Sweet Carolina Girl

Top 5 Tuesday: Most Worn Items

2012-02-07T19:19:00.003-05:00

Linking up again with Just Peachy for Top 5 Tuesday!

1. Polo Baseball Cap

My Tuesday/Thursday morning staple for my 8am!

2. Michael Kors Bracelet Watch

I've raved about this watch so many times. It rarely leaves my wrist.

3. Patagonia Snap-T Pullover

My other Tuesday/Thursday morning staple. It is seriously the warmest thing I have ever worn. My North Face love has been replaced by Patagonia.

4. Target Skinny Jeans

Before jump starting my weight loss last week, I have been the heaviest I have ever been, and therefore hate spending a ton of money on clothes when I am not happy with the size. I picked up these skinny jeans from Target a couple months ago and wear them a couple times a week. For how much they have been through, they've help up remarkably well for a $25 pair. And another plus...they're already loose!! :)

5. Maybelline Age Rewind Dark Circle Eraser

I discovered this concealer about a month ago and it is a great drugstore find! Concealer is the one makeup item I will always put on when going out the house. I was "blessed" at a young age with those wretched under-eye circles!!

So those are some of my top 5 most worn things at the moment! Hope you have a wonderful Tuesday!

xoxo

Natalie

Q&A Monday #2!

2012-02-06T21:49:00.000-05:00

1. Favorite place you've traveled?

2. Where would you want to go if you could have a paid ticket and hotel?

3. If you have a trip planned, where is it to?

4. Were you an honor roll student in school?

5. What was your major in college?

6. Ever go to camp?

7. Favorite tv show of all time?

8. What was the last thing you ever got grounded for?

9. What was your childhood nickname?

10.What would your dream job be?

Hope everyone had a wonderful Monday!!

xoxo

Natalie

February Photo a Day

2012-02-01T09:00:00.000-05:00

I'm gonna do my best to participate in February photo a day! Please let me know if you are as well, I would love to see all your pics! :)

Happy Wednesday everyone!

xoxo

Natalie

Top 5 Tuesday: January Favorites

2012-01-31T21:53:00.000-05:00

1. B&BW Slatkin & Co Winter Cabin Candle

Both my roommate and I love this candle! I'm usually all about the sweet/foodie scents, but this one is much different. I can't think of any other way to describe it except that is smells like a boy...a very attractive, cologne wearing boy haha!

2. Crystal Light Peach Iced Tea

I have been trying to cut WAY back on my Diet Coke consumption (I'm talking one or two a week!), and while Crystal Light Peach Tea has always been a staple in my house, I have been going through a ton of this stuff! I have a big Pampered Chef pitcher that holds 2 packets of this and it takes me about a day and a half to go through one. It makes drinking water much easier!

3. my365 iPhone app

I found this app after a blog I read did a post about it (can't remember which one...sorry!) and immediately went to download it! It's a really cool way to look back on the month and see what was going on. Some pictures are completely random but that's the fun of it! If you're on my365 please let me know so we can follow each other!

4. Dance Moms

This show is the most PERFECT example of a reality trainwreck! I can't really say much more but if you're looking for a tv show to get hooked on on Tuesday nights, here ya go!

5. Tiffany & Co. Return to Tiffany Heart Ring

I've had this ring since my 17th birthday, but it has always been the once piece of jewelry I can never keep track of! I can't tell you the number of times I've lost it. It's even fallen down my tub drain and I spent 30 minutes trying to fish it out with a hanger. I lost this ring for over a year and when we were deep cleaning my apartment, my mom found it in the old Vera Bradley bag I used for school! I was SOO excited and it hasn't left my finger since!

What are you top favorites of January??

xoxo

Natalie

Monday Q&A Linkup with Shasta and Megan!

2012-01-31T02:09:00.000-05:00

***I know this is technically going up on Tuesday but I was having some issues uploading on Youtube!***

New Vlog! Makeup Collection and Storage

2012-01-29T01:18:00.002-05:00

Hope you enjoy! Let me know if you would like to see more vlogs!
xoxoNatalie

Top 5 Tuesday: School Supplies

2012-01-10T12:52:00.001-05:00

Once again I am linking up with Rachel @ Just Peachy for Top 5 Tuesday! Thank goodness for T5T cuz it has been giving me at least one post a week! I am still adapting to a new mostly work/little bit of class "real world" schedule, so if you just bear with me fabulous readers I promise things will be more frequent here!

I'm also toying with the idea of starting up my own weekly link-up. I'm not sure what the topic would be, so I would LOVE some opinions and suggestions about what kind of link-up you would like to see! Name suggestions would be awesome too :)

Ok. So my top 5 school supplies. Since I did graduate in December, one would thing school supplies would be the last thing on my mind. WRONG! For reasons I plan to go into in another post, I am taking 2 online class and 1 normal class this semester while working. So while I haven't bought anything new for the semester (yet), I do have 5 years of trial and error when it comes to supplies and I've found some pretty great products that I love.

1. Erin Condren Planner

It is no secret that I am somewhat obsessed with my EC planner! I've recommended it to a number of people. During my years of college I have used Lilly Pulitzer planners and the large notebook sized planners you can buy at Target, Walmart, etc and this is by far my favorite! If you are a person who has a LOT of assignments or likes to write a lot, the Erin Condren planner may not be for you. I think I found the planner at the perfect time as a senior getting ready to enter the real world now that classes aren't the majority of my life!

2. Pens

I am still on the hunt for the perfect pens, but these 2 brands are some pretty good ones. I have tried all kinds of pens, and always end up coming back to some type of gel. The Pilot G2 pens (bottom) used to be my all time fave, but I think I've used them so much I want something new. My mom got me a 20ct color pack for Christmas last year, so they were really helpful for color coding things in my planner and drawing diagrams for my notes. My other current favorite are the uni ball singo pens in the micro tip. I LOVE pens with micro tips...the smaller the better! If these came in all the colors the G2 pens do, they could be my perfect pens, but a girl can't limit herself to just black, blue and red!

In reading the others who have linked up the Staedtler pens seem to be a big favorite!

Have you uses these pens before? Where can you buy them? Do they bleed through the paper (pet peeve!)?

3. Highlighters

The fat Sharpie highlighters are my favorite. My handwriting is pretty big, so I have come to prefer the fatter highlighters compared to the skinny ones. If you don't have multiple colored pens, highlighting is a great way to section your notes by using one color for definitions, another for section titles etc...

4. Hand Sanitizer

USC has a lot of old buildings, so you can imagine that sometimes the bathroom can leave something to be desired. And if you're studying late night in the library, more often then not there are no paper towels in the bathroom! So I always like to keep one of my PocketBacs on hand. This is the one I kept in my backpack all semester...candy apple is one of my favorite B&BW scents!

5. Binder Clips

6. Sticky Tabs

I have to have my notebooks sectioned off. Sometimes if I have a notebook that I only used 20 pages or so for an old class, I'll use one of these binder clips and section off those notes and viola! a brand new notebook (Ok not really, but I gotta save money somewhere haha) And the zebra print is so cute! I discovered these sticky tabs a couple years ago and they are awesome! If you don't have dividers or need to sub-section a section, these are perfect! And once they are stuck on the paper, they will stay there! Plus they are made of thin little plastic so they are very durable!

What are some of your favorite school supplies? Any other kinds of pens I need to check out?

O, and in case you didn't hear...

ROLL TIDE!!!

This SEC girl was pulling for Alabama and boy did they roll over the tigers! That defense was pretty amazing and made me thankful we didn't play Bama this year or in the 2012 season! They are definitely a force to be reckoned with!

Also, in case you're keeping count....that is SIX SEC National Championships in a row. If that doesn't show we are the best conference in the nation, I don't know what will.

xoxo

Natalie

Top 5 Tuesday: Jewelry Loves!

2012-01-03T00:29:00.000-05:00

Happy 2012 everyone! Hope the first couple days of the new year have treated you well. I've spent the last couple days finishing up dog sitting for my aunt and DEEP cleaning my apartment, which has been WAYYYY overdue!! My baby cousin is moving in for the semester so I needed to get all of my things out of her room and closet as well as clean out my closet and throw away all the things that had piled up throughout the semester! Now that almost all the laundry is done and trash thrown away, now comes the more fun stuff....buying new organization things! Once I have everything situated how I want it I'm hoping to do an apartment tour post that has been overdue for about 3 years!! I'm also hoping to put together my first ever blog sale!

Once again I am linking up with Rachel @ Just Peachy for Top 5 Tuesday and this week's topic is jewelry! So here are some of my favorite pieces...

1. Michael Kors Multifunction Bracelet Watch in Tortoise - My parents got me this watch for Christmas last year and it hasn't left my arm since!! I absolutely love it and would be lost without it!

2. Sapphire Ring - This was a gift for my 22nd birthday and like my watch it has become an everyday staple! Sapphires aren't that delicate of stones (compared to pearls for example) so I feel safe wearing it. I usually don't go for this style of ring (more old-fashioned) but you all know since Kate Middleton came on the scene with Princess Diana's engagement ring that this ring has been popping up everywhere. I remember looking through all the jewelry stores' flyers and every single one had a similar ring.

3. David Yurman inspired chain necklace - I bought this necklace two years ago at Columbia's Junior League Holiday market and it immediately became a regular in my jewelry wardrobe. A lot of my friends have mistaken it for a DY piece and while the quality is not exactly DY, it's still a good substitution until I can afford the real thing!

4. Tiffany & Co. Return to Tiffany Heart Ring - I got this on my 17th birthday and it was my first piece of really nice jewelry. I wore it daily on my pinky finger and eventually the band molded to how it sat on my finger because I wore it so much! I thought I had lost this after I couldn't find it for over year but during this deep cleaning I found it my old Vera Bradley tote!

5. Mabe Pearl Earrings - I think pearls of any kind are timeless, so when my parents gave me these for my high school graduation I was SO excited! These are my daily go-to earrings and I always feel more put together when I wear them. These also started the tradition of my parents giving me pearls for a milestone event (necklace on my 21st birthday, bracelet for college graduation).

What are some of your favorite jewelry pieces?

xoxo

Natalie

Life via iPhone

2011-12-30T23:06:00.000-05:00

On December 15th, a very important event occured...I FINALLY got the iPhone 4s! To say I'm a tad obsessed with it may be an understatement! I've had an iPod touch for a couple years so I already had some favorite apps, but have definitely discovered some new favorites these past couple weeks! If you have any apps you just can't live without, lemme know!

I know I have been slacking on the blogging lately, so I thought I would share some photos I've taken with my new toy!

I became a college graduate on December 12th!! It was very much touch and go for a while there but I made it! I decided months ago I wanted to bedazzle my graduation cap and I am SOO happy with how it turned out!

This was the extent of my Christmas decorations. After finishing up finals, I ended up staying at my parent's house for about a week before heading over to my aunt's house to dog sit for 2 weeks. So there really was no time to bring out my tree :( But I absolutely love my Christmas wreath so I had to put it out, and it'll probably stay up until Valentine's day (it's pink and red...it works!!)

Couple graduation presents from my aunt...in case anyone was unsure what college I graduated from ;)

I told my mom I was so excited to start reading again. Since starting college I couldn't tell you the last book I actually read. I got this book for Christmas LAST year and could never find time to read it. I'm hoping in the new year I will be able to read at least one book a month!

Lusted just a tad over a pink mixer!

Admired my parent's Christmas tree

iPhone game obsession #1

New favorite earrings I ordered from piperlime

tracked Santa on Christmas eve!

Hung out with my favorite fur baby!!

Was spoiled on Christmas morning

Probably got most excited about this gift! Mom swore up and down she wasn't buying anything online, yet somehow this showed up under the tree ;)

Hit 50,000 miles on my car...meaning I'm no longer under warranty (much to my father sadness!)

iPhone game obsession #2

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and is looking forward to a fabulous new year!! 2011 was somewhat of a blah year so I am very much looking forward to 2012!

xoxo

Natalie

Versatile Blogger!

2011-12-21T13:49:00.001-05:00

Adelaide over at Sweet, Sassy, Southern, and Classy awarded me with The Versatile Blogger award! I received this award WAY back when I first started blogging, so I thought it would be fun to revisit and award it to some of my new favorite ladies!

Rules:

1. Nominate 15 fellow bloggers or however many of your choosing

2. Inform the bloggers of their nomination

3. Share 7 random things about yourself

4. Thank the blogger who nominated you.

5. Add the Versatile Blog award picture on your blog post.

7 Random Facts

1. I did not lose my first tooth until I was 8 years old. The teeth in my mouth are 'slow-developing' so that meant I had to pull 4 teeth just to get braces, and then it took over a year for those teeth to grow in! I'll have to get my wisdom teeth taken out eventually, but at this rate my 18 year old brother will be getting his out before me!

2. I have never dyed my hair. The only chemical process I have done is a perm when I was in 5th grade...which fell out 2 days later! :(

3. I spend so much money and have so many different skin care products, but I HATE washing my face at night! By the time I force myself to go to bed (usually around 2 or 3am), I am so tired all I wanna do is take out my contacts and pass out! PS- this is why they invented make-up removing cloths!

4. I am quickly becoming addicted to Bath and Body Works! I've always had their products in my cabinet from back in high school but never were my "go-to" items. But then came the candle obsession...and everything developed from there! I wish I was at home and could take pictures of my B&BW collections...I'm talking 15+ little PocketBacs (gotta have clean hands), 10+ candles, and countless bottles of lotion and body cream! Here is what I purchased at B&BW last week over a couple days....

If you aren't signed up for their emails, I definitely recommend it! They are always sending out coupons (which you dont even have to print off...just show them the email in the store!!) or $1 shipping codes.

ANYWAYS....back to the random facts!!

5. I eat a Publix sub at least once a week! I am a lover of almost all sandwiches, but there's something about Publix that is just so delicious! Plus it's super convenient considering I live just across the street from one!

6. I have decided to take a couple retailing classes in January, and I am SOO excited! All i have known my college career is biology, biology...and more biology! Like a total nerd, I was on Blackboard the other day and the lecture notes for my principles of retailing class were already uploaded, so like a total TOTAL nerd I was looking through the first lecture, and I can already tell I am going to be much more interested in this stuff than what I got my degree in! Here's hoping I may be one step closer to figuring out my life?!?!

7. This past week, if I'm not a work, this is the outfit I've been rockin...

Lazy Day Outfit by swtcarolinagrl featuring michael kors jewelry

...sexy right?!?!

I give this award to the following FABULOUS bloggers...
1. Turtles and Pearls
2. Just Peachy
3. Everyday AEM
4. Coffee at Nordstrom
5. Keep it Classy, Alabama
6. Let's Be Preppy!
7. Peaches & Pearls

Top 5 Tuesday: Finals Distractions

2011-12-06T13:41:00.001-05:00

Once again I am linking up with Rachel from Just Peachy for Top 5 Tuesday! Of course this week's topic is something that is lingering on the minds of college student everywhere...finals! I am in the middle of what is hopefully my last week of *undergrad* finals EVER! My first true final is Thursday evening and then the one that I am most worried about is Friday at 2pm.

Since I have had 4+ years of finals experience, I am an EXPERT at procrastination and finding things to distract me from studying! Here are what I have as my Top 5 distractions this exam season (in no particular order)...

