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By Amy Zhang July 30, 2016 in Lifestyle, Style 29 Comments

How to Stay Motivated

Motivation. We all need a kick of it sometimes. Whether it’s to study for an exam, perform better at work, whip your body into shape, or sometimes even just to get out of bed. I can’t be the only person that struggles with this sometimes… right?? I’ll be honest, balancing a full time job + life + a blog can be difficult at times! I’m sure my fellow bloggers can totally relate. Something I’ve thought about a lot is: how to stay motivated.

How to Stay Motivated

When it comes to blogging, some weeks are easier than others. Sometimes the creativity is flowing and other days, I have total writer’s block. Same thing goes for working out (some weeks it’s a reaallll effort dragging myself to class). And for checking off my always massive to-do list. It’s not always easy to stay motivated. Here some things have helped me a lot, especially lately.

Think about the long term.

I’m a huge proponent of being goal oriented. While it’s important to focus on the here and now, it’s also important to think about the long term. Success doesn’t happen overnight. Losing weight, learning a new skill, building a business – these things all take time. I’m not the most patient person ever (really, really trying) but adopting this mindset has really helped me mentally to not dwell on the day to day and focus on the long term.

Be positive

I’ve talked about the benefits of positivity before, and I still stand by them. Even if it isn’t always my initial instinct, I make a point to recognize my progress and see how far I’ve come. Day to day, you may not see much of a difference – but what about in 6 months or a year? I 100% believe in focusing on the good, over the bad.

Go easy on yourself.

We’re often way too tough on ourselves – after all, we are our worst own critic. If you’re having a particularly rough week, it’s okay to take a break so you can rest and It’s okay to take a break. Whatever your goal is, it’ll still be there for you.

Have fun

I always try to think about what I’m trying to accomplish and why I’m doing it. I work out because I enjoy it (for the most part ; )), I try to eat healthy because it makes me feel good, I blog because it’s a creative release and I love sharing my thoughts with others. But when these things stop being fun and start feeling like a chore, it’s probably time to re-evaluate. That’s why I think it’s okay to take a break so you can jump back in 100% when you’re ready.

Sometimes a good motivational quote or image is all I need. Here’s one I really, really love:

Ok, I’m off to run errands – hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! I’d love to hear how you stay motivated to accomplish your goals : ) and my fellow bloggers – how do you stay motivated and inspired?

xx, Amy

dress: spell designs (sold out) | shoes: schutz (sold out)

photos: tavio valencia

By Amy Zhang July 27, 2016 in Lifestyle, Style 29 Comments

What’s in a Name?

Hi babes! Some of you have been wondering where my blog name The Luxi Look came from. So, I thought I’d share the meaning behind it today. Also, I’m sharing some thoughts on how to name your blog if you’re struggling like I was! The word Luxi is not only a play on the word “Luxe,” it also happens to be my middle name!

What’s in a Name? And How to Name Your Blog – The Luxi Look

A little backstory about my blog: I started The Luxi Look in November of 2015. Officially “launched” the site to my close friends and family in December. The process of starting my blog took so much longer than I expected. If I’ve learned anything from my short period of time blogging, it’s that perfect is the enemy of good. Meaning, sometime good enough is enough.

I talked about starting a blog for such a long time. Eventually, I knew I had to just do it. Naming my blog was the hardest part. For whatever reason, the name simply would not come to me for the longest time. But, I knew I wanted to incorporate something that was uniquely me into the name of my blog.

“Luxi” is actually Mandarin and reflects a very important part of me and who I am – my heritage and culture. I was actually born in Beijing and moved to the US when I was very young.

I grew up speaking Mandarin with my parents, going to Chinese school on Saturdays, taking Chinese dance lessons, eating Chinese food (rice with dinner every. single. night.) – my parents did the best they could to infuse Chinese culture into my upbringing so I would have that when I grew up. Actually, I chose the name “Amy” in kindergarten so that I could fit in by not having a name that other people couldn’t pronounce. I always went by “Amy” with friends growing up.

Fast forward twenty years and I realize now there was never any reason to be embarrassed that I had a name no one could pronounce. In fact, it’s really cool when you have a name no one else does. So, I created The Luxi Look as a daily reminder to love and embrace every part of yourself – past and present. As a lesson to never apologize for who you are and to always be unabashedly yourself. That is what The Luxi Look is about – a safe space and community to share thoughts, ideas, and grow.

