Couple crush: Gigi and Zayn

Let's talk about this "Wanton Weekend in Naples"!

Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik are officially our couple crush for this week: how awesome do they look on their Vogue photoshoot by Mario Testino? The stylish model and the ex One Direction singer look like a match made in heaven!

Credits: Vogue/ Mario Testino

It's sexy, it's cute and it's even rock and roll...

Credits: Vogue/ Mario Testino

Got us thinking about how lame our Tuesday was, right? Or is it just me? 

I wish I had Mario Testino following me around and taking these pictures! 

Here's some music inspiration for your week as well:

It's a paradise and it's a war zone! 

Your TopCrusher,

Daniela 

Mindy Kaling is all of us

I recently discovered that I love Mindy Kaling.

As you all probably know, the American actress, writer and producer was the awesome Kelly Kapoor on The Office and she is now the star of her own TV show, The Mindy Project. She is as funny as witty and she is clearly not afraid of making fun of herself, which is something that I can highly relate to. 

These are the reasons why Mindy is actually all of us:

1. Just because sometimes you hate your life and everyone around you sucks. Because Mondays, TPM, and 5 sudden extra pounds on the scale. That's why. 

2. But you know what? You've been complaining for a whole week and now Friday is here and you don't care any more. So you go all in and this is what happens:

3. And since you are now a hot mess, you decide that you actually look so good on the mirror you need to fix what's on the inside as well. Instant solution: channelling Beyoncé.  

4. Problem solved. Time to find the perfect guy because you're a pretty perfect lady who knows what she wants. 

5. In the meantime you find the guy and after a while remember that no man will ever understand the mind of a well educated, well fed and even better dressed woman and this is your reaction:

6. And finally, there's no other choice. 

Yup, Mindy is awesome and you are too!

Your TopCrusher,

Daniela 

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2016: now we're talking!

Remember when I said Ashley Graham is a major hottie and she totally deserved her place in the New York Fashion Week' runway? Well, I was definitely right. She is officially the first plus size model on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit and every woman on the planet has to approve and be proud of her! 

This is what the plus size model and body activist had to say on her instagram about the magazine's choice: "Truly speechless!!! This cover is for every woman who felt like she wasn't beautiful enough because of her size. You can do and achieve anything you put your mind to." 

And here's a sample of how great she looks:

credits

Beautiful, sexy and real: now we're talking!

Ashley is changing the fashion industry and I believe we need more of that. It's time to stop this sick and cruel obsession with weight, with sizes, with false and delusional perfection.  I invite you to listen to her TED talk and learn something about body diversity and self acceptance:

"I felt free, once I realized I was never going to fit the narrow mold that society wanted me to fit in. I was never going to be perfect enough for an industry that defines perfection from the outside in, and that's okay."

I think she said it all, right?

Your TopCrushser,
Daniela

Freaks in love

Hi Crushers,

Valentine's day is almost here and I've warned you before that there are no haters aloud when it comes to celebrating love! I'm not a big fan of huge and expensive gifts on this day but I do believe that we are all entitled to show our significant other how much we love them... and if there's a date for that, even better! 

Just keep in mind that one day a year is not enough to make anyone happy, there are things you can  - and should - do for your girl all year to make her feel loved and appreciated, It's so simple to make someone happy and even so, we seem to fail so many times! 

So, listen to the person you love, kiss her/him a lot, show her/him how much they mean to you, not only with empty words but with gestures and attitudes. If you are not in a relationship, well, lucky you, this is a great excuse to buy yourself something you've been wanting and to offer a box of chocolates to your mom, your best friend, your little brother, whomever you love and cherish. 

And most of all, love yourself first! 

Here's some Valentine's inspiration:

credits

And also, a song for all you freaks in love:

"slow dance to rock music, kiss while we do it.." 

Your TopCrusher,

Dani in love 

All about cinnamon

Hey Crushers,

spice it! credits

I hope you had a nice weekend!

