CollegeFashionista: A Round Up

This isn't a usual post, but I'm just feeling quite elated at the moment. As most of you know by now, I also have been writing for CollegeFashionista this semester where each week I find fashionable students around my campus and report their outfit, specifically their accessories. It's been a strange transition from writing about and photographing my own outfits to other people's outfits, but it's been a huge learning experience that I really do think has helped me. Now I don't get so hurt when people criticize me, haha

So I just wanted to share a few of the people and articles that were well received. At this point, I have had 4 articles featured on the homepage, and 9 published over all. Not too bad, not too bad.

All my articles can be found here, or by clicking the picture. Also, if any of you are ready to take on this exciting challenge, the application for Fall 2014 can be found on the website too! Let me know which of these is your favorite, and also any photography or shooting tips if you have them. I'm always looking to learn a little more!

xoxo, Katie

California...Pineapples?

I was going to save this outfit to potentially use for the 3rd round of CollegeFashionista March Madness but it isn't looking promising at this point..I'm behind almost 20 votes in this round so I'm just going to go ahead and post these. It's been since TUESDAY that I even made a post last! Time flies when you're super busy!

Top- Forever21

Skirt- H&M

Necklace- Borrowed

Sunglasses- Kohl's

Sandals- Thrifted

This was the day we went to LA over spring break and let me tell you, I stood out. Not because my outfit was too wild, but because it happened to be a pleasant 65 degrees that day and everyone around me was in jeans, long sleeves, boots! I can't imagine what they would have done in the -30 weather we had last month!

That day in LA held it's fair share of shopping, so I'm hoping that soon I will have the lighting and space to take pictures for a haul or maybe film one? I haven't quite decided yet. Let me know in the comments which you would prefer!

xoxo, Katie

Styling March Madness: Round One

Howdy, friends and blog readers (although I hope to count you as a friend if you read my blog). If you didn't already know, I am currently an intern for College Fashionista where I write weekly style articles focusing on accessories. Every Friday you can see the lovely people around my campus, but for the next few weeks they are running a competition on their Facebook page starring those of us usually behind the camera!

Jacket- Forever21

Top- H&M

Jeans- Gap

Heels- H&M

Necklace and Sunglasses- Thrifted

I wore this outfit on the last day of my California trip before changing into more practical airport friendly clothes, but it seemed like a pretty good representation of my style for the contest. Minimal and clean yet up to date with a little girly edge.

So what I would love is a little help from my readers. If you could follow THIS link and like the photo, that counts as a vote! That's all you need to do! Feel free to friend request me if you happen to see my Facebook page, but just one extra vote could put me into the next round. YOU HAVE TO ACT FAST THOUGH BECAUSE THE 1ST ROUND ENDS TOMORROW (March 19) at 11:59 EST. So vote as soon as you see this! haha feel free to share it with you Facebook friends as well! Of course, only vote if you do like my outfit, but hopefully you do if you're following me? I'd like to think so at least. Thanks, friends (yes, I'm assuming we are all friends now).

xoxo, Katie

ps- you can also find all of my articles for College Fashionista here if you are looking for something else to read!

May Your Monday Be a Little Brighter

Coming back from spring break is hard. Not only does it mean heading back to the freezing cold Midwest for classes, but it also means that internship applications begin to be responded to. It's generally a depressing and nerve-wracking time (especially since I'm getting sick now too- thanks a lot, airplane travel). To potentially lighten the blows of tests and rejection, I'm attempting to cheer myself up with adorable and pretty things. Hopefully this brightens your Monday a little bit, because I'm not really sure about mine. Pinterest will be my best friend today, so if you're not following me you definitely should go do that. Now.

xoxo, Katie

I just really really REALLY want a pet :(

Anything with sugar and lemons I am all about. 

How adorable is this? Plus the artist is amazing.

Happy St. Patricks Day!

I absolutely adore this, and most of her prints start at only $10. I need one in my life asap. Find her Etsy shop here! 

Beautiful ice cream is always a good idea- especially it if involves cake.

PS- I also just realized it's been a whole 10 days since my last post- whew! Time flies when you're busy. Be on the lookout for posts with pictures from my spring break outfits and adventures later on this week.

My Spring Break Makeup Travel Bag

Since the countdown is officially in full swing (t-minus 28 hours and 47 minutes to take off), I am of course scrambling around trying to get everything ready. It's a little known fact that I am a horrendous packer. I will inevitably forget something necessary, have a meltdown about it, and then have to improvise the rest of the trip. To add stress to that, I've never been to California or anywhere west of Kansas City really, so the weather completely confounds me. What does a "no humidity" even mean?

There was a saving grace in the one bag that was relatively easy to pack- makeup. I know I'm not going to want to fuss with TOO much, and I also want my skin to soak up as much freckle-inducing sunlight as possible (all under a layer of SPF of course). So here are the essentials that I was able to fit neatly into this size Victoria's Secret bag.

The Basics

Every good face starts out with a good base. So let's start from the bottom up. The Maybelline Baby Skin is a new discovery of mine. I'm not sure if it's really a new product, but I've steered clear of the makeup aisles for months now so as not to tempt myself. It's supposed to "erase pores" much like the super popular Benefit Porefessional. I can't say that this is a miracle product, but it was around the $6 mark and I do think my makeup glides on smoother with it. I'll put up a full review after a couple weeks of use.

Next, I've packed my Aveeno BB Cream. It has an oil-free SPF 30 formula, perfect for fast application with fingers or a brush. Which then leads me into which brushes I'm bringing. In classic beauty blogger fashion, I'm all about the RealTechniques brushes. The first one (pink handle) is the blush brush. The next three in order are the buffing brush (I use this for blending my powder with my BB cream), the contour brush (for bronzer), and the detailing brush (for concealer). So then speaking of concealer, I'm taking along my FAVORITE Maybelline Age Rewind under eye concealer. Seriously, this stuff works miracles. It isn't too heavy, it brightens up the face, and has lasted me ages. Second, I'm taking my Hard Candy "Glamoflage" concealer. It's not the best, but it does have fantastic coverage and doesn't get too cakey when I use the detail brush.

Lastly, the little stragglers of this photo. For powder I've brought my Rimmel Stay Matte powder in translucent. Trusty, dependable, and easy to replace if it gets broken in-flight. The little brown pencil next to my concealers is my favorite Mary Kay eyebrow pencil in Brunette. Lastly, I'm dragging my bulky Naked2 pallet. I know that it takes up tons of space, but it has the perfect combination of day to night colors for a bronze-y California look. Plus it's just easier to reach in and grab this instead of searching through 10 eyeshadow pots.

The Extras

I'm super proud of myself for only packing 5 lip products INCLUDING a Baby Lips chapstick. I am notorious for bringing an army of lip colors simply because I never know what I might need! But I pushed myself to dial it back and I think I made good choices. The two "colors" I'm bringing are Rimmel Show Off liquid lipsticks in Stellar and Luna. Stellar is a vibrant almost-red pink that can double as a bright day-time or going out lipstick. Luna is a beautiful orange toned peach great with a bronze eye. The last two (Rimmel Just Bitten balm in "Precious" and NYX Butter Gloss in "Creme Brulee") are a great pale nude combo perfect for any day time outfit or with smokey eye. 

For bronzer and blush I'm taking two compacts. The first is the blush/bronzer "Gloriously Golden" from the Flower collection. I am a huge fan of this brand because they are all made in the US and never test on animals! I also just bought this Maybelline bronzer, and I'm only taking it to try and force myself into using it. So far it hasn't wowed me and hardly shows up on my skin! Cross your fingers.

Lastly, I have my all time eye staples- Wet n Wild's Mega Liquid eyeliner and Urban Decay 24/7 pencil in Yeyo. The travel mascara is by Tarte (Lights, Camera, Lashes!) and while it's probably not my faaaavorite mascara of all time, the tube is small and I was running out of room, haha. Lastly is the little pot at the top. That is "Bare Study" paint pot by MAC. It doubles as a pretty shimmer stand-alone eyeshadow and highlighter. Two-for-one is the name of the game when packing.

So that's what I'm taking! I still have a little time, so if you know of something I'm forgetting (or if you know I've packed something I won't use) leave a comment! I also want to know what YOUR travel makeup essentials are.

Candles, Apples, and Diamonds- OH MY!

So here's the deal: I secretly love candles. I'm not sure that anyone I'm close with even knows this, but I do. However I rarely get to burn one, sadly. (Stupid dorm rules...let us live a little!) And of course being me, I can't pass up a deal and I came across this coupon code for free shipping on a thing called Diamond Candles. Naturally, I had to look into it. Free shipping AND candles? Duh.

Little did I know the world I would uncover.

(photos taken from DiamondCandle.com)

So like the name implies, they are candles. Don't be fooled into thinking this is just a cute name, however. No, these are no ordinary candles. Inside each and every one of these delicious smelling candles is a DIAMOND RING! 

Well, I assume not all the rings are diamonds because each ring in the candles is valued anywhere from $10-$5,000. Still, it's a real possibility that you could uncover a ring worth more than my car. How stinkin' cool is that?! 

I'm just so darn excited and I placed my first order as a gift about 10 minutes ago for the apple candle in the bottom left picture. Each of these candles is only $24.95, which is just about the same price as the overused Bath and Body Works candles. I'm getting sick of seeing those around, honestly, and the last time I purchased one is charred the wax as I burnt it so my originally cream/yellow candle was grey by the end! Gross!

I'm really thinking about buying one just for myself if there is any money left over at the end of my spring break trip to California (more on that later). If you want to get more info on Diamond Candles, you can watch this video they have on their website. It's such a great family story and I'm hoping these really catch on as the new thing! Happy shopping, and let me know if you get one- I'm super curious as to what they each smell like :)

(This post WAS NOT sponsored by Diamond Candles. I really do just want to share them with everyone!)

90s Babe

Top- Urban Outfitters

Jeans- Old Navy

Shoes- JuJus

Sunglasses- Thrifted

Watch- SwatchWatch

The only this I really have to say about this outfit is it was a 100% representation of how badly I want winter to end. The jelly shoes are calling my name, so much so that I almost want to buy a clear glitter pair, and I just discovered they are on sale at ASOS. This could be dangerous...

On another note, I was super pleasantly surprised by these jeans. My boyfriend's mom gave them to me because she couldn't really wear them, and I'd never attempted Old Navy jeans before. Not only were the longs actually long enough, but I quite like the fit. I wouldn't be opposed to snagging a pair in white.

Have you been surprised by any brands recently? Tried anything new that might be worth a shot?