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As much as I love creating content for my YouTube channel, I also spend a large amount of time entertaining myself by watching other YouTubers. I think I’m watching and listening to videos even more now than before to combat feelings of loneliness since not able to interact with people as much during quarantine. Here are a list of the YouTubers I’m binging the most right now, and who I think you would enjoy spending time watching, too. Hopescope: I’ve been an avid watcher of Hope for a few years now and she’s honestly one of the inspirations for my own channel. She’s the self proclaimed “legging queen” and very entertaining in her reviews. She reviews all sorts of activewear brands and gives back to her supporters a lot through giveaways. Her antics have made her one of my absolute favorite YouTubers. Margie Mays: I was first introduced to Margie on last season of America Idol. Then she popped up again when she auditioned for AI this season, too. On her channel she’s been talking about her experience auditioning for the show, and it’s really interesting to learn about what happens behind the scenes of a reality TV show. Kennie J.D.: Kennie’s “Bad Movies and a Beat” series has become my favorite thing to watch. She does her makeup while talking you through a really bad movie. Her thoughts on the movies are always hilarious, and it’s entertaining to hear about a movie without actually watching it. Let Me Explain: Similar to Kennie J.D. the Let Me Explain channel recaps movies. He doesn’t limit his channel to only the bad movies, though, and still manages to give you an entertaining view of any movie you could want to hear about. His videos are pretty short and it’s kind of like getting the “last episode recap” before a new episode of a show starts. If you didn’t want to go to the theater, but still want to kind of get the gist of a movie, or want to relive the best parts of your favorite movie give this channel a watch. My Thoughts Will Probably Offend You: Michelle McDaniel is a personal trainer, cosplayer, and YouTuber who dresses up and then discusses some sort of controversial topic happening in the world (from health and fitness to TikTok). She does good research and always seem to put into words what I’m thinking about the topics she discusses. Check out these creators if you’re looking for new YouTube channels to follow. And if you haven’t checked out my channel yet make sure you do that, too :)
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With everyone in quarantine right now I wanted to share some things that I’m doing to stay busy, and hopefully give you ideas of what you can do to help pass the time, too. 1. Studying for the CSCS test I’m currently dedicating an hour a day to studying to become a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. It’s something that has been a goal of mine for a while now, and since moving to California (before all of the COVID-19 chaos) I’ve been studying to achieve it. I feel really productive being able to still work towards this while in quarantine, and urge you to find something to work towards, too. Whether that be a certification, degree, puzzle, drawing, or just working your way through book. Dedicate an hour a day to something and stick to it. 2. Filming/editing for YouTube If you’ve been wanting to start a channel for a while now, but didn’t think it was the right time, I think now would be a great time to jump in. I’ve been spending a lot of my free time brainstorming future videos, filming content, and editing and it’s really helped me pass the time in quarantine. And it feels good putting videos out that can help entertain others during this time, too. If you don’t have a desire to start a channel, now is the ideal time to start something else that you’ve been waiting to start. Maybe its your fitness journey, meal prepping, a Poshmark closet, or a project around the house. 3. Working out Gyms are closed, which means we now need to be more creative with how we workout. Some people have invested a lot of money into home gyms, some people have turned to biking/running, and others are doing home-workouts with minimal equipment. There are SO MANY follow-along home workouts that you can find on YouTube if you’re lacking motivation, and so many options depending on what equipment you have and what type of workout you’re looking for. Making sure I’m still getting my workouts in has helped me keep a feeling of normalcy and routine to my days, and I've been making some YouTube videos to help other out there. 4. Staying in touch with family I moved to California about 3 months ago and my family is living in Virginia. Since starting quarantine I have been in contact with my family much more that before. It feels like with Zoom thriving and everyone prioritizing long-distance communication it has actually made it easier to keep in touch with family that is far away. For my boyfriend's birthday last weekend we had a Zoom/Jackbox game night with his family, my family, and us all videoing in from all around the country. If it weren’t for quarantine I’m not sure we would have been able to celebrate all together like that. It’s a very weird time, but I like how much closer it's making everyone feel. 5. Netflix As most people know, watching Netflix is an easy way to pass a few hours (or days). I’ve binged many shows over the years, and often go back to rewatch my favorite series. Recently I’ve enjoyed Cheer and The Circle, and am currently watching Ozark. If you’re looking for more shows to binge here are a few more of my favorites:
6. Blogging I’ve really enjoyed having this blog to work on right now. It’s soothing to write down the thoughts in my head and I really recommend it if you’re bored while we don’t have anything else to do but sit at home. If you don’t want to start up a blog perhaps try journaling or writing a story. 7. Shopping and supporting small business Money is tight for a lot of people during this time, and however you want to spend your money is up to you, but I personally have been liking shopping at local/small businesses/businesses with a mission to give back. Small businesses are hurting during this time, and it’s making me feel like I’m helping a little bit by supporting their companies. 8. Spending quality time with those close to you I’m currently quarantined with my boyfriend and our 2 cats. We have made it a priority to spend more quality time together every day, and not just distract ourselves with Netflix/YouTube/video games/excessive screen time. We’ve been having more conversations, more cuddles with the cats, and just taking this time to appreciate all that we have. It’s nice to live in the moment with those that you love. To me it feels like life has slowed way down for us during quarantine. I hope you are able to make the most of it and that I’ve given you some ideas of how to pass the time. Stay safe and healthy out there everyone. Over the years I've built up quite a large collection of swimsuits. Being a retired competitive swimmer, as well as a beach lover living in southern California, it kind of comes with the territory. I’m going to let you know about my two very favorite bikini brands at the moment and what’s so great about them. Up first: Ballard Bikini This brand offers cute, functional swimsuits with a focus on providing a variety of prints and styles to make everyone feel comfortable and confident. They are a small business on a mission to be as sustainable as possible, and are working to bring awareness to ocean conservation efforts. Ballard Bikini is on the higher end of affordable swimwear but think they are well worth the investment. They just dropped some new styles and I was happy to purchase from and support such a cool brand. From their Retro Collection: Tulum Pink Tie-Dye top for $50 (size medium) and Kona Neon Orange/Pink Tie-Dye bottoms for $50 (size large). I think that the print on this bikini is so fun and that the fit is super flattering. The top is not adjustable, but it comes with removable pads and is very comfortable and supportive. The bottoms are a mid-rise cheeky fit. The sizing for both the top and bottoms are true to size based on their size chart. I feel like they both fit me perfectly.
