Likes & Favorites: New York, NY

July 29, 2015June 16, 20162 Comments

This past weekend, I traveled to the city that never sleeps for a Her Campus Media Conference. It was my first ever real life conference, and while part of me was excited to wear my killer pumps and go to journalism workshops, the other part was not thrilled about spending a significant amount of time on the subway. Well, I survived the subway (barely) & went to all my fancy workshops, plus I made some friends & memories along the way. Here’s a special edition of Likes & Favorites from my travels to the Big Apple.

The actual conference.

Call me a nerd, but I actually enjoyed sitting in on panels about blogging, journalism and how to succeed in this industry. There were also super cool speakers who came (like the editor in chief of Seventeen) and because we were a bunch of college-aged-aspiring-journalists, it was appropriate to fangirl. Beyond that, I got to rock my business casual swag, received a TON of freebies/giveaways & made some really nice friends. {In case you forgot what I write about on Her Campus, i.e. the reason I attended this conference, check out my work here!}

lookin professional

a pop of color

new friends!

Some really good advice.

As I mentioned before, Michelle Tan, the new editor in chief of Seventeen, was the keynote speaker the first day, and I’ll be the first to say that she is hilarious. Besides cracking us up the whole time, she also dropped some awesome wisdom. I love this quote she said about making it in the journalism industry, but I think it also just applies to life. Shout out to Krista for making the cool graphic.

Lovely parts of the city.

Because he’s an amazing boyfriend, Ryan surprised me on Saturday night after the conference and took me to dinner at this incredible Italian restaurant, La Lanterna Di Vittorio. While it took us a little while to get there (stupid subways make me so confused), the romantic atmosphere and delicious lasagna was worth the wait (Couples in NYC, you have to go). Then on Sunday, it was my turn to plan the date, so we went to Jane’s Carousel (made in 1922) by the Brooklyn bridge and then had pizza and ice cream.

Despite how much I hate the dirtiness, busyness and subway system of the city, there are quaint parts of it that truly are lovely.

Jane’s Carousel

super refreshing

date night

loved this view

he’s a dork but I love him :)

quaint side street

sup.

Not your average statement necklace.

At the conference, there were a few vendors there, one of which was chloe + isabel. If you’ve never heard of them, you definitely need to check them out. They make beautiful statement jewelry AND you can sign up to become a merchandiser for their products! You can literally be your own boss in the fashion industry. I adore this necklace I got from them!

be creative, be confident, be you

Ampersand’s having a giveaway!

On a similar note… I’ve decided to host Ampersand’s first ever giveaway!! To thank you for being loyal readers, I’m giving away a chloe + isabel wrap bracelet to one lucky winner. All you have to do is like Ampersand on Facebook & fill out the form below. I’ll be randomly drawing a winner next week so stay tuned to see if you won!

Here’s the prize…

a lil bit of bling

And here’s the form!

{PS. I’m launching a new section soon with some exciting news! Yay surprises!}

Liking my NYC adventures & favoriting being back in NJ.

Likes & Favorites: The APA style guide is sitting on my desk.

July 22, 2015July 22, 2015Leave a comment

A quick look at my desk: There’s a checklist and a blue pen, a hair tie, my car keys, tangled Mac charger, a buzzing cellphone, laptop case, a cup of coffee and The Associated Press Style Book (2013 edition, if you want to get technical about it). I’m listening to Justin Nozuka on Spotify while sitting cross legged on my chair. My hair is in a messy bun. I’m not wearing makeup. I’ve worn these shorts three days in a row.

This is post-grad life at its finest. And I’m starting to be okay with it, which has been a long time coming. (Just like this Likes & Favorites post). Let’s begin, shall we?

Your new fave summer drink.

So I have Starbucks seasonal favorites (really, don’t act so surprised). In the fall it’s pumpkin spiced latte (duh), winter I get peppermint lattes, spring I dabble with iced coffee and in the summer I’m obsessed with peach green tea lemonade. It’s refreshing, it’s sweet, it’s tart, it’s amazing. Well, I recently discovered that you can ~*buy*~ the Tazo peach green tea at your nearest grocery store and basically my life has changed forever. Combine equal parts tea and lemonade, and you’ve basically done what I get paid $9/hr to do as a barista.

{Don’t want it as sweet? Substitute water for the lemonade. Also, I feel like this would be really good with alcohol. Someone LMK.}

Writers, I have something for you to read.

I once had professor tell the class, “For ever word you write, read 1,000.” While I definitely don’t hit that mark, I do read a lot. One of my mentors actually gave me the book Bird By Bird by Anne Lamott. According to the cover, it has “some instructions on writing and life.” It’s definitely chuckle worthy, but I love it because it perfectly describes how I feel as a writer. If you love to write, I highly recommend it.

Here’s how to save money on coffee!

{Sign me up to be a Starbucks sales associate, because I’m about to promote another one of their products.} Us college kids/recent grads love our coffee. Most of us have realized that buying it from ‘Bucks every day is expensive. Cue Keurig. Everything is great and dandy, until you realize that K-cups are also kind of expensive. Introducing: the reusable K-cup. That’s right, there’s a plastic K-cup that you can reuse and fill with your favorite ground coffee (I like Starbucks Veranda blonde roast). Buy them here. Boom, roasted.

It’s okay to be a hot mess sometimes.

