J. Crew Tumblr!

So I just found out J. Crew has an unofficial blog/tumblr and I thought y'all might want to check it out. Of course I've been super duper extra obsessed lately with J.Crew since I now work there. :)

770/Behind the Line. The (Un)Official J.Crew Blog

Also, be on the lookout for a J.Crew haul. My first ever employee haul. :) Should be exciting!

- R.

Outfit of the Day: March 28

So sorry I've been gone for SO long. Last week was extremely stressful, and this week will probably be as well. But I'm going to try to make time in between my tests to post. I feel so negligent!

OOTD: March 28 by rachelrx featuring long sleeve tees

Ralph Lauren Men's Half-Zip Sweater (Not the kid's one, and it's a Hunter green!)
White T-shirt (Specifically an old fraternity shirt)
North Face Rain Jacket
Black Leggings
Black Rainboots
North Face Backpack
Cup of iced coffee! Had to throw that in.. basically what I've been living off of the past few days.

I make this with cold milk, and add just a little bit of Vanilla creamer into it. SO DELICIOUS. I definitely recommend it especially for the Spring/Summer and as a cheap alternative to the Starbucks Iced Vanilla Latte! Which is also super delicious.

- R.

On a Search for Some Cute Luggage

Since I go back and forth between home and school almost every other weekend, and I absolutely love weekend trips, and I'm going to be traveling to EUROPE in less than 3 months, I've been searching for some cute luggage/traveling duffle bags.

So I ask you dear followers, what you use or what you recommend!

This is what I don't like:
- Anything Vera Bradley (although I like the shape)

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This is what I do like:
- Louis Vuitton of course

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Longchamp Le Pliage

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What do y'all use when you go on quick overnight trips?
- R.

"Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

College Prep Giveaway!

When I started getting into blogs, my sister shared with me the College Prepster and it was one of the guiding forces in my inspiration to start a blog of my own. So it's really exciting for me to enter into her giveaway! PLUS, it's for a cute Marley Lilly monogrammed cup which I've been eyeing for, oh, forever. (Too dramatic? Maybe.) But seriously, look how cute:

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I need!! I have a cup similar to this, but it's not monogrammed and it's just plain white. How boring! But I use it almost everyday for my Crystal Light!

So go on and check out College Prep if you haven't. (But I'd be really surprised if you aren't already in love with her blog.)

- R.

Tiffany & Co. Handbags?

In the April issue of Vogue, I was surprised to see an ad for Tiffany & Co. Leather Goods Handbags. Maybe I've been out of the loop (I've let my Vogue magazines stack up for, oh, about 5 months now) but I was surprised to see Tiffany has a line of purses!

And I'm not too impressed by them.

The Better: I like these styles; the they remind me of Michael Kors or Kate Spade. But they're not either of these "hip" brands. And they're definitely not in the same price range.

The Bad: I just do not like these. Sure, they're great colors! But the styles are just not cute to me. And that little "Bracelet bag".. I can't stand it.

Overall: the styles are cute for a brand like Kate Spade, Michael Kors, maybe a LITTLE bit of Tory Burch. But Tiffany is NOT these brands. These bags are 3 or 4 times more expensive than Kate Spade, etc. Tiffany is supposed to be classy, mature, for the older sophisticated crowd. I don't see an older, sophisticated woman carrying a hot pink or lime green bag around. I absolutely love the straw clutch. But am I going to spend $500 on it when I can get a Michael Kors one for $180? No. I think they should stick to jewelry, glassware, and other small goods!

I know I'm not in Tiffany & Co.'s target market for these products, but I am interested to see if they are going to be successful even with their intended target market.

Have any of you seen these in person, or own them? Am I being too critical? I'd like to hear what you think about them!

For Japan With Love

I'm taking a day of silence on my blog tomorrow to honor those that have been affected by the disaster in Japan.

Please keep those affected in your thoughts and/or prayers and please donate anything that you can! Time, money, whatever. Anything helps!

To check out a list of other blogs participating, visit this website.

Thank you!!

- R.

My Favorites List!

