life as of late No. 3

1. Branding
Branding has been something I've been thinking about for a while, and I guess I'm not the only one! Bree (one of my favorite bloggers) recently mentioned on her blog that she's had it on her mind as well. So, I'm going to go along with her and am going to really concentrate on branding my design site and this one.
No, I'm not making any drastic changes, because I really like the color scheme of my blog now, so the bigger changes are going to be on Simply You Designs.

2. The Olympics
I love the Olympics. I really do. I love watching and cheering for the good old U.S.A., and I love learning more about the world's top athletes. So I kinda love the Olympics.

3. Batman
After the tragic shooting in the movie theater, I didn't really think about watching the new Batman movie. However, a few days ago, my family got the very first movie of the series, and so I thought, eh, why not?
Holy. Amazing. I watched "Batman Begins" twice in one day because I just loved it that much. Now I'm kind of obsessed with his incredible skills, and whenever I have the chance to disappear or climb up a wall or something, I take it.
I saw "The Dark Knight" too, (watched that twice also) and though I didn't like it quite as much as the first one, it was still awesome and made me want to see "The Dark Knight Rises".

4. Painting
Lately I've had the urge to paint more, and have been doing it a lot. I've been loving doing this style of painting, and hopefully once I do enough I'll be able to cover one of my walls with them! :) What do you like to paint?

-hannah

madison || portraits

Two Thursdays ago, I was pacing around my house, going over my camera equipment and other little miscellaneous things I needed for the shoot that was going to take place in under an hour. After running through the list for the millionth time, and wearing out just about every carpet in my house, I felt ready.

I tried sitting down and watching t.v. and I couldn't. I tried reading the newspaper. I tried looking at blogs. I tried playing the piano.

Finally, I realized that there was no way I could calm myself down, so I went back to pacing and thinking. Occasionally I scrambled around the house, snatching something up that could be useful.

When 5:30 finally rolled around, I heard a knock on my front door, and all I could think was yesss.

Madison was calm, cool, and collected, and my jumping stomach settled down within a few minutes of chatting and shooting. I barely had to direct her at all, she was a natural.

We went to a location that was full to bursting with fields, woods, and a creek. It was pretty much perfect.

 

 

There was one spot I was absolutely determined to get to, and I'm telling you, Madison was a trooper. It seemed like we were walking and dodging branches and trudging through mud for hours, but all that was worth it when we finally arrived.

Madison was willing and eager to try anything, and as a photographer I appreciated that so much. She was easy to talk to, fun to be around, and super talented. She is on the road to becoming a star. She has done many plays and musicals, and a bunch of other modeling jobs, but when I asked her if she was more interested in becoming a model or an actress, she surprised me. "Neither. I'm really into opera."
Can you say impressive?

I had a blast on this photo shoot. Thanks again, Madison! Can't wait to work with you again :)

Which photo is your favorite?
-hannah

ooh la la lashes || a product review

A few weeks ago, I received a package in the mail from the one and only wet n wild cosmetic company. Needless to say I was excited ;) Inside the package were a whole bunch of goodies (including the nail polish I was wearing in this post) and ever since I got them I've been trying them out so I could give you guys the scoop!
Today, I'm going to be talking about the MegaVolume Mascara. Now, you guys might remember me talking about the MegaVolume Mascara a couple of different times. I'm finally going to bring you a proper review for it!

MegaVolume Mascara Review:
Here's what wet n wild has to say about it:

MEGA VOLUME™ MASCARA

Bat lush, mesmerizing lashes with this volume-building formula for natural-looking, fuller fringe!

I must say that for the most part, I agree with them! This mascara really does make my lashes noticeably
more voluminous. Here are some before and after pictures:

After ONE coat of MegaVolume Mascara:

The Formula & Brush:
This formula is on the drier side, which I typically enjoy in a mascara. My lashes are pretty naturally long, and they clump easily, so whenever I find a formula+brush that doesn't clump my lashes, I tend to fall in love. So obviously I am deeply in love with this one ;) The brush is as long as my eye, and I actually really like big brushes, I think they manage my long lashes waaay better than smaller ones. It also has natural bristles, which is a total plus for me. I ADORE natural bristled brushes that are able to separate and define each of my lashes!

Lasting Power:
I was extremely impressed by the staying power of this stuff. It lasted me a full 14-hour day with no flaking or smudging. Sometimes mascara on my bottom lashes will settle into the tiny creases under my eyes on a humid day-but not this one! It stayed put for as long as I needed it to.

