november Archives - Page 2 of 3

Thanksgiving Week! Travel Necessities <3

November 21, 2016

Happy Monday Everyone! This week is Thanksgiving and if you are one of the millions of people traveling this holiday there are a few things you are going to have to remember. Personally for me I know that I have some clothes at home in Miami, but there are the few things that I know that I want to bring with me. For starters the worst thing to do over Thanksgiving is to check a bag. I hate checking bags especially when it’s a major holiday because every single time that I have in the past somehow the airline loses my luggage. Last year the airline put it on the flight after mine even though I was checked in over 2 hours ahead for my flight. That was not fun at all! So I try and pack my bag with the things I know that I don’t have at home. For example I always bring a pair of sneakers with me incase I want to work out. I know many of you may say you aren’t going to work out while you are home, but when you live in New York City and it is so cold out the nicest thing to do is simply go for a walk outside in warm sunny Miami. You also want to save some room in your bag incase like me you do a little shopping while you are home, but don’t worry a lot of the stores offer free shipping if you shop this weekend and in the past I have done that to avoid having to carry so many things back with me. Now I normally fly early in the morning the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, but this year I chose to take a late flight instead. If you are on an airline that offers you to pay $20 to board first… DO IT! It is money well spent! Even though I do fly often I somehow never get priority boarding and by the time they even get to the first group boarding it seems that almost the entire plane is on board and then there is no overhead compartment space for your bag. Especially since I am flying with Stella I always like to get on the plane first in order to get her situated. The other thing you always need is an external battery charger. Now I purchased one of those small pill one’s in Best Buy a few months ago and it is amazing! Especially if you get delayed on the tarmac and your plane isn’t one of the new ones with charging outlets in between the seats the worst thing that can happen to you is have your phone, Ipad, kindle and or computer die on you before you even land. It has been a huge life saver for me every single time I have flown. Also the real important thing not to forget other than your ID is your headphones. One of my best friends one year forgot her headphones at home and she was stuck in the airport delayed for 6+ hours! After hour 4 she went to a Best Buy kiosk and purchased headphones. Always remember that if you forget something and you are going home that you can always buy it! Just don’t forget your essentials: glasses, contacts, socks, underwear, phone charger, kindle / Ipad charger, headphones, make up, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, floss and of course your ID. Happy travels everyone! Safe flights <3

White Body-Suit: Wolford

November 20, 2016

Happy Sunday! Hope everyone had a great weekend and is gearing up for Thanksgiving this week! Crazy how the year has truly flown by. One of the biggest trends that I have seen come to fruition the past 3 years, are bodysuits. If you ask my mom she will say she has been wearing bodysuits for years and even got me one while I was in college and I rarely wore it, but now I wear it all the time! There are so many different tops especially during winter that I need to wear a solid tank underneath, but a tank top just doesn’t lay right under some of them and even when you do tuck it into your pants if you are wearing leggings, that isn’t an option, and if you are wearing jeans you still see the shirt and it gives an awkward feeling when you are wearing them. The solution is bodysuits, but for me I prefer the string bodysuits vs the ones that are full coverage. The reason again I say this is because no women wants to have panty lines, but also you don’t want to feel like you are wearing a leotard even more so than you are by wearing a bodysuit. I have also noticed that most of the full coverage bodysuits do not have a snap closure at the bottom so if you are out and need to use the restroom then that is going to be a bit of a project for you. Hope everyone has a great Sunday and stays warm on this chilly day in New York City <3

Leather Leggings

November 19, 2016

Happy Saturday Everyone! Now, when you have worn those black pair of jeans for the 50th time this season you ask yourself “is there another option tonight other than wearing another pair of black jeans?” The answer is: yes, there is! A lot of designers over the past few years have started to make leather pants or faux leather pants for those of us that don’t want to spend an arm and a leg on them. The pair that I am wearing is from Paige denim and the front of the leggings are leather and the back are a stretchy thick legging material. For me every time I think of full leather pants I think of that episode of Friends where Ross decides to purchase a pair and then can’t get them back on during his date with a girl. That is literally my worst nightmare, but these have the best of both worlds. They have the comfort of a legging but then they have the edgy look of leather on top of it. These are a few years old, but there are other designers that have made similar pairs recently. If you are interested in getting a pair of leather leggings here are my suggestions. If you don’t want it to look like leggings, opt for a pair that at the waist they have belt loops to make it look like they are leather pants. Second, if you are going for a faux pair try them on in store or just find them in the store even if you know your size. Some faux leather leggings are great price wise and may look great pictured online from the different online retailers, however, when you get them in the store or in the mail if you are ordering online they don’t have the same shine to them as you thought. I personally bought a pair from Amazon recently and when I got them in the mail they looked almost identical to the shiny pair of leggings that I purchased in the past from American Apparel, but the pair from American Apparel were double the price! Thankfully the pair I purchased was returnable, but I have had so many friends that purchased pairs from the fast fashion website like Gilt and Ruelala and they were not returnable so now they are sadly stuck with them. Remember also, if it is a legging it will be more comfortable to wear in general because leather pants don’t have much give in them so if they are tight on you now then they will continue to be tight on you forever. Check out these retailers for some of their selection of leather leggings.

Steals & Deals: Iphone Charging Bracelet

November 18, 2016

Happy Friday! This being the last Friday before Black Friday Sales I have taken the liberty of finding something that I know everyone will love, but I also hope will go on sale next week. We all have our cell phones and there is always the dreaded question whenever you are out to ask someone who works there if there is someplace you can charge your phone. In the past, I have purchased the external battery cases that attach to your phone’s original case. I loved them and swore by them, but now I have the Iphone 6S plus and those cases just make my phone so much bigger than it already is so I needed to find another solution. I didn’t want to carry those pill chargers all the time even though I do have one and I carry it in my everyday purse, but when I go out at night I didn’t want that battery pill to take up precious space in my small bag. The solution: a charger that can also be your accessory. Now, in the past I have seen other retailers / designers make wearable charging tech and to be perfectly honest I didn’t like the way they looked. I didn’t think there was anything unique to their look and I wanted something that could match with everything. These amazing monogram Iphone charging bracelets from Mark and Graham are amazing! Not only can you customize them by putting your initials on the bracelet, but they are classic. They look like normal silver and gold bangles and it also comes in a matte black version as well. Personally when I first saw them online and without having read the description, I just thought they were normal monogrammed bangles, but to my surprise they were also chargers. At $150 I think this is a great stocking stuffer for your friends this holiday season. It is something that you can make custom for your friend, but also ensure that your friend will always have a charger on them on those long nights out on the town. Hope everyone had a great week <3

Mark And Graham Website

The Best Moisturizer For Your Dry Skin

November 17, 2016

Happy Thursday! Now, I don’t know about anyone else, but growing up in Florida I always wore sunscreen, but once I went to school in Arizona and then moving to New York I have had to do more than that. Especially with the changing seasons in New York, I noticed that my skin would get very dry, particularly my legs. I have tried probably every trick in the book. There were articles that said by shaving at night and at the end of your shower, and with a specific shaving cream with baby powder helped with dry skin. The result:the baby powder shaving cream y does help, but not enough if you shave your legs everyday. I also tried using a loofa and scrubs on my legs once a week thinking that it would relieve the dry skin. The result:the loofa helped, but then my legs would be so red after scrubbing them that I felt like I was peeling off so many layers of skin it hurt. The answer to this is to find an unscented lotion that has coconut oil in it. Coconut oil is honestly the best thing ever! I use it to cook, but it also helps with sunburns and with dry skin. Depending on the day and what I have going on, if I am staying in for the day post morning workout, then after I shower I pat dry my legs so they aren’t fully dry and then apply the lotion all over my legs and feet. Yes you heard me, I said feet too. After that, I put on a thick pair of socks and sweatpants. I do wait a few minutes to let the moisturizer set in and I have noticed a tremendous change in my skin. If you live somewhere that it is warm out then I recommend finding a lotion that has no scent, but also has SPF in it. My face moisturizer has SPF in it. It is very important to protect your skin. This is the one skin that you have for your life and you want to make sure that it is well taken care of. Hope everyone has a great day <3

