Ten Things You Don’t Need in Your Closet and Recent Removals 6 May 2016 8:38 PM (8 years ago)

Working in NYC means spending long periods of time without my full wardrobe. While this may be frustrating for some, I’m looking at it as an experiment in utilizing a minimalist wardrobe. And so far, I’m really enjoying having less items to choose from on a daily basis. This is really inspiring me to get back into that Parisian Wardrobe goal of mine. And this also means more closet purging posts for you!

I have an idea for a flowchart to make to help you work through what to keep and purge in your own wardrobe. I’m working through the key decision points I’m finding I go through when I’m looking at my own closet. As I go, I’m also keeping an eye out for additional inspiration. Sometimes you catch a video that really inspires you to get into that closet and start decluttering. And sometimes you find someone who shares a tip you hadn’t thought of.

Ten Things You Don’t Need in Your Closet

I found someone who did both on YouTube when I stumbled upon Carly Cristmas. She makes fun, mostly fashion-oriented videos, including one called “Ten Things You Don’t Need in Your Closet!”. We share many of the same closet cleaning rules, and I loved hearing her perspective on them. Like:

“If you have a piece of clothing that you’re like, Oh my God, my aunt bought this for me six years ago for my graduation. I can’t get rid of this. Yes, you can. Yes. You. Caaaan!”

Plus, she introduced a new-to-me rule: you don’t need things with bad memories in your closet.

It seems so obvious, yet I easily thought of a couple things I’d held onto because they were good quality or liked them. And I also didn’t wear them because it reminded me of bad memories.

Recent Removals (Parisian Wardrobe Purging)

On a recent trip home, I thought I’d have more time to go through my closet than I did. I only had a little window of time, but I used it to pull a couple items. If clutter is built up bit by bit, it can be removed with the same idea. I really think every effort helps when you’re going in the right direction.

Closet Removal #1: Old Denim

I originally received these jeans for free from a brand that is, sadly, no longer in business. I actually really liked the jeans overall. They fit really well, especially in the booty, which can be a challenge. There was just one thing. The moto-styling in the knees didn’t fit right on me. As I tried them on again, I realized that some extra fabric in the knees made these points in the fabric stick out oddly. Not only did it seem obvious that there was something wrong with the fit, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. And who has time to worry about that kind of thing when you’re wearing jeans?

Finally, these jeans fit the age-old advice on frequency of wear. I probably haven’t worn these in at least 5 years. I’m way past the 1 year of non-wear guidance. It was time.

Closet Removal #2: Worn-Out Tennis Shoes

I pulled three pairs of shoes to recycle. They were pretty worn down. Two had no tread left on the bottoms. One had holes in the side area next to the toes. These were at some point some of my favorite shoes to wear to class. But, one of them has been reminding me of a toxic friend. No bueno. On the upside, the other two reminded me of many hours dancing with some of my favorite people in the world in dance fitness classes. We had a good run.

Have you purged anything recently? What helped you let it go?

Chalait NYC: Matcha Latte and Avocado Toast 3 May 2016 4:20 AM (8 years ago)

One of the coolest things about My Big 2016 Announcement is that everyone wants to send you tips on where to eat (and drink). NYC restaurants are always featured on various TV shows, and I get to be the lucky recipient of noted eats. Sometimes I forget that I’m able to access NYC places so easily. I’ll be watching TV and see something cool and I think to myself, “I’d love to eat that! Too bad I’m not in…wait a second!” Anywho, so my cousin sends me a message about a cool place he saw on TV called, Chalait. Apparently they have an awesome muesli toast. I also spotted a couple other things I love…

Chalait NYC: Matcha Latte and Avocado Toast

I’ve been a Matcha Green Tea Smoothie, and do you know how hard it has been to find a place that serves matcha over the years? While I had fun attempting to make my own matcha lattes and also using the green powder in baking and cooking experiments, I really wanted to find someone who knew how to make a matcha latte the right way.

