Prepare for Prom

Here is a last minute compilation of prom must-haves so that you can avoid stressing out the afternoon before your big night!

1. The Dress. Obviously!

2. Matching Accessories. Be sure you have jewelry and a pair of shoes and you're not shopping last minute.

3. The Clutch. A tiny bag is nice to bring along. Just make sure it's big enough to store all of your essentials: lip gloss, gum/mints, tissues, camera, etc.

4. Hair. If you're interested in having your hair professionally done, I suggest scheduling an appointment at a salon at least a week in advance. Remember, all the girls in your town will be getting their hair done on the same day! If you're opting to do your own hair, pick out a style that you are confident you can do on your own, and practice it before hand to avoid emergencies.

5. Nails. Just like the hair, make sure to make those appointments ahead of time!

6. Before Prom-Plans. Even if you're not going with a date, no one wants to end up completely alone before their prom night! Firm up plans with a group of friends well in advance and decide on where you will be taking your pictures. Trust me, all of the parents will thank you for being organized and taking initiative!

6. After-Prom Plans. Some people like to have an after party or hang out with friends when prom is over. I had a fun night in with a group of friends after my prom this year: we watched a movie, ate snacks, and had a sleepover! Please remember to stay safe and make smart decisions. If you're at a party you don't feel comfortable at, it's better to just go home and end the night on a good note!

XX,

Vina

School Success

Being successful in school depends on how you define ‘success’.

‘Success’ means getting straight A’s, or maybe it means making the varsity soccer team. It could also mean getting passing grades, and having good relationships with those around you.

I’m almost done with high school (5 school days!), and I’ll be attending my dream school next year (Elon University). I know it’s not Harvard, but it’s definitely not a bad school. Did I work hard in high school? Most of the time. Did I get all A’s? Nope. Did/Do I have a lot of close friends? Yes.

To be honest, French just wasn’t my class. I cannot tell you how to use the pluperfect subjunctive tense, or explain to you how to go scuba diving in French. I don’t think I even know the word for scuba diving. Does this all matter to me? No.

My grades were definitely important to me, but forming long lasting friendships and memories were also up there.

How to be ‘successful’:

1.     First, you need to define success. Don’t change what it means to you. If it means you want to have the best 4 years of your life, then so be it. If it means you have to get into at least 3 of the ivies, good for you!

2.     Find a more specific goal, within your definition of success. Which ivies do you want to get into? What would make these years fun: parties, friends, lots of chess competitions?

  

3.     What do you need to do in order to reach that goal? For the ivies: it’s pretty simple. Do a ton of things outside of school, get perfect grades and scores and it doesn’t hurt to be a legacy. Having the best 4 years (I’ll use chess competitions): perfect your game, know your competition…etc.

Love what you’re doing. If you don’t have your whole heart, 100% of it in what you’re doing, then you might not be successful. Don’t let what other people think bother you, or what they say. If you want to be successful, and put your mind to it, then you will be.

XX,

Ali

Lightweight Pajamas

I, like many teenagers, love to sleep. Whether I'm taking a quick cat nap, or I'm sleeping through the night, I put on pajamas. I don't understand how some people can wear sweatpants to bed. I think they're way to thick and heavy; I prefer something light. Today, I am going to share with you my favorite PJ options.

Your Boyfriend's Shirt |

For those of us lucky to have boyfriends, this is a great option. Sooner or later in the relationship, you'll probably get one of his shirts. It'll be soft and worn in, and will smell a little like him. I always bring my boyfriend's shirts on vacation to sleep in, because I know I'll miss him a lot, and having that reminds me of him. The best part about this? It's 100% free!

PJ Set |

I don't have many Pajama sets, but I like them a lot. You can wear the shirt with other bottoms, the bottoms with another shirt or both together! Wearing a PJ set will guarantee that you'll look cute in the morning! Throw your hair up in a bun, and go downstairs to get some pancakes. J. Crew has some great sets.

Loung Pants |

If you like sweatpants, you'll probably like lounge pants. They're a lot lighter, and can be worn for sleeping or 'lounging'. I think that these are great paired with a tank top and a great alternative to the heavy PJs in the summertime. Nordstrom's has some utterly adorable lounge pants!

