Tips on Studying and Staying Organized

Hey guys! Happy Sunday. Just wanted to share some tips of mine on how to study and stay organized. As a college student, staying organized and knowing how to properly study is something very important. Let's face it, no one enjoys studying or staying organized for that matter. But guess what? This is something you can't ignore. Especially if you're in high school or college (like myself.) While there are a billion and plus one ways to study not everything works for everyone. I've tried many techniques on how to properly study or stay organized but not everything seemed to be within my forte. After figuring out what I liked and what worked for me, I was able to stay maintain a successful studying schedule. The organizing part comes later (lol!)

Studying:

1. Find Your Place - While the library is the number one place to go and study there are plenty of other places you can study such as: lounges, study rooms in the dorms and more. The point is to find somewhere where you are most comfortable with to study. Find your place.

2. Distractions - Turn off that cell phone! Don't put it on silent or vibrate, turn it all the way off. Sometimes I put my phone on DND (Do not disturb) on my iPhone instead of turning it off and still find myself reaching for my phone. I find that when my phone is completely off I won't have the desire to turn my phone back on just to check my messages or social media because it's a reminder that my studying is more important at the moment.

3.  Know what to read - This is very important. Sometimes professors won't tell you that not everything is important. But they'll also let you read a whole chapter with the assumption that you already know what to look for. Highlighting key words, definitions and knowing diagrams are very helpful when it comes to studying. It also saves you a lot of time.

4. Study ahead of time - This is something that I am still trying to master. After every class I try and review some of my notes that way the information stays fresh in my mind. When you constantly look over your notes you won't have much studying to do when the time comes to study for the exam. Trust me, it will make your life way easier and will put less stress on yourself.

Organization:

1. Planner/Calendar - When it comes to making sure I remember my assignments, meetings and events that I need to attend I turn to my planner aka my lifesaver (check out some planner's here). Writing out everything allows me to see what needs to get done and when. Trust me, investing in a planner is essential. (Jumbo desk calendars are also quite helpful as well! Check some out here.)

2. Folders - I love folders. I have one for each class. Having folders allows me to keep handouts from each of my classes separated from each other. I don't know about you, but I can't stand seeing papers everywhere.

Thanks for reading lovely's and I hope that this was post was helpful!

xoxo,
Medgina

P.S - The desk above is not mine. I found this lovely stationary on Pinterest and thought it was really cute! Definitely some study space inspiration.)

Skincare Routine/ Winter Moisturizers

Hey lovely's! Today I am bringing you my Winter Skincare Routine. As the cold winter months begin to approach, there's something that we should be taking good care of; our skin. Cold weather can very easily dry out our skin creating dry patches and removing our skins natural elasticity. About a couple of weeks ago I took a trip to Sephora because I was in need of some moisturizers. After walking endlessly around the store trying to decide which moisturizer was right for me, I opted for the Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion. This lotion is for very dry skin and can also be used by people who are oily in the T-zone (me!). This lotion also claims to provide all day hydration, leaves skin silky soft, springy, and radiant. (For my ladies with very oily skin, Clinique does offer the same type of moisturizer but in a gel like form for oily skin. Check it out here.) After my first use of the Clinique moisturizer I wasn't a fan. Although my skin gets dry in the winter, it doesn't get completely dry. The Clinique moisturizing lotion does what it says. It moisturized my skin so much to the point where my skin got extra oily! (Is that even possible?!) Sometimes after I wash my face in the morning I get the tight dry feeling that I absolutely can't stand. The Clinique DDML, got rid of that completely for me. The only thing that I didn't really like was the fact that it made my skin very oily and greasy looking. So, ladies if you have VERY dry skin you will love this! I gave it to my mom who has very dry skin as well and she absolutely loves it. 

I decided to visit Sephora again. This time I didn't spend two hours in the store (lol!). I purchased the Sephora Intensive Instant Moisturizer. This moisturizer does the following: hydrates and nourishes skin for 24 hours, perfect for dry AND sensitive skin (this sold me! my skin is extremely sensitive), helps prevent the first signs of aging while smoothing and refining skins texture. Light reflecting pigments even skin tone to illuminate the complexion while antioxidants protect against environmental aggressors (winter lol) to keep skin looking beautiful! I absolutely love this moisturizer. It's not too heavy, but also not too light. I apply it in the morning after I was my face and at night as well. I haven't spotted a single dry patch and my skin hasn't been crazy oily since I've been using it. Not to mention that it smells absolutely amazing! 

Skincare Routine: 

My current skincare routine includes one of my favorite cleansers, and my all time favorite skin brushes! You can get the cleanser pretty much anywhere (Target, Walmart, CVS) and the face brush here. They have a variety of colors as well. Adding a face brush to my skin routine has improved my skin so much. I rarely ever get any breakouts, my acne scars have faded greatly and my skin just  looks radiant and wonderful! Trust me, you'll love this. For a long time I wanted the Clarasonic face brush. But as a college student, I simply didn't want to invest in something that expensive. Coming across the Spin For Perfect Skin Brush was the best thing that ever happened to my skin. It's only $30! And it does the damn thing. 

