5 things worth checking out this week

This is officially the cat video to end all cat videos guaranteed to make your Friday even better [Facebook]

In celebration of Mean Girls ten year anniversary, here are the 9 lessons we've learned from Regina George [Elite Daily]

The last ten things you do before admitting that you really are a #brokecollegestudent [College Candy]

Having a bad hair day? Here are 5 tips to saving your strands (and your day!) [Bella Sugar]

Mother's Day is around the corner and here's the only gift guide you need to treat the most important woman in your life to something special [Allure]

5 things worth checking out this week

For those days at work where you just can't handle life, here's a list of 50 beauty vloggers to help you through it [Beauty High]

Prom is right around the corner, don't be caught in a pinch without your clutch essentials! [Bella Sugar]

Full House was easily the best show of the '90's... here's a brilliant collection of life lessons from the one and only Michelle Tanner [The Luxury Spot]

Check out this comical spin on the Dove "True Beauty" campaign videos #priceless [Elite Daily]

Mother's Day is around the corner, this guide will help make sure to give yours the attention she deserves for being awesome! [The College Prepster]

Spring Beauty Trend: Pastels

Spring has finally sprung and it seems one trend that's here to stay is the multitude of pastel picks from all of our favorite brands.  Ranging from makeup bags to nail polish, this season’s pastel hues are popping up everywhere, and lucky for you, I’ve rounded up the prettiest spring beauty picks that are right on trend to help to help make your hopping a breeze.

This Sonia Kashuk makeup bag is perfect for organizing your daily essentials without sacrificing space in your purse. The slim bag features individual compartments to help keep your products in place while on the go, and the eggshell blue is one of my faves.

Spring beauty trend: Pastel nails.  They scream spring, and the new Limited Edition Deborah Lippmann polishes will perfectly compliment your new spring wardrobe. Personal fav? I can’t get enough of Build Me Up Buttercup, the cheerful yellow is guaranteed to put you in the springtime state of mind.

While the entire Nars Final Cut collection is totally drool-worthy, the new Satin Lip Pencil in Torres Del Paine is a standout. The creamy orange is the perfect compliment to a multitude of skin colors while the vitamin-enriched formula provides long-lasting wear.

For a wearable pastel eye, turn to the Dior 5 Couleurs Trianon Edition palette in 234 Pastel Fontanges. A pretty, sugary pink is the perfect base while golden yellow and baby blue create a beautiful blend of complimentary springtime hues. The palette boasts all day wear and features a gunmetal gray for those who opt for a more smoky approach to the pastel trend.

5. Blue eye makeup is so in right now, embrace two tends at once with the Stila All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner in Periwinkle to wake up your daily makeup routine with a subtle pop of color.

I hope you like my picks.  What's your favorite way to embrace the hottest spring beauty trend?

New Selfie App Sheds Pounds, An Irate Essay

All right people, I’m going to level with you here. As Jeannine’s beauty-obsessed intern it is definitely no secret that I like to play with makeup and take lots of photos of myself while doing it (whatever, at least I’m honest about how I waste my time). I was swiping through the app store the other day to get my hands on yet another photo-editor in hopes of finding the perfect filter when I found an app that made me pause longer then I ever had before to think about what I was doing.  It was a new selfie app that literally makes you look thinner.

SkinneePix is a new app made for #selfie lovers (like myself) where you can take fifteen pounds off of your face with just the swipe of your finger, essentially PhotoShop for dummies. In other words, the creators of this app are basically saying, “Hey! Listen, sometimes a filter just isn’t good enough at hiding your flaws so why don’t you make yourself skinnier too?” How rude is that? So naturally, I hopped right onto my Google machine to look up exactly where this app came from and what I found totally shocked me.

Let’s start with some facts. Did you know that only 4% of women around the world consider themselves beautiful? Or, did you know that a shocking 72% of girls feel tremendous pressure to be beautiful? Yeah, neither did I. Obviously I had noticed that my #selfie game had definitely improved over the past few years thanks to the influx of filters, editing software, and lighting techniques I had learned or accumulated but not once did I stop to consider what I was really doing… I was so unhappy with how I looked naturally (because I didn’t look like how society said I should look) that I was changing the best parts about myself before releasing a photo to my nonexistent Instagram following. I know that SkinneePix is just meant to be a fun little app for users to use recreationally, but knowing just two facts about how women feel in regards to their looks, an app like this can really do damage. It promotes the idea that we aren’t beautiful the way we are and that we need to be as airbrushed as a model in a magazine to fit in on social media. Yes, social media… right next to the pictures of our cats and food. Anybody else find that ridiculous?

