50 FACTS ABOUT ME

1. My name is Tristan Catherine Landis and my mom always calls me Tristan Cate, but that username was taken so the birth of my blog name, Tristan Kay, was born!

2. I love tattoos and piercings, but I have none (yet) except for my ears. In my mind, I have tons of tattoos and piercings but I haven't decided on what I want yet so I'm still bare.

3. I have a thing for lingerie. Well, addiction might be a better term. I have a huge collection and I wear it just for me and no one else. 

4. My favorite album is Hospice by The Antlers. It's very emotional and means a lot to me. 

5. My celebrity crushes include Joesph Gordon-Levitt, Hannah Hart, and Benedict Cumberbatch. 

6. I love the colour light blue, I have to stop myself from buying clothes in that colour because if it was up to me I would wear it all the time. 

7. Even though I'm American, I spell colour with a u. I think that's how it should be spelled, and as an English Ed. major in America I have to break the habit for papers. 

8.  Even though I'm only 5'2" I still wear flats. I only really wear heels to work because I work with kids and it's hard to be taken seriously as a teacher when some of the students in the class are taller than you. 

9. I can't swim. Even growing up going to the lake and swimming lessons I do not know how to swim. I can manage to stay afloat, though.

10. My favorite shows are Bob's Burgers, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Sherlock, and Doctor Who.

11. Speaking of Bob's Burgers, almost every night I fall asleep while watching Bob's Burgers. It's become this weird bedtime ritual and one of the only ways I can fall asleep.

12. I love painting with watercolours. It's on of the most relaxing things I can do, and my illustrations are very cartoony and weird.

13. I have OCD (I'm a checker), anxiety, and depression. I'll probably expand on this with another blog post when I'm ready to talk about it. 

14. I hate sleeping. I think it's a huge waste of time. If I could be awake an entire 24 hours I could get so much more done.

15. I love to swear. But, I'm very good at watching my mouth since I work with school age kids. 

16. Tea is life. Early Grey is life. I love tea if you couldn't tell. 

17. I love crying. I used to have a bad habit of trying to hold it in, but now I cry very often. Happy tears, sad tears, excited tears, scared tears. It feels great to just let it out. 

18. My favorite song changes too often. Today it is Shit Song by Kate Nash.

19. My favorite band is Noah and the Whale always and forever. 

20. I'm bisexual.  

21. Wes Anderson and Quentin Tarintino are my favorite directors. 

22. I can't choose a favorite movie. I watch certain movies more than others and most of that depends on my mood. 

23. I play a lot of instruments, but I'm very average at all of them. My favorite instrument I play is ukulele. 

24. I love love! I fall in love with everything. I just love the feeling of finding true beauty and happiness in little things that other people overlook. 

25. I'm a huge nerd. I love watching lectures about anatomy, astrology, literature, and history on YouTube. I watch Crash Course all the time. 

26. I love children's literature which is why after I graduate from university I want to teach English to sixth graders. 

27. I love grading essays. When my friends send me essays to read I go berserk.

28. I love kids, but most likely can't have any naturally and I'm just fine with that. 

29. Otters are my favorite animals. When I go to the zoo I drag my friends to the otter exhibit and make a ton of puns till we get otter there. 

30. I love puns. No shame. 

31. I love movie soundtracks. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is my favorite movie soundtrack so far. 

32. Target is one of my favorite places to be. 

33. My favorite smells vanilla, old books, and mowed grass. The grass smell reminds me of my dad every time I smell it so it's my all time favorite scent. 

34. Estée Lalonde, Keiko Lynn, Cat from From Someone in Love, and Dictiocanary (AKA Kat) are my favorite bloggers. 

35. Harry Potter and Wildwood are my favorite book series. 

36. I love graphic novels. Not only are they beautiful, but they are great for children who have difficulties getting into reading. 

37. I am very into politics, but I wish I wasn't. 

38. I love bread. I don't care that it will make me fat because it is delicious. 

39. I bake all the time. There will always be pastries in my house. Also, I prefer baking treats to eating them.

40. I love giving gifts. Especially just random gifts for no reason.

41. IKEA is my happy place, but the closest one to me is 210 miles away. That's okay, though, since it makes the trip more special!

42. I've always wanted to go to Taipei. When I finish university I finally plan on going. 

43. One day, I will buy an old house that needs a lot of work and fix it up myself. It will happen. 

44. Doddleoddle (Dodie Clark) is my favorite YouTuber. Her songs are adorable. 

45. I did theater for 8 years and even though I never got big roles I always loved it.

46. I was in a band for a few years and I miss it dearly, but I had to quit because of university. 

47. My best friend is Becca. We are probably soul mates and she's one of my favorite people ever. 

48. I just want one girl when I decide I'm ready to adopt. 

49. I love animals. Anytime I go to a friends house or a party I act like a drunk Snow White and spend more time with their pets than them. 

50. These facts were very difficult to come up with, but I hope you liked it! 

Coming Up Roses

As much as I love big cozy sweaters in the fall, sometimes you have to dress up a bit! I love weddings and any excuse to dress up, but fall weddings everyone seems to wear black, blue, red, just very dark colors. So, I wanted to lighten it up!

Dress- Modcloth (old) similar, similar

Headband- Francesca's (old) similar (only $7!) 

Shoes- Mix No. 6 Also available in size 7 on poshmark

Bag- Forever 21 (old) similar, similar, similar

Swooning Over Swan Skirts

Part 2 of my fall chronicle lookbook is more dressed up. It doesn't scream fall but the pops of orange and black make it a more subtle fall look. 

Crop Top from Topshop

Swan Skirt from Sheinside

Similair Hat from Forever 21

Bag from Aldo

Necklace from shoprarebird on Etsy

Rings from Lauren Conrad Collection at Kohls

Shoes by Vera Wang

Similar Sunglasses by Quay

Cardigans, Collars, and Cats! Oh my!

 

I love fall! Tea, tights, and pumpkin spiced everything! Nothing is more amazing than getting cozy with a book and some tea by the fire. 

This is part one of a Fall Chronicle lookbook series. Part two will be posted on Wednesday!

Cardigan from Old Navy 

Collared Top by Lauren Conrad

Skirt from Modcloth

Tights from Modcloth

Tote from Modcloth

9/7 - 9/12 IN A NUTSHELL

This week has been a crazy one.

 

I got a job! The best part is I got a job doing what I love. I am now working as a reading tutor for the American Reads Program.  My dream job is to be a Reading and Writing teacher at a middle school, so this feels like the perfect fit for my bookworm self!

We also decided to finally remodel our kitchen! I live with my parents so I shouldn't be this excited since I will be moving out soon (maybe).  My mum and I have a very similar style so we are painting the kitchen coral with white cabinets and wood countertops. I've been looking for a house for three months and still haven't found one that I like. I'm looking for a fixer upper so this remodel is great since my dad is teaching me a lot. However, we cannot use the kitchen so I haven't had tea in four days and I'm already losing it.

I also started dieting which is nothing I ever thought I would do. I have a lot of problems with my baby box and I had to be on Depo Proveria for a year to prevent my ovaries from essentially exploding. In short, I gained thirty pounds. Some of it was well needed, but it has gotten to the point were I am no longer comfortable with my body so I thought it was time to take control and cut back on the sweets. 

Lastly, the thing I am most proud of. This week I have really come to terms with who I am. Which sounds really sad but it's not. I used to be the kind of person who always needed someone else. Yes, I do still crave cuddles sometimes, but this is more about me working on, well, me. Lately I have been really happy with my personality. I do not think I am perfect by any means, but compared to who I was even just last year I feel I have come a long way. I do still have stuff to work on but I do feel very happy.

Next week I'll be posting the first post in a fall lookbook type thing. Basically, I will be posting three outfits that are perfect for fall. I am doing a casual outfit, evening wear, and a formal look. I am super excited and I hope you will enjoy it!

Dear Lily,

Losing a dog is hard. People act like it shouldn't be, but it is. It feels like I lost a piece of me. 

The hardest part is coming home. There's no warm greetings. The house feels empty. 

There's no one barging in on me in the bathroom anymore. There's no more sniffing and scratching at my door. 

I already miss bedtime cuddles, and your smile. 

And that adorable face.

But it makes me feel better knowing you are no longer in pain. 

I still will miss those big eyes begging for Milk-Bones. 

And having someone to be a goofball with.

Most of all, I will miss your kisses . 

I know I will still love you, no matter how many years pass, or how many dogs I adopt. No dog can ever replace you. You were my best friend, my partner in crime, and the love of my life. I love you. 

