Top 3 Instagrams of the Month: June 2014

Happy July, readers!

As I said yesterday in My Monday Musts, it seems as if this summer is flying by. However, I was able to capture some of my favorite memories and most important days on my Instagram account.

June not only had a lot of memories made, but was a month for me to revisit past memories. Check out this month’s Instagram pictures with the most likes.

June 4th is one of the biggest dates in my life – it is the anniversary of my father passing away. One of the ways that I grieve is by posting an image of my father and I and writing a little caption about him. This year marked four years since he passed away from brain cancer. I honestly had the greatest daddy a little girl could ask for. Though it is super hard without having him here, as I said in the caption, I am thankful that he is no longer suffering.

Another reason June holds a lot of memories is not just the anniversary of my father’s death, but there is Father’s Day. I found a quote that I absolutely loved and couldn’t help to share it with my followers as I posted a tribute to my father on the holiday. The quote stated, “A girl is lucky to find a Prince Charming, but she’s even luckier when her father is her king.” I may still be searching for that Prince Charming to come along, but my father is – and always will be – the most important man in my life. He loved me, protected me, and was my King. He always will be.

Though this summer seems to be revolving around my summer job and blogging, I still make sure to relax and spend time with my best friend, Julia! We love tanning, so we spent one of our full days off by her pool. We got iced coffee, put “Timeflies” Pandora station on full blast, and laughed the day away. Julia’s sister, Jenna, captured this candid photo of us laughing – which was just so perfect! Julia and I base our friendship around the classic Sex and the City soul mate quote. When it was referenced in Greek, I jotted it down for just the right Instagram picture – and this was it.

I can’t wait to see what July has in store for me! It’s my last full month home before heading back to college, so I can’t wait to make this month truly count. Don’t worry, I’ll be sharing these adventures not only on the blog, but on my Instagram. So, follow me to stay updated! Plus, check out my top Instagrams from January, February, March, April, and May!

30Jun2014

Monday Musts

by sparkleandshinesami

Happy Monday, readers!

Can you believe that this week starts July? Summer seems to be flying by my eyes faster than the speed of light. Maybe it’s the 40 hour work weeks or all the blogging? Who knows, all I know is that I’m making the most of my time and this week definitely demonstrated this.

First off, I finally got to reunite with one of my best friends from college, Jen!

We got to catch up (she just came back from Disney – I’m so jealous!), talk all about the new season of Orange is the New Black, stuffed our faces at The Cheesecake Factory, and saw one of the best films ever. You’re just going to have to keep reading to see which movie it was!

My mom also surprised me with tickets to see Cinderella on Broadway for this week! Cinderella is my all time favorite Disney character and has been an obsession of mine for as long as I can remember. My wedding – which is completely planned out, thank you very much – will even be Cinderella themed. After my mom surprised me, I tweeted about my excitement – and Cinderella on Broadway tweeted back!

After completely fan-girling and thinking nothing more exciting could happen to me on Twitter this week, it did.

After this week’s Duck Dynasty episode, Martin, one of the show’s main cast members, did #askMartin on Twitter. During this time, viewers could tweet questions at Martin and he would respond. I normally don’t participate, but thought I would give it a shot this week. Much to my surprise, he answered my question!

Follow me on Twitter to see what exciting events will happen for me this week on my favorite social media site!

Before you do that, however, check out this week’s Monday Musts!

1. The Fault in Our Stars Movie

Back in February, when The Fault in Our Stars movie trailer was released, I wrote about my excitement in that week’s Monday Musts. I finally got to see the movie! Jen and I are both TFIOS fans, so we waited til we were both free to go see the movie together. The movie lived up to what I was hoping it could be. Though it may not have been as amazing as the book (the movies never are), the movie itself was still amazing. I laughed and I cried as John Green’s novel came to life right before my eyes. Now, I don’t want to give away any plot details because everyone should see this movie. Plus, now I have the BIGGEST celeb crush on Ansel Elgort, the American-Russian actor who played Augustus.

2. Dawson’s Creek

I remember being a pre-teen and catching re-run episodes of the teen drama, Dawson’s Creek. Every time I heard the start of “I Don’t Wanna Wait,” I would glue myself to the television to watch the episode. However, since the show aired from 1998-2003, I didn’t get to see all the episodes, in order. Thanks to Netflix, I now am able to! I started the six season series, which follows Jen, Dawson, Pacey, and Joey in the New England town of Capeside. The show follows the teens as they experience love, heart break, friendship, and other trials and tribulations. Now that I finished Orange is the New Black, this is the new show I’m watching non-stop!

