NY Haul

The week is halfway over!! I'm so excited for it to be Friday.. I'm not sure if I mentioned this before, but I will actually be leaving for NY again this Friday for a week and a half! In that week and a half, I'll just be relaxing while visiting colleges one final time! Deadlines are coming up and after these last few visits, I should have a decision made up hopefully!

In honor of my trip to NY in 2 days, I have decided to dedicate this post to my previous trip to the city! While I was in the city last month, I got a few cool items and I wanted to share them! It feels so weird thinking that it has already been a month since my trip! Looking back at my photos immediately beings up a flood of memories and feelings for me!

Similar @ Aerie

The first item I have here is an adorable bathing suit! I have to say that this bathing suit has to be my favorite item here just because I have been on the hunt for a new swimsuit for so long and never had the chance to go out and try some on! I didn't anticipate myself buying any clothes while I was out and I actually didn't want to, but I did spend a few hours on a street full of stores! As I walked into American Eagle, I expected to just do some looking around and then I would leave, but then I saw that they had an Aerie inside! I could not resist checking it out and then I saw the bikinis and before I knew it, I had several tops in my hand and I was in the dressing room!!
I tried so many different tops on just looking for the perfect fit. A lot of the cute tops looked a bit strange on me, but when I tried on this one, I knew it was right for me!

From Sehpora.. sorry no link!

So I did not know this, but a few blocks away from where I was staying.. there was a SEPHORA! That store is like a girl's dream!! I walked past the sepohra several times before actually seeing it and once I did, I had to go inside to check it out! It also happened to be my birthday a few days ago which meant I was eligible for their mini "birthday surprise." I went inside to pick my gift up and inside I found a lipstick and mascara. I must say that the lipstick is in the cutest shade ever!!

From Sephora

This product was all the rave a while back among youtube gurus! I found the product to be quite interesting, but I personally didn't have a huge need for it since I never wear foundation. Sometimes I use concealer, but I really did not need this for myself. I picked this up since I saw it on sale and I knew my sister was coveting this item for the longest time! She was super excited when she saw it haha! =)

From Sephora

This item was also featured with a good deal which is the reason why I chose it. I also know that clinique is a high quality brand and I needed a good moisturizer at the time! One thing that I love about Sephora is the fact that they always have samples of the product out for customers to try before buying! I tried several night moisturizers in store and I found this particular one to feel the best!

From Sephora

I actually didn't anticipate getting this product at all and to be honest, I'm still not sure why I picked it up today haha.. I guess I liked the brand or something? I have yet to use the lip balm since I have so many lip balms at the moment, but from the reviews I see online, this one works very well!!

From Sephora

I saw these two lip balms in a bin near the back and was curious about them! Unlike my other lip balm purchase, I actually liked this one a lot and the price was quite fair. I ended up grabbing two of them! 

 No post about NY is complete without pictures of food!! Along with the bathing suit and beauty products, I also went to a chinese bakery and brought home some of their delicious breads! I love the breads at the bakery more than the bread here! I think it's the fluffyness of the bread and the slight sweetness that capture my taste buds!! I brought 6 breads home and as you can tell, I was super anxious to eat them!

I also picked up some candy from the city as well haha. The first two bags of candy were spontaneous buys (haha isn't everything for me here spontaneous) They were kinda costly and I expected some delicious chocolate. The chocolate was really tasty, but not amazing haha.
The next two chocolates were samples and they were actually pretty good! They were completely solid milk chocolate, but I loved how creamy they were as they melted in my mouth!
That last candy item I got is this cute package of peppermints! This is kinda funny, but for some reason, I really though that the tin said "I Love NY" on it, but now that I look at it... it says "I Love Peppermints..." hmmm interesting! Maybe my brain was functioning at the time because I swear I say the letters NY on it! lol

From Bornpretty

This next item I didn't get while in NY, but it did come in the mail a few days after I got home! These nail stickers were sent to me from Bornpretty. I absolutely love the nail products over at Bornpretty. They have such a wide selection at very fair prices. These stickers that I got feature an adorable puppy in various poses. I cannot wait to try them out on my nails! =)

What is your favorite item from my haul?
Did you get your birthday present from Sephora yet this year?
Have you ever tried the beauty blender?

