What's In My Beach Bag?

I know, I know, I need to stop raving about summer. But I can't! Summer is one of my favorite seasons of the year (partly because I shop more than during any other season :p)! And I am so excited to share what's in my beach bag with you guys in this post! Anyways, without further ado, here it is!

1. My Beach Towel Not really sure where these are from... Pretty sure it's from Target from a long time ago, but I'm not sure... Yeah, nothing special.

2. Hawaiian Tropic Tanning Oil SPF 8 LOVE THIS. I will not go out of the house to tan without this. No. Way. First of all, it smells amazing -- like coconuts and tropical goodness, and it makes you all nice and bronzy-shiny, and it makes you tan faster! What not to love?

3. Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Targeted Sun Defense Stick SPF 50 Just picked this up in Duty Free on the way to Spain because I didn't have any face sunscreen... So far, I like it a lot -- it's not greasy or oily and it works! I'd definitely recommend it!

4. Victoria's Secret "Blossoming Romance" Fragrance Mist I carry this in my bag just because it feels really nice to spritz it on when I'm all hot and sweaty (I know, ew, it was 40 degrees Celsius in Madrid today!) by the pool. The smell is nice, I like it. The only thing is, is that this only lasts on me for about 20-30 minutes.

5. Avène Thermal Spring Water This is such a lifesaver on those blazing hot days when you feel like dying or when your makeup looks too cakey! When spritzing it on after you do your makeup it leaves you with a flawless natural glow that I love, and when you spritz it on outside it feels like a cold shower! Plus, it manages to stay magically cool in the bottle even if it's really hot out!

6. Set Of Keys These are just the keys from our apartment in Madrid -- nothing special, not a necessity, I just had to take them with me to the pool.

7. YSL Rouge Volupté Perle in the shade 114 I've talked about this in my What's In My Travel Makeup Bag? post. Nothing much I can add! I carry it around with me because it's sheer enough that you can apply it without looking in a mirror but it goes you the perfect hint of color!

8. ChapStick Lip Shield 365 lip balm with SPF 50 Nothing special, just a lip balm with high SPF. SPF is very important not only on your body and face, but on your lips too! Believe me, you do not want to get your lips sun burned! It hurts so bad and it looks bad too.

9. Head Pillow This is the randomest thing. It's actually my Grandma's, not mine, but it's so worn out and cozy-looking (and PINK), I love it! I use it to rest my head on when I'm laying out, because there aren't any places to sit by the pool when I get there, so I have to lay on the ground :p (on my towel, of course)

10. New Wayfarer RayBans The exact model number is RB2132, if you were wondering. These are just the sunglasses that I wore today, so that's why they're in my bag. I absolutely love these -- they are so lightweight you can't even feel them!

11. Hair Clip This one is neon yellow and I got it at H&M about 2-3 weeks ago, so they probably still have it there. I really like it, I just use it to pin my hair back when I'm lying down so it won't bother me.

12. EOS Lip Balm in Summer Fruit Just another lip balm I carry around with me... Nothing much. I love it though, it works really good for me, and I know a lot of people love it too!

13. Hair Ties Sometimes I don't feel like clipping my hair back with the clip, so I just make a pony or a bun instead. And plus, someone always needs hair ties, so you can never have enough!

14. A Bottle Of Water Gotta stay hydrated with that sun shining all over you! When it's hotter you tend to get dehydrated faster, so it's very important to drink lots of water!

15. Lucky July 2012 Magazine This is hands-down my favorite magazine. I even like it more than Seventeen, no joke. It just totally absorbs me every time I read it and the way it's all put together and collaged is so totally me! Plus, Leighton Meester is on the cover of this one!

16. Kindle Touch I've always got to have reading material everywhere I go, because if I don't, I guarantee you, there will be that horrible moment of boredom where there's nothing to do and you don't even have a book.

17. Nature Valley Granola Bar This is my recent addiction. It's the peanut butter one -- it tastes so good! This one is almost melted, so I think I'm going to eat it right now :p

18. Cable Knit Cover Up This one is from H&M and it's NEON PINK. Oh my gosh, can it get any better? Yes, it can. It's high-low. This is definitely my favorite cover-up out of all, I just got it about a week ago and I've been obsessing over it like crazy ever since! Because it's knit it keeps you warm from the wind but is also cool enough not to make you hot from the sun.

19. Longchamp Le Pliage Tote in Large I just got this a couple of days ago and I LOVE IT. I've been carrying it with me everywhere and I can't wait to use it for school! It's the perfect size and color, and it's a classic -- you just can't go wrong with this one!