Hump Day Treat: Banana Bread

November 16, 2016

Happy Wednesday! Today’s Hump Day Treat is one of my favorite recipes thanks to my Mom. My Mom is known for her cooking amongst all of our family and friends, but if you ask any of my friends this is one of their favorite treats that she would make for us when we had some left over bananas. Now if you want to make banana bread one of the main things you need to remember is you don’t need to use super old bananas, but it does help when they are a little bit brown on the outside. You can also make this recipe into banana muffins or keep it as the traditional loaf of banana bread. Here is what you will need:

Ingredients:

1 cup of sugar

½ c ( 1 stick) unsalted butter

3 very ripe bananas, mashed

2 eggs, well beaten

1 tsp. Vanilla

1 ¼ c. all purpose flour

1 tsp. Baking soda

½ tsp salt

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2.Put the sugar and butter and butter together and mix it well in a mixing bowl

3.Add bananas, eggs and vanilla.

4.Blend well all the ingredients

5.Sift flour, baking soda and salt together

6.Add to mixture and stir thoroughly

7.Pour into greased 8 x 4 inch loaf pan

8.Bake approximately 70 minutes until toothpick comes out clean

9.Remove from pan

10.Cool completely on cooling rack before slicing

Hope everyone enjoys this delicious treat! <3

(image taken from google)

Fitness Tuesday – Meditation

November 15, 2016

Happy Tuesday Everyone! Thanksgiving is a little over a week away and I am already mentally preparing myself for how much food I will be eating over the holiday. I am also prepping for the stress of travelling. Personally, I am an anxious flyer and I used to be able to sleep on planes all the time when I was younger, but now I can maybe sleep max 5 minutes on the flight. Something that everyone has told me to do and has recently popped up in pop culture is medication. Even recently on Keeping up with the Kardashians, Kendall Jenner did this to help with her airplane anxiety. I know what you are all thinking right now. You picture someone sitting cross legged with their palms facing up on their knees, eyes closed, saying “ohmmmmmmm,” but that isn’t what you have to do. Every person, I have noticed, meditates differently. Oddly enough, in my high school we had yoga as an option for physical education. Both of the yoga teachers also were teachers in our school and one of them was my physics teacher senior year. He started every class with a 5 minute meditation in order for us to clear our minds. We would sit our chairs back straight and hands by our sides like they were dangling and simply focused on our breathing. That not only helped me everyday relax before the start of class, but it also especially helped me before any exam. Recently, I have been trying to figure out new ways to help me calm down and deal with everything that I have going on in my life. Sometimes I take my yoga mat to my roof and I lay it out and rest my back against the wall and just close my eyes and focus on my breathing. One thing that I highly recommend if you are meditating, is to not bring your phone or anything-turn off all electronic devices. Disconnecting from all devices and all social media for a little while is very helpful in this process. You can cross your legs, sit up tall with your legs out or even lay down- whatever works for you. Some people think if you lay down it looks like you are sleeping, but I don’t believe that. I believe that if you take even 5 minutes everyday whether it be when you wake up or at night just to clear your mind of everything it helps you re-energize and get ready for the next day. I hope you all enjoyed today’s fitness tuesday post. Namaste! <3

(Image taken from google)

