A Music Kind Of Day

Yesterday I had a completely "Blah" day. You know the kind, it wasn't necessarily bad, nothing sad happened in my life... but it was the kind of day when little things that you normally don't give a second thought to, were really annoying me. I'm a woman, so I can get away with blaming it on my hormones, and that's exactly what I'm doing. Darn hormones!

I posted a while back about what to do on those kinds of days to get you in a better mood and frame of mind. I applied two of my advices: I went and sat at a cafe, and watched some YouTube videos, and read a bit of Cosmopolitan. Mindless activities that actually helped entertain my mind and stop me from overthinking everything.

The second thing I did was create a playlist (which you can listen to right here on Spotify). I guess I was feeling a bit sentimental yesterday, because these were the songs I listened to all day:

- Let Her Go, by Passenger.
I had this on repeat the whole entire day. Seriously, I easily listened to it a good twelve times. I guess I was relating to it a lot yesterday. It got me thinking.
"You only miss the sun when it starts to snow... Only know you've been high when you're feeling low." Some serious food for thought right there. Yup, I'm listening to it right now writing this. If you haven't heard it, stop reading this right now and listen to it. I'll wait.

Are you back? Isn't it freaking amazing!? Ok, let's continue.

- JOY, by Ellie Goulding.
Oh man, I am so totally girl-crushing on Ellie Goulding, it's actually getting creepy. I love every single one of her songs! Last month I had "How Long Will I Love You" on repeat, and this whole month has been JOY. I admit I shamelessly sing it at the top of my lungs when I'm driving to work in the morning.

- The A Team, by Ed Sheeran.
I love the power this song has to transport me to a far away land, as ridiculous as that sounds. I know you are rolling your eyes now, but it really does.

- Once In A Lifetime, by Landon Austin.
Such a sweet, soft song that brings All. The. Feels. I can never listen to it just once, it moves me like few others.

- Speed, by Cary Pierce
The slow-paced way in which he sings it and the accompanying, wistful guitar was a combo I got hooked on yesterday.

- All Of Me, by John Legend.
I'd be willing to bet my right arm that you wouldn't be able to find a more romantic, sensual song released in the last twelve months than this one so of course this was a must-listen for me.

- Fireside, by Brett Bixby.
This sounds a lot to me like "Once In A Lifetime". It has the same soulful melancholy to it that I can't resist when I'm in that kind of mood. I think this song is absolutely perfect for those romantic nights with your one and only, when the two of you are solely focusing on each other and it seems like there's no one else in the whole world. Ok, now I'm getting a bit too carried away. Let's move on to the next song...

- Hey Brother, by Avicii.
Avicii has also been one of the performers I've been listening to nonstop for the last couple of months. This song is quite upbeat but also a bit nostalgic at the same time, and that combination is simply fantastic in this case. Exactly what I was needing yesterday.

- All Farewells, by The Coast.
This song seems really strange to me at first. I don't even know how to describe it, except that it fit my mood to a T yesterday.

- Just To See You Smile, by Tim McGraw.
I love me a good country song that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Wow, actually forget about "a bit" sentimental. Judging by my musical choices looks like I was having a major emotional meltdown or something. But I felt so much better after a bit of time with my iPad and my coffee and my music. It's my foolproof recipe for those kinds of days, always works like a charm.

I don't know, am I really weird? Do any of you do something similar when you are having one of those days? Or does listening to this kind of music and being by yourself only makes it more depressing?
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go and listen to "Let Her Go" for the twentieth time. I'll see you tomorrow.

How I Stopped Being "Basic"

So in case you have been living under a rock and aren't familiar with the term "basic b!tch", it means basically  (see what I did there?) to not go to any troubles to stand out or make any sort of statement through beauty and/or fashion. To me this is a rather offensive term, to label someone as "basic" for their clothing choices, when they could very well have a complex mind and life. But for the purposes of this post, let's stick with that shallow, too-Hollywoodesque definition.

