Endless Bliss | Happy Lifestyle Blog: May 2015

Love Your Curls

When it comes to hair, I think all girls want the opposite of what they have. Girls with straight hair want curly hair, and girls with curly hair want straight hair. When I was in middle and high school, I spent so much time straightening my hair. If it wasn't straight, I didn't think it was pretty, so I'd just put it up in a bun and not deal with it.
Did you know that only 10% of women with curly hair feel proud of their hair? I would say I'm surprised, but when I think about how I felt about my own curls, it makes sense. Dove decided to take this statistic and crush it with the "Love Your Curls" campaign and Love Your Curls book. The campaign focuses on encouraging women to love and celebrate their curls and help them realize that their curls are beautiful. The book is a poetic tribute to curly hair that was inspired by thousands of stories from women and girls with curly hair. The book was written by best-selling author, Taiye Selasi, and illustrated by Annick Poirier. Read and share this free e-book by clicking here. You can even create a personalized e-book with a custom dedication and illustration for the curly-haired women and girls in your life and share it on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest!

It wasn't until college that I really started to embrace my hair. It's naturally wavy, and I usually have to use a bit of product to make it have pretty curls or non-frizzy waves. I think the most common challenges I've faced with my hair are dryness and frizziness. Dove has created a new line called Dove Quench Absolute, and it's designed specifically for people with curly hair. It provides 4x more defined, natural curls, and it's infused with protein, nutrients and Buriti Oil to provide a nourished, smooth finish.

As soon as I tried this new line, I fell in love. The Ultra Nourishing Shampoo leaves my hair feeling soft and smooth. The Ultra Nourishing Conditioner revives and strengthens my hair and makes it much more manageable, and the Intensive Restoration Mask provides nourishment to my hair. My favorite product in the new Dove Quench Absolute line is the Supreme Creme Serum. It's a leave-in nourishing treatment that can be used on either wet or dry hair. I've used it every day since I received it. I put it in my hair as soon as I get it out of the shower, and I put it in my dry hair every morning. It really helps reduce frizz and make my hair more vibrant.
Now, I wear it curly about 99% of the time. I've learned to embrace my curls and fall in love with my hair.

Do you have curly hair? What are some of your favorite curly hairstyles?

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Meet Emily from Little Flecks of Gold.

Little Flecks of Gold is a lifestyle blog that covers everything from health and fitness to books to beauty. I have a lot of passions that I love sharing, but I also know that life gets busy, so I am always sharing simple ways to live a healthier, happier life.

Get your feet wet with these posts:

Why Taking Price in Your Appearance Isn't Vain, Egocentric or Shallow

Excuses Busted: 100 Six-Minute Workouts

Ten by Ten: Blogging Resources

College Series: Things I Wish I'd Known My Freshman Year

What 3 words describe you?

Determined, passionate, loyal.

What's your favorite part about blogging?

I love the sense of community. It’s so cool to be able to interact with other bloggers from all over the place that share similar interests.

What are your plans for the summer?

When I’m not working, I’m definitely planning on doing a lot of hiking (I’m also dying to try backpacking and trying to convince my brother to go with me.) My friend and I have a road trip in the works up to Alberta, Canada, which I know will be great since we had a blast on our road trip last summer.

What are three things you want to accomplish in 2015?

One of my goals has been finding a fitness program that I enjoy and can stick to on a long-term basis. I also want to start reading for fun again (since I started college, I think I’ve read two books that weren’t textbooks) and teach myself to play at least one song on the guitar.

What song are you currently obsessed with?

I just barely bought Taylor Swift’s 1989 album (I’m about six months late to the game, I know) and while I’m definitely in love with the whole thing, “Clean” is definitely my favorite.

What's your favorite book?

Jane Eyre, although half the time when you ask me, I’ll say Pride and Prejudice. It really just depends on my mood, I guess.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?

I’ve always wanted to go to Italy, especially Venice.

If you could live a day in the life of anyone, dead or alive, who would you choose and why?

Audrey Hepburn, not only because she’s my favorite actress of all time, but also because I admire her humility, grace and compassion. Although, I really want to go back in time and meet her, so maybe I should say I’d rather spend a day in the life of her son or someone instead.

Where is your happy place?

Growing up, I always loved visiting my grandparent’s house in Virginia because they had the coolest backyard with a creek running through it. I still love visiting them and feel nostalgic whenever I see a place that reminds me of their yard or neighborhood.

Name 5 things that make you happy.

Singing, herbal tea, Pinterest, sitcoms and chick flicks (especially those with Sandra Bullock in them.)

Want more from Emily?

