Favorite iPhone Apps of the Moment

I'm always looking for new apps on my phone! Below are my top 5 of the moment on my iPhone. When I downloaded them they were all free so hopefully they still are for you! I highly recommend them all. Leave a comment and let me know what your favorites are right now!

1. Whole Foods Recipe App: if you like to cook healthy recipes I highly recommend this app. My favorite part about it is the search menu. Not only can you search for high fiber or high protein meals, but all the calories and nutrition are included with each recipe. There's also options for gluten free and vegetarian meals! Everything I've tried so far has been delicious!

2. Shopping List: I'm really picky when it comes to shopping list apps because I find myself not using them if they aren't designed right. My favorite part about this one is that you can assign colors to the items on your list, so all produce items will be grouped together and you're not searching through your list for like items when you're shopping! I also love that there's preloaded items so you only have to type a few letters and click so it's very fast and convenient.

3. Wanelo: As a lover of fashion and shopping I love having Wanelo on my phone now. It's like Pinterest because it lets you browse the clothing, jewelry and home goods that people post but the key here is that there is always a link to buy the item. I hate when you find something cute on Pinterest and then it's a dead end and you can't buy the item. Even if you're on a tight budget it's still a great app to browse for style inspiration or gift ideas for someone.

4. TV Guide: I don't have a guide for cable on the TV in my room so I love this app! My favorite part is being able to set a reminder on it so if I find something I want to watch later on I'll get a simple notification on my phone and I won't miss it!


5. MyFitnessPal: if you're looking for a calorie counter, look no further! This is the best one I've found out there that's free and it has so many great features. It has a massive database of foods and you can even input a recipe if you've made something. You put your weight in and how much you'd like to weigh and it tells you how many calories to eat per day. You can also input exercise and water consumption which is awesome. Even if you don't want to lose weight it's great to use as a food diary if you need to keep track of what you eat for health reasons, which is what I use it for and I love it!

If you try these apps out let me know what you think and don't forget to share your favorites.

Have a great Monday,

Andrea

How To: Organize the Top of a Dresser

I recently moved home and moved into a room that is much smaller than what I was used to my last year of college. Therefore, I rely heavily on being organized in order to not have to get rid of everything I own. Living in a small space means that it's a lot harder to keep your items out of sight so it's important that they are organized so that you still feel like your room is still peaceful. For the past two months I've been slowly organizing the top of my dresser and I've finally reached a point that I'm happy with so I thought I'd share it with you in case you need some ideas to do your own! For me the items on my dresser are things I use every day.

Here is an overview of what you see.

 Starting with the left side, this is a jar that I used to keep just bobby pins and hair ties in. I'm a huge believer that you need a specific spot for these items or else they are guaranteed to just disappear. I decided that I wanted my makeup brushes out and accessible so that when I wash them they can dry, so I decided this jar could be used for this purpose too! The bobby pins and hair ties still hang out at the bottom. The jar was a gift from when I graduated high school and it came with a red lid, but a mason jar could do the exact same job.

 This black velvet jewelry holder was a steal! I found it on amazon for only $6. Here is the link to it (Although I noticed it went up a few dollars after I got it). I used to keep my necklaces and bracelets in a hanging pocket closet jewelry holder but I decided I wanted to take out my most worn bracelets and display them since a lot of them are really pretty. This is what I ended up with and I love it so far. If you have a larger dresser top space and more bracelets Amazon has a lot of 2 and 3 tiered holders as well. The only negative I've found is that the velvet collects dust easily so if you don't dust a lot like I do, this may not be the best option for you.

I used to keep all of these items just placed on a decorative plate on my dresser but I really wasn't happy with how it looked. I was searching through the office section of Target one morning for a notebook, but came across this paper tray organizer and I got the best idea. If I placed it on my dresser I could hold a lot of important things. It's just a simple cardboard tray and it was only $4.99! I love how it's shallow so it doesn't feel huge on my dresser yet it keeps everything contained. In the back I keep a Michael Kors watch in the box. Then all of my body sprays and perfumes, a few mini hand sanitizers, a nail polish in whatever my nails are painted, as well as a top coat, two of my most worn pairs of sunglasses, a box of lip products (better shown below), and a container of bobby pins. 