All through my school and even college years, I was the walking definition of basic:

- Wearing everyday makeup for me meant applying powder, blush and lipgloss.
- On special occasions I'd go all out with some mascara.
- The first time I owned a respectable hair straightener was three years ago, one my Mother-in-Law gave me.
- I bought hundreds upon hundreds of tops and t-shirts. But I hardly ever purchased any accessories.
- I wore the same ol' gold chain my boyfriend at the time had given me. Statement necklaces? What's that?
- I got by with two or three bags that I switched depending on the occasion and didn't see the need for more than that.
- My skincare routine simply involved a scrub, sunscreen and makeup-removing wipes.
- I could spend well over a month with bare nails and would be totally fine with that.

Now don't get me wrong: I think there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. I was too preoccupied with my studies and  social activities to pay much attention to becoming "un-basic". I am now, however, the complete opposite. I love makeup, and clothes, and have developed quite an addiction for statement necklaces and bags. But that's not what made me "un-basic". It was much more than that:

- I dress exactly how I like now, without wondering if I'm being judged or not.
- I feel more comfortable in my skin than I ever have before. That, in turn, made me a much more secure person in many areas of my life.
- I used to dress for other girls: to conform to what I thought they required me to dress like. Now I dress to appeal to myself, period. On occasion, to appeal to my husband too, of course, but he just couldn't care less if I was wearing a garbage bag, to be honest.
- I feel sexy when I apply a red lipstick, or layer necklaces, or wear a nice pair of diamond stud earrings. And I am certain I do it not because of some Hollywood standard I need to adhere to, but rather because it makes me feel good and confident. I am a sales manager, and whether I like it or not, my personal image does impact the way people perceive me. I want to be perceived as professional and serious, so now I dress the part. I have thrown away the hundreds of Aeropostale and Abercrombie t-shirts I owned in favour of a more "grown-up" wardrobe, and I completely love it.
- I used to second-guess every outfit I put on. Now, if it makes me feel good and comfortable, I will wear it without a second thought.
- A few years ago, the idea of posting an outfit of the day would have petrified me, for fear of what people would think of it. Now I have done it more than a couple of times, and some people probably have thought I look hideous but I don't care. Those are outfits I love, and that's what matters to me now.

In my opinion, being basic doesn't necessarily have a lot to do with wearing ugg boots and the same gold necklace every day, but rather with your attitude towards it: If you are ignoring your style and the clothes that truly define you for fear of being judged, that's pretty basic. If you are dressing a specific way because everyone else is too, that's as basic as it gets. Start being honest with yourself and discovering which way you feel more "you", truer to your essence. I have to admit that a few years ago, whenever I bought anything, I would carefully consider whether my friends, classmates, etc. would wear it before even asking myself if I would. It doesn't get much more basic than that! I found that resources such as Pinterest, Instagram and the thousands of beauty/fashion blogs out there are great sources of inspiration to start discovering what styles you relate the most to. Make mood boards, take notes and find out exactly how you feel your best.

And don't forget to get out of your comfort zone a little, too! Then you'll really start having fun and I guarantee you will look, if not like the biggest fashionista, at least the truest version of yourself which in itself is no small accomplishment!

When Life Gives You Lemons...

... and mangoes, and bananas, and apples, and oranges... It's because you have a 3 year-old at the supermarket who won't stop putting stuff in your trolley!

Ok, ok... I can't take all the credit. I actually saw that line on Ellen one day, but hey, it is just so accurate! When you have a toddler, a full-time job and hobbies, your hands are full every second of every day (not that I don't enjoy it, though!). In life, in my opinion, it is all a matter of prioritizing. Some say you can't have it all. I say you can organize it all.

Source

I have two methods for this:

1. The non-negotiable list:
This is something I think I might have learned from reading one too many Cosmo magazines, but it has become a rule I live by. Recently, a good friend of mine was struggling with her decision whether or not to break up with a long-term boyfriend who was just not fulfilling her anymore. I hate giving advise on these situations (I have learned that it hardly ever ends well), but what I did tell her was to make a list of the stuff that is non-negotiable for her. This changes for every person. For some, it would be non negotiable to have a smoker boyfriend, for instance. For others, this would be no biggie. So she needed to determine what constituted deal-breakers for her and what traits she could live with, and then see whether her relationship was worth fighting for with a little more tolerance, or whether it would just keep making her unhappy.

