Afternoon at the Sound

So it has been almost an entire week since I have blogged and I honestly have no excuse why other than being lazy. But anywho, I promise to dedicate to it this summer! Because I won't be really going out places (or at least I don't anticipate doing so due to summer courses, volunteering, school engagements and what not) my blog won't be focused too much on fashion though on my everyday life and hobbies. 

Well, today, my love and I went down to the sound to dip our toes in since it was beautiful out and neither of us have touched the water in months. I wore my favorite bikini of last summer which I got on sale for altogether $50. That may be a lot, but it is Billabong and I LOVE their bikinis for both their style and quality. I adored the map print, as I do anything that is nautical. I had also never seen anyone with a map print bikini and I love to find unique ones. I believe I ordered it from either Zumiez or PacSun, online.

I only got up to my chest (which is really as deep as you could get in the sound, but I couldn't stand to dip my head under because the water is still freezing). Matt, however, was crazy enough to dive right in.

The tide was super high when we came down. Here is a little photo Matthew took of the water:

I wore a simple anchor-print cover-up that was handed down to me.

Thank you so much for looking and reading and I promise to dedicate more to this blog!

~ Laurel

So Happy It Is Friday

The beginning of the week went by incredibly fast, however today and Thursday couldn't have dragged on any more slowly. At least every Friday is a half-day for me! We also have Monday off - yay! It has been such a lazy week for me. I threw on an American Eagle flannel and a matching camisole, both of which were handed down to me, and my old pair of Bull Head skinnies from PacSun years ago. For jewelry I wore an adorable light blue watch and my opal ring.

My old denim Sperry's (Journeys; $75) and today's jewelry:

I also snapped a quick shot of Matt. I am so fortunate to have him to get my photos everyday!

Happy Friday! :)

~ Laurel

Long Day

The weather outside today, well this evening, was nice. However it wasn't quite warm enough for me to lay out, which I really need to do so I can be tan for prom! My day wasn't too exciting; it went by very slowly. I was more than happy to be home, especially since my boyfriend brought me Mexican food! I have eaten out so much lately, mostly because I went to Greensboro. Last night, my family and I went out to sushi and it was amazing, as always. Sushi is my all-time favorite food.

For today's outfit, I wore an American Eagle shirt I picked up from a thrift store, some Hollister skinny jeans I got on sale ($25; Hollister.Com), and my Roxy slippers (Journeys.com; $45). I didn't throw on any jewelry simply because I was too tired. I wore my hair down and natural, and for my makeup I just lined my eyes with black eyeshadow. (Bare Escentuals Loose Powder in Catwoman; Ebay.Com $7.99 free shipping).

I am super excited because I have recently signed up for a bunch of great volunteer events, such as the Color Vibe Run and Jumping for a Purpose, and I have a little meeting at the Moyock Library tomorrow about working for their Summer Reading Program! I heard back from Morris and they asked me to call them back in another two weeks to try for a position again. I was upset at first that I didn't get the job, but I'm just going to keep trying and calling back.

Lastly, a quick shot of my shoes and a pretty flower I found: 

Thanks for reading! I posted earlier today! :)

~ Laurel

Cold Weather One Day, Warm & Summery the Next...

I didn't throw much together today, just a bodycon skirt (JC Penny; $10), a black lacy Express top, and my new black Rocket Dog flats (Rack Room Shoes; $18). My hair was stubborn today, just as it has been all week, and after nearly five tries of making a nice sock bun, I gave up and just slipped a black headband on. I paired my gold New York & Company Watch with my little anchor necklace my boyfriend got me. I think I love this necklace the most out of all that I own. First of all, it's an anchor. Second of all, Matt got it for me. We were at a thrift store on the beach when I spotted it, and we got it for only $1. I thought it was really unique since parts were hand-carved. I showed it to my daddy, who pointed out it was 24K gold!!! (Just the anchor pendant, not the chain). So we weighed the pendant and looked up it's value in weight which was $250! I thought that was quite amazing. I'll never let go of it. I'll have to post a photo of it sometime!

