How I Edit my Instagram Pictures!

Hey everyone!

I love taking photos and scrolling through Instagram feeds so today I am going to show you how I edit my photos for Instagram. It's a fairly quick process for me because I edit most of my photos the same to keep my feed cohesive and matching.

The main app I use is VSCO Cam but sometimes I also use Squaready (blurred background), Layout (collages), and Afterlight (texture). In VSCO Cam I downloaded the package with all the filters, which I highly recommend because it gives you so many options to choose from. My top two filters that I use are A5 and S3 because they work with about any photo (with the help of extra lighting, temperature, etc).

After I apply my chosen filter and how much of the filter I want in the photo, I move into the detailed editing. The main extras that I fix are: lighting, temperature, saturation, shadows, highlights, and highlight tint. I usually increase all of them except I decrease temperature to add more of a blueish tone and depending on the lighting of the photo will either brighten or darken it.

Below is an example of how I would edit a basic photo...

Before

After

I hope you got some ideas and inspiration on how to edit your Instagram photos! Thanks for reading xx

20 Things to do in the Summer!

Summer is my favorite time of the year because they are my only months that I have loads of time to try new things, hang out with friends, travel and enjoy summer! Without school in the mornings and activities taking up your evenings; you finally have some free time and this only comes once a year so make the most of it. That's why, today, I will be sharing with you some things / activities you can do in the summertime because let's face it, we all want to have an exciting, memorable summer to look back on.

1) Go to the pool! Taking a dip in a refreshing pool is perfect for hot, summer days and swimming is also a great form of exercise.

2) Beach! Who doesn't love laying out all day on the sand tanning? I mean the most rewarding part about going back to school is so everyone can compare their summer tans ;)

3) Decorate your room! I love redecorating my room because it keeps you busy and having a room you love is essential for summer nights or long days of Netflix watching in your bed.

4) Learn something new! Whether that be how to play an instrument, how to surf, learning another language, anything that interests you.

5) Shopping! Since I am literally a shopaholic, this is probably my favorite part about summer and is a lot of fun with friends.

6) Go to the movies! Movies are the perfect way to relax during summer and catch up on your favorite new summer films.

7) Spa day / Get a mani | pedi! You can create your own at-home spa day to reward yourself for all the hard work over the school year or stop by any nail salon and update your mani/pedi. (I have to say that is one of the things I love about being back in CA, the cheap and endless nail salons all over)

8) Workout! Summer is the best time for working out because you don't have to worry about being tired for your activities during the school year. It also allows you to try out new forms of exercise such as going for runs, hikes, cross-fit, swimming, dancing, or bodyweight exercises at home.

9) Go out for meals with friends! I love going out for lunch or dinner with friends because it's a perfect way to catch up and also try new restaurants and cuisines.

10) Try out some new recipes! Summer is a time for experimenting new foods so head on over to Pinterest and get cooking.

11) Organize your room and bathroom! With all the free time on your hands and the summer shopping, you can organize and sort through all your clothes as well as beauty products that you don't use anymore. Check out my post on cleaning HERE

12) Amusent parks! Visiting amusement parks is so much fun in the summertime with friends or family - especially if you love rollercoasters like me.

13) Festivals or concerts! Summer festivals are so much fun and since music is basically what makes up 50% of summer, why not attend a concert near you?

14) Road trip! Road tripping may sound more exciting and adventurous then it turns out happening but just taking a short trip to Santa Barbara, San Diego or even Santa Monica for the day would be really fun and make the most out of your day!

15) Take tons of Instagram-worthy photos! It's summer after all, people don't care if you post three things a day on Instagram so take tons of Tumblr or cute photos at the beach or wherever you decide to go.

16) Do a color run! I did a color run last year in Germany and it was a blast! The run is also pretty easy for those who are not so keen on running and it's such a cool experience.

17) Try out new hairstyles! Experiment with your hair this summer and be creative. Take a risk and try some pretty crazy and abnormal styles and see how others respond to them.

18) Catch up on a good read! Although reading may sound boring, if you find a great book it can be really entertaining and helps to keep you from being bored.

