The Daily Reads

I, among most people I know, am a total creature of habit. Seriously, if I start doing something new or fresh, it won’t be long until I’ve found my way of doing it, what works best for me, and that’s pretty much it for awhile. I truly think this is where the whole “routine” video trend within the beauty community on YouTube started; at the end of the day (or the beginning, or the middle), we all just do what we know and for the most part, stick to it. I have a total morning routine that, quite frankly, I love. It changes every time I go through a dramatic change, or depending on my school/work schedule for the time, but it’s totally a routine that works well for me. Especially this particular routine, I don’t know, it just sets me up for the day’s work happy and feeling organized and ready to face the day! Mess up my routine in anyway, and I’m a total mess. In this post, I’m going to walk you through a major part of my routine, the reading list.

First thing that I do when I wake up in the morning is (try) to drink 2 cups of water. Hot, cold, doesn’t really matter, but I honestly find that it sets me up right for my breakfast (ie I don’t have to eat as much, because something about eating first thing in the morning sickens me :/). Lately, I’ve been trying to workout in the morning, but in the last two weeks, that’s only happened a handful of times. Usually what happens is instead of me hopping out of bed with glee and going straight for the exercise gear, I grunt, roll over and pull out the ol’ iPhone. Seriously, what did people do 10 years ago when they were still half asleep? Did they have to actually…*gasp* GET OUT OF BED!? Oh, those poor, unfortunate souls. Anyways, I digress. Once I’ve checked the ol’ social networks (you know, the standards, Twitter, Instagram & Tumblr), I do one of two things. I either get my ass out of bed, make the day’s first cup of coffee, bust out the ol’ laptop and proceed to check both my work and personal emails, and then get my read on, or I continue to lay in bed, relishing those final peaceful moments and do the reading from there. Either way, I have a fair share of websites that I check into daily, even in a specific order, to see what’s going on in the world…including the world of beauty and fashion:

1. Refinery29 – I consider this my ultimate morning news source, aside from, you know, Twitter (don’t lie, how many times have the trending hashtags told you everything you need to know about current events in 20 seconds or less!?). Come the afternoon when I’ve already been to school or to run errands and have felt the harshness of the big bad world, I can turn on the deep stuff, like CNN or CP24. But for the morning, nope, just light, fluffy stuff, with a side of reality. Plus, I do know that if anything drastic were to happen while I was getting some shuteye, for example, the incidents in Paris last week, they will write an article or two about it. With Refinery29, I can instantly know pretty much anything I want to know about…on basically any subject, and with a super organized, clean layout, I can easily navigate the site in a flash.
2. The Every Girl – This is always the second tab I open in the morning. I really enjoy the way the gals at The Every Girl write articles, the website is so clean, modern, fresh and feminine, and it has the same sort of “What do you want, ’cause we got it” vibe as R29. I honestly feel that every young woman should take a gander at this site at least once a day, because their articles really uplift and inspire you to be the best woman you can be. Plus, due to my lack of experience, I’m what one would call a total “noob” when it comes to dating, and I can safely say I’ve been recently elevated to “hey, that’s not that bad, you do kinda know some stuff” status, and that is solely because of The Every Girl’s relationships category (which can be found under wellness).
3. Chic Darling – They say a picture paints a thousand words, and WHOA, does the photography on Chic Darling ever do that. With this website, I have to say, I do a lot more oohing and ahhing and just staring in plain amazement than reading (though I do that, too).  Another great lifestyle more than beauty site, Chic Darling and all of their amazing photos (especially the travel ones!) offers a pleasant view without the heavy price tag. Their photos are always marvellously styled and put together, so it’s always a pleasure to check to see what’s new on the site in the morning.
4. Barefoot Blonde – Amber Fillerup Clark is legitimately my favourite fashion blogger. I absolutely love her style, she manages to raise her 7 month old baby and still upload frequently, and more importantly, her outfits don’t include too many things that are way above my price range. Realistic, practical but yet totally stylish and lovely to look at. Oh, and if I’m having a day on which I don’t know what to wear, logging onto the site really helps inspire me and mentally put things in my wardrobe together, even when I didn’t originally think of it.
5. Allison Anderson – There was a period of time during which this quite popular YouTuber wasn’t blogging, and let me tell you, I missed her blog so much! We then found out that it was because she was moving from blogger to wordpress (a feat which, like me, Allison took on herself), and as soon as she came back a year ago, I’ve not missed a single post. I love her writing style and the way that she composes photos, and that photo quality?! Dang, girl, you are one of the pros, for sure! I love me some Allison!
6. essiebutton – Estée’s website has long been one of my go-to’s in the morning. Much like Allison, I actually prefer her blog to her YouTube channel. Estée writes about everything from makeup and beauty to travel and decor, and she shares a passion of mine, FOOD. I absolutely love her blog, and 2 fun facts for you: 1. I actually met her in May last year, and, not only is she super nice, but, if you can beileive it, she’s even more gorgeous in person than she is in photos (I know, right!? Not fair) and 2. Estée’s blog redesign that happened late winter/early spring of last year is basically why I decided to finally take the leap from blogger to wordpress. I knew that if Estée’s blog could look that fantastic, that hopefully, someday, mine could look great, too (I’m still working on that part…stay tuned, haha). Go Estée!
7. Gimme Some Oven – Two words, dee-lish. Oh my goodness, Ali’s blog totally satisfies my inner “foodie,” with all of its absolutely gorgeous photos of food and super easy and fun recipes. The thing that sets this food blog, though, is that she doesn’t just write about food. She writes some really good movie, music, book and general cultural roundups that can brief you on what you need to know in just a couple of minutes. Also, her photography, man! It really speaks for itself.
   