I don't apply this rule to just relationships, either. For me, it is non-negotiable to have a date night with my husband every week. It is also non-negotiable to have at least once a fortnight, a couple of hours to myself where I sit at a café and read a good book, or to read a book to my son on most nights. Once I figured it out, it was much easier to decide what then needed to be compromised: Maybe one day I just won't waste time reading my magazines. Or maybe I just won't exercise that day, because spending time with my husband and son is more important. It is all a matter of balance and perspective.

And also, very importantly, it is a matter of learning not to feel guilty for compromising some stuff in favor of what actually means the most to us. Learn to not let people dictate what you should and should not accept. Back to my friend: her aunty might believe that this guy is a total catch because he has this incredible job and is really smart. This could persuade my friend to stay with him if she was to listen to what other people deem important and not her.


2. Make even more lists.
I am a list maker in all its glory. I make lists for everything, from groceries (duh!) to wishlists, to stuff I need to do, to stuff I need to talk to my mom about, you name it. It helps keep my brain organized and leaves room for other important stuff (like where the hell did I leave my keys!?). This is how I can see all the stuff that needs some attention in one place, and decide what to tackle first, and what can wait. It also allows me to allocate time to each one, so I don't get too overwhelmed by a mountain of tasks. I still do get overwhelmed sometimes, but it helps me see that I can make time for most things!.

Now, this is not for everyone. For example, my dad insists that life shouldn't be planned so much. I do agree, to a point, but in order to keep my sanity I just have to have some sort of organizational system and this is what works for me. It also allows me to perform well at my full-time job, and then come home and spend quality time with my husband and son, and still have (somewhat) of a social life on top of it. I do fail miserably at times (hello, posting schedule!) but I'm sure it would be much more often if I didn't try to keep track of what I want to accomplish the most.

All this preamble, was actually to announce that I decided to get (a lot more!) organized on this little blog. I realized that not having a defined schedule was resulting in me not making the effort to come up with good content. I'll make more of an effort to bring you more radness, and that means streamlining: from this moment on, each day of the week will be assigned a specific category or topic.

- Mondays will be dedicated to beauty and/or fashion, simply because -for me at least- this is a great start to the week. Outfits of the day, tutorials, skincare routines and all sorts of pretty clothes are all coming your way the first day of every week.

- Tuesdays will be a wild card: this means miscellaneous -but pretty rad- stuff, such as books, travel, motherhood and food. Or this could be a break day too in case I'm having one of "those" weeks.

- Wednesdays is home decor/DIY day. I am in the process of completely redecorating my home and finding some amazing inspiration and ideas along the way that I can't wait to share with y'all.

- Thursdays will be dedicated to awesome finds. This means all things Pinterest-worthy: mind-blowing stuff, incredible photography, heartwarming stories, and overall goodness. This is the day when you will find all the stories worth reading and pictures worth seeing from around the web.

- Fridays will also be a wild card. So expect a different topic or issue on these days.

Boy does it feel good to have a structure! I put two wild cards as I don't want to limit this blog. Like most people, I have many different interests and thoughts and it would be a shame to feel like I can't share them here. So there you have it: after a super long hiatus this blog is getting a lot more structured and streamlined. So grab a cup o' joe, sit back and I hope you enjoy and stay a while!

Vintage Decor Tips From Grandma

Last week we stayed at my grandma's place for the whole week (hence why I hadn't blogged for what feels like ages!). There is a fine line between a beautiful vintage vibe, and a dated, obsolete, grandma-y one, and my grandma's home (interestingly enough!) falls into the former category. So naturally I asked her to share some of her insight with me.

I have always been a big fan of everything vintage, but alas, I had never been brave enough to try it in my own home for fear of looking old-fashioned. But here are the keys to add some vintage elements into your home and still have it look modern and fashionable:

1. Vintage trays and mirrors 
Little trays and mirrors add personality to a space (like a bathroom) but are also simple enough not to make too big a statement. Place little glass bottles on top, adding a pop of color to counteract its effect.

2. Add fresh elements next to old ones
In order to counteract the old feel of a space, add some new, fresh elements into the mix. For example, here she placed a clean vase with some white flowers next to old-looking vintage clock and books, which makes them look more updated.

