What A Girl Wants {valentine's day gift guide}

Today it struck me that Valentine's Day is literally NEXT WEEKEND. This year has been flying by! I will be in spending my V-day in one of my favorite places, Greenville, South Carolina, with my true love, dance, at the biggest competition of our studio's season! I love Valentine's Day because everything is pink and glitter is involved... like what else is there to love? Most of this gift guide is under $60, but there are a few splurge items if you're up for it.

First of all, I am in love with this Kate Spade stack, but especially the Be Mine idiom bangle! On the outside there are words engraved like cutie pie, hot stuff, baby cakes, darling (so much cheese) and on the inside "Be Mine" is engraved. I think it's perfect because Kate knows how to sap it up without being cringeworthy. The hot pink bangle, bow bracelet, and pink watch pair perfectly with it! (I think the Loren Hope bracelet would work well too!) It also comes in silver. And what completes the look better than the matching Kendra Scott Alex earrings?! I also found this adorable small heart-shaped tray from Kate Spade!

My second true love is glitter... duh. The La Clé glitter key necklaces are the perfect gift for a fellow glitter enthusiast. I've been wearing my gold glitter key ever since I got it in the mail a few days ago. You can even add a custom key with something cute and meaningful stamped on it for a more personal gift. 

Tiffany and Co always knows how to make something perfect out of something that isn't my favorite. For example, charm bracelets have never been my thing but the Tiffany ones are perfect! My parents gave me one for my seventeenth birthday and I wear it all the time. I'm constantly browsing the Tiffany website to find which charm I want next! Charm bracelets are a good gift because it takes the thinking out of gifts for every year after. Another thing Tiffany changed into perfection was this bow ring. I feel like everyone and their mother has an infinity ring nowadays. This bow ring has the same meaning, but you won't have the same ring as everyone else you know! Also, if you're wanting to give someone the pleasure of opening a blue box without the crazy price tag, I just found this blue box mug that is so so SO CUTE. It's only $35 and I will definitely be ordering one for myself like ASAP.

This bralette from Aerie is my favorite because you don't have to wear anything under it! I love mine for dancing in especially and I'm fully expecting to have one in every color by the end of this competition season.

Last but not least, the Clarisonic is my go-to skin saver. I feel like every girl needs it in their beauty arsenal. I love mine and have started to pick it up again recently. This NARS lipstick is also the perfect bright pink. Bold lips are my thang and I really want to pick this up!

Hope you enjoy some of my favorite things this Valentine's Day!

What are your plans on February 14th?

Luxletic

LILLY ACTIVEWEAR IS HERE

or as it's chic-ly named, Luxletic.

Currently the collection is starting out with this Weekender jacket and pant at $138 and $98, respectively. This puts it at a slightly higher price point than my favorite lululemon jacket and Wunder Unders. The jacket comes in pink, blue, and orange. The pants come in navy and black. Personally, I think the line is a little lackluster and there is nothing special to make me want it. Until LP starts releasing more of the line, I think I'll be sticking to good ole Lulu.

What do you think of the new activewear? Will you be adding it to your collection?

Follow me on Twitter, and my new Instagram!

#STARBUCKSDATE + Preperella's on Insta!

"Meet me at Starbs in 20"

A sentence I know I've uttered countless times.

First dates, job interviews, marriage proposals, reunions, (my junior year) promposals.

My beloved Starbs has truly seen it all and on February 13th after 2pm, it's about to see more.

From 2pm to close on February 13th, Starbucks is pairing with Match.com and holding the world's largest Starbucks date... I don't know about you, but I've never been a part of the "World's Largest" anything. What's better to brag about than being apart of the world's largest date at my favorite place? I get to check two things off my list because I've never been on a Starbs date, either... #confessiontime. And if you're single this Valentine's Day, you can still say you went on a date...a lonely date of coffee and solitude. Not like I was going to tell people that or anything.

