Happy Friday! I have an awesome round up of links this week, some of my favorite so far! Read on for some great tips & amazing reads.
1. Traveling alone... or pretty much the "road less traveled". The thought always used to scare me, but lately, I've been wanting to plan an overseas trip all by myself. It seems so independent and adventurous, and you wouldn't have to do a thing you don't feel like doing! So if you're like me, and thinking of taking the plunge, her are 9 can't miss tips for traveling alone. Just think of all the people you could meet, and how you could totally act like a local, if you weren't attached to anyone but yourself...
2. "So my closet currently consists of something to wear to an interview, a funeral, out for drinks, out to brunch, chic plane travel, messy but cute train travel, cute sweats so somebody can see me looking effortlessly gorgeous while we're cuddling... basically I just buy things for hypothetical situations I make up in my head and call it having my life together. Try me." Seriously, thought catalog gets me every time. This list of random thoughts of 20-something women is so spot on, it's amazing. It's also embarrassing to admit I've think a lot of these on a frequent basis. "WTF am I supposed to do when my best friend gets married?" Yup, it's happening.
3. This article has literally become my bible for the kitchen - I actually attempted to print it out and failed, so it's bookmarked forever on my desk top. What is it? It's the top cooking skills you should have mastered before the age of 30... or in my opinion, before you decide to become domestic and get married, which for some people can happen a whole lot sooner than that. Obviously I don't fall into that category, so we'll stay with the age 30 limit... but I digress. Some examples include how to roast a chicken, make a simple vinaigrette, and cook fish. Pretty basic skills, but I'll admit that I don't know how to do at least half of the list.
4. Did you know that @mentions inspire 56% MORE engagement on Instagram? Yea, me either! This article is loaded with compelling (and data driven) facts that came straight from Instagram itself. Read this.
5. The vault of all the best beauty secrets straight from top makeup artists themselves. Did you know that to extend the life of your mascara, you can just add a few drops of saline solution to the tube and that will reinvigorate and add moisture to the formula!? I'm somewhat of an amateur when it comes to this stuff, so if that was common knowledge, I apologize, but there are plenty other tips in here that I bet you didn't know.
6. I'm absolutely serious when I say that this is THE best blog post I've read in a very, very long time. That is one lucky kid they are having, and when she gets old enough to read this post, I'm sure it will bring her to tears. Incredible article about a soon to be dad's words of wisdom and lessons for his daughter. On top of that, it is beautifully written. Grab a tissue...
