Friend Friday: Fitness and Fashion

4.30.2011

For the last FBFF of the month, Katy over at Modly Chic  is asking us all about Fitness and Fashion. (Be sure to check out what other bloggers have to say, and link up as well).

1. Do you keep some kind of fitness routine? Why?
I do. My current routine for this semester is 3-4 times a week in the morning. The days I have class, I do it before I leave for about 30-45 minutes, and on my days off, for 45 minutes to an hour.

I keep a fitness routine for a number of reasons. I played volleyball for 6 years and swam for 2-3 years, so I have always been fit. In the last year because of a number of things that were going on, I let myself go, and gained weight. As a result, it took a hit too my confidence and self esteem, but more importantly my overall general health. My main reason to keeping a fitness routine is not just to lose weight, but to get fit and healthy again. Also, the rush of endorphins after a workout is the best high ever. 

2. Has working out, maybe training for a marathon or something of that nature, helped with your own perception of body image?
The most intense training I had was when I was playing volleyball and it was pre-season. Oh dear God. Those suicide drills after a long summer were a rude awakening. But they just not made me feel great, but they made me love what my body was capable of doing. I always compared it to not judging a book by its cover. While I was always the biggest girl, height and weight wise on my team, that didn't matter, because despite what I looked like on the outside, I was one of the toughest and most powerful players.

3. When you are hitting the gym or just going out for a long walk what do you wear? Is it about functionality or fashion?
Definitely functionality. I mean I wont go out in clothes that are holey or dirty, but when I work out, being fashionable is the last thing on my mind. I'm all about getting a good working out and kicking my own butt. My general attire consists of  a big tee from the big tee collection (you know the ones you get from events/vacations/school etc.) and a pair of leggings/yoga pants. Makeup gets wiped off, and hair goes into a bun/ponytail with a headband. 

4. Do you feel there is a cultural perception of what you ‘should’ be doing for your own physical fitness?
People think because of my size I should be working out with a trainer, and running 10 million miles each and every day to lose X amount of pounds/week etc. Not. A. Chance. In. Hell. I know my body, and what I should be doing for it. 

5.  Dream big… what would be your ultimate fitness goal.
My ultimate fitness goal... I actually would love to run a half marathon. Just to push my body to that limit. I would love to do a triathlon because I would love the swimming/ running aspect. But I have no idea how to ride a bike. Maybe I could power shop through that portion?

What are your thoughts? How does fitness play into your day to day life?
Happy Weekend!!

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge

4.29.2011


As I hoped, prayed, and anticipated, Catherine Middleton wore a Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen dress.

And it was breathtaking 

When they said (then) Kate was getting into her car, I immediately ran to my TV for a closer look. It wasn't the best view yet, butt from the brief glimpse I saw, I knew it was the kind of dress girls dream of.

It was then an even madder dash to the Internet, to see if it in fact was a McQueen, and it was. The statement released by the Royal website stated that Catherine chose McQueen "for the beauty of its craftsmanship and its respect for traditional workmanship and the technical construction of clothing," In addition, she worked closely with Sarah Burton to make sure here dress entailed "tradition and modernity with the artistic vision that characterises Alexander McQueen’s work." I was left in awe, as the dress had her own personal touch, but kept in line with his original aesthetic.  It was truly a great homage to the late great designer. 

Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue:
In keeping with tradition, her Cartier tiara (on loan from the Queen for the day) dates back to 1936 and has been handed down through generations in the monarchy.

Her something new?  The beautiful, new earrings her parents gifted her, which contain the Middleton's new coat of arms.

And quite impossible to miss, we already know what her fabulous something blue is.

What I found most endearing about the bride, was that she did her own makeup. As if the nerves of the wedding ceremony isn't enough, add having your wedding televised, viewed by over 2 billion people and oh, to a member of the Royal family. Yet, none of that phased Catherine, as she wanted her makeup to reflect the girl who William knows, and fell in love with.
Fun fact: Included in her flower arrangement are a delicate flower called Sweet William's. How Cute!

