Dearie Lovie: studentstyle

brosisstyle

Kimono + Bright Shorts, A Summer Sibling "Style" Post

(photos edited with 'Petal' from the ABM Mini Collection)

I feel like I'm always qualifying my style posts with the fact that they're not so much style posts, but really more like "I felt like I looked decent today, so I decided to document it" posts. Sunday was one of those sorts of days. I decided to meet up with a college friend for lunch in Little Rock, which was extra exciting since I hadn't gotten to see her all summer due to incompatible schedules (internship for her / travelling for me). I took this lunch date as an opportunity to pull myself together as I so often don't during lazy summer days.

I recently purchased this fun kimono and have been wearing it about once a week since I bought it. I'm sure the newness will wear off in time, but for now I'm just as infatuated with it as ever. I love kimonos and am so happy they're in style right now. They're flowy, flattering, versatile, and just plain pretty to look at! Usually, I've been wearing it with high-waisted denim, tucked in tank-top, and printed sandals. Instead, this time I tried an oversized tank that's been gathered to the side and tied, bright shorts for some punch, and nude sandals. This combo felt more brunchy instead of beachy which was more of what I was going for. I topped it off with Revlon Colorburst Lip Lacquer in Tease, which has been one of my absolute favorite summer lip colors.

Jack couldn't resist getting in on the action and this activity gave us some time to bond together, just the two of us. Photographing with him can be a roller coaster. It's usually very candid and unpredictable. I never know what he'll do or what he'll suggest. He's very active in the decision making as far as what poses or what new things we want to try to capture on camera. One of us jumping? Sure! One of us high-fiving? Cool! One of us spinning around? You got it! Needless to say, we've tried a lot (with the mixed results to prove it)! His energy levels are also pretty up and down. Some moments he's totally into it and in the next moment he'd rather be off jumping on the trampoline. It's a process.

Jack has also been really wanting to try photographing some. Getting his two hands around the camera is a top priority for him. The camera is a bit too heavy/large for him, but he always finds a way to make it work. He's become a pro at looking through the view finder and getting his subject lined up to his standards. In fact, the two pictures of me by myself were taken by him with no help at all! The first one, he told me to spin and this is captured during that moment. The second was after we were done officially shooting and he just wanted to take a picture of me (hence the undesirably cluttered background). However, I ended up liking those two shots better than any of the ones I'd captured via timer. I'm super proud of his interest and though letting him handle my camera by himself is one of the most nerve racking things ever, I'm trying to feed that interest. He's learning through experience and I love that.

2 comments

, by Ashlee

list

Ways I've Procrastinated (This Week)

I have two finals today and two more on Thursday. I'm so close to being done and I cannot wait until that moment comes where I hand in that last final exam and book it straight out of my college town for a three day weekend (before starting summer classes...ugh). On one hand I'm excited to be through with this semester (which has been one of my busiest/hardest to date) and on the other hand I'm mildly disgusted that I'll be a senior in college. Where did all the time go?! I'm feeling old over here. Sigh.

On a different note though, I thought I'd share some ways (some mundane and some totally ridiculous) that I've been doing to subconsciously avoid studying. Welcome to my past week of procrastination, in list form:

Wrote this blog post
Watched an entire half season of Vampire Diaries (because it's not like I haven't seen it before)
Played on the Greek God app for hours on end
Napped (and by napped, I mean like 4 hours at a time)
Went to the gym for a 3 mile cardio session on the elliptical
Spent too much time on Thought Catalog
Ate all the meals and snacks available to me
Sent out "Good luck on finals, you'll do great!" texts to people in hopes that it will bring me my own good karma for finals week
Went to Sonic with a friend and proceeded to talk for an hour
Began packing up my things so I can move out
Showered for an excessive amount of time, because when is there a better time to shave my legs, do a face mask, and deep condition my hair all in one sitting?
Finally got around to doing laundry
Decided to re-watch all the trailers for The Fault in Our Stars and 22 Jump Street
Also, the trailer for Like Crazy (which I've seen and has been out for two years)
AND find the soundtrack on Spotify
Went for a walk outside because the weather is gorgeous and being inside feels like torture
Amused myself by reading Yik Yak, where every other person on this campus is procrastinating/talking about how finals studying is going
Called my Dad
Filmed my first vlog (will be in tomorrow's post)
Made a to-do list and started brainstorming other lists
Facebook creeped on at least 3 people I don't actually care about at all
Spent too much time on Tumblr collecting gifs to use in the future

So, to end this post off right with a gif from previously mentioned procrastination time, here's how I'm feeling so far about finals week/end of junior year:

1 comments

, by Ashlee

college

Finals Exam Prep (Feat the BIC® 4-Color™ Pen)

(This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of BIC 4-Color pen. All opinions are 100% mine.)

Hey all! Finals are looming right around the corner and for the next 2 weeks I'll be doing some serious prep! I have two research papers and a final photo project due before we even get to exam week, plus a slew of sorority obligations! Can you say busy? Inspired by all the busyness, I thought today I'd share some tools that help aid my finals prep!

Things to Prep for Finals:

Plenty of sleep
Eating consistently (avoiding lots of junk)
Notebook full of notes from the past semester, handouts, note cards, etc
Computer
The BIC® 4-Color™ Pen

Making sure to get enough ZZZ's is especially important leading up to and during finals week. It's usually the time that we push our bodies to the limit, getting only a handful of hours each night and then we must overcompensate during the day with sugary energy drinks or coffee to keep us functioning. No one ever aced an exam on an hour of sleep. Okay, that's probably a lie, BUT you'll be almost a hundred percent more likely to ace your exam with a good, substantial night's rest under your best.

