Tag: college

The Ultimate Study Abroad Packing List for a Semester in Florence, Italy

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As David Mitchell once said, “Travel far enough, you meet yourself.”  

I can firmly state that the making the decision to study abroad in Florence, Italy of spring 2017 was one of the best things I did during my time as a college student. I was able to make amazing new friends that I would not have otherwise made, experience a new culture’s fashion, food and language first-hand, visit many European cities I had never seen before and gained an entirely new sense of independence.

With that being said, here is your go-to guide for packing for your semester abroad. 

Travel documents: 

  • Passport and/or visa 
  • Driver’s license 
  • Plane tickets
  • Proof of medical insurance 
  • Copies of passport, driver’s license and proof of medical insurance 
  • Local currency
  • Credit/debit card 

Toiletries: 

It is smart to bring travel-sized products for the first few days abroad and then stock up once you move in, especially because I struggled to find travel-size products in Europe. The small bottles are great to have on hand for weekend trips and are easy to refill. 

Also, leave hairdryers/straighteners/curling irons because they are likely to fry in converters. Instead, pick up whatever you need after you arrive in your host country. 

  • Travel size shampoo and conditioner bottles 
  • Toothbrush 
  • Travel size toothpaste 
  • Glasses and contacts for length of semester 
  • Travel size bottle of contact solution 
  • Deodorant 
  • Hair brush 
  • Makeup/hair products 
  • Medications for entire length of stay 
  • Emergency stock of ibuprofen, bandaids, and antibiotic ointment 
  • Razors
  • Feminine products 
  • Tweezers
  • Nail clippers 
  • Sunscreen 

Clothing:

Definitely research the climate of your country before leaving, as this will heavily impact what you need. Italy does not get as cold as Ireland does, for example. 

Also bring clothes that can be layered easily. 

  • Rain coat
  • Gym clothes 
  • Bathing suit 
  • Winter jacket (If needed. I only wore mine a handful of times during the semester!) 
  • Underwear, bras and socks (2 weeks’ worth!)
  • Sweaters/sweatshirts
  • 1-2 nicer outfits 
  • 3-5 long sleeve shirts 
  • 5-7 short sleeve shorts 
  • Shorts
  • Skirt
  • Shower shoes/rubber flip-flops —Good for warm weather trips and for showering in hostels/Airbnbs
  • Walking shoes – your go-to sneaker for long days of walking/traveling. Expect to toss these out by the end of the semester. I wore my Adidas Superstars as a stylish option and other people wore actual running sneakers. This is purely personal preference. 
  • Nicer pair of shoes — flats, booties or boots, etc. 
  • Leggings
  • A few pairs of jeans 

Accessories:

  • Beanie 
  • Blanket scarf — Use as a way to elevate your outfit and as a blanket on airplanes  
  • Gloves
  • Watch 
  • Sunglasses 

Technology: 

  • Headphones
  • Laptop
  • Smartphone  
  • Camera and extra memory card
  • Any corresponding chargers, chords or batteries. These can be difficult to find abroad.  
  • Outlet converters/adaptors — this is something I definitely forgot and would struggle to find on trips 

Extras: 

  • Overnight bag for weekend trips (duffel or carry on suitcase)
  • Backpack — great for weekend trips.
  • Purse that zips —  I brought my Longchamp bag and a crossbody purse to have options. 
  • Notebook and pen to write about your travels 
  • Waterbottle 
  • Umbrella 
  • Portable charger — handy on weekend trips so you never have a dead phone 
  • Travel pillow 

 

 

Freshman year of college: what you need to know

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So after two successful move in days, 4 semesters, countless late night study sessions, two majors, and living apartment-style this past year I think that I may have some wisdom to share with incoming college freshmen.

In college, you are given freedom that you never thought you would have. But this new freedom can be scary – this may be your first time away from home for an extended period of time. You may have never shared a room with anyone before. You may be in classes where you do not know a single soul whereas in high school everyone knew one another by name.

If you keep these things in mind for your first year of college I can assure you that it will be absolutely fine :).

Be friendly.

Say “hi” to that girl in passing that you recognize from your English class or chat up a girl who lives on your hall when you see her in the communal bathroom. Chances are that they are just as afraid to be here as you are, and you could end up making a new friend.

Study hard your first year. 

It is very easy to get wrapped up in going out even when you know that you have a huge Bio test on Thursday. My GPA suffered after my first year and I am still working on bringing it up. So do not make the same mistake I did and study, please!

The friends you make at orientation are not your be-all, end-all friends. 

So you are less than loving the friends you make at orientation, right? Keep in mind that you will continue to make friends over the course of your four years and you will meet tons of new people in classes and clubs.

Go to office hours. 

This is not something that I can stress enough. Office hours are times that your professor sets aside every week so that they can help you, so if you have a question about an upcoming quiz or are struggling in a class do not hesitate to visit office hours. It will only help to succeed (Psst! Professors will usually give you the benefit of the doubt when grading your assignments because they know you are a motivated student and care about doing well).

Actually make use of the on-campus gym.

The freshmen fifteen is real ladies! You will be amazed what just 30 minutes of running  a few times a week will do for both your mood and in keeping you fit.

It is okay if you do not go out every weekend. 

There is no shame in just wanting to veg out with your friends, watch bad movies and eat Chinese food. It is also fun to get off campus for a couple hours for a meal or something with your new friends.

Do not take 8 am classes. 

Every freshmen makes this mistake and hey, I took them first semester too. Just avoid these at all costs.

Communication with your roommates is important.  

Outline at the beginning of the year what you expectations are – how clean you like the room to be, what time you usually go to bed, when boys are allowed over, etc.  This will save a lot of frustration later on in the year when and if problems do arise. No one likes a passive aggressive roommate either!

Join clubs or sports. 

Meet people with interests similar to yours!

Cherish every moment of college because these are the best four years of your life.

Sorry – I had to get cheesy for a minute. In college, you are really able to grow into yourself. You can figure out what you really enjoy, what your values are, what you want to do for the rest of your life and more. It seemed like I just blinked and freshmen and sophomore year ended.

A look inside my Colourpop Collection

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Hey everyone!

With the Colourpop craze in full swing, I figured I would give you all an inside look at the pieces I have ordered from the brand in the past. With everything on their website costing only a few dollars, their prices truly cannot be beat.

I only own six pieces from them but I hope to expand my collection very soon so that it includes one of their infamous ultra matte lipsticks, which everyone in the Internet seems to be comparing to Kylie Jenner’s lip kits.

IMG_5835I have three of their  lippie stix in the colors Poppin’, a matte (which I got free when I ordered the other products), Bossy, another matte, and Juice Bar which is sheer.

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I find that I wear Juice Bar most often, probably because it is sheer and is perfect for everyday. I wore Bossy and Poppin often last semester at college for nights out, and I abolutely loved the way they looked on although they never seemed to stay on as long as I hoped they would. Maybe I will have to check out their lip liners to see if those help to prolong the wear of the lippie stix.

The other lippie stick that is pictured is actually a primer that I wanted to try out, but was unfortunately unimpressed with. Maybe my expectations were a little too high for it but I found that it really dried my lips out and did not prolong the wear of my lipstick.

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As a huge fun of YouTube beauty blogger KathleenLights, I knew for sure that I had to check out the shadows that she made with Colourpop. As a broke college student, I was not completely ready to drop $20 on the quads that she released with them, so I tested out a beautiful bronze from Where the Light Is that she made called Kathleenlights. IMG_5853

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This color looks absolutely beautiful on the lids – I love applying it with my finger rather than a brush because it works best with the formula. When paired with black liner and a warm brown in the crease, it looks absolutely stunning. It has a pearlized finish and I love the way it makes my brown eyes pop.

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I personally struggle a lot with using liquid liner, and have been searching far and wide to find an alternative. I have heard great things about cream liners, and I was not about drop a bunch of money to test one out, so I decided to give Colourpop’s in Swerve a whirl.