1. College Football

Even though the regular season of college football is over, this post-season is giving us TONS to talk about (I'm currently watching the Experts on ESPNU)! I spent all day this past Saturday watching the SEC and ACC Championship games and now there's tons of talk about the BSC National Championship game and the Heisman. I've always been a big college football fan but for some reason this year I am OBSESSED! I love hearing all the differing opinions and we all love a good rivalry or two! ;)

2. Youtube

O my goodness Youtube is a HUGE distraction!! Yall know I am a beauty junkie and Youtube does nothing but contribute to this obsession! I subscribe to 40+ "beauty gurus", meaning I have about 60 videos sitting in my subscription box ready to watch. This also does nothing for my spending problem...so many items get added to my beauty shopping list from these videos!

**Side note: I've been thinking about doing a post highlighting my favorite Youtube "gurus". Would yall be interested in that?**

3. Law and Order SVU

Yall know this had to make the list! It's not only the show itself that causes a distraction (hello Tuesday marathons!) but its going online to watch sneak preview clips and get updated on the latest news. And it doesn't help that Mariska Hargitay has been out and about all over NYC, meaning there's tons of photos to ohh and ahh over!

Sephora Wants by swtcarolinagrl on polyvore.com

4. Sephora

A beauty junkie's dream! As a VIB Sephora sent me a $20 gift card to use but you have to spend a minimum of $50. So of course I've spend hours trying to decide what I wanted to purchase and making sure that no new items have been posted that I just have to have!!

5. Pinterest

I think Pinterest would show up on any college girl's procrastination list! At first you don't really get it, but then you start filling up your boards and it becomes an obsession! Pretty soon you have 20+ boards with hundreds of pins and you can't stop! Here are a few things I have pinned over the last couple days (click here to follow my boards!)

Source: theamericanlegacy.tumblr.com via Natalie on Pinterest

Source: media.photobucket.com via Natalie on Pinterest

Source: collegefootballstore.com via Natalie on Pinterest

Source: polyvore.com via Natalie on Pinterest

Some honorable mentions: Facebook, Twitter (I sorta don't count this cuz I have TweetDeck so all my tweets are directly on my desktop), Tumblr, Target

What are you Top 5 distractions? How did you get yourself to focus and actually get stuff done?!?

xoxo

Natalie

MIA and Giveaway!

2011-12-03T00:32:00.001-05:00

I know I know I've been absent from my blog for a couple weeks, and trust me I have missed it! Everyone knows the last couple weeks of the semester can be MAJOR crunch time, and of course this semester was no different!

On Thursday I attended my last classes as an undergrad. To say that it was a bittersweet day was an understatement. I didn't really have time to focus on the fact that is was my last day because in one of my classes I had 2 'make-up' tests (teacher lets you take if you don't do well on tests the 1st time), so I spent all night Wednesday studying for those, only to get to class and see that the tests were NOTHING like what the professor told us! A lot of people in this class are like me and just NINE days away from graduating, and this class is putting us in jeopardy from getting our diplomas because this teacher does NOT teach during lecture classes and tests on the most random things.

So that has been a major cause of stress for me. My final for the class is this coming Friday, and I am set to graduate on Monday. I feel like it's almost pointless to study because it obviously has done me NO good so far! But I'm going to do my best to stay motivated this week and study my a** off so I can walk across that stage!!

I hope everyone else who is knee-deep in schoolwork can keep the motivation. Just keep telling yourself that CHRISTMAS IS ALMOST HERE!!!! That's what's keeping me going!!

xoxo

Natalie

PS - Make sure you head over to Rachel's blog Just Peachy and enter her 200 followers giveaway! I'm hoping to get together a giveaway myself once I finish up with school!

Top 5 Tuesday: Nail Polish

2011-11-15T17:11:00.001-05:00

Once again I am linking up with Rachel at Just Peachy for Top 5 Tuesday! I missed out last week because I was sick so when I heard this week's topic I got really excited! Nail polish is something I have recently become OBSESSED with buying. This time last year I probably had about 10 bottles, now my collection is overtaking the drawer I keep them in! I can't help it...they're just so pretty! I looked at everyone else who linked up with Rachel and NONE of these colors were mentioned, so hopefully you will find a color you wanna try!

1. OPI We'll Always Have Paris

This color will always and forever be my number one favorite! When first discovering my nail polish obsession I quickly realized that a plain black polish was way too harsh for my skin. So naturally I have accumulated a TON of colors that are very dark but not quite black. I first bought this color when it was revealed this was the color Mariska Hargitay wore to the 2010 Emmys (are you really that surprised??) and once I put it on my nails I LOVED it! It makes me feel so sophisticated and I love the deep purple color (this coming from a girl who is NOT a fan of purple!).

2. Tasmanian Devil Made Me Do It

This color is the perfect color for summer! Even if I change my nail color, this is the color that I keep applying to my toes. It's such a bright red-orange color that looks great against a tan.

3. OPI Royal Rajah Ruby

I bought this color back in September when I realized I did not have ONE garnet nail polish in my collection! I had a couple reds but any Gamecock knows that red will just NOT cut it for football season! This color is the perfect shade of garnet and has the prettiest shimmers...perfect for any sunny day at Williams-Brice!

4. OPI Teenage Dream

This is the color that started my glitter obsession! I know some people think glitter polish makes you look like a 5 year old, and I do agree it may not be appropriate for all occasions, but just look at it! This color became a HUGE hit when the Katy Perry collection came out and quickly became hard to find. A big complaint with glitter polishes is that it takes ton of coats to make it look opaque, but 2 coats of this and you're good to go!

5. China Glaze Skyscraper

I haven't actually used this nail polish yet, but it is the newest baby added to my collection that I can't WAIT to try! I think it's a great glitter polish that is a great color for the fall/winter.

So as you can see OPI is definitely my favorite brand (who can resist the cute names!) but I have been a little underwhelmed with their latest collections. I was all set to buy some of the polishes from the Muppets collection, but after reading blog reviews and seeing swatches I decided to pass. Reading beauty blogs is definitely a good way to see what new collections are coming out and making lists for your next shopping trip!

Are there any nail polish colors you just can't live without? Let me know...you can never have too many!! ;)

xoxo

Natalie

October Birchbox

2011-11-02T09:00:00.000-04:00

Nothing like posting about last month's box on the 2nd day of the new month! If you're not family with Birchbox, I explained it in last month's post. Let me know if you have used any of these products before and what you think of them! I haven't had a chance to use any of these products enough to give an opinion on them, hence the lack of "initial thoughts" this month!

All the products in this month's box

Information card

AHAVA Rich Cleansing Cream

Description: A gentle, non-lathering cleanser that whisks away dirt, oil, and makeup faster than you can say 'non-drying.'

Size received: 0.68 fluid oz.

Full size: 3.4 fl oz for $30

Retail value: $4.31

Befine Lip Serum

Description: A lip-healing wonder: Befine's vitamin-rich Lip Serum heals and smoothes cracked or dry lips.

Size received: 0.34 fl oz

Full size: Comes in the BeLips Duo with a lip exfoliator. The duo costs $25

Retail value: $12.50

Laura Geller Spackle Tinted Under Makeup Primer in Bronze

Description: This hydrating primer gives you a flawless foundation for makeup - plus a subtle glow. It works on all skin tones - we tested it!

Size received: 0.5 oz

Full size: 2 oz for $25

Retail value: $6.25

Orofluido Beauty Elixir

Description: We don't know what we love more - this hair treatment's trio of nourishing essential oils (argan, linseed, cyperus) or its intoxicating vanilla amber scent.

Size received: 0.17 fl oz

Full size: 3.4 fl oz

Retail value: $1.47

The Laundress Delicate Wash

Description: Laundry just got a little more civilized. Use this elegant wash on all your special items.

Size received: 0.5 fl oz

Full size: 16 fl oz for $19.00

Retail value: $0.60

Box's total retail value: $25.13

xoxo

Natalie

Top 5 Tuesday: October Favorites

2011-11-01T22:18:00.000-04:00

I'm linking up with Rachel @ Just Peachy again for Top 5 Tuesday, and this week's theme is Top 5 October favorites. Let me know if you link up because I would LOVE to read!

1. Bath and Body Works Paris Amour Triple Moisture Body Cream

I started using this before October, but I used up this last little bit of it this month and have had to resist buying more! I'm only resisting because I have SO many different body lotions and creams that I need to use up others, but I swear none of them moisturize like this body cream, even B&BW's lotion isn't as good. And if I can remember correctly, this is the first Bath and Body Works product I have finished COMPLETELY!!

2. Davines Love Lovely Curl Enhancing Shampoo & Conditioner

I will admit that I was having a total fan-girl moment when I purchased these 2 products. The guy who does Mariska Harigtay's hair on SVU is on twitter and was getting so many questions about what they were doing to her hair this season and what products they were using, and he mentioned that this was the shampoo/conditioner pair they were using. I had never heard of Davines before, and it's a little more pricey than what I usually pay, but thanks to eBay I got the 2 for a decent price.

I've only been able to use these a couple times since I got them in mid-October, but each time I've used them I have LOVED the results! I can't tell you how many products I have (shampoos, conditioners, styling products etc) that I used to attempt the "tousled, effortless" waves/curls with no luck. I use these at night and stick my wet hair up in a bun while I sleep and when I wake up, I have the tousled look!!

3. Dr. Pepper 10

I may have found a new soft drink fave! I had a coupon for a free 2-liter of the new Dr. Pepper 10 and when I got it home I almost drank the whole thing in one night! It's much sweeter than Diet Dr. Pepper without all the calories of regular Dr. Pepper. Don't listen to the advertising campaign ladies, this drink is NOT just for men!

4. Gamecock Football

College football is one of my favorite things about fall in general, but October is when things really start to get interesting. At this point all the games are important, tough games that have the "we have to win" mentality. And for the most part the Gamecocks have done their job! It hasn't been pretty, and we've definitely had our struggles (our QB suddenly being dismissed, star RB getting injured and being out for the season, etc) but the important this is that we're 7-1!! Here's hoping the month of November is kind to the Gamecocks as well!

5. Fall TV

Just like football, fall television gets into full swing during the month of October. It's when you can see what new shows are actually going to make it and you need to keep in your schedule and which ones you need toss aside (and you hope the network feels the same)! I'm hoping to have a post up soon about my new fall TV faves and my tv 'schedule', but until then...

Fave returning show: Law and Order SVU (duh!)

Fave new show: Revenge (SOO good!)

BONUS: Birthday month

October will always and forever be my favorite month since it is my birthday month!! I just couldn't write a post about October without mentioning it haha. I had a fabulous birthday and can't wait to see what the rest of the year has in store!

xoxo

Natalie

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T20:44:00.003-04:00

Happy Halloween!!

One of my favorite beauty bloggers/Youtubers Amarixe posts a

questionnaire every Monday so I thought this would be a great post

for Halloween!

Leave your responses below or post on your blog so I can

read them!

1) Mood

exhausted. it has been an very tiring/emotionally exhausting day

2) When was the last time you carved a pumpkin?

o goodness probably when I was 10 or 11

3) What is your favorite Halloween candy?

Nonchocolate: candy corn

Chocolate: Butterfingers

4) What is your favorite Halloween memory?

Gonna have to say Halloween party sophomore year. I dressed up

as the ever popular Sarah Palin and definitely had a

fun time dancing the night away!

5) Do you believe in ghosts/spirits?

I definitely believe that loved ones we have lost are watching over

and at times are right there with us, but I don't believe

in the spooky ghost types.

6) Were you allowed to dress up at school for Halloween as a kid?

I'm almost sure we were allowed in elementary school, but not in

middle/high school since I went to a private Christian school.

7) Did you trick-or-treat as a kid? At what age did you stop?

Of COURSE I did!! My mom made me quit at 13 but I still went

around with my little brother and his friends so a couple years I

still got candy! :)

8) What is your favorite Halloween movie?

I am NOT a fan of scary movies! I can't even think of a movie that I

like that has anything to do with Halloween!

9) Did you dress up for Halloween this year? If so, as what?

I was invited to a Halloween party/downtown at the VERY last

minute (like that afternoon) so I played it safe and went as a

Carolina football player!

10) Weekly goals

.
Call Time Warner to fix bill

Clean apartment since whole family could potentially be coming

over Saturday!

Start studying for next week's plant test :/

xoxo

Natalie

Top 5 Tuesday: Purfume

2011-10-25T23:04:00.000-04:00

In an attempt to get back into blogging, I've decided to link up with Rachel at Just Peachy for Top 5 Tuesday. This week's theme was perfumes, and this way more tough than I thought it would be since I'm obsessed with all things beauty! Nevertheless I was able to come up with the 5 scents that will always have a spot in my collection. Let me know if you link up as well...I would love to read your top 5!

1. Viva la Juicy by Juicy Couture

I was on a mission to buy another perfume just for the sake of buying when I came across this AMAZING scent! I was in Kohls and spritzed this on my wrist and immediately fell in love. As I was shopping the rest of the day I couldn't stop smelling my wrist!! So I had to go back and get it! I got the smaller bottle and used up almost half in the first month that I had it. I don't wear perfume everyday (see favorite body sprays next) but when I do this is the first one I grab!

2. Bath and Body Work Twilight Woods

When I initially smelled this scent in the store I was not a fan. But one balmy Saturday in the South my friends and I were sitting in Williams-Brice getting ready to watch out Gamecocks play, when my friend whipped this out of her purse and sprayed it all around us. I was in love! Its definitely a more sensual scent but since it's in the body spray form it is light enough to be wore during the day. I have the mini version in my purse at all times and spray it a couple times if I rushed out the door without a fragrance or need a refresher throughout the day.

3. Bath and Body Works White Citrus

This was my signature scent this summer! I had a coupon for a free Signature B&BW item and my mom suggested this scent. I usually go for more girly/florally scents so something fruity was a bit of stretch, but I used over half of the full-sized bottle in about 3 months! While it is more of a summer scent, I still find myself reaching for it when I need an energizing pick-me-up.

4. The Beat by Burberry

This was my perfume discovery last summer! I got this scent as a sample when I ordered from Sephora and couldn't help but wear it everyday. Like I said I tend to gravitate towards girly scents, so this one caught me by surprise! It almost smells uni-sex but it has just the little something that makes it girl-oriented (they do have a men's version). Next time you're in the store definitely give this one a sniff!

5. Very Hollywood by Michael Kors

And were back to the girly scents! I only have this one in a rollerball but I still love it! If you're uncertain about a scent I definitely recommend grabbing it in a rollerball and seeing how you like it before splurging on a full bottle. Plus they're really easy to carry around in your purse if you don't feel like hauling around a mini body spray. ANYWAYS...this scent is SUPER girly and floral smelling! Some say its a scent more suitable for nighttime, but I think it's perfectly fine for daytime as long as you don't get too heavy handed! Plus the bottle is so pretty (and we all know thats half the reason we buy perfume!)

Here's hoping I'm back to a more scheduled posting!

xoxo

Natalie

Happy Birthday to ME!! (and Ashley)

2011-10-11T01:22:00.000-04:00

This is me and my friend Ashley.

Her birthday is on October 11th.

My birthday is on October 11th.

Making us BIRTHDAY TWINS!!

So I thought it was only appropriate to post this video from one of my favorite movies EVER!!

Here's to making my 22nd year (and Ash's 23rd) our best years YET!!

xoxo

Natalie

September Birchbox

2011-09-28T09:00:00.000-04:00

As a self-proclaimed beauty junkie, when I heard about Birchbox I thought it was a FABULOUS idea! If you haven't heard of it, Birchbox is a $10 monthly subscription service where each month you receive a box of beauty goodies, and more often then not your box retail value exceeds your $10 purchase price.

