My First Week As A Vegan!

It's finally feeling like Summer here. Summer is my favorite season; the smells, the feeling, all the fun, and the gorgeous food! I am so happy I decided to become a vegan during the summer, because the supermarket literally feels like a farmer's market around this time of year. Plus, it's absolutely gorgeous out. Heat, humidity, stagnant air, and wood scented dew totally lights my fire; I am completely aware how alone I am in that sentiment, but I literally adore it.
So now, not only am I eating all the freshest, most amazing food from the earth, but I've been eating outside in nature and it's such a great feeling. Becoming a vegan has been a great decision, and I really want to update you guys on how week one went!

Summer Beauty Bowl

Look at that! Is that not the most gorgeous, abundant, and fresh breakfast you've ever seen! This was my breakfast a few days ago, and after posting the photo on Tumblr and Instagram I got a huge number of people asking for the recipe. I actually made this delicious bowl specifically for this blog.
I call this a Beauty Bowl because every single ingredient in it is made by nature to make your hair and skin even more gorgeous than it already is. Let's get down to how to make it.

Gorgeous Summer Beauty Bowl

• 1 1/2 cups frozen strawberries
• 1 cup vanilla soy milk
• 1 tbsp strawberry jam
• 1/2 ripe peach
• 2 large fresh ripe strawberries
• 1/2 cup cantaloupe
• 1/3 cup fresh blueberries
• 2 tbsp black chia seeds 

Step 1: In a blender or NutriBullet, combine jam, soy milk, and strawberries and blend until smooth. Use more or less milk depending on your desired thickness.
Step 2: After placing your smoothie in your serving bowl, cut up your fruits and place atop your smoothie bowl. Then, sprinkle chia seeds on top for healthy crunch.

All these ingredients are made to make you look gorgeous. All the fruits are super high water content, especially cantaloupe. If you're in need to rehydration, look no further. Your summer skin will thank you!
Blueberries and strawberries are packed full of antioxidants. Those little fighters are what will keep your skin wrinkle free. If you've got problematic skin, those peaches will help clear up your complexion, and prevent it from creating new problems. Chia is full of good for you fiber that flushes out toxins, keeping your skin glowing and fresh!

Enjoy!

Quick, Thick, and Easy Chocolate Chia Pudding

See, you guys! I promised! A vegan recipe! And, because I am a huge, massive chocoholic (who isn't?) I thought we'd start out with my absolute favorite chocolate chia pudding! If you're brand new to the world of chia, this is a really great place to start. Chia is a superfood that actually deserves to be called a superfood.
Chia is also incredibly non-offensive. There's really no taste to it, and the texture, when dry, is exactly like crunchy poppy seeds. Add it to you oatmeal, smoothies, salad dressings; whatever you think needs a crunchy boost! Personally, I put a little bit on most of my daily meals.
It's chock full of protein, fiber, phosphorous, Omega-3s, calcium, manganese, and magnesium. While usually, a lot of foods that are that packed with nutrition are calorie dense, chia is only 160 calories for three tablespoons. And three table spoons is all you need for a whole lot of chia pudding! So, without further ado, let's get to the recipe!

Chocolate Chia Pudding

• 3 tbsp black chia seeds
• 1 cup vanilla soy milk
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• a touch of vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp agave extract

Step 1: Put your chia and soy milk together in a small bowl. Stir.
Step 2: Drop in the rest of the ingredients one at a time, stirring after each ingredient.
Step 3: Let sit for one hour to overnight; it all depends on how thick you want it to be.

In the photo above, I was eating chia pudding for breakfast! Yup, dessert for breakfast! Totally doable with chia, because it's so healthy. I topped it with whole, raw almonds, strawberry compote, and coconut flakes. The compote was warm and the pudding was chilled, which was such a cool contrast. Plus, the almonds and coconut made a great textural difference that made the whole thing incredible delicious!

Enjoy, you guys! 

It's Skin Night! New Routine & New Products

Hey everyone! I know it's been far too long, but since all the life related craziness has reached a glorious calm, I am back! And, it's Summer! I have so many great summer post ideas, plus, as a new vegetarian, I'm introducing some lifestyle/fitness/recipe/what I ate today posts! I'm super excited to get back on this ride with you guys. So, in the spirit of Summer, let's jump right on in.

