where's spring?!

February 12, 2018KristenComment

tank (i don't know i'm sorry!). leggings. sneakers. sunglasses.

Happy Monday! Today is definitely one of those very ~Monday~ Mondays. I feel like my head is in the clouds, which is horrible because I have so much homework to do! It's that time of year for us college students. For me up in Boston, it's all yucky and cold, my extracurriculars are in full swing, and my teachers are piling on the work. I'm dreaming of the days I'll be able to read in the sun in the Boston Garden again, wearing outfits like this!

I found this outfit on my computer recently, and I'm so surprised I never posted it! I would love to be able to wear this spring-y look again. The tank is a hand-me-down from my cousin. I love lace, but I don't wear it enough! I love the cut of this tank. It stops a little bit below my belly button, so it's kind of a crop top, but it still looks like a normal length with high-waisted leggings like these.

One of my favorite parts about this tank is that it's thick, and it basically erases your boobs, which means you can go braless! I've been trying to go braless more often, but on this particular day I wore my black bralette, which looked pretty cool with the black leggings.

To top it all off, I wore my white Converse and heart-shaped sunglasses. I love the way the black and white of this outfit looks, and the heart-shaped glasses just make everything more cute and carefree. I miss the sun and wearing sunglasses every day. Spring, where are you?!

Let's Get Naked

January 9, 2018Cruelty-FreeKristenComment

This Christmas, I asked for a ton of makeup. I've always been into beauty (obviously) but I definitely got more interested in it this semester. One of my roommates and her sister are crazy good at makeup, and they always try to teach me things when they doll me up before we go out. A couple of my sorority sisters are also super gifted and they've been teaching me things, so I figured I'd ask for a couple high-quality products to start actually getting into it. The Urban Decay NAKED 3 palette was one of them!

Though I had wanted this palette for a long time, I never actually got it because I never really wore eyeshadow. Every time I tried, I would just mess it up and it would look so bad. But this semester, my sorority sisters taught us a makeup class, and I learned a little more about blending and which types of colors to put where on my eye. I started playing around, and now I feel empty without eyeshadow!

NAKED 3 is honestly perfect for me! On a normal day, I wear neutral colors on my eyes like beige and tan, which is exactly why I wanted one of the NAKED palettes. I loved the rose gold tones in NAKED 3, and there's honestly a ridiculous variety. The palette goes from super light shades like Strange, which I usually use under my eyebrows, and Burnout, my go-to, to darker crease shades like Factory and Darkheart. Honestly the names of these are super cute too, like Mugshot, Liar, and Trick! It just makes getting ready in the morning that much more fun.

I also really like that every color has a sparkly complement; it makes it really easy to pair shades together and play around on my lids. They're more shimmery than sparkly, with just enough shine to add a little pop to your look but not so much it looks like you're attending a red carpet at the grocery store, if that makes sense.

And the BRUSH! It's double-sided, with one end for applying and one end for blending, which completely revolutionized my eyeshadow game since I've never had a blending brush! I've never had an issue with my brushes, until recently I realized they get really dirty really quickly, and they're really difficult to clean (what the hell, e.l.f.?!). One of my sisters told me that I'd never realize how crappy my brushes were until I used quality ones, and I completely believe her now that I've used this brush and the one that came with my Cocoa Contour palette. It's so soft!!! I feel like a literal princess when I use this brush.

I'm so so happy I was fortunate enough to get this for Christmas, because it's seriously changed my makeup game forever! And as a bonus, Urban Decay is cruelty-free! If you’re interested in going cruelty-free, check out PETA’s Searchable Database and Cruelty-Free Kitty’s alphabetized list of cruelty-free brands. If you have any cruelty-free recommendations, please comment them below!

Sorority Sunday!

January 7, 2018KristenComment

Jersey. Sweater (similar). Leggings. Boots.

Happy Sunday! I love Sundays when I'm on Long Island because my dad is home, so we get to spend some time together and talk, and when my mom gets home we have some nice family time. I love Sundays in Boston too, but they're a little more hectic because my extracurriculars usually fall on Sundays, like my weekly Chapter meetings for my sorority! I love Chapter because I get to see all my sisters at once, and we get to talk about kicking ass.

This Sorority Sunday, I have a new hockey jersey that my parents got me for Christmas! I've been wanting a sorority hockey jersey for so long, and I finally got one! I actually asked for some different colors, but Something Greek was out of stock, so my mom picked these colors. To be honest, I didn't like it originally, but it looked great when I put it on! Looking now at the colors I would've chosen, I'm actually really happy I got this one. Everything happens for a reason!

It was a little too cold to wear just the jersey, so I wore my black turtleneck underneath, and I was very pleasantly surprised at how it looked. I also wore my heavy fleece-lined leggings, because it is truly brick out here on Long Island.

And, maybe the most exciting part of this post, my new Timbs! I'll probably make a separate post about them because I'm so excited about them, but my parents also got me black, genuine Timberlands for Christmas and I'm SO happy. If I start talking about them now they'll completely dominate this post, so stay tuned for another of me literally just freaking the hell out.

But I'm really happy I got this jersey! It's unique and different, and lets me represent my sorority the way I want to. I don't think I'll ever stop buying sorority merch, literally until I'm ninety years old. It's not 4 years, it's 4 life :')

Star Crossed

January 6, 2018Outfit of the DayKristenComment

You all know how much I love Halsey (and if you don't, check out this, this, and this), so for Christmas, I asked for a TON of merch from her latest tour. I got to see her for the third time in Boston on October 6th, and it was one of the greatest shows I've ever seen. I also adore her latest album, Hopeless Fountain Kingdom, and the merch in her shop was just really freakin' cool. I was immediately obsessed with almost every piece.

This is one of the coolest tour shirts I've owned! I've never had a long-sleeved tour shirt before, and this one lists the dates down the arms instead of on the back, which I think is so unique and awesome. It leaves space for an awesome design on the back, that I totally should've taken a picture of. I love light, long-sleeved shirts like this. They're perfect for low-key looks like this!

These leggings are another Christmas addition! They're soooo comfortable. I love fleece-lined leggings because I live in the cold and I'm literally always in leggings (as you can tell from this blog), but sometimes they're just a little too heavy for the gym or Cheer practice. My mom got these from Francesca's, and they're super soft and fleece-lined, but not so fuzzy that I sweat. I really love them; the only drawback is that they're kinda see-through, so I have to be mindful of what underwear I wear with them!

I quite literally topped the look off with this "hopeless" hat from Halsey's store. Getting this hat to look good on me was a time. When I first put it on, it looked reeeeally weird on my head. The way the actual hat part was angled was just so different than a usual baseball hat. I sized it down to fit my small ass head, but it still looked kind of off. I was so upset because I love this hat! I sent a Snapchat to my sorority asking if they liked it or not, and God bless them, they told me to just bend the brim and it fixed it completely! That's why you rush, ladies. I'm still a little upset because I had to size it down so much that there's a weird strap flap on the back (say that ten times fast!), so it looks a little weird when I wear it backwards, but I could probably tuck it in.

My white Converse also made an appearance in this dark look! I don't know why I picked white over black; I didn't even really consider black. Sometimes things just look good for no reason.

Also, I was really proud of my makeup today. It's what I usually wear (with contour and eyeshadow now, hehe), but I took my time with it since I wasn't in too much of a rush and it just looked really good! I straightened my freshly-cut hair too, so I was just generally happy with how I looked today. As I always say, if you're wearing something that makes you feel good, then you will feel good!

Overall though, I think this is a really cute, laid-back look that I could definitely wear once it starts warming up! Oh Spring, where are you?!

Maple Holistics' Tea Tree Oil Shampoo!

January 4, 2018Cruelty-FreeKristenComment

One of the best parts of running a fashion/beauty blog is that I'm introduced to so many awesome brands and products, and I get to bring them to you all! It's something I really missed during my hiatus. That's why I was SO excited when Maple Holistics reached out to me to try out their Tea Tree Oil Shampoo!

As you all know, cruelty-free beauty is extremely important to me, mainly because I hate that beauty brands test their products on innocent, helpless animals. The way I see it, if products are made with ingredients that have the potential to do things like burn a bunny's eye off, why would I want to use them? Lately, I've been trying to learn more about what's in the products I use every day. Unfortunately, I've had a coule of rude awakenings, but Maple Holistics is all about cruelty-free beauty, as well as all-natural beauty in general. When I use this shampoo, I'm confident its ingredients. All of Maple Holistics' products are all natural and sulfate-free. This shampoo in particular is also GMO-free, gluten-free, and paraben-free.

And Maple Holistics is truly a holistic company. My beauty routine is my favorite part of the day, and Maple Holistics takes steps to elevate that special part of the day for all of their customers. They meticulously select essential oils to put in their products, which seriously makes the WORLD of a difference. I've been getting into aromatherapy lately, and it's amazing how much a good scent can improve your mental health. This Tea Tree Oil Shampoo smells amazing. Imagine taking a hot, steamy shower, letting hot water wash away your day accompanied by the amazing smell of tea tree oil. It's encapsulating!

Now that you know all about how amazing Maple Holistics is as a company, I need to tell you about how amazing this shampoo is. I feel like it was basically created for me! Tea tree oil is great for moisture and wound care, so it only makes sense that this shampoo has amazing healing properties for the scalp. Mine is always irritated, especially when I wear my thick, heavy hair in a high ponytail. And now that I'm enduring my twentieth East Coast Winter, my scalp is drier than ever. After I started using this shampoo, my head felt so much less irritated, and my hair was a lot softer and healthier. It even solves dandruff and lice problems! This shampoo is also great for hair growth. I love my long hair, and I'd do anything to make sure it stays thick and healthy.

Overall, I am so happy I tried this shampoo! It really made a difference for me, and I admire that it comes from such an ethical company. You can get your hands on a bottle of your own here, but if you're interested in trying more products from Maple Holistics, they offer the opportunity to try some of their products through their Free Samples Program, because they're just that awesome.

If you’re interested in going cruelty-free, check out PETA’s Searchable Database and Cruelty-Free Kitty’s alphabetized list of cruelty-free brands. If you have any cruelty-free recommendations, please comment them below!