The women (yes, women) who created this app are claiming that they’re “leveling the playing field” as “the camera adds fifteen pounds” and that people felt better about seeing themselves skinner but sorry, I’m not really buying that. It’s no secret that the beauty industry is a broken machine. Even celebrities are refusing to retouch their images because, in the words of Lorde (my spirit animal), “Flaws are ok.” Ad campaigns are launching from beauty giants like Dove and Aerie by American Eagle specifically to tear down the walls that society has built up around what beauty is and how it is portrayed.

This app is exactly what is wrong with the industry and what needs to change. Creating an app like this a selfie app that sheds pounds should never be okay or acceptable, and I feel like women should know better!

Needless to say, I’ve since deleted every photo-editing app I’ve ever downloaded, and every selfie I put out into the blogosphere will be proudly captioned #nofilter. I don’t need a stupid filter to validate my awesomeness and neither does anyone else. Go spend your .99 on something worthwhile, like Beyonce’s “Drunk in Love” and thank me later.

5 favorites

Probably one of the best parts of my job as Jeannine’s intern is that I get to play with makeup pretty much every single day. If there’s a new launch of lipsticks, blushes, or cheek tints, I’m the lucky lady who gets to try them out to see what’s awesome (like finding the perfect shade of orange lipstick to wear this spring). This 5 Favorites features the best of what I’ve gotten to try over the past few months, like a cream blush from Make Up For Ever, that you all need to run out and buy immediately.

Jurlique Calendula Redness Rescue Soothing Moisturising Cream, $46 at jurlique.com

As a skincare-obsessed intern, I’m always on the lookout for the next best thing in creams and lotions in hopes that I might finally find the one product that will banish dry or flaky skin in a single use… and finally, I’ve found it.  The Jurlique Redness Rescue Moisturising cream doesn’t just hydrate your skin but it actually forms a barrier to protect you from irritating environmental changes that cause discomfort (like redness, itchiness, and general misery).  If my word isn’t enough, it turns out that Jeannine is just as obsessed with the stuff as I am when she heard me raving about the “best cream ever."

mark. Gloss Gorgeous Stay On Lip Stain, $11 at meetmark.com

I’m definitely conservative when it comes to trying new trends, particularly when it involves a bold new lip color. Jeannine recently shot a segment for NBC’s New York Live on the latest spring lipstick trend, orange lips, and somehow this sleek brush-tipped lip gloss made it’s way shyly into my purse. Fast-forward a month later and I cannot stop reaching for this totally awesome and super flattering gloss! It’s moisturizing without being too sticky and leaves behind a completely wearable wash of color…perfect for people like me who balk at the sight of any lip product that isn’t pink or nude.

Make Up For Ever HD Blush, $26 at Make Up For Ever

I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with blush. I love how they all look in their packaging and stuff but let’s be real, I don’t actually know how to apply the right amount without going overboard. Thankfully MUFE recently launched a line of cream blushes that are foolproof to apply and last literally all day long without requiring touchups. My go-to color is number 410, a punchy coral that looks terrifying in the pan but sheers out to be flattering on pretty much every skin tone out there (even a ghost like myself!).

Sonia Kashuk “Make a Face” Brush Set, $25 at Target

While it is no secret that Sonia Kashuk is a brush expert, this latest limited edition collection has a brush that is literally life-changing. If you’re like me and spend 95% of your time online shopping for beauty stuff you could never afford but pretend you can by adding it to your “cart," then you would have discovered the NARS 'Ita' brush a long time ago. That brush is supposed to be the key to creating the perfect contour as it’s angular shape is perfect for getting into the hollows of your cheeks. I have never been able to find an affordable alternative…until now! The Flat Top Sculpting Brush alone makes purchasing this brush set completely worthwhile, not only because the brush quality is phenomenal, but because that brush will totally change how you contour your cheeks. I’m in love.

Pixi Beauty Cheek Sheen, $16 at Target

Much like blush, highlighting is another beauty concept that I’m still learning how to master. The new Pixi Beauty Cheek Sheen in Gold Glow is literally idiot-proof in creating the perfect cheek highlight without going overboard. It blends out easily if you add a bit too much and accentuates the high points of your face with just a swipe of the stick. This could be the product that completely revamps your beauty routine for spring, giving you the perfect golden glow.

10 Daily Hair Struggles Demonstrated by GIFs

Let’s be real ladies, as if waking up isn’t bad enough, the amount of time we spend on our hair every morning to make it look even somewhat presentable is utterly ridiculous. And no, there’s totally no such thing as, “Oh I just woke up with it like this!” No matter how hard you try to sell that line... we know better.  Just know, you’re not suffering alone.

1. Honestly, the worst part of the whole charade is waking up on a day you know you have to wash your hair.