the best fashion advice i could give (+ 7 tips for more flattering outfits).

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Yesterday I sat down to write a post on how to dress for your body type, and when I started typing I got a serious case of deja vu. I did a little searching on my own blog to realize I had already written a post on just that.

HA. Guess that’s what happens when you’ve been blogging for 5+ years…

Anyway, it’s been quite a while, so I figured I’d resurrect that post + add a few things. Because a refresher on looking damn fine never hurt anyone right? 😉

But before going into my pointers, I thought I’d share what I think it all boils down to when it comes to fashion/style.

Wear clothes that make you feel YOUR best. Don’t let the clothes wear you.

In New York I’m surrounded by so many fashionistas who might disagree with that. A lot of women are all about the “art” aspect of fashion, and that’s totally okay, but I personally prefer to go for flattering styles over trendy ones. Of course sometimes that means I give in to certain trends, but not all of them (which I talk about a bit below).

I may not be an expert when it comes to the latest designers and fashion trends, but over the years I do think I’ve gotten pretty good at learning how to wear clothes that flatter my body type while still embracing my personal style. With so many trends and styles coming and going, this isn’t always an easy thing to master. So here are the tips that I always use to help me find the most figure-flattering looks.

fashion advice

1) know your body type, and flaunt accordingly.
Don’t worry – I’m not about to pull the whole pear, apple, athletic, and petite body type “rules” on you (I personally cringe when I see those in magazines). While it’s true that all women are shaped differently, only you can decide what areas of your body are best flaunted and/or downplayed. So ask yourself – what is your favorite body feature? If it’s your legs, go with more skirts, shorts, and skinny jeans. Your shoulders? Strapless tops. Your tummy? Form-fitting dresses…and so on.

(If you don’t know the answer to that - think about what other people compliment you on most! Or just ask your friends or significant other.) From there, do some research. I’m always seeking inspiration from blogs and Pinterest. Start a style board with clothes and looks that you think would not only flatter your body the most, but also make you feel the most comfortable and beautiful.

2) know when to say no to trends.
When I see someone who isn’t dressed to flatter their body, 90% of the time it’s because they tried to embrace a trend that just wasn’t right for them. While I do think there are ways to make trends work for everyone, be aware that you have to be really careful with some. For example - as much as I want to, I just can’t make the flare pants trend work on my 5’3″ self.

3) show some skin. keyword: some.
Showing some skin can absolutely be a way to draw attention to your best assets, but they key is to not overdo it. For example, if you wear a mini skirt to show off your legs, balance it out by wearing a long-sleeved top our blazer. Or if you wear a low cut shirt, keep it classy by wearing with pants or a pencil skirt.

4) balance it out.
On a sort of similar note, I think it’s really important to balance the proportions of your outfit. For example, go with a looser shirt/blouse if you’re wearing shorts or skinny pants. The right proportions in that sense can actually make you look much thinner than wearing a tight outfit head-to-toe. I know a lot of girls shy away from wearing flowy/baggy clothes, but the right pieces can actually be much more flattering than wearing skin tight clothes.

5) when it doubt, wear black.
Self-explanatory 😉 I wear all black most of the time because it’s easy and always looks put together. You can then mix things up with accessories, changing up your hair/makeup, etc.

all black

6) heels can make all the difference.
Not sure if your outfit is flattering? Try adding heels. It can take just about any look and bring it up a notch by making you appear taller and slimmer without changing anything else.

7) add a feminine touch.
A lot of my favorite fashion trends right now are sort of masculine ones – military, denim, minimalist, etc. It’s definitely still possible, though, to implement these styles and make them look flattering just by adding some feminine touches. Like I just mentioned, adding heels is one of the best ways to do this. Other great flattering feminine touches are lace, floral prints, jewelry, etc.

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What “rules” or tips do you follow for flattering your body type?
Which of these tips do you agree with the most?

how to deal with a bad day.

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Today was a bad day.

I’m not going to sugar coat or add a filter here. Today just…sucked. It actually had nothing to do with my circumstances (nothing “happened”), I was just in one of those moods where I felt bleh. Unmotivated, frustrated, questioning all of my life’s decisions…

Yeah. One of those days.

Don’t worry. My pity party is over, so I won’t be letting it out on you. Instead, I used this bad day to learn more about myself and how to make bad days less bad, and hopefully can pass a little something positive out of it along to you.

1. Realize (and accept) that you’re JUST having a bad day.
Seems obvious enough, right? Well, I don’t know about you, but I can far too easily NOT realize this, and that can often make a day go from bad to worse. The simple realization and admission that it’s a bad DAY, not a bad LIFE can help shift your perspective to get through the day. Remind yourself that it’s only 24 hours (or less). You can get through it. You WILL get through it.