Another basic item to make sure you keep checking off your list, is making sure to eat. With all the studying and stressing, it can be easy to let something like eating fall to the wayside. Or if you are eating, it can be easy to forgo an actual meal in favor or some high calorie snack. Though you should indulge in a few finals treats (Airheads, anyone?) you should make sure to plan ahead. Carve out real time to go eat or bring something prepared with you wherever you're studying. I focus so much better if I'm not starving or sluggish!

Lastly, it's time to get busy making your study guides and reviewing your notes from the past semester. "How on Earth did we learn all that? How am I going to get organized?!" are two phrases I say every semester when I get to the library and start going through everything in my notebooks. I'm sure I'm not alone in this. No worries, though! I've come across the perfect solution: the BIC® 4-Color™ Pen!

It's a little bit of a throwback - does anyone remember how cool your were if you had one of these bad boys. It's 4 Inseparable Colors in 1 Pen, that are here to help you get organized! Make study guides or sort through preexisting notes with the BIC® 4-Color™ Pen and utilize it's four awesome colors to help draw your attention to the most important things to study. Select a a different for each class or for each type of information you're studying. I'd give each chapter a different color and use a certain color for key terms!

Plus, the four colors in the BIC® 4-Color™ Pen have different personalities (another way to determine what color to use for certain information)! How cool is that? Which one is most like you?

Blue likes himself. And with good reason: he knows that he's important. Blue cheese, blue skies, blue jeans, blue moon; he's everywhere! To prove his point, look at the names of his family members: Navy Blue, Oxford Blue, Royal Blue...Ever heard of "royal yellow"? Exactly. Let's admit it… Blue is the boss.
Green is the jealous type…wouldn't you be if your Red, Blue, and Black counterparts were used [way] more often than you? He’s a foodie. Such a foodie that he chronicles each of his daily meals on his social media profile. Because if you eat a meal and don’t take a picture of it, did it really even happen? Green has a soft side too. For example, last summer he cooked a huge cat nip cake for his beloved cat, Mr. Furrybottom. Oh, and Green still sucks his thumb. But according to him, that's an old trick to prevent him from snoring.
Red likes it when things are correct. When matches are parallel and books are well aligned on a shelf. His favorite moment of the day? When it is 11:11 sharp on his digital watch. His passion in life? He has many: spelling, grammar, conjugation, calculation. And a bit of syntax on the weekend. Want to make him happy? Give him some mistakes to correct. He even makes mistakes on purpose sometimes, just for the pleasure of correcting them.
Black, he just doesn't understand…why does it always have to be about Blue? He is not as fit as Blue although he likes to think that he's just as handsome as he is – in a different way though. (Muscles are so last season). He secretly dreams of becoming the Undisputed Master of the World but hasn't yet come up with a clear plan for this. And before we forget (although he doesn't like to talk about it), his natural hair color is blond.

Also, you can catch these crazy pen personalities in action below:

I would say that my personality is a mix between blue and red! However, I use black most often as my color of choice! Sometimes, I throw in a little blue and would love to use green more often.

So, if you want to rock your finals preparation like me, you can purchase the BIC® 4-Color™ at Amazon or Staples. Plus, follow those crazy pen personalities on Facebook or Twitter!

Happy studying fellow collegiates!

1 comments

, by Ashlee

fashion

Spring Shoes I'm Loving

I'll be upfront, shoes haven't always been my favorite fashion item. I used to find shopping for them boring and monotonous. I never (and still pretty much don't) saw the value in investing in trendy shoes especially since they were so expensive and could only be worn for a season or two.

I'm one of those people that really wears their clothes, if you know what I mean. I don't approach clothing and accessories gently. Do I take good care of them? Yes. Do I actually live in them? YES. I will invest in something nice and get my money's worth, wearing it until it's thin. You never have to worry about me buying expensive items and letting them go to waste in the closet. No. If I'm spending $300 on a pair of boots, by goodness I'm going to be wearing them at every opportunity possible. I make my clothing part of my life and wear it in. I love that about myself.

Now that I'm inching ever closer to senior year and the real world, aka 9-5 jobs that require me to wear something other leggings, an oversized t-shirt, and Nike's, I've been really trying to remind myself to curate nice, versatile *adult* pieces of clothing here and there.

My brain has been hard wired to shoes this month. I don't know if it's just because I'm not a huge fan of spring clothing (pastels, whites, and florals...let's move on now) or if my innate drive to buy sandals for warmer weather has kicked in, but I've really been loving what I'm seeing shoe wise so far this spring! I'm loving the idea of staples and neutral colors. I'm also loving the practical chunky (but not too chunky) heels that make every hint at possible stability while wearing them. I'm loving all the straps and simple buckles. These spring shoes are just to die for!

Though some styles are slightly trendier than others, none of these shoes feels too trendy or too out there for me. I could see wearing most of these shoes for a long time and I love that. All of the attributes (neutral color, sturdy, simplistic, and can be worn for many seasons) makes all of these shoes total winners in my book.

*Fingers crossed that I get a paid internship, so I can own some of these beauts!*

Although, I'd give a limb for any of these perfect spring soles, I couldn't resist sharing my absolute favorites from above (+ some similar shoes that almost made the collage)! Here's my top 5:

My Top 5 Favorites: