R.I.P. David Bowie

This week the world was shocked by the surprising death of David Bowie. When a celebrity who always seemed larger than life dies, it’s easy to start contemplating your own mortality. While none of us are immune to death, David Bowie’s passing has reminded me just how important it is to leave a legacy.

Processed with VSCOcam with c1 preset

There is no doubt that David Bowie left behind a powerful, colorful and meaningful legacy. As a musician, producer, painter and actor, he showed us all that we were meant to stand out. Every day so many of us feel the pressure to fit in or do exactly what we’re expected to do when all we really want to do is color outside the lines. Thanks to Bowie, it’s okay to keep coloring.

I never knew it before, but it turns out that David Bowie lived just two blocks away from my office in Soho. All week fans have been lining up outside his apartment to leave flowers and pay their respects. It’s amazing to see just how many people Bowie influenced without ever having met them. I guess that’s the real power of art.

Find me on: Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram

2016 Resolutions, Predictions and Goals

Happy New Year Socialites! A few days before New Year’s Eve, I came back to New York City around 6 a.m. on the train after spending Christmas in my hometown of Wilmington, Delaware. A few miles outside of the city, I saw a stunning sunrise over Manhattan and began to think about the year I’ve had and what’s ahead for 2016.

Manhattan Sunset

2015 was a great year for me. I took on New York Fashion Week, traveled to Seattle, grew my Instagram following, discovered my inner geek, hiked in New Hampshire, became a bridesmaid, got in the best shape I’ve been in for years using Classpass and shot some amazing new looks. With everything I’ve learned and achieved this year, I hope to grow my blog, my income and become an even more well-rounded and accomplished person in 2016.

New Year’s Resolutions

In order to make 2016 the best year ever, my New Year’s Resolution is to email one person a day who I’d like to meet or whom I could partner with on my blog. Together I hope that my new connections and I can lift each other into new and exciting successes. I feel like people across all walks of life often have amazing ideas or see people that they want to reach out to, but something stops them from doing so. Well, I can only imagine what a better place the world would be if we all reached out to people we admire or acted on our ideas. For me, 2016 is the year that I do just that.

Since I love being in front of the camera, I also plan on taking acting lessons this year. While I have no expectations whatsoever for my potential acting career, I think it could be a lot of fun to give acting a shot if only to have somewhere else to channel my drama aside from my boyfriend.

New Year's Resolutions

2016 Predictions

With 2016 being an election year obviously politics and the future of this country will be at the forefront of news and pop culture. While this is to be expected, I can see this election year getting especially heated. Knowing first-hand just how difficult it is to make it as a college graduate in this country, I hope that we will elect someone who will actually follow through with their promise to help the middle class because at the end of the day it’s the middle class that has taken the biggest hit. Therefore, they need the most help recovering and rediscovering upward mobility.

I predict that more Indie Films will go mainstream and end up in theaters. According to what I saw at Fashion Week, bold eyeshadows will be popular in beauty this spring. With everything being mass produced in China, I see street fashion trends staying pretty much the same in 2016.

Central Park Fireworks

With all the excitement around what’s to come, I forgot to mention how I spent New Year’s Eve.  My boyfriend and I had originally planned on having a couple people over for a low key night at our place. But, when they bailed I got even more lazy and stayed in my yoga pants all day after coming home from my fitness class. At the last minute my boyfriend and I decided to ring in the New Year at the Central Park fireworks with his family. It was a beautiful fireworks display and Central Park was super crowded. While no one can really know what the next year will bring, I hope that 2016 brings me more spontaneous brunches, trips to the West Coast, beach days and relaxing nights in with my boyfriend.

Most of all, I wish you a beautiful and prosperous 2016!

Find me on: Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram

Time to Send Christmas Cards!

When it comes to getting into the holiday spirit, there’s nothing better than sending or receiving a beautiful holiday greeting card. While Twitter and Instagram may be the perfect places to express yourself throughout the year, you should do something extra extraordinary over the holidays and send a good old fashioned card.

papyrus Bella Pilar Christmas Card

Photo by: Zarif Taufiq

As print and physical mail start becoming a thing of the past, it’s rare and special to receive an actual piece of mail that isn’t a bill. Plus it’s super fun and retro to go to the post office.

So go ahead and show your friends and family some holiday love with a card that expresses your unique personality, your city or whatever else makes you merry. Any warm greeting whether it be Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, etc. is sure to make someone smile even if they don’t celebrate it themselves. Don’t get caught up in feeling the need to keep everything generic. Just say what you want to say. Most people don’t care and those who do don’t belong on your holiday list.

Find me on: Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram

Holiday Gift Guide: Hostess Gift Ideas

Celebrating the holidays often means traveling long distances to stay with faraway friends and family. It’s great to catch up with loved ones over wine and coffee and reminisce about past holidays all while making new memories. Even if you’re not exchanging gifts with your fab holiday hostess (or host), I’m a strong believer in giving them a special hostess gift to say thank you for their holiday hospitality.

Holiday Hostess Gift Ideas 2015 Holiday Gift Guide

I usually like to get them something to warm their home like this Filomena Baking Collection or this Spice Jar Scented Candle or this “Baby It’s Cold Outside” Accent Pillow (pictured above). A glam coffee table book like The Gilded Life of Matilda Duplaine is a fun gift too. But you’re sure to wow your hostess this holiday with any of these gift ideas. Happy shopping!

Shop more of my holiday gift guides:

Stocking Stuffers
Gifts for Dogs and Dog Lovers

Find me on: Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram

Saturday Socialite Link Up

It’s the Saturday before Thanksgiving. So you can relax even more knowing that next week is a short week! Before you start planning the menu and breaking out the turkey, grab a coffee, sit back and enjoy this week’s top links.

apples fall Thanksgiving

8 expert decor tips for hosting your first Thanksgiving (brit.co)

The most exclusive workout class in NYC (nypost.com)

Spray-on nail polish is apparently great (allure.com)

Wine ice cream is officially a thing! We can all die happy. (mercersdairy.com)

Snacks that will help you sleep (yahoo.com)

The stunning beauty evolution of Jennifer Lawrence (harpersbazaar.com)

The royals go rock climbing (popsugar.com)

7 classy cocktail recipes (marieclaire.com)

I need this chic Diagonal Cape With Leather Look Trim (asos.com)

Anna Wintour‘s Favorite Vogue images ever (whowhatwear.com)

Sephora is getting a high tech upgrade (seventeen.com)

Find me on: Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram