Test Shots

Life has been crazy lately; it seems like I make page long to-do lists every day, and although posting on here is always on them, it unfortunately always seems to fall by the wayside. In what seemed to be my biggest attempt at procrastination yet, I decided to pull out the over the top makeup and goof around with my camera. Here are some selects :)

(eyebrows - avon's glimmersticks in tawny; eyes - face stockholm's kräm-ögonskugga in siden, mac penultimate pen eyeliner in rapidblack, chinese brand of 'hi-tech waterproof mascara'; Cheeks - benefit's watt's up, face stockholm for j. crew blush stick in pinched; Lips - face stockholm for j. crew in chili flake)

(Chipped nail polish - essie's tarte deco)

Whirlwind

Cindy Lou Who

When I'm at school, it seems as though I can wake up on a Sunday, and in the blink of an eye it will be Friday. Time seems to pass incredibly quickly, except for when I'm in Organic Chemistry. Consequently, I rarely find time to pull myself together, opting for leggings and a muscle tee over an actual outfit. But with the weather being so nice lately, I had to take advantage of it. Since I was running late to class (as it seems I always am....maybe I should stop taking so many naps), my top knot ended up making me look a little bit like a Dr. Seuss character, but I decided to just go with it, because hey, it kept my hair out of my face during class :) I promise I'll have more posts up soon!

(scarf - lf; shirt - brandy melville; shorts - american apparel; sandals - birkenstocks)

I am a horrible blogger

Hi there,

I have now been at college for exactly 5 weeks. It feels like I've been here for months. I swear I will try to write a real post this weekend (I feel like the boy who cried wolf over here!) but I have so much to talk about and so many outfits to share :) So, in the meantime, here is one of my pre- horrible Allentown weather outfits!

For the occasional sunny days here, a cropped tank and high waisted shorts have been my go-to outfit. Simple, and I never get sick of it.
(glasses: oliver peoples; shirt: out from under; shorts: american apparel; shoes: saltwater sandals)

Life, Lately: Pre-College

As I write this, I'm sitting in my dorm room, facing the semi-crooked tapestry I illegally hung with pushpins. I've been at school for about a week and a half, and it feels like I never left. It's good to be home. As per usual, I'm behind on posting (how am I constantly busy? What am I actually doing with my time), so here are a few photos from the week before I left, and there will be many more photos to come from 'Berg :)

This is what I miss most about being away from home. At least I got a little cuddling in before I left!

Product of the Week

When it comes to doing my nails, I can be quite lazy. I regularly make vows to myself to either stop biting my nails, get them done every week, or take off the polish once it starts to chip, but I never follow through with them. That's why when I do actually paint my nails, I have one product that I absolutely adore. Besides waiting for the polish to dry, my least favorite part of doing my nails would be attempting to remove all the polish with nail polish remover. I have an affliction to cotton balls, so I would try to use paper towel, and it would end up shedding everywhere. Enter e.l.f. nail polish remover pads. I randomly picked them up one day at Target, since they were only two dollars. When I used them, I was amazed by the product. They come in a set of 12, and I can use one pad to clean off all ten nails. Although they have a little bit of a weird smell, it's nothing compared to acetone. They also don't sting, which is a problem that I would run into a lot (I may or may not bite my cuticles...). I would highly recommend these, because there's really no better way to remove nail polish. The pads are mess free, and way more inexpensive than other nail polish removers. 

(e.l.f. professional Nail Polish Remover Pads)

Hunky Dory

My other big birthday present this year was a new pair of sneakers. I have a pair of Nike Frees that I wear to the gym, and I wanted to get another pair that I'd wear on a more daily basis. They weren't at the top of my list, but when I saw that Nike was doing a collaboration with Liberty of London, I knew I had to get a pair! I was able to customize them on the Nike website, and I'm pretty happy with how they turned out. Although they're a little bit more blue than I thought they'd be, they're super comfy and I know I'll get some good wear out of them! I forgot to take photos the two times I've worn them out so far, so some photos of just the shoes will have to suffice :)

Naturally, when I found out I could customize them, I had to add my favorite phrase to them!

An Inevitable Change

 A new school year always brings change. This year, the big change was getting glasses. Bad eyesight runs in both sides of my family, so it was pretty inevitable that I would eventually have to get glasses. Although I can see pretty well, they'll be helpful for seeing the board and driving. I'm just lucky I don't have to wear them all the time! I had to quickly find a pair before I left, and I decided on these Oliver Peoples. It's a frame I never would normally have chosen, but I'm glad they got them (and I think they make me look smarter!). So far it's been an interesting experience, and I hope I adjust to them soon!

(belt: grandmother's; dress: love)

Birthday Bag

One of my favorite ways to procrastinate is by online shopping. I love hunting for deals, and have been known to cross check items across many different websites. :) I'm also signed up for websites like Gilt and Hautelook, and when I'm really putting off work, I check my email for their daily deals. Awhile ago, I randomly checked Gilt and saw that they were having a Marc by Marc Jacobs sale. Never one to pass up an opportunity to get a Marc Jacobs back, I immediately checked out the sale. When I saw this bag, I fell in love. I've been looking for a nice camera bag for ages, and haven't had much success. Although this is still a little tight for my T3i and lens, I couldn't be happier! Even though this sale was months ago, we decided to put it away until my birthday. And I have to say, the wait made it that much better :) I can't wait to start using it, and my 19th Birthday is off to a very good start!

It's the prettiest dark blue leather!

I love the detailing - I can't stand when bags are over the top!

Life, Lately: Vacation Edition

In less than 12 hours, I will be back in Pennsylvania, moving into my dorm. It's crazy to think how fast this summer has gone, and I'm still not quite ready to let go of my summer mindset. For the most part, it was a great summer - I got to go to the beach for the first time in years, and I was kept busy with seeing friends and work. I'm dreading the idea of going back to organic chemistry and calculus, but I'm hoping that the transition won't be too bad ;) and since I just love Ocracoke so much, I can't resist sharing some photos from the trip! More can be found on my instagram, too :)

I will never, ever, ever get sick of these sunsets!

One of the best feelings ever: doing yoga on the beach in my blackmilk R2D2 swimsuit!

Maxed Out

I know I've been terrible lately with keeping up with my blog. I'm pretty sure everything I've posted lately a third grader could write, and I apologize for that. Coming back from vacation, I've plunged head first into the week-before-college chaos. My days have been filled with doctors appointments (some good, some bad), packing, seeing friends, and of course, some birthday celebrations :) It's been crazy, and when I come home I usually last five minutes before I pass out; which means that there has been little time for blogging. Hopefully I'll get back on track soon, and have a couple fun posts up. 

In New York, it's already starting to feel like fall. I've worn jeans the past few days, and carried around a heavy cardigan. Between the rain and the cooler temperatures, I feel as though summer is slipping away from me. And the weather is going to be even worse in Pennsylvania. So for now, I'll try and hold onto the memories of sitting and reading on the beach, and try to get some final uses out of my summer wardrobe. 

(hat: goorin bros; necklace: gift; tank top: brandy melville; skirt: brandy melville; shoes: saltwater sandals)

Basic with a Twist

A while ago, FACE Stockholm sent me a couple products to review. I wrote about the nail polish here, and the other product they sent me is their latest Dream Cream Eyeshadow. Overall, I was very happy with the product! It glides on like a dream, and the color stays all day. I was sent the color Siden, which is an opalescent grey-pink. Since Siden is such a light shade, it did require some building up, but the end result is a beautiful neutral that can be paired with anything.

Ocracoke

This week I'm finally back in Ocracoke, North Carolina. As much as I'm a city girl, there's still a part of me that feels most at home on the beach. My family and I used to go to Ocracoke every year, and this is the first year since 2009 that I've been able to go back. Whether it's taking a walk to the Pirate's Chest or Albert Styron's Store (abbreviated ASS, of course), buying my groceries at the Variety Store, or going out on the porch to find, gasp, actual constellations in the sky, I am so happy to be back here. I've been spending my days taking photos, reading on the beach, catching up on Orange is the New Black, and boogie boarding. More photos and posts will be up soon, but for now I'm enjoying my little bit of vacation before I head back to school! 

Not pictured: the lovely burn I got after one day at the beach!
(Sunglasses: Ray-Bans; Shirt: Urban Outfitters; Pants: borrowed/H&M Kids; Shoes: Tevas)

Holographic

When it comes to nail polish, I'm usually a creature of habit. I frequently fall back on my trusty bottle of Essie's Tart Deco, and if I'm not sporting that, it's usually a similar pastel shade. However, FACE Stockholm recently sent me one of their newest Holographic Nail Polishes to check out. I chose the shade Athena, which is a silvery shade reminiscent of holographic sticker sheets. At first I was a little nervous about trying such an eye-catching shade, but after trying it out, I am head over heels in love. 

(Nail Polish: FACE Stocholm's Holographic Nail Polish in Athena [c/o])
Apologies for the messy manicure - I was in a hurry!

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.