How to Look Expensive by Andrea Pomerantz Lustig

You know that feeling when you have just found something you think would make the perfect gift, like a book you know others would greatly enjoy? Well I have just that kind of thing for you today. I received Andrea Pomerantz Lustig’s book: How to Look Expensive for Christmas 2 years ago and I still think it is a perfect gift for any beauty and style lover.

First of all, it looks gorgeous! It contains beautiful illustrations by Dallas Shaw that elevate the book to something you want to own simply for its beauty. It looks expensive and definitely not like a kid’s book. However just because it is beautiful does not mean it does not have substance. Each chapter focuses on way to look more expensive, which really means how to achieve a chic and sophisticated appearance from head to toe. You will find tons of tips and tricks on makeup, skincare, hair and fashion that will benefit both knowledgeable beauty experts and those first entering the beauty realm.

The thing I liked the most about the book though were the recommendations from Lustig. From cleansers to curling irons and perfumes, she covers a wide array of products to help you look more put together easily. I have not been disappointed by any of the products I bought following her advice. The cover says this is “a beauty editor’s secrets to getting gorgeous without breaking the bank” and I think it could not be more true. I find it rare for beauty books to be super insightful, but Lustig managed to do just that while still making it feel like you are reading a fun beauty column that will get you the results you hope for. 

This is a truly lovely book that many would enjoy and its chic design makes it perfect to also use as decoration. You can get Andrea Pomerantz Lustig’s How to Look Expensive from many bookstores, Amazon and you can find more details about it on Lustig’s website. 

Tips for Focusing When Writing Essays

When you’re a student (especially in university), spring time can mean several things: nicer weather, spring break and one step closer to the summer holiday. It’s generally all nice and well but spring also means that an insane amount of work and essays are about to be due. The workload can be overwhelming at times and staying focus is key to writing quality papers. I know it’s difficult but procrastinating has to stop.  

Over the years I have discovered tricks that help me get in the zone and really focus on those papers. I’m the kind of person that always needs to have some sort of background sound to concentrate, a quiet library doesn’t work for me. So depending on your personality these can prove helpful or they simply might not work for you.

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For me, the writing process has two sections: the research part and the actual writing part. I like to start by doing research because it makes it easier for me to write afterwards and it also helps alleviate the stress of having to find sources that substantiate your paper at the last minute. Spending hours online looking things up can get a bit boring, which is why I like to put a movie or a TV show on that I have already seen while I do this. Since you know what will happen it’s less distracting than having something random on and it makes the whole research process more enjoyable because you’re listening to something you like. Your favorite parts can also make for really nice breaks to have snack and stretch.

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Once you have most of your references comes the most difficult part: coming up with an insightful, cohesive and well written paper. Depending on your topic this can turn out to be quite fun, but usually, for some mysterious reason, essays you write for university are hard to do. The word count seems impossible to reach, the topic is uninspiring or you can’t find anything on it. This is why you need to get in the zone, that wonderful place where brilliant sentences just flow and you can write thousands of words in an hour. For this, television becomes too distracting, I need something repetitive. I like to find a song that’s calming and will almost hypnotize me into focusing. One song I highly recommend for that is Erase by Hyorin and JooYoung (listen to it here), this is the song that got me through my final essays last semester. It allowed me to concentrate without having silence mocking me during my writer’s block.

I hope these tips will help you with any essay writing you might have to do. Most importantly, don’t worry too much and try to plan ahead so you have enough time and less stress on your mind. If you’d like I would love to share with you all other tips for essay writing, but for now good luck!