StyleWe Giveaway Contest

Do you love online shopping? Do you love online shopping for free? Then do I have the giveaway contest for you!

StyleWe is sponsoring a fantastic contest where you can literally win a 150 dollar shopping coupon for their site. If you haven't seen my collaboration post with them from a couple months ago, you should check that out by clicking here!

Basically, StyleWe is a great shopping site that's home to hundreds of independent designers who are selling pieces that are right inline with the latest fashion trends. It's a great website for everyone, but especially for those who really want to find those really unique pieces to add to their wardrobe.

And now you have the chance to win 150 dollars!

The rules are super simple: click this link, enter your name and e-mail address then click submit. That's it! You've officially been entered! Make sure you check around the site at all the pieces they have available if you haven't been there before

There's 18 days left in the contest and the two winners will chosen randomly and alerted by e-mail. The giveaway is also only open to those living in the US, UK, Canada, Italy, France, Germany, New Zealand and Australia. Click here to see all the information on the contest.

Good luck you guys!
A.

Travel // Chateau Laroche

You don’t need to travel the world to find adventures. In fact, adventures can be found in your own backyard. Or if you happen to find yourself in Loveland, Ohio.

In Loveland (which is right outside Cincinnati), there is a small castle called Chateau Laroche, also known as Loveland Castle, that was built by Harry D. Andrews, who was a World War II veteran. He started construction on the castle in 1929 out of stones from the Little Miami River, which runs right through the land. Andrews spent the rest of his life dedicated to the project before dying in 1981.

There is a lot of folklore surrounding this castle with a range of stories and experiences. One of the most common ones that is told is that the land is haunted by Andrews himself, unable to part with his dream after death. However, my favorite stories center on the legend of the Loveland Frogmen.

 

My Oscar's Best Dressed

    

     

(pictures via CNN: link here) 

Dev Patel wearing Burberry 

Alicia Vikander wearing Louis Vuitton

Halle Berry wearing Versace

Emma Stone wearing Givenchy Haute Couture by Riccardo Tisci

Brie Larson wearing Oscar de la Renta

Viola Davis wearing Armani Prive

Honorable Mentions: 

   

  

Emma Roberts wearing Armani Prive

Hailee Steinfeld wearing Ralph & Russo

Karlie Kloss wearing Stella McCartney

Olivia Culpo wearing custom Marchesa

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Book Review // The Winner's Curse

Coming off of my Throne of Glass reading marathon (click this link to check out that blogpost), I was looking for a story that was similar in content. Goodreads came through recommended fantasy novel The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski .

The Gist of the Story:

The Winner's Curse takes place in a fictional empire that's split into two social groups: the aristocrats, called the Valerians, and the slaves which are Herrani. Our main character, 17 year old Kestral, is the daughter of the Valerian General and has lived a life filled with privilege. Arin, a young Herrani slave, has not. Kestral buys Arin at an auction and her entire world is turned upside down as they develop an unlikely friendship that goes against all social norms. However, things aren't always what they seem and soon it isn't just her world that's changed but the entire empire's.

In A Nutshell: 

I would recommend this novel as a quick fantasy read for those who already have an interest in the genre. I liked the story and the world that was created and developed, I'm just not in love with it. There were points in the story that really felt rushed and underdeveloped, which was disappointing since I found myself really invested in the characters.

3 out of 5 

Keep reading for my full book review, which contains spoilers.

Trending Fashion // Fishnet & Mesh

Remember last fall when Kendall Jenner posted this Instagram picture and we were all like wow that is a #look?

@kendalljenner

Well, now it really is a look. And its everywhere. Its been popping up in more than just street style looks and fashion blogger's Instagrams, fishnet and mesh has been all over the fashion world lately, even in ready-to-wear and high fashion runway looks. It's a great way to subtly amp up and add a little grunge to your look without sacrificing the entire outfit. SaveSave

@weworewhat

@harpersbazaarus

Here's how I styled a few outfits using fishnets:

Click  here to check out full outfit details on my Polyvore. 

Love, 

A.

February New Music Monday

Back to school is the best opportunity to find some new music to listen to. I've been revamping a couple of my playlists on Spotify over the last week or so to come up with a mix that's perfect for walking to and from campus. You can find my February playlist here or on the side bar if you scroll down on this page. But for the purpose of this post here's some songs I've been playing constantly:

Paris - The Chainsmokers 

Touch - Little Mix

Castle on the Hill, Shape of You - Ed Sheeran 

All Night - The Vamps & Matoma 

Room For 2 - Dua Lipa 

Love, 

A.

January Wrap Up and February TBR

January

I spent all of January completely wrapped up in in the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas and I can honestly say that it was one of the best series that I’ve read. For those who haven’t heard of or read the series here’s a spoil free summary of the first book along with my thoughts and ratings.

“After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.
Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for four years and then be granted her freedom.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead ... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.”

Collaboration // StyleWe

Today’s blogpost is in collaboration with a cool online shopping site called StyleWe. StyleWe is a site full of pieces made by over 300 independent designers. Because of this, all the pieces that are available are extremely high quality and completely original, exclusively from the designers and independent brands that they have chosen to partner with.

Another unique aspect about this site is that since there's such a close relationship with the actual designers of the pieces, it’s easy to feel a sense of community between buyers and sellers. It’s created an opportunity for smaller independent designers to be seen and heard in the fashion world, while shoppers are able to find unique pieces and brands to fall in love with. Every piece you click on gives you a bio of where the piece came from and who it was designed by; this gives a connection when shopping and makes you feel good about what you're investing your money in.

Here are a few pieces that I liked:

 

Green Party Dress by ONEBUYE

Knit Sweater by Sikya

Suede Jacket by Elleozhang

Black Crop from  Just Fashion Now

Be sure to check out the website and find some gems of your own! 

Happy shopping!

Love, 

A. 

January Outfit Inspiration

Check out my Polyvore  here for full outfit details! 

Love, 

A. 

Dear 2016

Everyone jokes that 2016 was a horrible year and in some respects, it was.

For me, 2016 was a year that started off with moments I can only describe as make or break moments. The moments that made me pause, take a breather and regroup.

I always find that it is in these moments where the most personal growth happens. You learn things about yourself that you didn’t before. You learn how to pour your energies into activities and school work so you don’t get caught up in your own mind. You also learn that it’s okay to take a moment to feel your emotions completely on the days when the distractions just aren’t cutting it. You learn which friends take the time to understand what’s going on and which ones leave. Which you also discover is an alright thing, because if they didn’t care enough to ask what was up then they probably shouldn’t be there in the first place.

For me, 2016 was learning how to be independent while still being connected. It was the first time I lived in my own apartment and learning how to function in that space instead of becoming lost in it is a set of skills I’m proud of. I also learned ways to make myself happy. And by no means am I saying that I suddenly have the all-knowing answer to that existential question of happiness but I feel like I’ve made progress from where I was a year or even 3 years ago.

From the media and the world, I learned that compassion goes a long way. Humanity isn’t perfect and we never will be but there is so much that can be changed by changing the way you lead your own life. Making yourself a little kinder and warmer in a cold world is never a bad thing.

The New Year is always built up as this grand opportunity for a huge change. But I’ve found that change doesn’t happen as quickly as the 60 seconds it takes for the clock to turn, it happens day by day sometimes even month by month.

Thank you 2016 for teaching me about strength and independence. Thank you for lessons on compassion and friendship. 2017 I look forward to getting to know you day by day and month by month.  I hope you look forward to getting to know me too.

Love,

A.