Hope you guys enjoyed!

xoxo,
Liz

Quick Tip: Pot-Form Lip Balm

99% of my favorite lip balms are in pot form. And don't get me wrong, I love them, but they just get so messy at times and I'm kind of wary of using them when I'm out and about, with my hands being all full of germs and such... But another con of the pot formula of lip balms is that once you put it on your lips with your finger, you'll always have some leftover of the lip balm on your finger. So, you ask me, what do I do with the leftover? Well, I'd answer, lip balm just happens to be very good for your cuticles. Which leads me to the actual tip: put the leftover lip balm on your cuticles to keep them nice and moisturized. I read this in the comments to some video on YouTube and I've been doing this ever since -- now let me tell you, it works! My cuticles have stayed nice and moved-back for the whole time (I got a mani about 2-3 months ago but they're still perfect!) and very soft.

Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed this little tip and I hope you found it somewhat useful/helpful!

xoxo,
Liz

picture from here :*

25 Random Questions Tag

I love tags. Adore them. Those are probably my most watched videos on YouTube. This tag in particular is my most favorite out of all, I think. I thought this tag would be good to make a blog post on because it's just full of random questions and they aren't really oriented around makeup and fashion -- just for you guys to get to know me a bit more :)

1. Do you have any pets? No, not now, but I used to have a dog (a Rottweiler) and a cat (Siamese) but the dog, unfortunately, passed away in January, as well as the cat, who passed away in May (she was 17 years old!)

2. Name 3 things that are physically close to you. My Beats Studio headphones, my Kindle, and my Longchamp Le Pliage (I just got it a couple of days ago -- her name is Sarah :p)

3. What's the weather like right now? Well, it's 10 PM, so it's dark out, but it was 28 degrees Celsius and very sunny today. 

4. Do you drive? If so have you crashed? Nope, I don't drive :)

5. What time did you wake up this morning? 11:30...Well, it's summer, what can you say.

6. When was the last time you showered? A couple of hours ago...

7. What was the last movie you saw? The Fabulous Adventures of Sharpay (if that's what it's called) :p My sister was watching Disney channel and I was in the living room, so I kind of watched it too. Yeah, I'm a kid, pshhhhh

8. What does your last text message say? Waaaaaaaah I LOVE YOU BABYYYYYY I was texting my BFF Andrea (her blog is Stories of a Teenage Girl, check it out!) because she was flying away :(

9. What's your ringtone? "Duck" that's on the iPhone :D LOL, it's my favorite from all of them, it makes me laugh so hard!


10. Have you ever been to a different country? Yes, I've been privileged and blessed enough to travel abroad many times, and I'm very thankful for it.

11. Do you like sushi? I have a weird story with me and sushi. I LOVE sushi. It's one of my favorite foods, definitely! But. I love it so much, that every time I eat it I always over-eat it and end up feeling sick, and not being able to eat sushi for several months after. So I don't have sushi often, but when I do, you can't stop me.

12. Where do you buy your groceries? In the U.S. we buy groceries in Wal-Mart or Target (usually Wal-Mart).


13. Have you ever taken medication to help you fall asleep faster? Nope, but I do use The Body Shop's pillow mist -- I can't fall asleep without it!

14. How many siblings do you have? One at the moment (my little sister, 3 year difference), and one on the way (also a sister, 14 year difference) -- I'm so excited!

15. Do you have a desktop computer or a laptop? A laptop. I have a 13'' MacBookPro -- he's my baby! I hate desktop computers!

16. How old will you be turning on your next birthday? I'll be turning 14.

17. Do you wear contacts or glasses? I wear glasses, and I personally prefer them. I think glasses can make such a fashion statement at totally re-vamp your style or change your outfit! I LOVE (like, LOVE) glasses and contacts just creep me out anyways. :/

18. Do you color your hair? No, I don't, and I honestly don't want to. I was blessed with absolutely gorgeous strawberry blond hair with hints of brunette and other colors and I love how unique it is -- only I have this kind of hair. I don't want to color my hair, and won't in the near future, that's for sure!

19. Tell me something you are planning to do today. Well, it's pretty late, so I'm just planning to brush my teeth, wash my face and go to bed, but I spent all day by the pool tanning today, so yeah, nothing special -- but definitely enjoyable!

20. When was the last time you cried? ...I can't really remember... Probably a month or so ago...

21. What is your perfect pizza topping? Hawaiian. I don't eat pizza, though, but when I used to, my favorite was Hawaiian.

22. Which do you prefer-hamburgers or cheeseburgers? Now -- neither, but I can't really taste the difference... I used to eat hamburgers, though, more than I ate cheeseburgers.

23. Have you ever had an all-nighter? Definitely! I mean, who hasn't?! I've had one...multiple, multiple times. I probably have one once every 2 months... 

24. What is your eye color? I'm one of those girls with greenish-blueish-greyish eyes... Yeah, they change depending on what I wear.

