Photo Dump

Hey guys! So as per the title of this post, today will be a huge photo dump. I have slacked in consistent blogging (and that will probably continue), but I have been snapping pictures and kept telling myself I'll blog about this or something along those lines. Well since that didn't happen, I'll just share pictures that have been hanging out on my phone for a while (some may be ones I've posted on Instagram, sorry about repeats, but follow me to keep up with my life outside of this here blog).

The cutest nephew award goes to me, hands down. Love this nugget!

My new Kate Spade sunnies, had to snap a selfie at the store, they have great lighting!

My best friend's engagement party location, I am in love with the terrace/patio set up!!

Watermelon cupcakes with a watermelon garnish, definitely a sign of summer.

Fro yo is also a definite sign of summer, gummy candy FTW!

Photobombed my friends little sisters prom pic, pretty epic I think.

No summer is complete without mojitos.

I don't always take a selfie, but when I do I make sure I have enough filter options.

I saw this on Pinterest and liked the quote, timing is most definitely important.

Had my first lay out by the pool day and it was glorious!

Soaking up the sun selfie, no filter needed either the sun did a beautiful job of that.

If you haven't tried the Nerds slushie from Sonic, run don't walk to your nearest one and get it!!

My future pup, it's a goldendoodle and I'm in love!!

The convo I had with A after sending him the above pic, he loved the pup too so we decided on a name, Bourbon! I love future talk with this guy, definitely makes my day better!

Life Lately

[listening]
Shakira- La La La (Brazil 2014)

If you guys don't know, the FIFA World Cup starts today!! This song and video have got me pumped, look at all those gorgeous men in soccer. I'm not an avid soccer fan, but I definitely watch and cheer on USA during the world cup. It's crazy how the entire world comes together over one sport, but that's the beauty of sports.

(also how gorgeous is Shakira?!?!)

[feeling]
Sleepy & overworked. I have been staying up later than usual lately and it's been sucking waking up in the morning, but I know I won't be catching much sleep in the coming weeks because of weddings, vacations, and an engagement party. I suppose I'll sleep in August sometime?! Work has also been kicking my butt lately because of vacations and other reasons I've been working a lot of overtime which my bank account thanks me for, but my body not so much.

[watching]
Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta.
I know I know, but guys this shiz is soooo entertaining. I watched my first episode last week and was glued to the tv. I don't know how "regular" this show will become, but this definitely makes for bad day pick me up or boredom killer. The catfights alone are unreal and entertaining enough on their own.

[upcoming]
My cousins wedding next weekend & my trip to New Orleans (are you guys tired of hearing about this trip because I'm not tired of talking about it). I'm excited as heck to see a bunch of my family that I haven't seen in a looong time and celebrate my cousin and her new husband. Five days after her wedding, I'm hopping on a plane bound for New Orleans to meet up with A! I cannot wait to explore all that New Orleans has to offer while I'm there, any suggestions on what to see/do or where to eat are more than welcome!

[reading]
My Cooking Light cookbook. I'm so excited to explore and try out some of these recipes, there are hundreds in this cookbook and I highly suggest you head to your local bookstore or Amazon to pick up this cookbook (I'm not getting paid or sponsored to say any of this, I seriously love this cookbook already).

[eating]

Kettlecorn, is there seriously anything better than it?! Plus side, it's only got 100 calories and 100% of the taste, holla for a dolla honey boo boo (ok I'll stop that now).

What's going on in your guy's life lately?!

Confessions...

...I'm terrible at finishing things...

I for the life of me cannot figure out why I start something and don't feel like finishing it.

For example:

//reading divergent//

I was so into this book and I read the first 6 chapters in a day, but then I stopped and never revisited it. I have done this with certain books and can't figure out why I have this habit. I have however finished The Fault In Our Stars, in a day, that was the best book I'd read in a looong time. So for someone that doesn't finish things, read this book, good thing is it'll take you 1-2 days max so not a whole lot of commitment. Oh, but I saw the Divergent movie, so I basically know what happens in the book (I know bookworms are shaking their heads at me right now in disappointment).