Overall Thoughts:
If you haven't noticed already, I'm kind of in love with this mascara. The second day I tried it out it was literally the only makeup product on my face. My friend came over to my house and as soon as she saw me she said "Wow, Hannah you're eyelashes look really...... noticeable!"
Um, BOOYAH!
So yes, this is one of those products that I feel comfortable throwing on with nothing else on my face and going out in public. And that's saying a lot, because typically I like to have a little liner or concealer or something along with mascara. Also, I don't feel like I need to curl my lashes when I'm wearing this. Another plus, because that definitely shortens my "getting-ready time" in the morning!

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I hope this review was helpful, and expect a couple more coming soon, along with tutorials!!
What's your all-time-favorite mascara?

-hannah

singin' in the rain

I can't even tell you the last time I've gone crazy in the rain. It' been a while. But there's just something about being the only one outside with your friends, running around in the street, getting completely soaked that makes me happy.

Jodie :)

I asked my friend Kayla to snap some photos of us using my camera because I was waaay to wet to do it myself!

Speaking of my camera, it has a new best friend! It's name is "50mm f/1.8G". They are pretty much in-seperable now ;)

What do you do on rainy days?

-hannah

ten things

 

Ten things that make me happy:

001. Water with lemon

002. New creamy pink nail polish

003. Sweet apple perfume

004. Homemade pizza

005. Delicate pops of purple flowers waving in the summer breeze

006. Exciting secret plans I'm making and working on and will be sharing with you soon ;)

007. Doing playdoh with my adorable cousins

008. Feeling so much healthier from drinking about 5 glasses of water :)

009. White shorts

010. Walking barefoot in the rain

What makes you happy?
-hannah

home again home again

Coming back from a vacation is hard. Especially this one. I just spent about ten days being mostly alone, running errands for my great aunt, catching up on some Jeopardy with her, and having an all around amazing time. Waking up every morning in a different bed, a different setting, with a different routine was so refreshing.
But now I'm back, and I deeply apologize to you faithful readers for not giving you more updates!

At the moment, I'm returning emails like a mad woman. I feel like I have so much to do, as most people  probably feel when they get back from a long trip. And I also have some unfortunate news:
My great aunt (not the one I was staying with) passed away yesterday morning. She has been suffering for months and years now, trying to recover from brain bleeds and strokes. Her passing has honestly been a relief for the family, because we know that she is now in a better place, but everyone is still sad.

-hannah

I run

Starting is the easiest. Like other things in this world, the beginning is always easy for me. There is no noise at all, nothing except for the music coming from my earbuds that are plugged into my ears. My pounding feet carry myself from street to street. No cars. No people. One dog. It barks at me as I pass his territory, glaring at me threateningly from behind his tall wooden fence. I ignore it and keep going. Every once in a while I am aware of my hard breathing, and I remember to take controlled, easy breaths. I reach the lake and walk across the small dock, stretching out my legs, my shoulders, letting my pumping lungs rest a while. I amuse myself for a few minutes by watching the ducks plunge below the surface of the green water, searching for breakfast. Then rest time is over. Time to tackle the hardest part of this morning run. I start off slow, conserving my energy for "the titanium of torture". This is what I nicknamed the hill-about 1/4 of a mile, steep in the middle, and an all around, oh, I don't know, monster. In general, I like running. Sure, there are those times when you feel like you're on death's door, but most of the time you can power through it. Yeah, dealing with the "titanium of torture" is one of those times where your battery needs to be charged 100%. At least mine does anyway! My lungs never pumped harder. Trying to be consumed by my music, I forced my legs to keep moving. I looked ahead. The more I moved forwards, the more my destination seemed to move back. Suddenly, I couldn't help from hearing my heavy breathing, the blood rushing through my head. And then, it's over. And I'm left with the feeling of nausea, thirst, and accomplishment. -hannah p.s. Sorry for the lack of photos. The limited internet connection here doesn't let me upload photos :P So the next few posts will probably be photo-less.

right now

Right now I see:
 The quaintest most wonderful neighborhood stretched out before me. The high noon sun is overhead, but I am sitting in the shade, composing this post on my iPod and watching the shadows of the trees dance on the pavement.

 Right now I hear:
 Ducks. Geese. Wind. Silence. It's music to my ears.

 Right now I smell:
 The occasional whiff of freshly mown grass, and the  laundry detergent scent coming from my shirt.

Right now I taste:
 The lingering sweetness of the cantaloupe I had for lunch today. Right now I feel: The wind rustling my hair. An ant making it's way up my foot. The grass gracefully brushing my legs. The plastic case of my iPod as I write this. But I feel more than that. There's a sense of peace here, contentment. Love. It's one of my favorite places. So where am I right now? On vacation at my great aunt's house. And I can't think of any place I'd rather be right now.

 -hannah