*Since I am going to NY at the end of the week, I won't be posting for the next week and a half to 2 weeks. I'm going to take the time to relax (I really need it haha) and to try and make my college choice!* Wish me luck! =)

Lace And Peplum

Whoa.. you know I only just noticed this a few days ago.. but we are over 25% of our way through 2014! That just feels so crazy to say! I'm going to say that time is going by fast since it's already been a month since I left for NY and in just a few more days, I'll be back there again! I am beyond excited.. I'll just need to get through this week of school and finish all my projects/essay and I'll be free!

For my outfit today, I chose to wear something a bit out of what I usually am in. I tend to prefer to sport cuter, brighter clothes, but today I chose a darker look. I got this top a while back and never had the chance to wear it! This actually happens a lot to me whee I just kinda buy things that look cute and never ever wear it until a year later haha!

The weather has been so perfect lately! I can finally wear shorts out when I go running and even break out a tiny bit of sweat.. now when I am drenched in sweat though.. that is not fun haha. When I'm not running, a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt are usually enough to keep me at a comfortable temperature when I am outside. It feels amazing to be outside under the sun again!
The top I am wearing today also happened to come from my Shabby apple haul. I have to say that this top is actually pretty good quality despite it being covered in lace. I always end up ripping my lace items, but I don't anticipate that happening to this top anytime soon!

I promise that is not my skin underneathe haha.. there is actually another layer to the shirt which is what your seeing!

The top fits me pretty much like a glove and doesn't make me itchy at all. Underneath the black lace, there is a layer of a nude colored cloth. It looks really co

ol in my opinion! The peplum top zips up from the back and I had no trouble with getting the zipper to go up or down!
Along with this top, I chose to wear a pair of gray colored jeans and a pair of black booties. I'm actually beginning to like wearing heels now for some reason! I never thought I would, but they I feel more and more comfortable with them on. I'm sure I'm not going to be wearing heels everyday, but I'm no longer hesitant to put them on for a special event!

For my accessories, I wanted to add a pop of sparkle and color so I chose to wear my sparkling rhinestone bracelet from Forever 21. I used to wear this bracelet all the time and I just kinda rediscovered my love for it again when I saw it! 

In other news, Uconn's men's Basketball made it to the final four and they have just beaten Florida which means they are in the running for first place! I personally don't follow basketball that much, I am super proud! My newsfeed last night literally flooded with the hashtag #BleedBlue !

Top- Similar @ Revolve
Jeans- Forever 21
Booties- Similar @ Wetseal
Bracelet- Forever 21

How do you wear peplum?
Do you feel that 2014 is flying by or is that just me being a senior haha?
Have you been following basketball?

March Haul and a BIG thank you!

Before I start out my post today, I want to give you guys a BIG THANK YOU for your comments on my last post!  I have some of the sweetest readers and I'm very thankful for all your thoughtful comments! I'll admit that I was terribly confused and excited that day and my mind was in a mess.. haha it's still a mess now, but I'm beginning to organize my thoughts and be more realistic about things.
Basically, NYU = More opportunities, but a lot more hard work on my end if I want to succeed... and pay back my loans.
Uconn = Still must put in hard work if I want opportunities, but I'll probably be less stressed and be able to have a typical college experience.
With that being said, I think I need to reevaluate myself and find out exactly what I want from college. As of now, it's looking like Uconn is a nice balance of social/academics while NYU is heavier on the work/opportunities. I still have ~ 28 days to figure this out! I'll be visiting both colleges soon and I'll see where I stand after!

Whoa.. Now onto the fun part of my post today!! For starters, I can't believe it is April already!! I literally thought there was one more week of March, but hey, I'm not complaining because that brings me closer to Spring Break! March ... no wait actually, senior year has been such an adventure for me and I would relive everything (even the bad parts!) all over again if I could! On top of my adventures, I also got some really cool items in March!

The first item that I picked up this month are two eyeliners from Almay. Almay has been my go to brand for eyeliner just because of it's strong staying power on my lids and the built in sharpener it has! I tend to wear no/minimum makeup on school days. When I do wear makeup though, I always do my eyes! I use either black or purple eyeliner depending on my mood haha!

