A Love Letter to Jenna Lyons + Co.

Having a mild obsession with J.Crew is no new feat for any college girl. The quintessential tortoise claw clips, pastel pixie pants, and silky frocks are wardrobe staples for the young, and young at heart. With a hint of flair and an underlying attitude of sophistication, J.Crew speaks to mothers and daughters alike and can't help but dominate a good portion of my personal wardrobe. 

What I'm trying to say is that this love affair is nothing new. Then came the Etta Pump. 

They've been floating all over Pinterest since Fall, the chunky almost 4in. pumps everyone's been drooling over. Calf-hair, cap-toe, and a whole lot of creativity from the J.Crew shoe designers have resulted in a vast array of eclectic combos on this classic heel. The best part? They're marketed as the heels for girls who only wear flats. Although at barely 5'2" I've never been that girl, there's little to dislike about a heel that boasts comfort. 

Dying to get your pretty little toes into these pumps? I recently snagged the champagne and black cap-toe combo and couldn't be more in love. Although many of the popular variations are sold out online, eBay seems to be a hotbed for the Etta. 

During a quick search for a size 7, over 85 results flashed on my screen. From jeweled sequins to glittery tweed, classic patent to snakeskin, the combos are endless. 

A truly transitional piece, the Etta can take you from internship to dinner that night and everywhere in between. A quintessential professional shoe with a twist, I won't be leaving home without these pretties for my upcoming interviews in NYC.  

 Remember, Cinderella is proof that a new pair of shoes can change your life. 

XX,

NYFW: The Countdown

It is now officially 13 days until Julia and I head back to NYC for Spring 2014 Fashion Week. To say we're excited is a bit of an understatement. Looking over the schedule of shows I'm working is a bit of a surreal experience. Trina Turk and Rebecca Minkoff in one day? I die. 

Wednesday, Feb 5 - Wildfox

Thursday, Feb 6 - Todd Snyder

Friday, Feb 7 - Trina Turk (LGC & STILA) + Rebecca Minkoff

Saturday, Feb 8 - ADEAM + Tibi

Monday, Feb 10 - Kenneth Cole + Cynthia Rowley + Alice+Olivia

Wednesday, Feb 12 - Nanette Lepore (LGC & STILA) + Betsey Johnson + Clover Canyon

The shows in pink are ones in which Stila (the fabulous cosmetics company whom LGC represents)will be doing the makeup. As a Beauty-PR-girl-in-training, I've been lucky enough to be assigned to those shows. Shout out to the amazing Ariana Voyer at Linda Gaunt Communications for inviting me to be back on her team for this incredible experience.

 

Let the madness commence!

XX,

Guest Post: The Rambling Queen & NYC

The glittering image of a New York city skyline reminds me of a plethora of things. Carriage rides around Central Park at Christmas when I was little, getting trapped on Canal St. with my sister as a teenager, and most recently, my full summer enveloped in the heat and bliss. 

One of my favorite memories of the city so far has been the people I've met along the way. Specifically, during my internship at Linda Gaunt Communications I rather quickly developed a girl-crush on Julia Kennedy. She'd teach me about Portland hipsters and I'd try to explain the Lilly Pulitzer Sorority girl. We were both unabashedly pretty weird, and liked it. 

Needless to say, Julia was the driving force behind me starting a blog. Her blog, The Rambling Queen   is one part inspiration, one part op-ed's, with a dash of quirky in all the right ways. For further proof check out her Bachelor recaps. 

As we get ready to head back to New York for Fashion Week 2014, I can't help but share this little manifesto by my favorite Rambling Queen:  

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THE CITY: Booze & Brunch Spots from the MTV Show

As I suffer from these massive NYC withdrawals, I can't help but turn to every single type of media that can feed my starvation of the Big Apple. No judgement guys, because I have a confession: I have been binge-watching The City. As in, The City with the lovely Whitney Port and the frightening Olivia Palermo.

