June 1, 2016
Summer 2016 Reading// Looks Little Covets
Can you believe it's already June, like where in the world did these past few months go?? It feels like it was just fall and I was obsessed with Starbuck's caramel apple spice (yassss) and agonizing over whether to tell some a guy a joke. Now I'm getting ready to pack up for Jersey and can't stop day dreaming about Victoria Secret bathing suits (the struggle is real ya'll). Each summer I stock up on a few books to read because usually beach days can get quite boring if you don't have something entertaining by your side.
Here are six of my favorites that you can add to your list...
Here are six of my favorites that you can add to your list...
Ever feel like everyone but you has their life under control? Isabella, Mary and Lauren feel like everyone they know has a plan, a good job, and a nice boyfriend. Isabella, on the other hand, thinks she might hate her own boyfriend, Mary is working so hard she's hoping to get hit by a car just so she can have some time off work and Lauren is dating a man who can't spell her first name. All three of them have been friends since college, and now - more than ever - they need each other, as they struggle through those thrilling, bewildering, what-on-earth-am-I-doing years when everyone else is getting married and they're just getting drunk.
Last summer my good friend Lauren actually texted me this book saying we needed to read it. Being at the age where everyone seems to be getting married or having babies (or getting boyfriends even) I sometimes feel a bit behind. Heck, I didn't know what I wanted to do or have a real plan for executing it til a couple weeks ago, I'm not ready to spend my days with someone else at this point. This is perfect for every girl feeling lost in today's #ringbyspring culture, Close reminds us that we are right where we belong and take our time enjoying the ride and awkward stories.
Madeline is a force to be reckoned with. She’s funny and biting, passionate, she remembers everything and forgives no one. Her ex-husband and his yogi new wife have moved into her beloved beachside community, and their daughter is in the same kindergarten class as Madeline’s youngest (how is this possible?). And to top it all off, Madeline’s teenage daughter seems to be choosing Madeline’s ex-husband over her. (How. Is. This. Possible?). Celeste is the kind of beautiful woman who makes the world stop and stare. While she may seem a bit flustered at times, who wouldn’t be, with those rambunctious twin boys? Now that the boys are starting school, Celeste and her husband look set to become the king and queen of the school parent body. But royalty often comes at a price, and Celeste is grappling with how much more she is willing to pay. New to town, single mom Jane is so young that another mother mistakes her for the nanny. Jane is sad beyond her years and harbors secret doubts about her son. But why? While Madeline and Celeste soon take Jane under their wing, none of them realizes how the arrival of Jane and her inscrutable little boy will affect them all. Big Little Lies is a brilliant take on ex-husbands and second wives, mothers and daughters, schoolyard scandal, and the dangerous little lies we tell ourselves just to survive.
This was actually a book that got lent to me in exchange for one of my own, not having any clue what I was getting myself into... I was surprised by how quickly I became invested in the story line. If you know me personally then you know when summer starts baby fever becomes an all too real thing for me, working on the beach means being surrounded and you mentally start shopping for your imaginary children. Since the book deals with a kindergarten class. I was instantly intrigued... it helps that while reading you feel as though Madeline is your best friend.
3. #GIRLBOSS.
I know, I know everyone and their momma has already told you to go out and buy this book. I was intrigued for a long time but never actually went out and grabbed a copy until this winter, To be honest I felt like the #girlboss inside me was slacking big time, and I wasn't doing anything with my life to help put this information into action. This book isn't just for the girl taking pictures of her outfits and typing away daily on her blog, the one that just got promoted in their job and are really making a name of themselves... it's for each girl in each time of their life. Rather you're CEO or completely confused at where your next direction needs to be... her tales of perseverance, learning lessons the hard way, and passion will leave you wanting to take the next step- regardless of what that needs to be.
4. Never Have I Ever: My Life (So Far) Without A Date.
I know I've mentioned this book before because I have yet to find a book I've loved more. As a girl who has never had a boyfriend and has only ever been on what I affectionately refer to as "date not dates" (I mean in this day and age you just don't know a show, dinner, and a kiss goodnight and I'm just gonna call it a date not date.) I felt like this story was written just for me. With non-stop anecdotes that will have you whispering yassss with each new paragraph...you can't help but fall in love with Heaney's writing and the awkward situations everyone goes through. This book is read best with a glass of wine and a willingness to remember all the embarrassing things you too did in front of a crush.
