Gift Guide: For the Girl Who Has It All

I love shopping for other girls. Honestly, it's just so much easier than shopping for men- there's so much   ore to choose from! However, many of the women in my life seem to have everything they could possibly want. So when you see these people on your list, what's a girl to do?

First, a little on how I give gifts (because everything in my life is overly thought out):

I have this really weird gift-giving philosophy where I buy the best thing I can given whatever budget constraint I set. So, if I'm going to spend $200 on someone, I'm going to get them a really gorgeous shirt or a beautiful bracelet rather than an okay-quality coat. I mean, that's just it, my gift giving philosophy is about quality. I also try to buy people things they wouldn't normally buy themselves. Think: cufflinks for men, luxurious bath products (just kidding, I buy those all the time...) for women, high quality stationary, etc. 

Anyway, we all have women in our life who are difficult to shop for. Here are some ideas of what to buy "the girl who has it all:"

Book: 36 Hours: 125 Weekends in Europe

Great for: the globe trotter on your list

Book: Coco Chanel: An Intimate Life

Great for: the fashion lover in your life

Book: Kate Spade's 20 Things We Love Coffee Table Book

Great For: the girl who just moved into a new apartment

Home: Jo Malone Candle

Great for: a hostess gift to have on hand

Home: Anthropologie Ring Dish

Great for: the interior design snob 

Beauty: Deborah Lippmann Starlight Set

Great for: the party-goer on your list

Beauty: Laura Mercier Lotion Sampler

Great for: the make up guru you know

Beauty: Bobbi Brown Evening Out Set

Great for: the party hopper on your list

Beauty: Kiehl's Healthy Skin Essentials Night Set

Great for: the skin care lover

Accessories: Tech Earmuffs

Great for: music lovers

Accessories: Kate Spade Tech Gloves

Great for: the constant texter

Accessories: Crane & Company Stationary

Great for: the sentimental girl

Jewelry: Jennifer Meyer

Great for: your sister, mom or BFF (the necklaces have personal messages- so cute!)

Jewelry: Dior & Chanel

Great for: Fashion lovers

**Note: Dior and Chanel jewelry is actually significantly less expensive than one would expect. The earrings start around $225 and the bracelets around $300. 

Happy shopping!

xoxo

Black Friday Sales 2013

Admittedly, I'm not a huge Black Friday person. 

Last year, I did the whole get-in-line-at-midnight with some of my cousins, more because we thought it would be fun than because we needed anything. The whole thing was more stressful than fun for me- there were people everywhere seriously pushing to get merchandise (we were at Urban Outfitters and the displays were already kind of messy to begin with). Within about 30 minutes, the store was in complete chaos. We should have just gone out for some late night ice cream or something.

However, there are some great online Black Friday Sales that don't sound as physically stressful as taking to the mall alongside hundreds of other shoppers. I think I'll wait until Saturday to shop, but here are my favorite online picks:

 Surprise Sale

25% Off All Merchandise

40% Off Sale Items

Various Deals

Holiday Sale Event

30% Off All Merchandise

20% Off All Merchandise

40% Off All Merchandise

In Thanksgiving

Today is my favorite day of the year, Thanksgiving.

I love Thanksgiving because it is if full of my favorite things: family, friends and food. There is no better way to celebrate all we have to be thankful for than be spending time with people you value over a great meal. Every year, I'm lucky enough to be able to do just that with both sides of my family. 

My past couple of posts have been both nostalgic, which is exactly what this post is going to be because I have so much to be thankful for.

This last year has been filled with so much happiness and goodness and I think Thanksgiving is the perfect opportunity to both recognize and celebrate all the wonderful things that have happened in my life. 

I'm thankful for my health. There's nothing like getting really sick that makes you appreciate the times you are healthy.  I've been really sick lately and am still recovering, but I am so thankful that I've been taken care of by friends, family and doctors so I can make a speedy recovery.

I am thankful for my education. I love to learn. I especially love to read. This past term I took a life-changing English course about Shakespeare that influenced the way I now think about all kinds of literature. I am so thankful that I go to a school where I can have fulfilling academic conversations with peers and professors. I have learned so much from my classmates and in the classroom, and know the next two and a half years will be filled with more intellectual exploration as well.

More than anything, however, this year has been particularly special because of the incredible people who have been in my life. I'm so thankful for my family and f friends both who constantly support and love me no matter what. I am incredibly lucky to have such a huge support system both at school and at home. These people have helped me become confident in my decisions and have encouraged me to take risks and push my boundaries to grow. They have inspired me to become a better person, which is something I strive for every day.

So, here's to a future filled with many more things to be thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving!

xoxo

Farewell Fall Term

The past ten weeks have been a complete whirlwind.