So Virginia at - Sweet Carolina Girl - tagged me in her version of the "My Favorites" tag and I'm super excited. I love these tags and so glad someone wants to tag me in one of theirs. :)

{1} food. This is soo hard because I love so much food! I really like some Macaroni and Cheese (THIS is my favorite recipe).. and Zucchini. Yummm.

{2} color. Probably coral and any shades of it. Bright coral, light coral, I like them all. (That sounded like a Dr. Seuss rhyme)

{3} animal. Puppies! Duh.

{4} sports team. {college + pro} University of Georgia basketball/football, University of Michigan basketball/football and the Atlanta Hawks.

{5} dessert. What dessert do I NOT like is a better question and a shorter list. But I'd have to say my favorite dessert would probably be brownies. Can't WAIT until Lent is over for some brownies.

{6} artist/singer/band. Hanson, Lady Gaga, Mumford & Sons, Benjy Davis Project, so many more.

{7} pair of shoes. Tory Burch flats, Riding Boots, and Wedges

{8} outfit. Skinny Jeans, Boots (or wedges), Silky/Flowy tank top with some cute pattern, and an optional cardigan.

{9} store. J.Crew, Madewell, Nordstrom, Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie

{10} brand. J.Crew/Madewell, those are the only 2 brands I wear a lot, I have a pretty eclectic mix of brands.

{11} perfume. Marc Jacobs Lola and Escada Magnetism

{12} accessory. LV Neverfull MM and my watches

{13} city. San Francisco, CA. I want to live there when I graduate.

{14} hobby. Shopping, running, movies, my friends, blogging

{15} beauty product. Blush, Nail Polish, and Masara

{16} snack. I really don't snack! I guess.. tortilla chips with melted cheese on them

{17} holiday. Christmas.. everyone is so nice to each other and there is so much love! And great shopping deals

{18} movie. SOO many.. but probably How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days

{19} song. "Makes Me Happy" by Matt White

{20} guilty pleasure. Reality TV, an online shopping. Too much time wasted.

I Tag:

Emily @ Living in the Life of E!

Amber Ashleigh @ Sweet Pea

Sarah Elizabeth @ We're Just Like You Only Prettier

Aly @ The Aly Way

Thanks Virginia!!
- R.

Being Busy, Pi, & Brackets

Image: fromupnorth.com

Today is being devoted to working around the house on schoolwork, cleaning, and organizing. I have tons of old clothes I don't wear anymore (literally.. tons.. 5 boxes) to sort through and an entire closet that needs to be cleaned out and organized. Not to mention the 7 chapters I need to read for my next two upcoming tests.

What a spring break, right? Well since it's supposed to be rainy and cloudy all day, running outside/tanning isn't really in the cards for me. So I'm sure I'm going to be procrastinating and catching up on some more blogging and post writing.

How was PI Day for y'all? Me and the boyfriend went to Your Pie for some $3.14 pizzas. Yumm. And our total with salads.. $13.14.. weird right?? I've been really craving pizza lately. Mmm, I could eat even more right now.

Image: mafiamikespizza.com

This picture is literally making my mouth water. The cheese looks soo good. When I order pizza I just get cheese, extra cheese, light sauce. But when I go to speciality pizza places I like to get pizzas made with a garlic base, or a white base. I don't like marinara sauce all too much. The particular pizza I got tonight has an olive oil base, fresh slices of moazarella, tomatoes, garlic and basil. On a wheat crust, delicious!

Did y'all fill out a NCAA Men's Basketball bracket yet? If not, here's one for you. I'm SUPER excited about March Madness this year. Both of my teams are in the tournament!

- R.

Current Obsession: Wedges

Wedges. My favorite kind of shoe. Yes, that's bold. I like them more than sandles! Especially when I find comfy ones that can be worn casual and dressy. So lately I've been starting to notice more wedges when I'm out shopping, mainly because I need some cute shoes for work and because it's just that time of year. The perfect transition shoe! Here are my favorites from my collection:

1. Old Navy: Just bought these today for work. They're preppy and  understated and will look perfect with a printed skirt or some dark capris. A short heel means they're easy to walk around in and I won't be too tall.

