This year Halloween falls on a Thursday night, so unless you’re a college student or really into the holiday, you will most likely be celebrating at home! Don’t let your adult responsibilities get you down, there is plenty of haunted fun to be had even if you aren’t planning on partying it up! Here are five Frightfully Fun activities for Halloween Night!
1. Have a Monster Movie Fest
There is really nothing better than watching scary movies on Halloween! Some of my favorite Halloween classics are Hocus Pocus, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and Sleepy Hollow.
2. Listen to The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe as read by Christopher Walken via YouTube
Yes, this really exists and its pretty incredible. If you are a major Christopher Walken fan like I am, you will surely appreciate his eerie narration to one of literatures classic haunting tales.
3. Read H.P. Lovecraft Stories by candle light
Lovecraft is considered one of the great masters of horror, so if you prefer the pace of a good novel instead of a classic film, try one of his spine chilling tales. Make sure to ready by candle light for an extra creepy effect!
4. Dress up as your favorite Ghoul and hand out halloween candy
What’s the next best thing to trick or treating? Handing out the candy, of course! It’s the perfect excuse to dress up for Halloween and the trick or treaters love the unexpected surprise when you open your door!
5. Rock out to a custom Halloween mixtape
Nothing can put you in that Halloween Spirit like music, so make your own playlist to set the mood for a spooky Halloween at home! Some of my fav’s are The Monster Mash, I Put a Spell on You, and Witchcraft!
Happy Halloween Everyone! How will you be spending your night? Let me know in the comments!
Earlier this month I rented The Great Gatsby from my local Redbox when it was finally released onto DVD. I totally missed watching it in theaters when it came out, so I was very eager to watch it! My husband had apparently never read the book in high school, which I found to be amazing because I thought it was required reading for every U.S. Student! So, he was not at all familiar with the story which was kinda exciting. Of course I had read the book multiple times and seen the original Robert Redford rendition so I knew what to expect ever step along the way. That didn’t mean, however, that I didn’t completely enjoy the film, because I did very much. I loved the way they filmed this movie and the way they used modern music and even some CGI to really turn the traditional story upside down and feel very relevant to today’s modern society.
The Great Gatsby Movie Poster
So, after I finished watching the film I was totally in the mood for all things roaring 20s! The heavy use of gold, scallop print everything and the slinky flapper style were roaming around my mind. Of course, I just had to turn this movie into an inspired iPhone background to share with you guys! I pulled one of my favorite Gatsby quotes and put together a modern scallop print in a gilded color for this Great Gatsby inspired smartphone wallpaper! I hope you all enjoy this as much as I do!
Right click image to save
Did you love the new Great Gatsby movie? How do you like this 1920’s film inspired iPhone wallpaper? Do you want me to continue to create more of these sorts of lock screen quote wallpapers? Let me know in the comments!
It’s that time of year again! November has come and it’s the National Novel Writing Month in case you haven’t heard! Whether you are a NaNoWriMo vet or a newbie, there are many resources out there to help you get to 50k success at the end of the month. I have rounded up as many of these resources as I could find for you, so hopefully something or other down below will make the month a little easier for you. Happy Noveling!
For Mac Users
Macworld has a number of staff members who partake in nano, here is their article series for success!
Not to be outdone by Macworld, MacLife also has a mini guide to nano-ing that includes some iOS apps as well.
Here’s a Mac app that turns off the internet for a set amount of time, for those of you who are easily distracted by the Internet. Aptly named SelfControl.
For those of you who have an iPad and want to use that to assist you with your noveling efforts, here is a link to a site with some great app suggestions for iOS.
Here is the link for the Nanowrimo trial version of Scrivener. In case you don’t know, Scrivener is a great application for writers of all types. They are also a sponsor of NaNoWriMo and if you win you can get half off the software!
Here is the link for WriteRoom, one of the distraction free writing applications that full screens your manuscript so you can focus on nothing but writing.
Here is a link to Write or Die, one of the full screen apps that prompts you to write with settings that can prevent you from backspacing, and can even start deleting your work if you procrastinate too long. This also has an iOS app in case you are interested.
If you are having trouble naming characters, this website is very useful.
Here is Written? Kitten! Which appears to be a web app where you get a new picture of a cat/kitten once you have hit the interval word goal of your choosing. Helpful for those of you who require a dose of cuteness as positive reinforcement.
