Email theblondeprep@gmail.com with questions, comments, or concerns. Powered by Blogger.

Steal Her Style: Taylor Tomasi

steal her style

I saw this photo and a few similar snaps of Taylor Tomasi Hill on Pinterest and quickly became obsessed. My first thought, who is this redhead with amazing street style and why do I not know the answer to that question!

Taylor is just that, a fashion prodigy. She's basically just known for her incredibly street style, but, oh, she happens to work for Moda Operandi too. And... she's worked Marie Claire, Teen Vogue, and W Magazine in the past. This off the shoulder look worn last year at spring fashion week is amazing... shop my version below to recreate Taylor's impeccable style:

off the shoulder stripe top (only $50!) // skinny jeans // stripe tote // embellished slingback flats

What do you think of the look?
xoxo

Prom Recap

I'm so excited to share a few pictures from my junior prom this weekend! I had a fabulous time dressing up, taking pictures, eating dinner, dancing a ton and just making memories with friends! Our prom was held at a super cool venue downtown, and my favorite part was the fact that we had a hypnotist come at midnight (prom ended at 1 AM- late, I know) and actually hypnotize about 12-15 kids, and it was the coolest / craziest thing I've ever seen. Seriously unreal how he could get them to do anything while they were "asleep" or hypnotized... I'm still in shock!
Anyways, a few pictures from the night! My dress is BCBG, but I can only find it available here in one size... it's on sale now though, of course!




Unfortunately, my pictures with my date did not turn out well at all, so I will have to wait until round 2 next weekend (boy's prom) to share some with him!
xoxo

Mix Print Tee







tee (now 50% off!) // sunglasses // jeans // converse

Another purchase for France was this t-shirt, which I'm surprised actually found it's way into my closet. I ordered it kind of on a whim and I'm pleasantly surprised with how much I like it! Such a fun twist on a classic stripe tee, making for an easy ensemble when paired with other basic pieces like my favorite denim and go-to converse.

xoxo

Running Playlist

    Untitled #387

I've been really trying to run more and it's not always the easiest thing to motivate myself to do. However, I know if I have a super fun playlist filled with my favorite upbeat songs, I'm at least a little more excited to work out. I made this playlist over the weekend and I've already told myself I'm going to run today and listen to it. I'm excited, I think it's a really good mix!

You can see the entire playlist here! What are your favorite running / workout songs?!
xoxo

This Week's Top 10



2. I had a little revelation while snacking on carrots the other day and now I'm dying to try this recipe.


4. Did you miss anything over here this week? A healthy recipe, prom dress picks, and a fun outfit post!

5. Such an interesting and informative post about the causes behind your breakouts. You need to read this!

6. I can't tell, are these shorts cute or weird? I mean, they have tassels, are under $60, and #navyornothing!


8. So excited about this swimsuit I ordered! Now all I need to do is look good in it for summer...

9. Omg, stripes. Love this look on Blair.

10. Prom tomorrow night!! I'm beyond excited. What are your plans for this weekend?

xoxo

Green Pants

Ya know, Earth Day was yesterday... Isn't that fun? I guess you can say I'm celebrating a belated Earth Day by sharing an outfit post today incorporating my new absolute favorite pants. I purchased these for France and I've worn them so many times since. Beyond worth it. Oh, and this is my new favorite sweater. Basically my outfit on repeat as of late.







sweater (under $20!) // pants // booties (similar here and here) // pearl ring

Surprise! Did you notice my new glasses and haircut?! I got them both on the same day, just a few days before I left for France. Chopping four inches has been an amazing refresher, and I'm so glad I don't have so many nasty split ends anymore. And the glasses... well, more on that later, but I'm obsessed with those too. 

What do you think?
xoxo

Paris Recap: Part 2

I feel like I'm dragging out this vacation for far longer than I should be, but this is the last post about my trip to France (I promise!). I've already talked about the first part of my trip here, and then my first two days in Paris here. Today I'm wrapping up the recaps with my last two days in Paris! These last two days were probably my favorite of the whole trip, and definitely an amazing way to wrap up the vacation.

Thursday was another busy day following Wednesday, but I think it may have been my favorite. We began the day by visiting Notre Dame Cathedral and the area surrounding.



We then left Notre Dame and went to the area around the Centre Pompidou for lunch. Let me just say that until you experience the pastry shops like the ones around here you have not lived. 


oh. my. gosh.

