How I Edit My Instagram Photos 2019: Presets + Apps

Hello loves! Incase you missed my announcement on Instagram I’ve now made my Lightroom presets that I’ve been editing my photos with available to y’all to purchase! This is something that I’ve been wanting to do for a few months, and I’m so glad I finally made a couple presets that I’m proud of for y’all to apply to your own photos. I thought it would be helpful to show y’all how I use my presets, along with what other apps I use to edit my Instagram photos. This is probably the most popular topic that I get questions about on Instagram. Most of the apps and features I use for editing are free or available at a low price; anyone can do this!

A few notes about my presets. I have two available for purchase at $5 each right now: Night Owl and Golden Glow. I plan on adding more in the future once I perfect them! These presets are only for the free mobile Lightroom app, not the desktop version. On the preset page I have instructions on how to install them, but fee free to shoot me a question on Instagram or email if you get stuck! My goal with these is to help y’all achieve beautiful Instagram feeds with minimal effort at a great price. Now let’s hop into the editing process!

Golden Glow Mobile Preset

$5.00

Lightroom CC Mobile

Did you know that you don’t need an Adobe subscription to edit photos in the Lightroom app?! This is the app I use to create presets, apply presets to photos, adjust settings such as exposure and temperature, and crop my photos to satisfy Instagram’s 4:5 portrait ratio. What I love about Lightroom is that it is a more advanced editing application, so the quality of your photo is not compromised when you make adjustments. The phot below was edited with my Golden Glow preset ... and a made a couple of adjustments including exposure and temperature.

VSCO

Before switching to Lightroom, I was a die hard VSCO user for performing the bulk of my photo editing. Now I use the app to plan my Instagram feed. Once I finish editing a photo, I’ll import it into VSCO to see how it looks with the rest of my photos. If the photo seems off, I know I need to go back into Lightroom and make some more adjustments. If you still use VSCO to edit, my favorite filters are HB2 and A6.

PicsArt

One of my most asked questions is “how do you get stars on your photos?” The answer is PicsArt! I go to the sticker tab and search for stars, then place them on the photo. You can also use this feature to apply any type of design over a photo.

Unfold

I use this app for adding film-like borders to my photos and creating collages for my feed and stories. There are so many different settings on this app and I recommend it if you want to take your stories to the next level. This is a free app, but I paid extra for the FF1 pack.

Facetune

I don’t use this app as much as I used to, but it still comes in handy from time to time. My favorite features are the whiten, smooth, and tones tools. I use the whiten feature to brighten up any whites that look dull or discolored in a photo. The smooth tool can be dangerous and can tend to look fake, so I only use it if I have something on my face that’s extremely noticeable i.e. a huge zit (I don’t use this on every photo, just special circumstances). And finally, I use the tones tool for color correcting (ex. if one part of my skin looks completely different from the rest I use this tool to make adjustments).

I hope y’all found this post useful! Happy editing y’all!

Slap on some lipstick and smile

Channing

Family Vacation Recap: Disneyland + LA

Hello loves! Welcome to my first blog post of 2019. I’m kicking the year off with a recap of my family vacation that we went on over New Year’s. One of my goals for this year is to incorporate more lifestyle content on the blog, and I think this is a great place to start! I’m breaking down where we stayed, what we did, where we ate, and of course, what I wore. I hope you find this post helpful if you’re planning an upcoming trip to Disneyland/LA.

coat | shoes | jeans (similar)

We were in California for a total of 5 nights, which we spent all of at Disney’s Grand Californian Resort. Staying at a Disney property is the way to go at Disneyland because unlike at Disney World, all the hotels are walking distance from the parks.

dress | earrings | jacket (similar) | sunglasses

On our first full day we hit the original Disneyland park and ate lunch at one of our favorite spots: Cafe Orleans. This is by far my top restaurant inside the parks at Disneyland! Because we got to the park super early in the morning to avoid the crowds on this day, I kept my outfit comfy and casual. (p.s. Disney had special gingerbread churros for the holidays and they were DELICIOUS).

