Shapewear for All Shapes ft. Cosmolle*

Reading time: 1 minute 18 seconds

If there's one thing I love about the holiday season, it's all the free time I get to really invest in dressing up and experimenting with more outrageous outfits (think long, slinking dresses, plunging necklines, and extraextravagant jewelry) that are way too time-consuming for everyday wear. What's annoying about these outfits, though, is the need I feel to wear shapewear in order to get the smooth, seamless lines I want. That's usually fine and dandy, but the problem is that most shapewear products are hella uncomfortable and feel terrible to be in, especially if you have to be seated for extended periods of time. Also, ironically, some shapewear products are chunky, and you end up with more lines than when you started. 😂

This is where Cosmolle Shapewear comes in.

One product range that caught my eye is the tummy control shapewear, not so much for the flat belly but for the way it can keep your belly looking the exact same way before and after a meal. 😂 I don't like looking like a potato after eating, ok, especially if I looked like fresh fries when I walked out the door.

Another product range that targets my list of shapewear pet peeves is the seamless body shaper. This one I find ~revolutionary~ because these shapers smooth out everything you want to smooth out while staying comfortable and breathable. Moreover, they retain their seamless quality even with the lace and mesh detailing.

As the icing on the cake, Cosmolle's philosophy is all about defining your own beauty by shaping your body your way for your shape. They believe that yes, shapewear is body positive because shapewear should not be about hiding imperfections; rather, it should be about enhancing your natural features, and with just a little lift, that inner TLC can shine through. After all, when you feel like you look 🔥, you always actually end up looking 🔥.

  

Cosmolle's offerings may still be small, but their products span multiple categories to meet different needs for different situations, ranging from shorts and panties to bodysuits and slips; hence, they suggest trying out their shapewear for casual outfits as well.

What are your thoughts on shapewear being body positive?

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Last-Minute Gift Ideas ft. Basic Invite*

Reading time: 1 minute 10 seconds

The holiday season is a time when many of us reconnect with family and friends. I know I, for one, reconnected with many a cousin this year as well as an old high school best friend. Because these are last-minute reunions, these folks are not on my holiday shopping list, especially since I prepare my list months in advance, so since time was not on my side, I found a great alternative: Basic Invite.

My rationale is this: cards are the easiest and speediest way to show someone you're thinking of them without breaking the bank, but my gripe with many store-bought cards is that they're generic and don't really communicate my ~aesthetic~ or my brand of humor. Don't get me wrong; premade cards are great for the occasional thought-of-you gift, but for situations like this where you're rebuilding relationships, I personally would prefer something custom and personalized.

That's why I love Basic Invite for their cute holiday cards that are Truly Custom™. What they mean by that is that they offer (almost) unlimited colors. Unlike the majority of online stationery companies out there, Basic Invite allows us to customize every element on each design from a selection of more than 180 colors, including the recipient addresses on each envelope, which is provided at no additional cost. Even the envelopes come with a whopping palette of over 40 different colors like crowd-pleasing pastels (cream cotton and lemonade) or colors that are more my speed (cranberry and peacock). That definitely beats out a rando card from a grocery store.

Besides that, Basic Invite offers other cool products like a company holiday party invitation and clear business cards and even free websites. Y'all should definitely check 'em out for all your invitation needs, especially right now when they're offering 15% off every order with coupon code 15FF51.

Basic Invite is also on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter.

What last-minute gifts do you usually give?

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Weekly Reading | August 1, 2019

College

It's August, and incoming college freshmen are probably bursting at the seams with excitement, or was 17-year-old me the only one who felt that way? 😂 College is definitely a fun time (except for that twice-a-year panic around Finals Week when you question all the choices you've ever made that landed you in that position), but don't forget that you are still pursuing an education, so here's a post about choosing a career path because it's never too early to start thinking about post-grad life. I also found a post for those of you considering joining sororities and a post about making the most of limited dorm space.

"College Real Talk: Choosing A Career Path" via Living in Full Bloom

"What I Gained from Joining Sorority Life" via The Blonde Lifestyle

"15 Dorm Storage Ideas to Maximize Your Space" by Haley Kellner

Wellness

Of course, while you want to take college seriously, you should also keep your wellbeing in mind because burnout is a real thing, and it can cost you more time and productivity in the long run. This is coming from personal experience because I admit I didn't make the most out of my undergraduate years, so when I was getting my master's, I figured I can sleep when I'm dead and seized every opportunity that came my way. Needless to say, graduating a semester later than planned was the best case scenario, lol.

"10 Things You Should Do to Be the Best Version of Yourself" via Cocktails and Ambition

"5 Ways to Clear Your Head and Get Inspired" via The Classic Brunette

"Why Yoga Should Become Part of Your Self Care Routine" by Carly Thompson

Lifestyle

I also found some lifestyle posts for all y'all incoming freshmen to consider. The first one is my favorite. It's a letter-to-self about embracing your cultural identity. While I'm not bicultural, I can relate in the sense that I struggled in my undergrad years to fit in with the White majority to avoid being other-ed as an Asian woman, so I really think this post can be helpful for my fellow POCs to, if anything, realize that you are not alone in feeling like you've lost your identity. Then, to take it down a notch (or 50 😅), here's a post about becoming a morning person and one about going green.

"Cultural Identity: A Letter to My Younger Self" via Sweating Champagne
"How to (Realistically) Become A Morning Person" via Ampersand
"Beginning Steps for Going Green" via Leslie Nichole

For travel, beauty, and home posts, check out the previous Weekly Reading!

What is or was your favorite part about college?

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Weekly Reading | June 27, 2019

Travel

It's summer, y'all! 🌞 While I hate summer weather, I still appreciate the break. It's actually low-key one of my favorite parts about being a teacher: you (mostly) get breaks when your students get breaks, and for my school, summer holiday starts in July. I'm definitely going home for the summer, but I haven't decided if I want to do any traveling outside of that, so if you're in the same boat, here are some travel posts.

"How to Get This New Yorker to the Beach" via The Champagne Edit

"My Paris Guide: Eat, Sleep, and See" via Atlantic-Pacific

"What I Am Packing for A Summer Trip to Italy" via The Brunette Nomad

Beauty

Traveling is fun and all, but that pesky summer weather is inescapable (unless I travel somewhere in the southern hemisphere, I guess), and one reason I hate summer weather is I tend to break out in the heat and humidity, so I looked up some skincare posts.

"8 Reasons Why You Have Bad Skin" via Mally Elizabeth

"What Your Breakouts are Telling You" via The Brunette with A Blog

"How I Treat Breakouts" via Life with Kendal

Home

Then, of course, apart from traveling, some of that free time can go towards the home. Reorganizing and shopping for the home are great and all, but you know what the best part about them is? I can stay my ass indoors! 😎

"How to Organize Your Closet in 30 Minutes Flat" by Ayn-Monique Klahr

"The 8 Best Home Decor Shopping Websites for A Girl on A Budget" by Marian Osrat
"Styling A Living Space with Vintage Thrift Finds" via Style Lullaby

For career, blogging, and wellness posts, check out the previous Weekly Reading!

What are your summer plans?

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Weekly Reading | April 4, 2019

Career

For those of you in the job or internship market, I found a post about not being too quick to accept a job offer. I also found a couple posts about best practices for after you accept and start a job or internship.

"Here's Why You Shouldn't Accept the First Job You're Offered" by Meghan Killian

"How to Kill It at Your Summer Internship" via Sophisticaition

"Profanity at Work: Does Context Matter" by Daniel B. Griffith

Blogging

For my fellow bloggers, I found a post about why you need an email list as well as a post about how you can build one. I also found a post about why it's ok to say no.

"5 Reasons Every Blogger Needs an Email List" via Just a Girl and Her Blog

"Email Marketing 101: A Beginner's Guide to Building an Email List" via Amy Lynn Andrews

"It's OK to Say No in Blogging" via It Starts with Coffee

Wellness

Finally, I found some wellness posts, one about how to stop sabotaging yourself, one with a self-care challenge, and one about how to take ten minutes out of your day for yourself.

"10 Ways You're Sabotaging Yourself and How to Stop" via eyeliner wings & pretty things

"My 30-Day Self-Care Challenge" via Ampersand

"Finding 10 Minutes in the Day for Yourself when You Just Don't Have Time" via Daily Cup of JoJo

For college, fashion, and lifestyle posts, check out the previous Weekly Reading.

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Weekly Reading | March 28, 2019

Fashion

It's spring cleaning time, so here's a post about maximizing your closet space. Then, since you have way more closet space now, here's a shopping guide for wearing ruffles and a roundup of some European fashion bloggers to inspire you! 😉

"How to Increase Your Closet Space Overnight (It's Time for A Spring Cleaning!)" via Cuddlepill"

"Ruffles Shopping Guide" via Keep Calm and Chiffon

"11 European Fashion Bloggers You Should Know" via Not Dressed as Lamb

Lifestyle

Last week, I found a couple of posts about how you can treat yo'self to feel more in love with your life. The first post talks about cheap and easy ways to pamper yourself (including a DIY spa night), and the second post talks about small steps you can take to live a life you love. One of the steps Kiara mentions is unplugging, and I found a post about ways to do that.

"5 Ways to Treat Yo'self Without Breaking the Bank" via & She's Brave

"5 Tips to Feel More in Love with Your Life" via Blissfully Brunette

"Spring Cleaning Your Online Life: The 10-Step Digital Detox" via Coming Up Roses

Blogging

My fellow bloggers might not want to unplug too much, though, but we can consider fresh ideas for our brands, one of which is podcasting, which seems to be taking the interwebs by storm lately. The first post talks about why podcasting is becoming such a trend, the second post talks about how we can go about starting a podcast, and the third post talks about podcasts for bloggers and other creatives.

"Why Millennials are Choosing Podcasting over Blogging to Build Their Personal Brands" by Andrew Arnold

"10 Pro Tips for Starting Your First Podcast as a Beginner" by Kim Barloso

"5 Podcasts for Bloggers, Designers, and Creatives" by Jessica Keller

For more fashion and lifestyle posts as well as college posts, check out the previous Weekly Reading!

What spring cleaning plans do you have?

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Weekly Reading | March 21, 2019

College

With the end of another academic year looming large on the horizon, you're probably in the midst of applying for internships or jobs, so last week, I found a couple of posts with tips that'll help you land the perfect internship or job. For those of you who are graduating, first of all, congratulations! I also found a post about what to expect after college.

"6 Steps College Students Should Take to Land a Job or Internship" via No Repeats or Hesitations

"10 Essential Tips for Landing the Perfect Internship" by Rachel Tellez

"10 Things No One Tells You About Life After College" via Brunch on Sunday

Fashion

Also for graduating seniors, I found a post about how to update your wardrobe. For everyone else, here are a couple of spring fashion posts.

"Post-Grad Wardrobe Guide: What to Buy & What to Toss" via Eyeliner Wings & Pretty Things

"Chic & Easy Scarf Styles: 1 Scarf, 3 Ways" via Layers of Chic

"$50 (Thrifted) Spring Outfit Challenge" via Adrienne Naval

Lifestyle

I also found posts about spring cleaning and streamlining your life.

"Life and Career Lessons from Legally Blonde" via Cocktails & Ambition

"Spring Cleaning Your Life" via Sophisticaition

"10 Ways to Save Time and Simplify Your Life" via The Classic Brunette

For more fashion posts as well as blogging and food posts, check out the previous Weekly Reading.

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Weekly Reading | February 14, 2019

Lifestyle

Let's get something out of the way first. Yes, it's Valentine's Day. No, I don't celebrate, but I know some of you love celebrating love, so I don't scoff at the day; it's just not for me. I did, however, include a Valentine's Day post in this week's Weekly Reading for those of you who love Love Day but want to explore less cliché ways to celebrate.

Moving on, it's already mid-February (crazy!), which is usually the time we start falling out of love (😏) with our New Year's resolutions, so here are some pretty helpful tips from the team over at Inspirations & Celebrations, tips that I'm using myself because I'm starting to feel myself slacking. I also found a beginner's guide to investing because that's something I'm looking to start doing now that I'm more late-20s than mid-20s. 😂

"Outside-the-Box Valentine's Day Ideas" via Pearls & Twirls

"10 Ways to Make Your New Year's Resolutions Stick" via Inspirations & Celebrations

"A Beginner's Guide to Investing for Wealth" via GenTwenty

Career

Another aspect of your life to take a look at is your career because that can be the greatest source of negativity, something you really don't want to start the year off with so much of. Take a look at this post from The Motivated Millennial's Hannah about identifying and coping with a toxic workplace. The start of the year can also be a time when layoffs happen. The Champagne Edit's Dana shares ways to handle getting laid off. Finally, to end this section off on a (slightly) happier note, I found a post about writing the perfect email.

"4 Tips for Toxic Workplace Survival" via The Motivated Millennial

"How to Handle Getting Laid Off" via The Champagne Edit

"How to Write the Perfect Email" by Devon Delfino

Blogging

If your New Year's resolutions include starting a blog but you're in college full-time and finding that there's too much going on and shit's hitting the fan, fret no more because here's a post by Kristen about how she manages her blog while in college without losing her mind. I also found some posts about photos for your blog and corresponding social media: one has tips for mobile photography (which is great for bloggers who are just starting out or for bloggers who prefer taking photos on their phones) and one has tips for editing those photos before exporting them to social media, specifically Instagram.

"3 Tips for Managing a Blog in College" via Kristen Shane

"10 Mobile Photography Tips to Help Improve Your Social Media Feed" by Mimi Tiu

"How I Edit and Export Instagram Photos" via Andrea Bou

For more blogging posts as well as fashion and food posts, check out the previous Weekly Reading!

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