Fall term has been the best quarter of my college experience by far. I feel a strong sense of place on campus and have surrounded myself with people I care about and who care about me. The past two and a half months have been filled with meaningful friendships- new and old, personal growth, plenty of laughter and fun, inspiring academic conversations and most importantly, a lot of love.

However, fall term has also been my most difficult, academically rigorous, physically and emotionally exhausting term so far. Somewhere between not sleeping more than 5 hours most nights, never making it to the gym, overextending myself in extra curricular activities and coming to the hard realization that some friendships weren't what I thought they were, I now head back to California physically sick (hi, stomach flu) and mentally drained.

But still, I am filled with such great happiness looking back on the last weeks.

This past term, I have actively sought out opportunities to move beyond my comfort zone. I have tested my limits and realized that while I can't do everything, I will always have the time and energy to pour into the things I love. I really feel that I have grown so much.

I have returned home just in time for Thanksgiving, and I now realize I have so much to be thankful for, including the incredible times that lie ahead. 

xoxo

Pinterest Accounts I Love

Pinterest is perfect. It is seriously a how to guide for almost anything from recipes to fashion to fonts to weddings to interior decorating! And it's the perfect 20 minute study break during reading period. Here are some of my favorite pinners:

A Girl, A Style

The most effortlessly chic account on Pinterest

Domaine

Inspiration for any room

Sleepy Jones

An account dedicated to cute PJs ?! I'm dreaming already.

Liz Schneider

Love Liz's take on current trends.

Lauren Wickman

Lauren Wickman pins the best graphic design ideas. Obsessed!

Blush Shop

This board is completely pink. I'm sold.

And to see all of my favorite things/my dream life follow me on Pinterest here (shameless plug, I know).

Happy (almost) Friday!

xoxo

Holiday 2013: Music

Now that my first gift guide is up, it's officially time to start my holiday posts! Yippee! The holidays are my favorite time. I seriously could listen to Christmas music year round. Speaking of which, here are my favorite albums of all time, and a link that features some of them in a holiday playlist on Spotify.

The Classics: Ella, Frank and Bing

These go without saying, but every Christmas song by any of these three vocal geniuses is glorious. My favorites are Winter Wonderland (Ella Fitzgerald), Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Frank Sinatra) and Snow (Bing Crosby).

The Beach Boys' Christmas Album

This is my all time favorite Christmas album. In general, nothing takes me back to my childhood like listening to the Beach Boys. For some reason the beach-y vibes their music gives off makes me want to nod my head along with every tune. My favorite? Little Saint Nick. Not even a question!

A Very She & Him Christmas

This album is simply wonderful. And I mean just that- it is simple and wonderful! Every song is clear, beautiful vocals paired with soothing strumming. Favorite track: Silver Bells.

Holidays Rule

This compilation of alternative rockers is overall an extremely solid mix of classic songs that have all been reimagined by some of today's most talented emerging artists. I especially love Fun.'s cover of Sleigh Ride and The Shins' rendition of Wonderful Christmastime.

This Warm December, A Brushfire Holiday Volume 2

The word that comes to mind when I listen to this album is soothing. I just want to sway along to every sweet song! Of particular interest is Rogue Wave's cover of Jingle Bell Rock.

A Very Special Christmas

I've loved almost every "Very Special Christmas" volume, but this 25th anniversary edition is by far my favorite probably because of Jason Mraz's cover of Winter Wonderland. I could seriously listen to it on repeat every day.

The Bird & The Bee

The song Carol of the Bells by The Bird & The Bee is the most hauntingly beautiful thing. It really creeped me out the first time I heard it, but I somehow love it now.

Happy Holidays!

xoxo

Why I Blog

Recently, a lot of people have been asking me how I got into writing a blog, what inspires me to write and why I continue to post. Honestly, these are complex and difficult questions for me to answer.

I began writing my blog at the beginning of last spring after much encouragement from one of my closes friends. I had experimented with other blogs before (mostly through Tumblr), but I just never really put myself out there and made it something public that I wanted to share with others. In the past, blogging was a sort of intellectual online diary for me where I anonymously wrote about and reflected on books I was reading.

Now, things are a bit different. 

 My blog is my space to explore whatever I want. College is academically rigorous, and it is important for me to have a place to think about my favorite, often times not-so-serious things. I continue to post throughout the academic year because my blog is a reminder that not everything has to be profound and academic. This is a lifestyle blog and all the things I post about- fashion, make up, fun books, organization, working out- are part of my lifestyle. 

Writing every day centers and de-stresses me. Closing the day with some "me time" to think about what makes me happy or to just focus on something that I don't have to deeply analyze allows me to continue to write (and therefore become a better writer) and reflect on living a balanced life.

