Hey beauties! So I wanted to take a second and give the fashion and beauty world a break for the night. I just saw Frozen 2 which has been out for some time now but I was finally able to see it and with none other than my niece who, if you are wondering, loved it. I have my thoughts fresh and I wanted to write a review on it.
As you may know, especially if you have been following me for sometime, I am a HUGE Disney fan. I love everything Disney and I go to Disney almost every year. It’s such an amazing feeling being in Disney, going to see the movies they come out with, and even cuddling up at home and watching some Disney+ (I will make a roundup of my favorite Disney+ shows soon).
Well I felt that same rush and happiness when I went to see Frozen 2. Some people I know said that they didn’t like it better than the first one but I have to respectfully disagree. I think this second movie had an amazing and complex story arc especially with it being a movie for children. The characters were developed in a different way than before and it didn’t feel like some magical cliche mumbo-jumbo. I truly felt more connected to the characters than I did in the first movie. Also, the characters dealt with greater and more complex problems than just trying to “save the day”.
What I liked most is that this Frozen was completely separate from the other movie. They are polar opposites but it works. I think it’s best that they are separate entities too. I also like how well this story connected with events that happened in the first movie and it even gave us a chance to see a deeper side to all main characters.
I definitely recommend going to see this, no matter the age. Just make sure you watch Frozen 1 first! I hope you enjoyed this post and remember to subscribe for email notifications for when I post new content and make sure to comment down below what your thoughts are on this movie. PLEASE LEAVE SPOILERS OUT OF THE COMMENTS.
-Stay Chic,
Happy New Years to all of you amazing people! I wanted to take a chance before we get into today’s post to say that I truly appreciate each and every one of you. This past year has been hectic, challenging but most of all life-changing. I want to thank you for being a loyal reader and also for making this past year of 2019 so special! Cheers to an even better 2020! So today I wanted to talk about resolutions because, well, ’tis the season.
We all have resolutions or even goals we set out for the new year but a lot of times those things we wish and even promise ourselves never comes to fruition. I know I don’t even remember what I set as my resolution at the beginning of some years but I’m sure it’s similar to what I set each year. The problem is that we set resolutions that are sometimes too complicated and oftentimes too vague. This sets us up for failure from the moment we make that resolution. But I’m here to help you turn your New Years Resolutions into longterm goals. I will also share the resolutions I have for 2020 as well!
1. Set Specific Goals
A lot of times we set a goal to be “fit” or “healthier” but it’s such a vague resolution that it’s easy for us to just give up. Instead of simply saying to be “fit” or “healthy” try being more specific with your goal. For example, I want to eat healthier by adding more vegetables and proteins to my diet and cutting out the unhealthy snacking I do. I want to go to the gym at least 4 times a week and see a noticeable difference in my body.
2. Set a timeline
It is important to make sure you are on track with your goal. Setting a timeline or even deadline will hold you more accountable in reaching your goals.
3. Buy A Planner And Actually Use It
Scheduling a time to do the thing you want to achieve is so important. Force yourself to find time for whatever your goal is otherwise you will be able to make excuses for why you “don’t have time”. And for those that are seriously too busy to reach their goals try to break up your goal into smaller and more manageable tasks. For example, if you are a busy mom but want to lose weight instead of trying to find someone to babysit so you can go to the gym do at-home exercises while the kids play for at least 1 hour! You can even get the kids involved which can make it more fun!
4. Keep A Journal
Keeping track of your progress will help you keep you going after your goal. You will be able to see the change and want to continue it. It is not super necessary but sometimes you might have obstacles in the way while you try to reach your goal and it might benefit to write it out. You might also benefit mentally from being able to talk about your feelings during the journey. Plus, when you finally reach your goal it sometimes seems hard to see every hardship you went through to get there and the journal is a reminder of the journey you took to get where you are.
5. Make Subgoals
Make subgoals to your actual goals! This will make it easier to continuously motivate yourself to accomplish your end goal. For example, if your goal is to become good at yoga a great subgoal would be to be able to do a full split in 2 or 3 months time or accomplish a yoga pose you have been struggling with for a while.
6. Write Action Steps
With every goal there needs to be a plan. You can’t just shoot in the dark and hope to hit the bullseye. So, combat this by writing action steps which are things you need to do to accomplish your goals. Like if you are looking to get into blogging a few action steps would be to figure out what you want to blog about, come up with a blog name etc.
7. Be Realistic With Yourself
If you want to lose 5 pounds and Google tells you that it will take 5 weeks minimum don’t set your deadline to that minimum. Try to give yourself a deadline you know that YOU are capable of. Give yourself a realistic goal to reach. If you aren’t realistic then you will end up getting discouraged when you realize you only lost 3 pounds in that 5 week period and you might be more prone to giving up.
8. Remind Yourself Why It Would Improve Your Life
Make sure each day you are trying to reach your goal that you remind yourself how this will positively impact your life. For example, if you want bettering your mental health as a resolution then remind yourself why it will improve your life overall. Do this especially when you are feeling doubt and you are questioning yourself.
9. Believe You Can Do This- You Are Strong
My favorite encouragement to give people is to tell them that they can’t give up on themselves. If they have the willingness and want to change or better themselves or achieve a goal, they are unstoppable. You, too, are unstoppable. The most important person to tell that to is yourself and you need to believe it too.
10. Prioritize Your Goals
We all have priorities that can keep us from reaching our goals as quickly as we would like. Make sure you try your hardest to keep your goal as a priority. Once it isn’t a priority, your goals that you are working tirelessly to achieve will take a backseat. If this happens and you cannot control it– know that it is never too late to pick that goal up again. If you find that you hav to miss a gym day or you can’t make it to your volunteer work try to make up for it by doing some exercises at home or whenever you get the chance or try to find a different way to volunteer your time on the weekend (maybe helping a friend move into their apartment, reaching out and talking to someone you know needs advice).
My Resolutions:
• Get fit by working out at least 4 times a week and be toned by August 2020
• Eat healthier by adding more veggies to my diet, eat a balanced dinner and stop snacking on junk throughout the day/ limit sweets
• Improve in yoga by trying to make every class you can, be able to do a full split in 3 -4 months time.
• Learn how to knit by watching YouTube videos on knitting, reading books on how to knit and practicing at least 3 times a week. Try to be able to make a scarf and hat by Christmas 2020.
• Read more by reading at least one book per month and starting a small book circle with friend(s) or join a book circle.
• Volunteer more by getting more involved in the organizations that I am already a part of, making shelter animals toys/pillows/beds etc., get involved with the local church, donate each year, get involved in more philanthropic things like Polar Bear Plunge/Special Olympics etc.
• Make more time for my relationships. Call people more often and try to hangout with family/friends/Ryan more.
• Better my mental health by doing more of the things that I love, going to meditation/ doing self guided meditation, keeping a routine, keeping a tidy living space and making sure that I reach out when I need help.
I truly hope you enjoyed this post and even got something out of it. I started to lose faith in setting resolutions for the new year but I now see that it is possible to keep the goals and promises you make yourself if you know the steps on how to make your resolutions longterm goals. Make sure you comment down below what your resolutions are and remember to subscribe for email notifications for when I post new content.
-Stay Chic,
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from both Ryan and I! With minutes left in the holiday that I celebrate (Christmas) I wanted to make sure I extended a huge Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of my subscribers, loyal readers and fans!
We hope it is full of happiness and love! Tell me in the comments below your holiday plans. I hope you enjoyed this short post and remember to subscribe for email notifications for when I post new content!
-Stay Chic,
I, for some reason, have a knack for cooking and baking. Which is weird because I literally grew up never cooking or really baking for myself. So, naturally, I’m going to accredit my slight talent for baking and cooking to my ancestors. I just started to cook and actually get into baking within the past two years.
I recently made some parmesan crusted chicken for date night with Ryan and it was so amazing I had to share the recipe I came up with.
Step 1:
Trim the chicken and beat the meat if you prefer to do this for cutlets.
Step 2:
Put Italian dressing into a bowl. Then mix the basil, fresh parmesan cheese, and bread crumbs into a separate bowl
Step 3:
Baste the chicken into the dressing and then dip and press the breading onto the chicken firmly.