25. Can you taste the difference between Pepsi and Coke? YES! I don't drink either now (and haven't for more than a year) but I definitely preferred Coke!


I hope you guys enjoyed this quick little post! It was fun thinking about the questions and answering them (feels like an imaginary interview! :p) and I'll definitely do more tags now!


xoxo,
Liz


random picture, as always, from this random website

June 2012 Favorites

June is practically over. Can you believe it? I can. I think it's safe to say that June was the longest month for me this year (at least so far). It just seemed to go on forever. I'm so very happy but so sad at the same time that June is almost over! Anyways, I'll stop blabbering and get on to the actual June 2012 favorites.

Favorite Makeup Item: Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Compact Foundation. I wear this everyday now! It gives you absolutely flawless skin but you can't tell that you're wearing any face makeup at all -- very natural and fresh and just perfect for the summer time.

Favorite Fashion Item: Zara clutch/shoulder bag. I mentioned this purse in my outfit of the day a couple of days ago. I'm sorry I don't know the name for this (couldn't find it online), but I'm pretty sure they still have it in stores since I only got it a couple of weeks ago. But let me tell you, I've been carrying it around ever since I got it! It's the perfect summer bag for me (I don't need to haul around textbooks in the summer time) and the nude-blush color is to die for!

Favorite Nail Polish: OPI Alpine Snow. This nail polish against tan skin is beast. It looks just like them tumblr girls' nails and it makes you look much more tan than you really are!

Favorite Food: Muesli. Any kind of muesli I've been obsessed with! I eat it literally every single day for breakfast with some fruit salad or just greek yogurt. It is soooooo good, not to mention very healthy for you! Now go get you some muesli ;)

Favorite Book: "The Summer I Turned Pretty" by Jenny Han. I've been reading this trilogy of books every single summer since I was 10 or 11 and every time is like a first for me! The books are very romantic and beach-y and summer-y and just everything summer! If you still haven't read this (this is a pretty hyped up book) go get it NOW. It's amazing.

Favorite Movie: "Madagascar 3". I went to watch this cartoon with my little sister because she really wanted to go and I honestly didn't want to go at all. But when I actually saw the cartoon I fell in love! It is so funny and friendly! The prefect family movie for the summer of 2012.

Favorite Song: "One More Night" by Maroon 5. This song. Makes me want to go and rape Adam (soloist from M5). Like, seriously. It is amazing! I absolutely adore this song right now! It already has 32 plays on my iPhone (whoops :p) and I'm still not tired of it! Just go listen to it. You're going to die of  happiness. No joke.

Random Favorite: My iPhone. I just got my iPhone 3 or 4 weeks ago and I've been using it so much. I don't think I've ever loved a phone as much as I love my Sarah (yes, my phone has a name). I know, I know, I'm very slow on the trend, but oh well :p #YOLO

xoxo,

Liz

the amazing picture is from this amazing website :*

My 10 Summer Essentials

I am totally and utterly obsessed with summer (if you couldn't tell yet). I love it. I look forward to summer all year long -- just everything about it is fun, sunny and hot. And here I came up with yet another list, this time talking about my 10 summer essentials. So, without further ado, I'd like to start.

To kick off the list,

#1: Hawaiian Tropic Tanning Oil SPF 8 Yes, I know, I know, tanning oil is bad for you, skin cancer and yadayadayada. Well, I want to be tan, and this is the only way I can get that tan. I do use sunscreen before I put on the tanning oil, but oh my gosh, let's take a minute to swoon over the wonderful smell of  the product. LOVE. LOVELOVELOVE.

#2: Sunscreen Any kind of sunscreen. I just get any kind that I see first on the rack in Target -- they all work fine for me. I prefer the spray-on kind, though, I find it easier to apply and it dries faster.

#3: White Short Shorts White A&F shorts for the summer are definitely a must-have for me! They accentuate your tan and they are perfect for the hot weather and comfy to run around in!

#4: EOS Lip Balm Chapped lips is the worst thing that can happen to me in the summer. Or any time of the year for that matter. I just hate the feeling of that dry skin on my lips! So I make sure to always keep them nice and moisturized with lip balm. I don't really have a preference, any kind will work for me, but the EOS lip balms are definitely my favorite.

#5: Neon Swimsuit I have 3 letters for this one. O. M. G. Okay, first of all, they're neon. And who doesn't love neon?! And neon is always trendy for the spring and summer. And neon shows of your tan. And neon looks like it's glow-in-the-dark. And...oh, this can go on forever!

#6: A Book While laying out on the beach or by the pool, or on a road trip with your friends the one thing you cannot leave the house without is a book. Well, at least I can't. So this one is definitely an essential for me -- will not go anywhere without it!