Our first full day in California was New Year’s Eve, so that night we had a nice festive dinner at Mastro’s, one of my family’s favorites. They have a location in Orange County, so it was only about a 20 minute drive from Disney. If you’re looking to have a nice night out with delicious food, I highly recommend! I wore one of my favorite dresses this night to ring in the New Year.

dress | shoes

On New Year’s day, we went to both Disneyland and California Adventure, the second park on Disney’s California property. We started off the day with breakfast at Carnation Cafe inside the park, a super cute and delicious spot. I wore my new “Ok cool. Hook ‘em” sweatshirt this day to support my horns who were playing in the Sugar Bowl that night (we’re baaaccckk). I paired my sweatshirt with my new leather leggings to stay comfy and warm at the parks (this day was the coldest of our trip due to some strong winds). Because we needed to watch the game, my dad and I picked up a pizza from Naples in Downtown Disney for dinner. I definitely recommend this place if you want some good pizza at Disney and don’t want to eat in the park (the restaurant just underwent a huge renovation…we actually ate there on the night we got into town).

leggings | shoes

The next day we took a break from Disney and spent the day in Los Angeles. We started off with an insanely delicious lunch at The Ivy. If you are planning a trip to LA you MUST eat here! My favorite dish is the lobster ravioli. (p.s. they also serve complimentary champagne) After lunch we did a bit of shopping which included trips to the Glossier store (ya girl needed her Boy Brow fix!) and The Grove. We ended the night in LA at the Lakers game, which was a blast.

After lunch we did a bit of shopping which included trips to the Glossier store (ya girl needed her Boy Brow fix!) and The Grove. We ended the night in LA at the Lakers game, which was a blast. It was so fun to check out the famous Staples Center (even though we didn’t get to see Lebron play due to injury).

dress | hat | shoes

On our last day, we hit everything at both theme parks that we hadn’t done yet, along with re-riding our favorites (Space Mountain and Guardians of the Galaxy). One cool addition that my mom and I loved this trip was the Festival of Holidays at California adventure. There were booths set up across the park serving holiday themed food and beverages and we absolutely loved trying the mimosa flights and the craft beer they had to offer! We ended our trip with a meal at Blue Bayou: the restaurant that is inside the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. We’ve been eating at this restaurant for years but they always update their menu so it’s different each time.

I’m so thankful that I was able to spend time and relax with my family before going back to school. We absolutely love visiting California and we hope to go back soon! Where should we travel to next?!

Slap on some lipstick and smile

Channing

sweater | jeans | belt | sunglasses | bag

Fredericksburg Girl's Weekend Recap

Hello loves! This past weekend I went to Fredericksburg, TX for a girl’s weekend in celebration of my friend Sloane’s birthday. I had never been out to the Texas wine country before, and I had an absolute blast. In today’s post I’ll be sharing the wineries we went to, where we ate, and of course, my outfits. I hope you enjoy this post!

two piece set

We got to our Airbnb on Friday night and since we were all a little tired from the drive, we decided to order in pizza from West End Pizza. We finished the night with drinking wine (of course!) and playing a good ole game of Cards Against Humanity.

Saturday was our only full day in Fredericksburg. We started out with brunch at Sunset Grill (I definitely recommend the Crab Cake Benedict!) which was delicious. After freshening up back at the house, we were ready to be picked up for our winery tour.

The first stop on our tour was Kerrville Hills Winery. We got to individually pick 6 different wines to try. My favorite part of this winery was the wine slushees they offered! The next stop on our tour was Santamaria Cellars. This was my favorite winery of the day. We got to sit out on their patio that overlooked the hills and try 6 wines they selected for us. The Cabernet Sauvignon was to die for and I even bought a whole bottle to take home with me.

