Dance Visions

Last week I performed my first show in exactly a year since Billy.... and of course, I got to perform with my lovely Etude Ensemble!

Let me tell you, words can't even begin to explain how great it was to perform again. I MISS IT!!

Photo Credits: Skye Schmidt

ooh SO lush-- Brazened Honey Face Mask

Hi internet.

It's been an incredibly stressful week trying to balance midterms and my schools dance concert... But I'm making it through!

I just wanted to do a quick update on this blog with one of the products I've been using recently! 

I went to Lush a few weeks ago and made one of my first purchases-- Brazened Honey Fresh Face Mask. 

It's one of the best purchases I made that day! Because of the stress of midterms and dance concert happening all at once this week, my skin hasn't been doing too well-- and the makeup from the shows isn't doing much to help... But I've been using this face mask for the past couple nights after getting done with my dance show and it literally makes my skin glow and feel brand new.

Since this face mask is primarily for those with oily skin and my skin has recently been oily due to the stress, I opted for this face mask. 

What I've been doing: 

After I wash my makeup off from the show, I get this little guy out of the fridge. 

Then I proceed to lather it all over my face-- but not overdoing it as I want to save some of the mask for later use. 

I usually let it sit on my face until the mask slightly hardens before washing it off. You can really feel a slight tingle in your face, which is obviously the exfoliators doing their work. Once it hardens, I usually wash it off with warm water and towel dry. However, what I've been doing the past couple nights to save time is jumping into the shower when it's time for me to wash it off. 

Then to complete the night, I put on some facial toner (I use Boots Expert Sensitive Gentle Refreshing Toner) to finish tightening my pores and then moisturize my face with night cream (Elizabeth Arden's Good Night Sleep Restoring Cream). Voila! Afterwards, my skin feels nice and replenished, ready for the next day :) 

My only concern is that since Lush is so fresh and organic, their face masks have an expiration date. It's a bit unfortunate because I feel pressured to use the face mask more often that I normally would just so that I could make use of the entire container. But in a way, it's good because my skin is already looking better. 

That's all! This isn't a normal update, but I am just in love with this product and wanted to share it!  Hope everyone has a nice end of the week. 

Random thoughts on random things and I have a midterm tomorrow.

Procrastination is deadly. 

I have a midterm tomorrow.

I really want to see Vampire Academy, for a reason I can't seem to place my finger on. 

Oh, I have a midterm tomorrow.

I think I'm going to get boba tea. Boba tea sound so good.

Maybe not, I have a midterm tomorrow. 

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I got Boba tea. Shh, Don't tell. Green Tea Ice Cream Cooler with Boba Tea. I don't know why I capitalized the first letter of each word.

Anyways, I have a midterm tomorrow.

AHH Procrastination.

I procrastinate procrastinating. 

Literally though. 

I think to myself, I'm going to study later because I want to watch this episode of Pretty Little Liars.

But then I procrastinate watching Pretty Little Liars because I am on here. 

I have a midterm tomorrow. 

I am writing to you at the calm of the storm. It's been a few hectic days with writing essays, reading articles and somehow managing to make it to 8 am classes. Tech Week is about to begin for Dance Visions (the dance show that I'm performing in) and I know it's going to be hell. 

I realized that the last time I performed on a stage is almost exactly a year ago. 

My last performance with Billy Elliot was on February 17... and my first performance with UCI will be on February 11. A year has flown by.  

Same person, different year. 

A friend of mine brought this video to my attention and I seriously can't stop watching it. 

Thought of You- Ryan Woodward

Graceful choreography, simple yet intricate sketches and a open-ended concept... I've been watching this video over and over again and have been feeling inspired to choreograph a piece. I can't get over this video. It's so simple and beautiful, and the artist really made his sketches flow so well with the song. I WISH I COULD DRAW.

I have a midterm tomorrow.

Bye. 

Slow down, we've got time left to be lazy.

Song for the weekend: The Gambler- Fun.

I forgot how much I loved this song. It came up on shuffle as I was driving back to my apartment earlier tonight, and it is just such a beautiful story. Listen & Love.

I want to do a long post about how much I love Fun. and how they've grown as a band so much since Aim and Ignite, but my brain is much too tired, so that will be postponed.