Today was my favorite night of the week. It varies week by week, but without fail, once a week, I take an hour or so and focus on rejuvenating my skin hardcore. I call it Skin Night. It's like a mini spa all for myself. It's so relaxing and so lovely. Especially on a warm, wet Summer night. Here's what I use to keep up with my Summer skin, and some products I am obsessed with. Here goes!

Life Update & Why There Haven't Been New Posts

Hey, everyone!

I just wanted to touch base with all of you guys and let you know I am definitely still here! If you follow me on social media (links are on the sidebar to your right) then you're probably already pretty aware of why I've been absent lately. For those of you who have not yet followed me on social media (what are you waiting for!) I'll explain what's going on.
Last week I was accepted to New York University's Tisch School of the Arts for Drama. This was a big accomplishment for me and I am thrilled to have been accepted. It's been a dream of mine for quite some time. Unfortunately, I was not given a financial aid package due to my inability to pay the financial aid application fee. It's grossly unfair and currently my mother and I have been trying to correct this situation. If we do not receive aid, I'll have to take out massive loans. I am glad to do it if I must and to get my career in order, I will. But it's very stressful.My mom is a single parent who would basically have to work three years without spending any money on anything to put me through NYU for just one year. So things are a little tense. 
Because of all this drama, I am taking a short break from MNYL. I will be returning quite soon, though! I love this blog and I adore the feedback I get on my posts. I am really pleased they are helping you guys out and I get so much joy from that knowledge. I can't stay away too long! Expect new postings soon. Most likely sometime around April 12.
Until then, if any of you would like to help me out with dorm essentials, tuition, or general cost of living, I have a Target College Registry and a GoFundMe for my college expenses.

You guys are beautiful and I love you all!

Review! Covergirl Colorlicious Lip Lava Lipgloss in Lychee Lava

I really wanted to love this. I really, really did. Let me preface by saying that I am usually not a glossy gal. Wet lips never used to be my thing. Matte all the way. But lately I've been loving some inexpensive glosses to ease myself into the fray. When I was asked to review this I was pretty excited.

Took a short walk to my nearest Walgreen's to pick it up. I picked out Lychee Lava. It retailed for about $9. For me, it was so not worth it. I'm almost tempted to return it. It looks so promising in the tube! From the promotional images and the photos I saw of other reviews online, it looks as though it's a iridescent, multi-faceted pigment based gloss with a high color payoff. Not the case. 

It's pretty much a bright pink, high-shine gloss with these obnoxious sparkles that happen to be highly reflective. It's just not cute. 

I hate obvious sparkles in anything. My face makeup, my powders, my blushes, my bronzers, and especially highlighters. I was expecting this to go on like a fine shimmer highlighter. You know the type; a Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector or a Nars Albatross. Nope. Just sparkles. Sparkles everywhere. 

The pigment itself wasn't even that exciting? Pretty sheer and not very changeable as the images suggest. You certainly don't get this look, as Covergirl claims: 

I applied it to go to a work dinner at around 5 pm. The applicator is lovely. It's a brush, which I always prefer with glosses. Easy to apply and easy to paint the corners and contour to the shape of your mouth. I appreciated that a lot. Texture wise, it felt like a balm. Not sticky and luckily I couldn't feel the sparkles. The packaging itself is really nice as a whole, too. Minimal, glossy, very high-end looking. Perfect thin shape to put int a clutch or even a pocket. 

At about 6:30, before I was about to step into the restaurant, I checked my face in the mirror. The gloss had managed to move itself everywhere? Officially not lambada proof, guys! It had bled around the top of my mouth and the corners. Very disappointed. So, I just wiped it off and applied my backup, knowing that this Lip Lava was going to disappear before the soup course.

Melt-Proof Vacation Make-Up

Go with me for a sec. You're on a beach. You're sipping a coconut water. There's a warm breeze. Maybe a little too warm. Maybe you start to get hot, you start to sweat, and then bam. Your makeup is slipping, sliding, and doing the lambada all over your face and you've got lunch with friends in a hour or so. No bueno. I feel you. 

I don't want that for you just as much as you don't! And surprisingly enough, the solution is simpler than you think. So, while Spring is just around the corner and with that, Spring and Summer vacations, think about these tricks and products when you're shopping for melt-proof makeup to stay fierce in the warmer days to come.