Movin' Shakin' Groovin' | Swon Brothers Concert

I was never one to watch live singing or talent shows on TV. I never got down with American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, America's Got Talent or the like, but when I saw a preview for The Voice, I knew I was going to watch it. I was a devoted fan for the first four seasons, but once a million other good shows started coming on and they started making the show two days in a row, I just didn't have enough time to devote to the show anymore. Plus, can we talk about those commercial breaks for a second? There are so many!
Anyway, when The Swon Brothers were on The Voice during season four. That entire season was an incredible season of awesome talent, but of course I loved The Swon Brothers from the beginning. They're just naturally talented, and their voices complimented each other so well. Y'all know I love country music, and these boys brought it.

Last weekend, The Swon Brothers came to Shreveport/Bossier, and I couldn't resist begging Jon to come with me to see them. Much of the world hasn't caught on to the amazingness of this duo yet, but once they do, I'm sure the ticket prices will skyrocket. Until then, I'll brag to my friends about how I met them, and they can be jealous that I got to experience their awesomeness while tickets were just $20.
The Swon Brothers played a lot of songs from their self-titled album. I think most fans of country music are aware of their first two singles, "Later On" and "Pray for You," but there are so many other songs worth mentioning too. In addition to those two, my favorite song is "Pretty Beautiful." It's just so sweet and such a pretty (beautiful) song.

They were so entertaining in concert. People would come up to the stage to take closer pictures of them, and they bent down to pose for the photos and sometimes they even bent down to take a selfie with them. They did a lot of ad-libbing and spoke to the crowd a lot. There was a this lady in the crowd wearing a Taylor Swift shirt, and they called her onto the stage, called her out because she wasn't wearing one of their shirts and then offered her a free shirt at their merch table.

My favorite part of the show was the pop song battle between each of them and their guitarist, Seth Costner (who actually has an album of his own). Seth started the battle with a cover of "Blurred Lines," which was pretty dang entertaining. Zach came in and said if they do pop song covers, they need to do something that speaks to the ladies, so he did "Stay With Me." Colton said it was best to go old school, and he covered "My Girl." They all did amazing, but I think Colton took the cake with his little throwback.

I'm sad that this is the only decent picture I got of Seth Costner. He was so awesome that I spent his cover singing and dancing along and not taking pictures.

They came back for an encore afterward, and they even did a cover of "American Girl." Seriously, every song they did was incredible. It really just shows how talented they are, because they came onto the stage and owned it. Even Jon had a great time, and he's not the biggest fan of going to concerts.
After the concert, The Swon Brothers stayed to meet everyone that bought merch. I bought a picture, which they both signed, and then they posed for a picture with everyone and posted it on their Facebook page. I thought it was neat of them to stay and meet everyone.

As you can probably tell, I had an absolutely awesome time, and if I ever get the opportunity to see them again, I'll definitely be there.
Did you watch The Voice? Are you a fan of The Swon Brothers?

Essentials for a Rainy Day In

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ShareSmiles #CollectiveBias

When it comes to spring, you never know whether you're going to get a beautiful, sunny day or a gross, rainy day. As much as my boyfriend, Jon, and I would love to take the dogs to the park, spend a day on the lake or enjoy some freshly boiled crawfish on the patio, the weather may have other plans. That's why we like to find other ways to have a fun day indoors.
It doesn't take much to turn your outdoor plans into something fun to do inside. You really just need four things:

1// BOARD GAMESBoard games are our go-to activity when we're stuck inside. We have an entire closet full of board games, so we never have to worry about getting bored of one. I love to play Scene It, which is why we have about a billion different versions of the game. My favorite right now is the FRIENDS version because Jon and I are making our way through the series on Netflix. We've finally made it to the last season.

Even if you don't have a ton of board games at your disposal, you can get creative with a simple deck of cards or search the internet for fun games you can play at home. You could even gather some household objects and recreate some Minute to Win It games!
2// REFRESHING BEVERAGESOf course it's important to quench your thirst while you're getting competitive with all of those games. Coke has always been one of my favorite beverages. Let's just call it old faithful. After visiting the Coca-Cola factory in Georgia and trying out all of the different flavors from around the world, I still can't get enough.
Jon and I went old school and purchased these glass bottles of Coke from our local Brookshire's. Ever since I traveled to London and saw the "Share a Coke" personalized bottles, I've been so in love with them. I still haven't been able to find my name, but I did bring Jon a bottle with his name on it from London.
The glass bottles we purchased were celebratory bottles, and it's perfect for this time of year when we're celebrating grads, moms, dads, etc. One of the bottles we bought said "Soulmate" on it, and we couldn't resist cracking that bottle open first. And of course, I had to hone in on my inner superstar to drink from my own bottle.

