Style: February/March Haul.

Hello, everyone!

It's been a while, but I finally caught my breath and was able to put together a new post. School's reaching its peak for the semester, so doing things outside of that and work has been a bit difficult. While I haven't been able to shoot any outfit posts lately, I wanted to share with you guys my latest haul (everything was purchased in a 2-month span).

Hauls are somewhat of a mixed feeling initiator, as some find them inspiring and others find them annoying. I'm in between- mostly depending on the frequency of them.

For the most part, I've been trying to steer clear of the mall lately, so Sole Society, Sosie and Tobi are three of my newest discoveries which I highly recommend. Also, can't miss an opportunity to bring up my little Plato's Closet plug! I mean, a brand new J.Crew skirt (with the tags on) for under $15. Amazing stuff, I tell 'ya!

What are some of your favorite items? What's your favorite store?

ULTA purchases

Batiste dry shampoo

TreSemme heat protecting spray

Biore deep pore charcoal cleanser

StyleSexyHair spray clay

NYX Honey Dew Me up primer

Essie nail polish in Fashion Playground

Sally Hansen nail polish in Almost Almond

Forever 21

yoga mat 

Forever 21

athletic shorts

Amazon

lunch box

iPod armband

Plato's Closet

heeled sandals (orig. Nine West)

Macy's

Nike athletic shoes

SoleSociety

bucket bag

Aero

high-waisted bikini

ShopSosie

cold-shoulder top

Tobi

crop top

Plato's Closet

cold-shoulder top

Plato's Closet

blouse (orig. Joe Fresh)

Charlotte Russe

printed pants

Plato's Closet

skirt (orig. Forever 21)

Plato's Closet

skirt (orig. J,Crew)

Charlotte Russe

skirt

Charlotte Russe

skirt

Tobi

dress

Thank you so much for stopping by, and have an amazing weekend + a very happy Easter!

Lifestyle: How to Start off the Semester Right.

Good evening, everyone! Tomorrow is the first day of my last spring semester of college (say that 10 times fast), and I thought I would share with you some of the things I like to do in order to start off the semester without feeling overwhelmed.  I might be a bit late with tips for the beginning of this semester for some of you, but don't worry! These are tips that can be recycled every school year! Think of it as a little checklist of things to do. Here it goes: 1. Arrive on campus early: Although it may be difficult to part with homemade food and days upon days of Netflix, as soon as housing reopens (or at least 3 days before classes start if living off-campus), head on back to school! This will allow you to get used to being on your own again (cooking, doing chores, etc.) as well as give you the opportunity to solve any issues you may have with your school (financial aid, scheduling conflicts, etc) before campus gets crowded again and the lines are too long to deal with. 2. Purchase basic school supplies and groceries: Don't worry about books until you are sure that you'll actually be using them in class, but make sure to have a pencil + eraser, pen, and notebook by the first day of school. I tend to purchase multi-subject notebooks based on my schedule, so I'm not walking around with a handful of notebooks every day (e.g. I bought 3 2-subject notebooks: one for my two online classes, another for my Mo/We, and one more for my Tu/Th). Make sure to have at least a couple of weeks' groceries in case there won't be time to run to the store as soon as you would like to. For non-perishable items (rice, pasta, etc.), take advantage of parents' Costco or Sam's Club memberships and buy enough to get you through the semester. 3. Clean/scrub/rearrange: Do any tedious chores you might be thinking about putting off before your classes actually start. Thinking about dusting/vacuuming/cleaning out the shower? It'll be that much more satisfying to come back from the first day of class and admire the cleanliness you've created. Any type of room rearranging should also happen at this time. It's the perfect "new year, new me" thing to do before starting classes again!
4. Get in touch with old professors (and make plans to meet the new ones): Before heading into the new semester, pull up a list of the professors that know you by name and view you as a strong student. The professors that have given you letters of recommendation or allowed you to use them as a reference are of particular importance. Make sure to shoot them an email wishing them a happy new year, letting them know what you've been up to, and inquiring about their lives. Stop by office hours for the professors that are on campus and ask how they've been! If you have the syllabi yet, make plans on going to new professors' office hours to introduce yourself properly.  5. Have some materials for jobs/internship hunting: Take some time to look over any resumes, cover letters, portofolios you may have or begin creating these materials if you have not done so yet. They may come in handy for classes that require them, career fairs, or even spontaneous opportunities that might arise. These materials can always be perfected, but having the rough draft can be so satisfying!  6. IMPORTANT! Verify the requirements for your graduation- check degree audits- make sure you are on the right track and have a tentative plan for the future: This is so important! I can't tell you how many people I know that have gotten- pardon my french- screwed over by the university system. Every beginning of the semester, you should double, triple, and even quadruple check your graduation requirements and make sure you're on the right track. Do not rely on any graphs in your degree audit. Do it all by hand. It is tedious, but it will be worth it when you won't have to stay another semester for some random fine arts credit you didn't know you needed. Also, take some time to reflect on what the next step for you might be after graduation. Start looking at grad schools, or places you'd be interested in moving to post graduation. Of course, this doesn't have to be set in stone- life is pretty fluid- but just make sure you're not completely unprepared.  I hope I have given you some items to think about while you're starting off this new semester! Let me know of any important tips I have forgotten to mention! Thank you for stopping by, and good luck! 

