Custom Fashion Illustration GIVEAWAY

Happy Friday!

Today I'm teaming up with my insanely talented blogger pal Elena from DC in Style, to bring you an Instagram GIVEAWAY!

Have you ever wanted a favorite picture of yourself to be turned into an illustration? Well, today's your lucky day! We are giving away a one-of-a-kind custom illustration done by Elena to one lucky winner! Aka, you give her a pictures of yourself, and she'll draw it!

Click HERE to enter the GIVEAWAY on Instagram!

The giveaway will end on Sunday March 29 and the winner will be announced on Monday March 30.

Good luck and have fun!

Cheers.

Samson's got an Instagram

I caved.

I made this little doe-eyed furball his own Instagram.

Now I'll be spending twice as much time on Instagram which is SUPER AWESOME.

Samson requested I asked all my readers to follow his new Insta so if you're up for some fluffiness on your newsfeed, follow along!

@LIFEOFSAMSON

ps. Tomorrow is Samson's 1st birthday. WHERE HAS THE TIME GONE???

Cheers.

Work It Out w/ Aeropostale: Look 2

Top: c/o Aeropostale
Leggings: c/o Aeropostale
Shoes: Nike
Watch: Polar

Here's my second workout outfit featuring Aeropostale! I love muscle tanks like this one because it frees up my arms from getting too sweaty during workouts. I mean, who doesn't like a top that has a breakup letter to "stress" on it? Plus, it helps you avoid sweat tacos. And no one likes sweat tacos. Also, these leggings are actually made for yoga, but I like how they're a litter thicker than workout leggings because they keep your legs nice and warm so you get a better burn. ;)

I feel like working out is so much more satisfying when you can visually see your progress! This Polar FT4 watch monitors your heart rate (it comes with a band you strap around your chest) so it tells you when you're in the optimal fat burning zone. It also tracks how many calories you burned in a workout if you like keeping track of that information (I use MyFitnessPal to track my calories daily). I'd highly recommend getting yourself a Polar FT4 watch--it's only $56 and much cheaper than those other fancier gadgets that do exactly the same thing.

Hope you're all getting through your hump day!

The week is halfway over, people. We can do this!

Cheers.

Work It Out w/ Aeropostale: Look 1

Top: c/o Aeropostale
Leggings: c/o Aeropostale
Shoes: Nike

I mentioned on my Instagram a while back that I was doing Kayla Itsines' 12-Week Bikini Body Guide and I'm proud to announce that I'm still sticking to it and am currently on WEEK 11! It's crazy to think how fast time has flown by--it seems like it was just yesterday I was dying doing burpees on Day 1. But I've definitely noticed a difference in my body since I began the program! I took progress photos every 4 weeks and I'm nervous/excited/scared to share that with you guys when I'm officially done with Week 12. I had been shopping around for a good workout program for a while before I came across Kayla's and it's been by far my favorite! I'd definitely recommend it to everyone who wants to get healthy and back into shape. Also, a huge shoutout to my workout buddy Bri, because I don't think I would have survived these past 11 weeks without her. Doing a workout program like this is SO much easier when you've got someone going through the same pain and gain alongside you every week!

Since I've been going to the gym every day of the week (minus Sunday), I've had to amp up my workout wardrobe. I was an occasional gym-goer prior to doing the BBG so I literally had maybe 2-3 workout shorts and some old t-shirt from high school to wear for working out. So when I saw the variety of adorable workout gear on Aeropostale's site, I knew I had to snag some for myself! I tailored this outfit for when you want to go jogging outside on a chilly day. The leggings and long sleeves keep your body warm, but they're still lightweight so you don't overheat once you start sweatin'! Working out helps you towards looking your best, so why not look good while doing it? ;)

Also, I know its been a little bit of crickets around here lately and I wanted to apologize for that! I took a little break from the blogosphere (for multiple reasons, but nothing serious I promise) but I'm back and I'm so excited to share with you all some things that I've been working on!

Love you all and have an amazing Tuesday!

Cheers.

Brighten Up Laundry Day w/ Persil ProClean

Let's face it.

Laundry Day is the worst.

I mean, Samson's face says it all.

I don't know about you but I put off doing the laundry for as loooong as possible. I purposely supply myself with excessive amounts of undergarments just so I can go several weeks before I need to pop them in the wash. Sometimes our laundry pile gets so big, I literally have to climb over it to get out of the room #suchshame.

Because I struggle with laundry duty so much, I try to make the process easier by making sure I have the best brand of products available to ease the load (.... get it? har har har). Persil ProClean is a new line of detergent that is dedicated to getting your clothes to a whole new level of premium clean. Seriously, these babies are the real deal. They're so legit, one of the bottles even came with a bowtie. And bowties mean business.

Persil ProClean detergent is available in three different forms:

o Power-Liquid – Contains a powerful combination of stain-fighters that help break down stains for an exceptional clean. One of my favorite shirts had a nasty stain from a battle I lost with a piece of pizza. After I ran it through a load using this liquid detergent, it vanished! And thank goodness because that won't be my last pizza stain...

o Power-Pearls – An innovative new kind of detergent that is loaded with Pro-White technology for dazzling whites (as well as colors). I used this detergent for washing our white...I mean, used-to-be white bed sheets and duvet. The combination of the pearls and hot water left our sheets looking whiter than any other detergent we've ever tried! The almost, almost looked just as white as they did when we first bought them!

o Power-Caps - Pre-measured Power-Caps detergent capsule combines Pro-Lift Stain Removers plus a Brightness Formula for a premium clean. Although all three detergents smell amazing, this form smells SUPER GOOD. Like, pulled-a-sock-out-of-the-washer-after-washing-and-stuck-it-to-my-nose-and-inhaled-real-deepy GOOD. It's also perfect for you lazy lazies like me who want to skip over the whole pouring and measuring how much detergent to put in the load. Pre-packaged saves precious time, ladies.