3. Halls and corridors can use some vintage-loving too
If you have a hall, entryway or corridor that looks too plain, add two or three statement pieces that set the tone for that space. Plus, these pictured containers double as genius storage!

4. Focus on an opaque pastel color palette
A soft color palette can instantly add a vintage character to any room. If blush hues feel too grandma-y for you, however, then you can still play around with some trendier yet still vintage color palettes, such as rose gold.


These little tips are simple enough, and don't necessarily require a big budget. They are perfect if you want to give your house a much-needed makeover, with minimum fuss and expense but major effect.

Please do share, what are your best tips to give a room (or a whole home!) a vintage/romantic vibe?

The Lazy Girl's Guide To Blogging

First, let me start off by saying that no one who is actually truly lazy will be able to pull off a successful blog. This post is, instead, about those times when you have a had a long, hard day and the last thing on your mind is posting something, and creativity and motivation avoid you like the plague. I am going to go out on a limb here and say that I am fairly certain that this is not unknown to probably 90% of the blogging population.

But before I give you my tips for those situations, let's cover a thing or two that might seem pretty tempting at first but you should AVOID if you want to maintain a good standard of blogging:

• On those days when you feel like you need to post something and are not coming up with anything, it might seem tempting to go over to other big blogs and try to "adapt" their content (nice word for plagiarism!). Of course there will be plenty of times when you'll be reading someone else's blog and suddenly inspiration hit thanks to a word, sentence or picture you saw on there. But there is a fine line between creating your own content based on someone else's, and just plain rephrasing what was already written. No one likes to read the same several times!
• Desperately trying to find those "wildcard" posts on other blogs: Don't get me wrong, those are usually a bit of fun and a nice change of routine (I've actually done it once or twice), but doing it on a weekly basis is really not providing much content to your blog.
• Quality can be severely affected by doing some rushed, uninspired post. Readers are quick to tell if you are just writing for the sake of it, so avoid doing it at all costs.

Now, what I think you should DO in my opinion:

• I'm not going to lie, there are many times when I can't be bothered grabbing my big girl camera and capturing a truly great picture. So when I actually go on a "photo" spree, I will shoot several scenarios and environments so I have something to come to when I urgently need a pic for my post. Original photography is much better than resorting to Google images, although of course it is infinitely helpful and necessary at times. What I'm trying to say is that using Google or stock images more often that not for your blog will make it flat and uninteresting pretty quickly.                                  
• Give yourself time. When I first started last year, I felt compelled to post something every single weekday. Let me tell ya, it is hard work! And the worst part is that you end up with a bunch of posts that are not adding anything to your blog, nor providing your readers with anything worth reading (here is a cringeworthy example!). I learned eventually that it is significantly better to not post for a day or two if you need to, instead of posting something of poor quality. This month, for instance, has been crazy busy at work and we are going through some changes, so instead of just throwing some weak post at you, I have taken "days off" as you may have noticed. I do feel a bit guilty about it, but then I am reassured that when I do post, it will be something I am proud of.

• I have found that the surefire way to ensure that you are not always feeling lazy and bored about the prospect of writing a post is simply to love what you write about. For instance, sports are not a passion of mine, so writing an entire post about it probably won't be too inspiring for me (nor enjoyable for others to read!). Books, beauty, and home decor on the other hand, are a completely different story, because they are things I am very passionate about and writing about them actually excites me. Find what you love and write about it, and you will have fewer (although, you will most likely have some) of these lazy episodes.

• Plan ahead. Keeping a blog calendar is a very helpful tool for you to become organized and create a system that works for you. 

• If your blog isn't inspiring you anymore, don't force yourself to keep writing. You might just be in need of a redesign: maybe revamp your header or update your color palette; even just changing your layout might make it more fresh and easier for you to get your creative mojo back. 

Let me know if you find this helpful, and if you have any more tips for those days!

Be Part Of A Bunch Of Radness (For Free)!

This is an official roll call of sorts to be a part of A Bunch of Radness!
If you have a blog or shop, you can be featured on all posts and pages of this blog! And even better, for the remaining of April, all buttons on the sidebar of this blog will be completely free!!
All you need to do to be featured here is to be subscribed to this blog on Bloglovin', and then just send me your 200x200 button to vero.francosierra(at)gmail(dot)com and I will feature it on the blog that same day. It really is that easy! (No hidden catches or anything).