2. Ralph Lauren "Cecilia": I ordered these a year and a half ago for a gameday outfit and I've been wearing them SO much lately with skinny jeans. They've  stretched out a LOT but I still can't stop wearing them! The heel is also pretty short on these so they're very easy to wear.

3. Target "Pilar": I actually have these in black, but the only picture on here was brown. And I'm thinking about returning my black for brown, or possibly keeping both colors? I LOVE these. They are so comfy (from what I've worn walking around my house) and they can be worn in the winter! Definitely not too summery. I can't wait to wear them out.

4. Steve Madden "Huntter": I have these in the blue color shown and the red color. LOVE them. I've worn the red with a black romper to a football game and I've worn these blue ones with a formal dress for Parent's weekend. They're SO versatile. But they are pretty high and start to hurt your feet after awhile. But they make your legs look fantastic, and I'm all about that.

5. Aerosoles "Guava Plush": Most comfortable wedges I've ever worn. I could wear these all day, every day. And I think I tried to do that last summer. I also wore these with to a formal occasion twice and they worked perfectly. Whatever is inside the sole is the most comfortable thing my feet have ever felt.

What's your beginning-of-spring obsession?

- R.

Life Update, Giveaway

THIS was my life this week. This and only this. BUT NOW IT'S OVER. I have one class tomorrow at 9:30 and then it's SPRING BREAAKKK TIMMME. I'm pretty excited, mainly because I'll be able to stop neglecting all of you and this blog! Should be great. :)

So one of my favorite bloggers is having a giveaway! AND everyone has to enter. Or don't.. so I win.. :) Just kidding!!!

Jana at Seashells and Southern Belles is having her first giveaway! EVERYONE has to check out her blog.. it's amazing, she's an awesome girl and she's too sweet. And the prize.. SEASHELL AND SEAHORSE EARRINGS. I'm obsessed.

So cute right?? Be sure to check it out!

ALSO Shasta Anne is giving away this Chanel eye shadow quad:

OMG I NEED!! So go on over to her site and enter her giveaway! She always has the greatest giveaways so I definitely recommend following her. And she's awesome!

Image: LifeHack.org

In other random news, have you all heard of the website Goodreads.com? It's basically a book database with reviews, book lists, book groups, giveaways, etc. I've found some awesome books on there that I probably wouldn't have found otherwise! I like to look at people's lists of similar books to find others that I like. It's so helpful! I love reading the reviews because I hate buying a book, reading a chapter, and realizing that it's just not what I wanted. Everyone should go look it up, especially if you like to read. And if you don't, it might be because you haven't found this site yet. I was just on it looking for some books to read next week.

On that note, does anyone have any good book suggestions for the break? I really like "Chick Lit": the Shopaholic series, Devil Wears Prada, stuff like that. But I also really like classics like To Kill a Mockingbird and The Great Gatsby. Also, I've liked a few of Kristin Hannah's books and some of Jodi Picoult's but I generally like more upbeat reads. Thanks!

- R.

Lent, #Winning, Work

Day 1 of no chocolate: not too bad... so far.

Image: Babble.com

Yeah, I decided to give up chocolate for lent. Am I crazy? Probably. I literally feel like I have to have chocolate every day so that was my reasoning behind giving it up. It's not good for me and I need to kick this habit! I haven't craved any chocolate so far really, EXCEPT that my favorite cupcake bakery here in my college town is having a deal where you pay only $7 for $14 worth of goodies! Ummmm RED VELVET, come to me. And what's ironic is that I've been craving cupcakes from here for soo long and I haven't made it up there. Red Velvet isn't TECHNICALLY chocolate, right??

Image: Bossip.com

I'm bi-winning. (Had to throw in a Charlie Sheen reference, why is he so crazy? I don't get it.) But seriously,  I WON MY FIRST GIVEAWAY. Jessica at Pearls and Polka Dots first giveaway of a dogeared pearl necklace and a CANDLE which I am obsessed with candles so of course I'm so excited. And dogeared is definitely my favorite necklace designer. Thank you so much Jessica!

