With every new season comes new products and new things to try! I'm so excited that POPSUGAR sent over their September box for me to try this month. It's now officially fall, and this box is filled with so many fun things! Everything reminded me of something that'd be great for fashion week, which was perfect timing for this month. Here's what I mean:
Fashion week in New York may be over, but it's still fashion season across the globe and right now more specifically in Paris! Oh how I wish I could be in Europe right now for that! There were so many trends on the runway and across the shows that I saw and loved, so I've been looking through store selections to find similar pieces to style. Whether the designer version just isn't available for purchase yet or you're looking for something similar, there's ways to find them! My favorite way that I've found to recreate looks so far is by using FlashFrames; but here's my top four ways to re-create these coveted looks:
Last week at this time, I woke up to 72 degree weather. Today, I woke up to 41 degree weather. New York brings a whole new meaning to transitional time! For real; and we don't usually have this much of a drastic difference in temperatures so quickly but it's affecting me a lot! Not only is this quick change seriously affecting my skin, allergies and nails - but my hair too. The quick change in temperature plus heat products? Forget it, I'm left with a frizzy and damaged mess! While I'm enjoying the cooler temperatures and dressing in cute and cozy clothes and accessories, my hair doesn't enjoy it one bit.
I'm always opened when it comes to trying new hair products, because as much as I love a blowout and salon-fresh look, I can't have that every day... So I found the next best thing and 5 ways to adapt my hair to the fall weather:
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I feel like whenever I try a new beauty product I love, I hit a jackpot - so when Influenster sent me the new Estée Edit VoxBox this month and I began using the products inside, I was like a little kid in a candy store! I figured they'd be great because I love Estée Lauder, and didn't expect anything less here. If you aren't already on Influenster, I highly recommend signing up! It's an awesome resource for finding new products to try, reading reviews to see if they're worth trying, and getting to test out tons of different products to leave reviews on.
This VoxBox came with four awesome Estée Edit products in it; the brightening eye balm, treat prep and glow serum, cream eye shadow and a two-shaded eye pencil. These products and more from the line are all available at Sephora! The colors were a bit out of my comfort zone, and the skin products seemed amazing; now I love them ALL:
As of today, it's officially Fall! I love summer (as everyone knows because I say it a million times! ;) but I really do enjoy the cooler temperatures and getting dressed in the fall. If there's one thing I do love about New York, it's getting to experience all four seasons. This is the time of year that everyone starts buying tons of cozy scarves, oversized sweaters, fun boots and all of the season's trends. It's still hitting the mid-80's in New York, so it's been sort of hard to get on the Autumn bandwagon but after going to the mall yesterday and finding a TON of adorable fall items, I'm starting to get in that mood! I may not be able to wear any of this yet, but the nights are getting cooler so I know that the warmth is only going to last so much longer.
I think it's so fun to look through each season's trends and find pieces that fit your style; but there's always a couple of pieces that can be repeated year after year. Whether it's a fun statement scarf or a pair of booties, here are 11 staple pieces that everyone needs in their wardrobe this season:
It's incredibly weird to me to not have started a new school year for the first time in the past twelve years this year... I can't believe I'm a college grad; I really don't know where the time has gone, but man it's a great feeling to have a diploma after a LOT of hard work! Post-grad life is a lot different than I had expected it to be thus far but I truly cannot complain in the least. The best part about college isn't the parties or the freedom - these are nice and all, but the true blessing in disguise that comes from the college experience is the way you grow as a human. As I sit here now, I really have realized just how many life lessons I learned throughout college. And let me tell ya - there's way more of them than there is knowledge about any of the Gen Ed requirement classes I took. If I could go back, there are definitely things I would change and tweak around - starting from the very beginning of the experience. Literally. I've also realized how many things there are that I wish I knew before I began my college years, and just how much I actually did learn. So here I am today, a college graduate - sharing all of the things I wish someone had told me upon entering some of the craziest years of my life (so far, God bless):
For as long as I've been wearing makeup, I have always loved the idea of face masks. My mom used to buy my friends and I these fun masks from Claire's and we would have the BEST time with them at sleepovers! I never thought about how beneficial masks are back then, but now I do and I live for face masks. I love trying all different ones - sheet masks, tea, charcoal, eye masks and my new favorite - clay masks! Different masks have different benefits for your face (duh) but they're seriously SO relaxing too. I can't think of anything better to do than have a girls night in or a night of pampering to yourself and treat yourself to a face mask.