So what are you waiting for? Get in contact, and I will be happy to advertise your blog or shop for free this month! :)

The TMI Tag

I resisted doing this tag for months... I had considered doing it but never felt like it was the right time. Well, reading one of my favorite blogs, Buttons And Birdcages, I saw her do it and decided to then take the plunge myself. I find this tag quite fun (hopefully you do too??), as I see it as a way to get to know the person in some aspects that are not as deep as what is usually shared on blogs and videos (so, pretty much useless -but fun- stuff!).
So here we go...

1. What are you wearing?
A black, slightly oversized top; an owl necklace from Forever21 and printed leggings.

2. Do you have any tattoos?
No, but only because I haven't figured out what to get. The few things that wouldn't look totally ridiculous on me are so cliché!

3. Piercings?
Just my ears.

4. How long does it take you to get ready in the morning?
Ha. When I have to drop my son off at school, it takes me around 50 minutes from the moment I get in the shower. But if I'm not rushing, it can easily take me well over an hour... just ask my husband  ;-)

5. How tall are you?
5'1'. I'm tiny and I know it.

6. Zodiac sign?
My birthday is May 5th, which makes me a Taurus.

7. Favorite quote?
By Robert Frost: "In three words I can sum up everything I have learned about life: it goes on." I used it for my High School graduation speech, and always remind myself of it when I feel like I am hitting rock bottom.

8. OTP (One True Pairing)?
I can't think of any human pairing but I'm going to go with... fried chicken and honey! Seriously. Everyone does it in Colombia and I was shocked to see no one does anywhere else!!! If you belong to that group, I seriously encourage you to go to your nearest KFC, buy some chicken, and go home and pour some honey over it. You can thank me later.

My mouth is watering!!!!
Source

9. What are your fears?
This one is easy: insects! I may or may not be known to have screamed bloody murder at the sight of a cockroach. Multiple times. Drives my husband, dad and mother in law nuts! I even wrote about one such episodes here.

10. Last song you sang out loud?
JOY, by Ellie Goulding.

11. A place to visit?
New York. No matter how many times I go I always long to go back.

12. Favorite color?
Pink by a long shot.

13. Have you ever been in a physical fight?
Hmmm.... I'm ashamed to admit that I remember me and my little brother pushing each other once over who got to watch t.v when I was around 10 and he was 5.... whoopsie.

A Beautiful Mess Photoshop Actions

One of my most favorite blogs of late is A Beautiful Mess. It is fresh, and fun and plain awesome. And last month they launched their online shop. I was immediately drawn to two things: the "Mastering Your DSLR" course (because I bought one in November and let's just say I am less than an expert at it!) and their Photoshop actions.

I bought the course immediately, as an early birthday present to myself. I am currently halfway through, and my beautiful camera is no longer a scary, foreign device. The course is fun, super easy to follow, and very aptly named as it really does teach you the skills necessary to become the master of your DSLR.

And since I am learning to take beautiful pictures with my little toy, I wanted to make them even more perfect. That's where the Photoshop actions come into play. If you don't know what they are, ever heard of a little thing called Instagram? ok, now have you seen those fun filters you can use to change the aspect of your photos? That's pretty much what the actions do. They are Photoshop filters that give your pics a specific effect or look, with just one click.

They have three collections, which you can buy separately. Or you can also get all three for a special price. Seeing the examples they provide for each, I was drawn the most towards the Fresh Collection. It is pretty self-explanatory: the pics look crisp, clean, fresh, which is my favorite feel for my photos. Then the Folk Collection on the other hand is a lot more rustic and vintage, which is great for moody photographs. And lastly, the Signature Collection is comprised of actions that add more subtle, serious effects. It is gorgeous, but a little too "grown-up" in my opinion.
I went back and forth and finally bit the bullet and got all three, but I found my instincts to be true: I keep using the Fresh collection 90% of the time.

I still have a lot more playing around to do with my actions, but here is a glimpse of what I have accomplished so far:

1. You will have to forgive me, but this was the very first photo I edited and can't for the life of me remember which action I used!  (insert "The Scream" emoji here!). But I just had to include it because look how the colors just pop in the second photograph!