Luckily for me, the matcha trend is picking up steam. I’m hoping that seeing many places offer the drink in NYC means that it will eventually make its way back home to Charlotte where I can further enjoy it. Actually wait, there already are a couple Sunflour Baking Company | Charlotte NC that do serve it! But you know…the more the merrier.

I happily meandered around West Village, one of my favorite parts of NYC, in search of green drinks and eats. Chalait is conveniently located near what looks to me like one of the more major intersections of the area.

It’s also right next to a subway stop (the 1), if you’re traveling from another part of the city. And one of the larger stations, West Fourth Street, is a couple blocks away too.

I was so excited to dive into the bright mug of green matcha goodness.

The Chalait matcha latte is the real deal. Chalait prides itself on using top quality matcha powder, which you can read more about on their site. The latte is thick and creamy and pretty intense as far as matcha lattes go. I loved it!

Note: the latte is served unsweetened when ordered as-is, but you can ask for sweetener if you’d like.

I was also hungry for a light lunch, so I snagged a piece of avocado toast. Almost as intense as the latte, this was pretty massive. Served on a thick slab of whole grain toast, you get a hearty serving of creamy avocado mash, topped with radish slices, egg slices and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Yum!

{Chalait NYC: Matcha Latte and Avocado Toast}

The space itself, like most NYC spots, is pretty small. There are several seats available around the barista area, but the marble-topped tables (there are only two) are the prime spots for you Instagrammers. Since I enjoy a great Insta-shot, I was bummed they were all taken when I visited.

But, Chalait won me over with their high quality ingredients, delicious fare, and friendly service. I knew I’d be back…and often, at that! I still have to try the muesli toast!

Where: Chalait NYC (West Village)

What to get: Matcha latte, Matcha hot chocolate, Avocado toast, Muesli toast

Inside: Pretty small, but I usually get a seat. Almost always busy, but turnover is pretty good.

Tips: If it’s your first time, the staff is super friendly. Ask them for tips. When I took my new-to-matcha friend, they suggested the Matcha hot chocolate.

***

Are you a fan of matcha? What’s your favorite way to eat or drink it?

The post Chalait NYC: Matcha Latte and Avocado Toast appeared first on The Chic Life.

New Email Newsletter 2016 29 Apr 2016 8:57 PM (8 years ago)

Hello, friends!

I’m excited to share a new update for The Chic Life. After using Feedburner as a tool for you to get my latest posts in your email inbox, I’ve decided to move to MailChimp.

Feedburner did a solid job, but the tool has been rumored to be close to shutting down for some time now. Additionally, I wanted to upgrade to something that is more robust to provide the best experience for you. And final bonus – I have the ability to do even more with the email subscription at some point in the future.

Subscribe for Free

If you’re not already signed up, you can do so right here:

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Why Subscribe?

You can get my latest blog posts delivered right to your email inbox for easier reading. Woop! I’m going to start with emailing full posts (not just excerpts).

This is all great if you:

dont want to worry about figuring out when new posts are live
want to read them somewhere without wi-fi

Plus, I’m hoping I can send some other interesting newsletters, including exclusive subscriber content, in the future.

Already Subscribed?

You don’t have to do a thing. If you already had a confirmed subscription, I’ve transferred you to the new service. You’ll now receive one week’s worth of posts in a single email. Plus, I may send out other fun newsletters too.

Troubleshooting

If you subscribed a long time ago (or if you do so now) and never saw (or see) an email from me, your confirmation email may have gone to spam or otherwise gotten lost. Be sure to check for a confirmation email. The subscription is a two step process, so you won’t see an email until you confirm. If you can’t locate it, just add your email to the form above, and you should receive a fresh confirmation email. Easy, right?!

If you have any other questions, feel free to email me at thechiclife at gmail dot com.

Thank you for reading and subscribing (hopefully)!

Hope you like the new email newsletter!

The post New Email Newsletter 2016 appeared first on The Chic Life.

Why I Signed Up for ClassPass NYC 22 Apr 2016 3:41 AM (8 years ago)

After teaching dance fitness for over five years, keep reading for more on why I signed up for ClassPass NYC.

