How I Style Statement Necklaces

Saturday, May 31, 2014

Lately, I've been really loving statement jewelry, necklaces in particular. There's just something about a fabulous necklace that makes me feel put-together, even when it's the only piece of jewelry I'm wearing on a given day.

I've always liked them, but I really started wearing them in my last semester of college, when I was working for the radio station. I would go into the station to record newscasts, and when I would edit, I couldn't wear earrings because of the way the headphones would press my ears and scratch me. Plus, I would do these newscasts 2-3 times a week and be out the door at 7:30 AM to walk from my dorm room to the station each time. So, because of that, I would reach for necklaces for comfort and ease's sake, and I've been loving them ever since.

FOREVER 21 Fancy Floral & Rhinestone Necklace




I recently purchased this necklace. It was situated in the back of one of the sections of Forever 21, and I was immediately drawn to the color. It's a brilliant candy pink in person.

So now you're probably wondering, "How would I style this?"

Option #1: Daytime/Casual

Styling Statement Necklaces: Daytime/Casual




This is probably the easiest way I can think of to wear statement jewelry, and you will most likely be able to find similar pieces in your own wardrobe. I'd pair a shirt in a solid color (black and white go with everything...yay neutrals!) with darker jeans (or lighter if you prefer). I threw in some black flats, just because they're a color I wear the most in shoes, and a purse. You can mix and match colors with any of these items, but if you stick with neutrals, the necklace will stand out more.

This outfit also works for travel. If you only bring a few accessories, I suggest statement necklaces, just because of the way that they can change up and pull together outfits.

Option #2: Cooler Weather

Styling Statement Necklaces: Cooler Weather



This is the outfit combination I basically lived in while I was in college and working for the radio. My walk to the radio station would usually be in cooler weather, and given that it would be 6:30 when I would wake up to do newscasts, I leaned towards comfort. I would switch up the tops and shoes depending on weather, and it worked for both my radio and class throughout the day.

Now that I'm out of school, I can wear this outfit combination on weekends and casual days, and I can now swap out a heavy backpack for whatever purse I'm carrying.

Option #3: Dressing Up

Styling Statement Necklaces: Dressing Up



This is an excellent option for dressier occasions. In fact, I wore a combination similar to this for my own college graduation; I didn't even wear earrings, as my necklace, dress, and shoes I was wearing were all that I needed.

Basically, you can use your necklace to pull whatever colors are in your dress, or contrast them. The necklace pictured can also work with yellow, green, mint, royal blue, lavender, or any neutrals. Add whatever shoes and bag that you like, and I threw in a lipstick in a similar color to really pull this look together.

Do you like statement necklaces? How do you wear them?

The Lip Product Tag

Friday, May 30, 2014

Hello hello!

So I think it's high time for a tag post and a makeup post, and I say we combine the two today. I discovered the "Lip Product Addict Tag" via YouTube, and I thought it would be really fun to adapt to this blog. I typically gravitate towards lipstick, lip gloss, and the like if I'm looking for a specific makeup product, so I figured it would be a good fit.

So, cue the graphic headline and let's get started! :)



1. What's your favorite lip balm/treatment?




Eos Lipsalve Blueberry Acai


Right now, the one I reach for the most are the EOS lip balms. I like the fruity ones best, and would really love to try the blueberry one (pictured here). I read that they're pretty popular in Canada.

2. Best eye-catching red?



Lip Stain in Red Velvet



Easy. Lime Crime Cosmetics' Velvetine in Red Velvet is the greatest red I have ever tried. It's matte, it's long-lasting, it's rich, and it makes me feel like a 1940's movie star. The other shades I've tried are fantastic as well.

Via Google 


A close second is Rimmel London's Show-Off (Or Apocalips if you're outside the States) Lacquer in Big Bang. It's similar to the Velvetines, but not as matte and not nearly as long-lasting, but it does last a long time and looks excellent on.

Lime Crime Lipstick




And a close third is Lime Crime's lipstick in Retrofuturist. It's a shade of candy apple red that I absolutely adore. I did a review on some of the Lime Crime lipsticks (including Retrofuturist), which you can find here.

3. Best luxury lip product? Best drugstore?
The best luxury lip product in my opinion has to be, again, the Lime Crime Velvetines. I own the shades Red Velvet, Pink Velvet, and Suedeberry. I wore them to class while in college, and I've worn them some for dressier occasions.

