Stuck in my head.

pinterest

Keep breathing by Ingrid Michaelson

What I keep coming back to this week. Both I've been trying to remember, 

and are my anthems for this week. 

Happy hump day friends. 

Instagram Lovin in 2012

Some glitz to start the new year// the amazing NYC skyline I saw to bring in 2012

Some views from Central Park on a lazy day walk

Commuting musts: coffee and my nook// Friday night friends, dark nails and the new Lucky

View of the Queensboro Bridge from my apartment window//Some beautiful lights in Grand Central

Some mid afternoon treats at my desk// A cozy workday outfit of leggings and a sweater

Just some random shots of things in life so far in 2012!

Birchbox.

       

These are some pics I snapped in Instagram of my January Birchbox that I got this week. Most people know that I'm just a TAD obsessed with this company so I've been meaning to blog about this for a while.

For those of you who I haven't preached to yet about Birchbox, it's this awesome NYC company where you pay $10 a month and they send you four to five deluxe beauty samples wrapped prettily in a cute little box. 

Every month they have a theme which they explain on a card. The card also has a description of each product in your box as well as what the price a full size retails for. When you sign up you fill out a beauty profile so a lot of it is targeted towards what kind of skin, hair, etc you have. 

I've been a Birchbox subscriber for about 5 months and I absolutely love it. Not only is it a great way to try samples of some high-end beauty brands, but it's a great way to find new products as well! Like this month I received a full-size (I love when that happens) Stila eyeliner. I've been dying to try Stila for months but with a $20 price tag per eyeliner I haven't made the splurge in case I wasn't a fan. Now this month I get to try it, plus a few other great products for a fraction of the price.  For 10 bucks I get a fun little surprise delivered to me every month! 

Birchbox also has an awesome blog that I read daily :)

Stuck in my head.

Pinterest

The Civil Wars-Poison & Wine

So I think I'm going to start making "Stuck in my head" a weekly feature over here on ASPL. Every week there seems to be a song and image or quote I'm obsessing over so why not share the weekly obsessions with you!

This week I've been "pinning" (check out my pinterest) a lot of different prints that I've been contemplating buying for my bedroom. The one above is just so simple, and pretty much is perfect. If you know me, or even look at my blog it's kinda self-explanatory! :)

After hearing Taylor Swift's new song for the Hunger Games movie, I rediscovered my love for The Civil Wars. Poison & Wine is one of my absolute favorites, for the singing and the lyrics. I found this quote that I love explaining the song:

Poison & Wine is a musical snapshot about the dichotomy of love - that while it can be the thing that destroys you, it can also be the very same thing that beckons and builds you....The longer you know someone - and the longer you allow someone to know you - the more the light and shadows inside each person become more vivid. This song was our attempt at being as brutally honest about the dangerous and beautiful process of knowing and being known. (-Joy Williams, The Civil Wars)

How wonderful is that? Watch the official video of the song HERE.

Happy Wednesday!

In the Kitchen.

Just thought I would share my latest kitchen adventure with everyone! Because of all the commuting and working I do, I usually am not in the mood to cook when I get home. Instead, I try and make the quickest thing possible because I'm always starving (which means I often live off of salad, canned soup and turkey sandwiches...you'd think I'm still in college). With my New Years Resolutions still filling my head however, I've been trying really hard to eat as healthy as possible and cook more. I found this recipe on my new favorite food blog, Skinnytaste.com. This "Light Shepards Pie" was not too hard to make and super tasty! Also, now I have enough for many more meals, which means no soup for dinner this week! Can't beat that!

You can find the recipe HERE

*all pics via Instagram (nkivitz)

Jason Wu for Target

Pinterest

So, I'm kind of obsessed with Target. It's always a deadly store for me to enter because I never leave empty handed. The fact that this retail giant has recently been teaming up with high-end fashion designers to make affordable lines has be drooling over my favorite store even more. While I wasn't too thrilled with the Missoni collaboration (I'm not a huge Minssoni fan to begin with), their latest teamwork with Jason Wu has got me absolutely giddy. 

