Lifestyle – Haley Estrada

How-To, Lifestyle, Style, The Blog Series

5 Ways to Pose for the ‘Gram

October 30, 2018October 24, 2018by Haley EstradaLeave a Comment

Are you stuck for poses? Seeking inspiration for your weekly Instagram photos? Look no further, here are five different poses that you can use for your #OOTDs 😉

#1 Look Back At It

This is a great pose for showing off the backside of your outfit or any heels that you might be wearing!

#2 The Walk By

Show a little attitude by doing a walk by photo! You can capture this on an iPhone or a professional camera by completing a burst photo of you walking.

#3 The Knee Pop

This pose looks great close up or far away. I personally love using this pose for a details shot.

#4 Look Afar

So you don’t want to look straight into the camera huh…why don’t you try looking away! Your photo will turn out with a laid-back and effortless look.

#5 Hand to Hip

This pose is a little more flirty and goes great with a smile. I love this pose while wearing a dress or skirt because it helps to flare out the bottom a little bit!

What’s your favourite pose? 🙂

xoxo,

How-To, Lifestyle

5 Easy Ways to Save Your Money

October 16, 2018by Haley EstradaLeave a Comment

It might be a little early to say this but….the holidays are only a few weeks away which means a lot of us are starting to save for gifts, events and other festivity expenses. That’s why today I’m going to share my saving tips! Even though they may be small they certainly make a difference when you add it all up.

I recently read “Less: A Visual Guide to Minimalism” and it turned me in a different direction, more specifically, away from spending and consuming so much during my day to day life. This book helped me to realize that if you’re truly spending on and consuming the right things, there’s really no need to be constantly opening your wallet. This is relevant to basically everything you spend on, from food to clothing, there are tons of ways you can save your dollars.

Here are some of the easy ways that I save money!

Learn how to DIY. As a girl who focuses a lot on beauty and takes a lot of photos, I used to spend quite a bit on waxing and threading my face. For over a year now I’ve been threading my eyebrows and upper lip myself. Thread is dirt cheap and the process isn’t hard to learn (find my tutorial here). This will save you a few bucks a month especially if you find yourself visiting the salon quite often. It can also be applied to your nails! Get your own gel machine and polishes, I guarantee it’ll be cheaper than the salon.
Invest in a good coffee machine. Why do we always choose Starbucks over a home-made cup of coffee in the morning? It’s probably because the home-made stuff isn’t as good, but what if it could be? If you spend a little more ONCE on a coffee machine that allows you to make lattes that you love, you won’t feel the need to spend $$$ every day at your local cafe. After all, buying coffee grounds once a month or even once every two months will definitely end up saving you money.
Use GasBuddy. If you’ve got a car, you know how expensive it can get to be driving around all the time. Be smart about where and when you gas up! It’s as easy as using an app, seriously. GasBuddy compares the prices at your local gas stations, so you know where to go to save some mula!
Don’t walk into a mall or store without a need. Shopping used to be a really bad habit of mine because I would go out simply to “look around” and FIND something that I wanted. I’ve learned now that this is super dangerous and results in you spending hundreds every month on unnecessary sh*t. My rule now is, if you don’t NEED an item in the store, don’t walk in. You’d be surprised at how much you’ll save.
Sell your pre-loved items. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been selling my used clothing, home decor, accessories and more. Why not get a little money back from the things you spent your coin on?! Even if you’re not making a profit, it all adds up and you won’t feel so bad purging 😉

There are many other small ways that I save my money, but these ones are my mains. If you’ve got any tips of your own please share them! 🙂

xoxo,

Home, Lifestyle

The Best Fashion Coffee Table Books

February 13, 2018by Haley EstradaLeave a Comment

I’m a huge fan of room decor especially in the book department so I’ve created a list of my favourite coffee table books for you! I particularly love fashion and design coffee table books because they look good on display AND they can be used for flatlays 😉

However they can get pricey so if possible, search for used books in good condition or wait for them to go on sale in store. The Chanel book that I own is used but looks almost as good as new! I got it at a used book store for $15 cheaper than the retail price .

