Sunday Brunch Outfit

As much as I wish my family had fancy brunches...we hardly ever do. Fancy brunches aren't really that big where I live, and I rarely get to dress up for...well, for breakfast.

I do love making these outfit sets on Polyvore, though, so I though I'd just make one for those of you who actually do get to go to brunch.

:: dress :: wedges :: bangle :: link bracelet :: pearls ::

Of course, you don't have to wear this outfit to brunch - you can wear it anywhere you want! If any of you are still going to someone's graduation or another semi-formal event, I think this outfit would be perfect.

Let me know what other posts you want to see in the future!

xoxo,

Liz

25 Random Facts About Me 2.0

Happy Monday/Memorial Day! I have been thinking very, very hard on what post to type up next...and this is all that I could come up with.

Oh well.

Enjoy. Warning: my life is full of fun and interesting events (sarcasm intended)

1. Whenever I'm done with my shower, I step out of the shower, grab my towel and then step back in and dry myself off in the shower.
2. I've read The Great Gatsby 7 times.
3. I've watched the entire Gossip Girl series in chronicle order 4 times (almost done with my 5th time :P)
4. I prefer online shopping to shopping in store.
5. I love sketching shoes.
6. I procrastinate 24/7.
7. I have a chihuahua but she lives with my grandpa. 
8. I love huge bags. Like, mom bags. 
9. Expensive shoes are my #1 weakness
10. I wake up at 4:45 on weekdays
11. I haven't taken a bath (not SHOWERED, just taken a BATH) in a year.
12. My favorite way to have coffee is 1/2 Americano and 1/2 unsweetened soy milk.
13. My favorite Kardashian is Khloé.
14. I've never been in a thrift store, but I really want to go.
15. I wear gel eyeliner almost every single day.
16. My favorite makeup brand is Chanel.
17. I did a presentation on Coco Chanel and her life last year (this is super random haha)
18. I have a love/hate relationship with oatmeal.
19. I have two little sisters (11 and 7 months)
20. My favorite YouTuber is Sarahbelle93x.
21. One wall in my room is royal blue.
22. I own about 4 pairs of heels, yet I never wear them (oops).
23. My woman crush is Jennifer Lawrence.
24. My man crush is Leo DiCaprio (surprise surprise).
25. My parents met during a High School international exchange program.

What are some random facts about you? Would you like to see any other posts? Let me know in the comments below :)

xoxo,
Liz

Coffee for One

To add to my long list of reasons why I couldn't blog last week - I've been sick for the past couple of days. Not much fun, especially when you have parties and BBQs to attend... And instead of being a good student and studying in my free time, I spent all of it watching "Kim and Kourtney Take Miami". In one of the episodes Khloé tried the cortadito - a cuban espresso that is half cuban coffee and half milk.

I love Khloé Kardashian, but even more than her I love coffee. So naturally, when I saw Khloé get addicted to cortadito I had to have it. I have been doing so much research on these mysterious cortaditos  and I have yet to find a cuban coffee shop in Moscow. 

If you live in the U.S. (or at least somewhere when the Starbucks personnel is a little more friendly) then I'm pretty sure you can just ask them to make you a cortadito, but I'm kind of scared to ask for one. One of my friends recently came back from Cuba and I asked him to get me some coffee, though, so I am looking forward to trying my long-awaited cuban coffee!

Have you ever tried cuban coffee? Let me know in the comments below!

P.S. I found a recipe that shows you how you can make a cortadito at home - can't wait to try it out!

xoxo,

Liz

Where Have I Been?

It's been about a week since my last blog post and I just felt like I owed you all at least a little explanation. New posts will be coming next week (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) as usual!

The past week has been extremely busy and stressful for me. I am a full-time student, and as much as I'd like blogging be my first priority - it just isn't. Family always comes first and there have been some events in my family that I had to attend, which meant that my weekend of blogging (when I usually schedule my posts) was gone.

