We love natural unique photos, well I do. Some editing apps that have me in a chokehold are some of the most easy and accessible right at your fingertips software.
Top Apps for Videos:
CapCut
Mojo
Canva
Splice
Top Apps for Photos:
Lightroom
VSCO
A color story
PicsArt
No gate keeping!
Whew! It’s been a long but short year. Everyone is starting their new year in March I heard. Sticking to routines and accomplishing goals can be tough. That’s why it’s so important to do a monthly check up, not just with your doctor but with your internal self. Super important to stay in tune with yourself, your body always tells you when something is wrong or something is good.
I struggled with my weight, skin and hair. I was always feeling drained and tired. I was overeating, consuming the wrong foods, staying up late, not staying consistent with my vitamins and not exercising enough.
One thing that helped was creating a routine that I could stick to. Most days you won’t feel motivated but you have to stay disciplined. I learned that during Covid with so many different wellness influencers. Our bodies thrive with discipline!
Dis·ci·pline
the practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behavior.
Wellness includes:
Sleep
Nutrition
Mindfulness
Exercise
Each one of these can help with physical and mental well being.
A few ways to start your wellness journey:
Act of kindness- try giving back to your community (I usually donate to the church or less fortunate)
Practicing gratitude- always be thankful in a good or bad situation. (someone might be experiencing worst situations.)
Stay active- try going to the gym or 30 mins home workouts (our bodies are craving to be mobile)
Rest- don’t overload your mind with too much (try reading a few books/ articles for active rest days)
Limit your social media - time yourself on each app, sometimes scrolling can send you down a rabbit hole (I have a time limit on Instagram, you can set it up in your phone settings)
Set that routine- whether it’s waking up early, going to bed early or taking your vitamins etc.
Feeling down? You might just need to do your hair. A new hairdo always makes me feel better but healthy hair is top tier.
Hair supplements are great but what about actually getting the direct source of nutrients from your food for your hair. Changing your diet may help your hair journey. I currently don’t take any hair supplements just my daily vitamins and lots of water. And yes water will make your hair grow strong. Healthy hair grows from nourished oiled roots.
Main Keys To Healthy Hair:
Monthly hair trims
Wash routine
Deep condition/ co wash
Lots of water
Foods For Healthy Hair:
Eggs
Spinach
Fish
Berries
Avocado
Nuts
Sweet potatoes
Beans
Top Vitamins For Hair:
B-12
Vitamin D
Vitamin E
Zinc
Make it a New York City Winter
During this time of year it can be brutal, the sun goes down early, the cold weather and the less you desire to be outside. My out-of-town friends always ask me what is there to do during the winter in New York City. Besides the infamous tree lighting at Rockefeller Center. There are a few things I like to indulge in during this time of year!
A few things that made living in NYC in the winter worth it:
Glace - hot chocolate with ice cream
Dumbo - skating rink
Balloon Museum (picture worthy)
Graziella’s Wood Burning Pizza - really good pasta. (comfort food)
Aires ancient baths -Massages (pricey but very good service)
Paint and pour
Van Leeuwen (Yes! Ice cream in the winter) - the brownie cookie dough flavor is top tier.
Glace
Aires Ancient Baths
How Gut Health Affects Your Whole Body
The gastrointestinal system is the main “portal” for taking in and processing nutrients, but it also serves a communication center and disease fighter. If the bad bacteria outweighs the good bacteria the immune system weakens. There are close links between poor gut health and anxiety, as well as poor gut health and depression. For those struggling with mental health issues, working to restore gut health may help.
Tip: Weight loss is 80% diet and 20% Workout
Ways To Improve Your Gut Health
Foods good for gut health include high-fiber foods like onions, artichokes, and pulses. The worst foods for gut health are processed foods with white flour and added sugar. A gut health diet could also include foods with probiotics for gut health, such as live yogurt and kefir. Replace sugary drinks with water and starve your sugar cravings. You might also try probiotic gut health supplements to improve your microbiome. (A microbiome protects us against germs, breaks down food to release energy, and produces vitamins)
6 Top Foods For Gut Health
Oats
Asparagus
Greek Yogurt
Kombucha
Nuts
Flaxseeds
Vitamins That Support Gut Health
Vitamin C & D
Probiotics
Zinc
Costa Rica is “that girl” honey! I had an amazing time in costa rica. As soon as we landed we went to eat eat where the locals eat and they did not disappoint. The food portions were so generous and taste was outstanding. The food in costa rica was a 10/10. At the villa that was a whole different story unfortunately but if someone would ask me if I would go back to Costa Rica then the answer is yes!
Where do I start, the flight was 4 hours and we had a layover in Miami. The flight went pretty quick in my opinion. When we landed we had already had our private driver waiting for us, who was amazing as well. He spoke very little English and we spoke very little Spanish so we went together well lol. From the airport to our villa was a 3 hour ride alone. We basically traveled the entire day. We did stop to eat at a local stop and headed up the mountains to our rainforest villa. The view was beautiful all throughout our drive.
