1. Have a place for things: Designate certain areas in your room for specific things. Keep items you don't need on a daily basis out of sight- under your bed, in your closet, up on shelves, etc. The items I use on a daily basis have their own space on my desk or my bureau so they're easy to access and I can always see them!

2. Make lists: Ah, lists, man's best friend, right? Yes! Research has proven that lists are great for visual people, but I think they're useful to anyone. Make a list when: you're organizing your ideas, getting ready for the day, grocery shopping, packing, preparing for finals week. Lists are useful for any occasion and they can really put your thoughts in order to help make any task easier and less stressful.

3. Keep your room tidy: If you know me, you know that I'm not exactly the best at keeping my room clean. Well, some weeks are busier than others and you just end up throwing all your clothes on the floor. If you have trouble keeping your room clean here's a tip: designate one or two days a week to cleaning. My days are Sundays. Keeping your room clean also aids in creating a blissful spot to relieve your stress and relax.

4. Have good time management: You know the old college "right of passage" that is pulling all nighters? Yeah, that's a result of terrible time management. Budget your time wisely especially when you're preparing for finals. Having good time management is a valuable life skill that you're able to practice in college. So get to it! I promise you'll relieve a lot of stress if you manage your time wisely!

5. Go to sleep at a reasonable hour (during the week): Proper sleep has a copious amount of benefits. Sleeping refreshes and revives the body so that it can perform at its best the next day. It's proven to be beneficial in weight loss and keeping you healthy which leads to less bodily stress!

6. Exercise: Exercising is a widely known stress reliever. It not only makes you feel amazing about yourself, but it releases "happy" hormones in your brain to help relieve stress and boost your mood! Exercising is beneficial for your mind, body, and health, what could be better?

7. Drink Tea: Okay, I love tea. If you know me, you know I start my day off with blueberry green tea. Tea is amazing. I could talk about it for days. It's relaxing and also so good for your health. There are so many types, flavors, and varieties that it's fun to drink tea! So, make yourself a cup of warm tea and relax.

8. Do something everyday that'll make you happy: This is such an important philosophy. The people who live the longest lives are the people who do what they love, everyday. So, ride your bike, walk your dog, write, make cookies, read your book, or take a bubble bath. Always make time to do something you love- it relieves stress in the now, and for the future.

9. Prepare for the day: One way that I like to prepare for the day is to set my clothes out the night before and get my bag all ready for the next day. This way, I'm not rushing around grabbing stuff when I'm already two minutes late to getting out the door. Doing these things will give you one less thing to worry about when that alarm goes off.

10. Eat Well: Eating well is something people too often take for granted. Your health is just too important not to worry about. When you eat well, you feel good about yourself and that alone relieves so many stresses. Take care of your body, please- it's the only one you've got!

11. Drink Water: Last but not least, water. Water is just too good for your mind, body, and health. So drink up!

I hope these tips can help you in your everyday life but also as we begin to prepare for finals! In what ways do you relieve your stresses? Comment below!

Because why would you choose to be anything but? Having a positive state of mind can really make or break a person. So, please, do yourself the biggest favor and be happy. It not only will impact your life, but the lives of other people around you. We need more people in this world that emulate positivity and happiness because those are the people that make a difference. Vibes are contagious so make sure you're spreading positive ones!

I hope everyone is off to a great start for the week! Spread love and light!

Okay, so you wake up in the morning to find that your face has been attacked overnight by the acne-stick (is that a thing??) Horrible. What is worse?? Okay, obviously there are worse things in life but a breakout can be pretty devastating especially if you have a big day full of presentations, meetings, an interview, or a date. A breakout can make your confidence levels go down ten-fold. It's such a hassle and it's just unattractive. So, to make it better, you cover it up, suffocate it, and you have created a negative skin cycle. But, you can't not cover up your breakout, so what do you do?? I have compiled a few tips that can help to beat that breakout because everyone deserves to feel gorgeous and happy!

1. Clean your makeup brushes: Cleaning your makeup brushes is such an overlooked task. It's actually something that should be done weekly. When you fail to clean your makeup brushes, bacteria and unwanted germs build up on your brushes. This can aid in causing a breakout because you're introducing that unwanted bacteria to both your face and your makeup. So please clean those brushes! It's as easy as 1, 2, 3. First, wet your brush with warm water (it cannot be too hot- think lukewarm). Rub the wet brush on a bar of soap- I use Dove. You'll start to see the residue from your makeup products come right off. Last, rinse it with the warm water and let it dry on a towel. I usually let mine dry overnight but it all depends on your brushes and their thicknesses.