8. Bright & Beautiful – This blog is the newest to my daily blogroll, but it has totally captured my attention — and my heart. I love the layout/design of this bright and beautiful blog (;P) and more importantly, with the creative and forward-thinking content that Laura publishes. I love reading her posts, I find them oddly inspiring, and I love that whenever I visit, I walk (my fingers) away with such delight and positivity.
9. SS Life & Style – Speaking of blogs that inspire me and that are visually appealing, Stephanie Sterjovski’s lovely website is just flawless. This blog kind of offers a mish-mash of fabulous fashion, some lifestyle and some generally amazing how-tos and you-can-do-its! Also, if you recognize that name but don’t completely know where from, Stephanie is a graphic designer and web creator, mostly known for her awesome graphic prints that you may have seen in Chapters/Indigo stores! I love reading her blog, she’s so good at what she does, and I truly hope that one day, I can be as successful and stylish as she is. I will always support her, because I think she deserves all of the attention she gets, but also because she has a double S initial, just like yours truly, hehe! 😉 
10. Lauren Conrad – Last but not least, we have one of my favourites, and out of all of the blogs and websites aforementioned, this is the one that I’ve been reading the longest, Lauren Conrad’s website. I’ve been a long time fan of Lauren, since her first season on Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County (throwback to 2004!), so you can imagine my happiness now that she’s become a modern-day lifestyle mogul. I love her site, and I think it’s one of the best resources for young women for…well, everything. You can read about fashion, beauty, fitness, food, decor, etiquette, DIYs, books, shopping, and so much more, and that’s why I love it! Furthermore, the website is updated daily, with fresh, new takes on things and helpful articles. I literally can’t function properly if I’ve haven’t had my Lauren Conrad fix in some shape or form. Check it out, you’ll love it!  

While I read other blogs daily or almost daily, such as With Love from Kat (I love her sense of style!), Cort in Session (beautiful photos, outfits and a super cool career, I”m jealous!) and Kayture (can you say high fashion!?), listed above are the ones that I need to read to start my day off on the right foot. It seems like a lot, but I can really get through my reading session in about 15 – 30 minutes. Again, it seems like a lot, but when you wake up early so that you can take your time to slowly get ready and face the day, it’s really not. After I’ve read through the pack, I’ll make some breakfast, have a shower, get ready and start the day, whether it’s a day full of blog research, planning and writing, studying or a day on the road. 🙂

Also, I think it’s worth mentioning that you can and will probably find it all kinds of beneficial to use Bloglovin‘ if you develop your own daily read routine, which is a free online resource (and app for your smartphone!) that allows you to follow and easily flip through the latest posts from your favourite blogs, as well as discover new ones (and if you like, you can follow me here :D). However, I’m old-fashioned and I like to physically go into each site; something about it just makes it feel more authentic, in my opinion. I’m not totally against Bloglovin’ though, it’s really handy when I’m on the run and I need a distraction or a good read. I just choose not to use it during my peaceful morning time, that’s all. 🙂

Well, that’s all for today, folks! I hope you enjoyed reading about my favourite reads, haha! What blogs do you read, if any? Do you feel the need to check on them daily or are you one of those highly enviable weekend readers? Do you prefer to read lifestyle, beauty and fashion or another category? Let the fingers do the walkin’ down there ↓↓↓! 🙂

Much love,
S♥