A year.

So I decided today during my well planned out procrastination 

that I'd look back at what I posted a year ago this week. 

A reflection, if you will. 

I've changed so much within the last year, 

and looking back at that post made me proud of how far I have come. 

At this point last year, I had been completely cut off by someone 

I fell head over heels for, 

and who I had in my life for about six years. 

He knew everything about me. 

And he walked out so gracefully, you would have thought he was in a ballet.

I was devastated and yet at the same time, 

I was still exploring my new city, and getting to know people who eventually

 became angels that I couldn't imagine living my life without. 

These simple little lessons are ones that carve you into your ideal self. 

"I've lost a lot, though, too. That comes naturally when you travel over 700 miles away, and I understand that now. We all grow, and like trees our roots spread and thrive where they find they are most alive. I've learned that in order to grow, sometimes you need to let the past be the past. And as much as you would have dropped everything for someone, it's completely worthless if they wouldn't help to pick that everything back up and hand it to you."

 At this point, I had began letting go of fears that had 

for a very long time dictated my life.

I walked outside in a tank top for the first time.

I started conversations instead of staying in bed.

I started to laugh a little harder,

fight a little stronger, 

and love a bit deeper.

To those of you who have followed this traveling soul for the past year, or two, 

I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Cheers to spring & laughing wholeheartedly.

C'est la vie.

xo, 

K.

Where I've been

 

If you're wondering where I've been,

I spent a bit of time in Suntan City 

with some lovely ladies, 

then frolicked around like a leprechaun

 for Charlotte's 15th annual bar crawl.

Surrounding yourself with people

who let you act like your foolish self 

is probably the most

 incredible thing one could ever do.

In doing so, I've learned to love myself, 

my squeaky obnoxious laugh, 

and my flaws.

I hope you all had a wonderful, 

or are having a wonderful spring break.

Cheers to warmer weather. 

xo,

 k

Nine thousand.

9,000.

This is the best early birthday gift a girl could ask for.

To have people view and appreciate, constructively criticize and compliment your work is the best feeling in the world. 

And this little engine that could just reached

 9,000 page views.

Some of you may stumble upon this, 

click past, and simply gaze over the most recent post.

And I still appreciate your glance. 

To those of you who make it a point to read this, 

I genuinely thank you from the bottom of my heart 

for taking the time to follow along with me. 

You mean the world to me. 

Thank you, thank you, thank you! 

Xo, 

k.

ITunes Lovin' : July 2013

July was probably my  favorite month this year.

I'm just happy, and loving every second of this summer. 

It seems to be going to a bit faster than normal, right? 

My playlist was, as always, full of random music. 

Here's what I've been jammin' to the past few weeks:

Someone Like You : Mac Miller

REMember: Mac Miller

Objects in the Mirror: Mac Miller

Independence Day: Martina McBride

I Don't Love You : My Chemical Romance

Amie: Pure Prairie League

Pack Up: Eliza Doolittle

Dark Side: Kelly Clarkson

Stay : Florida Georgia Line

Party People: Florida Georgia Line

No Scrubs: TLC

Drunk Last Night: Eli Young Band

Crash My Party: Luke Bryan

Tom Ford: Jay-Z

Driving Around Song: Colt Ford ft. Jason Aldean 

Hope you're all enjoying this gorgeous summer.

What have you been listening to lately?

Let me know!

Until then,

-K.

What's in my purse? Updated July 2013

Helllllllllllo lovelies!

So from my last post, you could probably tell that I'm obsessed with my new bag.

As I said previously, I'm not use to carrying such a "small" purse. I'm use to being able to fit my life into my longchamp, and now I'm using a "cross-body" bag. I'm a big girl now.

Here's what I transferred into this purse, from my old love!

Makeup&Cosmetics:

Maybelline " the falsies" mascara in blackest black.

ELF Liquid Liner

A travel sized perfume from avenue that smells like fruity heaven.

MAC lipstick in hue

An old christmas hand sanitizer ( I stock up on them after holidays...)

Nivea A Kiss of Milk and Honey lip balm

A random brown eye pencil

Revlon kissable lip balm stain in Smitten

A cute leopard tweezer, just in case..

And probably the biggest throw back in this whole bag is my sneaky slip in of a beauty crush lip gloss from Victoria's secret. I'm still in love with it, and wear it whenever my hair is up and out of my face.

Other junk I managed to squeeze in:

My wallet - Black Patent top zipper by Kate Spade 

A coin purse, which is full because I am a freak, and refuse to let change in the bottom of my bag..

Two sets of keys, one for work, one for my car &house and other keychains that weigh down my purse.

My name tag for work. 

A pen

My business cards

Gum in " mango tango." How risque.

Cheapy sunglasses from Cotton-on, but they're my absolute favorite.

And typically my phone is either shoved in there somehow, or in my bra.

TMI? Oh well..

What do you keep in your purse during the summer?

Anything specific that you refuse to leave the house without?

Let me know!

Until then, 

-K.

July.

Hello everyone :)

I'm going to start by apologizing for the lack of posts as of lately. I've been really busy with work, and trying to get stuff together for school which is shockingly happening in less than two months. It's crazy how time flies, as cliche as that sounds, but it really is. 

I just want to thank everyone also, for taking the time to read and follow along with my rambles. As of now, my page has 1900 views. I am utterly amazed at that number. I would never expect that, ever, and I am honestly so proud of how far this little engine has come. Once again, thank you, YOU, whoever you may be reading this now, for doing just that. It means the world, the universe, and everything in between to me. 

I hope everyone is having a beautiful, steamy July so far. Six days in  and we're burning up here in New York.  I wish everyone of you a relaxing, and gorgeous July. It does fly by, as I said before, so even in the midst of everything we have going on in our crazy lives, we still need to take time to enjoy the sun once in a while.

For me, this page is an escape into a world of everything I love. I love to write, and I love style and beauty and I love sharing it with you. So once again, thank you for coming along on this journey with me.

If there is anything you'd like to see this month, please let me know in the comments below.

Have a lovely day, my friends.

Until then, 

K. 

Blog loving - advice style?

Hey guys,

So clearly you can tell by this page that I love writing about and reviewing products. But writing in general is something I really really adore doing. I think most people could write something better than they could possibly say it. It's an easy way you express yourself. 

Recently, I was excited to hear that an advice piece I wrote for " Get Smart Coaching" is going to be published on their website either 5/27, or 6/3! It's a column piece directed towards upcoming high school graduates, and my advice on how to handle these last few weeks of school. 

Here's their mission statement : 

"Get Smart Coaching's mission is to make sure every young  

women on the planet knows how awesome they are. Through positive use of social media 

young women can change the world."

All of their social media links include:

https://www.facebook.com/getsmartcoach
http://www.thegetsmartcoach.com/Home_Page.html

I think this site is an incredible outlet for women, both young and old to give advice to us fellow girls. If we have the knowledge, why not spread it?

Look out for my post and let me know what you think!
Until then, 
-K.

Mayday, mayday..

Dear Earth, 

Could ya slow down just a little bit so that maybe this year wouldn't fly by so fast?

Is it actually May 2nd already, or is this some kind of sick joke? 

Just curious,

Love,

The girl in disbelief.

Now, I'm not sure if it's just me, or students in general right now who are loving and absolutely hating the month of May. I think there are general pros and cons to each month, but May really enjoys confusing the hell out of all of us. Here's my pro's and cons..

-Pro: It's finally starting to warm up, and there's not 18+ inches of snow on the ground!

-Con: All of the really obnoxious and disgusting bugs decide it's okay to come out...and it's actually not okay.

-Con#2: It's still about 65 degrees here, which in theory is not THAT warm. Apparently, someone sent a memo to girls that it's okay to wear shorts ( and when I say shorts I should actually be saying underwear with a denim lining) with Ugg boots. WHY. Please someone explain to me why Ugg boots with shorts was ever considered "trendy" by anyone, anywhere, ever..

-Pro: The spring 2013 semester is almost over, which means summer is right around the corner..

-Con: You read it, the spring semester is almost over. I have two weeks left...which also means that finals week is in one week..Stress anyone? I think the most terrible part of finals week, is that you know that it's coming, but since it's so nice out you neglect your notes and decide to drive around and relax...or maybe that's just me.

Alright, I'll stop whining for now. I'm really genuinely happy that it's May, and it's finally starting to feel like spring. This semester in college was my absolute hardest. Shout out to me for saving two math classes until my last full semester. Thank you, advisement board, for not telling me what a terrible decision that was. Anyone who is in their final semester of school knows that the stress right now is out of control. I find myself thinking all the time, " when did we all grow up?" I feel like I was just walking across the stage at my high school graduation, when in two weeks, I'll be walking across the stage getting my Associates degree. 

    

I find it insane how fast time flies. It's so very cliche, but here's how I see it. I've had my IPhone since 2011 

( which seems like last year, right?) and I was going through the pictures on it.  I have pictures from prom, and graduation, and senior day (circa 2011). I have photos of my god daughter  from the day she was  born up (2012) until about a week ago. This beautiful, precious little (not-so-)baby anymore has grown up right before my eyes. She now can walk...and talks a mile a minute. Wasn't she just born? It's easy to see how fast time is really going as you see someone grow. 

PS: Just want to give my best friend of 20 years the biggest congratulations in the world for receiving the most incredible internship opportunity in the world. No one deserves it more than you, and I am so proud. 

London's waiting. And I'll  be waiting for stories when you get home!

April wasn't too bad, right? And even if it was, it's now long gone. 

Here's to the pro's of May, and the months to come. 

Here's to the sleepless nights and studying that are to come as well.

So here's to us, and another month in the history books.

I hope you all have a lovely May.

Thank you for following along with me through April, it means the world and more to me.

I'll be sure to post more soon.

And until then,

-K.

Just another ramble, social media this time.

Being in the world of fashion 24/7 as a student is an amazing thing. Knowing trends, forecasting, and what all the celebrities are up to is a must. In 2008 I signed up for Facebook, the ultimate social networking website. ( before that was of course myspace, and we won't discuss that because I wore zipper earrings in my profile picture..) There is a HUGE world to be explored online, and if you're reading this, you may have clicked the link off of one of my sites. And I thank you kindly for doing so.