Chanel: Collections and Creations

YVES SAINT LAURENT

Tom Ford: Ten Years

The Fashion Book

IN VOGUE: AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF THE WORLD’S MOST FAMOUS FASHION MAGAZINE

LOUIS VUITTON: A PASSION FOR CREATION

CHANEL AND HER WORLD: FRIENDS, FASHION, AND FAME

DIOR: THE COLLECTIONS, 1947-2017

All of these books can be purchased from Indigo-Chapters and Amazon. If you have other fashion coffee table book suggestions please share them below!

xoxo,

Lifestyle

6 Valentine’s Day Date Ideas

February 11, 2018by Haley EstradaLeave a Comment

As a result of the poll I posted on Instagram stories, the majority of you voted for V-Day Date Ideas rather than your classic gift guide, so here it is!

Valentine’s Day is not loved by all but you have to admit that there’s always a special feeling in the air on the day of, at least I think so. Today I’ll be doing a bit of the work for you and sharing some of my favourite date ideas. These can count as BFF dates too!

Home Cooked Meal – Not everyone enjoys going out to restaurants all the time so this idea is perfect if you really want to wow your partner. Personally I’d take a home cooked meal from my boyfriend over a restaurant dish any time!
Champagne and a View Point – Take him or her out to one of the best views in the city and bring along two glasses, a bottle of champagne and maybe a sweet treat like chocolate covered strawberries! Try going for the sunrise or sunset!
Movie Night – It’s not an extraordinary date but it’s a great option if you’re on a budget. Don’t leave out the popcorn though!
Art Class – Got time during the day or maybe in the evening? Take a one-time art class with your partner and see if you can sneak in a couple glasses of wine! Not only can it be romantic, it’s also fun!
Indoor Picnic – Similar to a home cooked meal but different in the sense that you’ll literally be setting up a picnic on your living room floor. I think it’s a great idea if you’re looking to do something different and have some fun with it.
Breakfast in Bed – If your significant other has work on Valentine’s Day you can express your love by surprising them with breakfast before they head out the door!

Got any other ideas? Share them below in the comments!

xoxo,

Inspo, Lifestyle, Wellness

How to Free Up Your Weekends

February 9, 2018February 9, 2018by Haley Estrada4 Comments

I don’t know about you, but I love to have freedom on my weekends, AKA, I like not having to worry about finishing assignments or getting work done for deadlines. I’d say 90% of my weekends are laid back, and my secret is… I work my a** off during the week! I’ve broken down my habits during the week so that hopefully you can free up your weekends as well.

The key to weekend freedom is simply this, DO NOT WASTE PRECIOUS WEEKDAY TIME. As much as I’d love to spend my evenings catching up on Netflix shows and scrolling through my social media, I don’t. I’ve developed the habit of getting done what’s important before sitting down to relax.

SCHOOL

Complete assignments in between classes.
Complete assignments ahead of time.
If you write class notes, write them in the evenings from Monday-Thursday.
If you’re taking an online course, read your chapters in the evenings and complete discussions or weekly activities in between your classes.
Pay attention in class so that you don’t have to take time outside of class to catchup and re-read what you’ve just been taught.

Asides from exam time, I really do try hard to keep my weekends free because that’s my time to refresh my brain for the upcoming week. When it’s exam time I follow these guidelines but do a lot of my studying on the weekends.

WORK

Accept that if deadlines aren’t met it is NOT the end of the world. If you’re stressing out about not meeting a project deadline or something similar then take a step back and re-evaluate. Stressing yourself out will likely cause you to take double the amount of time to finish the task.
Stay OFF of your phone. If you work in an office like me and sit at your desk for 7/8 of the day then you know how tempting it can be to check your phone every so often. I’ve learned to keep my phone either in my desk or bag so that I don’t waste time doing useless things on it when I should be working!
Do not bring work home with you. What’s done is done and if you’ve managed your time correctly then your deadlines should be completely feasible! Don’t bring work home on the weekends because it will prevent you from getting the proper relaxation that your mind needs and will carry stress over into the next week.

