The Blonde Starfish

I enjoy wearing makeup everyday that I go to class as well as work. The only days I do not wear makeup are on days when I'm just staying home all day or am just running a few errands. I enjoy wearing makeup because I think that it gives my face a put together and polished look. On special occasions I will wear additional makeup, but the following makeup if for my daily routine. ~Concealer~ Concealer is the first thing I put on when doing my makeup. I use a Maybelline cover stick. I like that it covers dark circles well and evens out the color under my eyes. ~Foundation~ The second thing I apply is my foundation. I've used Bare Minerals true match mineral foundation for as long as I can remember. I like how light it is on my face and still allows my skin to breathe. It also has an spf of which keeps my face safe from UV rays thought the day.  ~Blush~ The third thing I apply is my blush. The blush that I currently use is the Palladino mosaic mineral palette

Being that this is my last year I undergraduate school and I am preparing to take the GMAT for graduate school I have more than normal levels of stress. However, I know that I do not need to allow my stress to consume me. I use the following methods to combat my stress when it creeps up and starts to get the better of me.  ~Make a Plan~ Being the overly organized person that I am, I love a good laid out plan. Wether the plan is an outline for a paper or a planned out weekend that includes study and social time,  both will get me on track to succeed and alleviate some of the stress of making sure everything goes smoothly. ~Clean/Organize Your Room~ While not everyone enjoys cleaning their room like I do, I think everyone can agree that a clean room is more enjoyable. More importantly, a clean room is less stressful that a mess room. When everything is put away and cleaned up you can find things easier and function better in your space. ~Exercise~ I am a firm belie

I have this theory that we should all be kind to the environment, because if we don't who will? There is no need to add more unnecessary items to landfills than we have to. Also for the sake of the animals that live in rivers and near landfills, we have to look out for them. Here are a few simple ways you can be more green in your day to day life. ~Use Reusable Bags~ Using a reusable bag when going to the grocery store should be common practice by now. All of those plastic bags ending up in the landfill is truly unfortunate. I like the Lilly Pulitzer reusable market totes because they hold a good amount of items, but can be put on your shoulder so that it does not feel as heavy. ~Recycle Paper~ You would think that everyone recycles paper by now, but surprisingly that is not the case. It is very simple to get a cute little paper tray to put in a desk drawer to put unwanted paper in. Whether it be an envelope or unneeded copy paper, its so easy to just throw it into the

Professional (similar)/ Weekender (Old, but this is an alternative)  / Beach / School / Everyday (similar)/ Purse (similar) I am always a sucker for a new tote bag! While I wish that I could by every cute bag  I see, I know it's important to only buy totes that I am going to use frequently. There's no reason for me to buy multiple of the same function tote, because then my closet would be floor to ceiling in bags. One thing I do to keep my totes to a minimum is I try and purchase neutral colors that will match the majority of what I wear. ~Professional Tote~ This tote is great to have for important meetings, interviews, or for when you have a big presentation. More than likely you are dressed very professionally for this function, so its important to keep your outfit cohesive by having a nice tote. I like the red Ralph Lauren one that I have because its a sleek look and the leather will hold up for years to come and I can transition it into my career wardrobe aft

I am beyond excited to be living in an on campus apartment this year! I have my own room and share a bathroom with just one other person. It's extremely nice to have a room all to my own, but better yet it's nice having a full size kitchen and living room in the apartment as well. Another great thing about my apartment is that because it's on campus I can still walk everywhere I need to go. The theme throughout my room is the beach. As my blog title suggests, I love how peaceful the beach is and all the beautiful sights the beach has to offer. The light blue I used throughout my room is so tranquil, and I enjoyed including different starfish and sand dollar accents. Although my room is not very big, I still enjoy having a space of mine own that I was able to decorate how I wanted to. For many years I thought I wanted to be an Interior Designer, and to this day I still enjoy interior decorating whenever I get the chance.  I enjoy having an organized desk bec

Sticky Notes / Agenda / Simple Pen / Pencils / Colored Pens / Calculator / Pens / Book Bag /                     Pencil Pouch / Folder / Spiral Notebook The first day of class is fast approaching for me! But luckily I have all the essential school supplies that I need to start on the first day of class. Ever since I was in elementary school I have loved shopping for school supplies. Theres just something about having your favorite pens, a new notebook, and a fun new backpack to make going back to school more exciting. Even in college I still enjoy having fun school supplies to make my classes more bearable.  ~Sticky Notes~ These are essential for things like writing a quick to-do list or a quick reminder to yourself to turn in an assignment online at a certain time. I also use them in my agenda pretty frequently for important things I need to remember. ~Agenda~ As I stated in the Back To School Tips post here  having a planner is very important to keep all of your

Yay for a surprise Monday evening post! It's safe to say that I throughly enjoyed Lilly Pulitzer's Semi-Annual sale this year! Although the line system they had did not make any sense, I still managed to have some success. I had to wait a little while to get into the sale on my computer, but I was able to shop from the mobile app a little easier. I was also able to snag some great deals from 6pm . This was the first year I shopped outside of Lilly's website, but I was surely glad I did. Here are all the items I was able to score between Lilly Pulitzer's website  as well as 6pm website . The top six items were from Lilly's website, and the bottom three were from 6pm. As you can probably tell, shorely blue was most definitely a favorite of mine(: But lucky for you both sites still have some amazing deals, so be sure to check them out if you have not already. I'd hate for someone to miss out on these amazing deals(:

Being the southern girl that I am, I love having things monogrammed. Ever since I got my silhouette machine I have been making monogram decals to put on everything. The possibilities are truly endless! I am not currently selling any of these vinyl monograms, but I may consider an Etsy shop in the future if time allows.  Here are a few places I have put my monogram(: So you may be wondering why monogram everything? I think its nice to put your own "brand" on something instead of it just being plain. With monograms things can be uniquely yours. Also if it is something that other people have, like a phone charger, it helps to identify yours from someone else's.   The font options are truly endless, but these are a few of my favorites. I also love all the colors and patterned vinyl that can be used to make monograms.

