Five Gifts For The Cool Guy in Your Life

Photography by: Authentic Grace Photography
Post sponsored by Duke Cannon. Opinions are 100% my own.

Let's face it; buying gifts for guys is really hard. Unless they are reaaaaally into something VERY specific, guys are not really good at knowing what they want for a gift. I partnered up with Duke Cannon (one of my husband's fave brands!) to show you some of cute gifts including some of their products that will make you the master gifter this holiday season.

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Three Things To Stay On Top Of Your Self-Care This Fall

Photography by: Authentic Grace Photography
Post sponsored by Risata Wines. Opinions are 100% my own.

Fall has been teasing us for quite a couple of weeks now, don't get me wrong I am not mad about it! LOL I'm just running out of ideas on how to dress for chilly mornings and summery afternoons. Also, fall in the midwest lasts about 2 weeks and winter hits us like 10 lbs of bricks. 

Speaking of 10 lbs of bricks, if you have been following me on my IG, you have probably seen that while summer was fun with lots of travel and exciting things (like getting my new position at Target!!!) you may also know that it wasn't an easy one for me mentally. Sadly, I had to deal with a lot of issues that made me doubt myself and what I was capable of and it definitely took a toll on me. I already suffer from pretty bad Imposter Syndrome and this summer reaaaaally put to the test a lot of things. 

It got me thinking and reflecting on how much I slacked on self-care during those low moments. It is hard to think of yourself when you are down (shout out to my husband and my friends for being there for me!!) and that is ok.

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A Juicy Lucy Celebration

Photography by: Miles + Smiles Productions

 This post is sponsored by Tillamook. All opinions are my own.

Hubby and I got to enjoy a fun date night with Tillamook yesterday night. With their recent arrival to the Twin Cities, they invited us to enjoy an extremely yummy meal from their Melty Fest tour at Handsome Hog in Saint Paul to celebrate the infamous Juicy Lucy.

If you don't know what a Juicy Lucy is well let me introduce to you one of man's best inventions. It is a burger, but unlike any burger (and i've had a few around the states) this one is patty STUFFED with cheese!! Yup, you read that right!

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Girls Just Wanna Have Fun in New Orleans

Creating new traditions is a brand new concept in my family. Now that we are older while embracing our families traditions, we also want to create our own and while we are figuring out how to do that we decided to take our first girls trip with my mom and sister to New Orleans.

Why New Orleans? hmmm you would have to ask my sister, she was the one that picked it but it is a city that I have passed through on my way and back to and from Austin a couple of years ago and that I was very curious about. I partnered up with the cutest hotel in Downtown New Orleans called the NOPSI hotel.

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Age Is Just A Number

Post sponsored by AARP Cincuentañeros and #WeAllGrow Latina Network. Opinions are 100% my own.

If I had a dollar for every time I'm told "OMG are you seriously 33?!" I would be RICH! and yes, sometimes it can work to my advantage specially now that I am getting older in age... but it has been a big issue when it come to my career.

I had the opportunity to share an amazing dinner with AARP Cincuentañeros back in May while I was down in Long Beach for We All Grow where they made this safe space to talk about age, what it means and how we limit, or rather society limits us just because of our age through their campaign #Cincuentañeros. It's all about celebrating you wherever you are in live without counting the years!

They presented us with this term "ageism" and how much it impacts our day to day lives. This hit very closely to home, because I have battled for a while with how young I look.

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Top 3 Summer Adventures in Minneapolis

Photography by: Miles + Smiles Productions

 This post is sponsored by BabbleBoxx.com on behalf of popchips

One of my favorite things about living in Minneapolis is that the amount of summer activities and places to discover is infinite. You can literally pick up and drive in search of an outdoor adventure and you will find a cute little spot 15 mins out.

Here are 3 summer activities that are a must if you live in the Twin Cities area: 

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The Stories Behind A Smile

Photography by: Miles + Smiles Productions

Post sponsored by ARC Whitening Strips. Opinions are 100% my own.

It is true, I am a happier and better person in the summer. I guess it’s all that vitamin D and the gorgeous Minneapolis summer days that truly fill my heart with joy. There is NOTHING that I love more than a Friday afternoon at a lake or just simply our soaking in the warmth, because well we don’t get many of those days through the year.

I’ve also tried to smile more on my photos, like big huge smiles. I remember a couple of years back when I started the blog someone said that I was too serious on all my photos. And that really stuck with me, and ever since I’ve been working on it. I have noticed though how much confidence a real smile can bring, but well sometimes the different foods and drinks can make our smile a bit duller. 

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Gardening and The City

Photography by: Angel Torres

Post sponsored by Bachman's. Opinions are 100% my own.

Oh summer! You finally decided to make an appearance in Minnesota. Every year, since 2013 I picked up urban gardening as my summer hobby. I didn’t know I was so into it even though I grew up watching my mom create her beautiful garden in Maryland. Who would have thought I would like it this much!

Last year my husband also got into it—like REALLY into it. He even got into making jalapeño aioli, and let me tell you he is a total pro by now. 

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Ageless With Olay

Photography by: Authentic Grace Photography
Post sponsored by Olay. Opinions are 100% my own.

The secret is out! A lot of people are so surprised about my age because they say I look a lot younger. I have to thank my momma for the good genes but also doing the work pays off! 

After turning 33 my skin regimen is becoming a bit more complex and with a lot more intention. I used to grab whatever I could find at a drugstore and call it a day, now a days that looks a whole lot different.

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Hello 33 & Hello Summer!

Photography by: Angel Torres

Post sponsored by Olay. Opinions are 100% my own.

Memorial Day is almost here and that means that summer is around the corner! While the beginning of Spring does take my breath away, I have to say Summer is my all-time favorite season. The impromptu BBQs and tanning seshs, pool parties and summer cocktails is what I live for!

