July 2018

Malibu for a Day

July 30, 2018July 16, 2018by brianatrev8 Comments

Typical Beach pictures for a Typical Beach day

Let me just start off by saying how beyond beautiful Malibu is! Mountains on one side, beach to the other, so dreamy at sunset! Its breath taking and the weather was beautiful! NOTHING like Texas beaches! I was able to get into the cool water and get out, tan for a bit and get right back in and it still feel good. That is a miracle in itself!

There are lots of fun things to do around here, most of which involve cute places to eat, one of which being Malibu Farms which is the first cool restaurant that will pop up in your search. (This is where I took the pictures in front of the pink bench.) Let me tell you after a day at the beach I had a BLT Kale salad and it was beyond delicious! Also I could not resist some chocolate frozen yogurt as well and it tasted just like soft serve.

The thing about beaches like these are that the sand comes off so easily, you don’t smell the harsh sea smell all around you, and there is not a lot of humidity like Texas beaches! Truly different and fun to go at any time of the day!

A recommendation or two :

Malibu Farms : Amazing dinner and sweet desserts

Water Activities : Go for a swim or a surf, the waves are huge and beautiful

Hiking & Biking : There are lots of trails nearby and the views are seriously amazing!

Cafe Habana : Another place to stop for a bite and take lots of instagram shots!

Bandeau : Victoria Secret (similar) // Shorts : Levi’s

Beauty, fashion, travel

Thrifting around Melrose

July 26, 2018July 16, 2018by brianatrev11 Comments

Okay I have to brag about all of the amazing finds I have bought since I have gotten to LA. I have of course done some thrift shopping here and there, but never like in California! My sorority sister who also happens to be my roommate here in LA told me about a place called Crossroads which is like an upscale plato’s closet.

I did not really want to go at first but then she took me and I saw what she meant. The idea is the same and it’s the same as a consignment store where people sell their gently used clothes but the pieces are almost all designer!

I bought a lace up body suit by Reformation (similar)

This white Free People top, a one x one teaspoon gray jean shorts, the fringe Steve Madden Bag (similar)

Platform Steve Madden sneakers

A maroon pair of TopShop pair of slacks for work

A killer red dress with a peplum bottom (similar)… AND

A new pair of nude Jimmy Choo heels (similar) all for about $300!

I also plan on going to a few of the basic places like American Vintage and Wasteland as well. There was another place on Melrose as well where I found the Jimmy Choos and there was literally racks of designers by brand! Ah so I guess moral of the story is to shop for unique designer pieces half the price along Melrose as well as that there are many photo ops along the way!

Top : Free People // Shorts : One x one teaspoon Bandits // Shoes : Steve Madden (similar) // Purse : Steve Madden

Beauty, fashion, travel, Uncategorized

Moving to a New City

July 23, 2018July 16, 2018by brianatrev14 Comments

I’ve been so blessed to be able to move to LA for this summer! It was such a new experience from being by myself, to finding new places to go to the gym, eat and go to church and making new friends. I am so proud of myself for being able to do this myself and live in California because I always wanted to even if it is for a short amount of time. This was like a fun, extended vacation and while I missed my friends and family like crazy I was so happy to do this as apart of my life.

I lived in student apartments right by UCLA which is very close to Bel-Air, and down the street from fraternity row I must add! I moved for an internship with a PR agency called PR for Artists. You could see the hollywood sign from the office and the roof had a gorgeous view!

I wanted to give a few tips and tricks for venturing out in a new city, or even moving back to your own city, and how I found my way around. I have learned a lot about myself recently and I think this is another experience I will always remember!

Make New Friends : I lived near UCLA so I stayed with college age girls and that’s how I made friends. Also just going to do things you love like yoga or art classes will make you friends with similar interests.

Location, location, location : Look around where you live, find places to eat, a gym and popular hangouts around you. It was super important for me to find a church so I definitely googled all of those things and more!

Find a Job : okay this is obvious but you need to find time to fill your days! Life is more fun when you have lots of things to do to fill your day with! Also the more you do the more people you meet and that is what counts!

Watch your Budget : This was the hardest thing for me because I always wanted to eat out and try a new place as well as do fun things! Plan out your week and the things you want to do, free stuff can be just as fun!

Plan to see your Family : It’s all fun and games until the homesickness hits! I was only gone for two months so I was with my dad on the drive there and back and I visited my momma the second month so that I would not get homesick! Also I snap chatted my friends constantly and begged them to come stay with me!

Step Out of your Comfort Zone, Safely : Do something new! Always try something that makes that place unique! But also be aware of your surroundings, keep your pepper spray handy and know some basic self defense!

