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Espresso and Ambition

A not-so-serious gal with some serious dreams.

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December 2018 Favorites

January 3, 2019 by Taylor 1 Comment

December 2018 Favorites - Espresso and Ambition

I’ve been doing a bunch of end-of-year content lately, so I’m sure this has been said once before, but does anyone feel like 2018 lasted like 4 years? And December alone was like 3 months? Because I do, for sure. It almost made it difficult to put together a favorites list this month, because I lost track of when the month actually started.

 

Gryffindor Denim Jacket

December 2018 Favorites - Espresso and Ambition

Never did I ever expect to love an item from Hot Topic as much as I love this jacket. It’s pretty understated in the front – it just looks like a normal black denim jacket – but the back has this massive Gryffindor logo. And they’ve got Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin versions for those of you who got a different result from the Sorting Hat.

 

Teddy Bear Coat

December 2018 Favorites - Espresso and Ambition

As someone who consistently chooses fashion over function (I’m ridiculous, I’ve accepted it), this coat has been an actual lifesaver. It’s super cute but also really warm, which means my little do-it-for-the-aesthetic heart can be trendy and comfy all at the same time. Especially since I live in a place that actually experiences winter.

 

Anastasia Brow Wiz

December 2018 will officially be known as the month that I finally learned how to do my brows properly. I’ve basically been winging it my entire life thus far – if I even did my brows at all. And wow was I missing out. I like how giving my brows really nice shape actually lifts my whole face – even if it does mean embracing that my dark brown brows don’t match my hair color at all. The Anastasia brow pencil is 100% the greatest tool of the trade for this – the pencil gives really nice, natural strokes, and the little spoolie attached to the other end helps control any wayward hairs.

 

Real Techniques Makeup Sponge

December 2018 Favorites - Espresso and Ambition

Y’all. I forgot how much I love makeup sponges. I’d been using brushes for most everything, and then I picked up a pack of these sponges at Target. (Word of advice: don’t spend $20 on a BeautyBlender when this does the same thing and is way cheaper. Save that money to use on high-end makeup.) The damp sponge just makes everything melt into the skin and look so much more natural instead of like it’s just sitting on top of your face.

 

GraceFitUK Resistance Band

I’ve used the FitGirl resistance band for about a year now, but it’s a little too loose for my liking, so I decided to order a new one. I’d heard so many good things about the GraceFitUK-brand ones, so I went ahead and ordered one (in the peach emoji pattern, because heck yes that’s adorable) – and let me tell you, they definitely live up to the hype. They’re reasonably-priced, and I really love that you can choose from a variety of difficulty levels.

 

Breville Espresso Maker

Being home with my parents for the holidays meant I got spoiled in the coffee department. My mother has this espresso maker, and gah, it’s amazing. Having homemade lattes every morning is just 5,000 steps above Keurig coffee. If it weren’t for the fact that I have literally zero counter space in my current apartment, I’d want one for myself.

 

And that just about wraps up December, and 2018 as a whole! What were you loving in December?

xo, Taylor

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Filed Under: Etc., Favorites

Comments

  1. Diana says

    January 7, 2019 at 5:20 pm

    Love your jacket!

    || The Neon Factor, a fashion blog by Diana 🦄 ||
    http://www.TheNeonFactor.com

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Meet Taylor

A real-life combination of Elle Woods and Hermione Granger. Recent graduate of the University of Georgia, currently living and working in DC. New blog posts every Monday, new YouTube videos every Thursday. Subscribe by clicking the link below for post updates and exclusive content!

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tayy_kay

📍 dc
🔥 nasm certified personal trainer
✨ self-love + balance
🎥 2 new workouts per week!