Today, I'm writing about cinnamon: I decided that in 2016 I would start taking my healthy lifestyle attempts more seriously - this must be an effect of late twenty's consciousness or something - so I'm investing on some research about healthy food. 

I've heard about the benefits of cinnamon and I wanted to share these tips with you. According to what I've read, this super spice will influence your health in several ways:

1. Blood Sugar Control;

2.It has antifungal, antibacterial, and even antiviral properties;
3. Helps your brain function:
4. Lowers the risk of Heart Disease;
5. It may have beneficial effects on neurodegenerative diseases;

6. Has been widely studied for its potential use in cancer prevention and treatment.

It's also cheap and very easy to add to your daily routine! You should be careful with the quantity, studies recommend 1/2 to 1 teaspoon (2-4 grams) of powder a day because very high doses may be toxic.

I just want to stress that I'm not an expert in nutrition but I'll keep writing about the good things I find on my research so I can contribute with some tips for your well being too! 

Your TopCrusher,

Daniela 

We should be celebrating

Hey Crushers,

I woke up with this fabulous quote today:

quote via bustle

I mean, that's all. 

Are we asking too much? Nope, I'm pretty sure we aren't. 

Are we kicking ass most of the time on a professional and personal level? Hell, yes.

It's actually quite simple: we want equality, we want to be appreciated for what we are and we want to be respected. This isn't a women's problem: this is what everyone, everywhere, desires and deserves. So, yes, I want to live in a culture that does all these things, where I can celebrate myself and everyone around me, regardless of their gender, weight, colour, bra size, {insert everything else that we judge and criticize}.

*Oh, yeah, and good coffee would be great too. 

Your TopCrusher,

Daniela

Charles Bukowski and the terrible itch for solitude.

Today, we are going to talk about love.

Last night, my best friend and - one of my soulmates I believe - and I started to talk about our issues with love. We have known each other for 10 years now, we have held each other's hand throught everything, literaly everyfucking thing you can imagine. We seem to share the same views and thoughts on life so we often get into these deep discussions about what does it all mean. 

Suddenly, he showed me something that I can't just keep to myself. It was a poem by Charles Bukowski, one so raw, so heartbreakingly true...so us.

“Love is a form of prejudice. You love what you need, you love what makes you feel good, you love what is convenient. How can you say you love one person when there are ten thousand people in the world that you would love more if you ever met them? But you'll never meet them.” - Charles Bukowski

i'm going to get personal, I have recently got out of a 7 year long on & off relationship with what I thought it was the man I was going to spend my entire life with. It was bad. It was really bad and then...nothing. I started to get to know myself again, gosh how I have missed me. How could I forget how much fun I can be? How could I forget who I was? How?

You know that insecure, little girl who waited for validation from the people around her, almost apologising when she spoke her mind? She is no more. I have grown and changed into someone that is above all else ... stronger and belongs to the world.

I have this fire that makes me wanna go dancing every friday night and this lust that makes wanna catch the eye of that very cute guy in the corner and when it's over I pretty much just want to get home and get to bed alone. And that's ok. Wanting that is totally ok. No, you are not a slut, you are not some wild card, you know what you are doing. All of this is ok. I know they don't tell you that very often, do they?

Still...no matter how much fun I'm having, no matter with whom.... there's always a question on the back of my mind: is this it? Am I doomed to spend the rest of my life being the crazy cat lady from the simpsons? Fuck that. 
Fuck everything that tells me that by 28 I ought to be preparing for marriage and listening to some internal tik tak, tik tak. 

I'm 28, beautiful, successful, healthy - when I'm not destroying my liver every other day - I refuse to settle though.

Because, once you settle, how do you find the answer to this: " How can you say you love one person when there are ten thousand people in the world that you would love more if you ever met them?" That's hard enough to do when you're not settling. That is so hard, to actually stop thinking what if, to actually be happy with someone..."But you'll never meet them".

I hope I never stop wanting to go dancing. I hope this fire never goes out. 
I hope to never settle. I hope I get shaken to the core.

Your very poetic TopCrusher,
Alex