A New Fitness Need

One of the hardest parts of heading to NYC for work at the beginning of 2016 was that I had to give up my weekly dance fitness classes. Both classes were on weekdays, and I was now needed on site in NYC Monday through Friday. While missing my participants, fellow instructors, and assistant team was a sure-fire thing, the gray area for me now was fitness, in general. After struggling to find a workout I actually liked and briefly falling in love with yoga, I’d now been doing dance fitness pretty much 100% since 2007.

At first, I loved dance fitness for distracting me from the fact I was working out. In the last couple years, I started doing a class the company created that featured toning, yoga, and pilates moves in one session. It felt more like a workout, but I still really enjoyed it. Over time, teaching kept me motivated on the days I wanted to stay home and eat potato chips on the couch. Where I may have lacked the motivation to get to class for myself, I knew I had to pull through for my dance peeps. I couldn’t let them down. And we always had so much fun in class dancing and singing and letting loose for that hour. How could one replace the irreplaceable?

The answer? You couldn’t. I decided that this was a great time to get out of my comfort zone. It would be interesting to see if there were new workouts I liked. And I might even pick up some new instructor skills along the way. And the best way to do this? ClassPass.

I’ll write a longer review later if you’re interested, but basically, instead of signing up for only one studio or gym, by joining ClassPass, you get access to their entire network of locations, from gyms to boutique studios.

My New Fitness Goal

My goal: maximum growth.

How do you grow? By getting uncomfortable and trying new things. It isn’t easy, but it is worth it.

While I wasn’t avoiding doing the usual completely, the goal was primarily to get out of my comfort zone. I would try non-dance classes. I would try new kinds of dance classes. I would try workouts I wouldn’t normally expect that I’d like.

Cost Incentive

Before deciding on ClassPass, I considered joining a local gym in NYC. But, when I looked at the price tag, I couldn’t pull the trigger to sign up. The cost would have been roughly $300 for a really complicated “breakdown” of fees I still don’t understand. It was something like…you had to pay for the previous month, plus the current month, plus a registration fee, plus some other fee. Suddenly, the $125 price tag for ClassPass was looking more attractive.

Not to mention some boutique studios could cost even more. It’s not unusual for a single class to cost $30 or even more!

If I only did two workouts per week, that would be roughly $15 per class. Not bad for NYC prices. And if I went more than twice a week, I’d do even better.

Discount: Speaking of cost, if you’re interested in signing up for ClassPass in your city, you can use my referral code/link, and we’ll both save some money ($20 currently) – click here. This is part of their referral system that’s open to everyone, not just bloggers. At the time of this post, I’m three months in and loving ClassPass.

Variety Incentive

I considered signing up for a small boutique studio. But, I didn’t want to do just yoga, or just dance, or just whatever. I wanted to do all the things. I wanted to try as many new workouts as possible.

What I really liked about ClassPass was how many different studios you could find. In my research, I found classes I expected, from dance to yoga. But I also found ice skating, toning, boot camp, rowing, and almost anything you can imagine. I even hear there may be golf and paddle boarding available soon!

And you may be thinking, “But, Diana…you don’t golf.” Well, I’m writing this post after the fact, and I can tell you that my experiments have been successful, and I’m learning that I’m enjoying workouts I never would have tried back home. Pushing myself to try new things has been one of the best things I’ve done recently. And I’ll be blogging all about it, so stay tuned for my ClassPass recaps!

Why I Signed up for ClassPass NYC

Cost, variety, and the chance to get out of my comfort zone. This is why I signed up for ClassPass NYC.

Thanks for stopping by! And check back soon for my upcoming ClassPass posts!

The post Why I Signed Up for ClassPass NYC appeared first on The Chic Life.

