My New Favorite Dress

What

Dress: Old Navy, $3.50

Scarf: Old Navy, $9

Cardigan: Old Navy, $15

Belt: NY & Co., $3

Earrings: American Eagle, $12

Wedges: Target, $15

Ring: Charlotte Russe, $4

Where

Church and hanging out with some friends

Why

I LOVE this dress. It's just a simple tank dress, but the fact that its so comfy and simple makes it like a blank canvas. Since it's going to be so easy to dress up or down, I have a feeling I'll be wearing quite a bit, and at $3.50 on clearance, I think it was a pretty good buy :)

Just a Little Message

Sorry, no cute outfit posts today :( It's honestly just been a lazy Sunday in which I'm desperately trying to finish the unpacking that should have been done weeks ago. I'll be back tomorrow, I promise. But today is special because.... It's my friend Sara's 19th birthday! So

Sara, Happy Birthday. I hope you have an awesome day and if I wasn't 9 hours away I would jump out from a random corner, oreo in hand, and scare you (inside joke, sorry everybody!) But in all seriousness, thank you so much for always being there to listen and give advice, even when I know you're tired of hearing the same stories over and over. Now, let's plan a weekend rendezvous somewhere between our own states :)

Smalltown, USA

What

Dress: Rue 21, $2

Vest: TJ Maxx, 50¢

Heels: Rue 21, $2

Belt: Old Navy, $4

Earrings: Puerto Rican Market, $12

Sunglasses: Rue 21, $5

Where

Work and just a tiny bit of shopping. Usually it's physically impossible for for me to use "tiny bit" and "shopping" in the same sentence- but for $26 I got 2 dresses, 2 tops, a cardigan and a green cargo jacket at Old Navy. Gotta love sales :)

Why

So this isn't even the post office I use, but sometimes I pass it on the way to work, and I love how little and cute it is. It's alot like the town where I live. You can count on your neighbors for anything, and friends are as good as family. I have to admit, as much as I love traveling and going to school up North, at the end of the day nothing is better than my good ol' Southern home :)

Fun Find Friday: Hair Products

I usually skip right over articles about hair products when reading other blogs, but really, hair care should be of top importance to every woman. Hairstyles can either give your look the final perfect touch, or make you look completely disheveled and unprofessional. Keeping this in mind, being good to your hair can go a long way in keeping your locks healthy and shiny. So here are some helpful tips and products that I personally tested

1) Get to know your natural hair type and work with it instead of against it. Personally, I have super thick stick straight hair. So, on most days I just straighten the top layer and go. I make sure to use a low heat setting since my hair is already straight, and I only straighten the top layer so that I can conserve my thick volume while still having that straight and shiny look. Every once and awhile I do like to curl my hair, but when I do I make sure to extra heat protectant spray to keep my ends from splitting. If you have curly hair, find out what works best for you and try to embrace your natural texture more often.

2) Make sure to condition your hair! I used to assume (incorrectly!) that if my hair got oily easily, I shouldn't condition. However, conditioners do much more than just moisturize your hair- they can also be used to boost volume, protect ends, and restore color. Talk to your hairstylist about choosing the right conditioner for you- I guarantee there is one out there. My personal favorite is Biolage. Although it's a little bit pricier than normal drug store brands (a small/medium size bottle will run about $16), this conditioner proves to be more than worth it! My hair gets split ends like nobody's business, and I can honestly tell a difference when using these products.

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3) Protect your hair! In addition to conditioning your hair in the shower, use heat protectants whenever you use heat products. Also, use the lowest effective heat setting. I love this Paul Mitchell Serum. It adds lots of moisture and shine to your hair, plus it leaves hair feeling silky soft. As if that isn't good enough, the serum also smoothes frizz and flyaways.

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4) Another product I'm addicted to is Dove Daily Replenishing Mist. I actually spray this on my hair several times a day to keep it moisturized and SO soft. It helps seal and protect against split ends, which I get almost constantly. Plus, at about $4 for a medium sized bottle, it's doesn't cost nearly as much as it's worth.

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That rounds up my personal top 3 hair products, but of course there are many different types of hair and what works for me may not work best for you. So let me know, what are your favorite hair care products.

Thursday Beauty Day- How to Look Good When You Just Feel Like Going Back to Bed

Everybody has those "ugh" days. Whether it's due to too much time spent out the night before, a crazy all-nighter, or as in my case, just feeling awful, these days come around more often than any of us would like. Instead of throwing on sweats of your comfy jeans, take advantage of some of my tips and tricks below- after all, you know you feel better when you look better :)

The Clothes

What

Dress: Old Navy, $7

Cardigan: Target, $12

Belt: NY and Company, $4

Flats: Target, $9

As far as clothes go, comfort is definitely first priority. No matter what season it is, I always end up wearing some variation of the combination below because it offers no-fail comfort while still looking good.

• Sleeveless jersey dress
• Cardigan (usually boyfriend fit so I have some extra room)
• Belt (to pull it all together)
• Comfortable Flats

The Accessories

What

Earrings: Rue 21, $3

Bag: Forever 21, $15

Belt: NY and Company, $4

Glasses: Chanel, ?

Usually when I'm having an off day I don't want a ton of accessories jingling around, so to limit the need for them I try to find a dress with an embellished neckline. Since I'm usually wearing a cardigan, my wrists generally aren't bare, so the only things that are needed are earrings and a few little rings. Additionally, I almost always bring my glasses along on this type of day. Even though I should wear them everyday I usually don't because 1) they don't match or 2) I just don't want to. But speaking from experience, nothing's worse than having to squint to see anything when you already have a headache.

The Hair

Although I can't speak for anyone else, when I don't feel good one of the last things I want is to have to deal with my hair in my face. Therefore, almost any time I'm getting ready for an off day, I throw my hair up in some odd type of ballerina/messy bun hybrid. Instead of putting on a headband like I normally do with my updos, I just use hair colored bobby pins to keep my bangs out of my eyes. I forgo the headbands because when I'm dealing with a headache, any additional pressure drives me crazy. Other alternatives to casual updos are braids or nice ponytails.

The Makeup

What I Use

Almay Foundation, $12

LashMaxxx Mascara, $6

Covergirl Lipstain, $9

On yucky days I try to keep my makeup routine pretty simple. This lip stain is the BEST. Its fairly new and made by Covergirl. I'm on a mission to get every color, which should happen soon since they're under $10 a piece.... and for lipcolor that feels like nothing and lasts ALL day, I think it's worth it. I also love my Almay foundation- just enough coverage without being too much. I'll admit though, I'm the emotional type. Seeing as though anything can make me cry, waterproof mascara and light makeup is a must, especially on days like today. And because I need to vent, let me just tell you about some of it.

1. Since yesterday I've been yuckily sick and because of that,
2. I got almost no sleep last night.
3. I woke up late this morning and had to skip breakfast.
4. When I did leave my house (on time) I went to turn out of my driveway when I saw roadkill, which made me sad...
5. Only it made me extra sad because it wasn't just an 'possum, but also her dead babies. Do you have any idea how cute baby possums are? But these babies weren't as cute because they were dead.
6. The construction crew closed my road, without warning, so I had to turn around and go the back way to work...
7. which made me late.
8. Add on some personal stuff and you have my day.

But on the good side, my mom made me double chocolate brownies and I'm going to see Sex and the City 2 tomorrow with one of my really good friends. Despite today, it will be a good week : )

I hope you don't have an "ugh" day anytime soon... but when you do, I hope these tips help!