Browsing Tag

fashion

Lifestyle

Make A Dream Board

The New Year is the best time to set new goals! Most people have difficulty following through with their goals, but one great way to stay on track is to create a “dream board.” Even Oprah swears by it! Essentially, a dream board is a collection of pictures, words, and phrases that will inspire you and remind you daily of your objectives! I was shocked that only a few short months after creating one for myself, I had accomplished over half of the goals I set. Images are so powerful and it’s a great feeling to use them in such a positive way!

 Dream Board
Dream board pictures
Want to make your own dream board? Follow the steps below!
  1. Set your goals – Do you want to land a job or internship? Improve your health or fitness? Learn a new language? Want to save money for that Michael Kors bag you’ve been crushing on forever? Make your goals specific and realistic – don’t try to lose 20 pounds in a month, you’ll drive yourself crazy!
  2. Find compelling images – use magazines, Google images, favorite celebrities,       inspirational quotes, etc.
  3. Make a cute collage including all of the pictures you find on a big poster board.
  4. Hang it somewhere you look everyday – think subliminal messaging!
  5. Go conquer the world!
 It can be overwhelming to decide which goals to focus on. Here are some of the ones I chose for my dream board:

  • Take more pictures with a REAL camera and print them out
  • Write more letters
  • Read five books
  • Save $1,000
  • Work out at least 4 times a week
  • Get three A’s spring semester
  • Drink more green smoothies
  • Give more compliments
It’s so simple and rewarding. You’ll be thanking yourself for the daily reminder – it will motivate you to actively work towards your goals. Once you’ve accomplished all of them, save the board as a memento and start a new one!
Dream board

More digitally inclined? Check out Oprah’s online dream board creator: http://www.oprah.com/spirit/O-Dream-Board-Envision-Your-Best-LifeTM
1 Comment
February 6, 2014 by
Fashion

My Birthday Wish List

Birthday Wish List

My 20th birthday is coming soon and I’ve got a great wish list. I only expect to get one or two things from my list, but I thought I’d share it just for fun! Enjoy!

  1. The Sorority Secret‘s Anti-Bullying Campaign Tank by Big Cartel
  2. B.P. Kellie Wedge Bootie from Nordstrom
  3. Lush Lily Slide Slit Woven Tee from Nordstrom
  4. Lush Roll Tab Sleeve Woven Shirt from Nordstrom
  5. High-Waist Fleece-Lined Leggings from The Flaunt Shop
  6. Lynet Boot by Steve Madden
  7. Jet Set Leather Tote by Michael Kors
  8. Body by Victoria Push-Up Bra by Victoria’s Secret
No Comments
January 15, 2014 by
Fashion

Christmas Eve Outfit Under $150

Christmas Eve is my favorite night of the year! Every year, we have a nice family dinner and then go to the 11pm candlelit church service. I absolutely love the music and everything about that service – it really is so amazing! Then, we go home and get to open one present – it is always a new pair of pajamas. My dad then reads “The Night Before Christmas” to us and we head off to bed. Church is always fun because everybody gets super dressed up. I love picking out my Christmas Eve outfit and this year I had a little fun shopping for an entirely new outfit. I had a budget of $150 which I met, but I went slightly over it with tax.

The first item I purchased was this amazing skater dress. From B.P. at Nordstrom, it is the perfect LBD – fitted where I’m the smallest (my waist) and then it flares out where I’m the largest (my hips). It has a high neckline which I usually tend to stay away from, but I thought it would look beautiful paired with a statement necklace. It’s fancy enough to be dressed up for special occasions, casual enough to be worn during the day, and modest enough to be worn for an interview. Very versatile, flattering, and high-quality, it’s shocking that it was only $46! I paired it with a beautiful royal blue statement necklace also from B.P. Nordstrom that was $24 to add a pop of color and liven up the neckline.

This is the skater dress I bought from B.P. Nordstrom for only $46 paired with a lovely statement necklace also from B.P. that was $24

This is the skater dress I bought from B.P. Nordstrom for only $46 paired with a lovely statement necklace also from B.P. that was $24

Next, I had to find shoes. Most of my heels are too high to be appropriate for church, so I wanted to find some that were lower but not frumpy. Immediately, I saw these amazing blue pointed-toe suede heels from B.P. Shoes at Nordstrom. They matched the color of the necklace perfectly, fit well, and didn’t look too old lady-ish. I fell in love! I had to buy them. They actually were not that expensive for the quality of the shoe, coming in at $70. Without tax, I came in at $140 – under budget! It was so fun to pull together an entire outfit for a set budget and really get quality items. I had a blast and I can’t wait to wear this outfit tonight.

Beautiful blue suede heels from B.P. Nordstrom to go with the rest of my Christmas Eve outfit for only $70!

Beautiful blue suede heels from B.P. Nordstrom to go with the rest of my Christmas Eve outfit for only $70!
2 Comments
December 24, 2013 by
Fashion

Thrifting Fun: My Amazing Value Village Find!