5. The Girl on the Train.
I am currently reading this book and loving every second. At first, it felt a little confusing and mundane, like you were reading a list more than a story. I have finally reached the plot, and I couldn't be more invested, Not lying when I saw I get excited for the time during tanning I can crack open the book, or while lying in bed before sleeping. I know that it's coming out as a movie soon, and I can't wait to see the movie transferred from my mind to screen soon. I imagine this is a perfect beach read if you need to stay entertained but don't typically do well with staying still (which is my personal problem.)
6. Dirty Rush.
This book was a last minute target pick up (you know when you go in just to browse and end up with four shampoo bottles, kettle corn, a bathing suit top, and a book...true story.) as I went through check out the lady commented on how she had no clue what the book was. (I was slightly embarrassed I picked up a book centered around sororities and frats and may have turned into a tomato as I explained the plot.) With sentences like "...he was shitfaced. Cute but shitfaced." I think we can all say a silent amen as we think of the idiots we may have "once" had feelings for. I've never been in a sorority and I didn't grab it because I'm dying to know what it's like "on the inside" but I did grab it for a much needed laugh and an interesting story line- perfect pool side book material. Not to mention I finished the book in a week (in between packing, nannying, birthday dinners, and getting locked up in a room for an hour shout out to Locked Up Lynchburg!!)
What are some of your favorite books, I'm obviously looking for suggestions seeing as summer hasn't even officially started and I'm almost done with the books I already had picked out...
xoxo
3. #GIRLBOSS.
Sophia Amoruso spent her teens hitchhiking, committing petty theft, and scrounging in dumpsters for leftover bagels. By age twenty-two she had dropped out of school, and was broke, directionless, and checking IDs in the lobby of an art school—a job she’d taken for the health insurance. It was in that lobby that Sophia decided to start selling vintage clothes on eBay. Flash forward ten years to today, and she’s the founder and executive chairman of Nasty Gal, a $250-million-plus fashion retailer with more than four hundred employees. Sophia was never a typical CEO, or a typical anything, and she’s written #GIRLBOSS for other girls like her: outsiders (and insiders) seeking a unique path to success, even when that path is windy as all hell and lined with naysayers. #GIRLBOSS proves that being successful isn’t about where you went to college or how popular you were in high school. It’s about trusting your instincts and following your gut; knowing which rules to follow and which to break; when to button up and when to let your freak flag fly.
I know, I know everyone and their momma has already told you to go out and buy this book. I was intrigued for a long time but never actually went out and grabbed a copy until this winter, To be honest I felt like the #girlboss inside me was slacking big time, and I wasn't doing anything with my life to help put this information into action. This book isn't just for the girl taking pictures of her outfits and typing away daily on her blog, the one that just got promoted in their job and are really making a name of themselves... it's for each girl in each time of their life. Rather you're CEO or completely confused at where your next direction needs to be... her tales of perseverance, learning lessons the hard way, and passion will leave you wanting to take the next step- regardless of what that needs to be.
4. Never Have I Ever: My Life (So Far) Without A Date.
"I've been single for my entire life. Not one boyfriend. Not one short-term dating situation. Not one person with whom I regularly hung out and kissed on the face." So begins Katie Heaney's memoir of her years spent looking for love, but never quite finding it. By age 25, equipped with a college degree, a load of friends, and a happy family life, she still has never had a boyfriend...and she's barely even been on a second date. Throughout this laugh-out-loud funny book, you will meet Katie's loyal group of girlfriends, including flirtatious and outgoing Rylee, the wild child to Katie's shrinking violet, as well as a whole roster of Katie's ill-fated crushes. And you will get to know Katie herself -- a smart, modern heroine relaying truths about everything from the subtleties of a Facebook message exchange to the fact that "Everybody who works in a coffee shop is at least a little bit hot." Funny, relatable, and inspiring, this is a memoir for anyone who has ever struggled to find love, but has also had a lot of fun in the process.