As I've been watching, I couldn't help but begin to jot down all of the eclectic and super-trendy places that the cast went to grub or party... and inevitably imagine my own (potentially trendy?!) self grubbin' or partying there.

After extensive research (AKA Google, NYmag and Yelp) and a little help from Guidespot, I've thoroughly checked out each and every single place from The City to give you guys the ultimate low-down on the hottest spots from Whitney's show. To our dismay, we can't live out every single experience, as quite a few of the spots they bopped into are now closed. But hey, maybe in the others you'll run into a hottie Australian by the name of Jay...

Bars, Clubs, & Music Venues

Madame Geneva

Brass Monkey - Erin (remember her?) brought Duncan, her Canadian long-distance boyfriend here when he was visiting her for the weekend.

Blind Pig Bar (also called "Bar Arsenal" on the show)

The Cutting Room - Whitney invites the thoroughly uncomfortable Olivia to one of Jay's band's (Tamarama) concerts here, where everyone proceeds to have a good time except the Social.

Closed: Cain Nightclub, The Gates

Brunch Spots & Coffee

Cafeteria - The girls (as in Whit, Erin, Sami, and Allie) get brunch here often during the show. Poor Allie gets the depressing news about her philandering boyfriend Adam here.

Extra Virgin - Whit and Jay rendezvous here in order for Whit to question his sketchy behavior with his ex, Danielle, who he supposedly went home with. Gross. But what an ironic place to question him...

Cornelia Street Cafe

Mojo Coffee - Whit and Roxy grab coffee here in the West Village location, chatting about Olivia's most recent evil plotting against the Whitney Eve Collection.

Closed: Paris Commune

Dinner Spots

Stanton Social - Whitney cleverly gets Jay to consider getting serious with her (FINALLY) when she leaves him hanging, and he's seen here chatting with best bud Adam about why he needs to finally figure his shiz out.

Rogue Tomate

Philip Marie

Fig & Olive - A favorite on The City - you might remember it from when Cobra Starship and Robbie Meyers (editor-in-chief of ELLE) grabbed dinner with Joe Zee (cue awkward encounter with Olivia pretending to enjoy hip-hop and house music... yeah). Also, when Whit finally grows a pair and confronts Olivia about her backstabby-ness, it happens here.

Il Bastardo

Felix Restaurant - Jay breaks the news of his inevitable west coast tour with his band that he must leave for... in 5 days. Um WHAT. No Jay. Just no.

The Diner - Our fave girls grab lunch here while proclaiming, "UGH WE LOVE GREASY DINER FOOD!" Don't we all, ladies. Don't we all.

Lyric Diner - Sami gets the text informing her of Adam's sleazy night with Caterina (who also has a boyfriend). Insert gasps here from Whit, Sami, and Erin.

Closed: Nero, Los Dados

--

Thank you Ju!

XX,

Zen Your Desk(top)

I don't know about you, but I often find myself incredibly overwhelmed if my desktop gets cluttered. It actually effects my pshyce to have icons of documents and photos outside of their proper folders. While I understand these documents aren't tangible, I can't help but feel anxious at the sight of a messy screen. 

My desktop is organized with six folders which each contain a plethora of specific sub-folders. For me, it works best to have the folders separated in the following order: 

Classes

Each class has its own folder which contains items such as notes, due dates, syllabus, and readings. This makes it very easy to file information quickly and efficiently in addition to finding it by simply searching in the toolbar. 

Finances

Tuition -> Costs, Scholarships, Loans

2013-2014 Budget -> Groceries, Rent, Utilities, Expenses, Dues

Receipts -> Copies of receipts from larger purchases (airfare, etc.) 

Intern

For this folder I have a separate folder for each place I have interned with samples of work I have completed, photos of the experiences, and contact information from my co-workers and bosses. 

