MUAs (+links)
@songofstyle
@emshelx
@leannewoodfull
@lottietommo1
@louteasdale
@mypaleskinblog
@rclbeauty101
@tanamongeau1

These are people who have exciting lives and get invited to special events (such as fashion week). They travel a lot and do hauls in their Snapchat story.

Famous People
@itsgigihadid

@selenagomez

@zendaya_96

@moonlightbae (Ariana Grande)

Obviously, these people have amazing lives. Go wherever they go, watch their makeup get done and their shows.

And finally, you should add me to Snapchat, just by scanning the code below with your Snapchat camera:

Leave your usernames below so I can add you back!

60 Simple Things That Make Me Happy

Yes, I know I've been neglecting my blog lately. I just wasn't feeling very inspired and didn't know what to write about. I decided to give it a go anyway, maybe this post will make me feel more inspired.

1. nature
2. hot long showers
3. Pinterest
4. my friends
5. this playlist
6. tea
7. stretching
8. yoga
9. music
10. feminists / people who have the same mindset as me
11. meeting new people
12. food
13. going out with people I like
14. staying in with people I like
15. spending time with people I like
16. when my Snapchat story is on point (@zoeeozstar)
17. when my Instagram feed is on point (@zoanacb)

18. motivational quotes - but not the ones that are cliche
19. traveling and/or discovering new places

20. when people get me
21. shopping
22. window shopping
23. dogs
24. cats
25. animals in general
26. getting good grades
27. ice cream
28. looking back at photos from fun times
29. planning parties for friends birthdays
30. having my friends plan parties for my birthday
31. glitter
32. learning new things
33. coming up with new theories and conspiracies
34. cozy sweaters
35. cozy blankets
36. aesthetically pleasing things
37. aesthetically pleasing photos

38. when my friends invite me to hang out
39. the after-workout feeling
40. baking
41. making things (DIYs)
42. wearing pretty things
43. doing my makeup
44. watching water flow
45. watching fire burn
46. balloons
47. deep breathes
48. flowers

49. plants in general
50. wall decor
51. taking pictures
52. getting ready to go out
53. concerts
54. flipping my hair - even though it's short
55. facepaint
56. doing things and thinking this is going to be a great story
57. when you ask someone for gum and they actually give you some
58. feeling inspired
59. taking care of my skin
60. realizing how many things can make me happy

What makes you happy? Do we have anything in common?

A NINTH GRADER RUBBED SNOT ON MY COAT - RANT

From the minute I woke up until now - this day has sucked. I felt sick when I woke up and a bunch of little annoying things happened throughout the day.
Even though I didn't feel well, I went to school knowing it was going to be an easy day, and I wore my warm cosy coat that I love. I don't have a picture of it, but I found this online and it's quite similar:

And it was fine... until this happened:
I was working on a project with a girl who's a year younger than me (I don't know her too well, but she's a feminist and hates the things that I hate, so I like her), we're gonna call her Noa.
Next to us, were Maya and Shira, two close friends of mine were working, and on the other side of the hallway were a bunch of boys. Only two of them are relevant to the story, let's say their names are Ido and Ofek.

While I was typing, Ofek comes from behind me, with a hand full of Ido's snot - and rubs it on the shoulder of my favorite jacket. Who does that??? I obviously know he was trying to be funny - but read to the end because I'm 500% sure he regrets it now.

I was VERY mad, obviously, so I told him I want him to take it to the dry cleaning (because it's not something you can just throw into a laundry machine) and show me the receipt (he's known for being an idiot and doing stupid things, therefore I don't trust him).
Then - he had the nerves to say no and argue with me - as if I don't hate him enough.
We were yelling at each other for so long that people started watching (yunno - that's what high-schoolers do when there's a fight) - and Maya starts filming me!! I literally went over to her house yesterday and taught her math and gave her relationship advice and tried helping her with her eating disorder!!! Does she really want to lose me? I don't think so!!

Anyway, Maya and Shira are telling me I'm making way to big of a deal out of this. I'd like to see how they'd respond if anyone did that to them.
And if Ofek would've just apologized and said "sorry, I'll take it to the dry cleaners" none of this would've happened. Would that have been so hard? No.
Then - I told him if he doesn't take it I'll tell the teachers. So what does he do?
He says he'll take it - and he takes it to the bathroom and puts water and (hand) soap on it! What an idiot. He just made it worse.

I told him again that I'll tell the teachers. He said "fine" in an underestimating voice. I don't know what school he's planning on going to next year - but report cards are this month, and I'm pretty sure this story will appear in his. Good luck.
I told my teacher - and again - my 'friends' were telling me I'm overexaggerating. She said she'll work on it and see what she could do.