GENERAL GOOD HABITS

Put your phone down. So obvious right? Trust me, it saves a TON of time.
Exercise regularly and eat right! This might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think time saver but it certainly is. Exercising and feeding your body the right types of energy will boost your productivity.
Use a planner or agenda. Documenting your to-do lists ahead of time will save you stress, protect you from forgetting things, and keep you on track.

How do you free up your weekends babes?

xoxo,

Food & Reviews, Lifestyle, Style

Sunday High Tea

January 29, 2018February 9, 2018by Haley EstradaLeave a Comment

Today’s activities consisted of high tea with one of my closest girlfriends and shopping! I visited a tea salon that I’d never been to before and it was so lovely. We went to Patisserie Fur Elise in downtown Vancouver and for the price that we paid I was very impressed with both the service, quality and amount of food we were served. Here’s a little recap of the tea and the outfit I wore!

Pants: Who What Wear collection from Target

Coat: Romwe Fashion

Silk Scarf: Babaton

Sweater: H&M

The table itself was gorgeous and they had cute twinkling lights underneath the glass making it that much more special!

When our tea arrived our server placed a mini sand timer on the table to let us know when it was good to pour.

We paid $30.00CA each for an entire tier and a tea of our choice. I chose Creme Brûlée tea and it was scrumptious!

This was the tier full of both of our servings of food and all of it was delicious. In fact I didn’t finish one of my sandwiches because I got full!

The smallest details made the tea even better, like this silver birdie tray that you could use to strain the tea when pouring it.

After high tea we headed to the mall where we both found amazing Tory Burch bags and splurged a little bit 😉

Stay tuned for the reveal of my bag this week on Instagram! @haleyestradaa

xoxo,

Beauty, Inspo, Lifestyle

Self Care Ideas

January 21, 2018February 9, 2018by Haley EstradaLeave a Comment

One my new years resolutions in 2018 is to focus more on self-care so today I’d like to share a few of my favourite ways to wind down and relax. These are the different ways that I calm down after a long stressful day, take my mind off of the gazillion things going on in my life and refresh my body and mind.

Although focussing on work, school, and other people is important, it’s just as important to take care of yourself. In today’s world everything moves at the speed of lightning (not literally of course) and it’s easy to slip into a daily, weekly, and even monthly routine that doesn’t involve time for you. Time for yourself is precious and vital to your health so keep reading for some self-care inspiration!

Get your nails done. Only if it’s something you enjoy of course, but I love how a fresh mani or pedi makes me feel! Refreshed, brand new, and ready to take on the world.
Fix yourself a bubble bath. Throw in those essential oils, bath salts and bombs and you’ve got yourself a tub full of relaxation.
Put on a face mask. If you’re really stressed put on a face mask and just lay down for 15 minutes. Your skin and body will thank you.
Make a cup of tea. Tea is one of the keys to my heart so a nice warm cup always calms me down.
Buy a bouquet of flowers. No one ever said you couldn’t buy yourself flowers right? They radiate happiness and good vibes for a couple of weeks and brighten up any room!
Grab a latte and sit by the water. One of my favourite pastimes is sitting by the river with a tea latte. If you can find a body of water near you just sit and watch for 30 minutes, the inner peace it creates is like no other.

What do you do to take care of yourself? Please feel free to share in the comments below!

xoxo,

Inspo, Lifestyle

Exam Study Techniques

November 21, 2017February 9, 2018by Haley EstradaLeave a Comment

It’s that time of year again, yikes! The time of year that college students (like myself) are scrambling to meet deadlines, attempting to study for multiple courses at a time, and basically just trying to stay sane through it all. Today I’d like to share a few of my study techniques in hopes of helping you figure out your schedule and to relieve you of some stress. Since day one I’ve been a studious student (or a keener in other words) always preparing weeks ahead of time for tests, exams, and assignments but that doesn’t always mean I want to be doing it. There are times that I feel like dropping out and times that I completely lose track of what I’m doing. The worksheets that I’ll be providing you with today help me to stay on top of all of my courses and I really hope they help you do the same!

WORKSHEET 1 – COURSE, CHAPTER & TIME ORGANIZATION

This year since my courses are so dense I’ve decided to start studying 3 weeks ahead of time. With multiple chapters in each course it can get hard to figure out which ones you should be studying for and when, so the first worksheet will help you to figure out what it is you should actually be focussing on.