2. Don’t let a bad day turn into a bad week.
This is very much related to #1. Just keep reminding yourself that the way you’re feeling isn’t going to last forever. It most likely isn’t even going to last until tomorrow. Focus on the day at hand - getting over it and getting through it - and do whatever it takes to keep it from rolling over into tomorrow.

3. Meditate - don’t medicate.
When you’re having a bad day or in a bad mood, it’s natural to want to numb those feelings or distract yourself with self-medication. Things like eating, drinking, shopping, etc. Most of the time you’ll probably regret doing any of those things to try to make yourself feel better. Those are just bandaids. Instead, it’s important to address the underlying reason(s) you might be having a bad day. If you have the time - even if it’s just 5 minutes - go somewhere alone to sit quietly and meditate. For me that looks like prayer and journaling. For you it might be listening to music, deep breathing, or going for a walk.

4. Write down the things you’re thankful for.
This is a habit that is always beneficial to have, but it’s especially important on the bad days and can really help put things into perspective.

5. Sweat it out and/or get outside.
Personally, exercise and just getting outside are two things that automatically alleviate stress + sadness. There’s just something about sweat and fresh air (especially together) that can totally re-set everything.

6. Try to put off making decisions, if possible.
This is something I’ve definitely learned the hard way, and also why it’s so important to first recognize that you’re having a bad day. When I’m not myself, I tend to make rash decisions that seem like great ideas, only to regret it the following day/week. A bad day or being in a bad mood is NOT the time to quit your job, bring up important conversations, make big purchases, etc. Trust me on that one 😉

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Hope that wasn’t too much of a debbie-downer post, ha! I just thought it might be of help to some of you who might be going through a bad day/rough week <3

How do you deal with bad days? Anything to add?

7 tips for making the ultimate to-do list.

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If I could share my number one piece of advice when it comes to being productive, it would be making a to-do list. I’m actually surprised I haven’t written a blog post on this yet!

Having a to-do list isn’t revolutionary by any means. I’m pretty sure most people have a running to-do list in some shape or form. But for me…it’s a must. A lifesaver. An absolute necessity.

Here’s the thing about having a (well done) to-do list - it doesn’t just help you to be more productive, but it actually FREES you from a lot of stress.

I don’t know about you, but I can have a million and one tasks/responsibilities to do at any given time, and to say it’s overwhelming to think about them all at once is an understatement. But when you have a to-do list that is properly organized (by priority, time, ease, etc.) it makes all the difference in the world and actually removes so much anxiety.

Here are a few of my tips for keeping a to-do list that have literally changed my life.

Tips For Making The Ultimate To-Do List | GirlMeetsLife.com

Pick 3-5 of your TOP things to accomplish per day.

This. Is. CRUCIAL. It goes back to what I was saying about having your list help lessen stress. If you only have a select number of things that you have to accomplish on any given day, it makes them much more easy to focus on and complete. For me, my top 3-5 things are typically work-related, because 99% of the time that is my highest priority.

^ Do those things first.

You can have other tasks on your to-do list for any given day, but they should be smaller, easier tasks. For example, my 3-5 tops tasks are usually work projects, and then my remaining tasks are things like laundry, errands, etc. But once the “hard” stuff is out of the way, it’s like it’s all downhill from there.

Assign certain categories to each day.

So I must admit that this isn’t something I do ALL the time, but it can definitely be extremely helpful. A friends recently told me about this tip and I thought it was genius. The idea is to divide days up into certain task categories. So for example could have something like “Administrative Monday” for paying bills, planning appointments, and so on. And other days focused on things like marketing, new projects, research, etc.

This is very dependent on your job, of course, and probably more suitable if you create your own schedule. But it’s an interesting concept that I think could be tweaked no matter what your role is.

Keep your to-do list in the notes on your phone, iPad, or computer.

There are so many fancy-pants apps and journals for to-do lists, but I’m personally a fan of keeping it pretty simple in the notes on my iPad. The reason I like this is because I add to and edit my list often (see below), and this makes it way easier to do so. It’s simple, straightforward, and efficient. I also divide it up by day, so my list usually looks like this:

MONDAY
blah blah blah
blah blah blah
blah blah blah

TUESDAY
blah blah blah
blah blah blah
blah blah blah

Write down even the smallest of tasks.

If you saw some of the things I have on my list, you might think I’m a crazy person (and probably wouldn’t understand half of it, to be honest). That’s because I add every single little thing I could possibly think of. WHY? Because the more tasks you can get on that list, the less they’re swirling around in your head taking up your precious time and thoughts. Even if it’s something you have to do in a few days or even a few weeks, once it’s on the list you just don’t have to think about it again until it’s time to actually do it.