19) Travel! Even if you can't travel very far, visit some new places and cultures or explore your local surroundings.

20) Start a blog! I started my blog last summer and I couldn't be happier that I did. It fills your days and teaches you a new skill - blogging.

I hope you gained some inspiration and ideas for things you can do this summer to prevent any summer boredom! Stay tuned for another post sometime next week xxx

Spring OOTW | 3 Variations (Pants, Shorts + Dress)

Hey everyone! Today I will be sharing with you a spring OOTW post to give you some fashion inspiration for the spring season. It has been very warm here so the outfits will be more fitted for warmer weather; however you can add layers and jackets to all of these to keep you warm. Also, it is not a usual OOTW because I am only sharing three outfits...this is because I wanted to do a variation of outfits to fit every personal style. Therefore, there is a look with a dress, a casual outfit in shorts, and another outfit in long pants. Lastly, one of my best friends helped to take pictures for this blog post and we shot another fashion post over on her blog, which you should definitely go check out: rufflesandberries.blogspot.ch  . Anyways, I hope you enjoy and let's get into this new fashion post!

Outfit 1 | T-shirt Dress

Dress // Brandy Melville

Shoes // Converse

Outfit 2 | Casual shorts look

Shirt // PacSun

Shorts // Brandy Melville

Shoes // Topshop

Outfit 3 | Silky Pants

Pants // Forever 21

Tank + Bralette // Brandy Melville

Shoes // Topshop

Thank you for viewing Eat Sweat Style and I hope you gained some outfit inspiration that you can use to spice up your looks during the week. Remember to check out Laura's blog for some more spring fashion ideas and check back up here next week, xxx

Istanbul, Turkey | 3 Days

Hey everyone! We have arrived in Istanbul, Turkey for spring break and it's been amazing so far. I am with one of my best friends-Bella, which is my first time being on holiday with a friend making it so much fun. The weather has been pretty bipolar with rain, sunshine and wind, however we are heading off to the beach in Bodrum tomorrow for some sunshine (hopefully). Istanbul is such a beautiful and unique city with so many stunning mosques, buildings and architecture. Also, we've visited 2 different continents whilst still being in Istanbul...this is because there is a river between two sides of the island splitting the European side with the Asian continent. Anyways, I will be sharing with you some photos from the past three days here of sightseeing, touring the city, and 'candid' photos from within the hotel (and on-top of roofs) ;)

Day 1: Tour of Istanbul
We went on an 8 hour tour today with a private guide around Istanbul. I won't go on too long and let the pictures do the talking but we basically saw all the main mosques, Hagia Sophia, palaces and underground worlds.

Day 2: Boat Ride + Grand Bazaar
Today we went on a boat ride on the main river to get a spectacular view of the city, stopping on the Asian side of Istanbul for a huge lunch at Big Chef's. It was super good but we all felt SO stuffed after and rolled out of the restaurant. After a somewhat chilly ride we headed off to the Grand Bazaar which is a huge market of Turkish specialities and items with people yelling at you from all sides to buy their product. It's a really cool cultural experience and is entertaining when the sellers are trying to advertise their product to you. Then, we ate some more at a popular restaurant on the rooftop to see views of the area. It was a seafood restaurant which is not my favorite cuisine but I had some Grouper and even tried octopus (I don't recommend it).

Day 3: Spice Markets + Shops
It was a short day today because we left mid-afternoon to fly to Bodrum-an island in Turkey for another three days there. However, we still took advantage of the day, beginning near the tower walking down streets at little shops on the side of the road. Then, we found the main strip of shops and I purchased a few things at Bershka. After some shopping and looking at tons of shoes we went to Shake Shack for lunch and then headed over to the spice market. It was super crazy there and packed with everyone yelling and pushing trying to get through, but overall was really cool! Finally, we were off to the airport and to Bodrum for some sunshine and beach to end spring break.

Photoshoot on roofs, gyms, and cool areas of the hotel :)

Istanbul was such an amazing and unique city with so much to see and do. I hope you enjoyed looking at Istanbul through the computer screen and stay tuned for my next travel post on Bodrum xxx