Why It's Okay to Have No Clue What You're Doing With Your Life (Twenty-Something Edition)

As most twenty-somethings that have just graduated from college I have felt like I am floundering as I step out into this crazy world we like to call "adulthood." Now I know that I am actually doing quite well for myself - I have a full time job (okay I have a full time and like 4 part time jobs), my own apartment, a puppy (okay okay... dog. He's 7), a retirement account and no debt. Now. That does in no way mean that I feel like I have a solid handle on my life. But that's okay.

I graduated in 2012 with a 3.96 GPA with a degree in Mass Communication and a minor in English: Professional Writing and Presentation Media.

**NOTE I am writing this without my handy AP Style guide so I cannot guarantee proper AP style throughout this post... or really any post, because hey! This isn't a news story, right?**

Throughout my time in college I had 7 internships. Yes, I know. Overkill. After college I applied for 76 jobs and I heard back from 3. One of the jobs was exactly what I wanted (radio news anchor in a top 25 market!!!) but was for very low pay and could only give me a few hours a week and one job was just ok (Marketing Associate at a Google Affiliate). Marketing had never been my calling, but I had taken marketing classes so why not?

Now this leads me to point one: Don't be afraid to try anything and everything! Don't be too picky - you never know where it may lead. I took the Google Affiliate job and I actually wound up doing in-house video editing! Another example is I always wanted to be a country radio DJ, but couldn't quite get my foot in, despite multiple internships. By taking the radio news anchor job (Saturdays 5am - 11am) it gave me the opportunity to keep in touch with the country station in the same building under the same ownership. I now am an overnight (Yes, Saturday night to Sunday. No, I don't sleep ever) DJ! I know it's not ideal, but hey? I'm young right?

Point number two: It's not always your fault. Now I am a strong advocate for taking responsibility for your actions and making things happen. I know my generation typically gets labeled as the "Not My Fault" generation, but some things really aren't your fault! I have started separating my life into two categories: Things I can't control and Things I can control. I can't tell you how much this has helped. There is nothing I could have done to keep from being let go from the Google Affiliate job. I was hard-working, responsible and ambitious and in the end it wasn't a good fit. And that's okay.

Point three: Roll with the punches. I am so not a getting-fired kind of girl. I was managing an amusement park with 50 employees under me by the age of 19. I don't get in trouble. It's just not me. I am always the responsible one who hits deadlines. Thus, when I got let go - notice I still struggle to say "fired"- I was about as down and out as you can be. Luckily I have an awesome support group surrounding me. Through the love of my family, friends and boyfriend I was able to get out of bed (okay sometimes I was actually dragged out of bed) and kept applying for jobs like a crazy woman. This kind of back fired a little because I now am a Taekwondo instructor, a choir director for adults with disabilities, manage social media for my parent's store, am a radio news anchor AND I organize international soccer tournaments full time. As a direct result of leaving the Google Affiliate I now have a job working with the sport that I have loved since I was a toddler and I get to see the world!!
You could say that I'm a busy girl. And a lucky girl.

I work as hard as I know how because right now in life, I have no clue. I have a schedule of things that I try to make work, but juggling so many jobs to make ends meet is no picnic, but I do it. I'm also saving money for things like: skydiving, a trip to Ireland, a trip to London, and a Michael Kors Watch. I don't know what my long term goals are really, other than to be happy.  I would like to get married someday, but first I think I want to figure "me" out first. That's not to say that getting married in your early 20s isn't right for someone else.

Anyway, right now I know that I love my life and where I am. And that is the key to happiness. Having goals and dreams is so, so important, but I think it is equally important to realize that sometimes life has other plans for you - whether that be having to move back home because you can't find a job, or having to move across the country for an unexpected job offer, my advice is to roll with it. You are young. It is okay to get mixed up sometimes. That does not mean that you aren't moving forward with your life, it just means that you are growing in a different direction than you originally thought you would be growing. Learn from it and don't be afraid to back-pedal if needed. It is never too late to go back to school, visit Paris, or get back in touch with old friends.

When you start to get flustered about trying to figure out the future - sit back, breathe and remember, you are not alone. Life has a way of working itself out.

“Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end.” - John Lennon

Malena

Worst Face Mask - Freeman Revealing Peel-Off Mask

I recently had access to a wonderful jacuzzi tub. I decided to pamper myself a little bit and take a nice long bath complete with bath salts, a candle, a book and a face mask. I really have not tried out too many face masks but I found one at walmart for a little over a dollar. Big mistake.

This mask was atrocious. It said to simply apply to your face. My first impression was not great - it smells nothing like pomegranate. It only smelled like chemicals. Then when I applied it onto my face it was a significantly less-than-pleasant experience. It said to leave it until it dried - that never really happened. I gave up after 15-20 minutes and tried to peel it off. It did not work well. I wound up having to basically scrape it off of my face. It wouldn't peel or rinse off. In general, save your money. This is one product that is not even worth the dollar I paid for it!

Malena

How to Pack for 2 Weeks in a Carry-On - Makeup Edition

This is a post that I originally created for my travel blog (LenaLivingLife.blogspot.com) but I thought it would be very applicable over here as well! It is written in future tense, but I actually just got back from my European adventure.

I do like makeup, but I am not really a full face of makeup every day kind of girl. Most days I slap on some foundation and call it good. The problem I'm running into with this trip is I will have all kinds of occasions! Below is what I decided to bring with me.

