Kicking off Memorial Day Weekend tomorrow with Lilly Pulitzer

by sparkleandshinesami

As a Jersey girl, Memorial Day Weekend is as much of a holiday as Christmas or Thanksgiving. We set our apps to countdown to MDW, buy bathing suits months in advance, and load up on the hot dogs and hamburgers for the BBQs.

And tomorrow, it’s finally here! Sorority queen Lilly Pulitzer is also getting in on the summer fun. From May 27th to May 30th, gifts are included with every purchase!

Spend $200 and receive a fringe bracelet set, $500 for an oversized beach towel set, $800 for a beach umbrella, $1,200 for a beach chair set, and $3,000 for a hammock. Not looking to spend too much money because you haven’t gotten your first summer paycheck yet? No worries, because with any purchase, you receive a beach ball. With each monetary amount spent, you get not only the gift within the current limit you reached- but the one before. So say you spent $600, you’ll receive the beach towel set, the bracelet set, and the free beach ball. How awesome!!

Now this isn’t my first Lily sale, so I’ve learned some tricks. My biggest secret – load your tote up the night before. That way, as soon as you wake up tomorrow, you can check out! You won’t need to waste time searching for what you want to buy or going back through the website to search for it if it already in your online tote.

To help you decide what you want to add to your tote, here are my top five picks from Lily’s newest arrivals.

Emery Shift Dress | Deanna Tank Top Romper | Larina Halter Top

5” Buttercup Scallop Hem Short (shown in Resort White in a Pinch) |Shay Dress

To find out more about this long weekend special, click here.

Once you purchase your items, comment below and let me know what you decided to buy!

Happy shopping!!

25May2016

I graduated…..now what?

by sparkleandshinesami

Well, I graduated Magna Cum Laude from Quinnipiac University on Sunday (despite being scared out of my mind to do so).

And what has post grad life given me so far? A lot primetime The Price is Right specials, naps, and trying to get a hold of this adult thing.

To save some breathe for when everyone asks “what are you ACTUALLY doing post grad?” I decided to just share it with the whole wide world on Sparkle and Shine.

Starting on Monday, I began my online Master’s courses for Interactive Digital Design from Quinnipiac. I’m excited to dive more into learning coding, Adobe programs, and different multimedia techniques. It’s definitely going to be harder than any of my other classes from my Undergrad years at QU, but I’m very excited to get started. Plus, I’m lucky to have my mom, grandparents, aunts, and best friends as an amazing support system for whenever the going gets tough.

I’ve been in love for the past three years – with Sparkle and Shine. I’ve loved coming up with what I want to write about, putting the piece together by creating graphics and typing the story, sharing it on social media, and watching everything come together. I’m hoping that with my Master’s in IDD and my undergrad degree, I will be able to further my professional career and Sparkle and Shine.

More importantly, since I will be living at home, I will not have as many responsibilities on my plate. As you readers know, I was constantly boggled down with Res Life, my sorority, my school television station, a full-time course load, and so much more. Now, I will have so much more spare time to focus on the Sparkle and Shine blog and video blog. I’m hoping that with my spare time and my new Master’s courses, I will be able to continue Sparkle and Shine and all of its contents.

In the meantime, here’s to sparkling through the next few months as I begin this post-grad journey!!

10May2016

5 Ways to End the Semester Right

by sparkleandshinesami

To be honest readers, I’m writing this post as one of my many tasks to procrastinate writing my thirty page research paper on how journalists impact the human rights movement. I’m usually not a procrastinator, but with the scary g-word looming in the near future, it has become a new way of life. Push everything off and pretend the days aren’t counting down to that day fateful day, right?

But as the semester- and my undergraduate career – end, I realize that I always end the semester the same way. I’ve developed a routine of what I do to properly end each semester and I just needed to share it with you.