Step 4:
Get a frying pan out, add a little bit of canola oil to the pan and fry the chicken until cooked.
Step 5:
Start making the pasta (salt your pot before cooking the pasta), and start making the Alfredo sauce.
Step 6:
Once finished add some shredded mozzarella on top of plate and enjoy!
I hope you enjoyed this post and remember to subscribe for email notifications for when I post new content and make sure to comment down below if you tried and liked the recipe!
-Stay Chic,
I have a couple of apps that I would like to recommend when it comes to blogging. I’ve been doing this blogging thing for a little bit now and I think I kind of have the hang of it. I said kind of (lol)! While there is no perfect way to blog, I think there are certain apps that can definitely make life a lot easier.
Here they are:
Numbers
This is perfect for scheduling posts out. You can make a calendar, color coordinate it, and if you decide to write a spur of the moment blog post you don’t have to white out your whole planner (a pet-peeve of mine).
FontCandy
If you are looking for a free app that allows you to make cute fonts/ words on pictures this one is amazing. I started off with using this one and it was amazing.
Canva
This is the perfect app for making social media posts, blog post pictures, text images and way more! It is free and you can do a lot with the free subscription but if you want you can pay for it if you want the additional perks the subscription comes with.
Google Drive and Google Photos
This is perfect for your blog documents and photos. Blogging means needing way more room so I recommend getting these apps!
I hope you enjoyed this post and remember to subscribe for email notifications for when I post new content and make sure to comment down below what apps you use for blogging or social media!
-Stay Chic,
Who isn’t into dipping chips into a delicious dip?! Especially a layered dip! Well I have the most famous Texas bean dip in my group of friends, family, boyfriend’s family, and even acquaintances. I promise you will love this recipe.
Ingredients/ Materials:
• Standard Pie Pyrex Dish (MICROWAVABLE)
• Scraper
• 2 Sticks of Cream Cheese
• 1 Can of Refried Beans
• 1 Jar of Salsa (whatever heat you prefer)
• 1 bag of Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Step 1:
• Soften 2 Cream Cheeses in Microwave (10 seconds until soft and spreadable– you can put the cream cheese in the pie dish
• Spread two sticks of cream cheese with scraper to cover the bottom of the pie dish evenly
Step 2:
• Add 1/2 or 3/4 can of refried beans (depending on how much bean you want in the dip. I personally add 3/4)
• Spread beans with scraper for the second layer
Step 3:
• Add 3/4 jar of salsa or until desired amount (I do 3/4 but if it needs more I add a splash or two more)
• Spread evenly with the scraper for the third layer
Step 4:
• Sprinkle Shredded Cheddar Cheese to cover the whole top of the dip
Step 5:
• Cook for 5 minutes in the microwave, check it at 2 min and then cook for an addition 5 minutes, again checking at 2 min OR Bake at 345 degrees for about 10 minutes checking periodically. The cheese should be completely melted on top.
I hope you enjoy your 4 layer Texas bean dip! Please feel free to comment below and let me know if you enjoyed it. Also, make sure to subscribe for email notifications for when I post new content.
– Stay Chic,
As summer is coming to a close I wanted to share some wisdom I’ve accumulated over this season. This season has definitely changed me as a person and taught me things that I will continue to carry with me as I progress in my life. I love to share what I learn in life with you all because I am hopeful that what I have experienced and learned can help guide people through their lives, change their outlook, and maybe impact them to strive for their goals. So please enjoy these lessons I learned this summer.
- When people say “All that glitters is not gold.” It’s true, just because something looks great to people viewing the surface of a situation from the outside, it doesn’t mean the situation is great. For example, if you see Instagram models living a lavish life through social media that pure image they manipulate others to see doesn’t mean they don’t face troubles like the rest of us.
- I learned that no one has the same heart as you, and that you can’t expect them to. People go through different experiences and you cannot expect them to be as trusting, or to not think of something the same way as you, or to do what you consider the “right thing is.”
- Something else I learned is that misery loves company. If there is a negative person in your life, they will try to drag you down with them. Do not let them.
