Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Graduation 2013

Dear High School,

It’s been real. We’ve had some good times and some bad times, but I’ll really miss you. I’ve grown a lot since I was the small scared freshman in ninth grade and began to find out whom I was and what I wanted to do with my life. Thanks to you, I joined newspaper class and figured out my calling in life: writing & journalism. I met some inspiring and positive teachers along the way that not only taught me a lot about school, but also many life lessons. It was you that introduced me to some amazing people that forever changed my life and I will forever call my friends. You forced me to come out of my shell and my comfort zone, which will help me later on in life. I am now a confident High School Graduate who will always be grateful for those four years you had given me. Thank you for everything!

Sincerely,

            RANDA PAIGE

Throwing our caps in the air after graduation

Wearing my cap and gown, holding my diploma

Dress I wore under my gown

 "I'm FREE! I'm finally done!"


Are any of you graduating soon?



Thursday, May 23, 2013

Futuristic Style

Futuristic Style


Lately I’ve been obsessed with shoes and in particular the Alejandro Ingelmo futuristic shoe collection. I love the unique design and modern look. It looks like something straight out of the old cartoon show, “The Jetsons.” The prices of these shoes are crazy expensive, however so I guess I’m left to admire the shoes from my computer screen. Oh well… a girl can dream; can’t she. 



Tuesday, May 21, 2013

To Be Successful

     I’m not always the most positive person and often think about the negative side of everything. You could say my cup is usually half empty, but that’s something that I’m trying to change. This year one of my New Years Resolutions is to be more POSITIVE! And one way I have tried to do this is through my phone. I bring my phone with me everywhere I go and am constantly looking at it, so I decided that at the beginning of each week I would change my lock screen photo to a positive quote that would inspire me for that week. So I thought I’d share the quote that is on my lock screen for this week with you all to help spread positivity and inspiration. And to remind you all to follow your dreams and never give up on doing what you LOVE!



source: http://quotes-lover.com/

What’s your favorite quote? And who in your life inspires you?

Monday, May 20, 2013

Influenster Spring Fever Vox Box 2013



    Recently I was selected to receive the Influenster Spring Fever Vox Box and am excited to share with you all what I got. I did receive this package for free, but if you want to, you could receive boxes like this for free too.

    For those who don’t know, Influenster is a website where you can earn points for sharing your unique opinion on products and experiences. Basically you turn your social influence into sweet rewards such as the exclusive access to deals, promotions and free boxes filled with goodies. There are many different topics to talk about to fit everyone’s personal interests, but the topics I usually focus on are beauty and fashion related. By writing reviews on beauty products, taking surveys and being constantly active, I’ve earned enough points to qualify for the current box.

    I was actually quite surprised when I found out I had qualified for this vox box because I had never qualified for one before. I have been signed up on Influenster and have been actively participating on the site for over a year and had almost given up on trying to qualify for a box. From what I’ve heard from other people it has taken some only a month to earn a vox box while it has taken much longer for others. This is the only part I have not liked so far about Influenster because they don’t clarify how many points you need to earn to get a vox box. So if you’re like me and have been waiting a while to earn a box, don’t give up because it’s worth the wait in the end.  And if you are not signed up on the site, what are you waiting for? Click HERE to sign up NOW!




In this vox box I received five products and the best part is that they are all full sized. Finally, a company that sends full size products instead of just samples! And all together the products retail for around $40.00 dollars. 



Tastykake Kandy Bar Kakes ($4.49 per box)

      This was the item I was most excited about because I LOVE food! And this Kandy bar tasted amazing. It was basically like eating a slice of cake. The outside layer was chocolate and the inside of the bar was soft, spongy and cakey with a peanut butter filling. The Tastykakes come in three different flavors: S’mores, Peppermint and Peanut Butter. Mine was in the flavor peanut butter and it tasted and smelled exactly like a Reese’s Peanut Butter cup. It was also very light and fluffy and melted in my mouth. It was very sweet and feeling and would make the perfect midnight snack. The bar was however very messy and a bit crumbly. (It practically fell apart in my hands) The chocolate also stuck to my fingers and got all over.  Despite the mess and being the chocoholic I am, this is definitely going on my next grocery list.