Write “thank you” notes to your professors

You wouldn’t have truly survived the semester without your professors – if you didn’t have them, there would be no classes to attend! Yes, they may have caused you late nights in the library and additional stress, but they took time out of their children’s soccer games to grade your papers and missed dinner with their family to meet with you. I always make sure to thank my professors for their time and effort. An act of kindness, like a hand written thank you card, goes along way! Be appreciative.
Take some time to focus on yourself

High School Musical 2 and other movies left me with an unrealistic expectations of what the summer should be. For my undergrad years, they always were focused around going back to my summer job, interning, attempting to get back on a fitness routine, and cross as many books off my “to read” list as possible. This left me with little time to actually destress from the semester. That’s why I always make sure to take a night at school to put my phone away, focus on my affair with Netflix, and do an at home spa night. Nothing will ever compare to a proper massage, but a deep exfoliating drug store face mask, a glass of wine, and a good night’s sleep can come pretty close if you let it. You deserve some “you” time.
Return/sell your textbooks

After the semester comes to a close, it is time to put myself on a budget because I am tight on cash. Those bar tabs, big/little hibachi dates, and twice-a-day Dunkin runs really seem to be unnecessary once you realize how much they take out of your bank account. You don’t want to have more money taken out due to fees and fines for not returning your books on time, so make sure you return them as soon as you are done with the final. Plus, you may even be able to make some extra money through your school bookstore, Amazon, or from my previous sponsor, CampusBookRentals.com.
Get rid of anything you no longer need

This could be your notecards from your Gen Ed history final, the sweatshirt from the cute boy in your science class, or a just the Starbucks receipts and gum wrappers at the bottom of your backpack. The semester is officially over, so no need to be a packrat. Only having necessities will make life easier once you start to move out of your dorm room.
Say your goodbyes

I used to feel like Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana when I would go home for summer break. My “fake” life at Quinnipiac with my “school friends” was not the same as my “home friends.” At college, you are used to having the same people constantly around you, within a mile or two of you at all times and all hours. It gets weird not seeing these familiar faces so often. It’s just like saying bye to your mom when she drops you off for the semester. Make sure you say goodbye to everyone you want to-once you are hours away at home, you won’t have the chance!

Do you always end your semester a certain way? Let me know!

3May2016

Truth is….I’m scared out of my mind to graduate.

by sparkleandshinesami

There, I said it.

Ask my best friend, my sorority family, my mom, my residents, and even my favorite professor – they would all tell you that. But now I am admitting it to the entire World Wide Web.

I get a little bit open and honest sometimes on Sparkle and Shine, such as talking about loosing my father or why I enjoy college as a single gal. So here we are again with my current emotions (ew, I know, emotions).

Shockingly enough, it has nothing to do with all the (overwhelming) responsibilities that come with graduating, the FOMO that will exist because of some of my best friends still being together as undergrads, or the fact that I’m not truly done with school because of my IDD Grad classes. What scares me the most is the fact that the routine is done and there is just one giant empty space that looks like a black hole called “the future.”

Since pre-school at the age of four, school has been what our lives have consisted of. Swap out dance practices and Gymboree practices to elementary school sports and spelling bees, swap out high school swim meets and newspaper meetings for sorority chapter meetings and study group sessions. Our lives have revolved around our education and extracurriculars since we were four years old. Now, we are 22, and that routine is about to change.

I live for routine the same way that Perez Hilton lives for celebrity gossip. Waking up, setting goals and to-do lists for the day that help me achieve my overall dream, working out, doing work – it’s all a little bit different each day, but it still comes down to being the overall same thing.

Now, it’s time to set a new schedule and a new routine. I have no idea what that will consist of, especially since the last thing I want from my life is to live a boring, unfulfilled, melancholy life. And it’s the fact that I have no idea what the future will hold that I’m so scared of -walking across that stage, ADPi stole around my neck and cap on my head, and a giant blank page in front of me. Then what?

It should excite me, I know. But for a Type-A personality that likes to have control over everything, a giant blank page, hell a blank chapter, is terrifying. It means that everything I have had planned for the past 22 years is over and it’s time to make a new plan for another 22 years. Where does one even start with that?

We are raised with the concept of going to school, going to college/trade school. So this entire time, I walked a very similar path as my peers. There were choices along the way, but for the most part it was always along a singular path. Now, that path is just a giant field to make any choices, take any actions, do what I want.

And that terrifies me. That’s a lot of “new,” lots of changes, and lots of decisions. (All of which I’ll be sharing with you!)

At the end of the day, the same people that I mentioned above, the ones who listen to me have weekly panic attacks to about the future and listen to me stress cry about it, are the reasons I know I’ll get through it. Cause after being talked off the fictional ledge when I’m staring into the abyss of my future, I have them as my biggest supporters to tackle my scary post-grad future.

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19Apr2016

My best friend’s fraternity formal – pictures, what I wore, & more!

by sparkleandshinesami

Happy, Tuesday readers!

So this past weekend was action-packed with Greek life events, between my “Easy as ABC” Grab-a-Date (where I went as my favorite show – Duck Dynasty), best friend’s Delta Tau Delta formal, and going through Pi ceremony to become an alumni sister of Alpha Delta Pi. I don’t think I have ever needed a foot massage, my bed, and a Parks and Rec binge session more than I did right now!

If you avidly Sparkle and Shine, you’ll know that I always share posts about the formals, semi formals, and fancy date parties I attend. So without further ado, here are pictures from the Iota Mu chapter of Delta Tau Delta’s 2016 Bethany Ball!

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bethany ball

And of course, a saved Snapchat for good measure. I’m obsessed with the first filter that makes your skin look so smooth, so I had to save (and share) this selfie.-

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I ended up having only a 10 second story that night cause I was just too busy dancing the night away! As for my little’s Snapchat story, well, those were too embarrassing to share. (I’m totally regretting not taking a Snapchat selfie with the cute puppy filter!!)

Besides good friends, good music, and having a good time, I had an amazing time because I was in love with my dress. I felt like a Kardashian with the sleek, classic Little Black Dress that featured strong silver and gold embellishments.

I got it from my favorite store – Dressbarn! Many people I know expect this store to be full of soccer mom-like dresses or work clothes, but I have found everything from formal dresses to going out clothes at the store. Knowing I wanted a LBD for the Bethany Ball made it easier to search for during New Year’s Eve dress season, when the stores were overflowing with black dresses. After finding the dress I was in love with, then waiting for an after-NYE sale, I was able to get it for so cheap. BOOM! I then paired it with strappy black lace-up heels.

Stay tuned to see how to prep and decorate a fraternity cooler, as well as how I get my teeth as white and can be for all these big events without ever happening to leave my dorm room. Plus, make sure you don’t miss out on anything Sparkle and Shine by following along on both Instagram and Twitter!

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7Apr2016

Sometimes, life just hits you…

by sparkleandshinesami

And it hits you hard, like a s-h-i-t ton of bricks.

Image via Tumblr

Many of you may follow along on my adventures on my Instagram or Twitter, but many have been very basic recently, like formal, birthday, or my typical ‘I love my sisters‘ posts. Why? Cause life hit me and I’m about to get a bit personal with you all.

A lot of times we live in a bubble. We get used to the routine of our lives, sometimes spiced up with a little love-life drama or hard decisions that need to be made. After loosing my father in high school, I am well aware that one day can rock your entire world, not to sweat the small stuff, and the importance of processing your own thoughts.

But sometimes, events that can rock your world hit you all at once….

I am sure you heard about the Belgium attacks on the news, maybe even listened to the Quinnipiac University students who were there talk about what they went through – what they were lucky enough to live through.

The pretty, skinny blonde in the pictures? Yeah, that’s my grand little, one of the people I hold closest to my heart. She’s a best friend, a partner in crime, and one of the women who will beside me at my (one day, far away) wedding. And she was fifty feet away from a bomb that went off in Brussels from a terrorist attack.

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That morning, I woke up to a text message from her to our sorority family saying that she was safe, but the airport she was leaving out of today for spring break was the one that was bombed. She informed us she was safe and that she loved us. And then we didn’t get to talk to her for many, many hours.

