Summer Must Haves: Palazzo Pants

images via Free People

Literally one of my favorite items of clothing for the Summer...palazzo pants. They are so amazing in so many ways! They are especially amazing for me since they elongate my silhouette.. and since I am 5'2"...that is pretty damn great. They are so light and cute..perfect for this ridiculous heat that we have been having lately! Wear them with a cute simple tank top or a little lace crop top. Pair them with some cute leather sandles or wedges! They are perfect if you want that laid back "bohemian chic" look! Have fun with them! 

Summer Must Haves: Maxi Dresses

images from freepeople and asos

Okay...so I will be doing a little series of my Summer "must haves." Summer is my favorite time of the year for many reasons... but one of the main reasons is the clothes! I love to experiment with my wardrobe in the Summer. Usually around this time of the year, the "boho" chick comes out in me. I love colors, flowy dresses, lace and crochet tops, etc. Summer is all about easy dressing and comfortability. Maxi dresses are one of the easiest pieces of clothing ever created..and they are super cute! Try to play around with different colors, prints, fabrics and textures... Play them up with cute, colorful accessories! The last dress from Free People is my favorite because you can do so much with it! I love how it is styled with the head piece, arm jewelry and the fun bag! Pair these dresses with a cute pair of sandals or wedges. You can keep this casual for daytime or dress it up for nighttime. Either way, it is super cute and easy! 

Off Topic.... The Importance of a SPF

I will never be able to stress to my friends enough how important sunscreen is. A lot of my friends tan in tanning salons. This is probably the worst thing for someone's skin. Tanning outside alone is bad, but tanning inside with no protection whatsoever is ten times worse. From experience, when going into a tanning salon (I used to tan) they give you tanning lotion. This has no SPF or protection in it. It really just draws the UV rays to your body more so you get a stronger tan...hence more damage to your skin. I do not believe that you can use a sunscreen for indoor tanning. Trust me..I've tried it..and I still got pretty burnt a couple of times. I usually tan pretty well and will rarely get burnt. 

My grandmother had skin cancer, and it was a huge wake up call for everyone in my family. From then on, my parents would always make me put on sun screen when I went out into the sun. If I am sunbathing, I will usually where an SPF 30. If the rays are stronger, I will put a SPF 45 on my face. Many people think that you only need to put an SPF on when you're laying out in the sun...wrong. Many people also think you only need to wear an SPF during the summer....wrong.  I wear a moisturizer that has an SPF in it every single day. I put it on every single morning. I use Hope in a Jar by Philosophy. I love it soooo much. It is such an amazing moisturizer. By using an SPF every single day, I am preventing early aging. Yes...that means getting wrinkles when I'm in my late 30's. Many people who use a sunscreen every day have incredible skin and also look extremely young. 

Over the weekend, many people from my school came back looking very sun burnt. I think people ignore the fact of how dangerous sun burn really is. Many people say..."It'll just turn to tan."..ignoring the fact that serious damage has been done to their skin. I am not scared or embarrassed to admit that I will use self tanner if I feel I need to be a bit tanner. Many self tanners today look incredibly natural. My favorite right now is Sun Labs. Once in a while I will get a spray tan done. Self tanning is a safe way to get tan. I am not saying that you have to completely avoid outdoor tanning all together... Just make sure that you are protecting yourself when you do so. Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer. So, just make sure that you are protecting your skin every single day! 

p.s...there is no such thing as a "water proof" sunscreen. Also, anything that is SPF 15 or below will not give you the protection you need to help protect your skin against cancer. So those of you using a tanning oil with SPF 8....try again. 

Summer Style: Crop Tops

From Prada to Emilio Pucci, a handful of designers chose to rock the "crop top" trend. This is a trend that can be extremely tricky to wear, because lets face it....not all of us have these models bodies. I am actually pretty sure that every woman is a little bit self conscious of her mid section. Also, we do not want this to look slutty. 

I am just going to say this flat out... If you are not in shape, do not wear this trend. It does not look good on somebody who may not be in shape in the mid drift area. If you are in shape...there are plenty of ways to wear this look!..

The most common way I have seen girls wear this look is a cropped tshirt/top with high waisted denim shorts. This is a light, extremely cute look for those hot summer days! If you want to dress it up a little bit more, get rid of those shorts and throw in a high waisted skirt. Now be careful with the skirt. Many girls will wear a crop top/bustier with an extremely short, tight pencil skirt. This is when it can look semi-slutty. I would wear it with an a-line skirt...or a pencil skirt that hits right above the knees. You can even pair it with a flowy maxi skirt! Another way to wear a crop top is with some cute, light, printed pant (skinny or wide legged). My personal favorite is a cute wide legged pant. This is so light and airy..perfect for the summer! It is a perfect boho look! If I were to pair my top with a loose pant, I would probably opt for a lace/crochet crop top. The key to this look I think is to not show the belly button. If you show the belly button...it could end up looking very Britney Spearish circa 'I'm a Slave for You'. Not the classiest look... But most of all, have fun with this trend! Experiment with different materials, prints, etc. Summer is all about fun clothing! 

photos via Style.com

Hair Jewelry Obsession + Prom

One of my obsessions lately. Hair jewelry is such a fun way to spice up a simple outfit! It is a perfect mix of boho and rocker. You can make it really sweet looking or really sexy! Free People has some amazing pieces...a little bit on the expensive side though. Nicole Richie, who's style I have been obsessed with for years, wears these so well! They look absolutely perfect on her! Vanessa Hudgens also loves hair jewelry..and looks super cute wearing them! 

On another note, yesterday was my junior prom! It was a pretty fun time! I went with my best friend Nic... I'm not much of a prom girl.. I absolutely hate the look of prom dresses with the tacky prints, gems, cutouts.. Don't even get me started on prom hair. But, all of my friends looked amazing last night..actually everyone looked amazing last night! Nobody really over did it...most dresses were appropriate..and non-slutty. Please girls...with the cut out dresses. If you don't have a model body, don't wear it. It will not do you any favors. This is also not a time to show your boobs for the whole world to see. A little cleavage is alright, but keep the girls mostly tucked in. Do not wear super tight..up your booty dresses. You don't want to spend all night pulling down your dress! Also, do not pile on the makeup. Depending on your dress and hair....do a nice natural smokey eye with a natural glowy face...OR...keep the eyes and face natural with a bold lip! Pick one or the other. Don't do a smokey eye with a bright pink lip.. It looks way too over done. But most of all, have fun!! Dance the night away with your friends, boyfriend..girlfriend...whoever! 

a picture of my dress....you can't really see the embellishment on the bodice..but oh well. And it looks lavenderish...it's not. 

not a fashion post...

I have been looking to re do my room lately. I love looking at room/house decorating. These are some of the things that have inspired me. I really just want to paint all of my room white...get pretty white bedding...and put a punch of candles in my room. Hopefully my father will let me do it! My room just doesnt feel right as of now... Although I have a huge buddha painting that I LOVE. I am actually going to go take a picture of it right now and show you! 

....here it is!!! It is huge. It basically takes up my whole wall. It's so freaking cool though. I was so happy when I found it a couple of years ago. I am definitely taking it with me to college...not that it would even fit in a dorm. But, maybe when I get an apartment. Speaking of college, I am going on a bunch of college tours next week! Pretty excited! Oh!! ...And I got a tattoo about two weeks ago! It is of the "padma" symbol...which means lotus flower. It is written in sanskrit (an old Indian language). When I found out the meaning of it...it just seemed incredibly relevant to my life.Spiritually, the lotus flower is incredibly symbolic. As I understand it, in many religions it's regarded as a physical representation of the human soul. The lotus starts it's life beneath the murky waters but eventually blossoms into the most beautiful of flowers basking in sunshine. For me, the significance is profound - it's about rising above the struggle to reach a point of enlightenment. I love it...and I want more...but just a couple more. So..yeah! That is what I have been up to lately.. I am on spring break right now (FINALLY!) Oh, and I got a tumblr. Becoming pretty addicted to it..even though I said I would never get one. Oh well. I have one now. And my brother Vince is home for the weekend! So I am going to be spending a little bit of time with him! :) 

dreaming of summer...

I've been dreaming so much about summer....ugh..it just needs to be here! I have been very inspired by white lately..just reminds me of how close summer is. It's minimalism and simplicity is just beautiful. It looks great with a tan too! I have an urge to wear a nice crisp white blouse with skinny white pants. Just sounds so good to me! But, mother nature has been such a tease lately. Just a week ago it was 80 degrees...and now its 46 and rainy. Not fair at all. I want to wear shorts again! 

I'm watching the Flyers game right now, and they are making a HUGE come back. I am praying that they can score again in the 3rd and keep the lead. They still have a lot of time, so we'll see how everything plays out! Lalalalallaa xoxo