The Plight of the Pseudo-Studier

Coming into college a new aspect of culture was study culture. There are hidden places and coves throughout every campus that students prop themselves down for 2 hours, 5 hours, 10 hours to prepare themselves for an oncoming wave of exams that they'll have to endure. Not to mention the largess and sometimes ornate libraries that even stay open for 24 hours of the day. With all the space and time spent you'd think these students would be prepared to score straight As. Some of them, maybe but many students-with all the space and time spent really accomplish squat when attempting to study.

These pseudo studiers lurk all around campus and throughout all hours of the day. I've seen them myself and I'd be lying if I said I've never been one myself. The pseudo-studier will lay out her books across a desk, make a list of the things she wants to get done, have a pencil in hand ready to go, and have her cell phone in the other. An hour killed doing, well, nothing as an occupant of the infamous internet and more time up for its grasp. With no doubt the pseudo studier's way is a well-intended process but sadly enough is proven fruitless time and time again.

Another pseudo-studying tactic of the pseudo-studier in subconscious attempts to avoid actually studying is the group study ploy. Gather a few friends and take them to the library or an open space optimal for studying. Bring a snack or two and bring your iPod speaker or not. This what was supposed to be a helpful and resourceful session of bringing bright minds together turns into a melting pot for distraction and ultimately wasted time. 5 minutes study, 30 minutes play. 10 minutes to read 2 of 20 pages about the homeostatic process of molecules within the body, 40 minutes to hear about Stacy and that boy and what he did to her, uh, body?

My heart goes out to all the pseudo studiers out there. You got it bad you really do. Okay, we really do. The only thing standing in the way of you is you and your friends or your friend really aren't providing any support here, only enabling the pseudo in pseudo-study and the enabler in you. Chuck the phone, ditch the friends, and sit your ass down to finally erase that pseudo and study!

Obsessions: ✍🏽

Obsessions are interesting in that they can be unique to individuals and stem from spontanaeity or chance rather than practice like other habits, hobbies, or crafts. Usually people stumble on obsessions through accident and discover them by accident. You do something once, figure out you're enameled by it, and then just like that something clicks- you're obsessed.

At least, that's how it worked for me. Ever since I could remember I was oddly intrigued by penmanship. I started to write my name, my family members' names, friends' names, strangers' -whom I just met- names over and over again in different caricatures and styles. I created my signature in 15 different formats when I was in elementary school and the cursive lesson we had to take in the third grade was way more play than work.

Learning to develop neat and changeable handwriting was an outcome of this obsession I had when I was younger (and still do)  of exploring the different nuances of style through doodling. Embarrassingly or weirdly enough, this habit and obsession lead to me discovering that I have a favorite pen. The BIC "Xtra smooth" in black. It's as smooth as a baby's butt and works like a charm!

If anyone is in lack of an obsession or hobby to occupy yourself I'd recommend exploring your handwriting. All you need is a pen and a paper and you can do it anywhere! For all you know now it could just click.

How To: Fill in Your Eyebrows

If you told me this was a trivial activity to write an instructional about I wouldn’t disagree with you. Nevertheless, I can neither deny that it’s something some people wonder about nor say it doesn’t matter to me. Since I have very sparse eyebrows I like to shape and fill mine in to best frame my face and taste! Oftentimes my friends, acquaintances and sometimes strangers seem intrigued by the…aesthetic of my eyebrows. I know! So without further ado, here are the steps of how I groom, shape and fill in my eyebrows.

Step One: PREP

The best clean eyebrow to work with should be already groomed in whichever way that is preferable to you. I get my eyebrows threaded professionally and like for them to lean at a slight arch which they already follow. Everyone’s eyebrows are a different shape so a good tip is to follow the natural arch and shape of your own. 

Step 2: COVER-UP

When your brows aren’t at their best clean state, a popular option you can explore is to tweeze those hairs that stand out. If you don’t want to deal with the meticulousness of tweezing or the pain, don’t worry! A cool way to refine any stray hairs is by using concealer to cover them up! Take any brush or applicator and dab a skin-colored concealer onto the stray hairs. Pat and blend the formula in and your eyebrows will look freshly groomed.

Step 3: FILL-IN

My favorite part. To choose the right color for your eyebrows a general rule is for light haired folks to choose a color 2 shades darker than your hair and for dark haired people to choose a color that is 2 shades lighter. Using an angled makeup brush and your choice of eyebrow pomeade, powder, or any eyeshadow, apply the makeup onto your brow. Start at the angled point in your eyebrow and work your way outwards. Then move inwards to fill in the sparser inner area. Fill in the unfilled areas of what is left. Make sure to flick the brush with swift and short motions rather than dragging it out to replicate the image of hairs on your eyebrows.

Step 4: CLEAN-UP

I follow this step only when I’m sporting a heavier makeup look. You can choose to always or never follow it but if you are looking for a more dramatic and sharper look to your brows I’d recommend it (Keep in mind that if you chose to cover your stray hairs with concealer as directed in Step 2, this step might just be too much product). Take any applicator and outline your brow with a skin-toned or lighter shade of concealer. Blend the product out and your eyebrow will pop out. 

Hope this was helpful/enjoyable :)