#beauty – Hannah's Lifestyle

Decadence Arizona 2018

HAPPY NEW YEAR MY BEAUTIFUL BUTTERFLIES! WOW, I can’t believe I haven’t posted since last year, shame on me! LOL. I had the chance to enlighten ya’ll on my preparation process for festivals, Decadence AZ in particular, so I thought it would only make sense to do a recap on the event!

There’s so many different aspects of musical festivals that I love. Each festival is different and unique in its own ways and being that it was my first time attending Decadence AZ, I had no clue what was in store.

Music, Experience and Community

These three things are the things that go into making a festival great, but of course this is a personal opinion. In case you are wondering what I mean, I will go into a little detail…

Music is pretty self-explanatory. For the most part, I decide which festival I want to go to based on the lineup of artists they have that weekend. This festival immediately caught my eye the FIRST day the lineup was released because Skrillex, basically the king of electronic dance music, was making an appearance after a prolonged break for several years. On top of the legendary Skrillex, Rezz, my absolute favorite artist was also going to be playing along with several other amazing artists!
The experience plays into so many different festivals, some more than others. However, the experience is also in your own hands. Decadence had several carnival rides you could go on while in the venue and even some carnival foods such as funnel cakes and fried oreos to add to the “carnival-like experience.” Personally, the best experience for me tends to root from being around amazing people, listening to amazing music and not having a single care in the world!
The EDM community is such a respectful, loving and unified community and being a part of this community has not only helped me grow as a person, but has also helped me to branch out of my comfort zone and explore unknown territory. The community has an acronym: PLUR. You can think of PLUR as more of a lifestyle. It stands for Peace, Love, Unity & Respect. A majority of people who attend EDM festivals work their hardest to show and reciprocate PLUR, and in a world filled with hate, I think it is something we could all learn from.

I don’t want to go into too much depth about my dislikes of this festival because truthfully, the pros outweighed the cons and I still had an amazing time despite the disorganized event, HOWEVER I will say that this was the most overcrowded event I’ve ever been to and because of the overcrowding, there were many people at the event who were disrespectful and had no sense of PLUR. I don’t have control over them or their actions so I didn’t let it ruin my weekend because as I said above, the pros of being around loved ones and dancing to amazing music outweighed the assholes who have no idea what the words “excuse me” means.

What was my favorite part?

There were so many moments throughout the weekend that will be a forever memory, although I’d have to say that my favorite part of the weekend was when the new year started! Shaquille O’Neal (yes the basketball player) has recently gotten into EDM and calls himself DJ Diesel. Well DJ Diesel brought us into 2019 by playing some FILTHY dubstep, making me almost break my neck from headbanging so much, and even bringing out Kobe Bryant onto stage? WHAT?! Not many can say that they started the new year making extremely ugly bassface with Shaq. On top of that craziness, since my boyfriend was unable to make it to this festival with me, I got to exchange a New Year’s kiss with my absolute best friend under the mistletoe. How cute right?

Despite any organization errors and the crappy weather, I got to spend every second of the weekend with some beautiful people enjoying amazing music. It was such a memorable New Years and I wouldn’t change it for the world.

If you have ever considered attending a music festival even in the slightest, IM TELLING YOU TO GO FOR IT! Paying for a festival isn’t just paying for a weekend of fun, it’s paying for a lifetime of memories and friendships.

If you have any questions related to EDM or festivals, I’d be happy to answer them in the comments or in my contact form!

Follow me on social media:

In case you missed:

xo ツ

My Rave Essentials

If you know me or have seen any of my social media pages, you’d know my love for EDM and festivals! I’ve swayed away from talking much about the rave scene on my blog due to the negative stereotypes that accompany it, however I am HAPPY and PROUD to say that EDM and all of its added benefits have changed my life for the better.

ANYHOW, enough with the mush. In light of being more open about the life of what some may call a basshead, a raver, a HEADBANGER (please stop me), I wanted to write a post talking about an upcoming festival I am attending soon called Decadence Arizona NYE. I will be talking about a couple of things I consider necessities when attending festivals and I will also be showing you one of my outfits for the event!