You can enjoy special pairings like a grande raspberry mocha and a heart cookie, or a Caffé Verona® Coffee Press for Two and a Double Chocolate Chunk Brownie, for only $5. Not only that, but there will be romantic music playlist and photo props. A few cute touches will work to make Starbucks a little more romantic on this special day.

This is all in honor of Match.com's new "Meet at Starbucks" feature, which will let crushes schedule a Starbucks date in one click.

I want to see you on your #STARBUCKSDATE whether it's with friends, a special someone, or yourself! Tag me in your Insta pics from this special event with #pstarbsdate or tag my NEW INSTAGRAM @preperella_. I'd love it if y'all could follow me!

What do you think of the World's Largest Starbucks Date? Will you attend?

Let me know in the comments!

2015 Goals

Better late than never, right?

Today's post is exactly what I was dreaming of when I wanted to make a YouTube channel to go along with the blog! I sat down and tried to make a video of this fifty trillion times but they were all way too long. So I decided to put half of my goals on my channel and half here! 

New Years resolutions are something I try to steer clear of. Having something as your resolution is pretty much setting yourself up for failure. They're empty and have no sort of gameplan to them. This year, I made a list of goals instead!

1// Keep a Jar of Good Things

I've seen this on YouTube and blogs and I want to keep one so badly. If you haven't seen it, you make a cute jar and every time something good happens to you, or just something you want to remember, you throw it in! 2015 is going to be a year of lasts and firsts for me. So many memories will be made finishing up my senior year and starting my journey into college. I want to remember every bit of it. I'm a nostalgic person and will look back on this forever. Maybe someday even share it with my daughter? I want to fill the jar up!

2// Get a summer job

I realllllly want to work at this pool over the summer. So many people from my school work there and rave about how fun it is! It doesn't really work getting a job during competition season, since I will be gone so many weekends and have long practices. As soon as it's over I want a job, though! I will be working for most of my spending money during college, so I need to start saving ASAP.

3// Go to Joffrey NYC

Last year, I auditioned for Joffrey's summer intensive in Miami. My brother and I both got in, signed up, and paid but we didn't end up going! There are no refunds, so we have credit to go this year. I fell in love with NYC in December when I went. There is nothing I want more than to be back, and this year I'm auditioning for the NYC program.

4// Find friends in college

I am so nervous about this. I've already had a hard time with the roommate situation... Currently two groups of girls think I'm rooming with them...#yikes I don't even think I will end up with either of them... ##yikes So that's where we are right now. I'm coming from six hours away and just hope I will find some friends. I'm so outgoing and make friends easily but I'm just scared about it!

5// Road trip with friends

It's our last summer truly together, and I want to make the most of it. I want to go somewhere (preferably the beach) with my best buds. And live to tell the tale of it...

6// Keep posting consistently

Cliche blogger goal, but I want to keep it up! I want to keep posting evenly on here and on YouTube and hopefully gain some new friends along the way!

Make sure to watch the video to see the other half of my goals!

Comment and tell me your goals for 2015!

Stay perfect xo

Ash

The Sunday Six: CONQUER PROCRASTINATION

Happy Sunday ladies!

I decided to make this Sunday Six have a little more substance than usual. If you're a typical human, I bet your New Years Resolution list had something along the lines of "Stop Procrastinating" on it. There's a problem with this, though. Every year we make a list of resolutions but don't really attempt to change anything or think of how we can accomplish it! I am definitely one of the worst procrastinators out there. Direct quote from a teacher email: "You are one of the smartest kids in this school but let procrastination get in between you and excellence." If you got this email, you would want to change too, right? So last semester I started my journey to get better. I have made SO much progress but I have a loooong way to go! Hopefully, sharing these tips will help you conquer procrastination, too!

