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

City & Color : Date night look

Date night makeup:

(skin)

Ponds Clarant B3 Dark Spot Correcting Cream

Maybelline Baby Skin Primer

NYX  HD Concealer shade CW04

Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder - Buff Beige 012 & Sun Bronze 022

No7 Hydrating Mineral Setting Spray

(eyes)

Urban Decay Naked Palette (colors: Foxy, Tease, Busted)

ELF liquid liner - black

Ardell strip lashes

L'oreal voluminous original mascara 

Maybelline great lash/lots of lashes mascara

Rimmel Brow Pencil 001 Dark Brown

(lips)

EOS lip balm raspberry pomegranate stick

NYX Pump it up plumper (Pamela PIU04)

Cheers to having the door held for you,

night walks,

& 

new beginnings.

Xo,

k.

Home away from home

Before:

        After!

Just added some details to our suite to make it feel a little more girly, and a little more like home. One of my first posts was about adding details to your room, and surrounding yourself with things that make you smile. If my walls were bare, and there was nothing to brighten up a dull space, it would be easy to hate staying in a dorm. But, I'm so happy to be here, and that I've finally settled in. 

My room mates are amazing, and so sweet. I couldn't have asked for a better group of girls to go into this journey with.

How are you all doing?

Let me know!

Until then,

-K.

Makeup of the day: August 16th, 2013

Makeup of the Day: August 2013

On the 16th of August, two of my very important people in my life made a promise to each other, sealed with a kiss, to be forever in love. It was a beautiful, warm summer day full of joy and excitement, and I wish you, Danielle and Adam nothing but the best. 

--I wanted to keep my look for the day simple, and easy to maintain. For this, I knew I needed one of the best shadow palettes I've ever used. It's by a company called Coastal Scents, which used to be a cult favorite by Youtube gurus. 

--It's a very basic smokey eye using only 3 different shadows. For a base, I used a matte cream/skin colored shadow. In the mid to upper crease, I blended together a matte chestnut brown with a charcoal brown. By doing this, you can create an ombre effect that smokes out from dark to light when approaching the inner corner. For my highlights ( inner corner and brow) I used the same matte cream color as the base.

--A thick line of black liquid liner, a strip of falsies, and some very black mascara finished the eye look. I wanted to keep the lip very simple as well, and just used a bit of Hue by Mac in the center of the lip, and blended it out with an Urban Decay pocket rocket lip gloss in the shade "Kirk." 

This look is good for formal occasions, such a weddings and prom, but is also simple enough to wear day to day! What I would do if I were to wear this look daily is stick to just mascara and no falsies. 

What do you guys think?

What is your "go-to" makeup look for formal occasions?

Let me know!

Until then, 

-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.

July Instagramistory : My favorite month so far.

Autumn in July

Dear mother nature, 

Thank you for the little sneak peak of the weather to come in the next few months.

Xoxo, gossip girl.

Lol, jk...it's just me again.

It was 65 degrees in New York today. If you didn't know, we just had a heatwave that sent temperatures soaring into the 100+ degree zone. So this was the perfect opportunity to try out a new purchase.

Just a typical instagram picture showing a half #ootd..

Top: torrid

Leggings: torrid

Flats: target

bag: forever21

So comfortable, yet perfect for work. 

Hope everyone is having a lovely week!

It's friday!

Talk to you all soon!

Until then,

-K.

Carolina on my mind

Southern State Of Mind

So as some of you may or may not know, in a very short few weeks I will be picking up and heading down to North Carolina to continue on my journey to a Bachelors degree. This has been a very very very big dream of mine, and I cannot believe that everything is finally coming together.

For those of you starting college, going away to school, touring campuses, or just going to orientation, this post is for y'all 

(see what I did there?).

Some words of wisdom from the not so wise..

Do not underestimate the power of community college.

I will be the first person to thank the lord for having the opportunity to better myself at a community college. Junior and senior year of high school, I was not the best student. I couldn't care less about going to classes, and homework? Yeah right. My GPA on a 4.0 scale was about a 2.7. I look back now and wish I could slap my 17 year old self across the face. 

The thing is, everyone here makes fun of the community colleges. "13th grade." It's not. Take it seriously and you will open so many doors for yourself. I am going to the school of my dreams in a few weeks, with a 3.8 GPA, and almost a full ride scholarship for proving myself at my community college. 