3. Guess the Emoji App

I don’t really get addicted to games on my phone, since I’m normally too busy tweeting, liking pictures on Instagram, or answering e-mails from one of my four accounts. However, my Facebook feed one day was loaded with people asking for help on the Guess the Emoji app. I love games that make you think like this one. So as I was guessing the answers to the questions people were asking for help on, I decided to download the free app for myself! On the app, you are given emoji images that either form a word, a phrase, or represent a word/phrase. The letters that you need are scrambled up alongside extra letters. You must then solve the puzzle to gain more points and advance to the next round!

I can’t wait for next Monday to share about my adventures of the next week with you – keep your eyes open for a post about my room that I am repainting and redecorating and more!

Have a great week, readers! Keep sparkling!

29Jun2014

Must Do Manicures for Summer, thanks to Seventeen Mag & Sally Hansen!

by sparkleandshinesami

A girl’s must have look for any occasion is always a freshly done manicure! Thanks to Seventeen Magazine, as a member of the Seventeen Social Club, I received some of the newest manicure necessities from Sally Hansen!

From Seventeen Magazine, I received Sally Hansen’s Tripe Shine in Reef – Raf, Sally Hansen’s Triple Shine Top Coat, and Sally Hansen’s Color Foil in Sterling Silver, all of which you can get at your local drugstore.

Here are some trendy manicures I can’t wait to try out thanks to these fabulous products from Sally Hansen.

Just like this image, via Pinterest, I would use my bright pink color, courtesy of my fave mag and nail polish company! Then, instead of using a lighter shade of pink to do the “half moon” look, I would use the color foil polish for a psychedelic shine!

To achieve one color different then rest, I will paint four nails in the pink shade and use the foil polish on my ring finger. It will look similar the image above, but with the foil color instead of sequins, taken from Pinterest.

A third Pinterest inspired manicure I want to try would be one like this! Instead of black, it would be the pink I was sent. Then, I would use the foil polish to really make it pop. I think that the silver foil on pink nail polish will really make it pop!

Have you decided which manicure you’re going to try first? Tell me which one in the comments below!

27Jun2014

Awesome Recruitment Picture Ideas {Guest Post}

by sparkleandshinesami

This guest post is courtesy of A Greek Concept. Amy Furrow is the owner of A Greek Concept an online retailer of licensed Greek merchandise. She’s got drive, heart, and passion – something Greek life is all about. From Sorority picture frames, tote bags, and jewelry, as well as Fraternity coolers, glassware, and travel accessories; A Greek Concept is filled to the brim with options for every Sorority sister or Fraternity brother. In today’s guest post the company talks about taking awesome photos for recruitment!

Taking an original photo is quite the challenge! Add 20+ people to the mix and it is a mind-blowing feat! Every year pledge classes take an outstanding amount of pictures together – and every year at sorority recruitment the same question is asked: “what should our pose be?” Although every sorority has standard poses, every once in a while you need something AWESOME to make your pledge class stand out… something that represents you! Here are a couple of awesome recruitment picture ideas to get you thinking of creative ways to pose!

Big Heart

I mean… it speaks for itself on how fabulous this pose is! I love [get it?] the way each girl gets her own space and window to shine in, but together you comprise a bigger purpose!

Chapter Letters

Why not take the heart image from above but make your letters together instead? A creative way to also let the world know exactly who you are, this pose unites each pledge to the common cause! Strut those letters proud.

Headshots

Instead of making it the largest picture of all time by including head-to-toe of each person, why not pose your pic of just faces? It lets those smiles shine bright, and be the major standout factor of the picture.

Elementary Style

Although done separately and meshed together to make it one photo, this idea gives each pledge opportunity to express her personality! Being silly or serious grants the picture of your pledge class a fun, elementary school vibe unlike any other.

Running

I. adore. this. picture. How much fun is this? ALL of the fun. It gives your picture movement and life, while still accurately representing your class! An added piece? I bet you’ve never seen a pledge class do a running pic [other than the photo I just showed you]. This means you’ll be unique and stand out in a crowd of pledge pictures!

Laughing

The individuality of a laughing pic gives each girl her own style, while having a unified goal as well! It’s the best of both worlds when it comes to standing out and fitting in. Plus, it is a fairly accurate picture of what life is like with your crazy, fellow pledges.