Sparkling Braided Knit Scarf from Dailylook

I also chose to make an order from Dailylook this month again. I was waiting for a sale to happen and it did.. 30% of sale items! As soon as I saw that, I got a cute scarf that I had been eyeing for weeks! It's an infinty scarf and it's honestly the thickest and warmest scarf I own!

This is the cutest packaging ever!

The next item in my haul was actually a prize I got from Keena over at Lee Muse! I've been following her blog for a long time now (which I love reading!) and when I saw that she had a giveaway on her blog, I decided to enter! I'm a pretty unlucky person so I didn't expect to win, so I was taken by surprise when I saw her comment on my blog saying that I have won!! I honestly could not believe it!! I was also suffering from post vacation blues (which always hit me so hard!) so seeing that I won definitely brought my mood up! =)

Inside the adorable packaging,  I found the sweetest card and a bunch of hello kitty pictures! How cute?! I absolutely adore hello kitty haha! Along with the card, there was also a neatly wrapped up package which was my prize... The Urban Decay Naked Palette!! This is my first ever naked palette and probably the best eyeshadow palette I have ever owned!! I am soooo excited to have this in my hands and I can't believe it's mine! 

haha I tried to put two pictures together into one! 

The palette came along with 12 eyeshadow colors! The colors range from more of a basic/neutral color to darker and more stunning colors. I really love the variety of shades here! I feel like I could use this palette for anything from school to a night out with my friends!  My favorite colors in this palette cuurently are Sin, Half Baked, Toasted, and Creep.. (haha yes I like a lot of the colors!!) The palette also came with a really high quality brush that I will use with the eyeshadows. Most of my eyeshadow brushes are on the smaller side so it's really nice to have a brush with a longer handle! I feel like it gives me much better control!

 Along with the colors and the brush, I also got the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion. A primer is usually a must for me if I want my eyeshadows to stay on since my lids are so oily! I have heard so many positives review on this primer so I have high hopes for this primer! ... Wherever I am going for college, this palette will be coming with me! =)

So I kinda saved the best purchase/gift of March for last.. (well everything I got was really good!). My mom finally decided it was time to get me my first ever smartphone!! You do not understand how excited I was when I heard my mom say this! All my friends have smartphones and I did honestly feel left out.. so since I am going to college soon, my mom got this for me! It's the iphone 5c!! haha I desperately wanted it in pink, but they only offered blue and white so I chose blue.. I will be putting a pink case on instead!! =)  

I have already started using my phone and I love it!! It took me a while to get used to how things worked, but I quickly caught on! This is my first apple product (I have been with android with all my electronics) and I like it a lot! The reason I chose the iphone over an android phone was because I felt that the iphone was more universal and easier to use. A lot of people have the iphone and I just felt that it would be simpler for me if I had the same phone!!

Wow, looking back on this post now, I realize how crazy last month has been for me! So much new things and so many big decisions to make! Senior definitely has been a ride and though there are times of high stress for me, I still am enjoying every minute of it!

What's your favorite color from the naked palette?
What is your favorite brand for eyeliner?
When did you get your first smartphone? =)

Wait..Really..Me..NYU?

I have some super exciting news to share with you guys.. and a tiny question to ask which I will expand on at the end of the post!! So as you may know, I have toured a few colleges.. Uconn, Pace, and NYU. Well I did fall in love with NYU when I visited, but I tried to pull myself away because I thought I would never have the chance to get in...  I was Wrong!! 

I got home from school on Friday and right in my email was an ACCEPTANCE letter to NYU Steinhardt! You do not understand how I felt when I saw those words... I literally froze and I was so overwhelmed that I became emotionless haha!  (I'm bad at dealing with emotions as you may already know lol) I told my mom who at first was conflicted, but later after speaking with her friends and seeing the financial aid which was decent, started pushing me towards going to NYU!! I literally cried when she told me that NYU could be considered. I honestly believe she is more excited than me! So now it's down to just Uconn and NYU. I feel so lucky to have two great choices to pick from but I really thought that the decision between these two schools would be easy. In reality though, I feel so terribly conflicted... (I'll explain this later at the end of the post if you care to share your opinions.. any advice you give would be so helpful to me because I'm straight down the middle and kinda freaking out haha)

Anyways let's move onto the outfit part of my post today!! I have been digging into my stash of items from Shabby Apple lately. I got some really cute items from the store and I really want to do a haul, but I have so much other things that I want to show you guys.. such as my haul from NY and possibly even some other big items that I got recently haha! (I'll keep that a secret for now!) Today I am wearing a cute stripped sweater!