//netflix//

Now don't get me wrong, I binge watch like crazy, but for some reason if there are more than 1-2 seasons I will not finish watching. I have so many half watched shows sitting in my queue which I probably won't be going back to. Arrow, One Tree Hill (re-watching because duh), The Following, Friday Night Lights are the few waiting for me to finish. Luckily for my sanity, I am almost done with House of Cards and catching up quickly on Orange is the New Black (I know, I don't know why I don't just justify hours a day to finishing these). Also if you aren't watching those 2 shows, get on it asap!!

//signing up for my 401k//

Ya so this has been a procrastination 3 years in the making. Nobody does it better than me you guys. This was literally the most simple to do process ever, but I put it off (along with $$ lost) for 3 whole years wtf! So since dating a guy in the finance world and getting scolded for not having my 401k set up, I finally hustled and got that squared away. Now I have more money getting taken away from my on my paychecks probably never to be seen again, oh well I guess this makes me an official adult now. Thank god I'm with a guy in finance, he can take care of all this biznizz I cannot stand it. 

Well, that's all I got for you folks today. Thanks for sticking around and judging the crap out of me (don't worry I'd do it if I were you too), so what do you guys suck at finishing??

Happy hump day!

(Linking up with Bella for confessions & Kat for humpday confessions)

Sunshine Award

Holy cannoli guys, I have been pretty MIA around these parts, is anyone even reading anymore *crickets*.

It has really been a struggle for me to get posts up because a. I'm lazy and b. I just don't feel like there is a whole lot to talk about (see also: writers block).

I got an email earlier in the week from one of my favorite bloggers Tabitha telling me she nominated me for the Sunshine Award. Now this is the first time I'm getting this award and I was pretty excited to do a post on it. I know some people may think these awards are cheesy and all that, but I genuinely get excited because it means there really are people who read the crap that I write and continue reading, so thanks so much for the nomination Tabitha!

I'm borrowing this from Tabitha's blog :)

Rules of the Sunshine Award:

-post 11 random facts about yourself

-answer 11 questions for the blogger who nominated you

-nominate 11 bloggers to receive this award

-write your own 11 questions for them to answer

-notify them that you nominated them

11 random facts about yours truly:

// I have one younger sister who is basically my bff/soulmate

// I've learned I'm more of an introvert/homebody, but I do enjoy going out every now and then

// I'm always searching for that fairytale romance

// I have a love affair with makeup & nail polish

// Speaking of nail polishes, I have over 150 bottles of polish

//  I love to bake

// I can't wait to one day have children to call my own, but until then my nephews will have to do

// I am a lover of moscato

// If I could always be traveling I would love to do it

// I'm 100% Indian (not the Native American Indian fyi)

// I was born & raised in Chicago and as much as I love it here, I need a change of scenery

My questions from Tabitha:

1. Why did you start blogging & how'd your blog get its name?

I started blogging after years of reading blogs and figuring 'hey I could do this.' My blogs name was hard to come up with because I don't consider myself to be creative, but after tinkering with a few different names, makeupHER was born. It's a play on words, basically that my blog talks about the things that make me up (love, life, family, friends, etc).

2. Do you have any tattoo's? If so, tell us about them.

I do have 2 tattoo's so far, but definitely itching to get more. I have an Ohm sign on my left shoulder and my grandmothers initial on my right ankle.

3. Do you have any children? Any funny stories about how they got their names?

Nope, no children yet, but I'm sure there will be funny stories in the future. I did however help my cousin come up with her second sons name which was special to me. 

4. What is your favorite food?

Mexican food, give me all the enchiladas!

5. What are 3 beauty things you couldn't live without?

Foundation, concealer, & mascara.

6. What is your favorite color?

PINK

7. Name 3 places you'd love to go and explain why?

Italy, Australia, & Thailand.

All of these places for their own unique reasons, but simply because I love to travel and have a list too long to list here, so I'll just pick my definite top 3 places.

8. What is your favorite blog post you've ever written?

This is hard because I have two that I like for different reasons. One in memory of my amazing uncle who lost his battle with kidney disease over a year ago, you can read more here. The second post I really like of mine is more recent when I won an astrology reading from Simply Sun Signs. I loved getting to read more about my horoscope and how it describes me and my personality. Des was such a pleasure to work with and answered any questions I had. You can read all about my horoscope and personality in "Girl, What's Your Sign".