3// DELICIOUS CUISINEIt wouldn't be a rainy day in without some good grub. Our go-to is pizza and wings. We'll also indulge in some chips and then ice-cream for dessert.
4// MOVIESAfter the competition has dwindled down, you can end the night with a movie or two. Jon and I have completely different tastes in movies. I'm all about the rom coms, and he's a fan of action, but we can meet somewhere in between with movies like August Rush and In Time.

There are so many ways for you to turn a rainy day into a fun day when you Share a Coke with the ones that you love. Keep an eye on Brookshire's Facebook page for a chances to win yourpoints, offers, fun and conversation.
What are your favorite rainy day activities?

Visit your local Brookshire's store and pick up some of your own celebratory Coke to share with the people you love!

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Things to do Instead of Adulting

I'm not gonna lie - some days, I just really don't feel like adulting. More often than not, I'd rather sleep in and do everything in bed - read, watch Netflix, eat, go back to sleep. Sometimes, being an adult is just so daunting. Between waking up early, paying the bills, cooking my own meals and endless cleaning, it's just all too much. Can't I just be a kid again? If I could put off being an adult for a little while, I would...
...travel to a place I've never been before. I have so many places I'd like to visit, and it's like every day, my list of dream destinations continues to grow. Australia is definitely number one, but there are so many more. If I didn't have to go to work and make money to, ya know, live, I would be traveling the world.
...go out to dinner and order a bottle of wine. I've always wanted to do this, but buying a bottle of wine at a restaurant is exponentially more expensive than just buying one glass, which I'm more apt to do. One and done, my friends.
...read all the books on my TBR list. Imagine how much reading I'd get done if I didn't have to do all of the adult things on my to-do list! I'd be one happy bookworm and just read all the time.
...dye my hair a crazy color. I've always wanted to dye my hair, but there was always a reason not to, usually school and/or work. If I didn't have to adult, I would go crazy and dye my hair a random color like purple or red.
...buy a bike. I want a bike so much, but it'd be almost pointless for me to make the investment because I have no time to ride it. Oh, the places I'd go if I had the time though.
...pull an all-nighter just to watch a TV show on my Netflix list. If I didn't have to sleep, I'd watch all the shows on my Netflix list. So much TV, so little time.
...finish editing my book. It's so hard for me to divide my time between work, blogging and YouTube. Add in book editing, and my head is spinning with all of the things I have to do. I need to stop being so ambitious. If I didn't have to adult, I'd have so much more time to finish my book.
...paint. I remember when I had time to paint. I'm not really good at it, but painting is something that just makes me happy. It's calming and fun, and I love showing my paintings to Jon, because he always tells me they're beautiful even when they're not.
...take a bath. I don't remember the last time I took a bath. I wish I had more time for them. I'd take them all the time and use all the bath bombs.
...go glamping. I'd love to get a cabin in the woods, spend some time on the lake and just unplug, but who has time for that?
If you could put off being an adult for a little while, what would you want to do? Link up below and check out others who would like to pretend to not be adults.

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Ranking of Taylor Swift's Music Videos

Paulo Villanueva

Since Taylor Swift's music video for "Bad Blood" dropped on Sunday, I thought it would be the appropriate time to take a road trip down memory through Taylor's music videos. I know I've mentioned being a fan of hers since she had frizzy curls and cowgirl boots, but whether she's singing country or the latest pop ballad, I'm standing behind her screaming all of the lyrics. These are my rankings of T. Swift's music videos.
Side note: This was the hardest ranking I've ever done in my entire life.
24 // CHANGEI do enjoy the song, but the video leaves something to be desired.

23 // OUR SONGAs much as I love this song (and as adorable as Taylor looks in her princess dress), the music video doesn't live up to its full potential. I would have loved to see a story play out rather than her just singing in a bunch of different outfits.

22 // FIFTEENI think this music video would have been much better without the random whimsical things growing and flying out of nowhere. "Fifteen" has such an amazing message for teenagers, and I think music video should have shown that. I would have loved Abigail to do something more dramatic when that guy screws her over.

21 // TIM MCGRAWThe music video that started it all.

20 // STYLEI just don't know what to say about this music video. It has some cute moments and some weird moments. I more enjoyed the cute parts, but it was mostly weird parts. I do like the artiness of it, but I pictured the music video for "Style" much different.

19 // SAFE & SOUNDThis video really shows how naturally beautiful Taylor Swift is. Seriously, this girl is flawless.

18 // MEANTaylor sends such an awesome message with this video. People are so mean for no reason, and think she did a good job showing that people are made of for reasons as small as wearing a different colored bow on their dress.

17 // BACK TO DECEMBERI love this song. I love the message. I love Taylor's vulnerability while singing it. I think a lot of people can relate. All that said, nothing really happened. It's a nice video, but it's not one that I'd go back and watch over and over.

16 // WHITE HORSEHeart. Breaking. And sadly, a harsh reality for a lot of girls at some point in their lives.

15 // THE STORY OF USI love this song because it compares relationships to books. I love this music video because Taylor Swift goes crazy in a library.

14 // WE ARE NEVER EVER GETTING BACK TOGETHERThe perfect depiction of what to do after you break up with someone - have a party in your PJs.

13 // BEGIN AGAINIt's hard not to enjoy this music video when it was shot in Paris!

12 // BAD BLOODThere was a lot happening in this video. Watching it after watching the video for "Tim McGraw" really showed how far she's come as far as music video budgets are concerned. I think I would have liked to see more fight scenes rather than just introductions of everyone. When she was showing the video posters for all of the people in the video, I thought it was going to be a long video that told a super long story. I really enjoyed it though and watched it quite a few times. I think my favorite scene is the beginning one with Catastrophe and Arsyn kickin' butt and takin' names. Also, Taylor looks badass with red hair.

11 // TEARDROPS ON MY GUITARI think this video show an arrow through a lot of girls' hearts. This song alone is so relatable, but the video just really hits home.

10 // MINEI really love the escalation of this music video. So much love. So much adorable. T. Swift is going to make the most precious mama.

9 // OURSThis is one of my favorite songs by Taylor Swift. It's just so adorable and describes how I feel about Jon. The thing I love most about this video is that it perfectly depicts how Taylor Swift's hair would would look if she worked a 9-5. Plus, it shows that even if you have a crappy day at work, you get to go home to the one you love, and that makes everything better. I also love that her boyfriend is a soldier.
8 // I KNEW YOU WERE TROUBLE

I like this video because it's like a mini film with dialogue and flashbacks and a story to tell.

7 // PICTURE TO BURN"Picture to Burn" is one of my favorite songs by Taylor (the version with the "That's fine, I'll tell mine you're gay" line), and the video shows a dramatic version of what every girl would like to do to their slimy ex-boyfriends.

6 // 22This video depicts pretty much everything I want to do with my girlfriends on a daily basis. Just so much fun and cuteness all around.

5 // EVERYTHING HAS CHANGEDI was so obsessed with this music video with mini Taylor Swift and mini Ed Sheeran. They're so quirky and obviously meant to be biffles. That part with them doing yoga. Plus, that magic marker insanity. To cute for words.

4 // LOVE STORYHow can you not love this music video? It's classic Romeo and Juliet. Taylor looks gorgeous. Romeo is handsome as all get out. It's like a modern fairy tale told in four minutes.

3 // SHAKE IT OFFIt's hard not to adore this music video. I love seeing Taylor try and fail at all of these different dance genres. It definitely makes you want to get up and dance along (which I do...often).

2 // BLANK SPACEThe outfits alone are absolutely incredible. Add in Taylor's insanity, an adorable picnic, Taylor standing on a horse, the ruining of an expensive car, and one of my favorite songs from the album, and you have a work of art.

1 // YOU BELONG WITH MEI don't know how any video could replace my love of this one. It was so fun to see two different Taylor personalities. Plus, it's such a fun video where Taylor let's her dork flag fly. How can you not love that long hair part and huge glasses? Not to mention, Lucas Till. *Swoon*

What are your favorite Taylor Swift videos? What are your thoughts on the "Bad Blood" music video?

Songs to Listen to When You're Sad.

I think an interesting thing about being a blogger and reading blogs is that about 95% of the blogs you read and write are about happy stuff. It's rare that bloggers write about the bad things that happen to them. Usually, it's about vacations they want to take, advice they want to give, outfits they wore, etc.
When I sat down to write this post, I wasn't in a good place. I just had a breakdown at work because I'm going through yet another quarter-life crisis. I always feel like I'm stuck, but my brain is going in a million different directions. I wasn't in a good place, and I felt like there was nothing that could pull me out of it. I'm so lucky to have Jon who just sat there with me and let me cry on his chest and my puppies who showered me with kisses.
I've never been the kind of person who can be instantly pulled out of a bad or sad mood. It's usually a combination of things, and yesterday, what I needed was a good cry with my boyfriend, love from my dogs, laughs while watching Friends, a lot of good food, clips from Lip Sync Battle, and a lot of sad music.
Ironically, sad music makes me feel better sometimes because I feel like the songs are speaking to me. It's like someone out there gets it, and they're singing it to me. These are a few songs that helped pull me out of my sad mood yesterday.
PERFECT - HEDLEY // I'm not perfect, but I keep trying cause that's what I said I would do from the start.

