Product Review: Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser

Photos by Jen White

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles Concealer Treament

I am so excited to let you guys in on this little product I use every day.

I’m usually not a victim of dark under eye circles (sleep is probably my #2 priority in life next to my boyfriend), but when I do end up staying up late (like this Halloweekend), I use this to brighten my face and even out my skin tone.

I love this product because it is so easy to use – you don’t need to blend with your fingers if you don’t want to (although I do anyways because I feel like it helps it even out more quickly). It’s literally shaped like an eraser that you can use anywhere on your face – I mainly use it for blemishes because I have a few acne scars here and there that take a long time to completely heal.

This little guy is so cheap – you can get it at any drugstore – but it is indispensable in my morning skin routine. There’s nothing like looking bright and awake on mornings when you may have stayed up too late!

Let me know if you try it out, or if you already use it, and what you think! As always, I’m totally open to new beauty suggestions. Comment below with your favorite skincare products!

~ follow me on Instagram @style.and.sunshine for new looks, fashion & beauty picks, and little glimpses into my life ~

Tribal & Cream

Photos by Alix Kramer

sweater: Urban Outfitters // vest: J. Crew Factory // leggings: Lululemon // boots: Minnetonka // bag: C. Wonder // sunglasses: Forever 21 // earrings: Kate Spade

Hello wonderful people! It’s been a tad longer between posts this time because school/midterm season/papers are all coming at me really hard right now. But I had a little down time on this beautiful Sunday morning to share this new look with you guys!

It’s most definitely getting a lot colder here, and I’m so sad that my beautiful green ivy wall won’t last forever! The heat in our house has turned on, so that means it’s time to get serious about the sweaters.

I love this geometric sweater I found at Urban Outfitters – I purposefully bought a size up from what I usually wear so it could be roomy and comfy. I love that coral pop of color (even in the fall I like to at least have a little color going on!) and my J. Crew quilted vest went perfectly with the creamy stitching in the sweater.

I treated myself to these Minnetonka moccasins at the end of last year and they always make me so happy when I’m walking to class. The fringe has beautiful movement – I always love days when I wear these.

Life updates: There are so many of them that I think I’ll have to break them up into different sections!

Ultimate frisbee: So far, my team has competed in two different tournaments this fall, one in Milwaukee and one in Iowa. Tournament weekends are my favorite because I love getting out of the “Northwestern bubble” and being able to focus an entire weekend on my sport and not my mountain of work. I also love traveling with my teammates/best friends – they never fail to put a smile on my face. This past tournament in Ames, Iowa had such beautiful weather! I’m going to miss that when I’m freezing my toes off in the winter.

This is me and my friend S’More! (We all have nicknames on the team – mine is Skittles. Maybe I’ll tell the story someday on here!)

My new portfolio: Here’s a link to my brand new design portfolio! I use this to show current/potential design clients my work and *hopefully* to impress a company enough with my design skills to get an internship this summer. Updates on the search hopefully coming soon. Feel free to check it out and of course let me know if you have a design project!

Project Scare: This past Halloweekend, my sorority Alpha Phi held our annual fall philanthropy event called “Project Scare.” We turn the Sigma Alpha Epsilon house (a frat on campus) into a creepy haunted house, and charge $5 for entry to be donated to a different charity each year. This year it’s Y.O.U. Evanston, check out the amazing things they do for our community here. The theme was Cirque du Scream, so we all dressed up like clowns/cannibal victims and scared people all weekend. Last night was the final night, and I got tons of pictures. I think the creepy clown look really works for me, how about you?

This is my friend Jennie and I dressed up as cannibal clowns. I went a little crazy with the blood, but hey! It was Halloween.

Since I’m the Vice President of Marketing for APhi, I get to paint all of our event banners! Here’s the one advertising Project Scare.

Life in general: It’s been great! I’m staying busy, which is very important to me being happy and keeping positive as it’s getting colder. I have a meeting scheduled with my adviser later on this month to talk about my petition to graduate next year (December of 2015! Literally a year from now I will be a college grad. How crazy is that?) Fall is beautiful (I feel like I’ve used that word a lot in this post but LIFE IS JUST BEAUTIFUL!) and the leaves against the green grass are so gorgeous that I’ve been stopping and taking pictures everywhere around campus.

If it were like this year round, I’d have 0 complaints.

Less than three weeks until I get to see Dylan at the Ring Figure ceremony and dance! I can’t wait. I feel like jumping around my room every time I think about it.

Many many thanks to anyone who made it all the way through this post – this is why I need to post more often so I don’t have to overwhelm you guys with all the things I’m doing right now. Thanks so much for reading, I appreciate it! So excited for some new November looks coming soon!