I began subscribing to Birchbox a couple months ago after watching so many Youtube videos and being jealous of all the awesome samples everyone was getting. It's a great way expose yourself to new brands and products of skincare, makeup, haircare, and other fun things.

So without further adieu, here is what I received in this month's box.

Here is how the box typically looks every month

Each box also comes with a card with a note from the Birchbox girls as well as a list of the all the products your box contains.

Box contents

**things were packaged a little neater, but I took a sneak peak before this photo!**

*not sure why this pic flipped??*

Incoco Nail Polish Applique

Description on info card: We all have a wild side. Eye-catching nail strips are the latest trends - try them on your fingers or toes.

Size I received: 12 strips

Full size: 16 strips for $7.99

Retail value: $5.99

Initial Thoughts: Every month I get on Birchbox's facebook page and *somewhat stalk* what people have already gotten in their boxes, so I knew these were coming. People who had already received their boxes had gotten zebra and weird leopard color patterns, so I wasn't looking forward to these. But when I saw that I had gotten blue glitter ones, I was thrilled! I have had a slight obsession with glitter nail polish recently, so I am much more inclined to try these out!

*again apologize for the wonky photo*

Jouer Lip Enhancer

Description on info card: Why settle for plain 'ol lip balm when you can hydrate, plump, and condition all in one go? Right, we thought so.

Size I received: 0.07 fluid ounces

Full size: $14 for 0.33 fluid ounces

Retail value: $2.97

Initial Thoughts: I am OBSESSED with Jack Black Intense Therapy Lip Balm (@ Sephora) so I'm not really in the market for a new lip balm. However, I have only used this once and like it as well! I only used the Jack Black lip balm at night because it is rather thick. This once is lighter and smoother and could potentially be a go-to lip balm for the day. And you only need the tiniest bit!

LIV GRN Earth Eau de Parfum

Description on info card: Made from sustainable ingredients, this sultry scent is laced with jasmine and sandalwood. Plus, ten percent of sales go directly to Global Green, an environmental non-profit.

Size I received: No sized listed, but I compared it to a typically perfume sample which is 1.5 ml or 0.05 fluid ounces

Full size: 3.4 fluid ounces for $60

Retail value: $0.88

Initial Thoughts: Is it weird to say that this smells like a green perfume? My initial reaction is that it smells kinda soapy and not a scent that I would naturally gravitate towards.

Pangea Organics Facial Cream for Normal to Combination Skin

Description on info card: An all-natural moisturizer, with antioxidant-rich grape extracts and essential oils, keeps skin both hydrated and shine-free.

Size I received: 1.0 fluid ounces

Full size: 2.0 fluid ounces for $36

Retail value: $18.00

Initial Thoughts: I got so excited when I saw this in my box! I am a big skincare junkie and am always looking for the next best thing to get rid of acne and help cleanse my skin. Surprisingly I've never tried any natural skincare, so I am very excited to see how this works. I have heard a lot of good things about the Pangea brand, so hopefully I will have luck with this. And this is a VERY generous sample size!

Treat: Birchbox Friendship Bracelet

Retail value: unknown

Thoughts: While it is a nice gesture, I highly doubt I will actually wear this bracelet. Someone said it reminded them of a kabbalah bracelet, and now thats all I can think of when I look at it. Nevertheless, it is nice that the girls at Birchbox thought of us on their birthday :)

Total Box Value: $27.84!

Are you subscribed to Birchbox?? If so what did you get in your box this month??

Please let me know if you liked this post. Hopefully I'll get around to posting my Birchbox every month!

**I purchased my Birchbox subscription with my own money. I was not "gifted" anything and not compensated for my opinion.**

Day in Athens

2011-09-12T21:02:00.000-04:00

This past Saturday Dad and I made the trip down to Athens to see the Gamecocks take on the Georgia Bulldogs. Dad got his undergraduate degree at UGA and his masters at USC so I've always harped him about going down to Athens and "reliving his college days." Needless to say the whole time we were down there all he could say was that it looked almost NOTHING like he remembered and the trees were much bigger than he remembered (to which I promptly told him that the trees had 30 years to grow! They don't stay the same size!)

Lemme just say though...Athens is NOT an easy town to get around!! If you've every been to Williams-Brice stadium, you know it's not on USC's campus, but about a mile down the road by our fairgrounds. Therefore, there is PLENTY of parking and you don't have to be afraid if you car is gonna get towed or not. So needless to say, after the parking/traffic situation, we were MORE than ready to get into the stadium and mix ourselves a little cocktail (hey Dad wanted to relive the good ole days, I was only happy to oblige!)

Our first view of Sanford Stadium and the back of the scoreboard

Full view of the stadium our way up the stairs

First time back at his Alma Mater in 30 years!!

My first visit to another SEC stadium!

As you can see our seats were pretty awesome! Yea we were in the 600-section, BUT we were on the 50 yard line and surrounded by fellow Gamecock fans!

View of the campus

Halfta say Sanford's scoreboard is really nice!

Hopefully when ours is updated it'll be similar to this

(Notice the final score!)

All the Georgia fans leaving early when they thought it was over.

It was easily the CRAZIEST game, let alone 4th quarter I have EVER seen!

Field after we WON!

Carolina flag waving in all its glory!!

Sea of people going across the bridge after the game

Sea of people to the left. 20 minutes after the game is over.

So the game ended at 8:15. We hung out in the stadium till around 8:30 then began making our way down and out towards our car. Since the parking was SO atrocious, we FINALLY got to our car around 9:15. THEN we sat in MORE traffic with the non-working traffic lights. Fortunately, the route we chose took us through sorority row so we at least had some nice scenery.

Sorry for the major blurriness but this was the Kappa Kappa Gamma house!

So glad I got to see it.

Gamma Phi Beta

Apologies for another bad pic but this is the Chi Omega house.

My dad got super excited when he saw this because all throughout college he was the Chi O house boy!! He said the house looks exactly the same as he remembered and was just stunned it was still the same house!

Another pic of Chi O.

Once we turned off sorority row we thought we were home free, but O NOOO!!! There was even MORE traffic! We FINALLY made it out of athens around 10:30pm...TWO HOURS after the game ended!!

Overall it was an AWESOME weekend!! I got to spend an entire day with my dad watching the Gamecock on a beautiful Saturday. What more could a girl ask for???

Accent Tag!! + mini haul

2011-09-01T22:31:00.001-04:00

Accent Tag + mini haul from natalie hames on Vimeo.

I recorded this yesterday but only posted it to twitter so I wanted to make sure to share it with all my readers who aren't on twitter (which you should be!) I've been watching these accent vlogs all last night and tonight and they are hilarious! It's also cool to be able to put a face/voice to some favorite bloggers/twitter friends! Make sure to leave a comment below if you decide to record one!
Directions are as follows: The instructions are to say these words:
Aunt, Route, Wash, Oil, Theater, Iron, Salmon, Caramel, Fire, Water, Sure, Data, Ruin, Crayon, Toilet, New Orleans, Pecan, Both, Again, Probably, Spitting image, Alabama, Lawyer, Coupon, Mayonnaise, Syrup, Pajamas, Caught

And answer these questions:
What is it called when you throw toilet paper on a house?
What is the bug that when you touch it, it curls into a ball?
What is the bubbly carbonated drink called?
What do you call gym shoes?
What do you say to address a group of people?
What do you call the kind of spider that has an oval-shaped body and extremely long legs?
What do you call your grandparents?
What do you call the wheeled contraption in which you carry groceries at the supermarket?
What do you call it when rain falls while the sun is shining?
What is the thing you use to change the TV channel?

Where my Head is at

2011-07-26T23:51:00.004-04:00

I apologize in advance. This post is long and not very well thought out aka scatterbrained. I did not sit down and anticipate writing about all this, but this is what came out. If you get to the end, CONGRATS! I am so thankful for ALL my readers and welcome ANY advice you may have! Now, without further adieu....

4 years ago I was a 17 year old girl getting ready to enter the college world. I still wasn't old enough to legally sign papers with my parents, yet I thought I had my whole life figured out. I was gonna complete 2 years of undergrad, go straight into pharmacy school, and graduate in 2013 with a Pharm.D.

Funny how things work out. Turns out that getting A's in college is MUCH harder than in high school, and even though I told myself I was gonna work hard now that my classes actually mattered *haha* my grades still weren't good enough. I am now finishing up a degree that was only supposed to be a stepping stone, and flippantly decided to add a minor to (a) buy some time and (b) I came to the conclusion that jobs I could maybe want have nothing to do with my major

I'm not going to go through the whole story of why pharmacy school didn't work out, or how it took me 3 years to discover this (I'm sure I wrote a post about this at some point, and if you REALLY wanna know all the deets, email me), but all I know is that I have put that on the list of things I do not wanna do anymore.

Here's the problem.....

I have absolutely NO idea what I want to do with my life

***Before you comment and say that I am young and have plenty of time to figure this out, at least read the rest of the post and see what I'm feeling.***

YES I know that I am only 21 years old and in the grand scheme of things that is young, but with my circumstances and surroundings I can't help but feel that I need to figure out some sort of direction. With the exception of 2 other friends who are also graduating in December, everyone else has graduated with their degree. While they might not have jobs right now, at least they know WHAT they wanna do. I DON'T!

I decided not to take a class this month in the hopes of "getting my life together", at least thats what I told everyone. When in fact I am more confused than ever as to where I am going or where I want to end up. It's so discouraging when I come across a career that I could potentially see myself doing, only to have to put that on the "not able to" list because I have already shot myself in the foot with my GPA. Yes I realize that I have no one to blame but myself for that one, but it's still hard when there is very little I can do about it now. And yes I could take classes and raise it, but it would essentially take an extra semester taking hard science classes and making all A's, and by looking at my track record that just doesn't seem plausible.

Another reason I feel that I need to figure this out is the fact that I am graduating in December. Yes this does give me an extra semester essentially in the spring to firmly decide what I want but I have GOT to get the ball rolling on SOMETHING! I mean I need to decide if I need to take the GRE (which will probably happen) and start looking at post grad work or maybe I need to really delve into the job market and see what's out there.

I just feel like at this point in college I should have a general idea of what I would like to do. And I don't. And that's hard to say because to a lot of people I want to give off the notion that yes my life is put together and I'm doing ok. But in reality I feel like my life is in shambles. I have these random thoughts and careers bouncing around in my head and I feel like some are just so out there that I'm terrified of going for them. For some, it would essentially mean requiring a ENTIRE NEW degree and area of study. I DO NOT WANNA START ALL OVER AGAIN! But what if it meant finding what I really want to do?? I just don't know and I don't know how to find internships or jobs to explore these options.

If this post wasn't jumbled up enough as it is, here are some of the career ideas that I have been bouncing around....

Cosmetic Chemist
Genetic Counselor
Sports Broadcaster
Broadcast Journalist
Retail Buyer
Dermatological Physician's Assistant
Forensic Chemist
Pharmaceutical Rep
SOMETHING in the beauty industry (but what??)
Mariska Hargitay (haha just kidding!) or am I?!? ;)

haha that last one WAS a joke! This post needed some humor

So anyways as you can see my mind is all over the place. And about half of them require starting over so to speak. I would love to explore these options further, but I don't know how.

That is kind of why I wrote this post. I truly wrote it for a number of reasons

(a) because I feel like I have all these thoughts bundled up inside and I needed to put them SOMEWHERE

(b) maybe one day I can look back on this post and realize that hey I was a lot closer to figuring out my life that I thought (hey i can dream right?)

(c) to get input. I have met some amazing people through this blogging world and truly value the relationships I have developed. Which also means I value your opinion. Maybe by writing this out, someone would maybe know someone I could just email and talk to about their career or something. I don't know! Maybe YOU are in one of these industries and have some advice. I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR IT! I am open to anything at this point. Even if you know a website where I could look at jobs or internships or something.

So this is where my head is at right now. Like I said in the beginning, CONGRATS if you made it all the way through!! And again I value any and all advice you have. If you would rather email me (I LOVE email!) my email is

uscnmh {at} gmail {dot} com

Thank you so much for reading and sticking with this!

I love you all

xoxo

Recent Hauling

2011-07-07T09:00:00.001-04:00

While I was taking my summer class, my days were consumed with formulas and titrations and frantically fitting all I could on a notecard the night before a test. Now that my class is OVER (and PTL I got a B!) I have more time for things I love...like shopping of course!

Here are some things I have picked up over the last couple weeks...

I actually went to a different Bath and Body Works again during their Semi-Annual sale from the haul I showed in the video and picked up just a couple more things. The sale is over but I went into B&BW yesterday and they still had a couple tables with things clearanced out.

Now that we have a Forever 21 in town its so hard for me to purchase jewelry anywhere else! This was a small purchase but I have already bought 5 other pairs of earrings and a couple rings.

Can you believe all these earrings only cost $4.80! Main reason I bought these is because I needed a pair of earrings to wear to work that wouldn't hurt my ears since I'm on the phone a large part of my day. The smallest balls will probably be too little but I'm excited to try the 2 larger options.

This is the first time I have bought anything beauty-related at Forever 21. I needed a light blue nail polish because I bought the OPI Last Friday Night from the Katy Perry collection, which is a the blue glitter polish. Unlike Last Friday Night from that collection, it is a very sheer glitter, so I bought this light blue polish to use as a base. Hopefully it will be a decent enough polish!

My mom and I recently took a day trip to Charlotte for some shopping and you know I had a list prepared for Sephora!! I didn't get as much as had planned (my mom doesn't quite understand my beauty obsession and I didn't wanna give her sticker shock!) but did get a few fun things!

This is my absolute most favorite lip balm!! If you can't read it, it's the Jack Black intense therapy lip balm in lemon and chamomile. At $7.50 it is a little pricier than drugstore lip balms, but I only use it at night right before I go to bed so 1 tube lasts me almost 6 months. My lips get really dry at night, especially in the winter, and this by far has given me the best results. If you look on Sephora.com they have a special duo thats only $10 for 2 of the full sized tubes (different flavors) so I definitely suggest checking these out!

I have been on the hunt for a "waterproof" eyeliner that actually stays on my water line. I have tried numerous drug store varieties and even the famous Urban Decay 24/7 pencil and nothing has worked. So while I was in Sephora I wanted to pick up a new option but didn't want to spend a ton of money. I quickly found out that most high end brands do not sell and black-brown eyeliner! They would have black, all the crazy colors, and a rich chocolate brown, but no black-brown. (I have the UD 24/7 pencil in Whiskey and the brown color just looks weird on me) So I decided for $9 I would try this Sephora pencil. Hopefully it has put an end to my search!!

The product I was MOST excited about purchasing was my NARS Laguna Bronzer! I bought a kit from Sephora way back during their friends and family sale that had a mini size of the Orgasm/Laguna duo. I always thought that I would fall for the Orgasm blush and would just toss the bronzer aside, but O NO MY FRIEND! This bronzer is amazing!!!

I quickly found out that NARS' Orgasm blush has quite a few drugstore dupes that are almost the exact same or very very similar, but I had been having a really hard time finding something like Laguna. The awesome thing about Laguna is that it has very little to no shimmer in comparison to the other bronzers I own. If you look in the pan it does have a little sparkle, but it barely shows up on the face. It's great for an all-over face application that will give you that great summer glow as long as you use a light hand. It's also great for contouring if you use a little bit more product. It is definitely pricey at $33 (probably the most I've spend on a single makeup product! **not including palettes**) but its a pretty good size and I never need to buy another bronzer!