BOSTON - AUGUSTANA // You don't know me, you don't even care...I think I'll start a new life, I think I'll start it over, where no one knows my name.

HIDE - A FRIEND IN LONDON // I'm so tired now. Gonna go lay down, gonna hide in my bed until everything safe and, I might never wake up. I blew it all, I'll never wake up. Gonna hide in my bed until everything is safe and the sun comes up again.

WHEN IT RAINS - PARAMORE // And when it rains, on this side of town it touches, everything.

RIVERS AND ROADS - THE HEAD AND THE HEART // If you don't know what to make of this, then we will not relate.

COUGH SYRUP - YOUNG THE GIANT // If I could find a way to see this straight, I'd run away to some fortune that I, I should have found by now

BAD DAY - DANIEL POWTER (It wouldn't be a sad song playlist without this one.) // You're faking a smile with the coffee you go. You tell me your life's been way off line. You're falling to pieces every time.

I have a whole playlist of songs that I like to listen to when I'm having a bad day. The songs cover a number of bases - feeling lost, feeling lonely, feeling worthless, relationships, etc. It's called "Let It Rain," and you can listen to it here.
What songs do you listen to when you're feeling down?

College Versus Real Life

It's that time of year again when everyone is posting about graduating, and I'm just over here being old. I had such a fun time in college, and some days, I miss it so much. Some things about college were just a lot easier...
FRESHMAN 15 VS REAL LIFE 500 College: I didn't gain much weigh in college because I had to walk everywhere. actually miss having to walk to class every day. It took me about fifteen minutes to walk from my on-campus apartment to the business building with a couple sets of stairs in between. Back then, I thought it was an inconvenience. Now, I'd welcome that walk any day.
Real Life: Everyone says they want a desk job, but then they wonder how they mysteriously packed on 20 extra pounds. Forget the freshman fifteen; when you get a desk job, that's when the pounds really start sticking around. I sit at my desk for most of my day, and because of that, my body is constantly at rest, and my food is just sitting there with no movement to help it digest quicker. It's a sad reality.
8 AM CLASSES VS CLOCKING IN AT 8:30 College: My hardest quarter in college was probably the one where I had 8 am classes five days a week. I'm baffled by the fact that I started high school at 7:30 every morning. I don't know how I did it. Having classes at 8 am was the worst...or so I thought.
Real Life: Because I don't have to study or even think about work when I get home, I have horrible sleeping habits. I stay up late, roll out of bed late and on weekends I make no attempt to have a steady sleeping schedule. It's an every day struggle, y'all.
COOKING IN COLLEGE VS COOKING AT HOME College: I don't know what it was about college, but my senior year, I had my ish together when it came to planning out my meals. I would plan ahead for an entire month. I had a calendar where I wrote down what I was going to eat for each meal (usually skipping breakfast because who has time?). I went grocery shopping once a month for all of the things I needed, and I was good to go.
Real Life: Admittedly, Jon does pretty much all of the cooking because he gets home from work a lot earlier than I do. We've gotten better at planning our meals, but I'm in no way on the level I was on back in my college days.
RUNNING INTO PEOPLE AT WAL-MART VS RUNNING INTO PEOPLE AT WAL-MART College: Oh, the dreaded Wal-Mart. I swear my roommates and I made weekly trips for random things. Sometimes for groceries, but most times for things like an ice-cream craving or getting a Redbox movie. Running into people at Wal-Mart in college usually meant that everyone was in sweatpants, and no one judged each other. To quote High School Musical, we're all in this together.
Real Life: When you move back to your "hometown" (I use the term loosely, because I don't consider Shreveport/Bossier my hometown) after college, everyone has one goal: Be better than everyone that you run into from high school. For that reason, when you go to Wal-Mart, you're trying to look your best. If you see someone you know, you instantly judge their life against your own. Is their boyfriend cuter? Have they gotten married? Any babies in the cart? Unlike college, we're all playing Judge Judy.

All jokes aside, I really do love being an adult. Yes, paying rent and other bills sucks, but I love that I'm working toward a better future for myself. I love living with my boyfriend. I love being able to love on my dogs every day. I love not having to study. I love not living refund check to refund check. I miss college sometimes, but being an adult isn't all that bad.
Are you in college or a living life post-grad? What do you love/hate about it?