If you really want the bare minimum in terms of purchasing new products, the key (and this is in general really) is setting spray. Now, a lot of people are skeptical of setting sprays. They're convinced they're either useless or damaging and I've hardly ever met any on the fence. For those of us who have seen the heavenly light, let me tell you something: settings sprays are your friend. 

You guys know I prefer a dewy look. And Spring and Summer almost demand a dewy finish. You wouldn't go to the beach with a fully matte face, would you? Yes! Yes, you would! Because on top of that matte finish, ultra anti-melt face, you should mist a dewy finish setting spray. Hallelujah.That right there is my holy grail formula, guys!

Matte Finish Makeup + Dewy Finish Setting Spray = Flawless, Melt-Free, Beach Ready Fierceness.

You're welcome. This has been my fool proof way to keep my face from melting off on vacation, on Summer days, or weekends at my beach house. Here are some of my favorite products that I use to achieve what was once the impossible.

The Rimmel Matte BB Cream is not only affordable, but it does exactly what it says it does. For Spring and Summer, when it is warmer and my face might sweat a bit, I tend to skip foundation. Especially on humid days. If you've been following me for a bit, you've probably heard me talk about how problematic my skin can be. Humidity, heat, and pore clogging foundations equal breakouts and you don't want that. The lighter the base the better. So a BB is perfection! Hydrating and good for your skin, it also has the perfect natural looking amount of coverage, especially this Rimmel one. The matte finish will keep it from sliding all over the place in the heat, too!

After I use my matte BB, I always set it with a mattifying powder. If you're planning to be outside in the heat and sun and expect your makeup to maintain it's chill, you need to set it. This Clinique Stay Matte Powder is my ultimate favorite. I travel with this powder exclusively when I'm going someplace warm. A more affordable version that I also like is the NYX Stay Matte Powder (I guess there's a trend with the name?). Is it as amazing as the Clinique? No, but for $9.99 it gets the job done, certainly.

Ahhhh. The NYX Dewy Finish Setting Spray. I think this might be the first time I'm mentioning this product on my blog, which is shocking to me because it's an absolute, to the end, holy grail, throw it in my casket when I die product for me. I use it for literally everything. To wet brushes for shadow, to prime my face, to loosen up cream foundation, I mean the possibilities I've found with this are absolutely endless. And it's sets your face like no one's business. After you've applied all that matte-ness, spray this four or five times all over your face at a distance and you'll be glowing and beach ready.

To me, these are my necessities for a stress-free, melt-free day. But, if you're looking to spice it up, a great waterproof(ish) mascara that will not budge is the Benefit They're Real! Mascara. It'll bulk up your lashes, give them tons of length, and won't smudge in the heat. Also, if you're looking to blush it up, I would apply a creme blusher on top of your spray set face. Odd, I know, but something about the texture of the spray set skin makes the blush stick better on my skin. Also, the creme fomula will add to your dewy hue. A favorite of my vacation makeup bag is the Ciate Blush Pop Creme Blush. And that usually tops off my Summer face! 

Thanks, guys and have fun!

How I Straighten My Hair and Keep It Healthy

Heathy and Straight by lamodemoderne featuring a straight iron

 Hey, babes! If you guys follow me on Tumblr or Instagram, you know that my natural hair is very curly. I keep it straight most of the time, but to let it rest and de-stress I allow it to go au nautrale every once in a while. My hair is my lioness mane, guys! I love it a lot and keep it super healthy even though I use heat styling on it every day. Here's how I keep it healthy, straighten it, and some tips and tricks for keeping your man in tip top shape!

Day to Night Glam!

Take It To Night! by lamodemoderne


You woke up this morning just planning to go to work, maybe run some errands, and head home. But surprise! Your s/o calls and wants to take you out, or your friends feel like tonight's the night for drinks at the bar. You've gotta go home, change, and you might also want to spice up your makeup for a night out. I feel you. One of my amazing readers on Tumblr asked me to help her out with this. And let me tell you, the solution is SO easy! Let's get started, babes.

