My Week in Outfits

Now that another week has ended, I decided to share a few of my favorite outfits I have worn. On most days you'll find me going to class in jeans and a sweatshirt, but when I have the chance I do love to put extra effort into my outfit!

Monday was my 21st birthday so I knew that I wanted to wear something cute! That morning I opened the packages my mom had sent me and found this adorable sweater inside. I knew right away that I had to wear it and i'm so glad I did. It's so soft and comfortable!

Sweater: LC Lauren Conrad
Jeans: American Eagle
Boots: These Steve Madden boots are my favorite pair. I got them on clearance at Famous Footwear at the end of winter last year. Similar

Wednesday I had a job interview on campus, so I dressed up more than I usually would on a weekday. This dress is my go to. Once again, it's another gift from my mom. She always picks out the best things for me. I think it's so flattering, and it's so comfortable that I don't even mind wearing it around.

Dress: The dress that I have is from a company called 525 America. Unfortunately I couldn't find this exact does anymore. Similar
Tights: Similar
Shoes: DSW

Last year for Christmas I received a pair of Timberland boots. I love wearing them in the winter when it's muddy and slushy out. They are the perfect all weather boot and I don't slip and slide down the street. The pair I have is actually one for boys- they were cheaper and I actually think they are much cuter! The (Ankle?) size is exactly what I was looking for.

Shirt: J.Crew
Sweater: Mine was from Hollister over 3 years ago, so the exactly style is no longer available. Similar
Jeans: American Eagle
Shoes: Timberland
Necklace: Once again this is a super old piece in my wardrobe. The original necklace is from American Eagle. Similar

On Friday I had some friends over to celeb rate my birthday, so I decided to wear an outfit I haven't worn since summer! It's a favorite of mine because this shirt is made of the most comfortable fabric I have ever worn.

Shirt: The shirt that I have is the Jude Connally Ali top in the pattern JC Ikat Navy. Unfortunately, the company no longer sells this top in that particular pattern. Similar
Jeans: Loft

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Birthday Beauty Haul

With my birthday being a few days ago, I finally had some money in my pocket. I knew exactly what I wanted to get, because i've had my eyes on all of these products for quite a while. I was also able to stop into Sephora and Ulta to pick up my free birthday gift!

I love having reward cards to both Ulta and Sephora. In addition to the points you can receive for making purchases (and the products you can redeem these points for), you get a birthday gift each year during your birthday month. This year at Sephora they had two options that you could choose from. The first was a skincare set from Fresh (containing a Soy Face Cleanser and Rose Face Mask) and the second was a duo from Marc Jacobs. Being the makeup junkie that I am, I chose the Marc Jacobs set. The duo included a Highliner Gel Eye Crayon in Black and a Le Marc Lip Creme Lipstick in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (check at the bottom of this post for a swatch of the lipstick). Ulta's birthday gift was the Roller Lash mascara from Benefit cosmetics in black. All birthday products are deluxe sized samples, this size provides the perfect amount to really get the feel of a product!

While I was in Ulta I stopped by the NYX section to pick up the four products that I have had on my wish list. I've heard nothing but great things about their lip products, so I decided to go crazy and get two different ones. The first one I picked up was the Butter Gloss in the color Creme Brûlée. This one is a cult classic and now I understand why; it's the perfect nude gloss that can be worn on its own or layered over a lipstick. I also purchased my first matte lip product, the Soft Matte Lip Cream in Stockholm. I was a little nervous because it looked quite brown when I swatched it, but I fell in love as soon as I tried it on my lips. It's a "my lips but better" sort of color. The HD Blush in Taupe is something I have wanted to use as a contour color. I only have one bronzer at the moment and it is way too warm to contour with. Finally, I picked up the Control Freak Clear Eyebrow Gel because my old gel had to be thrown away.

I also found a cute little The Body Shop gift set (pictured in the back of the header picture) in the clearance section! It's in the Shea scent which is a favorite of mine. The set, which regularly retails for $11 contains a bath pouf, travel size Shea body whip, and a travel size Shea shower cream. The best part- I scored this for only $1.97!

From Left to Right: MJ Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, NYX Butter Gloss in Creme Brûlée, and NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Stockholm. Along the top is the NYX HD Blush in Taupe.

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21 Facts About Me

In honor of my 21st birthday I thought it would be fun to do a post to help introduce myself a bit more by sharing 21 fun facts.

