Currently... (Vol. 27)

The weekend has really just flown by, and so has August! I can't believe this upcoming week will be the last of the month and Summer is ending! 

I had an excellent week filled with good people and fun activities! For a lot of people who do advocacy work, it was a slow week in DC because Congress is in recess. I took advantage of the slow pace and got caught up on my reading and podcasts and discovered some new favorites. Here are a few of those:

Blog Maintenance To-Do List

I did a blog makeover back in February of this year but I still have a lot other things I have to tweak that I've been putting off (bad blogger over here). The next few months, I'm planning on doing some housekeeping with this blog and update a few things to keep things current. If it's been a while since you've done some blog maintenance, you can use my to-do list as well! 

Oh Baby | Polka Dot Dress and Studded Pumps

Dress: ASOS (old, similar here) || Accessories: Tory Burch bag, LOFT sunglasses || Shoes: Sole Society Tiia

Beginner's Makeup Collection for Less Than $50

While I'm no makeup junkie, I've figured out what works best for me. This required years of trial and error on my part and while I have a pretty sizable collection of makeup now, there are a few things I wish I knew when I was just starting out. I didn't really start wearing makeup until my third year of college and back then I seriously had no idea what I was doing. I used to buy eyeshadow palettes in colors I would never wear and foundations in shades that were way off. In this post, I'm listing a few items that I've come to love (that are pretty affordable) for those of you who are just starting out with makeup.

Casual Date Night | Lace Sweater and Floral Romper

Top: H&M sweater (similar here) || Bottoms: Forever 21 romper, worn as shorts (similar here) || Accessories: Kate Spade crossbody, Forever 21 choker (similar here) || Shoes: Sole Society Joesy 

Currently... (Vol. 26)

The end of another week has come and another Monday is to arrive. I've been so jetlagged for most of the week but I'm looking forward to rebooting into another one. 

Now, onto some of the things I've enjoyed currently:

The Vineyards of Gilroy

My last day in California I went with Brian and his family to a few vineyards in Gilroy. It's funny because when I used to think of Californian vineyards, I would think of Napa Valley. When I mentioned this to Brian, he scoffed and told me he thought Napa was overrated. Shows how much I know :/

Well, I didn't make it to Napa but the Gilroy vineyards were spectacular! The weather was quite hot but a dry heat without humidity. Coming from the swampy DC, this was fantastic weather. 

San Francisco and Monterey | Striped Flats and Comfy Leggings

Top: Forever 21 tee (similar here), Forever 21 chambray || Bottoms: Zara (similar here) | Accessories: Tory Burch bag, Ray Ban Sunglasses || Shoes: H&M (similar here)

Portland Arts

Next up on my travel itinerary was the Portland Art Museum!

OMSI | Lace Sweater and Striped Midi

Top: H&M (similar here) || Bottoms: Forever 21 dress, worn as a skirt, (similar here) || Accessories: Kate Spade bag || Shoes: Sole Society Joesy

Flight Beauty Essentials

I've been traveling a bit this week (first from DC to Portland, and then to San Francisco) and it's been messing with my skincare routine. I think we all have to make adjustments when traveling but I've narrowed down to the essential items to use while in-flight:

Beginner's Guide to Bullet Journaling

Organizing my life is something I try really hard to do - I love having a big to-do list to cross off and looking at it at the end of the day to see how much work I got done! For this to get done, I need to have a good system in place so I decided to try my hand at the ever-popular organizing method of bullet journaling!

Portlandia | Floral Dress and Chambray Shirt

Top: Forever 21 chambray shirt (similar here) || Dress: Forever 21 (similar here) || Accessories: Ray Ban sunglasses, Kate Spade bag || Shoes: Sole Society Joesy

4 Ways to Work Smarter, Not Harder

I'm all about efficiency - in my opinion, it's always better to do 5 hours worth of work in an hour than do an hour's worth of work in 5. I think most people would agree with me but oftentimes this is easier to say than it is to do. So today I want to share a few of my tips to get things done efficiently:

Eastern Market | Lace Sweater and Denim Shorts

Top: H&M (similar here) | Bottoms: Forever 21 (similar here) | Accessories: Ray-Ban sunglasses, Zara bag (similar here) | Shoes: Sole Society Joesy 

Currently...(Vol. 25)

Greetings from Portland!

I'm here visiting my best friend Jen! Longtime readers know that not only is she my old photographer in the early days of my blog, she's also a librarian who has frequent done guest book reviews here.

I've been here for only 2 days but I'm already trying to stay longer! Portland is such a cool city full of environmentally-conscious-minded people (Does that make sense? I'm still pretty jet-lagged right now...) with interesting ideas. Very different from Washington, DC, that's for sure.

Now, on to the things I've been enjoying currently:

Nail Care Routine and Essentials

I admit, I'm rough on my nails.
When people comment on the rough condition of my nails, I chalk it up to my eczema which makes the skin around my nails peel, but truthfully, I also have a pretty bad nail-biting habit. I've been trying for the last month to make taking care of my nail health more of a priority which means (for me, anyway), accumulating a few products that would help with my endeavor. Here are the things and routines that have helped me take control of my nails:

West Coast Travel Checklist

I mentioned this in my August 2016 Bucket List but I'm traveling to the west coast on Friday (tomorrow)!

I'm notorious for always forgetting something and I'm trying to be better at packing smart. That means checklists galore! Here is my list:

Morning Commute | Pink Bodysuit and Mesh Skirt

Top: Forever 21 || Bottoms: Forever 21 (similar here) || Accessories: Tory Burch York tote, LOFT sunglasses, H&M earrings || Shoes: Zara (similar here) 

Four Ways to Really Unplug

My name is Deborah and I am a phone-addict. 

I know that I really struggle with switching off and truly enjoying the moment because I'm constantly plugged into my phone with a million apps open at all times. I really began to decide to do something about this when I noticed I was opening up a game on my phone while I was watching a movie with my boyfriend. I can't even sit and watch a movie without having an app open. 

Enough is enough. Here are some ways I've found really help me to truly unplug and focus on one thing at a time:

Baby Clothes | Bodysuit and High-Waisted Shorts

Top: Forever 21 || Bottoms: Forever 21 || Accessories: Kate Spade crossbody, H&M earrings, Ray Ban sunglasses || Shoes: Zara (similar here)