The Villa we stayed at was Golden Pineapple Villas. Literally chef’s kiss! The villa was breath taking and we definitely enjoyed our stay. There were some interesting bugs that came to visit us daily (rolls eyes) and a whole bat family right out side our door. We might of even took a shower with a bat due to the shower being completely outside. Chile! But we definitely wanted those nature vibes just to feel more relaxed and free.
More about the Villa:
The Villa was $580 a night
The Villa was small and intimate
The staff was great and very attentive
The common area had the best pool view
Room Service is free of charge
iPads and WhatsApp were what staff and guest used to communicate
Massages take place inside of guests room
Overall everyone was very friendly and we took advantage of all the amenities.
I highly recommend bug spray and sunscreen! The heat is crucial out there. We went in the dry season the ending of January.
Some Products I used out there:
Cozy, Warm + Moisturized
First blog post of the year! It’s cold outside and we need to stay warm but not just warm but moisturized to the fullest. During the wintertime the cold can tend to dry out our skin.
Here are some of my faves that keep me moisturized all throughout the coldest days:
Laneige - (A Lip Sleeping Mask)
I don’t know about ya’ll but my lips are the first thing to get dry when it gets cold outside. I usually have on any type of lip balm throughout the day but overnight I do love the extra TLC for the lips. This is probably my first lip mask that I’ve tried and I would definitely rate it a generous 8/10. As soon as I wake up in the morning I can still feel the moisture on my lips from the night before which compliments the whole morning look. You know the look you first have when you wake and everyone can tell that you just woke up! That look! There are different flavors not a wide selection and I got mine in the berry flavor. So the real question is.. Is it worth the hype? And so far I believe so, It’s part of my night routine at the moment.
Fenty Beauty Butta Drop - (Shimmering Whipped Oil Body Cream)
Let’s talk about it! I got my hands on this particular body butter as soon as it dropped. The smell is like a Cinnamon pastry fresh out the oven and who wouldn’t want to smell like that for the holidays! I quickly got my hands on this body butter due to the orignal body butter (butta drop) smelling so good. This body is very moisturizing (thick/rich) as a body butter should be and the smell lasts a long time as well with amazing tropical oils. The only thing I could of done without is the shimmer that’s in the body butter itself. For the summer, yes, I’ll do shimmer, but not necessarily do I want to put on shimmer on in the winter. If you did get your hands on it, I know you loved it. This was a limited edition body butter, so basically first come first served. I would give this body a solid 9/10 I honestly love it.
Europe owes me absolutely nothing. I was in awe just by the aesthetic, Spain had a vintage but homey like aura to it and Italy had an historic yet luxurious feel.
Barcelona, Spain
Barcelona, Spain
Where do I start… Europe has always been on my bucket list for some time now. So as you can imagine Spain was very much an highly anticipated trip minus the fact that the plane ride was an 8 hours. I did a straight flight and you can feel the pain when I say any flight longer than 5 hours should be in first class and only first class. Don’t get me wrong my comfort level was not bad at all only when came down to to trying to sleep and I wanted to stretch out but could not. When I landed the jet lag kicked in right away but I was elated. I did take a nap at the Airbnb after eating and site seeing for a bit. The food out in Spain compare to the states is a lot more fresh and well prepared in my opinion. Certain fast food restaurants had more menu options and healthier types of food. I also felt like the lifestyle out there was more active because everyone seemed to be more on bikes and scooters starting their day pretty early.
Tips for Spain:
Spring is a good time to travel to Spain
Prepare to adapt to the time difference
Try to experience at least one festival
Food is better up north
Use the local bus to save money
Bring a plug adapter (the outlets are not the same as America)
The Airbnb:
I stayed in a downtown like area of Barcelona. Everything was pretty much close by like restaurants and small shops. When I tell you it was a dream, no exaggeration. The “flat” was very open with floor to ceiling windows which made Mornings so much more special. The master bedroom and bathroom was def my type of vibe. High end but comfy would be best describe the feeling just staying there.
The Airbnb
Self care in Spain:
The weather in Spain around April is mid 60’s with a Mediterranean breeze which made the air out there a lot more soothing.
I made my night skin routine a little longer with soap & glory face masks depending on how much makeup I wore throughout the day. I also used my Dior under eye patches due to being jet lagged.
Soap & Glory Face mask
Dior Under eye patches
24 hours in Rome, Italy:
I took an hour plane ride from Barcelona to Rome and I did not regret it. Let’s talk about pizza in Italy and how authentic the vibe was out there. After visiting historic + touristy places like the coliseum, The Pantheon, etc. I went to get pizza because why would I go to Italy and not eat pizza?! I gave the pizza in Rome a 9/10 it was fresh and I could taste everything down to the basil. Italy seemed more fast paced to me than Spain and little bit more strict on covid regulations. I noticed in Rome they charged 1 euro to use the restroom which is kind of genius because that helps with keeping public restrooms clean but can also be annoying if you don’t have cash on you. From the original cobble stone roads to the pizza, Italy was perfection.
Tips for Italy:
Do not buy any chargers or electronics from people on the street (might not be legit)
Be aware of your surroundings
Bring cash
Book everything in advance