In terms of inspiration, I look to my friends and family for ideas of what I want to discuss on my blog. Every post I write is an opportunity for me to learn or teach others about something. I love to learn- not just "serious academic stuff," but I love to learn about anything- from fashion to movies to books, I want to learn it all. My blog allows me to explore these fields in conjunction with my academic studies, which is something I value.

However, my blog is not my life.

I don't share about about 90% of my life on here. While my blog is about personal interests, my blog is not about my personal life. I've taken time off from writing- even as much as a week- when I need to focus more on my real, non-blog life.

So, if you're thinking of starting a blog, remember to write for yourself.

 For me, this experience has not been about gaining a certain number of followers or getting sponsorship from companies. Instead it has been about being 100% myself. And if I ever stop feeling that, or if writing this blog stops making me happy, I will know it is time to make change. 

As for now, I'm back to my regular posting!

xoxo

Gift Guide: Make Up Sets

Now that Halloween has passed and we're well into November, it's socially acceptable to start shopping for the holidays. This post is the first of many gift guides that I will be publishing to take a little bit of stress out of holiday shopping.

Before the holidays I love shopping for my girlfriends and cousins. Picking out something I know the recipient will love always makes me so happy and excited. Many make up lines and make up stores (hi, Sephora) release really cool holiday sets that are great for gifts for girlfriends or can be opened and divided up as stocking stuffers. Here are a few of my favorites this season:

Fresh

Ciate

DryBar

Bare Minerals

Bobbi Brown

Laura Mercier

Trish McEvoy

Happy shopping!

xoxo

Finals Survival Guide

I've had an extremely busy week filled with a ton of papers, so I have not posted in awhile. In all honesty, I think the break was a little necessary so I could get the quality of my content up to where I want it to be and really focus on my schoolwork.

But now I'm back (yay!) and posting about.... you guessed it, finals!

Reading period is a little bit of a weird time for me. We get a couple days off class to study (which I certainly don't take advantage of as much as I should) and prepare to take tests and submit papers. And then all of a sudden we take these huge tests and then leave while most of our friends are taking tests or have already left. It's a really anti-climactic way to end the term. Anyway, as I'm gearing up for finals, I've been thinking of the most effective ways to tackle the pile of work that lies ahead of me. Here are some tips:

1. Prioritize: You can't do everything perfectly all the time. Prioritize your tasks by due date and importance. If something holds a lot of weight in one class that your grade isn't so stable in, work on that first.
2. Plan: Write out a detailed plan of what you're going to do each day. It really takes the guesswork out of getting things done.
3. List: Make lots of lists of what you need to get done. The act of crossing things off is really therapeutic and can motivate you to work harder.
4. Relax: Take frequent breaks and do things that relax you. Watch an episode of a TV show, paint your nails, get coffee with a friend, go for a run. A few 3 hour work blocks are better than one six hour power session. And you'll retain more.
5. Sleep: Go to sleep early and wake up early. Get as much work done as possible during the day. For whatever reason, I'm generally not productive at all during the night.
6. Hydrate: Seriously- drink water. It's arguably almost as effective as coffee. Make sure to drink at least one glass of water for every cup of coffee/shot of espresso you drink because caffeine is super dehydrating (yuck).
7. Focus: Learning to compartmentalize can be really difficult. It's easy to get distracted, so force yourself to block off time with no cell phone or Facebook so you can really get into your work. A few highly productive hours are far more rewarding than many slightly productive hours.

Good luck!

xoxo

Oxfords

I am so into oxfords right now. I know smoking slippers are a huge trend right now but I don't think they look that great on me or fit me very well, so oxfords are a super cute alternative. As of now, I have only one pair (black and chestnut) that I love, but I am looking forward to getting a bolder pair. I'm especially obsessed with anything metallic or sparkly (a la Michael Jackson), so I have a feeling that those will probably be one of the next things I purchase. Here are some cute pairs on my radar:

Oxfords 

J. Crew | RED Valentino | Lanvin | The Office of Angela Scott | Anthropologie

Happy shopping!
xoxo

My Favorite Instagrams

Everyone needs a little bit of inspiration. I get much of my inspiration for this blog from different social media outlets- other blogs, Pinterest, Thought Catalog, Twitter and Instagram. I love Instagram. A few of my favorite other bloggers have been posting about some of the accounts that they enjoy following, so here are a few accounts full of gorgeous photos that inspire me:

@juliahengel

@aliceandolivia

@estelleallen

@theodorefitzpatrick

@blushshop

@rachelzoe

@thepinkdiary

@sarahkjp

And don't forget to follow yours truly @prosepearlspolkadots

Happy Thursday!

xoxo