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For this week’s quiz, I thought it would be fun to try something new. This week, our quiz will match your personality to an iconic summer activity. After you find out which activity best describes you, I have designed one outfit inspired by that activity.
Just take the fun quiz below to find out what summer activity describes you best. If you take the quiz here on the site, the widget will automatically total up your answers for you. If you print the quiz, total up the letters you got and find which one you selected the most. Once you get your answer, find your letter and corresponding result below for a sample outfit inspired by your result.
Quiz: What Summer Activity Are You?
To view this quiz you need to have Flash Player 9 or newer installed and JavaScript enabled.Can't see the quiz above? Don't worry, you can also click right here to print a copy, then come back here to see your result!
Quiz Results – No peeking!
Below are the results of the quiz. Don't look if you haven't taken it yet! I've created one outfit inspired by each result to help give you some ideas for what to wear. Enjoy!
Amusement parks are always full of excitement and energy, just like this brightly-colored outfit. This multi-colored striped top combines perfectly with a lemon yellow skirt, while Hi-Top Chuck Taylor All Star kicks are classic and add a spunky flair to the outfit. Friendship bracelets have taken the blogosphere by storm lately and are a fun addition to any summer look. Finally, add on some trendy black sunglasses and you’re ready to go.
Camping is all about roughing it in the great outdoors and an outfit like this one will let you do just that in comfort and style. A pinstripe button-down shirt and high-waisted khaki shorts are simple and practical for any outdoor adventure. During the summer, I love wearing headbands because they are perfect for keeping stray hairs at bay – this scarf-style headband is both sporty and cute. These striped TOMS would be a practical and comfortable choice for any adventure — whether that is forging a new trail through the woods or picking up some milk from the grocery store. Lastly, a simple leather watch helps tie the whole look together.
When I think of a backyard BBQ, the first thing that comes to mind is the iconic red and white checkered tablecloth. In keeping with that spirit, I picked out this gingham button-up shirt that can be tied up as shown. While you can easily pair this shirt with any neutral bottom, I decided to take a cue from Emily of Cupcakes and Cashmere and pair it with a red patterned skirt. While mixing prints can be intimidating, using different sized prints and similar colors will help to create balance and cohesion. Since the outfit is already so loud, all you need next are some neutral sandals, a great pair of sunglasses, and a simple gold bangle set.
This outfit is inspired by the tranquility of the beach. The outfit’s muted blue-green color palette is reminiscent of the soft waves of the sea. I love the mermaid-esque silhouette of the simple dress. To define your waist, add on a belt in a similar hue. Next, these sand-colored, crochet sandals are definitely on-trend, yet they could still be worn many different ways throughout the seasons. Finally, accessorize the look with pearl-cluster earrings and a simple beaded bracelet.
What do you think?
Did you like the quiz? Which result did you get? Do you think your result represents your personality well? Did you like the outfit inspired by your activity? Do you enjoy these personality quizzes? Please let me know what you think by leaving a comment below!
So this week’s Fabulous Find is a little bit more pricey than I usually like to go – (which reveals just how cheap I really am) but in this case, I think the price is worth it. Considering these shoes are from Urban Outfitters, which can definitely be a pricey store, this is a great deal – a pair of adorable, versatile sneakers for only $20!
Shoes are usually expensive, so when you can find an amazing pair at a price this low, I recommend you jump on it! That being said, every girl needs a couple pairs of sneakers in her wardrobe – a legit pair of athletic shoes for working out, and a cute pair for fashion purposes only. And for the latter, these are perfect!
This outfit screams “summer” – a pair of cutoffs and a pretty, bohemian-chic white top is basically the uniform of the season! Add a pair of cool retro sunglasses, some fun bangles, and last but not least, the amaaaaazing geometric-print sneakers for an up-to-date summer look!
This look is also casual, but definitely has an edgier and slightly more polished vibe in comparison to the first look. This time, the sneakers work perfectly with a flouncy black skirt and a pastel-striped tee (a little nod to print mixing, as always!). The look is topped off with a pair of classic black wayfarers that tie in the back skirt.
