2015 Recap

I can not believe that another year has come and gone. 2015 was a great year for me, and I can't wait to experience 2016! I thought I would share some highlights of my year.

January: I got my first DSLR camera!

February: I hung out with friends, and tested out my camera. I also had one of the best beach days ever- the weather was perfect!

March: For Spring Break, we drove up and spent 3 days in Yosemite National Park, which was beautiful! My dad and I went to a KONGOS concert in DTLA, and I started my blog at the end of the month!

April:  I played a lot of soccer in April, as the season was coming to an end. 

May: My soccer team took a road trip to Phoenix, which was so much fun!

June: I switched soccer teams, promoted from 8th grade, and took a fun trip with my mom up to Santa Barbara! We went camping for a week and it was nice to be back in the great outdoors.

July: I spent a lot of time at my grandparents home in San Diego. We celebrated my Grandpa's birthday and 4th of July, and I played soccer.

August: We took a trip to the East Coast, which was the highlight of my year. I got to see NYC, Boston, Cape Cod, Philadelphia, and Annapolis for the first time! At the end of the month, I started high school!

September: September was full of adjustments (and homework) as I figured out what high school would be like. I tried out for my high school's soccer team, and made Varsity!

October: In October, I went to Homecoming, spent time with friends at football games (including pink-out) and enjoyed my last Halloween trick-or-treating!

November: November was hell month for soccer, but it honestly wasn't too bad. I enjoyed my time off during Thanksgiving break, played my last tournament with my club team, and celebrated my birthday!

December: This past month was probably the best of the entire year! It was spent with friends and family, and I have been loving the break from school. I visited Christmas lights, decorated cookies, and had breakfast with some of my best friends!

I hope you all had a wonderful 2015. Thank you so much for reading my blog over the past 9 months- I can't wait to see where Lots of Lys goes in 2016!

xoxo,

Alyssa

Eshakti Dress Review

Hey guys! Today I'm sharing an outfit and review of Eshakti.com. If you are unfamiliar with Eshakti, it is a website that sells clothes that you can buy custom to your size (aka the best invention ever). Being almost 6' 0" (although I refuse to admit it), it can be extremely challenging to find dresses (and pants- the struggle is REAL) that are long enough. Eshakti is perfect because you can adjust the length of your dress, as well as where the dress hits you (great for both tall and short girls!). You do have the option to buy clothing in just standard sizes (2, 4 , 6 etc.), or you can customize it to your liking.

I picked out the dress pictured below, and I was able to input all of my measurements, my height, what type of sleeves I wanted, and what type of neckline I wanted. It may take a bit longer than normal online shipping because they do have to custom make it, but my dress arrived in around 2 weeks. This dress is long enough and fits perfectly!

dress c/o | shoes

This dress is super nice quality, and like I said, it fits really well! It can be dressed up or down for numerous occasions, and the best part is... it has pockets! I highly recommend Eshakti and will be ordering again in the future!

xoxo,

Alyssa

Disclaimer: Eshakti sponsored this post, but all opinions are my own.

On Trend: Turtleneck Sweaters

cableknit | tan | striped | grey | black | off-white 

I have been seeing turtlenecks everywhere lately! I have yet to purchase one, but I do think that they're really cute, especially the loose-neck ones. I have linked a few of my favorites above.

Do you like that turtlenecks are coming back?

xoxo,

Alyssa

#GalPalHoliday: Christmas Plaid

shirt (similar) | vest | skirt | shoes (old)

Hey chicas! Today is the #GalPalHoliday link-up Christmas post, and I'm sharing the outfit that I will be wearing on Christmas Day! I purchased this skirt and tee about a year ago, and I think that the skirt is especially cute for Christmas. It's supposed to be pretty chilly here on Christmas, so I decided to layer a vest on top. I really need to purchase a pair of flats, but for now I'm wearing some vintage Ralph Lauren boat shoes. Merry Christmas!

xoxo,

Alyssa

DIY Vanilla Sugar Scrub

One of my favorite things to make this time of year is body scrubs! They are so easy to make, are great for battling dry skin, and make nice gifts! Here's the recipe (which I halved in the pictures):

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 tsp vanilla

 Mix together the sugars.

Then add in the olive oil and vanilla.

Put it in a cute jar and tie some ribbon on it (I just made it for myself so I didn't decorate it)! This makes a super cute gift that I'm sure anyone would love to receive!

xoxo,

Alyssa

3 Ingredient Shortbread Cookies

I'm so excited to be taking part in the #BloggersBakeChristmasCookies link-up today! Shout-out to Katie and Juliana Grace for creating an awesome link-up! Anyways, today I'm sharing a super easy shortbred cookie recipe! The original recipe is here.

Here's what you'll need: 

2 cups butter (salted)- cold and cut into pieces

1 cup brown sugar 

4 1/2 cups flour

Feel free to halve this recipe- that's what I did!

Start by mixing together the butter and brown sugar using a hand or stand mixer until light and fluffy. 

 Add in 3 1/2 cups of flour and mix until it looks like it does above. 

 On a board, sprinkle some flour and knead dough. After, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 

 Once the 30 minutes is over, pre-heat your oven to 325 degrees and roll out your dough. Use a cookie cutter (or just cut into rectangles) and place them on a cookie sheet (lined with wax paper) 2 inches apart. 

 Feel free to decorate them with sprinkles- unfortunately, the only ones I had were Easter themed. Then bake them for 15-20 minutes and then allow for them to cool!

Voila! 

xoxo,

Alyssa

Christmas Decorations

I have always been a big fan of Christmas and all of the decorations that come with it. I thought that it would be a fun post to share some of my favorite Christmas decorations from around our house!

My super talented Grandma made a stocking for each member of our family, and we hang them on our staircase.

 This furniture piece is in our dining room and features many holiday crafts from over the years.

Here is our tree, and yes- it's fake! From a convenience standpoint, fake trees are the way to go!

I've always liked this little yarn Santa that sits on the mantle in the living room. 

Here's a close-up of some ornaments!

 My mom has this village that she sets up with little people and trees- I think it's really cute!

 We have a bunch of Christmas stuffed animals, so my mom lines the mantle in the family room with them!

I hope you enjoyed this different sort of post!

xoxo,

Alyssa

Outfit: Snowy Neutrals

jacket | top | leggings | boots

This past weekend, my parents (and my dog) and I drove up to the mountains and there was snow! I was so excited! I have been loving this jacket lately that I snagged for major sale at J.Crew Factory, and how cute are these boots that I received for my birthday? I just love them! I think this outfit is super cute for rainy days and I can't wait to wear it throughout winter!

xoxo,
Alyssa

Overnight No-Heat Curls

During the holidays especially, I love curling my hair, but all of that heat can really take a toll on my hair! My favorite alternative are no-heat curls, and they are so easy!

The first thing you want to do is take any old t-shirt and cut it into about 2-3 inch strips. One t-shirt should be enough. The longer your hair, the longer the strips. 

(the strips sort of curl up on the sides)

Once you have all your strips, take a section of hair and wrap the end around the strip. (make sure your hair is wet- damp, but not soaked)

When the end is wrapped around, roll the strip up and tie it in a knot. 

Continue doing this all around your head until there is no hair left.

You can then go to sleep, and when you wake up/your hair is dry, your hair should look something like this: 

Some things to keep in mind:

-make sure to tie the strips tight (especially if you turn over a lot when you sleep)

-the tighter you roll your hair, the tighter the curl

-make sure your hair is completely dry before you undo them

I hope you guys try this out!

xoxo,

Alyssa