Me and my gal pals at Santamaria Cellars … this is also where I took the first picture in this post

The last stop was at Barons Creek Vineyards. This was the most crowded stop on our tour. Along with the wine samples, they had an awesome cheese board! We took a lot of pictures here because it was gorgeous.

two piece set | shoes (on sale!) | sunglasses | bag

After a day of wine tastings, we went to dinner at Navajo Grill. The ribeye and crab dip were both delicious and I also recommend their cocktail menu!

On Sunday we took it easy just woke up and drove back to Austin. This was such a fun weekend and I definitely recommend it if you’re looking for something fun to do with your gal pals. Let me know if you have any questions about anything we did. I hope you enjoyed this post!

Slap on some lipstick and smile

Channing

College Apartment Must Haves

This post has been sponsored by Brita®. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Hello loves! I'm so excited to be back for my senior year at The University of Texas! Now that I am going into my fourth and final year of college, I have a good understanding of what items are necessities in a college dorm or apartment. I'm so excited to be teaming up with the Brita team for this post because I have been using Brita products since my first dorm freshman year. I hope you enjoy this post about my college apartment must haves.

Brita®

Having fresh drinking water is a must at college! I absolutely love my Brita Pacifica Water Filtration Pitcher that I picked up at Walmart. I have had a Brita in every college room I've been in over the last four years. The Brita Pacifica is perfect for reducing unwanted chemical tastes and odors from your water while eliminating the need for bottled water. The standard filter inside the Brita Pacifica lasts for two months, but there is also an option for a long last filter that only has to be replaced every six months. This water filter comes in multiple colors, so you could even get one to match your decor! Additionally, Walmart is super affordable and allows you to shop so many college must-haves in one location. You can purchase the same Brita Pacifica as me at the end of this post!

Coffee Maker

This is a must for caffeine addicts like me! Like the Brita, these come in so many different colors, so you can really customize them to your space. I've had this orange one for all four years of college and it's brightened up every kitchen I've been in.

Body Pillow

This is another item that I've had all four years of college! College dorms and apartments can feel a little sterile, and large body pillows help to make your space feel more home-y. It's also perfect to prop yourself up with taking care of homework while laying in bed (which I'm guilty of). This one has multiple pillowcase options, so it's another item that can be customized to your style.

Cozy Blanket

Tbh, I think I own 4 cozy blankets at this point... but you can never have too many! You never know when you'll need to use a blanket. Not only do I use these in my room if I get cold but they're perfect for when you're just lounging around with friends and you want to feel cozier. They can also be used as great decorative pieces...I love anything that's both fashionable and functional!

I hope y'all enjoyed this post! Be sure to check out the Brita Pacifica at Walmart. Let me know what your college room essentials are!

Slap on some lipstick and smile

Channing

My Favorite Places to Eat in NYC

Hello loves! I told y'all on Instagram that I would be posting a list of my favorite places to eat in NYC, so that's what I am going to do today! Since I've been on multiple trips to NYC and I lived there for 10 weeks this summer, I have tried numerous places in the city. I didn't want the post to be too overwhelming, so I'm just including places that are good for lunch and dinner. I hope you find this post helpful!

Olio E Piu

This place is located in west village and is absolutely adorable. All the pasta dishes are incredible!

TAO

This is such a fun and trendy place! I definitely recommend getting the giant fortune cookie for dessert.

Remy

This is my favorite place to eat before a show! The location is prime if you're catching a musical and the pasta is delicious.

Beauty and Essex

The best place to go with your girl gang ... plus there's free pink champagne in the bathroom.

Dos Caminos

Where you'll find the best guacamole in the city. And I definitely recommend the prickly pear frozen margarita!

Joe's Shanghai

They have locations in Chinatown and Midtown and are known for their soup dumplings.

San Marzano

This east village pasta bar serves up incredible dishes for only $10, and glasses of sangria for $5. The pear and gorgonzola ravioli was incredible!

I hope you enjoyed this post! Let me know what your favorite restaurants in NYC are.

Slap on some lipstick and smile

Channing

Free Things to do in NYC

Hello loves! I hope you're all having an amazing weekend. I've officially been in NYC for 3 weeks now, and I'm having an absolute blast. Since I've been to the city numerous times, people always ask for my recommendations for things to do when visiting. Today I thought I would share with y'all 4 of my favorite things to do that are absolutely free. I think I will post a comprehensive roundup of all my favorite things to do at the end of my time here, but I thought it would be fun to start with a few free ones. Let me know if you enjoy this post!

Museum at FIT

This is a fun thing to do if you're interested in fashion. The exhibits are always changing, but both times I've gone they're had amazing vintage pieces from iconic designers such as Dior and Chanel. It's a small museum so it won't take a lot of time to go visit either!

9/11 Memorial

This is an incredible thing to go see if you've never been. The memorial consists of two pools in the same spots where the twin towers stood, and the names of everyone who lost their lives surround the pools. You have to pay to go inside the 9/11 museum (which I definitely recommend), but viewing the memorial is absolutely free.

Central Park

Central Park is a beautiful oasis in the city and is perfect for walking/jogging, or just for taking photos. There are so many trails and landmarks that you can spend as much or as little time here as you want. I've been loving going here on a sunny afternoon and walking the trails.

The Highline

The Highline is an old train track elevated above the street that has been converted into a park. It overlooks the water and you can access it from multiple points in the Meatpacking District and in Chelsea. There are also booths selling food and drinks along the path if you need a pick-me-up. The Highline offers amazing views and is a great place to snap photos.

I will be in NYC for 7 more weeks, so I still have many things to try. Let me know what your favorite thing to do in the city is!

Slap on some lipstick and smile

Channing

How I’m Protecting Myself and Staying Chic In New York This Summer

This post has been sponsored by Sabre. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Hello loves! I’m in NYC for my summer internship! I thought it would be fun to share with y'all what all I am going to be carrying in my bag every day when I go to work. Of course, some of this might change throughout the summer, but there are certain staples that must be in there to keep me chic and protected in a new big city.

Sabre Pepper Gel

It's incredibly important to be cautious in a new city, so I carry around this Sabre Pepper Gel in case of an emergency. What makes this pepper gel so incredible and different from others is that it is stickier and can reach a further distance; the best advantage of gel over typical pepper spray is that gel does not atomize in the air, eliminating the chance of blowback—even in windy conditions. Being in a big city like New York, it really brings me ease knowing I have something that can protect me in places I’m not familiar with. I particularly love the Sabre design because it can easily attach to a key ring and the pink color is super chic. Best part? You can purchase it via Amazon, which, who doesn't love that?! So quick and easy.

My Phone

This one is pretty obvious but I thought I would include it anyway. I have the black iPhone 8 Plus with a black marble case. I'm also obsessed with my cute popsocket! Again - another key MUST HAVE in my bag - especially to help navigate me safely around a big city.

Portable Charger

To go along with my phone, I carry my portable charging battery pack to make sure that my phone doesn't die on my subway ride home or wherever I'm going after work. I love this particular one because it's lightweight while holding an insane amount of charge. Having a dead phone is the worst, and I don't want to be caught in the city without one.

Bluetooth Earbuds

Bluetooth earbuds are my favorite headphones in the world, and I carry them to listen to music on my commute to and from my internship. People always ask me if I have a problem with them falling out of my ears, and personally, I think they stay in great!

Makeup Bag

Sometimes you just need a little touch up throughout the day, so in this bag (which I picked up from Merci in Paris) I have powder, oil absorbing sheets, and my lip color of the day.

Laptop

I'm not sure how necessary this will be, but I thought I would share it with y'all anyway. I found this light pink laptop case for super cheap, and I love adding new stickers to my collection.

Water Bottle

This marble Swell bottle is my absolute favorite water bottle. I carry this with me at school, and I love using it just as much when I’m at my internship. I have the larger size, which I definitely recommend if you drink a lot of water like me.

Wallet

I've shared this in other bag posts, but it's still my go-to wallet! It's the Louis Vuitton Clemence wallet with the yellow interior. I love how it fits everything that I need while still being super slim.

I hope y'all enjoyed reading about what's in my bag! Let me know in the comments what you keep in your work bag and if there's anything else you recommend I carry with me.

Be sure to check out the Sabre Pepper Gel via Amazon below.

Slap on some lipstick and smile

Channing

Screen Shot 2018-06-28 at 7.59.01 AM.png

Mother's Day Gift Guide

Hello loves! With Mother's Day coming up this weekend, I thought it would be helpful to put together a last minute gift guide for all of you (like me) who procrastinate on gift buying. I have a wide variety of gifts at all different price points, and I'm sure you'll find something your mom will enjoy! I've also teamed up with my friends at Smile Brilliant to give away a teeth whitening gift for either you or your mom....so keep on reading to find out how you can win. Let's hop into the gifts!

Corkcicle Wine Chiller

I was watching one of Rosanna Pansino's YouTube videos and she mentioned this product, and I thought it was so unique and useful! You keep it in the freezer, then when you open a bottle of wine you replace the cork with this to keep your wine cold will it sits out. It also acts as an aerator so you can achieve the perfect pour every time. This would be the perfect gift for any mom who loves wine!

Diptyque Baies Candle

This is my absolute favorite candle and it would make such a luxurious gift. The jar is so aesthetically pleasing and would amazing in any mom's home. The scent is fresh and home-y and is so strong that it lingers after it has been blown out. I know these candles are expensive, but I think they are so worth the money!

Monogram Bracelet

This dainty bracelet would compliment any mom's style. It's a timeless design that would match any jewelry she already has in her collection. And since it is monogrammed, it adds a bit of a personal touch. BONUS: it's only $28 AND 20% off this weekend!

Smile Brilliant Teeth Whitening Kit

I have used this teeth whitening system and it works wonders! The kit comes with the tools to make custom whitening trays, and whitening gels to insert into the trays. I've had great results with this kit (see photos below) and I think it would be a really awesome gift. Smile Brilliant is giving away a kit to one lucky winner and all you have to do to enter is follow me on Instagram (@thechanchic) and leave a comment on this blog post! I'm going to pick a winner on Monday May 15. If you don't win or just want to go ahead and make a purchase, use code thechanchic20 for $20 off a purchase on the Smile Brilliant website!

Jo Malone Fragrance Set

My mom has some of these fragrances and she loves them! Jo Malone is a luxurious brand that someone probably wouldn't buy for themselves, so I think this would make a wonderful gift. I love this gift set because you can try many scents for basically the same price as one full-size scent.

Cozy Blanket

I have this blanket in my apartment and I absolutely love it. It's so cozy and comes in multiple colors, so you could select one that best matches your mom's house for the perfect gift.

Mother's Day Dish Towel

This decorative dish towel is so cute! It says 'home is where your mom is' and would look so cute in any mom's kitchen. It's also only $20 which makes it a great gift for anyone on a budget.

Lush Mother's Day Bath Bomb Set

Lush bath bombs are my absolute favorite, and this gift set would be perfect for any mom who loves to relax. These are my favorite brand of bath bombs, and since the gift set is mother's day themed, it would make the perfect gift. BONUS: it already comes in wrapping paper is wrapping gifts is not your thing.

Kendra Scott Cale Hoop Earrings

I thought these earrings were so elegant and would make a wonderful gift. These would be perfect for the mom who has a classic style or is going somewhere nice soon and needs some new jewelry to wear. They also come in rose gold and silver if those colors are more her style.

I hope you found this mother's day gift guide helpful! Be sure to leave a comment below to be entered to win a system from Smile Brilliant. I hope everyone has a happy Mother's Day!