I know I've mentioned this book before because I have yet to find a book I've loved more. As a girl who has never had a boyfriend and has only ever been on what I affectionately refer to as "date not dates" (I mean in this day and age you just don't know a show, dinner, and a kiss goodnight
5. The Girl on the Train.
EVERY DAY THE SAMERachel takes the same commuter train every morning and night. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck. She’s even started to feel like she knows them. Jess and Jason, she calls them. Their life—as she sees it—is perfect. Not unlike the life she recently lost.UNTIL TODAYAnd then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed. Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel goes to the police. But is she really as unreliable as they say? Soon she is deeply entangled not only in the investigation but in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good?
I am currently reading this book and loving every second. At first, it felt a little confusing and mundane, like you were reading a list more than a story. I have finally reached the plot, and I couldn't be more invested, Not lying when I saw I get excited for the time during tanning I can crack open the book, or while lying in bed before sleeping. I know that it's coming out as a movie soon, and I can't wait to see the movie transferred from my mind to screen soon. I imagine this is a perfect beach read if you need to stay entertained but don't typically do well with staying still (which is my personal problem.)
6. Dirty Rush.
In this shockingly true-to-life novel written by an all-star team of Internet phenoms from the Total Frat Move generation, you’ll get the first true glimpse of “real” sorority life in all its f**ked up glory. Dirty Rush by Taylor Bell is what happens when you take the creative minds behind Babe Walker (author of the New York Times bestselling White Girl Problems series) and add Rebecca Martinson to the mix. Rebecca Martinson—yes, that bitch—the former Delta Gamma sister responsible for the scathing, expletive-filled email that verbally assaulted her entire chapter for being “so f**king boring” at social functions, and threatened to “c*nt punt” every last one of them if their behavior didn’t shape up. Dirty Rush is a no-holds-barred look at what really happens when you “go Greek.” Taylor Bell comes from a long line of Beta Zeta sorority sisters, who all expect her to pledge upon starting at the university. But Taylor has other plans: she’s determined to give her family the proverbial middle finger and destroy the rich tradition they hold so dear by eschewing sorority life altogether. However, Taylor’s resolve soon melts when she falls in with a group of hilarious, ultra-saucy girls, who introduce her to all things Greek and soften her to the idea of joining. Resigned to the fate the Greek gods have dealt her, Taylor pledges Beta Zeta and embarks on a collegiate career filled with the kind of carousing sure to make any sorority sister proud. Soon, Taylor’s experience as a BZ starts to feel like a jacked-up, drug-infused, and X-rated fairy tale—especially when reality comes crashing down and a rather lewd sex tape is leaked. The girl in the video looks a lot like Taylor. Has Taylor gone off the deep end? Or is someone trying to frame her? Unless she can prove her innocence and re-ingratiate herself with the sisters who’ve accused her of leaking the video in a Kim Kardashian–style bid for attention, Taylor is at risk of losing everything she’s fought (partied) so hard for.
This book was a last minute target pick up (you know when you go in just to browse and end up with four shampoo bottles, kettle corn, a bathing suit top, and a book...
What are some of your favorite books, I'm obviously looking for suggestions seeing as summer hasn't even officially started and I'm almost done with the books I already had picked out...
xoxo
May 25, 2016
Instagram Round Up + Life Lately
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| |Anthropologie Mug|Similar Blue Dress|Jelly Jack Rogers|Que Bella Rejuvenating Face Mask|Sinful Colors Nail Polish|Old Navy Boyfriend Jeans|Naked 2 Palette|Naked Flushed (my exact palette)|
Lately life has felt like a daze, in the best way possible. My twenty third birthday came and went (for those of you who don't know twenty-three is my lucky number... so it was a big deal) with that also comes the blog's birthday which is in a few days. Sometimes I still can't believe I type something on the internet and people who aren't my best friends read it, like that's insane to me hahaha. You can typically find me in some kind of dream-like state dreaming of the future, LookBrooke, or any other crazy idea that pops into my head. I'm currently dreaming my life away but at the same time staying present in my current surroundings- and I don't think I've been this happy. Constantly daze, and I'm loving every second- here are four things about my life lately...
1. I can't stop being thankful for everyone in my life. So many friends bent over backwards to help me feel loved, appreciated, and cared for on not only my birthday but every day of my life. I've also had a lot of chances to celebrate graduations, new beginnings, birthdays, etc with a few friends lately, and being able to show those around you how much they truly mean to you... priceless. All the sap, all the cliche.