MY FESTI NECESSITIES

First, and most important, a camelback. Many festivals take place outdoors and a mixture of dancing, sweating and not drinking enough water IS NOT pretty…trust me on this one. A camelback is so easily accessible that it is almost impossible to get dehydrated with it always being on your back! I went heavy-duty on my camelback and it has yet to disappoint. This particular bag has several pockets for storing any other rave essentials, along with a 2.5L bladder to keep you from having to refill every 30 minutes! You can find this exact bag here for $46.15. My biggest recommendation when searching for a camelback is to search for quality over looks and even though I know we are all on budgets, this bag is well worth the price and thanks to the amazing quality, long-lasting as well.

A fanny pack. You may be wondering, whats the point of a fanny pack when I already have a huge backpack on my back???? Well let me tell you, I’ve found it very handy to have a fanny pack around my hips so I can put things such as my phone, gum and a fan in it so I don’t have to take off my camelback every time I need something. Plus, you have to take into consideration how 2.5L of water tends to take up a lot of space in a backpack. A fanny pack is nice for quick, easy access! I received this particular fanny pack as a gift, but I was able to find a similar one here for $14.99.

Eucalyptus oil. Festivals and raves can get overwhelming, even for those who have gone to several before. With large crowds, the occasional assholes, loud noises and bright lights, it’s very easy to get anxious and stressed out. By simply putting essential oils on my pashmina or on my wrist and getting a quick whiff of it when I feel the anxiety start to kick in, after a couple deep breaths I feel relaxed and ready to dance and enjoy the experience. Essential oils have so many different benefits, several of which help with stress and anxiety. I personally enjoy the smell of Eucalyptus oil but you can find several other oils that are beneficial for anxiety here. You can purchase a bottle of Eucalyptus oil here for $5.99.

KANDI!! My absolute favorite necessity. Pictured above are several of my single kandi, cuff kandi and perlers! I seriously love making all of these bracelets and necklaces, but the best part is trading all of them at the festivals! I remember when I was super young and I used to make perlers all the time. I’ll have to admit, making perlers is a lot more fun now than it was as a kid. All of the materials used to make everything pictured above were bought at Hobby Lobby, Michaels, Walmart or Joann’s. This part is really up to you. Bring out your own style of creativity in each individual kandi!

Decadence Outfit

I’m not gonna lie, I tend to overpack and bring ANYTHING I might possibly want because truth be told, the finishing touches to my outfit are typically decided the day of. I took some pictures of definite outfit choices and some pictures of possible accessory choices for this festival!

When picking out my outfits, I always say THE MORE SPARKLES, THE BETTER!! So of course I went with the most dazzling of boots. The cool thing about this purchase is that I will probably wear these boots at least once every festivals because LOOK HOW CUTE?! I bought them on IHeartRaves and you can too here for $28.95!

Now onto the actual outfit! For starters, I found the mesh bodysuit here for $9.95. The bodysuit rides up pretty high so I just found some white lace underwear to go underneath. Since this festival is shortly after Christmas, I decided to be festive with my snowflake pasties. You can find those exact pasties here for $9.95. The lovely pink pashmina was a solid find at a thrift shop. The amount of pashminas at just this one thrift shop alone was crazy! Of course, not all thrift shops are alike but if you are interested in buying one, I would definitely check at your local thrift shop first. If you don’t have any luck there, Amazon has a WIDE array of pashminas. Lastly, the face jewels. Face jewels on many sites tend to be expensive and hard to reuse. Every once in a while I will “splurge” on a pack of jewels like these for $11.98, but in the cases where I’m running low on funds, I turn to these single jewels, create my own design and glue it on with eyelash glue!

Decadence Arizona will be my very first winter rave, so I definitely struggled with figuring out how to stay warm throughout the night. I took a bargain with this jacket on IHeartRaves and could not be happier with the product. The jacket was bought solely for Decadence, but has turned into an everyday jacket because IT’S SO FREAKING WARM! Sadly, they are currently out of stock on this item (no surprise there), but if you are interested in purchasing, you can click the link above and give IHeartRaves your email so they can notify you when they are back in stock!

For me, fishnets are a MUST at any event. These adorable lace fishnet thigh-highs, leg garters and fabric mask were all found on IHeartRaves. They have such a wide range of designs for any fashion taste and I would definitely recommend you check out their website to get a taste of the amazing styles and products they have!

