I recently took a trip to San Francisco and found myself needing a few things that I forgot at home. So, here are my top travel essentials that I most definitely recommend to any gal hitting the air!
1. Makeup remover: This is an easy item to forget, but it is so so important to cleanse your face each morning and night. Traveling can cause skin to flare, especially in unfamiliar climates. You'll be glad you have them once you land! 2. Extra Phone Charger: It always seems like those tiny cords disappear when traveling. Packing two will guarantee you will never run out of battery! 3. Layers: I always make sure to bring at least two, universal layers when traveling. I usually wear a sweatshirt and a denim jacket aboard the flight. This ensures that I won't be cold, and in case I get too warm, I can always use the extra layer as a pillow! There you have it, my top three travel essentials. Hopefully, your next adventure will be as smooth and seamless as possible! xo, sydnee
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As much as we'd love to avoid it, Monday always happens to roll around, whether we're ready for it or not. With that being said, here are a few of my tips for making the best of your Monday and week!
1. Wake up an hour early- I know what you're thinking, waking up early on a Monday?! Yes, I'm serious! Giving yourself an extra hour in the morning allows for a less hectic day. Work out, read a book, or catch up on your homework- that extra hour will ensure a stress-free Monday. 2. Workout- Starting my morning with exercise is one of my favorite things to do. I feel so awake and refreshed after. It's the perfect way to let Monday know who's boss! 3. Meal Prep- Prepping your meals for the week is a great way to ensure healthy eating throughout the week. I like to make quinoa and veggies! They last in the fridge for about a week and complement any dish perfectly! There you have it, my top three tips for slaying your Monday! xo, Sydnee Okay, I can’t be the only one with a major Starbucks obsession, right?! I swear, if I were a Starbucks drink I would be my favorite, Peach Green Tea Lemonade, for sure. I love everything about Starbucks: from the customer service, to the yummy drinks, and of course, the cake pops. However, I’ve learned a few hacks of the years that continue to encourage my love for Starbucks. To find out my go to Starb’s hacks, then keep reading!
xo, sydnee
When it comes to Instagram, there really shouldn’t be any rules. A free social media platform that allows one to share moments should be all but posed. But, we all know there’s unspoken rules: what time to post, if adding a location will help gain likes, and of course, which filter to use. If you’re anything like me, a cohesive Instagram aesthetic is essential. In today’s post I am going to reveal my top tips and tricks to achieve a solid Instagram theme. Step 1: Download VSCO. It’s a free app that allows you to choose from unique filters. Step 2: Scroll through the filters and pick your favorite. Make sure landscape and portrait photos look balanced when using your chosen filtered. Step 3: You’re almost done! Save your photo to your camera roll and post to Instagram! My sneakiest tip: post the photo, take a screenshot of your feed, and then quickly delete it. By doing this, you are able to double check that your photo matches with your theme! Voila! You’re on your way to creating a perfect Insta! BTW, if this seems like too much of process, don’t sweat it. Keep posting, it’s all for fun anyways!
Don’t forget to follow me! @sydneesimon xo, Sydnee By Sydney JacobThis is my last and final post before the holiday season rolls around. Best of luck to everyone in their last week of class and finals. Remember to relax and get plenty of sleep throughout the next couple of weeks as tough as it can be with last minute studying and rounding off your final grades. Thank you to everyone for reading the TWIN blog and we all hope you enjoyed reading all of our posts this last semester! Enjoy time with your families over the holidays and enjoy our long break.