2. For this one I used the Eleanor and the Luna actions, both from the Fresh Collection.

3. This one has Chloe from the Fresh Collection and Merit from the Signature Collection:

4. Audrey, from the Fresh Collection, won me over. I love how retro and romantic this photo looks:

5. Now look at this one, edited with Violet from the Folk Collection! Moody and with a very old-school feel to it. I love it.

6. My favorite action from the Signature Collection is Rose Gold. (Anything rose gold will have me obsessed right now, actually!). It gives the photo an interesting, almost girly look, doesn't it?

I have been playing around a bit, seeing how the different actions will look on my pictures. My verdict is that they were well worth the investment, as I have so many options now to get my pictures to look more professional and definitely a lot more interesting and fun. I definitely encourage any Photoshop owners out there to go have a look at them, you really won't regret it.
And I have also found that this is specially useful for phone pictures or those of lesser quality, as these actions instantly beautify them.

And no, A Beautiful Mess aren't sponsoring me in any way to write this post. I am simply sharing something I am currently loving, and that might be of interest to some of you out there  :)

Recipe For "Blah" Days

He clearly followed the recipe to a T.

We all have them. There is absolutely no way of avoiding those days when, for absolutely no apparent reason at all, you feel like doing nothing and just binge-watch some trashy Netflix show or something. It is not sadness, or anger or even upsetness (that's not a word, is it? Let's pretend it is!), it's just a feeling of thinking that everything is just "meh". Blame those darn hormones, but there is simply no way out.

However, there are ways in which to make those days when the "blahness" attacks a lot more tolerable. Feel free to come back to this post whenever you find yourself thinking that Ryan Gosling is "yeah... I guess kinda cute". (Surefire sign you are having a completely "blah" day!).

The recipe I came up with for those situations is as follows:

1. These are the days to let go. Leave your worries aside, don't sweat the small stuff. So go and have a cocktail, who cares if it's a Tuesday, or eat that piece of cake you've been craving all week. The point is to do something you really enjoy doing without worrying too much. I am a big over-thinker and one of the things that first attracted me to my husband was his attitude: worry less and enjoy more; think less and do more. He has really taught me to enjoy my life a lot more, which doesn't necessarily mean carelessness if you know which stuff it's ok to let slide.

2. Create a feel-good playlist: go on Spotify and curate a selection of those songs that always make you feel happy and alive. You know what they are. Yes, even if that means some good ol' "Baby One More Time": we all have that embarrassing song we love singing along to in the shower. (I will go first: my SUPER embarrassing song I sing at the top of my lungs every time is Celine Dion's "It's All Coming Back To Me Now". I know, I know. What can I say, I cringe at myself too!).

3. Draw a completely selfish, indulgent bath. Pretty self-explanatory.

4. One of my favorite things for those days is to do a random, unexpected act of kindness for someone. Such a simple thing to do, yet it is an instant "mood-lifter". A compliment (a genuine one, though!) counts too.

5. Scroll through some mindless magazine or book. Something light that keeps your mind entertained. Or grab a true page-turner that you won't be able to go away from. This pairs perfectly with point No. 3

6. Yes, you really really really don't feel like doing much, but give it your best shot and wear your nicest perfume and sexiest lingerie and maybe even a winged eyeliner! Even if I am having a night in, this makes me feel all luxurious 'and stuff', which is always welcome on blah days.

7. Why not watch some funny YouTube videos?  Not only will they make you laugh and smile, but they are also pretty short so they are the perfect option if you only have a 5-minute break.

8. Cheat. By this I mean that today is probably not the day when you will keep your New Year's resolution (yeah, like you've lasted this long!), so don't beat yourself up about it. Only on these desperate days do you have permission to design a kick-ass plan and smugly promise yourself that you will definitely start it tomorrow. (But then try and actually follow through the next day!).

9. Eat some Nutella. On anything. Nutella solves all the world's problems. (Fine, it doesn't. But it sure lifts my mood to pretend it does and use it as an excuse to have it.)

10. It feels great to let frustration out of our systems. So whinge, moan, cry if you have to. But don't be a nagging b..., so let all of your steam off in the privacy of your car, your shower, etc.... perhaps not in your office.