So, will you be participating in Nanowrimo 2013? What are some of your must have resources? Have you ever wanted to write a novel or attempted any other writing challenge? Let us know in the comments below!
So, this week I became the proud owner of my very own Beau Bag from Kate Spade! You may have seen my little rant last month about how badly I wanted the bag, but thanks to the encouraging words of many of you I was able to resist the temptation of breaking my commercial detox over this guy! So thank you all very much for your support! Now, getting back to the bag and why I suddenly have it! My husband and I got some really great news in the last week or so, NO, I’m not expecting or anything, but a wonderful thing happened and if you are friends with me IRL and want to know what it was, send me an email or a direct message on Twitter! Because of said awesome news/event/game changer, my husband decided that he would buy me a bag for all my hard work/awesomeness/genius in getting us to this point! Now, on top of all that, as though it were some sign from the gods, the bag was on sale! Kate Spade NY has actually had two sales since the time I first ranted about my love for this bag but both times the Beau Bag was specifically excluded from the sale. Epic sad face! However, Saks Fifth Avenue is/was having their Friends and Family 2013 Sale and they were not so picky about what they were discounting, so when I saw the sale and shared it with Mike, he basically agreed that it was just too good to be true and we had to buy the bag. So, we ended up getting something like $150 off the bag plus free shipping and it was pretty awesome!
Now, I just wanted to talk a little bit about the bag itself, why I think its wonderful and all that jazz! Since I now own the bag, you can imagine I am treating it like a total baby! I absolutely love it for a number of reasons. First, it’s just an absolutely cute bag. I know it may not be everyone’s style, but it suits mine just fine! I have actually never owned a Kate Spade bag before, I have a few different accessories and pieces of jewelry, not to mention some iPhone cases, but never a bag before this. I am eager to see how the bag wears to the minor beating it will most likely get as a my work bag. Which brings me to the second point I want to make about why I love this bag; it will make a perfect work bag! It fits everything I used to keep in my Rebecca Minkoff MAB Tote that I was using as my work bag up until I received this one, and this bag keeps its shape! The Beau Bag keeping its shape was a major selling point of the bag. My Rebecca Minkoff MAB Tote looked sturdy when I bought it, but unless it was packed with items it didn’t hold a shape easily. That bag really took a beating, and it’s still in great shape, but I just didn’t like that it couldn’t stand up on its own and when I went to meetings and put it on the floor or on a table it would fall over and the contents of my bag would often fall out! This will not be the case with my Beau Bag. Since the Beau has a zipper closure I can make sure my items are secure, and since the bag holds a steady shape, it will actually stay standing up if I place it on a desk or on the floor during a meeting, etc! Okay, so final thoughts on things I love about the bag. I love the interior print which is a cream lining with gold polka dots and spade symbols. I am obsessed with the “iPad Compartment” which helps to conceal your expensive gadget! Finally, I adore the bow pocket on the front of the bag. It’s really a great sort of secret compartment, because when you look at the bag, you can’t tell that the bow is a pocket, it just looks like a structural embellishment to the bag, but nope, it’s a pocket and a wonderful place to put my iPhone because it has a magnetic closure! Okay, so that’s all I will say about the bag… for now! I do love it and I am so glad it’s finally mine!
So, what are you guys currently obsessed with? Have you put any fashion or accessory items on your holiday wish list? What bag are you currently carrying or eyeing right now? Let us know in the comments!
As you may already know, I have something of an iPhone case obsession! For me, it has never been a question that I would always need to use a case to protect my iPhone; a full glass screen + aluminum body = damage waiting to happen! Although I have a lot of cases, I try to focus on purchasing cases that are both pretty and protective! My iPhone is like an accessory for me that I always have with me, so its important that I get good coverage with the case, but also a good amount of style and flair. Your iPhone case can really say a lot about you (a topic I have already covered here) and there is no reason to have a boring, ugly case just for the protection. So, here are a few of my favorite cases that blend style and protection!
1. Kate Spade Literary Glasses iPhone 5/5s Case: You may have seen this stylish pattern on my blog earlier this month, but I am totally in love with the new protective Kate Spade cases. These cases are double layered, so there is an interior “bumper” style layer and then a nice hard but flexible plastic exterior. What I love is that is does have a lip around the front of the case, so if you place the phone face down on a surface the screen is elevated. I won’t say this is as protective as an Otterbox or Lifeproof case, but for a designer iPhone case, its a really solid option!
2. Otterbox Commuter Series 3D Case: I would venture to say that when you think of protective iPhone cases, your mind probably lands on Otterbox cases first and for good reason, they have been on top of the protective case market for a long long time now! The problem with Otterbox cases, however, is that although they are super protective and can totally save the life of your iPhone, they really aren’t the most attractive cases out there! With that being said, I am totally excited about these new Commuter Series 3D Cases! They are absolutely lovely for an Otterbox and I love the color options! Hopefully, we will see more cute cases like this coming from Otterbox in the future!
3. Custom Monogramed Otterbox Case: While Otterbox gets their act together with some more cute iPhone cases, one awesome option you have is to order one of these custom monogramed Otterbox cases from places like Lipstick Shades. Companies like these will basically make you a custom design on an Otterbox case with your choice of patterns, colors and personalization options! I think these are a great holiday gift idea because the case is totally unique and personalized to their owner so you always know which phone is yours! Don’t you love this custom teal chevron case I made up on their site?
Do you use a protective case on your phone? Which do you use? Are you a fan of Otterbox cases? How are you liking these protective but stylish choices for iPhone cases? Let us know in the comments!
Have you ever gone to a new restaurant only to take one look at the menu and want to bolt? I have to admit, this has happened to me more times than I care to admit. I seem to have a problem with trying new things, especially when it comes to food! I really need to get into the habit of checking the menu before I am seated at a new restaurant, but a recent experience got me thinking whether there was proper etiquette for such a situation. So, here’s the scenario. You take a chance and visit a new restaurant you are not familiar with, and then after being seated (and even perhaps ordering a beverage) you take a look at the menu and think to yourself “there is nothing on this menu I want to eat!” What do you do?
After discussing my dilemma with my spouse, who was also thinking the exact same thing, our first step was deciding that we didn’t want to stay and tough it out! So, in order to honor the fact that the hostess bothered to seat us and a waitress went to fetch us some soda’s, we decided it would be best to dig some dollars out of our pockets and discretely find our waitress. We explained to her that we had never been to the restaurant before and weren’t interested in anything on the menu. We slipped her a few bucks and thanked her for her time.
Overall, I think that although exiting a restaurant before you have ordered can be an awkward thing, we handled it well. The important thing to remember is it’s not what you are doing, but how you do it that matters. So, talking to your waitress and explaining your situation is a must! I guess we didn’t have to leave a tip, but since she had gone to get our drinks we felt like we needed to leave something for her trouble and the fact that she had two wasted drinks in her hand. Hopefully this will be the last time this happens to us! I will say, I still felt a bit embarrassed even though I think we did everything right.
So, what you do think? Do you think we did the right thing? Is there anything you think we forgot or should have done? Anyone a current/former waitress and been on the other end of this? How did it play out for you and how did you feel about it? Let us know in the comments!
You guys! I am a complete sucker for packaging! Okay, packaging and convenience! The other day I was perusing Sephora.com and I came across these adorable little palettes and absolutely had to have them! It didn’t hurt that they were both ultra-portable and pretty cheap, both under $25! The first is the Too Faced Glamour to Go Palette ($22)! What first drew me to this palette as you may be able to guess is the packaging! It is a super cute black glossy compact with an almost baroque swirl design and lovely feminine label.
What I love about this palette is its tiny size, it’s no bigger than a compact mirror, but inside it houses a full face of makeup in a double layer design. The top layer of the palette houses 8 lovely neutral eyeshadows that fit my makeup aesthetics perfectly, and the bottom layer that pulls out like a drawer houses a pinky peach blush, golden shimmery lip gloss and a nice light-medium tone bronzer.
The colors are all gorgeous and after applying a face of makeup with this palette I was super pleased with the results. The shadows are pigmented without being too heavy which is great for me because I am no makeup artist and heavily pigmented shadows usually end up making a mess of my face! The blush and bronzer, however are a bit stronger on the pigment, which totally works because I like a strong blusher and I can mediate the amount of bronzer I use to make sure it doesn’t go on too heavy.The lipgloss is pretty subtle, but a nice natural shade with a hint of sparkle. I used a colored lipliner first and then added the gloss on top of my lips to blend the color out to a nice rosy shimmery pink! Overall, I am very pleased with my first impressions of this palette and I love the look I was able to create quickly using it! Like I said, its super tiny but you get a lot of products so it’s a great little palette to keep in your handbag, even a small one!
