100

10x10= ONE HUNDRED: 100 =Things I Love Including You!

April 30, 2014

Since September 2012, I've gone through many changes and grown so much. I changed my school (well, college), my hair color twice, my hair length, my relationship status, my car, my house, sadly not my phone, my running shoes, and many more. However one thing I didn't change was my blogging platform and url. I've been here on dsdstyle.blogspot.com since September 2012, and I've created 100 posts since then. It's been a little over a year and six months, and I've never learned so much in that amount of time then I have with this blog.
Not to get all sentimental, but just like any good relationship, you gotta appreciate them milestones. My blog and I are past the honeymoon part of our relationship and we're thriving - I thankfully don't see us splitting up in the near future.
I'd like to thank all of you lovelies for believing in me and reading this babble I post sometimes. I never thought I'd accumulate any reader, but somehow I have. I've also had sososo many opportunities through this, Glam-Express, Youtube, and HerCampus. I can't wait to keep riding this rollercoaster.

Now to celebrate my 100th-ness, I'd like to share my top 10 of my top 10 things, if that makes any sense. 




1. Top 10 Youtubers (in no order)
1. Rachel Whitehurst
2. Grace Helbig
3. Jenn Im
4. John Green
5. Bethany Mota
6. Cassey Ho
7. MissMeghanMakeup
8. Arden Rose
9. Michelle Phan
10. Tyler Oakley








2. Top 10 Bands (In no order)
1. The Story So Far
2. The Wonder Years
3. Coldplay
4. Mayday Parade
5. Two Door Cinema Club
6. The Wombats
7. Pierce The Veil
8. A Day to Remember
9. All Time Low
10. Bastille




3.Top 10 Social Media Sites I Use In Order Of Frequency
1. Facebook (sorry, I still check it first...)
2. Twitter
3. Instagram
4. Snapchat
5.  Youtube
6. Blogger
7. Hootsuite
8. Mashable
9. Tumblr
10. Behance 




4. Top 10 Best TV Shows
1. Gossip Girl
2. Parks and Rec
3. Awkward
4. Girls
5. The Office
6. Mad Men
7. Big Brother
8. Vanderpump Rules
9. iCarly
10. Suburgatory

5. Top 10 Most used Programs on my Computer 
1. iMovie
2. iTunes
3. Google Chrome
4. iPhoto
5. Adobe inDesign
6. Adobe Photoshop Elements 12
7. iCal
8. Skype
9. Pages
10. Photobooth

6. Top 10 Most used Apps on my iPhone
1. UP by Jawbone
2. Twitter
3. iTunes Radio
4. Instagram
5. Vinted
6. iMessage
7. Mail
8. Snapchat
9. Embark Boston
10. Dunkin' Donuts





7. Top 10 Fashion Trends This Year
1. Daisies
2. Flower Crowns
3. Androgyny
4. Flatforms
5. Chunky Necklaces
6. Miss-Matching/ mixing patterns
7. Peter Pan collars
8. Neutrals
9. Skater skirts
10.  White & Black







8. Top 10 Beauty Products
1. Kate Moss Lipstick
2. Rimmel Stay Matte Powder
3. Benefit "They're Real" mascara
4. Benefit "Watts Up" highlighter
5. St. Ive's Blemish Control face scrub
6. Bare Essentials blush
7. ELF eyelash curler
8. Pink body spray
9. Revlon Balm Stains
10. Aveeno calming lotion






9. 10 Reasons I love blogging!
1. It's a way for me to have a creative outlet
2. I get to give advice and express my opinion
3. It's a way to gather my thoughts
4. I can make videos and graphics
5. I have freedom - I AM my own boss
6. Sometimes cool people read them and give me feedback
7. It makes me feel important when people notice my blog
8. It helps me develop writing and social media skills that I'll be using in the future at a job in PR
9. It makes me feel like I have a purpose
10. It's always something I've done.

10. 10 reasons I love YOU!
1. YOU
2. GUYS
3. ARE
4. AWESOME!
5. THANK YOU SO MUCH
6. FOR EVERYTHING
7. SERIOUSLY
8. I MEAN IT
9. XOXO
10. ME




photo credit:
GRACE HELBIG - picture from buzztubeonline.com
TSSF - picture from thewellzstreetjournal.com
UP - picture from itunes.apple.com
CHUCK AND BLAIR - picture from tvfanatic.com
CHUCKY NECKLACE - picture from www.trendhunter.com
BENEFIT THEYRE REAL - picture from www1.bloomingdales.com

bb cream

REVIEW: STUDIO GEAR COSMETICS CC CREAM

April 21, 2014


If you want to see me freak out, watch me put on cc cream. Like, it CHANGES COLORS RIGHT BEFORE YOUR EYES! Ahh! 
I recently tried Studio Gear Cosmetic's Hydrating CC cream, and I had the same reaction. I'm obsessed. It's perfect for the summer, especially with the Studio Gear Cosmetics hydrating CC cream. It makes any look so effortless, and applying it is so effortless as well. It's the only ammo your skin needs to combat the approaching hot summer.

