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You guys know how terribly awful I am at doing my makeup. Funny enough, both of my best friends are phenomenal at makeup. Whenever I’m around them, they both eagerly want to do my makeup. They probably both want to do my makeup because they know I can’t do my own makeup, but let’s act like I’m just a good canvas! I always feel confident when I have some makeup on, especially if I’ve been traveling and my skin isn’t looking too hot. I don’t rely on makeup, but I definitely feel like the most confident version of myself when I’ve got a bit of makeup on.

During our time in Charleston, while my other best friend Gabe was on the balcony eating a loaf of bread…we had some fun putting makeup on. Honestly, all you need is a solid set of stage lights (like a hotel bathroom) and you will feel fantastic with or without makeup on! All of my makeup brushes and makeup is literally from the 1950s, so whenever I get makeup applied I learn a lot.

I always remind myself that makeup isn’t an exact representation of who I am. As glam as I might look, that’s not what I wake up looking like. Let makeup be an expression of your personality- but don’t let it define you!

Enjoy this video of me eating peanut butter cups while trying to understand how to properly apply makeup!

Erynn Santos is the founder of B.E., a socially conscious jewelry company made for women, inspired by women, and created for women. B.E. is a nonprofit for-profit, that aids in keeping women in Brazil off of the streets. When working as a stylist in brazil, Erynn met an elderly woman named Ana Maria who was selling handmade jewelry on a ripped towel on the sidewalk. Conversing with Ana ignited something in Erynn…how could such beautiful things be made by someone who had essentially nothing, yet had not given up hope? And so B.E. was born.

Listen on iTunes, SoundCloud and Stitcher!

Every year, my best friends and I take a trip down to Charleston, SC. We’ve been lucky to stay at the Kiawah Island Golf Resort every year, which is this heavily place on Kiawah Island off the coast of South Carolina. Though I don’t golf, it’s a resort that’s totally family-friendly and a fantastic little getaway in the middle of summer.

Last year, we spent a few days exploring downtown Charleston, but none of us really vibed with the city. I found Charleston itself to be a little boring for me: a bit of a mix between a city trying to be a city and a vacation city, with no beach and no pool. Instead of spending time downtown, we decided to spend the entire week on Kiawah Island. Rarely do I ever take vacations where I don’t do anything besides sit by the pool and read: but I needed a week off to relax this year! I woke up every morning, meditated with Headspace, sat by the pool…lived in the moment off of my cell phone, which is often easier said than done. I didn’t take pictures everyday, which I usually do when I’m traveling or in LA! I realized on this trip the value of being present and not having a picture of every cool situation: it almost inspires you more to do something with your life everyday, so that you don’t feel like you always have to take a picture to capture the moment. Fill everyday with amazing moments!

Kiawah hooked us up with 2 nights at one of the villas, and 3 nights at the hotel on property which is called The Sanctuary. Take note, this is not a place to travel to if you are on a tight budget. I would say this is the most expensive property I’ve ever stayed at. Worth it, but extremely expensive. If you are traveling with a group of people, it’d be a much more affordable trip than if you’re traveling with just one other person. I obviously got the rooms comped, so we didn’t pay for the hotel…but if I had the money to pay to stay there, I totally would.

You can golf, play tennis, eat, or lounge by the pool during the day. At night, the resort puts on tons of different events, which none of us went to because by the time 7 PM came around we were all too lazy to get off of the beach chairs. However, there is a lot more to do that we didn’t take advantage of!

I love biking, and we rented bikes to bike around the island on and visit the little town Kiawah has to offer. That’s where we got the tacos below, and the delicious ice cream every night at Ben & Jerrys! I’m such a fan of Southern hospitality, maybe because I’m from Connecticut…but you really notice the difference when you’re in a city where everyone is nice and happy compared to vice versa. Oh, and the biscuits and cornbread you’re served at every meal makes everyday a good day.

Where is your favorite city to travel to?

Xo,

Alexa

I have been pretty vocal about how difficult making solid friends in LA has been since I moved here. I even posted a video last week about it! Before I moved to LA, I had a few people based in the city of dreams that I knew from past opportunities or events…and one person I met via a Bookcon event I hosted is Natasha Bure. When I hosted a panel at Bookcon with her and YouTuber Chelsea Crockett, I didn’t expect to leave with two solid friends. You might know Natasha because of her mom, Full House star Candace Cameron, but Natasha has completely branched out and followed her own dreams on her own time. Honestly, she’s so real and genuine and drives a Mazda so I adore her.