Last night was my first day of work at the J.Crew Outlet. I had to work from 6-midnight re-stocking and learning the sore and what not. It was actually pretty fun learning how to fold and how the store works behind the scenes! Not to mention I want every single thing I touched last night. This may be a problem.. I won't receive one paycheck! Here are a few pieces from the Factory Website that I really need.

J.Crew Outlet Wishlist by rachelrx featuring print dresses

J Crew print dress, $90
J Crew stripe cardigan, $70
J Crew wool blazer, $168
J crew, $118
J Crew cotton skirt, $55
J crew short, $50
J crew, $50

P.S. Thank you so much to everyone who has supported me with this new job. All the congrats and other great comments are so encouraging!

- R.

Hiatus

Only a few months in and I'm already having a hiatus! What! I know, it's sad.

I'm currently going through a lot in my life, a lot of stress and a lot of busy stuff going on (midterms, work, etc) and I don't feel like I can put my whole heart into this right this second. I'm planning on coming back on Spring Break when I have more time to figure everything out and Spring Break starts Friday! So I'll be back soon.

Thanks for understanding! And as a little update, my first day of work is actually tonight! So I'll let you all know how that goes soon :)

- R.

I got the job!!!

So I know I didn't really tell y'all where I was interviewing earlier last week/this week because I've been really discouraged with the job search lately and I didn't want to jinx myself, but I got the job!! AT THE J.CREW OUTLET!!! I am SOO excited, you don't even know. I have training tomorrow morning at 9 AM and I'm actually really pumped to go and learn how to do everything and get to work and make money and be surrounded by such great clothes all day!

Image: blog.timesunion.com

I worked in retail briefly when I graduated from high school at the Sunglass Hut in my town but CLOTHES are really what I'm passionate about and especially J.Crew. I would absolutely love to work in the Marketing department or some other department at J.Crew when I graduate and I think by working at the store I'm really going to get an in-depth view of the company culture and what it's all about.

Image: jcrew.com

This is the first real job that I REALLY REALLY wanted to get and where it's something I really want to work with. J.Crew has some AMAZING clothes in store right now (at both the outlet and the regular store) and I can't wait to start up my collection! And.. I see some great J.Crew items in a giveaway very soon, when I reach 50 followers. How exciting!

So be on the lookout for some J.Crew inspired outfits and OOTD's from me soon. Thank you all for supporting me and wishing me good luck on the interviews! You all inspire me to be fashion-forward and I think it helped me choose my outfits for the interviews. Not to mention we talked about this blog!

- R.

I Need New Hair!

A year ago in January, I cut off 11 inches of my hair and donated it to Pantene's "Beautiful Lengths" program. This is it right before I cut it:

Ignore the hand.. haha

And here is a picture of my hair a few weeks after I cut it:

I really like my hair in this picture. I love how my bangs are full and swoopy, and I love the length. But I want it to be a little thinner than this. I feel like the ends are sort of blunt, and I have really thick hair. Here's a picture of me from earlier in August and I REALLY like how it looks in this picture:

I think my hair looks thinner at the ends in this picture.. maybe because it has been straightened so many times since I had it cut last but I really like that look! So my dilemma is: should I cut my hair again? Or should I just ask my hair stylist to thin it out and hope it doesn't take too much out of my style? I don't want an "emo" haircut where is spiky and very angular.. I already had one of those in high school and looking back I HATE it. Embarrassing.

My hair is growing so fast now and I need to do something with it. It just feels heavy and thick and poofy and I need to control it quick! What do y'all suggest?

Options:

1) Cut it to my shoulders again

2) Just have it thinned out

3) Keep it long! No haircut.

I know my boyfriend would say keep it growing, but I really think I look better with shorter hair. Let me know what y'all think!

- R.

Giveaway!

Ashton over at the adorable blog Soulshine is having a giveaway ending today so HURRY and enter!! She's giving away a $25 giftcard for J.Crew (umm amazinnggg!) and a journal that is SO cute! Here's her picture of the journal:

She's announcing the winner tomorrow so everyone hurry up and enter! They are some great prizes!