If you're into fashion at all you've probably been hearing about this the last few days. Above are a few sample pics of some of the items in the line and all I can think about are getting my hands on those skirts and dresses. Ridiculous! 

What does everyone think of the new line? As excited as me?

Also, I just discovered Target's tumblr. Check it out, it has some awesome styling tips and ideas from Nina Garcia for Jason Wu's new Target line. 

Stuck in my head this week.

Pinterest

Gotye- Somebody That I Used To Know (feat. Kimbra)

I came across both of these this week (the quote from one of my favorite blogs, Cheetah is the new black) and can't get either out of my head so I had to share! The quote above, "She colored her thoughts with only the brightest hues" is such a lovely line and exactly the way I want my mind to work from now on.

The song is one my friend introduced me to a few days ago and it's been on repeat ever since. Both the lyrics and the singing are so powerful that I've become obsessed. 

Have a wonderful hump day!

2012

via Pinterest

Happy New Year!

Hi friends! How is everyone's first few days of 2012?

I hope they've been fantastic! 

The last few weeks had me thinking a lot. 2011 (and a lot of 2010) was definitely not the best time for me. I found myself feeling mostly lost and in a rut. Leaving college, moving away from friends and family to a new town, breaking up with a boyfriend and starting my first real job all tornado-ed into a very unhappy year and a half. Though I wish I was someone who can brush things off her shoulder and move on quickly, unfortunately I'm not. I hang onto things with dear life. It's the way I've always been, and most likely the way I'll always be. So, after being unhappy with myself inside and out for a while, I want to take on 2012 and make a shift in my life. Happiness is the theme this year. I've come up with some resolutions that I want to try very hard to fulfill. Time to focus on myself!

Every year I make the cliche resolution of: lose weight. (If I even make a resolution at all). This year I want to make a few that I can accomplish and check off a list. I've written them down, I'm typing them out, putting them out in public, and hanging them on my wall to remind myself I have some goals to focus on this year when I feel I'm slipping back into that rut I'm trying so hard to stay out of. 

Here they are:

1.) Crochet a scarf. I once learned how to knit, and I got about halfway through a scarf and put it down and never picked it up again. I love knitted/crocheted pieces and I want to be able to make them for myself. Also, this goes along the lines of how I have a LOT of trouble following through on projects. 

2.) Look like I did Junior year of college. This is my yearly "look better" goal.

3.) Run a half marathon. The only goal I set for myself last year was to fun a 15k race called the Boilermaker. I am probably one of the worst runners on earth so this was a HUGE undertaking for me (my dad actually laughed in my face when I told him I planned on running over 9 miles). I really never thought I could complete this race, but I did. I trained for it and ran it by myself and crossing that finish line made me feel more accomplished than I have in a very long time. It had taken all my focus and energy for months and was something that I wanted desperately to finish. It was such a large goal that I had set for myself that I actually cried after I crossed the finish line (and so did my mom). It was the best thing I had done in 2011 so I want to try and take it one step further. I already have my eye on one in April so this might be crossed off soonish...

4.) Purge my wardrobe. Anyone that knows me knows this needs to be done. 

5.) Continue my blog. I started this blog during that unhappy time mentioned above to try and keep myself busy. Unfortunately I haven't been the best at keeping it up. New goal: post at least 2x/week.

6.) Have a themed party. I really want to have a grown up party with handwritten invites, appetizers and a fun theme. I need to put some of my thousands of pinterest "pins" to use!

7.) Make an inspiration wall. I have so many quotes and images that I love, I need a place where I can actually see them somewhere other than on my computer.

8.) Join a dance and/or gymnastics class. 2 activities that I've done a majority of my life and that I really, really miss.

9.) Do at least one DIY project a month. Again, I pin things, and don't DO them.

10/11.) I have 2 additional goals that are staying in my notebook. One is professional and one is personal (not everything should be on the internet!).

Here's to this year being better than the last!

(not a shabby view to start a new year with huh?)