Chelsea Market Visit (NYC January 2016) 3 Apr 2016 7:39 AM (9 years ago)

After NYC High Line in Winter 2016, Dana and I headed to Chelsea Market for a quick bite to eat. And to warm up. If you’re looking for restaurants near the High Line, while there are plenty of great options, a Chelsea Market visit will give you multiple options in one covered area. This could be important if you’re seeking shelter from cold weather, hot weather, rain, etc. Not to mention there are lots of great options and also some fun shops to visit.

Even in the winter, Chelsea Market was kickin.

There were food options galore, from bakeries to an Asian-taco inspired spot to ramen to doughnuts to more.

Looking for more? You can get a full list of the restaurants (and shops) available at the Chelsea Market web site here.

Chelsea Market Visit Photo Op

And if you’re looking for a good photo opportunity…

…this fun stream of lights hanging from the ceiling would be a fun spot.

Chelsea Market Restaurants

Maybe it was the rain, but we were feeling something cozy. We got these grilled cheese sandwiches from the cheese shop in the market. They totally hit the spot.

Our dessert stomachs were calling, so we went just around the corner to the Doughnuttery Chelsea Market NYC.

Hot, fresh, made-to-order doughnuts. Yes, please!

We each got a different flavor and shared. I went with the mixed berry flavor.

The Food Network studios are in Chelsea Market. Somewhere. Maybe upstairs?

Artist Area Chelsea Market

One of my favorite parts of the market was an artist area called Artists and Fleas. It was a large open area with various artist and flea market style booths. I got a signature necklace to represent my NYC adventures.

And we found this interesting sticky note display where people were encouraged to post their New Year goals (or something to that effect). It was so interesting to read all the notes. Some were funny. Most were serious. We wanted to add one too, but there were out of post-its.

Chelsea Market was a fun place to visit, and I hope to go back soon. At times it felt small, but it also strikes me as the kind of place you could visit a hundred times and always see something new. I guess I should go back to find out.

NYC High Line in Winter {2016} 31 Mar 2016 3:53 AM (9 years ago)

After seeing Times Square and doing some light shopping, my next activity was visiting the NYC High Line in winter {January 2016}. I’m very fortunate to have good friends in the city to see while I’m in town for work. And my friend Dana (who was in my wedding), took me to the High Line for a fun afternoon. We also hit up Chelsea Market for lunch. I’ll share photos from that on a separate post.

It was an unusually warm day for January in NYC.

You can probably tell by this light coat I’m comfortably wearing how warm it was. Or if you haven’t seen a true NYC winter coat, trust me, it’s usually much thicker, longer, and warmer. And this photo was not taken on the High Line but on a nearby street at the north end.

Umbrella Lesson

Just before leaving for our outing, my friend Dana was explaining to me how variable the weather is in NYC. I guess sometimes you have to learn things the hard way because I dressed for the weather I had just looked up online. The forecast was nice and rain-free.

Sure enough, almost as soon as we got on the High Line, it started raining. Luckily, it was a relatively light stream, but I was completely unprepared – no umbrella, no poncho, no rain jacket. The jacket pictured above is at best water resistant and doesn’t have a hood. Doh.

Consider this lesson learned…for NYC, in general, not just the High Line.

There seemed to be a fair amount of construction going on around the High Line. The scaffolding was a welcome sight for us since we took cover underneath it from the rain.

Rain and all, the High Line was a pretty cool (and free) experience. There wasn’t a lot of greenery on the NYC High Line in winter, but it was still well manicured.

And as the drizzles started clearing up, I saw something special. A beautiful rainbow that seemed to stretch all the way to Central Park.

What is the High Line?

The High Line is a public park, built on an old rail line, that hovers over the busy streets of western NYC. It stretches from the Meatpacking District (in Lower Manhattan) to Hudson Yards (in Midtown Manhattan). There’s a map on the High Line web site if you want to learn more about where it’s located.

And did I say I saw a rainbow? I saw a double rainbow! You can just barely make out the second one in the above photo.

High Line Photo Ops

Since I’ve only visited the High Line a couple times, I don’t have a full list of my favorite Photo Ops. Let me know if you want me to make one. Basically, as long as you don’t zip straight down the High Line and keep an eye out for great shots, you’ll find plenty of opportunities along your way. If you’re a photography fan, you’ll have plenty of fun here just taking all kinds of photos. You can check out this list of High Line “features” for great photo op locations.

