Healthy Eating 101

"If you were falling, then I would catch you.
You need a light, I'd find a match.

Cause I love the way you say good morning.
And you take me the way I am."

-"The Way I Am", Ingrid Michaelson

To me that song is the perfect Sunday morning with a cup of tea in a powder blue cup, laying snuggled up with a novel on a rainy day.



Okay so I don't have a lot of time to blog today because I slacked on my homework because of good old MLKJ day so today's post will be brief:

HEALTHY EATING 101
Background on my eating habits: I'm naturally really slender which I've found this to be a mixed blessing because while I don't struggle with losing weight, I find it hard to motivate myself to eat healthy. Chocolate and basically anything horribly unhealthy is my weakness... cheesecake, burgers, truffles

But lately, I've been trying to incorporate healthier foods into my diet, usually by replacing junk food with healthier snacks. And here are my 3 tips of the day for healthy eating:

1. Buy a water bottle. Preferably a cute one.
I don't know what about chic water bottles but they motivate me drink A LOT of water. With regular plastic bottles, I drink maybe one bottle, but ever since I picked up my Starbucks cold cup, I've been drinking NON-STOP. I usually fill this up with healthy juices and then refill it at the water fountain in between classes. And the simplicity of the design allows you to refill it with whatever you want... tea, juices, coffee, because the cleanup is easy. You can find cold cups anywhere, and they come in MANY MANY cute designs.

     2. Shop at healthy food stores

Whenever I go to Walmart I find myself reaching for the raspberry chip ice cream or the king-sized Reeses, so to get rid of this temptation altogether, I go to healthy food markets. The atmosphere of it just makes me want to fill myself up with healthy, nutritious foods. Today I went to Whole Foods and picked up:

    

 3. Always have packaged snacks at hand

This will save you a trip to the vending machine stuffed with high-calorie, high-sugar and diet-breaking foods. Share snacks with friends and bounce ideas off of each other. I find that my runner friends are the best eaters and they've introduced me to COUNTLESS healthy snacks. Things I'm loving: CLIFF bars, LUNA bars (seriously the best snack bars ever. They literally melt in your mouth), Stretch Island All Natural Fruit Peels, dried fruit, wheat thins, and pretzel thins. 

But remember guys, it's okay to eat out! I did today at Panera and it was SO GOOD. I have no regrets (;

Okay well off to the gym. I might post some workout tips or things I do at the gym to get toned, but that's a little off the fashion theme of this blog haha. See you guys later!!(:

Top Drugstore Makeup Removers

"I'm feeling sexy and free. Like glitters raining on me"
-Domino, Jesse J.

Hey everyone! After blogging all yesterday, I literally could not wait to get on my labtop and type away a new post for today! I've been jittery all day in excitement and the old Teen Vogue magazine I read about teen fashion bloggers didn't help...
But at last. I'm here. Sprawled atop of my bed that hasn't been made for well over a week, munching on Honey BBQ Fritos (delish! if you haven't tried) and letting my fingers fly over the keys of my crappy little labtop. <3



Anyway. Today's topic is removing makeup!
We all know that removing makeup is essential to preventing breakouts but oftentimes, we get lazy and end up waking up the next morning with eyeliner on our forehead and drool smearing our foundation. Yum.

So here are the makeup removers I use and which ones I've repurchased:



     1. Neutrogena naturals fresh cleansing + makeup remover

Now this makeup remover is an all in one miracle. It takes off your makeup like a charm and I've found that I don't need to scrub to get this to work either. Plus it's super affordable!

How to Apply: What I do is splash my face with water to loosen the makeup  and you only need one pump. The product comes out as a opaque white shampoo- texture which by the way smells amazing. I would describe it as a natural floraly scent that reminds me of a fresh spring day after some rain showers. Then all you do is rub in between your hands and apply all over your face. It lathers a bit, and I like to focus on my eye area to get out the mascara residue and etc. 

Price: $5.97

Where to buy: Walmart, but I'm sure other drugstores will have it too

Use: Every night and mornings, if you'd like.

Repurchase: Just finished first bottle, definitely repurchasing!!

     2. Sonia Kashuk Eye Makeup Remover

Okay, I've got to admit that I'm a HUGE sucker for cute packaging and this sleek design really caught my eye. It's one of those makeup removers that has 3 separate layers, the blueish liquid at the bottom, then a frothy white layer and a clear oil at the top. It isn't that much product as compared to some of the other makeup removers, but it does last a good 2-3 months. This is hands down my favorite makeup remover, because it removes ALL  your makeup WITHOUT leaving residue, it's pretty affordable and it has a simple and chic packaging.

