"Nothing great ever came from comfort zones."  Though I've known this quote for a while, it never truly resonated with me until now. I have a good feeling about 2019, better yet, I have a good feeling about turning 26. I fought my age for as long as I could, but I'm finally feeling ready and to be quite frank- confident- to conquer what I'm meant to conquer.

In order to do so I have to step out of my comfort zones and push my very own boundaries. This blog is no exception. I've finally taken the leap and purchased not just a domain, but also the LLC attached to the domain. I started to take charge of my personal finances and launch my own business while working full-time and landing a job in my field (finally!).

It's kind of like this black, velvet jumpsuit. I thought it was the ugliest thing and totally not my style, but when my friend forced me to try it on I loved it right away. With life, fashion and everything in between you can't turn your nose up to something because it's a little different.


Life is going to give you lemons, that's a given, it's up to you to to decide what lemon flavored drink you'd like to make with those lemons. I have a good feeling about year twenty-six. It's going to be one for the books.

I showed you all what was inside my vanity back when I lived in Jacksonville, North Carolina, but it's been a couple years now and my style has changed. I started 2019 off with huge de-clutter in our apartment. Omar and I went through every nook and cranny in the apartment and if we haven't used it in the past six months to a year it went to a donation pile. That included my vanity. I have makeup and jewelry that hasn't seen the light of day in a while and it was time to give it up.


Now that my vanity is perfection, I wanted to share an update of what it looks like and how it's organized. The vanity itself is from Ikea and it has been with my to three different living spaces. Honestly, I'm a little scared that it might not make it one more move, but it works for now and I love it just as much as I did the day I got it.

Starting from left to right, not much of the layout has changed but the pieces on it definitely has. The black velvet jewelry organizers hold all (that's right all) of my necklaces, bracelets and watches. I wanted to take a minimalist approach when cleaning out my space and that included jewelry. I even donated some high end jewelry that I haven't worn in a long, long time. Some of my favorite pieces that I wear almost daily are my nameplate necklace, Kendra Scott Elsa necklace, Cartier Love Bangle, Gucci bangle and my gold diamond tennis bracelet. Next to my jewelry organizers are my bottles of perfume;  Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy , Britney Spears Curious and Victoria Secret Bombshell.

The center part of my vanity is an acrylic makeup organizer. It contains all 99.9% of my makeup. I got rid of a lot of makeup that was either old or just taking up space and made room for new products that I got for Christmas. Now all of my foundations, powders, eyeshadows and lip products have a specific place to go. I listed all of the products that you see in these pictures down below.

On the right side of my vanity is a small, crystal Tiffany & Co. bowl where I keep my earrings and rings. I don't wear a lot of earrings, despite the fact that I have eight ear piercings, but it's because I have to wear "real" metals (nothing plated/coated) or else I get an allergic reaction. So my gold Swarovski studs are my go-to earrings. These stainless steel hoops from Target are great for a night out and then there are my rings; Cartier Love Ring, Coordinate Ring and Gucci band are the ones I reach for the most. Next to that is my DASH candle from the DASH store in New York. I rarely burn this because I love, but it's a great decor piece for my vanity. Lastly, I have the Tiffany & Co. Perfume that Omar got me for my birthday. I have this standing on it's own because it's personally engraved with my monogram on it!

I have two glass holders for my makeup brushes and beauty blenders. The large one is a glass vase from a Marshall's and the other one is actually a candle I got at Urban Outfitters in New York City. Once I burned out the candle, I cleaned it out and re-purposed it. I also have my rose-gold Minnie Mouse ears that I got from Disney on my vanity. I usually wear it when I'm dong my makeup to keep my hair pushed back and I feel super cute like I'm back at Disney! One of my favorite pieces on my vanity is the Anastasia Music Box that my brother and his girlfriend, Ana, got me for Christmas. I love this piece because it's so unique, I can throw jewelry in there at the end of the night and it's from my favorite princess movie!

In the pull-out drawer I have just a few things. On the left side I keep hand sanitizers and lotions, a couple pocket mirrors and travel sized items. In the middle I have nail polish and a couple extra products as a back-up. On the right side I have makeup, glasses and jewelry cleaner. In the drawers to the left (under the jewelry holder) I keep a couple extra pieces of jewelry that are specific for Disney or the beach. In the drawer to the right (under the crystal bowl) I keep spare sunglasses. 

The chair is from Ikea, but I don't think they sell it anymore. It sort of looks like this one but with arm rest. The amazing Audrey Hepburn 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' poster was a gift from my friend John for Secret Santa a few years ago.

