SOCIAL MEDIA

Friday, May 26, 2017

TGIF

Literally girl gang goals!

Wow, summer is already flying by! I've been home for three weeks now and it's been so nice to spend time with family and friends and just enjoy being home. Although the weather definitely could be a bit nicer, it's supposed to warm up in the next few days! I start work in just two and a half weeks and as much as I am looking forward to finally getting some work in this summer, I'm trying to squeeze in as much summer fun as I can before I start work on June 12. 

This weekend I'm headed to Columbia, Missouri to visit a friend that is staying there for the summer. She's coming home for a few days next week, and she visited me over her spring break, but she's one of my best friends and it's felt like forever. I'm so excited to see her apartment and have some much needed girl time with her and one of my other best friends. It's much warmer in Columbia so I'm excited to lounge by the pool -- as long as it doesn't rain!

I don't have plans for Memorial Day, other than driving six hours back from Columbia to Chicago, but hopefully it will be spent poolside if I crash my friend's Memorial Day pool party. If you're looking for something to wear this Memorial Day check out the archives for my all American looks here and here

Here are a few things I wanted to share this week...

+Did you read my San Francisco recap? My trip was seriously so fun and if you want to check out a video I made just click here

+This article is a definite must read: 5 Steps to Creating a Budget That Works For You
I've always been bad with finances, but I'm determined to figure out my entire financial situation before I head back to school in the fall

+I've been dying to go back to NYC since I first left and this site compiled the prettiest pink restaurants in New York City

Have an amazing Memorial Day weekend!

Xoxo
Thursday, May 25, 2017

Three Recipes To Try This Summer

One of the best things about being home from school is having a real kitchen that I can actually cook in. I'm so excited to live in an apartment next year and actually have a full sized kitchen so I don't have to eat dining hall food. I'm determined to spend this summer trying new recipes and perfecting a few different dishes that I can make next year for my roommates and me. Here are three fun summer recipes to try!
 Get the original recipe here! When I went to school I didn't really like pasta all that much, but my roommate being obsessed with Italian food and forcing me to eat it constantly definitely changed my opinion. This pasta looks sooo delicious just from the picture, but it also has arugula and burrata in a garlic lemon sauce. I think adding pine nuts to this dish would be so delicious too!!
 With my summer job starting soon I'm definitely on the lookout for easy and healthy breakfasts to eat before work in the morning. These yogurt popsicles with granola look so amazing and super refreshing for the summer. Check out the recipe here; and the fun part is you can change up the yogurt flavor with whatever you like! I definitely want to try out a peach flavor with pistachios. 
Wow okay do I even need to convince you that these cookies are delicious? Just look at that photo! S'mores are probably my favorite summer treat and this new take on them looks so so good. I definitely want to try these out this summer and see which I like better: classic s'mores or s'mores cookies!

Do you have any summer recipes to share? Comment below! Also, which one looks the best to you?!

Xoxo
Wednesday, May 24, 2017

My Skincare Routine

Skincare is so so so important. It's something I've definitely neglected in the past, and had yet to find the right products. College has been super destructive on my skin, with the late nights out, dehydration (if ya get what I'm saying), the sun in SoCal and just overall being lazy because my bathroom is all the way down the hall. I've come to a point where I definitely understand my skin a lot more than I used to and have found products that really help my skin, rather than hurt it. Also, being on a college budget I don't like to spend an insane amount on skincare at this point in my life. All of these products I swear by, and are super affordable!!
Current Skincare Routine
This CeraVe cleanser is literally the best at getting all of that dirt off of my skin. It's perfect for all skin types and super gentle. I don't greatly suffer with acne and was using acne products for far too long that were simply drying out my skin. This helps to keep my skin clean, and that keeps it acne free, but without over-drying my skin. Aveeno is my holy grail brand and I absolutely love their positively radiant daily moisturizer. It keeps my skin fully moisturized throughout the day and also has SPF 15. I love moisturizers that have sunscreen in them because in the southern California heat it's so so important to keep your skin shielded from the sun. I also love the Hawaiian Tropic sheer touch SPF 30 sunscreen for a daily sunscreen on my arms. Especially in the fall, LA is super sunny and warm practically every day from August to November so it's super important to keep your skin protected.

If I'm ever breaking out a bit I like to use the St. Ives apricot scrub to get rid of any dead skin on my face and help to clear up my skin. I don't use this always because it definitely does dry my skin out, but it's helpful if I'm every having problem skin. Also, the night calming Neutrogena makeup wipes are the best after a long night out when I'm feeling super lazy. Usually I'm too lazy to fully wash my face, but I like to use these wipes so I'm at least not sleeping with makeup on. 

Now I'm eager to hear...what products are included in your skincare routine?

Xoxo
Tuesday, May 23, 2017

The Best One-Piece Swimsuits for Summer

One of the perks of my summer job is that I get to spend so much time outside. I get to swim with the kids 4 days a week, which is so nice because I'm seriously trying to get that summer glow. However, I'm only allowed to wear one-piece swimsuits. Buuuttt one-piece swimsuits are like seriously so in right now so it works out! I've been searching high and low for cute, but more modest one-piece swimsuits that are fun for the summer, but will also work for my job! Here are a ton of different options, at all different price points. The fun thing about one-piece suits is that, especially in California, they can be worn as bodysuits too!

One-Piece Swimsuits



My favorite definitely has to be the off-the-shoulder white one-piece from J.Crew. Although maybe not super functional in the pool, it sure is cute! I'm most likely going to try and find one "cute" one-piece and then get two or three athletic one-pieces for my job. As much as I'd like to be super cute, I have to also be very comfortable because I'll be swimming with kids! But I definitely want a cute one piece for when I go back to school for pool parties!

If you have any recommendations of where to get cute or athletic one-pieces please share them below! I'd love to hear.

Xoxo
Monday, May 22, 2017

SF Recap

One of the best things about living in California is that it is a huge state. I mean seriously it's sooo long. But there are so many different areas to explore that aren't super far, but seem a world away. I have yet to explore the majority of the west coast, I've really only been to LA and Santa Barbara, and now San Francisco. 

One of my sorority sisters who I've been friends with since the beginning of the year lives about six hours north of LA, and only 45 minutes east of SF. My original plans for Easter were to stay with a friend who lives in Encino, but when Nicole offered her home to all of us for the week we couldn't resist! Four of us drove six hours north to spend Wednesday through Sunday at her house! Nicole also has a house in Lake Tahoe which we were planning on going to for two nights, but her mom unfortunately couldn't take the days off work so we opted to just stay in town. We were glad we did because as much as we saw a lot of things we were definitely on-the-go constantly.
On Wednesday morning we packed the car and headed north, but not before stopping for the necessary Starbuck's. Of course mid-drive we stopped for In-N-Out (my favorite!!) for lunch. We finally made it to Danville around 3 pm and spent some time unpacking. After doing a bit of homework (seriously why do professors assign so much over break) we headed into downtown Danville to explore. We didn't think ahead too much and most of the stores ended up being closed, but it was still fun to peek around. For dinner we went to a local pizza place that was seriously so good
The next day we explored downtown Danville again, but this time all the stores were open. It's such a cute little area and was so fun to explore! We went to a Danville favorite Sideboard's for lunch and my salad was seriously so good. Later in the day we went to Walnut Creek and had fun shopping and visiting Nicole's mom at work at Nordstrom. 
Day two was definitely my favorite day of the trip. This day was spent exploring the golden gate bridge. We went to a pretty famous lookout spot (where they filmed the sunrise scene in The Internship) to take lots of pictures with the gorgeous scenery. We ended up climbing down to a little restricted area oops but got the best photos ever. After looking at the view we hiked down to Kirby Cove to get pictures on the famous swing. Not gonna lie it was such a deal to get up on that swing and I got hit in the head by the wooden plank like 100 times. But...it's all for the photo ;)
At the end of the day we also visited UC Berkeley and the area around it. The campus is gorgeous with the prettiest view of SF, but it's huge compared to LMU's little campus. We met up with Nicole's friend that goes there and she toured us around the area. We also had dessert before dinner with incredible crepes. 
Saturday we actually went into the city by taking Bart. It's kind of a weird thing because the train actually goes underwater, which freaked me out honestly. But, it was kind of a cool concept. Once arriving in the city we wanted to go to the constantly Instagrammed sign "I got baked in San Francisco" at Mr. Holmes Bakehouse but we got there too late and had already sold out so they closed up shop. The walk to Mr. Holmes was through kind of a bad area, so my first glimpse of SF wasn't the best, but it was much improved when we went for a ride on the trolley. That was easily my favorite thing we did that day because it was so fun to finally do something I've wanted to do forever.
We took the trolley to Ghirardelli Square and got waffle cones of ice cream that were seriously to die for. Then we made our way to Fisherman's Wharf, not before stopping to see the sea lions lounging by the water. After exploring the wharf we Ubered back to the train station and headed home. We finished off the evening at Nicole's favorite local Chinese restaurant and then hit the hay. 