Body Suit : Zara (similar) // Shorts : Asos // Bag : Forever 21 (similar)

Uncategorized

Get a Cohesive Instagram Aesthetic

July 19, 2018June 24, 2018by brianatrev13 Comments

Ever seen those Instagram famous girls, Youtubers, bloggers or celebs on your feed and you go to their page to stalk them and their page looks like it was perfectly put together and thought out? Do you go to your page after and cringe? Hopefully not and that’s just a me thing! BUT I wanted to share a few of my tips for a cohesive Insta aesthetic incase that is you too!

One thing I do for sure is to edit for my platform. Below are a few examples of how I have done that. First is the original picture pre-editing in Adobe Lightroom. I always edit first for the blog since that is my main goal. Then I send that picture to myself and edit that same picture AGAIN but in my photo editor on my phone. What looks good on the computer screen will look totally different on your phone! Honestly just a few tweaks here and there do the trick.

Original

Blog Post Ready

Instagram Ready

Decide what you want your Instagram to look like : Do you want lots of color? And orangey feel? Vintage looking photos? More nature in the background or you doing things with friends? Deicide what you enjoy and do the most of and go from there!
Use the same filter every time : Do the same adjustments every time. I like to add pink undertones to my pictures then I only mess with the highlights and shadows. I start off doing the exact same number of adjustments every time and then since every picture is different, I then edit for that specific picture, not the other way around. This makes them all follow the same rules instead of creating a new look every time.
Pinterest for Inspiration : Not only is Pinterest perfect for photo ideas but I have a friend that looks up filter presets on Pinterest before she changes her aesthetic to get ideas! Check out an example of what I’m talking about here and here or just search Pinterest ‘filter presets vsco’.
Use an app : I use Planoly to schedule out my pictures and decide what pictures would look best next to each other. I always try to always take pictures with a new photo placement in mind. If I’ve had too many close ups I try to take one showing off the background or if I’ve taken a picture with a group I try to take a picture closer up of just me and a friend next to it to be more diverse.

travel, Uncategorized

Travel Diary : Study Abroad Round Up

July 16, 2018July 19, 2018by brianatrev9 Comments

For my last Study Abroad post, I wanted to share a round up of a few of the places we visited, some of the amazing views and super special people I got to know along the way. I was so blessed to have been accepted and I am glad I was able to take a step out of my comfort zone and explore the world. I will always remember this experience and this group of people because they each truly made this trip extraordinary. I would encourage anyone to apply for a study abroad trip because it is truly a life changing experience!

First day right off the plane at Buckingham palace

These two pictures were taken by my friend Wilson, he’s an amazing photographer, check out his insta @wnrphoto

Tea time at Harrod’s, We definitely got lost just exploring the huge luxury department store!

The ball pit bar, definitely one of my favorite memories from London!

We got to sit in on a meeting at the United Nations in Geneva, truly exciting!

Our boat tour was one of my favorite memories from Geneva, we all got to just have fun and be together for fun

The food was beyond amazing, I wish I could go back since it was all so healthy and yummy!

The Swiss Alps and the Glacier were such a surreal experience, I am so glad I got to go with these girls, it was like a fun girls trip!

travel, Uncategorized

Peggy Porschen : Finding the Perfect Background

July 12, 2018June 26, 2018by brianatrev11 Comments

Whenever I go somewhere new I always try to scout out fun places to go, see and take pictures. When in London, I found this super cute place for a some tea and eat some sweets and I had to go! The background was perfect and I would have taken even more pictures if I hadn’t just walked around for a few hours of media visits and had fresh makeup on!

Anyway, I’m sharing how I get ideas for places to take cute pictures and find the perfect backgrounds!

Pinterest : My first stop! I always look up the city and surrounding areas and do about 10 different searches, from cool food places, to instagram walls and new attractions, Pinterest has it all!

Instagram : Use hashtags and search for places, and when you find a place to visit go to their instagram page to get a feel for the vibe before you go!

Facebook : The fun videos for more popular cities always have unique places to visit! Usually pages like Buzzfeed have the best videos!

Archives : Whenever you see a cool place you want to visit, save it, you never know when you may have a chance to go and explore!

Explore : Walking or driving around is how you find the cutest places in my opinion! That is how I used to find where to take all of my pictures for Instagram! Especially in a new place, walk around and find a cute wall or little shop for fun pictures!

Ask a Local : They live there and know the coolest spots, it’s always better to make a new friend along the way too!

JumpSuit : Berkley Elleven, (similar), Asos, Forever 21

travel, Uncategorized

Travel Diary : The Swiss Alps

July 9, 2018June 25, 2018by brianatrev21 Comments

Back to the Study Abroad Posts!

