March 2016 - Macarons & Mascara

Tasty Tuesday: How To Skip Dessert Without Actually Skipping Dessert

March 29, 2016Jasmin - Macarons & Mascara Leave a Comment

Ah, dessert, my favorite meal of the day, and you know what they say about skipping meals! On a college campus where so many sweets and treats exist amidst so many students who choose to make the push toward a healthier dietary lifestyle, it can be a bit difficult to walk past a row of chocolate brownies and not even think about making that purchase. FYI, I have actually done a double take when walking by sweet treats in the dining halls! I usually walk away either bitterly content that I powered through the urge to buy that chocolate bar, or regrettably happy that I now have a chocolate chip cookie to look forward to. It’s a bittersweet feeling either way.

But no matter what reason you have for wanting to start walking the path to a healthier lifestyle, despite what you’ve been told, you don’t need to cut yourself out from your happy world of tiny satisfactions. That’s right, you can still have your dessert! So if you think that getting healthy means skipping out on your favorite meal of the day…think again! Here are some foods that are just as satisfying as your go-to chocolate cupcake.

Mango Black Tea Lemonade from Starbucks.

Well, the frappuccinos there are basically dessert! C’mon, a venti cup full of chocolatey goodness, topped with whipped cream and the topped again with chocolate syrup isn’t dessert? Yeah, okay. Believe me, I have tried to cut Starbucks out of my ‘new and improved’ lifestyle and it just doesn’t work for me. Sorry, not sorry. But instead of having a frappuccino everyday, I have taken to ordering their teas and other shaken drinks. I have gone from really cool Cool Lime Refreshers to the super pretty Strawberry Refresher, to Peach Green Tea and now, my new favorite, Mango Black Tea Lemonade. Even with the lemonade added, these drinks aren’t nearly as sugary as frappuccinos are. These drinks are refreshing and definitely enough to keep your tastebuds content.

Coconut flavored yogurt.

I just love coconut flavored anything, but if you aren’t a fan, then try yogurt in a flavor that you are a fan of. I love eating coconut flavored yogurt as a “substitute” for dessert because I it makes me feel like I’m dipping my spoon into a coconut cream pie! Depending on the brand you choose, there isn’t a lot of added sugar — I mean if there was then you might as well have just bought that coconut cream pie — so this ensures that you aren’t pushing yourself too far off the healthy eating wagon. I love having dessert a little early (say 10a.m.) by enjoying a cup of coconut flavored yogurt.

Fiber One brownies.

These brownies are great for dessert because they come in pre-portioned packets, so you don’t have to cut anything yourself. And yes, I know that trick where you cut huge brownie slices so that one slice is basically the size of two brownies. Brownie crimes aside, these brownies come in reasonably sized portions and contain under 10g of sugar each. Plus, they’re brownies. I know they aren’t the same as your world famous chocolate chunk fudge brownies, but on the bright side, at least you won’t have to do the dishes after these!

‘Original’ frozen yogurt from Red Mango.

You gotta love Red Mango’s awesome flavors of frozen yogurt. From Nutella to Birthday Cake, to Spicy Aztec Chocolate, you’re happy so long as your sweet tooth is happy. But the Original flavor can actually make your sweet tooth happier than you think (probably not your dentist though). I like getting a small sized cup of Original flavored frozen yogurt because it’s sweet and just a bit tart (great combo). This is a great substitute for ice cream, of course. I, admittedly, like adding toppings, so I usually add granola bits. Feel free to sprinkle on almonds, strawberry slices, cereal bits, or anything else you think would pair interestingly with this flavor.

Bananas!

You can never go wrong with bananas! Since I dorm in college and I don’t want to pay 95 cents for every piece of fruit I buy from the dining halls, here’s what I do: When I go grocery shopping every two weeks, I pick a bunch of bananas that I think are very green and unripened. This is so that I can have them in my room longer without them spoiling. Once they’re ripe I have a banana a day. I love ripening them to the point where there are quite a few brown speckles on the peel. I find that they’re really sweet at this point. And the best part is, it’s all natural sugar! I usually peel a banana when I’m really craving a piece of chocolate or some other super sweet thing I know I shouldn’t have.

Frozen fruit bars.

Outshine is a great brand that produces these frozen fruit bars. They’re really good, and the company claims to use real fruit. See, fruit can be dessert! Frozen fruit bars are a great alternative to ice cream bars. Outshine has so many flavors to choose from: creamy coconut; grape; lemon; lime; mango — you name it! The only thing just as fun as consuming the product will be picking your next flavor!

