A Review of My Large Lilly Pulitzer 2013-2014 Agenda

As you know, I'm obsessed with my Lilly Pulitzer agenda. I can't wait to use it not only because it's super cute, but also because it's great for keeping me organized for college.

I thought it would be fun to take a look at the inside of this year's agenda, especially for those that are wondering about whether they should buy it or not.

First of all, my agenda is the large size agenda (with the hardback cover) in True Navy Tiger Lilly. I love the design on the cover (with all the little tigers) and love the sturdy feeling of the hardcover.

 

 

Inside the cover is a little white folder page (I like to keep little notes or important papers in this when I attend my sorority chapter meetings) and then there's a page covered in cute little pictures. The little bunny is definitely my favorite!

 

Then of course, there's a page that tells the story about Lilly Pulitzer, which I think is super fun to read when you are stuck in a really boring 2 or 3 hour class. That's from my experience at least.

 

 

Then the next page shows a quick look at every month for the next 17 months. Which can be pretty handy if you are wondering about a date in the future. I don't find that I use this feature a whole lot though.

 

 

 

Following the multiple month views, is the entire month at a glance pages. So basically it shows all 17 months up close so you can plan things like sorority recruitment, finals, vacation breaks, and other things that help when looking a month view. Once again, these are super helpful for me, because at the beginning of each month, it has one of these too.

 

 

 

Next up is a cute little page that has lines where you can write Days to Celebrate. So if you need to remember all of the birthdays of those important people in your life. This also is something that I didn't use last year.

 

 

A sort of helpful page that follows this is the important dates page, which includes even the Kentucky Derby in true Lilly fashion.

 

 

 

Then multiple note pages follow.

 

 

 

A new, fun page that is included in this year's agenda is the horoscope page. Once again I see this being something really fun to read in a boring class. But the illustrations are adorable and it all keeps with the cute, light-hearted theme of this agenda.

 

 

 

Okay, so now comes the fun, meaty part of the agenda: the actual months and agenda portion. Each month opens up with a cute little design page (my favorite parts) and a little quote. Below I show all 17 months, so if you want to be surprised, don't look too far below!

 

 

 

Following the design page, there is a month-long glance at the days. Once again, I think this comes in handy when you need to map out your time or plan for stuff in advance. So I like to include philanthropy events, recruitment events, sisterhoods, big tests, papers, and cancelled classes to this page. This is a really handy part of the agenda.

 

 

 

And following that is the more detailed, day views. I love that each day has a lot of lines to write down assignments and due dates. One thing I wish they incorporated was a box for notes. So instead I usually just post a sticky note on the right side of the right page and right down my to-do lists there. Of course my sticky notes are Vera Bradley because they have to be cute!

 

 

So that is the conclusion to the tour of the agenda. I think it's a great investment for the money and something I'd recommend all college students to have. Plus the designs always brighten my day too.

 

And like I promised, below are all the month designs! There are some really cute ones this year! Which month is your favorite? Personally I love the September with the foxes!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Manicure of the Week: Peach Beach!

This week I was feeling in a peachy-coral sort of mood, which was perfect because recently I picked up a couple of brand new colors from Sally Hansen that I’m obsessed with! One of those was Peach Beach!

 

It’s kind of a mix of bubble gum pink and coral in the best summery sort of way possible. I’m obsessed with it. And like all Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear nail polishes, this one has held of exceptionally well. I’m going on day four and still no chips or pealing!

 

 

 

Perfect Pearing & Peach Beach

 

 

The other color I picked up is Perfect Pearing...did I mentioned that I adore the names of these two? I found them at Target and I'm super excited about them! Not only were they affordable, but super cute and perfect for summer!

What are your go-to summer nail polishes?

I Love Chevron Bedding!

Hi guys!

So I finally made a decision about what bedding to buy for my apartment this fall! I know, I had quite the problem narrowing down what I wanted!

 

Part of what made me go in this direction was price. I decided to get the black and white chevron duvet from Urban Outfitters, the one that I’ve been obsessing over since February (or probably before that honestly). Anyway, last night when I checked my email I saw that Urban Outfitters was running a promo code for $15 off a $75 purchase (when I checked my email, the promo code was about to expire in less than an hour, lucky me). Which is not notable, but I’m a sucker for any time of sale so I decided to look into it. I did, and low and behold, Urban is having a HUGE bedding sale that is taking place right now! I was literally shocked when I saw the prices!