From their Safari Collection: Malibu Leopard top for $50 (size medium) and Barbados Leopard bottoms for $50 (size large). I’m obsessed with animal print and the style of this top immediately caught my eye. It comes with removable padding and the shoulder straps are adjustable to give the perfect amount of support. The bow is removable, too, giving you the option to wear it as a straight across bandeau style. I love the versatility of this top. The bottoms are a little more high waisted and decently cheeky. Both fit amazingly and I’m excited to wear this bikini all summer long.
 Up next: Minimale Animale This brand first grabbed my attention as an ad on my Instagram feed. The eye-catching colors and barely-there styles spoke to me, so I made my way to their website. This brand gives a luxury feel with the price tag to match. Luckily they frequently have sales and promotions on their site, as well as an annual sample sale at their store location in LA that I wasn’t going to miss out on. Using these tricks I haven't paid full price for a Minimale Animale piece yet, which usually sell for $100+ each. The sizing for this brand is a little bit inconsistent, though, so I went with mediums if they looked more supportive/had more coverage, and larges if they looked less supportive/had less coverage. Shim Cat Bikini: Isle Top for $60 (size medium) and High Noon Brief for $35 (size medium). This bikini is everything I’ve ever wanted. The shimmer leopard print speaks to my soul, the cut of the top offers the perfect amount of support and coverage, and the bottoms are just cheeky enough while also not showing too much. I want to plan a trip to Las Vegas SOLELY so I can wear this bikini to a pool party.
Americana Bikini: I picked up these pieces from their sample sale, so they were unlabeled and heavily discounted. I’m going to guess that this is their Mirage Top in Blue Star Print (size large) and Ultra Brief in Mesh Cherry Bomb (size large). I’m usually not a fan of triangle bikinis on myself, but think that this one is super flattering. The adjustability on the straps and the band make it feel more secure (though still not the most secure bikini top) and I think the low rise style of the bottoms pair well with it. Overall I’m a huge fan of the unique prints and styles, and think they are the perfect option when you need a show-stopping swimsuit.
Parting Thoughts: There are so many options for swimsuits out there, from extremely cheap to high-end designer, and I honestly think that you get what you pay for. If you are willing to spend a little extra money on a bikini it can make all the difference in how confident you feel in it. If it’s something that you plan on wearing a lot and getting your moneys worth out of then I would definitely recommend either of these brands. And don’t forget to keep an eye out for sales!! I love a good deal on a nice bikini :) I recently purchased some items from Gymshark for the first time and have some mixed feelings about their clothes. This brand is SUPER popular in the ~fitspo~ community, so I had some high expectations. I bought 2 outfits from them, as well as a bikini. I really like the various styles that they offer on their website, from the color and coverage options, to the different styles of branding (I’m not a huge fan of excessive branding myself). Gymshark’s prices were also pretty fair, even on the lower end compared to several other instagram-hyped brands. The first outfit that I picked out is their “Move Sports Bra - Peach” for $35 in a size large and their “Training Short - Black” for $25 in a size medium. Based on their size chart I was just a little bit smaller than what they recommended for a size large for tops and a little bit bigger than what they recommended for a size medium in bottoms. Luckily the shorts fit AMAZINGLY and I am so happy with my decision to go with a medium. They have a nice high waist, are a soft materiel, and don’t ride up around my thighs. Overall I’m so happy with these. The sports bra, however, was way too stretchy to give me adequate support during a workout, and the material was soft enough that you could see the outline of the bra pads inside. Definitely not worth the money.
The next outfit that I picked is their “Lightweight Seamless Long Sleeve Crop Top - Slate Lavender” for $35 in a size large and their “Vital Seamless Leggings - Black Marl” for $50 in a size medium. Again, the bottoms really impressed me for the price. They hug me in all the right places and make me feel great. They’re probably my favorite piece out of everything that I bought. And yet again, I found that the top was not worth the money. It’s pretty comfortable, but the seams on it are not symmetrical, causing the collar to pop up on one side. Definitely not a cute look.
Lastly I picked up their “Horizon Bikini - Berry Red” and was happy to see that they sell their tops ($25) and bottoms ($20) separately. I ended up getting both in a size large, but like having the option to get each in a different size. I honestly should have sized down to a medium in both since they were both a little too big. The top is adjustable around the back and on the shoulders, and the bottoms are adjustable around the sides. The quality is pretty nice for the price, and I think that if I would have sized down I would have ended up keeping it. It’s a really nice option for a comfortable, cute bikini made for activities. The top and bottoms both offered fuller coverage. I would love to see more activewear brands come out with bikinis (I’m looking at you Buffbunny).
Overall I was disappointed with the inconsistent sizing of their clothes. Even when following the size chart the clothes were either hit or miss. The shorts and leggings though are definitely going to be some new favorites of mine. I do appreciate that Gymshark does free returns, which makes guessing which size to buy a little less scary. Final Verdict: Will be shopping here again for bottoms (and maybe a swimsuit) |
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