We also had a chance to explore the gardens of the Musee Rodin, but unfortunately the actual museum was closed, so we didn't get to go inside.


Finally, the best part of the whole trip, the Latin Quarter!! The Luxembourg Garden was fabulous and it's my new favorite place, for sure. We explored the garden and the town and stopped for a snack before seeing a play followed by an amazing dinner.




Friday was our last day, and it was surprisingly pretty laid back. We started off the morning by exploring the Tuileries garden where we were spotted and invited by a funny PR kid asking us to come participate as the audience for a french reality TV show at the most famous studio in all of Paris! Of course, opportunities like these don't come everyday, so we couldn't say no. It was such a fun experience and honestly so hilarious because we had no idea what was going on. After the show, it was hitting lunch time, so we walked over the bridge to the Musee D'Orsay.


One fun fact about Paris, the most famous and original lock bridge is called the Pont des Arts, but there are a ton of bridges in Paris because the Seine River runs right through the city, and almost all of them have locks on them. This bridge is just one of the random ones and you can see how many locks there still are.


View from inside the Musee D'Orsay, the modern art museum.

After the Musee D'Orsay, we hopped on a train to Versailles, where we took a tour of the Palace of Versailles and hung around in the gorgeous and abundant gardens. This was such an amazing way to finish off the trip. The weather was amazing and it was so fun to enjoy ice cream cones by the water and watch people boat and bike around the gardens. The actual palace itself is unreal... real gold everywhere, inside and outside, and it's one of the biggest castles in all of France. When I first saw it, I was almost shocked at what I saw! It looks like a tiny village drenched in gold from far away.




Following, we went to a creperie for dinner where I had the best meal of my life. My dinner crepe consisted of goat cheese, honey, walnuts, and salad, which was so amazing I almost cried. Oh, and then my dessert crepe was almost even better. Honestly, I don't know how I've lived since. Caramel, chocolate, pralines.... oh my. I can't even talk about it.

The last thing we did on Friday was a 10:30 PM Eiffel Tower excursion where we went to the top and saw Paris at night from above. incredible.


Arc de Triomphe


Have you ever been to France? What was your favorite place?
xoxo

9 Gorgeous Long Dresses for Prom



Prom for my school is approaching this weekend, but the boys prom (significantly more exciting) is just two weekends away, too! I'm so excited to get dressed up and it's been hard for me to believe that prom, something I've imagined my whole life, is actually here! It's kind of funny when I think about how I'd always thought prom would be... I definitely thought my date was going to be my long-term high school boyfriend... LOL, as if. I've had my short prom dress since October, but I just recently ordered my long option for the boy's school- their dance is fancier so we go long for that, so fun! Through searching, I found a ton of gorgeous dresses, and I couldn't resist to share them with you all. Just being helpful, of course :) I'm a little anxious to see how my long dress ends up looking on me, I'm not too experienced in the maxi department!

Can you guess which dress I ordered?! I'll reveal it once it arrives (if it works out, crossing my fingers!!).
Which one is your favorite, and tell me, what are your prom plans?!
xoxo

Recipe: Healthy Quinoa Bowl

My mom left me home alone the other night, meaning I had to fend for myself for dinner that evening. I was pretty excited because I like to cook, but my mom always takes over in that department and I'm not left with a ton of room to make use of my creativity! I decided when I got home I wanted to make something pretty healthy, so I found a good variety of things in the pantry. I wound up mixing the most random things together, and it turned out amazing. Introducing: the healthy quinoa bowl.



The main part of the dish revolved around quinoa and edamame, two amazing superfoods that provide numerous health benefits. I used Trader Joe's edamame and Trader Joe's tricolored quinoa. I know some people are a little hesitant to try quinoa (or edamame, at that!), but I will be the first to admit they are actually tasty. I'm not the kind of person who can eat gross food just because it's healthy... but, lucky for us, these two are actually really good. And just a note, in my experience, I've found this particular quinoa doesn't quite turn out if made in the microwave, so I really recommend using the stove. Results will be a million times better.


Go ahead and make your quinoa and edamame and toss them in a bowl together. The serving size of quinoa is a 1/4 cup, which at first doesn't seem like a lot, but it grows when it's cooked, so it turns out to be a ton. I ate it all, but it was a lot of food and I really shouldn't have done that... haha. Edamame on the other hand, I would suggest making just a little more than the serving size.