So the next time you really, really, really want to indulge in a nice, big slice of decadent chocolate cake or a king sized chocolate bar, spoil yourself with one of these yummy substitutes! How’d you like this #tastytuesday post?

How do you skip dessert, but not really?

Easter Nail Art…Using A Bobby Pin!

March 26, 2016Jasmin - Macarons & Mascara Leave a Comment

Nail art is a cool way to spice up any manicure. Since tomorrow is Easter Sunday, I wanted to do bright, fun designs on my nails, however, since I’m away at college and forgot my nail art tools at home (what was wrong with me?) I quickly found myself with very limited resources. If you don’t really do nail art by yourself, then chances are you’d find yourself in this situation too. Lucky for me I’m also very resourceful, if I do say so myself, and found a super simple solution that can work for everybody: I used a bobby pin to do my nail art!

Aren’t they cute!? The index finger and pinky are very simple dots on a contrasting background, the middle finger is an easter egg design, and — my favorite part — the ring finger is a little chick! The best part is that all you’ll need are your favorite bright, festive nail polishes and a bobby pin — that’s it! No going out to buy any kits, no hunting for specific brushes, and no spending more money than you want to! Here’s what you actually will need:

white nail polish
yellow nail polish
2 light/pastel nail polishes (I chose light pink and blue)
2 darker nail polishes (I chose dark pink and blue)
black nail polish
orange nail polish
other pretty colors
a bobby pin
time

So here’s how I did these nails…

First thing’s first, I browsed my dorm room-friendly collection of colors and picked the ones I thought would look best for this design. I settled on a light pink, white, yellow (because the ring finger will be a chick) and a light, peppermint blue. My thumb nail has the same exact design as my middle finger, so whatever you see on my middle finger is also what’s on my thumb, in case you were wondering. In the picture above, I used two coats of all my selected colors, to make sure I got a nice and smooth finish. Get as creative as you’d like with the colors, though — light purple, light green and even light orange would look really pretty too!

So now it’s time to actually start using that bobby pin…

Bobby pins have these tiny round ball-looking things on the tips, so they’re great for creating uniform dots and things. As you can see, I used the tip of the flat side. I poured a bit of dark blue nail polish and dark pink nail polish onto a stiff piece of paper and dipped the bobby pin into it. The great thing about using the bobby pin is that it’s small which allowed for more control when creating the designs.

I used the dark pink color and the bobby pin to create dots on the light pink nail, and I did the same to the dark blue nail polish on the light blue nail — a pretty, springy contrast! That part wasn’t so bad, was it? Good, now let’s kick it up a notch…Moving onto the middle finger with white nail polish, we’re aiming for a pattern you’d see on an easter egg. I dipped my bobby pin into light green nail polish and used it to create three dots near my cuticle. Not too shabby. Now about that zig-zag line…I chose the dark pink for this. The secret here is to not get too much product on your bobby pin; if yo do, it’ll just come out in a big, blobby mess! Don’t worry if you have to re-dip your pin into the color, just start off a little bit above where you left off.

Okay, you can take a breather now! I went back to polka dots and used yellow and dark blue alternatively for some added flair. After that, I used the pin again to paint a (somewhat) straight blue line right across the nail. Simple, yet substantial. Lastly, (you’ll like this part) all I did was take the brush from my bottle of light purple nail polish and paint the tip of the nail. That’s it! I promise you, this nail was the hardest of them all! But now that that’s over, let’s check on our chick…

This “accent” nail will really bring the whole hand together. Remember the pink zig-zags we made on the easter egg nail? We’re going to use that same technique here, only with white nail polish. Once you make the zig-zag right across your nail, you can fill in the bottom half. This is our cracked egg shell because the adorable little chick has hatched! Take your bobby pin again and dip it into any black nail polish you have to create dots for the eyes. Now for the beak, dip the pin into orange nail polish and create a very short, straight line between and below the eyes. I (sadly) forgot my orange nail polish at home, too, but like I said, I was being all kinds of resourceful yesterday and just mixed together my yellow and red nail polishes.

Finish off with a top coat and there you have it: pretty easter-themed nails, and all you needed was a bobby pin! I hope you liked this tutorial and I hope you all enjoy Easter Sunday!