The above shot of Chelsea is one of my favorite photo ops. I didn’t even realize till this blog post that in my two trips, I’ve stopped here both times.

I’ve even seen what looked like engagement photoshoots going on here.

And of course the architecture is very photogenic year-round. You don’t have to have green grass all around to get some great shots of the buildings you’ll pass by as you walk the High Line. It may even be better to go to the High Line in winter since the paths can get pretty crowded. Maybe the cool weather will keep the crowds down?

For building photography, I really like the modern silver one (pictured below) and the Hudson Yards area. Most (all?) of the Hudson Yards skyscrapers are still being built, but it’s interesting to see the area.

There’s also a cool area near the north side, in Hudson Yards, where you can get some great train and train track photos. It’s also where the path stretches close to the Hudson River, so you can get some great shots of the river and surrounding area.

Hovering Above the Streets of New York

One of my favorite things about the High Line is how you basically get to hover above the streets as you wind through the many buildings along the west side of NYC. You’re not so high up that you feel like you’re floating in the clouds. But, you do get a whole new POV of the city. Plus, you get to avoid the dangers of street intersections and don’t have to wait for cross walks, so you can enjoy your walk without those distractions.

Look at these beautiful blue skies we got to enjoy once the rain cleared.

Overall, I was really impressed with the High Line. The walk was really pretty. I loved being above the streets and could see hubby and I taking Bailey here for some fun walks. My photography enthusiast side had a blast taking lots of photos (once the rain went away). I could see myself frequenting this place often.

NYC High Line in Winter Tips

Cost: Free

When to go: The park isn’t open 24/7. Check out the High Line web site for the latest hours and other useful visit information.

How to get to the High Line: Spanning between Gansevoort Street (southernmost) to West 34th Street (northernmost), between 10th and 12th Avenues, there are many entrances throughout, including some elevators access points. Check out the High Line map to look up more.

Crowding: It can get fairly crowded, which may make a winter visit more ideal since the cold temps may keep the crowds down.

Where to warm up: There are plenty of restaurants and shops along the High Line. But, my favorite place to warm up is Chelsea Market. It’s a cool, indoor market with several places to shop, plus places to eat. There’s also (what looked to me like) public seating if you just want somewhere to sit down for a bit.

More: Consider bringing that umbrella/poncho/etc. (just in case). There’s hardly any cover if it does start raining or snowing. For snow, the umbrella will help keep snow from collecting on your bags and also help keep it out of your camera lens if you’re snapping lots of photos.

***

Have you been to the High Line in winter? What are your favorite things about it?

Hope you enjoyed these photos of the NYC High Line in Winter! Thanks for stopping by!

The post NYC High Line in Winter {2016} appeared first on The Chic Life.

My First Trip to NYC 24 Mar 2016 5:59 PM (9 years ago)

As sad as this is to admit, going to NYC for work would be my first trip to the Big Apple. Ever.

It’s not that I haven’t wanted to go to NYC in the past. In fact, hubby and I almost went around the holidays last year. There’s no good explanation. It just hadn’t happened…until this year.

I thought it would be fun to share some photos from my first trip to NYC and some easy, tourist things to do in Midtown Manhattan.

My First Trip to NYC

Note: This post contains affiliate links. I love the products I linked to and the opinions expressed are my own.

I left early on a Tuesday morning in January 2016.

I’m not a fan of flying, but I brought a couple things that made the trip more pleasant. I had Eat, Pray, Love on audiobook with Audible (Click here for a Free Trial). And my friend Lindsey had given me mini colored pencils and The Mindfulness Coloring Book: Anti-Stress Art Therapy for Busy People (The Mindfulness Coloring Series)as a gift. I found Elizabeth’s voice very soothing to listen to, and the coloring book was a nice distraction. These were all easily portable, so I’m thinking of bringing them on all future trips.