That's it! That's my entire updated vanity collection. I hope you see some pieces that you like, I'll have everything linked down below!

As January comes to an end, I'll be getting ready for the Super Bowl and my birthday! That's right, my birthday falls on Super Bowl Sunday this year. I plan on going to a brunch earlier that day so everyone can watch the game later that night- I know I'm a really good friend and daughter. Have a great weekend everyone and here's a list of Links I Love!

I love Lisa Kudrow. I've watched a few videos/clips of her giving some sort of speech and she just speaks so eloquently. I really like this video in particular, it's extremely motivating.

Pokemon cookies are a thing and I've seen them in real life (pictured above).

If you haven't heard, Criminal Minds is coming to an end. I'm not entirely shocked by this (BRING BACK HOTCH), but it's still sad nonetheless. However, Mindhunters is coming back with a Season 2 on Netflix so I'll have something to fill that "creepy criminal mind" type of show void.

Taco Bell is the best. Seriously, it's my favorite food establishment. The whole menu can be catered to a vegetarian, but they're coming out with an entire vegetarian menu anyways and I love them even more for that.

This Disney commercial pulls at my heart string. It makes me so happy and sad all at the same time.

Speaking of Disney, this couple had a Disney themed wedding by putting every center piece as a different Disney movie. The topping on the cake is the cutest in my opinion.

This article is completely true, Anastasia is the greatest animated film ever!

Ariana Grande keeps killing it. Her new single, 7 Rings, gave me the perfect inspo for my birthday theme this year.

I've done a couple of these round-up blog posts now and recapping old blog posts actually put a smile on my face. I love seeing old post and not only cringing, but learning from them. Today, I've decided to recap all of my blog posts involving my number one man, my dog Oliver!

The first thing you have to do is get the house ready for a dog. There were so many items that we had to get, it was like preparing the apartment for a baby.

Then, we got Oliver! He was the best decision we ever made. Even though he was a lot of work he also taught us a lot of responsibility very quickly.

Something that came in handy was Chewy.com. Not only was the food, treats and all the other puppy necessities delivered right to our door, but it's cheaper than the chain pet stores.

I got Bark Box as a gift for my mom and her pup initially, but after we got Oliver I wanted to spoil him just as much too. I still advertise Bark Box now and then because it really is a great (and affordable) treat for your pup.

The next blog post I shared was about healthy eating for dogs. I'm not an expert and maybe even some of my tips are only for my dog, but if you have a dog like mine.

Gift guides are so much fun! Especially when you're shopping for your pet!

Since Oliver and I have the same birthday I go ALL OUT for him! His first birthday was done with a peanut butter cake, his second birthday involved cupcakes with sparklers and his third birthday is coming up soon and I can't wait!!

Doggy Daycare can be a controversial topic, but I honestly love it. Oliver is a husky and he has more energy than the typical dog, but doggy daycare is a great place for him to interact with other dogs and play all day to get that energy out of him.

Did you know you can actually make your own dog food at home? It's so important that your down gets the right nutrients and vitamins and you can't just get all of it in kibble. I share Oliver's favorite home cooked recipe in this blog post.

Honestly, this blog post doesn't need a description. I literally went on Amazon and found some of my favorite Halloween costumes for dogs. Get ready for some laughter.

One of my FAVORRRITE blog post that involves Oliver was the guest feature I had with Brianna of Pack Leader Help LLC. We did an in-depth interview about why dog rehabilitation is so important and what Oliver has learned in his short time working with Brianna.

There are all of my doggy blog posts. I'm sure I'll have a ton more down the line, but if you ever need to find a dog post you can find them under the 'Lifestyle' tag on the blog. Any other ideas for dog inspired content you'd like to see on the blog? Let me know by commenting down below.

I love Baublebar, it's where my mom got my nameplate necklace from and my coordinate ring. The quality of their pieces are so nice and the prices are completely reasonable too. Their Alidia Ring has surfaced a lot lately and when I checked it out for myself I instantly fell in love. I actually love this ring so much I'm considering purchasing all six shades. That's insane, but each one is just so unique.  One night I was browsing the Baublebar website and I realized that they currently have a lot of gemstone pieces out that I am obsessed with.

As I mentioned the Alidia Ring is my favorite! This collection is just so unique and different that I had to share with you all my favorite pieces from the website. If anyone still needs to get me a birthday gift, this is a great start ;)!