Profesh

Beauty PR -> Cover Letter Sample, Resume, Portfolio, Clips + Credits, Excel Sheets, Writing samples

Social Media -> Cover Letter Sample, Resume, Portfolio, Clips + Credits, Excel Sheets

Hospitality -> Cover Letter Sample, Resume, Portfolio, PowerPoint presentations

Political Communications -> Cover Letter Sample, Resume, Portfolio, Clips + Credits 

Inspiration

Diaries of Serendipity -> Edited Photos, Site Graphics, Writing Ideas 

Photos -> A variety of snapshots of people, places, things, and ideas that inspire me

Travel -> Places I'd like to go/ things I'd love to see

ADPi

As Vice President of my sorority, I'm responsible for all of the paperwork that comes to and from the chapter. In addition, by labeling the important "big" folders with a color (for ADPi it's blue) you can easily refine your search to get exactly what you're looking for without wasting time. 

When searching just the information denoted as "blue", the following folders show up. 

Although this might seem a little redundant, it's much easier for me to have everything overly organized to prevent loosing important documents in the endless abyss that is cyberspace. 

A clear desk(top) is a clear mind. 

...I'm deep, I know. 

XX,

Zero Below

Let me tell you a little something about Louisville weather. On my Spring Break Freshman year I came home to tornado warnings flashing across the television screen. Two days later? Snow. The day I was leaving? 68 and sunny. Needless to say, I'm used to wearing sandals and snow boots in the same week. That's why when the weather reported the "coldest temperatures in decades" forecasted for the day I was driving back to school, I couldn't help but laugh.  

It's a no-brainer that the sudden shuffle of weather reaps havoc on delicate skin like mine. So how does one go about prepping for a day in zero below? Read on.

Skip the steam shower. 

Although it might feel like bliss at the time, the effect on your skin will be anything but. When you take a hot shower you are often stripping the skin of its natural oil barrier (aka the layer that traps the moisture). Instead? Try a warm bath or shower and remember to slather on that moisturizer after. My quintessential winter favorite is Bliss' Snow Wonder body butter. I secretly love the fact that it leaves a subtle glitter behind, the only downside being that it's a limited edition. Followed by a dollop of Ahava's Gentle Eye Cream I'm able to retain a lot of moisture while skipping the break-outs. If you're oily or blemish-prone make sure to look for moisturizers that are non-comedogenic, or else you're really just doing more damage. 

Tone it Down. 

I love a good high power cleanser just as much as the next girl. Coupled with my Clairsonic  there are few other combos that will make you feel exceptionally clean. However in the colder weather, switching to a milder cleanser will save your skin from that ever so familiar chapped feeling. Switching up your cleanser? In my family, we have a little obsession with Peter Thomas Roth products. Peter Thomas Roth Gentle Foaming Cleanser is an amazing mild cleanser that still foams so you feel as if you're getting your best clean while skipping the aggravation on your skin. Another I've been using lately is Neutrogena's Ultra Gentle Hydrating Cleanser (Thanks Jo!). Switch it up, tone it down. Change is the only constant, right?

Prime time. 

When it comes to a base, sometimes it's hard to rationalize (read: annoying) applying three separate products (primer, moisturizer, foundation) when you can pick up a "miracle cream" that claims to do all three. The issue here? When you get a manicure do they apply one color that contains base, color, and top coats or do they do these separate? The answer is obviously the latter, if it isn't, well... you really should think about switching manicurists. By taking time to apply these products separately you will notice a huge difference. I'm not saying each of these need to be Chanel-quality, hell, I've used the same primer from CVS for years. But just try it, okay? While you're at it, think about switching up your foundation routine too. I had to drop my heavier Shishedo foundation (which I adore) and pick up the ultra-light Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua. Reasons I love? Non-comedogenic (the holy grail), oil-free, and as pithy as it sounds, the smell is divine. The fact that this is the same foundation I used in high school could be some kind of psychological thing here, but whatever. A mistake people often make is adding a heavier coverage in the colder months, when really it should be the opposite to protect your skin from the elements. 

To browse some great winter skin products check out this feature on Elle.com

XX,