1// Keep a to-do list

I know that at least a lot of MY procrastination stems from simply being overwhelmed. This is where making lists comes in handy! I keep a running to-do list in my planner for things that don't have any specific timeframe, but still need to get finished. This has helped so much with reminding me of the little things! Every Sunday I force myself to just get all of the little leftovers on the list done before making a new one for next week. My favorite to-do list pad is this one from Office Depot's See Jane Work line. It's super cute! My favorite part is that it's sticky so I can put a list in my planner and not have to worry about losing it!

2// Break big tasks up into small tasks

Another way to conquer being overwhelmed is to start breaking up big tasks into small ones. I love this printable for that! Breaking up things makes impossible tasks seem realistic! It also takes a lot of the stress out of having to do it all at once. You can do a few small tasks every day and before you know it, you've finished the big task without staying up until 3am the night before it's due... I know you've been there. 

3// Get an inspirational desktop wallpaper

Call me silly all you want... It works. Seeing this when I turn on my computer is sometimes the little extra push I need to get things done. I downloaded my current one here.

4// Tweak some of your bad habits a little

This post on PopSugar delves into the habits of punctual people. I am guilty of some of these, I'm just doing them wrong! Every morning when I wake up, I plan out exactly how many minutes it will take me to do everything so that I can sleep as much as possible without being late. What happens when my car won't start or I can't find my favorite shirt? I'm late. Even when there isn't an unexpected mishap, I am usually racing to my first period door before the bell rings. I've started to just make myself get up. It gives me some time to wake up before I have to go to school and I don't have to worry about being late!

5// Get a planner that suits you and USE IT

This one seems obvious, but it wasn't to me. Planners are not one size fits all. If you find yourself slacking on using your planner, you probably don't have the right one for you! I love all of the cute Lilly planners, but I've come to find that they're too cluttered and bulky for my liking. I'm currently using the Sugar Paper for Target planner I bought last month. I can't seem to find it online but it's the size of a one subject notebook and I LOVE IT. It has so much space to write everything and barely takes up any space in my backpack!

6// This blog... That is all.

This week while laying on my bed for hours on end and not being able to do anything, I found THIS lovely blog. Organized Charm is a productivity blog with endless resources to help you organize your life! I spent hours on it reading (kind of defeating the purpose... but I was dying... it's acceptable.) I found so many tips that I'm going to utilize in school this year and especially next year in college! She has tips on taking better notes, making the most of your planner, and so much more. My favorite post that will be SO useful in college is How to Create a Semester Assignment Spreadsheet. For an organization/school supply geek like me, this blog makes me like a kid in a candy store.

Hope you guys have a great Monday tomorrow and use some of these tips!

Comment telling me how YOU are beating procrastination!

It's Tea Time!

Happy 2015 everyone!

These past few days I have been sick as a dog. I haven't left the house since I came home from school on Thursday, and I only went because I couldn't justify missing the second day back. But the third was okay to miss I guess...? I haven't been able to sleep or breathe or do anything but lay around. One thing that has been making me feel SO much better is hot tea.

If you follow me on Twitter or watched my first YouTube video (warning: rough but it's a start), you will know that recently I have been OBSESSED with tea. I've always been a coffee girl, but I think I'm a convert. While I've been sick, tea has helped because the steam coming off of it lets me breathe and actually be able to smell something. It's refreshing to have something taste normal! The caffeine has also gotten me feeling better and more energetic. I've had countless cups in just this week alone and would like to think that I've started developing an appreciation for tea. I'm excited to share with you three of my favorites! Each of these teas bring something different to the table and are great for people just starting the addiction. ;)

 

Stash's Breakfast in Paris tea is a lovely floral tea for the Parisian in all of us. This one is my personal favorite and my go-to tea for any occasion. I have had a thing for lavender ever since I was little. My family has had L'Occitane lavender soap in stock in our showers for as long as I can remember, and the scent has been my favorite for just as long. I've always been on a search for a lavender tea and I finally found it! Most teas I try just have subtle hints of lavender that leave a lover like me longing for more. This tea has a very strong lavender note paired with bergamot oil and black tea. Also, THE SMELL IS SO WONDERFUL. I feel like I've drifted off to Paris--eating brunch at a cute little cafe, seeing the Eiffel Tower in the distance while I enjoy my macarons and croissants. That is probably the most cliche sentence I have ever written but it's exactly how this tea makes me feel! If I am stressed, this tea also does a good job calming me down. It has replaced my morning coffee and gives me a little pick-me-up without the dreaded crash!

For: the Parisian, the lavender fanatic, the big dreamer, the floral tea lover

Next up: Twinings's Lady Grey, a spin on the classic Earl Grey with notes of bergamot, orange and lemon. FROOT LOOPS. THIS TEA TASTES LIKE FROOT LOOPS. This is the first hot tea I ever tried thanks to Arden Rose's old tea vlogs. (I may or may not have tried to make my own tea vlogs. They may or may not still be up on an obscure channel from freshman year.) It really does taste like Froot Loops but in a good way! I really recommend this tea for people who don't think they like black tea, or who are just starting to drink it! My little brother hates any hot tea that I put in front of him, but he drinks Lady Grey like nobody's business. The fruity scent is really fun and I love this tea for 

when I want to change things up a bit!

For: the tea beginner, the fruity girl, the tea hater, little brothers, spontaneous cups

Last but not least, Tazo Thrive. This tea is actually really hard to find but I picked it up at my local TJ Maxx for $2.75! I have searched online and the only other place I can find it is on Amazon. The first thing I noticed was the gorgeous artwork on the packaging. Sorry not sorry, but that is definitely what made me pick it up. Thrive is a green tea, and also is blended with green yerba mate and green rooibos. I had never tried green tea before (surprisingly) so I didn't know how I would like it, but I love it! It is minty with rose hips and black pepper. The combination just sounds odd, but I promise you they go together perfectly. The mint is not overpowering like other mint teas I have tried. The black pepper hits the back of your throat and spices the tea up a little. While I've been sick, this has been a favorite because the tingle of the pepper helps my sore throat!

For: green tea enthusiasts, spicy lovers, "minty but not TOO minty", sore throats

I'm always on the lookout for new teas, so share in the comments what YOUR favorite tea is so I can try it!

A New Stage

You read correctly! I'm now going to be integrating a YouTube channel with my blog. One of my biggest mottos in life is that life is a stage. Everyday you are performing whether it be for your friends, your boss, or your teachers. If you know me, you know that I frequent some larger stages for dance and theatre. I love being on stage and in front of people and I think you all will see a completely different side of me in my videos compared to reading my thoughts as I'm sitting behind a computer. I like the way I will be able to look back at my videos and relive moments. I filmed a video on my first day of freshman year in high school, and watching it now as a senior makes me want to cry. I hope that I can do the same chronicling all of the excitement that will happen to me in college. Maybe my senior year I'll look back at where I am right now.

I've tried YouTube before... about five different times... I've been watching YouTube videos since the sixth grade and have been trying my own channels for just as long. Who knows? Maybe if I would've stuck with it I could have had millions of subscribers by now! I've always gained around 100 subscribers then stopped for various reasons. But this time I'm determined not to, I have my group of UR girls that are holding me accountable and I think it will work out this time. This doesn't mean goodbye to the blog, I'll still be here but I'll also have a new home on my channel. 

SO THE IMPORTANT THINGS.

What you all have been waiting for I'm guessing?

HERE is the link to my new channel.

I would love it if you all would subscribe!

No videos yet, but I want you to ask questions in the comments on this post for me to answer in my first video! If you look and the video isn't up, then you still have time to ask! Cathleen at Classy Cathleen has sent me a base list of questions but I would love to feature some from the blog. Also, if there is anything you would like to see, put that in a comment too!

Love you all and so excited for you to see me on a new stage

Follow me on Twitter!

@Preperella