I wanted to take picture outside today, but the weather would not cooperate.. it's raining as of now and I couldn't risk breaking my camera so inside I went haha! This sweater is very simple but so cute at the same time. I personally love the look of a comfy sweater like this one paired with leggings. It's a quick, but put together look for me that requires minimum effort! Recently, I have been in love with this pair of leggings.. I actually accidentally ordered two pairs of these a while back and I'm glad I did because they are so cozy! They are much thicker than regular leggings (so they are more jegging like) and they keep me quite warm!

Even though the sweater was sold as a "sweater," I personally feel that the material used to make it isn't what I would consider a sweater haha. The sweater has two layers.. a thin white tank with a material on top. It resembled more of a shirt for me, but it's still cute nevertheless! The gold thread that they used for this sweater really caught my eye. It makes the sweater sparkle in the light and I feel that it even kinda has a holiday flair to it haha.

With a simple outfit like this, I tend to like to wear more jewelry. Today I have on two rings and a set of bangles. The cute little fox ring is one of my favorite but I sadly don't wear it as often as I want. I just love how detailed the fox is made to be and the crystals that they put on it. For my shoes, I wore a pair of boots that I just recently purchased when I went to the mall. I feel like I got these boots for a steal to be honest! They were just under $20 and the material is quite strong! Plus there is a tiny big of a heel which I like. It gives me extra height without the twisted ankle! =) (I just checked online and I did get the boots for a steal!! They are originally $69, but they are $40+ now on clearance!! Getting these for only ~$20 was a great deal!))

Sweater- Similar @ Nordstrom
Leggings- Aeropostale
Boots- JcPenny
Rings- Similar @ Forever 21 (Ring 1, Ring 2)
Bracelets- Wetseal

Do you like the sweater and leggings combo?
Have you gotten any steals before like with me and these boots?

Okay so feel free to chime in your opinion on my college situation if you wish... any opinion will help me out greatly! (I'll also try and keep it short haha)
In the beginning of my college choices, I was literally 100% against Uconn, but then after lots of thinking and talking, I realized that Uconn is a great school that I could potentially come out debt free from! I also had many friends there so I more or less forced myself to like the school... and now I LOVE it and I can see myself there quite happy. 
On the other hand, NYU has been a dream school for me but I had to give up on my dream because for one I though I couldn't get in and 2nd I couldn't afford it. So when I got my acceptance letter, I was shocked and even more shocked when I got my financial aid and saw that it was a decent amount.

With the scholarship, NYU would be ~10K +expenses of being in NY more than Uconn each year... which is still a lot, but my college experience at NYU would be a lot better than Uconn (that is what I think.. it might not be true) I feel like at NYU, I'll be able to see a more diverse group of people and have the chance to meet people with higher status. I just need to justify that extra 10K per year somehow...

On the flip side, I did get into a really good program at Uconn which has quite a few perks such as picking classes early (which I heard could make a big impact) and Uconn isn't ranked that much lower than NYU. It's just the location that bothers me because my heart feels like it belongs in the city.. not in the middle of a farm haha.
Long story short, NYU is where I want to be, but would it be worth the risk? Uconn is the safe choice in everything- location, money, majors, classes, even friends... while NYU is a bunch of scary new things coming at me... I feel like though that I could grow a lot more at NYU..