As excited as I was about the bronzer, my Toms were by far my most favorite purchase of the day!!! I had heard very little about Toms until about a year ago when they quickly become popular on campus. I had seen all the different glitter pairs and fell in love! I'd been debating for a while now whether or not to get a pair (are they my style? would I really wear them?) but I finally bit the bullet and got the black glitter! The black is definitely the most subtle of the glitter options, so I figured I would get the most use out of them and would be able to wear them to work.

I wore them 2 days ago running around town and have to say they were pretty comfortable! The true test will be a long work day when I'm on my feet for 8 hours, so we'll see what I say then! But I so happy I decided to get them, and it's also great that a child in need will also be getting a pair of shoes!

So those are the things I have purchase over the last month or so. I'm trying my best not the spend too much money the rest of summer so I can save for bills (ugh!) and a potential big purchase later on!

Have you bought anything recently you just absolutely love??

Any recommendations on a truly waterproof eyeliner??

Hope yall are having a fabulous week! My June favorites post should be up in the next day or so!

xoxo

Natalie

I LOVE GROUPON!

2011-06-14T13:47:00.005-04:00

Thanks to Groupon, my friend Jordan and I will now be seeing these 2 ladies in Atlanta July 17!!!!

When I found out Britney Spears was bring her Femme Fatale tour to ATL, I immediately wanted to snatch up some tickets! When she last came on her Circus tour my friend and I had planned to go but nothing every really came out of it. Flash forward to this year, we looked at tickets this year and tickets in the 400 level started at $50!! So when I saw this deal Groupon had thanks to the @_grits aka Nicole on twitter, I immediately called my friend Jordan and got us some tickets. In the end, we got 2 tickets in the 300 level for just $30 a piece!!

So lesson learned, sign up for Groupon not just in your city, but in cities you like to visit as well! I would have never known about this otherwise, so you know I am definitely signed up for Atlanta's groupons now!

If you would like to sign up for Groupons in your area, just click here and start getting some awesome deals!!

Hope everyone is having a fabulous Tuesday! Let me know if you have been to a Britney concert and how it was!

What I did this weekend

2011-06-12T19:49:00.003-04:00

Met the parentals for breakfast here...

...did more damage at the sale here...

...went to dinner here...

...to watch some of this...

(Gamecock victory! game 2 tonight!)

And of course a typical weekend would not be complete without some studying here and there.

What did you do this weekend??

June 10 haul video

2011-06-10T22:12:00.003-04:00

Today was an awesome day. As of right now I am in full swing with my first summer class, and needless to say these first two weeks have been filled with class, lab reports, online homework and tests :( not much time for relaxation or retail therapy! Thankfully today (after I did some homework of course haha) I was able to meet up with my cousin for a late lunch at Olive Garden and headed over to do some shopping. And thankfully I was FINALLY able to upload a video and have it actually work! Every time I've filmed with my webcam and uploaded to Youtube, my sound and picture would not be in synch (a HUGE pet peeve of mine when watching). But I uploaded this one to vimeo and thank goodness it worked!! So here is a haul of what I purchased today from Ulta, Bath and Body Works, and Victoria's Secret.

June 10 Haul from natalie hames on Vimeo.

***Links to Items Mentioned***

The blog sale where I bought OPI Teenage Dream no longer has any, BUT if you search for it on amazon it brings up many sellers with some available (and cheaper than I got it!)
Benefit Movers & Fakers kit - at Ulta
Benefit 6 piece skincare kit - at Benefit (was not on Ulta's website)
TRESemme Tres Two Extra Firm Control Hairspray - at Amazon

**visit Pink Lou Lou's FABULOUS blog here!!**

Bath and Body Works Items

Victoria's Secret Items not online. check stores for availability!!

Hope yall had a great week and start of a FABULOUS weekend!!! xoxo

***all items were purchased by me. I am not being compensated for mentioning any products***

Getting to know you Sunday

2011-05-22T19:46:00.003-04:00

First time linking up for Getting to know you Sunday! Lemme know if you participate :)

1. What's your favorite rainy day activity?

sleeping in, then lounging on the couch watching mindless tv

2. What time do you go to bed?

haha it could be anywhere from 12am to 4am. On a typical night about 1am.

3. How many magazines do you subscribe to?

o goodness I think two right now...Glamour and Lucky

4. Did you sell all your belongings because you thought the world was ending yesterday?

haha no.

5. What's your beauty obsession?

anything NARS! and mascara

6. If you could only wear one designer/brand for the rest of your life...what would it be?

o goodness thats hard! I'm gonna cheat and use a store....Nordstrom

7. What's your summer must have?

norts!!

8. Do you make weekly dinner menus?

haha considering I don't cook....no!

My excuse for not blogging

2011-05-22T19:09:00.002-04:00

I had every intention of getting back into a blogging routine once school finished up, but as you can see that just didn't happen. And my excuse is this....

Pinterest seems to be the newest online craze. Pretty much all it is is a way for you to save/organize all your favorite photos online and share them with other "pinners" and your followers. Sounds like a simple enough concept but trust me its SOO addicting!!! I've been a member for about a week and have already created 18 boards (basically categories for your pics) and 294 pins!!!

You have to be invited by a member in order to become a part of Pinterest, so let me know if you would like to become a part of the fun!!!!

Rent the Runway

2011-05-12T15:30:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone! School is FINALLY over! Well, until summer school...BUT nevertheless I'm going to be soaking up my few weeks of freedom as much as I can. This summer also seems to be the start of wedding fever in my circle of friends. I think all 20-somethings encounter this stage at some point, and boy can it get costly! And with each of these events you don't want to have to buy a new dress every single time, but repeating a dress over and over won't work either. That's why Rent the Runway is SUCH a great idea! RTR has a ton of different brands and styles of dresses that would be perfect for a variety of events. I know a couple of my sorority sisters have ordered dresses from them for formal and have been very pleased!

The basic concept of RTR is that you pay just a fraction of the cost of what these dresses would normally cost to rent them out for a 4-day period. You just pick your size and the dates you need it. Oftentimes you can also get the dress you decide on in 2 sizes to insure that one fits perfectly! They also have a growing collection of accessories that you can rent for your big night as well.

Below are just some of my favorite dresses RTR has to offer. As you can see there are so many different options EVERYONE would be able to find the perfect look for whatever occasion!

Can you tell I'm just slightly obsessed with Lela Rose?!!

(A favorite of Mariska's!)

Thinking about renting this one for a wedding at the end of the month.

Have you or anyone you know used Rent the Runway? What was your experience??

**I posted this 2 days ago but with all the Blogger issues I had to repost!**

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T21:38:00.002-04:00

My momma is without a doubt my best friend. From a very young age my mom and I have had a close relationship. (Yes, I am that girl who tended to hang out more with her mom than her friends) As I get older, I realize that friends, some who I thought would forever have my back, can let you down, but your mom will ALWAYS be there, not matter what. I've done some good things, and I've done some pretty dumb things, and for each and every one my mom has been there (and dad too, but that post comes next month!).

I can talk to my mom about pretty much anything, whether its trying to decide what to do with my life, the latest thing I shouldn't have bought, or my obsession with SVU. She may not understand my lazy tendencies, the fact that i can never be on time, or my procrastinating ways (in all fairness, i get these traits from my dad haha), but she loves me just the same.

Hope all the mothers out there had a wonderful day. I hope you felt special, treasured, and loved. Us kids may not say it enough, but we love yall and are so thankful for all the sacrifices you have made to make sure we had the most out of life.

I LOVE YOU MOM!

college problems

2011-05-02T02:40:00.000-04:00

{via}

At 9am this morning I will be taking what will *hopefully* be my last biochemistry test in undergrad. This class has been without a doubt THE HARDEST class I have taken in college yet, even worse than organic chemistry!

prayers and good thoughts would be WONDERFUL!!!!

Hope everyone has a lovely start to their week!

#notwinning

2011-04-30T19:58:00.002-04:00

missing my senior bar crawl cuz i have to study for my biochem final

i better make an A!

TMI Tuesday!

2011-04-19T09:00:00.001-04:00

Hey everyone! I am swamped with the last-week-of-school work pileup but I wanted to do a TMI Tuesday since that would be a fairly easy post to crank out. I PROMISE I will post more regularly when exams are finished!! As always play along if you would like :)

1. Mood:

Feeling pretty accomplished since I just finished my Senior Seminar presentation! But also overwhelmed with the rest of the deadlines I have this week.

2. Do you write in cursive?

No. If I'm writing quickly my letters will link together but I wouldn't call it 'cursive'

3. When was the last time you ate Sour Patch Kids?

about 3 weeks ago as one of my frozen yogurt toppings :)

4. Current Nail Polish:

still OPI's Last Friday Night

5. What is your favorite makeup removing product?

if I'm taking off just a normal day's worth, philosophy purity made simple cleanser

if it's after a night out or some heavy duty makeup, neutrogena's facial wipes

6. Do you prefer to shower at night or in the morning?

morning! If I shower and wash my hair at night it will look like a hot mess in the AM!

7. Current outfit:

KKG cupid's cocktail tee and blue plaid sleep shorts

8. Halter tops - yay or nay?

can be a cute look that can be VERY bad VERY quickly!

9. What is your favorite Disney movie?

this is the hardest question! My first love was Little Mermaid, but I also love The Lion King, Sleeping Beauty, Enchanted...is all of the above an option???

10. Weekly goals:

get everything done so I can have a relatively simple exam week. As long as I get through Friday I'll be good!

To-Do List Update

2011-04-14T22:54:00.002-04:00

So after 2 days, I am pretty pleased to say I have made a pretty good dent in my to-do list. The pink highlighted items were done Tuesday night, blue = Wednesday, and orange is the things I did today. The majority of what is left is preparing for studying for exams and events I have to go to.

Only 6 more days of class!! Then exams and I am OFFICIALLY done with 4 years of college! The classes I take this summer and in the fall are just my "super senior victory lap"! I can hardly believe I have made it through these first 4 years, and can only imagine what the next 4 hold!!

xoxo

End of Semester To-Do List

2011-04-12T21:53:00.002-04:00

Its that time of the semester. You're down to the last 2 weeks of classes and all of a sudden it feels like you have SO much to do and no time to do it! Enter the end of the semester to-do list!!

I have avoided writing everything down I need to do because writing it down makes it seem too real! But now that I've done it, I'm SUPER overwhelmed!!! I have blog posts lined up that I want to do but just don't have time! So *hopefully* I'll at least be blogged daily or every other day with an update on how my to-do list is going.

xoxo

What I'm LOVING Wednesday

2011-04-07T00:25:00.004-04:00

Ok so technically it isn't Wednesday anymore BUT I thought this was too appropriate not to use WILW. Let me just preface this by saying....

today started out awful! I set my alarm for 7am so that I could wake up and study for my spanish test that was at 10:10. Well, I didn't wake up till 9:40, so I had to rush out the door without washing my face or makeup and made it to my test just in time. Needless to say I didn't do much studying before hand.
Wednesdays are my long days where I go from 10:10am until 5pm. From 2:30 to 5 I am in lab, and if you've ever had a college lab, it is SO frustrating to have so much work to do for a ONE CREDIT HOUR class!!
For said lab, I had a paper due at 11:55pm that nobody had any idea how to do correctly.Needless to say I submitted mine with about 2 minutes to spare and it wasn't even completely done.

So after all that, this news that popped up on twitter MADE MY NIGHT!

Mariska Hargitay and her husband adopted a baby girl!!!! You can read all about it on people.com. When I saw this news I quickly got tears in my eyes. Adoption holds SUCH a special place in my heart (read my story here) and this makes me love Mariska even more. As you all know I am a huge fan of L&O:SVU and a major reason is because of her. After learning more about her and her life story, she is SUCH an inspirational person to me. These days when Hollywood is filled with people going crazy, I feel people like Mariska, who work hard and use their notoriety for good, don't always get the credit that they deserve. She is someone I consider a role model and comforts me to know that she didn't find her 'purpose' in life until she was in her mid-30s when she started SVU (an issue I'm struggling with now).

Anyways, my not-so-fabulous-day had a HUGE pick-up when I heard this news. Everytime I look at this picture I can't help but smile :) Hope everyone else had a great hump day. I would be excited for the weekend but starting tomorrow I am working 5 days straight :/ Which I guess is a good thing considering I have about $10 in my bank account!

xoxo

"The riskier the endeavor, the more exhilarating the reward"

-Mariska Hargitay

2011-04-05T17:51:00.008-04:00

This weekend my family took a trip down to Charleston. We originally planned this trip months ago so that we could do the Cooper River Bridge Run, but last week just drained us all (me: school, parents: work) that we ended up sleeping in Saturday morning!

Around noon we decided to head downtown and just walk around a do a little shopping. Of course I had to spend some time at the new Forever 21 on King Street! It was mid-afternoon when we went so it was jam packed with teeny-boppers and the fitting room/check-out lines were insane! So I stuck to the jewelry section and picked up some great things! I can't wait till the Forever 21 opens here in Columbia...I'll never buy accessories anywhere else! (I hate spending money on jewelry I will wear every once in a while or is such a statement piece I can only wear it so often)

I didn't mean to stick to the same color palette, but you can't go wrong with black, white, and gold!

This ring might be my favorite piece! I wore it shortly after we left the store and realized it matches my Michael Kors tortoise watch PERFECTLY!! I thought it was such a neat piece with the black and brown stones.

This bracelet set was a great find! I would have spent $5.80 on the top bracelet alone! It's hard to tell from this pic but its 2 strands of pearls, a couple chains, and a black ribbon all intertwined into one bracelet with a black bow! I tried to find both of these pieces online but they aren't listed :( I would definitely check out your local store though!

Sunday we got to sleep in again (first time in forever!) and my mom and I got to shop at the outlets in North Charleston before heading home. These outlets are only a couple years old, but from each time I visit it has gotten a couple new stores and seems to be well on its way to becoming an outlet worth making the trip for! Some of the stores I will ALWAYS visit when going to an outlet are:

1) Coach: I used to be a HUGE Coach fanatic (not so much anymore) but my mom loves their leather purses and they ALWAYS have either 20% or 30% off the entire store, so it's worth going in to look for a steal.

2) Cosmetics Company Outlet: I always used to go in here to stock up on my Clinique skincare items, but now that I have fallen even more in love with makeup, it's so much fun to browse this store and see what you can find. Often they have items from MAC's previous collections, but also have items from Bobbi Brown, Origins, Bumble and Bumble, Estee Lauder, Prescriptives, and all kinds of fragrance. Definitely a must for any makeup junkie!

3) Ralph Lauren Polo: Like with Coach, I was a HUGE Polo fan back in high school and early years of college. I have realized that unless I catch this store with a really good sale (think Thanksgiving or Christmas time), they are still kinda expensive. But if you need to replace a certain color polo or one of their oxfords, this your place!

4) Nike: I will ALWAYS go to Nike and pick up at least one pair of my tempo shorts! This trip I restricted myself to just one pair, but it was hard! Unless you find them on clearance, they are typically $3 cheaper than in retail stores ($25 vs. $28). The outlets also have their own 'style' of the tempo shorts, so if you want the exact ones you see in stores, just looks closely.

I ended up buying the light blue pair on the left and have already worn them :)

Unfortunately the outlets as a whole just weren't having that great of sales, and I was getting kinda bummed I wasn't buying anything, so I headed over to Bath and Body Works. This was just a regular store, but I knew I could pick up some of my lovely PocketBacs for cheap and get myself outta my funky mood! The ones I bought are below...