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When used with my Mac 210 brush, this product applies to my upper lash line like a dream. I just recently this brush with a Macy’s gift card that I had laying around and was shocked by how I was easy to get up-close-and-personal with my lash line. 10/10 would definitely recommend both the liner and brush! I have worn the liner to work and had it last all day long in the hot sun, so you know that it stays on.

All in all, I really do like all of these products, aside from the lip primer which is just kind of gimmicky to be honest. With each of these products costing either 5 or 6 dollars, I would definitely recommend trying them out.

IMG_5845IMG_5849In the coming weeks, expect some pretty cool things to be coming to the blog. I just ordered a bottle of spray on nail polish online to review and am thinking about doing a 4th of July look book so keep your eyes peeled for those :).

Leave in the comments what Colourpop products you guys love the most, I would love to check them out!

Happy Earth Day!

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Hey everyone!

In honor of Earth Day tomorrow, I thought I would mention a couple of my favorite products that were either cruelty free or non-toxic. And no your eyes have not deceived you that is in fact a lemon in the background!

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I love my EcoTools brushes – they are so soft, cruelty free and made from recycled aluminum and bamboo. EcoTools brushes are loved by beauty editors and plenty of celebrities and the fact that they’re inexpensive helps too.

Moving into makeup, I love Too Faced products because they do not test on animals and are such ridiculously high quality. Their products blend like an absolute dream and are ones that I pull from my makeup bag on a daily basis. Plus, the Chocolate Soleil Bronzer and Chocolate Bar Palette smell like a fancy dessert without the calories so what is there not to love?

Grease Lightning from LUSH is a GODSEND. It is great for my sensitive skin and zaps pimples right away with its mixture of tea tree oil, rosemary and aloe vera. And just as a heads up it is so helpful in curing razor burn! All of the products I have tried from LUSH are great and not just because they do not test on animals and use completely fresh ingredients.

And the star of the show is one of my ~newest~ obsessions; daniPro!

daniPro is a completely non-toxic nail polish that was produced by podiatrist Dr. Gary Evans. Made with Undecylenic Acid and without other damaging chemicals it is a great buy. While most nail polishes typically have a strong smell I was taken aback when I found that daniPro’s scent is not overpowering at all.

daniPro is a must for clumsy girls who always seem to smudge their nails while they wait for them to dry. I personally struggle with painting my own nails, but with daniPro I had no problems at all. The formula is thin and dries quickly, which makes it easy to paint nails efficiently and without making a mess.

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Hey what’s up hello!

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After going out to lunch with a group of friends on Saturday, my roommate agreed to have a little photo shoot with me to truly ~capture~ the day’s weather, as well as outfit of course, for lack of a better term. What better way to celebrate the great weather than to have a little photoshoot?! It was 55 degrees out in New England, which we definitely appreciated after the balmy 10 degree weather we’d had the week before.

I wore a sweater with cutouts from PacSun that I bought a few years ago (here is a similar one from Karmaloop), along with a pair of dark jeans. I wore my Vans slip ons and a fringed printed scarf to add an unexpected twist to the outfit (find a similar one here).

The best part of my outfit, though? Not having to wear a jacket in February!

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Although dark colors can be a little bit dull at times, especially during the gloomy winter months, I tried my best to avoid looking that way by playing with textures. The cutouts in my sweater and print on my scarf add a little bit of interest to my look, while a plain black sweater and scarf would fall short in my opinion. The leather slip-ons added a modern touch to my outfit, which I am always an advocate for.

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I am the kind of girl that you will never spot in sweatpants simply because I feel my best when I look good – I will even put on a pair of jeans and do my makeup if I plan to study in my room all day, with no intentions of coming face to face with anyone other than my roommates. I feel the most productive, and myself in a pair of jeans. But that’s for another blog post :).

And that is it! I plan to post weekly, and in the coming weeks I plan to post about the importance of dressing to impress, which essentially piggybacks off of my little sweatpants spiel. Let me know in the comments what you all think!

I look forward to starting this journey with you all!