Picking the mask that's right for you is the first step and with so many different ones on the market, it's safe to say it'll take plenty of tries before finding your favorite. Every time I try a new one I tend to like it more and more! But no matter which mask you pick, you can bet that you'll feel relaxed and have glowing skin that feels super fresh post-mask. And if you use this new Glacial Oceanic Clay Cleansing Mask by Exquisite Earth Elements, I can guarantee you will have JUST that!
We've ALL been there at some point... You picked an outfit for the day that you're totally uncomfortable in, or everything you rip out of your closet or bring into the fitting room makes you feel uncomfortable. No matter what the reason is, it's such an awful feeling that most of us know all too well! I know I feel like this more than I'd ever like to. I have been working on feeling more confident and that starts with what you wear! When you dress to feel good, your overall confidence is automatically boosted.
On a day-to-day basis, feeling comfortable yet classy is so important to my self confidence. Some days it's harder than others, but I've found some tricks that definitely help make it easier:
This summer I got to travel to Italy after a few years too long after being there last. All of the touristy spots and museums, paintings and churches in Northern and Central Italy provide an amazing experience - Rome, Venice, Milan, Pisa, etc. - but one thing I hadn't done before is see the majority of the Amalfi Coast... And let me freakin' tell you guys, it's breathtaking. And now every time I go, I will most definitely be making it a priority to drive the coast line. There's a ton of places to start and ways to go, and driving the Amalfi Coast is a bit time consuming - but it's the best 2-3 hours you'll ever drive! With every look-out spot and every small fruit stand you pass along the way comes a new endless view pure beauty. Every time I'm asked where to go in Italy, the Amalfi Coast will be my answer!
I just know that one of these days I'm going to wake up and fall is going to hit me in the face, even though the weather has been so beautiful! As much as I love summer and warmth, fall clothes shopping has to be my favorite. Each year I always find some staple pieces I want to add to my wardrobe and this season especially, there's already been some really fun things out there. Even though I hold on to every last bit of warm weather and sunshine possible, I am excited for fall and all of the fun clothes and accessories that come with it! I found 12 pieces that I'm loving for this season so far and they're all pretty versatile:
Hydropeptide's On-the-Go Glow Anti-Wrinkle Travel set is the newest addition to my skincare routine each day and I can't get enough of it! I was so excited to try these out after reading a little about Hydropeptide. I know I don't have to worry about aging yet, but I do love preventative products like these that I think will make a difference in the long run. Hydropeptide creates their products with your skin in mind; they combine hydration techniques with the power of peptides and it's become a new, go-to combination for anti-aging. Whenever I try new skin products I'm always worried about how they'll make my face feel, how my skin will react and most importantly, how my skin will look after using them. I'm happy to say that these products are all winners!
Pop the bubbly and start playing "22" by Taylor Swift, because today is my 22nd birthday! I'm spending the day out and about today doing my favorite things and you can keep up with those on Instagram and Snapchat, but I wanted to share 22 life lessons and important things I've learned in the past 22 years of life. I know it sounds sort of cliché, but I think 22 can be a really pivotal year and putting things into perspective is really, really important!
Complaining about not having enough hours in the day is something that the majority of us do, but sometimes that's because of what time the morning starts. Most especially if the weather isn't great or if I just had a busy/long day before, struggling to wake up is something I know all too well! Ever since I started sleeping with a Tempur-Pedic tempur-breeze pillow, my quality of sleep has shot up. I definitely attribute more productive mornings to this pillow! And although it can be hard, being most productive in the early morning really does make for a better day.
Welcome September - my birthday month! I'm finding it really hard to believe that it's already coming to an end... but summer has been absolutely amazing. I'll be sharing more about my trip to Italy over the next two weeks, but today is all about retail therapy ; ) August has been full of product favorites between end-of-summer sales and an upcoming birthday, there's been no shopping shortage over here. It was hard to pick a handful of favorites, but here they are:
