Los Angeles, California | 6/5/19 – 6/12/19

August 1, 2019 ~ bellalightner ~ Leave a comment

Long time no blog! I have not been active on here in a few months because I’ve been dedicating all of my time to a new project (will talk about in next post). Now that I have finished that, I want to finally make a post about my second trip to California back in June!

outfit : bodysuit : Bershka (similar) | jeans : Rag & Bone (similar) | heels : Bershka (similar) | bag : Bershka x PANTONE

We spent our first day in LA in my favorite area, the Melrose and Fairfax district. A great place for streetwear and vintage shopping. Also, I love seeing all the art and how it has all changed since the last time I was here, three months prior.

outfit : Jeans : BLDWN (similar) | shoes : Veja | top : Forever 21 (similar)

Our second day was spent in Santa Barbara! It was about an hour drive from LA with very little traffic and it was a gloomy day but for here, it was perfect. A trip to the Santa Barbara Mission is a must. It is really beautiful and actually very interesting.

There are a TON of restaurants in Santa Barbara, like a ton, so go here on an empty stomach. If you like seafood (I do not but if youuu do) you’re in the right place!

Also definitely take a walk down State Street. It is full of shops; some well known and some local.

Sunday was spent around Venice Beach. Out of all the times I’ve been to LA, I’ve never been to Venice. This was a crowded spot for sure but it was really cool to see all of the street performers and artists, touristy shops, and the skate culture here. Tip: find a good spot on the beach away from people and it’ll feel less crowded. Tip #2: wear sunscreen…

outfit : set : Forever 21 (similar) | shoes : Bershka (similar)

swimsuit : Target | coverup : Forever 21

We had a full relaxed day around Beverly Hills, Burbank, and Encino (where we stayed). I got to see some family and an amazing sunset over Studio City.

One of my favorite things to do here is to drive through the Hollywood Hills at night. You get to drive by some amazing homes and there are multiple scenic outlooks that let you view all of LA. Route Muholland Drive to get there and then feel free to get lost.

Last trip we went to Disneyland so this time we went to Universal. Personally, I enjoyed Disney a lot more; there was just more to do. Universal was cool but it was so insanely hot and the lines were ridiculous. If you’re going to Universal, invest in the fast pass. It’s a little more expensive but it will be worth it; I wish I would have done this.

On our very last day, we had no plans so I googled things to do, as any tourist would, and we decided to head to Malibu and ended the night driving down the beach to Santa Monica. This day was full of oceans and sunsets and it was the best.

If you’re ever in Malibu, go eat at the Coral Cantina. It’s no Malibu Farm, but the food is super good.

Stay tuned for my next post where I announce on here what I’ve been working on for the last 5 months!

xx Bella

Denver, Colorado + DIOR Exhibition | 12/27/18 – 1/2/19

January 5, 2019January 4, 2019 ~ bellalightner ~ Leave a comment

I got to spend New Years Eve in Denver, Colorado and wanted to share some of my photos from the trip below. It was absolutely freezing and I did forget to shoot some of my looks but one of my 2019 goals is to live more in the moment and spend less time on my phone.

This post officially has me caught up with all of my delayed and scheduled blog posts which to me, is super exciting. One of my blog goals for 2019 is to stay active and caught up on this platform as well as my others and not get behind. Stay tuned for tons and tons of content to come soon!

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outfit : coat : H&M X Moschino | pants : Nasty Gal

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I’ve been looking forward to going to the Dior From Paris to the World Exhibition ever since I heard about it. It started in Paris and then moved to the Denver Art Museum. I saw the most gorgeous dresses from the beginning of Christian Dior to the present, including looks worn by Elizabeth Taylor and Grace of Monaco and of course the iconic Jennifer Lawrence awards show gown. This exhibit goes on until March and it is worth every penny.

Dior Exhibition

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outfit : coat : H&M X Moschino | skirt : Bershka (similar) | tights : Calzedonia

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Last Week Living in Florence, Italy

December 24, 2018 ~ bellalightner ~ Leave a comment

After almost four months living in one of the most beautiful places in the world, my time eventually had to come to a close. I saw some of the most amazing things and traveled to the most beautiful cities. Here, I learned a lot, not only in school, but about myself. I ended up spending a good amount of time by myself and kind of figured out what I wanted to do with my life when I got home. I had a great time and will definitely be back very soon.

Ciao for now!

xx Bella

Florence, Italy

Pisa, Italy | 11/26/18

December 24, 2018 ~ bellalightner ~ Leave a comment

The iconic Leaning Tower of Pisa is only an hour train ride from Florence so it is a definite day trip must! Pisa is a very small town and you can do this in a day, or just a few hours like I did.

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outfit : top : Forever 21 (similar) | shorts : Zara (similar) | boots : Zara (similar)

Pisa, Italy

We ate dinner at a place called Pizzeria Trattoria Toscana right across from the leaning tower and it was absolutely amazing! Slightly touristy but we wanted to stay close to the tower. Very good- if you go, you have to try it!

Pizzeria Trattoria Toscana

Dublin, Ireland, Cliffs of Moher, and Galway, Ireland | 11/22/18 – 11/25/18

December 18, 2018December 18, 2018 ~ bellalightner ~ Leave a comment

I recently traveled to Ireland for a weekend and here are some photos I took while I was there. We toured the Jameson Distillery on Bow Street, had a drink at Temple Bar, and toured the west side of the country. I have been to Dublin before; see my first post from last year, here.

Jameson Distillery

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outfit : jacket : Zara | jeans : Topshop | blouse : Bershka

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On our second day in Ireland, we took a 12 hour tour to the far west side of the country to see the Cliffs of Moher, Kilmacdaugh Monastery, The Burren Rocks, and the city of Galway. This day was one of the coolest things I have ever done and probably one of the best things I did while being abroad. The tour was extremely affordable; it was only 40 Euros a person + additional food and fun expenses. For a full day of travel and sightseeing, this was incredible.

Here is the link to the tour to buy tickets if you are ever interested in going – https://www.getyourguide.com/dublin-l31/cliffs-of-moher-full-day-tour-from-dublin-t91047/?referrer_view_id=c7f9b212cddf6cdc5aaf4f1925b9a90a&referrer_view_position=1

Kilmacdaugh Monastery

Burren Rocks

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Cliffs of Moher

Galway

Paris, France | 10/26/18 – 10/28/18 – 11/2/18 – 11/5/18

December 12, 2018December 11, 2018 ~ bellalightner ~ Leave a comment

Paris is somewhere I have ALWAYS desired to travel to and I am so lucky to have not only spent my 21st birthday there but to have gone twice within one week! I absolutely fell in love with this city and can see myself going back over and over again even more.

I am not going to write a whole lot in this blog post because it is so photo heavy. Certain photos will be captioned and of course, as always I will mention where the pieces of my outfits are from with shopable links.

xx Bella

10/26/18 – 10/28/18

Arc De Triomphe

outfit : blazer : Zara (similar) | tights : Calzedonia | bag : Fendi

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Eiffel Tower across the Siene

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outfit : top : Bershka | skirt : Bershka (similar)

Mona Lisa

Mona Lisa and me

I need to go back to Paris to actually take my time in the Louvre. We didn’t have a long time in Paris so we mapped out where a couple important works of art were and booked it directly there. I did get to see the Mona Lisa which was something I can say I did, but I personally think she is hyped up a little too much.

Louis Vuitton on the Champs-Elysees

Champs-Elysees

Givenchy

Saint Laurent

Walking down the Champs-Elysees is something I have seen and heard in movies and doing it myself was magical. Walking past the beautiful designer stores and coffee shops was just a dream. This is the street that made me fall in love with this city.

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Seeing the memorial for Princess Diana actually gave me goosebumps. It totally escaped my mind that the terrible incident happened in Paris and we just so happened to stumble across this. It is a beautiful monument dedicated to her and I am so thankful I got to see it.