Via Amazon

It's really hard to pick a favorite drugstore lip product, but I think the ones I keep coming back to are the Maybelline Babylips tinted lip balms. I especially love the neons because the color payoff is excellent. The only version of these I don't like are the Dr. Rescue variety due to an allergic reaction I had to them, but otherwise, I think these are great.

4. Best MAC lipstick?

I used to wear MAC in high school, back when it was the brand that pretty much every YouTube Beauty Guru vlogged and raved about. I don't wear MAC as much anymore, but I do have a favorite lipstick of theirs.

Impassioned is the color that I wore to my junior prom. It's a rich coral pink that brings back happy memories of the perfect dress I sought for and the delight of experiencing wearing a ballgown for the first time with my close friends.

5. The most disappointing?


Nars Lip Gloss




I've never owned these, but I'm not the biggest fan of NARS lipglosses, mainly for one thing: I'm not the biggest fan of their scent.

This is probably just a relative thing, but I'm pretty particular about the scents of my lip products. I guess it's because they're my lips, and that I have the potential of tasting whatever I apply? I don't know, but regardless, I really do wish I liked these.

EDIT: I heard that NARS changed the formula of these and that they don't have a scent anymore. I may look into these again.

6. Liner - yes or no?
I don't use liner. Don't get me wrong, I love the chubby lip pencils that have come out recently. However, I prefer as little maintenance as possible when it comes to not only applying lipcolor, but touching up throughout the day. (Watch that change in the future)

7. Best gloss?
NYX Lipstick


I have been recently loving NYX's Butter Glosses. They are just the right pigment, just the right opacity, and just the right texture. Not to mention their color selection is fabulous for this season!

8. Something extra!


Via Amazon

Okay, I love these. I first saw these on Tumblr (I think?), and then rediscovered them at Urban Outfitters. They're sheer lip glosses, and they're great quality, so they are great products themselves along with their fabulous packaging.

Basically, if it looks like a bunny, I go for it. It's icing on the cake when I love what the packaging houses.


If you want to watch the videos where I got this tag from, check out here and here. :)

On Graduating from College and Being a Postgrad

Thursday, May 29, 2014



Dear reader,

I graduated college this month.

On May 17, I ran across the parking lot to the entrance of my university's auditorium, and I was carrying a cap, gown, cords, and a little tassel. I put that regalia on to walk into said auditorium, walk across a stage, and receive my degree of a Bachelor of Arts in English.
Typing that out still feels weird to me, even after a week and a half, but it's true.

So much happened before graduation that once it actually happened, it was as though I'd done something crazy, like skydiving or some other incredible feat. I went to college. In the past tense.
A ton of my dearest friends came to graduation, too. One of them asked me how it felt. He followed that with, "I know that's a loaded question." It was surreal, happy, and bittersweet, simply because I wouldn't be around the people who are basically my second family as often, but I know 100% for sure that I'll see them again.


What happens now?

In short: pausing and prayer. Let me explain.

My mom gave me Katherine Schwarzenegger's newest book, I Just Graduated: Now What?. In her introduction, Katherine retells her graduation and postgrad story, and I found parallels between my stage of life and hers at that time. What resonated with me, though, was the advice her mom gave at her commencement speech: pause. Pausing was essentially the idea of not rushing into trying to find a job (unless you have one) or a new place to live (unless that's lined up). The rushing can cause anxiety, so it isn't too bad of an idea to decompress and figure things out before really diving into the land of the workforce.

This is where prayer comes in.

I understand that I can't pause forever. I do have a gig with a print magazine, and I couldn't be happier about it. I also have other options for work, too. And I plan on starting on that first novel, short story, or what have you. The future is honestly still daunting, though, but what's keeping me going is my faith.
Romans 8:28 - And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
So, right now, in this season, I'm leaning on Him. I'm sitting at the doorway to the next opportunity that He has ready for me, and I'm waiting for the doorbell. In the meantime, I'm going to write, work, and be the best daughter, friend, person, and Christian I can possibly be.
Here I come, real life. Adventure is out there.

The "Southern Belle" Tag

Thursday, May 15, 2014

When I was browsing YouTube one day - as I often do - I discovered a tag/survey that I'd never seen before.
This is the "Southern Belle" tag. I am in fact Southern, and have lived in the South my entire life, so I thought it'd be fun to adapt this tag to my blog. That way, y'all can get to know me better, too. :)

Ready? Let's go!