I am thoroughly impressed with the quality of Persil ProClean! Aside from the sleek packaging, the products left our clothes feeling, smelling, and looking great! I'm heading to a friend's Gender Reveal party this weekend and the number one rule for attending a social event is to always look amaaaazing (in my rule book anyway). I don't know how many times I've washed a favorite shirt and it came out of the washer looking faded and gross. I've lost so many of my favorite clothes to this unfortunate battle but I don't need to fret any longer! Persil ProClean is here to keep my clothes in great shape so they're ready to wear and ready to impress!

In honor of the launch of Persil ProClean, a fun SWEEPSTAKES is being held!

You have the opportunity to win a year supply of Persil and a premium night out on the town! The premium night out on town includes a $300 Nordstrom.com gift card, $200 OpenTable.com gift card, and a $150 Uber.com card credit. A second place winner will also receive a year supply of Persil!

You can enter this fabulous Sweepstakes by clicking HERE!

(Sweepstakes runs through 4/12/15)

Don't let Laundry Day be a day you dread anymore! Brighten up the day with Persil ProClean!

Persil ProClean is now available in store only at Walmart so make sure you swing by and pick yours up today! To learn even more about Persil, go to PersilProClean.com.

#persilproclean

Have a great Tuesday friends!

Cheers.

The Persil brand provided me with a sample of Persil ProClean laundry detergent in exchange for a product review. However, all the opinions expressed here are my own.

Let's Pretend...

Top: c/o Aeropostale
Jeans: c/o Aeropostale
Beanie: c/o Aeropostale
Shoes: c/o LuLu*s
Short Necklace: c/o Song Yee Designs
Long Necklace: c/o Made By Maru
Watch: c/o Daniel Wellington
Sunglasses: old [similar]

A couple years ago I went to watch a play as an assignment for class. I was sitting towards the end of a row and just as the lights were dimming and the play was about to begin, a guy rushed in and tried to slip past me to get to a seat towards the center of the row. Just as he was awkwardly trying to "step over" my legs and bag, he tripped. In his attempt to save himself, he suddenly grabbed my hand for stabilization and held it for an abnormally long time--causing me to yank my hand away because I was caught off guard and things were getting weird, real fast. Anyway, he finally made his way past me, all flustered and apologetic, but before he passed me completely our eyes met and we telepathically said the same thing to each other:

"Let's pretend this never happened."

I feel like my life is full of awkward moments like this.

Which is why I knew I was destined to own this shirt when I saw it at Aeropostale.

Who wouldn't want to own a shirt that lets you be as awkward as you want?

Hope you enjoyed my a slice of my awkward life.

And this outfit.

And the gif I created of Samson and me.

And your weekend cus it's FRIDAY!

Let's party.

Cheers.

Mission Cronut: ACCOMPLISHED

Hat: c/o Gypsy Threads [40-75% off everything!!!]
Dress: c/o LuLu*s
Cardigan: c/o Chic Style [similar]
Necklace: c/o Song Yee Designs
Body Chain: H&M [similar]
Watch: c/o Daniel Wellington
Bracelet: c/o LuLu*s [similar]
Booties: Forever 21

I think the first time I ever heard about a cronut was one night when we were watching Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (yes, this was a while ago). A chef named Dominique Ansel was showing Jimmy and Questlove how to make his latest invention: a pastry that combined the beauty of a croissant and a donut..... a cronut. Oh my goodness I fell in love (yes, I tend to fall in love with food a lot, I know) and it was one of those moments where I wished a machine that popped out whatever food was on TV had been invented already. I had to needed to was dying to try it... except there was no bakery near me that sold this delicious creation.

From then on it felt like the cronut was stalking my life. I turned on the TV and a segment on the cronut was playing on The Food Channel. I went on Instagram and an NYC blogger I followed posted a precisely staged shot of a cronut at a cafe. Everywhere I turned I was reminded of the pastry that got away and it made me so so sad and depressed.

As time passed and the craze dyed down, I moved on from my obsession of the cronut.

Life wasn't consumed by my constant cravings for a food I had never even tasted before.

UNTIL.

LAST WEEK.

I was scrolling through Instagram and there it was.

A cronut.

AND IT WAS POSTED BY SOMEONE WHO CURRENTLY LIVED IN UTAH.

My favorite juice lady, Dani, posted it to be exact.

I immediately googled the bakery she said she got it from, placed the address in my maps app, and Connor and I and Samson (this mission required Samson's support of course) zoomed on over to the bakery that supposedly carried the prized pastry.

We arrived at the bakery.

We ordered two cronuts.

And we feasted.

It. Was. HEAVEN.

You know when you dream about a moment for so long and it finally happens and it's better than you ever could have expected it to be?

It was that.

So there you go.

My story of the cronut and how I was able to fulfill one of my dreams.

The only downside: apparently cronuts are kinda pricey so we probably won't be consuming them too often or else our bank accounts will shrink and our bodies will grow.

My precisely staged shot of the cronut:

(I didn't have much to work with, the tables in the bakery were pretty bare)

(eat your heart out NYC blogger)

Hope you all have a cronut-filled day.

Cheers.