Below is a close up of the lipstick holder I have. I'm not huge on lip products so this is really all that I have but I like having them out on display. The little box is a decorative one that one of my best friends gave me shot glasses from Barcelona in. It was so cute I didn't have the heart to throw it out so here it is being reused! It holds my lip items perfectly! (As you can see I'm a sucker for Revlon Lip Butters and Tarte LipSurgence products)

 Lastly, I'm a huge candle person so I always have one burning in my room and some backups. The one on top is a small soy one from Target but the one on the bottom is a Bath and Body Works one. The little tray in front is an old candle jar lid from Target and I use it for all of my rings and most worn earrings. The little clay jar with the sun held some earrings from Mexico that a friend gave me and I use it now for my most commonly worn studs.

So that's how I organize the top of my dresser. Feel free to leave a comment with how you organize yours! I hope you found some helpful tips that you can use in your room. 

Have a great day :)

-Andrea

I'm back!!

I've really missed LALAland recently and I've decided it's time to start getting serious again about posting. I love being able to share my ideas and tips with all the readers so it's time to start back up! If you have any suggestions about content you would like to see please let me know, otherwise I'll be back tomorrow with a brand new post :)

-Andrea

The Maxi

A good friend of mine asked me to make her some outfits using maxi skirts so I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone and make a post for LALAland as well! Since maxi skirts are my summer savior I was excited to plan two different pairings. The Maxi is my absolute favorite piece in my closet for two reasons. First and most important, they make you look like you're trying when the simple fact is you couldn't be more comfortable. I get the most compliments when I'm in a maxi skirt because they make you look put together. Secondly, they definitely make you look taller since they make your bottom half look so much longer. While I'm not really lacking inches at 5'6'' I will always gratefully accept a compliment about looking tall. As you can see below, my go-to summer colors are coral and mint green so I've incorporated both into the outfits below, however use the color palette that looks best with your skin tone. I own both a black maxi and a black and white striped maxi just like below and I can honestly say I wear both frequently. They are also a great way to showcase some of your fun summer accessories, such as statement necklaces and bright sandals. So if you haven't already, go out and purchase a maxi skirt. It's time to start looking good and feeling comfortable!

The Maxi by fontan13 

 

Study Sunday: Finals Week Edition

Happy Finals Week!

I know the words happy and finals should never be used in the same sentence but I wish you the best of luck as you walk the trails of energy drinks, research papers, junk food, power naps, multiple choice questions, and more. Here is another Study Sunday playlist to ease the pain. If you're looking for previous 8 tracks playlists click the 8 tracks tag and it'll take you to the others that I've made.

Good luck! Show those number 2 pencils and scantrons what you're made of!

-Andrea

LALAlinks

Happy Friday everyone! This week was a struggle to get through for me so I'm definitely in need of some rest this weekend. I finally have a monitor for my laptop to connect to so I can post more! Here's some interesting things I came across this week :)

• The really cool new pinterest-esque website Wanelo that shows you where to buy the pretty things you come across. No more dead ends when you find that perfect mint purse and are dying to know where it's from. 
• The song "Somebody That I Used to Know" is everywhere and I came across this really cool cover on YouTube. I love how five of them are playing the same guitar.
• Just Read it. You'll thank me after.
• My sister Marina's new food blog, New Food Journey! She's had to make a recent Gluten-Free change in her diet and she's documenting the whole process. She used to have a successful mommy blog so I have no doubt that this one will be as good or even better! We'd both appreciate it if you'd check it out and follow her.
• Sick of boring nails? Find some inspiration in Glamour's 5 OMG Nail Ideas Anyone Can Do.

I hope you have a fun, yet relaxing weekend!
Stay LALAlovely,

Andrea

Comfort Zone (pt. 2)

When it comes to the comfort zone of my makeup bag you will always find 3 important things. Boi-Ing concealer from Benefit Cosmetics certainly makes me feel comfortable because it covers everything up so well. I'll also never go without a tinted chap stick. Lastly is any champagne colored cream shadow. Whether I'm running to class in a hurry or doing a darker eye look for a night out, my routine always starts with a neutral cream shadow. What are your must haves in your beauty routine?

Also, my laptop had an unfortunate run in with my coffee thermos last week and sadly the thermos won. So my apologies if the posts are scattered until I can get that fixed. The poor thing has a dead screen that won't light up (much like my brain after this long week). Hooray for the weekend! I hope yours is great :)

-Andrea

Comfort Zone

Regardless of the current trends of the season, there are always certain must have items that we wear because they will always look good on us individually and bring out our best assets. For me, I'll always go back to sundresses and skinny belts. I don't know where my wardrobe would be without them. On top of specific types of items, there's also certain colors that I gravitate towards. If I'm in a completely blah mood and have no idea what to wear coral and magenta are my go-to colors. What are your favorite fashion items/colors that you always go back to?

Check back on Wednesday when I will do the same except with makeup items!

I hope your Monday was great!

-Andrea

Transforming comfortable into stylish.

When I have to spend an entire day on campus, it's important to me that I'm comfortable. However, I'm not really one to wear sweats to class so that's where this is post comes in. By adding a simple infinity scarf, necklace and drop earrings (sorry they're hard to see here), I'm able to transform a loose t shirt, skinnies, and boyfriend cardigan into a much cuter outfit. Who says comfortable can't be fashionable?

I pair this outfit with my favorite pair of Minnetonka Moccasins and I'm ready for a long day of class!

Have a great Wednesday!

-Andrea :)

“The best color in the whole world, is the one that looks good, on you!” -Coco Chanel

Happy Monday LALAlovelies :)
If you're like me, you and Monday morning aren't the best of friends. I've compiled some of my favorite fashion and beauty quotes to give a boost to the start of what will hopefully be a great week for you! I hope at least one of them will inspire you to get through my least favorite day of the week.


"Over the years I have learned that what is important in a dress is the woman who is wearing it." 
-Yves Saint Laurent 


"Give a girl the right shoes and she can conquer the world." -Marilyn Monroe


"What you wear is how you present yourself to the world, especially today, when human contacts are so quick. Fashion is instant language." -Miuccia Prada


"Nothing makes a woman more beautiful than the belief that she is beautiful." -Sophia Loren


"Don't be into trends. Don't make fashion own you, but you decide what you are, what you want to express by the way you dress and the way you live." -Gianni Versace


"Be sure what you want and be sure about yourself. Fashion is not just beauty, it's about good attitude. You have to believe in yourself and be strong." -Adriana Lima


Have a fabulous Monday and an even better week!


-Andrea

Spring Trends Part 2: Nautical Stripes (plus DIY!)

Nautical styles have been in season for awhile now. I especially love the stripes because they just have a classic feel to them. Below are some various ways to wear nautical stripes this season, just incase you don't already incorporate them into your wardrobe. 

Here's a DIY that I made last summer and never posted. All you need is a plain t shirt (I used an old gray V-neck from Urban Outfitters, some masking tape, acrylic paint in a color of your choice (I used mint green), a foam paint brush, and a piece of cardboard or foam that can fit inside your shirt. This DIY couldn't be easier. First, apply strips of masking tape. I chose to keep the stripes around the middle of the shirt and only on the front.

 Next, place the foam or cardboard inside your shirt so no paint bleeds through. Next, simply use your foam paintbrush to paint in between the tape stripes! Be careful not to add too much paint though, because the more you add, the stiffer the stripes will feel when it's dry. Once you're done painting peel off the paint and you'll have something like the picture below! Make sure you let it dry at least 24 hours before wearing it, although I recommend washing it before you do that to help get rid of some of the stiffness!

I hope you enjoy this DIY! I just wore mine the other day and got so many compliments. I have to say I really enjoy DIYs because not only is it cheaper most of the time, but you get a completely unique item that no one else will have! It feels good to tell someone you made it :) 

How will you being wearing nautical stripes this spring and summer? Also, please let me know if you try the DIY! 