How To Avoid Burning Yourself Out

March 23, 2016Jasmin - Macarons & Mascara Leave a Comment

Meetings, office projects, fundraisers…oh my! With the hustle and bustle of a busy lifestyle, it can be pretty easy to one day wake up with zero motivation and actually feel tired of the obligations you’re currently tied to. As an ambitious college sophomore, I am currently the Editor in Chief of my school’s branch of Odyssey, I’m a contributing author at Her Campus Stony Brook, I occasionally write and submit articles to other platforms such as Thought Catalog, I’m an undergraduate college Fellow, a blogger seeking to grow her site into a business, a Camp Kesem marketing team member, oh and I’m also a full-time student. And for next semester I want to be an ambassador for this cool organization, an Associate Justice for my school’s undergraduate student government and I would absolutely love a part-time on campus job! Am I scaring you yet? Are you raising your eyebrow in surprise and shaking your head at the computer screen? It’s cool, it happens.

We all just want to do what it takes to get where we want to be, or to enhance our skills and create more enriched versions of ourselves. So if you’re a natural born go-getter (like me!) you want to take on as many responsibilities as you can, which is often a one-way ticket to burning yourself out! It can happen to anyone at any time, which really sucks because you know it’s not like you to feel that way but in the moment you feel helpless and like you just can’t do anything anymore. Sometimes these times are very short-lived and you’re back to kicking ass and handling your work like a pro. If you want to avoid falling into these black holes of lost energy and motivation, here are some things you can do.

Venture out of your comfort zone. If you just can’t resist the opportunity to add more things to your to-do list (or to build up your to-do list) try adding activities that challenge you. Hear me out. Doing something you’ve never done before can be really refreshing, so you aren’t always stuck doing the same thing over and over again. This adds a little zest to your life and provides you with a better opportunity to acquire new skills and credentials. Great for making those resumes look prettier!
Be a little selfish. It’s okay to be selfish sometimes! Actually, putting yourself first is very healthy. You’re a human being first, not the night editor of a magazine, not the president of the student government, not even a student! So if you’re deciding between kickstarting your gym routine and planning fundraisers for your club, I implore you to not feel bad for choosing the first one. Yeah, that doesn’t mean you let your obligations go to shit while you enjoy yourself, but do make sure you’re squeezing in some you time here and there.
Surround yourself with people. Sometimes, if I feel myself slipping into a mood — you know, the one where you growl at everyone and everything that so much as breathes in your direction — even if I just really want to jump in bed and watch Grey’s Anatomy alone while I terrorize a family sized bag of Doritos, I tell myself that interacting with even just one person will make me feel better. And you know what? It does. It can be your roommate, your sibling, your parents, friends, a teacher or advisor you look up to; seeing the face of something other than your phone screen can really lift your spirits, so you won’t feel as crappy about whatever got you feeling crappy! This is important because sometimes, you burn yourself out as a result of feeling down from a combination of things. Stop those bad moods in their tracks!
Keep your calendar close. Sorry to say this, but staying organized will help keep you from that state of feeling like everything is eating at you. Knowing what your obligations are and when exactly you have to carry them out will keep you from feeling confused about your duties and prevent mix ups that you’d rather not have. But, hey, organization can be fun! Buy a planner with really cool print on the cover so you’ll always look at something pretty when you take it out of your bag. Color code your weekly schedule so you’re looking at a sea of colors instead of the land of all that is monochromatic. So if you haven’t yet been trained in the art of organization, now’s a good time to take up the discipline!
Do the little things that make you happy. I know you just love finding out little tidbits about me so it’s confession time: I look forward to playing music while I brush my teeth in the morning. Every morning. Even if I’m really tired and just did not want to get out of that bed for anything, remembering that I can have a mini dance party in the bathroom always lifts my spirits. If you don’t have the time to allocate for doing something gigantically fun like going to Six Flags or hanging out in the city, you can definitely find the time to make everyday moments more enjoyable. Treating yourself to a milkshake with your lunch every Wednesday will give you a reason to look forward to Wednesdays, for example. There are honestly too many ways you can enjoy the little things in life.
Get enough sleep. Yeah, yeah, yeah, easier said than done, right? Actually, it’s a little more achievable than you think it is. After what I just told you about my obligations, would you believe that I still get at least eight hours of sleep every single night? No? Well guess what, I do. I go to bed early (because I suck at doing work at night and I suck even more at staying up late) and I wake up early so I can get dressed and do work and tend to obligations. This works really well for me, so I’m never sleep deprived so I can stay as sharp as a tack (or my eyeliner wings) and put myself in a more desirable mental state to carry out my duties. If you cannot sleep early for the life of you, then make sure you’re at least waking up late — but not at the expense of class or something.