tayy_kay
without heavy weights, it’s sometimes a little c without heavy weights, it’s sometimes a little challenging to really feel like i’m working at my full potential on leg days 😶 enter: single-leg movements. since all the weight is in one leg, you’re putting way more emphasis on it than you do during two-leg movements - and you’ll definitely feel that 🔥 you also get some added bonuses in the form of ensuring you’re working each side of your body equally AND a balance challenge!!
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you can add in weights or bands to up the challenge level, or do it all bodyweight like i am here!
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1️⃣ 15 single-leg box squats per leg (use other leg as a kickstand for an easier modification!)
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2️⃣ 15 bulgarian split squats per leg
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3️⃣ 15 single-leg hip thrusts per leg
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4️⃣ 15 single-leg deadlifts per leg
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throw on at the end of a longer leg day workout or do it 3-4 times as a workout all on its own!!
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👚 @girlfriend 🎧 numb - neffex
🖤 go easy on yourself 🖤 this is a weird time 🖤 go easy on yourself 🖤 this is a weird time to be alive, and it’s more important now than ever to listen to your body and stop being so hard on yourself. motivation is a fickle thing and working out when you don’t have all the equipment you love is weird. give yourself permission to take a break when you need it. don’t beat yourself up for missing workouts - exercise should be something you do because it makes you happy, not because you feel like you have to punish yourself. if it doesn’t make you happy that day, that’s okay. give yourself a break, come back and try again tomorrow. 💪🏼
circuit-style upper body workout 🖤 honestly not circuit-style upper body workout 🖤 honestly not kidding about how much i love this long resistance band, it’s so versatile! definitely worth getting your hands on one for home workouts 😊 (although almost all of these can be completely with dumbbells or heavy objects if that’s what you’ve got in hand)
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also please watch to the very end of the fourth video for quality footage of greg 😂
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1️⃣ 12 long band shoulder presses to standing chest presses
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2️⃣ 12 upright rows to bicep curls
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3️⃣ 12 overhead triceps extensions per arm (the one leg stance is some bonus balance work!)
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4️⃣ 12 rear flies, featuring greg trying to fight my shadow
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5️⃣ 12 commandos
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6️⃣ 12 side-to-side pushups
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repeat 4x total!!
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👚 @underarmourwomen
🎧 best of me - neffex
giveaway 🔥 we’re all handling this weird, cra giveaway 🔥 we’re all handling this weird, crazy time in the world a little differently, and for me, it’s looked like a lot of establishing to and sticking to routines (seriously, sometimes it feels like my skincare routine and workout split are the only thing still giving meaning to days of the week, lol). my morning smoothies have been another important one - there’s a recipe in my story highlights and surprise surprise it uses this protein powder 😛
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anyways, onto the real reason you’re here! i’m giving away 25 $20 giftcards for @310nutrition with NO STRINGS ATTACHED 🤯 you hear that? you ain’t gotta do a thing to win - the first 25 people to use the code KAYGC20 on their order automatically win. get your hands on some fire plant-based protein powder, courtesy of me and 310 😋 (p.s. if you’re still seeing this caption, there are still giftcards available!!)
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#310gc20 #310shake
sometimes you just gotta get hella dressed up and sometimes you just gotta get hella dressed up and hold a fake photo shoot just to prove to yourself that you’re still a real human
posted a new youtube video. this picture is tangen posted a new youtube video. this picture is tangentially topical. link in bio.
upper body circuit ‼️ i’ve been gravitating upper body circuit ‼️ i’ve been gravitating towards circuit-style workouts lately, because they really work up a sweat and home workouts just don’t feel as legit to me unless i’m hardcore sweating 🤷🏼‍♀️ i don’t mind not breaking much of a sweat at the gym, but it feels weird not to when i’m working out at home - anyone else feel this or am i just weird?? 😅
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do all exercises back to back with no rest in between!
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1️⃣ 10 push-ups to renegade rows
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2️⃣ 12 alternating bicep curls
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3️⃣ 12 diamond front raises
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4️⃣ 8 sets of 3 tricep pulses to this lil cross-body weight move that doesn’t have a name {keep your core tight to feel it on your obliques!}
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5️⃣ 15 bent-over rear delt rows
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6️⃣ finisher!! 🥵 10 burpees with 2 shoulder taps and 2 toe taps in the middle of each rep
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repeat 🔁 for a total of 3 rounds!!
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👚 top from @gymsharkwomen, shorts from @nike 🎧 dangerous - neffex
would be nice if both sides of my head could agree would be nice if both sides of my head could agree on whether my hair is wavy or straight, but apparently that’s a little too much to ask of it 😂
got a circuit-style leg workout for you today! 🥳 there are 3 sets of 3 exercises that you’ll complete back-to-back - once you’ve done those three moves, rest for 30 seconds before repeating them all over again 2 more times! rest for 1-2 minutes in between each circuit - keeping your heart rate up is the goal here, i was driiiiiiipping sweat by the end of this one 🥵
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circuit 1️⃣: 10 step-ups to reverse lunges per leg
10 reverse lunges to curtsy lunges per leg
20 lateral lunges
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circuit 2️⃣:
10 squats to surrenders (stop in a squat position before standing up at the end to really feel this one)
10 stagger-stance rdls
20 criss-cross squat jumps
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circuit 3️⃣:
15 leg lifts per side
10 single-leg glute bridges per side
15 frog pumps
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👚 top from @fabletics, joggers from @gymsharkwomen
🎧 watch me - neffex
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