The warm weather is here (finally), which means that it's time to talk about skin care. Yes, skin care, seemingly the easiest part of our daily rituals when in truth it is often the part that causes the most stress. Whether you have acne, dry skin, oily skin, or are prone to redness or sunburn, we all have different skin types and it can be difficult to find the right formula that fits your needs. So, in an effort to help you guys with your skincare routine, both myself and our friends at the Dollar Shave Club ("I like shaving with a dull razor!" - said no one ever) would like to share with you some tips and skincare favorites that will help you out! Without further ado...
Use sunscreen! The burns you're getting now are going to be problems later. Some tips on sunscreen usage:
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I didn’t have enough money to join a gym. I hated those youtube ab workouts; I would always tell myself I’d do them and then forget about them because of how unenjoyable the workout was. No amount of struggling through the pain could make them appealing. Hence, I found myself namaste(ing) on my yoga mat and I haven’t left it since. To all my fellow athletes, to those restless wanderers, to those people who just want to start something new in their lives, here are a few reasons why I love yoga. |
You go at your own pace. I always found that my self motivation came from being part of a team; I wanted to stay on the level of my teammates and there was definitely pressure to not let anyone down. Yoga, as it turns out, works the same way. There’s pressure, but this time there’s no outside force to challenge you; the challenge and motivation comes from your own desire to improve. I’ll walk onto the mat on day and get so frustrated that the balls of my feet can’t touch the floor in down dog. So, I’ll challenge myself, by the end of my practice, to get them as close to the mat as they can. There’s a lot of self-fulfillment and self-love in yoga. |
There is no “right” way to do yoga. The beauty of practicing yoga is that almost everything is a guideline. There are different forms and different poses that are supposed to help you connect to whatever emotions you are feeling, but when you’re on the mat, that’s your time to break free and find what feels good to you.
You can do it whenever. I’ve found that I enjoy going out to actual yoga classes because there’s a lot you can learn from teachers and even the other people in your class. However, at home practice can keep things more manageable. If you don’t have the time, money, or energy to get yourself to a yoga class, at home yoga can be just as challenging and enjoyable, plus, you get the luxury of doing it literally whenever you want.
It’s kept my strength up. You don’t think yoga is a workout? You would be wrong; even if you're doing a medication practice with little physical movement, you are engaging your heart, your mind, and even your core.
It’s fun. I love yoga because I’m always improving another aspect of myself. There are practices to calm down, you energize, to wake you up, to clear your head, anything you need, there is a way to do it, and enjoy it, AND have fun.
It’s fun. I love yoga because I’m always improving another aspect of myself. There are practices to calm down, you energize, to wake you up, to clear your head, anything you need, there is a way to do it, and enjoy it, AND have fun.
This past week was the 10th anniversary of High School Musical. Where do I begin? The star-studded, dreamy Disney cast of my childhood has aged ten years since the musical hit televisions all over the US, giving young elementary schoolers like myself unreasonable expectations for high school. Never once have I broken out into a flash mob dance routine in my cafeteria or had the guts to smash pasta with red sauce on top of the school mean girl. Regardless, High School Musical will forever hold a place in my heart. You can then imagine my horror when, on the night of the anniversary, I was stuck babysitting and as we sat around the kids' Ipad playing Cross Roads and doodling, I asked the them about whether they would like to watch the 10th anniversary special: "High School Musical? Who even watches that?"
Needless to say I dropped the conversation and went on to win my first high score in Cross Roads. But it's been ten years, meaning I've aged ten years, and meaning that the ten year old I was babysitting wasn't even near the generation that was able to obsess over the cafeteria flash mobbing, basketball dance-routining, melodramatic Troy and Gabrielle beloved musical that submerged much of my childhood. I. Am. Old.
It's now my senior year of high school, and I've changed more times over the past ten years than I could count on my fingers and toes. I've immersed myself in silly trends and tried my best to be #fashionable. I've been dependent and independent and scared and emotional and brave and done my best to navigate myself through life. I've tried to seize the moment and often failed but when I didn't fail...well, those moments are some of the best that I can remember.
But never has the saying "You're not getting any younger" made so much sense to me. And I'm not necessarily sad about it....yet. There will be times for me to be sad. But for now, I am looking towards the future with the utmost excitement, fear, and uncertainty as I dive into the next chapter of my life, looking to become a senior prom go-er, high school graduate, college freshmen, and a little more experienced at life.
I was able to catch the last twenty minutes of the movie and seeing the unity, togetherness, and love between the cast makes me treasure my experiences in high school even more. Who knows where I'll be in ten years?
It's now my senior year of high school, and I've changed more times over the past ten years than I could count on my fingers and toes. I've immersed myself in silly trends and tried my best to be #fashionable. I've been dependent and independent and scared and emotional and brave and done my best to navigate myself through life. I've tried to seize the moment and often failed but when I didn't fail...well, those moments are some of the best that I can remember.
But never has the saying "You're not getting any younger" made so much sense to me. And I'm not necessarily sad about it....yet. There will be times for me to be sad. But for now, I am looking towards the future with the utmost excitement, fear, and uncertainty as I dive into the next chapter of my life, looking to become a senior prom go-er, high school graduate, college freshmen, and a little more experienced at life.
I was able to catch the last twenty minutes of the movie and seeing the unity, togetherness, and love between the cast makes me treasure my experiences in high school even more. Who knows where I'll be in ten years?
Avocado Toast – 2015 might very well be the year of the avocado. The art of avocado toast has been upgraded and simplified again to make this delicious new breakfast, lunch (and yes, dinner) favorite more fun to eat each time we break open an avocado. It has even inspired a new culture for hip restaurants wanting to advertise vegan, vegetarian and overall healthier options to their customers. Avocado in itself has a high nutritional value, more potassium than banana, healthy fats, and is proven to help lower cholesterol.
Lunch Bowls: A new food revolution? Absolutely. Lunch bowls give opportunity for people to add an abundance of color and nutrition to their daily lunch as well as an easy way to find healthier options at your desk. Through mixing and matching grains, greens, veggies, meats and nuts, lunch bowls provide hearty fats, satisfying crunches, protein and a new opportunity to diversify your food palate.
Breakfast Bowl: Like its counterpart, the lunch bowl, a breakfast bowl provides a delicious twist to the simple cereal and milk culture our country has adopted. With newer, healthier options like the popular acai berry mix, chia seed pudding, oatmeal, and eggs with avocado, breakfast bowls have become a new, delicious staple, providing an array of hearty and colorful super foods to help you get your day off to a better start.
Grilled Cheese: If you’re growing tired of this overplayed favorite, don’t give up just yet. A classic, delicious choice, grilled cheese has been reinvented by many a brilliant foodie to make it more appealing to us at home, who’s fridges are always brimming with an overstock of bread and cheese. Switch up this old school lunch with some crusty Italian bread or try a recipe like blueberry and balsamic.
Matcha: If 2015 had a color, it would be green. A rise in health-consciousness is perhaps the biggest overarching trend in foods this past year. Matcha, a finely ground powder of specially grown green tea, has spiked in popularity, appearing in innovative new recipes like cupcakes, lattes and cookies.
Ramen: Often revered as the food for college students on a budget, ramen is changing its game to filter itself into mainstream dishes. It’s initial appeal still does stem from that simple, cheap “student on a budget” idea, however, this Japanese noodle has been popping up in upscale restaurants all over the country, often getting paired with egg, stir-fry and broth (or all three).
Latte Art: A popular trend among hot drinks, latte art is often appreciated for the cute instagrams they inspire. The prospect of sitting with a friend over coffee has grown a little bit more exciting due to the anticipation linked to dreamy, bubbling latte art, the design created by the barista in your latte’s milk froth. Most easily found at your local hipster coffee shop (that isn’t a Starbucks).
Kale: An “oldie” but goodie, kale is a widely known super food that has been the main feature of many new dishes in 2015. Although kale has remained a staple ingredient in hearty salads, people have been experimenting with dishes such as couscous and kale, kale in soup, and kale with pasta.
Hopefully these delicious dishes will make you even more excited for what we foodies can expect to see for 2016!
Let something change your worldview
Try something outside of your comfort zone
Do some yoga
Change your diet
Take some time to read
After desperately searching for something that would soothe my throat, I came across this nifty little article over Pinterest. Mix some apple cider vinegar, warm water, honey into a cup and drink. You're throat will feel great within a few minutes.
Drink tons of tea. As a hot-drink enthusiast, this one was easy for me. Click here to read about how to brew your perfect cup.
Sleep on an elevated plane. Very important: this will ensure that you are not blocking your nasal passages as you sleep and help relieve congestion.
Move around! I've been doing yoga with my girl Adrien for a few weeks now and I love it! I find yoga so relaxing because unlike so many of the sports that we play in which we are constantly competing and striving to be the best, yoga is all about doing what is good for you and you alone.
Being sick is never fun. But you can help ease your symptoms by following some of the simple tips above. Also, having a cool tissue box to lug around with you all over the house can make your day a little brighter.
Friday Night and Everything's
All Right
(Things to Love Right Now)
If you're looking for a book to calm your nerves, this is not the book for you. However, in my humble opinion, sacrificing my nerves was worth every laugh in Alida Nugent's first book, "Don't Worry, It Get's Worse"
(Click the pictures!)
A trendy spot located on the Lower East Side is the Stanton Social. I recently discovered it and fell in love. It is a great place to go with friends (which the name perfectly reflects) and perfect for large groups because all of the portions are made for sharing.
The menu has so many fun options that it becomes difficult to decide what you want to order. They have concoctions that you will never see in any other restaurants, such as the most amazing French onion soup dumplings and beef and broccoli crispy rice. Like I said before, the portions come with a few bite size pieces of each dish, so each table picks a bunch of items to share.
The menu has so many fun options that it becomes difficult to decide what you want to order. They have concoctions that you will never see in any other restaurants, such as the most amazing French onion soup dumplings and beef and broccoli crispy rice. Like I said before, the portions come with a few bite size pieces of each dish, so each table picks a bunch of items to share.
Now, let me talk to you about the most important part: the food. For those of you who do not know, crispy rice is a fried cube of rice, often topped with fish; however, the Stanton Social puts their own twist on it. They top the rice with beef and broccoli to create an Asian fusion dish. My favorite dish, as I mentioned before, is the French onion soup dumplings. They are kind of weird at first because they taste exactly like actual French onion soup, but in the form of a dumpling. As you can see, there are a variety of options to eat at the Stanton Social, so it is great to go with a big group (The food is also decently priced which makes it accessible to everyone!)
Lastly, the ambiance makes for a really fun night. It is trendy and filled with a young crowd; you can go in wearing jeans after a long day of shopping, or even get more dressed up for a fancier occasion.
Lastly, the ambiance makes for a really fun night. It is trendy and filled with a young crowd; you can go in wearing jeans after a long day of shopping, or even get more dressed up for a fancier occasion.
Stay Classy Valley,
Jillie
I spent my afternoon pretty well. I encourage you to do the same. I've really been getting into yoga lately...the way it refreshes your mind is unreal.