The full/queen duvet that I wanted was no longer $89 like it had been previously, but now on sale for $69! And the shams (which are ridiculously expensive for nothing in my opinion)went from $34 to $29. Then with my $15 off, the total came down to $86! With free shipping too! So when you look at it, I got the shams for free, which is pretty awesome! I can’t wait to get the bedding and decide other aspects of my room now!

Be sure to check out Urban’s bedding sale because the prices are crazy good right now!

It Came and I Love It!

Hey everyone!

I got an exciting thing in the mail this week!

My Lilly Pulitzer agenda in True Navy Tiger Lilly! It's so cute and I can't wait to use it this school year!

It's the first school supply I have bought for my final year of college! I can't believe it!

Let me know what school supplies you are excited for this year!

Review of L'Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes Excess Mascara

Hey guys!

I’ve been feeling under the weather the past few weeks, so blogging has kind of gone by the wayside. However, in that time I did try out a new mascara that I wanted to review for you guys!

As you know, I’m a pretty huge fan of L’Oreal mascaras, especially the original Voluminous Million Lashes and Voluminous Carbon Black.

So when I saw the new Voluminous Million Lashes Excess, I was instantly intrigued to say the least, since it’s the newer version apparently of the one that I was obsessed with last summer. Plus it has red packaging, which got me.

According to L’Oreal’s website, this mascara “combines bold volume with clean definition for an excessively dramatic lash look. The brush is bigger than ever to separate and build each lash evenly from root to tip. The mascara features a built-in, anti-clump wiper that removes surplus mascara for a clean impactful effect. Plus, the ultra black formula amplifies each individual lash for a dramatic effect.”  

That sounds pretty awesome, right?

When I picked this up though, I just barely read the packaging, so I didn’t really know the sales pitch at all. I just knew that it was called Excess, so I figured it had something to do with no clumping.

So let’s jump into the review:

The Wand:

Top: L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black

Bottom: Voluminous Million Lashes Excess



Excess tapers in at the middle with lots of defining bristles

Is amazing. It’s a very long brush, I compared it to my Voluminous Carbon Black and it’s definitely longer than it. It has kinda had a bump where it widens new the tip of the wand, which I honestly hadn’t even noticed until a few days after trying the mascara. The wand is a big star here. It helps separate lashes for definition, and is one that doesn’t need a lot of work to help apply mascara to lashes quickly or evenly. It’s great at not creating clump at all, while building fantastic volume.

Packaging:

Usually I wouldn’t necessary review this part, but since part of the pitch is about the anti-clump wiper, I thought I’d describe that a little bit. It definitely helps the mascara from now being gloopy or messy. It doesn’t though, make the mascara too dry or hard to work with like I feel Clump Crusher by Covergirl can be like. It works great!

The Formula:

Is really smooth out of the container, especially when I compared it to Voluminous Carbon Black, which is thicker, goopier, and not nearly as smooth. Excess’s formula is smooth and wet first out of the tube. I was a little worried when I first applied it to my lashes because of how wet it is. However, in no time it dried much to the feel of the Rocket by Maybelline or even the texture of Cat Eyes by Maybelline. It’s definitely not goopy or smeary at all, which I love. While I really love the Voluminous Carbon Black, it would smear and smudge pretty easily, while this stays put all day. I would most definitely say that this mascara is the L’Oreal version of The Rocket…but a million times better!

The Impact:

 

Is huge. In just a matter of a few simple swipes, this mascara makes my lashes so dramatic and full of volume. But they are defined, clump free, and so long looking! Seriously, the first time I put it on, I was shocked by how great my lashes looked! My mom saw them and instantly went to Walgreens to buy this same mascara because of how great it looked!  

I would most definitely say that this mascara is much like Rocket, so if you love that, you love this, except there are two reasons why Excess is better: it doesn’t hurt the base of my lashes and it’s a breeze to take off! It comes off super easily with my Simple Eyemakeup Remover pads! Which is something I love!

I can’t say enough great things about this mascara! I think it could even be my new holy grail…

Wanna see my thoughts on other mascaras? Check out The Rocket vs. Clump Crusher and Voluminous Carbon Black!

How Incorporate Chevron Into Your Dorm!

Hi guys!