CHEERS!! --Sydney By Sydney JacobI grew up in the Minneapolis area so I am constantly trying new restaurants and visiting new places in and around Minneapolis. It is easy, being students, to get stuck in our constant, boring routine of class, work, eat, sleep, and repeat. In my free time this past weekend, I met up with my aunt for lunch Downtown at a new restaurant that recently opened downtown. It is called the Hewing Hotel and the connected restaurant is called Tullibee. I was pleasantly surprised when I walked in the the lobby of the hotel. The woodsy, modern vibe of the lobby is inviting with a warm, fireplace and homey feel with the beautifully decorated Christmas tree to celebrate the holiday season. The Hewing’s restaurant, Tullibee has a condensed menu with a handful of food items. My first impression when I see a condensed menu is my concern that I either won’t like my food or that the portions are too small, but I was proven wrong in both aspects. I split the shrimp toast as an appetizer and the burger as my meal and I was overly satisfied with both items. I HIGHLY recommend trying out the Tullibee. The overall atmosphere was great because it was the day of the Vikings game and the bar was full which has a Billards table and is separated from the sit down area. The hotel is located at 300 Washington Avenue South in Minneapolis, across from JD Hoyt’s Supper Club. In your free time, swing over and try the Tullibee or another restaurant, shop or event Downtown to change things up. By Sydney JacobFollowing up from last week’s post, I altered two of my new, thrifted clothing items: the camouflage ringer tee and the black skinny jeans. The wonderful thing about the combination of thrifting and distressing clothing is that you can take a t-shirt with a hole in the front (as I found the camo tee) and you can transform it into an edgy tee. Tee Shirt: HOW TO With the tee, there is no right or wrong way to do it. It is best when the tears look a little messy. That being said, I started out by simple making randomized slits with a scissors along the front side of the shirt and sleeves. I avoided areas where undergarments would become too visible in case a tear expands with wear. After a slit has been made simply pull either sides of the tear vertically stretching them out and repeat horizontally. This expands the tear and you can pull harder or softer depending on your preference. I then went to the sleeves and cut a clean line of fabric off the very edge of the shirt. Then, open up a pair of scissors and glide the blade against the edge of the sleeve to create a frayed look. Black Denim: HOW TO Distressing jeans is one of my favorite DIY projects. The more warn in a pair of denim is, the better the distressed denim will turn out. I usually start out by trying on the pair of jeans and making some type of mark where I will want to tear. The knees are where I aim the majority of my focus because the placement of the knee slits must be even on either side. Once the jeans are off, cut a clean slit across the knees on the front piece of the denim. Then open the scissors and glide the blade against the edge while adding more force to increase the amount of fray. The amount of fraying will also depend on the amount of elastic material in the fabric. The less elastic, the easier fabric is to fray. The scissors can also be used to score randomized areas on the jeans to give a worn in, edgy look. After all distressing is done, make sure to throw the denim in the washer and dryer. Washing them will make the distressing look more prominent. Outfit Pairings Creating a whole outfit, I took my new tee and tied a front knot to create a more fitted silhouette to the normally boxy t-shirt. The denim can either stay rolled down to show the raw hem at the bottom or they can be rolled up to pair with a chunky, black lace-up bootie. To top of the edgy look, a solid, black baseball cap will tie the whole look together. Go out thrifting and try distressing on your own. The beauty of thrifting and distressing is that the inexpensive shopping trip allows you to experiment on clothing without the worry of wasting money on finished product that does not turn out as planned. Be creative & have fun with it! By Sydney JacobEveryone has the same issue with shopping at some point: Wanting everything in the store but not having the funds to feed your addiction for buying the newest fashion trends. Shopping at thrift shops is a great way to save money, while getting vintage, secondhand clothing. Recently, I visited the Goodwill Outlet store down University Ave. When you walk in there is a large warehouse filled with life-sized bins full of miscellaneous clothing items as well as furniture, shoes, appliances and bedding. Instead of creating a price for every clothing item, the clothing is weighed at checkout to determine the price of the clothing being purchased. Below I have posted picture of the items that I dug up from my trip to the outlet. Thrifting is a long process that takes patience and an eye for unique pieces that not everyone else will own. After weighing my items, my grand total came out to only $4.17 for 4 clothing items. Chambray Embroidered Shirt This chambray button up shirt immediately stood out to me because of the embroidered details and the wooden beading in the design of the shirt. This can be half tucked into a pair of distressed denim to create a denim on denim 90’s look. This unique button up is sure to stand out. Velvet Skirt This midi black velvet skirt was in great condition. There is one missing button on the back to fasten the skirt, but that can be easily fixed. This skirt can either be kept at a long, midi length and paired with a cropped knit sweater or it can be made into a DIY project and be cut down to a shorter length. Black Denim This pair of black denim is worn in, giving them a grungy, distressed look. My project will be to give them an even more worn in look by distressing the knees to make the pair of denim look more grungy versus clean cut. Camouflage T-shirt The camouflage tee is my personal favorite. The great