On Top of the World

That’s right – rooftop! How spectacular to have your pledge class photo framed on a rooftop, OR shot from the ground as you stand on the roof or balcony of your house. I simply love how on top of the world this makes a pledge class look!

Shot from Above

A bonus of this shot is that everybody looks good from an above angle! Lots of skinny minnies for this picture.

Balloon Love

What a superb shot of your colors in balloons! This way you get more than just pretty faces – a whole display of who you are! Added color always helps makes a photo better, and will only add pizazz to your pledge class pics.

It can be quite the toss-up of what to choose for poses. I suggest always asking for input from pledges, while having a few good poses in your back pocket for use if things go downhill fast!

Remember, you can also get ready for recruitment by purchasing some beautiful recruitment jewelry! Head on over to The Collegiate Standard and use coupon code SAMI10 to get 10% off your purchase.

23Jun2014

My Monday Musts: The Secrets to Style Summer Pack from Seventeen Magazine!

by sparkleandshinesami

Happy Monday, readers!

This week’s Monday Musts are going to be all about one of my awesome perks from Seventeen Magazine, as a contractual member of the Seventeen Social Club!

As always, it is important to look and feel your best. Thanks to Seventeen Magazine’s Secrets to Style Summer Pack, I absolutely will!

Thanks to Milani Cosmetics, I recieved a bunch of cosmetics to help look my best! These cosmetics included a Brow & Eye Highlighter in vanilla/natural taupe, a Clear Gel Brow Shaping wand, Runaway Lashes instant volume mascara in black, Lip Intense Liquid Color in Fiery Coral, Eye Tech Extreme liquid eyeliner in blackest black, Liquid Eye eyeliner in black, Anti-feathering Lip Liner in transparent, Power Up lasting and moisturizing gloss stain in mango, Baked Blush in Delizioso Pink, Runaway Eyes eye shadow in beach sand, lipstick in best red, Brilliant Shine lip gloss in red my lips, and Color Statement Lip Liner in true red.

With all of these fabulous new makeup pieces, I decided to scour Pinterest for some looks I just can’t wait to try out with all of my new cosmetics!

Here’s some of the looks I can’t wait to try out:

This piece combines not only the red lipstick, but the liquid eye liner and voluminous mascara. To get the sleek brows – and to keep them in place all day – I would highlight my eyebrows and then use the clear gel shaping wand. To get the perfect liquid eyeliner look, I always look at my idol, Lauren Conrad, for inspiration! Find this look on Pinterest HERE.

To achieve this hot look, I would use the Lip Intense Liquid Color in coral. Based on the look above, I would then pair it with the liquid eyeliner and voluminous mascara once again. The eye shadow in beach sand would also look phenomenal for the easy going vibe to accent my baby blue eyes! To pin this look, check it out HERE.

When using the pink blush, I would go for a smokey eye. Though Milani did not send me any dark shadows, the Naked palette is perfect for achieving the best smokey eye. Another key concept of achieving a smokey eye is to make sure that your eyebrows are equally as fierce. I’ll be keeping them in check by using the liquid brow shaper! As for lips, I would want to keep it simply – so probably just throw on some chapstick. Eos is my favorite – especially in fruit punch! To check out this look on Pinterest, head over HERE.

P.S. For all of you looking to also attempt a red lip, I also found this awesome red lips cheat sheet for when I attempt to rock bold red lips.

Seventeen Magazine also sent me the biggest key to all summer makeup – sunscreen! Looking like a lobster – and then peeling – won’t make for any successful makeup looks this summer. Make sure to spray on your sunscreen and reapply it to get a nice tan this summer. I’m currently loving the Australian Gold Continuous Spray Sunscreen that I was sent from Seventeen Mag. It’s SPF 30 so it protects me from those harmful UV rays, while still helping me achieve my perfect tan.

It’s also water resistant for up to 80 minutes, which is perfect for beach days, lounging by the pool, or when I’m swimming laps. Julia and I would have been completely burnt on our day off if we didn’t use sunscreen when we were lounging poolside!

After you head out to your favorite drug store to pick up these products to try out your own new makeup routine, I wanted to remind you of a bunch of special events going on right now for “Sparkle and Shine” as I continue to celebrate my one year blogiversary! First, head on over to The Collegiate Standard to get 10% off by using coupon code SAMI10. Then, check out my giveaway with the Comeback Momma HERE.

Enjoy your week readers. Keep sparkling!

20Jun2014

Orchard Valley Harvest & Market Basket Giveaway! {Partnered with Comeback Momma}

by sparkleandshinesami

Happy Friday, readers!

It’s the start of the weekend. With the beautiful weather, it’s the perfect weekend to go to the beach, go for a swim, or even just lay out and tan! (Just don’t get sun burnt like I did this week…oops!)

Don’t only remember to put on sunscreen, but remember to rock that bathing suit. There’s no need to pull a Honey Boo Boo..

If you are feeling a little self conscious (we’ve all been there, don’t worry!), pack a healthy snack and leave the soda and junk food at home.

Fellow Northeast Blogging Network member, Jenn from Comeback Momma, is reminding us all on how to stay healthy this summer. To stay on that healthy track, she’s launched an awesome giveaway!

I’ve decided to join Jenn in her giveaway!

The winner of the giveaway will win….

Variety of Orchard Valley Harvest minis
$250 Market Basket Gift Card
Define Bottle Water bottle
Fitbit Flex Wireless Activity + Sleep Wristband

What a great way to stay healthy this summer! Sound interested?

Find out more and Make sure to enter HERE!

And if you want to find other ways to stay healthy, make sure to check out this post on eating healthy on a college budget!

19Jun2014

Thank you, readers!

by sparkleandshinesami

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear “Sparkle and Shine” – happy birthday to you!

Yup, readers, that’s right! Today marks my blog’s one year blogiversary!

June 19th, 2013 – I welcomed you all on my journey.

June 20th, 2014 – I am thanking you for coming on this journey.

One year ago today I started out on this adventure and have already accomplished more than I could have ever imagined. If you ask me one year ago if I think that I would have a successful blog, let alone a contract with Seventeen Magazine, I would have told you no. However, I had a dream and I followed it. Here I am a year later and I’ve never been more proud of myself.

Let’s celebrate this journey – shall we? I have a lot of exciting posts and opportunities coming your way. First, let’s celebrate in my favorite way – SHOPPING. Head on over to The Collegiate Standard, use coupon code SAMI10, and receive 10% off your purchase!

Thank you for everything, readers -I couldn’t do it without you. Keep sparkling!

18Jun2014

Meet Bailey and her AMAZING voice!

by sparkleandshinesami

Hey, readers!

I wanted to tell you all about one of my friends who really sparkles and shines everyday, thanks to her incredible singing voice- Bailey.

Bailey and I became friends in our Media History class during the fall of our sophomore year. After realizing we had mutual friends, a passion for being involved in Greek life on campus, and had similar senses of humor, Bailey and I instantly became friends.

Bailey, a sister of Phi Sigma Sigma, is super talented. She has her own YouTube channel, where she posts covers of some of her favorite songs. She seriously has one of the greatest singing voices I have ever heard.

As Bailey continues to post more videos, I just have to share them with you. For you, readers, to learn more about Bailey and her amazing voice, I asked her a few questions.

Why did you start doing cover videos?

I have always wanted to post videos but I had never really gotten up the courage to do it. I’ve been singing for as long as I can remember and lots of people have always told me I should start recording songs but I never thought about it seriously. One night I was just like “Hey, why not?”, grabbed my ukulele, and went for it! I also dragged my roommates into my first video so it wasn’t so intimidating. After I posted my first video and got a lot of great feedback I realized that it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be and now I love getting to post new videos!

What are you hopes for your YouTube videos?

I hope that my YouTube videos go viral and get me on the Ellen Degeneres show -KIDDING! (kinda..) But seriously, I don’t really expect anything major to come out of my videos, I just hope people watch them and enjoy them! I’m also still starting out, so it’s fun just to watch my own progress, vocally and with my ukulele!

What was your high school music career like? What about at Quinnipiac University?

I have done mainly musical theatre my whole life. I was involved in all of my high school performances as well as a summer theatre program. My favorite role I ever played would definitely be Margot in Legally Blonde! I also sang in my high schools select a cappella group and was chosen to perform in a cabaret style showcase for 3 years. Once I got to college I auditioned and joined the only co-ed a cappella group, The Legends, and I am now on the executive board for the group. I sing all the time, and I mean ALL the time! I like to think my best performances are when I’m in the shower, so shout-out to my roommates for putting up with me!

What did you figure out that you could sing?

Surprisingly, I think it took me until about my sophomore year of high school for me (and everyone else!) to realize I really had a great voice. Not that I thought I was bad, but it took time and training up to that point to be at my full potential. I had also been kind of a quiet person and never really liked to show off so a lot of people continue to be really surprised when they find out I can sing!

What are your favorite types of music? Who is your biggest inspiration?

I listen to all types of music, but one of my favorite artists and definitely one of my biggest inspirations is Ingrid Michaelson. She is kind of a cross between folk, rock, and pop and is incredibly talented. She definitely inspired me to want to learn how to play the ukulele too! Another favorite would have to be Justin Timberlake…I mean come on, how can you not?! I obviously also still love to belt out a good Broadway show tune, too.

Make sure to subscribe to Bailey’s YouTube channel to hear some more of her cover songs!

Also, if you’re a sister of Phi Sigma Sigma like Bailey, a sister of Alpha Delta Pi like myself, or involved in any other Greek organization, head on over to The Collegiate Standard and use coupon code SAMI10 to get 10% off your entire purchase. PLUS, money from your purchase will go towards the Greek organization you are making the purchase for. How awesome!

16Jun2014

My Monday Musts

by sparkleandshinesami

Happy Monday, readers!

Hope you’ve all had an amazing week! I’ve been super professional this past week – I ordered my books for next semester, had a three hour meeting planning out fall semester social events for my sorority, put myself on a budget, decided how I want to redo my bedroom and ordered the new bedding (be on the lookout for a post once my room is complete!), and of course, working at my summer job.

All of this professionalism didn’t leave for much time anything else this week. So whenever I was free I spent my entire time vegging out and binge watching Netflix, which is why there is only one Monday Must this week…..

“Orange is the New Black”

In the GroupMe group message between me and all my college best friends, they all kept saying how excited they were when the new season of “Orange is the New Black” premiered on Netflix. Then, my twitter feed was filled with tweets about OITNB from almost everyone I could think of. Even customers at work were asking me if I watched the Netflix original show. I had finished Greek (I still can’t believe that I finished it all), so, I decided to jump on the bandwagon and start the show. Next thing I knew, I was staying up until I would fall asleep on my laptop binge watching the show! I completed the first season in about 2.5 days. I was watching bits and pieces of episodes on my lunch break and finding any other time possible to watch. It’s safe to say that I am now completely obsessed, as I’m now halfway done with season two.

The show starts out with upper-middle class New York City woman, Piper, being sent to an all female prison for a crime she committed ten years ago. The show’s plot then continues around Piper’s stay at Litchfield Prison, while she learns the ropes of the prison and the prison hierarchy. The show introduces viewers to the other inmates and through flashbacks shows more about each character’s past. These flashbacks make for amazing character development – probably the best character development I have ever seen on a show.

Even though that is it for this week’s Monday Musts, I just wanted to remind you to about my partnership with The Collegiate Standard. Use coupon code SAMI10 to get 10% off your purchase of fabulous sorority and fraternity jewelry! Plus, money from your purchase will go towards whatever Greek organization you made your purchase for. You can read more about it in a previous blog post.

Enjoy the rest of your week, readers! Keep sparkling!

13Jun2014

Shop Right with Shoplet & Shoplet Promos

by sparkleandshinesami

This is a sponsored post. However, all opinions are my own.

No summer garden party is complete without the perfect cup. Thanks to Shoplet, I was able to get the cutest bejeweled tumbler!

From Shoplet, which opened in 1994, I received the Nicole series Vortex 16 oz Tumbler in turquoise. The cup held the perfect amount of water, the lid was leak proof, and it draw in many compliments.

You too can sparkle and shine thanks to the bling on this tumbler!

Shoplet is a great company to get products from. The company, which features over 500,000 products, is philanthropic. Philanthropy is a something drilled deep into my heart as a sorority woman, so I love knowing that my purchases are going to more than just the company. Shoplet is currently partnered with Trees for the Future, with a goal of planting 1 million trees.

Kermit the Frog said it’s not easy being green, but Shoplet finds a way to do so. They are a green company and encourage their customers to buy green. The site has a feature which allows you to choose to “Shop Green” and view only the green products on the site. The average customer’s cart is filled with 70% green items!

In 2012, Shoplet expanded to Shoplet Promos, which allows their business customers to continue branding themselves. Shoplet Promos offers over 7,000 products and can be branded with an image, a company logo, or any other custom design. And just like Shoplet, Shoplet Promos also carries green items! Some popular items that I really enjoyed, besides my fabulous tumbler, was their wide variety of office supplies.

Go green and go shop at Shoplet and Shoplet Promos!