This look, although not SUPER dressy, is definitely something you could wear for a casual lunch or dinner date while still looking more put-together and polished – who says you can’t make sneakers look chic? A simple navy dress and some pretty gold and pink accessories work perfectly to tie in the shoes while giving the ensemble some pretty, feminine touches.
Your thoughts?
What do you think of this week’s Fabulous Find? Do you like the sneakers? How would you wear them? Leave a comment and tell us what you think.
Summer dresses are a quintessential part of any girl’s warm weather wardrobe. Think about it: they’re comfy, breezy and can easily be dressed up or down with the right accessories. Yes, the perfect summer dress is something you can throw on before sipping lemonade in your backyard and then wear with your favorite wedges the next time you go out.
If you need a new dress or two this summer, you’re in luck because I’ve found 30 trendy summertime frocks. The best part? They’re all priced under $50, so you won’t break the bank in the name of style. Check ‘em out by scrolling on down:
The Little White Dress is the summertime equivalent of an LBD — the type of dress that can be worn everywhere and for any occasion. Once you find your perfect LWD (like the budget-friendly picks above!) try pairing it with all-white accessories for a perfect summer look.
Abstract Artist
Product Info: Zippered Abstract Dress- Forever 21, Abstract Leopard Print Dress- Charlotte Russe; Just Etching to Wear It Dress- ModCloth, Abstract-Print Tube Dress- Delia’s, Empire Abstract Dress- Forever 21
If you’re looking for a dress that can easily transition from summer to fall, look no further than the trendy abstract print dress. Wear one now with sandals and a lightweight scarf, then pair the same dress with a cardigan and colorful tights when the weather gets cool.
Fab Florals
Product Info: Of Corsage Dress in Buds- ModCloth, Button Sun Dress- Peacocks, Pleated Floral Print Dress- ASOS, Blue and White Floral Dress- Forever 21, Summer Floral Dress- ASOS
Floral prints are pretty much a summertime staple, so if you don’t already own a floral dress — what are you waiting for? Florals are such a versatile print; they can be worn with almost anything. Personally, I like wearing my floral dresses with masculine pieces — such as oxfords and fedoras — to balance out the delicate floral print.
Rainbow Bright
Product Info: Green Eyelet Border Dress- Delia’s, Blue Raspberry Ice Pop Dress- ModCloth, Slice of Heaven in Tangerine- Nasty Gal, Neighborhood Exploration Dress- ModCloth, Hot Pink Wavering Stripes Dress- Forever 21
Summer is the perfect time to experiment with bright hues and there’s no better way to do that then with a bold, colorful dress. The dresses above are guaranteed to punch up the color and style factor of any look. For a super-trendy approach, wear a neon dress like the tangerine-colored or hot pink picks above.
Plaid, stripes and polka dots are three classic patterns work for any season, but they look especially good during the summer. If you’re looking for a fresh way to wear one of these patterns, check out the dresses above. Bold colors and interesting cuts keep these frocks looking modern.
The maxi dress is arguably this summer’s “it” dress — and rightfully so! Maxis are a little bohemian, a little glamorous and a whole lot of chic. Wear one over a bikini and sandals if you’re feeling laid-back or dress it up with statement jewelry and an oversized clutch come nighttime.
Thoughts?
What do you think of these pieces? Do you like wearing dresses during the summer? Which dress is your favorite? As always, remember to leave a comment and let me know your thoughts!
I attend Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon. Many people say that Corvallis is the quintessential college town: a little bit of urban, plenty of rural, and many local businesses that have been around for decades. Corvallis isn’t even 1% the size the New York City. We don’t have a Target, a Walmart, or a mall. This, as my fellow small-town girls know, makes shopping a challenge.
