5:45am rise and shine! Today I had the great opportunity of working with amazing photographer and former dancer Oliver Endahl- the extraordinaire behind Ballet Zaida! Thank you to my publicist Anthony Turk for arranging the shoot and to Rachael Vang for doing hair and makeup! A special thanks to Anna Shay for offering to be my personal stylist and loaning me fabulous Valentino, Dior, Suzie Turner and more! Anna’s generosity is out of this world, thank you Anna Banana!!!! Working with Oliver was so quick and easy and lots of fun! We went from look to look and incorporated a lot of movement and some dance into the shoot. Thank you to everyone who made today come together. Can’t wait for you guys to see these photos. Check out Oliver Endahl and Ballet Zaida on Instagram to see his amazing work!! Stay tuned for more to come…

Love you guys!

https://itsaglamthing.com/2015/08/10/122/

Del Mar Opening Day at the Race Horse Track

Ocean Kayaking in La Jolla

Pumped about NYC so I went dancing in the Rain

I have been running all over the place. Just was in Del Mar, San Diego for the weekend visiting a friend from college, and now I’m back in my favorite place: LA! But not for too long….I am off to Manhattan Thursday morning! I have missed the wonderful NYC and I’m ready to be back quite soon. I am very excited to announce that I will be doing a photo-shoot with the wonderfully talented, experienced and kind photographer Lora Warnick (IG: lorawarnick)! I am quite excited to officially meet her in the big city and do a very personalized shoot. Of course my amazing mom will be coming along for the ride and we will be catching some seats at a Broadway show, strolling through the park and eating our way through the humid weather and crowded streets. I can’t wait! New York is such a magical yet realistic place with so much to offer in all areas. Rich with culture and diversity, I am thrilled to be able to once again get a taste of the east coast that I oh-so love very much (but LA is always home). This is only the start of what’s to come! Thank you for being on the ride with me…

P.S. A few necessities in my travel bag include sunglasses, my travel “no worry” stone to ease any unhealthy stress, and of course my GERARD COSMETICS lipstick! Gerard Cosmetics just released their newest color called “Vintage Rose” and it is to die for! PLEASE go check them out, they never fail to give me just what I need for any occasion! GO TO:  http://www.gerardcosmetics.com/

AND check out Lora @ LoraWarnick.com 🙂

peace and love

As is always said, every year we grow wiser. But what I’ve learned the most is that every year goes by faster and faster. It’s almost become frightening how fast time passes. I constantly find myself wishing I could freeze time even just for an hour so I can get more items on my “to do list” done. Realistically, there is nothing we can do about the passing of time but embrace it. As I turn nineteen, I am hoping to make as much as I can out of each day. I am going to try to find small moments in my day that make it beautiful and appreciate those little pockets of time I will never get back. Having a lifestyle that is filled with constant action makes it easy to get “caught up.” Sometimes I need to remember to take a second to breathe in the midst of all the madness. Speaking of the word breathe, I need to shoutout a really cool project I found out about! The My Intent Project is this awesome campaign aimed at encouraging people to choose a word they need in their life. As a constant daily reminder to yourself, the My Intent project makes you a personalized bracelet with the word you choose. (My intent bracelet says the word “breathe!”) It becomes a daily reminder, or your daily intention. Once it breaks off, you’re ready for a new word! So check them out! They are generating positive energy and meaningful conversations by word of mouth! http://www.myintent.org/create/

MY INTENT BRACELET

My mommy birthday twin and I <3

ME AND MY BDAY COOKIE

Happy Birthday America!

Hello beautiful people,

My apologies for being MIA for a little while. My days have been filled with almost no free moments, but no complaints about that because it’s an exhilarating journey every day. If there is one person who has kept me from going absolutely crazy and who has helped me avoid any mental breakdowns, it is definitely my mom. I needed to write this blog about my mom because she is seriously the most amazing woman I know. She is by my side through everything and I am always shocked and humbled by all that she does for me. My mom constantly reminds me that every day is a part of my personal journey to where I’m going, but the journey is not one I am in alone. My mom is a part of the journey at every step as my mom, my friend, my momager (HA), my biggest fan, my partner in crime, my reality check, my laughs and cries and so much more. It’s such an incredible feeling to know that no matter what, my mom is there guiding me but allowing me to be myself, make my own choices and take charge of my own path. I would not be where I am today without my mom. She has taught me to challenge myself, love myself, let go of the negative energy people push toward me, build a genuine team, practice what I love and most of all; never give up on what I am passionate about. “You have to believe in yourself or no one else will” is what she has always told me and I couldn’t be more thankful for that or for her.

Take the time out of your day to appreciate someone around you that has inspired you, loved you, and or pushed you in some sort of way. These are the kinds of people we want to surround ourselves with and these are the kinds of people that help get us to where we want to be and beyond.

LOVE YOU MOM.

I am so excited and happy to have announced my spread for the March issue of Genlux Magazine. The shoot was absolutely incredible, inspired by the extraordinary Anna Shay. She styled me in one of a kind Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Suzie Turner and more. Stephen Kamifuji, the creative director and photo editor for Genlux magazine, was so warm, welcoming and hands on in implementing his artistic eye to the shoot. I want to also thank the amazing photographer Tracey Morris who had ever-flowing ideas and made the shoot such a fun experience. Also, a big thank you to Miss Rockwell for glamming me up and executing the hair and makeup looks! She was so sweet to work with, we even bonded over our shared Puerto Rican heritage—our ancestors are from the same city!

I am really excited for everyone to see this shoot, it’s one of my first high fashion shoots for a magazine so it is truly unlike anything I’ve done before!

So now back to the college life, it’s absolutely amazing but it definitely has its ups and downs. Nothing in life is a linear pattern, at least not for me, and it’s tough balancing my dual life. Trying to figure out what classes you need to take and succeeding in them for your major, discovering the people who are and who aren’t your true friends, dealing with boys of course and their inevitable presence…everything I experience alongside plenty of others is a journey and very imperfect but that’s what makes it exciting and fulfilling. My theme of the week—you never know what’s going on in someone’s life behind closed doors. Therefore, learn compassion and radiate positivity. There’s definitely a lot to be thankful for.

Back to college with my Sarina <3

Stephen Kamifuji everyone!

XO,

LIZZY

Amongst all the madness we encounter on a daily basis, we must always find time to unwind or take care of ourselves and only ourselves for just a second. At least that’s what I tell myself…does it happen? More or less.
Like giving up your childhood and moving away from your family to train for the Olympics, the things we want so badly that we can feel its passion under our skin and in our bones, don’t seem to come easily. We all have experienced what that feels like—going to the gym everyday and not seeing a six pack in the mirror, doing the extra credit assignment and still not getting the “A,” going on a million auditions and not booking the part when you’ve spent hours breaking down the script….Yup, I’ve had some experience with that. We like to think we put our hearts into everything we do because it feels good and is damn reassuring when the moment is right and it all pays off! But what about those moments where things don’t go the way we wanted, or expected…what do we do then? People always say, “get back up again” or “don’t give up,” which is definitely true to an extent. But I’m doing this new thing where I try to give less energy and importance to those moments that don’t work out. Instead of allowing those moments to fuel our anger and frustration, we have to try to recognize what isn’t working and re-approach whatever we are doing to MAKE IT WORK! We are in control of our lives and we have the power to lead ourselves in a specific direction every single day. I can’t say that I have the answer or have necessarily figured it out, but Im trying to find the beauty in the mistakes and imperfections, and most of all I’m trying to learn from what brings me down, baffles me, and makes me question all my hard work, passion and heart. I think it’s healthy to question ourselves and our surroundings because we are the only person who can truly look out for “I.” So allow the frustration and dissatisfaction to fuel your spirit.

Much love to all of you,

I was in a “food for thought” kinda mood.

XOXO LIZZY

I don’t even know why I’m smiling.

1/2 terrified 1/2 so much fun.

The new year has officially begun and I am already so excited for what’s to come! So many people have already contributed to making the start of this new year productive and enjoyable. It takes a team it really does and I couldn’t be more thankful for the team that surrounds me and pushes me everyday. This so perfectly goes with the theme of my new movie “Spare Parts,” which emphasizes that “It takes a team to build a dream.” That is the truth! The “Spare Parts” premiere last Thursday was absolutely wonderful! This true story came to life on the big screen and showed people how powerful the story that came from a “Wired” Magazine article really is. The movie contains every emotion, you’ll catch yourself laughing, on the edge of your seat, maybe even shedding a tear—the story captures it all. It brings to light not just a story about Latinos, but a story about what it means to be an individual with struggles. It is a moving and fun piece of work and I am very honored to be a part of it. Thank you to my insanely talented fellow actors, the director Sean McNamara, the writer of the screenplay, Elissa Matsueda, the wonderful team of producers; thank you to everyone involved! I hope you guys will all go check out this wonderful story on Friday January 16th and tell all your friends about it! And of course, don’t forget to let me know what you think!