What's your favorite kind of pajama?

XX, 

Ali

Earning Money in the Summer

School is out and summer is here, but wait you need to find a way to make money.  We all need money for the fun things we want to do this summer; I have put together a list of ideas to make money.   I have found the best way to make money is to babysit or apply for a part-time job.  But I realize some of you may not be old enough to apply for a part-time job, so here are a few ideas.

Babysitting:  Babysitting is a great way to earn extra money. It’s fun and pretty easy for the most part, unless you get some spoiled kids. Lol

Pet Sitting: This is defiantly one of my favorite jobs! It’s easy and fun.  I did a lot of pet sitting last summer-fall.  When I generally house or pet sit I go over to their house 2x a day for dogs and 1x a day for cats. 

Part-Time Jobs:  If you’re 16 or older, applying at a retail store is also a good idea.  But I highly caution you…..don’t spend your entire paycheck at that store!  Some local places in your town may hire teens under 16, so I would also check that out.

XX, Emma

Tanning

Hi guys!

It's Signe today from A Classy State of Grace.  My topic of today's post is tanning.

I've had good and (very..) bad tanning experiences. When it comes to tanning, there are a few things you should keep in mind.

[1] A tan really only works on certain skin tones.

People who would look good with a tan:

Hailee Steinfeld has a similar hair color and skin tone to my sister. This photo looks like it was taken in the winter when her skin was a lighter color, but you can tell the tone is definitely different than Leighton Meester's for example. If you look up Hailee Steinfeld in the summer, you can tell that her skin naturally darkens and gets tanner, as does my sister's. 

Blake Lively isn't necessarily someone you'd think of as being naturally tan. She's also a blonde, which you usually associate with fair skin. But the reason she can pull it off is her complexion looks naturally sun-kissed, and with the blonde highlights you get a California surfer girl look. 

People who SHOULDN'T tan:

Sorry, but if your skin is as fair as Elle Fanning's, then just don't try to tan. Not only will you end up getting burnt and just looking as red as a lobster, a tan on this type of skin is basically impossible. There's a pink tone to Elle's skin, so when people with this skin tone try to tan, mostly just the pink comes out. Not to crush your dreams, but it's unrealistic with this skin tone to want a tan like Hailee Steinfeld can get-- it just wouldn't look natural.

Personally, I think pale skin and dark hair like Zooey Deschanel has looks simply lovely together! If you have this combination, don't try to tan. You'd end up looking orange (if you used tanning lotion) or pink. Again, you can tell a tan like Hailee Steinfeld can get would look unnatural here-- on people with naturally fair skin and dark hair, you can tell the look just "fits" on them. 

I probably have something in between Blake Lively's and Elle Fanning's skin. I have gotten very tan before and I thought it looked pretty good (I have some freckles that come out more in the summer.) However, I do have naturally fair skin, and sometimes I do just end up turning pink.

[2] Don't try too hard to tan.

Often, laying out in the sun can have less results than spending time outside and then just realizing you're tan one day. Personally I think laying outside in the sun to tan is kind of stupid, because I have better things to do with my summer, it's so unproductive, and it just damages your skin. If you do it slowly by spending time outside, swimming, exercising, running, etc then by the end of the summer you should see a natural, healthy glow.

[4] ALWAYS wear sunscreen.

Sunscreen does NOT prevent a tan-- it simply only prevents burning and skin cancer. I thought I would get more tan if I used less sunscreen when I was on spring break in South Carolina two years ago- BIG mistake! I just got really badly burnt, and it took over a year for the lines to fade. So really, there's not a reason not to use sunscreen. Although fairer types of skin burn more easily, darker types of skin also need to wear sunscreen. My sister has darker skin than I do, so she thought she didn't have to wear as much sunscreen as I do. She ended up getting some skin damage from not wearing very much last summer. She still tans easily, but the point is that not one type of skin is safer than the other.

 Also, apparently an SPF of 35 protects 97% of your skin, so a higher SPF than that won't really do much more. You should use AT LEAST an SPF of 15- preferably up to 35- apply it generously, and reapply it every 3 hours. If a friend or family member isn't putting it on, remind them of the dangers of skin cancer and encourage them to take care of their skin.

[5] NEVER use tanning beds. 

I'm assuming this one is pretty obvious because the girls here on Chit-Chat are pretty smart! But just as a reminder, using a tanning bed increases the risk of melanoma by 75%. Safety concerns aside, am I the only one who thinks these tans look plain trashy?...

[6] Tanning lotions are probably not as necessary as you think.

My #1 rule when it comes to tanning is this: if you spend time outdoors and never get tan, then your skin isn't meant be tan. If you experience this, don't force a tan! Your skin probably naturally looks best lighter, and that's ok. If your skin DOES naturally tan, then you don't need the help of tanning lotions. The only time I think fake tans are really necessary is if you have a sun-kissed or darker skin tone and need to go to a special event in the winter when you look washed out. Weddings, prom, etc. before you've gotten your summer tan is a good excuse to use tanning lotion or a spray tan. 

XX, 

Signe

Things I Regret Buying

I make a lot of silly purchases. I buy things on a whim, thinking they'll improve my life by 100%, however, that is usually not the case.

Makeup | Cover Girl Lip Stain.

There were so many commercials on TV for this stuff. My friends were raving about, so I thought I'd buy it. I put it on, and it immediately all went into the creases in my lips. Not flattering at all.

Makeup | Stila Forever Your Curl Curl Memory Mascara.

I thought because it had the word 'curl' in it, it would hold my curl. Unfortunately, it did not. After an hour or so of wearing, it smudged under my eyes, and didn't hold my curl at all. It wasn't cheap, but not expensive either ($22). I prefer Cover Girl mascaras over this one.

Jewelry | Charming Charlie's Watch. (no link, sorry!)

Super cheap jewelry. Like, dirt cheap. I stopped in and saw a cute watch, it looked almost like a Michael Kors watch, but for $20. The minute hand stopped working, and so it kind of failed as a watch, although, I still wear it occasionally.

Food | Store Brand Halloween Candy (5 days after Halloween).

I regret this mainly because it tasted like cardboard and got me sick. I wouldn't have minded it as much if it was good candy, because I ate a lot of it. But it was almost stale, super chewy (chocolate!) and didn't have much flavor. Never again.

I've got so many more, but I don't want to bore you with more complaining!

What do you regret buying?

XX,

Ali

Picnic Essentials

I am super excited that the weather is finally warming up down here in the south!  Along with Summer Barbecues I adore a good excuse to go outside with friends. My friends and I have the silliest, most fun times picnicking. They typically include a fair amount of artsy selfies and chocolate covered somethings {I swear I eat other things besides chocolate, pinky promise!}.

In honor of all of that I rounded up just a few things I find to be “essential” for picnicking.

Basket/Bag

This is slightly obvious but you just have to have a cute bag to store all of your goods in. I love anything Lilly Pulitzer & their market tote I think is perfect!

Snacks

Another self-explanatory but you need food. What’s a picnic without food really {I am always talking about food…. #sorrynotsorry}. As I said before I love anything covered in chocolate but in effort to be remotely healthy I love dark chocolate banana crisps. Also I recently discovered a love for grapes so I’ll definitely be bringing those along.

Fun

These just get more and more obvious as we go along but I like to bring something else along besides friends and a good attitude. Typically with my friend we bring a picnic go sailing at our town’s lake. Once we get on it you can sail out to this large raft that you tie your boat out and you can sit, eat lunch and get a nice tan {with sunscreen!}. We also like to bring along a couple of magazines or a deck of cards and we are set for the day.

Waterproof camera

As I previously mentioned artsy selfies are quintessential to a picnic. Last year we bought two simple waterproof cameras out on our adventures and ended up with the best pictures. Along with “sailboat” selfies we ended up with under water photos {we “fell overboard”}. Plus we once ended up {on land} in the rain taking photos, let me just say we had the coolest pictures in our locker!

Those are my “Necessary” things for a simple outdoor day, what about you?

XX

Maggie

How to Prioritize

I am going to share with you how I prioritize my life. I am not telling you that if you do it this way it will work out for you but I am going to help! My priorities are school, friends, family, and my relationship with God.