2. Lately, you can also find me book in hand sipping on coffee. Summer hasn't even officially started for me yet, and I'm on book four of my summer reading list. There have been laughs, tears, ironic moments, and plenty of new favorites added to the list. I'm thinking of doing a summer reading round-up, and I can't wait to share it with you because these books are that good or that funny and creative!
3. For a month I started nannying two of the craziest, loudest, sweetest littles I have ever met. Days filled with Mulan, disney music, and running around playing "Baby Chicken" were where I was most thriving lately. Today was actually the last day and it breaks my little heart, but I still remember driving to Lynchburg from my initial meeting calling my grandma so excited because they seemed like the best children. Goodbyes are bittersweet and sad, but if there's one thing I've learned this past month is to treasure them. There's something special about getting to say goodbye in person- even if your pride gets the better of you in some circumstances- you'll most likely end up breaking down on the ride home because you didn't get to say goodbye. Goodbyes through text message just don't work the same.
4. GIVEAWAY. Be sure to enter through instagram for a chance to win your very own laptop skin or phone case (!!!)
All you have to do is follow me on instagram and tag a friend in the giveaway post on instagram. (You can find and follow my instagram here)
Cheers to dream like moments and all that follow
xoxo
** Currently running is the Nordstrom Half-Yearly Sale, below I have picked out some of my favorites from the sale (Like $90 Jacks!) ** |
May 15, 2016
What's In My Bag + GIVEAWAY (!!!)
For the most part, I keep what I store in my bag relatively simple... the everyday basics of a phone, charger, lipsticks (I'm obsessed if you couldn't tell), and gum (I always try to have it stocked with one packet that's open and an un-opened packet so I'm never without gum hahah.)
I also feel like I should mention that I keep a brush, deodorant, sunscreen face stick, perfume (that a certain guy once commented on so I kept it at hand before going there hahah), and I keep mascara in case I ever feel I need a touch up while on the move in my car. (I may even keep some more lipsticks and some chapstick too... so to say I'm obsessed with lip product may be an understatement.)
When caseapp.com contacted me saying I could order or design my very own phone case, I was delighted! As you can see, I unfortunately had cracked it this summer (in a different phone case) so when the case came in I'll admit I was hesitant. I'm the girl that has managed to break both an otterbox and lifeproof. I've dropped my phone once or twice from daily activities, and my phone has been safe. I feel as though my phone is just as secure as it was in my otterbox I previously had it in. Caseapp has even been generous enough to provide my readers with 20% off of their next offer using the code LOOKBROOKE20. As well as the discount code, we are giving away one free phone case or laptop skin to a reader as well (!!!)
To enter the giveaway: Please refer to my instagram and enter on the giveaway photo (you should recognize the pink phonecase). (Follow me on instagram, tag two friends in the post, and for an extra entry you can comment on the post)
My Purse Contents:
1. Oh, Yes Caseapp phone case
2. #GIRLBOSS
3. Lip Products: Buxom Lip Gloss: White Russian, Revlon Lipstick, NYX Buttergloss: Madeline, Loreal: Julianne's Nude, Too Faced Lip Creme: Taffy, Color Whisper (my favorite products!!)
4. Essie: Guilty Pleasures
5. I always keep a journal, I love this one from Anthropologie.
6. I keep an extra pair of sunglasses in my purse, I love these.
7. I keep a pen, gum, and this mobile charger in my purse at all times. (The mobile charger is only $10!!)
Purses I Like:
Good luck on the giveaway (!!!)
April 24, 2016
23 Favorite Things
More often than I'd like to admit, I take things for granted. There are so many little joys in my everyday life that I don't give enough recognition to. In honor of turning 23 on Friday, I thought I'd write out 23 of my favorite things that make my life... mine.
1. The sound of my sister's laugh coming from the other bedroom, it's a reminder that joy is everywhere.
2. Going to a play with someone who knows nothing about it but you know practically every word, with each laugh I get more and more giddy and I have no clue why but it's the best feeling to let them in on your own little secret world (at least that's how it feels sometimes.)
3. When you're walking outside while the sun beats down on you, and for a split second it feels like a hug from Jesus.
4. That feeling you get when you listen to an overture and it fills you with this insane feeling that anything is possible. As the music builds, so does your hope.
5. The smell of sunscreen, for me it transport me right back to the beach and all those summers I never had to wonder if anyone had my back,,, my Dad was always there for me. This summer will be weird without you Dad.