#7: Sunglasses Sunglasses can totally change the way you look -- I love them! I don't own many (just 2) but both of them are good quality and expensive, so it's enough for me. *Remember, quality over quantity*

#8: Knit Cover-Up This is perfect for the beach, where it's hot but windy at the same time. The bagginess of the sweater makes it look effortless but cute, and because it's knit it'll save you from the cold wind.

#9: Victoria's Secret Body Splash These. Are. Epic. They smell amazing, they aren't as heavy as perfume and they make you feel so refreshed on a 100+ day (especially if you keep them in the fridge!).  A definite must-have.

And finally,

#10: My Phone This was a no-brainer. My phone is always in my hand, I cannot go anywhere without it! I use it for everything -- pictures, taking notes, Temple Run... :p

Yeshhhhh, so I hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you think!

xoxo,
Liz

4th of July Outfit Ideas

Since 4th of July is coming up, I decided to share this fun post with you! I put together 4 outfits for 4 different occasions that you might go to on the 4th of July. I absolutely adore 4th of July and I hope you find these outfits somewhat helpful!

Occasion #1: A Night Out With Friends I love this outfit! I think it's perfect for a 4th of July party or just a night out. Denim jackets are very trendy right now, and the wedges are comfortable, yet they give you the heel.

Occasion #2: BBQ at the Beach This outfit is very has that beach-y, boho vibe. The Kate Spade beach bag is uh-do-ra-bul and the straw hat adds to the beach-yness of the outfit.

Occasion #3: Pool Party This is one of my favorite outfits -- it's so chic, yet so effortless! The red J Crew swimsuit reminds me of a lifeguard and the american flag shorts are so tumblr. The Hollister leather flip flops are the best thing that's ever happened to me -- they are so comfortable! I just love everything about this outfit, and I'm kinda bummed I won't be spending 4th of July in America this summer, because this is what I would wear to the 4h of July pool party that I go to every year!

Occasion #4: Chiling With Family This is definitely my favorite out of the 4. It totally represents my personal style and I love every single part of this outfit -- the little brown leather bag, the wooden bracelet with the American flag, the extremely cute and girly Miu Miu skirt, the boatneck striped top that reminds me so much of Chanel, and finally, the Toms. LOVE.

xoxo,

Liz

Travel Savvy: Airport Fashion

I'm so excited about my trip to Spain this summer (I'm getting so bored just sitting at home doing nothing)! And I can't wait to share some tips and tricks that may help you travel with ease. So, I decided to start my very first series on this blog, called "Travel Savvy". In this first post out of the series, I'd like to share some tips on how to dress to the airport. Hope you guys enjoy and find this helpful!

Tip #1: Long Hair, Don't Care! Well, you should care. If you have long hair, it's best to put it up during the flight. It can be such a pain, especially if the flight is a long one -- your gorgeous locks will get all tangled up and messy (and very oily). So it's best of you put your  hair up in a cute pony or a bun, that way it won't bother you during the flight.

Tip #2: Less is More. When it comes to on-flight makeup, less is definitely more. Keep it simple with some mascara, powder, and some lipgloss. You're not going on a fashion show or anything, so it doesn't matter if you don't look your best.

Tip #3: Bundle Up! When it comes to what accessories to wear to the airport, a scarf is your best bet. You can easily take it off if it gets too hot, or bundle up in it if it gets too cold! You can also use it as an extra pillow or blanket if you decide to take a nap. The scarf in the picture is from American Eagle -- I love their scarfs, they have so many cute patterns and designs!

Tip #4: Keep it simple. Dark washed jeggings and a loose tee is the comfiest you can get without the outfit being too casual (you don't want to look like you just got out of bed!). Let the scarf do all the talking, don't put too many bracelets or bangles on, as it can be a pain to take them off while going through customs. Also, it's best to wear slip-on shoes, because lace-ups can get a bit uncomfortable tying and untying in customs. I personally love UGGs as 'airport shoes' -- they feel like slippers!

xoxo,
Liz

photos from here, and here :)

My Song of the Summer

Every summer I had a song. Last summer it was "Moves Like Jagger" and "Give Me Everything (Tonight)". This summer... I've had a tough time with my playlist, as some of you may know. But recently, through Seventeen Magazine, I've discovered Rita Ora and her song "How We Do". And let me just say, I'm obsessed. I just think it's the perfect summer song -- it's up-beat and happy, and also very catchy. It's a great song for summer parties or just for laying out on the beach. I can't say enough about this song! Oh, I was going to say, she kind of sound like Jessie J, no? Or maybe it's just because they're British? But anyways, I love this song, and this is definitely my song of the summer.

xoxo,
Liz

Outfit Of The Day: Simple and Classy

This outfit pretty much sums up my style, which is why I thought it would be the perfect outfit to write a blog post on. This outfit is appropriate for school, work, weekend, or night, if you dress it up with black pumps. I wore the jeans with the bottoms rolled up, to give it a preppier, more summer-y vibe. I also paired this with simple black flats, but then I just changed out of them and wore flip-flops ;)

• The sunglasses are Marc by Marc Jacobs,
• the jeans are the A&F jeggings,
• the top is from Zara,
• the bag is also from Zara,
• and the little bracelet that you can hardly see (it's to the left of the bag) is a chain bracelet from Patricia Pepe

I hope you liked this short little blog post, didn't have much time to type up a proper one, and let me know if you want me to do more Outfit Of The Days!

xoxo,

Liz

What's in my Travel Makeup Bag?

