Products I've Used Up

Hi everyone! So I decided to dive into the hobby of making videos. It was pretty fun so I'm excited to see how this will go. My first video is an empties video because I personally love these. Unlike favorites videos which share what someone is loving just at the moment, empties give you an idea of the longevity of the product. If you'd like to see a few products I have finished and hear my opinion on them, click the video above and give it a thumbs up while you're at it ;)

XO

Holiday Fashion

As the holidays roll around, I seem to have this magnetic attraction towards all things glitter and gold. And I know I'm not the only one! Here are just a few pictures I've found on Pinterest that have caught my eye as well as inspired some of my holiday looks. 

 

Out with the old, in with the new.

My surroundings often affect my mood and lately I've been feeling overwhelmed with the amount of clutter in the house. My bedroom is where I can escape into a magazine or music; where I can backspace the day and prepare myself for the next... where I needed to start cleaning. With so much excess clothing that I haven't touched since middle school, it was time for a cleanse. The top right image shows just the amount of crap that was taking up too much room. I've found that with cleaning out my closet, I'm able to give the clothing the attention and care they deserve. This way, not only will I feel more organized but the clothing may even last longer in better condition than they would inside out and upside down in my closet. If any of you have been feeling overwhelmed, try cleaning up a bit! It may be an obvious fix, but I feel so much more clear minded. This should be a challenge, but I know I can maintain the quality of these clothes just by taking that extra five minutes of putting them away properly! (I'm sure my mom is happy about that LOL)

See ya' later!

After a major hurricane and a sudden nor'easter, my daily routine of school-work-style-sleep-repeat was put on a... rain check (pun intended). Despite the passed chaos, I'm finally starting to get back into the swing of things! The weather has been super bipolar, but when it's sunny and colorful, I don't mind!

For my laid back look, I chose my Garage chambray top and a pair of Flying Monkey black skinny jeans. What I love most about Flying Monkey is how elastic their denim is. The jeans I own from Flying Monkey appear to shrink when I wash them, but right when I slip them on it's like they snug to me in all the right places. To satisfy my bold necklace obsession, I decided to wear my H&M necklace which I would consider to be one of my favorite recent purchases. Because of the pewter look to the necklace I went with my Nine West flats that I purchased from Tj Maxx last year. What lured me in about them was the Taylor Swift-esque style to them. I couldn't find the exact pair online, but these flats from Banana Republic are similar... and so expensive! Forever 21 has a pair that resemble mine a little with the color and bow (click here) , but the Banana Republic flats are definitely closer in look if you're willing to spend almost $100. (Hey, if you can... power to you!)

For makeup I wore my usual eyeshadow from the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette as well as Clinque's Almost Makeup foundation. The rest of my makeup is pretty simple so feel free to ask me any questions if you're curious about my other holy grail products, or just anything at all!

I hope you enjoyed this simple OOTD and I hope to see you soon!
- Julia

Makeup/Outfit of the Day!

Sometimes I'm faced with the decision of wearing eye-catching colors or classic black and white. They're both my favorites! But they're both oh so contrasting. Since the weather was being pretty indecisive (sun showers!) I decided it's okay for me to be as well! So, why not combine both of my favorite styles?

APPAREL:
Top: Joyce Leslie

Skirt: American Apparel

ACCESSORIES: 

Necklace: Lily Pulitzer

Purse: Steve Madden

Belt: H&M

Shoes (Not pictured): Classic black H&M Flats

Here's a better picture of the necklace from my Instagram. Gaussian blur went a little 'cray' for all you Photoshop natives.

Clinique's Almost Makeup in Fair

Benefit's Coralista blush

Covergirl & Olay Simply Ageless Concealer

Anastasia Clear Brow Gel

bareMinerals powder in fair

L'Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes Mascara

Mabelline Mega Plush Mascara

Benefit's They're Real! Mascara 

(Yes, I use three mascaras!)

So, I'm off! Have a great day everyone XO

4 Future Purchases.

1. Coach's Tristee Rainboots: I'm not the type who hides from the rain, I'm the type who splashes around in it! But wanna know a secret?... I've never owned a pair of rain boots! I think this year I'm going to treat myself to a nice pair like these Coach ones. I first noticed them in the city and I instantly fell in love. The laces on the back are my favorite part about it. It may be a little early to be thinking about boots and such, but it's never too early to write a little note to Santa!
2. Lauren Conrad's Beauty: I'm so excited for Lauren's new book!! Her Style book is my go-to when I'm having one of those "I have nothing to wear" days. I actually preordered her  book so I can bring it to her signing in New York's Barnes & Noble. If you're interested in going, her website has all the details here.  See you there!!!!
3. Rebecca Minkoff Mini MAC Clutch: Okay, this one is a bit of a splurge, but whenever I see a Mini MAC Clutch, my love for it grows more and more as does my desire for one! The eggplant color is so nuetral I feel like I could wear it with anything. 
4. Benefit POREfessional: No matter how much time I spend blending in my foundation, my annoying little pores manage to show through each time. I've been thinking in investing in Benefit's POREfessional, and the reason I say *investing* is because the tube has only 0.75 fl. oz. for $30. The forgiving angel on my shoulder believes that's because only a small dot of the product is necessary and it works so well. I've heard excellent reviews, but I can't bring myself to purchase it! If anyone has tried this product, please share your opinions! 