Feeling more confident in your ability to handle life like a pro? I sure hope so! Just small adjustments can make the biggest differences! You’ll never be bored with your schedule, you’ll stay healthy and you’ll still have fun while doing it all!

How do you avoid burn outs?

6 Dresses You Need This Spring

March 23, 2016Jasmin - Macarons & Mascara 1 Comment

Spring is here (believe it or not, Northeasterners!) I’ll let you in on a secret: I hate wearing dresses and skirts. It’s because, well, I just get weird when I wear them — I’m liking it for the first hour and afterward it’s like the glitz and glamour has worn off and I would just rather be in sweats. But at the same time, I can appreciate a really pretty dress, and once in a while I see one that I just feel like I have to have! If you haven’t had spring dress fever yet, these dresses are sure to make you call in sick!

There’s something about cold-shoulder dresses that are innocent yet sexy at the same time! They allow you to expose a little bit more skin without being over the top in any way. This dress gives off a sweet, angelic vibe, especially with the cute crochet detail on the sleeves. This is a super sweet dress that would go great with a flower crown and brown boots for a sunny spring day. I actually have this dress (just bought it this weekend at Charlotte Russe for $21!) and plan on styling it that way, so if anyone would like me to do an “outfit of the day” blog post with this dress, definitely let me know in the comments!
This beautifully bewitching dress is not only affordable ($32.99 at Charlotte Russe) but also really simple and very breathable! Like the previous dress, it’s not meant to hold any part of your body tightly, which means you’ll be able to move freely while wearing this. It’s a long sleeve dress, so if you aren’t too keen on showing your arms, here’s something for you! I personally love wearing black and can totally see myself in this paired with boots, one of those really cute black hats like this one, and pretty, layered jewelry. Let your dark side out this spring and rock this dress to class, on a date, at a cute cafe, or while hanging out with friends!
Denim is super cute as a dress! Now, I wouldn’t wear denim jeans because I’m a leggings girl, but I would totally rock this dress to class on a nice spring day! It’s simple and attractive and it even has pockets! If there’s anything I’ve learned as a leggings lover it’s that anything with pockets that isn’t a pair of jeans is truly a blessing. This dress is great if you want to get on those casual vibes at a casual price — only $34.99 at Charlotte Russe. The belt adds definition by cinching the waistline perfectly. The hue of this dress is also great for spring — so calm and cool!
Calling all goddesses — yes, I’m talking to you! This dress is so beautiful because it’s very simple, the color and neckline are innocent, and the rhinestone detail at the waist adds just enough flair without taking over the entire dress. Plus, the length is quite elegant — it’ll flow perfectly in the light spring breeze! This being said, the dress’s length makes it a great option if you aren’t too keen on showing some leg. You can even add a denim vest or light sweater over it if the breeze is a little chillier than you’d like. This dress can be found at Forever21 for $39.90, so you can look even more fabulous than you already do for only 40 bucks!
It wouldn’t be spring if you didn’t have even one dress with a floral print on it! I found this cutie at Forever21 for $24.90. The floral pattern paired with the off-the-shoulder style makes this dress super bubbly and super flirty! It’s a bright pattern made for a really bright day of springtime fun, and the rope belt adds definition to the waist of an otherwise loose dress. For even more flower fun, you can wear a flower crown in your hair. Or don’t, you’ll look good either way!
Okay, just one more dress with floral print, I promise. This dress has larger printed flowers and is a good alternative to the previous dress if you want to show off your love for flowers while still keeping your shoulders covered. It’s still really casual, plus skater dresses are always fun to wear!

If these gorgeous dresses don’t get you planning your next shopping spree, I don’t know what will! Which dress was your favorite? What other dresses do you have your eyes on? Let me know in the comments!

5 Things To Consider When Shopping For Granola Bars

March 15, 2016Jasmin - Macarons & Mascara Leave a Comment

*Disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist, dietician, or medical doctor of any kind. I am not offering any professional dieting advice of any kind. These are solely my thoughts and insight into how I go about making my own, personal dietary choices. You are free to adopt these ideas into your own life, however, do not take my word as medical fact.

