Five Apps That Have Changed My Habits

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Today I’m here to share five apps that have changed my habits as of this summer and the past two weeks of starting school. These apps are really useful and easy to use, though I’m not sure if they sell it in both Android and Apple but I do know that the apps I’m showing you guys are all accessible through Apple.

The first app I want to talk about is Forest. It costs $0.99 but if I think of all the apps worth buying, I think of this app. It helps me stay productive during school and I find that whenever it’s on, I’m ten times more focused on my work. I’m not tempted to use my phone because I know I have the Forest app running and the moment I close the app page, my tree dies. And, to make things better, if you reach 2500 points, you can plant a real tree. Here’s a little Instagram story that I posted on:

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So not only does this app make you more productive, it even allows you to plant real-life trees. This is the first app that I recommend because not only can you use this for school, you can use it so you’re focused on your dinner, your work meetings or assignments, during the movies, etc.

The second app is Goodreads. Many of you guys know this app as I post it on some of my other blog posts for you guys to check out whenever I post a book related post. I love this app because it’s great for sharing the types of books you read and it also lets you see book recommendations from friends. I find that I’m always on Goodreads continuously looking for a good book to read next. What’s good about Goodreads is that if you see a book you can even see the ratings and reviews other people give. I know that’s like judging a book by its cover but I think it’s really useful. But most of the time I’m looking at the 4-5 star ratings on the book. Maybe I should just do a post on why Goodreads is such a good app.

The third app I like is called Relax Melodies. Although I can sleep through tornadoes and can sleep in five minutes, sometimes on one of those days, I have the hardest times sleeping. Here you can create as many sounds as you want using the free version and it’s great because you don’t really need the premium account in order to access a lot of sounds. I usually set a timer for 20 minutes for the sounds to go off and it works great. I fall asleep really easily with it on when I find that I’m having trouble sleeping or some sorts. I find I’m having a much better night when I sleep with this on.

Many of you guys already know Quizlet so I’m not going to go into full detail on why it’s a great app. Over the summer, I used Quizlet to make a set for my Chemistry class, a way to memorize the periodic table. I found out in Open House that I didn’t even need to memorize it, nonetheless, I used almost all the features Quizlet has to give when studying a set and I find it has really helped me memorize the periodic table even when I don’t need to memorize it. If you’re in need of a periodic table study set, I created a Quizlet with all 118 elements for you to study. Click here to access the study set.

This last one is also a pretty common app, Duolingo. I’m currently learning French in school so I don’t really study French that often on Duolingo, but, I do use this app for learning Spanish. When I study with Duolingo, I make sure that the speaking, listening, and typing setting is on because I feel like I can fully benefit from those features when learning Spanish. But why is it that I’m learning Spanish on Duolingo and French at school? To be frank, my parents sort of pushed me to learn French because no one in my family knows French. I chose to learn Spanish on Duolingo because so many of my family members know Spanish and I find that whenever I’m with my cousins, aunts, and uncles, even my grandparents, I’m always having to ask my mom what they’re saying because they’re talking in Spanish. That’s one reason I’m learning Spanish. And because it’s a little tough taking to language courses in my school.

I most likely didn’t have to rant on why I desperately wanted to learn Spanish but truthfully, I’m really learning a lot on Duolingo when I’m learning Spanish. It’s probably the best free learning app because it’s got a lot of languages you can learn on the go.

All these apps have really helped me be more productive in terms of studying as well as concentrating on the task at hand. I’m not steering off course by going on social media often. I realize that you can access all these apps on the computer, but for me, I only really go on social media on my phone. All these apps help me study and learn more without being too stressed about it. I’m feeling ten times more relaxed by using background noises when sleeping and on a daily basis, I feel lighter in my head and I’m not feeling too stressed.

Though the Forest app isn’t free, I recommend getting it to really help you stay on task and help lessen your time on social media.

I hope these apps were helpful in knowing, though I notice that most of you probably already know these apps, all the five apps that I mentioned I love to use. I don’t use them a lot on the weekends but during the weekdays, those apps are open when I need them.

Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoy what my favorite apps are that have really changed my studying and lifestyle habits!

Go check out my Goodreads and my Chemistry study set. I post updates on my Instagram story so check that out too! Comment down below what are your favorite apps for habits!

Loves,
Veronica Chen

Three Ways to Deal with Cliffhangers in Books

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Have you ever had that one book that just leaves you off a cliffhanger and you desperately wish you could have the new book written or not?

I have.

But today’s blogpost is all about how to deal with those cliffhangers in individual books and series. One of my favorite things to do is read and cliffhangers is one of the things that I have to deal with for multiple books.

Now I don’t have all the answers to how you can deal with a cliffhanger but these three are one of the top things I do whenever I am faced with one.