The trip was seriously so so fun and a great break from the high maintenance atmosphere that is LA. It's crazy that NorCal is only 6 hours north, but feels like a world away. I definitely want to visit again and next time go to my friend's house in Tahoe.

What's your fave thing to do in SF?

Xoxo
Monday, May 15, 2017

I'm Back. For Good!

Wow, blogging throughout college has turned out to be one of my biggest failures yet. All throughout high school I looked forward to posting on my blog and sharing different content for my readers five days a week, but college life got the best of me and blogging just wasn't as much as a priority as it used to be. But, I'm here now to stay for summer and I'm really going to strive to post five days a week and remain active on social media. So please comment what you'd like to see in the future because I'm pretty much open to anything! With that said, here's a little life update for you guys.
About a month ago I headed north of LA to San Francisco for Easter break. Going to a Jesuit school definitely has its perks; a full week for spring break plus five days off for Easter. A whole recap on the trip will be up tomorrow, but it was seriously so fun. It's only a six hour drive and three of my friends and I stayed in Danville, but went into the city on Saturday. More on that to come ;)
After returning from Easter break I spent most of my time studying for finals and with a broken phone. I broke my phone yet again, but managed to get a new one just in time for my sorority's formal. I brought a friend from high school that goes to school out west too and we had so much fun dancing and eating all of the snacks at the venue. 
The week before finals was my Big's birthday and we celebrated by going bowling. Seriously, bowling is like one of my favorite things ever and it was so much fun to spend some time with her, my phamily and her friends! I spent that weekend going to the final parties of the semester and overall just spending time with all of the girls on my floor. 
The week of finals was probably the most stressful time of my life because I had to manage studying for all of my finals (which was much harder than first semester) and moving everything out of my dorm and into my storage unit or luggage for the plane. Not to mention my recently developed fear of flying was distracting me the entire week. I managed to get through my finals and get everything out of the room in time and make my flight. Not before hauling my futon and rug in my friend's convertible with the top down because it wouldn't have fit any other way. Not having a car at school proved to be most irritating during move-out but thank God for Zipcar!
Two days before I left for school my friends and I went out to dinner for one final hoorah. Funny story actually, we wanted to go to this rib restaurant, but no one wanted to pay for it so we actually started a GoFundMe. I never thought anyone would donate or that we'd get more than $5, but we ended up raising $280 for our dinner!! It was so much fun to go out for a big, lavish dinner, but not actually have to pay for it.

I've been home for just over a week now and I cannot even begin to explain how good it feels to be in my own bed, have real food, and not have to wear shoes in the shower. College is so so fun and awesome, but it feels good to be back for a full four months. And it's even more fun being reunited with old high school friends. Something about distance makes relationships even stronger and all the petty things that happened in high school are really in the past. 

It's so refreshing to be on summer break and have zero responsibility - sort of :). I'm working as a camp counselor at a country club this summer and couldn't be more excited. I was in dire need of a full time job and am glad I found something that is fun, but also outdoorsy. Not to mention I'm done at 4 so I'll have the evenings and weekends to spend time with friends. 

What are you looking to read on ASAK? Please comment below because I'm in need of ideas, but I have a few different things coming up this week!!

Xoxo