"Jay You Ell Eye Ay."

is how I might have to start introducing myself as! So, I go to Starbucks.... a lot. And now that I've been taking classes right across from one I go almost every 3 or so hours (I know, SO unhealthy!). You'd think by now they'd memorize my name and my order (venti vanilla chai tea, hot please!) but I guess not because this has been happening way too often:

Pranci? Prandi? What??? My friend, Alessia, and I were literally saying right when I ordered how easy my name is to pronounce and spell so I thought the cashier was just being "funny".

So they finally got it right........for now.

BUT THEN!!! I ordered a Strawberry smoothie and they wrote THIS, yet still called "Strawberry smoothie for Julia" ?!?! I'm so confused! And I had to say this somewhere! Hahaha what is going on?

God bless you if you read this whole incredibly boring post about how Starbucks just can't get my name right.

With love, Pranci/Prandi/Julia/Pret. <3

Grrrr frustration.

I'm in the process of amping up my blog, but I can't settle with one layout! I despise the one that I have now. The pictures are too small and it looks too... bleh. I'll commit to a few hours of making it look purdy soon. After Thursday (when classes end) I'm going to have wayyy too much free time. I have a feeling I'll be spending a lot of time in bed...

City living.

My sister Tory and I on the high line. Very interesting! I suggest you visit.

Best week of my life (so far!)

My Precollege Program classes at FIT started on Monday!! I went last summer for four days and loved it, so I knew how awesome going for three weeks would be! I'm taking a class called "The PR Edge: Write to Captivate" taught by Professor Karesh as well as "Magazine Design" by Professor Lerner. I'm so lucky to have met such awesome people who I have so much in common with. I've been learning so many new things and I'm thrilled to go back on Monday for my second week. Taking these classes at my dream school makes me feel so close to the future I've imagined for years. The past few school years in high school have been pretty difficult on me emotionally, so I'm extremely grateful that I finally feel like I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be. Life is wonderful.

Here's what I wore my first day! I wanted to keep it comfortable to avoid sweating in the NY humidity (which, let's be honest... is impossible) so I went with this bright top from Francesca's Collections. This bitchin' necklace is also from Francesca's and I'm so obsessed with it. I think my white body con skirt balanced out the look perfectly. I didn't want to overpower the already bright top, so I went with the nude purse that was actually in my last post! On my feet I'm wearing some nude sandals. I'll try to update more throughout my classes and hopefully introduce you to some of my new friends. :)

And how adorable is this little "text book" that my professor requires us to bring to class?! So inspiring! I love it so much.

Here are some of the views I'm so lucky to stand before in the city...

This is on top of my apartment building. Can you believe it? It's amazing to escape the city for a bit and relax with a cup of tea.

Here's the view outside of my window. It's mind blowing to think I'm here in this beautiful city all because of my ancestors who arrived on Ellis Island right in this very picture!

Have a wonderful night/day! XOXO

I really love my...

NUDE CLUTCH!

It's so easy to pair with anything and I think the studs are a great way to add some detail. Wanna know what I love most about this day clutch? There's a strap inside! It's incredibly easy to hold and surprisingly -- it's pretty roomy!

Being that tomorrow is my US History final, I decided I'd take some time for myself. What better way to do that than kick back with a magazine and some nailpolish?

Summer Projects

Now that I'm slowly approaching my senior year of high school, I've been thinking a lot about my future. Many questions cross my mind daily but what I've been focusing on lately is what I want to pursue in and after college. I've always known fashion is my niche in the world, but that's not what it's all about. I believe in complete well being. A huge factor of living a happy lifestyle is setting goals for yourself to be proud of. This summer, I've decided to set a few for myself that involve what I believe is important for one's happiness. 

♡ Organize my closet! Fashion is so important to me, so it's shocking that I don't take care of my clothes the way that I should. 

♡ Try designing! I've taken Fashion Illustration classes in school, but I didn't have enough time to really design and put all of my creativity into the piece. I think it's so amazing how someone can take some fabric and make it into anything they desire. I'm going to attempt to make my own pieces out of scratch! 

♡ Maintain a healthy lifestyle! Working at a gym, I'm surrounded by health freaks. They've influenced my diet and nutrition so much that my lifestyle is almost completely changed. Even something so easy as taking a walk around the block is great exercise and a fabulous way to release stress.

Photo credits:

(1) http://lockerz.com/d/14892186

(2) Unkown

(3) http://blog.kamilbialous.com/

(4) Unknown

We all know how popular stacking arm candy is at the moment, si? And I'm sure you've all seen these friendship bracelets hanging on all celebrities' wrists. I love this laid back-looking trend, but sometimes it can be a little pricey. I've searched Etsy countless times for affordable friendship bracelets but three for $50 just isn't in my comfort zone. So I figured, if these people can make these super cute and stylist bracelets, why can't I? I did a little research and found a couple of videos that show you step by step how the most popular Etsy shops make their bracelets. Below are a couple that I found helpful. I decided to share them with you guys, because it's a sin to pay so much for something so easy to make yourself!

Come rain or come shine!

Summer rain is no reason to settle for drab patterns and colors, but it's an excellent excuse to dress comfortably and snug. Personally, I think the best rainy day outfit involves a good movie, a pair of college sweatpants, an oversized t-shirt and Brookstone slippers. But that's for your dog's eyes only! When I go out in the rain, I like to dress in bright colors. Sometimes I swear that wearing lots of color is a great way to make others feel happier throughout the day and who can argue with that? In fact, it's psychologically proven that specific colors have a huge influence on one's mood!  Below is an example of what I wore today while splashing around in some puddles. Add a messy second-day sidebraid and voilà, it's the perfect rainy day outfit!