Tuesday: be kind!

Oh my god!! CANNOT believe Christmas is so close I seriously can't wait. today is Christmas Eve which is actually my favorite day of the whole year. I like it more than Christmas maybe. My whole family (almost 30 people) come to my house Christmas Eve for dinner and old videos. It is honestly the funniest night ever and I love getting dressed up for it as well. Maybe I'll post some pics. 

Anyway this holiday season SO many people don't have meals or clothes or presents. It's actually very sad to think some people can't celebrate such a good holiday. I was recently talking to someone on the committee of a charity a few days ago. The charity is pretty much a local soup kitchen and food pantry a few towns over. She told me that some days people are lined up around the corner to get free food which is so sad. I decided to donate clothes to them and also bake something like cookies or a whole bunch of brownies. Some people deserve a little extra love. I hope this inspires you to do the same or volunteer somewhere else or just be nice! Being kind is something so many people do not realize is sooooo important. 

At Work, sometimes I think people may be real snobs but then I talk to them and put a huge smile on my face and I ask about their day and they open up and chat with me and make my day better too. Let's all be nicer and friendlier! 

Merry Christmas almost! 

Also if you need inspiration here's a photo of Elenor Roosevelt at a soup kitchen. 

Monday trendies

I know it's technically Sunday still but I have to work all day tomorrow and I don't know when I'll be able to write in my blog so here is my Monday trends post. It's been warm around here lately (new jersey) and I love it! But part of me wishes we were having a white Christmas. The good news is that we don't have to wear instense layers so I can go outside in just a sweater and dress a little cuter.

I love keeping up with trends and one way I do that is Pinterest.com. If you don't have a Pinterest check it out because it has so many cool pics, ideas, recipes, clothes, you name it! It's pretty much a girls cyber paradise. If you do have one- follow me: Carlie Dreux. Anyways here the hot trends I die for at the moment 

I know I had to add in a statement necklace. This one is gorgeous and I'm obsessed... they're so cool.

I l.o.v.e leggings. I wear them like pants and people have just gotten used to that. These are especially cool because they're laser cut and give it a chic edge while some leggings can look cheap or frumpy.

Well it's almost Christmas and tartan is my absolute obsession right now what can I say.

Loving this laid back vibe from caraloren.com - this girl has style. The lips, sweater, hat... Everything's so cute

But looks effortless 

To spice up your dark winter colored clothes go with ombred hair or a bright lip. It's unexpected to go with a neon-ish lip in the winter but that's why I like it 

Friday: Crazy Week!!

It's been an absolutely insane week. I don't know if you guys feel the same but I've been seriously running around all week like a crazy person. I have had barely had any time to myself. The worst part of my week was preparing for finals and also trying to pack to go home, finish my laundry, clean, etc. It was a kind of a non-stop week but the great part is that I am home for winter break. I'll be here for a little over a month which is good because although I'll miss school, I definitely need a little bit of relaxation at home and my mom's amazing delicious food.

The coolest thing I did this week was go to Rockefeller Center and then Rolf's German Restaurant in the village in NYC. My fam came into the city and the restaurant is seriously the coolest. It is decorated top to bottom in over the top Christmas decorations. We asked-- it took them 6 weeks to put up the decor- but it was awesome. If you're in the city I recommend making a reservation. Also it has top notch German food, which I am not usually a fan of but was more than willing to be open minded.

I hope you guys are not going crazy with Christmas madness. Luckily, I'm all done with gifts for everyone so I'm just excited to watch x-mss movies and make cookies and all that cute stuff. Have an awesome weekend everyone!!

Thursday: DIY

It's Thursday already! I can't believe the week is almost over. It's been a crazy busy week but finals are officially over and I'm heading home tomorrow which I am so excited about! I cannot wait to enjoy great food and celebrate Christmas! It's such a great time of year and I need some R&R. Anyway enough about that- Thursdays are DIY and project days on the blog so I wanted to show you guys something I made that is easy, fun, and seriously looks awesome.

some DIY projects look good in theory but are hard to execute. Well this is a little tricky but even the least crafty person can do it. So the project is filled with nails and string but It's complete when you can see an outline of your state (in nails) and strings and a heart pointing out where you live. (Check the photos below)

So I started with cutting out a map of nj And buying a giant wooden block. I painted the wood blue and then placed my cutout nj map ontop of the wood. Next, using little nails, I nailed in nails all around the state like an outline. Lastly,

I figured out my town and nailed a circle around where it was. After you get rid of the map underneath the nails --water does the trick-- you can begin the string process.

For my project I used white string. I started from each nail and ended near my heart aka my hometown. Then I tied the string in place near the heart. After all this stringing and looping I just got red string to wrap around the heart to make it pop out. I hope this wasn't complete gibberish and you can understand this, there are pics below to help you. It's honestly such a fun and easy project it just takes some time but it looks lovely. You can buy them online or make one for waaay cheaper. Show some pride and make one for your state!! It's also a good way to remember home when you're at college. 