When I was thinking of names for my blog I took every word I can think of that described myself/my interests and wrote them down. You never know what combination might spark your interest! When it comes to naming your own blog, I would recommend finding ways to get personal and find a name that is uniquely you – whether that is through a piece of you or even just your interests. It’s an important part of starting a blog! BUT not the most important part. I hope this post was helpful and inspiring to you.

Starting this blog was a huge step for me, and I’m so thankful for the incredible people I’ve met along the way in such a short amount of time. I love sharing this journey with you all and I can’t wait to see what the future will bring.

As always, thank you so much for reading and following along – I read each and every single comment and email I get and am so grateful for every single one of you!

xx, Amy

matching set: urban outfitters (top sold out, bottoms) | shoes: sold out, similar here

photos: ryan chua

By Amy Zhang July 23, 2016 in Wellness 19 Comments

Best Healthy Snacks

When that afternoon hunger pang sets in, what do you reach for? For years I would just grab the nearest thing I could find to eat, and often it wasn’t the healthiest choice. I work a desk job during the week and inevitably always get hungry between lunch and dinner.

Best Healthy Snacks

Over the past few years, I’ve cleaned up my eating habits a lot, but I still have a tendency to indulge in sweets (I have a serious, serious sweet tooth). I’ve made it a point to try and choose snacks that are as fresh and unprocessed as possible. Also, low sugar is key. Some of the best healthy snacks I always keep on hand are:

If I’m craving something sweet…

Tropical Fruit Salad

A little trick I learned from street fruit carts abroad and in LA – I love taking tropical fruits such as pineapple, watermelon, and mango, and adding fresh lime juice and chili powder. I love using Tajín, if you are able to find that at your local grocery store!

Fruit is my go-to snack when I’m craving sweet. Bananas, apples, berries are all great choices. Sometimes I’ll whip up a quick fruit smoothie as well. Natural sugar > added sugars. A square of dark chocolate or too doesn’t hurt either ; ).

If I’m craving something salty…

Seaweed

These seaweed chips from Trader Joe’s are SO addictive. Whole Foods has them as well. Kind of like potato chips, but so much better for you! They are just the right amount of salty and crunchy to satisfy any salty craving.

If I’m craving something fatty…

Avocado

Healthy fats FTW! Avocados are full of heart healthy fats that keep you full longer. I like to make avocado toast using toasted ezekiel bread (+ lime juice, pink sea salt, and chili flakes). I’ll even eat them on their own sometimes – SO GOOD. I cannot get enough of avocado.

Protein

Eggs, nuts, turkey slices, Greek yogurt. Protein is essential if you are working out for building muscle and also keeps you full longer. Not to sound like a bodybuilder, but it is so important to make sure you are eating enough protein!! When I upped my protein intake, I found it so much easier to see the benefits of my workouts.

If I’m craving soda…

Sparkling water

Technically not a snack, but hear me out. First things first, I make sure I’m not confusing hunger with thirst. I have a tendency to mindlessly graze (especially if I’m working!) so I always drink tons of water throughout the day. I cut out drinking soda daily years ago but sometimes I miss the carbonation. Sparkling water with a squeeze of lime is refreshing and more interesting than water.

Kombucha

I love, love, love kombucha. I could write an entire post on kombucha. I brewed my own kombucha at home for a while but it got to be too time consuming. Thankfully kombucha has gotten to be so popular, most stores carry it now. Note: many varieties of kombucha contain TONS of sugar, so make sure to look for bottles with <2g of sugar per serving. GT Kombucha flavors I like that fit this requirement are: original, multi-green, trilogy, and gingerade (this is the most common brand you’ll find at supermarkets).

Snacks I try to avoid

Protein bars (full of crap and contain more sugar than a candy bar), cereal/granola bars (tons of sugar and very processed), processed “healthy” food (anything “sugar-free” or “fat-free” tends to have additives that are actually terrible for you).

I’m not a nutritionist by any means… but I think we can all agree that whole, unprocessed foods are some of the best foods you can eat! And clearly I’m not much of a cook… hence why all of these snacks are quick and easy, in addition to being healthy. What are some of your favorite snacks?

Follow me on Instagram for more updates!

xx, Amy

By Amy Zhang July 16, 2016 in Beauty 5 Comments

The Best Bronzers for Medium Skin

I am forever in pursuit of the perfect sun-kissed glow. I really do believe that most people look better with a tan! I’m not a makeup expert by any means, but I do love trying new products. Bronzer is a year-round staple in my makeup bag. I have medium toned skin and have found many bronzers do not really show up on my skin. I’ve tried so many different products throughout the years, but in my opinion, these are the absolute best bronzers for medium skin tones. Read if you’re looking for the perfect bronzing powder for medium skin tones and warm undertones.

