Spring Wish List with Macy's Mstylelab

Spring is almost here! That means another excuse to go shopping! Although I really enjoyed having the opportunity to shop for the things I did get from Macy's, of course there are still more things I would've loved to have snagged up if I got the chance. This is my Macy's wish list on the #macyscampustour. 

From left to right, top to bottom: 

Guess Lace Peplum Top: This top is cute, but the hints of lace make it just a little bit sexy without being over the top. The sweetheart neckline underneath the lace and the peplum shape make this top flattering to any figure! The sleeveless cut also makes the top ready for spring despite the dark color. 

Say What? Juniors' Lace Cropped Top: Okay, so lately I've been really obsessed with crop tops! I recently got a couple (including one from Macy's mstylelab) and although growing up I never liked the style of these kinds of specific crop tops (I always felt they were tacky and choking the person wearing the top), so many different stores have done amazing jobs at making these tops look chic enough to wear anywhere! 

Bar III Field Jacket: Military-inspired pieces are great to toughen up any outfit. I also feel that having some kind of cover up (cardigans, vests, etc) help in completing an outfit, and I love the feel that military-style jackets give when thrown over any outfit. 

Speechless Juniors' Lace Shift Dress: Lace is such a hot accent to any outfit right now, and I love how it looks on dresses! The shape of this dress is very simple, but the exposed arms underneath the lace add a little cute and sexy touch to the dress. 

Levi's Juniors' Dark Cropped Jeans: Because I am so short, my jeans normally bunch at the bottom, but for me, cropped jeans are especially nice because they fit me and the length is just right! I tried on these jeans when I last went to Macy's so they are still short enough to be cropped for me. I feel like denim is the easiest way to make any outfit casual and wearing it cropped with some flats creates a polished look that I love. 

Material Girl Juniors' Lace Romper: Okay first of all, I love the color of this! Orange is my favorite color so when I see pieces that are within that color family and look really cute I always fall in love. This roomper looks like a dress and has a pretty basic spaghetti-strap shape so I can easily add a cardigan on top or some tights underneath. I also really love the bustier-style neckline in the front. 

If you think this is all I wanted, think again! Next week on the final week of the Macy's Campus Tour, I'll be featuring my shoe lust list. I'm obsessed!

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Macy's but all opinions are my own.

Spring Break Recap - CA, OR, WA

If you've been keeping up with my Twitter and Instagram, then you would know that I recently came back from spring break up in the Pacific Northwest--Northern California, Washington, and Oregon. It was a lot of fun, but it was primarily for my university's annual choir tour!

I'll let the pictures speak for themselves, but here was our basic travel schedule (60+ hours on a bus over the course of 10 days with 45 women): 

SoCal to Gilroy, Ca (San Jose area)

Gilroy, Ca to Portland, Oregon

Portland, Or to Klamath Falls, Or (close to the border of Cali and Oregon)

Klamath Falls, Or to Seattle, Wa (We stayed in Seattle for two days)

Seattle, Wa to Prineville, Or (Central Oregon, close to Bend, Oregon)

Prineville, Or to Walnut Grove, Ca (half an hour from Sacramento)

Walnut Grove to Home! 

Here is my trip in pictures!

Blogger Spotlight: Allison of Because I Said So

Today I am spotlighting one of my sponsors, Allison from Because I Said So! She has my number 2 ad package on the blog this month, so she is getting a nice introduction post dedicated to her!

Allison's blog is witty. That is one of the first things I noticed about it when I visited her blog for the first time. A few of the things she writes about are sarcastic, which I love. One of my favorite posts on her blog is her Shopaholics Anonymous post. So many of the points she talked about were so true! We both love shopping, although judging by some of her points she may win that Shopaholic award... haha. 

She's just a normal girl talking about the world the way she sees it. I like how she says things how they are. If you haven't checked her out already, I say go do it! You won't regret it. 

Follow Allison!

Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Instagram

Two Ways to Wear: Tribal Print Crop Top

So it is now week four of the #macyscampustour, and today I will be styling my final item from Macy's, the tribal printed crop top. If you've missed any of my other Macy's Campus Tour posts, you can check them out here.

For the past couple of weeks I've been dressing up and down each of the tops I bought from Macy's mstylelab, and this week I'm styling my favorite outfits of the three tops! Which one would you wear? 

No Bake Cherry-Oreo Cheesecake [Guest Post]

I don't normally post on Sundays, but I have a very special guest post for you guys today! I am part of the SoCal Lady Bloggers and for this month we decided to do a blog swap where we basically guest post for another blogger based on what that person normally writes about. Today, I have Kirstin from SoCal Kids Outdoor Adventures posting an easy dessert recipe that is easy enough to replicate in a college dorm on a college budget! 

-----------------------------------------------------------

As a college student for 9 years, I had to get creative when cooking on a budget with limited tools.  I adapted several recipes to make tasty home-made dessert that satisfied my sweet-tooth.  

For about $15 and 15 minutes of prep, you can make this yummy Cherry-Oreo No Bake Cheese Cake.

Items Needed For Pie Filling:  

Step 1

• 1 glass/pyrex 9 inch pie pan(DO NOT use metal pie pan!)
• 1 (9 inch) crust or make your own using the below recipe
• 1(8 ounce) cream cheese
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp. of lemon extract or 2 tsp of lemon juice
• 1 egg

Step 2

• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 Tablespoon of sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla extract

Step 3 

• 1 (21 ounce) can of fruit pie filling (we used cherry, but any will do)
• (Optional) Oreo cookies to decorate the top

Crust 

• 1 cup of crushed Oreos (you can use any cookie/cracker crumbs)
• 3 Tablespoons of sugar
• 1/4 cup of butter

Making the Crust:

Combine the crumbs, sugar and butter together in the glass pie pan.  Heat ingredients on high for 2 minutes until mixed well.  Press crust evenly into the pie pan and heat in microwave for 1 minute to set the crust.

Step 1:

Soften the cream cheese in the microwave (or let it sit out for room temperature) for 30 seconds.  Whisk the sugar, lemon and egg together and pour into the pie pan.  Microwave on high for 3-4 minutes.  Rotate the pan 1/2 way through.  

Step 2:

Combine sour cream, sugar and vanilla and whisk until fluffy.  Spread over the pie and microwave for 2 1/2 minutes rotating the pie pan 1/2 way through.  

Step 3:

Pour fruit pie filling over the pie, decorate with Oreo cookies and chill in the fridge for at least an hour to set.

Enjoy with your 4 closest friends or save it all for yourself.  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Kirstin Rowe is the Owner/Editor of SoCal Kids Outdoor Adventures, a blog dedicated to making parents lives a little easier by providing reviews for family friendly products, restaurants, events, activities, and recipes.  One of our main goals is to get families off the couch and doing fun things together, preferably outdoors.

Stay Prepped for Spring Break!

While my spring break is coming to a close, it is just getting started almost everywhere else, and that means fun in the sun! That also means packing and making sure you have everything you need for a memorable (and fun) spring break.

#HCSurvivalKits

I recently got my HerCampus Spring Break Survival Kit to have for my Spring Break and even beyond that! I was so excited to get right on with using all of these items for myself (and to share with friends, of course!)

What I Got:

• Biotera Ultra Color Care Conditioner - I personally have never dyed my hair, but almost everyone around me has, so they say that this conditioner is great for protecting colored hair. The box full of these samples I received was perfect for my roommate and next-door neighbors (who all dye their hair).
• Tresemme Keratin Smooth 7 Day Trial - I got a few boxes (shown in red box) of these week-long samples to use and I took them on my choir tour this week! They are said to protect your hair against heat and make it stronger and healthier. I can definitely vouch for the smoother hair--plus, it doesn't make my hair greasy like many other shampoos and conditioners do!
• Neuro Sleep - This is supposed to help you fall asleep better! This also came with a cute pair of eye covers to help you do just that! 
• HerCampus Koozies - I got two in blue and pink; now I'll always have something to keep my drinks warm or cold when necessary! 
• HerCampus Sunglasses - No explanation necessary. It's spring break!
• HerCampus Bumper Sticker - It's simple, it's cute, and it's a sticker. What more do you need?
• HerCampus Cup - Of course, adding a cup to rep HerCampus isn't such a bad thing [;
• European Wax Center Free Coupon - FREE. This allows for a free bikini, brow, and underarm waxing at any of European Wax Center's locations nationwide!
• Yokini - They are known for their slimming bikinis and thanks to HerCampus, they're offering 20% off the swimsuit of choice and tossing in free lettering too if you want to customize your bikini!
• Chipotle Cards - These were hands down, my favorite. Chipotle is a staple in any college diet and these coupon cards allowed me for a free meal at chipotle and free chips and guacamole! I got myself a bowl thanks to these cards. 