School | When I get home from school I usually do a whole lot of nothing. I might watch TV. It just depends. Some days I actually do my written homework when I get home. Usually, I wait until after supper before I start my homework. I always study after supper. I don’t know why but I always have. 

Friends | During the week, I seriously hate hanging out with my friends for some reason. I stress that I won’t study enough or do my homework and get in bed at a decent hour. I hate going to ball games just for fun during the week unless I had to be there because I was cheering. 

Family | I love them, I really do. Sometimes I hang out with them more on the weekends than I do my friends. That happens quite often. Yes, I do enjoy it.

Religion | I know I don’t read my bible as much as I should. I love squeezing in a devotion. It puts me in a better mood and takes my mind off stress. It really helps. I wish this could be my first priority but I am certainly working on it!

Clean Room | This isn’t really a main priority but I thought I should share this with you. A lot of times when I get home from school, I clean my room. I hate when my room is messy. It’s messy right now and I’ll probably clean when I finish this post. When I say messy, I really mean that my bed isn’t made and I have a few clothes laying around. I haven’t been this way but pretty much since I found The College Prepster's blog. I have been this way.

What are your priorities?

XX,

Bailey 

Workout Playlist

I’m not much of a person to work out but I when I do, I like to listen to music with a good beat because, well, it pumps me up!

I’m sorry for the One Direction, but OMG their latest album is pretty darn good. Also, the old music…. I can really get into it. I’m basically a rock star (jk!)

What songs do you work out to?

XX,

Bailey

The "It" Shoe

Hey ladies! Today I am going to be telling you about the “it” shoe. My go-to shoes are my platinum Jack Rogers. I got my first pair in 2010 and I wore them with everything. I’m not exaggerating either. The color goes great with everything! Like silvers, gold’s, whites, and pretty much any other color you wear! I know they are $110 but they so worth it! I definitely got my money’s worth out of them! You cannot go wrong with these. I don’t know if it’s just me but do any of y'all have Jack Rogers and wear them on the beach like if you are going all day? I can’t seem to allow myself to do that because I am scared something is going to happen to them. Anyways, there is a store in my mall that sells these shoes called Palms and all they really are, are cheap Jacks. I have a black pair mainly because I don’t wear black that often and they are pretty comfy. So if you’re not into spending so much money on a pair of sandals, you should totally check these shoes out. (I can’t remember the name of the store… maybe Shoe Show..idk, sorry for not being a big help) 

What is your go-to shoe this spring and summer?

XX,
Bailey

Favorite Nail Polish

So we all know that there are tons of brands of nail polish, not to mention colors!  In this post I will tell you what some of my colors are and what brand I like.  One of my favorite polish brands is Essie.  I love how Essie comes up with all the different names for their colors.  A few of my favorite colors are……

Where’s my chauffeur?

Tour de Finance

First Timer

Play-Date

In The Cab-ana

Come Here!

XX,

Emma

Car Playlist

In the summertime, one of my favorite things to do is go for car rides with the windows down and great music playing. Whether it's a leisurely drive to the mall with my mom and sister, or a fun college road trip with my best friends, good music always makes for good times! Here are 10 of my favorite upbeat, summer tunes for a great car playlist:

1. 22 ~ Taylor Swift

2. Tongue Tied ~ Grouplove

3. Blue Jeans (RAC Remix) ~ Lana del Rey

4. Electric Feel ~ MGMT

5. Hello ~ Karmin

6. Little Talks ~ Of Monsters and Men

7. Cinema ~ Benny Benassi

8. Be Ok ~ Ingrid Michaelson

9. On Top Of The World ~ Imagine Dragons

10. Take a Walk ~ Passion Pit

XX,

Vina

Random Recipe :: Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

Hi ladies! For those of you who aren't aware, I'm a huge cupcake lover. I'm literally obsessed. They are the cutest, most tasty dessert in my books, and I always enjoy finding new recipes to make different kinds of cupcakes. As summer is approaching, citrus fruits are becoming more popular. There's just something about a fresh orange or lemon that screams "summer"! So today, my random recipe is going to be for lemon meringue cupcakes :) And they taste just as delicious as they sound, trust me.

What You Will Need:

Cake

1. One package lemon cake mix (regular size)

2. 1-1/3 cups water

3. 1/3 cup canola oil

4. 3 eggs

5. 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel

6. 1 cup lemon creme pie filling

Meringue

1. 3 egg whites

2. 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

3. 1/2 cup sugar

How To Make It:

In a large bowl, combine cake mix, water, oil, eggs, and lemon peel.

Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then beat on medium for 3 minutes.

Fill paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full.

Bake at 350 for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Cut a small hole in the corner of a pastry or plastic bag; insert a very small tip.

Fill with pie filling, and push the tip into the top of each cupcake to fill.

In a large bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed until soft peaks form.

Gradually beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time on high until stiff glossy peaks form and sugar is dissolved.

Pipe over tops of cupcakes.

Bake at 400 for 5-8 minutes or until meringue is golden brown.

Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

Note: This recipe makes 2 dozen cupcakes! If you would like to see the original recipe, visit Taste of Home. I hope you enjoy these yummy little treats :)

XX,

Vina

To a Tee {Shirt}

Then end of my school year is oh too quickly approaching and that means it is exams week {cue overly dramatic sighing}. Exams week is the week when you have exams and have no enthusiasm for getting up. Once you've hit the snooze button and you finally wake up you are faced with the typical girl "I have nothing to wear" or "I am too lazy to wear anything cute", maybe even a mixture of the two. My whole mantra come exam time "Dress well, test well". The better you look, the better you feel, the better you feel the more confidence you have in yourself! Now you probably will throw in a messy bun then reach into your drawer, grab some norts {nike shorts} and a monogrammed frocket {monogrammed pocket tee} and end up at school ready to test. But if you rewind you could end up with a simple and sophisticated

outfit within a matter of 3 minutes, {trust me, these extra minutes

you will be thankful for later on!}. So I put together a simple outfit consisting of a white tee shirt that

can easily be transformed into a dressier, night out option!

All you need is a little white tee, statement shorts, fun Sperrys, a watch {come test time you'll be thankful} and your trusty monogram necklace.

Changing this into a more "dressier" option you can substitute your shorts for a lightweight linen skirt, statement necklace, pair of Jack Rogers and classic clutch! This is also a fun outfit for the spontaneous summer night's dinners out.

How do y'all style your little white tee?

XX,
Maggie

College Visits

Hey girlies! I hope everyone is enjoying their spring so far! I know that many of the high school sophomores and juniors (especially juniors) are currently scouting out colleges that they will be applying to in their senior year. Senior girls: by now you would have had to make your choice already, so congrats to you on that major decision! Today's post is going to be focused on college visits, and how to tackle them. If you are planning on visiting multiple schools this summer, you may become overwhelmed by the vast amount of information, numbers, and statistics that will be thrown at you by each school. It becomes easy to lose track of which school had the Division II football team and which had the Biochemistry major once you have been to more than five schools in one weekend! Here are a few helpful tips and important questions to ask when visiting a college campus.

3 Helpful Tips:

1. Narrow down your choices by only scheduling visits with schools you are absolutely sure you are considering. By visiting random schools you are wasting your time, as well as the time of your parents and family members! Go online to sites like CollegeBoard and Unigo to search for schools that match your interests and needs. Once you have compiled an online list of 5-10 schools, go visit those places.

2. Dress in layers. Yes, this sounds silly, but in the last two college visits I went on I experienced two very different weather conditions! The two schools I saw were in the same state, so I wasn't expecting such a change! One was breezy and sunny, and the other was bitter cold and hailing. Pack an umbrella, and make sure to wear a light jacket even if the weather reports look good. Comfortable (but cute) shoes are also recommended, as you will be doing lots of walking on the tour.

3. Come prepared, and bring a small bag or tote to carry your belongings in. I brought my Longchamp with me to both campuses, and I thought it was very useful to have a bag on me. You will be collecting flyers, pamphlets, business cards, notebooks, and sometimes even collegiate tokens from the bookstores, so it's really helpful to have somewhere to put everything. Also, bringing your own pen and notepad to take notes during information sessions isn't a bad idea.