In Corvallis, if you’re a fashionista craving a shopping trip, you hit the the racks at consignment shops, discount stores, and the Goodwill. Many people think, “Goodwill? Ew, gross!” But with the right skills and some good hand sanitizer, thrifting is the most budget friendly way to shop.
Below, I’ll share my tips for thrift shopping in a small college town. Whether you go to school in a tiny town, too, or just want to be more frugal, these tips will help you save money and look fabulous.
Thrifty Tips
1. Patience. This is the number one virtue for thrifters! You have to be in the mood. Going through rack after rack takes time and energy, so grab a coffee before you go and be ready to scavenge for the best finds.
2. Know what you’re looking for. Be aware of what you’re looking to add to your wardrobe. Don’t buy 5 tees if your shirt drawer is already full. Make a mental (or physical) list of items you’d like to add to your wardrobe and keep your eyes peeled. Doing this will help you keep your focus and avoid blowing money on the nonessentials.
3. Know your brands. There’s only one Goodwill in Corvallis, but when I’m home in Portland, my friend and I head to the Goodwill in the more affluent part of town. There, we’ve found items from brands like Kate Spade, Coach, and Lucky Brand Jeans. If you’re not thrifting in an affluent area, brands to look for that are often cheap at thrift stores include J. Crew, Nordstrom, Lucky Brand, American Eagle, Pendleton, higher-end Target clothes, and more.
4. Know your trends. Thrift stores are great for trendy pieces because people usually discard trendy items once they feel the trend has passed. And as we all know, things from the past often come back into style, like penny loafers. So if you want to try a trend, try to find it at a thrift store first.
5. Assess the value. The best way to assess value is to first ask: Do I love this piece? Can I live without it? Next, ask: Is it well made? Are there any stains or holes? Finally, ask: Is the price worth it? If you really want the piece, but you feel the price is too high, you could try and haggle.
6. Try it on. You have to try it on. Hear me? Someone gave it away for a reason, right? Many garments could be defective, stretched out, or weirdly shaped. Also, sizes vary from brand to brand (my best friend is anywhere from a size 6 to a 10 when trying on jeans at Goodwill). Suck it up and try it on. Since waiting for a dressing room is a pain, and you often have to get a sales associate to unlock one for you, I like to wear something easy to try things on with, like leggings, a tank top, and shoes that easily slip on and off.
7. DIY potential? Do you have any skills like sewing or embroidery, or are you a master with the glue gun? Be inspired to change things you buy and make them your own!
Stores to Look For in Your College Town:
While not every college town will have the same variety of stores, if yours doesn’t have a mall, it may have one of these fabulously thrifty stores:
Discount Stores: TJ Maxx, Marshall’s, Ross
Thrift Stores: The Goodwill, Value Village, The Salvation Army
Consignment Shops: Search “consignment” or “vintage” on Yelp
Example Thrifted Finds from My Closet
To show you the kinds of items you can find at thrift stores, below, I’ll show you two of my own favorite thrifted finds from a few of my most recent shopping trips, as well as a couple sample outfits.
1. Camel-Colored Wool Blazer
Camel Colored Pendleton Wool Blazer
Thrift Store Price – $9.99 at the Goodwill in Corvallis, OR Original Retail Price – approx. $180-$250
A camel-colored blazer like this one is a fabulous find because it can be worn so many different ways. Here, I paired it with a basic striped shirt, some simple cuffed jeans, and trendy oxfords in a matching shade. Finish the look off with some choice accessories like a colorful scarf and unique ring.
2. Faux Frye Boots
Mossimo (Target) Faux Frye Boots
Thrift Store Price – $29 at the Goodwill in Beaverton, OR Original Retail Price – $49.99
These faux Frye boots were already a great deal, offered for just $49 at Target (compare that to $200+ for the Frye version). However, that deal got even sweeter when I found the same boots marked down to just $29 at Goodwill! It’s not uncommon to find gently-used Target or other chain store items like these for a fraction of the original price.
Here, I paired the boots with an adorable summery yellow dress and added fun accessories like a flower hair pin and sun hat for a perfectly warm-weather-appropriate look. You could also wear these boots into fall with your favorite pair of skinnies.