9. What is your favorite memory?

Oh I have so many to name from my childhood to high school to more recently. Most of my fondest memories have to do with people I've lost during my life and the cherished time with them. I really to cherish any time I get with friends and family because I know life is extremely short. I do have a feeling my upcoming trip to New Orleans with A will quickly become an incredible memory.

10. What is something about you that people would be surprised to learn?

Well, I'm pretty sure I haven't shared this on my blog yet. My read name isn't really Nikki, it's Namrata. My nickname and what I've been called pretty much my entire life has been Nikki though, so I definitely don't go by my real name. My grandfather was the only one that really called me by my real name, everyone else knows me as Nikki.

11. Name 3 things on your summer bucket list?

-Go on a trip (NOLA in 21 days!!!!!!)

-Try something new and out of my comfort zone

-Lay by the pool or go to the beach as much as possible

I nominate:

Kate @ Green Fashionista

Emily @ Martinis & Bikinis

Helene @ Helene in Between

Robin @ Living Colorfully

Stephanie @ Not Entirely Perfect

Hallie @ Life: Oceanside

Courtney @ Little Miss MBA

Lisa @ Showered with Design

Myra @ The Little Aslam

Maegen @ The Modern Tulip

Ashley @ Ashley Lately

These 11 bloggers are some of my favorite among my extensive list of blogs, if you haven't already check them all out and give them some love!!

11 questions for you...

1. What's your favorite thing about summer?

2. What's your favorite recipe to cook (or bake)?

3. What do you like to splurge on?

4. Favorite store to shop at?

5. What are 3 must have staples in your closet?

6. Favorite beauty product/brand?

7. If you could eat one food forever, what would it be?

8. Favorite app on your phone?

9. Preferred social media outlet (Twitter/Instagram/Facebook/Snapchat/etc.)?

10. If you could live anywhere, where would it be and why?

11. Go-to vacation spot?

I had a blast answering these questions so thank you again Tabitha for nominating me. 

Sunday Social {Week 104}

Well for starters, Happy 2 year anniversary of this awesome link up!! Secondly, Happy 1st day of June!!!
I have had such a blast linking up with all of you guys and have met so many awesome bloggers through it. Even though I haven't consistently linked up, this is definitely my most favorite link up. So of course today celebrating their 2 year anniversary of the link up, I have to join Ashley & Neely for Sunday Social!!

Introduce yourself and your blog to us:
Hello guys, my name is Nikki and I'm a 20 something year old from the suburbs of Chicago. I work in the medical field as a medical assistant and I love everything about it, especially helping others, cliche I know. Along with that I love Starbucks, Pinterest, glitter, makeup, pink, Kate Spade, my family, friends, and as of recently (Feb 2014) a special guy in my life A. My blog is a hodge podge of things I love and what make me up which include, makeup, hair, love, life, and everything in between.

Glad I did this then because after the recent skydeck incident, I will not be going back on this again.

What is your favorite form of social media and why?
Out of all of them I like Instagram the best. I love to take pictures and I love being able to look back on them and remember the special moments in my life through pictures. Twitter would be second for me, but I'm more of a sporadic tweeter whereas I Instagram pretty much daily. 

What made you start a blog?
Well like most bloggers, I started out first reading blogs like Pink Lou Lou & Meg O. On The Go. After years of reading blogs, I decided to bite the bullet and see if I could have my own blog, thus makeupHER was born. Although I'm not a "big" blogger nor do I have the skills to become one, I absolutely love this blogging community and the friends I've made through it.

What do you feel is the most meaningful/special post you've written is?
'Heavy Heart'
This post is special to me because it was the one year anniversary of the passing of my favorite uncle. While I was writing it and looking through all the pictures, I couldn't stop myself from crying my eyes out. It took me twice as long to finish, but I put my heart in that post and although I was hurting, it helped writing it out there for the world to see how special he was to me.


Hope everyone joins in on the fun & has a wonderful Sunday!!

Becoming an eBay Super Seller

Hey guys! Today I have a sponsored post for you guys. I have bought many things off of eBay, but never have I sold anything on there. I have a bunch of stuff that is sitting around that I could potentially make money on by selling on eBay and with these easy tips and tricks, you and I both could learn a few things. Thanks to The DIY Outlet for these useful tips.