Free + Chipotle = amazing

So that was how HerCampus prepared me for this spring break! Which of these items would you be most excited for? 

Breakups 101 [Guest Post]

So today I am having Jordan Holley from The Spontaneous Idealist blogging for me today while I'm in Seattle, Washington for choir tour! Today's post is all about breakups (and no, don't worry my boyfriend and I aren't broken up)! As someone who's gone through breakups before, I think it's very fitting to have an idea of ways to get over it. It's hard for everyone, no matter the relationship, so getting over it in a healthy way is a good thing to know!

------------------------------------------------

I am so very excited to be guest posting with Kriselle, today! She will be guest posting for me, so I am more than happy to return the favor. I am hoping this is the beginning of a long-lasting blogger friendship.

As any good blogger, I will introduce myself. I am Jordan – a 21 year old nursing student (graduating May 2015) who loves to eat good food, travel, fashion, writing, and snuggling with my cat. I blog over at The Spontaneous Idealist (http://jordanaholley.wordpress.com), and I would love for you to come on over and check it out!

Today, I want to address a tinder subject: breakups. They are unpleasant, nasty, and complicated – I know. My sophomore year of college, the man I was head over heels in love with and I split. It was the hardest thing I ever went through.

It is hard to accept the reality of the situation when you are in pain. So, in true Sex and the City fashion, I am going to list the best way to get through those first crucial months.

1.   Find your buddies. You shouldn’t go through breakups alone. Find the one (or two) people you can call when you are distressed, crying like a baby at 3am, on the verge of calling him, or when you pass the restaurant where you had the first date. These friends are crucial. They need to be strong individuals who love you and are willing to stick beside you at all costs. They need to bring you back to reality and not allow you to wallow in your sorrow.

2.   Listen to your buddies. I say this from experience. When they give you advice on how to handle the situation at hand, listen. Don’t be stubborn in your pain. Their minds are clouded by lost love. They don’t have stupid written on their foreheads.

3.   Go back to the Gospel. When you feel left, alone, unworthy, and denied, go back to the basics. We tend to lose sight of the one and only True Love – Christ who never leaves nor forsakes. No matter your faults, short comings, sins, or worries, the Lord still loves you. In the summer of 2012, I became a believer (through a breakup, actually). My friends kept saying, “It is okay. Christ still loves you.” Those words rang in my ears for months and were used to open my eyes to the beauty of the Gospel. (Refer to #1 and #2.)

4.   Take time for yourself. Don’t stretch your calendar thin. Add some extra time to allow for those random “I can’t believe this” moments. Take some time to pick up an old hobby: painting, writing, SLEEPING. Go for a day hike at a State Park with your buddies. Don’t be by yourself (could be mentally detrimental), but don’t put yourself in awkward situations with large crowds. AND SLEEP.

5.   “It is okay to not be okay”. Those were some of the best words of advice ever given to me. Accept the fact that you are not fine. And that that is perfectly acceptable. Don’t beat yourself up.

6.    It will take time. Removing him from your life will take time. If you spend hours sobbing over the pictures you took together on your last date, have your bestie steal your phone, go through all of your photo albums, and delete every picture of the two of you (true story: it happened). As time moves on, the pain will subside and you won’t think twice about deleting the emails, trashing the sweet notes, or disassociating yourself from his family.

7.   Cut your hair. In the words of one of my idols, Coco Chanel, “A woman who cuts her hair is about to change her life.” I have chopped my hair off when my highschool sweetheart and I ended it. And recently, I cut bangs. It helps change your identity and freshens your look. Why not? Nothing is stopping you.

This is not all the advice I have for this situation, but hopefully it will give you the basics to start with. As time moves along, you will be able to be “Fabulous” once again. You have any comments, suggestions, concerns, or are in need of advice, please feel free to contact me. I am always available to help out a sister.

--------------------------------------------------------

Be sure to check out Jordan's blog! She's a great blogger friend that I am excited to get to know, and I am glad she was able to cover for me while I was out and about today. I hope you guys can take something away from this post and apply it, maybe even to things outside of breakups. Until next time!