Have a LALAlovely day!

-Andrea :)

Yum Yum!

I wasn't planning on posting today but then I was eating my lunch and figured others out there might be interested in it. I've recently become vegetarian so for my lunches I've been making a lot of tomato sandwiches. I thought I'd include how I make it since I know many of you are interested in eating healthy. Let me preface the recipe though by saying that I am in no way a dietitian or health expert. I simply love eating healthy because I can honestly see a difference in the way I feel.

Tomato Sandwich
1-sliced tomato
1-slice of reduced fat Provolone Cheese
lettuce
100-calorie whole wheat sandwich thin (I like the Arnold brand)
A squeeze of light mayo
A sprinkle of oregano

I personally love the taste of tomatoes so I don't add much mayo or oregano, but you could easily add some other flavors to this combination to excite your taste buds. Overall the sandwich is only about 212 calories. I used my favorite website Calorie King to calculate the nutritional information. They have thousands of different brands so it's really easy to track what nutrients you're putting into your body. There's also 8.4g of fat (12.9% DV), 11.5g of protein (23% DV), and 27.8g of carbohydrates (9.3% DV). (The percent daily values are based off a 2,000 calorie diet.) I normally also have a nutri-grain bar or a yogurt with my sandwich to complete my meal.

I hope you try this yummy lunch and if you do please let me know what you think of it! What do you like to eat for lunch that's healthy?

-Andrea

Spring Trends Part 1: Neon & Nude

A huge trend that I'm noticing is the combination of neons and nudes. It's such a fun look for spring because you can add bright pieces to the neutral ones that you already have. Here are some of my recommendations for incorporating this fun spring look into your wardrobe!

 Your nails are the perfect way to try new trends since they're less obvious than something you are wearing. Try painting all of your nails nude and then painting an accent nail a bright neon color. If you're really daring paint all of your nails a neon color to go with a neutral outfit.

    

One of the easiest ways to wear this trend is to wear a neutral outfit and add a bright neon scarf. I personally love my neon yellow scarf because it looks great with a black t shirt, a pair of dark wash skinny jeans, and a summer tan. As you can see above, plenty of brands are designing scarves that incorporate the neon and nude trend.    

Another simple way to wear neon and nude is with your purse. You could either add a bright purse to a nude outfit, like the pink and green ones above, or wear one that combines the trend, like the tan and neon yellow ones above.

   

Colored denim is absolutely huge right now and is a great way to wear neon and nude. Simply wear a pair of bright jeans like the ones above and make the rest of your outfit extremely neutral and nude and you'll look great! I'd personally pair a loose blouse and nude sandals with the pants. 

So what are your thoughts? Are you going to be trying this spring trend? You don't have to be an expert fashionista to try it. Start small with the nails maybe and work your way up to the colored denim. What other ways do you think you could incorporate this neon and nude into your outfits?

Stay LALAlovely,

Andrea :)

Atlantic-Pacific

Happy Weekend LALAlovelies,

So it's Saturday morning and I'm doing my usual of drinking coffee and catching up on my Bloglovin' from the week and I came across a post from one of my favorite fashion bloggers. I had to look through my entire blog because I couldn't believe that I haven't featured her yet. Her blog is titled Atlantic-Pacific and I love her style. She's not afraid to take risks and pairs items that I would never dream of. 

Here's the picture that gave me my aha! moment this morning.

Source: Atlantic-Pacific

That purple skirt kills me. The color and flow are to die for. This week I'm going to be featuring a mini series of posts featuring trends for spring in beauty and fashion, so look for that to start tomorrow!

-Andrea

St. Patty's Day!

Who's excited for St. Patty's Day? I know we sure are even though I'm the farthest thing from Irish. Although everyone's Irish on March 17th right?

Here's a little list of festive things you can do to get you in the spirit!

1: Paint your nails green.
2: Try some green eyeshadow. If that's too bold for you, try green eyeliner.
3: Wear green socks.
4: Irish Creamer in your coffee anyone?
5: Lucky Charms for breakfast (There's no way I'm skipping this)
6: Buy some Pot O' Gold chocolates and spread the Irish love.
7: Don't forget to dress head to toe in Green! (Ok maybe not head to toe, but you know what I mean)
8: And if all else fails, wear some green underwear!