I used it in the latest makeup tutorial on my YouTube page. Watch my "fresh summer face" tutorial below! Then, find out how to snag the CC cream for yourself. 


GET THE CC CREAM AT A DISCOUNT!
use the code bloggercc to get 10% off at studiogearcosmetics.com.




This is a sponsored post, powered by BrandBacker.




alone

LIFESTYLE: THE POWER OF BEING ALONE

April 18, 2014



As the spring an summer sun approaches, being outside becomes more and more of a daily activity. Walking downtown or to the park with friends can be a great time, however I’m a firm believer in the power of “me-time.” I’m not afraid to to the park alone.
As humans, we all need down time. We will go crazy if we’re constantly doing errands, work, or writing e-mails. We need that idle time to calm our minds and keep that creative juice, well, juice-ing. One of my favorite writers and Marketing professionals CC Chapman once said we must learn to idle well.
How we idle all depends on our personalities. Extroverts idle fine while being with others, it doesn’t tire them out too much being with others. However when introverts go out with others they’re exhausted when they come home because, even if this sounds horrible, social interaction tires them out. 
No matter if we’re introverts or extroverts, the most valuable bonding time we need is with ourselves. If we don’t spend time independently, we’ll never learn to think independently. Part of “finding who we are” is spending time alone to just think, or not think. Do we order the same food and drink when we’re alone that we do when we’re with company? Do we possess the Mean Girls mentality while shopping? (“You wouldn’t buy something without having others plastics approve first, right?”) I’m almost the opposite when it comes to that. This sounds horrible, I know, but I mainly only trust magazines or Bloggers/Youtube Gurus for fashion advice. If I ask my friends if they like something and they don’t I’ll go ahead and buy it. I know what I like, and if I feel good and confident in it, I’m going to rock it. You’re shopping for yourselves, not your friends.
Picture from weheartit.com
That tangent aside, I just like to stress the important of taking drives by yourself just to drive, or taking a walk with only you and your headphones. Of course I absolutely love hanging out with my friends and family. If you’re close enough to someone, then hanging out with only them can feel like alone time. 
Me time can be the most productive and soothing of the week. Try to fit in 5 minutes of absolute silence a day, and a bit of “me time” every week. Even going to Starbucks with a friend but you're both on your laptops can count. As a matter of fact, I'm doing that exaclty with my roommate right now. And no, G-Mail can not be your date. However Netflix can be, he’s way more cute than G-Mail. 

PS -- working out the best me-time you can give yourself.



break

LIFESTYLE:5 HEALTH TIPS COLLEGE KIDS SHOULD KNOW AND DON'T

April 10, 2014

The college life doesn't exactly lend itself to a healthy life, unfortunately. I'm not just talking eating right and exercising, but also sleeping, social health, and well.. your immune system can be compromised. Actually, it will be compromised. Life happens. However after almost completing a year of college and living in a communal space (that may or may not be cleaned all the times it's supposed to be) I believe I'm equipped to lend you some help in this department. Here are five helpful tips that you can carry with you to combat all of these future problems, and to keep your immune system or any other part of your life from being compromised. 


1. A little breakfast perspective...
Breakfast is way more important than you think. Even if you have an 8 AM class and you don't have time to have a good breakfast, just grab a granola bar or a banana/apple and take it to class with you. I'm begging you, and you'll thank yourself. Studies most certainly have shown that people that skip breakfast lose less weight and even gain weight compared to those who skip out on the granola. I know there are those that say, "I'm too nauseous to even eat that early," however its recommended to eat at least an hour within waking up. Wait until you get to class, maybe you won't be so sick then. Well, it depends on the class. if it was Microbiology, I might hurl, too. 


If you like to start off your day with a little exercise, the girls of Tone It Up recommend having a banana and maybe some coffee before you exercise. You have to have something in your stomach to 1. keep you going and 2. burn calories, not muscle.



If you do have time to have a big breakfast, here are some things I recommend: 
                                 

"Catching up" on sleep may leave you behind...
It's college, there are some times where we either have to pull an all-nighter, or are out late with our friends and we magically remember we have an 8 AM class at 3 AM. After those nights, usually the next day is filled with  a deep slumber from 9 PM to 9AM. That twelve hours of sleep may sound wonderful, but most people feel groggy after sleeping that long. This is because it is more healthful for our bodies to have a set sleep schedule, than sleep longer nights. If you can get to bed by midnight during the week, that's great. Set an alarm for the earliest you wake up, and wake up at that time every day, but if you can sleep in sleep in after that alarm. Even if you just go to the bathroom at that time. Maintaining a regular sleep cycle keeps both your circadian rhythm and your under eye circles happy.


picture from pcmag.com
I use my Up by Jawbone not only ot track my steps but my sleep. This is usually what my night of sleep looks like. I am for 7.5 hours of sleep, and usually get between that and 8.5.