I went upstairs to the hallway we were first in because there's a couch there. I lied there for who-knows-how-long, crying and begging my parents to come to my school (that's pretty far away from where they work) and pick me up.
Eventually, my step-dad agreed to pick me up. It took him about 40 minutes I think, from when he agreed to come. Kids were wondering around, watching me cry and asking if I'm okay. It was so embarrassing, and this part made it all so much worse.
Eventually, a (different) teacher sees me and takes me downstairs. So many more people saw me cry. It was terribly embarrassing.

Just when my stepdad had called to say he'd be there in 5 minutes, Shira found me and asked what's going on and why I told the teacher and if I understand how much harder I made it for him to get into a new high school. Yes, I do know, but I really really really don't care.
I was so sick of this terrible day - so I may have been a little rude to her - but I told her that I didn't want to speak to her.
My step-dad took me to my mom's office and we had lunch together. It made me feel better.

The rest of my day didn't go great, but I'm feeling a lot better now. I also just want you to note that I do have friends at school, but since everyone's been working on their projects I haven't seen them so much today. I also can't wait to see how much trouble he gets into, don't worry - I'll keep you updated!

*The names I used are not their actual names

Do you have any stories from high school? I'd love to read them - so please write them in the comments or send me links.

BOLD MAKEUP LOOK: PINK CHEEKS MAKEUP TUTORIAL

If you follow me on Pinterest, you've probably seen this already. Pinterest really inspires me to get creative with my makeup and do fun things with it. I'm always pinning things I want to do/try, and when I found this picture I decided it was time to start. Why not? I have what I need for this - so I did it. Very differently, but I did it, and it was fun.

Photographer: Bec Martin, make-up: Colette Miller, Model: Jess @ IMG

My version (yes I do realize I had to change shirts in the middle):

How I did it:

My face was doing pretty well (acne-wise) on that day so I didn't use foundation, and I skipped to concealer. I used the Max Factor Color Corrector Stick in green to erase the little amount of redness I had on my face and BareMinerals Stroke of Light Eye Brightener in the shade Luminous 2 for my under-eyes. 

Then I started piling on the blush - all over my cheeks, cheekbones, even the sides of my forehead. I used a combination of Down Boy by The Balm (blush) and Topshop's Flush (cream blush) - sorry I couldn't find a link. 

This is when I put on my Topshop Brow Pencil in Vicious Circle, Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner in the shade Spandex and my Clinique Lash Doubling Mascara.

To finish off, I wore my Clinique Chubby Stick Colored Lip Balm in Super Strawberry. 

I know my version isn't exactly the same, but I just wanted to experiment a little.

And that's it! What do you think of this makeup look? Would you try it (just for fun - or out if you're brave enough)? Would you like to see more posts like this, where I try to recreate bold makeup looks I find on Pinterest? Because I do them a lot with my friends when we're bored (you'd know if you'd follow me on Instagram hehe).

REALISTIC MORNING ROUTINE FOR SCHOOL

Image credit: Pink Pot, edited by me.

7:00 - my mom walks in my room and starts yelling. first attempt at getting up

7:05-7:10 - several more attempts until I actually sit up and put in my eye contacts

7:12 - go to the bathroom: pee, take out my retainer, brush teeth

7:15 - get dressed. Since I have school shirts I have to wear every day and a strict dress code about pants/skirts, this doesn't take much time. Plus, I already came to school in my pajamas a few times - so who cares what I wear.

7:20 - makeup & hair: I usually just fill in my eyebrows and either leave my hair alone or put it in a ponytail - depending when was the last time I washed it.

7:24 - breakfast: I usually eat a quick bowl of cereal with milk and take my medication with the milk that's left over.

7:30 - take the food my mom made me (and/or) money for the day and stuff it in my bag and leave to the bus station.

7:33 - get to the bus station. I usually wait a couple of minutes until it comes. While waiting, I start watching Snapchats that I missed last night (add me on Snapchat @zoeeozstar).

7:35 - get on the bus and sit down. I then finish checking my Snapchat, Instagram, and messages.

7:55 - this is when I get to school. My classroom is on the 3rd floor - which means A LOT of stairs. I walk quite slowly since I'm still checking my Instagram (I like getting to where I finished the night before).

8:04 - is when I usually get to my classroom. I drop my backpack and step outside to the lobby. I usually choose a table and lay on it (because it's morning and I'm tired) while I finish checking my social media. Sometimes my friends try to talk to me but I explain to them that it's morning and I need my 'Internet Time' so they leave me alone - unless they're in the mood to piss me off.

8:15 - the bell rings and my classes start. Here comes hell, how fun :)

*All of these times are approximate and change daily.

How long do you take to get ready in the morning? Which of these do you do?