Lifestyle: Tumblr Style Letters Tutorial.

Hello, everyone!

It's been a while, but I finally took a breather and managed to post this. In my dorm room tour last week, I promised a little tutorial on the letters on my wall, so here goes nothing! This is an easy peasy tutorial, so whenever you're looking for a quick way to spice up your dorm room, look no further:

Step 1: First of all, think about what you want your wall to say. Write out your entire phrase, then figure out how many letters you'll need of each. It's easier than taking each letter as it comes. Mine says "On va s'aimer, On va danser, C'est la vie." It's part of one of the catchiest songs ever! 

Step 2: After you've figured out the number of letters you need, it's time to choose the font. Dafont.com is one of my favorites, because there's a lot of pretty fonts on there. I always choose the ones that say 'Free for personal use."

Step 3: After downloading the font, open up Word and place your paper on top of your laptop screen. Trace the font on the piece of paper that you're putting on the wall. Use the part that will not be shown. Do this only for symmetrical letters, such as O, A, U, etc. 

Step 4: Other letters will come out backwards when you finish cutting them. For those, you should first transcribe the letter onto a white piece of paper, cut that up, then post it on the front part of the piece you'll be using on the wall. Cut your letters out. 

Step 5: Voila! Add some cute lights (these ones are from Target), and you've got yourself some cute new decor. For my letters, I reused an old Lilly Pulitzer planner because I absolutely loved the prints on each month page. 

Let me know if anything doesn't make sense- I'm currently on a special diet of no sleep, and plenty of homework and unhealthy sweets and greasy foods, so I might not be the most eloquent. I still wanted to share my procedure with you guys, though! Now I'm ready to collapse and cuddle with my stuffed animals! Nighty night! 

Lifestyle: Dorm Room Tour.

Hi, everyone! Since my outfit posts seem to be going on a bit of a hiatus for lack of photographers, I've decided it would be a good time to try somewhat expanding my YouTube channel, as well as my lifestyle and tutorial type posts. Naturally, I'll be getting back to my beloved outfit posts as soon as I possibly can- I'm just working with more of a mix right now :)

Thank you for stopping by! Let me know what you think about my new dorm room!

Opinion: Self-discovery through another's eyes.

Tonight's post is going to be a little bit different than usual. I've been meaning to write about this for a while, but now I'm getting around to it in an attempt to procrastinate on the important academic stuff I should be dealing with instead. A few weeks ago, I was having this gag-worthy adorable conversation with my boyfriend- he was telling me everything he's observed about me these past two years. And as he was listing more and more things, I came to a realization- we take so much of who we are for granted!

I'm not sure if I'm expressing what I want to say correctly. Basically, from the inside, growing into our own bodies, we become accustomed to ourselves to the point where there's never a sense of novelty. We just kind of take every little aspect of who we are and shrug it off as just that- a part of who we are. In doing so, we might think of ourselves as ordinary people with nothing special to offer, but from an outsider's perspective, things may be different. Throughout our talk, I found myself thinking, 'Oh, wow, this really is me!' He was mentioning little things, that have always been such a huge part of who I am, yet I've never been able to detach myself from them enough to identify them as traits, assets, hobbies, etc. As an example, I'm studying journalism because I'm tired of all the negativity the press is bombarding us with on a daily basis, and I would like to play a small part in the shift to positive news. Frequently, I spend my time watching UpWorthy videos, or scrolling through Buzzfeed's cute love-filled community posts. More than anything else, this is the stuff I share with my boyfriend, and, until he brought it up, I failed to realize just how important it was to identify this aspect of my life as a passion rather than just a habit.  Society places such a strong emphasis on figuring yourself out rather than relying on other people's descriptions, and while it's an empowering concept, it does has its flaws. For one, as mentioned before, sometimes things become us to a point where we can't peel off the layers and analyze them as individual traits forming a whole. But another, equally important aspect is the fact that people tend to sugarcoat the way they view themselves and describe themselves more in terms of who they'd like to be than who they actually are. In theory, a lovely concept. In practice, a dose of realism really should be applied.