Easy Drugstore Interview Makeup & Hair

Drugstore Interview Makeup by lamodemoderne

Hey, babes! So, since the whole video thing simply is not working out for us, I'm going to post beauty tutorials right here in word format. If you like DressLikeGenevieve (where I do beauty tutorials) or TheBeautyDepartment tutorials then you'll be super comfy with these! I hope this works for you guys, and if you like it or don't like it then go ahead and comment below.

I got a request on my Tumblr for a fresh, less-than-basic interview hair and makeup tutorial; you guys ask and I deliver! I'm going to keep this look pretty drugstore so that everyone can afford it and try it out! Let me know if you love it! 

Take Up My Challenge This Spring!

Hey guys! Tori here. If you've been following this blog for a little bit, or follow me on Twitter or Instagram, then you know that I am so here for Springtime. It's been cold and dreary for way to long. These past few days of warm(ish) weather and sunshine every morning have really just put the best kind of pep in my step. It's making me want to do better things for me and my body, and I want you guys to get in on this too. 

I am purposing a challenge to all of you guys, my followers, to make better choices this Spring and #GetItTogether with me! The challenge is this; for the next four weeks starting today, we're going to do some great stuff for our bodies and our lives. Here's a break down: 

1. Get 8 hours of sleep every night
2. Stretch or do yoga for at least 10 minutes every morning
3. Drink all the water you need
4. Do one thing every day that gets your closer to you main goal
5. Plan your day and get it done!

Simple changes that make a huge difference in centering your life and stabilizing your spirit. I've already spent some days drinking all the water I'm supposed to be drinking and I feel amazing. So, starting this week, we're all going to do those five things and make a change to #GetItDone! Use the hashtag here on Blogger, Tumblr, Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest and share how you're doing on your #GetItDone journey with me and the rest of the MissNewYorkLife family!

Taking up the challenge? Let me know down below in the comments!

Thanks, guys!

Finding Your Perfect Nude

Finding Your Perfect Nude by lamodemoderne

Let's talk about nudes, baby. From what we saw in January, Spring 2015 lips are all about extremes. It seems that the two it colors are red and...nude. I know. Who would've thought. Finding a red lip always seems to be a little easier than finding a great nude. Just about any red can work for anyone, even if you have to squint a bit. But a nude shade that's even one or two shades wrong can make you look really tired or like a cadaver. That can be problematic. A nude should make you look fresh! So let's solve that problem!

My Everyday Skincare Routine

It seems like we're on a roll, huh? Two skincare posts in a row! I asked you guys on Twitter and Tumblr what you'd be interested in seeing, and this won the list, so here we go! Like I've said before, if you guys have requests or things you'd like to see, always let me know and I'd probably be super into it. I know that a lot of you guys have skincare questions for me. Even before I started this blog, I got pretty frequent questions regarding my skin on my Tumblr. I like to think that I have nice skin. I love to take care of it and it's in a place recently that I can say looks really healthy and fresh. So I'm pretty proud of it!

My mother has always told me to take really good care of my skin, and for good reason! She's got gorgeous skin. She's turning 50 in September and people are routinely shocked when she tells them her age. If she tells them she'd got a 19 year old daughter, they almost faint. I also have to keep my skin looking it's best because of my work. As an actor, how I look is always under scrutiny and is a really important part of my job. It's a canvas for photographers and set makeup artists to paint on, so it's always got to be in tip top shape. Therefore, texture, glow, and redness control are really important things to me in my skincare routine. 

My main issues are dryness, redness, oily skin, and minor breakouts. And when I say minor, I really mean minor. Before I started taking care of my skin, my dryness would make me itchy. I would itch at my skin and all the touching would cause me to break out around my forehead. Thankfully, all that's in the past now! One day I'll write a post about how I took my skin from 0 to 10. Right now, we're gonna talk about what I do everyday to maintain my skin.

Let's get started!

Black is the New Clean

If you're like me, you hop from one skin product to another. It's not for lack of the previous products not working, I just like to try new things. And every time I'm in the market for something new, I see one product (or thirty) with some form of charcoal in it. The trend popped up on a much smaller scale around the beginning of 2013, with the now famous konjac sponge gaining a lot of popularity. Ever since then, you can find any and every face product with charcoal in it. Here's the thing, though. Charcoal is actually one of those things that can back up it's own hype. Charcoal is something I like to call "hella." It's great. Find out more, below!

 

 

 

Black is the New Clean by lamodemoderne

I Love Spring Makeup!

I Love Spring Makeup! by lamodemoderne

Feel completely free to comment and tell me to chill with my Spring madness. But also remember that I've been living in the polar vortex that was New York since November, okay? Cut me some slack. Anyway, get ready for dewy skin and rosy hues because I am here for all things Spring makeup. I know you've all been bearing with me in terms of my YouTube channel, and I thank you guys. While we wait for me to get my filming space set up, my camera equipment cooperating, and my lighting making me looking fabulous, we'll just have to talk about my favorite Spring makeup right here. But, once everything is ready, I have a great Spring makeup tutorial that I will film! Promise. The products I'm going to talk about are products that I own and adore, so get ready to have a serious craving for some new makeup. Have fun!

Spring Wardrobe: 102

Spring Wardrobe 102 by lamodemoderne

And we're back with another exciting episode of Spring Wardrobe! This is the second, and very well anticipated part two in my ongoing Spring wardrobe series. You can find part one right here. Today, we're going over some Spring staples that I know I couldn't personally live without. 

This is a perfect example of how you can use Spring wardrobe essentials to help you piece together a core group of fashion basics and necessities to use throughout the year. It's really simple, I promise, and I'm going to show you how it's done. 

Review! Rimmel London Lasting Finish by Kate Moss in 60 Rossetto

Hey guys! I made a drugstore run today (prepping for some videos!) in search for a berry colored lipstick. Well, I found one! All Rimmel London cosmetics were on sale today at Walgreen's. Rimmel London is not typically a brand that I use, actually. I think I can count on one hand how many products I have from the brand. I've noticed that 90% of their face cosmetics are very light. There are almost not options for medium-deep skin tones. Their blushes and lipsticks have a wide range of colors that would work well on any skin tone. But powders, foundations, BB creams, and concealers from them all fall into the fair-light range. This has kept me away from the brand as a whole.
Today though, I saw them on sale and found the color I really wanted. I've been after a darker fuchsia/berry tone.

Here's a quick swatch with and without flash:

And here's a picture of it on me:

Rimmel claims that it lasts 8 hours and is infused with "Black Diamonds" that "reflect light like no other." Essentially. I like it. It has a lot of flaws, though. I bought it at around 4 pm and applied it at 5pm. My mother and I were going out to dinner. We got to the restaurant at around 6 pm. It totally came off when I ate which I sort of expected. I reapplied around 7. We then went to a shopping center and spent some time walking around, shopping, and talking. The lipstick was just about everywhere but my mouth. In the photo above, I had just gotten home and reapplied because the color was starting to fade closer to the inside of my mouth, and that was at 8 pm.
Basically, you need to prime your lips and apply a no-feathering liner. A regular colored lip liner will not help you with the feathering problem, which was my biggest issue with this lipstick. The color payoff is magnificent but it moves around way to much. It's almost ridiculous. I'm going to keep the lipstick because the color is just amazing. It's a beautiful wine-berry color with just enough velvet sheen. Even the texture is pleasant. It glides on smooth and feel weightless. I'll eventually find a way to stop it from doing the lambada all over my face, but until then I'll probably just stick to MAC and Revlon.
So thanks, Kate...but also, like, no thanks.

Spring Wardrobe: 101

Spring Wardrobe 101 by lamodemoderne

Spring has finally arrived up here in the previously frozen tundra of New York City. I was really over all this cold, so these 45 and 50 degree days have been seriously gorgeous. Yesterday, I had to run errands at the mall (I made a mini Forever 21 makeup haul, which I will let you guys know all about soon!) and I wore my favorite David Buffalo trench coat, navy blue ankle chino pants, a buttery soft boyfriend tee, and the most comfortable sneakers I own. Can you believe it? I didn't even wear a scarf. It was bananas.

To celebrate this glorious day, I've decided to grace you all with some insider information on Spring wardrobes.These are some serious essentials you should grab before the season really gets underway and they all become overpriced. You're so welcome ;). All of these examples can be high end or high street, just pick up whatever you're comfortable with. We're gonna go over each one hand in hand, so don't get overwhelmed! Just bask in the sunlight and get ready to shop!

Quick YouTube Update!