Keep your stuff clean, keep your body clean
College can be a breeding ground for germs, it's not secret. 50 girls or boys sharing one bathroom, not including guests of others can be a recipe for disaster. Think of how many people sat on that toilet seat before you? And you best hope those counters are cleaned thoroughly. Not to make you paranoid or anything! Unless it's too late, oops. Just remember to keep your area tidy, well swept and disinfected if you can. Sleep and eat your vegetables to keep your immune system strong. In a communal living space, you'll need a strong immune system. 

Coffee's great, but don't over-do it

I know, I'm sorry to break these news to you. As an avid coffee love, addict, junkie, or whatever you call it, I feel you. Coffee and tea are great to get your metabolism started and start off your day. However, don't rely on it. It's better for you body for you to stay in and work on that project then come back and do an all-nights, or trickle your work on it so you don't do it all at once all-nighter style. Then, you're depending on your caffeine to get you through. Coffee is trusty, but it's more of a mood booster for me now. If you're up to two large coffee's a day, maybe trade that other coffee for an extra hour of sleep.




Refresh your body, refresh your mind
We all find our inspiration in different ways, but when I go for a walk and smell the fresh air, I instantly get inspired by the outdoors. I know, that sounds as cliche as roses are red but it works! Binge-watching on Netflix is a great thing to do and one of my favorite pastimes, but in order to keep a healthy mind and body we need to get some fresh air. Also, I've found that having a MINIMUM of 15 minutes of alone time every day is very beneficial. If we're constantly around people, we start to almost turn into them. We don't want to be anyone else besides ourselves! As an only child I prefer doing things alone, and almost get bothered when people ask if I can come. I'm appalled when people beg people to go places with them. Take some alone time with the flowers and cute dogs that walk by. You might make a new furry friend while freeing your mind.


I hope these easy tips helped. College can be a time when literally everything is flying at you at once and you can forget about the little things like eating and sleeping. Stay healthy!



account

Personal: Keeping Up Instagram Style

April 03, 2014


Keep Up - Lately on Instagram

Like everyone else, my instagram is the portal to my daily life. I thought I'd start doing a "personal" post every once in a while, summing up my instagram and what I've been doing. I thought it would be a nice refresher other than me barking at you to buy a piece of clothing or do 50 roll ups. (If you didn't get the roll-up reference, check out my latest youtube video.) Here's what I've been up to lately according to my instagram

The oldest picture is of my cohost for our radio show "Dom and Nik at Night", Dominique, and I at the young the giant concert! We got right up to the barricade the whole time. It was such an unreal experience, I almost cried. SO MANY FEELS. Also a great tip  - eat at the House of Blues before so you can "skip the line", just show your receipt at the door

The end of March was the one year anniversary of my Nanny and Papa's death. They were two angels for me my whole life. They loved me with their whole heart, because I'm an only child so I got all the looooove. I miss the 4-hour trips up to DownEast Maine. However, their love was an eternal love story. I'll cherish them forever.

This weekend my I showed some Pennsylvan-ians around  the Witch City and the Boston area. We explored the best of what downtown Salem has to offer. We came across the Derby St. Bookstore, yes, the one from tumblr! All of the books are piled on top of each other, but you can easily find a gem. The owner is retiring and the store is going out of business, so it was all 70% off! I found a Gossip Girl book, and a book called "The Fall of Advertising and the Rise of PR." I'm such as communications nerd, I squealed as soon as I saw that.










This is a picture of my roommate (far left), me (middle), and Tiffany, one of the Pennsylvanians (far right). We desperately wanted to try French macarons. On a rainy day in Boston, we finally found them at Modern pPstry. They were DIVINE! The owner of the small North-End bakery gave us free biscotti as well.










A final cool thing that happened this week was that my Writing for the Media class went to the TV Studio of my school. I learned how to be the "on-air talent", work the control room, and work the camera. It was super fun! I'd have to say my favorite part was working the camera. My first dream was the be a news anchor (only after my dream of being the next Britney Spears failed). My TV Crew here is Victoria, Me, Marcio, and Dominique!








Thanks for much for reading this, I hope my life currently is interesting, or at least a part of it!
Just a gentle reminder that my Smashbox giveaway ends April 14. Check out the deets in this video: