JA x BAREMINERALS

I'm a huge fan of Bareminerals's Bare Escentuals mineral foundation.  I have pretty oily skin, so if I don't wear powder foundation things get ugly, and I like that it's so good for your skin and not too heavy.  They're currently doing a special collaboration with none other than Jonathan Adler, so you can get your foundation and matching brush in this groovy J.A. print! Considering I left my Bareminerals foundation in the locker room of my gym in Spain and am currently using some weird Spanish power foundation, I think a trip to Sephora is in order!

via sephora

MUSIC MONDAY: THE GREAT GATSBY

Are y'all as excited for The Great Gatsby as I am?

It was one of my favorite books in high school, and the 1920's are one of my favorite eras.  I literally cannot wait. I'm a big fan of Baz Luhrmann as well, and I love his tendency to use modern music in a period piece.  The first Great Gatsby trailer with Jay Z and Kanye's "No Church in the Wild" was absolutely killer, and the rest of the soundtrack has been hotly anticipated.  

Here is the just released sampler, to tide us over until the album comes out in early May!

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

"There's nothing half so pleasant as coming home again."
Margaret Elizabeth Sangster

As amazing as it is to travel the world and meet new people and speak new languages, 

there's nothing quite like being home. Greetings from sunny Southern California!

image via.

HASTA LUEGO BARCELONA

I can't believe that I'm writing this post already, but it's true - tomorrow morning I'll be on a flight back to the States, and it's so unbelievable.  While I am extremely glad to see my family and sleep in my own bed and drink a Diet Coke (not a Coca Light), it's going to be weird to not be here in BCN. I've been here since Jan. 6th - I can still remember the awkward introduction to my host family that very first afternoon.  I seen so many cool things, been so many amazing places, and met so many awesome people. I have my own routine here - which metro I take, the places I eat, the stores I shop at.  They warn you about re-entry shock (the opposite of culture shock), so we'll have to see if I experience it at all.  I had an amazingly perfect last day, with a Bo de B sandwiches, all my best friends, sangria on the beach, one last sangria-and-tapas feast for dinner, and one last dance-all-night night out on the town.  Despite the three (three!) suitcases stacked up in the corner and my now-empty room, it still hasn't really hit me yet. All I know is that this has been an amazing experience, and I plan to come back to this city any chance I get.

For now, adios mis amigas, and next time I post it'll be from the good ol' US of A!

 photo via

MUSIC MONDAY: COACHELLA EDITION

In case y'all live under a rock, the first weekend of Coachella just happened, so pretty much all week my Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram feeds have been chock-full of Coachelly goodness, inspiring a serious case of FOMO.  One of the things I was sad to miss out on was this gem: Phoenix rocking out with the man, the myth, the legend: R. Kelly. Ignition x 1901? Strange on so many levels, but it actually kind of works.  Hope this makes your Monday a little bit better!

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

image via

SHOPPING SPREE

Okay, not really a spree, per say, considering I only bought two things. But two full price things at Zara as a college student studying abroad is like whoa! major shopping spree.  Anyway, I tried these pants and this dress on the other day and didn't buy them because my wallet started crying just thinking about it, but then I talked to my mom and she sent me an email the next day saying that she had thought about it and she thought I should go back and buy the pants, because who knew if I would be able to find a skinny-but-not-sausage-tight pair of waxed black jeans for 30 euro this fall?  

So I took that as a sign to buy the dress too. 

ONE + TWO

DRINK OF THE DAY: BLACK PEPPER KUMQUAT MARGARITA

via.

MUSIC MONDAY: THE STELLA SISTERS

Do y'all watch Nashville? It's one of my current must-see-TV picks.  I love the country music, the drama, and of course, Connie Britton.  They also have great music that's never overdone, and on the most recent episode Connie Britton's character, country singer Rayna James, lets her daughters up on stage for the sound check and they absolutely blow everyone away.  The girls are Lennon and Maisy Stella, real life sisters from Canada - and most impressively, they're only 13 and  8! So crazy.  Check out their performance of the Lumineer's "Ho Hey" on Nashville last week, and I definitely recommend adding the show to your DVR list!

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

I grew up in Lilly shifts, and still love her agendas and tumblers and make-up cases (in my sorority's print, natch) for adding a little color and whimsy into my everyday life.  The world will be a little less colorful after today. RIP Lilly!

via

THAT LAST BRO I DATED

Jess Grave's THE LOVE LIST is one of my all time fav blogs, and her latest spin-off doesn't disappoint.  Her tumblr " THAT LAST BRO I DATED " chronicles her love of all things menswear.  It's a go-to page for inspiration for tomboy chic or for the man in your life.  If all of the site's pictures and quotes and songs somehow manifested themselves in a real live boy, he would never be "that last bro I dated", because let's be real, who would break up with such a cool dude?

TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS: LEAN IN

So if you're been living under a rock, this chick here is Sheryl Sandberg.  She's the COO of Facebook, a bona fide badass, and she just wrote a book about women and leadership that's making all the headlines. It was based off of a TedTalk she did back in 2010 called "Why we have too few women leaders". I read it over Spring Break and loved it - she offers a lot of insight into women's leadership, particularly how women hold themselves back, and what we can do to change that.  As a women and as someone entering the workforce very soon, I enjoyed hearing her stories and advice, and will definitely take some of her points to heart in my future career.  Check out the video below to learn a little more about Sheryl's story.

She also just did a open question and answer session with young professional women on the Levo League (which, if you haven't checked that out yet, you should - it's a great resource for Gen Y women).  I highly recommend you click through to it here to hear some more wisdom as she answers tough questions from young professional women.  Basically, Sheryl takes cares of business in a big way, and any woman, whether they want to be a CEO or not, should either watch the TedTalk or read the book so they can learn how to LEAN IN in whatever they do.

*Just a disclaimer: Not everyone is as big of a fan of the book as I am. (You can do a quick Google search if you'd like to read some very well-written critiques, including this one.)  Many have pointed out that her book focuses mainly on the corporate world, and doesn't really apply to anyone who's not white, married, and privileged. Obviously, it's hard to write the perfect book, especially about this, but I think she does get a lot of things right. I suggest you read the book for yourself and form your own opinions!

image via vogue and video via leanin.org

FANCY FEET

Wishing these punchy DV by dolce vita oxfords were on my feet this spring!

HISTORY OF RAP

In honor of Jimmy Fallon makin' moves to the Tonight show, I give you this gem:

the most recent installment in Jimmy and JT's "History of Rap",

one of my favorite moments on the show.

#obsessed

GET AT ME

Things I want right now: bright neon spring colors.

01. colorful anthro thank you notes

02. tory burch flamingo cosmetics case

03. etsy's loveobsessed banging allie tortoise cuff

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Ain't that the truth!  

Hope y'all enjoy something sweet this Easter Monday!

via.