1) Do you have an accent?
Kind of. I don't have a very thick accent, but it sometimes comes out when I say specific words, like "I", "I'll", and...

2) Do you say y'all?
Yes, yes I do.

3) Do you like monogrammed things?
YES. See this blog (and any end of any post I've written thus far). I've always enjoyed monogrammed things because 1) My name was considered rare back in the 90's, so it was a treat to see my name actually on something spelled correctly, and 2) they just look super pretty.

4) Do you like sweet tea?
Of course! I didn't start liking it until I was in high school, but I love it now. And I know how to sweeten regular tea if for some reason a restaurant doesn't carry sweet tea.

5) What's your favorite thing to eat at Chick-Fil-A?
It depends on what time of day it is. For lunch, I'll eat a chicken sandwich or chicken nuggets with Polynesian sauce. However, when it's breakfast, I always go for Chicken Minis. If you have never tried those, you should seriously consider it.

6) Do you own any chevron?
I do. I typically have it mostly in decor and school supplies, but I do have this one chevron dress that I got years ago from Target that makes me happy. I wore it on my 20th birthday.

7) What is your favorite college football team?
I'm not the biggest fan of college football, but for this question, I shall go with Alabama Crimson Tide.

8) Do you wear jean jackets?
I used to when I was little, but I prefer chambray shirts these days. 

9) Fire flies or lightning bugs?
To ten million fireflies, I'm weird 'cause I hate goodbyes.

10) Do you like Lilly Pulitzer? If so, do you have a favorite print?
Yes, I do! I used Lilly planners throughout my college career. My favorite print is You Gotta Regatta, which looks like this:



11) How hot/humid does it get where you live?
It depends on what month it is, but it gets very hot/humid where I live, yes.

12) Vineyard Vines or Southern Tide?
I'm most familiar with Vineyard Vines, so I'll go with that one. :)

13) Do you say "yes/no ma'am/sir"?
I do. I'm so thankful that I learned to say these when I was younger, just because how much of an impact being courteous can have on people you come into contact with.

14) What is your favorite "southern" food?
Oh my biscuits, this is a difficult question.
Breakfast: bacon, biscuits and gravy, scrambled eggs, eggs over medium, cheese grits, hash browns, bacon
Any other meal: fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, mac n' cheese
Usually when I'm asked a favorite food, I'll say "southern cooking". This is what it usually entails. :)

15) Do you listen to country music? If so, what's your favorite song?
I will listen to it if that's what my friends are playing, but I usually lean towards other genres of music. My brand of country pretty much entails Taylor Swift, so pretty much any song by her works for me.

I hope you enjoyed this post! I thought it was something a little different and fun that I could do.



Finals Week Shenanigans (Yikes!)

Monday, May 12, 2014

This is the last finals week of my undergraduate career. It's surreal and exciting, but also daunting. Do I have my finals schedule right? Is that final really at 8 AM? Can I just skip to Summer?

(From Tumblr)

Thankfully, I've decided that besides keeping all my study guides and notes from this semester straight, I'm going to use this week to really enjoy my last week here in my college town.
I want to share my ideas for a less stressful finals week with you, dear readers, so I guess it's time for a numbered list:
  1. Study Sheets. Oh my biscuits, I can't stress how much these have helped me during my tenure as a student, from middle school up to now. I type my own study guides, then I'll print them, highlight them, scribble on them, or anything else that will help me remember material.
  2. Spending time with people you enjoy. Whether that's through study groups or impromptu lunch parties or girls days, this helps alleviate the stress and pressure that comes with this week. In fact, today, my and my crew ate Chinese food! And it was awesome.
  3. Find a study method that works for you and stick with it. For me, it's typing study sheets and having either a YouTube video, a Disney movie, or amazing music in the background. I just have to make the decision to get serious and work.
  4. Don't pull all-nighters if you physically can't. I actually sometimes work better in the early mornings, but it's better to get stuff done as early as you can and get a good night's rest before an exam day than stay up all night, especially if you have a lot to do. Not to mention you're more likely to fall ill.
That's the best advice I can give for a week like this, but I do want to mention one more thing. Remember who you are and Whose you are. Place God at the center of your crazy-busy week, and of course your life, and I promise, things will fall into place and work exactly as they should.