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- Emily

Outfit of a Day in Toronto

       Hi everyone! This summer my family and were on a road trip for a few weeks and on of my favorites places we visited was Toronto! It was my first time to Canada and hopefully not my last! Have any of you ever been there? Toronto is a very diverse city and there was a lot going on. I highly suggest going there if you have the chance. But anyways now on to the rest of the post.
       I thought I would share one of the outfits I wore while in Toronto with you guys. So here it is.

My sister and I pretending to hold the torch for the Pan-Am Games which were about to start

         I love this outfit because it is very colorful and looks like I spent a lot of time on it when in fact I did not. When I think of outfits I always start with the piece that is either the boldest or the most colorful so in this case my pants! These pants are from H&M and I actually did not have them when we first started the trip. I got them a few days before this picture was taken.  I had been wearing a jumpsuit which ripped on the leg seams and I was really sad about that because it was a piece I really liked. Luckily I had been near a mall and I went into H&M. It was really crowded and about to close but I didn't want to walk around wearing ripped clothes so I frantically looked for pants and I found the ones in the picture and they fit perfectly! (It was also lucky that I was wearing a tank top under my jumpsuit and I brought a sweater so I just wore them with the pants.)

        Okay, enough babbling. Back to the day this picture was taken and the rest of what I was wearing. My black flowy top is from Marshalls and is actually multiple layers. The bottom one is shear and a bit longer than the one on top of it which is lace. I chose to wear a solid orange tank top under to emphasize the orange in the pattern on my pants. My purple three-quarter length sleeve sweater is from Old Navy. As for footwear I wore a pair of low top black Converse. 
        This was a great outfit for walking around the city because the pants were super comfy, and stretchy. I was able to move around and they are lightweight so they are perfect for summer. It is great to wear layers because if you do get hot you can take something off or throw something else on, such as the sweater. Shoes-wise, you want something that will not hurt your feet. The most important thing is comfort. You would definitely not enjoy the city or whatever you are doing if all you are thinking about is the pain your feet are feeling. That is why sneakers are one of the best choices. We still want  to look put together though and don't want to have ugly shoes so that is another reason why converse are amazing. They are comfortable, practical, and the simple design makes them go with anything!


Here I am in the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto. They had a section with some random shoes you could try on so I had to put on these silver sparkly platform shoes!

Barbara's shoes

          This museum was very interesting and is definitely not what you would expect. They have shoes going back to ancient Egyptians, shoes that were worn in Asia when women had to bind their feet, and there were shoes from European kings and queens. A section on Native American footwear covered in beautiful beading and embellishment. They also had shoes from modern times including a pair of Barbara Streisand's, Elizabeth Taylor's, Marilyn Monroe's and more. It was basically like the history of human kind told through their footwear!

Marilyn's and Liz's heels

        Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think about these kind of snapshot travel recap posts.

-Emily

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Five Simple Things You Can Do To Be Healthier

        Hello! Today I thought I would share some tips with you about being healthier. I am not including obvious ones like exercise, these are more like small changes you can make in your life to be healthier overall. I firmly believe that healthier = happier!

TIP #1.

Lilly Pulitzer
Tumbler

        Drink water! Water is one of the best things you can consume. As humans, our bodies are made up of a large amount of water and therefore we need a lot of it. Most people, including myself though do not always drink enough. There are so many benefits of drinking more water including helping with weight loss and clearing skin.
       One way you can encourage yourself to drink more water is to get a cute water bottle or tumbler. That way you can carry it around with you and when you see it you'll be reminded to take a drink. I always have a water bottle with me, I even take it wherever I am  in my house. I have mine next to me even now as I am typing this post! If I don't have it with me I definitely wouldn't be drinking as much. One of my problems is that I never realize I am thirsty until I start drinking something. When my water bottle is right there though it's easy to remember to have some. (You could also set a reminder on your phone telling you to drink water every so often if you really wanted to.)

     

 

 

TIP #2.

Camelbak Water Bottle

       Playing off of tip #1, try to drink less soda. Replace it with water. But maybe you're saying "Emily, plain water, ugh". If regular water isn't you thing that's ok. Nothing can trump regular water but there are many options better than soda. For instance, flavored water or sparkling water. Lemonade is another. Or you could have fruit juice instead. Keep in mind though that you want something that doesn't have too much sugar because we still want it to be better for you than soda is.
       

 

TIP #3.

       Take the stairs. Most places, such as office buildings, malls, train stations, etc. have stair cases right next to escalators (and if not next to usually they are very close by). Taking the stairs instead of using an escalator or the elevator is such an easy way to get more exercise and it's not hard to do since there are plenty of opportunities. Even if it's only one or two flights of stairs the calories you burn from them will add up. It will also help you get in better shape in general and will definitely help you be healthier. I always take the stairs whenever I have the chance.

 

TIP #4.

      Try to have at least one serving of a fruit or vegetable with every "meal". I always like to have some fruit with my breakfast and either  a fruit or vegetable with my lunch. Sometimes I have an afternoon snack and I do like to incorporate a fruit. At dinner I always have some sort of vegetable and a side salad so that makes up a variety of veggies at that meal.  And finally I usually like having some fruit a little while after dinner. Apples are my favorite for this  and I love slicing them and putting a bit of peanut butter on, it makes them seem more decadent and like a dessert.
      I am not saying that I always follow this "plan" but I try to as often as possible. I am also not saying that I never eat junk food, I do and I have a huge sweet tooth, and that's ok. Everything  is fine in moderation and if you watch your portion size.

I love eating blueberries, especially in the summertime right after I take them out of the fridge, they're so refreshing!

 

TIP #5.

       If you are trying to eat less junk food, less of a certain thing, or trying to change you diet....... don't buy what you want to avoid! It is much easier to not be tempted and to not eat something if it is not easily accessible. What I mean by this is that if it is not in your house I don't know how many people would actually go to the store to get one thing they are craving. If you are in a similar situation as me though you will know that can be hard when your parents or other people you live with buy what you are trying to avoid. I just have to work on my will power and pretend that those foods do not exist and are not right there in the pantry tempting and torturing me with their deliciousness!

I hope you found these tips helpful on your journey to a healthier you, as they have been helping me. Thanks for reading, have a great day/afternoon/night!
-Emily

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July Favorites 2015

          Hello and welcome to my blog! I can not believe that July is already over, it seems like it just started.
       There were a few products that I really loved during July and I thought I would share them with you. I did make a video as well as you can see. I wasn't sure which would be better, a blog post or video so I just decided to do both. Feel free to read or watch or do both.

       The first product is a face wash that I have been using for a few years. It is the Neutrogena Acne Stress Control Power-Cream Wash. I like this product because it does really help to keep my skin clear. I do not have severe acne but I do break out occasionally. I try to minimize the number of times that happens though, obviously just like everyone else, no one likes having breakouts. This cleanser is gentle and does not dry out my skin, my T zone does get more oily than the rest of my face though and the face wash takes care of that too. It has 2% Salicylic Acid in it to fight acne which is the greatest amount available in products that do not need prescriptions. Neutrogena is a great skin care brand in general.

       The second product is the St. Ives Fresh Skin Apricot Scrub. I am sure many of you have heard about this since it is raved about by so many people. I was a bit late jumping on the bandwagon but I am glad I did! It is a wonderful scrub. I use this to exfoliate my face after I shower. I usually only exfoliate once or twice a week though, so I do not use this product every time I shower. I love how soft it makes my face feel after I rinse it off and for me it works amazingly to get rid of black heads.

     Thirdly, is another skincare product, last one guys I promise! It is my Clean & Clear dual action moisturizer. This helps to rehydrate my skin after I wash my face and it also has salicylic acid in it to help treat acne and works to clean your skin.

      A mascara that I have enjoyed using lately is Great Lash by Maybelline. Mine is in Very Black. This is a very good lengthening mascara and I find that it does not clump very often. I also like that it looks natural. It is buildable though.

     And finally, the last product is my e.l.f. Liquid Eyeliner in black. It is very cheap and works well so it is a win-win! For me applying liquid eyeliner is easier than pencil. I love how thin the tip of this is and I am able to create whatever type of line I please.

     I would recommend checking out any of theses products! If any of you use them I would love to hear what you think. Any comments or questions in general are also welcome! I hope you have a great day!