**One more thing that I have to consider if my major.. I got into both schools for teaching (I know uconn has a great teaching program) , but I may switch it to undecided.. because I really don't know what I want to do... If I do go to NYU, I would definitely switch my major to something more risky.. basically something I can't get at Uconn.. so that it is worth while.
Yup, this is how my mind is working right now.. it's a mess and from my writing, you can tell I'm uterally confused and it hurts so badly. I had my life set up before this!!
NYU is amazing, but a huge risk with everything.. money, majors, life, friends, opportunities..
Uconn is safe and flexible...
They are both great schools especially with the program I got into at Uconn.. I feel that it is on par with NYU.. but the name of NYU is better and the location of NYU is so much better for me..
Yeah I'm going to stop now because I could go on forever, but you get the point haha. If you have any advice, feel free to share them!! I'm very grateful for any opinions I can get!  =) Thank you guys so much!! 

My 18th Birthday Dinner

It's been over 3 weeks since my birthday, but I've finally had time to celebrate it last week on Sunday! If you don't know, I recently turned 18 years old!!! I had to put my birthday celebration off though because I was going to be heading to NY only a few days after my birthday. (I recommend you read my NY vacation recaps here (part 1) and here (part 2) if you haven't already because the picture are pretty awesome!) When I got back, I was super exhausted both physically and mentally so we pushed the dinner off until the week after!
Usually for birthday celebrations, my family tends to go out for a simple dinner rather than doing something big. The person whose birthday it is gets to choose the restaurant so seeing how it was my birthday, I chose to go to Olive Garden for my dinner!

My Mommy And I

We got ready to for dinner earlier than usual since we wanted to get home before dark.. plus since it was the Sunday before Saint Patrick's Day, we expected to have a long wait at the restaurant! Luckily for us, we actually didn't have to wait at all when we got to the restaurant because we got there so early! We were instantly seated and given our menus!

I actually went to Olive Garden a few months ago and I kinda already had an idea of what I wanted to get. I'm a vegetarian so most of the time at restaurants, my choices are a bit limited. I don't mind though since the choices I do have are usually delicious ones! As we pondered over what to order, our waiter came out with our unlimited breadsticks and salad!

I love how olive garden gives us basically free breadsticks, soups, and salad. I am a huge fan of Olive Garden's breadsticks and the salad is pretty tasty as well. To be honest, I don't like pasta as much as breadsticks so I usually end up filling myself with the breadsticks that by the time the meal comes, I can't finish it haha... though they do give big portions there so I guess it all evens out!

When our waiter came back around the 2nd time, we decided to order ourselves a mini appetizer. There were quite a few items on the menu that I thought I would love, but we eventually settled on something that all three of us would enjoy which was the Caprese Flatbread. This was quite the delicious item! It reminded me of a mini pizza, but with super fresh ingredients. The tomato was quite juicy and I loved the gooey cheese on top! As we ate our flatbread, we had to finalize our decisions on what to order.

These two items were chosen by my mom! She got the Italian Sausage Soup and the Parmesan Crusted Tilapia. I have to admit that the soup looked pretty delicious and I even tried some of it.. (not the sausage part, but the italian dumplings) I really liked the taste of it! My mom was so eager to eat her food, but being the blogger that I was, I just had to stop her from eating anything until photos were snapped haha =)

 This next dish was what my sister ordered. It was the Chicken Parmigiana. From what I remember, this was a meal consisting of pasta and breaded chicken. The first time I went to Olive garden for my friend's 18th birthday, I got something similar though instead of chicken, it was a fried eggplant. All I can say was the the fried eggplant was delicious! My sister also said that she really enjoyed this dish!!

 For my meal, I chose to order the five cheese ziti al forno. (That was quite the mouthful to try to say!) I had my eye on this dish for a while now because as you may know, I love cheese!! This pasta came out on a huge plate and they gave me quite a bit of pasta in my opinion! I am sort of a picky eater so what I ended up doing with my pasta was that I picked off all the cheese and ate that all haha. The pasta was also delicious, but the cheese was even better! Overall I really enjoyed the five cheese ziti al forno and for the price, you really do get a lot of pasta!

After we all stuffed ourselves full of pasta, fish, soup, salad, and lots of breadsticks, we still had some food leftover!! We decided to pack it up and bring it home for dinner the next day! The waiter for our table was also nice enough to give us some extra soup!
Along with our leftovers, we were also given three mints. The mints that they give at olive garden are my favorite! I know that they are most likely just regular mints, but maybe the olive garden stamp on it makes it taste just that much better!

One last picture of my mom and I! 

hehe so much for getting home before the sun sets! It was such a nice dinner though and I had such a fun time out! March has been such a wild month for me. I have been so busy with school and scholarships, but at the same time, I have had such fun adventures outside of school! Senior year has definitely been one of the busiest for me as far as colleges + scholarships, but one of the funniest! I'm really going to miss it when it's over!
~     ~     ~    ~     ~     ~    ~     ~     ~     ~    ~     ~     ~    ~     ~     ~     ~    ~     ~     ~    ~     ~     ~     ~
Ohhh wow, I just took some time to look through my blog and I came across a post I wrote about a year ago titled "My 17th Birthday Recap." It's honestly so hard to believe that it has already been a year since then since I feel like the same person.. well maybe I'm a teeny bit more mature and knowledgeable, but it's so crazy how time passes! I'm interested to see where my life will be a year from today now! =)

How do you typically celebrate your birthdays?
Have you ever been to Olive Garden?
Where do you see yourself a year from now?  For starters, I see myself as a college student buried under work and lots of social events hehe! =)

Spring Polka Dots

The weather has been pretty nice lately! It's exactly the temperature that I like.. not too cold or hot. A lot of people are excited for summer which I am too, but I cannot stand how hot it gets! I really love the way it feels right now where it's a bit chilly, but I'm still able to go outside in jeans and a sweater and feel comfortable.

 Plus now that it's not as bitter cold as it was in winter, I have finally been able to go running in usually a long sleeve and leggings. I actually stopped running this winter because of how cold and snowy it got (and maybe I was lazy too haha) and I didn't want to get sick. However, once I heard that I had to run the mile in under a certain time, I immediately put my running shoes on and off I went! It felt so nice and though I was huffing a bit at 2 miles, I loved it. Running is such an escape for me because my mind is always racing, but when I run, it actually kinda stops working and I enjoy it haha. =)

Anyways here is my outfit today-  I wanted to embrace the slightly warmer weather with this adorable polka dot dress! 

My sister has been so sweet lately and agreed to help my photos! It makes things so much easier for me! The photos today were taken outside and we were actually trying to figure out the lighting. It was bright, but the sun wasn't out so were confused on how to set the camera up haha.. we ended up just using the automatic settings! This dress was purchased a while back from forever 21 and I fell back in love with it again after putting it on today! The dress fits me to a "T" and I love the fabric of it. It's quite lightweight and super soft!

The dress is a black color with a pattern of  white polka dots on it. The waist is cinched in and the dress actually came with a belt. However, I opted not to wear the belt since I felt that the belt hit me in a weird area. It didn't really land on my waist, but rather on my ribcage which I felt uncomfortable with. The back of the dress has a cute little keyhole and a button.
I think spring is a perfect time to bust out dresses and skirts so I am pretty excited to start being able to wear more of them. I feel that jeans are often so tight and constricting on my legs.. does anyone else feel this? haha

For my shoes,  I opted to wear a simple pair of black flats. I also have on two bracelets and a ring with this outfit. The two bracelets are beaded with a huge infinity charm in the center. Both bracelets are the same except for the color: one is white and the other is a soft pink. On my finger, I have on a cute ring I got during Black Friday. I really love this ring and it's one of the rings that I often reach for. It's quite a simple ring, but I love the design of it a lot.

This pic was just for fun... The camera actually caught me in the air!

Now that I'm looking at it, I'm realizing March is almost over!! In a few more days, it will be April, scholarship deadlines and spring break, AP testing, and then basically school will be over for me. I'm trying to not let senioritis get to me until after the AP test.. and after that, I'm not going to resist it at all haha! I'm going to enjoy the last few months of being a high school student to the fullest! It makes me so sad since I feel like everything is ending and I'm kinda closing a huge chapter of my life! I've literally got such a mix of emotions about everything right now... =)

Dress- Forever 21
Flats- Kohls
Bracelet- Similar at Jcpenny
Ring- Similar at Forever 21

Is it finally warming up a bit where you are?
Who else prefers dresses + skirts over jeans?
Did you guys experience the same emotions when you graduate high school/college as me?