Coming Clean

At school. In my neighborhood. In front of my friends. With my parents.
These are all places that I am fake. I've lied about many things, experiences I never had even if I say I have. All these lies and cover ups are something that I feel I will live to regret.

It takes a lot of courage for me to write something like this because me, being as stubborn as I am don't like to expose or admit to my faults. It all has become too much now though and I feel like this is something I really need to take action on because I'm losing myself.

I feel like I'm becoming a world-class bitch. I used to be that girl in class who tried to brighten people's day. I used to be that girl that people would nominate as "kindest", "most likely to put a smile on your face", "sweetest". Back then it wasn't fake.

I've always had a trust issue. Not one thing significant or recognizable event caused me to lose faith in people but overtime watching how mean people can be or how easily people can turn against you made me lose it. I'm the kind of person that lets what people say about me really personally. I can't change that. I think that people find me open but in reality that's my aim. I say a lot about myself that isn't deep and personal. Incase you guys are reading this, Hey. Thank You. I love you and thank you for not judging me. These are the initials of everyone that I have been completely honest to. VS, TV, ...that's it.
Two. Two freaking people that I have been basically completely honest to. I'm so ashamed to say that I have only been completely honest to two people in my life.

Here's what I want from myself.
I want to be purely kind.
I want to be the person that anyone can go to to talk without being afraid of being judged.
I want to stop gossiping.
I want people to look up to me.
I want to stop telling lies.
I want to succeed.
I want to be loved by someone (either as a best friend or a lover) for being me.
I want to stop taking things for granted.
I want to stop being greedy and asking for things that I don't need.
I want to make someone proud.
I want to be loved by my family.
I want to work hard for something.

This post was inspired by Gabriella Lindley's youtube video called Honesty. I felt like I could relate. I Because of that I cried. Actually that's an under statement. I sobbed because it felt so real to me and it was clear that I needed to somehow start over and this is my first step.
XoXo,
lemanade<3

My Favorite Names

Okay so I'm a single teenager who is DEFINITELY not pregnant but I saw Jaime King's post about her newborn son Leo Thames and I ended up thinking about beautiful, cute names that I like. I also thought this would be super fun to look back at.

So without further ado,

Boy Names:

Louis

Lucas

Marcus

Brysen

Timothy

Grayson

Axel

Everret

Girl Names:

Daisy Mae

Coralin

Darcy

Rayne

Scarlett

Charlotte

Brinley

Emerson

Harlyn

Comment below and baby names that you like and follow me on instagram @eliselemans.
XoXo,
lemanade<3

Review: Maybelline Color Ink Eyeshadow

I just tried the Maybelline New York Color Ink eyeshadow and I'm impressed. I love cream eyeshadows for an everyday look. I particularly like neutral colors that I chose. Them being BE-1, a champagne vanilla-y color, and PK-1, a shimmery pastel pink color. These eyeshadows were purchased in japan while I was on vacation so the packaging may be different in other countries. I know that in america for example, it is called the Maybelline color tattoo 24 hr metal.

I like to apply the eyeshadows first with my finger and then I blend it out with a domed shadow brush. The BE-1 color looks great all over with a gold or copper color in the crease/outer corner, a thin stripe of black eyeliner, and a good coat of mascara.
When I run out of this, I will definitely repurchase this to keep in my collection.

I hope you like this short little review and follow me on instagram @eliselemans and comment below if you have any suggestions for me to review or anything else you want to talk to me about!
XoXo,
Lemanade<3

Review! Mask of Magnaminty

A Little Background Info

     So I have been struggling with my skin since 5th grade. I used to and continue to be very self-contious about my situation. Although I am no expert, I have tried a fair share of skin care products ranging from drug store to higher end products.
     One particular product/ range of products is the lush fresh face masks. In particular, the love lettuce and catastrophe cosmetic ones do the best for my skin. Since I love these two products so much, I try to get them as often as I can, usually about once a month. This month in particular, I went to go buy a pack only to find that they were sold out completely of any fresh face masks. To say I freaked out would be an understatement. The lady working on the floor informed me of the self preserving mask of magnaminty. She said that it was similar to the fresh face masks so I decided to try it.

Image from google images/polyvore

Get to Know my Skin

     I have skin that breaks out very easily. My t-zone is quite oily, especially my nose, and the rest of my face can get rather dry. My break outs are usually targeted around my nose but not on it and at my temples. I cleanse daily with the Kiehl's ultra facial cleanser and about once a week I use The Body Shop tea tree skin clearing face wash. To moisturize I use the Kiehl's blue herbal moisturizer.