Eiffel Tower

After going to Catholic school for the majority of my life, I learned a lot, not only about religion but about religious architecture. I remember learning about the construction of the Notre Dame Cathedral and seeing it in real life was crazy to me.

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outfit : top : Zara (similar) | jeans : Maude Vintage (similar) | belt : Off White

Siene

Notre Dame Cathedral Area

Eiffel Tower

Since it was my 21st birthday, I was 100% determined to pop champagne while watching the Eiffel Tower sparkle. This is a moment I could have only dreamed about. It was so surreal I feel like it didn’t even happen.

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outfit : dress : Zara | belt : Off White

Halfway to the top of the Eiffel Tower

11/2/18 – 11/5/18

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outfit : dress : Zara | boots : Zara

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Eiffel Tower Sommet

I have wanted to go to this beautiful church ever since the thought of a Paris trip came into my head. Unfortunately, I was able to go the first weekend but made it my top priority that I went the second time. Sainte-Chapelle literally took my breath away. I could stand beneath those stained glass windows for hours.

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The view from the top of the Eiffel Tower is great but the view from the top of the Arc de Triomphe is way better in my opinion, mainly because the Eiffel Tower is in view. I also absolutely loved watching the cars go up and down the Champs-Elysees.

Bergamo, Italy |10/20/18 – 10/21/18

December 11, 2018December 10, 2018 ~ bellalightner ~ Leave a comment

Bergamo, Italy is a town in the Northern part of Italy closer to Austria and Switzerland. I had no idea what to expect when going here but it was actually really cool. My mom wanted to go here because her family was from there and loved to visit.

Bergamo

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To get to the historical part of Bergamo, you have to get on a trolly type ski lift thingy to get to the top of the hill. Walking is also an option, but apparently it is a hike and we only had a day here.

Bergamo

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The Bergamo Cathedral is one of the prettiest churches I have ever been to! Is is small but extremely detailed. It is free to go in which is a plus. When in Bergamo, this is a must see.

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outfit : jeans : vintage (similar) | jacket : Amuse Society (similar) | shirt : Levis | boots : Zara (similar)

Arezzo, Italy | 10/19/18

December 11, 2018December 10, 2018 ~ bellalightner ~ Leave a comment

Arezzo, Italy is a small town just an hour train ride south of Florence. I would have never thought to go to this town if it weren’t for my mom mentioning it. We covered this town in just a few hours because it was so small; a great Tuscan day trip.

Arezzo

Piazza Grande

Bergamo

Duomo

View of Tuscany

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outfit : top : Zara (similar) | shorts : Zara (similar) | boots : Zara (similar)

International Festival

We were lucky to have visited on the day that they were having their international festival! There were vendors with stands selling things from tons and tons of countries. The line of tables and tents was probably almost a mile long.

Sugar

There is also a lot of amazing shopping in Arezzo. I purchased a beautiful pair of western leather boots from Sandro Ferrone.

Florence, Italy – Study Abroad : Week 7

December 10, 2018December 10, 2018 ~ bellalightner ~ Leave a comment

Some photos from my 7th week spent in Florence!

Santo Spirito

Morning Walk to school

Palazzo Vecchio

The Bargello Museum in Florence is such an underrated museum. There are some really important works of art in there and everything else is extremely beautiful. This museum doesn’t take long at all to go through and is definitely worth seeing if you’re ever in this city.

Vivoli is said to be some of the best gelato in Florence. I’ve learned that the less attractive and decorated the gelato looks, the better it tastes. That is so so true; so if you’re ever in Florence, or anywhere in Italy, stick to the less touristy, less pretty gelato places for a more authentic taste.

Florence, Italy – Study Abroad : Week 6

December 10, 2018December 10, 2018 ~ bellalightner ~ Leave a comment

Here are some random photos from my sixth week living in Florence, Italy!

Santo Spirito

On the second Sunday of each month, there is an outside market in Santo Spirito. Vendors are selling everything from food, to home goods, to vintage designer items. I picked up a vintage Fendi tote bag for an amazing price here.