Last, but certainly not least, accessories! I tend to bring all accessories I own (because I have a serious problem of over-packing in every instance) and then decide which accessories work best with my outfit that day, so here are a couple of possible hair accessories to go with my outfit! I purchased the two headbands on IHeartRaves and the daisy hair clips in store at Hot Topic.

All together…

Now obviously, I’m not wearing any accessories, only the clothes, but I will be posting a recap on Decadence AZ following the event which will include PLENTY of pictures.

I hope you enjoyed this post. If you are unfamiliar with festivals, I hope this gave you a little insight. If you are familiar with festivals, I hope some of my neccesities you take into consideration and try!

Festivals have changed my life for the better and I want everyone to know how amazing the EDM community and the festival experience truly is. I’ve found myself guilty when buying anything materialistic because buying an experience is something you truly can cherish for a lifetime!

So hear me when I say, it is 110% WORTH IT!

Follow me on social media:

In case you missed:

xo ツ

REDKEN VOXBOX REVIEW

Hello my snowflakes! First, I wanted to apologize for my lack of posting and social interaction on here. The last couple weeks of this semester had me drowning in school work, study sessions and finals, BUT yesterday was my last final so I have officially completed my first semester of junior year! Whoop whoop! Now normally around the middle of the month, I post a monthly favorites, HOWEVER this month I had the privilege of receiving a complimentary VoxBox from Influenster for testing purposes! How exciting?! As I always say, free stuff is my favorite kind of stuff.

The first VoxBox I received was filled with products from Redken. I personally LOVE Redken products and was more than excited to see what I received.

My hair has had a lot of ups and downs, all thanks to the “wonderful” idea of bleaching my hair all by myself. I have worked hard to get my hair to where it is now and that healing process alone, along with chopping my hair off and letting it regrow has taken well over two years. However, Redken products such as their Extreme Strengthening Shampoo, Extreme Strengthening Conditioner and Extreme Anti-Snap Leave-In Treatment have helped my hair to get to the level of healthy I have desired for so long. With that being said, the excitement I had to try some other products of theirs was through the roof!

Color Extend Blondage Purple Shampoo

The first product I received is a purple shampoo designed to strengthen, brighten and reduce that pesky brass color we blondes try our hardest to avoid. My first impression of this shampoo was how pretty the bright purple color was and how amazing the scent of the shampoo was! I was able to build up a nice lather while washing and afterwards, I let the shampoo sit in my hair for about 2 minutes before rinsing.

My only downside for this shampoo would have to be the stain it leaves in your shower and on your hands, although after washing my hands with warm water and soap, I was able to get the purple stain off my hands. For the quality of the product and the benefits that come with, I am perfectly content having purple hands and a purple shower!

You can find this product here for $20.00.

Color Extend Blondage Conditioner

The conditioner, similarly to the shampoo, had an amazing scent and was also purple in color but a much lighter purple. This was a very thick and creamy conditioner (which I love). I left the conditioner in for about 5 minutes and then washed out.

My only downside for the conditioner is that it did not de-tangle my hair whatsoever.

Overall, I did enjoy it and would purchase again. If you are interested in purchasing, you can do that here for $20.00.

Extreme CAT Anti-Damage Protein Rinse-off Treatment

This product is a rinse-off treatment. I decided to use mine right after showering and prior to putting conditioner on my hair. I sprayed it throughout my hair and made sure I soaked the tips of my hair, then I let it sit for about 3-5 minutes and rinsed it out.

My only downside with this product is the spray bottle itself is very user-unfriendly and I struggled with trying to spread the product throughout my hair by myself.

Despite the downside, even after one use I noticed my hair felt stronger and less hair fell out while brushing it. You can find this product here for $19.00.

I do plan on repurchasing all three of these items again and I would definitely recommend them to my blonde ladies looking to add some strength to their damaged hair and get rid of that brassy tone!

I would like to thank Influenster and Redken for providing me with my very first VoxBox! I can’t wait to work towards more in the near future!

Disclaimer: I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.