The first 3 are from their new collection of scents in honor of the royal wedding. There are 3 different scents to choose from, but I only picked up 2 because I wasn't too fond of how the other one smelled (I believe it was a berry one or something). They also have a couple lipglosses with the royal wedding theme as well, so make sure you check them out!

Hope everyone else had a good weekend and start to the week! I gotta go study for a spanish test now :(

xoxo

Versatile Blogger Award!

2011-04-04T12:00:00.000-04:00

Chelsea Lauren at Finding a New Me just awarded me the Versatile Blogger award!!

Thanks girlie :)

Guidelines:

1. Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them in your post.

2. Tell us 7 things about yourself.

3. Award recently discovered new bloggers.

4. Contact the bloggers and let them know they've received the award.

7 Things About Me:

1. I have never dyed my hair! Brunette for life :)

2. Most days on campus you're gonna find me in yoga pants/norts and a tshirt. (don't judge!)

3. I will always and forever be a Gamecock (even though I am applying to other SEC pharm schools *gasp*)

4. I waste WAY too much time watching L&O:SVU

5. Over the past couple months I have spent most of my money on makeup/beauty stuff instead of clothes.

6. I am just slighty obsessed with my ipod touch. It never leaves my side.

7. Crystal Lite energy packets in the wild strawberry flavor are the only way I get stuff done in the library!

Some of my newly discovered blogs...

1. Sole Matters

2. Peace, Love & Margaritas

3. Confessions of a 20 Something

4. Too Much Is Never Enough

5. The Pink Owl

Hope yall have a fabulous week!!

xoxo

TMI Tuesday

2011-03-29T02:13:00.003-04:00

One of my favorite beauty bloggers, Amarixe, posts a Monday questionnaire, so I thought I would incorporate it into a weekly feature here called TMI Tuesday! If you would like to participate, leave your answers as a comment below or link to a blog post with your answers!!

1. Mood:

Tired. A lot I need to get accomplished this week and just don't see enough time in the days!

2. When was the last time you bought an actual CD (not downloaded off of iTunes, but a physical disc)?

I bought Carrie Underwood's 'Carnival Ride' cd, so about 2 years ago maybe?

3. What sounds do you hear right at this very moment?

computer humming and me typing

4. Current nail polish:

Fingernails: nothing

Toenails: OPI Last Friday Night

5. Do you sleep with socks on?

not usually, but it's gotten cold here again!

6. I never go a day without _______?

twitter and talking to at least one of my parents

7. Current outfit:

pajamas! PINK flannel pants from Victoria's Secret and KKG semi formal tee

8. What is your all time favorite lip gloss?

Chanel Glossimer in Glaze

9. Where do you keep your cell phone at night?

On my nightstand right beside my bed

10. Weekly goals:

do decent on my two tests, get other assignments completed, BE PRODUCTIVE!!!!

Hope everyone has a wonderful day!

Tiny Target Haul

2011-03-27T22:42:00.009-04:00

For the first time in a long while, I had a pretty low key weekend. Saturday morning I had to be at the Kappa house at 7am so we could initiate our new girls, and since our spring class is typically small, I was outta there by 9am! Since I was already up WAY before I usually am on a Saturday, I met the parents for breakfast and then did a little shopping with Kate. She needed to find a pair of earrings to wear later that night so I of course offered to tag along! On our way home we stopped at Target and I managed to pick up just a couple things.

Umberto Dry Clean Dry Shampoo $8.99

The main reason we went to Target was so that Kate could get some more dry shampoo. She swore up and down by this one, so of course I had to pick up some for myself! The only dry shampoo I've used has been the one from Tresemme, and unfortunately it leaves a gray tint to my hair...NOT what I want as a brunette! I was with here when she was getting ready and when she used this stuff it lemme tell ya IT WORKS! It game alot a volume and made her day 2 hair look MUCH better. Kate is also a fellow brunette and this didn't leave behind any kind of color residue. So I'm really excited to try this out!

e.l.f. Healthy Glow Bronzing Powder $1

I just finished the first one of these I bought, so this was merely a repurchase. For $1, this is a great product! If you like shimmery bronzers, this is a great product that definitely won't break the bank. My only complaint is that the fallout from this product is pretty substantial, but considering this price I don't mind losing some of the product. All I do with this is dust it all over my face to give that all-over glow and I'm out the door!

N.Y.C. Cover Stick around $2

I bought this simply because the Revlon Colorstay concealer I bought a while back was just not working! The Revlon concealer was a spot treatment that contains salicylic acid and really dried out my skin, so I needed to find something quick. I haven't tried this yet and I usually go for liquid concealers rather than stick, but I figured for just under $2 I would give it a shot.

A couple weeks ago Target was running a promotion for the "Bag of Beauty" on their website. All you had to do was give them your address and you were sent this cosmetic bag filled with goodies and coupons!

The makeup bag is by Sonia Kashuk and matches the rest of her line that you can find in stores. Inside there are samples from Nivea, Pantene, Revlon, Neutrogena and Frederick Fekkai along with $25 worth of coupons! It was nice to find this little surprise in my mailbox :) I think it's super smart of Target to do this kind of promoting and giving out coupons to use just at their stores. I also noticed looking at the Sunday ads that a lot of the products there are coupons for are ALSO on sale this week. Hopefully Target will be doing these kinds of promotions in the future!

I know my blogging has been sporadic recently, but school is rough! Whoever said Senior Spring was easy was most certainly NOT a science major! I do have a couple posts I want to write, including updates on Project 10 Pan (yes im still doing this despite my beauty purchases!!) and an update on my school situation. I am must more active on twitter so definitely follow me there for daily *cough*hourly*cough* updates on my life!

Hope everyone has a wonderful week!!

xoxo

***All of the products were bought with my money, with the exception of the Target beauty bag, which was sent to me after signing up on their website. I was not sponsored by any of the brands mentioned above***

What I'm Loving Wednesday

2011-03-16T22:51:00.003-04:00

Lilly Pulitzer Tote in Kappa Kappa Gamma print

Lilly came out with four sorority prints last year and lucky for me Kappa was one of them, along with Delta Zeta, Tri Delta, and Kappa Delta. My friend has the DZ tote and these things are HUGE! Since I got my new laptop I've had issues because its too big to carry around in my Vineyard Vines or Coastal Traditions tote. So this would be PERFECT, even though this is my last semester in Kappa :(

Viva la Juicy Perfume

I am in LOVE LOVE LOVE with this perfume!!! I was at Kohls with my mom and she had a 30% off coupon so I thought it would be a perfect time to pick up a new scent, since perfume NEVER goes on sale! I originally wanted to pick up one of the Ralph Lauren scents, but both Kohls we went to didn't have ANY :( So I sprayed this on and as I continued to walk around and smell it, I quickly fell in love...even my mom loves it! The bottle I picked up is on the smaller size, retailing for $29, but with the coupon and a leftover merchandise credit I had, I only ended up paying $12!! If you like girly scents I definitely recommend giving this one a try!

TOMS Sparkle in Black

When these shoes first came out I didn't get the attraction. But as I see them more and more on campus the more I want a pair!....specifically one of the sparkle pairs! I originally wanted to gold ones but I love the black too! Anybody have a sparkle pair they just love?

I have made some headway in deciding what I'm doing in the next couple months

Over spring break I had some time to think about my plans for the future. If you have been reading for a while or follow me on twitter, you know I have been trying for THREE years now to get into pharmacy school with little success. With it now being the middle of March and I still haven't heard anything from any school, I've had to make some decisions that right now I am content with. I have decided that instead of graduating in August with my Biology degree, I have decided to postpone graduation to December, when I would graduate with my Biology degree with a minor in chemistry. I only have 7 more hours of biology to complete and only need 8 more hours of chemistry for the minor. Ill be taking 1 class and 1 lab each summer session, so in the fall I can finish up the hours for me degree in addition to taking some classes that are prerequisites for schools that I may be applying to in the fall.

SOOO....that is my plan!

What are you loving this Wednesday?

New Giveaways!

2011-03-05T21:34:00.003-05:00

School has been INSANE the last couple weeks, hence the lack of blog posts. BUT this coming week is spring break so im hoping to update much more often!! I did want to drop by though and let yall know i have posted a couple of AWESOME giveaways on the giveaways tab above so make sure to check them out!

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

2011-02-16T23:26:00.002-05:00

Law and Order:SVU!!!!!

I know I know! I talk about this show all the time, but this week's episode (that JUST aired) was a-FREAKIN-mazing!! As I'm sure you can see from all the caps in this explanation haha. I'm not gonna bore you with all the details that made it awesome, but if you are not watching this show, YOU NEED TO!!!

Kappa Kappa Bible Study

Last week we started a bible study on Wednesday nights and I absolutely LOVE it! Wednesdays are my longest days (class 10 until 5) and this gives me something to look forward to at the end of the day. All the girls are just amazing and I'm constantly reminded how blessed I am to be a part of this amazing organization.

I won!

2011-02-14T16:29:00.004-05:00

The Southern Housewife over at Her Southern Charm recently had a giveaway for a $75 gift certificate to St. Bernard Sports, and I won!! St. Bernard has all kinds of brands from The North Face and Patagonia to Lilly Pulitzer and Vineyard Vines. I already decided that if I won the gift certificate I was going to put it towards a Patagonia Snap T Pullover. If you're on a college campus, you KNOW these are just as popular as The North Face Denali jackets. I myself am on my 2nd denali jacket and would really like a fleece pullover that I can just throw on a go. This where I need yalls help! They have both a men and women's version. How big of a difference is the fit??? I want it to be fairly loose so its comfy and I could easily wear a long sleeve shirt underneath. For reference I wear a medium in the denali jacket. PLEASE help me out guys and if you have any color recommendations send them my way!! Hope everyone is having a wonderful Monday :)

PS- guess who got the number 1 college football recruit in the country??? USC DID!!!! Welcome to the Gamecock Family Jadeveon Clowney!!!

Quick! Need Yall's Opinion!

2011-02-06T21:19:00.003-05:00

Happy Superbowl Sunday! Tonight until 11pm PST Dogeared Jewelry is having 20% off their entire site! For those of yall not familiar with Dogeared, they have the most delicate and beautiful pieces of jewelry ever! Each piece comes on a cardboard square that has a message on it pertaining to the charm on the necklace/bracelet etc. I have been browsing this site for a couple months now and could never make a decision as to which one to get. Right now my life is kinda crazy and I'm not sure where I'll end up, so I thought this would be a perfect time to purchase an inspiring piece. Problem is I have narrowed it down to 2 and just can't decide!!

Make a wish and put on your necklace. get ready to accomplish the incredible! You can do whatever you set your mind and your heart to. wear your necklace as a reminder that you are capable of anything you imagine.

Make a wish and put on your necklace. the lotus flower grows up through the dark and out into the light of the sun. let your necklace be a reminder of the incredible beauty that can come from change. grow and believe!

Which one do I pick?? If you would like to take part in the sale, you still have a couple hours! Just enter the code SUPERSHOP2011 at checkout!

My current state of mind...

2011-02-02T13:09:00.003-05:00

{via}

I really don't have time for a post considering these next couple days are gonna be awful! Here are my to-do lists for the next couple days...

WEDNESDAY:

type out lab notebook (what I should be doing right now)
ecology lab (where we're going on a field trip ie. no chance of getting out early!)
grab dinner at Kappa house
read psych chapters 1-3 and selected articles
pyschology participation assignment
study for psychology exam (thursday)
start studying for biochem exam (that I thought was monday and is now friday!!!!)

THURSDAY:

*probably* get up early and study for psychology
psychology exam 11am
biology of birds class (may skip to study for biochem)
library to study for biochem
work 5-9 (can't find anyone to cover my shift)
spanish homework
back to the library till early hours of the morning

FRIDAY:

spanish class
biochem exam
hopefully napping!
work 5-10:30
SLEEP!

OVERALL TO-DO:

send transcript request
clean apartment (it's such a disaster I'm about to lose my mind!)
start training for Cooper River Bridge Run (2 months from today!!)
keep up with Wii workouts

My Adoption Story

2011-01-27T23:15:00.002-05:00

Every Friday Kelly over at Kelly's Korner does "Show Us Your Life Friday." The topics vary every week from showing a certain room in your house to missions trips to sharing your favorite charities. This week's topic really hit home for me. I've never participated in SUYLF before, but I felt compelled to do so tonight.

Every link posted before mine has been from the parent's point of view, and I wanted to share my story from the "baby's" point of view.

For those of you visiting my blog for the first time, I am a 21 year old college senior at the University of South Carolina. I have such a fortunate and blessed life, and none of this could have happened had I not been adopted.

My parents decided to look into adoption when my mother was diagnosed with a kidney disease and the doctors highly advised against getting pregnant. So they immediately began looking into adoption. My parents were very fortunate and on October 11,1989 they got a call saying their baby was waiting (me!)

As I got older I always knew I was adopted. My birth mother decided to place me up for a private adoption because she got pregnant at a young age. My parents were very open about the fact both me and my younger brother were adopted from birth and it was never a "secret". I can't even remember a moment that they sat my down and "broke the news" to me. It was just something I always knew. Having said that, I consider my adoptive parents MY parents. I will always and forever be grateful to my birth mother (and father) for having the strength and courage to do the most selfless thing I think a person could do. I never felt unloved or abandoned or unwanted. I know my birth mother loved me so much for her to be able to do this.

Whenever I tell my story alot of people ask me if I know who my birth mother is and if I have any desire to meet her. I answer with 100% honesty. I do not know who she is and at this point, I do not feel this need or desire that I have to find her. It stems back to the fact that I never felt abandoned by her. Whenever it's brought up my parents have said that they have the file and if I wanted to they would give it to me and I could see who my birth mother is. At this point all I know is that she was really young, Catholic, and still lives in town. That's all I want to know (at this point). My feelings may change years down the road, and if the situation came up where she wanted to meet me, I don't know that I would object. At the least I would be able to meet the woman who gave me the greatest gift imaginable and thank her for her selfless decision.

My whole point of this post was to show a successful adoption story! To couples considering adoption, DO NOT GIVE UP!! I know more often than not its a long and expensive process, but I am so thankful my (adoptive) parents were there when they were. Your baby will come when the time is right, and that WILL BE YOUR CHILD. To pregnant women/couples considering adoption for their babies, take it from one of those "babies", we will be forever grateful!! I will NEVER forget that my birth mother loved me enough to give me up.

I feel like this post is very rambly and not well organized, but these are my thoughts. I am sitting here with tears in my eyes thinking just how incredibly blessed I am! I don't want to imagine what my life would be like had I not been adopted. Not to say that my life would have been awful, for all I know it could have been just as great, but it wouldn't have been this life.

This was a difficult post to write, just because I haven't shared something this personal on here before. To all my loyal readers, I appreciate every single one of you. And to new readers, thank you so much for taking time to read my story! If yall have any questions/comments, feel free to email me or leave a comment :)

xoxo

Natalie

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

2011-01-26T01:09:00.004-05:00

Target yoga pants: I went to Target last week and picked up a pair of their yoga pants and OMG you guys! If you like your sleep and just throw on stuff before you go class, these are perfect!! They were only $20 and are SO comfy! They come in a couple of different fits and lengths and are pretty much all I've been wearing all week. I'm thinking of going back and picking up a couple more pairs so I don't wear these out too quickly.

Crystal Lite Peach Tea: When I lived at home, we ALWAYS had a pitcher of this in the fridge. So I've been addicted to this stuff for years. I just used my last 2 packets up and am already panicking! I've tried other flavors and this is the one I always seems to come back to. If you have a hard time drinking water, mixing it with CL makes it MUCH easier to drink!

Random Early Morning Thoughts

2011-01-26T00:51:00.004-05:00

My phone had decided to fritz out for the last couple days. It randomly drops calls, won't hold charge for longer than a couple hours, and it takes hours to get texts. FRUSTRATING!
I finally signed up for skype! Leave your skype name in a comment or email it and we can chat :)
My pharmacy application is FINALLY sent it! I procrastinated as long as I could. goodness only knows why
I went to the library for the first time this semester Tuesday night. My friend Kate and I sat there for 3 hour talking about how much we do NOT know for our biochem class and wanted to go get mexican
we went to Monterrey's afterwards :)
the jingle at the beginning of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson makes me happy everytime I hear it!

My mom signed us up to do the Cooper River Bridge Run in Charleston in April. Have I even started running yet??? NOPE! :O
Did anyone else watch Castle Monday night??? If so, WE MUST DISCUSS!! This is quickly becoming my second fave tv show after SVU
SVU star and fellow Kappa Mariska Hargitay's 47th birthday was on Sunday. I can only hope I look half as good as she does at that age. She's gorgeous!!
I really want to go see Black Swan, but I feel like my mind has to be completely empty of everything else so I can take it all in. When that will be, who knows!
Let me know if you like this style of posting!! Hope everyone is having a wonderful week!

Project 10 Pan

2011-01-22T23:15:00.010-05:00

Hey yall! Over the past year I have become a HUGE beauty junkie, as you can see by the more frequent beauty posts and reviews! How big of a junkie you may ask? Well, in between June and December 2010, I spent enough JUST AT SEPHORA to qualify to be a VIB, or Very Important Beauty Insider. Goodness only knows how much more I spent at other places! ANYWAYS, the point of this post was to introduce

Project 10 Pan!!

I figured I would jot this post down to explain project 10 pan, mention the items I am going to include, and invite anyone else along that would like to join with me!! Pretty much what this is a way to get rid of some products that are in your too-large collection. For me, not only do I have a ton of makeup products now, I have also managed to accumulate a large collection of hair products that take up pretty much my entire cabinet in my bathroom. So, the basic premise of this is to downsize.

My goal throughout this project is to use up completely 10 items in my collection. This is going to include makeup items (concealer, blush, mascara etc), facial items (cleanser, spot treatment etc), haircare (shampoo, conditioner, mousse etc), "body"care (lotion, bodywash, lip balm etc) and basically anything else I end up using that is deemed fit.

So I put a tab at the top of my blog to keep track of my progess. Instead of making separate posts for each item I use up, I figured it would be easier for me to be able to keep track of and easier for you guys to find instead of giong through all my posts (not there are that many haha) looking for what I've used up. As I finished each item I will be posting a picture, how long it took, and my thoughts on the product.

So.....I figured I would get interactive with this and invite yall to come along on project 10 plan! If you would like to participate, simply leave a comment and under the P10P tab I will put a link to your blog. This way we can all see what were using and that our money wasn't ill-spent!

O...one more thing....during P10P I am promising myself that I will NOT purchase any new beauty products until I use up at least 10 items! Its gonna be SUPER hard, but the whole point of this is to save money and use stuff up you already have!!

Bath and Body Works Haul

2011-01-22T18:34:00.008-05:00

B&BW Haul by swtcarolinagrl on Polyvore.comA couple months ago I got a coupon from Bath and Body Works where I could get up to 5 of their 3-wick candles for $10 each. I held onto the coupon until the very last day! FYI they have another one of these coupons on their smaller candles at the store that will be good until April I believe.

What I picked up:

Frosted Cupcake: A decadant combination of rich buttercream frosting, sugar and fresh vanilla bean, finished with the essence of cake batter.

Peach Bellini: A light, delicate blend of white peach, sweet orange peel and yellow mandarin, finished with jasmin and sweet black currant.

Kitchen Spice: An inviting aroma that blend hazelnut, marzipan, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla notes.

Stress Relief Vanilla Verbena: Relax, unwind, and infuse your home with the scent of Vanilla Verbena. Vanilla Absolute has a soothing effect on body and mind.

Carried Away body lotion: key fragrance notes are lush raspberries, white jasmine, and whipped vanilla

**Photos and descriptions from Bath and Body Works***

Quote of the Day

2011-01-21T09:00:00.000-05:00

Waking up this morning, I smile

Twenty-four brand new hours are before me.

I vow to live fully in each moment

and to look at all beings with eyes of compassion

-Thich Nhat Hanh

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

2011-01-19T20:55:00.009-05:00

1. Slatkin & Co. Candles

These candles are my new obsession!!! I'm pretty much burned my Frosted Cupcake one to the bottom since I've been lighting it almost every night. All their candles smell amazing and easily fill up a big room (or entire apartment) and burn really clean (no canyons in your candle). I just went to Bath and Body Works and restocked on my favorite scents.

2. My Keurig

Here we are 2 weeks into class, and my sleep schedule is still outta wack! I find myself staying up to 2 or 3 in the morning when I know I have to get up early that morning! So my Keurig coffee maker has been a miracle worker!

3. Pilot G2 Pens

My mom bought me this 20 pack of G2 pens for Christmas and they are getting put to good use now that classes are officially underway! These are my absolute favorite pens in the entire world and will not take notes with anything else. I used to be a big hi-lighter but with all the fun colors in this kit, taking notes isn't too terribly horrible!

What are you loving today?

Golden Globes 2011 Fashion

2011-01-17T22:05:00.004-05:00

So the Golden Globes were last night and aside from the occasional fashion 'wow' moment and inappropriate yet hilarious jokes from Ricky Gervais, it was a pretty boring show. Nevertheless, some ladies came out on the red carpet with a bang while others should have taken a last look in the mirror before jumping in the limo.

**Blogger was driving me crazy with picture uploads and spacing, so these are my best of the best and worst of the worst choices**

The Good

Eva Longoria

Eva Longoria looks a-freakin-mazing last night! This lady knows her body and how to dress it. I think this is a perfect example of how to do sexy without having 12 cutouts in your dress *cough* January Jones *cough*

Olivia Wilde

This was my favorite look of the night! This could have been your typical princess dress but the darker color and color of the sequins/jewels were enough to make is unique. And I love that Olivia left her hair a makeup relatively simple, making a look that could have gone "prom princess" much more modern. LOVE LOVE LOVE!

The Bad

Heidi Klum

O bless Heidi's heart. She really has no excuse. She has an awesome body, hosts a fashion reality show competition, yet still manages to show up to an awards show looking like this! This dress would be appropriate for a casual summer cocktail party by the pool, NOT the Golden Globes! And the hair looks dirty and like she didn't have time to run a comb through it. The makeup was just as bad. If you got a look up close it really looked like someone had dunked her into a pool before she showed up.

The Ugly

Helena Bonham Carter

At this point, of HBC didn't show up to an awards show looking like this, I would be worried. We all know when she goes to a red carpet event she's gonna do pretty much anything for a shock value. But unlike Lady Gaga, whose stuff is SO out there its intriguing, this is just a big hot mess. From the piled-up hair to mismatched shoes, its hard to take HBC seriously when she shows up looking like this!

Verizon is getting the iPhone!

2011-01-11T19:29:00.003-05:00

After waiting for what seems like FOREVER, Verizon is finally getting the iPhone! When I got the iPod touch last Christmas, I immediately became obsessed with the thing and now it goes everywhere with me. The only factor is it missing naturally is the phone component. And having to carry both my cell phone (which I don't use for internet access) and the iPod is slightly annoying. So now I can FINALLY combine the two!!!

The Verizon iPhone is available to current Verizon customers beginning February 3rd and available to everyone else beginning February 11th. Get excited!!!

Thought Process of the Moment

2011-01-06T23:22:00.008-05:00

*warning this post is SUPER LONG*

I said my next post was going to be my New Year's resolutions and thoughts, but this post keeps simmering in my head and I need to type it out before it drives me nuts. For those of you who haven't followed this blog for very long (or have forgotten what's been written...goodness knows I have!), this is basically my story:

I was never one of those people who knew what they were going to do with their life from a young age. It wasn't until my senior year in high school that I decided that a career as a pharmacist seemed like a good match. At USC, the pharmacy program starts with 2 years of "undergrad" then halfway into your sophomore year you apply to pharmacy school, which is essentially grad school.

Once I got into college, I had a pretty hard time adjusting to what was expected of me and how to prepare for courses. I went from an all A's high school student with a 3.97 GPA to struggling to make B's and C's in college. If you've ever taken a college science class, you know the mindset is that if most of the class are making C's, the teacher is happy. Long story short, my grades weren't what they were needing to be to guarantee a spot into pharmacy school.

To make this long story short, I applied to pharmacy school here at USC my sophomore year but was rejected without even an interview. Since I completed all the pre-pharmacy requirements, I had to make the decision to switch my major to biology. At this point I just saw this as a temporary fix until I applied for pharmacy school again.

As I continued in my college classes, my grades didn't do much to improve. I don't know if it was the fact that I was denied getting into school and having no motivation or what, but I continued to make mostly C's and a couple B's in my core science classes. I did however greatly improve my PCAT score, which is the pharmacy admissions test. So when I applied to pharmacy school again, much to my suprise I got an interview call the very first day! At this point my GPA was right at a 3.0, so getting an interview this early was a complete shock!! I thought my interview had gone very well and felt like I made good conversation with both people I interviewed with.

After my interview I didn't hear from the school in the next couple weeks which made me nervous. Around mid-February I got a letter saying I was being put on the wait-list. Naturally I was discouraged, but immediately went to the dean and we talked for a good 30 minutes about my chances of getting in and anything I could do to further my chances of being accepted. I left that meeting feeling very confident that I would be in Pharmacy school in the fall of 2010.

As the rest of the semester finished up and summer was here, I never heard from pharmacy school. I had heard stories of people getting calls just days before classes starting saying they were accepted. Of course, I heard nothing. I finally got a letter in MID SEPTEMBER saying that I had, once again, been rejected from pharmacy school. Keep in mind that classes started around August 20. I obviously knew that I hadn't gotten in once classes started, but the fact that the letter didn't come until a couple weeks later really left a sour taste in my mouth.

So now I'm sitting here, just days away from starting my senior spring semester at Carolina, getting a degree in something that was not my original intention, having absolutely NO idea what I want to do with my life. Right now I'm set to graduate this summer since switching degrees caused me to be just a tad behind on the biology track. I've decided to apply to pharmacy school once again, but I can't help but feel that my heart just isn't in it anymore. I guess it's the fact that I've already been rejected twice, and that makes me wonder if this is really what I am supposed to do with my life. AND this time my GPA is lower (just under a 3.0 at a 2.9), so I am seriously doubting whether or not I'm getting in.

On the other hand, I have NO IDEA what I would do with a biology degree. The only work experience I really have is as a pharmacy technician since I've done that for almost 3 years now. I've thought about graduate school, optometry school, cosmetic chemist....this list goes on and on. But I'm really not completely set on one direction. AND I'm going to have to take essentially a year off if pharmacy school doesn't pan out.

Basically, I feel completely lost in my life. I'm only applying to 2 pharmacy schools this year because (1) the way USC's program is set up I don't meet most of the prereq's for most of the schools across the country (and taking those classes would put off my degree even further) (2) I was so apathetic about pharmacy school this year that I let the deadline for USC's application pass (by 1 day, but I still haven't told my parents, another stress factor). And one of the schools I don't even wanna go to.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE tell me I am not the only one that has been in this situation before! If you have any advice for me, PLEASE tell me! I'm tired of talking about it to my parents, who just stress me out. If you have any career advice/recommendations, send them my way!!

If you have made it all the way through this post, congratulations!! I promise the new year will have more upbeat posts, but this blog is for me to document my life, and right now this is the one thing dominating my thoughts. All I can guarantee is that 2011 will definitely be a life-changing year!!

Christmas 2010

2011-01-02T00:22:00.002-05:00

Christmas 2010 by swtcarolinagrl featuring bracelet watch jewelry

As you can see I was a very spoiled girl and got WAY more than I expected!!! New year resolutions and thoughts on the way in the next couple days!

Turkey Weekend Recap

2010-11-29T09:00:00.001-05:00

Hello all 5 of yall who are reading this! Every post I write on here starts off with "sorry I've been gone so long..." so I'm just gonna stop saying it and when I can write, I will. But *hopefully* I'll be on here more!

ANYWAYS.....

Thanksgiving weekend came with a VERY welcomed couple days of school. After working Wednesday, my family and I drove up early Thursday morning to Lake Lure, NC where my grandparents are. We only get to see my dad's parents a couple times a year, and with my mom's parents already gone, we always try to include them in the holidays and invite them down for the weekend (we only see my dad's side of the family around Christmas...LONG STORY). So we got to visit with them and of course have a DELICIOUS meal!

Friday we got up, had some breakfast then began heading back to Columbia. Since my dad is VERY gracious and understands the NEED to go shopping on Black Friday, we stopped at the Gaffney outlets for a couple hours. And let me tell ya the deals were GOOD! The outlet mall isn't very big, but it has your typically stores like J.Crew, Coach, Nike, Ralph Lauren etc. Even thought the funds are seriously lacking right now, I managed to snag a pair of matchstick jeans at J.Crew for 40% off and I needed a new black tee because I realized my old staple had a hole in it. This outlet mall also has a Bare Escentuals outlet, which I have never seen anywhere else! And since I use their foundation, I picked up a new foundation brush since mine had seen better days for just $12.50...thats over 50% off! And lastly I got an ADORABLE dress for the SEC Championship (more about that later!) at Ralph Lauren. I would post a pic, but it was a little too long so my mom is hemming it before the big game in Atlanta! So once its finished I'll make sure to post a pic.

Saturday was spent relaxing and preparing for the BIG game that night....CAROLINA VS. CLEMSON!!!! No matter how the seasons are going, this game has a mind of its own, but thankfully our Gamecocks pulled it out!

Now that the weekend's over, I'm down to the last week of classes, which I can't believe this semester is over already!!! I've also got my last tennis match of the season, a work shift, the Junior League Holiday Market, and the SEC Championship game in Atlanta baby!!! Somewhere in there I have a paper to write too ;) But I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving weekend, and if you want a more day to day update on my life, make sure to follow me on twitter @swtcarolinagrl5 :)

Sephora Friends and Family Sale

2010-10-18T23:31:00.001-04:00

This Friday, Sephora is having its annual Friends and Family Sale, where everything you purchase is 20% off when you use the code FF2010!!! This is an AWESOME opportunity to grab some high end makeup that you have wanted to try and haven't because its a little pricey, or to stock up on some of your favorite products. Sephora has also just come out with some awesome kits that are amazing deals you can pick up. Over the past couple months I have been a complete makeup junkie, so I am SO excited about this sale! Below are some of the products and kits and I am planning on purchasing on Friday!

Sephora Favorites LashStash Mascara Deluxe Sampler $27

This has been on Sephora's website for a while and I just haven't picked it up. It originally was $39 dollars, and at a $104 value, this is a steal! In this kit there are 10 deluxe size samples of mascara from some awesome brands including Benefit, Laura Mercier, Smashbox, and more. If you are a mascara lover or looking to try a variety of products, pick this up now!

Sephora Smoothing Primer $15

I've gotten a number of different primer samples, and while I do think they help my makeup stay on longer, I really don't want to spend a whole lot of money on a primer. I remember reading somewhere that this primer was comparable to the Smashbox Photo Finish Primer, which is twice the price. So I thought this would be a good thing to pick up at 20% off.

Clinique Quick Corrector $14

This is my absolute favorite go-to concealer. This will be the 3rd tube I have purchased. It has a great consistency, not to liquidy or too thick, and does a great job covering up acne spots and concealing undereye circles. If you need a good concealer, this is a great one!

Benefit Somebody to Love Kit $29

This is a GREAT value if you are a Benefit lover or wanna try some of their products. You get a full size of their CORALista blush (which by itself retails for $29!), full size of Eye Bright instant eye brightener (I've wanted to try this on my inner corner), and 2 deluxe minies of their BadGal mascara and "That Gal" face primer.

NARS Highlighting/Bronzing Blush Duo in Orgasm/Laguna $39

We I went to Sephora up in Charlotte back in July this was the one product I was wanted and they were sold out! I ended up getting the NARS Orgasm Illumintor instead, but I still wanted to try out the infamous Orgasm blush and the oh-so-popular Laguna bronzer. So instead of buying the 2 separately, this is the perfect thing to throw into my makeup bag.

NARS Sheer Glow Foundation $42

This foundation has been super popular on Youtube and among the beauty community. I'm fairly new to the liquid foundation world (I've been using Bare Minerals for a couple years) but recently have been wanted fuller coverage. Right now I'm using Revlon ColorStay Foundation, but with all the rage about this one I can't help but want to try it. At $42 this is WAY more than I usually spend on any kind of makeup, but with the 20% off I wouldn't feel as bad if it did make my skin look amazing.

Sephora Deluxe Frangrance Sampler for Her $50

This is an AMAZING gift if you are a frangrance lover or looking for a new perfume. Not only do you 12 samples of designer perfumes, you also get a refillable rollerball to use with the samples. AND you also get a voucher that you can take to any Sephora store and get a bottle of your favorite perfume from the set...FOR FREE!!! Now the only catch is that the voucher is only redeemable in store, so you can't use it online. That's my only hesitation about this kit. The closest Sephora to me is in Charlotte, about an hour away. But according to a Q&A on the Sephora website, the voucher doesn't have an expiration date. So if you know you'll be around a Sephora at somepoint, this is an awesome deal as these purfumes can cost anywhere from $40-$50.

**Note: There's another kit that I believe is $75 and has more higher-end perfumes if you're interested in that as well**

So those are my soon-to-be purchases. I'll let you guys know for sure what I do end up getting and probably make a video about my likes and/or dislikes. Let me know what you guys are going to purchase or you think I've missed something that I just have to have. Happy Shopping!!

**one more tip: Sephora offers free shipping on orders over $50 or more. So if you know that you're gonna be spending over $100, I would recommend dividing up your order into $50 increments, THAT way you still get free shipping and you get more samples since Sephora offers 3 samples with every purchase!**

Sephora Haul and Review

2010-09-21T13:04:00.003-04:00

I also did a review on Herbal Essences 'Tousle Me Softly' haircare line if you would like to check that out on my YouTube channel. Hope everyone is having a great week!! I'm hoping to get up a real post sometime later this week.

"...when the world stopped turnin..."

2010-09-11T20:08:00.002-04:00

September 11, 2001 will be a day that I will never forget. If you follow other bloggers, you know that everyone remembers and always will remember where they were when the first heard to news that our nation was under attack. I was in my 7th grade science class and can remember the principal coming to the door of our classroom and pulling my teacher outside to tell him the news. Our teacher then came back and had to look of horror on his face. He told us the news and our immediate reaction was to pray (I went to a Christian school for middle & high school). Initially I don't think we all understood or could comprehend exactly what had happened or the magnitude. I then went to my 4th period Geography class and can remember my teacher was missing. Her husband was in the military and I think she had already realized what was going to happen as a results of the day's events. We went to lunch as usual, where we heard all athletic events had been cancelled for that afternoon and that after lunch we were returning to home room where our parents could pick us up. My dad came and got me somehow got me to my mom (I can't remember exactly how this all played out). My mom and I were waiting in the carpool line at my brother's elementary school and I remember asking her, "Mom, what's gonna happen now?". She got this look on her face, and I can remember her exact words, "We're going to war". I think even at that age I couldn't grasp what exactly that meant. But we went home and just like everyone else around the world we were glued to the tv.

As I've gotten older watching footage from that horrendous day still gives me chills, as I'm sure it always will. As the years go by I've come to understand more that our freedom is not free, and I am so fortunate and blessed that I was born in the United States of America. I've also come to understand that some people have a severe hatred for this great nation and will do anything to see it brought to its knees. I hope this day will not just be seen as a day where we lost thousands of innocent lives, but one that showcased that no matter what attacks us, America will stand together and will do anything to defend this beautiful nation and its beliefs.

May we never forget

OOTD and Ulta videos

2010-08-30T22:42:00.003-04:00

I'm back!!! Summer is over, Sorority Rush is finished, and classes have started!!! ahh!!! I'm so sorry I've been ignoring this blog, but I did film 2 videos today when I had some downtime. Hope everyone has been doing well!!!

Beach Essentials

2010-07-28T23:39:00.002-04:00

So since I took this entire week off of work, I knew I wanted to make it to the beach at some point since I haven't been all summer! So yesterday morning my friend Erin and I made our way down to Charleston to catch some sun! Our friend Alex was already down there staying with a couple friends so we all met up and headed out to Sullivans Island. And we got so lucky because the weather was GORGEOUS! We heard a few rumbles of thunder later in the afternoon but luckily it all stayed away. But boy did that sun get to me! If you follow me on twitter *which you totally should!* you know that I got REALLY sunburnt yesterday. Today I am still suffering from the after effects. I went to the mall this afternoon to grab a couple things and it hurt just to keep my purse on my shoulder. But hopefully in the next couple days hopefully this will be turning into a nice tan!

Haul: Bath and Body Works, TJ Maxx, and Target

2010-07-19T13:32:00.001-04:00

Holiday Weekend Recap

2010-07-06T22:41:00.008-04:00

I hope everyone had a good Fourth of July! This was the first time in the last couple years that I wasn't working on the actual fourth, and I enjoyed every minute of it!

Friday: Friday was my first day off in a while so I chose to sleep in! And it was glorious haha That afternoon I went with my parents to see Toy Story 3 and it did not disappoint! I will always and forever be a Disney baby, and Toy Story 3 captured everything that a Disney movie should be. Fun, playful, heartwarming, comedy, and for the entire family. I had heard on twitter that it was making people cry, so of course I was shedding some tears. I definitely recommend it to anyone with children or who grew up with Disney and Toy Story 1 & 2.

Later that night my dad and I decided to go hit some tennis balls. This summer we've been part of a mixed doubles league since I decided to get back into playing tennis again. I haven't really played since high school!

Saturday: Saturday morning my dad and I got up early and went and played a practice doubles match. I wasn't too keen on getting up early on a Saturday, but it did give me a chance to work on my tan! With me working pretty much full time all summer, I am not NEARLY as dark as I would like to be, so anytime I'm gonna be on the tennis court during the day I make sure I'm not just wearing a tshirt! Did that one day and ended up with a VERY noticeable tshirt tan!

After we finished playing we went home to relax and wait for my grandparents to arrive, who were driving down to visit for a weekend. Once they arrived we spent the rest of the afternoon/evening eating delicious barbeque mom made and being lazy.

Sunday: Happy 4th of July!!! After sleeping in, we said goodbye to my grandparents. Never fear though, our house wasn't empty for long! My cousin, his wife, and baby girl were on the lake and stopped by for a little while so we could visit since it had been FOREVER since we had all seen each other! Unfortunately I am awful about remembering to take pictures so I don't have any from this weekend! But Bella Grace just turned 9 months old and is at that age where she is just too cute! We had to keep our dog outside on the screen porch so she wouldn't push her down. And Bella Grade just loved her! She just sat by the glass door and laughed and laughed looking at Glacier! Here's a pic of our baby:

Monday was spent up in Charlotte to go get a car my parents purchased for my baby brother and driving it back down. Today was unfortunately back to the real world :( I had my shortest shift at work this week then was able to grab dinner at Miyos with two of my girlfriends. All this working has made me a very unsociable girl!! I was so glad I was able to catch up and hear all the latest gossip.

Well until next time! I KNOW I am behind on the 3o day blog challenge, but I figured I didn't have to do 3o days in a row, just 30 days! I promise to get back to it, but right now I have to be back at work at 8am tomorrow :(

Day 4 - Favorite Television Program

2010-07-01T12:00:00.000-04:00

I am a complete tv junkie. Sit me in front of the television and within 5 minutes I can find something that will keep me entertained for hours. Having said that, here is my current tv fave along with two of my all time favorite shows.

If you've been reading my blog at all the last couple months, you know I would have to include Law and Order: SVU. This used to be a show that I would sit down and watch if I happen to see that it was on. But somehow, one day I was watching and roaming around the internet reading about SVU and quickly fell in love with the characters, storylines, and the brilliant actors. SVU concluded its 11th season this past May, but due to my *fabulous* Netflix subscription, I have been able to watch seasons 1-10 instantly on my computer and was able to fall in love with this show even more. Its not simply a show about perverted sex crimes, but truly intelligent writing that gets you thinking the entire hour its on and the emotions the actors bring to the helm convey all the feelings we are feeling as we are watching. Plus it can only help that the 2 main actors are hot together!! Season 12 begins filming in the beginning of July and I can't wait!!

Friends is one of those shows that I think you can watch over and over and over again and still have tears in your eyes from laughing. I very rarely watched the show while it was actually on, but thanks to the wonderful invention of syndication, I was able to really see how special this series was and why it was so loved. I remember watching the season finale with all the surprises and my best friend and I would call each other during the commercials to quickly discuss the going-ons of the last segment before the commercial break ended. This past Thanksgiving I got VERY lucky and was able to purchase seasons 3-10 on DVD for just $8.99 a piece!! I'll probably have to wait until November again to complete the collection, but being able to watch all the episodes in order is awesome!

I don't think any girls list would be complete without Sex and the City. I was too young to watch it when is originally aired on HBO, but catching all the reruns on TBS I couldn't help but fall in love with the girls. I will always and forever identify myself as a Charlotte, but I feel the show does such a perfect job and showing that 4 completely different women can be the best of friends. Sometimes I'll be thinking that I am so different from my girlfriends that I wonder how we can have anything in common, but I look to Carrie, Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte and see that their differences are what make their friendships so special. Makes me feel confident in who I am and that the friends I have now are amazing and I couldn't imagine my life without them.

Day 3 - Favorite Book

2010-06-30T12:00:00.000-04:00

I was given this book as a present from my 6th grade teacher when all 12 of us "graduated" from elementary school and went on to our respective middle schools. While most all of my classmates went on to the local Catholic middle/high school, I was the only one who went to a different private Christian school in the area.

I love this book because I feel that whether you're graduating from elementary school, middle school, high school, or even college, the message is still the same and you can take something different away from it each time. One of my favorite quotes from the book is:

Wherever you fly, you'll be best of the best

Wherever you go, you will top all the rest

Except when you don't

Because, sometimes, you won't

I'm sorry to say so

but, sadly, it's true

that bang-ups

and hang-ups

can happen to you

This may not be the most uplifted quote from the book, but with the way my life is kind of hanging in the balance school wise, its comforting *to me* that other people are and will go through "bang ups" in their life.

For those of yall who haven't read the book, here's a video from when Mariska Hargitay read it at this years White House Easter Egg Roll:

NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!!!!!!!

2010-06-30T00:43:00.002-04:00

WE'RE NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!!!!!!!!!!

I was pretty upset initially that I was going to have to work until 11 tonight and miss game 2 of the college world series finals. But luckily *haha* the game went into extra innings and I got home just in time to watch the start of the 10th inning! AND WE DID IT!!!! This is the first national championship title for USC in ANY SPORT!!! This just doesn't happen for us! I was pacing in my apartment I was so nervous and as soon as Merrifield hit his single and sent Wingo home, I was jumping up and down screaming I was so excited!!! I LOVE MY GAMECOCKS!!!!!!

Day 2 - Favorite Movie

2010-06-29T12:21:00.002-04:00

My favorite FAVORITE movie by far is Grease. Every single time the movie is on tv I have to stop and at the very least watch part of it. This is favorite scene from the movie:

Some of my other favorite movies:

The Holiday

The Notebook *of course*

Titanic

Legally Blonde

The Little Mermaid

Enchanted

Day 1 - Favorite Song

2010-06-28T22:18:00.002-04:00

I honestly can't say that I have an absolute favorite song. I like so many different kinds of music that it depends on my mood whether I'm gonna like a rap song vs. some really emotional song. Having said that, my favorite song *of the moment* is....

Love Today by MIKA

This is one of those songs that I would always hear in bits and pieces but could never figure out what exact song it was. I was watching a montage on Youtube and this song was playing so I finally found it!! I just think its a really fun, catchy song that can immediately put a smile on my face. I'm actually thinking about making it my ringtone because it just makes me happy!

Of course there are certain artists in which I will pretty much like any song they sing, including:

Carrie Underwood

Lady Antebellum

Lady Gaga

Kenny Chesney

30 Day Blog Challenge

2010-06-28T22:14:00.002-04:00

Hey guys. I saw the 30 day blog challenge on a couple other blogs and thought it looked so fun and would be an easy way to get some blog posts in if I lack some motivation in the next month. Feel free to play along!!!

Day 1 — A favorite song
Day 2 — A favorite movie
Day 3 — A favorite book
Day 4 — A favorite television program
Day 5 — A favorite quote
Day 6 — A moment you wish you could relive
Day 7 — 5 things you could not possibly live without
Day 8 — A thank you letter to someone who has changed your life
Day 9 — A photo you took
Day 10 — A photo of you taken over ten years ago
Day 11 — A photo of you taken recently
Day 12 — A song that you want played at your wedding (or was played)
Day 13 — A guilty pleasure
Day 14 — A vacation you would like to take
Day 15 — A person you admire
Day 16 — A song that makes you cry
Day 17 — An art piece
Day 18 — A time when you felt passionate and alive
Day 19 — A talent of yours
Day 20 — A hobby of yours
Day 21 — Something you know you do differently than most people
Day 22 — A website
Day 23 — A way in which you want to be remembered
Day 24 — A movie no one would expect you to love
Day 25 — A recipe
Day 26 — A childhood memory
Day 27 — A physical feature you love
Day 28 — A scar you have, and its story
Day 29 — Hopes, dreams and plans for the next 365 days
Day 30 — A motto or philosophy

June Favorites!

2010-06-28T04:37:00.000-04:00

My mini Summer Oasis

2010-06-21T22:13:00.004-04:00

I bought two of these Bath and Body Works candles when they had them on sale 2 for $20. I absolutely LOVE the smell. The Island Margarita scent is just so clean and fresh smelling. Now its not exactly like a margarita, but its pretty similar. I've had one of the candles sitting on my kitchen bar and for the longest time wanted to burn it but I quickly came to realize I didn't have a lighter! So on one of the MANY trips to Target, I picked up and lighter and got to burn my candle for the first time...and it is AMAZING! It is triple wicked so it doesn't take long for the top layer to become liquid (they say that candles have a memory and the first time you burn them you want to make sure you burn the first layer clean. **does this make sense???**) ANYWAYS...since it is triple wicked it only took about an hour for the top layer to burn, which is perfect for me since I lit it later at night and didn't wanna stay up for hours waiting for the layer to burn.

So long story short...I love this candle, will probably be repurchasing another 1 or 2 before they retire this scent for the summer **sadness!** and highly recommend these candles. They give me just a little bit of a summer oasis!! Now all I need is a real margarita and I'll be all set!!!

VLOG 50 Random Questions

2010-06-21T19:43:00.001-04:00

The questions are found in the video description if you wanna play along!!

Summer Saving

2010-06-11T21:35:00.004-04:00

This summer since I am not taking any classes I've had to opportunity to pretty much work full time. During the school year I ask that they only schedule me 10-15 hours a week since my class load is pretty heavy, but the past couple weeks I have been averaging about 30 hours a week. Which means a LOT more money than I'm used to! I do of course have a couple monthly bills I take care of, but I am fortunate that my parents provide me with an apartment to stay in (which I WILL do a picture/video tour of eventually!) and frequently help me out in other areas. Recently I decided that since I am making more money than I'm used to, I wanted to save a good chunk of that money and put it towards an "investment" piece. Now I did get some money back from the government that my parents put away in my roth IRA, so I wanted to think of something that I knew I would use for years to come and would never go outta style. So naturally Louis Vuitton immediately came to mind. I have always loved the timelessness of the company and how these bags are passed on from generation to generation. I initially thought I would save up to purchase one of the Speedy models, but I really wanted a bag that I could use in college and beyond. So I decided that I needed a bag that would fit over the shoulder, causing me to decide on the Neverfull GM! I have seen this bag periodically talked about in my own little blogosphere and LOVED it! I am always a sucker for big purses, and although I haven't seen this one in person yet, the size seems perfect for an everyday bag that can also hold a notebook or binder or whatever I need for class or a future career.

At first I couldn't decided if I wanted to classic Monogram Canvas. Everyone has that pattern and is familiar with it, so I'm thinking about getting Damier Ebene Canvas (similar colors to the Monogram, but a checker print). But I'm still undecided.

Are any of yall planning on saving up for a big purchase in the near future? Have you purchased a "luxury/investment" piece that you absolutely LOVE? Please let me know and if you have any opinions on the Neverfull or you think there's a better bag out there I should be saving for!! Hope everyone has a good weekend!!!

How I Spent My Sunday....

2010-05-16T23:48:00.003-04:00

Thank goodness I didn't discover USA's marathons until summertime. Otherwise I REALLY wouldn't have gotten any schoolwork done!

Great Friends & Joyful Heart

2010-05-06T19:43:00.004-04:00

Blogging 2 days in a row! Can you believe it? Today was my first official day of summer and it was just how summer should be. I met 2 of my girlfriends at the mall for a little lunch and some shopping. These girls are the 2 people I kept in touch with most from high school, even though one goes to Clemson. (I forgave her though!) All 3 of us have totally different personalities, but we always manage to have a GREAT time together. Kinda reminds me of the girls on Sex and the City. Even though Carrie, Charlotte, Samanta, and Miranda are all drastically different, they're best girlfriends. These girls are the 2 that I know I can tell anything that they won't judge me and offer the best advice, even if it is what I don't wanna hear ;)

I recently found this body wash that I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE!!! I have recently found some Philosophy products at the two TJ Maxx's near me and immediately scooped them up. I have heard of Philosophy over the years but there's nowhere near me that sells the products. I have tried 4 separate products, including this body wash, and all 4 are really great products. Its rare for me to find a company that I can't really complain about. Alot of times I find that products will initially work for me then stop all of a sudden. But so far these items have been great. I plan on doing a separate post on the other 3 products, since they're from their skincare line, but I just had to tell yall about this body wash.

I have recently become obsessed with Law and Order: SVU. Like COMPLETELY obsessed! I always liked the show and would sit and watch it if it happened to be on, but all of a sudden I love this program! My favorite part of the show has to be the personal lives/feelings of the main characters, mainly Elliot & Olivia (who WILL get together before the show ends! lol). But anyways, the reason I mention that is because that is what led me to buying this shower gel. When I was learning more about the show and the actors, I found out that Mariska Hargitay, who plays Detective Benson on SVU, started a charity called Joyful Heart. Joyful Heart helps victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse. So when I found out that in partnership with Philosophy Joyful Heart created a shower gel and lotion, I couldn't wait to purchase it, especially since 100% of the proceeds go towards the cause.

Like I said I have nowhere near me that sells Philosophy, so I was just hoping and praying I liked the scent. I figured even if I didn't like it, the money I spent would go towards something good. But guys, I LOVE the scent of this stuff! The website described it as having a light, floral peony scent, and I couldn't describe it better. It smells really strong out of the bottle, but doesn't linger much on the skin. The gel is SUPER creamy, and makes the greatest lather without having to use a ton of product. Overall, I LOVE this product! Its more than I usually spend on shower gel at $20, but its a pretty big bottle. I kinda regret not ordering the lotion at the same time so I could build the scent, but hey there's always next time :)

Hope everyone is having a good week. Its almost the weekend!! :) Tomorrow I have a hair appointment, and I know I'm getting at least an inch cut off. I keep finding split ends just a week or two after my haircuts, so I figured an inch would get a good bit of the grossness off. I'm kinda in the mood to go for a totally new, shorter style, but I'm nervous! I'm gonna try to find some pictures online of hairstyles that I like, but I'll probably just end up trimming the inch and redo-ing my layers. There's always next month!!

Happy Summer! && Crazy Eights

2010-05-05T20:19:00.002-04:00

Hey everyone! As of right now I am OFFICIALLY on summer break! This is the first summer since I got into college that I won't be taking any classes, so I'll just be working and RELAXING!

As far as the previous post, this past semester is probably going to be my worst one yet, grade-wise. It's kinda pathetic considering the classes that I was taking, but talking with a friend of mine made me realize that everything will work out how its supposed to. If I'm meant to get into pharmacy school, it'll happen. If I'm meant to graduate with a B.S. in Biology, I am confident that I will be able to find a career or a further speciality that I will love. This is all in a process to learn that there are some things that I won't be able to control once they are outta my hands.

On a lighter note! I found this tag that Emily posted over at From the Land of Cotton and thought it would be a good way to kick off my summer of blogging.

8 TV Shows I Like to Watch

1. Law and Order: SVU

2. Say Yes to the Dress

3. Real Housewives (any season, but esp. NJ)

4. The Biggest Loser

5. Project Runway

6. Friends

7. Chelsea Lately

8. Days of our Lives

8 Favorite Places to Eat and Drink

1. Chili's

2. Outback

3. Wild Wings

4. Zaxbys

5. Sonic

6. Chick fil A

7. Moe's

8. California Dreaming

8 Things I Look Forward To

1. a relaxing summer

2. Jenna's wedding

3. family summer vacation

4. getting outta school

5. discovering my dream career

6. 21st birthday!!!

7. CAROLINA FOOTBALL!

8. Sex and the City 2 movie

8 Things that Happened to me Yesterday

1. woke up later than I should have

2. studied for my history final

3. forgot it was tuesday & was happy to find an SVU marathon

4. made a junk food/haircare run to walmart

5. put off aforementioned studying till midnight

6. got super stressed out with life and had a friend calm me down

7. realized how much I love living by myself

8. found out I have a slight addiction to chips and queso sauce

8 Things I like about Winter

1. Christmas

2. a month off of school

3. bundling up in cute layers

4. scarves

5. resurrecting my North Face jacket

6. when we get snow here the whole state shuts down

7. bigtime SEC games && bowl games

8. decorations

8 Things I am Passionate About

1. life

2. my family

3. good friendships

4. good customer service

5. people actually learning how to drive

6. learning&living God's great plan for my life

7. L&O:SVU (newfound obsession!)

8. making every moment a good time

8 Words or Phrases I Use Often

1. yall

2. I do not!

3. just kidding

4. o my word!

5. "just a baby!" (to my puppy)

6. how precious

7. go cocks! (esp. during football season)

8. i love it

8 Things I Have Learned from the Past

1. true friends really are hard to find

2. college is SO much better than high school

3. don't lose a friendship over something petty

4. things really do happen for a reason

5. don't sweat the small stuff *still learning*

6. cherish every moment with your loved ones. Never know how much time is left

7. be thankful for what you have.

8. brunettes really do have more fun :)

8 Places I Would Like to Visit/See

1. London (Wimbledon)

2. Hawaii

3. Australia

4. NYC (already been but love to go again!)

5. Greece

6. Paris

7. Milan

8. Cancun

8 Things I Currently Want/Need

1. halfway decent grades in my classes!

2. GET INTO PHARMACY SCHOOL

3. a new haircut (still want it long but just something different)

4. lose the weight I gained back this school year

5. couple everyday summer dresses

6. black Tory Burch revas

7. couple weekend trips to the beach this summer

8. continue learning to love the life I live!!!

I tag anyone who wants to do this tag! It actually made me think for a couple categories!

Well ****

2010-05-04T02:09:00.003-04:00

Just when I think that life may be slowing down and reaching a calm....

...life laughs at me for being so silly and slaps me in the face.

**sorry for 2 downer posts in a row, hopefully things will be looking up soon and i can be back to my regularly scheduled (hah) blogging.

Wait-listed....

2010-03-16T15:49:00.003-04:00

Just got the letter today that I have been put on the wait list for pharmacy school. Definitely not the answer I was wanted. Now I have to send back a paper stating the latest date I would be willing to accept a spot and whether I would be willing to go to either the Columbia or Charleston campus. This pretty much throws off everything until I get a sure answer. I still have to go to registration as if I'm continuing with my biology degree, which is a very real possibility. I have NO idea what I would do with that degree. like none. I had no intentions of going to college and getting a biology degree. This is the only thing I want to do. And I REALLY don't wanna have to apply again next year and do this process all over again.

As I'm writing this post, I'm realizing that not only do I have to do REALLY REALLY well the rest of the semester, but also that I need to just fully put myself into God's hands. He's knows whether or not pharmacy school is the best thing for me (even though I feel like it is and so does my family) and exactly what I am meant to do in life career-wise. It's a hard lesson to learn, one I'm gonna have to keep learning and keep in mind as this whole process continues. I'm just hoping to hear sometime before school lets out in April, but it could be as late as a couple days before classes starting in August.

Speaking of staying on task this semester, I have a lab report, history paper, and biology test calling my name....

OOTD: Lazy Rainy Sunday

2010-03-14T22:42:00.002-04:00

March 14 2010 by swtcarolinagrl featuring Jack Rogers sandals

** Headband was creme instead of black **

I'm back at my apartment getting ready to go back to class and work and the real world :( I'm planning on filming a couple vlogs this week about spring break and a haul or two, so be sure to stay tuned! Thank you to all my readers/viewers! I love you all :)

First Lush Video

2010-03-02T17:44:00.001-05:00

First Video Haul :)

2010-02-18T00:50:00.001-05:00

If yall have any questions let me know!

My First Vlog!

2010-02-05T00:13:00.002-05:00

Here it is. After HOURS of waiting for this thing to download its finally finished!!!

PLEASE let me know what yall think and if you have any ideas for a vlog topic!! Thanks :)

Exciting Things!

2010-02-02T17:34:00.004-05:00

Hey everyone! So the spring semester is in full swing and I am trying my hardest to stay on top of things, hence the lack of posts! If you follow me on twitter I do tend to update that multiple times a day so make sure to check that out!

Speaking of staying on top of things, this weekend I pretty much spent the whole time on youtube watching tutorials and various vlogs and decided that I wanted to do that myself! Problem is, I don't have a webcam and my Canon Powershot microphone's range isn't big enough. So I plan to go to Best Buy tomorrow and find a cheap webcam that I can attach to my laptop. If anyone has any suggestions or you have a webcam that you really love, please let me know!

Also, the tutorials I watched all weekend were mostly about beauty, something I KNOW I have no place talking to people about! So as of right now I'm thinking that these vlogs are gonna be about my daily life. So I would like to know what yall would like to see! I was thinking about doing a "whats in my purse" vlog or what I keep in my school bag, how I keep myself organized for school (I dunno I watch other people's videos like these and think they're cool). I'm pretty much open to anything, so PLEASE let me know what yall would like to see! I'm hoping that these vlogs will be an easier way for me to document my life, since obviously I can't keep up with this blog!! Thanks and can't wait to hear your suggestions!!!

National Champions!!

2010-01-08T00:37:00.002-05:00

ALABAMA WINS THE 2010 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!!!!

Even though Alabama KILLED South Carolina when we played them, I can't help but root for whatever SEC team lands in the National Championship (yes even Florida!) I couldn't help but want to see Texas try and come back after Colt McCoy was injured though. I felt awful for their freshman quarterback with this being the only game he had any true playing time in. But I couldn't turn my back on my conference!!! This is the 4th straight National Championship that the SEC has won and I couldn't be more proud than to be part of this amazing conference! Who knows, maybe ONE day **far far away** the Gamecocks can fight to be the national champs!!! haha who am I kidding....we have to win the SEC championship first!!!

Sweet Carolina Girl

Top 5 Tuesday: Most Worn Items

Q&A Monday #2!

February Photo a Day

Top 5 Tuesday: January Favorites

Monday Q&A Linkup with Shasta and Megan!

New Vlog! Makeup Collection and Storage

Top 5 Tuesday: School Supplies

Top 5 Tuesday: Jewelry Loves!

Life via iPhone

Versatile Blogger!

Top 5 Tuesday: Finals Distractions

MIA and Giveaway!

Top 5 Tuesday: Nail Polish

October Birchbox

Top 5 Tuesday: October Favorites

Happy Halloween!

Top 5 Tuesday: Purfume

Happy Birthday to ME!! (and Ashley)

September Birchbox

Day in Athens

Accent Tag!! + mini haul

Where my Head is at

Recent Hauling

I LOVE GROUPON!

What I did this weekend

June 10 haul video

Getting to know you Sunday

My excuse for not blogging

Rent the Runway

Happy Mother's Day!

college problems

#notwinning

TMI Tuesday!

To-Do List Update

End of Semester To-Do List

What I'm LOVING Wednesday

Versatile Blogger Award!

TMI Tuesday

Tiny Target Haul

What I'm Loving Wednesday

New Giveaways!

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

I won!

Quick! Need Yall's Opinion!

My current state of mind...

My Adoption Story

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

Random Early Morning Thoughts

Project 10 Pan

Bath and Body Works Haul

Quote of the Day

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

Golden Globes 2011 Fashion

Verizon is getting the iPhone!

Thought Process of the Moment

Christmas 2010

Turkey Weekend Recap

Sephora Friends and Family Sale

Sephora Haul and Review

"...when the world stopped turnin..."

OOTD and Ulta videos

Beach Essentials

Haul: Bath and Body Works, TJ Maxx, and Target

Holiday Weekend Recap

Day 4 - Favorite Television Program

Day 3 - Favorite Book

NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!!!!!!!

Day 2 - Favorite Movie

Day 1 - Favorite Song

30 Day Blog Challenge

June Favorites!

My *mini* Summer Oasis

*VLOG* 50 Random Questions

Summer Saving

How I Spent My Sunday....

Great Friends & Joyful Heart

Happy Summer! && Crazy Eights

Well ****

Wait-listed....

My mini Summer Oasis

VLOG 50 Random Questions