I love traveling. Who doesn't? And traveling during Summer Break is even better! This summer I'm going to Spain for a month and to the U.S. for 3 weeks. I'm leaving for Spain in a week, and since I'm just Liz and I like to plan everything way ahead, I already have my packing list and my makeup and toiletry bag is already put together (I might be doing a "What's in my Travel Toiletry Bag? later). So, I decided to show you guys what's inside my travel makeup bag. But, before I start listing the products, I'd like to give you a little background information. I'm not packing much makeup at all, just because I don't wear a lot of makeup in the summer in general, but also because I'm planning on spending my whole time out by the pool tanning ;) So I wanted something sweat-proof and waterproof, but also some fun colors to add to the simple face makeup. Well, here it is:

1) Chanel Illusion D'Ombre Eyeshadow in the shade 82 Émerveillé 

A great cream-mousse eyeshadow that is easy to just swipe on the lid with your finger and go -- it gives you a very natural, yet put-together look. It also stays on even after I swim so that's a plus, too.

2) Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupté Perle in the shade 114

The packaging, of course, is major. Makes me feel like a tumblr girl ;) A very nice fuscia color, goes on smoothly. So worth the money.

3) Yves Saint Laurent Volupté Sheer Candy in the shade 9

Something in-between a lipgloss and a lip balm -- very moisturizing and glossy product with a slight tint of a pink color.

4) Sally Hansen Eyelash Curler

Just a random eyelash curler I got because I had a coupon :p Works well, though, nothing bad I can say about it!

5) Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion

Everyone raves about this, so there's nothing much I can add -- keeps your eyeshadow fresh and put all day long.

6) MAC Eyebrow Pencil in Fling

I usually use the Benefit BrowZings to fill in my brows, but because this is smaller and more compact, I decided to just pack this. Works good for me, I've been using this for a long time already.

7) MAC Pearlglide Intense Eye Liner in Undercurrent

I haven't heard anyone talking about this eye liner formula, which is weird, because it is awesome! It glides on like a liquid eyeliner but is easy to apply like a pencil. The color is uh-ma-zing -- a turquoise-ish green with gold shimmers, it brings out the blue and green in my eyes. LOVE.

8) L'Oréal Studio Secrets Professional Smoothing Resurfacing Primer

An okay primer, makes my skin feel really smooth and silky, but I feel that it does make my face a little oiler, though, but it's the best primer I've got, so I guess I just gotta work with what I got. Oh, and it does make my face makeup stay on all day, though.

9) The Body Shop Chocomania Lip Butter

I put this on every morning and night, it makes my lips very smooth and they stay moisturized all day/night. This is my 3rd pot of this, so I guess it just shows you how much I love this.

10) Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Compact Foundation

 A great foundation! Very moisturizing and it blends in like a miracle! Like it more than the original Vitalumiere Aqua

11) MAC Brush Case 

Got this with a brush set last summer, can't remember which collection... Very convenient to travel with.

12) Maybelline Falsies Volum' Express Waterproof Mascara

Just ran to the drugstore to get a waterproof mascara for the trip, and since I've already used and loved the non-waterproof Falsies mascara I just decided to get this.

13) MAC Pro Longwear Lipglass in the color Full Speed Ahead

Wears for a long time and makes me look like a stupid blond...What not to love? ;D

14) MAC Clear Brow Set

Just what I use to set my brows, since mine are pretty thick, I like to keep them nice and groomed, and since I'll be doing tons of walking around and swimming a brow set is a must!

15) MAC Tinted Lip Conditioner in Petting Pink

A very moisturizing lip color that gives you that effortless "yeah, I just slapped on some lip balm when I left the house, but my lips still look pink naturally glossy anyways" look, which I love.

I can't wait to go to Spain! I love the people, the food, the air, the water, everything in Spain! Okay, I'm done rambling. Hope you guys enjoyed and found this somewhat helpful!

xoxo,

Liz

What's on my iPhone?

I've always been a tech-y kind of girl... I got my first phone very early (I think I was 5 or 6), which, of course, was a privilege. I remember it being a Motorola, the screen was black and white, and there was only one ringtone. Then I accidentally dropped it and it broke :p. From then on, all of my phones have been Nokia. I know, I know, people make jokes about them and say that they're impossible to break (they really are!) but I just loved them so much! When the first iPhone came out I didn't even think about getting it. I loved my Nokias and I never thought I would go back to any other phone. Then my parents both got iPhones and I hated them. I couldn't type on them at all and I just didn't like anything about them. After that, I was beginning to see more and more people with iPhones, but I still kept my vow to Nokia and I was still strongly agains iPhones. But then, my friend introduced me to Instagram. That's when I started really growing on the iPhone. I borrowed my Mom's iPhone whenever she wasn't using it and I pretty much abandoned my Nokia. After a couple of weeks of using my Mom's iPhone non-stop, my parents decided that it was time I got an iPhone, and I have to say, by that time I really wanted one. So, about a week ago I got my very first iPhone. I got the iPhone 4S (mine is black, I didn't want a white one) and let me tell you, I LOVE IT. I've been using it 24/7! Ok, enough about my phone, I'm going to get to listing the apps on my phone that I have for this moment and telling you guys a little about each one.


1) Facebook
Just the average Facebook app, it does make browsing Facebook much easier on the phone than just using the web version.



2) Twitter
Even though I don't use Twitter, I still stalk people from there, so it's comfy to have the app ;)


3) PicFrame
This is an amazing app for stitching pictures together/making a collage and I use it a lot to post pics on Instagram. You can choose from tons of options of different picture "frames" and the borders of the frame can be different colors and I just love it!


4) Instagram
Hello, my name's Liz, and...I'm an Instagram addict. >.< I can't say enough about this! This app, as I already said, is what sparked my love for iPhones. It's basically an app where you just share your pictures that you can filter through different filters and make them very tumblr-esque. I Instagram every. Single. Day. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah, I love it!

5) Emoji Free
This app is used by a lot of my friends who have iPhones and it's basically an app that installs a different "language" keyboard with a bunch of little cartoon-y smiley faces and cars and animas and whatnot. It's a very easy and fun way to send smiley faces through texts.

6) Yelp!
Yelp! is a cool app if you don't know your town/city that well or if you're just looking for new places in town. It locates where you are and then shows you different restaurants, bars, cafés, salons, gyms, etc. I live in Russia, so it doesn't work where I live, but when I'll be in America, I think it'll help a lot.

7) Fitness Buddy
This is a good app if you're into working out (like moi). It has tons of great exercise moves for your, lower body, chest, shoulders, back and arms, as well as stretches and cardio. You can keep an exercise log and make your own workout schedule and such... It's kind of confusing and hard to figure out at first, but it gets easy after a while (I still don't know how to use it properly).

8) MyNetDiary
This app is my new obsession. It's like a food log, except it'll calculate your BMI and BMR and it'll tell you how many calories you have to consume a day... It just helps me a lot and if you want to keep a healthy lifestyle this app is for you.

9) Shazam 
Everyone raves about this app and they do for a reason. It is. Amazing. So you know that moment when you're driving in the car or listening to music from the speakers in the gym, and then you hear this song that you really want to get, but you don't know the name of it or the artist? Well, then this app is for you. You record a couple of seconds of the song using the recorder in the app, and it gives you the name of the song, the artist, and the album which the song is from. So helpful!

10) Countdown+
Just your average countdown app. Nothing much I can say about it. It's okay, nit the best, but at least it's free ;)

11) HauteLook
This is for us girls who love bargains. Okay, who doesn't love bargains? I'm sure a lot of you know about the HauteLook website, where everyday there are flash sales for designer brands that are super discounted. Well, this is the same thing, except an app. The convenient thing about the app, though, is that you can choose for it to send you notifications so you know when a certain sale is going on.

12) Hollister
OMG, I can't explain how obsessed I become with Hollister for the summer time! This is basically just an app where you can view some of the bestsellers from Hollister at the moment as well as new items.

13) Abercrombie and Fitch
Same thing as the Hollister app, except it's Abercrombie :p

14) Etsy
Etsy is an amazing online store where you can buy/sell handmade or vintage items. It's amazing, I love to shop there for accessories and cases for my phone. The app is basically just a website viewer for your phone that allows you to view the items more conveniently than on Safari.

15) OPI
Just a nail polish viewer where you can "try on" the different OPI colors on your skin tone and browse the colors.

16) Temple Run
I've been playing this game 24/7 for the past 3 days and my high score is about 750,000 ;) Pretty good for me. I'm sure that you already know this app, so I'm not going to go all into describing that game, basically you just flick the screen and the character runs around and the further you go, the faster the character runs and after a while it gets really hard...

