Sunday, May 31, 2015

May Favorites 2015


Some random favorites from this month :)

1.) Favorite Quote: "People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel" -Maya Angelou

2.) Favorite Event: Tied between prom and graduation!

3.) Favorite Drink: Very Berry Hibiscus Refresher from Starbucks

4.) Favorite Place: Beach

5.) Favorite Accessory: Heart Shaped Aviator Sunglasses

6.) Favorite Hairstyle: Loose Curls

7.) Favorite Dessert: Macarons

8.) Favorite Nail Polish Color: Pastel Blue

9.) Favorite Garment: One Piece Leaf Print Swimsuit from PacSun

10.) Favorite Gift: Macbook Pro! 

XO, Lauren

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

2,000 Subscriber Giveaway



Recently, I reached 2,000 subscribers on my YouTube channel! I am extremely thankful for everyone who supports me. It means the world to me when people leave nice comments and when I am able to have engaging conversations with creative people who enjoy what I put up. To show my gratitude, I'm doing a giveaway that's kind of summer themed, but it is to thank everyone who has subscribed and supported me. At the beginning of this year, I made it a goal of mine to reach 1,500 subscribers, and now I'm at about 2,100! It amazes me how fast my channel has grown, and I've gotten to talk to so many sweet people. I can't wait to see what the future holds! Hope you like the prizes, don't forget to enter before June 10th, which is when I will announce the winner! 

Rules to Enter:
1.) Subscribe to my YouTube channel
2.) Like this video
3.) Comment what you are most looking forward to for summer 2015!

Have a fabulous day and good luck!

XO, Lauren

Monday, May 25, 2015

In The Leaves

leaf print swimsuit, elephant necklace, tropical print swimsuit, retro swimsuit

beach pier, summer 2015, memorial day 2015

leaf print swimsuit, palm tree print swimsuit, tropical print swimsuit, retro swimsuit

green strappy sandals, gladiator sandals, beach day 2015

beach photography, beach day, summer 2015, beach pier

leaf print swimsuit, palm tree print swimsuit, tropical print swimsuit, retro swimsuit

beach photography, beach day, summer 2015, beach sign

leaf print swimsuit, tropical print swimsuit, retro swimsuit, pacsun swimsuit

beach photography, blue nail polish, mary kay nail polish

beach photography, summer 2015, beach pier, ocean photography

beach photography, beach photoshoot, summer 2015, memorial day 2015

beach photography, summer 2015, ocean photography

leaf print swimsuit, tropical print swimsuit, retro swimsuit, pacsun swimsuit

beach photography, beach day, summer 2015, memorial day 2015

beach day, memorial day 2015, summer 2015

beach photography, sandcastle, ocean photography, summer 2015

modern one piece swimsuit, leaf print swimsuit, pacsun swimsuit, tropical swimsuit

beach photoshoot, leaf print swimsuit, tropical print swimsuit, pacsun swimsuit

After months of searching for a swimsuit, I finally found one that fit my style. Surprisingly, it ended up being this tropical leaf print one piece that kind of has a retro fit. I found it at PacSun and to be honest, it was not cheap... but girls, when you find something that fits you and looks good on you after searching for what seems like decades, you have to get it. I said to the cashier "Man, you're really not helping my spending addiction," and so he gave me extra coupons haha. Still not helping, but I guess it's the thought that counts. Moving on, I was enthralled at my decision to try out a one piece suit in a world of skimpy bikinis. Don't get me wrong I love a cute bikini, but it's been difficult finding stylish ones that have the coverage I want. This gem of a swimsuit was surprisingly pleasing because it miraculously made it look like I had curves of some kind. The lines formed a bodice looking design, which helped shape the figure. Hooray! 
So, the first place I wore my new treasure would be to the beach of course! It rained right before we got there, which actually turned out to be a good thing because it cooled everything down, and the lighting was perfect. We actually ended up going to the dog beach, and I loved it! All the dogs were super adorable, it made me wish I had brought Finn. It's easy to say that this was one of the best beach days I've had in awhile. The weather was perfect, we had a tent to lay under, a cooler full of food and drinks AND we had toys! Food, fashion, frisbee, football and fancy sandcastles... sounds good to me. Plus I got to spend time with Jonah, which is always enjoyable. He didn't even complain when I asked him to help me take pictures, or when I ate his food haha. That is pretty nice in my book. Anyways, that's how I spent my Memorial Day weekend, hope your weekend was delightful too! Have a fabulous day!

XO, Lauren

{Outfit Details: Swimsuit-PacSun, Elephant Earrings and Necklace Set-Aeropostale, Green Sandals-Ross, Blue Nail Polish-Mary Kay}


Thursday, May 21, 2015

Summer 2015 Inspiration

summer 2015 inspiration boardsummer 2015 inspiration board

summer 2015 inspiration boardsummer 2015 inspiration board

summer 2015 inspiration boardsummer 2015 inspiration board

summer 2015 inspiration boardsummer 2015 inspiration board

Inspiration boards are basically my life. I literally have a 4 x 5 ft cork board on my wall covered in magazine clippings, fabric, trim, quotes, and miscellaneous trinkets. I usually change it out when a new season begins, so I thought it was only fitting to create a digital inspiration board on Pinterest as we enter into summer 2015! Here are a few of my pins. The beautiful colors, the lovely ocean, the intricate details, all make me so happy! Traveling is such a great way to be inspired and to experience personal growth. Although I haven't traveled much previously, I am definitely planning to try and travel more, now that I'm out of high school! Greece? Rome? Fiji? Where should I go?  Let me know, and have a faaaabulous day babes!

XO, Lauren

Quote of the day: "I began to realize how important it was to be an enthusiast in life. If you are interested in something, no matter what it is, go at it full speed. Love it and above all become passionate about it. Lukewarm is no good." -Roald Dahl

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Prom 2015 {Making my Prom Dress}

I can't believe prom is already over! Where did I get my dress you ask? I made it! Well, most of it... I actually took a vintage beaded dress that I found at Goodwill, and resized/ redesigned it to fit me and the style I was going for. To be honest, it turned out much better than I had expected! Here is a picture of the dress before

diy prom dress, vintage prom dress

As you can see, the fit and design is quite old fashioned, so I decided to shorten it, take off the sleeves and bring up the neckline. I ended up cutting it in half, shortening the two pieces, rewrapping the wrap skirt part, and sewing it back together with a brand new zipper. Let me tell you, it takes a lot of patience... I had to hammer the beads off before sewing, and I had to carefully rip seams and figure out how to actually make the thing fit haha. Not to mention I hand sewed it all because the beaded fabric was so difficult! And then I added a tulle skirt underneath that I made removable in case I wanted to wear the dress short for a different occasion. Blood, sweat and tears ladies and gentlemen. Fashion is hard work. 

Anyways, here is the finished product!

diy prom dress, handmade prom dress

diy prom dress, handmade prom dress


prom 2015

prom 2015, diy prom dress, handmade prom dress

prom 2015, diy prom dress, handmade prom dress

frozen yogurt, prom 2015

chocolate fountain and bacon, prom 2015

prom 2015 Lauren Banawa

Overall, I had such an amazing time! I went to dinner before the dance, and then we got frozen yogurt! And after the dance we went out for another dinner because, you know, all that dancing burns your calories haha. Oh my goodness, I almost forgot... there was a chocolate fountain AND they had a cup full of BACON! Bacon and chocolate is actually a pretty good combo actually... Don't judge! But anyways, it was so great hanging out with my amazing date and all my friends! Everyone looked gorgeous, it was a great way to end my senior year! Hope you guys have a fabulous day and PROM!!!

XO, Lauren