WORKSHEET 2 – STUDY SCHEDULE & CALENDAR

The second worksheet attached in the document is a calendar that you can use to schedule which chapters and courses you will be studying each day. Depending on the time allotment that you have made for each chapter on the first worksheet, you can decide how much time you have to study everyday and which chapters you have room for. It’s very easy to use but extremely helpful when it comes to knowing what you need to do! Think of it as a month-long to-do list.

STUDY SCHEDULE WORKSHEETS

OTHER TIPS

Make sure you take at least one day off during the week, or at least an evening off to re-energize and re-focus your energy. Studying can be very draining so a little bit of time for relaxation is definitely necessary for your success.
Try exercising before a studying session! It stimulates the brain, wakes you up, and it can make you feel really productive and determined!
Eat wholesome and healthy foods. Eating junk foods will not help you when it comes to studying because you’ll be tired and lazy. Eating fruits, vegetables, and proper meals will keep your energy levels up.
Be strict on yourself! Don’t give in for that “one night out drinking ” or other activities that will take you off track of your study schedule. Unless you’re willing to work extra hard and complete double the amount of work the next day.
Study in a place that allows you to focus. I personally find that I get a lot of work done in a cafe setting, but whatever it may be, choose a place where you can study in peace and really focus.

Got any other studying techniques or tips? Share them in the comments below!

xoxo,

Home, How-To, Lifestyle

How I Organize My Wardrobe

November 5, 2017February 9, 2018by Haley EstradaLeave a Comment

When it comes to organization, you already know I’m your gal! My wardrobe specifically has a special system so that I always know where to look and find my favourite pieces. Having organization within your closet and drawers really helps to save time and prevent stress. If you already don’t know what to wear in the morning and then you have to search through numerous piles of unfolded and disorganized clothing your stress levels are sure to increase! Hopefully the way that I organize my wardrobe will help you figure out yours.

Closet Organization

I have an open closet concept in my bedroom so organization is that much more important because everything can be seen whenever someone walks in the door. I have three separate hanging racks, two short and one tall, so I organize my clothing according to their LENGTH. Obviously the tall pieces go on the longer rack so that they don’t bunch up and wrinkle and the blouses, sweaters, and folded trousers go on the shorter racks. In addition to length I also organize my clothing by COLOUR. As you can see in the photos I pair all of the similar colours together (brown, grey, whites, red, green, black) all while keeping in mind their lengths.

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Dresser Organization

The dresser organization is where it gets a little tricky because my clothing is out of view and often gets messy. I organize the clothing that can be folded by STYLE and in cube compartments from IKEA. Each separate box contains either short sleeved shirts, long sleeved shirts, tank tops, or pull-overs and hoodies. My tip for keeping your drawers clean would be to FOLD your items every time you put them back in. It seems like an obvious action but you don’t know how many times I’ve told myself I’ll “fold them later” and never actually end up doing it! Reminding yourself to fold your clothing right away will be worth it in the long run.

Shoe Organization

I have a lot of shoes that require organizing so I have 3 different locations that I keep them in. I have a shoe rack and hanging shoe holder in my bedroom and one large shoe shelf at the entrance of my house. The shoe rack in my bedroom is categorized by STYLE and COLOUR. As you can see in the photos I keep all of my high heels in my bedroom (so that they stay in pristine condition) as well as the boots, sandals, and sneakers that I wear the most. The rest of my shoes (that I can’t seem to get rid of) are in my “remote” shoe shelf. Keeping my shoes organized like this makes it easy for me to choose and try on outfits in the comfort of my bedroom.

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Accessory Organization

Scarves probably make up 80% of my accessories so they have three spots in my bedroom. My silk scarves are placed in the bottom box of my hanging shoe holder and also in my decorative glass container on top of my dresser. Bigger knit scarves are placed in the drawer beneath my bed because they just don’t look the best on display! Purses as you can see in the photos are placed on my floating shelves for easy access. I currently only have one belt so it gets rolled up and placed on display on my dresser. I would say that I keep my most used items on DISPLAY so that they’re easy to access and the rest in hiding.

