June 2013 Favorites

This month has been a long and tiring one, and oh am I happy June is finally over. I can't wait to relax and do nothing for two months straight before getting back to the meat grinder a.k.a. school.

Anyways, I won't ramble on and on about nothing because this post is going to be a long one. Enjoy ;)

Nike Dry-Fit 3" shorts Since I've had a bit more time on my hands due to the lack of homework and the end of the school year this month, I've had a bit more time to workout. And since I've been really good with following Bree Bond's (my personal trainer's) workout plan I rewarded myself with a pair of these Nike shorts. Ever since, I've been majorly obsessed with these babies - I wear them every time they come out of the wash!

Victoria's Secret PINK 32 oz water bottle This is quite a recent favorite (I only started using it this week) but I know for sure that I'll be using this water bottle every day for the rest of the summer. I got mine on sale this past winter and let me tell you, if you're a health freak like me and you like to drink a lot of water you will love this! It makes drinking 2 liters of water a day so easy, all I need to do is drink at least two of these a day and I'm good to go!

J.Crew Chino shorts Since the weather has been unbearably hot and I've had more places where I can actually wear normal clothes (not school uniform) this month I've been wearing J.Crew chinos every single time I go out. I currently own 5 pairs and I love them all! They are so comfortable and super cute! Just make sure to get a size down when buying them, they tend to run a bit big.

La Roche-Posay BB Cream As I mentioned before, it's been getting super hot here recently, so instead of using foundation I decided to go out and get a BB cream. I got this one at my drugstore just because it caught my eye and I've been loving it! Every time I wear this BB cream I get multiple compliments on how my skin looks. 

Redken "Outshine 01" anti-frizz milk I recently found this on the bathroom counter, just laying around, so I decided to use it and boy, am I happy I found this. My hair has always been kind of frizzy, and I've tried multiple products to manage my mane, but this one works wonders! I just apply a pump onto the palm of my hand and then spread it all over my hair - it leaves my with silky, shiny, and non-frizzy locks instead of puffy and crazy hair.

Song favorites of the month: 

• "Black Skinhead" by Kanye West
• "Mirrors" by Justin Timberlake
• "Monster" by Kanye West (feat. Jay Z, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj, Bon Iver)
•  "Valerie" by Amy Winehouse

What were some of your favorite things this month? Let me know in the comments below along with any other post suggestions!

xoxo,

Liz

My Summer Makeup Routine/Favorite Summer Makeup Products

I recently got a request to make a post, naming some of my favorite summer/waterproof makeup products, so I decided to just show y'all what I do for everyday makeup in the summer months. If I'm going out somewhere fancier than usual (or somewhere where I need to look nicer) I'll put on more makeup or put more effort into it, but this is what I'll do if I'm just running errands or having a relaxing day out.

Anyways, I can tell this post will be pretty long, so I'll just get right on it :)

1. Conceal imperfections/dark circles and powder face. If I'm going out somewhere I better be doing something to conceal my redness or people are going to think I'm blushing 24/7. Whenever I wear makeup in the summer (which isn't every single day) I use my favorite concealer, the YSL Touché Eclait to cover up dark circles, conceal redness around my nose, and cover up the veins on my eyes. My skin gets pretty oily in the summer so I always make sure to finish off any face makeup with some powder. My favorite one at the moment is the Chanel Healthy Glow Sheer powder, it offers a tiny bit of coverage but keeps my skin matte for the whole day.

2. Fill in brows with powder and set with brow gel. I've talked about this before, but I cannot leave the house without doing something to my eyebrows. Eyebrows are a pretty big part of your face, and I find that simply combing them and filling them in (even if you're not wearing any other makeup) makes you look more awake and put-together. When I have more time on my hands I like to use the Benefit Browzings kit (the powder from the kit, to be exact) with an angled brush to fill in my brows. If I'm in a hurry, though, I use the MAC brow pencil. It's just faster and easier to apply than the brow powder. After I'm done filling my brows in, I always make sure to set them (especially during hotter months) with my Anastasia clear brow gel. It keeps my brows in place and groomed as long as I want them to.

3. Apply cream eyeshadow and mascara. I don't like to use too many eye products in the summer months, so I usually just opt for some cream eyeshadow that's super easy to just swipe on with your ring finger. One of my favorite cream eyeshadows is the Chanel Emerveille cream eyeshadow - it gives a slight hint of color with a little bit of sparkle. And of course, you can't leave the house without some mascara, right? I love any Chanel waterproof mascaras but some drugstore mascaras work just as well!

