pura vida vibes

June 29, 2018Outfit of the Day, StyleKristenComment

shirt (no longer being sold by Pura Vida). bralette. shorts. sneakers. sunglasses. perfume.

Hello cuties! I’m so excited to share this look because it features one of my favorite brands, Pura Vida! If you’re new here, I’ve been a Pura Vida rep for about two years now. It’s an amazing brand that provides great, consistent working conditions to artisans in Costa Rica who make beautiful rings, bracelets, and accessories that promote the ~pura vida~ way of life. You can get 20% off your purchase using my discount code, KristenBruck20!

This is the only shirt I have from Pura Vida, and I don't think they sell shirts anymore, so I'm really happy I have it. It's super comfy and cute. Look at me, venturing away from all black clothes by wearing a shade lighter than black :’) I love the pocket, the wash, the cut, the fabric, everything about it. It was a little too heavy for the heat of the day, but I still loved it!

These are some jeans I haven’t showed off yet! I got them at American Eagle the same day I got my new black shorts from last week’s look. These are also “midi” shorts, but these are a bit more stretchy than the black ones, which is awesome. They’re so comfortable!

I finished the look off with my white Converse (what a surprise!), and wore my bralette with my shirt. I’ve been going makeupless for basically the entire summer because it’s just so hot! I hate when my makeup feels like it’s melting off, even if I am doused in Urban Decay setting spray. It just makes my face so hot and things get annoying. I haven’t been doing much with my hair either, except for leaving it down or putting it in French braids.

If you know of any other brands like Pura Vida that you think I’d like, let me know in the comments!

Mullet Day

July 2, 2016KristenComment

There was no non-awkward way to take this photo

Shirt (no longer being sold at Victoria’s Secret PINK). Leggings (similar). Sneakers. Bralette.

Today’s look was super comfy. I wore this top that I absolutely love, but haven’t worn in forever since it hasn’t been nice enough. From the front, it looks like a normal T-shirt, but from the back, it’s anything but normal. It’s like a mullet shirt! Usually, I wear a bandeau or colorful bra, but today I decided to try out this bralette that I bought yesterday, and I LOVED it.

I went with leggings because who doesn’t like to be comfy? Originally, I put on gray Toms, but when I looked in the mirror later I realized that it would look better with black Converse. For some reason, my Converse looked much better with my messy hair. My jewelry was normal, as well as my makeup. When I had my Toms on, I made my mascara very light because I wanted to look natural, but when I put my Converse on, I wanted my eyelashes to be super dark. If you couldn’t tell, I have very weird reasons for doing things.

Now seems like a good time to remind you guys that I am a Pura Vida Rep! Pura Vida has more than just bracelets, but also towels, bikinis, rings, and more! Everything is so so beautiful and it’s all for a good cause. You can get more information and buy stuff here. Use my rep code, KristenBruck20, for 20% off your order!

Silver(?) Is a Girl's Best Friend

May 28, 2016StyleKristenComment

My mom bought some Pura Vida Bracelets for herself. Clockwise from left: Black Studded. Track Bead w/ Silver Bitty Star Black. Silver Track Bead Black.

When I post on The Clunkster, I always make it a point to mention what jewelry I'm wearing. For me, a look is never complete unless I'm wearing a fair amount of jewelry. It can really make or break the outfit.

I've always loved jewelry in general! It may be because my mom loves jewelry. Growing up, I watched her ask my dad for some type of jewelry for every holiday. I would usually accompany my dad to the jewelry store and I would just be in awe of all the sparkle and diamonds. My family bought me "little kid" jewelry, and as I got older, I branched out into more legitimate brands, I guess I should call them.

I usually wear the same jewelry every day. Legally Blonde is my favorite movie of all time, and for Christmas one year my parents got me the bracelet Elle wears in the movie. I had it engraved "Kristen" on one side of the heart charm and "Love, Mommy and Daddy" on the other. If you've seen Legally Blonde you understand that the bracelet represents confidence and inner beauty. I really relate to Elle, so having the bracelet with me every day gives me the confidence to be myself even when things aren't going so well.

Alex and Ani bracelets are also really cute. I don't wear them as often as I should! I have seven, and they all mean something to me. I did get a pink string one with a rose gold heart that I wear every day. My mom has the same one in red! She also wears it every day because neither of us can figure out how to take it off. Some of the money from the purchase went to AIDS research!

I have three necklaces that I kind of rotate. One is a silver dog-tag looking charm that says "And though she be but little, she is fierce." It's a quote from my favorite Shakespeare play, A Midsummer Night's Dream. My parents got it for my birthday without even knowing I loved the quote so much! My mom said she found it and thought it just pertained to me. They know me so well.

Another is a circular charm with lots of stars. The outside of the circle says "Live your own life. Follow your own star." When my aunt gave it to me on my birthday, she told me to pick a star and that would be mine. I chose a tiny one towards the middle since I like being in the center of everything.

The only gold necklace I wear has a tiny elephant on it. Its trunk is up for good luck! I love the necklace because it's so simple and because the length is adjustable. I'm on my school's cheer squad and every year the new members get Bigs, and my Big got this for me for Christmas! She's one of the sweetest girls ever. She graduated and I miss her so much. This necklace reminds me of her.

I really love rings too! I like the look of a ton of rings, but most of my rings are old and turn my fingers green. I need more! The one I wear every day is a silver peace sign ring that I got when I went to London. It's from a little shop in Camden Market. I was immediately drawn to it, but I didn't think it would fit me because it was so small. The owner of the shop made it bigger by placing it on a metal finger-looking thing and resizing it with a mallet. You can actually see the indents on the band! It gets caught on everything, but it's so beautiful and it keeps me balanced. I really need to buy more rings though. Pura Vida just came out with some beautiful rings that I should buy!

I wear my Pura Vida bracelets almost every day. Since I became a representative for the brand, I've been trying to spread it as much as possible. Each bracelet is so unique. They go with almost all of my outfits. Remember, if you buy a bracelet from puravidabracelets.com, you can use my discount code, KristenBruck20, for 20% off your purchase!

Really though, jewelry can totally transform an outfit. Certain looks just call for silver or gold pieces. Every now and then I'll wear a shirt or dress and just know that it needs a statement piece or a long necklace. The little black dress I posted about the other day almost always calls for this big, gold necklace that is very Cleopatra-esque. It just pulls it all together. When I bought my blue dress for my sorority's Initiation (which I also posted about the other day!), I knew I needed to get a long gold necklace as soon as I tried it on. I saw one with a delicate leaf while I was waiting on line at Forever 21 and just knew that that necklace would complete the outfit.

Maybe I'm a little too lusty for jewelry, but it can seriously make or break a look. Now I want to hit up every jewelry store and just look at everything.

Pura Vida Bracelets

May 22, 2016StyleKristenComment

Today was a T-Shirt-And-Leggings Day for me (which is not a bad thing!) because I donated blood with my family! Though I thought I looked good, my outfit just wasn't something that I would post on here, not because I didn't like it, but because I didn't have a whole lot to say about it.

So, I figured I'd take this opportunity to talk about Pura Vida Bracelets, which I've mentioned in my previous posts. I found out about Pura Vida a few years ago, and then I wrote an article about them in my school's newspaper. Now, I'm obsessed!

Pura Vida is a company based in La Jolla, California that sells beautiful bracelets as well as clothing, bathing suits, clutches, hair ties, and water bottles. Pura Vida is a Spanish saying used a lot in Costa Rica that translates to "Pure Life." The Pura Vida lifestyle is peaceful and free.

Sure, Pura Vida makes some really cute items, but the best thing about Pura Vida is that it's a great cause. The founders of Pura Vida, Griffin Thall and Paul Goodman, met two men named Jorge and Joaquin on a trip to Costa Rica who made beautiful string bracelets, but they were living in poverty. Griffin and Paul took 400 of them back to San Diego, and the rest was history.

Every Pura Vida bracelet purchased helps provide full-time jobs for local artisans in Costa Rica, and certain bracelets donate proceeds to specific causes! So, not only do you look adorable, but you're putting food on a family's table, sending kids to college, and buying families new houses.

Another cool thing about the bracelets is that no two are the same! Sure, all of the Beach Life bracelets have the same color scheme, but no two are exactly alike.

Since I love Pura Vida so much, I became a Rep! Basically, I spread the good vibes of Pura Vida in the form of 20% DISCOUNTS! Use my code, KristenBruck20, at checkout. Even if you don't use my code, Pura Vida almost always has discounts and sales. And, like I mentioned before, it's all for a good cause!

If you have Pura Vida products or purchase them soon, show me your pictures in the comments!