The moral of the story is this- you owe it to yourself to ask for an honest description of how you're perceived by other people. It could be your parents, it could be your significant others, it could be your friends. They could have some pretty strong insight into who you are, and what your strengths and weaknesses come across. You don't have to take their opinions to heart if you don't want to, but don't cheat yourself out of the opportunity to hear them.

Ever use the expression 'You know me better than I know myself'? Well, sometimes it's a major truth-bomb.

Thanks for stopping by :) 

Lifestyle: Midterm Check-In.

As busy college students, we often forget to thank our bodies and our minds for everything that they put up with on a daily basis. During midterm season, we ignore our need for relaxation, for relief, for love. Between pulling all-nighters and binge-watching Netflix shows, little time remains for us to untangle our thoughts.

Showing yourself a bit of love does not have to be a daunting, time-consuming task. In just a few minutes, you can procrastinate productively and give your mind a break academically. Here are some suggestions:

If you have 2 minutes...

make yourself some tea

Whatever mood you are in, there's a tea out there for you! 

If you have 5 minutes...

plan your next step

Write down the main tasks for the next day- seeing them on paper helps!

If you have 10 minutes...

pick out tomorrow's outfit/pack your supplies

You'll feel less guilty about hitting the snooze button the next day- and less likely to be late to class because of it!

If you have 15 minutes...

organize your workspace

By working in a clean environment, you will be able to focus more on the task than the mess around it.

If you have an hour...

go exercise

Yoga is a dream during stressed-out periods! 

I hope my midterm stress-relief tricks have inspired you to take a break and focus on loving yourself, even for a tiny minute. Good luck with everything, and thank you for stopping by! 

Lifestyle: Freshman Year Review.

College may or may not be the best thing that's ever happened to me. This past week, I finished my freshman year, and I could not be more sad about this. It means I have 3 years left to be carefree. Then I have to worry about grad school and real life and honestly the thought of all that makes me a bit nauseous.

Alas, it's been a lovely year, and while there have been some things I wish I had done differently, for the most part I think I have it figured out. Here I will share a few things I believe I've done right, as well as a few things that could have gone better. Hopefully future freshmen will follow my advice as well as my warnings.

College is awesome! Don't mess up.

• School:

I feel good about... having spent time in the library. My dorm was pretty social, and I get easily distracted, so the library was great for actually being productive. I had my own spot that I sat in all the time, and I just got lost in my own head, and, most importantly, got things done when I needed to. That left even more time for socializing :). Honestly, the library and student union are two places to really take advantage of if you need to study or just need a moment away from everybody.

This could have gone better... the one thing I regret in terms of school is not trying harder in my physics class. I suck at science, and I just used that as an excuse all semester, convincing myself it's the only reason I failed the class (just kidding though, I got a B, but that's pretty much failing in my eyes). What was most upsetting was the fact that it was my only B for the year...and it was a 4-credit hour class. The professor was a douchebag, but I feel that had I put more time and effort into the class, I could have gotten an A. So moral of the story: don't use the fact that you're weak in a subject as an excuse. Put maximum time and effort, and you'll pull through. I didn't and I want to punch myself in the face because of it.

• Finances:

I feel good about... the fact that I had a set budget for the entire year and planned accordingly. By the end of the school year, I had managed to save up for a weekend trip to California (plane tickets and all), as well as an extra $500 to go towards my housing and meal plan next semester. At the beginning of each month, I went to an ATM, took out a certain amount of cash, and tried to stick to that amount for the entire month. Naturally, there were some times when I went a bit overboard (not by much). It's much more difficult to be ok with parting with your cash than it is to swipe a card, though. I also actively tried to write down my expenses, and I've noticed where I can cut costs next year.

