Thursday, June 13, 2013

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

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

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

Monday, June 10, 2013

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

Friday, June 7, 2013

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.


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

xoxo,
Liz

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

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.

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!

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.

"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! 

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

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

Monday, June 3, 2013

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

Saturday, June 1, 2013

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