fashion

Freshman year of college: what you need to know

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IMG_2281So 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.

Urban maroon

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Last weekend I ventured over to Smorgasburg in Brooklyn with my sister and one of my friends and was absolutely blown away. In case you are living under a rock and have not heard of Smorgasburg before, it is a food festival in the city that takes place on weekends during the summer.

Smorgasburg is located right on the water, which makes it the perfect location to have photoshoots for the delicious food that you get. You know, as you do. IMG_0899

As for clothing, I busted out my trusty Loft dress that I bought on sale a few years ago and paired it with a white Urban Outfitters bralette. Lastly, I wore a brown quilted crossbody purse that I borrowed from my sister. Please ignore the fact that my sandals definitely do not match :).

Please ignore the fact that my sandals definitely do not match this outfit haha ! I don’t have a brown pair of sandals currently but I am in the market for a pair. Suggestions?

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To add more color to this look I wore a pair of blue mirrored sunglasses that I bought from Forever 21. Love reflective lenses for summer!

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If you have not yet taken a trip to Smorgasburg, I highly recommend that you do so. It was really hot so we did not eat as much as we normally would, so I think making another trip before we head back to college will be a necessity for us.

With only a few weeks left of this summer, Smorgasburg is a must-see for foodies.

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My internship style

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Holy new theme and awesome camera quality, Batman! Shoutout to my new friend Leanne for taking pictures of me, whom I am interning with this summer at The Collective PR in NYC. (She has a travel blog that you should totally check out!)

Earlier this week we took a trip to Bryant Park for lunch, which is only a few blocks from our office building actually. And because it was nice out, we even had a little photo shoot because why the heck not :).

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Lunch is served!

As a summer intern who is slowly learning about how “adulting” works, you need to always be sure that you are dressed to impress. For this reason, thought I would show you guys what I typically wear for my internship, for those who have yet to have one yet.

I describe my internship style as “kindergarten teacher chic” most days, but I am working on it. I sometimes feel constricted clothing wise when flats and cropped pants are the norm in my office, so I do the best I can by wearing cute colors or accessorizing.

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This day, I wore a royal blue cardigan from J. Crew Factory and this awesome black skater dress I got from Target last week for 20 bucks, along with my pair of trusty pair of black sandals.

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I would normally pair a statement necklace with this outfit, but since the dress has a high neckline I decided against it.

I love how crisp and clean the collar of this sweater looks when paired with this dress. It also matches with the majority of the outfits that I wear, easily making it a staple in my closet for this summer.

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Because I bring my computer to work with me, I have to make sure my bag is big enough to fit it, along with my wallet, chargers, makeup bag, etc. I got this adorable Kate Spade one about a month ago, and I absolutely love it because it is so roomy and sturdy.

Also, it has a zipper which is an essential in New York City. Better safe than sorry!

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And that is it! I hope you all have a great night and weekend!

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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Spring style must haves

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Spring style must haves

 


Madewell t shirt
madewell.com

A line skirt
choies.com

Adidas Originals flat shoes
$110 – jades24.com

Hey guys! Instead of writing an in-depth outfit post with photos for this week, I thought it would be a cool idea to outline my spring 2016 fashion must haves. I have showcased the pieces that I hope to wear a lot to coming spring, simply because they could easily be worn in many different ways. I only own a few of these pieces personally, but I hope to add a few more into my rotation of spring and summer outfits.

Starting with the trendy pieces, I knew that I could not write a blog post on spring 2016 fashion without mentioning off the shoulder tops and button up skirts. I absolutely love the 70’s vibes that are given off by these pieces, and I absolutely cannot wait to maybe pick up and hopefully wear these pieces around campus once the weather warms up a bit.

Now moving towards classics! My tortoiseshell wayfarers have been an absolute go-to of mine for as long as I can remember. I love how the brown coloring of the glasses matches a lot of the clothing I wear, and does not look as stark as black would against my pasty (or as my mother would say, “fair”) skin. I love striped tops and leather jackets, and plan to wear all three of these pieces pretty much everyday because they can be worn in so many different ways.

I have struggled to find a pair of ripped jeans that fit well and do not have a crazy price tag, because I think that it is somewhat ridiculous to drop $100 on a  pair of jeans with rips. Hopefully this season will be the one where I find the perfect pair!

Moving towards shoes, I cannot wait to wear my Vans and Sam Edelman brown booties around campus this spring. Since I bought my Vans about a month ago, I have been wearing them nonstop, much more than I ever thought I would be wearing them. I love how minimalistic yet effortlessly cool they are; they complete almost any look I put together for class. I love my brown booties and have vowed to wear them more this coming season, because I think they would look adorable with florals for the coming months. I also want to get my hands on a pair of Adidas Superstars, but am unsure if I can I justify the hefty price tag. I find it so funny how everything comes back in style at some point, because I distinctly remember having a pair very similar to these back in elementary school.

To accessorize, I think bringing a bright red bag into the mix will do my wardrobe justice. Sometimes my outfit choices fall into the category of being a little too safe at times, so I think that adding a pop of color to my outfits will add an unexpected edge.

I hope you all have a happy Easter Sunday and enjoy the day with your families! I plan to study for a marketing test that I have on Tuesday so I hope you all have more fun than I will today.

 

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!