I was really hoping that I’d be able to see the city from the plane. I had no idea which side to sit on to get a good view, but as luck would have it, I was on the correct one. At least flying into LGA. I actually had a middle seat and couldn’t easily see out of the window. I considered just staying quiet and not worrying about seeing the city from the sky. But I couldn’t resist.

At the risk of sounding like an NYC newb, I asked the gentleman to my left if he could see the city. I had guessed he was a working professional who went to the city all the time and would think I was a silly girl for asking such a basic question. He said he couldn’t see the city yet. But beyond that, to my surprise, he got my attention a few minutes later and pointed out the Statue of Liberty…

…and then the city. What a nice man! The city really is stunning to see as the plane nears the airport. My excitement was really building up now.

Tourist Things to Do in Midtown Manhattan

Since it was my firs trip to NYC, I wanted to hit up some of the more obvious things to do in Midtown Manhattan. It was easy to walk in the middle section of Manhattan to all of these places, if you’re ever in town and want to do some of the more tourist-y things.

I saw the Empire State Building, which as it turns out, is not difficult to see from almost anywhere due to it being so tall. It’s still fun to take pictures of it from different viewpoints. It’s such a beautiful building and even more amazing to see in person.

And since I’d carried on my luggage, I hit up Lush with my co-worker to pick up a couple more toiletries.

I’m working on a blog post for my favorite cold-weather products. It’s a bit late in the season, but maybe it will be helpful for future years too?

There is a TON of shopping in the Herald Square area. In addition to Lush, you can find a lot of the more mainstream favorites: Gap, Victoria’s Secret, Zara, and more. And if you can’t find what you want from the stores lining up and down the streets of this area, there’s another major store to hit up.

We visited Macy’s in search of true winter coats. Although we have Macy’s in Charlotte, this store is special because it’s their flagship store and also the largest in the country. Coats were on the 8th floor, so we took many escalators up. This store really is huge!

The escalators near the upper floors were really cool and looked to be made primarily of wood.

I found many coat options at the top but not the one I wanted. I decided to hold off for now. While I didn’t have a good winter coat, I did have 2-3 different layers I could wear together to give me the warmth and wind-breaking needed to make it through the day and night in NYC in January.

Of course, I also had to go to Times Square. The lights are really something to see in person.

And in the event you didn’t get enough shopping in before, there’s also a lot of shopping in this area too.

Tip: While I typically don’t recommend visiting places when traveling that you have back home, some may be worth peeking in. I’ve seen several NYC-themed products, like these Times Square Mac products. I also picked up some items at the Victoria’s Secret back in the Herald Square area with NYC graphics.

I can see why the locals may prefer to avoid this area. There really are people everywhere, even when the temps are freezing outside. As a visitor, this was still a must-see for me, crowds and all.

Do you take anything special with you on the plane?

What are your favorite things to do in Midtown Manhattan? Any hidden gems I should know about?

The post My First Trip to NYC appeared first on The Chic Life.

Ban.do Haul {March 2016} 18 Mar 2016 9:15 AM (9 years ago)

I stumbled upon the cutest gym bad and knew I had to get one. It’s made by Ban.do, a company that makes some of the cutest products around. While I was browsing around, I figured out that I could get a 20% discount by subscribing to the newsletter. It was enough incentive to pick up a couple more goodies while I was shopping.

Here’s my full Ban.do Haul:

New goodies:

“After this we’re getting pizza” gym bag – I literally get pizza after workouts all the time, so I thought this was funny
“I’m outta here” luggage tag – for all my upcoming travel
“Hopes + Dreams” notepads – I’m still a paper person and love jotting down notes
Sparkle earbuds – I wanted to have an extra on hand, and these are super cute

Can’t wait to use these!

Have you gotten any fun things lately?

The post Ban.do Haul {March 2016} appeared first on The Chic Life.

Zumba Convention 2016 Registration Is Now OPEN! 7 Mar 2016 10:23 AM (9 years ago)

Exciting news! Zumba Convention 2016 Registration Is Now OPEN!

Why You Should Register for ZinCon 2016 ASAP

Sessions are already selling out – if you want your top picks, register soon!
Two words – discount rate. Price goes up soon! Super Saver price of $395 ends very soon! Update: the discount rate period is over. Bummer!

Zumba Convention 2016 Registration Tips

Scan the schedule first – there are some duplicate sessions, though some slots of the same session are already sold out
Worry more about what you want to learn than when the sessions are – your schedule will depend more on where the sessions are physically located (from each other, from the hotel), and you won’t know where they are until you get to convention. Unless you’re not a morning person, because there are some early sessions. Why? Because it can take a long time to walk in between the sessions if they’re on opposite sides of the event area.
Hotel booking is separate – there are links to that info after you register and in your registration confirmation email.

I registered on my lunch break and wanted to tell you about this quickly. I’ll post more soon!

More Useful ZinCon Info

I’m planning to do a ZinCon FAQ, so please send all your questions to me in a comment or to thechiclife at gmail dot com.

Until then, check out my Zumba Convention page (click) which has links to my ZinCon vlogs, blog posts, lots of photos, tips, and more!

Note: Zumba did not ask me to write this post. I love ZinCon and wanted to share some tips to help fellow Zumbaholics.

The post Zumba Convention 2016 Registration Is Now OPEN! appeared first on The Chic Life.

NYE 2015 Dance Fitness Glow Party 28 Feb 2016 1:21 PM (9 years ago)

I started 2015 with a glow party. And for my last dance fitness class of 2015, I hosted another dance fitness glow party. This time it was for NYE. I’ve hosted a few of these before, and you can find links to all of them on this theme party page here on TCL.

These are some of my favorite parties to host. I would probably do one every week if I thought people wouldn’t get sick of it.

For those reading The Chic Life for awhile, you know I always try to take each party up a notch. This year, I thought it would be fun to set up a photo booth with props that I purchased at blacklight.com. I procrastinated ordering and ended up needing to get expedited shipping. Oops! I was distracted doing paperwork and prepping for my big trip in addition to the usual holiday madness. Anywho, blacklight.com has amazing customer service, and they made sure to ship my order the same day I placed it, even though I called at the end of the day! Thank you, blacklight.com!

My team and I also made props using neon poster board cut into various shapes, taped to bamboo skewers. And my sweet friend Leslie made a fun sign for the event. This was super helpful since I always get a little stressed out right before a big glow party. I just want things to go perfectly!

My team and a couple other volunteers showed up over an hour early for set-up. We placed blacklights all around the room, including one pro-DJ style light in the back corner.

I’m thinking of investing in another light and stand because it was a little dark in the room since we were in a full, single gym. It would probably be enough in a smaller room. But, I like full-on glowness!

I had a full house of enthusiastic dancers ready to get their glow on.

And I had the pleasure of having several guest instructors too!

It was one big party.

NYE 2015 Glow Party Playlist:

We Like to Party!
Evacuate the Dancefloor
Let’s Go
Bambalam
Baby Come Back
Fireball
Fight Night
Vivir Mi Vida
Sorry
11:59
Puakenikeni
Baddest Girl in Town
Take Ü There
Pegate
I Need Your Love
Titanium

On a slightly sad note, I had to announce my new work project in NYC. This would be my last dance fitness class with them until my project ends. I had hoped to make the announcement the following week, but with there being a chance I’d already be in NYC by then, I wanted to make sure I was able to tell everyone before I was gone. This ended up being a good decision. I didn’t know at the time, but I would be in NYC in less than a week.

While it was a bit on the sad side, I could really feel the love and support of the class and my team. Instead of being sad, most seemed really excited for the opportunity to work in NYC. And there was always the upside that I’m coming back!

It was a great way to end the year. A great last class to teach (for the time being). And I’m looking forward to hosting many more for my classes in the future!

The post NYE 2015 Dance Fitness Glow Party appeared first on The Chic Life.

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