Wednesday: Fitness!

It's Wednesday which means I want to talk about working out. So up until a few months ago, I was a lazy girl. And then I moved in with Hayley, my roommate. Hayley is a fitness freak and such a twig. She really takes pride in her body and it made me want to be proud of my body, too. So I started working out and I have seen some changes. I was never chubby, in fact I've always been pretty thin. However, I was definitely not in shape and I think that I am getting more in shape now.

My usual workout regime is: Run 2 miles and then do 20 min on the elliptical and then some ab work. This is on a pretty good day. Some days I run 3 miles and just do some abs. And sometimes, I'll just run a mile and do the bike for 20 min. It really depends on the day. But I've been working out 4 times a week for a while and I'm really proud of myself. I always told myself "Go eat healthier" or "go workout" but never had the inspiration too until I finally made it a habit.

 

^^^inspiration

  

Also follow this awesome morning sequence if you wanna have a day filled with less stress. it's an awesome wake up call.

Tuesday: Charities

Hi guys! So today is Tuesday and on Tuesdays, I want to talk about current events or charities. Well today I get to talk a little bit about both. Tonight, along with my friend Savannah who is a photographer, I'll be going to an event for the Humane Society of New York. It is pretty much an event for homeless dogs. We'll be playing with doggies, donating toys to these animals, and helping out with the event as well.  Hopefully, I will not be too tempted to adopt a dog! My family already has 2 dogs and I don't know how happy they would be if I brought home a third.
 Anyway, the holidays are not just rough on people but animals as well. If you spend a few hours one day in the next week or two helping out at an animal shelter, it can really change a dog's day. I recently volunteered at an animal shelter in NYC and we played with the puppies and cleaned their cages. They needed the social interaction and they gave us tons of love in return. I got so many kisses. It honestly felt so good to help them out.
I'll be sure to post photos from tonight. Also here are are some adorable puppy photos from when I volunteered and also just because it's Tuesday and who doesn't want to look at precious doggies.

Trends Today

Hey guys- so it is my first Monday post ever. Getting into the blogging life is fun but slightly tricky. I don't exactly know what I'm doing but I'm sure I will get the hang of it soon. Blogging is something I want to definitely incorporate into my life and it is something I know I will enjoy doing.

So it is Monday and that means- trends! I am a huge fan of trends because I love fashion. I like to think my style is classic but with a unique twist. At school, my clothes are always being borrowed by my friends which is good because I guess that means I have good style.

OK- so today I am going to show you all my favorite trends right now. Winter is a time where you have to bundle up a lot but that does not mean you can't look cute doing it.

Here is my favorite thing right now- statement necklaces! There is nothing better in my opinion. This extravagant sweater, t-shirt, and absolutely perfect necklace create such a chic, trendy look. Statement necklaces tend to add such pizzazz to any outfit.

Hats are also my latest obsession. Sure, everyone needs a good beenie but floppy hats are so on point right now. I got a gray one at TopShop and I get so many compliments on it. It makes you look so stylish. When it isn't too cold I'll swap out my usual hat for a floppy one.

Ok, so I know technically this is not a winter shoe but I am digging this brown snakeskin print and this color-blocking going on. I recommend getting a shoe in two tones because this way it will go with pretty much any outfit and almost any bag. 

Onto makeup, the cat-eye is in! But cat eyes are tricky and its hard to get that perfect line. So I really like what they did here. They pretty much created a gorgeous, gold smoky eye and then with a Q-tip or makeup remover pad, they wiped off the excess to create a cat-eye shape with eyeshadow. Its perfect in an imperfect way and oh so glam. I have a similar gel eyeshadow I picked up at Bobbi Brown.

Huge christmas trend- bold red lip. This one is nice because she barely has any eye makeup, fair skin, and a light, almost pinkish red shade. Gorgeous.

Here is a darker lips with the cat-eye. If you can perfect this look you can go to any holiday party and look like a million bucks.

Also a huge trend right now is tiny gold, black, silver, or studded rings. Stacking tiny rings is elegant yet so cool. I am also digging her knuckle rings. Whenever I wear my knuckle rings, they get noticed. Try it out! They are $6 at Brandy Melville. 

Last but never least, I had to show you all my inspiration and idol. Audrey Hepburn. She really knew how to put on the best party look but she is also who I look up to. She was so much fun but had such grace. That is hard to do. Okay- I'm done blabbing for the day! Thanks for checking out my post. Normally, they will be a little shorter but I just couldn't stop today! I am so into having a blog. Have an amazing Monday. I know Mondays are awful but it's almost Christmas!!