~ follow me on Instagram @style.and.sunshine for new looks, fashion & beauty picks, and little glimpses into my life ~

A Midi Skirt & Cashmere

Photos by Alix Kramer

skirt: Crossroads Trading Co. // sweater: Aqua Cashmere // top: Crossroads Trading Co. // shoes: Gianni Bini // sunglasses: Forever 21 // bag: C. Wonder // rings: Forever 21 // earrings: Kate Spade

Hi guys!

A few weeks ago, I was watching Project Runway (probably my favorite TV show), when all of a sudden, the need to buy my first midi skirt came over me. The very next day I made a stop at Crossroads (The Plato’s Closet of Evanston) and found this beautiful navy skirt. I love its fullness; it’s a circle cut so there’s a lot of fabric (which makes it fun to spin around). I paired it with my favorite cashmere cable knit sweater I found a few years ago at Bloomingdales, and a cropped tee you all will see a little more of in some future looks.

One thing I’m struggling with this fall is transitioning summer styles into winter – I try my best, but I just can’t bring myself to wear any super-bright colors (besides my Kate Spade coat) or summery dresses, even with tights. Same goes for nail polish! I really don’t like having super bright nails when all of the leaves are changing and it’s chilly – it just doesn’t make sense! I think that I’m going to try to keep fall in fall and summer in summer – plus, that will make me so much more excited to wear all my summer clothes once June rolls around!

~ follow me on Instagram @style.and.sunshine for new looks, fashion & beauty picks, and little glimpses into my life ~

Weekly Sunshine: Positive Thoughts

Designed by Jen White

Hey guys!

For this week’s #WeeklySunshine post, I wanted to share this little quote with you because it has helped me through a lot.

My freshman year of college was probably the worst year of my life. I was on top of the world senior year, had just met the love of my life and spent an amazing summer with him, and was so excited about starting at Northwestern. I had no idea how stressful and overwhelming it would be, let alone how much the weather would have an effect on my mood. I got pretty depressed beginning in the winter and even going into spring – the lack of sun was really what got me. I had no idea what it felt like to be up north during the wintertime – I had only ever experienced maybe 30 degrees, and I was in for a big shock.

Things weren’t going well for me in school (I was convinced I was failing Macroeconomics although I ended up passing), I was incredibly homesick, I missed my boyfriend like crazy, and I felt really out of place. Long story short, I woke up every day just trying to get through, going to class, going to practice, just going through the motions.

That summer, although I considered transferring, I decided to stick with NU – I really did like the school and the people I met, and I knew that my freshman year journalism courses were over and I could really start diving into what I love to do, design. My sophomore year, although it ended up being one of the worst Chicago winters in almost 20 years, was one of the best years of my (still relatively short) life.

And I drew a lesson from that experience: I needed, more than anything, to focus on making myself happy. Although I’m surrounded by the best support systems ever (my family, my boyfriend, my frisbee team, my sorority), I needed to be able to support myself. It’s tough (especially for a Florida girl like myself) to wake up on a gray day and know that you won’t see the sun at all. But simply having one positive thought as the first thing through my mind on days like that, and every day, made a world of difference.

Now, I try to focus on all of the amazing things that are going on in my life right now. I’m loving my classes (I even really like doing the reading and writing for them), I’m basically a senior in college, I have my own cozy room in one of the most beautiful houses on campus, and I have the most amazing boyfriend in the world. I’m not saying there aren’t days when I don’t want to get out of my bed, especially days like today (rainy, gray, and freezing), but even picking out the smallest detail like being excited about a certain outfit or looking forward to an exciting discussion in class that day really makes a world of difference.

So, my goal this week and my challenge to you is to start each day with a positive thought. You’d be surprised at how just the tiniest shift in perspective can make a big change in your life.

~ follow me on Instagram @style.and.sunshine for new looks, fashion & beauty picks, and little glimpses into my life ~

A Kate Spade Coat (My Favorite Piece of Clothing)

Photos by Alix Kramer

coat: Kate Spade // jeans: Pac Sun // earrings: Kate Spade // sweater: Aqua for Bloomingdales

I have been looking forward to this post ever since my amazing mom bought me this coat at the beginning of the summer.

So I have a thing for Kate Spade – something about what their company stands for (color, personality and put-together-ness) really resonates with me both in my personal style and in my graphic design style. I love using color in my designs, and of course, I love wearing it.

This coat just emulates everything I love about fashion. It’s out of the ordinary, so it makes me pop when I walk down the street (in a good way). It’s simple but beautiful – the length and cut is beyond perfection. And it has a bow. What else could I wish for? I’m so excited to wear this around campus more once it gets a little chillier, but I am terrified of getting it dirty. It’s my prized posession – I could never forgive myself if something happened to this coat.

Life updates: I just launched my brand new design portfolio on ProSite! Definitely check it out – I’m going to start applying to a lot of internships soon and I wanted my portfolio to look and feel just as professional as I have become. I’m doing a lot of freelance design (hit me up if you need anything). I’ve done a few media kits and marketing materials for people, and it’s so strange to actually be doing what I love for a substantial amount of money. I’m always a little surprised when I get a check in the mail. Hopefully someday I get to work at a place that I love just as much as I love freelancing!

~ follow me on Instagram @style.and.sunshine for new looks, fashion & beauty picks, and little glimpses into my life ~

Transitioning from Summer: Stripes & Socks

Photos by Alix Kramer

dress: Forever 21 // scarf: from Morocco // socks: Forever 21 // boots: Vince Camuto // bracelet: Plato’s Closet // bag: C. Wonder // sunglasses: Forever 21

Fall is (semi) here! I had originally paired this look with a jacket, but I realized as soon as I went outside that I really didn’t need it. It’s been in the high 50s/low 60s in Evanston recently, and that is a confusing time when it comes to choosing your outfit for the day. So this look is a little “how-to” in transitioning a summer piece to early fall.

You guys have seen this dress before here – but it looks completely different with this fall styling. The deep red of the scarf (which was a gift from Dylan! He studied abroad in Morocco and brought it back for me!) and the olive green of the socks tone down the preppy, summery stripes of the dress. My Vince Camuto lace-up heels add a little twist (I love how they’re basically heels but they’re comfy enough to wear to class.)

The sparkly deep brown leather bracelet and my go-to Forever 21 sunglasses added the finishing touches. What do you think?

Life updates: I’m going to my ultimate frisbee team’s first tournament of the season this weekend! We’re leaving for Milwaukee tonight (thank god it’s a sub-2-hour road trip) and I couldn’t be any more excited. There’s something awesome about leaving campus – people call it the “Northwestern Bubble” and that is such an accurate statement. Getting away from that bubble helps me leave my problems, stresses, and especially homework behind and allows me to focus on playing well and achieving my goals for the weekend.

Although this may not make sense to you guys if you’re not familiar with frisbee, my goals this weekend are to make a successful pull in a game, remember and use the handler sets accurately, and throw/complete a huck. I’ll try to get some pictures from the weekend for you guys, but for now, here’s a picture my sorority took with our poster (made by yours truly) this past week for Women’s Empowerment Week! Can you spot me and my huge scarf?

~ follow me on Instagram @style.and.sunshine for new looks, fashion & beauty picks, and little glimpses into my life ~

My First Fedora

Photos by Alix Kramer

jeans: PacSun // shirt: Calvin Klein // hat: Forever 21 // shoes: Dillard’s (they have a brand but it’s not marked on the shoe) // necklace: Plato’s Closet // sunglasses: Forever 21 // nails: Essie in “Russian Roulette”

Hi everyone!

I have been inspired by one of my very good friends (and my little in my sorority), Erica, to start wearing hats like these. I’m not even sure what to call them, but wide-brimmed fedora sounded best so that’s what I’m going for. I wanted the look to center around the hat, so I chose my dark red high-wasited jeans and a feminine yet professional black & white top.

These shoes are one of my greater shopping success stories – I found them on an 80% off rack at Dillard’s and snagged them for $15! To be honest, they’re actually pretty uncomfortable, but I love how they’re nude and black, which means that they match pretty much any outfit I put on. I’m also all about the ankle strap right now – it’s such a classic element.

Life updates: I officially have a new obsession: barre fitness classes! Alpha Phi had a day at Pure Barre in downtown evanston for 25 girls, and I tagged along because I wanted to try something new. I loved the class, and I decided to sign up for 5 weeks of unlimited classes which I am definitely going to make the most of. I’ve scheduled the classes for the mornings before I have real class at 11am, and waking up early/the amazing workout has made the last few days SO awesome! It is such a positive way to start my days, and I always feel really energized when I leave. I’m really excited to have this routine as part of my life, and I’m even more excited to get toned #basic. I can’t wait to write a post about it!

Classes are going well, my co-design editor on STITCH just picked our new group of design team members, and we have a frisbee tournament in Milwaukee this weekend! There are so many cool things to look forward to, and time is flying by.

~ follow me on Instagram @style.and.sunshine for new looks, fashion & beauty picks, and little glimpses into my life ~

Weekly Sunshine: Good Energy is Contagious

Designed by Jen White

Hi guys! I realized that I hadn’t made a weekly sunshine post in a while, so here’s one for a beautiful (yet cold) Sunday morning.

I came across this quote on Pinterest, and it really made me smile. This week has had a lot of ups and downs for me – I filled out my petition to graduate earlier this week and had sort of a panic attack as it kind of set in that this really is my last year of college. I realized that there are so many things that I still want to do and accomplish while I’m in college, and that time is slipping away so quickly.

Also: having a single room this year is awesome, but it’s also kind of an obstacle for me. I love having my alone time, but sometimes it turns into too much alone time, and then I end up upset because I haven’t been around people enough. So that’s something I’ve been working on, and the second half of my week was much better for it.

I’ve learned that not only is good energy contagious to others around you (sometimes a smile and a “how are you?” can literally make someones’ day), but it can also be contagious to yourself. If I focus more on the positive things that are happening in my life (like the fact that it’s looking more and more feasible for me to spend my summer in NYC), then I’ll be in the mindset to see the sunny side of things that go wrong.

If I’ve learned one thing from being a college student, it’s that happiness is something that you need to make for yourself. It’s awesome to have things in your life that make you happy (take Dylan for instance – he makes me smile every day), but when it comes down to it, if you allow the world control over your emotions, then you won’t ever be content with yourself.

Life updates: In other news, I just bought the new Adobe Creative Cloud subscription through Northwestern – and it came out to only a little over $10 a month which is an insanely low price considering all of the amazing programs that come with the subscription. I now have TypeKit which I’m SO excited to explore, and I’ve been working on migrating my portfolio from Wix to Behance (it’s kind of Adobe’s portfolio/social networking platform for artists and designers). I’ll post a link for you guys once it’s completely finished!

STITCH Applications are due tonight so I’m looking forward to reading over those and adding a few new members to the design team! I’m also applying to a student-run marketing firm on campus called Form & Function because I want to get as much design experience as I can before I go on my Journalism Residency.

Alix and I just shot another batch of outfits for you guys, so look out for those in the coming days! ❤

~ follow me on Instagram @style.and.sunshine for new looks, fashion & beauty picks, and little glimpses into my life ~

Black & Blue

Photos by Alix Kramer

crop top: PacSun (Kendall & Kylie) // skirt: Goodwill // tights: Target // shoes: Plato’s Closet // bag: C. Wonder // bracelet: Juicy Couture // sunglasses: Forever 21

I’ve wanted to style my navy pencil skirt for a blog post for so long – and I finally did it! I found this brand-less skirt for $3 at Goodwill (one of my finer steals, I must say). It fits me perfectly, which is hard to find in pencil skirts for me since I have larger hips and a smaller waist. I paired the skirt with my PacSun cropped tee, which adds a bit of youthfulness to an otherwise professional looking pencil skirt.

Black accessories really complemented this look, so I went for black tights (they’re sweater-tights so they’re super warm and comfy!) and my black wedge ankle booties. The gold in the bracelet brings out some of the pattern of the top, and of course my go-to sunnies add the finishing touch.

I love the leaves on the ground! Fall is finally here!

~ follow me on Instagram @style.and.sunshine for new looks, fashion & beauty picks, and little glimpses into my life ~

Très Chic Tuesday

Photos by Alix Kramer

shirt: Express // skirt: Francesca’s // shoes: Aldo (via Crossroads Trading Co.) // bracelet: Forever 21 // rings: Forever 21 // sunglasses: Forever 21 // necklace: Forever 21 // nails: Essie in “Bahama Mama”

IT’S TUESDAY!!!

And that means that I can finally post my “Très Chic Tuesday” outfit! Recently around Evanston it’s been pretty warm – like high 60s, low 70s warm – so that means less fall style (it will come!) and more summery looks. I know that it will get cold pretty soon though – today is rainy and disgusting so maybe that means more sweater weather in my near future?

I was returning something at the mall when I saw this shirt on a mannequin in the window of Express. I had to run inside and find it in my size, and I also found there another shirt that said “Casual Friday” so I snagged them both. Another great find were these Aldo shoes – they were already really cheap at Crossroads but they were also half off, so I ended up paying $9 for the pair of them. Every girl needs a good pair of nude pumps, right?

Life updates: STITCH, the fashion magazine of which I’m the co-design editor, had its info session last night for potential new staffers! It was so weird to be in the position of someone who had the power to decide who will be on the design team or not, because up until this point I’ve been the applicant! A lot of really cool people came up to talk to me and my co-editor Drew, and I’m really looking forward to seeing everyone’s applications.

Also, President Obama is coming to Northwestern this thursday to speak! I’m really really excited, and I’m hoping that I’m able to get to see him in person (although he’s giving his speech in a rather small auditorium). If anything, I’ll get to see it on a screen somewhere on campus!

Classes are going really well, and as things are picking up speed I’m finding myself falling into a rhythm of class, practice, and meetings for APhi and STITCH. I’m definitely making a lot of time for myself though, and I’m halfway through the latest season of Project Runway (major style inspiration going on there) and am almost done with Modern Family! As always, looking forward to Ring Figure at VMI when I get to see Dylan next (:

~ follow me on Instagram @style.and.sunshine for new looks, fashion & beauty picks, and little glimpses into my life ~