My new shoes:

NY&C watch:

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Laurel

A Little Afternoon Photo Shoot

So, I will start out with today's outfit, as promised:


I wore my favorite PacSun Bull Head jeans, which I got for $25 (back when I was in 7th grade and they had the 2/$50 deal and still made quality, durable Bull Head jeans), and my new striped sweater from TJ Maxx ($15.99, I believe) with an off-white cami from Kohls underneath. I matched my earrings (Claire's) and nails to my sweater. The color is Snappy Sorbet Insta-Dri by Sally Hansen. The color is bright and amazing however the quality of the polish is absolutely terrible. I applied two coats of the color, along with a clear overcoat on early Sunday afternoon and by seven o'clock that evening my nails were already chipping! I had to redo them last night. I would definitely not recommend Sally Hansen brand nail color, as I've never had a manicure last for more than two days. However, I do recommend their Hard As Nails nail growth polishes, as they have always worked amazingly. Anywho, here are some shots of my outfit, shoes, and nails!

My nails & Sweater:

These are my most favorite moccasins out of any pair I own. They are genuine suede with sheepskin lining, as all UGGs are. I have worn them repetitively all winter, and the fur still has yet to wear down. I've never had a pair of moccasins (of course, my other pair are man-made material) that are so fluffy, or that have remained so fluffy!


UGG Moccasins in Tabacco; Amazon.Com $95.

My boyfriend and I decided to wait until this afternoon to get pictures because it was stormy this morning, so we ended up with a ton of time to get photos for my blog. With all of this time on our hands, we decided to include my two adorable doggies and him as well! Meet Red (Black) and Batalee (Gray/White). Red, however, wasn't too excited about getting photos. The flash often startles her!

    

Near the end, I got some shots of Matt, my handsome boyfriend:

And lastly, a fun mirror shot!

Thank you so much for looking!

 ~ Laurel

Greensboro, NC

I had a wonderful time in Greensboro with my boy and with everyone else in our FBLA club! The only things I could complain about are the bus rides and mall food for three days straight. However, that did not affect the great time I had. I didn't get many pictures, which is shocking, because we didn't travel the city much, only staying in our hotel or at the mall. Which wasn't too bad, considering the mall was humongous (3 stories!) and I got to buy some necklaces at PacSun and a Hollister bikini!

I managed to get a picture of me and my boy and one of myself. I know, I look pretty goofy, but that's okay.

The most exciting news, other than the fact my boy placed in the top 10 for Business Calculations (I am so proud of him) is that it was his 17th birthday on Thursday! Some friends covered his door with birthday streamers and also brought him cupcakes, which were awesome! Afterwards, we all went to Smokey Bones for a nice dinner to celebrate. It was delicious!

I wasn't in the best spot to get photos and couldn't exactly move, however this is a photo of him speaking, as he was our friend's campaign manager:

They both did an exceptional job :)

I am so happy for all of the other members who placed and I really look forward to future trips and competitions!

I'm sorry I didn't have an outfit to post today; I was so exhausted that I didn't even want to think about trying to look nice. Anyways, thanks for looking! I promise there will be an outfit tomorrow!

~ Laurel

Spring/Summer Shopping Haul!

Due to the change in weather (and a ton of birthday money), I have done quite a bit of shopping! Posted below are most of the items I have recently purchased along with their prices and the stores they originated from.

I needed a pair of shoes to go with a dress I recently purchased from Body Central (pictured later), so I went to TJ Maxx and found a pair of cream-colored wedges for only $24.99. I also needed a pair of prom shoes, so today my mother and I went to Rack Room Shoes and picked out some gorgeous silver Steve Maddens. While there, we also grabbed some new black flats because my others were too small. Being the nice brand they are, I chose some Rocket Dogs. The Steve Maddens were priced at $49.99, however there was a teensy mark on the shoe (that no one will ever notice and my dress covers anyway) that I pointed out, so we got a 15% discount on them in addition to the Spring Fashion Event Discount. We ended up paying only $38 for them. As always at Rack Room, your second pair of shoes are 50% off, which was the main reason I got the flats, and after the Spring Fashion discount we only paid $18.99 for the Rocket Dogs instead of their original $44.99! I thought this was quite a deal, for both pair.