2. Analyze your diet: You know the old saying "you don't need to write down what you eat because your body is a walking food journal" or some derivation of that? Yeah, well the same thing is true for your skin. Your body is a machine and when it isn't nourished the way it's supposed to be, it tells you. Think about what you put into your body because there are many foods that cause breakouts. High levels of gluten, fried foods, etc. Breakouts can also be caused by what you're not feeding your body. There are so many miracle foods out there-all of which come from the Earth might I add.

3. Coffee & chocolate: The thing with coffee and chocolate is that they cause hormonal imbalances within your body which can lead to acne. If you look at where your breakout is, you can analyze why. Your T-Zone breaking out is normally due to imbalanced hormones. Aren't they annoying. Think about what you put into your body because everything has it's own energy compositions therefore, your body perceives them all differently. Also, I am a huge fan of tea and tea is great for your skin!

4. Natural detoxes: there are plenty of resources out there that can tell you a million different things to detoxify your body. Lemons are an amazing thing to have on hand at all times. They make for a great scrask (check out my lemon&honey scrask) and if you put them in hot water with some honey and cayenne or just by themselves, they make for a great skin detoxifier. So many people swear by this. I know I definitely do (check out my post here).

5. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate: I don't think I can ever stress this enough. Hydrating your body is one of the best things you can do to take care of yourself. If there's one thing you take from this post, be it that you DRINK WATER. It's really just too important to me. It's such an easy thing we forget to do but it has some major consequences. One of those being that you breakout. Drinking a lot of water brings nothing but good health to you. I know it's a hassle when you have to use the bathroom 20 times a day, but that's HEALTHY. It's the natural way your body rids itself of toxins. Every person should drink AT LEAST 60 fl oz of water per day. In terms of plastic water bottles, that's 4. You should be drinking more than that. Your goal should be 75-100 fl oz of water. If you workout or sweat a lot, make it 100-120 fl oz. It's so good for you health and your skin. Please, make water your best friend when you're suffering from a bad breakout. You'll truly see a difference.

What are your acne remedies? Please share in the comments!

Spring break is either coming or it's going for you but one thing is for certain: what is necessary to pack, especially if you're going to be spending your week in the sun.

If you're like me and you're in school, most of your summer essentials are probably tucked away in your attic at home. Well, here I have prepared a list of a few items you must make sure get some room in your luggage or carry-on!

List:

• Water bottle: anyone who knows me knows that I am a water junkie. Staying hydrated while in the sun is completely and utterly crucial. You're losing water naturally when you're in the sun so be sure to replenish your body. Water also helps to regulate sunburns. Keep your skin and body hydrated!
• Tunic/coverup: because you can just walk around in your bikini! Well, I guess you can but why not walk around with something cute on top. You can find a cute coverup or tunic anywhere nowadays!
• Hat: having a hat on hand is imperative when the sun reaches high-sky- about 1 o'clock. Keeping your face shaded will keep those wrinkles away longer. Also, use a high SPF sunscreen to protect your face from the UV Rays. Again, it will keep those wrinkles away.
• A great book: I don't even think this needs explanation. Books and the beach are just synonymous.
• Sandals/flip flops: to protect your feet from any sharp seashells. Duh!
• Sunnies: so you can look cute, fashionable, and able to read your book. When the sun reflects off of the white pages in your book, you may as well go blind or gain wrinkles from all of the squinting. Wear sunglasses!
• A bag: so you can carry all of your beach essentials in :)

I've been in Florida since Saturday 2/28. My family and I escaped the bitter cold by flying down with the other snow birds. It's been a dream so far. The weather has been the best weather we've ever had- sunny and above 80 everyday. I'm definitely not complaining. We haven't had to make any rainy-day trips to the aquarium or St. Armand's Circle. But, my skin has been paying the consequences. So. much. sunburn. But, it's okay. I'd rather a sunburn than freeze burn! Sorry to all my up-northerners :)

I've recently discovered that my favorite time of day to be on the beach is between 4 and 6 pm. When the sun has lowered but not quite set yet and the air has gotten substantially cooler. Everything about this time of day just seems so much more blissful. With a book, a cool drink, and your favorite people in the world, what could be better?

Loving life in Longboat Key, Florida.

P.S. The sunsets are TO DIE for.