For more about what Catherine wore, check out this post from The Cut, which includes details about the intricacy of the lace on her gown. Its truly fascinating. 

What did you think of the blushing bride?

The Other Royal Couple.

As guests were arriving for the Royal Wedding, at around 4:30 am EST my heart skipped a beat at the arrival of the other royal couple, David and Victoria Beckham:
(via)
Victoria ( who is due in a few months) wore sky high custom Louboutin's.  

The stylish couple looked FANTASTIC and absolutely radiant! David looked svelte (amongst other adjectives) in a Ralph Lauren suit and accessorized with a top hat, which he unfortunately held in his hand. (I think he would have looked so dashing, and sent me to the ER if he actually wore it.)

Lady Victoria dazzled in an exquisite fascinator by Philip Treacy, a midnight blue dress from her own collection, and lastly, a pair of custom made Christian Louboutin's. Her sleek high ponytail and smokey eye makeup complemented the look perfectly. 

What did you think of the Beckham's wedding attire? Who were your favorites of the arrivals?

T minus some amount of hours until the ROYAL WEDDING!

4.28.2011

(via)
Its finally here! I'm not ashamed to say that I am SO excited for the Royal Wedding tomorrow!
I love weddings! I am also really excited to see:
What Kate is wearing.
Who (PLEASE be Sarah Burton/McQueen) designed her dress.
Prince Sexy, I mean Harry <3
David and Victoria Beckham.

At the moment, scones are a bakin', ye old alarm is set to a wee hour of the morning, at which point when I awake, English tea will be a brewin' (caffeinated of course).

If you will be up as well, and you are on Twitter, follow me! 
and we could tweet about all things Royal :)

And the winner is....

4.26.2011

I absolutely LOVED reading everybody's dream travel destinations. Each of your comments were numbered as they were received and entered 1-7 into Random.org.
With all that said, the winner of the Nice is Nice nail polish is:
Nicole! 
Send me a message at a.fleurdelyss@gmail.com with your deats so I can ship your polish to you!

And if you didn't win, don't fret, 
Something tells me another giveaway may be happening soon...

FBFF:Inspiration

4.22.2011

This weeks question for FBFF asks:
To further mark one year of FBFF we are going to answer the same set of questions asked this time last year as I think they are still pertinent today and usually ever changing. 


1. Which celebrity (celebrities) do you look to for fashion inspiration? 
The only celebrities I really look to for inspiration are Hilary Duff, Lauren Conrad, and Alex Gerrard. In all honesty, I don't really follow celeb style all that much. So many of them use stylists, so their "style" really isn't their own. 

2. When it comes to your own personal style, what inspires you? 
I get my inspiration from all over; movies, people I see everyday, other bloggers, the celebrities I mentioned above,  Ruben Toledo/fashion illustration/art in general, advertisements...I am always open and on the look out for something to inspire me.

3. How do you hope to inspire your readers? 
I never really thought of this. 


4. Outside the realm of fashion who/what inspires you? 
My family for sure, music, love, anyone who is a dream chaser/achiever or who has achieved success despite adversity.

5. And since Idol is ending… Which songs inspire you?
Omg I have so many! Music is my heart, my soul, my everything. A few of my favorite songs for inspiration are:
Don't Stop Dancing, Sometimes, Don't Wait, and To The Skies by Kaskade
Waves of Change, Rise, and Send it Out to the Universe by Samantha James
Uncharted by Late Night Alumni
Jem-I Always Knew
Without a doubt, when I am feeling down or un-inspired, these songs pick me right up and inspire to keep going and even find a new outlook.

What inspires you? Tell me and see what other bloggers have to say, and link up at over at Modly Chic :)
Happy Friday! 

Nice is Nice

4.20.2011

Two weeks ago I said one of my recent purchases was giving me wanderlust. Did you guess which one it was? In case you didn't, it was the Essie polishes from the French Affair collection, specifically the shade "Nice is nice".  Just this one polish has me longing to return to Nice.


