back to school

We're half way through August and September and Fall keep getting closer and closer! You know what that means...time for Back to School shopping! While we're excited for fall and long sleeves and sweaters, we're totally still in Summer style mode. So, if you feel the same way, we put together our favorite back to school looks that are perfect to take you from sweet Summer weather into the cool breeze of Fall. Check them out below!

1. Navy Ruffled Sleeve Dress

We're all about 3/4 sleeve dresses, especially for Fall. And, the ruffled sleeves on this navy dress are just too chic! This dress is great for cool summer nights, and definitely perfect as the weather turns cooler. For an especially cold night, this dress will look perfect with stockings.

2. Get Lacy Floral Lace Skater Dress

Lovely in lace! Lace has been traditionally a Summer style, but it's become such a popular look over the past few years that it's so on-trend to wear it year-round. This skater dress is perfect for Summer in the mint and white colors it comes in, but works so well for Fall, too - just throw a blazer or cardigan over it.

3. Zig Zag Chevron Halter Dress

Achieve effortless beauty from Summer to Fall with this zig zag chevron print halter dress! A little black dress is something you can wear year around, and for just about any event, and this is one LBD that we love. For cooler nights, just add stockings and/or a cardigan.

Are you ready for Fall? What will you be buying to add to your Back to School wardrobe? Leave a comment below!

For those girls getting ready to take the giant leap off to college in the Fall, you have a million things running through your minds. From picking out your classes and trying to get to know your new roommate, to shopping and attempting to pack the 18 years worth of stuff you have accumulated in a few boxes, your head is spinning. Now is the time to put everything aside and really make sure you have the most important, absolutely cannot live without, items to take with you in order to help make your dorm room a livable space. It is better to be prepared so you can arrive in your new environment as stress free as possible! We did some searching and thought these were the top college dorm room must haves for any new girl on campus!

1. Extra Long Sheets and Bed Raisers

There is nothing worse than seeing the bed you will be sleeping in for the next year and realizing the sheets you bought were for a regular twin size bed. Be sure to get extra long (soft) sheets and probably a mattress pad if you want to sleep well. Bed raisers are a space and life saver when it comes to dorm rooms. Some raisers now come with other functionality like power and USB outlets included in one of the raisers! Brilliant!

7 Inch Power Bed Raisers Available at Bed Bath & Beyond

2. Flip Flops and Caddy for the Shower

Yes, sharing a bathroom with several people can be a horrifying thought at first, especially if you were privileged enough to never have to. However, you can avoid feeling any discomfort by buying a pair of non-slip flip-flops to shower in, and a cute shower caddy to conveniently carry all of your rub-a-dub goodies so nothing gets lost or goes MIA. Don't make the mistake of leaving your expensive products in the communal bathroom!

3. Over the Door Vanity with Mirror and Extra Hooks

We promise, this is one dorm room essential you may not have thought of, but will save you so much hassle! You will have a place to do your makeup, organize beauty supplies, hang jewelry, scarves, keys, or whatever you would like! The over-the-door feature will keep everything securely in place, while saving space and allowing your desk to be clutter free and used for what it's supposed to...studying!

Over the Door Vanity with Mirror, Shelves, and Extra Hooks

4. Mini Fridge and Personal Utensils

Having a miniature fridge and eating utensils in your dorm room is a necessity! Even though you may be eating at the dining hall when you can, it is important to keep healthy snacks on hand at all times. Having a fridge will save you money because you can go to the local market and buy bottled water, fruit, yogurt, or any of your favorites and keep them in your room instead of running to a vending machine or local pizza place whenever you get hungry. The dining hall may not be open all the time so keep this dorm room must have on your list, especially if you play sports or stick to a particular diet.

Mini Fridge with Dry Erase Markers

5. Organizational Dry Erase Board

With so much going on in your new college lifestyle, it can be hard to keep track of exams, papers, socials, and everyday stuff. This is why we suggest getting some type of organizational board to hang on your dorm room wall to keep track of your busy schedule. Something with a dry erase board is perfect because you can easily keep track of daily tasks like tests or meetings, as well as weekly things like parties, laundry, shopping lists etc. Having one of these is having your schedule mapped out right in front of you, so no task will be missed.

Now that you have the essentials for your dorm room, you can focus on the fun part of Fall, like shopping for your first homecoming dress for your new school! With so many parties and socials ahead, you will be busier then you can ever imagine, but you will be happy you have these dorm room essentials in your arsenal to keep you organized and stress free!

Labor Day has passed and the official start of Fall is only weeks away, so it's definitely time to get Back-t0-School ready. And, what does Back-to-School mean? New clothes and fashion essentials, of course! So what are the hottest must have items that you should have in your backpack? And, what backpack should you even get??

Your backpack is definitely an essential, as it's something that you will see and carry everyday of the week. So, let's start there! Since it's a fashion staple that you'll be carrying day in, day out, we definitely recommend making sure that you find one that you love (and that's practical, too, of course). With that said, don't be afraid go wild when it comes to choosing the perfect one. Teen Vogue recently put out a list of their Top 100 Backpacks for Back-to-School, and we're oogling over all of them! But, we narrowed it down from their long list to our favorites to make the decision a little easier for you.

We like the bright plain bags because they are simple, fun, and easy to match with outfits.

For the divas out there, we love the above recommendations from Teen Vogue. They're totally glammed out and will be sure to make a statement! If you love any of these backpacks, you can find all of the details for buying them in Teen Vogue's article.

So with all of the technology these days you probably have an iPhone, iPod and/or laptop. These are all great products and also helps cut down the study time because of all the great resources they provide and on-the-go ability to do work. We love that you can download even your school books onto your devices; it's a perfect way to go green by saving paper and money! Also not having all those books in your bag makes your backpack a heck of lot lighter; no more breaking your back with a library of books, just download them!

