CFDA x ShopStyle: Rock Pink for a Cause

Happy October, y'all!

This month, ShopStyle and the Council for Fashion Designers of America are teaming up to raise awareness of the foundation Fashion Targets Breast Cancer (FTBC). Being a member of ShopStyle, I was invited to participate in this great opportunity to both explain why this cause is near and dear to my heart and give 10% of my earnings from this week to the worthy organization.

To so many, October means breast cancer awareness month. It's a time where pink ribbons are sold, NFL players wear pink gloves or socks, and many women (and men!) encourage those around them to get screened and to continue with self-examination there after. 

However, to far too many people across the globe, breast cancer means a lot more. It means the struggle they witnessed a loved one go through and the pain they themselves felt during such a time. For me and my family, it represents the loss of a bright light in our lives, our Aunt Joanne.

Coffee Catch-Up: Who Says You Can't Go Home

I know I love reading blog posts about real life and all the fun (and not so great) moments so I thought I'd fill you all in on my chaos that has been the last month!

Long Time No Blog!

Pictures from the last two months!

Hey y'all!

I'll start off by saying that things have changed A LOT since my last blog post. I'm currently employed full-time in the DC Metro area and loving it. Getting there, however, was a completely different story!

I struggled quite a bit with finding a job in my field that I would love and that wouldn't require me to move halfway across the country over the holidays. No matter how much everyone kept saying it would work out, I was a mess of emotions. I squeezed in interviews between classes and interning, giving me even less free time than normal and making any sort of social media the last thing on my mind. 

After about a month of interviewing and searching high and low, I forced myself to take a break and focus on school. In my mind I came to the conclusion that, if it was God's will, He would ensure I got a job for January. 

At the end of that very week, I got a call from our head of HR saying I would hear back in the next week and that I was a superb candidate for the job. A few hours later, they called me back and offered me the job! I ended up accepting the offer and started the first week of January.

With all that, I've seen myself change for the better. Biggest change: I go to bed by 11 every night! I also enjoy the weekends a lot more because it's my time. I don't have to be working on school work on Sundays or blocking out chunks of my time for sorority events. 

Anyway, I'm hoping to work blogging in to my routine, which might mean writing everything out on my beloved weekends. Either way, there is sure to be lots of fun content coming soon!

Enjoy the rest of your chilly winter weekend!

RocksBox Loving

Hey y'all, happy fall!

This last month has been INSANE so blogging and social media in general have both been on the back burner. But I've (kind of) settled in to a routine and finally have time to sit down and write!

Now I'm sure you've heard plenty of bloggers talk about RocksBox and, to be honest, I was a bit skeptical to try it out. I was a Birchbox lover for a few years until I started to realize I was getting a lot of the same samples and I wasn't getting the same quality I used to get.

Anyway, I was sent my first box free and, let me tell you, it almost pained me to send back the gorgeous Kendra Scott Rayne Necklace in black. The only reason I decided to send it back was because of the color; I think I would have preferred one of the actual colored stones to the black.

I loved the idea so much that I subscribed myself and got my second box last Friday! I've definitely fallen in love with the square pave earrings I was sent. Perfect for a touch of shine when I need a little bit more than my simple diamond or pearl studs.

All in all, I definitely recommend it. The price was a little bit of a deterrent for me at first ($19 a month) but it honestly keeps me from spending way more than that on jewelry or other accessories, so it ends up being worth it in my eyes.

Additionally, if you click here and use the code "carolynbff100" when you make your account, you'll get your first month free! That way you can test it out for yourself and see if you love it as well!

5 Things I Learned in College

George Washington Campus
C/O: GW Media Relations

As my chapter of time in college comes to a close (this semester will be my last!) and I get a little overwhelmed with questions about what to pack for college/what to expect during recruitment, there's no better time to give y'all a quick run down of the top 5 things I learned in my three years.

So, here we go:

1. Bring half of what you think you absolutely need. You'll definitely end up buying new things that fit your college lifestyle a little better than your high school clothes would and your closet space is probably going to be very small.

2. Don't expect to be best friends with your roommate. Even if you are already best friends with them, keep hanging out with your other groups of friends so you don't get on each other's nerves!

3. Pick up after yourself as you see things that need to be cleaned but devote one set time a week to do a deeper cleaning (bathroom cleaning, vacuuming, dusting, etc.). Even better if you blast music while you do it :)

4. Go to class. If you are in class as often as possible and participate, your professor is more likely to understand when you have a family emergency and need an extension (yep, that happened to me) or a similar situation. 

4 (and a half). Take classes with less students in them when you can. It'll make you feel a bit more obligated to get out of bed when you know the professor will notice if you're not there :) 

5. Get in a little bit of trouble! This was something my dad always told me growing up (I have always been a rule follower) and it's stuck with me. Some of my favorite memories of my freshman and sophomore year were the ones where my best friends and I were a little wild and I'd hate for anyone to look back at this unique time with regret.

Leave a comment with something you learned (or want to learn) in college!

Tassels With Class

As someone who's not a huge fan of changes (fashion or otherwise), it takes me a little bit to get in to trends. And the tassel trend was no exception to that.

I'm pretty sure it's the over-doing it that makes me not a fan of it right away; everywhere you look someone put a tassel on the drawstrings or edges of a romper or made a tassel the zipper of an otherwise plain bag.

But...after a lot of window shopping (mostly online so I guess browsing?) I decided to buy two necklaces from Nordstrom that happened to be on sale for a price I could tolerate. I'm not a "trend" spender so this was exactly the push I needed. 

I LOVE them, especially with more plain t-shirts or dresses but unfortunately, they're not on the website anymore! Not sure I'd purchase any other tassel necklaces right now (except the one below, I love the wooden bead look with the tassel) but here's a few more items that will let you tie tassels in to your every day wardrobe!

Hope y'all are staying cool in this crazy July heat!

Hair and Face and Eyes, Oh My!

Since I had one day last week off from my multitude of jobs, it became errand day. Luckily, returning something in Ulta and trying to find things for Father's Day as well as my parents' wedding anniversary were just a few of those errands so I was able to pick myself up a few things on the way!

Since I went last week, this is both a review and "share what I bought" kind of post for y'all.
First thing I got was Kiehl's Since Micro-Blur Skin Perfector.  I'm primarily using it as a base layer between my moisturizer and my foundation but so far my skin's appreciating this light "buffer zone" idea. No word yet on how it's dramatically helped my skin but I'll let y'all know!

From there I went to Ulta. I went in with full intention of getting Covergirl's Lash Blast Fusion Water Resistant Mascara in Black, since Jennifer from Southern Anchors recommended it to me so I obviously grabbed that. Since being in Georgia seems to have made me into a bit of a crybaby, I went with waterproof, which necessitated the Almay Longwear & Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover Pads. These are great at getting right to the clean off but the oily residue is not my favorite. Saw ones that were oil-free from Almay but they weren't for waterproof makeup so oh well!

My last item was a bit of a wandering purchase: basically this Georgia humidity and I have been fighting a vicious battle over the state of my hair. The second I walk out to my car, the great silky hair is a thing of the past. So, in an effort to solve the humidity crisis of the South, I got a small size of the DevaCurl 'Set it Free' Moisture Lock Spray. My roommate freshman year used there products to keep her curls in line and it smells incredible (I totally still use that as my #1 deciding factor, who cares if I'm 21, right?).  So far, it has been able to stand Georgia heat, non-stop work days, and the Florida Keys so more products might be in my near future :)

As always, my future purchases are open to any (and basically all) suggestions so let me know your favorites, new or old!!

Weekends are for Wedges

There is no doubt that my favorite type of shoes are wedges. They're great for not only adding a little height (I stand at an all too intimidating 5 feet tall) but also for dressing up an otherwise casual outfit.

Here are a few of my favorite options for this summer and I think at least the first three would work really well in to fall as well! They're also all reasonably priced because well...I tend to do more walking in my heels than I probably should since I live most of the year in DC and wearing out the grippy part on the bottom of any heels means you're more likely to lose your footing.

The next four are on my "some day" list (also known as once I'm no longer an unpaid intern and student):

Also fun fact from someone who owns a lot of shoes: try not to buy wedges without some sort of platform on them, no matter how cute they are. They tend to end up super uncomfortable to walk or stand in for a long period of time!