4. Apply lip stain and chapstick. If you like something not too sticky, yet glossy, and stays on all day then you will love the YSL lip stains. I've been using them since last summer and I still love them! They come in tons of different shades, so you're bound to find one that you like.

5. Use dry shampoo. I don't usually use dry shampoo that often, but for some reason this summer my hair has been super oily. So, now it has become an essential for me to use my Tresseme dry shampoo every other day (on days when I don't wash my hair) in order to keep my hair...well, clean. All you need to do is just spray some into the roots of your hair and shake your hair out a bit. Quick, easy, and super convenient!

What are some of your favorite summer makeup products? Let me know in the comments below!

xoxo,

Liz

4th of July Outfit Ideas

I love the 4th of July. It's the all-American holiday - barbecues, pool parties and fireworks; what more could you ask for? 

This is my second year in a row of not spending the 4th of July in America, I will be in Spain during that time this summer. And though I couldn't be happier to be going to Spain again I can't help but feel a tinge of sadness because of missing this glorious holiday. 

And even though I will not wear anything patriotic on the 4th of July (wearing red, white, and blue might look a little strange on the streets of Madrid) I still decided to put together an outfit or two of what I would have worn. Oh well, a girl can dream, right?

The outfit below is perfect for the beach or the pool (let's hope those are the only places you would wear a bikini), so if you're spending Independence Day basking in the July sun - this one is for you!

:: hat :: flip flops :: bottoms :: top ::

And just in case you won't spend the whole day having fun in the sun, I put together another outfit that is bound to make an impression at any party. You can either wear it with a cute cardigan and comfy sandals or dress it up with some brown wedges and maybe ditch the sweater! It's perfect for going from a party to dinner - so easy to dress up or down and extremely cute and patriotic!

:: wedges :: sandals :: cardigan :: dress ::

What are you going to wear on the 4th of July? Let me know in the comments below!

xoxo,
Liz

Bikini So Teeny

Now, for some people this is good news and for some this is bad, but bikini season is officially here! Whether you are going to the beach or not this summer, I'm pretty sure you'll be wearing a bikini sooner or later. There are some cute one-pieces out there, but this post is about my favorite bikinis for this summer. 

I have been doing some shopping lately (what else is new), and I ended up with a couple of adorable bikinis! I love to match tops and bottoms up and I very rarely wear a top and a bottom from the same set. Most of my swimsuits are from Victoria's Secret, but I recently got some bikini bottoms from J.Crew and I love them! 

Anyways, I decided to share some of my favorite bikinis (or ones that are on my wish list) with you. And just in case you wanted my opinion - I think anyone can wear a bikini, no matter what shape or size you are :) It's all about what you feel most comfortable and confident in!

:: Fringe Top :: Flouncy Crop Top :: Royal Blue Top & Bottom :: Retro Bottoms :: Lime Bottoms ::

As always, let me know if you want me to post about anything else! And don't forget to let me know which bikinis are your favorite ;)

xoxo,
Liz

Roadtrippin'

I don't know about you, but I love road trips. Seriously, sitting in the car for hours and hours, listening to fun music and talking as much as a want are some of my favorite things in life. And while car rides with my mom are usually stressful for me, I love car rides with my dad.

I talked about this in my previous blog post, and needless to say, I'll be spending a ton of time on the road. Don't get me wrong, as I said, I love driving and I cannot wait to get my driver's license! But, just in case you haven't read my last blog post, I'll be going on two roadtrips this summer - from Texas to California in 10 days, and from Texas to "the beach somewhere" in 5 days (we have no idea what beach we're going to end up going to).

Anyways, as I was trying to plan a route and looking for stops on the way to California I realized that I could probably find a very helpful route-planning website...if I just googled "road trip maker". That is what I did, and after looking through some road-trip-planning websites, I decided on favorite one - Roadtrippers.

This is how the homepage of the website looks - everything is step-by-step and super easy to figure out. Oh, and in case you were wondering, you can plan roadtrips outside of the U.S. by using this site - the map is worldwide!

After messing around with the website, I figured out that before you begin to plan your road trip you have to start with the basics - enter your starting point and your destination. After you see the general route that you will take, you can go more into detail to decide on where you can eat, shop, rest, or go sightseeing.

