Snow Day Essentials

Hello everyone! I am currently bundled up in my dorm room after a crazy week of unpacking, reuniting with friends, and trudging through snow to get to my first classes of the new semester. Today, thankfully, we were given a break as the snow had piled up to over a foot. So with classes cancelled for the day, I wanted to do a quick update. Although its a bit too cold for an outfit post, I thought this would be a great excuse to show some of my snow day essentials.

So my very first essential is of course a fuzzy sweater to stay warm and cozy all day. This one is from Oasis and I love the colors and print- perfect to brighten up dreary winter days. The loose fit makes it comfortable and perfect for just lounging around.
To stay even warmer, a knit blanket is another must-have. The one pictured is organically made which I love, but any blanket will do. There's nothing better than curling up under a blanket while the snow falls outside your window.
Hot chocolate is my go-to winter drink. I'm sure to always have some handy for when I need to warm up.
While you're all comfy, a good book is the best thing to have to keep you occupied. IT by Alexa Chung is on my To Read list this new year. The cover alone has me itching to open it up, but it has also been getting great reviews so I'll be sure to read it soon.
Anyone that knows me well knows that I'm obsessed with incense. It can instantly change the atmosphere of a room, and the smoke is always pretty to look at. This vanilla scent from Zara will have your whole house smelling yummy. It's a great pick-me-up if you don't enjoy being stuck inside.
Snow days are also a great time to catch up on some primping if you've been super busy. I know I am loving the chance to fix up my nails which have been looking pretty beat up lately. This nail polish by Essie,  Shearling Darling, is my favorite at the moment. It's dark which I like for winter but the deep red allows it to still be a warm color.
Once your nails are looking lovely, a cute snowflake ring would be perfect. It's time to break out any winter themed jewelry you have while you have the excuse to wear it.
Lastly, harem pants are one of my big obsessions right now. they're unbelievably comfy but are still stylish. I love feeling like I'm wearing pajamas to class but still getting compliments on my cute pants. They look especially nice with a sweater tucked into the hem and are a great way to stay comfy while still looking nice.

I hope you all are staying warm today; I'll be sure to be back with more posts soon!

Winter Layers

Hello everyone! It's been warming up slowly here, and I think it is expected to be a pretty mild weekend around here which is great news since it's my last weekend at home before heading back to school for the spring semester. I am so excited and can't wait to be back in the city with all my friends. I wanted to get at least one more post while I'm here and have the comfort of shooting in my own room instead of a cramped dorm, so I put together this little guide for layering which is a life saver in the winter. Some of my friends have joked that I only like layering because it gives me an excuse to wear all my favorite clothes at once, which I have to admit is true. But in the winter I love it even more because it's a great way to stay warm. The other great thing about it is it's an easy way to switch up your outfits, even when you're using the same basic template everyday.

My go-to winter "template" for putting together outfits is simple but I can use a lot of my clothes with it and it allows me to be a little creative when getting ready in the mornings. First, I start with a simple tank top and skirt. Skirts are great for layering because they add a little interest with the way your shirts and sweaters lay on them, and they are of course a great way to rock my biggest winter essential- socks!

These socks are the same ones I wore in this post on Christmas and I have been loving them. They are soft and stay up which is huge! So many of my tall socks will get bunched or droop down at the top and I'm having to constantly pull them up. Any kind of tall socks- patterned or plain, knee high or thigh high, are a great choice when adding interest to an outfit and help with the layered look by breaking up your legs. To add another level of layering you could choose boots that aren't the same color as the socks, however today I chose black boots because I loved the way they made the outfit a little more grungy.

On top, I added an old flannel that I've gotten a lot of use out of this winter. It is super warm and comfy, and I love the boyishness it adds to the girly skirt. It also provides a nice pattern and some great color to the outfit. here I also added some necklaces, my favorite wishbone necklace and a longer spike necklace, both from Forever 21.

To keep warm I added one last layer- my go-to gray sweater that I wear constantly. I bought this over the summer from PacSun and I love wearing it out or if I'm just lounging in my room. It is the perfect layering piece for me because I love the dark (but not too dark) color and the soft material. I also love the way it drapes which is important for your top layer, because you don't want to look bulky with all those layers. I cuffed my flannel sleeves over my sweater sleeves to let that pattern peek through a bit more.



In the pictures below you'll also see I have on a pair of tights under my socks for some extra warmth and a little fun pattern in the back. I love this outfit because it's both girly and grungy, and I will definitely be wearing it on campus this semester.