10 Important Questions To Ask:

1. What is the average class size of introductory classes vs. upper-division classes?

2. What is your graduation rate?

3. What kind of dorm choices will I have?

4. What is the average college debt that students leave with?

5. What kind of financial aid/scholarships do you offer and how can I be eligible for them?

6. How many students get internships?

7. What percentage of students study abroad?

8. How do you provide academic advice/tutoring/counseling to students?

9. What unique factors can set you apart from other schools?

10. Can I get in contact with a current student or faculty member to ask further questions?

Get involved, be proactive, do your detective work, and have fun! College hunting is meant to be an exciting and enjoyable experience for you and your family :)

XX,

Vina

Book Reviews

Hey everyone!

I hope you are all excited for summer- I know I am!

I've been asked to write a book review for this month, and to be honest, I haven't been doing much leisure reading...

So I've decided to review a book I had to read for school.

[Frankenstein, by Mary Shelly]

I know...it looks kind of freaky, but I highly enjoyed it. 

Unless you've read the book, you probably have no idea what Frankenstein is really about.

The main idea of the novel was dangerous knowledge and how people end up mentally destructing themselves due to their own dissatisfaction. The story begins with a series of letters written by a man named Walton who wishes to be in "the country of eternal light," aka the North Pole. He believes in Romanticism and is always on a quest for knowledge and the meaning of life. He believes he's above others intellectually, thinks no one will ever understand him, and highly values his identity, yet wishes for someone to relate to at the same time. I loved that ironic take on his personality. The letters tell snippets of his journeys and encounters with people who tell their stories of drinking from the "intoxicating drink," aka knowledge. They explain how people who think the whole world is their town are the happiest because they don't know of anything they can't have. This side story helps to develop the themes of the novel.

Victor Frankenstein, the main character, is also quite a Romantic. He's enthralled with philosophy and is looking to make some sort of impact on the world. He's eventually led to create his monster. His initial plan is to just create human life, but when he sees how ugly his creation is, he declares it a monster and spends all his time avoiding it. This monster represents the monster he's created inside of himself. The "monster" really is not a monster and it's easy to sympathize with him because he's just as human as anyone else. Because he doesn't know what proper human behavior is, he doesn't realize the way Frankenstein treats him is wrong until he observes another family. He then turns on Frankenstein and really does try to haunt him. Frankenstein is constantly trying to escape, but the monster defends himself, saying that if he wants to escape then he should have treated him well. *spoiler alert* He eventually ends up destroying the monster and the story is taken back to the first scene in the book- the "country of eternal light"- where Frankenstein now realizes there's really nothing else left there and now he realizes that it's nothing but a barren wasteland. 

I'm so glad I had to read this book because I never would have picked it up on my own. If you don't like underlying meanings don't read this, because that's the whole point of it. Personally I thought the metaphors were brilliant and I was completely fascinated by the overall story and ideas. 

Have you read this book? What did you think?

XX,

Signe

Studying for Exams

We all know that finals are coming up and studying can be hard this close to the end of the school year, but I have a few tips to help you study. J First off when you study either turn your phone off or give it to your parents while you study.  Phones can be a big distraction when studying, whether its social media, texting, calls, etc. I have made up a little list of tips for studying.

1. Colorful highlighters: They are great for highlighting important things, have a different color for each subject and/or test notes.

2. Colorful Pens: I love to have colorful pens to help color code my notes and it makes it fun!

3.  Index/Note Cards: Make a note card/index card for each definition/vocab word.  Very helpful, have your friends over and quiz each other on them.

4. Time: Set a specific studying time for each subject you have a test on.

5. Rewards:  Reward yourself after your done studying: Whether TV or phone time, social media, ice-cream, etc.  

6. To-do Lists:  I like to also have a to-do list for what I need to study for, which tests are when, etc.

7.  Sleep: Do not stay up late the night before a test!!!  Get to bed early and get all your books, notes, etc. packed and ready for school the night before.  I can’t stress this enough, going to bed early will help you so much in the morning vs. going to bed/staying out late the night before a test/finals. 

I hope this list helps you guys get ready for finals!