6. Twirling in your new favorite dress and instantly feeling like a fairy princess.
7. The fact that I have friends who love me unconditionally and let me over analyze the same text message, meeting, and scenario fifty different ways.. each time listening to me and treating it like a real issue. Thanks for letting me send you texts like "He has moved closer." "Wait he has pulled out chapstick." "????" "I'm very confused right now" Thank you, for the unconditional love.
8. The fact that I was lucky enough to be sent to a Christian high school and attend a Christian college for a while. I have never felt like I couldn't talk about my faith, have my questions answered, or felt alone while I figured out my walk with Jesus. I wouldn't trade those years of my life for anything, and I mean anything. They are why I am who I am today, and sometimes I fail to see the positive and just dwell on the negative of that situation. That time was more than academics, more than mandatory, and more than a pass or fail... it was growth even when it felt like it wasn't.
9. The smell of hot coffee in the morning, particularly when you're super drowsy.
10. When the waters calm and you lay on your back and just float... it reminds me that there are moments in life where this can happen too and even if a huge wave comes, you can always find another time to float again.
11. Those times in life where you almost can sense yourself mentally taking a photo of that exact moment, as you usually think to yourself I wish I could re-live this all my life. You sit there knowing you'd be content riding next to this person in the car forever, eating that slice of chocolate cake all your life, or meeting Laura Osnes after a performance of Cinderella on broadway (that still makes you tear up as you think about it.)
12. The bittersweet moment where you finish a book, you feel like you've lost a best friend and yet you're thankful for the journey it took you on.
13. I take this one for granted the most, but when the whole family can sit down to eat or watch a movie... you almost feel like this is exactly how life is supposed to be.
14. That rush of butterflies that fill up your stomach in an instant as that guy finally pulls you into a kiss.
15. When your best friend's name pops up on your phone and you haven't talked to her in forever due to life.
16. The car rides where you start belting out Let It Go and anything from The Little Mermaid, and we can't forget any of Hilary Duff's songs... the way the words come out of your mouth without trying, and how it instantly takes you back to another time- favorite.
17. Moments in life that make you happy dance in Walmart, cry while singing A Wonderful Guy from South Pacific in the car ride home, or when you just can't stop blushing and smiling. Those are the little things that make me feel like no matter what, life is a fairy tale.
18. When a friend loves you enough to tell you the guy is an asshole or to not judge you as you sit there crying because you've caught feelings for the guy you swore you wouldn't. I am so incredibly thankful for the friends I have in my life, you keep me protected and listen to me and don't ever say I told you so, when you easily could.
19. Waking up cuddled up in your sheets, completely content.
20. Each phone call with my grandma and the face to face conversations we can have about anything, thank you for always having my back. You have been a best friend to me since I can remember, I don't think there isn't a life event or anything that makes me happy that I haven't wanted to tell you first,
21. When you hear somebody sing along to the radio or just sing to you. If everyone broke out into song around me, I don't think I'd ever be sad.
22. This blog has taught me so much about myself, my writing style, my humor, and has even gifted me with more confidence than I used to have. Some of my favorite blog posts I've ever written were because I felt accepted and felt like LookBrooke could be my safe place- so thank you to each and every reader for believing in me and for coming back a second, third, and fourth time.
23. When you get to show someone something that makes you happy cry, made you who you are, or something that you've always loved and they get to understand you a little better. Vice versa, when you get to understand someone else a little better. By seeing the things they love, what made them who they are, or my personal favorite...made them happy cry.
April 19, 2016
Pom Pom Loving
|Romper (Similar)|Jack Rodgers- Jelly|Kate Spade (Similar)|Giraffee Bangle- Lilly Pulitzer (Similar) (I love this too!)|
I have been on the search for the perfect romper for over a year now, I always loved them but never felt like they were wearable for me. I often found myself feeling like an elephant, rocking some camel toe, or looking like a frumpy mess. There was one romper I tried on that I felt looked decent but I still didn't take the plunge, that was until now. Thanks to Marshalls, I now can proudly become part of the romper fan club. This particular romper is Trixxi, and unfortunately can't be found online but I did find a great double from ASOS.
Cheers to it finally being warm enough to bring out the bathing suits and not feel crazy, and cheers to that perfect romper- we all need at least one in our life.
xoxo
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