thing about thrift shops is that you don’t necessarily need to pay close attention to sizes. Considering the men’s and women’s clothing is intermixed with each other, the main focus is eyeballing the size and determining if the garment can be worked with to fit truest to your size. This particular shirt happened to be a boys t-shirt. I hope you enjoyed seeing my purchases and stay tuned to next week’s post where I will alter the clothing from the outlet to put my own spin on the clothing. Thrifting is a fun, affordable way to go shopping with friends, not to mention it is exciting to see the vintage pieces that are mixed into the piles of clothing. Take the time to sort through each pile and you will find something you love. HAPPY THRIFTING!! By Sydney JacobNot only do we all have the bad case of the Mondays, but also the Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays (unless you’re lucky enough to have no Friday class). Here are some tips on how to stay motivated on those days that you just want to curl up in your warm bed instead. Stay Organized Before your new week starts over take a step back on Sundays and open up your planner. Fill in when you have assignments, quizzes and tests due so that you can plan out when you fit in break time for social events or activities. School can get so hectic and overwhelming at times but if you make sure to budget your time, it is really important to squeeze in some “me time” where you can let your brain relax and hang with friends or catch up on your favorite tv show. One of my favorite planners that I have had is Day Designer’s Monthly/Weekly planner from Target for only $9.99. At the beginning of every month there is an area that has three sections of checklists where you can set priorities for the month. Change It Up
Studies have proven that creating variety in your schedule and trying new things can increase happiness. The same exact every single week can get to be boring, so try something new! The internet is your best friend so look there for inspiration, like this website with events going on in Minneapiolis (http://www.exploreminnesota.com/index.aspx). Go take a look at our other blogger’s post here in TWIN. Maybe go try one of the restaurants in our food section or even try out the makeup tutorials in our beauty section. It is going to be inevitable to have a set schedule with school and work, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t step outside of your everyday habits and change things up a bit. Join a Club Clubs are a great way and easy way to meet new people, network with professionals and get out of the house. Normally clubs are very laid back and are there if you want to participate. Everyone understands that life happens, so you are not obligated to make it to every single meeting. You for sure will not regret going to meetings because you get to experience a change of pace as well as doing something you are passionate about. The majority of you reading are probably already our FAB (Fashion and Business) Club. If you are NOT, what are you waiting for?? We are a club that welcomes anyone in any major who shares our passion for fashion as well as a desire to go to fashion events where you can network with professionals in the field while learning more about the industry and meeting great friends along the way. Clubs are a great stress reliever where you can take a quick hour off from homework and hang out with others who are in the same boat as you. There are 1000+ student organizations here at the U of M and there is even the opportunity to start your own, visit the link to learn more! https://gopherlink.umn.edu/organizations By Sydney JacobHi Everyone!! I wanted to do a very sparknotes version of myself quick. I’m a senior so I guess you could say I have some experience in the college department, I’m in retail merchandising so naturally I love anything and everything that has to do with shopping, clothing, trends, etc. I love to laugh and am very sarcastic as you will see come out in my posts. I’m excited to be writing this lifestyle blog and any suggestions or topics you want me to write about, let me know J
I am in love with the fall season, as I’m sure many of you are as well. I obviously love nothing more than laying out on the lake and drifting to sleep under the sun, but what I love even more is stepping outside on a crisp, fall day and coming home to a warm bed and a laptop ready with Netflix. Everyone’s favorite fall time tradition is of course: the apple orchard. I recently went to the Aamodt’s Apple Farm in Stillwater, MN. There is something about stepping foot on the apple farm that reminds me of my childhood. I remember sprinting through the rows of trees as a kid, jumping to reach the perfect apple. Don’t get me wrong I still do those things…! The barn is full of rows of different types of apples, including our very own University of Minnesota developed, honey crisp (hands down the best flavored apple…GO GOPHS). Time flies at the orchard by trying the wide assortment of apple flavored items such as: warm apple cider with a spiced cinnamon flavor, apple crisp pie with chunks of sweet and sour apples and buttery cinnamon sugar crumbles scattered on top, and apple infused, juicy bratwurst. Is your mouth watering as much as mine right now? If you answered YES. Then get over to Aamodt’s and you won’t be disappointed. They are open 10AM-6PM daily. For those of you who are 21+ there is a beautiful barn where you can wine taste the wide variety of wines. On the opposite side of the spectrum, the apple farm is extra kid friendly with wagon rides, tractor and trike farm, adorable goat petting zoo, the honey crisp express and of course a special treasure hunt. Have a very happy fall and enjoy every second of it before our frozen tundra takes over!! |
Meet Elizabeth!Hi guys, I’m Elizabeth. I’m an avid hockey fan that honestly doesn’t own enough pastels. I love preppy, classic style and would love to be at NYFW or PFW one day. I hope to help you guys with college and lifestyle posts! Categories
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