Thank you to Alison Rugg for this wonderful photo!

1. My favorite animal is an elephant! I have so many various elephant items (and I love them all!)

2. I chose the name for my blog because as a fashion major I have a deep love of fashion, I also am extremely OCD about certain things and love to spend my time organizing

3. On campus I am the treasurer of the International Fashion Society and the secretary of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee

4. My favorite series is Harry Potter, (I could watch the movies and read the books over and over without getting tired of them)

5. Back-to-school season is my favorite because I love shopping for fresh and new school supplies

6. I enjoy to run and am a captain of my University's cross country team

7. I have a major shopping problem (especially when it comes to makeup)

8. My goal for after college is to become a buyer in the menswear or active wear industry

9. My favorite food is grilled cheese and my favorite beverage is hot chocolate

10. I consider myself to be a pro napper and can easily take a 3 1/2 hour nap anytime

11. I keep my closet organized by sleeve length and color code inside of that category

12. During my sophomore year I fell in love with my accounting class and decided to make it my second major

13. Most of the clothing in my closet is black, white, or gray (love me some neutrals)

14. I have the world's best boyfriend who I have been with for over 3 years

15. I am blessed to have the best group of friends a girl could possibly ask for

16. I love to color code anything and everything

17. The best part of my day is when I get to come home and change into a cozy pair of sweatpants

18. I am very proud of my handwriting and spend a lot of time making sure that everything is written down neatly

19. In the past year I have become a bit of a lipstick hoarder

20. I have an adorable cat at home named Benjamin who I miss lots when i'm at school

21.  I have 2 amazing little sisters and am so thankful that I have gotten closer to them since leaving for college

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Blogging Beauties

Today I wanted to give a shoutout to all my friends who have their own blogs as well! Each one of these girls works hard to create a unique blog that is so much fun to follow. Make sure to check them out and give them some love!

The Discount Prepster

This blog is run by my friend Kate! She takes you along with her as she create the "perfectly preppy wardrobe while on a budget". She posts great "discounting in action" posts and has adorable outfit of the days!

http://www.thediscountprepster.com

The Color of Toast

This one is run by my best friend Korinne. You can find everything from fashion posts to recipes and posts about her travels. She has great posts and I like the reason behind her blogs name!

http://thecoloroftoast.weebly.com

Styled and Simple

My roommate and best friend Jules has a blog as well! On Julianna's blog you can find fashion and beauty posts as well as great pictures from her life (like an adorable picture of her pup MacPhee!)

http://styledandsimple.blogspot.com

ForeverFashion16

My friend Kara has been writing on her blog since 2010! She has tons of great fashion and styling posts, DIYs, and discounting posts. The best part is since she's been blogging so long there are tons of posts to look at. 

http://foreverfashion16.blogspot.com

Beauty Brains and Boldness

Kasey has great post about makeup and fashion. You can also view her photography through her blog. This girl sure can take pictures!

http://stewardkasey.wix.com/beautybrainsboldness

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My Room Tour

Welcome to my cozy little home away from home!

I thought for today's blog post it would be fun to give you a quick tour of my room. I love how it turned out and I really enjoy spending time in here.

 First up is the view of the area behind my door. Back here I keep my coat, scarf, and purse on over-the-door hooks next to my towel. I also have all of my keys and id holder on clear hooks above my backpack. The milk crate at the bottom is what I use to hold a bunch of my textbooks and other larger books. Nothing too exciting, but everything back here is essential and I try and keep it organized.

I spend a lot of time sitting at my desk between homework, my internships, and writing up blog posts. I try to keep this space as clean as possible so that I have lots of room to spread out my work. Some of the things I do keep on my desk are my alarm clock, a pencil organizer, a wooden elephant from Africa (thanks to my best friend Korinne!) and an organizers for folders and notebooks.

How cute is this doggy tape dispenser I got in my stocking?

My dresser is my favorite surface to look at because it holds a lot of my favorite things.

The angle of my TV makes it kind of hard to arrange everything, but I think I manage alright. I like to think of this area as my "jewelry headquarters". It's where I keep my bracelet holder, a spinning earring holder, and a mirrored jewelry box I received for Christmas. I also have a few other odds and ends, like some pictures, a stuffed snoopy, and a decorative tray and special figurines.