Edit your list frequently.

This is why I find it so easy to keep my to-do list in my digital notes. Depending on how my day is going (because we all know that days have so many twists and turns), I edit my tasks often. Sometimes I get more done in a day than I thought. Sometimes I have to push tasks to the following day. But instead of giving up on the list all together (which is something I think a lot of people end up doing), I just keep editing it. And you know what? Eventually everything still always gets done.

Want to take it to the next level? Look into Podio.

I’ve tried a handful of different workspaces over the years, and hands down Podio is my absolute favorite. I don’t know if I’d recommend it so much for personal use (we use it to manage NYC Collective) or just for a to-do list, but if you are in search of a more extensive work space I could not recommend it more highly.

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Do you regularly keep a to-do list? What’s your best advice/method?

10 ways I live in New York without going broke.

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Over the past few years I’ve gotten a ton of questions about how I financially manage living in New York. I’ve always shied away from doing a full post on this because I’m definitely no expert when it comes to money management! I’m still learning new things and facing new challenges every day. But, here are some of the tools and things I’ve practiced that have helped me so far. I think you’ll find these really helpful if you’re moving to/living in New York, or no matter where you might live.

10 Ways To Live in NYC Without Going Broke || girlmeetslife.com

1) Create a budget with categories for every. single. expense.
A lot of people cringe at the idea of having a budget because they think it’s too constricting. I’ve found the opposite to be true - I think that having a budget is extremely freeing because it’s about controlling your money, rather than letting it control you. Having a budget is basically YOU tell your money where it’s going.

I highly suggest using these budget forms from Dave Ramsey, or something similar. Getting it all on paper is key. Don’t worry about getting your budget perfect right away - it will take a few months to figure out which categories you can allot more or less money to. But no matter what, create a category for EVERYTHING - the more detail the better.

2) Track every dollar that goes in and out.
Once again - yes, this is tedious and can be annoying. But you know what’s more annoying? Not knowing where your money went and having to scramble for it last minute. I track every expense and income I receive (to the cent) in Quickbooks. Quickbooks makes it extremely easy to track everything, create a chart of accounts, etc. + and it’s a lifesaver for reporting your taxes (you can just process and print out reports straight from there). Another great (and free) option is Mint.com.

3) Use cash/debit as much as possible.
In other words, don’t spend money you don’t have. Obviously there’s a time and a place for a credit card, but Chanel isn’t one of them. I use my (one) credit card sparingly, and I try to use it only on the same things every month. This helps keep me from getting into the habit of using it flippantly/too frequently. Sticking to cash/debit really helps you make smarter spending decisions.

4) Pay your bills and other big expenses on the front end.
I know this isn’t always easy depending on when you get paid/when bills are due, but I do my best to make my big payments as soon as my paycheck comes in. So for example, every time I get a paycheck, the first thing I do is set aside my tithe, taxes*, utilities, rent, and whatever credit card payment I want to pay that month. That way I’m not scrambling later when those are due, and I know that any money leftover is “fair game” to safely spend on other things.
*I’m self-employed so I set aside my own tax money

5) Take advantage of referral programs.
I’m not sure about other places, but in New York just about every grocery service, meal delivery service, car service, etc. offers referral rewards (pretty decent ones, too). I’ve gotten dozens of vouchers, free rides, etc. from using these. Some examples: Uber, Lyft, Seamless, Munchery, Instacart.

6) Pick your “fun money” each week.
Something I hear so often is - “How do you go out to eat so often? How do you afford SoulCycle all the time?” My answer? It’s all about BALANCE. I’m constantly making conscious decisions on what I want to splurge on. So for example, this week I decided ahead of time that I want to take 2 SoulCycle classes, so I consciously am turning down dinner plans, and walking/taking the subway everywhere instead of cabs or Uber. Other weeks, when I know I have dinners lined up, I’ll do my own free outdoor workouts. Same goes for buying new clothes, pampering, travel, etc. I’ve found that as long as I keep things as staggered as possible (and still within my budget), it all usually balances out.

7) Embrace free entertainment.
There is SO much free entertainment to be found in NYC. I mean, you can pretty much just walk out the door and find it anywhere. With countless parks, piers, sight seeing, free concerts, museums, etc. you could spend days just wandering around having fun without spending a dime.

8) Have a roommate. Or 4.
This is kind of a no-brainer, but having a roommate (or a few) is pretty much the best way to save a crap ton of money on living expenses in New York.

9) Have a side gig.
Chances are if you meet someone in New York they either already have a side gig, or they have an idea for one. Networking in New York is huge, so it’s a fairly easy place to start something new that will catch on enough to make some extra income. That’s what I did with Speakable, and that’s what I started doing with social media projects (which has now turned into my full time job).

