HEART TO HEART | Make up with a Heart Turns 3! + Giveaway

Another 365 days have passed and boy, have things changed. This is more of a personal post so it's going to get serious and gloomy for a bit but I promise there's a light at the end of the tunnel. If you're here for the makeup, just
skip to the giveaway--you won't hurt my feelings. But if you want to hear more about my boring life, keep reading :)

ILLNESS

2015 was one of the worst years of my short 23 years of life. My grandmother was sick for a good three months this spring (but don't worry, she's better now!) and that put a damper on our spirits. Caring for an elderly person who was bed-ridden isn't the easiest task but I took that time to connect with my grandparents and my mother, who is the strongest person I know, both physically and mentally. There's no one more dedicated to her family than my mother, who does the most thankless tasks and never asks for anything herself. I hope that I can grow to be like her, to let go of my selfishness, my ego, and my grudges.

LOSS

If that wasn't bad enough, my parents lost our house. I'm not going into detail about that (because I don't want to focus on the negative) but I was left with three pieces of life advice going forward:

1. Family isn't always the one that shares your blood. Family is those who stick around and help when you're at your lowest point.
2. Always put things into writing. Do not rely on empty promises and word of mouth.
3. Do try to think the best of people, but don't let it blind you to their faults.

My family is now in a stable place but it still sucks to have lost a decade of hard work, sweat and tears in an instant. I can't bring myself to drive by the old place because I want to keep the happy memories I have of growing up there. 

STANDSTILL

There was a period where I pretty much stopped blogging. Blogging was what made me happy, gave me something to do when I was bored and connected me with tons of people who shared my interests. Yet, I couldn't escape to my happy place because real life responsibilities were calling me. My father was sick for two months before he passed from cancer. Most days, I couldn't bring myself to go through my routine because all I could focus on was how my father was getting weaker and weaker by the day. There are many things I regret and being the dweller I am, I let it take over my life. But one day, it felt like I broke out of a fog and wanted to live again. It had been months since I touched a cleanser, slapped on makeup so one fine day in March, I dug out my products from storage and applied all my favorite products. The next few sentences are going to be cringe-worthy so if you're not a fan of cheese, skip over to my smiling picture, haha. But it really felt like I was reuniting with an old friend. Like a person who hadn't ridden a bike in years, I was shaky and messy in my application (so much micellar water and cotton buds were used in the look below) but I started to resemble the person I was before everything happened. I didn't feel like smiling, but you know what they say, Keep faking it until you make it. 

Mugging it for the camera...skin looks so much better than it does currently. Even I'm wondering what foundation I'm wearing T_T

A NEW BEGINNING

Once I was applying makeup again, I decided to restart the blog in my short-lived MarchBloggerBootCamp. I didn't complete it but it definitely reminded me why I started blogging in the first place. When life gets chaotic, I can always escape into the pages of a book or through taking pictures of the prettiest things and writing about why I love something. I used to be really hard on myself (any perfectionists out there?) for not posting regularly, but I didn't want to turn blogging into a chore. Rather, I want to keep it my happy place so I'll post when I find something great to talk about instead of forcing the words and photos to come. Looking back at my posts, I could totally tell when I forced things and those are my lowest performing posts. 

More than halfway through 2016, and right now, it feels like the calm before the storm. My life seems like a series of unfortunate events (loved that book series!) but I remind myself that I need to remain positive. After such a catastrophic (melodramatic, but stay with me) end to 2015 and a rocky start to 2016, I can't help but feel hopeful that things are looking up. I'm starting school in 2 weeks after a year of absence and I'm regularly contacting my friends again instead of shutting them out. I'm slowly learning to trust people again and to keep doing the things that make me happy. Now if only I could apply this attitude to working out... ^_^

I was planning on writing this post sooner but was so angry that I didn't want to have that on my blog. With time and distance, I've been able to articulate myself in a clearer matter. I don't know if it's a good idea to post something so personal on the internet so I might end up getting rid of this post. However, it's been quite cathartic and freeing to get this off my chest. 

GIVEAWAY

So now that you've made it this far, let's talk about the good stuff! I wasn't planning on doing a giveaway this year but as I've been doing my Going Cruelty Free: Destashing Project, I came across tons of unused and unopened products and backups that I've been holding onto. Instead of hoarding things, I'd rather share them with my lovely readers. :)

PRIZE #1: Orange You Glad it's Summer
LORAC Skinny Palette in Nude
NARS Larger than Life Long-wearing Eyeliner in Via Veneto
Covergirl LashBlast Volume WP Mascara
BareMinerals Lash Domination Mascara
ULTA Duo in Apricot Blush and Yellow Diamond Highlighter
Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Coralberry
NARS Lip gloss in Orgasm
ULTA Brushes

PRIZE #2: Pretty In Pink

Makeup Revolution Palette in Go to the City!

Maybelline The Falsies Flared WP Mascara 

Lancome Hypnose Drama Mascara

Lancome Bi-Facil Eye Makeup Remover

BareMinerals Lasting Liner in Lasting Brown

BareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipgloss in Rebel

Wet N Wild Blush in Berry Shimmer

Makeup Revolution Lip Power in Life is What You Make It

Sephora by OPI Nail Strips in Birds

Sweepstakes Rules:

1. You must be 18 or over to enter these contests. 
2. Open to US residents only. Anyone with an international address will be disqualified.  
3. Contest will run for 2 weeks, starting Monday August 22, 2016 12:00 AM PST to Monday September 5, 2016 12:00 AM PST. 
4. Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter. Only entries received using the Rafflecopter widget will be counted. 
5. Winners will have 48 hours to claim their prize before new winners will be chosen. If you receive a message that is presumably from me, please double check to make sure it is authentic. There are any scammers out there and I wouldn't want that to happen to y'all. I will never ask for credit card info or such personal identification. All I will need is your email address and mailing address so I can ship you your prize if you win. 
6. All prizes purchased with my own money. Twitter, Instagram, Bloglovin' and Blogger are not sponsoring, administering, endorsing or associating with me or this promotion. 
7. Duplicate entries are fine--just don't spam me with the same message over and over. 
8. Odds of winning depend on how many entries received.
9. Technical issues may arise because technology is fickle. Let me know of any hick-ups and I'll do my best to resolve it!

a Rafflecopter giveaway