Winter White Lace

November 14, 2016

Happy Monday! Hope everyone had a great weekend! I don’t know about you but I am counting down the days until Thanksgiving. There has always been a stigma when it comes to wearing white during winter. I know you can’t wear white pants after Labor Day (even though I do because it is appropriate to in Miami), but does that go for everything? I say no. This white lace top from Joie is one of my favorite go to tops for the holiday season. I pair it with a white Wolford bodysuit underneath it and it looks amazing. I have seen other people wear it without a tank or anything underneath, but if you are like me and don’t want to show too much skin, especially with it being so cold out, this is the next best solution. I also like it because with a normal tank if you tuck it in you still see the shirt in your jeans and you want a tank that lays flat under the lace top. If you couldn’t already tell from today and yesterday’s post, I am a bit of a bodysuit fanatic. It just makes your outfit look more put together and it allows everything to just lay better. If you are looking for a lace top this holiday season I recently went to Bloomingdales and they have a large selection in all different price ranges. If you aren’t sure if you could pull off an all lace top and don’t like the idea of a bodysuit that is okay! There are tons of other top options that have lace detailing and are still super cute for this holiday season. For me, with these tops, I always go a size up because I like a lace top to lay loose on me vs skin tight, but that is completely up to you. It also depends on what kind of look you are trying to achieve. With this look, I was trying to achieve a relaxed look and something that is comfortable and simple. Hope everyone had a great weekend <3

Check out Bloomingdales for lace looks

Crop Top Sweater

November 13, 2016

Happy Sunday! It’s the last week before Thanksgiving, crazy I know, and I hope everyone is getting themselves ready to spend quality time with family. Cropped sweaters have always been a big hit in the fashion world, but there is always the dilemma of how to wear them during the winter months. I purchased this black cropped knitted sweater a few years ago at the LF sale at the end of the season. That is personally when I get a lot of my items from there because they are so heavily marked down and then I can store them away for the next season. To me, if you buy a sweater in a neutral color you can wear them from season to season. Cropped sweaters are super cute and make your outfit that much more unique, but during winter that is difficult. You want to be able to still look cute while you are going out and be able to not freeze while you are outside. During fall / winter, when it starts to get cold out I have found a solution to be able to wear cropped sweaters. What I do is I wear a bodysuit. I have worn this cropped sweater with a black bodysuit underneath by Wolford so many times and it is the perfect solution. Sometimes just wearing a sweater isn’t enough to keep you warm, but also with a cropped sweater if you raise your arms then your belly shows then you are going to be cold. I can guarantee it. The last thing you want is to be frozen outside waiting to get inside with your friends. In this outfit I am wearing the bodysuit under the sweater with a high waisted black leather skirt from Alice and Olivia and it is perfect. I have even worn it with black tights as well and you can’t even tell that I am wearing a bodysuit under the sweater. Some people even thought that the bodysuit was part of the sweater, but little did they know it wasn’t. It’s a simple way to keep wearing those cropped sweaters like this black one I am wearing during winter and still keeping yourself warm. Hope everyone had a great weekend and remember to layer up and stay warm. <3

Black Denim

November 12, 2016

Happy Saturday! I am the girl that during winter I normally live in my leggings, but once it hits a certain temperature no matter how thick the leggings are they will not keep you warm. What’s a girl to do but find a great pair of black jeans! These are another pair that I got from Bloomingdales last month during their amazing jean sale. I always seem to find great pairs during this time because even if you buy one pair that is full price, sometimes if you buy one full price you will either get the second pair discounted or you get BMoney in return. These pair are from 7 For All Mankind and they are absolutely amazing. Some of the jeans that I have purchased over the years I have noticed that even after one wear of them they become so loose that I feel the need to wash them so they shrink a little. It is known that you aren’t suppose to wash your jeans very often because then the jeans will lose its color fast, but also then they wear too quickly over time. These pair are mid-rise ankle skinny and I have had them for over a month and have only washed them once! Also, surprisingly unlike other pairs of dark / black denim that have had the color run onto my clothing, this pair has not. They are so comfortable and soft that to someone that is just looking at you they look like jeans, but feel like a soft pair of leggings. They are not too thick that you feel like you are walking around with firm jeans, but they aren’t too thin that even on the coldest nights in New York City you are still kept warm. I tested it to see if I needed to, once it is snowing outside, if a pair of tights could fit under them comfortably and to my surprise they do! Right now if you head to Bloomingdales.com they are having a private sale and if you have a Bloomingdales charge card you get even more of a discount! Head on over there now and check out their sale selection especially their black colored denim. Hope everyone has a great day! <3

Check out the selection at Bloomingdales here