Because Nice truly is nice. 


When I went to France for study abroad, I had no idea what to expect going to Nice. Would I love it? Would I hate it? Would the people be nice? (no pun intended I swear) Up until the trip, I really did not know much about this city, or the French Riviera for that matter. But that is why travel is so amazing. 

As we drove from Milan into the French Riviera, I quickly started to fall in love. Upon our actual arrival to Nice and to our hotel, I knew I was 100% completely in love with this beautiful Mediterranean city. From the ocean, to the people, the culture, the food, the shopping and the overall atmosphere, I couldn't get enough. 

Even though our stay in Nice was short, I enjoyed every single minute of it. Since there was so much I did not get to see, I will surely be visiting Nice la belle again as soon as possible. Here are some pics from my trip:
our hotel in the heart of Nice, Le Meridien.
(HIGHLY recommend this hotel, it is FABULOUS)
I loved all the artistic elements around the city. I am not sure of the name of this one, but it would light up in neon colors at night.
La Tête au Carré de Sosno
brings new meaning to the term blockhead, no?
Acropolis Conference Centre
Monument des Morts (monument for the dead)
beach at sunset
on the beach. I actually took that cream colored rock home :) it now lives on my floor.
one of my favorite shopping streets. Louis Vuitton, Zara, they had it all.
this was taken at 9 O'CLOCK AT NIGHT! How amazing!

While I would love to send you all on a fabulous trip to Nice, my funds just wont allow it right now:) So instead, I will be giving away Essie's Nice is Nice nail polish to one of you!!

To enter you must :
-be a follower of the blog
-leave a comment under this post and tell me where are you wishing to go to?
-Submit all entries by 11:59 EST April 25 

The winner will be picked using random.org and I will announce the winner on the blog on April 26:)

Good luck!

The one where I skip class to go shopping.

4.14.2011

On Tuesday, I was just not in the mood to go to my Math class. So I skipped out of it and headed on a little shopping trip with one of my classmates.

(I have to say, for my entire college career, the schools I have gone to have always been in area with great to decent shopping. Which as you can imagine can be a blessing and a curse. So skipping class in favor of a shopping excursion is nothing new.)

After checking out Urban Outfitters (which I had no idea existed near our school), it began to rain, and of course, neither one of us had an umbrella (Gabriella said it was karma: her for shopping, me for skipping math.)  The rain started to get heavier, so we figured it only made sense to take refuge in Barney's CO-OP. 

And that's when I fell in love with Lady V:
Sand color available at Barneys
Green available for pre-order at Saks

It was love at first sight. I grabbed (gently of course) the bag off the display, and ran to the nearest mirror. It was perfection. It even went with the outfit I had on, which made me believe even more it was meant to be. I have been looking at getting a new everyday bag, and was looking at getting a Balenciaga, but  I think the MBMJ Lady V may be *the one* (and its cheaper!). I love that it has the handles, as well as the strap, the size is perfect and the leather is SO nice. All in all, its a great bag.

Oh, and what a coincidence... my birthday is exactly 5 months away from today. *certain readers of my blog take note :)*

Pics from the weekend

4.12.2011

Just some random pics from the weekend that I wanted to share :) :
Priscilla cupcake from Magnolia Bakery
After the concert Saturday night, as if seeing the concert wasn't sweet enough, we went to the Magnolia next to Radio City. The Priscilla is in celebration of the new Broadway musical, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Magnolia describes it as
pistachio cupcake is topped with a fluffy pistachio meringue buttercream, bright edible confetti and just the right amount of "disco dust" for sparkle, then crowned with a meringue kiss.
They had me at disco dust...
The Triboro/RFK bridge from the FDR drive

Norman Rockwell exhibit

Cinque

4.01.2011


The worlds largest bake sale at Grand Central Station.

A walk through Grand Central after the bake sale

yummy homemade pizza

Best purchases of the week

 Essie French affair collection.

Have a great weekend everyone!