My name is Lacie, I'm 25, living in New Jersey! Currently a full time college student with a BA in criminal justice, earning another degree in physical anthropology with a minor in geology, currently applying to grad schools for forensics! I always joke that I am the "token weird friend", but in reality I just have a strong sense of self - I like spooky things, ghost stories, tarot cards, conspiracy theories, collecting curios, and specifically pertaining to this blog: fashion and beauty. I was very bullied growing up, mostly for my size (currently a US size 18) and my style. I have gone through many periods of terrible self-hate which would affect how I let people treat me and how I treated myself. As I grew up, I learned to get rid as much of that toxicity around me as I possibly could while also taking steps to learn to love myself and express that self-love in everything I do. One thing that has helped me through this journey is my own personal style, especially makeup. A lot of people assume if you are wearing makeup it's for the purpose of attracting attention from others, trying to fit in, or that you hate yourself and are trying to hide who you really are. I could not disagree more: I think makeup is a beautiful tool of self expression. For me, makeup has helped me find my own style, has helped me stop worrying about how others will perceive me, and has made me love to look in the mirror. Most importantly, makeup is just fun! Makeup is one size fits all, it is genderless, and it has no rules. It is no different then dressing in clothes that you enjoy or getting a piercing or tattoo that you'll love - I do it for me and to represent who I am outwardly to the world. Makeup is also somewhat therapeutic to me. I suffer from bad anxiety with periods of depression. Makeup and self-care have really helped me deal with it. My absolute favorite part of my day is when I get to sit down, ignore everything else in the world, and spend time just focusing on me as I do my makeup. I also just love the feeling of getting new makeup, figuring out what works for me, trying out new looks, and sharing my love of makeup with others. I am in no way saying that you need makeup, but I am saying that it can be completely empowering just in the same ways that saying "F*** it" and choosing not to give in to the pressure to look or act like whatever society tells you to can be. When you start putting on makeup for you instead of for the rest of the world - that's when the magic can begin. I am not an expert or a professional, just an enthusiast, and I just want to share my enthusiasm with the world. If anyone is reading this, hello and thanks for valuing what I have to say! -Lacie ❤︎❤︎❤︎