**This post is not sponsored. All the products listed in this post was bought with my own money. These are all my honest and true opinions! :)**

My Must Have Hair Products

Hey Ladies! For a while now I’ve been getting questions about my hair, what I do to it, what products I used and all that jazz. It’s really hard to sum up my hair regime in a snapchat message or Instagram comment. In this post I share with you everything from my staple hair products, what they do, and why I love them so much. Hope you enjoy! Xoxo

Hair Type: One of the many questions I get about my hair is what type is it. Many naturals would refer to the chart below. Before I became aware of this chart a couple of years ago, I never really knew exactly what hair type I had. After learning about this chart, I made the discovery that my hair had multiple textures in it. I range from a 3C to a light 4A. My hair is mostly a 3C texture, but slowly becomes a 4A around my crown.

Hair Porosity: The porosity of my hair ranges from normal to high porosity. The porosity of your hair determines how well moisture is able to get into the hair shafts. Refer to the image below to do a quick and easy hair test to figure out your hair porosity level. Simply take a strand of hair from your head (make sure its a non-damaged strand) and put it in a cup of water. If your hair sinks quickly you have high porosity, if it sinks slowly you have normal porosity and if it doesn't sink all then you have low porosity. I tend to have high porosity, which means at that moisture doesn't stay in my hair that well and I constantly need to make sure that my hair stays moisturized.

Hair Products:

1. OGX Coconut Milk Conditioner -  If someone told me that I’d be stranded on an island for two months and was only allowed to bring one hair product it’d be this one. I’ve tried mine conditioners but something about this one leaves my hair feeling amazing. It also makes a great co-wash. My hair feels squeaky clean after every wash all while still maintaining its moisture. Not to mention this conditioner has coconut essentials in it, which makes my hair super duper happy.

2. Dermorganics Shampoo -  Shampoo?! Yes girl. While shampoo isn’t the greatest for our curly locks because it tends to strip our hair of moisture, its safe to say we could use it accordingly. I know many naturals who totally opt shampoo out of their hair regime. As long as you have a good shampoo then you should be fine. And when I say “good shampoo” I mean a SULFATE – FREE shampoo. Make sure your shampoo doesn’t contain any harsh chemicals that can be severely damaging to your locks. I first discovered this shampoo when my mom bought it home from Marshall’s. (You can also buy this shampoo at Ulta for $18! Just click on ‘Dermorganics’ and it will bring you straight there.) This shampoo contains a gentle sulfate-free formula, safe for colored treated hair, enriched with omega-6, Panthenol B5, Rice Keratin and Antioxidants and more! I’m telling you ladies this is the bomb.com. If you’re going to use a shampoo, then it should be this one.


3.  Renpure Coconut Whipped Crème Leave In Conditioner – This is another newly discovered product that has immediately became my absolutely favorite. You can get this product at your local TJ-Maxx or Marshall’s. If you have neither of these stores near you then you can also get it on ebay. This product is only $5.99 at Marshall’s or TJ-Maxx. It contains ZERO sulfates, sodium chlorides, dyes, harsh salts, parabens and gluten. It doesn’t get any better than that ladies.

4.   Camille Rose Naturals Almond Jai Twisting Butter – THIS RIGHT HERE YA’LL?! Oh my goodness my absolute favorite styler of all times! The moisture and definition I get out of this product when I do my twist-outs is unbelievable. Not to mention the shine is crazy. Just like a highlighter, this styler will have your hair glowing.

5.  Coconut Oil (Virgin & unrefined) – Of course I had to save the best for last. As I’m writing this I’m re-evaluating whether Coconut oil would be the only thing I bring with me if I were to be on an island for two months. This stuff is truly amazing. Coconut is one of the safest oils that one could possibly use, from cooking with it to using it in your everyday beauty and hygiene lifestyle. I love using this as a sealer to lock in moisture. I also use this for my homemade hair treatments. I mean why else wouldn’t you use this?

What hair product would you guys choose? (Leave some comments for me to read!)

Thanks for reading dolls!

Xoxo Medgina

Au Revoir 2015, Bienvenue 2016!

It’s safe to say that I will not miss 2015, but I will remember it. From blessings and trials to love and heartbreak. I’ve learned a lot throughout the past year. I’ve learned how to grow on my own and I’ve also learned to let go. My New Year’s resolution has been the same for years now, which is: to continue to grow. Grow, grow and grow. To me, one can never do enough growing. Growth is something that must happen in order to move on to the next stage. Without it, we’d be stuck for a very long time. So my New Year’s resolution to you all is to grow. I dare you to grow and be great. Happy New Year!

What’s a new year, without a new journal? I picked up this journal at Marshall’s for only $7.99! Journaling has been a therapeutic thing of mine for a very long time. There are some days where you just want to release the build up stress and emotions that you’re feeling inside and sometimes speaking isn’t always the answer. Try journaling, I promise you’ll like it!