How to Apply: Since it separates into layers, I shake it all up first. Next, I take a cotton ball to the top of the bottle, turn the bottle upside down and wipe the product on my eyes starting from the inner corner going outwards. 

Price: $10

Where to Buy: TARGET(:

Use: Every night!

Repurchase: Just picked up my second bottle!

     3. Neutrogena Oil-Free Makeup Remover

This makeup remover is great for targeting eyes and if you have a little more time to remove your makeup and then use a separate cleanser. It claims to be oil-free and while I don't dispute this, it does have an thicker texture and leaves an oily residue. I've gotten this in my eyes MANY times before and it doesn't sting at all. It just fogs up your vision for a second or two. The only complaint I have is that when I use this with a cotton ball, I find that occasionally, an eyelash will fall out which is really no big deal, BUT it does freak me out a little cause I have very sparse eyelashes to begin with.
How to Apply: See above
Price: Around 8 dollars
Where to Buy: Walmart
Use: Every night!
Repurchase: Finished two bottles, but probably going to stick with Sonia Kashuk from now on

So there you have it everyone, my top drugstore makeup removers!(: I'm thinking about doing a drugstore mascara review next, but if you have any other skincare/ beauty reviews you like, please leave a comment to let me know!

Fashion Inspiration When You're Broke Like Me

"No here we are so close, yet so far, haven't I passed the test. When will you realize, that I'm not like the rest"

-"Give Your Heart a Break" Demi Lovato

So I was at the gym the other day watching the People's Choice Awards and heard Demi perform this song. Seriously guys, I was blown away. 

This girl knows how to make a comeback and she is a true inspiration for all those little kids out there watching Disney Channel. Mass props to that girl. 

Anyway. Topic of the Day... INSPIRATION.

Fashion Inspiration is everywhere and blogs are a great place to start, but here are just a couple of other tips for changing up your style:

1. Magazines- I know kind of obvious but subscriptions to these magazines will help you out a ton if you're not into watching fashion shows and keeping up to date with runway trends. There are numerous publications but I gravitate towards Seventeen, Teen Vogue and People: Style Watch. 

2. Half Price Books- Has a great selection of magazines but I find fashion magazines go fast, so you got to check back often. Sometimes you'll get lucky like I did today and there was a huge stack of old Teen Vogue magazines for 50 cents each. Jackpot.

3. Sketchbooks! I know I mentioned them in my last post, but I just bought a small sketchbook from Half-Price for $5 and it's perfect for sketching cute things you see other girls wearing or just random inspiration that hits you when you're out and about. And if you're not "artsy" enough, you can copy and paste from advertisments, magazines or random print outs!

4. Celebrity Fashion Guides- If you have a celebrity that's already your inspiration, see if you can find a fan page for their street style. I know many teenage celebrities have one such as Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez and Victoria Justice. Literally Vanessa Hudgen's style page was my childhood inspiration.

5. YOUTUBE. As if I haven't beaten the horse...dead? What's the saying? Beating a dead horse? ... You know what I mean. There are dozens of popular beauty and style gurus who showcase their fashion. "Outfit of the Day" or OOTD is a popular segment on a lot of channels and a great place to start because most of those ladies are real people who aren't super high fashion-y (Of course there are some that are, if that's what you're into) so that you can follow their advice without toning it down. (Which I find myself doing with high fashion magazines) My favorites include

MissGlamorazzi: Gorgeous girl with the sweetest personality and a cutesy, classy style

http://www.youtube.com/user/missglamorazzi?blend=1&ob=video-mustangbase

Fleur de Force: Literally like the prettiest girl on YouTube who's British accent is absolutely adorable.

http://www.youtube.com/user/FleurDeForce

Everything Luxy: Two very beautiful ladies with more mature styles. Think blazers and chic accessories.

http://www.youtube.com/user/EverythingLuxy?feature=chclk

Wendy's Look Book: All over Sophistication. Her videos are flawless. Leaning more towards high fashion and the editing to her videos are amazing.

http://www.youtube.com/user/wendyslookbook?blend=1&ob=video-mustangbase

Allright, everyone, hope you enjoyed this post. Off to bed now! I need to catch up on my sleep from an EXHAUSTING week... 

Confessions

"OOOOOOOOOOOOH SOMETIMES I GETTA GOOD FEELING.
YEAH.
I GETTA FEELING THAT I NEVER NEVER KNEW NEVER HAD BEFORE OH NO I GET A GOOD FEELING.
YEAH."

-"Good Feeling", Flo Rida

Usually I'm not a huge fan of auto-tuned pop songs centered on vague hormone-charged emotions but what the heck, this one has been stuck in my head all day.
And you know what it feels like when that happens. #firstworldproblems.

Anyway. I have a couple of confessions. To all 3 people out there that have actually read my blog, I feel like I need to get this out........
I'm not the hipster-fashion forward style junkie that I want to be......unfortunately. I shop at forever21 too much and I couldn't name you 4 vintage stores... ): Sad right?

HOWEVER. I'm getting there..........With help from my super fashionable friends and from my constant subscriptions to YouTube gurus and fashion vlogs, I'm getting there!!! Slowly but surely.
But here are just a couple of things I'm going to try this month and if you'd like to be more fashion forward you can do them with me!

1. get cultured. Read. I'm planning to read the Hunger Games and I'm absolutely STOKED. Seriously, guys. stoked.
2. buy some cute sketchbooks and write and draw. Inspiration hits you in the awkwardest moments and i don't know about you guys but pulling out the iphone 4gs that I don't have isn't as-- well, artsy as you know, taking out a vintage-inspired sketchbook
3. explore at least 3 new stores. For me, I'm going vintage ones and to anthropolgie(: (: Just because Tay-Tay tweeted about it and she's like my hero. Sorry for sounding like a thirteen year old girl, but after getting my confessions out there, I feel like we've connected on a deeper level, ya know?

So there! my super delayed new years resolutions!!! Enjoy guys and you know this post wouldn't be complete without a link, so here's one to a fashion/random vlog that  I've been following in 2012. I'm seriously obsessed:

http://www.youtube.com/user/TheGridMonster?blend=2&ob=video-mustangbase

Question: What do you do when you can't finish your homework?

Answer: Screw it and blog instead.

"When I look into your eyes, it's like watching the night skies, or a beautiful sunrise."
- "I Won't Give Up", Jason  Mraz

Beautiful beautiful song. Give it a listen?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdN5GyTl8K0&ob=av2e

Anyway. This blog is going to be completely unrelated to fashion, just a heads up.

So the topic of school comes around, and I'm not gonna lie. School is a love-hate thing, for me, it leans more towards hate, but honestly, the only thing that makes it moderately bearable is when you're doing what you love.

I loved cross country when I was in high school. I was very mediocre at running, but it's one of the best experiences I've ever had. The team bonding, the sisterhood, if you will, is amazing and when you're all doubling over with cramps and freaking impossible workouts, you develop a bond with those people. I definitely did not not do cross country to put it on my college application and that was what made all the difference.... but who am I kidding, putting it on my app wouldn't do much since my biggest honor would be a participation ribbon in a meet hahaha.

Also, I loved writing in high school, and I didn't write for the school newspaper because at our school, you had to be like... a super talented writer with a huge commitment to journalism, and I didn't have the time, so I just wrote for fun, entered a few competitions and what do you know? I was actually pretty good at that. And why? BECAUSE I FREAKIN' LOVED IT.

I also did a lot of volunteer stuff, but I volunteered for activities that I had interest in. Colleges want to see your passion, not the stuff that you think they'd like. So do your research! The internet is an amazing tool to get started, but be sure to network and talk to friends and relatives. I'm sure people who are in college would have great advice for you and be more than willing to share. So set up a couple coffee dates with some old mentors and friends and you'll be amazed at what they have to say.

You guys, in short, the best advice I have is to try everything you think you might like your freshman year, and then when you find out what you do  like, stop trying to do everything and just stick with what you love. It's really just that simple. Because the worst thing is to live in regret and wish you would've tried something else when you're a senior stuck with boring clubs just because you thought it would look good on college application. If you live like that for college applications, you're probably going to end up living your entire life doing stuff you hate. And I'd rather scrape a living traveling the world and taking pictures of city skylines than to be CEO of like a Fortune 500 company and not have time for my family.

And as a girl, I can't wait to have a family and I'd much rather spend time with my future family and friends and just live my life with no regrets... ya dig?

Maybe I'm an idealist for saying all that, or maybe it's modern family getting to my head. Which by the way is my all time favorite show. Love love love them Dunphys(:

holiday partieees

"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. . . everywhere you go"
Since the holidays are coming up, I've decided to to talk about the topic of holiday party dresses. Now it really depends on what kind of party you're going to, but today I'm going to a "cocktail dresses only" party, which is a lot of work for a gal like me that would rather just be straight bumming it all day. But ya know, you gotta try sometimes....

Anyway, I think that whatever dress code you're going by, (and it's a good idea to know before hand what that will be--if you need a guide, try Lauren Conrad's book "Style" that's great all around, but has a nice short-and-sweet key for dress codes), the holiday's are a great time to experiment. It's where you can pull out all the tricks and look smexy under the mistletoe(:

So I'll go through a list of trends that work for every occasion, but to give you a good picture for each type of event, the trends will be paired up with different occasions.

• COCKTAIL PARTIES: For the holidays, I tend to go for the big and the bold. Can you say glitter, gold, metallic, reds, deep plums and ANIMAL PRINT PANTS OUTTA CONTROL. (: (: Okay maybe not the last one, but forrealls, guys, go hard or go home! Try something daring.

• This dress that Aria wears is a classy KNOCKOUT. Sorry for all the caps lock, but I get a little excited when it comes to parties. The color is just gorgeous, and draws attention, and you got some great hip-hugging action going on. With those black pumps, OH SNAP you be rocking, girl! ..... Okay I'm not saying that ever again.

• Also remember if you're emphasizing one area of your body, like say your legs, keep everywhere else pretty modest because we're not going for the hooker look here. Aria does this here with her straight across cut at the chest that kind of cancels out the short hemline. This trick does wonders for lengthening out your figure if you're petitite. You get that little sliver of skin without the I-just-woke-up-in-a-trash-can-beside-Ke$ha vibe. Let's keep in classy, ladies!!! 

• BUSINESS CASUAL: For me, this means no jeans, but you will want to check with others since the lines can kind of get blurred here. I would avoid pants in general, but skirts would be just right.With skirts, go for prints, something different from the norm. Prints work very well in accesories to balance a bold color, and are a must-have for more casual events because it's right on trend with what's coming out on the runways, but you can definately twist it to make it your own.

 

• If you're not so much into colors or being the center of attention, but you want to still look amazing, a baby step you could take is adding texture. Little black dresses of course never go out of style, but try something with a little lace or a ruffled one shoulder, which is just a touch out of the ordinary that you look dressed up while not looking "high mantinence". This works well for both cocktail dresses and business casual wear depending on how you it accessorize

 CASUAL: Sometimes all we want to do is go to a low-key dinner and just enjoy the company of friends and family. For these events, you can dress in your normal "dressy" clothes. Embellishments are key for this because it can transform a sloppy outfit into a very cute one. Embellishments include little trinkets such as beading and buttons that just add that touch of eye-catching dimension.

fashion obsessions

"I let it fall, my heart, and as it fell you rose to claim it. It was dark and I was over, until you kissed my lips and you saved me."
- "Set Fire to the Rain", Adele

Ah. This song is absolutely amazing. Adele's voice is breathtakingly beautiful as always, but in this song, it brims with so much emotion that I just want to snuggle up into the nook of my bed and cry. Dayummm that girl can sing. Please listen to this song. Especially when it's crashing thunder and pouring down rain. Try http://www.rainymood.com/ with http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlsBObg-1BQ. It will blow your mind. (:

Anyway. Today I was in the unfortunate event of walking outside in the whipping winds with my friend, and I, of course, chose this day to wear these paper thin jeans. God, I'm so freaking brilliant. And while sub-zero tempertures are not ideal for the flowy tank tops that I absolutely adore, they are perfect for layering.

But before I go into today's fashion obsessions, a little background on my style:
Usually my style is very, girly? I want to say, but with a little more refinement.

Lace is literally my favorite texture to add, especially if its cream colored, along with some floral print, or ruffled tops, preferably a baby pink color. That picture above is basically all the things I love about fashion, all in captured in one photo. And while I still adore these items, I've kind of moved on from this girliness to being intrigued with a more dark, sophisiticated look.

And lately, my inspiration has been Aria from the show Pretty Little Liars, and while I will not get into my feelings about that show, I will give props to this girl because her style is so fearless. Bohemian and flowy, while theatrical and bold, all rooted in a dark, mysterious undertone. Yes please.



I love her feather earrings, and personally, I think she boosted the feather earring trend singlehandedly, but I could completely wrong. The textures and mix of prints look like she just picked up random pieces scattered across her bedroom floor and threw it on. So jealous. Another TV icon who has this amazing talent, Serena Van Der Woodsen aka Blake Lively. Love love love that girl.


So along those, I just woke up from bed with my perfectly tousled beach waves, threw on some random, but incredibly chic and spot-light stealing pieces, and headed out the door with a skinny Starbucks Peppermint Mocha in hand (which I LOVE, btw), lines, they are like my fashion idols.

But back to winter and layering, these scarves are gorgeous, and they add so much texture, boldness and that extra pop of color to an otherwise simple outfit. Plus, they're so fluffy and thick that you're all bundled up for those freezing winter temps. The black (navy?) skinnies and charcol colored sweater go along with the dark-Aria-theme, so what's not to love?! Now doesn't that look so cozy on freeze-your-ass-off days?