Hope you guys enjoyed and let me know what kind of apps you haven your iPhone ;)

P.S. Feel free to follow me on Instagram, my user name is lizzyfurs

xoxo,
Liz

photo from dis awesome website

Kindle Touch Review

I spend more time reading than I spend doing anything else. I love that when you read, you can travel into a whole new place and time, meet new people, and let your imagination run wild. Up until a couple of months ago I was a strong believer in books. Actual paper books. I loved the texture of the pages, the size of the book, the bookmarks, the bookstores -- everything. But, of course, there's a but. And the but is, that I go to school. And carry a tote (not a backpack -- a tote). Le me just say, there are many advantages and disadvantages of a tote. One of the disadvantages being that you can't stuff it with heavy stuff and carry it around 10 hours a day out of 24 without hurting your arm. So, I decided that it was time for a Kindle. I needed something lightweight, small, with a black and white display, and easy to use. After long, loooooooooong days of research I decided on the Kindle Touch. I've been using it for 4 months already and I really really like it. So. Let's get to the basics, shall we?

Out of all of the e-readers I felt like the Kindle Touch was the best fit for me. First of all, it's tiny. The measurements are 6.8''x4.7''x0.4'' and it only weighs 7.5 oz. That's really light for an e-reader, in opinion. It fits very comfortably in my hand and it fits in my bag and doesn't weigh it down because of it's small size. Another resin why I chose the Kindle Touch was because I didn't want an e-reader to read magazines or play games. I just needed a simple device to store books on and that I could take with me to school or easily travel with. A huge pro for me in the Kindle Touch (or any e-reader, for that matter) is that you can store thousands of books on them. It's like carrying 3000 books in you school or beach bag, except your just carrying an e-reader. I love that I have the option to choose which book I want to read, anytime, any place. Now, some of you ay be thinking, why not just use your iPhone or iPad to read books? Well, first of all, my eyesight isn't the best already and staring into an LED screen won't make it any better. And I love the screen of the Kindle, it looks like fake picture or something! And I also love that the screen is plastic, that way you can't really scratch it. I have a cover for mine which makes it look like it's a book when closed and I really like it. Also, the books that you buy from Amazon on the Kindle are significantly cheaper than just buying them from the bookstore.

I do still read normal books when I'm at home, but I mostly use my Kindle. It's very conventional and comfortable in usage and I just can't think of anything I don't like in it. I hope you enjoyed this mini-review post, please feel free to comment and leave suggestions :)

xoxo,

Liz

photo from here

My daily workout plan

Let me just put it out there. Exactly a year ago I weighed 168 pounds. During the past year I've lost 70 pounds. And believe me, it wasn't easy. I had to completely cut out junk food, soda, sweets, carbs (except whole wheat bread). I basically only ate salads and yogurt. I still don't eat junk food, soda and sweets and just try my hardest to maintain a healthy lifestyle. And to maintain a healthy lifestyle, you 'gotta workout.

I, personally, love working out. Well, I don't really like sweating, but I do love working out. Jogging, weightlifting, squats, swimming -- just anything! So, about 7 months ago I officially became a health and workout freak. I workout everyday (or at least I try to :p) and I decided to share my little workout plan for everyday with you guys :)

Monday - Friday:
Right when I wake up in the morning I do some stretches and then do 40 crunches and a minute-long plank.
To kick my workout off at the gym, I start by jogging on the treadmill for about 30 minutes or running on the elliptical machine for 45 minutes (depends on how I feel), then I do 90-100 sit-ups (depends on how many I feel like doing that day), and then lifting the "10" weight 35 times on the shoulder press.
When I get back home after the gym I do 100 squats while watching TV (I don't do squats at the gym because I'm embarrassed :p) and then do 7-10 push-ups.

Saturday - Sunday:
On the weekend I don't have access to the gym, so I just wake up really early and run in my neighborhood for about 40 minutes.
Then I horseback ride for 1 hour or sometimes 2 hours, depending on how much time I have.
When I get home after horseback riding I do about 30-40 minutes of yoga (just the beginner stuff -- warriors, triangles, etc.)
Often times I'll get really bored during the weekend, so one day I came up with a little routine and I've been doing it every day on the weekend ever since! What it is, is basically, I just read one chapter of whichever book I'm reading, then I get up and do 100 squats, then I read another chapter and then do 90 squats, then I read another chapter and do 80 squats, and et cetera until the number of squats gets to 0 :)

Yep, so this is pretty much what i do all the time, with some variations, occasionally. Let me know if you'd like to know more about my workout or what I wear, tips and tricks or just anything ;)

xoxo,
Liz

photo is from here ;)

Top 7 Favorite Stores

I'm a girl. Girls love shopping. I don't shop much during the school year, but when summer starts...you can't stop me. And since summer is already here for me I already did some serious shopping at some of my favorite stores. And, since I like making lists, I decided that it would be a good idea to make a list of my top 10 favorite stores of all time. It was pretty hard for me to decide on my favorite stores -- there are so many! But, after a long time of hard thinking and researching...here are my Top Seven Favorite Stores:

1) Tagret
I absolutely adore Tagret! You can find anything from food to school supplies to clothing and fashion and makeup there -- I ❤ IT

2) Zara
Zara is definitely my favorite clothing store. They have amazing fashion pieces and the prices aren't that bad, either (plus, the pieces are always on trend).