One Directions new music video is the perfect combination of sexy and cute

Honestly, everyone-- stop what you're doing and watch this. One Direction came out with a new music video. It's borderline cheesy, but actually perfect in every way. As said in the title, it's the perfect combination of sexy and cute (If you get this movie reference, we can be friends *cough Crazy Stupid Love*) It's simply the boys of One Direction, what they consider "midnight memories" and some serious appreciation for the city of London.

The band is debuting their newest album titled single, "Midnight Memories" and boy is this song 180 degrees different from their last single. Their last single was a Mumford and Suns/Lumineers influenced blend of folk and pop... This one sounds like Def Leoppards "Pour Some Sugar on Me." You can tell that the boy band is trying to experiment away from their usual pop-dance heavy tracks. In fact, they don't even sound like the same band after listening to their first single, "What Makes You Beautiful." Given their new sound, I expected them to have a music video where all of them are clad in black leather debuting a new look and their cool "rockstar" life style. This music video kind of touched upon my image in my mind, but took it in a different direction...

The video, directed by the fabulous Ben Winston who did their last two music videos, "Best Song Ever" and "Story of My Life", begins at a house party. The boys of One Direction are there, except they're not entirely enjoying their time. Each of the boys are caught up in a scene that I feel like is a scenario we've all been through at a party. Realizing that Harry Styles was missing, my first thoughts of where this music video could go revolved around Styles bursting into the party singing the beginning lyrics of their song, which will then lead to the party suddenly picking up at the tune of Midnight Memories (cliche, right?). People will start dancing, and crazy party antics will take part. Ah, but of course, this didn't happen (though in a way I sort of wish it did), probably because they still have a very young fanbase, and management didn't want to promote partying.

Anyways, my image of Styles bursting into the party singing the lyrics of the song was pretty accurate-- except then it takes a different turn. The boy band ends up ditching the party to go out and make their own midnight memories (heh, see what I did there?!) which include wreaking havoc at a restaraunt, riding on electric scooters, and flirting with old ladies jokingly -- Nice dig at your own reputation, Harry Styles.

One of my favorite scenes of course, is the scene where the boys take a boat down the river and admire all of the London landmarks (Big Ben, The London Bridge, The London Eye). As a huge appreciation for London culture, I nearly squealed at all the beautiful sights in the background. It's in this moment where the scene just really fits the song-- a cheesy "living young and wild and free" popped up in my head as I watched them lift their arms wide open with St Paul's Cathedral in the background (check out the first gif in this post.)

 When you think in the context of the song, you assume Midnight Memories is going to be about crazy rockstar tour antics and heavy partying. But this video takes that and morphs it in a way to create a different (appropriate) midnight memories. Clearly their lifestyle is nothing close to normal and obviously, normal boys probably wouldn't be able to get away with stealing a boat and then climbing up on the London Bridge at night. They are living at the top of the world, yet are still humbled by the beauty of something as simple as London's architecture. Plus, you can't help but smile at the outrageous sillyness of these boys.

And of course, watching the video makes you realize that yeah, there are other things to do than drink your life away at a house party and make useless small talk with people you don't know. Why spend your time doing something you don't like? You create your own memories, and you can do anything you want.


With that said, it's a great music video and a nice shift from their Story of My Life music video (which was on the serious side.) It matches well with the song, and Winston does a brilliant job capturing the boys in different lights. Bravo!

BRB, watching it again. :D

*note* gifs borrowed from Tumblr

Her Campus update- New Article, and Blogger Network!

Hellooooo internet.

Just a quick little post about my beautiful friend, Matlynn Henry, whom I've had the pleasure to spotlight for this weeks Campus Cutie. She was one of my closest dance friends growing up, and we ended up going to UC Irvine together! She's a lovely gal. She's a dancer, loves to nap, and enjoys watching Disney movies. Click the caption below her picture to read more about her!

Matlynn Henry '16

I was also very happy to see that both my Campus Cutie articles made it to Her Campus Top Chapter Articles! This has never happened to me before, so it's a really big deal for me. 

Konstantinos and Thanasis Kaplanis

Matlynn Henry!

While I'm on the subject of Her Campus, I am very pleased to state that after applying to the Her Campus Blogger Network, I got an email saying I have a spot in the Network! Nothing makes me happier, and it's quite exciting because I'll have an even bigger incentive to keep this blog updated. I'm going to try and put a focus to my blog, since right now it's just a compilation of pop culture and personal life. I've recently been writing a lot about music, so I might make a tag for it. Not sure yet what I'll do, but either way, I'm just really happy to get this blog on a roll!