Georgetown or Bust

 Last weekend made me realize just how much I missed my friends from college. When I'm not seeing them every day, it's easy to forget just how close we all were. Luckily, I got to feel like I was right back at school on Monday. I started the afternoon by I counting down the minutes until I could leave work, because I was so exhausted from all of the festivities. But of course, going home so quickly was apparently not an option :) I don't know how, but some of my campers managed to convince me to have a playdate with them. Somehow, I ended up at their house with another co-worker, and before I knew what exactly was happening I was being served Phish Food and being asked to play with dolls. It was a lot of fun, even though I couldn't stay for very long. My friend Gaby (who will be my lovely, lovely photographer next year at school!) and I had tentatively made plans to hang, and I was so excited when I realized we could actually go meet up at Georgetown Cupcake :)

Side by Side

To this day, I'm still scared of black eyeliner. I only just became brave enough to try winged eyeliner a few months ago, and am still not sure as to whether or not I actually pull it off. It also seems that I am perpetually tired, which means that I am constantly rubbing my eyes. Although I've heard great things about Urban Decay's black 24/7 glide on eye pencils, I'm still too scared to try anything other then a pen liquid liner. Up until a week ago, MAC's rapidblack penultimate eye liner was the only black eyeliner I used, because I had received it one year for Christmas and it worked like a charm. However, when at Duane Reade with my friend Emma, she suggested I buy Jordana's FabuLiner Liquid Eyeliner. I followed her suggestion, and was pleasantly surprised with the product. Immediately, it reminded me of my rapidblack, so I decided to compare the two.

Life, Lately

I had an unexpectedly fantastic weekend this week, and it was the perfect end to yet another exhausting week at camp. Unfortunately, a lot of the photos taken at camp haven't been posted online yet, so I can't put them here. Along with it being CIT Appreciation day this week, the CIT show also happened. I made a guest appearance (surprising the campers, who thought I wasn't in the show) and was the host of Thursday Night Live. Although it meant pulling a couple 13 and 14 hour days at camp, it was definitely worth it to see the kids faces. I finished off the week with a cast party, and then a trip up to Westchester to see friends from school. I didn't realize just how much I missed everyone until I saw them, and it was amazing being able to catch up with everyone. It makes me really want to go back to school. Anyway, here are some photos from the week.

An adorable card one of my campers made me :)

I decided to share the love, and wrote letters to my campers!

Something I never expected to happen: Matt and Kim showed up at camp! It was amazing meeting them, as I saw them a couple months ago at Bonnaroo and performed with them years ago at the Bell House. Never thought this would happen!

Delicious meringue mushrooms from one of my campers!

An early birthday gift from Sephora :)

Lazy Curls

In general, I am a very lazy person. Unfortunately, this means that more often than not, my hair gets pulled up into a pony tail, because I'll fall asleep with it wet and it'll be a frizzy mess when I wake up. There's nothing I love more than having my hair in beautiful braids, but I don't have the talent or time to do that on a regular basis. However, I may have finally found a way to make my hair look good with minimal effort on my part. A while back, I received a sample of Living Proof's anti-frizz styling cream, and I used it religiously. The only problem was that after I used up my sample, I threw away the container without looking at the name. Needless to say, I've spent the last year trying to remember the name of this product, and trying various other brands to no avail. Luckily, I got an email last week from Sephora, advertising Living Proof. As soon as I looked at the email, I knew this was it, and immediately ordered a full size bottle of the anti-frizz styling cream, along with one of Sephora's Beauty Insider Perks, which included several other products from the line. I received the products at the end of last week, and have fallen in love all over again.

 Usually, when I put product into my hair, it's easy to tell. My hair will become weighed down, or will appear greasy. This means that for the most part, I've given up on trying products, especially ones that boast the ability to make your hair shiny and sleek. Living Proof's products are pretty much the only ones that I can put in my hair. The products feel completely weightless, but manage to keep my hair in natural waves and feeling silky smooth. I've now found my favorite way to do my hair, and it allows me to compromise between having my hair up, and then having it fall down in beautiful, natural looking waves.

(nourishing styling cream; prime style extender; amp^2)

Currently Reading....

In an attempt to get back into reading, I'm going to try and post about one of the last books I've read. Hopefully this will motivate me to keep reading, but we'll see. I used to read all the time, but when I get busy it seems like reading is always the first thing to go. However, when I picked up Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn, I could not put it down, and it definitely started to take priority over more important things. Although I enjoyed the first half of the book, I wasn't riveted by it. I thought the book was okay, but I didn't think it was worth all of the hype. Then I got to the twist. After that, everything changed. I was on the edge of my seat, and couldn't wait to finish it. Flynn does an excellent job of showing the flaws of all of her characters, much like George RR Martin does with the Game of Thrones series. Being an adoring fan of GoT, I loved that Flynn also put me in the situation where you see both the good and the bad of each character. It meant that I was never quite sure who I felt more empathy for, which I enjoyed. If you like mysteries, I'd highly recommend reading Gone Girl, especially before it becomes a movie!

Flowers & Cutouts

I'm sorry for the lack of regular posting lately, it seems that even though it's summer, time has a habit of getting away from me. I spent this weekend seeing tons of friends (more on that later), but I did want to get in a photo of one of my planned outfits :) I bought this shirt a couple years ago, but I haven't worn it nearly as much as I should have. It's one of those shirts that seems to taunt me while sitting in my closet. I decided to finally wear it, and I'm pretty pleased with the result. I love the cut out trend, and this shirt is the only one whose cut outs actually seem to be semi flattering on my figure. 

Currently Listening...

Finding new music is one of my favorite things to do. I try and keep an open mind, so I end up listening to a variety of different types of music. In order to show you this variety, I thought I'd go in a completely opposite direction from last week's post on the Shins, and write about a rapper. Chance the Rapper is relatively new on the scene, and his music is the perfect balance between rap and hip-hop, I guess you could say. I tend to shy away from more intense rappers, and I love when I can catch the references they are making in their lyrics. I think this is why I love Chance so much, because every time I listen to a song I catch another witty line. He recently went on tour with Childish Gambino, who is another favorite rapper of mine. They have very similar styles, so if you like Childish you'll definitely like Chance. Even if you're not really into rap, I encourage you to give Chance a shot! 

✌ So Good ✌ Cocoa Butter Kisses ✌ Favorite Song ✌

Swing

As much as I love my work, it can get exhausting at points. So exhausting, in fact, that the only logical thing to do was to spend my lunch break doing a little bit of shopping to relax. Basically, I shouldn't be let into an American Apparel when I have store credit and am delirious due to lack of sleep. As much as I love my friends, they are not very helpful when it comes to getting me to not purchase things :) I walked out with this skirt, after my friend told me that it was impossible to own too much denim (and since I didn't own a denim skirt, it was definitely time to invest). I'm very happy I did, because it's hard to find skirts that are appropriate work length. By pairing it with winged eyeliner, red lipstick and a flowered shirt, I felt a bit of a vintage vibe, but that might only be in my head :) Needless to say, I think it will become a staple in my wardrobe, and I'm very happy my friend convinced me to get it!

(shirt: urban outfitters;  necklace: brooklyn flea; skirt: american apparel; shoes: converse)

Comfort Zone

Today was one of those days where the thought of putting on anything requiring effort was out of the question. I somehow managed to hit my head and subsequently sleep for 22 hours on Friday, so I spent my weekend in a sleep induced haze. The only somewhat productive thing I did this weekend was getting a haircut, which I was in desperate need of after a few traumatizing at home and salon dye jobs. Although today's outfit may not have been the fantastic one that my still professionally styled hair deserved, it was just what a semi-rainy Monday called for. Everyone has a different outfit that they immediately reach for when they're feeling this way, and I can say for sure that my go-to outfit is a tank top and jeans. Whenever I'm unsure of what to wear, I know I can fall back on my pretty extensive collection of graphic tees and tanks for inspiration. I'm pretty sure that I'm singlehandedly keeping Brandy Melville in business, because, on days like this, their graphic shirts seem to be the only thing I want to wear. Luckily for me, they're pretty inexpensive :) Also, sorry for the horrible photo quality today - these were taken after a very, very long day at work!

(tank: Brandy Melville; shorts: American Apparel; shoes: Toms)

FACE Stockholm for J. Crew

Before about a month ago, I never wore lipstick. A self-proclaimed chapstick addict, I felt that that was enough. I was always nervous about smudging my lipstick, having it on my teeth, having it bleed, etc. However, this all changed when I decided to randomly pick up a lipstick while standing in line at J. Crew. It was on sale, and I thought why not? The color looked pretty, and I did need to start stepping out of my comfort zone. As soon as I put it on, I was so happy I had decided to buy it. The color was "French Martini" and it's sheer, semi-shiny pink color perfectly complimented my skin tone. Of course, I was so excited by this that I immediately had to go back and pick up several more- at $4.49, they were a steal (and I was paranoid that since they were limited edition, I'd never be able to find a color like this again). I also decided to pick up the other two colors in the line, "Peony Pink" and "Chili Flake", to see how they compared to "French Martini". I am so glad I did, because these three lipsticks have definitely made me into a lipstick person.

left to right - Peony Pink, Chili Flake, French Martini

Life, Lately

It seems as though lately the New York weather has only had two settings: either miserably hot, or humid thunderstorms. The latter being very unkind to my hair! After spending the week working in, according to the news, what felt like 110˚ weather, it felt like such a luxury to spend my Saturday curled up in bed with a couple good books, my cat, and an air conditioner. Here are a few photos of this past week.

The nicest part about air conditioning: being able to enjoy a hot cup of tea!

Head to Toe Blue

Wacky Week always makes me appreciate how I'm able to dress on a daily basis. Although I'm not so sure that I'll be pulling off a monochromatic outfit on a daily basis (not excluding my typical all black ensemble - I am a New Yorker after all!), it was a relief to spend the day in somewhat normal clothing. 

A little photo shoot fun :)
(hat: Goorin Bros; necklace: gift from the girls I babysit; shirt: American Eagle; shorts: Urban Outfitters)

Imagining Ariel

Hello!

So I've now realized starting a blog in the middle of Wacky Week at Camp was an awful idea. I swear I do have a (halfway) decent fashion sense, it's just that I've had to put on costumes this entire week ;) However, I digress! Wednesday was "Halloween" day at camp (I spared you the photos of me dressed as a giraffe on Tuesday), and although I had several costumes I thought about wearing, I got pulled into being a Disney Princess at the last minute. Fun fact: if you ever have something that has multiple Disney Princesses on it, they will never be making eye contact with each other. But, again, I digress! This being my fifth year working, any enthusiasm I had either as a camper or a new CIT for making elaborate costumes has completely diminished. So instead, I tried to imagine Ariel as almost a real person - where would she shop? What would she wear? This was the final result. I thought it turned out well (I got a fair amount of compliments, surprisingly), but I apologize profusely for the terrible quality of this photo - it's what happens when you only have 30 seconds until you have to teach! And the outfit wasn't that unflattering in person, either ;)

(Shirt: Wildfox Couture; Skirt: American Apparel; Flower: Kate Spade; Lipstick: FACE Stockholm for J. Crew in Peony Pink)

A Welcome Surprise

Hello!

I would say that family is pretty unique. Even though my parents have been divorced since I was seven, they have managed to remain fairly friendly with each other. Friendly enough that we even go on family vacations together! This year, things got pretty crazy. My mom decided to rent her house out for two years in order to take a sabbatical in South East Asia, and is spending this summer preparing for her trip and living in Upstate New York. Seeing as I'm away at college most of the time, it bummed me out that I wasn't going to be spending the summer with my mom. Luckily, due to the spaciness and planning issues that run in my family, there have been a couple welcome surprises (not pictured: my brother making a two day return before he heads off for the rest of the summer), including my mom coming home to send my brother off. After a long day of work, nothing beat the feeling of opening the door to see my mom sitting at the kitchen table. Although she did manage to drink the last coke in the fridge, she quickly made it up to me by a trip to the nail salon and some intense rounds of cards. Sometimes there's really nothing better than family.

(Nails: Essie's Lilacism, rings: [from left to right] family heirloom, Bonnaroo, Underground Designs, Bonnaroo, Disney, Tiffany's)

Currently Listening...

Hello!

In an effort to make sure that I do continue to update this blog on a regular basis, I want to instill some weekly posts. Because I'm a huge fan of taking baby steps, I figured the first one I would start with would be a weekly music post. I love music, and I'm always finding new bands and listening to more and more music. The band I chose to highlight this week is the Shins, who are an indie rock band. The Shins are one of my all time favorite bands, and it's rare for me to not be in the mood to listen to them :) Besides them having gorgeous harmonies and a beautiful sound, my favorite thing about the Shins are the lyrics. Although they might not always make sense, some of the lyrics are like poetry. It's rare for me to not get shivers when I listen to such lines as, "and love is the ink in the well when her body writes". Instead of me going on and on, I think I'll let the music speak for itself. I hope you enjoy the Shins as much as I do!

✌ New Slang ✌ Australia ✌ Simple Song ✌ 

(My [not so] lovely iphone photography from when I saw them live at Williamsburg Park!)

The Best Non-Dairy Smoothie You'll Ever Have

Hello!

Working at a camp is exhausting. Between spending 8-9 hours on my feet and dealing with screaming children, I'm beat by the end of the day. This means that waking up in the morning is definitely not my favorite part of the day, because, as always, sleep just sounds so much better. In an effort to break my coffee and adderall diet, I vowed to figure out some easy way to have breakfast in the morning. I finally decided on smoothies, and decided to start experimenting, since most of the recipes I found involved yogurt or milk (which I prefer my smoothies to be without). In an effort to increase the health benefits, I've also started adding chia and flax seeds for some extra protein and fiber.

Words to Live By

Welcome to the Fifties

Hello!

Over the summer I work at a lovely Children's Day Camp. One of the best parts about camp is that we have Wacky Week every year, which is when each day has a different theme. Today's theme was "Back in Time/Decade Day", so I decided to draw some inspiration from the '50s for my outfit. 

(necklace - vintage, dress - modcloth)

An Attempt to Introduce Myself :)

Hello!

Welcome to my Blog! My name is Amelia, and I'm an 18 year old girl born and raised in good ol' Brooklyn. I'm currently an incoming sophomore at Muhlenberg College, with a major in Biology and a minor in English. I hope to use this blog as a place to post about what interests me- fashion, music, food, crafts, etc. 

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!

(shirt - Brandy Melville, shorts - Urban Outfitters)