What a wonderful world we live in to have portable bars of oats, grains, fruit and nutrition — ones that can conveniently fit in a backpack, brief case, or purse for sustenance on the go. Granola bars have been one of my favorite breakfast and snack options since middle school — hell, probably since elementary school. I always loved those chocolate covered ones from Chewy, because who doesn’t love chocolate covered anything, really? The older I get, the more health aware I become. So, yeah, I’ve already realized that chocolate covered anything doesn’t exactly pack the nutritional punch we wish it did. Of course, there are some things much worse than nutritional grains doused in sweet, milk chocolate.

Honestly, navigating the isles for your perfect match is pretty difficult, because there are so many aspects to consider. I created a guide that I go by when purchasing granola bars, and I’ve decided to share this with you! So here’s what I usually consider when selecting granola bars:

How much sugar does it contain? This is the first, and biggest, question I ask myself when granola bar-hunting. A lot of people think that calories are their biggest enemy, however, remember the good old saying, “quality over quantity”? It applies here, too. It’s not how many calories you consume, but rather the types of calories you consume. So I basically threw that whole “100 calorie foods” idea out the window. Instead, I look at the sugar content in what I buy. I personally feel that sugar has a more direct role in weight gain and becoming unhealthy, and unfortunately, many granola bars (and protein bars) contain, or contain close to, our recommended daily serving of sugar — a whopping 25 grams. There are granola bars out there that contain fewer than 10 grams of sugar, which I would choose over those s’mores granola bars with 20 grams (and we all know how much I love the chocolate, marshmallow, graham cracker combo). You can check out my list of 10 Granola Bars Under 10 grams Of Sugar on Influentser.
Will I poop? This is a hint toward fiber. I know that sometimes it can be hard to find granola bars that are low in sugar and high in fiber because often times, that’s just the way the trade off works. Granola bars high in fiber may also be quite high in sugar. The same might hold true for some granola bars that are low in sugar. Of course, you aren’t going to get your entire recommended daily serving of fiber in one, puny granola bar, but that one puny granola bar can definitely help you out a little bit more if you pay more attention to the amount of fiber it contains.
Fruit filling vs. fruit chunks. I try to stay away from anything with fruit filling inside because it is typically way too sweet. Even those with sweet a tooth (like myself) have a limit and this is my personal limit. Plus, there are definitely some amount of preservatives in there to keep that fruit filling fresh, or at least edible, for so long. That doesn’t mean there are no preservatives in fruit chunks, but there is probably considerably less. Fruit chunks also tend to be less sweet.
Does it contain something I might be allergic to? No matter how many health benefits a granola bar promises you, if you’re allergic to an ingredient in there, DO NOT consume it. I had this run-in with Chia Health Warrior bars. See, I’m allergic to almonds and I when I happened upon the Health Warrior bars in Target (mango flavored!) I didn’t even check to see if it contained any ingredients I was allergic to. You can probably guess how that ended…And then recently, a friend of mine recommended Lara Bars, so I went to pick them up, but this time I checked the ingredients list. Almonds. Of course. So beware of nut allergies, soy allergies and other allergies when shopping for granola bars! This is actually more important than excess sugar!
Is it sugar free? If the answer is yes then you probably shouldn’t make that purchase…This is something I learned a few months ago from a source I don’t even remember: If a food says it’s sugar free then chances are it actually contains some artificial sweeteners that are actually worse for you than regular sugar is. Weird, right? So sugar-free foods basically defeat their own purpose. I haven’t really seen any granola bars that are marked as sugar free, but I will definitely be on the lookout for them!

I hope you were able to take away something from my guide to granola bar purchasing, and I hope you liked this Tasty Tuesday blog post and will consider these points I made.

What’s your favorite brand of granola bars?

My Spring Break Beauty Wishlist

March 11, 2016Jasmin - Macarons & Mascara Leave a Comment

I look forward to any type of week-long (or longer) break from school because it gives me a chance to think about myself, which can be pretty hard to do when you’re juggling classes, exams, work, internship hunting and the drawn out process of getting your shit together. So when I’m being understandably selfish, I like to think about beauty products I have and ones that have really been on my mind. My Spring Break has officially started, and since I’m not going anywhere special, I’ll definitely make use of this time to explore new products. I know you’re just dying to see what super cool beauty products I’m dying to purchase, so without further ado this is my Spring Break beauty wishlist:

Too Faced Peanut Butter and Jelly Eyeshadow Palette – $36