So, if you're a gadget geek like us, why not glam up your tech essentials? We love to see all the funky cool cases and they are a must have to show off your personality and style. If nothing else, they're great conversation starters for meeting new friends! Since we love pink and animal print, of course those are our go-to choices. But, there's plenty of different styles to choose from when it comes to dressing up (and protecting) your gadgets! Below are some of our favorites - all easily findable via Goole searches and Amazon!

Of course you are going to need the basics such as notebooks, pens, pencils, highlighters, flash drives, and your organizer/planner. Always make sure that your backpack is stocked with these items because they are a definite must-have on school property. When shopping for these seemingly boring items, make it fun and pick out items that suite your personality. Just like the gadget protectors above, there's plenty of ways to add a personal touch to your stationary essentials, too.

While it's always fun to add a chic touch to anything and everything, just remember that school is for learning, so do your best job to pay attention and get a good education. Keep those grades up and your confidence even higher! Good luck guys and make this school year a good one!

Before you start packing up your summer clothes and start making room for fall fashion trends (and Homecoming, of course), make sure you're not storing something that can be used for any season! There's so many different staple trends, from handbags to your nails, that you shouldn't be afraid to wear and re-wear, no matter what the season may be. So, read on to learn what trends you can easily transition from your Summer wardrobe into Fall...and even Winter and Spring!

Crossbody Bags

Why pack away your favorite crossbody bag? Crossbody bags fit perfectly with the over-sized sweater trend for Fall! They're also perfect to hold any little items you need for class, such as pens, pencils, and highlighters. The best part, though, is that since they're cross body, the weight is more evenly distributed, making them not super heavy to carry. Perfect for walking around campus! All of the bags listed above are from dELiA's and they're $19.90 each; such a great price!

Neon Accented Nails:

Everyone knows that Fall is all about rocking neutral colors on your nails, but we loved the neon trend during summer so much, that we decided to carry it over to Fall with our own little spin. Mix your favorite natural color with your favorite neon shade, and bam! The bright and bold neon is the perfect design to make those nails pop!

Graphic Tees:

Graphic tees are the perfect statement piece for any outfit! You can wear them with a skirt, jeans or even leggings! Graphic tees let your true interests and personalities shine through without you having to say a word. The ones above are perfect for both the nerd and fashionista in you!

What's your staple season-to-season piece of clothing or accessory? Leave us a comment below and let us know!

Geometry 101 – Eyeliner Styles

Geometric shaping around the eyes will be all the rage this Fall, says Elle magazine.  Get creative with your eyeliner and try out something more risqué like long wings at the corners, thick lines, and dots.  Adding something more to your basic eyeliner and shadow will bring a new shape and feeling to your entire look.  Also in style for the season are bold, full colors along the eyelid.  Mixing in some bold eye shadow colors to your pallet can additionally bring more attention to your beautiful eyes!

History Lesson – Fall Hairstyles

Daniel at Fashioning says that this season, hairstyles are getting Vintage.  The 1960s ponytail, side braid,  and classic wavy bob from the 40s are taking over.  These hair trends are bringing us back in time and making it a little easier to style our hair each morning.  This Vintage mix is really about comfort and staying casual.  Any straight hair will look fab in a long, low ponytail, while those with curly locks are in luck too with manageable braids or a bob look.

Biology Class – Boxy Bangs

Everyone will be adding prim and proper bangs to their hairstyle this Fall 2012 season.  Straight, boxy, full bangs can completely change your style.  Bangs bring an edgy look and can be a super stylish addition to hairstyles this Fall.  All year at Fall 2012 runway fashion shows and previews, the boxy bang has been dominant for models wearing the latest trends.  There are so many different styles of bangs so you’re bound to find a style that suits you.  If you’re not sure what will look good with your face shape just ask your hairstylist for a suggestion.

Drama Club – Red Lips

Makeup trends seem to be all about the shock factor this Fall.  If you’re looking to liven up your makeup style, pick up a luscious stick of red lipstick on your next shopping trip.  Deep and bright red lips are totally Vintage, fitting in with the Hairstyles this Fall, and add another burst of color to compliment your geometric eyeliner techniques.  Red is the ideal color for Fall, fitting in well with the season change.  The great thing about red lips, they’re classic and will go with anything you wear!

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Whether you’re going off to college for the first time, or heading back from summer break, there are certain must haves to make your back to school style fashionable and easy to maintain.  In High School it might have been the cool thing to buy a completely new wardrobe for school each year, but College life means living on a budget now.  Don’t go overboard with school clothes shopping anymore!  By adding just a few new pieces to your wardrobe, you don’t have to break the bank to be trendy this year.

One major thing to remember about college is that your night life might be a lot different from your daytime routine.  Since you’ll want to look cute all the time, try buying a few basic wardrobe items that can be versatile.  For example: a blazer can be worn with skinny jeans or over a dress.  Basic tank tops are always useful to wear under clothes or on their own, and so are fitted tees.  Layering clothes is always popular In College because it can lead to a ton of different outfit combinations.  Bring some cardigans or sweaters that you can throw on overtop of your shirts once it gets cooler out, so that your warmer clothes can still get some use in the Fall.

However fashionable your outfit may be, once the cold air rolls in this November most of your classmates will only be seeing your fall or winter coat while you walk around campus.  Seventeen magazine mentions that buying a “stunning coat” for college can make you stand out.  Avoid the basic black peacoat this year and get something a little more colorful.  Try out a new pattern or take a risk with a brightly colored coat to make a fashion statement at college.

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