September Favorites

Hey everyone, I'm back with my September Monthly Favorites! I have been extremely busy this month with starting college and things to do with school, but I do have quite a few things I have been loving this month. 

Beauty

I have been using the Good brand soap in the scent sunshine. I think this is the perfect sent for transitioning from summer into fall and it lathers up really nicely. It also doesn't dry out my skin. I actually took this picture before I used up this soap, and now I've bought a new one in a different scent to try next month. 

Since it is getting cold, my skin has been drying out a lot more lately. So I have been using a CVS brand moisturizer to keep my skin feeling smooth. 

I have also been using the Love & Toast hand cream in the scent Honey Coconut for my dry hands. 

For my nails I have been using the color Forever Yummy by Essie. I think this is a great color to start out fall with. It is still bright, but it is darker than the colors I wear during the summer. And I think a red nail is great for any time of the year.

To remove old nail polish I have been using a CVS brand nail polish remover. This is one with the sponge inside and then you stick your finger in, twist it, and it removes all your nail polish. I love this because it is quick and easy. And since I am living in a dorm, it is easier to use and less messy.  

Books

I am almost done reading Four by Veronica Roth. It is really good, I recommend it if you liked the Divergent series.

I have also been listening to the audio books of the Bloodlines series by Richelle Mead. I am almost finished with the second one and will be starting the third one. I don't like them as much as the Vampire Academy series, but they are a really good spin-off and I do recommend them if you liked the Vampire Academy books.

Fashion

I have been wearing my shirt with a panda in the pocket all the time. It is so comfortable, it feels like I'm wearing pajamas. It also comes down lower in the back, so you can wear it with leggings (which I love to do). I got it at K-mart over the summer. I'm not sure if you can still get it.

Food/Drinks

Where I live it is already getting pretty cold outside, so I have been making a lot of tea and hot coco.

I've been loving this green tea by the Bigelow brand and the Land O Lakes hot coco mixes, especially the hazelnut one.

Random!

I have been loving the bed rest pillow that I got. I keep this on my bed in my dorm and it makes it much more comfortable to sit and relax or do homework.

I use my Brita water bottle all the time now. It is great because it has a filter and it helps cut down of plastic water bottles. 

Top Ten Books On My Fall To-Be-Read list

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish

This week's top ten Tuesday topic top ten books on my fall TBR list. A lot of books I plan on reading are part of series. 

1. The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead
2. The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead
3. The Firy Heart by Richelle Mead 
4. Legacy of Lies by Elizabeth Chandler
5. Don't Tell by Elizabeth Chandler 
6. No Time to Die and by Elizabeth Chandler
7. The Deep End by Elizabeth Chandler
8. The Back Door of Midnight by Elizabeth Chandler
9. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell 
10. Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier 

Update: First Year College Student Ramble

Hello everyone! I thought I would make an update post about what I've been up to and why there haven't been as many posts as I would like going up lately.

This September, I started my first year of college. I will not tell you where I am going, I will just say that it is in New England, so you know what type of weather we get here... unpredictable. One day it will be cold and rainy, the next it will be 80 degrees Fahrenheit. We are expecting a cold winter with lots of snow this year (still not sure if I'm excited about that or not).

The past few weeks I have been extremely busy with my school work and adjusting to living in a dorm setting. I am an only child and have never shared a room (besides on overnight school trips) before. I'm lucky to have gotten a great roommate that I get along with so well and there are a ton of great girls in my hall that I've become friends with. I am loving it here so far, I feel like I am pretty well adjusted at this point and will hopefully get back on schedule with this blog. I do have some posts planned such as my September favorites and a book review of Four by Veronica Roth.

I realize that college is not for everyone, it is a huge decision and takes up a lot of time, but I have decided to go to college to further my education.Most of my friends back home are not going to college, and that's totally fine for them. It's just not what I wanted for me. It was difficult to decide to leave my family and move to a different state. I knew I would be 2 hours away from my friends, family, pets, and home. But I truly believe that this was the best decision I have ever made. I can't remember a time when I was happier with what I was doing than I am now. I think that this is a very hard thing to find and that I'm lucky to have found a place that prepares me for the career I want and lets me do what I love. I knew that if I stayed in my hometown, I wasn't going to be able to accomplish all the things I want to do. I am so glad I chose this school.

I plan on majoring in Environmental Science because (as cheesy as it sounds) I want to make a difference in the world, even if it is only a small one. My school is pretty small and has a lot of hands on classes, so for my major we go outside for many of the classes (even my English class!) to learn about the campus lands and the environment in general. My professors are fantastic. I feel like I have learned so much just in the past 3 weeks and I can't wait to learn more!

If you are not sure about whether or not you want to go to college, I encourage you to do your research. Look up different schools and know what you are looking for. Do you want a large campus? Small one? Is there a certain sport you want to play? Certain clubs you would like to be involved with? Do you have a specific major you are considering? Do you want to commute? Or live on campus? Do you want to go to a state school? These are just some of the things I had to ask myself when choosing which colleges to apply to. I know these things helped me choose the right college for me.

I feel like a big reason that many people don't go to college is because of the price. I'm telling you that if you want to go really badly, that there is a way. My family is in an extremely difficult financial situation right now, but I was able to follow my dreams and go to my dream school. Apply for scholarships, it helps if you know what major you are planning on doing because many scholarships are tailored towards a specific major. Apply for grants. Apply for financial aid. See if your school offers federal work study, so that you can work on campus and have it go towards your tuition. I encourage you to do these things before you consider getting a loan. If you do all these things college becomes much more affordable (not free unfortunately, unless you are extremely lucky, but the cost will be significantly less than it would have originally been).

I hope this ramble post was helpful, or at least a little bit entertaining. I will talk to you in my next post.

<3 Rebecca