The first one is writing. Something I like to do is write and for me, I love to write fan fiction whenever I encounter a cliffhanger. This is actually the first time I said that out loud, me liking to write fan fictions but it is true. Fan fictions help me write my own timeline of the story and when I am finally able to grab my hands on the book (depending on the waiting time) I can see if my fan fiction was right or wrong in terms of how it truly came to be.

The next way I deal with cliffhangers is art, whether it’s drawing or painting or sketching. When I like to draw some of the things I draw really vary; character portraits, scenes from the book/s, and I even like to draw my own little fan fiction art. I know that should be on the fan fiction category but as I would draw them, I find fan fiction art would really go in the art category.

Last but not least, talking to someone who shares the same interests in books can really help. One thing I like to do is go on Goodreads and really share my thoughts out on the cliffhangers to people that have already read it, even in groups I do that! Bunching up all your feelings on how you feel about the cliffhanger can really put a lot of pressure on your expectations on the next book “what’s going to happen next?” or “does X character die?” There are so many things running through my brain on the story that it makes me more stressed which in my case, is absolutely true. Sometimes when I don’t really have anyone to talk to, I’d talk to my mom who has absolutely no idea what I’m talking about, but, being my mom and being the best mom, she’ll listen anyways.

Those are my three tips in dealing with a cliffhanger and to me, the easiest to do whether you’re a bad writer, bad artist or good writer, good artist, these ways are super easy and you really don’t have to share it with the world. You can have your own personal file of stories on your computer or on a notebook or a sketchbook and no one has to see it.

I hope you guys liked my three ways to deal with a cliffhanger and if you have some of your own, be sure to comment down below and I’ll definitely check it out!

If you want to see what I read, go check out my Goodreads account here.

Thanks for reading my blogpost guys and have a great morning or night!

Before we leave, I would like to now inform you that my new updating schedule is on Saturdays at 1 pm as I have now started school. Thanks guys!

Loves,

Veronica Chen

My Makeup Collection

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Hi everyone and welcome to a new blog post! Today’s post is all about what is in my makeup collection! I don’t have a huge collection but I love makeup and seeing all the different types of products.

Here you can find all sorts of brands though be warned, most of them are high-end products. I do like shopping in drugstores and buying the more affordable prices, I just find I spend most of my time in Sephora and, my nearest drugstore isn’t exactly the type that would have a huge section of cosmetics, hence the reason I have high end branded makeup.

I don’t wear makeup too often but if  I do, it’s very simple: mascara, concealer, and on occasions, some eyeshadow, like for when I’m going out with my friends and things. As well as some lipstick. The type of lipstick I wear is just your normal lip balm/gloss type and it doesn’t have a deep tint to it. I find I suit nude shades or in general very light shades of lipstick.

So let’s get started!

I always start with my face products because I just find that it’s a little easier to handle. And, if I do eyeshadow, I find I base it off how I’m feeling for that day. On days when I feel like I need more coverage like I know I’m going out a lot, I’ll use a foundation but if I find I don’t need that much coverage, I’ll go for just using concealer.

FACE PRODUCTS

Too Faced Hangover 3 in 1 Replenishing Primer and Setting Spray

I really like this Primer so far as it really helps my face makeup stay. I find that I’ve been trying a lot of primers and none of them work as well as this. I found that primer mists really work with me rather than the cream one better. This is one of the first primers that I’ve really liked and I’m definitely okay with trying different types of primers, mist or cream.

Benefit Hello Flawless Oil-Free SPF 25 Foundation in I’m so Money (Honey)

This foundation is great as it’s very lightweight and as I’m a student, I don’t need such full coverage so I like to occasionally use this. I don’t wear foundation to school unless really necessary. Though with this foundation, I find that this shade goes on very orange so I’ve had to really mix it in or put more concealer. All in all, it’s very hydrating and doesn’t leave my skin too dry.

Sephora High Coverage Concealer – Natural finish in 29: Pink Beige

This concealer has so far been such a lifesaver. This is a pretty full coverage concealer (in my terms) and a little goes a long way. I love the doe foot applicator as it really spreads the product and doesn’t focus too much on one area. This product is currently one of my favorites.

Kat Von D Lock-it Setting Powder in Translucent

This setting powder currently has really changed the feel of my face after I apply it. I know how that sounds (weird) and I can assure you that the powder really makes  a slight difference in your makeup. It really locks it in place and it holds all the concealer and foundation in. I definitely like the way it works but when using my beauty blender to apply, it seems to get all over the place.

Sephora Bronzing Powder in Deep 3: Mykonos

This bronzer has really changed my cheekbones. I have the smallest, tiniest really, definition when it comes to my cheekbones and the moment I apply this bronzer, my cheekbones already look completely defined and it also really puts a nice color to my cheeks. My whole face really! This is one of my top products.

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-hour blush in Blushing Bride

This blush is truly amazing. I use a NARS brush and I feel like you don’t need to seriously pack the brush with a lot of product. The one thing I can say is that I do have to go back into the product as the blush is a little too light but I don’t use too much where my whole face is all white. I found this blush after watching a Youtuber name Kristin Johns talk about it and she said that it was a really good product and very light. I can 100% agree and that’s why it is one of my favorite products.

