Healthy & Stylin

I was doing my morning ritual of reading The College Prepster when I saw she mentioned Fitbit and Tory Burch were partnering up.

How exciting!

My friend has a Fitbit and I was looking into it since I'm trying to be more healthy, but didn't really love how they would clash with the rest of my staple accessories. But this partnership is perfect! I can't wait to see the finished products. 

Baby, it's cold outside.

No seriously. It's freaking freezing. When I first heard the term 'Polar Vortex', I thought it was some new hipster bar on H Street. But no, this Polar Vortex is just terrible. And cold. Terribly cold.

It was so cold that I wore UGGs to work today and didn't even care. 

But for today's post, instead of writing about why I hate this weather and how I think it's unfair that there's no snow, I wanted to show things that make me feel warm and cozy.

Being in a cocoon of blankets with a warm cup of tea or hot cocoa and reading a book sounds perfect right now. I might go do that right after I try to tidy up my apartment.

Chunky sweaters are everything. After work, I almost always immediately change into one of my favorite chunky sweaters. I assume the amount of comfort they give is about as much as the blue blanket gives Linus. (Peanuts, anyone?)

There are very few things in life that make me happier than a cup of hot chocolate. Look at it and revel in its glory. All that's missing is a little whipped cream. 

A portable fireplace!! How cute is that? I love how easily it could fit inside of an apartment. 

And you can't have a fire without s'mores! This looks delicious.

Now I want all of these things. All at the same time. Ugh.

Goodbye 2013, Hello 2014.

A lot can happen in one year. 2013 was no exception.

If I could, I would write about every significant event that occurred in 2013 but seeing as I'm overly sentimental, it would end up being longer than the Bible. 

What happened to me in 2013:

I managed to survive senior year and graduate from college on time! Being indecisive early on during undergrad, I took a lot of classes tried to transfer to different schools within my university and ended up being on a very tight schedule when I finally settled on a major. Summer classes, lots of trips to my academic advisor, and one semester of 18 credits got me there. I'm still in awe that I graduated.

The first anniversary of my 21st birthday rolled around and I celebrated with my closest friends on a booze cruise. Perfect weather, pastels and Lilly galore, what more could a biddie ask for? And yes, I did play 22 by Taylor Swift an obnoxious amount of times throughout the day.

I moved into my first apartment after graduation, experienced an incredibly terrible situation with my landlord and had to find a new apartment and move out within the first two months of living there. I luckily found a great apartment, and actually learned how to assemble IKEA furniture myself. I find this to be a big accomplishment.

I learned how different and hard life becomes post grad. Everyone always talks about the 'real world' and I thought I was prepared. I've come to realize that there is probably no way to prepare yourself for the transition. There are many things that I've learned but here are my some of my top takeaways:
-Becoming financially independent is hard. Budgets are hard (especially if you love to shop).
-Friendships are hard. Not living in the same building or within walking distance as all of your friends is an eye opener: Who are your friends based on convenience VS Who you actually value and care about.
-Gchat is your best friend at work.

 And lastly, for four years, I held myself back when it came to boys because I was waiting for this one guy. After some unfortunate events, I finally decided to stop waiting and stop holding back. It's been nice allowing myself to meet new guys.

What I hope for 2014:
*Side note: I waited a week to continue this to gather my thoughts about this.*

So I guess this is the 'resolution's section of my blogpost. There are so many things I would like to accomplish this year, but here are my main goals and I plan on doing a check in at the end of each month to see my progress.

1. Eat healthier and join a gym. I've already been doing this for the last couple of months, but I want to continue and be as healthy as I can be. I also want to start taking classes at gym like Kickboxing and Spin.

2. Be better at budgeting and managing money.. Being a biddie on a budget has been super tough, and I need to learn to say 'no' more often so I can save my money and manage it better.

3. Learn to clean. This is going to sound terrible, but I really just don't know how to clean. Growing up, even during high school, my family had a maid and she would always clean after me. I hope I become better at this and learn how to be more organized!

4. Stop having social media anxiety. I need to stop caring about all the likes and whether a post or a picture will get x likes. I know, this sounds ridiculous...but it's a thing.

5. Leave the country. I have never traveled outside of the country. I do have a passport, because I thought I would be visiting Poland at some point but that's a whole other story. But I really want to ACTUALLY get out of the country and experience another culture even if it is for only a week or so. This must be done in 2014.

6. Find a new job.

7. Update this blog! I've been bad at updating this regularly. I want to get into blogging more though, so I'm going to make more of an effort with maintaining this. I think it's a good outlet for me and it'll be great to look back on.

I cannot wait to see what 2014 has in store for me!

Monday Essentials

Mondays are hard. I set my alarm for 6:30 today and did not get out of bed until 8:00 . I was most definitely running late, which is pretty much the norm for me and Mondays, but this time I made a mental list of what helps me get through the day.

Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer

Even after sleeping in for another 1.5 hours, I still looked so tired but using this under my eyes instantly saves the day. I've used a wide range of highlighters/concealers but this one is the best in my book. The fact that it's a drugstore brand and only about $6 also makes me very happy.

Every morning, there is a vital decision I must make: Do I straighten/curl my hair or just put it in a braid? On Mondays, I usually go with the latter. It's just so much easier, but of course I can't have the 'messy braid' look when going into work. Gotta put away them flyaways.