NYC New York Color Applelicious Glossy Lip Balm ($2.99)

     The first thing I noticed about this product was the smell. It has a strong, but wonderful smell of apples or a fruit roll up. To sum it up, if this scent was a perfume I would wear it. As far as the packaging goes, I like the unique apple shaped core imprint. This lip balm is very similar to a tinted lip balm mixed with a lip-gloss. Not only is it very moisturizing, it also leaves a very subtle, yet beautiful pinky reddish shade on my lips. I also love the glossy look it leaves, which makes my lips look very healthy. (So if you’re looking for a lip balm this is the one I would go for, but it would not be of much use if you’re looking for something to give you a lot of color such as a lipstick would.)






Broadway Nails impress Press-on Manicure ($5.99-$7.99)

     I’m not a big fan of fake nails so I let my mom try them out. I helped her apply them and found I had a difficult time peeling the flaps off of the nails. Other then that, I was very impressed by these press-on nails. I especially liked the cute packaging. All the nails came in a nail polish shaped bottle. They are also very easy to apply and once on they feel very secure like they are going to last a long time. You have to be very careful though because once they are stuck on there is no moving them so you want to make sure to line it up perfectly before pressing down on them. They’re also not too long and are a good length for someone who’s not a fan of really long nails. The hardest part about applying these nails was finding the right sizes to fit each finger, so once you figure out which nail goes to which finger it’s smooth sailing from then on. Some tips I’d recommend before trying these press-on nails out is to trim your nails so that your real nails aren’t as long as the false nails and to also use the prep pad that comes along with the nails to clean each fingernail to ensure the nails last.


Secret Outlast Clear Gel Antiperspirant/ Deodorant ($4.59)

     I had never tried a gel deodorant before so I was excited when I saw this. I’ve always had problems with my deodorant leaving behind a white streak on my clothes so I was interested to see if this would help take that problem away. It claims to be “invisible” and that’s exactly what it does. The only problem I had with it, was that since it’s a gel, it’s very wet and I had to wait a while to let it dry so that it wouldn’t look like I had sweaty armpits. 







OSiS Rough Rubber ($20.00)


This product really does live up to its name and feels like rubber and is bouncy when pressed down on.  It also smells wonderful! At first I didn’t know what to do with it because my hair is long and I see this as being a product better used on someone with short hair to achieve the “rocker chic” look.  I still wanted to test it out though so I applied it to the ends of hair and it gave my hair a texturized piecey look. I was very impressed by this product because it helped define my hair without leaving behind a crunchy, sticky or weighed down feel.

Did you receive the Spring Fever Vox Box? What did you think of it? 
Or 
Have you tried out any of these products before?






Monday, May 13, 2013

Spring Fever!


It has finally stopped snowing here and is finally beginning to look like Spring! I think it actually hit 70 degrees today, which is such a shock from all the rain and snow that we've had lately. Today I packed up all of my knit sweaters, mittens and other winter clothing into boxes and swapped them for all of my shorts, sun dresses and tank tops. Here is one outfit I decided to throw together for pictures that I was taking to send out to friends and family with my graduation invitations. My last day of school is this Thursday, May 16 and my official graduation date is May 22. I can't believe I'm almost done with high school! What a relief. -M


Dress: Kohls / Jean Jacket: Love Culture / Boots: Kohls

Saturday, April 13, 2013

Makeup Forever HD Foundation Review



One of my current staple makeup products that I have been using for over a year now is the Makeup Forever HD Foundation. This foundation has quickly been circling around the beauty guru sphere on You Tube, so I thought I’d review it for you all.

 Mug Shot of me without any makeup on

Mug Shot of me with only the Makeup Forever HD Foundation

In the past I’ve struggled to find a foundation that matched the exact color of my skin, but had no problem finding the right shade for my skin tone with the 25 different shades ranging from yellowy to beige to pinky undertones.

Another pro is the packaging. It comes with a pump and usually 2 pumps are enough to cover my entire face evenly.





I was hesitant at first to buy this product when I was recommended it by one of the employers working at Sephora because it’s pretty pricey. It costs $42.00, which is a lot compared to drugstore foundations, but I feel like you get what you pay for. I usually stray away from buying drugstore foundations because I am not able to test them out first to find the right shade for me. And the bottles don’t usually do a great job of depicting its true color, so by the time I do find the right shade; I’ve spent around the same amount I’d spend for a higher end foundation. Plus, I feel that foundation is something that is okay for a girl to splurge on because you can be sure that it will cover everything from redness to acne on your face. And for me, it's sometimes a big confidence booster!

This foundation is oil free and has medium to full coverage.  According to the Sephora website it “covers skins imperfections flawlessly while remaining invisible on-screen and in real life.” It is marketed to be the perfect foundation to wear for HD pictures and is the foundation I recently wore in my Senior pictures. It made my skin look amazing and luminous and will definitely be my go to pick when I have my picture taken because it can withstand bright or harsh lighting. This foundation doesn’t contain SPF, which is one reason why it looks so good in photos because the flash from a camera usually causes foundations with SPF in it to make the skin look very pale and blah.



I usually apply this foundation with my beauty blender because I feel that it gives my face an airbrushed effect and has a satin dewy finish. I then set my face with the Loreal Hydra Perfecte loose powder. With both the foundation and the powder, it lasts up to 8 hours with out creasing or moving around my face, which is exactly what I need when I’m at a special event and don’t want to constantly be rushing to the bathroom to see if my foundation has bunched up.

It also blends well into my skin, evens out my skin tone and doesn’t look cakey. It also feels very light and isn’t too heavy on the face.  Plus the coverage is very buildable and covers up pores, redness, hyper pigmentation and freckles.

What impressed me the most is that it looks like my own skin and doesn’t wear off or melt throughout the day because I hate when I’m talking on the phone and then I have foundation rubbed off onto the screen. Plus the feeling of an oily greasy substance on my face is neither attractive nor enjoyable.



A huge problem I have faced in the past with different foundations (especially MAC foundations) is that by the end of the day, they tend to oxidize (turn orange). Now as much as I love the Movie “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,” I don’t want to look like an oompah-loompa. With this foundation it looks the exact same at the end of the day as it did at the beginning of the day so if you find that your foundation oxidizes, I would definitely recommend trying out this foundation.

All in all this foundation makes my skin look very healthy and is a great confident booster on days when my skin feels dull.

I would give this a 9/10 because it lives up to the claim of being HD.

Things to think about:

♥ Keep in mind I don’t use this everyday because of the price, but this is my go to pick for special occasions when a ton of pictures are going to be taken or when I want my skin to look healthy and luminous.

♥ This works with my skin type, but might not necessarily work with yours. (But I’ve heard from other reviews that it works well on all skin types)

♥ My Skin type: dry skin with little to no acne (I’ve been very blessed with this, so far…
*knocks on wood*)

♥ I feel that this is more of a winter foundation for me when I have a cold and my nose is red or my skin is really dry and is a little too much coverage for the hot and summery months.

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Hello World!





      I've made many attempts in the past to create a blog--all of which failed miserably by the way and were completely random such as my Club Penguin blog, which I staved over for my complete fifth grade summer, or my Mgymnastbeauty blog that mixed gymnastics with beauty even though I had just began to wear makeup and knew nothing at all about the subject. But hey, that’s life for ya! Nobody is perfect and things aren’t going to always work out on your first try! And I guess since I’ve been attempting to blog since I was in fifth grade that means that this is my destiny, as corny as that sounds! So today I’m deciding to take another go at this whole blogging thing.






     So now I have this blog which I'm vowing will be my new one and only blog. This is going to be my new home. And I’ve thought a lot about what this blog should be about and have decided that I would mash together all topics I'm interested in and make it into a lifestyle blog. I hope to take you all on this journey with me as I travel, find new and amazing make up products give you tips and write about whatever else I feel like writing about that day. So I guess since this is my first blog post you don't really know much about me…




So I guess I should introduce myself.
My name is Miranda but my family calls me Randa and my friends call me Mir. You can call me whatever you want though, it doesn't really matter to me.




      I'm a level 9 gymnast and gymnastics coach who is obsessed with fitness and health. I'm 18 years young which is exciting yet scary and brings a whole new chapter in my life since I'm now considered an adult.

Lets see what else....
I have a family of 6. My mom, dad, brother Parker, Welsh Corgi Christina, Chihuahua Misty and me. We are one big happy family!




      I'm a senior in high school and can't wait until I graduate and go off to college. I also have a You Tube channel called SimplyRandaPaige, just like this blogs name, where I have over 2,000 subscribers and make videos from gymnastics and beauty to health and fitness. I'm also a Christian and Jesus is my Lord and savior who I love very much. My favorite bible verse is 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 and is the verse I live by. Well that's simply me, hence the name of my blog.


XOXO RANDA