Urban Decay Long Lasting Setting Spray in All Nighter

The Setting Spray has honestly been very useful whenever I use it. It’s convenient and it really goes by it’s name, “Long Lasting”. It does smell a little weird but that doesn’t stop me from using the product. Unless it continuously smells like that then I’d have a problem with it. But this doesn’t as it goes away after a while. All in all, this is a great product to use and very nice as a setting spray.

EYE PRODUCTS

 Benefit Stay Don’t Stray Eyeshadow Primer in: Light/Medium

This product has very much saved my life. I actually have pretty a pretty oily face so I constantly worry about my face looking oily after a while. I started to notice that when I wear eyeshadow for a long time, because of the thin fold on my eyelid, after a few hours I notice that there’s this oily line where the fold is. This eyeshadow primer has really stopped that from happening. Not only does this product keep my eyelids from getting oily, it really helps the eyeshadow and eyeliner stay on until I take it off.

Tarte Tarteist Pro to Go and Tartelette Flirt Eyeshadow Pallette

These two pallettes are my go to pallettes as I don’t really use eyeshadow every single day. They are the travel size pallettes and are really handy as I’m not one to explore the eyeshadow color world. I really don’t need anything too bright colored or too dark and these two pallettes I would say are both smoky eye pallettes but not too much of a smoky look. I would say minimal smoky but still smoky. These two are really my favorite pallettes and I would say I can’t seem to stop using them.

Too Faced Better than Sex Mascara: Original and Waterproof

I’m not sure I need to say anything else except for it’s one of my favorite mascaras to use. You can check out my previous post to read all about how I bought both mascaras rather than one.

Kat Von D Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner in Trooper Black

This eyeliner so far as I’ve used it is really good and very strong. It’s easy to apply but super hard to take off. I guess that’s what makes it waterproof. They had a brown eyeliner but I find that brown isn’t every suiting for my eyes. I tried it and just regretted it immediately. Luckily the black one is easy to use so I really like to use it.

Benefit Gimme Brow Volumizing Fiber Gel

This brow gel is super easy to use and very convenient. I find that I don’t like to do much to my eyebrows as I don’t need such definition considering I’m just a teenager. Using the Gimme Brow Gel has really allowed my brows to really look natural looking. I like to brush my brows out first and then go with the gel mainly at the ends of my brow without using too much product to make my brows look unnatural. I love this product very much and if you aren’t looking to do much with your brows, I would highly recommend this product to you.

This is it for my makeup collection!

I hope you guys enjoyed this post and got some recommendations from my post for your own makeup collection. I don’t have the biggest collection but I still like to use all my products.

Thank you guys all for reading!

Loves,

Veronica Chen

A Review on Lockwood and Co. Series by Jonathan Stroud

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Hello everyone! Sorry for the delay in posts, and I’m not going to lie, I haven’t found the time to work on my blog because I’ve mainly been preparing for my math class next school year – which is sooner than I thought- and I’ve also been trying to read. I found that the whole summer, I barely read. I need to fix that. And, I’ve been knitting which is really unusual but trust me, knitting isn’t just for grandmas sitting on rocking chairs and knitting super fast. I find that the only time I have to knit is during the summer which is very little if you don’t count the times I’m away traveling with my family.

Wow, that was really off task. Anyways, today I bring you a review, the first of many on my blog. It is a review on the series by Jonathan Stroud: Lockwood and Co. and it has a total of five books in it but I currently have the first three books. I’m currently ordering the last two and I’m very excited to read them as soon as they come, which I don’t even know when.

Let’s get to what this book is about.

I would say this is a book for teenagers, as the topic is very teenage ish. I don’t really know what to tell you about the age zone for this series.

It’s about an agency that hunts ghosts of all types and there’s a lot of mystery and crime. I’m trying not to spoil it so I don’t give away too much and basically ruin it for you. There are three main characters: Lucy Carlyle, Anthony Lockwood, and George Cubbins and they are a small agency that hunts ghosts and other ghost related objects, etc. Each of the character has a type of “sight” in which they use to hunt the ghosts and protect the citizens from being harmed by the ghosts.

Why is it that I’m doing a review on this series? Because I love it. It’s such an interesting read and it’s one of those books that can make me gasp out loud or even laugh out loud. I don’t do that often while reading books. I find that there aren’t a lot of books that really make me laugh out loud very often, but that doesn’t mean I’ve got no emotion when it comes to reading. I love reading and it’s one of my favorite things to do on my free time.

I hope this blog post finds you good and maybe you can even read it in your free time. It may be for teens but I do think that it definitely is a good series to read for entertainment.

Go check out my Goodreads and go ahead and follow! I love seeing what people read so I can even get an idea of my next read! Click here for my Goodreads!

Loves,
Veronica Chen