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Become an eBay Super Seller With These Easy Tips

You ever wonder, when browsing eBay, how some of those sellers can have tens of thousands of positive reviews?  Have you wanted to become one of those super sellers and watch the money pour in and give yourself that early retirement you’ve always dreamed of?  It’s a brave new world, becoming an eBay pro, but anyone can do it with the right know-how and gumption.  You may not get to 30,000 positive reviews, but if you want to be a credible super seller, you need to know how to make sure your auctions are the highest rated, and that your product always arrives safe.  Take a few of these pro tips and get on your way.

1.  Spruce up Your Ad

Some people copy and paste their ads or use different color text and all sorts of sizes.  They think that the formatting will allow their copy and pasted text to stand out because of its crazy and zany appeal.  That’s very wrong – all that formatting is a distraction and makes the ad hard to read, and also makes it seem amateurish.  Instead, use a very easy to read font like Helvetica, and use professional looking photos of your items.  Good lighting on the pictures is important, as the simplest little flaw, or rookie mistake, will make people less inclined to bid on your item.  Spruce up the ad with class, not with distraction.

2.  Buy it Now

eBay used to be all about getting deals on items that you sneakily grab on the auction block.  It’s too bad the service change to be one where it’s really just an online store most of the time, but that’s ok, it helps you.  Feel free to let buyers use a ‘buy it now’ feature.  Remember the old adage: one in the hand is worth two in the bush.  So instead of waiting seven days to hope that bid goes up higher, let someone give you the quick money now so you can turn to the next listing of a similar item.  Many sellers think that it’s essential to allow everything to go to a full term auction, but that simply is not the case.

3.  Protect and Over Protect

One way to cut costs is to skimp on the protective materials, but you shouldn’t make that mistake.  One damaged item on arrival will cost you many items’ worth of shoddier protection materials.  You can get a sealing machine at a site like theDIYoutlet.com and seal your item in protective bubble wrap.  This one time investment will yield such great results for your auctions that you’ll never risk getting that “-1” review because of a slight ding in the item that wasn’t there when you sent it.  If in doubt, over protect your item, even if you think it’s being ridiculous.  The amount of money outlay may seem like a bunch at the time, but again, saving money on protecting your product can back fire big time and cost you being a eBay super seller.  Don’t let that happen!

^Spruce up your ad

^Buy it now

^Protect and over protect

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Hope these tips helps you out the next time you want to properly sell an item on eBay, I know they helped me for the future. If you have any questions at all about anything in this post, please feel free to contact theDIYoutlet.com, they have pretty great customer service!

Recipe: Tropical Smoothie

Hey folks! It truly feels like a long time since I posted a recipe with Emily & Kate, but today I am changing that. Of course I chose the easy way out and did another smoothie, but with the summer around the corner smoothies are my absolute go to. They don't make me feel bloated and I can replace a meal with a smoothie and feel full. 

Pineapple/Mango/Coconut Smoothie

All you need is a mix of frozen fruit (I got the Market Pantry blend from Target), almond milk, and ice if you want it chilled.

Take the frozen fruits and almond milk and throw them in the blender, in the frozen fruit blend it includes a yogurt mix so I added that into the blender. Mix that bad boy up until it's all blended together. Throw that baby in a cup, stick a straw in it and drink away. You can throw some ice in there to keep it chill. 

This was just a refreshing treat and on a warm summer day, it's the perfect way to cool off. 

In some other news, I rearranged my flight to New Orleans with A for the end of June and I am SOO excited!! I cannot wait to have a getaway with the boy and explore a new city with him. 

With that said, if there are any recommendations from you guys to go see and do while we're there please leave them in the comments below!

Also, if you didn't catch this on Twitter or Instagram, I got him to watch The Bachelorette with me and he was texting me the entire time with his predictions and comments, it was awesome. I don't think this is going to be a repeat thing, but at least he accepts that I watch this crap. Here are our predictions for the winner for Andi's season if anyone even cares lol.

Ok so now I realize this become more than just a recipe post, but who knows when a new post will be up with my scattered posting schedule. Join Emily & Kate for Tuesday's Recipe Swap with your own yummy recipe!