10) Accept the fact that New York is an expensive place to live.
Obviously this isn’t so much money management advice as it’s just my personal life advice. Yes - living in New York is more expensive than most other places. If you want to live here, you just have to accept that, make your budget accordingly, and move on. It may take some getting used to at first, but it isn’t impossible. And, in my opinion, the benefits of living in the greatest city in the world make the extra budgeting and money management 100% worth it.

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Do you practice any of these? What’s your top money management tip/tool?

how to make a personal mission statement.

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Yesterday I mentioned how I’m working on making my own personal mission statement, and I just had to share some of the tips with you! I wish I could say that I came up with the idea myself, but it’s actually from an article in the May issue of Shape Magazine.

Shape Magazine

(How cute is Hilary Duff? I’ve always loved her.)

I love the idea of having a personal mission statement because the older I get, the more I realize there is just SO much swirling around us at all times vying for our attention. Having a personal mission statement (whether you carry it around with you, or just remember it in your head) is a great way to stay focused…to remember who you are and what your ultimate “bigger picture” life goals are. You’d think that those would be easy things to remember, but life just has SO many distractions that are easy to get caught up in.

Why You Need A Personal Mission Statement / Shape Magazine

Here are the 5 questions the article suggests you ask yourself in order to make your personal mission statement.

1) How would I want people to describe me?
2) What legacy do I hope to leave?
3) What makes me feel happiest or most fulfilled?
4) Why do these things matter to me?
5) How do I define success?

For me, answering these questions and forming my mission statement has been extremely eye opening. Even though I always knew these things about myself/what I want my life to look like, just forming them into one statement and putting it on paper has made such a huge difference.

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Have you ever made anything like a personal mission statement? What would one of your answers to those 5 questions be?

beauty: my absolute favorite (can’t-live-without) hair products.

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Isn’t it funny how as you get older, your value for certain things can completely change? Up until the past year or so, I barely thought twice about the products I used on my hair - it was often a matter of what was on sale at the drug store.

But lately, I’m finding myself becoming a bit of a hair snob. That’s mostly because after over 10 years of blonde-ifying myself, I can tell that my hair needs a bit more TLC than I’ve been giving it.

So here are my top favorite (can’t live without) hair products right now + why I love ’em!

Top Hair Products For Blondes

1) Oscar Blandi dry shampoo (powder). I think I may have shared how much I love this dry shampoo before, and it’s still my favorite (and I’ve tried just about all of them). I definitely prefer a dry shampoo POWDER over a spray - for me it absorbs any greasiness way better than the sprays do. I throw in a little sprinkle throughout the day (even if my hair isn’t necessarily dirty) because it adds an extra bump of volume, and it smells great too.

2) Kerastase Resistance Bain Force Architecte shampoo. This is my newest favorite, and I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to start using. It’s not the cheapest shampoo in the world, but it has done WONDERS for repairing my hair, which has been weakened from years and years of highlighting. I’ve heard from a handful of hair professionals that this is the best on the market for reconstructing damaged hair, and I definitely recommend it too.

3) SachaJuan silver conditioner. I’ve shared before how I use Shimmering Lights purple shampoo/conditioner, and I do still recommend those for maintaining a great shade of blonde, but this SachaJuan silver conditioner gives that same tone while being less harsh.

4) Oscar Blandi Dry Texture & Volume Spray. I fall into the “bigger the better” camp when it comes to hair, and since my hair is on the thinner/lighter side I can use all the help I can get. This OB Texture & Volume spray is great for adding some oomph throughout your hair from root to tip. I love adding it *after* I use my curling iron, but before finishing with hair spray. It’s another product that’s great to carry around with you if your hair tends to fall flat throughout the day.

5) Bumble and Bumble Invisible Oil Primer. Every so often I let my hair go au naturale, but - let’s be real - there will never be a day that I don’t use my beloved blow dryer + curling iron. To lessen the blow, I make sure to apply this primer to my hair before using heat tools. It adds protection and also makes my hair smoother and softer.

6) Oscar Blandi Jasmine Oil Serum. Simliar to the previous B&B primer, I apply this to my hair when it’s still wet (typically right after I get out of the shower, followed by combing it through). It’s just for that extra layer of protection + moisturization for my hair, and it adds a great shine.

7) Big Sexy Hair Powder Play. Once again, I’m all about the volume. I’ve mentioned before how much I love this product, and it’s still my favorite volumizing powder out there. It’s on the sticky/tackier side, so I typically only use it when I want a more dramatic bump of volume. All you need is a tiiiiiny bit applied to your roots, and it makes such a huge difference.

Please note I was not compensated for this post - these are all genuinely just my favorites!

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What are your favorite hair products?