Short Hairstyles for Summer

I recently cut my hair short and I am still trying to decide whether or not I regret the decision. I have my good days and bad days, but these hairstyles are the ones that I really gravitate towards on a casual summer day because I know they will look cute and effortless. They also keep your hair out of your face for those sticky hot days that we all know & love  hate.

1) Braided pigtails. Who doesn't like a good pigtail? I find that these give you the perfect amount of childish flair, without looking like you're staring in a Mary Kate and Ashley movie.

2) Half up half down with a twist, with the twist being a cute bun. I love the way this looks because I think it adds something to different to the typical "hair out of your face" look. I also like the boho vibes it gives off!

3) A messy, low bun. I don't know about you guys, but sometimes I can only get the perfect high messy bun when I'm about to wash my face or about to go to sleep, which could be one of the most frustrating things on the planet. Since I cut my hair short however, I have been able to master the low bun, which has become one of my favorites. In the picture you will be able to tell that mine is super messy, which I love. It almost looks like a ponytail, but I promise you it is not.

I know that it really is such a "1st world problem" but I cannot figure out how to curl my hair when it is this short! It ends up looking like I slept on it wet and it dried all kinky. Do you guys have any recommendations on how I can curl my hair now that it is short? Tweet me @AbbeyFHagan to let me know!

xoxo,

Abbey

About My Blog!

I mentioned in "My New Journey" video that I wanted to just start fresh with all of my handles, hence why "The Diaries of Dixie" was born. I got a tweet a couple weeks ago asking me to do a post about what my blog is all about -- so here we are.

I realized that my blog needed to have a makeover in multiple areas and it also needed to be updated with fresh content. I have always made this out to be a lifestyle blog, which it still is, but I also wanted to take inspiration from the blogs that I love to read. My goal is to make this blog the raddest it can be (hence the photo).

I realized what I love about reading certain blogs and what keeps me coming back is the fact that I feel like I know them. Each post that they make includes an array of beautiful photographs that range from fashion photos to lifestyle photos. I also loved that once they got through talking about what the photos were about, they also talked about things that were going on in their lives or just what was simply on their mind.

But enough about me girl crushing on other bloggers -- basically what my blog is about is combining my love of writing with my love of fashion and all that life has to offer. Whether that be my current favorite toppings for avocado toast or what is currently on my heart that I feel I need to share.

I want The Diaries of Dixie to be a place that feels like a one stop shop to all things life. I want it to be a place you can go to for everything from outfit inspiration to recipes to Jesus lovin'. This blog is for me and for you, so lets make it so fun!

I hope that this helped on answering your question on what this blog really is all about!

xoxo,

Abbey

Don't Say, Just Do!

I think a lot of the time, we get so wrapped up in our dreams and our goals and talking about them, that we simply forget to actually chase after them. I know that for me, I am 100% guilty of that.

I have told my parents many times that if I were to have my dream life, after college I would pursue YouTube & blogging full time and I would pick a city that seemed fun to explore to live in. Yet here I am writing on a blog that hasn't been posted on in weeks.

My mom always tells my sister and I and other people for that matter that when it comes to raising children "the days are long but the years are short", but I think that that pertains to life in general. I feel like just yesterday I started high school and yet I have just completed my freshman year of college. So yes, the days in between all of the years were at times, very very long, but the years were very very short.

In college, as I mentioned in my "Freshman Year Reflection" video, I have grown so much in the last 9 months than I think I did all of high school. When you go to college, especially to a school that has so many people like I do, you realize that the world isn't so black and white. You also realize what type of people you want to surround yourself with and who you really think you should stay in touch with from home. You also start to realize what kind of life you want for yourself after the four years end.

I am making this pact to stop saying and just doing. It is so simple, yet can be so hard to actually complete. I hope that you guys do this with me! Lets finish the last 6 months of 2016 with just doing.

xoxo

Abbey

Review: Smashbox BB Water

Hey Everyone!

I mentioned in my "Get Ready With Us" video that I had recently purchased the Smashbox BB Water and that I wasn't really sure how I felt about it. I've had this product for a couple of months now and I feel ready to share my thoughts on it!

You can buy this product at Ulta, Sephora or any place that has a Smashbox counter and it retails for $42. However, if you buy it at Ulta now it is $25 (which angers me because I bought mine at Ulta for full price and now for some reason it's almost half the price).

The reason that I bought this product was because I had run out of my beloved It Cosmetics CC cream and when I went to repurchase it, they were sold out of my shade in both the regular version and the illuminating version. I took this as a sign from God that I should try something new.

I came upon the Smashbox counter and was really intrigued by the BB water. I'm someone that doesn't like to feel cakey and doesn't wear foundation because I personally just don't like the look of a full coverage face, which is why I always go for BB or CC creams. I swatched the BB water on the back of my hand and really liked the consistency. It is very watery and blended really easily on the back of my hand, so I figured I should just get it.

Being the girly girl that I am, the second I got home, I tried out all of the new products I had purchased that day, one of them being this BB cream. I tried it originally with my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush (which is amazing by the way) and wasn't in love with the way it looked.

The next time I applied it was with my Beauty Blender and because this BB water is so runny, it was absorbed immediately by the sponge. Then the next time I applied it, I mixed it in with my moisturizer to see if that would help it apply better to the skin and that didn't work either. Finally I tried just applying it straight with my fingers and I have found that this is the best way to apply it.

Even though I had found a way to apply it, I still wasn't sold on the product itself. Since I am so used to other BB and CC creams that look really natural, I didn't like how you could really tell I had makeup on. I even asked my roommate "does my makeup look bad?" She said "well, you can definitely tell you have it on, which before you couldn't tell when you had makeup on."

After she told me that, I experimented even more to see how I could make it look as natural as possible and I found that when you work section by section on your face, with just a little bit on your hands, it works really well and does look natural.

With all of this being said, I do not recommend this product. I do not think that this is worth $42 when it takes so much work to apply it and to make it look natural. If you are in the market for a product that will give you coverage, but still looks natural, get the It Cosmetics CC Cream because it will literally change your life. I have posts reviewing the CC cream and comparing the regular version and the illuminating version. You can read them here and here!

I'm curious to see if any of you have tried this product and what your thoughts are on it. Let me know!

xoxo,

Abbey