I interviewed her towards the beginning of TILU, but she was at my apartment the other day and volunteered to chat with me about getting out of your comfort zone! This episode is short, sweet and gets right to the point: do what you love, make yourself scared for the right reasons (what do you have to lose?), and always be yourself.

Listen to Episode 28 on iTunes, SoundCloud and my official APP on the app store!

As I gear up to go skydiving on July 1 (I say gear up like I’m gearing up for a race…I feel like I’m gearing up for the worst experience of my life) I’m focusing on more relaxed weekly experiences. Like the one above, talking to a stranger, or even opening a door for someone when I’m in the middle of something! You don’t have to do something out of the box every week: the reason I started #FearlessFridays is to encourage you to get out of your comfort zone every week, whether that’s doing something outrageous or doing something that’s just as big but might cost less money or be less intimidating.

I’ve spoken about the reason I moved to LA last September, which was truly just to try it out after living in Boston and New York. I miss Boston everyday, and I’ve been going back and forth to NY a few times a month, but when I was living in Boston I didn’t feel like I was getting out of my comfort zone each day. Same people, same food, same coffee shops…that was a fantastic stepping stone for me for the two years I lived there, though after a while I wanted more. When I moved to LA, I came here knowing no one (besides my best friend who I initially moved here with), having no business connections, and no idea what I was in for. We rented an Airbnb in West Hollywood from September- December. We knew that if we hated the experience after 3 months, we were out. No regrets either. Oddly enough, I got scouted by a pretty major management team that saw me on a TV segment I did on KTLA… and so I like to say my LA experience began in that moment. What I thought was my Instacart delivery carrier calling from a blocked number happened to be a manager.

So, I left LA in December to get surgery and came back January 19th, under the impression I’d be moving in with Gabe again who also left for the holidays…he decided that LA wasn’t right for him, and didn’t move back with me. Like the teen boy he is, he texted me the minute I landed in LA so I had to scramble to find a place to live. I literally live on the edge every minute: I never know what’s going to happen in my life! I’ve been asked why Gabe didn’t come back, and all I can say is that it wasn’t the right time for him. He went from living at home to moving across the country and trying to start his own social media company. I moved 4 hours away from my hometown when I first moved out, not across the country. Gabe is also so kind and so genuine which can be the opposite of the people in LA. I’m nice and genuine too, but after working in entertainment for so long you grow such a tough shell and learn to always have your guard up.

Much of my life revolves around adjusting to any one situation. Nothing is ever really straightforward. I’d say I’m always on my toes, that’s for sure. Point being, I wake up everyday in LA a little bit anxious for what my day will bring, but more inspired to work harder than I’ve ever worked before. Everything in life happens at the right time, and moving to LA, appearing on KTLA, getting my manager…and now a huge opportunity that I landed myself (stemmed by an email I wrote last October) is all about to happen.

You might want to move to the town over from yours, or across the world…either move is a big move. Start small and move somewhere that’s out of your comfort zone but not too far away from your mom or dad to visit them when your day really sucks. Had I moved to LA when I was 17 (I don’t even know how I could have done that with how insecure I was back then) I would’ve done everything backwards and too soon. Be open to every experience, every door, and every possibility. You never know who you might just meet or where you might end up.

Love, Alexa

EPISODE 22: WHO TO CALL WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE YOU DON’T HAVE ANYONE TO TALK TO

Anyone who knows me knows that I a) never wear makeup unless I’m working b) don’t know how to even apply makeup c) deeply believe that no one needs plastic surgery. 3 major life rules and facts about me that I live by! However, one of my good girl friends in LA happens to be a phenomenal makeup artist, and she offered to do my eyebrows in return for a blog post. Her name is Alix, and she’s the CEO of Hairy Little Things. Since I think she’s so awesome, I was down with the idea. When I looked up microblading, I realized that it’s a trendy beauty routine people are flocking after right now. Microblading is basically a tattoo for your eyebrows (not necessary in any capacity, and definitely not if you’re under 18) that replaces filling in your eyebrows or getting your eyebrows plucked. Again, I am not a beauty person at all, but I figured I’d take a chance and get my eyebrows tattooed!

Microblading is completed in 2 different appointments: the first one is done with 3 different series of “tattooing” where your eyebrows will become the shape you’re looking for. After about 4 weeks, most people return to the stylist to get them touched up. Alix told me she didn’t think I needed to go back for a second appointment because I didn’t have dark eyebrows from the beginning…I did decide to make another appointment for a touch-up because I want darker eyebrows now that I saw what they looked like for the first two weeks! After your first appointment, expect your eyebrows to be pretty dark and formed. After 1-2 weeks go by, your eyebrows will lighten up again.

I’m impressed with the concept behind microblading, and I see why people want to get it done. Though pricey (upwards of $550 for a solid stylist) you don’t want to just go to any person: microblading should be considered a tattoo, and treated like one! Would you randomly find a tattoo artist on Yelp and get a tattoo done? Alix works mostly on referrals, and has some top clients too (check out her celeb-filled Instagram)! Plus, she’s a true inspiration. When I met her last year, she was working out of a tiny studio in Beverly Hills. I was about to tear up when I visited her DTLA studio where she works with her two full-time employees. More women need to support women: let’s bring each other up instead of bring each other down!

Book an appointment with Alix or read her story at Hairy Little Things.

 

Episode 27 with the head of A+E Networks Tiffanie Darke is officially live! I have known Tiffanie for some time now, since A+E hired me to put together a group of influencers to talk about social media for a new show that came out last year. Immediately upon meeting Tiffanie, along with her phenomenal English accent, I just knew that she was the type of role model that young people should look up to. I won’t get too into her story because I want you to listen to the episode…but this one is a great one. Tiffanie gives her expertise on what she looks for when hiring, how you truly can balance “it” all, and her wisdom on why she thinks people who work in the entertainment industry happen to get catty on their rise to fame.

Listen to Episode 27 on iTunes, SoundCloud & the TILU app!

 

This post is in partnership with the Danbury Fair Mall. 

I partnered with the Danbury Fair Mall on May 19th to host a phenomenal day filled with so much happiness and an open conversation relating to social media and body image. I just got the final copy of the video that my videographer put together and it represents perfectly what this event was all about! During the panel, I questioned a nonprofit employee, a Primark employee and a local Connecticut entrepreanur about their relationships with their mothers when it came to body image. Ava, a local entrepreanur who actually created all of the balloons below, had fantastic wisdom and insight for the moms’ in the audience on her relationship with her mother growing up.

After the panel, I chose three moms’ & daughters to win lunch with me (totally random selection) and we headed to Brio, a very tasty Italian restaurant, to discuss what parents should be talking to their kids about. These parents were so involved with their children’s lives off & on the Internet that it made for a fascinating discussion for us all. Over passed appetizers like burrata and tasty calamari, we began the discussion with what we thought schools should be teaching that they aren’t teaching. After the appetizers, we ordered our main meal (I got the steak salad, but stole some fries from the cutie pie sitting next to me…) and I was questioned about how I started my website and what advice I could offer to parents who are struggling with talking to their kids about mental health. We ended with tiramisu and chocolate cake for dessert, and I was actually sad to end my day of work at the “office”. I learnt more than I thought I could  ever learn from kids younger than me: you’d be shocked at how much kids know about the web. So long to the days of aspiring to be an actress or a doctor: an 11-year-old told me she wants to be an entrepreanur, while a 5-year-old told me she wanted to be a vlogger. Oh, boy!

Enjoy the video below and make sure to follow Danbury Fair Mall on social media for all of the latest updates on happenings & events at the mall!

If I could live somewhere else besides LA or NY, I’d move to Chicago. If you’ve never been to this city, I truly think that it’s a city perfect for young people to move to. It’s hip, quaint, and happy! LA and NY feel so aggressive sometimes but Chicago remains consistent and authentic, in my opinion.

I appeared on The Jam WCIU this morning to talk summer swimwear with Lands’ End! There are a ton of models in Chicago so I usually end up swapping models out every time I’m in town so that I get to meet different people, and the three in this shoot were so nice and older than my models usually are. Lands’ End is a brand that suits working millennials and parents, so putting ladies who would wear this clothing off of a TV set makes sense to me. Chicago is sweltering hot right now, luckily my segment aired at 6:50 AM so I got to take these pictures in front of the bean right before the sun came out…wearing a look by Lands’ End and APL sneakers! Kind of felt like a hip Chicago mom.

I never liked my body in swimwear and I still don’t: I’ll probably never start liking my stomach, it’s just that one part of my body that I always cringe at when I look in the mirror or even when I’m at the gym! If I had been asked to show off a swimwear look on camera, I would’ve totally said no. Now that I’m following #FearlessFridays every week, I’m a bit more open to doing something that makes me uncomfortable…but wearing swimwear on TV might be something I’d try out next year. I’m not perfect and I don’t expect anyone or myself to be.  I try and find swimwear that makes me feel confident, which usually ends up being something high-waisted. As much as I’d love to squeeze into a Triangl two-piece, I won’t leave any beach day feeling happy with myself and I don’t like to put myself through that.

What you feel like on the inside is what shows on the outside: don’t waste your timing wearing clothing that doesn’t show your confident self off!