This weekend I am hosting a party which I pretty much failed to organize (gasp!), so I still need to work on that. My 8th grade graduation is also coming up soon (yes, I am an 8th grade), which means everyone is having house parties. And I can't miss a house party. Sorry to break it to you, but parties > blogging.

Sorry if this post hardly made sense, I'm very tired and had too much coffee.

xoxo,
Liz

Quick Tip: Shiny Hair

I was getting my hair trimmed at the salon yesterday, and while my hairdresser was washing my hair I had some time to relax and think for a bit. No smart thoughts came to me, but when the hairdresser was done washing my hair she asked me if I wanted her to rinse it with cold water. And then I remembered. The cold water trick!

I don't think I've ever talked about this, but if I have...well, too bad. 

Rinsing your hair with cold water when you're done with your shower. This will result in mega shiny hair! The cold water seals your hair follicles and makes your hair shinier and less frizzy.

You're welcome.

xoxo,

Liz

P.S. Sorry the post was so short, I've got soooo many things to get done!

Pick One: Cross Body Bags

I am completely guilty of placing an order online literally every week for the past month or two. But, if you look at it from the bright side, at least I'm building a good spring/summer wardrobe, right? Right?..

I am also quite guilty of making these "Pick One" posts almost every week. Oh well. At least I can possibly help some of you girls out. Hopefully.

Anyways, since I finally bought the Rebecca Minkoff MAB tote from my Pick One: Big Brown Book Bags post (though I ended up getting it in black, haha) I have been on the lookout for a cute cross-body bag that I could walk around with in the summer time. I mean, who wants to tote around a big ol' bag when you only have a couple of things to carry?

:: Rebecca Minkoff :: Tory Burch :: Madewell :: J. Crew :: Marc Jacobs ::

I am in love with all of these and, sadly, I really need to get one soon! I'll be spending half of my summer in Madrid and I plan on walking around quite a bit, so one of these would be perfect!

Please let me know in the comments below which one you think I should get!

xoxo,

Liz

Overview: Met Gala 2013

I don't know if any of you really "follow" celebrities or not, but I honestly just love seeing what each of them wear to events! I get a ton of inspiration from the outfits they wear/their makeup and, honestly, I just love judging people. The Met Gala was on the 7th of May, and boy were there some fashion disasters there. 

The theme for the gala was "punk", so don't be surprised if most of the outfits are dark and gloomy. So who rocked (punk...rocked...get it?) and who didn't at this gala? 

YES!

I love Blake Lively. Love her body. Love her everything. She looked drop dead gorgeous in the Gucci Premiere dress and managed not to look creepishly goth (ekhem Cara Develigne ekhem).

Jennifer Lawrence is my number one idol. No joke. I love her so much! Believe me when I say this, I'm not the girl who stalks celebrities online and follows their every move, but I am obsessed with her! She manages to stay real and funny and just incredibly down to earth, even with her "celebrity" status. This Dior dress is hands-down my favorite dress out of all at the Met Gala! And, of course, her makeup is as well.

I personally think she looked amazing in her Gilles Mendel dress and totally pulled off the daring headpiece! Sarah Jessica Parker looks amazing in anything she wears, so I can't really say much more.

I don't care what people say about Taylor Swift and her love life, because I still love her. She looked amazing (I mean, AMAZING) at the gala in Gilles Mendel, and even though I'm not such a big fan of her new "look" I still loved what she wore at the gala!

NO.

As much as I love Beyoncé, whenever I see her in this Givenchy dress I can't help but think of Spanish dancers. Not a fan. Honestly, what was she thinking?! It completely covers up her amazing curves and is just not flattering, if you ask me.

Kim. Oh Kim. As much as I love Valentino dresses and Kimye all I can say about this dress is a big fat (haha mean jokes) NO. She looks like a couch!!! And where in the world did her arm go? Glove? What is that? I am so confused by her look and this whole outfit... Also, matching shoes??? No, no, and no.