I've been introduced to the world of beauty gurus and fashion blogs like dulcecandy.com and so many others who inspire me on a daily basis. I find myself looking to ready daily posts instead of watching garbage reality tv ( don't get me wrong, I love Scott disick as much as any other girl) because I can learn about fashion not only across the country, but across the globe.

My top 5 YouTube gurus currently:

- sarahbelle93x

- itsjudytime

- dulcecandy87

- zoella & sprinkleofglitter

- akaydoll

Most of these women are my age, if not older, and are not only extremely popular on YouTube, but most run blogs and are noticed on social media as well. It's an incredible platform.

My social media contacts:

Twitter : @kristenicoleeee

Instagram: @kristendari

Who are your favorite bloggers?

Let me know, I'd love to read some new ones!

Until then,

-k

I built my life around you.

I need to vent.
So if you're not ready to hear me ramble, I'd run now.
Maybe I'm being over dramatic, or maybe I'm just crazy. But it's half past midnight and I was going through old photos on my phone ( and honestly I cannot believe I've had my IPhone for this long) and seeing pictures of my hometown are really hitting me hard.


I've lived here my whole life. 
Twenty years. 
Never been south of Virginia, never been west of Pennsylvania, and I've been up to Maine. What sick inner conscience is telling me to pack my boxes full of those twenty years and move to a new state, that I've never been to, and start a new life? Is it strange that I want to leave? Is it? I know I need a change. I know I can do this. But talking about it, and actually doing it are two completely different things. 


I'm excited.
And please family if you're reading this don't get me wrong, I am beyond excited. I am excited for a fresh start out of this tired old town. I know there are better things for me south of the Mason Dixon. I am beyond blessed that my family is so incredibly supportive of me. I just wish I could see the future. I wish I could see where I'll be in five months, ten months, two years, ten years. Don't you? This is where the whole religious debate comes into play, and I'm not even going to get into that. But, if God or a higher power does exist, does he have a plan for me? Is my future laid out and I'm just strolling along a pre-determined route? Okay, maybe I am crazy.

Crazy is buying place settings for a table of four before you have a down payment on an apartment. Crazy is buying canisters, Windex, and dish soap for a kitchen that you've never seen. Crazy is falling so in love with a place you've never been. Crazy is me. I am so determined to make my future as bright and as beautiful as I possibly can. I hope you, whoever you are reading this (if you've hung in there this long, I sincerely thank you) is as excited as I am for what lies before us. 

This world is sick, and cruel as we've seen in the past week. There's a whole lot of evil out there. My issues are ridiculously stupid compared so people who have been through the hand that the world has dealt them this week. I pray for you, to whoever is up there. I pray that like I said earlier, your future is bright. Take each step as it is. Take a deep breath. We're all in this together.( I'm rambling. I need to do this though. If anyone has ever found comfort in writing, or any form of expression, you'll know how relieving this is after a long day.)


There's an incredible song on the " We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things" album by Jason Mraz called Details in the Fabric. It features James Morrison and has been my serenity for the past five years. When I'm high, (no, not literally), it brings me back down, and when I'm low, it lifts me back up. If you've ever heard it, you'll know what I mean. Maybe to me it just has greater meaning, but I have never been so in love with a piece of music in my life. I'm listening to it right now, and that's why I'm raving about it. I've been so stressed lately, between school and work and making these crazy future plans that I'm making.
Anyway, there's a line that says:
" Are the details in the fabric, are the things that make you panic, are your thoughts results of static cling? Are the things that make you blow, hell no reason go on and scream. If you're shocked it's just the fault of faulty manufacturing." 
And that made me fall in love with this song.
And it brings me back down.



End rant.
Thank you for being a part of this journey with me. Thank you, once again, if you've read along this whole jumbled mess of a diary entry. I appreciate it. 
We're in this together.
I'll talk to you all soon.
Until then,
-K.


" And everything will be fine."

Out with the old, up with the new.

My name is Kristen. 

I am a 20 year old fashion merchandising student from New York. 

I'm on a journey, and I'm deciding to document it.

And, I'm inviting you with me. 

This blog is going to consist of fashion, beauty, home&decor and random posts about my upcoming move.

Hopefully, it will be helpful and offer advice to anyone who is at the same stage, or anyone just looking for a place to relax. I love learning from other people. Learning about style, learning that there is a difference in styles between states, or even just towns. Tips and tricks about beauty, from hair to makeup and skincare.

I have love for all things fashion, as I said above I'm a student in the fashion industry. I will be moving from my comfort zone to a whole new world in a state that is hours away from here. It's going to be wild. Not in the stereotypical college crazy wild definition. Wild in the context of being new, and a new outer body experience.

I find comfort in knowing that there are people out there who are just as stressed with finals, projects, and pressure as I am. Not that I would wish anyone stress, it's just nice to know that you're not alone in this world. It's big, and it's scary.

As time goes on, so do we. Every day is something different. We work, we play, we love, and we continue. 

I hope you all enjoy this ride. 

Until then, 

- K.