To say I love a good deal would be an understatement. You can always find me scouring the sales racks, obsessing over coupons, and frequenting thrift stores. I was recently helping my little sister find an “ugly Christmas sweater” at our local Value Village and came across the most amazing find – a Ralph Lauren sweater in pristine condition! It was the perfect chestnut color and fit me like a glove. I was beyond excited when I saw the $7.99 price tag! I have been looking for some new, warm sweaters, so this was absolutely perfect. I dressed this sweater up by putting a white classic button-up dress shirt from B.P. Nordstrom and a statement necklace from Forever 21.

Ralph Lauren sweater from thrift store, Value Village

Ralph Lauren sweater from thrift store, Value Village

Dress up a basic sweater with a classic button up and a statement necklace

Dress up a basic sweater with a classic button up and a statement necklace

My beautiful Ralph Lauren sweater that I got at a thrift store for only $7.99

My beautiful Ralph Lauren sweater that I got at a thrift store for only $7.99

 

 
No Comments
December 19, 2013 by
Fashion

The Bigger, the Better: Chunky Sweaters and Statement Necklaces

Outfit

I am crushing hard on two major fashion trends right now – giant chunky knit sweaters and lovely statement necklaces. I’ve always been fond of treasure hunting for big, cozy sweaters in thrift stores, so now that this oversized cuddliness is now in style, I couldn’t be more thrilled. My favorite aspect of big sweaters like this is that you can literally throw them on over anything – a skirt, dress, jeans, leggings, whatever. When I lived in Washington, the daily battle consisted of asking myself the question, “Do I want to be warm or cute today?” I found solace in sweaters because of the happy medium they offer – yes, they can look sloppy, but paired with the right accessories, you can transform it into a polished look! I found that I could look good while remaining warm and without much effort – truly a life-saver on those 34 degree drizzly days. Pair a chunky sweater with a cute statement necklace (like the one pictured), throw on a cute pair of earrings, or for extra warmth, add a scarf. Combined with a nice pair of denim jeans, black leggings, or flowy skirt (with tights of course), and a cute pair of boots, you suddenly have a look that’s not only warm, but one that’s going to turn heads. If you’re in California or a warmer state where you don’t have to ask yourself the warm vs. cute question, pair a chunky sweater with some high waisted shorts or some colorful pants. Beware, fashionistas, it is VERY easy to look sloppy when wearing a large sweater, so be sure to balance it out with some nicer elements.

Sweater: Forever 21, necklace: Forever 21, skirt: Nordstrom

Sweater: Forever 21, necklace: Forever 21, skirt: Nordstrom

Statement Necklace from Forever 21

Statement Necklace from Forever 21
No Comments
November 14, 2013 by
Beauty

Personal Challenge: 30 Days of Natural Hair

20131010-110539.jpg

I’m terrible to my hair. I heat style it almost everyday and then I complain that it never grows. So I’m taking a leap of faith and going 30 days without heat styling!

Many people might think this is not that great of a challenge. However, my natural hair is quite crazy – it is not curly, straight, or wavy. There are bits that get very straight, bits that are super tight curls, and other pieces that are simply wavy. It lacks consistency. Leaving it air dry results in disaster – a wild, poofy, frizzy, mess.

I’m challenging myself to find ways to tame the beast. Whether this is braiding it while it’s wet, trying out some new curl-enhancing gels, you name it – I’m going to try it. I’ll try to log my progress on this post as to not spam my page with a bunch of pictures of my hair.

I do want to say that there are a couple events coming up that I will need to have completely styled hair – a few sorority events and Halloween (duh). I’m going to try not to use any heat styling products as much as possible, but for these couple days (probably about four total), I will need to use them a little bit.

I will try to keep this updated every few days or so! Thank you so much for checking this out and I hope you find it helpful!

Day One

Here is my hair 100% natural. As you can see, it’s pretty short and wavy. (sorry for the terrible quality)

My natural hair

My natural hair

Day 2
Today it rained (crazy, right?). I felt right at home! I wore my hair in a messy bun with my layers braided back into it!

20131010-110539.jpg

Day 3
I showered last night, didn’t wash my hair (gasp! first time ever!), combed leave-in conditioner, and let it dry overnight. I woke up with a crazy wild mess of hair that I tamed with a headband and some hairspray.

20131010-111111.jpg

Day 10

We had our sorority initiation this weekend as well as a dinner to celebrate, so I did curl my hair for that one day. It was unfortunate that I had to use heat styling, but when I did, my hair felt way stronger and healthier and looked much shinier. I can already see a difference in the health of my hair and I couldn’t be more excited.

 

Day 28

Well, I am almost there! I heat styled my hair for Halloweekend, but besides that, I’ve been really good about keeping my hair natural. I feel like it has definitely grown, but from the heat styling this weekend, I noticed that I need to get a haircut because the ends of my hair are breaking off.
1 Comment
October 8, 2013 by