Until we meet again. 

- Tristan 

BOOK HAUL!

This Labor Day weekend, Half Price Books is having an amazing sale! Everything, and yes I mean everything, is twenty percent off. Now, I'm an English major so I try to stay caught up on new books so this was the perfect time to go buy some books I've been wanting to read.

Book number one! The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins.  

I have heard mix reviews about this one. Some said it was the new Gone Girl and some said it was too slow. However, I want to read it to figure out it if actually is any good. 

Book number two! Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee. 

Once again, I'm an English Education major and To Kill a Mockingbird is one of my favorite books. That being said, this has a lot to live up to. Atticus Finch is my favorite character and I have heard that now he is a racist old fart which makes me really sad. Hopefully it will still be amazing. 

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

I have heard nothing but good things about this book. I really love the message this book has and I am very excited about this one. I'll probably read this one first since I just can't control my excitement! 

Under Wildwood by Colin Meloy and illustrations by Carson Ellis

I love illustrations. I do watercolor paintings and I consider myself an expert doodler. This is the second book in the Wildwood trilogy. Now, I haven't read the first book yet. I am waiting for it to arrive in the post. I can tell I'm going to love it so I thought it would be smart to buy this one for the discounted price. 

Let's take a moment to enjoy that cover!

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

I needed a new copy of my beloved Lord of the Flies. Mine was ugly and gross. They didn't have a hardcover, but after reading A Clockwork Orange again I was really craving some Lord of the Flies. 

Outfit of the Fricking Day {OOTFD}

Sorry I vanished for a while! Honestly, I just forgot I had this since I normally post on instagram, tumblr, etc. I am going to try to post once a week, but please don't hold me to that. If I can't post one week, I will post twice the next. Sound like a deal? Great!

This outfit is available to purchase on my Vinted account. If you send me a message saying my blog brought you there, I will give you a discount!

Buy the outfit here!

My Drug Store Essentials

Everybody has their drug store essentials! I'm a college student so as much as I would love to go buy stuff from Benefit, Urban Decay, or Bobbi Brown, my budget leads me to Target's cosmetic isle! So, here is what I found that has worked for me over the years.

Foundation

My skin is so dry and most drug store foundations cling to any dry patch and no matter what I would try I would look like a lizard. Then I found the best drug store foundation for my skin. Covergirl and Olay teamed up to make a moisturizing CC Cream that acts as my perfect foundation! It is recommended for mature skin, but if you have dry skin this is for you as well.

Eyebrows

This eyebrow kit is perfect for someone who just started filling their eyebrows. I've been filling in my eyebrows for quite sometime now, but I always come back to this! On the left is like a pomade consistency and on the right is a powder. I use the pomade more (as you can see I hit pan) and it makes it look more natural since it tends to grab onto the hairs. 

elf Eyebrow Kit Swatch 

Eyeshadow

Urban Decay had created possibly the most beautiful palettes ever. If you're like me and you love the Naked palettes but don't love the price then these palettes are for you! I picked up the Nude 2 which has a lot more of a pink undertone. This gives you the ability to do a wide varieties of eye looks for a great price!

Here's a swatch, and please note that I'm very pale. This is just one layer of each color.

Eyeliner

Anybody who knows me also knows my signature cat eye. I'm a big fan of liquid eyeliner and no matter what I buy, I always come back to this! The brush allows for super thin or thick lines which is great for that cat eye look. Lately I've been rocking it in brown, but I own every color of this eyeliner and I love all of them! 

Mascara 

This is a relatively new addition to my makeup bag but after my mom recommended it I had to try it! That curve is a life changer. When I put this on it feels like there is no way this is a drug store product!  The only problem is it can get a bit messy when applying to the bottom lashes, but practice makes perfect! 

Lipstick 

Swatch is just one layer!

Last but not least! My favorite lipsticks have been coming from elf. This red is so velvety, smells like vanilla, and moisturizes your lips! Other drug store lipsticks have really dried my lips and never look that great, but this is a game changer! I have only been buying elf lipsticks since discovering these bad boys! 

*

If you are wanting to go out and get these products for yourself, then go for it!

Links:

Foundation

Eyebrows (only $3!)

Eyeshadow

Eyeliner

Mascara

Lipstick