August Favorites!

August has come and gone already. Everyone's going back to school, and fall is dawning upon us slowly. I love watching these kinds of videos on YouTube from all of my favorite YouTubers, so I thought it would be cute to start a sub-segment here on WCW about my favorites of the month! Basically, this is going to be a post going through a few of the things that I've been obsessing over, throughout the month of August in the categories of beauty, fashion, music, Instagram pages, and other random things I've been loving! Let's get right into it!

Beauty :

Laura Mercier Oil-Free Silk Creme Foundation:

So I've been looking for a new foundation for a few months now, because my skin has been changing so much recently with the weather and season! More recently, my skin has been pretty oily, and problematic. Before discovering this new holy grail foundation, I've been using MAC Studio Fix Fluid, Kat Von D Lock-It Foundation, and a Sephora Brand foundation. All of them are fine foundations, but not for me. Personally, I don't have the best skin, and I have lots of acne scarring, and I tend to break out a lot, especially because of my restaurant job. Because of these things, I like a full coverage foundation. I was shown this Laura Mercier foundation by the amazing girl at Sephora who worked there, and always knows what she's talking about. She gave me a sample, and used on me, and I fell in love. She applied it with a Beauty Blender (more on that later) and it basically transformed the way my makeup looks on my face. I used the sample, and the next day at work, I have several people comment that my skin looked it was glowing, and it looked healthy, and bright, which was so amazing to hear because I'm usually pretty self conscious about my foundation look. I got a few more sample pots of it, before I purchased it recently, because it definitely wasn't cheap. I finally had the $50 to buy it, and I'm so happy I did, because you get what you pay for, and I've been so happy with this foundation. It's my new favorite, and go to foundation! 

Beauty Blender Makeup Applicator Sponge:

I've used so many kinds of brushes, and sponges and nothing can even hold a candle to how much I love my Beauty Blender. I've bought either knock offs of the BB, and nothing has ever worked as well for me as it has! It's completely transformed the way I've been wearing my foundation, and concealer! It's definitely one of those makeup things that when you buy it, boom, you've done it, and you don't have to worry about buying again, for awhile, SO why not just go out and do it?! I realize that now, but before I did, I never realized the difference between a BB and the knock off ones I'd been using before, but the BB is a lot more squishy, softer, gentle on the skin, and it really blends your makeup really well! I don't even mind cleaning it! I was always really bad about cleaning makeup brushes, because it took so long, and I'd have to wait for them to dry, which took forever. You just put any kind of anti-bacterial soap on this bad boy, run it under some cold water, and squeeze squeeze squeeze until the water runs clear, and the BB is back to it's original color! I use my BB wet, as it was advised to when I bought it, so I can pretty much use it right when it's done being cleaned! I don't consider myself to be great at makeup or anything, but I do mine every day, and I've used it every single day since I purchased it. It's usually about $20, and it's well worth it!

SmashBox Step-by-Step Powder Contour Kit:

The same girl who put me onto the Laura Mercier foundation, also helped me find a contour kit that worked for me, and even showed me step by step how to contour, and highlight my face! Since my skin is on the oily side, I should use a powder contour kit so I'm not adding any more oil to my face, and this palette is perfect for that! It comes with an amazing brush that has worked really well whenever I've used this palette! The palette comes with three shades; the contour color, bronzer, and highlight color! There are millions of videos and walk throughs of how to contour, so I'm not going to get into that, but I WILL say, my makeup has never looked better after using this palette! The colors blend flawlessly, and even though I'm not great at makeup, this palette is really easy to use, and comes with basically a diagram next to the mirror IN the palette. It's pretty much fool-proof. 10/10 would recommend!!!!!

FASHION:

I've been so involved with work recently, and it's not a job I can dress up to (I'm a waitress at a Mexican and Colombian restaurant,) so I'm usually really casual. Since I don't ever have days off, I've been all about comfort recently.

Vans Sk8 Hi's:

I have 5 pairs of these sneakers in different colors, and I could LIVE in them basically, like I kind of already do. They're easy to throw on, but they still look good, and effortless. I won't say too much about them, but they're pretty comfortable, and wearable. I love them in all colors, and I plan on getting so many more pairs!

Ray Ban Club Master Sunglasses:

As sort of a TREAT YO SELF after moving into my new apartment, I celebrated by getting myself a new pair of sunglasses that I would cherish, and take care of. I usually keep sunglasses around for awhile, and treat them well, so a friend told me I should just splurge on a nice pair. I have a pair that look like a dupe of the club masters, that are from Urban Outfitters, which are great. But they're made cheaply, and the bridge bumper on them fell off, and that's when I decided, I needed to get a pair of Ray Ban Club Masters, because treat yo self, right? I wear them every single day, and I feel fancy as fuck in them! 

Instagram Page:

@NinaBlackWolf :

I love makeup artist Instagram pages soooooooo much. I could honestly scroll for hours, in envy. Nina's Instagram is definitely one of my favorite pages to lurk for an embarrassing amount of time. First of all, she's GORGEOUS. Hair, makeup, style, and relationship goals ALL over her page. 

I would recommend you check out any and ALL of the things I talked about here! 

XO
MELANIE

New Belgium - Hop Tart

More of these please. Much like one of my favorite beers (evil twin's sour bikini) this is a sour ipa. Very much on the session end too even though the hops are very present. Nelson Sauvin, Galaxy and Experimental Hop 522 dry-hopping with lactobacillus for souring. Nice malt profile as well. Juicy but not too much. And a great amount of tangy sour like a granny Smith Apple. This and all of New Belgium's sour beers are incredible. I can't wait to see what they keep cranking out. Only downside here? Draft only! Good luck as this beer is surely one to try. Cheers!

my score: 95

Rate beer: 94

Beer advocate: 86

Born Free

Born Free 7. Sturgis of the west coast, but without all the baggers and Kid Rock-esque bands playing with Bud Light/MTV sponsored banners on stage. A weekend where riders from all over the country ride to Irvine, CA on bikes both old and new, American or foreign, to convene and live out a weekend embracing the biker lifestyle.

Whether you live East Coast or West, North or South, I would highly recommend checking out this show. I spent a week last June, although unable to go, following a few riders make their way across the US. One in particular was Mikey Arnold (IG @mikeyrevolt) as he rode from Cleveland out to Cali, documenting the entire trip through his camera lens. Absolutely awe inspiring pics, from the canyons of Utah, the mountains of Colorado, or being stuck camping out with a burnt out exhaust, it is plenty to make you want to get up and just go.

There is nothing that I love more about riding than the sense of brotherhood that comes with two wheels and an engine, and if anything, Born Free is proof of that. So take the opportunity to check out the show here, or make your way out to the west coast for 2 days of rubbing shoulders with fellow brother and sisters.

Ride safe

-Justynn

The Moto Quest

Riding, for me, is all about the trip. Short or long, it doesn't matter. Two wheels, an engine, and the pavement underneath of you. You are connected to the road by nothing more than that. You see everything, you feel every bit of it. It means so much more than just getting from point A to B, it's an experience. There are days that all I could think about is getting off of work, packing up my bike and leaving for the weekend, just ride someplace new and discover. 

What if you found out that there was so much uncertainty in your future, and being told by doctors that you wouldn't live to see 30? Aileen of The Moto Quest had to face that reality, and dealt with it head on. 

Instead of letting tragedy hold her back, she decided to embrace life and move forward. She has chosen to pack up her Honda CD250U and travel the four corners. Her bravery to set out with no real plan, and to just follow the road to where it takes her is absolutely inspiring. 

Please take a few minutes to check her out, and share her story with others