Did I even go to the Swiss Alps if I did not sing the songs from The Sound of Music when we got to the top?! Seriously a great experience and so beautiful! The pictures definitely did not do it justice and standing at the tallest point we could was like being on top of the world! Truly a great experience I will never be able to get back!

We were also able to go to the glacier near the bottom and take lots of pictures! There were tabs while we went down the mountain showing how much the glacier has receeded over the years. It was so sad how small it is now compared to even a few years ago. Global warming is a real thing and it is super important to all do our part to watch over the world.

We went on several train rides and rides up and down the alps. The little french town that surrounded the Alps were so sweet. We had crepes which were so authentic and tasted amazing! We were told it would be freezing so we all bundled up in jackets and sweaters only to find we could have worn shorts and a long sleeve! We definitely needed this for the glacier though!

Sweater : Zara (similar) // Jeans : TopShop // Convertible Backpack Bag : DSW

Beauty, Health/Wellness, Uncategorized

How to Care for your Hair

July 5, 2018July 8, 2018by brianatrev12 Comments

Everyone knows the basics, cut an inch or two off the tips of your hair every few months, reduce heat on your hair and sleep on silk pillowcases. Well if you didn’t know those, there are a few more tips! Here are a few of the tips I found out work well for me and my hair type! I have a straight/wavy type of hair and it’s very thin. So what works for me may not always work for you but I tried to keep the tips as general as possible!

Weekly Hair Mask : I usually do a quick hair mask when I shave so I can be doing something while I’m waiting for the mask to set in. That or for some serious repair an overnight hydrating hair mask will do the trick, just sleep with a shower cap on!
Don’t wash everyday : Okay this one may be basic but I cannot stress the importance and the difference I have seen in my hair! I for sure go AT LEAST two days without washing it and now I am shooting for three. It takes training, patience and lots of dry shampoo, but it really does make a difference!
Hold off on the Product : I try not to use product the day I wash my hair to let the natural oils set in. I also try super hard to not straighten, curl or blow dry it after a wash just for a “reset” for my hair and give it some rest.
Use Product : On the second day I always use a product that my specific hair needs. I usually use a hydrating product for the ends like a leave in conditioner and maybe a repair serum on the ends. If your hair is curly use something specific to your hair type and what you need.
Use Protection : I never blow dry my hair without blow dry serum. It makes my hair silky smooth and I use it on “cool”. Also you should ALWAYS use heat protectant, I sometimes even do it when I know I’ll be out in the sun for a long time but that’s me being over protective now.
Cut between cuts : My aunt recently taught me this but if your section off your hair and twist it then cut the ends that stick out because those tend to be the split ends.

I found a really great Keratin hair treatment by a hair care company called Finesse. I’ve been trying the MAX deep conditioning treatment and it has really changed the softness of my locks. Not only is it easy to use and came with this perfect comb, it’s easy to purchase as well. Check out Target.com , HEB, Meijer, Winn Dixie and Woodsman Market (depending on where you live) to try some for yourself!

I like to tease my hair a lot so this treatment makes my hair silky and easy to undo the knots I create.

More products on my Beauty Wish list!

//www.brandbacker.com/trk/bb_clk_trk.js

travel, Uncategorized

Maxi Skirt Throwback

July 2, 2018June 26, 2018by brianatrev18 Comments

So the reason I said this is a throwback is because I wore this almost exact outfit a year or two ago when I went to California. I obviously like to save this maxi for fun occasions! I paired it with a white top that I tied last time and this time I added some bright turquoise earrings and a light pink cross body. I really never wear my hair up for blog posts but this day was a bit hot after all the walking around geneva!

Switzerland was never high on my list of places to travel. I always heard it was beautiful but I wanted to visit Paris, Rome, Italy and Greece before I started venturing to new places. When I heard that the study abroad was going I thought hmm, still worth a try and I submitted the application. I was super excited when I was accepted and the whole trip was beyond amazing!

Geneva was truly gorgeous, clear water, mountains in the background, nice locals and amazing food. We walked all around the city and while we were there the pope even came! I tried to see him but there was a conflict with our media visits.

BACK TO THE MAXI! I love a good yellow especially one that brightens up my skin tone! The jean jacket made the look a little more casual and neutral along with the pony hair which I think made the look a little better for the daytime. Also these sweet earrings went well with the bright yellow without over doing it!

Jean Jacket : H&M // Maxi Skirt : Zara (similar) (similar) // White Crop : Asos// Earrings : (similar) (similar)