My bedside table is a recent addition to my room. I keep this ceramic elephant from TJX on here because 1. I have a deep love of elephants and 2. it's one of the cutest decorations ever. I also keep my iPad and a few books i'm reading so that I can easily get to them at night. Finally, I have a jewelry tray that holds my GPS watch, night cream, and a lip balm.

Hope you enjoyed this look into my room!

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Hit or Miss: Taylor Swift's Fashion Line

We've all been waiting to get a peak at the fashion line being created by Taylor Swift, and the line is finally here! On January 18th the line was shown at Hong Kong Fashion Week, and unfortunately I felt a little let down.

Photo from Teen Vogue

What really left me confused was how sayings like "Taylor Swift" or "Shake It Off" are plastered all over them. The graphics just reminded me of getting t-shirts from concerts and the days when you had to have "Abercrombie & Fitch" written on every clothing item you owned. The overall silhouettes and styles of the clothing were great, I just feel like the graphics took the entire line down a notch. 

What I do love from this line is the all black look (inspired by the bad blood video perhaps?), as well as the mini-skirt overalls, and the black scalloped skirt. I think these looks were spot on with what people are wearing at the moment. I know that if given the opportunity I would love to rock those three looks.

As of now, the line is exclusively sold in China, but knowing Taylor and her success i'm sure this line will blow up all over the world!

Wishful Wednesday: Crazy For Cowl Necks

Now that winter has actually started (we just had our first snow fall here in Providence!), I am finally in the mindset to start dressing in cozy layers. One of my favorite thing to wear has been a cowl neck sweater I purchased last year. There's something about the draped neckline that has me falling in love. I already know i'll be getting another one of these this winter!

My favorite way to wear these are with a pair of black leggings and tall riding boots. The perfect comfy, but cute, outfit for class on those chilly winter days. Here are a few sweaters that caught my eye (can you tell that I love neutrals?).

1. Silver and Black Cowl Neck Tunic

2. South Cowl Neck Trapeze Jumper

3. MICHAEL by Michael Kors Sweater with Cowl Neck

4. American Rag Cowl Neck Pullover Tunic

5. The Limited Cowl Neck Top

Golden Globes Fashion

I know these posts are all over the internet at the moment, but I couldn't resist sharing my opinion. As always, the Golden Globes did not disappoint with the dresses that filled the red carpet. I chose my top 2 looks (and explain what I love about them!) and show a few runner-ups.

Saoirse Ronan in Yves Saint Laurent Couture

This YSL Couture dress is STUNNING. I'm all about simplicity, and the classic clean lines of this dress are everything. Even though to some this may be considered "safe", "boring", "or plain" I think it is perfection. Not to mention it looks like this dress was made for her.

Jenna Dewan Tatum in Zuhair Murad Couture

The color and neckline is what sold me on this dress. I love a good deep V, and the thicker shoulder straps help to balance out the amount of skin being shown. With the intricate beading this sums up "Hollywood Glam" in my opinion. It's perfectly done without being too over the top.

Now onto some other well dressed ladies!

Lily James in Marchesa

Corinne Foxx (designer not listed)

Eva Green in Elie Saab Haute Couture

My First Project Pan!

Over the years I have accumulated an unreal amount of products; makeup, lotions, hair products, soaps…. The list goes on and on!

For 2016 one of my resolutions is to use up the products I have before I buy more. This will help keep the amount of clutter and stuff I have to a minimum. It’s unbelievable how much you can accumulate without even knowing it!

While I do have a “master list” of products that I would like to use up throughout the entire year of 2016, I thought a fun way to break it up would be to do a few project pans! For those of you who are not familiar with project pan, you pick a number of items that you would like to try and finish within a set time frame. For my first project pan, I chose 15 products. I would like to finish these all within 3 months (by April 25, 2016). Some of the products are gimme’s, because I am very close to being finished with them. However, I decided to include those products because I think it will help motivate me to keep going because I know that I can finish these products easily.

Now onto the products I would like to finish up!

Rimmel London BB Cream, Maybelline Fit Me Concealer, and Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer

1. Rimmel London BB Cream

            I have only used this product a handful of times. The color isn’t a perfect match, it’s a little darker than my skin color, but since it’s a beauty balm it doesn’t look bad.

2. Maybelline Fit Me Concealer

            There is barely any product left in here, but I only use a few dots of this concealer each time I apply it. Typically, I use it for blemishes or if my under eye circles are really bad. I absolutely love this concealer though and already have a backup for when I run out (which will be very soon).

3. Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer

            This is a miracle product. I have horrible dark under eyes and this product helps to brighten that area so much. I have the illuminator shade and have quickly become addicted.

L'Oreal Voluminous Full Definition Mascara, Mary Kay Lash Love Mascara, Lancome Lash Primer
Elf Eyeshadow Kit, and NYX Natural Eye Shadow Palette

4. L'Oreal Voluminous Full Definition Mascara

            When I first got this I absolutely hated it. It was way too messy so I set it aside for a few weeks. When I tried it again I fell in love. I think it just had to dry up a little bit. Either way i'm going to be sad when this one goes, which will be soon because it's starting to get old.

5. Mary Kay Lash Love Mascara

            I honestly have no opinion about this mascara. Doesn't work well, but it isn't terrible either. I just want to use it up because it's starting to get old.

6. Lancome Lash Primer

            This was a sample from a purchase my mom made (thanks mom!) and I really enjoyed it! I saw a noticeable difference in the length of my lashes each time I used it. Same story as the other two mascaras though, it's starting to get old.

7. Elf Eyebrow Kit

            Recently rediscovered this and love it. I can’t quite remember how old this is so I want to try and use it up while it’s still good. I’m only trying to use up the gel side of the kit because I don't really see any difference when I use the powder. 

8. NYX Natural Eyeshadow Palette

            I use this every single day that I do my makeup. It's amazing quality, a great price, and the colors are perfect for my everyday needs. The only shade in this palette i'm not trying to use up is the yellow shimmery color. 

Here is a picture of my Elf eyebrow kit and NYX palette so that you can see how much product I have to use!

Elf Eyeshadow Kit

NYX Natural Eyeshadow Palette

Nivea Lip Balm and Bite Beauty Lipstick in "Fig"

9. Nivea A Kiss of Milk and Honey Soothing Lip Care

            I have so many chapsticks and lip balms I want to go through that I figured this would be a good one to start with. 

10. Bite Beauty Luminous Cream Lipstick in "Fig"

            This is one of my higher end beauty items, and I absolutely love it! It's a double ended lipstick, but i'm only working on the one side for this project pan. The color is beautiful and I really enjoy wearing it at the moment.

To measure my progress on lip products I will be marking them on this paper!

11. Neutrogena Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover

            A good product that gets the job done, I'm so close to finishing it though that I figured i'd throw it in here!

12. Vaseline Healthy Hand & Nail Cream

            With the winter in full force i'm using hand cream like crazy. Since I have so many in my collection I decided to choose a single one to focus on. I'm hoping this method will help me work through the lotions (rather than having 4 half-opened ones...)

13. Lancome High Resolution Night

            Another sample thanks to my mom! This stuff is great, I love using it at night and it really does help moisturize my face.

14. Kate Spade "Live Colorfully" Perfume Sample

            I only have about a million perfume samples, I just randomly picked two to start working my way through.

15. Calvin Klein "Euphoria" Perfume Sample

           Same reason as the Kate Spade one. 

Wish me luck as I work my way through these products! I plan on posting updates every 2-3 weeks.

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2016 Goals

The start of a new year is always exciting, so many possibilities for how the year is going to go. This year I thought it would be a good idea to write down my goals in an effort to hold myself more accountable. I decided to share four of my goals for 2016 with all of you!

#1. Use up makeup/beauty related products that I already have before I go out and purchase new items
            I'm slowly becoming a makeup and beauty hoarder (thanks youtube...), so in an effort to keep my collection to a minimum I am making this a goal for 2016! I'm hoping that some project pans will help keep me on track here (make sure to stay tuned for some project pan posts).

#2. Run a 10k
            As a member of my University's Cross Country team I want to come back to school in great shape! I figure training for a 10k will really help motivate me to get myself and help get me where I want to be by the season.

#3. Keep that GPA up
            The past 2 1/2 years I have been able to keep that GPA where I want it, but now I am starting to get into more intense courses. I know that I can keep that number where I want it, I just have to work a bit harder for it.

#4. Create and regularly post to a blog
            I've always gone back and forth about the idea of creating one, but I finally decided to stop thinking about it. I figure it would be a fun hobby to have! Plus I feel like I have lots of stuff I want to share on here, even if nobody ends up reading it but me.

What are your goals and resolutions for the new year?

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