bachelor recap week 2 & 3

EPISODE #2 RECAP: 

All and all, not a whole lot happened this episode. The most exciting scene for me was the "sneak peak" of Colton catapulting himself over the mansion fence and the girls SCREAAAMING! Like, blood curdling SHREAKS!

In typical Bachelor fashion, episode two starts off with our host with the most, Chris Harrison speaking to the group of beaming girls. Once the camera pans over to all the contestants, the confusion starts to settle in. "Wait.... who is she?" "I don't remember all these people the first night?" It ultimately takes me a few weeks to learn who the cast is because in every beginning episode they always seem to "introduce" someone new to the mix!

Last weeks episode made me feel as if the show wanted to place a negative target on the girl from Fort Lauderdale, when in reality it has proven to be Demi. She keeps using this narrative that her young age is what excuses all her bizarre actions with the girls and Colton. I can see her going far for ratings.

ONE ON ONE WITH MISS ROLL TIDE: Unfortunately, not my current fave, Hannah G.  Anyways, the "day date" portion of this segment was so cringey, it was almost hard to watch.  Poor Colton, spewing out his emotions to a girl to only say "yeah." Cringe.  A hot tub magically appears in front of them; Colton walking in first in effort to have her follow along. She later steps in, without responding to much of the small talk he is coming up with, she then puts her head on his shoulder and they begin smooching away. It was kinda painful to witness.

*EPISODE #3: THE MORE INTERESTING EPISODE*

PIRATE GROUP DATE:

I immediately thought that they were going to the same pirate themed restaurant like the one the Tanner family visited in Full House. Like, isn’t the Bachelor crew near San Fran? Not that much of a far fetched thought.

Take Tanner Family Fun night... but make it 2019.

I’ve wondered this since episode one... What is this big beef between the two pageant girls!? It has to be something massive if it wrecked the group date for the two mini Miss Americas... but how come we are left feeling so unsettled?  Why so vague ladies? 

PAGENT GIRL DRAMA:

GIRL!! HAVE YOU EVER WATCHED THE BACHELOR!!! DON'T TELL HIM YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH ANOTHER GIRL IN THE HOUSE, that’s an automatic bag packed out of there!!! Especially when you don't have a point to prove.... like are the producers trying to make this up?? Or she just crazy?  We need answers!

I honestly feel for Colton. He is trying to figure out this extremely vague, so called “warning” about Caitlin. I would be just as dramatic as Colton, possibly more after that bizarre encounter. This is an issue Colton shouldn’t care about just now, we’ll dive into it more later I'm sure. Until it’s affecting him personally, then get involved. Keep your baggage at the door ladies. 

BACHELOR WORKOUT GROUP DATE:

The girls pull up to this Wynwood-esk CrossFit. Not sure about any of you, but I would die if I had to do a push up to win over someone’s love. Hello..:: have you seen my stick arms??  The limo pull had me in tears laughing. Yes Chris, that was the worst *but best* idea in Bachelor history

To sum it all up, this episode really captivated my full attention. Or maybe it was that I wasn’t on my phone while watching lol. Not gonna lie, I’m kinda glad they kept the two "toddlers in tiaras", so **fingers crossed** we can get their full story next week.
 

I tried Marie Kundos organization method... and here's what happened

Many of you may be familiar with Netflix's new series, "Tidying with Marie Kondo." The latest series has the internet buzzing with getting a kickstart to a cleaner life. Smart move to whoever decided to release it at the beginning of January haha. After watching just one episode, this ball of energy that is Marie Kondo has inspired many others, including myself, to purge their closets, kitchens, homes, and any nook and cranny that is covered with junk. A goal of mine for this new year that I shared on my previous post, is to become more minimalistic.....well, I'm saying that as a more eloquent way for getting rid of the super old clothes that are collecting dust within my room.

I dedicated my entire day yesterday to cleaning out my room, if not now then when right? I feel that throughout the years I have this issue of knowing what and what not to get rid of. Bouncing back and forth between "Do I keep this piece? Will I need it for some random event in the future?" and the clothes still stay, untouched. I was looking for some sort of extra motivation to get myself off my rear end and get the ball rolling. Atlas! A beaming light was shining down on me, well, from my T.V screen at least.

