Look I Love: Poncho

Let's talk about how excited I am that ponchos are back in style. I remember buying brightly colored ponchos and middle school and being so excited that it was socially expectable to basically be wearing a blanket in class. When I started seeing ponchos for sale at some of my favorite stores, I realize I never really grew out of that phase! After searching around, I finally found one I loved at Nordstrom Rack.

I styled the poncho with legging and boots, to keep it comfy while running around. This look could also easily be changed to a cute fall look if I had worn jeans and some brightly colored loafers.

14th & Union Poncho / J. Crew Leggings 

December Favorites

Staying Full

My favorite taste of the winter is peppermint, and I could not get enough! Since I'm in school in northern Maine and going to Starbucks is a commute, I was so happy to find a ready-to-pour peppermint mocha latte at Target this season. I also munched on my favorite winter snack from Trader Joes, which I found in early December and it was sold out when I went back looking for more!

Staying Warm

Another favorite part of winter: being able to light candles all day! They add a cozy feel to any room, and my favorite flavors are the "mochanut latte" and any holiday cookie scent.

Staying Healthy

I have always been terrible at keeping my skin hydrated and healthy during the winter, when skin tends to easily dry out. These are my two moisturizers I use absolutely every day. The Body Shop's Vitamin E eye cream is amazing at making your eyes less puffy and hydrating skin during the winter (and finals season!). Trader Joe's A Midsummer's Night Cream is my favorite body moisturizer I've tried in so long - you can actually feel it working.

Christmas Cookie Link-Up

I have a secret that I've kept almost my entire life... I don't really like sweets! Just like my mother and father, I enjoy a cookie or a treat every now and then - but I don't look forward to the holidays just to indulge myself in tons of sweet holiday treats. They tend to make me feel a little sick, and if I'm going to indulge with some extra carbs for the day, I'd rather just have a salty snack! This could explain why my favorite Christmas treat is Holiday Bark. With the layer of Saltine crackers underneath, it satisfies my tiny sweet tooth, without having to overdose on the sugar. Here's the recipe I use:

Ingredients:

Cooking Spray

Package of Saltine Crackers (enough to line a tray)

2 sticks of Butter

1 cup Brown Sugar

A bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cooking:

1. Preheat over to 425 degrees

2. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil, and spray it with non-stick spray. Line the sheet with Saltine crackers.

3. In a saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar together and boil until it looks like caramel, then remove from the heat and pour over the crackers to cover them.

4. Bake the butter & brown sugar covered crackers for 3 to 5 minutes (it will start bubbling).

5. Remove from the oven and pour the chocolate chips over the crackers. They will melt a little bit, so spread them over the crackers with a knife.

6. Place the pan in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes.

7. Break into chips and enjoy!

For more holiday recipes from some of my favorite bloggers, check out the #BloggersBakeChristmasCookies hashtag on Instagram, to see who else participated!

Sorority Formal

One of my favorite nights every winter has to be my sorority formal. It's an amazing excuse to dress up, and get to look pretty with all my closest friends and their boyfriends. Normally, I order my formal dress months in advance because I'm so excited to plan my outfit (I've been known in the past to order multiple dresses just to have options on the night of!) This year, I ordered a dress using Rent the Runway, but I got a phone call THREE DAYS before formal saying that my dress was not going to be delivered!! After a minor panic attack, a pint of gelato, and an exasperated phone call to my mother that there are no shopping centers in northern Maine, I pulled myself together and had to move on.

With a lack of options on northern Maine, I got a dress at.. drumroll... Target! I never saw that one coming. But this one ended up being so cheap, very cute on, and perfect for the formal theme: The Roaring 20s! I jazzed it up with a ton of gold and silver jewelry to keep it formal.

But of course, the dress doesn't really matter. The best part of every formal is getting to spend a special night with all my best friends, and my boyfriend! Blessed

Thanksgiving

I think it's a crime that Christmas gets all the hype, when we all know that Thanksgiving is the actual best holiday of the year. It's always been my favorite because you get:

1. More food than Christmas

2. None of the stress of buying (and receiving) presents

3. You still get to see your whole family

4. Stuffing

Despite Thanksgiving always being my favorite holiday, I always try and keep a relaxed look on for the day. This is mostly because the outfit needs to revolve around pants that can stretch, and it would look a little weird to wear a sequined shirt with some jeggings. This year I paired my favorite J.Crew jeans with a lace overlay shirt to keep my outfit a little more polished.

My outfit: Lace Overlay Shirt (similar), J. Crew Jeans, J.Crew Statement Necklace

Sister outfit: J.Crew Sweater, Midnight Blue Hunter Boots

Keep a look out for my blog post later this week on how my post-Thanksgiving juice cleanse goes!

It's going to be an interesting week!

Halloweekend

Happy Halloween! Normally I don't take costumes or celebrations too seriously. Mostly because Halloween for me has either consisted of 1) trick-or-treating all night and waking up in the middle of the night feeling nauseous from a candy overload, or 2) I get roped into a ridiculous group costume where I am told exactly what to wear and don't have to worry about that at all. This year I was on my own, and was inspired by Lauren Conrad's costume from a few years ago. 

This costume only cost me $2.50! There is nothing I hate more than spending money on a costume you will only wear once, and you can't even repeat the next year. I bought a marked down Old Navy tank top for only 50 cents, and then two bags of seashells at the Dollar Store. It didn't cost money, or even that much time to make! To add a touch of mermaid vibes, I used some sea colored ribbons and tied them in my hear. I hoped maybe in the distance it would look like seaweed.... not so much!

The Friday night before Halloween, I went to a party at my friend's apartment who lives next door, and it was super fun! Because I only have the stamina for one or two late nights, so after an early morning walk, I decided to stay in the actual night of Halloween with some friends. I made little cups of candy to snack on, and stayed in to watch some spooky movies!

I hope everyone else had fun and safe Halloweens!

Staycation: Bar Habor

Sometimes after living in Boston for a year, it can get a little boring living in upstate rural Maine. Sure, there are the benefits this time of year: foliage, apple picking, perfect Fall weather, an endless supply of flannel, etc. But it's also a little hard when the nearest city and shopping center is two hours away. Last weekend, me and my boyfriend packed backpacks and instead decided to drive 40 minutes to the coast of Maine where there is an island: Mount Desert Island. I love this place because there are basically two sides to it: on one side of the Island is Acadia National Park and beautiful hikes, and on the other side is a cute waterfront town with tons of little shops. 

We hiked up the "Beehive Trail" which looped around the big mountains in Acadia and gave views of the Atlantic Ocean and Maine in every direction. We sat at the top for a while relaxing, enjoying a Maine Fall day.

The weather was a little cold near the water, which is why I was glad that we went now and didn't wait any longer before it even got colder! In typical Maine fashion, once the temperature starts dropping, it drops rapidly - and doesn't stop until March.

We sat by the water for a while, watching the waves crash. Growing up right on the coast of Maine, I could never imagine myself living too far from the ocean, and being able to watch the waves and jump in whenever I have the chance. Naturally after an entire day of physical activity, Nathan and I went to our favorite place in Bar Harbor - the Chocolate Emporium, to reward ourselves to some truffles after a long day of traveling and hiking.

White After Labor Day

While I was growing up, I was always told that the rule was to never wear white after Labor Day. I always found this rule silly - it's only after Labor Day that the weather cools off and I can wear white jeans and my off-white sweaters! Today the temperature was perfect for my white pants and off-white Patagonia fleece vest that I snagged during a sale a couple years ago. As an added bonus, my pug Napoleon agreed that it was a beautiful day to be outside too!

 May all your whites shine brightest in the Fall, and I hope everyone is enjoying the long Columbus Day vacation from college!

Patagonia Vest // Polo Oxford Shirt // J.Crew Jeans // Jack Roger Sandals

Transitioning to Fall

I have no Monday classes this semester, so my weekdays start on Tuesday! This week looks to be the first week I can actually start to wear my Fall clothes. As someone who was born and raised in Maine: the colder the weather gets, the more fierce my fashion becomes. Although the morning started out cool, it ended up heating up as the day went on - which made me very glad that I had chosen a tank top for the day, instead of jumping right into sweater weather.

Old Navy Top // J.Crew Utility Pant

I am in love with this tank top for the fall - I couldn't help but buy it in a couple different colors! The lightweight material makes it great for transitioning from Summer to Fall, but the plaid/flannel look of it is great to wear when the leaves are changing (without the actual heaviness of flannel!)

Jack Rogers // Rings // Kate Spade Watch 

Good luck to everyone on their week of classes! Let's hope this warm Fall weather lasts a little bit longer. Let me know what your favorite transition clothing is like!

Back to School

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love school. Completely unashamed, I am proud to say that I am excited to go back to school. This Fall semester marks my last semester as an underclassman at the University of Maine, where I plan to graduate this December. I've officially had 16 years of practice in school supplies and taking notes, so I thought I'd share my list of my need-to-buy supplies each year.

I carry these items with me everywhere I go. This is literally it. From working at Vineyard Vines, I slowly collected these patchwork folders over time and have used them to keep my assignments and papers organized. For a notebook, I stick with a single 5-subject notebook - so I only have to bring one notebook to all five of my classes, without having to worry about grabbing the wrong notebook for the wrong class. And obviously, like all other sorority presidents before me, I would be lost without my Lilly Pulitzer agenda and school bag.

To-do list for my final semester:

1. Finish my senior thesis: "Motivation for Political Participation in Young Adults, 18-24"

2. Apply for paralegal and consulting jobs in NYC

3. Finish my final semester as sorority president

Links:

Lilly Pulitzer Planner // Kate Spade Bag // Vineyard Vines Tervis