If you have been following me on Instagram  or Snapchat lately, you've probably noticed that I've been doing a lot of traveling lately. From Spain to the South of France, traveling on a budget requires that I pack light. As a fashionista this can be especially hard, but if I can do it so can you! Here are juts a few tips that I have found to be helpful when packing light for a weekend trip (or even longer!).

• Create a list of how many days you will be traveling and the activities you will be seeing (if known)
• Set out desired outfits that can transition easily into day/night looks
• Only bring one pair of shoes with
• Create a 'traveling outfit' that you can wear both on the first and last day of your trip
• Invest in a piece like a high-low skirt that can create multiple looks with pieces that you already have
• Be realistic about exercise clothes. Are you really going to work out that much? If not, don't bring three sports bras with. 
• Check if your vacation place has a washing machine and use it so that you can re-wear pieces. 
• Always try and use a carry-on sized piece when traveling

Having a new apartment has both it's advantages and disadvantages. One of these advantages is having the excuse to host a party. So when my friends at Paperless Inc asked me to come up with my dream brunch I couldn't help but say yes. Brunch is one, if not THE BEST meal of the day. Lets face it, Brunch is pretty much every 20 year old's dream during the weekend. From the mimosas, variety of eggs, to the pancakes there is always something for everyone to enjoy during brunch. So get ready! Because you have been officially invited to Brunch by yours truly (moi!). I hope that this will give you a few ideas of what you can do for you next brunch :)

#1) Be aware of false advertisement

#2) Understand that cheap isn’t always the best

#3) Communicate with your hosts/ potential hosts

#4) Take pictures of your Airbnb when you arrive/Clean

#5) Just because you booked a place doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed to get it

Overall, I would recommend Airbnb to people. Though it can be a tricky and semi-stressful situation it also allows for the possibility of you to travel at a drop of a hat, and that feeling is honestly priceless.

Until next time,

1. Amazon Kindle- Prices range from  $33-$200 depending on the condition and the model of the product. 
2. Golf Balls: You can personalize golf balls from several different online vendors. 
3. A unique coffee mug: Almost every dad drinks coffee- why not buy him a sassy one instead?
4. Syrup: Make your dad a nice stack of pancakes and add some fancy maple syrup to show how much you really care about him. 
5. Tickets: Don't just make one day special for your dad! Buy two tickets to a baseball game or concert so that you both can share special memories together. 
6. A t-shirt: Yes, this is standard but sometimes sticking with a classic father's day gift is a good idea. 

As a Saint Paul Girl, Grand Old Days is considered pretty much a holiday for myself. Since I was a little girl I have been going to the annual celebration. On this day the street closes for people to walk about and go from beer garden to beer garden, listen to country music, eat lots and lots of greasy food, and even see a llama or two. In case if you are someone from the burbs who might not be as experienced with Grand Old Days here are some expert tips coming from an age old Grand Old Day girl- and my review of this years festivities.

1. The Parade: Bring a chair because this parade can take a while. The parade features local businesses, groups, and schools on floats (some which are more creative than others) who tend to chuck candy straight at little kids. It's pretty much like Halloween 2.0 at this parade so be warned- bring a bag, because if you have that adorable munchkin with you around, you are bound to have a bag full of candy by the end of the parade. Since not every intersection of Grand is closed to traffic the parade can take a while (this year it was an hour and a half) so be prepared to have SPF 50, a snack, and lots of water along with you.  
2.  Be prepared to walk: There are a lot of things to see on Grand Avenue that you won't want to miss for Grand Old Days including the petting zoo, the beer gardens, and food vendors throughout the avenue. The street is blocked off into several 'zones' to make certain areas more kid friendly than others. Be warned that these zones do have gaps in between them that can be fairly large so get ready to walk around folks. 
3. Food: Compared to previous years were you had to buy tickets to purchase food, you can now simply use your cash and even sometimes your credit card at vendors. If you had in mind buying food from one of your favorite restaurants on Grand be ready for potential disappointment- not even restaurant will choose to sell their food that day and would rather be closed. But don't worry- there are many options to choose from including local food trucks such as the Falafel King that will make you happy. If you are looking for something on a budget head over to Punch Pizza for a $1 a slice. 
4. Booze: This can be a tricky situation. Some bars will have entry fees while others won't (this year Axel's Bonfire and Wild Onion did not). Be ready to have some patience when it comes to ordering and getting your drink because the foot traffic in the bar is triple the amount the staff is used to. If you're interested in going to the beer gardens buy tickets online for a discounted price. 
5. Have fun! This is a great kick off to the summer and is personally one of my favorite things to do. Every year I find myself enjoying a different aspect of Grand Old Days more than the previous. 

Almost every blogger I know has had difficulties writing and creating original content. There's a reasons why the phrase 'writers block' exists, and it happens quiet often for bloggers too. For myself, creating weekly or even daily content for the blog can sometimes be a struggle. Now I'm not trying to complain about having a blog by no means. Instead, I'm writing this post in hopes of helping other writers and creating a reminder as a blogger of what not to do as a blogger.

Now that I've had time to process graduating from college, here are a few tips that I learned while I was in college.

#1) Prioritize

#2) Get involved in a student organization

#3) Stop stressing out

#4) Study Abroad

#5) Get to know your professors 

 For many of my friends that have graduated or are about to graduate this May, they also have to stress about finances along with the lack of job offers. Fortunately, because I had created an 'action plan' during my junior year of high school (as mentioned a previous blog post) finances don't play as much of a factor into the post-grad life gloom. Here are a few tips that helped me, as well as some from my friends, that allowed us to graduate debt free after college, or soon after. It should be noted that the tips below are for range for different socioeconomic backgrounds and are not guaranteed to work for every individual.

Tip #1) Do well in high school

Tip #2) Take IB, AP, or College Prep Classes in High School

Tip #3)  Extra Curricular Activities

One of my teachers in high school told me that our number one job was to be students. We should aim to do well in class and only that. As a multi-tasker, this notion of simply doing one thing horrified me. Doing extra curricular's should be a reward. If you're doing well in school you should be able to do rewarding activities such as play on the basketball team or learn how to play an instrument. For me, I took piano lessons, was a Vice President of a student org, a member of Honors Society, and a reviewer of books for publishing companies. Yes, it might sound like I had a lot of my plate, but I used these activities as a reward for having completed little activities such as doing my math homework. These activities are not only beneficial towards your college application, but help shape your understanding of what you want to do while you're in college.

Being a part of groups that have scholarships can also be beneficial. Groups like the Optimist club, Girl Scouts, and the Rotary Club have annual scholarships to give to outstanding high school students. If you're interested in seeing what groups have these scholarships you can ask your high school counselor for a list (which they'll gladly provide). You'll be amazed at how many scholarships there are for you to apply for during Junior and Senior year of High School

Tip #4) Scholarships, Scholarships, and More Scholarships

Tip #6) Ask yourself what you want out of college (housing)

Asking myself what I wanted out of college was a big factor for why I ultimately chose to go to a local college. Are you going to college to get away from your current town/ living situation? To try new adventures and meet knew people? Making a list of what your top priorities are important in deciding if the institution that you are going to is the correct one. For me, money played a large factor in why I stayed at my hometown.

 At the end of the day I chose my school because of the education I would be receiving and the scholarships I got from school. I decided that living with my parents for another four years was doable and that I would save my money up for after college in hopes of moving out. Everyone's list is going to be different. For some, living on campus is a top priority for them. For others like myself, saving money to study abroad for a semester or to have money after college was a priority.

With college will come different battles- especially financially. Know which battles you are able to fight and which ones you can wait for is crucial to know and can save you some extra dough.
f you're lucky enough to live by several colleges consider going to a community college or your local university. There is no harm in commuting to school. Plus when it comes to your breaks you can continue working at the jobs and create further networking that you established over the school year. If you are dead set into not living with your parents consider options of becoming your school RA were housing is paid for.

Tip #7) Take summer classes or do summer research 

If you're lucky enough to get into summer research this is another option to get paid in the summer while also getting quality experience in your field. Depending on the program that you go into, your pay check could range from 1,000-3,000 with perks including free housing, reduced or free meals at school, and even traveling.

Tip #8) Do the Math

Until next time,

For many of us young people, finding a good yet cheap drink at the bar can be a challenge. With happy hour usually being 4-6 pm (and sometimes even early starting at 2pm) you need to have planned going out to happy hour far in advance with your friends to save a good amount of cash. Fortunately, I have done my research on finding bars and restaurants that not only have cheap drinks during reasonable hours, but that also can get leave you pretty buzzed.

#1) Salut Bar Americain, 917 Grand Avenue St Paul MN

Picture from Salut Bar Americain Grand Ave Location, From website

#2) Pretty much any bar at Mall of America

Picture from Tripadvisor.com

If you're really up for some fun then I highly advise you to go to Mall of America and barhop during Happy Hour from 3-7pm. Remember that there's over 50 restaurants at Mall of America, so that really gives you endless possibilities to try different drinks throughout the Mall. My favorite deals at Mall of America include Tucci Benucch ($3.99-$5.99 menu), Crave (ranging form $4-$5 drinks, with over 20 options), Cadillac Ranch (one of my favorites, $3 pint), and Hard Rock Cafe which has $3 Mimosas on Sundays. Remember too friends that Mall of America is connected to the light rail, so you won't have to fight over who's going to be the DD for the night.

#7) O'Garas- 164 N Snelling, St Paul MN

You might feel like this after a couple drinks from O'Garas, painting by Michael Birawer

#10) Brothers Bar and Grill- 430 1st Avenue NorthMinneapolis, MN 55401

From Goldstar.com

You are almost guaranteed to find a good deal at Brothers whether you come at 2pm in the afternoon or 11pm. Though the drinks at times that are discounted can be rather-well harsh- they do make the nigh a fun time. Just remember to drink water friends. If you're really into getting the most out of your money and love a particular drink- check out what daily specials your location has in order to profit most.

I admit, I've always been obsessed with make-up. I remember the first time I tried lipstick. I was far too young to even know how to put it on but loved the idea of having purple lips to go with my floral dress in Kindergarten. In junior high, I remember trying eye shadow for the first time and attempting to hide it from my father on the walk to the bus stop. Needless to say the dark green color was pretty obvious to my dad, regardless of my will power not to blink. Now, as a 22 year old I have sure had my ups and downs when it comes to make up. I have tried the canisters, the powders, and the liquid foundations. Up until a couple weeks ago I was at my wits ends with makeup. Maybe it just wasn't meant to be. Then - as if it was magic- my mother decided to have me test out Bareminerals while at the mall in January. To say that I was hesitant was an understatement. I had used Bareminerals when I was in Junior High, and didn't seem to have any fond memories of the brand and its products. An hour later and $100 out of my pocket I came home a new woman. The acne that was once on my face almost magically disappeared with a whip of a the makeup brush and my sass had someone re-emerged.

I'm just so happy with this kit you guys

 I have to say, if it wasn't for my mother I wouldn't have gotten the kit. Priced at $79, I was hesitant that the product that the makeup artist had done at the mall would create the same effect by myself at home. I'm proud to say that I was wrong.  The Kit, which was personally crafted for myself included the following products: 

  - 1 bareSkin Foundation SPF 20, Original Foundation SPF 15 (size: large),
  - Foundation SPF 20
  - 1 Concealer
  - 1 Face Brush
  - 1 Mini Prime Time Foundation Primer, 1 Mineral veil finishing powder, 1 Flawless Application Face Brush, and 1 Maximum Coverage Concealer Brush

Captured: me putting on concealer after the primer and foundation

In addition to these products, I also bought the Red Clay Mask and another primer that corrected the redness in my face. Though it might seem like there are a lot of products that need to be used every day, it's actually not that difficult and the effects are longer lasting than any other makeup I've had. Somehow Bareminerals has broken my notion that with makeup, I have to coat layer after layer to receive full coverage. I guess the saying "less is more' would be their motto statement, because even after a month it feels like I've barely used any product. For Bareminerals, almost every product only needs to have a pea-size amount. Of course my full coverage self was scared. I didn't want anyone to see my imperfections. How could a pea size of makeup foundation really be enough? Well, somehow it has proven to be more than enough, and now the motto of 'less is more' has become one of my mantras in life. Because after all- who doesn't love to stay flawless?

Me with the Flawless Application Brush with Foundation inside of it- there is a pea size whole that helps so that you don't overuse product!

There honestly isn't much though to complain about the kit. Yes, it is a tad expensive (being that right now I am tight no money) but I went in with the notion that I was going to be spending more money than usual on makeup. After all, I have literally tried about every different makeup brand from Sephora to Chanel when it comes to foundations, so my wallet has had fluctuating impact along with my face. It helps also that this makeup is combating my acne along with my medicine that I'm already taking. I'm all for killing two birds with one stone. So why not look flawless while doing it too? This kit truly allows you to experiment while allowing for a natural look. Along with the kit came bronzer for contouring (which I haven't mastered yet), but I'm excited for the possibility of having a tan face come spring time. My only feedback would be is that the kit should have blush included in the kit. After all, everyone loves to have some color on their face - so why not add some pink onto it as well? In all the kit had everything I pretty much wanted and more- it had the products that I was looking for that gave me full coverage, some new brushes, and even some fun extra things to play with. Oh and did I mention that mine came with a makeup bag?

Final look showing the maximum coverage brush

For more information on this product, and more you can watch my video (as shown above) or visit Bareminerals website at https://www.bareescentuals.com/ .

Disclaimer: This was not a paid promotion