- I also learned to let go of the things you cannot control. You cannot control how people will act or the things that they will do. You can only let go of that frustration and bothering situation because the longer you hold onto it, the longer you are just hurting yourself. And most especially over a situation you cannot change.
- People will blame you for things you never did, they will push their problems onto you, blame you for why things aren’t going right in their own life but those people are only trying to hide from admitting their own truths. They would rather use a scapegoat than face themselves. It’s not you, its them.
- Always stay true to who you are no matter what happens. Don’t allow others to persuade you to be someone you aren’t.
I hope these lessons I’ve learned helps you in your life. Please comment down below lessons you’ve learned this summer season and remember to subscribe to emails so you can be notified when I post new content.
-Stay Chic,
Hi beauties, I’m sorry that my posts have been a bit sporadic in quality lately but a lot (and I mean a lot) has been going on in my life! Of course if you’ve been reading my blog for a while you know that I just recently graduated from college. Which by the way was an amazing and very emotional experience for me. I graduated with a BA in Communication Studies and was searching high and low for a job in Public Relations.
Well, after two weeks of being an Alumnae of my university I found a full-time job as a PR Media Specialist. I have just been so busy with work trips and doing my job that I’ve barely had time for anything else. I have just been trying my best to live my life still while working 40 hours a week. I am somewhat adjusted to the lifestyle of working full-time and now can find a way to balance my work-life- hobby ratio.
I wanted to post everyday since April but that just wasn’t in the cards after getting my job but I am back at it and better than ever. I have to set a schedule for posting content because everyday is impossible at this moment for me. Maybe when I get more comfortable and used to working the 40 hours a week I can finally get back to the constant content. I will be stopping my YouTube channel until further notice as well for the sake of business.
Here is the schedule that I’m sticking to for my blog posts:
Monday @ 3pm
Wednesday @ 2pm
Thursday @ 1pm
Friday @ 11a
Instead of being consistent with YouTube I will be updating everyone on my Instagram account @stephanierussell11 and my Snapchat account @the_stephruss, so make sure to add me and watch my weekly vlogs and posts!
I hope everyone is having an amazing summer and I hope you all enjoyed this post and remember to subscribe for email notifications for when I post new content and make sure to comment down below what type of content you want to see!
-Stay Chic,
Hey lovelies! I wanted to do almost like a thankful post today because I have been talking a lot about my actual birthday, and my birthday party but I have yet to talk about my birthday dinner that I had with one of my best friends.
My one bestie of 8 years now was unable to come to my actual birthday party sadly. Her anniversary actually lands on the same week as my birthday. Lucky for her she was taking a trip to California the day that I had my party, so instead she took me out to dinner for my birthday.
I wanted to make this post to share how thankful I am for my bestie because she’s such a great friend! She brought me to hibachi for dinner, we went to Ulta to shop around and then I went back to her house to chat, drink some wine and open the gift she got me! I had such an amazing time and I wanted to share this with you all because I don’t want my subscribers to feel that only grand gestures like big birthday bashes and rooftop dinners in NYC is all that I enjoy. I enjoy the little perfect things too. Plus, I wanted to show how thankful I am for having people like this in my life. I’m so happy with my birthday! I hope you enjoyed this post and remember to subscribe for email notifications for when I post new content and make sure to comment down below what you did for your birthday!
-Stay Chic,
Hi babes! I threw a huge pajama party for my birthday because I love parties with themes. I wanted to share some of the pictures from my party and I also wanted to share what we did at my party.
For my party I had a lot of food, including my famous buffalo chicken dip. My friends and I all played games like The Voting Game, Cards Against Humanity, flip cup and a word game. We then got ready to go out to the club and danced the night away! I had some of my friends sleepover as well.
At any party I throw I always have a picture booth because I am a huge sucker for sharing pictures. So I wanted to share the pictures of all my friends and I as we were celebrating my birthday at my pajama party!
We had an amazing time and I am so thankful and grateful to have such amazing friends. They are perfect in every way and they truly made my day special. I can’t wait to see what next year’s party is going to be like and what theme I’m going to choose. I hope you enjoyed this post and remember to subscribe for email notifications for when I post new content and make sure to comment down below what your birthday party suggestions are.
-Stay Chic,