3) TopShop
TopShop, to me, is a very urban, trendy and modern store that is perfect for teenagers. I call it the "tumblr store". I love their dresses and their MOTO high-wasted shorts are the BOMB.


4) Victoria's Secret
Victoria's Secret is definitely my top pick for swimsuits, pajamas, undies, and body splashes, as well as makeup cases and cute sweatsuits. I can't tell you how much I'm obsessed with the VS swimwear right now! (Shhh, I just ordered some really cute neon bandeau tops)

5) Lush
Lush is a great store that sells all-natural bath and skincare products. The smells of the soaps make me want to buy all of them! Love. Can't really say anything else. Just love.

6) Abercrombie and Fitch
First of all, let's just take a minute to drool over the amazing, gorgeous, and steaming hot models in Abercrombie. I think I go to Abercrombie just for a fit shirtless guy to greet me at the door. Their clothing is on the more expensive side, but let me say, their quality is amazing! I've had jeans from A&F that I've had for 4 years and they're still in great shape. Okay, I'll stop raving and just proceed to my next pick ;)

7) Bath and Body Works
Love their candles, shower gels, hand sanitizers, body lotions -- just everything! I have one of their mini hand sanitizers and body lotions in my bag 24/7 and I always have a BBW candle burning in my room whenever I'm at home. Hope you enjoyed! Let me know what your favorite stores are :)

xoxo, Liz

I've been waiting for this day for a whole year. Summer officially starts tomorrow. 

Music is essential in my life. You can't make me go on a road trip or to the beach without my iPod. You just can't. 

Now I know my summer starts pretty late compared to the other ones, but it's never too late for a good ol' summer playlist :)

I'm just going to list the songs that are in my playlists below, but before I do, I'd like to tell you a little bit about my taste in music and what I like. I've always been mainstream. When girls liked Hanna Montana -- I liked Hanna Montana. When everyone's wearing high-low skirts -- I'm wearing high-low skirts. When ALL of the girls on the face of Earth or obsessed with One Direction -- I'm obsessed with One Direction. So, I'm going to have lots of their songs in my playlist. I LOVE their music and I LOVE all of the boys and I LOVE the way they dress, and talk, and dance...just everything about them. But I don't just listen to One Direction. I like some alternative bands/singers, some rap, some dance, some hip-hop...Pretty much all of the genres that are popular now. My Summer Playlist pretty much consists of my all-time favorite songs, as well as some new finds and songs that I know I'll never get bored listening to. So, without further ado...my Summer Playlist:

• The whole One Direction album (Up All Night)
• "Where Have You Been" by Rihanna
• "Starships" by Nicki Minaj
• "Wide Awake" by Katy Perry (I am obsessed with this song at the moment)
• "Born To Die" by Lana Del Rey
• "Drive By" by Train
• "Baby Rain" by Brite Futures
• "End of Time" by Beyoncé
• "Video Games" by Lana Del Rey
• "Summertime Sadness" by Lana Del Rey
• "Work Hard, Play Hard" by Wiz Khalifa
• "How We Do (Party)" by Rita Ora
• "U Can't Touch This" by MC Hammer
• "Riverside (Let's Go)" by Sidney Samson
• "Turn Me On" by David Guetta feat. Nicki Minaj
• "Let's Go (feat. Ne-Yo)" by Calvin Harris

Now that you've seen my playlist I'd like to say that my playlist is currently only 30 songs long. I'd like to have about 80 songs. But recently, I've been having a hard time finding good songs that I actually like... So if you have any favorite songs or you think I'd like some song/band, please let me know in the comments, I'd appreciate that a lot.

xoxo,

Liz

My first post on my very first blog... Last day of school. Summer officially starts tomorrow. What better time to start a blog? So, a little bit about me. I'm currently 13, born in Austin, TX, love everything fashion, makeup, and just all things girly. I love writing, reading, and taking pictures. I also enjoy horseback riding and I've been doing it since I was 5. Obsessed with summer, swimming pools, and I'm also a crazy organizational freak. I'm absolutely head-over-heels about One Direction (no hate please). Very, very talkative and I LOVE school (yes, you can call me nerdy :p)
This blog is basically going to be a huge collective thing of random little things in my life that I just want to talk about ;) Some posts will be extremely girly, but some will just be pretty random and silly ;) I really look forward to this and hope you guys enjoy!
xoxo,
Liz