Just some Monday evening chatter

I'm sitting in my bed at the early hour that it is itching to write a blog post, although there is really no rhyme or reason to this post. I'm just in the mood to write and share. I remember always keeping a journal as a kid and I still do to this day at the fine age of 21. Yes, I am 21 and in bed at 9pm. But somehow, I love it. Writing in a journal was always a way for me to let out my feelings, worries, secrets, and desires without ever being judged or questioned. A pen and paper will never judge or be biased, which is why writing was always important to me.

At the present time in my life, I have quite a lot going on. At times, it becomes overwhelming and it can be hard to express how I feel in an accurate and meaningful way. My multicolored peace sign journal that my boyfriend gave me probably 3 years ago sits on my desk. It just sits there. I see it everyday when I am going through the motions of each and every day. But why is it that I have not been picking up that journal to write? I ask myself that question often.

I came to realize that I am sometimes afraid to pick up that journal and write. I am fearful of letting out the hard things. That is not to say my life is full of woes and sadness. I actually have a lot of good things going for me and I am one of the luckiest girls in the world. However, when I am dealing with a particularly difficult struggle, I am the kind of person who would rather brush it under the rug rather than talk about it.

My growing interest in blogging and YouTube has inspired me to write more and slowly become part of the world that I became so enamored with. To write about anything. Any silly, sad, uplifting or stupid thing that might pop into my head. I want to write about them all. I think back on the times where writing in a journal was therapeutic to me, even at the young age that I was.

Today, I rediscovered the power of written word in conveying emotion. I have been experiencing many different emotions, and many of them can't be put into a single word. I am graduating at the end of the fall semester. I'm thinking about pursuing a Masters in Social Work. But I don't know if I should find a job first. I wonder what the future will hold for my boyfriend and I. We are coming up on 6 years this December. I don't know where the time has gone. We are in the midst of an important step in our relationship; his grandparents from China are here for a visit. This is a bigger deal than one may think. I won't go too much into detail and bore you all to tears, but this has been a pretty rough patch for us. We are making it through, and I am excited for what the future holds for us, although I still harbor a lot of stress, worry, and anxiety. 

All in all, there is a lot going on for me at this moment, and I am vowing on this day to start writing again to help me through the hard times. I don't know how many people will read this blog. Maybe no one will. But I hope if anyone does, that people will be able to relate and hopefully see the therapeutic powers that writing can have over us. I plan to use this blog, as well as the rainbow peace sign journal that stares at me from my desk. I hope to become a more internally peaceful person, and I appreciate that you are joining me on this journey. 

Stay beautiful and be happy! 

XOXO,

Hannah

Clinique Freebies

Hi everyone! Happy Tuesday! Today I have a little overview or some Clinique extras that I have. Luckily for me, my grandma always gives me her free-with-purchase Clinique items and I must say for freebies, these are pretty decent! 

First we have this pretty dual-ended lipstick/gloss. The lipstick is the Clinique Different Lipstick in the color Raspberry Glacé. 

It is a beautiful shimmery raspberry color with a light pigmentation. 

The swatch on the left is the lipstick. It isn't too pigmented but I'm definitely a natural lip kind of girl so I'm liking this color! 

The lip gloss is the Clinique Long Last Glasswear in the color Fireberry. This isn't a color I would normally go for but it is definitely very pretty! 

I think I was most excited about this gorgeous eye shadow and blush palette! It's a pretty decent size for a freebie and the colors are very nice! Here are some swatches of the Clinique Color Surge eyeshadow trio and the Soft-Pressed Powder Blusher.

The blush is a matte mauve-pink color and it's right up my alley! The dark matte shade I believe is called Slate and the shimmery golden pink and darker pink-bronze color are from the Strawberry Fudge duo. Very pretty and I can't wait to try these out! 

These products have certainly made me want to check out some more products from Clinique so I will definitely be doing that soon! 

Thanks for visiting Curls and Cupcakes and I hope you all have a beautiful day!

XOXO,

Hannah

September 2013 Birchbox!

Hi everyone! So I know I have been MIA from this blog, but I'm here today with a mini post about the September Birchbox! I've been pretty pleased lately with what they have been sending and I've gotten the chance to try some products I've been interested in as well as some new ones! 

I was probably the most excited to see this little baby! This is a mini Benefit Sugarbomb Ultra Plush (I think) lip gloss. I have been in love with Benefit Cosmetics, solely based on what I have seen on YouTube. This is a pinky nude lip gloss with gorgeous golden shimmer. It has a yummy smell too and the best part in my opinion is that it isn't sticky at all! Overall, a very good Birchbox sample. The Benefit Ultra Plush lip glosses are $16 at Ulta, Sephora and other high end retailers. 

Here we have a pretty typical Birchbox cardboard sample of the Yes to Carrots CC Cream in light and light-medium. I will definitely be trying it out in hopes that it doesn't break me out.

Another Yes To! My box came with the Yes to Blueberries Cleansing Facial Towelettes in a travel size package. I am new to makeup remover/cleansing wipes so I was excited to try these. Unfortunately I found the smell to be a bit yucky! I'm sad because I wanted to like them! I will probably throw them in my travel bag just of have for convenience but unfortunately, this was a miss for me. 

Don't you just love when Birchbox sends nail polish?! I immediately get excited! This is a Ruffian nail polish in a shimmery red-orange color. This isn't exactly a color I would normally go for but I will definitely use it soon! 

Well, there was a quick (well maybe not so quick) overview of the September Birchbox! I must say I love having this subscription even though there are some misses here and there. I hope you all have a gorgeous day!! 

XOXO,

Hannah