These are the best bronzers for medium skin

Nars

My OG bronzer (seriously obsessed with everything Nars). This product is the bronzing master. Sometimes I’ll even use just this product on my natural skin without applying foundation! (But it does admittedly work better with a smooth canvas). I fell in love with NARS products years ago because I liked their packaging. The products happen to be amazing as well ; ). There’s a reason why their bronzers are loved by makeup artists. Laguna is sometimes a little too light for my skin in the summer, but I like it for a soft shimmery glow. Casino is a darker shade that is gorgeous on medium skin tones. Although these bronzers do have a little shimmer in them, it’s just the right amount. You don’t need to worry about looking like a disco ball with NARS products.

Too Faced

Recently I wanted something a little more matte and bought this bronzer off a recommendation. I absolutely LOVE it. This is another powder bronzer (I prefer powder to any other form) that I use almost daily. I think matte bronzer can give you a more natural look, plus this one smells like chocolate when you brush it across your face. I never really mastered contouring but I think this matte bronzer would be great for it if that is something you do. The deep shade is dark enough to be a contour for even my tan skin tone. Apparently even the queen of contour, Kim Kardashian said contouring is over, so I’m not going to sweat it if I can’t get it right completely.

Benefit

Benefit products are some of my faves as well! Again the packaging is super cute and I love the little brush it comes with. This one is matte as well and seems to be loved by many beauty bloggers and YouTubers. I actually think the Benefit and Too Faced bronzers are pretty comparable but I use enough bronzer that I like having both.

Again, these are all great products that come in a variety of shades for all skin colors and undertones, but I specifically love them for matching my warmer coloring and more yellow undertones. I love powder bronzer best as it goes on easily with a good brush and is easily layerable, but if you have a cream or liquid version you like better, please let me know!

I am ALWAYS looking for product recs – do you have a list of the best bronzers you’ve come across? And what are your thoughts on contouring – still a good look or are you all about the non-touring now?

xx, Amy

By Amy Zhang July 13, 2016 in Lifestyle, Wellness 19 Comments

On Social Media Balance

As a blogger, finding social media balance in my life has been HUGE. To be honest, I didn’t really use social media before I started my blog. I would occasionally check Facebook and Instagram, but I rarely posted.

One of my biggest concerns before starting my blog was that social media would consume my life. How would I maintain balance between life on vs. off the screen?

On Social Media Balance

You might already know this, but studies have shown that active social media users are actually LESS happy. Think about it – how many times have you looked at someone’s perfectly curated life on Instagram and felt a little jealous or compared yourself to them? We’ve all done it. Social media causes us to face our flaws head on while having images of someone else’s “perfect” life constantly thrown in our face.

Since starting The Luxi Look, I definitely felt some pressure to be more “plugged in.” I’ll admit, I probably check my social accounts more than I should. My biggest thing is balance. So, I’m making it a point to be more balanced when it comes to the social media aspect of blogging.

Here’s how I balance social media with, well, actual life.

+ Turn off notifications.

Simple as that. I find notifications to be so distracting. If I’m trying to focus on a task in front of me and get stuff done, the last thing I need is to see my phone lighting up out of the corner of my eye. Out of sight, out of mind, right? This has been the biggest thing for me in maintaining balance.

+ Schedule a time for social media.

Being the planner I am, I schedule the time I spend on social media. Planoly has been a lifesaver in allowing me to schedule my Instagram posts in advance. I try to allot a small amount of time in the morning, during my lunch break, and at night after work to respond to comments and check my feed. This is very much still a work in progress, but sticking to a schedule has helped tremendously with staying organized and limiting my time on social media apps.

+ Take a day off.

Yes, engaging with your followers and other bloggers is important. BUT, so is enjoying your life, living in the now, and looking up from your phone every now and then to enjoy the beauty that is around you. I like to take one day a week to unplug. Ideally it would be a full on digital detox. No social media, no messages, no email, nothing. I’m still working on this…

SO. If you’re a blogger or maybe just a little too attached to your phone like me ; ) please spill – how do YOU balance social media and real life?

xx, Amy

dress: wonderland honolulu | belt: b-low the belt | shoes: adidas | bag: sancia (similar)

photos: ryan chua