I know it seems like a lot, but I will be gone for two full weeks and in that time I will be:

a) Working in a professional environment
b) Attending nice dinners
c) Heading out for New Years Eve!
d) Having my picture taken in front of awesome
   landmarks
e) Traveling a lot!

I'm taking a lot of Clinique makeup because I recently got an awesome bag of sample products for free when I bought my foundation. The eye shadow palette, pink lip stick, mascara and perfume were all free! They are small and great quality and are nice and neutral, though the eye shadow does have a darker shade too. That way if I was feeling adventurous I could make a smoky eye... ha. I'm also bringing a concealer, powder, eye shadow base, eyeliner, darker lip stain, and blush. They all have been selected because I will not need to bring brushes and they are long lasting! Especially the Revlon just-bitten kissable lip balm stain (what a name!). That thing seriously lasts forever and doesn't smear so I don't have to worry about lip stick on my face when I get my picture taken in front of the Eiffel Tower or something.

 Another thing to note is that all of that makeup fits in this little make up pouch! The only exceptions are the liquid products which will go in my clear zip lock bag for traveling on planes.
As I'm sure you all have picked up on by now I like the color lime green. And yes, my boyfriend and I hand painted my vanity - we found it by a dumpster and cleaned it, sanded it, painted it and added some hardware. Below is a picture of the pouch next to my hand to give you a better idea of the size.


I'll post again soon,

Malena

PS Sorry for the weird lighting - my main light in my room burned out so I had to use a lamp.

Beauty Is Not a Thigh Gap... Or Is It?

In today's society girls constantly are under pressure to look and act a certain way. Girls "should" be ditzy, agreeable, and skinny with a thigh gap. Standing up against these stereotypes is nothing new. And while I agree that those particular stereotypes should be fought against, I would like to also take a stand for the girls who are told that being a size zero and having a thigh gap is something they should be against or ashamed of because it means they must have a problem. I have always been naturally thin - I have a very fast metabolism and have always been active in sports. I have recently seen campaigns that have slogans such as "Zero is not a size." Well I am not afraid to say that for a large portion of my life zero was my size. And there is nothing wrong with that. 

I am also genetically inclined towards having a thigh gap.

I am naturally thin and I am bow-legged. As you can see in the above picture my feet are clearly together and it is obvious that my thighs are no where near touching. I have heard so many people saying things like having a thigh gap is disgusting. To me that is no worse than telling a larger person that their larger thighs are disgusting. I recently saw a video on youtube that perfectly complements this post. Go and watch that video by Zoella and Sprinkle of Glitter here.

I think instead if we simply encouraged women to be healthy, the world would be a much better place. Healthy can mean different things for different people and that is what beauty is. Beauty is different on everyone. No one should be forced to fit a mold - or made to feel bad for happening to fit that mold.

I was constantly under weight and at one point was having problems with passing out because of my weight. I was lucky enough to never suffer any kind of eating disorder. I was just a collegiate athlete and possessed a fast metabolism. However, I decided to take steps to make myself healthy. I went to a doctor and was prescribed medicine that was designed to make me gain weight. Since then I have put on enough weight that I am now in a healthy weight range. 

Don't be ashamed of who you are - thin, large or somewhere in the middle. Instead of focusing on looking a certain way, focus on feeling a certain way. Focus on feeling good about yourself and work to improve your health! Be healthy. Not skinny.

Lots of love,

Malena

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Wonderful World Views

Recently I was lucky enough to get to travel all over Europe for work! If you want more details on what I did on my trip check out LenaLivingLife.blogspot.com.
Along the way I came across some truly breathtaking views.

Notre Dam, Paris France

Arc De Triomphe

  

Eiffel Tower, Paris, France

 

The Louvre, Paris, France

Amsterdam, Holland

Barcelona, Spain

I have more in depth travel posts on LenaLivingLife.blogspot.com but basically I just want to encourage you to go travel and see the world as much as you can.  Being young is a blessing that does not last forever. I am lucky that I get to travel and I wanted to share some of my favorite views with you.

Malena

Great Find - Great Product - Urban Decay Palette

I've had my eye on the Urban Decay Feminine, Dangerous and Fun Palettes for quite some time now - ever since one of my favorite bloggers FleurDeForce (http://fleurdeforce.blogspot.com) did a post about  them.

I personally was drawn to the Feminine and Fun palettes - mostly because I'm not big into smoky eyes. If I venture outside of neutrals I prefer to experiment with color. The main reason why I had not purchased any of the palettes before now is because of price. These palettes ring in at a hefty $36. While I realize that $6 an eye shadow is really not unreasonable, I am on a rather tight budget so I decided to hold off. You can imagine my delight when I saw they were on sale for $16 each! I even managed to get free shipping by buying the feminine palette for my sister for Christmas. I also picked up an adorable cream blush for just $4! What a steal! I may do a separate review on that at another time.

I love the packaging of this product! It has a wonderful zipper around the edge so it is great for traveling. I like the 4 neutrals in the palette, but I also like the pops of color options too! The only change I would make would probably be to replace one of the purple shades with a light pink shade just to add some more diversity to the palette.

I also absolutely love the pigmentation of the eyeshadows. That is one thing you can always count on with urban decay shadows. Overall I highly recommend this palette - especially now that it is on sale! Head over to UrbanDecay.com and snatch these up before they sell out!