How are you celebrating the holiday this week/weekend? Come back later in the week where I'll show you what I'm making to wear for festivities on Saturday!!

-Andrea

Four Random Beauty Tips

Tip #1: If I'm looking for some color on my lips but don't want anything too intense I put my chapstick on and immediately follow up with a lipstick before letting the chapstick soak in. This way it acts as a barrier on my lips and the color isn't too dark. My current favorites to this with are the Maybelline Baby Lips Chapstick and the Revlon Lip Butters.


Tip #2: If you get mascara anywhere around your eyes accidentally while trying to apply it, resist the urge to wipe it off right away! If you let it dry, you can use a Q-tip to easily flake it off. 


Tip #3: Don't move your mascara wand in and out of the tube tons of times trying to coat it well. Only do it once. Every time you do it you're bringing air into the product, causing the mascara to dry up quicker!


Tip #4: To add extra shine to your hair, after you're done rinsing it in the shower, rinse it really quickly with some cold water. Also blasting some cold air on it with your blow dryer will help. Doing these two things will help the cuticle lie flatter, creating a shinier and healthier appearance!


Happy Monday! Stay LALAlovely :)


-Andrea

I'll Cover You

I love when someone can pull off a really original and great cover so I thought for this playlist I'd share some of my favorite covers. What are some of your favorites?

Have a good week!
-Andrea

Top 12 Trends for 2012

According to People StyleWatch the Top 12 Fashion Trends for 2012 are:

1. Pleated Skirts
2. Little Red Dresses
3. Embellished Sweatshirts
4. Maxi Skirts and Button Downs
5. Nautical Stripes
6. Lemony Yellow
7. One-Shoulder Dresses
8. Green Leather
9. Multilength Skirts
10. Animal-Print Leggins
11. Sheer Skirts
12. Bright Tights

What are your thoughts? Which are your favorites that you think you'll try? I personally know I'll be incorporating at least 5 of these trends into my spring and summer wardrobes, so look for some upcoming posts regarding those and some other trends I'm seeing in recent fashion.

-Andrea

Two Steps to a Longer Lasting Manicure

To say that I have a nail polish obession would be quite an understatement. My nails are generally always painted and I love to experiment with whatever colors are on trend. Since I like to try new shades of polish, I don't like spending a lot of money on it. This leads to today's post. With my two tricks, I can make even cheap nail polish last a full week without having to change it. Do yourself a favor and go out and buy a nail buffer. I bought one from Revlon pretty inexpensively that has six different steps all on one tool. The first three are for filing and shaping your nails and the other three are for buffing them. After cutting your nails and pushing back your cuticles, follow the six steps and you will have gorgeous, shiny nails. For some reason when the nail polish likes to stick better to buffed nails, even though this seems crazy to me. Tip number two would be to use a good base coat on your nail prior to applying polish. This will help the polish adhere better and allow it to stay put longer. While this may make painting your nails take longer, you'll find that your nails don't chip as fast, so you'll apply polish less frequently. I personally love taking a break from my studying every Sunday just to do my nails. It makes Monday a little bit easier to get through when I see a pretty manicure on my fingers. :)

-Andrea

"The time to relax is when you don't have time for it."

We're currently on spring break right now and if you're school is anything like ours, this meant there was a stressful week of papers, exams and projects that led up to it. What did you do to combat the stress? My personal favorite is yoga. Sometimes it can be hard to wind down after a long and busy day, but I find that yoga helps me de-stress when I need to. I simply light a candle, turn off all the lights in my room, silence my phone and devote 20 to 30 minutes to calming myself. I personally love PM yoga by Gaiam. I used to use it at my parents' house when I was in high school and I've recently fallen back in love with it. To me, it's the perfect combination of stretching and meditating. After I'm done I make sure to have a cup of tea and I'm all relaxed and ready for a good night of sleep.

What are your favorite ways to de-stress?

-Andrea