Style: Summer Faves with Raise.com

When Raise.com contacted me to participate in their summer interactive campaign, I was intrigued, 1.because the concept of their website is fabulous, and 2. because sharing my summer favorites with you guys sounds like a blast!

Raise is the first online marketplace to buy and sell gift cards, where you can buy gift cards (at a discounted price, mind you) for your favorite stores, or sell those pesky ones that grandma keeps sending over for Christmas (Talbots again? Really?!?) for cash. The website stocks gift cards that fit a wide variety of wants and needs, and the fact that you can get a $100 value JCPenney gift card for only $80 has me sold! Also, their Careers page has me sold, but that's an entirely different story!  Now, without further ado, here's a peek into my summer clothing and accessories essentials (and all the links for some sweet gift card deals you can use to purchase your favorites):

Decree at JCPenney crop top. Crop tops are such a great summer staple, especially with high-waisted skirts or shorts (as seen here). Add a body chain underneath for an unexpected peek, or just layer it on top for a rebel vibe.

Forever 21 high-waisted shorts. These are so versatile! They can be dressed down with a casual tee and sandals, or up with a fancy top and heels. I loved wearing these on the beach with a simple blue crop top here. 

Forever 21 Greek maxi dress which is perfect for a quick outfit- just add chandelier earrings for evening or understated jewelry for day. Even though the neckline is strong on its own, I love pushing it further with a statement necklace, like here.

A bold lip color is a definite must for the summer. Sometimes, makeup can be the best accessory, keeping everything else understated. You can purchase this item with a Walmart gift card, and still have funds to spare on more brights! 

This Bella Jack bracelet from TJ Maxx is by far my favorite summer purchase! An oversize jewelry piece is a great way to update a basic outfit, or add to an already statement-making look. In this post, I stack this bracelet alongside understated jewelry to elevate my simple day look.

Last, but not least, I love this DIY body chain made with supplies from Michaels. Thanks to Rihanna, I've been inspired to rock body jewelry and elevate simple beach looks, such as here. Body chains are a great way to get noticed- they can be worn under a dress for a more subtle look, or over pieces for a bolder statement. 

It's not too late to stack up on more of my summer faves, and thanks to Raise, I can get more bang for my buck via gift cards!

Thank you so much for stopping by! Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off on a gift card purchasing spree!

Outfit: Flower Skirt + Black Cami.

Photos by Leo Petriu

earrings + necklace: unknown

cami: Wet Seal

skirt: thrifted (orig. Cherokee)

bag: Elle

shoes: Wet Seal

Hi, everybody! 

I'm not gonna go on my usual outfit rant tonight because I am absolutely exhausted, but I still wanted to do a quick post this evening. I wore this outfit on a long shopping trip and it definitely fulfilled all of its duties. Shoes were comfy, cami didn't drench me in sweat, skirt didn't reveal any underwear when breezes would sneak up. A perfect 10, I would say!

Also, can we just take a second to admire this beautiful statement necklace? I think it was purchased somewhere in Romania, but I can't remember for sure. Wherever it's from, I'm absolutely in love with it.

Thank you so much for stopping by! :)

Lifestyle: The Wardrobe Purge: Trimming Down Your Wardrobe.

Hello, party people!

Toward the beginning of the month I introduced my new series, called The Wardrobe Purge, in the hopes of enlightening those poor souls that, like me, became slaves of consumerism to the point of hoarding unnecessary stuff.

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to live in a place that gives me so many choices and allows me to be stylish on a poor college girl budget, but there comes a time when hoarder girl over here needs to put on her big girl panties and stop spending money on irrelevant things.

My first purge post goes into a bit of detail about the decision-making process for the purge, but I felt that a more complete overview was needed. So, here we go!

First off, pick your purging time wisely. Long weekends, summer break, winter break, anytime you are likely to be bored and therefore stick with the task at hand. Summer + winter are also prime motivational purging time since most people see back-to-school and the new year as a fresh start.

Now that you've worked out the motivation, it's time to start the process. We've got 4 piles to work with: keepers, maybes, donation/sale, trash. 

You've got a keeper if:

• it's a basic piece that fits you well and can be paired with loads of things in your closet,
• it's something you find yourself going back to and wearing constantly,
• it's something comfortable that you love to gravitate toward on lazy days,
• it's a special-ish occasion item that you're not crazy over on a day-to-day basis, but you don't have anything else of the sort (e.g. job interview outfit- if the job interview comes up and you find yourself buying items that you like better, this moves to the donation pile- but just as a backup, it should stay for the time being).

Remember, everyone's basic pieces and preferences are different. Go with your own opinion, not your friend's.

You've got a maybe if:

• it's something you've worn once or twice but is never your absolute first choice when creating your outfit,
• it's something that you haven't worn because you didn't know it existed in your overflowing closet, but now that you've rediscovered it, you find yourself excited about the item,
• it's something that you're feeling iffy about, but you can imagine it paired up with at least 3 different items in your keepers pile.

You've got a donation/potential sale if:

• it's something that has been gently worn, not your style, but you could see someone else rocking it,
• it's something that hasn't been worn and still has the tag on after a few months, 
• it's something formal that you've already worn but don't want to part with because it's pretty,
• it's something ill-fitting on you, but still in wearable condition with the potential to work on other body types,
• it's something you've been wanting to part with for a while, but haven't yet for fear of your mother's wrath- "but it's so beautiful and you look like an adult in it and yadda yadda yadda" (this one was the determining factor in plenty of my discards),
• basically, if it's in good condition and you're over it, don't throw it in the trash- one man's trash is another man's treasure.

And finally, you've got a trash contender if:

• it's unintentionally ripped (i.e. not distressed boyfriend jeans, etc.) or has wear holes in it,
• it's stained beyond repair (e.g. yellowing from deodorant stains...or plenty types of different alcohol stains on the pretty red formal dress that I wore to my cousin's wedding- HARDEST GOODBYE),
• it's an undergarment that has touched your body (underwear, bathing suits, socks, etc.) 

I hope you enjoyed the second part of my Wardrobe Purge, and you're at least mildly inspired to make a change in your wardrobe. Next up in the series: what to do with your unwanted clothing! Stay tuned!

As usual, thank you for stopping by!