Our hotel in Greensboro for our FBLA trip was placed in the most perfect spot... right next to a three-story mall! Of course, I had to blow a little money, so I picked out two necklaces on sale at PacSun. I thought the turtle was adorable and the teardrop necklace would match quite a few of my new tops, so I grabbed both of them on sale at $3.99 each. They were originally $10.50 a piece. The other necklace pictured is a lovely anchor pendant which my boyfriend's mother purchased me for my birthday.

With every season I collect a few new polishes. So far I have gotten three in a couple of my favorite brands.

Estee Lauder - Unsure of color & Price

Nicole by OPI - Play Fair, about $7 at Walmart.

OPI - Mermaid's Tears, $7.50 + free shipping at Ebay.Com 

Jewelry wasn't the only thing I bought in Greensboro. For the first time ever, I walked into a Hollister store. All I have to say is a) their prices are asinine and b) your perfume/cologne smells great, but there is no need to spray it fifty times a day. Instinctively, I marched straight to their clearance, then to their bikinis (instinctively, again) where I found this one for $20 altogether. I was excited to find a bikini top with underwire that didn't have thick padding. Personally, I really dislike push-up tops, bras, bikinis - whatever - because they're just false advertisement. I may have broken my promise to myself not to buy any more bikinis this summer, but at least I saved myself $40!!

The other day I was in the mall near home, and I stopped in New York & Company to see if they had any belts on sale. Unfortunately, they didn't, however they did have this adorable top on sale for $12! It was originally $30, so I couldn't let it pass. Plus, it is coral-colored, which I love!

With my birthday money, I shopped online at Forever 21 because I needed some summer skirts that weren't  bodycons, which I have far too many of. I chose three, two hi-low and one maxi. The first hi-low is coral-colored (again, a favorite summer color), the second hi-low is an ombre seafoam green/blue, and the last skirt is a black chiffon maxi, with a shorter underskirt and see-through overskirt. I paid $22.80 for each hi-low skirt and $10 for the maxi skirt. I also got free shipping!

     

 With my birthday money I also went to TJ Maxx, where I purchased a bunch of tops and a couple belts. I didn't picture everything, as a lot of the items were basics or just weren't summery, and will go in store for fall/winter. However, I got a striped beige and coral sweater for $15.99, a black Express poncho top for $7.99, and a coral (yes, more coral) tank top for $12.99. In addition, I also purchased two Steve Madden belts at $9.99 a piece, one black and one white because I don't have any plain black or white belts. I also needed some to wear with my business attire for FBLA. I especially love the white belt, as it doesn't have the 'hook-loop) closure like most belts. Rather, it just slides through and stays in place.

The last place I shopped was BodyCentral.Com, where I bought five items. However, I cannot post all five because one of them is a dress I intend on wearing this August when my boyfriend and I go on our 2-year anniversary date, and he is not allowed to see it until then. Anyways, I purchased a strapless striped peplum top (pictured in a previous post) with golden anchor buttons on it for $16.90. I got it because it was nautical, I wanted a peplum top, and because I had no other shirts that went well with my red bodycon skirt. In addition, I bought two crop tops to go with some high-waisted skirts. White with bow-back; $12.90, Teal with cross-back; $14.90. I also chose them because of their cute open-backs. Lastly, I bought a tan v-neck dress which I had my eyes on for months ($24.90, sold out now!). I got free shipping on my order. Body Central, like Forever 21, Charlotte Russe, and Rue 21 has cheap materials, however they have the quickest shipping out of any regular online store. My items that weren't back ordered arrived in four days (including the weekend), and my back ordered item arrived three days before it was supposed to be shipped! This really impressed me.

Thank you so much for viewing and reading my blog! I apologize I have not posted in a while, I did not have internet (free internet, rather) at my hotel, and thus didn't have the chance!

~ Laurel