Also having a giveaway is Jessica at Pearls and Pinka Polka Dots who just reached 25 followers! Congrats girl! She's giving away the Dogeared pearl necklace that I've been DYING for and a cute polka dot scented candle! Such a cute idea to integrate her blog name with the giveaway items! :)

Check out the giveaway HERE. Congrats Jessica!


- R.

Jersey Floor!

Jimmy Fallon is a genius. Fact. I've been a huge fan of his since he was on Saturday Night Live and his late night show (Late Night with Jimmy Fallon) is HILARIOUS. I wish I could watch it every night, but you know..  8 AM classes get in the way unfortunately. But he has these awesome series like "Robert is Bothered" which makes fun of Robert Pattinson, "7th Floor West" which makes fun of The Hills (how dare he! Just kidding, it's funny) and "The Real Housewives of Late Night".

Luckily, my boyfriend watches every night so when I can't watch, he lets me know when something good happens. Last night, Jimmy had the first episode of "Jersey Floor" making fun of Jersey Shore of course! It was hilarious.. and sounded/looked just like Jersey Shore! Here's the link!

- R.

Banana Flavored Food!

I  am OBSESSED with Banana flavored food lately, and it's a good thing because they seem to be popping up all over lately! First, Chick-Fil-A came out with the Banana Pudding Milkshake:

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I tried it on Monday.. DELICIOUS. No joke, best milkshake I've ever had and I am a huge fan of chocolate milkshakes (chocolate and peanut butter.. even better). It tastes exactly like banana pudding, just a little colder, and has no gross mushy banana chunks! The perfect amount of Vanilla Wafers and the whipped cream on top just makes it that much more perfect. I don't like cherries so I skipped on that one. I definitely recommend it to everyone, go try it! Especially if you like banana pudding!

Then I was looking around the blog FoodBeast, bad idea, and found out that Krispy Kreme is coming out with 2 new kinds of banana donuts.

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Now I'm not really a Krispy Kreme fan.. they're too sweet for me! But I can eat them when they're fresh and warm out of the oven.. sometimes. But I definitely prefer the "cake" kind of donuts with no frosting/icing/extra sugar. However, I do love custard filled donuts and that's exactly what one of these donuts is! Except with banana cream inside and vanilla wafers on top! Yumm. The other donut is a banana flavored donut with caramel drizzle. Not really my thing, sounds too sweet.

Also on FoodBeast (my new favorite website) is this gem of a cupcake (who doesn't love cupcakes??):

Image: BakeInInaCake.com

Reese's + Banana + Chocolate Mousse = yummmm. Going to have to make these sometime soon!

What are your favorite sweets or guilty pleasure/weaknesses? I can pretty much say all sweets are my weakness.. not good.

- R.

New Pages

I just added the pages feature onto my blog, so that y'all can learn a little bit more about me and have a way to find my contact information should you ever need it! I hope it's useful, and as I get some more time to add more content, I'll be updating new tabs.

I also created a Twitter account just for my blog, so please follow me! And I will follow back!

Let me know what you think!
Thank you!

- R.

A Late Oscars Re-cap

Overall, I thought the Oscars were kind of boring! I haven't seen the King's Speech, nor do I really want to, so I was kind of disappointed when The Social Network didn't win for best picture. In terms of fashion though, I loved what some of the stars chose to wear! Here are a few of my favorites:

FAVORITE: Mila Kunis

Image: MovieFone.com

Natalie Portman

Image: MovieFone.com

Cate Blanchett (I know this has received a lot of mixed reviews, but I think this dress is so unique and beautiful, especially on her!)

Image: MovieFone.com

Selena Gomez at the Vanity Fair After Party (LOVE this)

Image: Popdash.com

I know this update is REALLY late, but I just got my new laptop up and running. Better late than never, right? :) What were your favorite looks? I know TONS of people are huge fans of the Mila Kunis dress. I think she makes that dress look even better too, it's just so her.

- R.