This weekend, Ryan and I had a date night (dinner & a movie, how cliche of us). We ended up seeing Trainwreck and it was HILARIOUS. Highly encourage everyone to see it. It’s like the perfect rom-com to see as a couple because there’s obviously romance but also a ton of sports references, so everyone wins! Plus, you’ll actually cry from laughing so much at parts, which is always fun.

{On a somewhat related side note, we also streamed Inside Out illegally online–oops!–and that was ALSO so good. That time I just cried because it was so touching. Twice.}

Seeing my favorite people.

This week was full of seeing my most favorite people. From spending the weekend with Ryan and seeing my Blue Key peeps at Deanna’s grad party, to dinners with Haley and Katherine and reuniting with my fave Villanovans, I’m always reminded how lucky I am to have such wonderful people in my life. Sorry for being a sap, but I love you guys.

{P.S. I’m currently obsessed with Renegades by X Ambassadors. If my life were ever made into a movie, this would be the soundtrack for the opening credits.}

Liking post grad life a little more & favoriting having spare moments to blog.

10 Instant Mood Boosters to Make Your Day Suck Less

July 11, 2015May 8, 20166 Comments

Everyone has sh*tty days. It’s just a part of life. Sometimes you just wake up in a bad mood for no real reason. The sun could be shining and everything, but you’re still just generally pissed off. It’s okay. We’ve all been there.

Having had a few bad days in a row, I decided I didn’t want to be in a sucky mood anymore. So I made a list of things that generally help me feel better. You may not be the epitome of positivity by the end of the day, but I promise you’ll feel slightly better. Here are ten instant mood boosters when you’re having a sh*tty day.

Make some coffee.

I think the smell of coffee is sometimes better than the drink itself. Or maybe it’s just the feeling of holding a warm mug between your hands. If you wake up in a bad mood, make some coffee. Or tea. Or macha (which my sister tells me is super super good for you. You go, healthy you.) Sip it on your way to work or over breakfast. Doesn’t matter if it’s the middle of summer and 110 degrees. Hot coffee is good for the soul.

Dress up to cheer up.

When I’m in a bad mood, my first instinct is to throw up my hair and wear leggings. Sometimes I do it, but other times I force myself to get ready. Why? Because if you look good, you feel good. So rock your favorite dress or put on that awesome shirt that makes you look tan. Dressing up makes you feel like a real person and not a sad slob.

Jam out.

This is a pretty obvious one, but everyone loves some good jams. Whether you’re blasting it in your car or through your headphones at work, music is guaranteed to make you feel better. Might I recommend this fab playlist titled Confidence Boost (extremely appropriate for a bad day). Hint: it’s a lot of Beyonce with a side of Katy Perry’s “Firework.”

https://open.spotify.com/user/spotify/playlist/0Vib1QAMtMaiywa3QSEq40

Do some laundry!

Yes, I’m aware this is a chore. Yes, chores generally make people sad, but doing your laundry will make you feel SUPER productive. Trust me on this one. Folding up some clean clothes will make you feel like you actually did something all day. And even if laundry’s the only thing you’ve done all day, you can still feel like you’ve accomplished something. (Plus you’re probably running out of socks, so you’re welcome for this suggestion.)

Watch a TED talk.

There’s literally a TED talk for everything. Anything you’ve every wanted to know more about (elephants, grammar, impressive baseball plays, you name it, TED has talked about it) you can watch someone who’s incredibly passionate about the subject speak about it. How inspiring is that? You can literally do a TED talk on Mac & Cheese if really wanted to. Better start practicing, because I’m going to want to see that.

Get off social media.

Even as an avid Instagrammer, this is probably the best piece of advice on this list. If you’re bummed about being single, you don’t need to see happy engaged couples. If it sucks because you’re still unemployed, you don’t want to see someone posting about their promotion. Just get off all forms of social media and remember that people always seem happier online.

Find some citrus.

The smell of oranges is supposed to boost your mood. Don’t believe me? Science says so. So eat an orange or maybe clean your kitchen with some citrus-smelling cleaner (and surpass all of us just doing laundry on the productivity scale). I also have this lovely citrus body wash that’s delightful in the morning. It’s hard to be sad when you’re smelling so fresh.

Be proactive about your stress.

Personally, when I get stressed, I want to do something about it. Doing something related to the stress actually relieves stress for me. Maybe I’m crazy, but give it a try. If you’re upset you haven’t lost that weight yet, sign up for a fun exercise class. Like right now. If not having a job post-grad is keeping you up at night (guilty), apply to an awesome job that you’re totally not qualified for. Who cares? Just press send. Sometimes taking control of what’s bumming you out makes you feel better.

To-do lists are everything.

I’m a big proponent of checklists. Please tell me what’s more rewarding than physically crossing something off a list. Sometimes I like to make super detailed, menial to-do lists, including things like “brush teeth” or “eat lunch.” You’re definitely going to do those things anyways, might as well feel like a boss crossing them off a list.

Get lost in a book.

Reading is the best way to get out of your head. When you’re absorbed in a in a good book, you can forget about anything. Don’t know what to read next? Well, Ampersand is going to publish the ultimate best reads list really really soon! (*~shameless plug*~)

If you’re reading this, it’s likely you’re having a bad day. If so, I hope your day gets better. And if all these tips don’t work and you’re mad at me because you’re still in a bad mood, just look at this puppy.