XX,

Emma

Summer Barbecue

Today I am discussing something near and dear to my heart: summer barbecues. Here in the South they are the epitome of togetherness and are the best way to catch up with friends after not seeing each other for so long! They are also synonymous with graduation parties, end of school parties and pool cookouts. A "good" southern summer barbecue typically has barbecue {well duh Maggie}, drinking lemonade/Shirley Temples out of mason jar glasses {so cliche but really we do}, Strawberry shortcake with homemade whip cream & most importantly friends! I put together two "looks" based off of what I personally wear to summer barbecue.

This is more of a "dressy" outfit but cute none the less! I styled this H&M dress with platinum with gold edging Jack Rodgers, a classic cardigan for when the sun sets, pearls, a fun watch and obviously a bow! My reasoning for choosing an H&M dress opposed to a Lilly Pulitzer is that atleast where I live your Lilly dress {or skirt} is more so meant for church. While others might disagree with it I think it makes wearing your favorite Lilly 10 times more special. Also isn't that baroque pattern so chic?

Now this set is a more dressed down perfect for catching lightning bugs. I honestly find this being my go to for the spring/summer time. Along with the same Jack's, monogrammed chino shorts {yes you read that right!!} and a sassy bow it dresses up this J.Crew smocked top which is great for those hotter nights. Do y'all have summer barbecues?

XX,
Maggie

High School Graduation

As my Senior year is almost over, I find myself and my friends dreaming about graduation and our college lives on the daily.

I've had my dress picked out since March, and started my party planning in February. I always get emotional when graduation time comes around. It's such an exciting experience, and the ceremony is beautiful! I can't wait to graduate on June 8th, so I thought I'd share the three most important parts of graduation with you!

One | The Ceremony

Every school does graduation differently. Mine is an outdoor graduation and girls and boys walk down an aisle in pairs. Once everyone has reached the bottom of the aisle and their seats, we sit down, and our head of school gives a pleasant little speech. Next, we have the 'speakers'.We have four 'speakers', three essayists, and our valedictorian. After they read their essays, we are each called up, one by one, and are handed our diploma by the head of school. When we shake hands with the head of school, we give him a small object, something about the size of a half dollar coin. The ceremony ends the same way it started, walking up in pairs, and then the boys smoke cigars and the girls are all in tears!

the aisle down in the middle, chairs are put on the sides for the audience.

Two | The Dress

At most school, students wear caps and gowns. My school, however, does not. All of the girls wear white dresses, and the boys wear suits. It is required for girls to wear white dresses, and I personally really like that. I went to the mall about 7 times until I found the dress for me. It's the Daena Dress by Lilly Pulitzer. It's conservative enough for the grandparents, but still light enough to wear on a hot June day. For any white dresses, I would suggest Lilly Pulitzer, actually, for any dresses I would suggest Lilly Pulitzer. But there are also oodles of cute dresses at Nordstrom.

my dress!

Three | The Party

I'm having two celebrations. The first celebration, my family and my boyfriends family are all going out to dinner the night of. Simple. The next celebration, I will have my friends and some more family over to my house for a BBQ and pool party. I've got a Pinterest board dedicated to it, here's what 'm envisioning:

Love this as a guest book!

Hope you all enjoyed, and to those of you graduating soon too, congratulations!

XX,

Ali

P.S. Check my blog around June 10th for my graduation pictures and re-cap.

Movie Reviews

My all time favorite movie is Clueless. It’s a total classic, and the best chick flick ever made. But isn’t Mean Girls, the best chick flick ever, you ask? “As if!”.

Cher is an extremely popular, pretty and wealthy teen, living in Beverly hills. She’s happy in her superficial world, as is her best friend Dionne. After attempting to matchmaker her two teachers, she realizes that she actually enjoys ‘giving back’ to the community. So when uncool new girl Tai comes into her life, Cher decides that taking her under her wing would be best. Cher and Dionne ‘adopt’ Tai, and give her a makeover, showing her the world of popularity. Their lives become one big jumbled mess, Cher fails her drivers test, and finds love.

I’m in love with Clueless. I could watch it everyday and it would never get old.

If you've got nothing to do tonight, go to netflix and watch this classic.

XX,
Ali