I would love to thank Mason for my lovely white dress, Jeffrey Campbell for my killer red shoes, Sheree Fletcher for my stunning jewelry,  Shibue Couture for my secret necessities on the red carpet, and Corina Kramer for my hair and makeup look! You all made my red carpet look come together and made me feel like a princess so thank you!

This is just the start, keep your eyes out for some exciting news to come. And as always, feel free to message/tweet/facebook me any questions or topics you’d love for me to blog about! Much love, go see “SPARE PARTS” on Friday!

Check out the trailer by clicking the link below!!!

XO,

Lizzy
Elizabethsmall.com

George and I <3 Selfies.

It’s the second day of 2015 and what can I say?

Happy New Year to all you beautiful people! 2014 was a wonderful year filled with change, experimentation, new friendships, learning and more. 2014 was definitely the biggest year of change in my life thus far. I graduated high school, my parents sold and moved out of my lifelong childhood home, I started my freshman year of college, moved to Santa Barbara and got straight A’s for my first quarter, I filmed “Spare Parts” in New Mexico, finished writing and producing my “Gravity” EP, created a Kickstarter project to successfully fund my “Gravity” music video, went on a big family vacation for the first time in years….just a few things on the list. 2014 was a wild adventure where most of the steps I took involved chance and learning along the way. The best thing that 2014 taught me was that change is okay and maybe even great for the soul! It challenges you to let go of a comfortable routine, step out of your comfort zone and forces you to reinvent your strategies, reinstate your confidence and allows you to be okay with possibly failing. There was no way for me to know how 2014 would end up, all I could do was truly live through every moment and find something new to excite me everyday. Change is inevitable as we all know and I was scared to let go of my childhood home, my close friends from high school, my usual daily routine, the safety net of a high school campus and everything I was used to! Living in a new place whilst at college, coming home to a different house and neighborhood than I had come home to for the past 18 years, changing up my daily routine, dipping my toes into new areas and putting 100 percent of myself in whatever it was I was doing, helped me realize what life is all about. It will always be scary to change up your so called “normal” lifestyle and try something new, but it truly is a magical thing. I have learned so much this year and accomplished some goals I had been passionately trying to conquer and I cannot wait for what 2015 has in store. More change, more learning, more experimenting and finding out what sparks my vitality as a human being. Not that I am the voice of reason, but don’t be afraid to allow for change to occur. It is a natural part of living that can enhance your life and show you what it means to be alive! I mean come on, I even tried coconut water and drank an entire bottle on the first day of the new year–crazy stuff is happening! HA

But seriously, allow yourself to explore and you will truly be experiencing life!

Love you guys! My movie “Spare Parts” comes to theaters in 14 days!!! JANUARY 16th CHECK IT OUT, it’s a wonderful true story that reaches a large audience! 🙂

MUCH LOVE and happiness for the new year,

LIZZY

Elizabethsmall.com

Gravity Release Party 🙂

On set of “Spare Parts”

My lovely manager and I!

Best family and vacation I could ask for <3

Livin’ that college life

Hello everyone!!!
I’m currently on the Celebrity Reflection cruise ship sailing through the caribbean with my whole family. Our first stop was Old San Juan. It was really amazing to see Puerto Rico because my mom was born with a Puerto Rican mother. Our second stop was St. Thomas which was absolutely beautiful and we zip-lined through the jungle. The ocean water was so clear and turquoise that you could see the bottom of the ocean floor.

Today we went snorkeling in St. Martin and it was so unbelievable to be swimming in the ocean with so many fish around you.

It’s been so crazy but fun spending every second of the day with my three beautiful sisters and parents of course.

The beach is my favorite place in the world– all of you must get to a Caribbean beach, so put it on your bucket list!

One thing I’ve learned on this trip is to sing in the morning before getting out of bed. My sister Lindsay and I are sharing a room and we bug our sisters in the connecting room next door when we sing songs from Wicked in the morning before breakfast. Try it, it wakes you up! HA

Merry Christmas Eve! Happy Holidays to everyone and Happy New Year! The new year has so much to bring and I can’t wait to share some exciting news with you soon! Don’t forget to watch “Spare Parts” in theaters January 16th!

Let me know what YOU are up to! As always, you can find my social media links on Elizabethsmall.com

P.S. Make sure to wear Nuetrogena Ultra Sheer, Dry Touch 35 SPF sunscreen on your face every day! Trust me, it works. Thanks to Nuetrogena, my skin has remained safe in the caribbean sun! 🙂

Much Love,

Lizzy