Each year Lilly Pulitzer does two huge sales, one in January and one in August. These two sales are the only times that Lilly Pulitzer has  online  sales. They do not announce the dates until about a week before, but I like to be prepared for when they do announce it. I have been shopping their sales for a few years now and have learned quite a few things through my experiences. For the August sale they will likely include items from Fall 2014 through beginning Summer 2015. However, in the past they have been known to throw in a few older items into the sale on occasion.  ~Have An Open Mind~ Lilly Pulitzer does not specifically state what will be in each sale. That being said I do not recommend waiting for the sale to buy something specific you have been dying for. If you have been dying for it I recommend you buy it now, because there's no guarantee it will be in the sale. However, having a wish list is something I recommend. Items on your wish list can be searched fi

Growing up in the south we are just born to love apple pie. While most people consider this to be a winter dessert, mainly because apples are a winter crop, I think that a good apple pie is just as perfect year around. When making this pie in the summer its nice to have a light dinner of various veggies, maybe even some baked chicken. By having a lighter dinner you allow more room for the pie. Ingredients 2 Premade pie crusts 3/4c Brown sugar 1/4c All purpose flour 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon Pinch of nutmeg 6 Medium apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced 1 Tbsp water 3 Tbsp butter, diced Egg wash, for brushing Sugar, for sprinkling The apples that I choose to use were golden delicious as well as one granny smith. Directions Preheat oven to 450 degrees F Mix together the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small bowl. In another bowl, sprinkle apples with water and toss. Stir in the sugar mixture to evenly coat the apple

Jumpsuit / Vest / Dress / Cardigan / Dress / Shoes It is pretty easy to believe that I am not ready to let summer go! However, Lilly is already beginning to release their fall collection a couple months prior to the season change. That being said I will admit that Lilly's fall collection tends to be my least favorite of their collections. The reasoning being is likely because fall is my least favorite season, therefore the colors associated with Lilly's fall collection are just not my favorite.  Lilly never lets me down though, so I still always manage to find a few pieces in the collection that I can not deny liking! But everyone is different, so perhaps others enjoy the purples and greens that Lilly's fall collection has to offer. Although, I do tend to enjoy all the navy that comes along with their Fall and Resort(Lilly's way of saying Winter) collections.  Some fall staples that are included in my favorites include the cardigan and the vest. These t

It's hard to believe that I will be returning to school in less than a week, and even harder to believe that this will be my senior year! Being that this is my fourth year of back to school preparation, I like to think that I know what I am doing. The following are a few tips to get you prepared for going back to school. 1. Get A Planner One of the best ways to get organized and stay organized is to get a planner and stick with it. Keeping assignments as well as meetings and events organized in your planner will help you to remember the important things. It's nice to have everything compiled into one place for reference as well.  2. Organize Your Book Bag Chances are you have not even opened your book bag since you left school. I recommend you go through it, clean it out, and go ahead and put your important school supplies into it. This way when it's time to start back at school you will know where everything is.  3. Organize Your School Supplies Once

Dress / Necklace / Purse / Shirt / Shoes The amount of mint colored items in my closet is growing more rapidly than any other color, basically watch out navy! Pastels in general have always been a staple in my closet, but recently mint has become one of my favorite colors. It might be because its Tiffany-esque, and who doesn't love Tiffany's. But its likely because it matches everything from white to navy and is such a cheerful color. Either way I always catch myself looking at items in this color including shoes, bags, jewelry, and clothes. It is interesting to me thought that I'm drawn to mint because its in the green family, and generally I am not a huge fan of green. I thought that I liked baby blue more, but the more I think about it and look at my closet the more I am loving the color mint. While it's not a good transition color for fall, I promise I will be wearing it for the rest of the summertime!

One of the biggest known facts about me is that I wear an above average amount of Lilly Pulitzer clothing, and shorts are no exception. Lilly makes shorts, as well as all her other clothes, in countless different lively prints. Me being the beach lover that I am, I just can not resist their shorts with prints that include sea turtles, starfish, lighthouses, coral reefs, and sailboats. What truly makes Lilly shorts the best, is that they can be worn every day of the summer, and simply brighten up any outfit. They are easy to pull out of the drawer and be thrown on for the day, and because there are so many colors within the prints, choosing a shirt to match is rather effortless. An added benefit of Lilly shorts is their length. The length of the Callahan style shorts are the perfect 5 inch inseam. Being able to keep an outfit quick and easy is great, but by incorporating Lilly the outfit automatically becomes brighter. The simplicity these shorts offer allowed them to quickl