Follow me on social media:

In case you missed:

xo ツ

Bondi Sands – REVIEW

Hello my lovely readers! I absolutely HAVE to share this amazing product with you all. Personally, I feel 10x more confident when my skin has a gorgeous, bronzed glow. Sadly, I wasn’t born with naturally tan skin so my best bet is the sun, a tanning bed, or a self-tanner. Around August it becomes too cold to tan outside so I resorted to paying an expensive monthly membership at a tanning salon.

NOT ANYMORE.

Save your skin the torture and the wrinkles in the future and tan at home!

Easier said than done right? Those who have experimented with self-tanners, myself included, can vouch for me when I say that after so many tries, self-tanners become more of a hassle than a pleasure. Streaks, that nasty looking orange tone, and the dreaded ankles/knees/elbows? HASSLE.

I first stumbled across an ad for Bondi Sands on Instagram several months ago. Knowing my past experience with “amazing self-tanners,” I decided to not make a rash decisions and instead followed their Instagram page. After months of seeing raving reviews about this product, I gave in and purchased it.

Before

Prior to application, I showered, shaved and exfoliated with a sugar scrub. I made sure that I was not wearing any sort of jewelry or clothing that could mess up the tan. I then took the application mitt (which can be purchased here), put a squirt of tanner on the mitt and started blending from the bottom of my leg, upwards.

I was amazed at how smoothly the foam went on and how easy it was to avoid streaks when applying. Not to mention the amazing smell of coconut that flooded my room shortly after.

For a whole hour after application, I remained undressed to ensure that my tan would remain even and streak-free. The directions on the bottle state to leave the tanner on for at least one hour and then rinse off with warm water. I left the tanner on overnight to achieve a deep tan.

After showering, my tan was gorgeous, glowing AND streak-free!

After (Even Littles loves Bondi Sands!)

If you, like me, enjoy that bronzed glow but struggle to find a self-tanner that lives up to the name, I urge you to try this amazing product or the several others they have on their website! I do not have a single bad thing to say about this product and I know you’ll be just as satisfied as I am if you give it a try!

You can find the exact tanner I used here or visit their website at www.BondiSands.com.

Tackle this winter with me feeling like a BRONZED QUEEN 😍

Follow me on social media:

In case you missed:

xo ツ

NOVEMBER MONTHLY FAVORITES

The month of giving thanks! This is my absolute favorite time of year; there’s just something about the excitement of Christmas shopping, decorating for Christmas, oh and of course spending an entire day shoving turkey and mashed potatoes down your throat! I’ve picked out a couple different items that have religiously been used this month and in months prior so I hope you find some of these items as useful as I do!

Calming Pillow Spray Have you ever felt so exhausted before that you had trouble falling asleep? Insomnia can really take over sometimes and this stuff works magic when that seems to be the case. The initial smell alone soothes all senses, putting your mind in a calm state and ready for a good night’s rest. I was able to find my pillow spray at T.J. Maxx for $5.99 but of course, T.J. Maxx stores don’t always carry the same products so if you are interested in purchasing, you can find this product here for $7.99.

Facial Exfoliator Cleanser You may be wondering, whats the point in washing my face with a brush I have to buy instead of just using my hands for free? I wondered the exact same thing and it wasn’t clear to me until I went from using this brush back to using my hands for several months. Your hands are capable of lathering your face wash onto your face, but unlike a brush, they are incapable of deep cleaning those pesky pores that LOVE building up dirt and grime. On top of deep cleaning, the silicone pad makes it easy to exfoliate your face while washing it! Yay for 2 in 1’s! I was lucky enough to find this product at T.J. Maxx for $5.99, however if you are struggling to find it there, you can also purchase here for $9.45.

Tangle Free Hair Brush Many are unaware of how delicate our hair is while wet and I have an extremely bad habit of being very rough with the tangles in my hair when its wet. NOT ANYMORE! I went from pulling what feels like half of my hair out every time I got out of the shower, to not pulling a single strand out! Now that my hair is getting longer, tangles are inevitable, so if you are in the same predicament as I am, this brush is most definitely the brush for you! You can find this product here for $7.95.

Essie Nail Polish: Clothing Optional 1015 Essie nail polish never disappoints and this color a the perfect neutral fall/winter color for the holiday season! Not too subtle but not over the top. This is my go-to color and if I’m feeling a little frisky, I’ll add a silver glitter polish on top! You can find this color here for $8.97.