I don’t know about you, but I’m a little obsessed with chevron. I find myself wanting to incorporate the print into pretty much every facet of my life. Chevron pedicure? Dying for one! Chevron tank? I’m obsessed with mine from Lizard Thicket. Chevron phone cases, makeup bags, wallets, purses, totes, and agendas? They all call my name like you wouldn’t believe. And of course when it comes to incorporating it into my apartment for my senior year, I find it really hard to resist.

Now I’m by no means the authority on prints, and in the end I’d say do what makes you happy, but I think there are definitely tasteful and great ways to use chevron, and then there are ways that aren’t so great.

Chevron is a busy pattern. I love how graphic and clean, but interesting it is, but if you’ve looked at chevron fabric, I hope it didn’t give you a headache like it did me. The pattern needs to be broken up into pieces, or to have scattered throughout. Don’t make it look like chevron threw up all over your room.

So some chevron looks that I think are appropriate and pretty for college dorms and apartments just have small doses of chevron. Think throw pillows, a couple picture frames, a bulletin board, a blanket, a duvet cover, or a rug. But please, don’t do all of those things!

Chevron looks great for just a little pop of interest. Make sure to mix patterns! Mix it with dots, solids, ikats, or florals! But please never put chevron right next to something zebra. It never works.

Here are some of my favorite ways to incorporate this ever-popular print:

-Make DIY chevron wall art. You can either paint (use stencils from online for the cleanest lines) or fabric. My little made the one with the A and I made the one with the C below.

-Throw pillows are some of my favorite looks with chevron. This is my bedroom at home with a navy chevron throw pillow.

-Bulletin boards are great too! They can be homemade or storebought (you know when I talked about chevron making  you dizzy? Well my bulletin board made me dizzy looking at it, try using larger chevron patterns)

-Chevron bedding is adorable too! Just make sure to break it up with solid or small printed sheets, small printed throw pillows (think dots or small simple florals).


American Made Bedding

Isn't that bedding just lovely?

I hope this helps a little bit with the chevron craze. I know I want it incorporate it some way into my apartment, so we'll see what happens. Let me know what your plans for your dorm rooms are.

Are you obsessed with chevron and dorm design? Take a look at this post on some favorite chevron products, my senior year mood boards, and my apartment to-do list!

 

Apartment To-Do List

Hi guys!

I may have been only out of summer school for a couple of days, but already I’m planning for the apartment I’ll move into here in the coming months. I’m super excited, let me tell you! Mostly because I love decorating new spaces!

Awhile back, I was visiting my little (who currently lives in that future apartment) and I snapped a couple of pictures of my soon-to-be room so I can have an idea of the space I'm working with! As you can see, I've been having quite a bit of fun with my new favorite app, A Beautiful Mess!

 

 

 

So from the pictures above you can see that I'm going to have lots of space (a full size bed, a room that is an L-shape, a walk-in closet, and a huge bathroom all to myself!). The tricky part about all that space is making a big impact without sacrificing a lot of money or style.

As of now, here's a little checklist of things that I'd like to buy, make, to do to my future college room to make it feel like home:

-I need to buy some cozy, soft bedding that makes a statement! The bed is the first thing you see when you walk in, so the more colors/impact it can make, the better!

-Lots of cool wall art/décor that doesn't fade into the plain white walls.

-Lots of fun pillows on the bed

-2-3 lamps in the room to bring in lots of light

-Maybe some curtains to bring in more color and keep some of the eastern facing sun out.

-Put the dresser back in the bedroom, and make a nice area for putting on my makeup and storage of my perfume.

-Create a relaxing, nice study space at the desk.

-Include personal touches like a monogram decal and frames around the room.

-Try to keep the room warm and inviting

-Have a set color scheme that doesn't sway too much.

-Include lots of storage in the closet and in the room for my school stuff, makeup, clothes, accessories, DVDs, and other endless odds and ends.

That's about it for the checklist right now. I'm really stuck on bedding and a color scheme for the room.

I'm stuck between a nice, clean cottage color scheme of gray, yellow and white. And between a red, black, and white color scheme. Also yellow, gray, black, and white is an option as well. I have the most things in red, black, and white, but I really love gray and white.

Let me know if you have any ideas for my room or suggestions for a color scheme! I'd love to hear!

Take a look at some of my bedding contenders and mood boards too! I need all the opinions I can get!