If you click on the "find place" button that is below the "plan trip" button, you will get a bar like the one in the picture above - it categorizes places that you would usually go to while on a road trip, making it easier for you to plan your road-trip step-by-step.

By clicking on one of the options from the bar that came out (I clicked on "Food + Drink"), more options will pop out. From those options you can check off ones that you are interested in. For example, I checked off "Vegetarian and Healthy" from the "Food + Drink" category, and the image below shows what popped up.

As you can see, all of the "Vegetarian & Healthy" places to eat in the U.S. came up - some of them are on my road trip route, some are not. This makes planning so much easier!

Me being the type A organization freak that I am, I spent some time on this website and just started to plan our in-depth road-trip. I have a lot of stuff going on this week, so I couldn't spend as much time as I would like to on this website... But, I mean, I will be completely free this weekend, so I can spend as much time planning as I want.

I am not sponsored by Roadtrippers in any way, shape, or form - everything I say here is my own honest opinion :)

Are you going on any road-trips this summer? If yes, let me know in the comments below!

Also, feel free to leave any requests for further posts below :)

xoxo,
Liz

Summer Plans

I am beyond excited for summer - I can't wait to get away from all of the drama and stress that is going on in school! And, boy, am I ready for High School.

I won't go too deep into my summer plans simply for personal safety reasons, but I'll go over them briefly. I honestly have no idea how often I'll be posting this summer, because it's going to be preeeetty busy.

School has yet to end for me - graduation is this Friday, and a week later I will be leaving to Spain with my mom and my two sisters. Two and a half weeks into our trip I will fly back to Moscow, meet my dad, and the both of us will fly off to the U.S. There we will be going to a One Direction concert with one of my friends (yes, our dads are going with us) and the next day my dad and I are (gasp!) heading off to visit my best friend in Los Angeles, California. The trip there is supposed to take about 3 days, so we'll spend 1-2 days in LA, and then head back (another 3 days) to the small town in Texas that we live in. Next, my dad and I will drive to Houston, pick up my little sister from her flight, and head down to the beach with our uncle. The rest of my summer is pretty undecided and blurry, but I'm pretty sure I'll be flying in to Moscow sometime mid-August. I'm pretty sure school starts somewhere around the 22nd of August for me, so I need to be in Russia about a week or so before that in order to fight off jet-lag and unpack.

I'll try to schedule as many posts as I can during my "free" week (which is next week), but I can't really promise anything :)

What are your plans for the summer? Will you be spending time with family and friends, or will you be spending quality time with your laptop? ;)

We all know what the answer to that question is.

xoxo,
Liz

Simple Semi-Formal Summer Makeup

I'm kind of maybe possibly super anxious to post this, but who cares.

I got a request and I dared myself to do this, so here you go: my very first YouTube video. It's actually a "tutorial" on the look that I'll be wearing for my 8th grade graduation :)

Apart from the extremely awkward thumbnail, I think the video turned out fine (for a first YouTube video, at least)...so I hope you all enjoy! Can't really add much more :)

xoxo,
Liz

Rest Day

As the end of the school year comes to an end, these last few weeks of school are the most stressful weeks of the year. Assignments are due, exams are to be taken, and final grades are out. It's hard not to get caught in this stressful cycle, but sometimes you just need to have a day where you can relax and forget all of your worries.

My weekdays are full of homework and studying, and spending time with my family usually take up my whole weekend, so it's hard to just slow down and relax.

My Dad stayed at home today, and when I woke up extremely tired and sick-looking he insisted that we have a "rest day" at home. And let me tell you, this rest day was the best thing to happen to me this whole month. I snoozed in bed and woke up without hurrying to get ready for school, I took a nice long and hot shower, I picked out my most comfortable yet presentable outfit and my Dad and I went out to have brunch in one of my favorite cafés (Le Pain Quotidien, in case you were wondering). We left the city and drove to our country house. After catching up on my homework assignments and studying for my Physics, Chemistry, and Algebra exams I had a delicious salad that I took time to make.

I will be spending the rest of my day relaxing and spending time with my baby sister, my Dad, and my Grandma, which is the only thing I want to do right now. And even though I was anxious to miss school at first, I now feel relaxed and careless.

So I guess that if you were to remember and learn one thing from today's post, it would be to relax and enjoy life once in a while. Spend time with your family and friends because you never know when everything might be taken away from you. Treat your body right (I am planning to workout today as well) and don't forget to nourish it with proper food (and maybe a relaxing massage or two ;) ).

As usual, if you have any requests feel free to leave them down below!

xoxo,
Liz

5 Summer Must-Have Shoes

With summer basically here I couldn't help but spend some time shopping for the warm and sunny days to come. It's no secret that I love shoes (and shopping), so I decided to put together a collage with some of my favorite shoes for the summer time.

Each one of these is guaranteed to be used during the summer. The Jacks are perfect for summer days or nights when you don't want to be too dressed up, rubber flip flops are perfect for chill days on the beach, TOMS are so comfortable to walk around in - perfect when you're out for shopping or traveling,  the cork wedges are amazing for any semi-formal/formal summer event and the Reva flats are a must during every season for me - they're so versatile!

:: Jack Rogers :: Havaianas :: TOMS :: Michael Kors :: Tory Burch ::

What are some of your must-have summer shoes? Let me know in the comments below!

xoxo,
Liz

Pick One: BaubleBar Statement Necklaces

Statement necklaces are my weakness. Well, to be completely honest with you, statement necklaces are the one thing that I add to my cart online but never end up buying. The only reason being is that I have a school uniform and we're not allowed to wear any statement jewelry. 

But as next year we don't have any uniform (YES!) I am seriously diving in to the statement necklace pool. Here I picked 5 of my favorite statement necklaces from BaubleBar - my favorite place to get any kind of jewelry.

:: all pieces are from BaubleBar ::

Which one out of these would you get? I'm leaning towards the gold chain or the orange one...

xoxo,

Liz

Favorite Online Boutiques

It's no secret that I am a shopaholic. It is also no secret that I much prefer online shopping to shopping in store. Online shopping is so much more organized and less hectic that in-store shopping - I like to set a spending limit for myself, then add all items that I like to my cart, and then going to my cart and filtering out the items until I've narrowed my choices down to the price limit.

In this post I decided to share some of my favorite online boutiques. You know, just to add oil to my online-shopping-addiction fire.

The Red Dress Boutique

I love this boutique. I mean, it takes a lot of willpower on my side just not to buy every single thing they offer. The prices aren't too bad and I can only say good things about the quality of the items they offer!

Shop Dandy

This is probably my favorite boutique out of all of these - the clothing they offer is classic, yet girly and youthful. The only downside of this website is that they sell out of clothes super fast - so I like to check this boutique every couple of days.

Marley Lilly

"If it's not moving, monogram it!" is all I can say about this website. They can monogram anything you can ever imagine - swimsuits, rain coats, rings, sweaters, whatever you want! 

Dixieland Monogram

This is pretty much the same exact thing as Marley Lilly, except I like the phone cases and stationary here rather than Marley Lilly. 

Preppy Pink Shop

This isn't technically an "online boutique", it's a shop on Etsy, but who cares. This is my all-time favorite Etsy shop - the pieces are so preppy and cute! 

Do you shop online? What are some of your favorite online stores?

xoxo,
Liz

5 Ways to Welcome Summer

Even though school isn't over for me yet, it's still technically summer! And who doesn't love shopping for summer? New seasons are always so exciting and full of preparation for months to come. Here I put together some ways that I, personally, like to get ready for summer.

1) Bright manicure Summer = fun and bright nail polish, so why not ditch the spring pastels and move on to fun, bright colors? I've been loving Essie nail polish lately and I am seriously lacking summer colors. A little shopping never hurt anyone ;)

2) A new sunhat I desperately need a hat for the summer. I love this one from Ralph Lauren - it's so versatile and chic!

3) Play up your makeup One of the easiest ways to change up your makeup is bright eyeliner. Shades of green and blue are fun and playful - you can even lightly line your eyes with waterproof eyeliner for a pool/beach party!

4) Bright sandals Jack Rogers sandals, to be exact. I love the way they look and feel - perfect for any outfit and any occasion! And who doesn't love neon in the summer?

5) The perfect beach read Now that school is over (or at least close to an end) we all need a light, easy-to-read, romantic girly novel to get our minds off of school classics. "The Summer I Turned Pretty" series is one of the best beach-y novels that I've ever read - I've read it every single summer since 4th grade! 

What are some ways that you welcome summer? Let me know below!

xoxo,
Liz

May 2013 Favorites

Today is the first day of summer and I am beyond excited! I have only 3 weeks of school yet, the weather is amazing, and there are just so many things to look forward to this summer! 