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How do you organize your closet? Let me know in the comments below if you have any suggestions and tips for wardrobe organization!

xoxo,

Home, Inspo, Lifestyle

My Bedroom Decor

October 16, 2017February 9, 2018by Haley EstradaLeave a Comment

I’ve received so many requests for this post so here it FINALLY is! A room tour to show you all of my decor, where it’s from, and why I’ve chosen to decorate the way I did! I wasn’t exactly sure how I would write this post so it’ll mainly be photos of my bedroom followed with links of similar decor items.

My bedroom walls are a very pale shade of grey with white trimming and all of my furniture is white so naturally I knew I would be decorating it with colours and pieces that pop.

PS. I grew up with the aspiration of one day becoming an interior designer but since that isn’t happening I just decorate my own spaces as if I actually am a complete PRO. I visit Pinterest, Tumblr, Instagram and every other site you can imagine to find inspo and then I MAKE IT HAPPEN for myself! It really is the best way to get exactly what you want out of a room.

While I am still a student and I have a certain budget, all of the pieces in my room, from furniture to decoration, are affordable. I’ll caption each photo with the stores that I purchased my decor from, but I can’t guarantee you’ll find the exact pieces.

My bedroom has a gold, black, and white fashion theme and it’s very simplistic. With that being said, let’s get into the goods!

White furniture makes a small room look much bigger than it is in reality. My bed and cubicle shelving unit are both from IKEA.

Kallax Shelf Unity – High Gloss White

Brimnes Daybed

Instead of inserting boxes into each shelving unit I’ve used three of them for decoration/storage. I like to keep the colours very similar so that there’s a nice overall look and feel in the room. For example, each item in the “decoration” boxes has black and/or white and gold.

Each decorative piece on top of this unit is from Marshalls or Winners. It’s not hard to find great pieces that match and they’re very affordable too. This glass piece on the right was on clearance because one piece of glass is missing, but I’ve angled it so you can’t see! I use this one to store some of my silk scarves because they’re too pretty to tuck away.

This jewelry box is from Marshalls, the Chanel book is from a used-books store, and the Vogue magazine is just an everyday purchase from the drugstore. I’d like to purchase a few more designer books to make this stack higher too! If you visit my Instagram page and screenshot this exact post, you can find similar books on Like to Know It.

Although these pieces don’t have much meaning, they really add something to the room. The abstract shape is from Marshalls and the hourglass is from IKEA. It can be found here.

I’m always on the go AND I love looking at handbags so I recently installed these floating shelves from IKEA to display all of mine! They’re already starting to overflow…but that’s an issue for another time. I really try to make use of the things I have to decorate my room.

Lack Wall Shelf

My fragrances are some of my most prized possessions so they deserve their very own shelf! This gold mirrored plate is from Marshalls and the white mini vase is from the dollar store.

There’s not too much in this picture and that’s the point. Since there’s already so much going on in my open-closet I felt it was necessary to keep my storage bins to a minimum and use the same colour throughout. The white makes the shelves look more spacious and less cluttered.

Kuggis Box with Lid

Kvarnvik Box Set of 3

This wall was a DIY project that I did recently and I printed out my own posters then purchased cheap frames from the dollar store. I filmed this DIY project so you can find it here. Once again I’ve used my theme colours black, white, and gold to match the rest of the room. Here are a few similar frames from IKEA.

Silverhojden Frame -Gold

Marietorp Frame – Black

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My work space is always tidy and I keep it that way by minimizing what I have on my desk. There’s gold accents here and there with my Kate Spade calendar and IKEA lamp and the magazine rack serves as a point of contrast in the room. Unfortunately the white board from IKEA is discontinued so I’ve tagged a similar one.

Kvissle Wall Magazine Rack

Arstid Table Lamp

Kate Spade Desk Calendar

Vemund WhiteBoard

Lack Wall Shelf

A few places that you can look for room decor similar to mine is Pottery Barn, Chapters-Indigo, and Etsy! Let me know in the comments if you have any questions.

xoxo,