I will be staying in Minneapolis because we just came back from Miami but we are celebrating my hubby’s and my birthday! Yes, we have almost the same birthday (his is 21st and mine 22nd) and we are meeting some friends at my favorite brewery here in the Twin Cities.

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Dear Future Self: You Are Enough

Photography by: Angel Torres

Post sponsored by Olay. Opinions are 100% my own.

I’ve always struggled with Imposter Syndrome and that is not a secret to anyone. I guess we all do, but I have learned that it’s not about the syndrome but rather what you do with those feelings and how you react when they hit you all at once.

To me, the feeling is even stronger when all my life I’ve have been told I am a strong independent woman. I know I am, I have proven to myself that I can face pretty much anything life throws my way but as I get older, the challenges come with more responsibilities and yes, that scares me. At 33 years old I am pretty much running marketing for the multicultural demographic for a Fortune 500 corporation. 

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Mom & Daughter Day with Ponds

Photography by: Angel Torres & Diego Camargo

Post sponsored by Mirum. Opinions are 100% my own.

Some of you may know that sadly my mom and I don’t live on the same state. It's not easy being away from her because we are pretty close and pretty much have the same personality. It been more than 12 years since I left home, and it kills me that my parents are growing old and I don’t get to enjoy more time with them. Also, I have to say I am probably not the best daughter (!!!) Ever since I got married life just got 200% busier and keeping in contact with them is a challenge. That is why whenever I get a chance to talk to them, I try to make the most of it.

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Put Your Hands Up For Spring!

Photography by: Angel Torres

Post sponsored by Mirum. Opinions are 100% my own.

The countdown to summer has begun and I CANNOT WAIT! I am ready for pool parties, tanning seshs and all the fun things Minneapolis has to offer. And if you are wondering, yes Minneapolis and it's summers are beyond magical!

Even though I can already feel spring peeking through, spring and fall are probably the shortest seasons here in Minnesota. The temperatures during summer while rare they can get pretty hot even hit the 100°F mark so a good deodorant is a MUST!

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Shirt Dresses FTW!

Photography by: Angel Torres

Guess what?! the weather is finally warming up! 🙌🏻 I can almost smell Spring in the air! Finally that time of the year to ditch the parkas and trade it of all the light Spring pieces. One of my go-tos this year I can tell that it will be shirt dresses.

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Spring OOTDs Are on Their Way... Eventually!

Photography by: Angel Torres

Anyone else over winter already? Don't get me wrong; I love the snow and some cold but... I mean... 🙄enough is enough after we just got the news that this was the snowiest February in record for the state of Minnesota, yay me for living here!

But enough complaining and let's focus on the bright and warm future that is waiting for us because I want to start wearing cute clothes and pack up my snow boots and winter coat. I am rounding up a few of my favorite Spring items that are a must have for this season!

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Step by Step Press On Nails Tutorial

Sponsored by Dashing Diva

I have used press on manis before but I wasn't very impressed with the quality, so when I got this one my expectations were pretty low. But I was so surprised with how amazing Dashing Diva nails are!
Ever since I shared my super cute mani on my Instagram I got SO many questions about it so I decided to do a step by step tutorial so you can also see how easy and quick they are to put on. So let's get started:

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Valentines Pt 2: Pants and Roses

Photography by: Angel Torres

OMG Valentine's Day is around the corner! 😱With so many options on what to wear, I wanted to do a version with pants. 

Want to hear a funny story? when I was a little girl I used to have an unreasonable phobia to pants. My mom could not even mention the word pants to me because I would throw a tantrum and cry. Cut to the 32 year old me that now wears pants for 90 % of the time. I think it was because when I was a little girl I had this idea embedded that pants = boys and apparently I hated boys? Any way I am glad I grew out of it because I was missing out on a lot of flexibility and fun 😂

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Valentine's Part 1: Sexy Date Night

Photography by: Angel Torres

Crazy to believe that we are already at that point into 2019 where we are talking about V-day already, right?! Seems like yesterday that we were celebrating the end of 2018.

So, let's get started. The first look is Sexy Date Night. Not a lot of people feel comfortable exploring their sexy side, and I must say I may be one of them. I am rather modest at times specially when things get busty I don't necessarily jump into it. But when the right pice comes along you just gotta go for it! and if there is a time to explore this might as well be on a romantic date on Valentine's.

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One Piece Two Seasons: The Tulle Skirt

Welcome to the first edition of One Piece Two Seasons! This is the first blog series that I am launching and hopefully I will be posting at least 1 blog post a month about it. So why am I creating this? Well, I've come to realize that not everyone has the budget to update their wardrobe every single season. Most of us keep pieces that we want to re-use but now that I live in real seasons I have missed wearing some pieces that I really love because I store them away an completely forget about them because they are not "winter" or "summer" pieces.

But let's let that sink in... winter or summer pieces... or fall or spring pieces? who defines when you can use a certain piece or not? ok granted, I will not wear denim shorts on this feels like 9F degree whether but there are certain pieces that if styled correctly and layered up properly can totally be used in different seasons.

So let's begin these series with one of my fave pieces that I got last year; the tulle skirt.

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Starting The Year With On The Right Foot With Kamik

Photography by: Joy By Jo

Oh hey 2019! We welcomed the new year with a beautiful snowy night. And it was the perfect way to end it! We live in Minnesota as you all know and by now (I think) we are used to the cold. But I must say this year it has been pretty amazing, but also global warming 😭

Since it started snowing in the early afternoon hours we decided to take a small trip to Stillwater, MN for lunch. We put on our Kamik boots, which by the way are just amazing! 

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