Anyways, I don't want to ramble on and on, because I have a ton of favorites to talk about ;)

Sublime de Chanel mascara I don't usually drop big bucks on mascara, because I always thought that drugstore mascaras are just as good as high-end ones. There have been multiple girls that I know who said that they were wearing the Sublime de Chanel mascara when I told them that their eyelashes look amazing. So, I decided to go out and buy it. Best. Decision. EVER. I will definitely be repurchasing this - your lashes look volumized and long, yet the mascara doesn't clump at all. 

Chanel Healthy Glow Sheer Powder I had to go out and buy a new powder because I ran out of my Neutrogena one, so I bought this one on the same day I bought the mascara. Haven't really heard anything about it, so I didn't really know what to expect. And I'm surprised no one's talked about it, because it's amazing! If you don't like your powder to be full-coverage and cakey (who likes cakey powder anyways???) - this is for you. No matter how many layers of this you put on it will never be cakey, it's sheer enough to look natural but has enough coverage to cover up some discoloration and last the whole day. Plus, it comes with a really nice brush to use with it so it's easy to reapply if you need to. 

Chloé Eu de Perfume To be honest, I got tired of using the same perfume over and over (I usually use Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Fresca), so I was on a lookout for a new spring/summer perfume for quite a while. Haven't really heard much hype about any new perfumes this season, so I went with an oldie but a goodie - the Chloé perfume. This has such a girly, but classic scent - I love it! It's subtle, but still noticeable at the same time. Definitely a must-have for me!

M.A.C. brow pencil I usually workout in the mornings in the school gym (since I usually have an extra 2 hours when I get to school), so I shower and do my makeup in school most of the time. This is why I dug out my old favorite, the M.A.C. brow pencil, to use instead of my brow powder. This is so quick and easy to use, but it still gives the same effect/coverage/blend-ability as your usual brow powder.

Personalized Bree Bond Training Plan Bree Bond is a certified personal trainer who, if you e-mail her, will make a personalized workout plan just for you! Honestly, she's the best thing that's happened to my fitness life. I asked her for more definition and strength in my upper body - and there you have it, my arms are huge and strong (just how I like them) and I actually have ab definition! UH-MAY-ZING. The training plan is only $100 (SUPER cheap, compared to other ones) and the meal plan that she offers is $50 (I just purchased mine, so I have yet to try it out). The training plan is made for a month and since I loved mine, I just got another one for June. BEYOND excited!

"Die in Your Arms" by Justin Bieber Ever since his concert (April 30) I have been loving Justin. I've never really been much of a fan, but I have also never really listened to his music. After the concert I bought his album (Believe) and I've been loving it! "Die in Your Arms" has definitely been one of my favorites from this album, I listened to it all month long.

"No Church in the Wild" by Kanye West and Jay Z (feat. Frank Ocean) This one is an oldie *that I've never heard* but oh is it a goodie. This is one of the best Kanye West/Jay Z songs I've ever heard! If you like rap, you will love this. I've listened to this so many times this month that I already know the lyrics by heart - sorry I'm not sorry ;) Plus, it's from the Great Gatsby soundtrack - ummm...LOVE.

"Bang Bang" by will.i.am. This one is also from The Great Gatsby soundtrack and it is *almost* equally as good as "No Church in the Wild". Jay Z did a very good job of producing the songs for The Great Gatsby - the soundtrack album is pretty much the only thing I've been listening to this month. 

Keeping Up With the Kardashians I was sick for about a week this month so I stayed home, doing pretty much nothing, and up until this week I haven't had any homework at all, so I had plenty free time on my hands. Which meant Keeping Up With the Kardashians. I haven't seen Kourtney and Kim Take Miami at all, so I watched that and then moved on to re-watching the last season of Keeping Up With the Kardashians. Needless to say, my love for the Kardashian family is burning with a new flame. Also, the 8th season is coming out this Sunday (excited Liz face)!

The Great Gatsby I saved the best for last. My love for this movie/book cannot be put into words and every time I think of Gatsby I just have a mini heart attack inside. This is THE BEST movie I have ever seen (and I've seen a lot of good movies!) and I have already seen it twice in the past two weeks. Leo did amazing, the clothes and the setting were gorgeous, the music was to die for, not to mention that the movie was extremely close to the book (I hate movies that are based on a good book, but then go out and make a whole other story up). If you haven't seen it yet - go watch it NOW.

What were some of your favorite things this month? Let me know in the comments below!

xoxo,

Liz