Images from google images/mens journal and google images/the body shop

What I Thought

     When I first applied it all over my face, I liked the creaminess of the mask as well as how soft the beans felt. I'm not a big fan of the smell though. It was a bit too herbal for my liking. I left it on for about 7 minutes and I loved the icy fresh feeling it left on my face, similar to the effect of a mouthwash in you mouth. It came off quite easily and it left my face feeling smoothed and refreshed. 

Better Than the Fresh Face Masks?

     In my opinion, no BUT when there isn't a refrigerator around and my skin is having a bad day then I definitely will repurchase it. Lush has never disappointed me and I hope to continue to be impressed with more products as time goes on. 

     Make sure to follow me on instagram @eliselemans and tell me what brought you there. It would mean so much to me if you comment below and tell me about your favorite skin care products! 

XoXo,

Lemanade<3

Purikura

If you've ever been to Japan and into one of their arcades, you may have seen a Purikura station/kiosk/game/photo booth-idk. In case you don't know, it is a sort of photo booth where your face is photoshopped to have bigger eyes, perfect skin, makeup, an "ideal" face shape. Depending no the particular machine, your body may be warped to have longer legs, smaller waist, and glowing skin.

My reaction/opinion to these photo booths?
Well, although I find myself playing around with them whenever I visit Japan, I don't agree with them AT ALL. Yeah I love how they make me look but I despise how they make me feel. After I use it I always find myself wishing I looked like that...at least to some degree. I'm not gorgeous, I'm not really skinny, and I definitely don't have great skin. Usually, I am perfectly happy with how I look accepting my flaws and trying to accentuate (what I find to be) my best features but when I see myself looking great in these pictures, it makes me a bit insecure.

My advice:
Be careful. Its okay to play around with them but please don't feel put down by them! Love yourself for who you are and be confident.

Here's an image i got off of google,

If you like the message behind this and feel the same way about these machines, make sure to follow me on instagram @eliselemans and please, please, please, comment below:)
XoXo,
~lemanade

Breakfast (smoothie bowl)

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day as you have probably heard before so here's a little breakfast I ate today. It is completely vegan and super healthy!

Banana and Pineapple Smoothie Bowl

This bowl has three layers: chia on top, smoothie in the middle, and oatmeal at the bottom.

Layer 1 Chia:

The night before, mix 2 tablespoons of chia with the juice of half a lemon. Leave this in the fridge over night.

Layer 2 Smoothie:

In a blender, blend 1 frozen banana, a cup of frozen pineapple, and up to a half a cup of water. Blend until smoothie consistency.

Layer 3 Oatmeal. Follow the directions on any type of healthy vegan oatmeal to make about half a cup of cooked oatmeal. Don't worry about sweetening it or anything. The smoothie is sweet enough. 

After the oatmeal has cooled put all of it in a bowl and pour the smoothie on top. Last, at the end put a dollop of chia on it. 

There you go! This breakfast is so delicious and keeps me relatively full until lunch time! I hope you enjoy the recipe and tag me in your photos on instagram @lemanadee and comment below please! 

~lemanade <3 

Infused Water Recipe

Being that may has just begun, summer is just around the corner! One of my favorite things to drink on these scorching hot summer days is an infused water. It is guilt-free, super healthy, and it looks so fun and pretty. If you're like me and drink a lot of water but sometimes gets bored of it, but you're still too lazy to try anything crazy this idea will be perfect for you.

All you have to do is grab a jar or cup, add some fruit, citrus, and herbs, and fill it up with water and drink right away or, for more flavor, put it in the fridge and wait at least two hours. 

For this particular on above, I sliced 2 medium strawberries, 2 slices of lemon, and a little mint.

Here are some of my favorite combinations:

strawberry, mint, lemon

orange, cucumber, lime

ginger, blueberry(smash them for more flavor)

honeydew, mint

strawberry, blackberry, basil

watermelon, mint, lime

You can also add an herbal or green tea bag for extra flavor. I love adding camomile tea or peppermint the most.

I hope you guys like this recipe and find it helpful. I love how refreshing and easy it is. Share with your friends, comment below your favorite combinations, and follow me on my instagrams @lemanadee @eliselemans it would make me so happy!

~lemanade<3