Thoughts?
Does the size of your college town require you to thrift? How do you get by, fashion-wise, living in a small town? Care to share any thrilling finds? Leave a comment!
Like everyone else, I absolutely love to travel. This past semester, I was lucky enough to study abroad in Paris, which is not only the greatest city in the world, but also a great launching pad for other European destinations. Unlike in the US, where it takes me 8 hours just to get home for winter break, when leaving from Paris, I can be in a completely different country in an hour or two.
Low-cost flights through companies like RyanAir, easyJet and airberlin make it cheap for students to travel throughout Europe – but as anyone who’s flown these carriers knows, they charge for almost every extra, often for checking bags. This means you have to cram a week’s worth of essentials into a teeny bag to bypass the fees.
If you’re like me, when traveling, you like to maximize the space in your bag for those killer shoes or awesome dress and minimize your toiletry bag – and, of course, leave room for the things you’re bound to pick up while exploring! To help you do that, here are the 5 must-have beauty items that you can pack in your carry-on:
Dry shampoo is my desert island beauty product. As in, if I were on a deserted island, it’s the only beauty item I would need with me.
This is a totally genius product – if you notice your hair getting greasy, sprinkle a 1/4-teaspoon’s worth on your roots, wait for ten minutes while you brush your teeth/wash your face/check Facebook, and then pat (yes, pat it into your head – great advice from Lauren Conrad’s beauty site) and go! Dry shampoo also gives hair amazing volume and lift, so if you have extra time, backcomb it a bit with a fine-toothed comb for that extra oomph.
My absolute favorite dry shampoo is Klorane’s Gentle Dry Shampoo with Oat Extract – Non-Aerosol Pump. At $18, it’s a bit pricey (although if you’re in France, go pick it up at a pharmacy for 7-10 euros), but it’s by far the best one out there, and best of all, it doesn’t leave hair feeling gross, a common dry shampoo problem. Remember that aerosol cans need to be less than 3.4 ounces, so if you’re planning on bringing dry shampoo in your carry on, make sure to buy a non-aerosol version!
I personally love a smokey eye, but creating one usually requires 2-3 makeup brushes and different eyeshadows – and who has space for that?
Instead, grab an eyeliner pencil that has a built-in smudge brush. I’ve raved about this before, but my absolute favorite one is Revlon Luxurious Color Eyeliner ($8.49 at Walmart) because not only does it stay on all day and apply easily, the smudge brush at the end is amazing! Most smudge brushes are too hard, or even worse, can erase the eyeliner. This one blends easily and creates an amazing smoky eye – no extra brushes needed!
You’re probably thinking, “Yeah.. duh,” or you may already have an adorable (& cheap!) set from The Container Store ($10) – but hear me out anyway because my advice here might surprise you.
Before you leave for your trip, go to any drugstore and hit up the ‘travel size’ aisle. But instead of looking at the products, look for the packaging you like. Find the containers that best suit your needs, then wash out the product that came inside.
Once you’re ready to pack your carry-on, transfer your favorite face wash or must-have moisturizer to the container you picked for it! “Travel sizes” of higher-end hair and skin products are really overpriced, so save yourself a ton of money and do it this way instead!
Yeah, the NARS multiple is really expensive for a beauty product – but when you want to save space in your travel bag, it is a must.
The best part about this product is its many uses – hence the name. You can apply it to your eyes, lips and cheeks! It’s available in NARS’s most popular colors, such as Laguna and Orgasm, and you can apply it basically anywhere, from the back of a rickety bus in Rome to the train in England or the metro in Paris. It’s guaranteed to be a time- and space-saver.
Benefit’s High Beam is my all time favorite highlighter. I’m convinced there is no better product for faking a good night’s sleep – especially when you’ve gotten barely two hours worth because your hostel roommates decided to turn the lights on and talk at full-volume at 6 am.
