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I am at that point in my life where all my friends seem to be walking the plank getting married.

It’s one of those times where you look around & realize, “Holy shit. I’m getting old”.

It’s also one of those times where you look down & realize, “Holy shit. I got some bridesmaid dresses to squeeze into!”.

Yup, the #bridesmaiddiet plan is in fulllll force.

Do any of you have that friend who says working out is their holy grail/endorphin booster/lifeline/happy place? I do (**cough cough: The Skinny Confidential**), & when she talks to me like that I kinda want to punch her in those rock hard abs.

Clearly, I’m not a fan of breaking a sweat. Hiking makes me break out in hives (literally, I’m allergic to it), running hurts my knees, gyms are creepy, yoga gives me anxiety (too much stillness) & Pilates on the reformer is an accident waiting to happen.

That being said, I have FINALLY found a workout that I can drag myself too sans any lame excuse & actually enjoy.

Xtend Barre is my new jam!!! I am extremely uncoordinated/ungraceful, pretty much as far from a Ballerina as one could get, but I am still realllly digging this class. The thing about Xtend Barre that makes it different from all the 9045204 other barre classes is that it involves a lot of cardio, which is great for people like me who are using this class as their sole workout.

[ sidebar: totally not being paid to say any of this, just on a post-workout high & really excited to share the Xtend Barre love. ]

Most importantly, the results are insane. I have always stopped working out due to lack of results, but with Xtend, I began noticing changes in just 2 weeks. The proof is in the pudding & I will happily be going up n’ inch & down n’ inch (if you go to barre, you know what that means) all the way through wedding season.

Got any other quick slim down tips or great workouts I should try before the big day(s)?! LMK.

x, E

[ p.s. are any of you guys barre-goers? If so, where do you get cute sticky socks? I neeeed to stock up! ]

» channeling my inner Bond girl with this sexy new bikini (to rock poolside at the Bachelorette parties in my future!) «

» recently my sister sent me this article about how we are ALL deficient in Magensium. Reading through I caught myself mentally checking off all the signs (insomnia, lack of energy, chronic back pain, OCD-ness, & so on…) pointing to the fact I am especially lacking Magnesium.

Upon further research on the subject I learned that one of the best ways to supplement Magnesium is through a topical oil. I ended up purchasing this Dead Sea Magnesium Oil, mainly because of the cute label, but also because it had rave reviews. It’s seriously so amazing! My skin actually tingles (with joy?) when I spray it on… 100x a day. «

» arm party for a cause | this past Saturday was Umuganda Day, a Rwandan tradition that means “coming together in a common purpose to achieve an outcome”. I participated by rocking these cute beaded bracelets from Same Sky, a philanthropic jewelry company that provides jobs/empowers the women in Rwanda. If you’re a reality TV junkie like myself, you may have seen Same Sky on the last season of Vanderpump Rules!!  «

» check out my curated festival guide + a festival inspired #OOTD now on the Forever 21 blog!  «

» #shoeporn on Insta: white patent brogues (now on major sale!) | suede gladiators sandals | baby blue flatforms | classic white sneakers  «

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