Charcoal Black Peel off Mask This is the only peel off mask I have tried. I was nervous at first about the pain of peeling the mask off due to past reviews over other charcoal peel off masks, however this mask was not painful whatsoever. I avoided any hair when putting it on and let the mask dry for about 25-30 minutes before peeling it off. I am beginning to consider myself somewhat of a mask connoisseur, and this mask does not disappoint! I found my mask at T.J. Maxx for $6.99, however you can also find it here for $11.75.

These products are no doubt my favorites of the month and I would definitely recommend trying them out! Treat yourself for the lowest of prices this holiday season.

Follow me on social media:

In case you missed:

xo ツ

OCTOBER MONTHLY FAVORITES

Mid-spooky season! 👻 Despite the fun of Halloween festivities, October also calls for mid-terms and massive amounts of stress. I’ve chosen 4 of my FAVORITE products to share with you that have helped me get through mid-terms and appreciate this beautiful fall season! Take advantage of these October Monthly Favorites.

Almond Macaroon Candle The smell of this candle is absolutely exceptional! Fall candles are an absolute must, whether its fall or not and this candle is unlike your typical ‘pumpkin spice’ and ‘cinnamon apple’ candles. Sway away from your traditional fall candles and still experience the fall smell that will make you appreciate fall all over again. You can find this fabulous smelling candle here for $6.49.

Morphe Nature Glow 350 Eyeshadow Palette This palette is to die for! The colors are gorgeous and perfect for creating that perfect fall look. So many colors to choose from, whether you want a subtle look or a more vibrant red/orange look! Absolutely amazing quality for such an affordable price. You can find this palette either here or here for $24.00.

Epsoak Everyday: Sleep Formula This stuff works absolute wonders for those long days where you needed coffee to help finish the homework but need as much sleep as possible to be able to survive the next day. I recommend running the bath, putting the salts in once the water fills the bottom of the tub and letting them dissolve and then lighting a candle and enjoying the sweet, relaxing smell of lavender. You can find these epsom salts here for $8.92.

Aztec Secret: Indian Healing Clay Last but most definitely not least, the cure to all of the stubborn pimples, whether they be hormone or stress-related. If you haven’t had the chance to try this miracle solution, I recommend you hop on the bandwagon ASAP. Not only is this stuff super cheap for its amazing quality, but it’ll last you ages. I usually mix 1/2 teaspoon of the clay powder with 1/2 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and leave in on until the mask dries completely. Beware: the smell is pretty in your face (probably because it’s on your face HAHA) but it’ll fade and when you go to take off the mask, I recommend simply dabbing water on your face a couple of times and letting the water soak into the mask because in all honesty, it’s a bitch to take off. Dont be worried about the aftermath of the mask either, its pretty normal that your face may turn red for a while afterwards, just be sure to MOISTURIZE MOISTURIZE MOISTURIZE! You can find this life-changing mask here for $10.50.

I hope you’re able to find as much use in these products as I have!

xo ツ

Treat yo’ self

I find it hard to take time out of my day, or even my week to relax and do something for myself. Whether it be 15 minutes to do a face mask and listen to some music or 45 minutes to take a bath, focus on my breathing, and enjoy the silence, nine times out of ten I prioritize school or work or other people before I prioritize me and my mental health. But that has come to an end because I deserve to treat myself to a little spa day now and then or watch a rom-com, cry a little, and eat my hormonal feelings away with a tub of sherbet ice cream. I deserve to take time to myself despite the long list of homework assignments, upcoming exams, and errands I have to do. It’s crazy how much stress affects our brain. Our bodies naturally choose either fight-or-flight in a stressful situation and when we experience so much stress for such prolonged periods of time, our bodies react with a rush of adrenaline, increased heart rate, and energy loss, thus resulting in decreased brain activity. Simply, our brains are not at their highest potential whilst experiencing stress. So my advice to you would be, if you are having a bad day, maybe having an exam coming up, or even getting pissed off at a homework problem you’ve been working on for what seems like an eternity, then stop, take a deep breath, run the bath, light a candle, turn on your favorite playlist and just enjoy doing nothing. You deserve it!

xo ツ