I will be spending all of tomorrow morning filming videos and I have a filming schedule up for the rest of the week, as well! I'll be editing everything I film Tuesday and Wednesday on Thursday morning. Right now, my posting schedule is pretty set. There will be a video on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday! We'll test that out this week, and if you guys have some different ideas about when you'd like to see videos from me, please give me feedback either on the YouTube video itself, or here on the blog post for video when it's posted. You can also always tweet me, and all my social media links are on the right!
As of right now, Friday I'll be posting my channel trailer which I would really love for you all to watch so that you can get a feel for what I hope to achieve with my channel. Saturday, I'll be posting a special request from a lovely friend of mine, a February Favorites video! There's a lot of juicy drugstore and high end makeup in there, so everyone should find something fun. On Sunday I'll be posting the landslide poll winner, the everyday drugstore makeup tutorial.

Thanks guys!
Hope you're as excited as I am!

A Little Video About The Upcoming Week!

Accessorizing Your Winter!

     Aren't you tired of this winter? If you're on the East Coast, you're probably 100% done. I know I am. It was cute at first, but this is just excessive and I'm really, really over it. Because of this excessive chill and ridiculous cycle of snow, ice, slush, snow, ice, slush, I have been relegated to boring snow boots, black coats, and utility wear.
     Okay...maybe that's a total lie. It could be a total ice-out and I would still wear my heels and cuff my jeans. Which I have done. I don't even own snow boots, honestly. BUT, for all those out there who are tired of the dullness of Winter colors, I have a fun, easy, budget-friendly solution for you! While winter is on it's way out from most of you, for a lot of us it's still in full force. Beat winter back with... Accessories!
     They're a really easy way to let your personal style chine through in an otherwise bland amalgamation of blacks and down. You feel me. Metallics, bright colors, textures, and length can totally turn an outfit from boring, utilitarian, everyday Winter to fun, chic, classy, and colorful! They're also a great way to spice up your Winter wardrobe without breaking your budget at all. Since most winter coats are black, anything goes in terms of color so this is your chance to have fun with your clothes!

Read on and together, we'll turn your winter blues into fun winter accessories!

Styling Your Spring With Pantone 2015

Spring 2015 is the year of the off-kilter pastel. Pantone's 2015 Spring colors are gorgeous, cool toned, demure versions of earthy, natural colors.

 
They're all pretty gorgeous, but a lot of them aren't normal Spring go-to's. Normally, for Spring, I'd start wearing brighter pinks and lighter blues. That being said, I am so pumped to try out some of these new colors. So, I've taken the liberty of sorting out some outfits for every Spring occasion you might have, and made up some super cute looks!

Each look has at least one gorgeous Spring trend color in it and utilize pieces that you probably already have in your closet. Let's get started!

Let Me Introduce Myself

My name is Victoria!

 

I'm 19 years old and I live in New York. I'm an actor, writer, dancer, filmmaker, artist, and musician. I also find time to be a full-time student, run this blog, and post beauty/skin-care/style/DIY/lifestyle videos on my YouTube channel, also MissNewYorkLife. Making videos and posting on this blog about things I love is a huge passion of mine. I love make-up and makeovers and I hope that that things I share with you guys inspire you to be your best selves, inside and out :)

A little bit about why I wanted to start this blog; basically, I'd been watching other YouTubers and reading so many lifestyle blogs that I wanted to try it out for myself. I think living in such a cool city and being my age gives me a voice that not many people can replicate. I love doing my makeup and being adventurous with my looks. But I also love fashion and design. That's what this blog will be about, mostly. Some days there will be beauty/skin-care tutorials or DIYs, and other days I'll teach you how to look pretty cute on a tight budget. The content you'll find here will sometimes correspond to my YouTube videos or be totally extra and brighten your day because that's more Tori in your life ;)

I hope you guys enjoy and stay tuned for my first full content post on Monday! 

Baby's First Blog Post & Thanks!

Hey guys!

Before I really get started producing and publishing all the meaty content I have planned for this blog, I just wanted to make a post saying thanks to all the content creators of the graphics, tips, and clipart I used to create me header image and sidebar social media buttons. Couldn't make this blog look as pretty as it does without their help. Thanks guys!

 http://www.thesmellofroses.com/
 http://cottonandcurls.com