Not a fan of Kristen Stewart anyways, but she honestly just looks horrible in this Stella McCartney...suit. Her makeup looks just plain scary (zombie much???) and the suit makes her look 30 pounds fatter. WHY WOULD SHE DRESS LIKE THIS.

Excuse my little rant about the badly dressed celebrities but I just couldn't help myself. 

What do you guys think about the outfits at the Met? Let me know in the comments below!

xoxo,

Liz

She Sells Seashells by the Seashore

Scallops have been all the rage this spring/summer season and I can totally see why! They're so adorably preppy, classy, and just plain irresistible. They've been incorporated in just about everything - skirts, shorts, shoes, jewelry - but I have yet to own anything with scallops.

I put together a collage with some of my favorite scalloped items. Really planning on splurging for the Chloé flats - so adorable!

:: J.Crew dress :: Chloé flats :: Madewell shirt :: Topshop bikini :: Kate Spade bangle :: Oscar de la Renta heels ::

What are some of your favorite scalloped items? Let me know below!

xoxo,

Liz

April 2013 Favorites

April has been one of the best months for me this year. It's been practically stress-free and I got to have so much fun with my friends. I am definitely looking forward to summer (2 months left...I can do this) and cannot wait for my first year of High School!

:: Stila "In the Know" eyeshadow palette :: I only got it in the mail a couple of days ago, but I've been using it every single day since! Not going to lie, I've kind of lost interest in eyeshadow but this was the spark (and oil to the flame) of my love for matte eyeshadows. All of the eyeshadows in the palette are matte and are an absolute pleasure to use!

:: Bioderma Sensibio H2O :: I'm pretty sure you've all heard about this, because people rave about it! And they do that for a reason - this is the bomb dot com! It's basically just magical magical water that you have to soak a cotton pad with and wipe your face with it and...BOOM no makeup whatsoever, don't need to wash anything off, and all of your skin problems (for me, redness) is GONE. It's hard to find in the US and it's pretty expensive, but so worth it.

:: Stila Smudgestick Waterproof eyeliner :: When I said that I've been lazy with my eyeshadow I'm pretty sure I meant eye makeup in general. I haven't been using my gel eyeliner as much as I thought I would be and I've just been using mascara on my eyes for the past couple of weeks. But I've heard a ton about these Smudgesticks from Stila so I decided to get one and I love it! I've been using it on my waterline pretty much every single day! Fun part? Another free one comes with the "In the Know" palette :P

:: Soy milk :: Milk. Is just not my friend, to be honest. It gives me weird allergies if I drink too much and just leaves me feeling bloated. So I decided to switch to soy milk this month. The only time I really drink it is with my coffee in the mornings - I don't like the taste of it on it's own. But it gives such a sweet taste to my coffee, I'm obsessed with it!

:: J.Crew Painter Tee :: As many of you probably know (since it's all I've been talking about for the past week) I went to see Justin Bieber this past Tuesday. I actually wore my J.Crew neon orange Painter Tee for the first time and I loved it! It was so comfortable and easy to move around in, the color was amazing, and the whole cut of the shirt was just made for me - so flattering! Got it on sale that J.Crew had and I definitely want to get more!

What are some of the things that you've been loving this month? Let me know below!

Also, if you have any ideas on blogposts that you'd want to see from me - please tell me!

xoxo,
Liz

What's In My Bag: Concert Edition

I know all I've been talking about in this weeks' posts is the Justin Bieber concert, but that's only because it was amazing! I really want to go to another one of his concerts - it was so much fun!

I thought it would be fun to show you all what I had in my clutch when I went to the concert. I find these posts really helpful, because you can see what people's absolute essentials are.

:: iPhone :: Can't go anywhere without your phone, right? Mine actually uncharged at the concert and we saw Justin backstage and he waved at us (typical Liz luck).

:: Money :: Pretty self-explanatory. I would not recommend taking your credit/debit card to a concert - you never know what could happen to it! It's always good to have some cash with you wherever you go anyway.