Now is your time to get creative!! I suggest for sure adding a little olive oil (about a 1/2 tablespoon) and a big squeeze of lemon juice as a sort of dressing for the edamame and quinoa. I also was in the mood for pita chips, so I made my bowl more of a dip by mixing in about 2 tablespoons of hummus- so good. I also cut up a little tomato which was a really good burst of flavor.



Snack on this with pita chips or just eat it alone for dinner! I bet you could even use the bowl as a filling for a sandwich... yum.



And enjoy! Click below for the printable version of the recipe, which includes the nutrition facts. (This has over 20 grams of protein!!)




xoxo

This Week's Top 10


1. Loving this pretty pale pink mini dress for summer (under $100!)

2. My latest celebrity crush, Lily Rose Depp, is like a mini AnnaSophia Robb!

3. Loving this dress on Krista.

4. Kind of want to order this skirt (also under $100) and wear it every day this summer.

5. It's nearing time for me to repurchase running shoes (this is my old pair) and I'm thinking of going for an even brighter color scheme this time around. Did you know Nike's are bad for your feet? I love my Asics, they're so comfortable and supportive and my other pair has lasted almost two years now!

6. I've been loving this workout video to get in shape for prom, and I'm definitely going to look into some of their other videos too!

7. This article makes me miss Paris so much! Absolutely gorgeous photos.


9. 32 complex healthy meals that will fill you up like real meals should!

10.  This scent is amazing.

Happy weekend! What are your plans? My weekend will be pretty low key before I head off on Junior Retreat through school Sunday afternoon through Monday.
xoxo

Paris Recap: Part 1

We arrived in Paris on Tuesday, late afternoon around 5 PM. By the time we left Limoges, of course I was sad to leave my host family, but I was excited to see and do something new. Long vacations tend to have me hit a wall towards the two week mark, so I was ready to go for Paris!

When we first arrived in Paris, I was really shocked with how everything was laid out. Because there are so many monuments and just things in general to see (think Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the Louvre, etc), I had pictured the city to be pretty spread out. Um, this is not the case. Paris is crowded. Everything is tiny and squished together, it's so funny. After dropping our bags at the hotel, we headed out to la Defense, the business district towards the edge of Paris. This area was surprisingly pretty spread out... it reminded me a little of Chicago mixed with the Capital city in Hunger Games. 



We had dinner on our own and did a little shopping before heading back to the center of Paris for a boat tour on the Seine. If you ever have a chance to do this, it is pretty touristy, but it's amazing for a first trip to Paris. The tour really put into perspective where everything is and how everything is actually so close together! Plus, it was a gorgeous sight at night.



Wednesday was our first full day, and definitely the busiest.


First stop: the Louvre. I was pretty excited to see the Louvre... I had imagined it really secluded from everything and I was always curious what the pyramid was in the middle of the buildings. First of all, it is not secluded at all. Like I said, everything is pretty centralized and the Louvre was no different. However, I was surprised to see how huge this museum is! This picture was taken from inside of the museum in one of the other buildings. The whole Louvre is shaped like an "H". Second, the pyramid is not that exciting, it's just how you enter the museum underground, haha!


After the Louvre we went to the Champs-Elysees for lunch and shopping. The Arc de Triomphe is on one end of the Champs Elysees, and the actual street is so different than how I'd imagined it. It's not actually that big, and the shopping is just the funniest combination of stores. In all honestly, it was like a less grand version of fifth avenue, just with more stylish people! The Laduree though... fabulous. Just fabulous.


After the Champs Elysees, we headed out to Montmartre and Sacre Coeur (or Sacred Heart) church. This was one of my favorite places to visit because despite the extremely touristy streets with souvenir shops all lined up one after another, the view from the gorgeous church pictured above is just breathtaking.




We followed this with some time to take pictures in Front of the Eiffel Tower, back in the center of the city.


For me, I had always been really confused about where the Eiffel Tower actually was. I felt like every picture I saw, there seemed to be a new surrounding! But, what I discovered is that it just appears this way because you can't see the Eiffel Tower from almost anywhere. It's so big.


Post Eiffel Tower was back to the Champs Elysees for dinner and then we returned to the hotel around 10 PM. Now that I'm writing it all out, I guess it doesn't seem like a ton, but this day felt packed with things we saw!

Stay tuned to hear about the rest of my trip!
xoxo