You need to take it for what it's worth. This is your life. You can do whatever you want with it, and if you decide to treat classes like a joke, then that's what you're setting yourself up for. 

Believe in yourself, even when others don't.

Believe it or not, not everyone wants to support you. Not everyone cares if you finish your homework, or get good grades. As cliche as this may sound, you need to believe in yourself. Believe that there is a bright future, believe that things will work out. As hard and as rough as the road before you may seem, there's a clear path defined for all of us. Do your best when no one is watching. 

For me, as out going as I may seem to some of my friends and family, meeting new people isn't the easiest thing for me. I'm extremely self conscious. and have mile high walls up. Something about the North Carolina air and southern drawl of everyone there helped pull them down even if only for a short time, and I found myself meeting new friends, and having the time of my life south of the mason dixon. My advice is to enjoy every second of the opportunities before you. I just went to orientation, and had the time of my life. I met amazing friends from opposite sides of the country, and continue to snapchat them daily. 

And finally, breathe.

Let everything soak in. Do not be afraid to let your guard down once in a while. You're allowed to freak out this summer. It's okay. You're only this young once, and to have a panic attack about what duvet cover you want to use is totally okay. ( Take it from me). Love the bumps in the road, because they're the moments you'll look back on and appreciate in the future.

And again, thank you all for following along with my crazy rambles.

I genuinely appreciate it from the bottom of my heart.

If you'd like to see more college related posts in the future, let me know in the comments!

Talk to y'all soon. ( the city girl said y'all twice now.)

;) 

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.

A new love.

I've never been the type of girl to use a small bag, ever. The smallest bag I've ever carried was when I first started using purses in probably 6th grade, when I thought I was a diva for using a Coach handbag...which was inevitably stolen later that year...(my 6th grade heart still breaks....)

ANYWAY...
Something wild is changing within me because these past few summer weeks I've been so sick of lugging around my Le Pliage Large Longchamp bag. I never thought I'd say that. I almost feel bad for saying that because that bag is like a child to me. I call her champy..


And now I'm actually insane..


But it's been way to hot in New York to carry the ridiculous amount of stuff I do on a daily basis. In reality, I only need a few things in a bag, but when you have the room to put an extra this or that, it adds weight to a large bag...like my champy...

I found love in a hopeless place. I see Forever21 as jungle and when I actually find something that is in good condition, and good quality, I see it as a saving grace sent from the heavens above.  And this love is good. She is beautiful, and you would never think from the quality, and construction stand point that this little light of mine, was only $25.


On the website it's listed  as the 
" Basket Woven Crossbody" bag. It's $24.80, and worth about triple that. It's constructed beautifully, and for me it is a bit small, comparatively to every other bag I've owned, but it's not actually that small.

Isn't she cute?

It's not a secret that I'm a bigger girl to, so for me to recommend a small bag is out of this world for me. I was actually always afraid to carry a smaller bag, because I didn't want it to get lost against my frame. This looks classy, and is a perfect size for anyone.

I'm planning on doing a what's in my bag this week, so keep your eyes open to see what I actually fit in my new purse.

What do you like to carry in the summer?
Do you stick with a small bag, or go for a larger tote?
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. 

Bath and body works haul

Bath and Body Works Mini Haul

Went to bath and body works the other day and went a little crazy. 

And by a little, I mean I bought 6 body sprays. 

And buy bought 6, I mean I bought 3 and got 3 free.

So that makes it better, right?

Oh, and finally got my hands on a market peach candle, which smells heavenly.

The sprays I got include: (notes from their website www.bathandbodyworks.com)

Carried Away -Italian Bergamot, Meyer Lemon, Mandarin, Juicy Pear Nectar, Lush Raspberries

(and I got two of them because this is my all time favorite scent.)

Beautiful Day -Sun-kissed Apple, Dewy Pear, Sparkling Cassis

Capri Seaside Citrus-Mediterranean Grapefruit, Sparkling Bergamot, Juicy Nectarine

White Citrus- Lemon Zest, Sparkling Grapefruit, Juicy Tangerine

Rome Honeysuckle Amore-Italian Peach, Blackberry, Green Mandarin,Pink Honeysuckle

What are your favorite scents for summer?

PS- The bath and Body works Semi-Annual sale is coming up soon, so if you want to try anymore scents, just wait about another week and get some good deals! 

Hope all is well!

Talk to you soon!

Until then,

-K.