Okay, so the second palette I picked up from Too Faced is this Jingle All the Way Palette ($25). Now, I picked up this palette because it was absolutely too clever to pass by! From the front, this palette is a nice compact case filled with 11 eyeshadows, a medium bronzer and a bright pink blusher, but from the back it has a little secret!
It is actually a 2 in 1 makeup palette and iPhone 5 case in an adorable print! I just had to have it! So, basically the palette is just a palette in and of itself and it fits into the iPhone 5 case. You could leave the palette in the case or pop it out easily and use the case on your iPhone. It’s basically the greatest idea for a holiday gift that I have ever seen (well, may not the best I have ever seen, but its pretty close)! The colors in this palette are again mostly nice neutrals, but they also incorporate some lovely colors as well! I love how they actually give you 9 smaller shadows and 2 larger matte colors as a base/highlight/blending color. The bronzer in this palette is a hint darker than in the previous palette, but I can still make it work (I am not big into dark bronzers because I am usually super pale except for in the summer when I am just regular pale!) but I LOVE LOVE LOVE the bright pink blush in this palette! The brighter the pink, the better, in my opinion! Now, this palette doesn’t include a lip product, but that’s fine by me and still an awesome value since you get so many shadows!
So, be honest, are you loving these adorable Too Faced Palettes as much as I am? Have you tried any of these before or any other Too Faced products? Are you a sucker for packaging as well? Or perhaps you love these palettes because of the all in one convenience factor? Let me know in the comments!
It’s iPhone upgrade time! Yep, the iPhone 5s was recently released and although your new gadget may still be on backorder, you are going to need to outfit your new accessory (ahem, phone!) with a few extra trimmings of its own! Here are some must haves that you need to make the most of your new iPhone!
iPhone Case: I am a iPhone case addict, but this Kate Spade NY case is by far my favorite. Its the perfect mix of designer fashion accessory and everyday protection! I have always loved Kate Spade iPhone cases, but I feel like for the iPhone 5/5s, KSNY has really stepped up their game!
Microfiber Cleaning Cloth: Not only is this Toddy microfiber ridiculously stylish in the silver chevron pattern, but its also a must have to keep your iPhone’s screen crystal clear! With one plush side and one silky side, the Toddy microfiber and its antimicrobial coating will mean a few easy wipes will keep your phone clean in more than one way!
iPhone Dock: This Jonathan Adler Smartphone dock is a lovely, yet functional way to charge your iPhone. Although its not a charger in and of itself, it makes for a beautiful piece of functional art for your desk or side table! Read my review of the dock here!
Headphones: The Layla headphones by Frends is a stylish accompaniment to your new iPhone, especially if you sprung for the gold 5s. These feminine cans are the perfect mix of style and sound quality. Ban ugly headphones and pick up a set of these girls instead!
Backup Battery Charger: The Hub 3000 myCharge is a small but powerful backup battery that will charge your iPhone and up to two other devices at the same time! Its built in lightening chord is super convenient so you don’t have to worry about keeping (or loosing) a tangled chord as well!
Did you upgrade to the new iPhone 5s? Which of the three colors did you choose? What are your must have accessories for your iPhone? Let us know in the comments!
I have been out of college now for 6 years (yikes!) and I still often think about all the wonderful things I did and learned during my years there! Like most life experiences, however, I often find myself wondering how my life would have turned out had I made different choices and did things differently. If I had the chance to turn back time and start college all over again, I would most definitely be the embodiment of some college cliché, taking advantage of every opportunity, working harder on my school work and going on more adventures! So, since I know there are college freshman all over the world who have just completed their first few weeks or so of their college experience, I have decided that now is the time to share my biggest regrets from college so that perhaps others can learn from some of my mistakes and make the very most of their undergrad years!
1. I regret that I didn’t work harder! Cliche, I know, but its the truth. Unfortunately, or fortunately for me, I have been one of those people who never needed to work hard in order to get good grades. In middle school, high school and yes, college, I just sort of skated by on my natural intelligence, but now I see that had I actually applied myself, I may have been able to do wonderful things. My laziness in college is something I frequently find myself making up for in my life now, as I work myself to the bone at my day job and then with this blog all in the hopes that one day my hard work will pay off! Let me tell you, it’s a much better idea to do the hard work in college because the work you do in those four years can really shape the rest of your life. Don’t skate by like I did, make sure you are putting in 110% to your work!