Slap on some lipstick and smile

Channing

How I Edit My Instagram Photos

Hello loves! Today I'm going to show y'all how I edit my Instagram photos. I posted about this a while back, but since I changed blogging platforms, the post was lost...so I decided to redo it for y'all today! This post will not cover how I take my photos, but simply how I edit them. I know these steps will seem really unnecessary to some people, but I love having a cohesive and aesthetically pleasing Instagram feed, and these steps help me to achieve that. For all my visual learners out there, I also made a video to show EXACTLY what I'm doing. I'm using my latest Instagram post as an example, so be sure to check it out if you haven't already. Enjoy!

I use three different apps to edit my photos: Facetune, Snapseed, and VSCO. I use each app for a specific purpose and I always use them in that order.

Facetune

I use this app specifically for the whitening tool. I love taking pictures in front of white backgrounds, and I use this tool to make the white appear brighter and less yellow toned. I will occasionally use the detail tool if I want to enhance something, but I didn't do that in the example photo.

before

after

Snapseed

This is an extra step I added recently and I love the difference it makes! I use the tonal contrast tool, select mid-tones, and turn it down to 25. It makes the images appear slightly sharper and I absolutely love it. (p.s. Sometimes the tonal contrast edits aren't extremely visible until after the filter is applied in VSCO).

before

after

VSCO

I use VSCO for the bulk of my editing. I first apply the A6 filter (I do not adjust the intensity of the filter) before doing any other adjustments. I use this filter on every single one of my Instagram posts to create a consistent feed (side note: when I first started focusing on my Instagram theme I used the HB2 filter on VSCO so that's another one I love!). After applying the filter I crop the photo into a square. I then adjust the exposure (I lean toward a brighter photo), temperature (my theme is more warm toned than cool), contrast (between 0 and +9), sharpness ( between 0 and +9), skin tone (I take it in the negatives but it depends on the photo), and tint (between 0 and 2). Of course, all of these adjustments will vary slightly depending on the original photo but this is what I generally do.

before

after

I hope y'all found this post helpful! Be sure and follow me on Instagram if you haven't already. Also, let me know if you would like to see more photography posts.

Slap on some lipstick and smile

Channing

3 Online Shopping Hacks

Hello loves! if you're anything like me, you probably love to shop online. It's convenient, there's so many choices, and it's fun. When shopping online I use a few different tricks to save a little cash and I'm so excited to share them with y'all today!

Ebates

Ebates is a website that offers cash back on online purchases from most retailers. You simply log onto Ebates, select the retailer that you want to shop, then Ebates will direct you to that site. Each store offers a certain percentage of cash back, and once you make a purchase, the cash back will appear in you Ebates account! Once you've accumulated enough cash back to cash out, Ebates will either mail you a check or deposit the money directly into your PayPal account. If you're already going to be shopping online, you might as well make a little money while doing so! You can sign up for a FREE Ebates account HERE.

Student Discounts

So many online retailers offer student discounts! I've linked a few of my favorites below...just click the images to sign up.

Cross Referencing

Many of my favorite brands are sold in a variety of retailers. One of my biggest tips is when you find an item you like online, check and see what other stores have the item so that you can compare prices.

For example, I first saw the Free People top below a couple months ago at the Free People store in Austin, but they didn't have my size in the color I wanted. Last month, I saw the exact top in a different color at my local Nordstrom for around 40% off! Since the store didn't have the color I wanted, I went on the Nordstrom website to purchase the top. I cross referenced with the Free People website and lo and behold the top was on sale at Nordstrom but not at Free People (p.s. it's on sale at Free People now but it wasn't at the time of purchase).

top | skirt | bag | sunnies | bandana

This method takes a little bit of work but you can end up with a great deal at the end!

I hope you found these tips helpful. Let me know in the comments if there are any tips you have for shopping online!

Slap on some lipstick and smile

Channing