Sweater: Pac Sun, Flannel: Hollister, Tank top: H&M, Skirt: Forever 21, Tights: Urban Outfitters, Socks: Unknown (gifted), Shoes: TJ Maxx, Necklaces: Forever 21

Bling Ring

Hi everyone! I hope you're all staying nice and warm today; it's been freezing here in PA! The temperature dropped to just 1 degree Fahrenheit this morning, and I know that's nothing compared to the chill the Midwest is receiving right now. Coffee shops are shutting down because their machines aren't working, all the schools are closed so no one gets frostbite waiting for the buses, and there is ice galore on pretty much every surface outside. So I used this as an excuse to stay nice and warm inside and had a little shoot in my room to show off two of my favorite trends right now- lots and lots of rings, and boyfriend jeans. I love this look because it just feels effortless- white tee, ripped jeans, some boots and lots of bling. The silver jewelry adds just enough glam to this comfy and casual outfit. I had fun piling on rings and switching around their placement, and I was super excited to wear my midi rings. I love how delicate and unexpected knuckle rings are, and am so glad I picked some up while Black Friday shopping. The little silver ring on my pinky is also a midi ring, but was just big enough to go on my littlest finger. I hope you guys love this outfit just as much as I do; I'm sure I'll be wearing this nonstop once it warms up!

Shirt: Forever 21, Jeans: Abercrombie & Fitch (thrifted), Shoes: Famous Footwear, Necklace: Forever 21, Rings (assorted): Forever 21, American Eagle, Tiffany & Co

Beat the Winter Blues

Hello everyone! It's been the laziest of all Sundays here at my house. After getting a decent amount of snow a few days ago everyone here woke up to some lovely freezing rain that made driving anywhere virtually impossible. When I went to check on my car just now the doors were all frozen shut! So I had some much needed down-time and spent the day cleaning and organizing my music library. I decided to even make a little playlist for you guys. It's just ten songs but they've all been stuck in my head recently and I'm very thankful for their uplifting beats that have me distracted from the wintery weather outside. I know I can't be the only one going into post-holiday depression, so I hope this playlist cheers up anyone that needs it!

You can listen to the playlist here on 8tracks. 

And here's an action shot so y'all can see what I look like hard at work making playlists

Sounds Like Hallelujah- The Head and the Heart

It Never Stops- Bad Books

Breezeblocks- Alt-j

Girls- The 1975

I Bet That You Look Good on the Dancefloor- Arctic Monkeys

I Hope This Gets to You- The Daylights

Tongue Tied- Grouplove

Kill Your Heroes- AWOLNATION

Go Outside- Cults

Lizstomania- Pheonix

Starlight

Hello! It's been a busy week for me, but I guess it always is. I just arrived back in Pennsylvania after a trip to New York with my family and it was so much fun. Despite some rain and cold winds we all enjoyed exploring the city and spending time together. Now I'm happy to be back with friends before we all have to head back to school.
My friend Brigid and I headed out today to explore an abandoned mini golf course close to my house. I've driven past the star-shaped sign so many times in the past and always wanted to check it out up close. It wasn't hard to convince Brigid to join me, however she was less than thrilled when we got there and my camera battery died after one picture. But she was a good sport about it and we still got to check it out and snap some pictures on our iPhones.

Brigid wore a red faux leather circle skirt with a black and white star shirt. Because of the snow falling she bundled up with a black sweater, gray stockings, and black Doc Martens that I am incredibly jealous of.

Coat: Spyder, Sweater: Target, Shirt: Forever 21, Skirt: Forever 21, Stockings: Forever 21, Shoes: Doc Martens

I decided to dress up a bit after a few days of wearing traveling clothes. The dress I'm wearing here is actually the one shown in my first blog post. I loved the way it looked with my new sweater from Charlotte Russe, which has a great back design and livened up the look. I also threw on a pair of black tights, my tall brown boots (perfect for exploring) and my comfy brown scarf. The coat I'm wearing was a Christmas present and I'm in love with it. It is super warm and works well with all my winter clothes. I'll have to make a more detailed post about it later because I'm honestly obsessed. Overall this outfit was comfy and I'll be getting a lot of use out of these clothes this winter.

Coat: The North Face, Dress: Forever 21, Sweater: Charlotte Russe, Tights: Target, Scarf: Unknown, Boots: Famous Footwear