 Maries method to cleaning out your closet is quite genius.Simply dump allllll of your clothes (yes, everything) into a pile on your bed and pick up each article of clothing and think to yourself, "Does this bring me joy?" If the answer is no, then toss! Seems easy enough, right? Not until you're 3 hours in and no matter how hard you pick at the pile, it doesn't seem to shrink. Yes I felt overwhelmed, yes I took breaks, yes I felt like my room was giving me anxiety, dramatic? Yes. But it was so worth it. Not only does my closet look like a new place, but I filled up 2 HUGE garbage bags with clothes to donate!

The pile that started the chaos

Tadah!! Here's an example of her folding method. Never thought I would ever see my swimsuit bin so organized!

bachelor ep. 1 recap

DISCLAIMER: As a longtime, devoted viewer season after season, the previous season of The Bachelor really ruined the whole franchise for me, I almost didn’t even want to begin to watch this one if it wasn't for Colton. If you don’t know about the mess I’m referring to, look up last seasons outcome, I don’t wanna harp of the catastrophe that is and was Aries season. It was an absolutely gut-wrenching experience to watch unfold right in front of my eyes. I say all this to find myself, somewhat of a hypocrite, stooping to watch this trash t.v program, season after season. Hey, at least i'm being honest with all of you. After all, I feel that I have invested so much time and years into this franchise, why give up now? 

The more I get older the more I realize how screwed up this whole concept of the bachelor/bachelorette is. I am such a cry baby, there is no way I would voluntarily want to compete for someones love with 30 other beautiful men/women, and if that wasn't bad enough, it will all be televised on national tv?! No thank you. These girls are truly brave in my book. The camera crew would be filming me in the diary room crying all the time, they might just kick me off the show because of that reason alone. Sorry not sorry. With the 3 hour time slot that was mainly just footage of these mysterious and oddly staged “bachelor nation” parties to fill in the gaps of the lack of footage, here are my favorite takeaways from night number one. Shall we begin covering the lackluster 3 hour extravaganza?

BACHELOR VIEWING PARTY
I wasn't a fan of the long theatrical "bachelor nation" parties, I know I probably missed some events that transpired during them, like a proposal or two. I skimmed this section of footage to cut to the chase for actual first night of the girls and their interaction with the man of the hour, Colton.

BACHELOR BABIES:
Okay this segment was actually very adorable…some new and some old faces made it to this highlight. It's pleasant to see the bachelor "hall of fame" if you will. Celebrating the couples that have held up throughout the years and have totally normal lives despite of all the constant nonsense. I hear to much of the negativity from all of the breakups and the scandals within the bachelor realm. This segment was the light at the end of the tunnel. The huge question in my mind during all of this was "where was Sean and Cathrine?" Was the paycheck not big enough? Or do we all have a good understanding of where they are currently in life unlike the rest?

NIGHT ONE TAKE AWAYS
Wait. Colton's bit with his struggled of being a "chubby child" when he was younger hit home. Colton, have comfort in the fact you aren't alone.

WTF IS THIS SLOTH?: Let’s just paint the picture of the two of them get married and having kids. One day, baby Colton + Sloth girl asks how her parents met. Weird story to say the least. But look on the bright side, at least their child will have a good story to tell. Also, whats with this fad of having at least one contestant in a full costume? Do we have to revisit "chicken man" from Becca's season?

THIS TEA WITH THE MISS NC AND MISS ALABAMA! This is really sending me to the days of when I used to bing watch Toddlers and Tierras. Those were the days. I’m patiently waiting for one of those girls to throw one of their “flippers" out onto another!!

From a style POV, all of these dresses from last night I remember glaring over 2 years ago while shopping for prom, underwhelming. Also, the issue when the two girls were spotted wearing the same dress. With 30 women probably shopping from the prom section in Bloomies, this was bound to happen.

THE FAKE AUSTRALIAN: I’ve seen that trailer a few days prior to watching this and I nearly gagged. I guess what they say is true, you got to fake it to you make it.

THE PUPPY PHOTOSHOP: if I was Colton, that would be an automatic YES for me! So adorable.

Okay that “binch” that all the girls are oddly waiting for WOULD be from Fort Lauderdale lol. What’s up with South Florida Brewing up the girl that the other contestants despise? *ehhemmmm corrine.* Could it be our glowing, sun kissed skin? Or our good sense of style?. In all seriousness, that red mini dress though, I must get the details on asap! I also want to give her the benefit of the doubt, it was the first night and the producers do make crazy edits to pinpoint one contestant as the villain each season to thicken the plot and bring in the extra views. It's truly kinda sicking. 

FIRST IMPRESSION ROSE: I was really happy with who Colton gave the "first impression" rose to; Hannah! From what I observed, she's so adorable and had such a normal conversation with Colton and didn't go above and beyond to make a giant fool out of herself. You go girl. Do I smell final three?

Until next Monday,

Jillian 

oh hellllooo 2019!

Happy New Year Everyone!

Call me crazy, but I have this little theory that a huge reason people tend to break their New Year's resolutions so quickly is because we all know deep down that all these elaborate plans we set for ourselves will crumble just in time for February. So, to be extra careful and not fall into the same trap we all do year after year, I carved some time out for self refection. Stepping back and taking a break from the busyness of everyday to focus on realistic goals that I want to achieve for myself in 2019.  Goals, not resolutions, see what I did there.  Hoping that the minor change in what I call these actions will help them stick, fingers crossed!

One last thought before I share with you all my complete list of things I want to pursue this year. I understand that each new year is a start of a "clean slate" essentially, it's like a huge reset button for millions and millions everywhere. But each and every day we are given a chance to pick ourselves up, and start a brand new day. If you feel so compelled to change or start something new in your life, don't put if off till the next national holiday, be original and get going now, sis!

With setting that little sermon aside, here's the little list of goals for my new year! I encourage you all to create "goals" and to light that fire under your feet, don't waste the time you have in the moment! If there has been one thing that 2018 has taught me, is to chase after what you want & don't wait around for what you may think is the perfect opportunity. Sounds like a no brainer, it's easier said than done, who knows what's in store for you!

    1. Eat more holistically (kick processed foods buhbye!)

2. Wake up earlier, even on days off to be more productive

3. Start reading more for enjoyment

4. If I like a song, give the whole album a try

5. Go to more concerts, no matter how big or small

6. Listen to 5 new podcast

7. Learn yoga

8. Document my life better (lol just fancy for taking more pictures and videos)

9. Learn to cook, something other than my speciality of eggs!

10.  Have a physical and digital (my blog) journal to track what I'm loving or hating, or just random thoughts during each month.

11. Become more minimalistic, donate clothes that I haven't bothered to touch in eons. 

glamsquad x cvs

Last week I was invited to test out Glamsquad's new partnership with CVS Beauty! From the Kardashians, to influencers and people just like you and me using Glamsquad across the country, it has become a household name in my book.

If you are unaware of what Glamsquad is, it's essentially a beauty service company that allows you to have your own personal, professionally trained "makeup & hair guru" with the convenience of them coming to you.  People, we are living in the future!  Wanna sit in your robe all evening until your event, but dread the thought of having to go to the salon?  Call Glamsquad!  Wanna rewatch Friends for the billionth time, but just noticed you need a manicure and don't wanna be unglued from the television?  Call Glamsquad!  If you have a laundry list of errands to run and still somehow need to find time to squeeze in an appointment to get your makeup done, look no further but to call Glamsquad!  You get the picture.

I was some weird, preconceived notion that I could only access these services if I lived in one of the many major cities across the US... not true.  Heck, they will come to your dorm room, it's amazing and do I dare say... obsessed?

The company launched a new partnership with CVS Beauty in hopes to expand their beauty services to your neighborhood!  I was fortunate enough that they just set up shop in Fort Lauderdale and was invited to check it out for myself.  Okay..... I was BEYOND impressed with how my makeup looked and that might even be an understatement.  Shantel, my beauty guru for the night, worked wonders to give me the perfect look for dinner with my sis downtown.  After getting glammed up with Glamsquad, I had just the perfect amount of highlighter and bronzer that naturally accentuated my features!

To find out more and receive $10 off your first beauty service, click this link!

I wish all of you a Merry Christmas to you and your families!

Xoxo,
Jillian