That said, the normal-sized High Beam packaging is cumbersome and totally unsuitable for travel. That’s why the genius people at Benefit decided to make a mini, currently available in a set for just $15, along with travel-sized versions of PosieTint and BeneTint. Despite its small size, this mini packs in more than enough product for your trip. (A little goes a long way here!) And at its price – $15 – it’s a total steal!
What do you guys think?
What are your travel must-haves?How do you save space in your carry on while still bringing along your beauty essentials? Tell me in the comments!
For my second post in our new DIY series (see the first post, The 9 Things You Need in Your DIY Toolbox), I want to focus on some super simple DIY projects you can do with things you probably already have or can find easily. These are all great ways to give your wardrobe an extra boost without taking much time or money, and are a great way to ease into DIY-ing.
Without further ado, here are four easy ways to DIY this weekend:
1. Colored Nail Polish
Whenever I find a great old brooch or piece of costume jewelry with a less-than-desirable color scheme, I paint the gems with colored nail polish. I like to play with both opaque and transparent finishes and top it all off with a nail strengthening top coat to keep the color bright and protected. This is especially cool with neon nail polishes.
Safety pins aren’t only useful in getting a garment to fit properly – they can also help you give your clothes a totally new look! You can cut into a garment and pin it back together or you can just use the pins as embellishment on something you already have. Check this tutorial out for some great inspiration.
Clip-on earrings are easy to find at a thrift store or flea market and they make great shoe clips. They may be way too big or old-fashioned looking for your ears, but they can add some sparkle and interest to the fronts of your plain black pumps – just clip them on to the toe, side, or back of the shoe, as seen here. And if you’re trying to match an outfit, this is a great chance to try out the nail polish trick above!
4. Pinback Buttons
It seems like everybody has a quirky button or two lying around, so why not wear them! The brave can wear them on their shirts or jackets, while others might prefer pinning them on a purse strap or a tote bag.
There are some great buttons available on Etsy, but if you’re feeling extra adventurous you can DIY your own pinback buttons with a safety pin, whatever you want to make into a button, hot glue and some felt. Make a sandwich around the closed side of the pin with the front piece and the felt and hold it all together with the hot glue. This works especially well with fake flowers!
Tell me what you think!
Do any of these sound like projects you’d like to try? What are your go-to easy changes that keep your wardrobe fresh? What other DIY projects are you dying to try? I’d love to hear what you’re thinking!
Editor's note: The following post was written by our friends at CollegeCandy. Before clicking over to read the second half, know that some readers found CC's content/ads to be non-work-safe – just a heads up if you're at the office!
I read "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" for the first time when I was 12 years old. I am now 22. For at least ten years, we have all lived with the saga of Harry Potter existing in a sort of screensaver background to our lives. I can measure events through high school by Harry Potter book releases and movie premieres. The end of Harry Potter really signifies the true end of childhood for us. And now, as the premiere for the very last Harry Potter movie approaches, I have to wonder: how the hell are we going to survive without Harry Potter?
I mean, really? What excuse will we have for discussing the politics of a fantasy world without looking like complete nerds? What other opportunities will exist for us to dress up in schoolgirl outfits andcapes? Let's be real: Harry Potter was the greatest thing to ever happen to us. It became socially acceptable to tap into your inner nerd. So, really, what are we going to do now?
Now that we won't have Harry Potter, that triumphant hero, in our lives, I have a few suggestions that may or may not work.
Stock up Harry Potter merch. Have a friend who works at a theater? Ask them to sneak you a few extras – bracelets, buttons, posters, standees, whatever they have. Then, slowly but surely, build that little nerd shrine in your closet. (Just kidding, but seriously.)
Spruce up your collection. Personally, my collection of Harry Potter books are looking a little rough (and my brother lost all the jackets for the hard covers, which is adorable). Can I recommend scouring thrift stores for not-bad copies of Harry Potter? That way, you can keep your memories looking pretty, rather than like leftovers from the $1 book bin at a flea market.
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