This could have gone better... books. Campus bookstores are complete ripoffs. My first semester, I purchased all of my books (used) at the bookstore. Second semester, I rented them from an off-campus bookstore. There was a significant price difference, but I still feel like there's more I could have done about it. Next semester I'm going to try book renting services such as chegg.com, or get in touch with people that have already taken the classes I need and own the books. Get creative with it! The cost adds up pretty quickly!

• Social Life:

I feel good about... getting involved in extracurriculars. Since I stayed in state for undergrad, I see a lot of familiar faces all the time. I also roomed with one of my closest friends from high school. Knowing people was quite lovely, but I still wanted the college experience. Getting involved in clubs where I didnt't know anybody was the best decision I've ever made. It was refreshing to enter a world where nobody knows me, meet new people, and make new friends. I joined a club which deals with the international students studying on campus and the people I've met through it are some of the most amazing people ever. Other than extracurriculars, just going with the flow and accepting invitations even when you want to be lazy could make for a great time. Just explore! That is, as long as you stay safe.

This could have gone better... having my own fun rather than monitoring everyone else's fun. While for the most part, I enjoyed my time and didn't care about what anybody else was doing, I did have lazy days every once in a while. Now, those lazy days can be useful. If you need to recharge your batteries or study and catch up on work, they're great days! My mistake was not using these days properly. Instead of staying in and going to bed early, getting rested and caught up on work, I ended up going to bed late and stalking everybody else's fun on Facebook. Don't do that. It's a complete waste. And the sad thing is, it wasn't an activity I was consciously partaking it. It was strictly out of habit. 

• Wellness:

I feel good about... taking advantage of the gym. Working out in a specialized setting is going to be so difficult once I graduate. Classes are expensive. Gym memberships are expensive. I've spent about 2 hours a day at the gym this past year, doing back to back classes for Body Blast and Zumba. While the cardio room is all fine and dandy, classes are what really did it for me, just because I pushed myself harder. No one wants to be THAT person that slacks off, you know. Also, I decided to take Body Blast and Buns'n Abs classes in order to face my fear of weights. I've always been terrified of lifting, not because I fear getting buff, but just because the way I would go about if I were to go training on my own just wouldn't really be beneficial for my body. I enjoyed the results of these classes. On move-in day, I could barely carry up a hamper full of clothes. On move-out day, I carried my microwave and my TV to the car from the second story. It doesn't sound like a big achievement, but it's better than where I used to be.

This could have gone better... food consumption. While my workout schedule was impeccable, my diet completely counteracted it. Every day, I'd go to the dining hall with good intentions, thinking salad bar Salad Bar SALAD BAR. But every time, something else would draw me in. Pizza and grilled cheeses, anyone? It also killed me that our dining hall had delicious chocolate chip cookies. It didn't happen often, but when it did, I had to take advantage. And by advantage, I mean having 4 cookies at a time. Next year, I will approach the problem differently and make cheat days for myself. A week of health= a yummy reward on Sundays. Hopefully that will work. First semester I'll stick with a dining plan, but little by little I'm going to try to start making my own healthy food and give up on the meal plan second semester.

Hopefully my rants about what went right and wrong will help at least one future freshman make wise-ish decisions. 

One last thing: Be careful about partying. It can be really fun, but it can go wrong as well. Don't be a daredevil and know your limits. Also acknowledge when things get bad and get out of there. 

Cheers! 

Outfit: Slouchy Sweatshirt + Body-Con Skirt.

Photos by Amanda Cantrell

sweatshirt: Michael Kors 

skirt: Forever21

 tights: Charlotte Russe

 hat: Wet Seal

 boots: thrifted 

scarf: unknown

I've been incredibly sick these past few days, so I guess you could say slouch is my middle name. Since Thursday I got this new burst of energy- the type you get once you feel better after being sick and you feel like you can take over the world and such- I decided to semi-dress up. For comfort purposes I stuck with the slouchy look, but I wanted to feel a bit less repulsive so I opted for a pretty skirt and tights. Overall I was incredibly satisfied with the result. I felt girly, but not show off-ish.

I could go on entire rants about fashion in college and the way some girls just overdo it. My Fundamentals of Fashion professor goes on entire rants about it and it's absolutely hilarious. Don't get me wrong, I love my glitter and heels just like every other girl, but walking a college campus in stilettos just seems a wee bit exaggerated in my world. Though stilettos in high school were completely socially acceptable, or at least I pretended they were :)

Thank you so much for stopping by!