2. I regret that I got a boyfriend my freshman year. Relationships in college are one of those things that I think most girls are interested in, but they really aren’t the best way to spend your college years. I know that once I found a boyfriend the second semester of my freshman year, I became a ghost to my friends. I spent way to much time with him and doing things he wanted to do and not enough time developing relationships with roommates and hall mates. Since I was also in a sorority, it was especially alienating for me to have a boyfriend during these early college years because I kept feeling like I had to choose between him and them. Of course, I choose him far too often and as I began to feel more alienated from my friends, the cycle continued so that I was inevitably spending all my time with him. Don’t make that same mistake. Boyfriends can wait until after college, they seriously, seriously can!
3. I regret that I didn’t go abroad. College is seriously one of the best times to spend a semester or two abroad in a foreign country. For me, it was something that I considered out of the question because of my finances and of course, my boyfriend! Looking back, I could have afforded it and it wouldn’t have been the end of the world to leave my boyfriend for a few months, in fact it probably would have done me some good! I honestly think that it should be a requirement for certain majors to visit a foreign country before they graduate because it really is such a valuable life experience and it opens your eyes up to the rest of the world outside of your little pocket of the universe!
4. I regret that I didn’t spend more time getting in touch with myself. This is sort of a weird regret, but they say college is the best time to find yourself and I certainly wasn’t spending much time looking! I was more occupied with making sure I got all the classes I needed to graduate and trying to enroll in classes that would fulfill requirements for both of my majors so that I could inevitably save money and graduate early. I wish I had taken more trips and gone on little adventures. I went to college out in the mountains and there were so many things I could have done and tried that I just didn’t bother with because it didn’t fit my narrow idea of what a successful college experience meant. So make sure you spend your days exploring everything you can. Visit the astronomy tower, go on a camping trip, experience the world around you to the greatest extent that you can. It will help you develop character and learn things about yourself that you never knew!
Do you have any regrets from college that you wish you could pass down to younger generations to make sure they don’t make the same mistakes you do? Are you a current college student who has made some of these mistakes and perhaps can learn from them before it’s too late? Let us know in the comments!
Now, before you get the wrong idea I want to make perfectly clear that I do consider myself a feminist, but also a pragmatist! Sometimes you just gotta use what God gave you and say to hell with the rest! You may not think that wearing a little lipstick is going to make a difference either way in your life or career, but it does, and perhaps not in the way that you might assume. You’re probably thinking that I am advocating wearing lipstick to work as some sort of way to please the general vanity of the masses, as though wearing lipstick means that you are trying to make a good impression and make yourself look your very best! It’s true, wearing lipstick probably does have that affect on your co-workers and bosses, either male or female, but that’s not the reason I suggest wearing it! Nor am I suggesting that you wear it to heighten the appearance of your femininity and perhaps make yourself seem more attractive to the opposite sex, thus gaining some competitive edge that usually only works on police officers and speeding tickets!
No, the reason I am advocating that you wear lipstick to work is because it has been scientifically proven to help women get the attention of others during discussions! Don’t ask me where the study is that concludes this, I honestly have never seen it, I have only heard about it! Once, I attended a women’s professional development workshop where the keynote speaker insisted that if you wear lipstick to work, specifically to meetings or during any sort of discussions or negotiations, the people in the room are more likely to give you their attention. It has something to do with your mouth being highlighted by the lipstick so that it draws attention to you and to the value of your words. Pretty interesting I thought! The speaker even went so far as to glance around the room and eventually pointed me out to stand up, saying that my lipstick was so bright (I was wearing a hot pink for sure!) that I got her attention despite the fact that I was seated in the very last row!
I love being made a positive example of, but I really think she was right! For some time before this event I had been wearing bright pink lipstick (in a color that suits me, don’t think I will just pick up any old neon pink I can find!) because I thought it drew attention to me. After all, not many people think they can pull off the color, so most don’t even try. I had been getting compliments on my lipstick for a long while by the time the speaker had pointed me out that day at the meeting, and I have received those compliments ever since. I think that for a long time I had already known what she was telling us, that your lipstick mattered! So make sure you wear it and make sure you pick as bold a color as you can muster! Keeping the attention of a room is a difficult task to achieve, but to think all you need to achieve it is a little bright lipstick and the confidence to wear it!
Do you wear lipstick to work? How do you feel confidence-wise when you wear it? Do you notice that more people pay attention to what you say when wearing it? Has this article inspired you to wear bright lipstick more often? Maybe you think this isn’t true or doesn’t work? Let us know what you think in the comments!