:: Ticket :: Do I really need to explain this one?..

:: YSL Touché Eclait :: I carry this around with me wherever I go, not even kidding. I raved about it in my February Favorites and I can't really say much more. Works great as a touch-up concealer and a highlighter. I wear glasses, so whenever I want to take them off they leave red marks on the sides of my nose, so I use this to touch up.

:: Korres Lip Butter :: Please, please make sure that your lip balm isn't in pot form when you're going out and about. Sticking your fingers into something and then putting it on your lips is disgusting after you've touched anything and everything around you. This lip balm has a slight red tint, so it gives you a little color too!

:: Sample-size perfume :: I always say, either smell nice or don't smell at all. I prefer to smell nice, so I always have a sample-size perfume bottle with me. I'm loving Guerlain's Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca right now - smells like fresh honeysuckle fields (do those even exist?)!

What do you carry around in your clutch?

xoxo,
Liz

How To: Save Time in the Morning

Rushing in the morning is one of the worst things to do when you're starting off your day. As a teenage girl who has to get up at 5 AM every morning I can tell you that it takes a ton of willpower to stop hitting the snooze button and finally get out of bed. Some days you just have to choose - nice hair or more sleep? But instead of putting yourself in front of this tough (sarcasm intended) decision you can just get ready before bed!

Just by spending 15-30 extra minutes in the evening by preparing for the next day, you can save loads of time in the morning (and make it less stressful)! Make it a goal to go to bed 8-9 hours before you have to wake up and you'll feel so much more rested the next day. It's really not that hard, once you learn to prioritize and work without distractions you'll get the hang of it in no time!

In the set below I've included some ways that you can save time in the morning by getting ready before bed. I, myself, use these tips 99% of the time and personally find it so much easier and faster to get ready in the morning. Literally, all I have to do in the morning is wash my face, put on the clothes that I laid out the night before, eat breakfast, and brush my teeth (and do my makeup...sometimes).

:: Decide on your outfit :: This saves so much time in the morning, but it only takes a couple of minutes to do before bed! Check the weather, so you know what type of clothes to wear, and just lay out your outfit on a chair or hang it up on hangers. You might want to try it on before bed, just to see if you need to add or take something. So in the morning, all you have to do is get up and throw your clothes on!

:: Shower :: I know some people prefer taking showers in the morning, but I honestly don't care. It saves tons of time and saves you the hassle of waiting for your hair to dry/blowdrying it. And who wouldn't want to wake up 10-15 minutes later?

:: Style your hair :: Curling/straightening your hair before bed might sound weird, but it's not! If you curl it before bed, your curls will look more relaxed and natural-looking in the morning. If you straighten it, I'm pretty sure you can just throw your hair in the bun for the night and it'll still be straight.  Whenever I want to curl my hair for school I always do it before bed - I like the fallen-out-curl look even more and it saves you a good 20 minutes in the morning!

:: Pack your bag :: This is kind of a no-brainer. Why pack your bag in the morning when you can just put everything in your bag in the evening? Saves you the stress of not being able to find your wallet in the morning.

:: Prepare breakfast :: Now, I wouldn't recommend making your breakfast before bed and then eating it in the morning (cold fried eggs...ew). But there are some breakfast meals that you can make before bed and then just get up and eat! Overnight oats/oats in a jar is one of my favorite ways to eat oatmeal. Also, if you like drinking smoothies for breakfast, you can just chop up your fruits, put them in a ziplock, put them in the freezer, and then just toss it all into a blender in the morning! If you still find yourself in a hurry to eat in the morning, though, here are some healthy but quick and easy breakfast ideas.

Hope you guys enjoyed this post! If you have any tips, please feel free to leave them below!

P.S. I came back from Justin Bieber early in the morning today and I loved it! SO much fun! I actually got to go backstage and meet him with my friend who opened up for him (yay for connections haha)! Definitely recommend going to his concert if you have one near you - even if you don't listen to his music much, it's still super fun.

xoxo,
Liz