I don't drink coffee (except soy peppermint mochas!) but I am a very big fan of tea. Whether it's to sip on in the morning or to get a caffeine boost when I hit that 3 pm wall, tea always help. Lately I've been loving Twinnings' Lemon & Ginger herbal tea. 

Lastly, I like to walk out the door in something I feel both confident and comfortable in. The outfit above is basically what I am currently wearing. Mondays are hard, and you have to be prepared. Sometimes you barely make it through a Monday, but at least you know you looked good trying.

 

Things-I'm-Loving-Thursday

Welp, Hump Day has come and gone which means that more than half of the week has passed which means it's almost the weekend.
I live for Fridays.

Seeing as the weekend is almost here, I decided to take a look at the things I'm loving this week.

I've been thinking about buying a Moleskine notebook for a few weeks now.  I figured it'd be good thing to carry around with me in my purse so I can jot down every day thoughts, quotes, goals, and lists (side note: pros and cons lists are my ish). But when I went to J.Crew, I stumbled upon this cute little notebook on sale and figured I'd use it as a test run to see if I really stick to my plan. It's been working out great so far! I've been using it every day since I bought it.

Skater skirts are a way of life. They're my absolute favorite, especially with tights. The one that I've been wearing most is from Cotton On. I love how thick the material is and so I bought another one on Monday. They're definitely my favorite staple piece right now. Skater skirts go especially well with crop tops, like this velveteen one I picked up recently. It caught my eye as I was leaving the store and I just couldn't say no.

I went to J.Crew at the beginning of the week with the intention of finding a new phone case since mine was getting disgustingly dirty. I browsed around and couldn't find one that I loved but then I found out they made phone cases for crewcuts.  Yes, you read that right. iPhone cases for your 5 year old are now available at J.Crews everywhere!!! But thank goodness for it, because it turns out they make the cutest cases!! I'm obsessed with my new glittery case and have no problem admitting that it's from crewcuts. 

Biddie nights are always the best. I'm so lucky that one of my friends/sorority sisters lives in the same apartment complex as me, not to mention she even lives on the same floor as me! Tonight when I got home from work, I quickly changed to leggings and a sweatshirt and walked on over to her unit to unwind. Knowing that I had a rough weekend, she surprised me with arts & crafts and pumpkin cheesecake. We vegged out, watched Harry Potter and the end of A Cinderella Story while of course talking about everything and anything for hours. Biddie nights are always necessary.

 (13 year old me is still covering my mouth in shock because of how good that line is.)

P.S. Lizzie McGuire on Netflix needs to happen ASAP.

Worth the Hype

There are many things that are hyped up but aren't worth it. In my opinion, these are perfect examples of things that are not worth the 'hype'.

- Sneaker wedges.

- Crocs.

- Magnetic nail polish. 

- Justin Bieber.

- Chacos.

- Guys in jorts. (Oh no.)

But do you know what is? Monthly beauty subscriptions.

I had heard about different beauty subscriptions such as Birchbox, Julep, Glossybox, etc but I didn't bite the bullet until the 'Glam Bag' was created. The Glam Bag is by Ipsy, formerly known as MyGlam. It was created by Michelle Phan aka the most famous Youtube guru...ever. I am absolutely obsessed with makeup gurus on Youtube, and have been watching Michelle Phan since I was in high school. When she announced that she was creating a monthly beauty subscription service with other Youtubers, I just had to join. I pay $10/month and get personalized beauty products ranging from makeup to hair and skincare products. On top of that, they send great offers and coupon codes that can be redeemed online. 

I've been subscribed since the very first Glam Bag, and let me tell you - I don't regret it one bit. The products are always worth so much more than $10.

This is last month's bag. I received Sexy Hair's Spray Clay, Coastal Scents BR-C-B02 eyeshadow brush, Bella Terra Mineral Shimmer, Nourish Organic Coconut & Argan Body Lotion, and a Zoya nail polish in 'Neve'. I've tried them all and they're all great products! Also note: this subscription helps me find brands I now use daily that I wouldn't know about otherwise. Of course, Ipsy's Glam Bag is only one of many different monthly beauty subscriptions. If I wasn't on a #biddiebudget, I would definitely subscribe to a ton of them! Becoming a Julep Maven is next on my list.

Earlier today, I got the e-mail notifying me that this month's Glam Bag is on its way and I can't wait.

Biddie Behind the Blog

Between figuring out how to live independently in my first apartment, learning how to manage my money and not spend the entirety of my paycheck on shopping, starting grad school, ending things with a guy I had a 'thing' with for the past four years, and basically questioning every aspect of my life - I decided to start a blog.

I'm 22 and yes, I do find Taylor Swift's song to be completely accurate. I live in DC and wouldn't have it any other way. Things I love include fashion, beauty, alliteration, bourbon, Apple products, and anything floral. My ears perk at the word 'sale' and I believe that J.Crew, Urban Outfitters, and Tory Burch really prove that heaven does exist on Earth.

So what is a 'biddie'? Well, one of my friends best defined it as: "A cross between a style of dress and a philosophy of life." If that still doesn't make sense, then I  encourage you to keep reading because being a biddie is what I'm all about.

Welcome to the biddie life.