I woke up to this before I even knew that there was a bombing, before my Twitter feed was flooded with news outlets sharing about the event, and before my school let us know that it was three of our own that were there.

And I was then forced to continue on my day – classes, spinning with my great-great grand little, homework, etc. Going about my normal day, while everyone else was talking about, gossiping about it, while my sorority family realized our lives could have drastically changed.

And now this was something I needed to process and take this all in. Sudden emotions – the shock, the fear, the sadness – aside, I needed to think this all through.

But before I got to completely process this, one of my other sorority sisters was diagnosed with metastatic cancer. I was supposed to see Corey, my rush crush, days before we got the news at a local St. Patrick’s Day parade. Now, she was not going to be back for the rest of the semester to focus on her health and go through chemotherapy.

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From the moment I spoke to her at recruitment, I knew she was a perfect Alpha Delta Pi and someone who was meant to be a special part of my life. She’s as beautiful on the inside and she is outside and can always make me laugh. Someone who has so much going for her should never have to go through this and thinking about her illness was a lot to process.

She was someone my age and her whole life had been flipped upside down.

Please think about donating to Corey’s GoFundMe. Over $20k was raised in 6 days and you can help make even more of a difference!

So here I was, within two weeks, thinking about two things that twenty-two year olds, or even anyone, should not have to be thinking about. Ever. And now they were both on my plate to process.

And that didn’t even conclude the stress of graduating next month and finding a job because trust me, I think I have a quarter-life crisis everyday about this. Just ask my best friend Paul….I’m always hyperventilating about this.

Plus, class, Greek Week, being an RA, and everything in between… life just hit me. I had a lot to think about, a lot to take in, and a longer to do list than ever before. And if you have ever had a lot going on with a long to-do list, you know it would take super powers to truly focus to the best of your ability.

Here’s to the good days that remind us that there’s more than just the bad. Here’s to Lauren’s safety and here’s to Corey being one of the strongest women I know. Here’s to the future, the unknown, and the support system I have to get me through it. Importantly, here’s to this crazy thing called life.

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19Mar2016

MY GUY BFF DOES MY MAKEUP {NEWEST VIDEO BLOG}

by sparkleandshinesami

Happy Saturday, readers!

If you don’t subscribe to my YouTube channel (which you totally should do like, right now), you may not know that I recently released my newest YouTube video blog.

Check it out:

My guy friends always complain that I am always late whenever we go somewhere.

The reason? I am doing my makeup!

Give me ten minutes or two hours and either way I’ll be 15 minutes late cause I am doing my makeup. They never understand why it takes so long or what goes into a makeup routine (like helllllo…that ‘no makeup look’ took about 20 minutes), so I decided it was time for them to see what it takes. And then share it with the Internet…

Watch the hilarious new video of Brandon doing my makeup, then comment on the video and let me know what you think!

17Mar2016

I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling 22!

by sparkleandshinesami

Well, readers, I now know what Taylor Swift meant when she said that she was happy, free, confused, and lonely at the same time because I am now 22!

On Tuesday, I celebrated the anniversary of my 21st birthday, or as some would call it, my 22nd birthday.

I started the celebration on Monday, traveling into my favorite place, New York City, with some of my closest friends. There, we wandered around, took in the sights, went to a Hookah lounge, and ate at The Sugar Factory.

The Sugar Factory, known for their 60 oz. candy-themed drinks, gourmet ice cream sandwiches, and sugary sweetness, has been on my bucket list since turning 21. I decided that making it the venue for my 22nd birthday dinner would be the perfect time to cross it off the bucket list!

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1934069_10156737486710360_7341797641795996121_n The following day, on my actual birthday, I popped champagne, went out to breakfast for the infamous Jersey favorite, Taylor Ham, with some friends from both home and school, spent the day with my best friend from school, and then went out to dinner with him and my mom. The celebrations didn’t end cause the evening was filled with my favorite cupcakes and favorite wine.

And how did I spend my first official day as a 22 year old? In bed, hungover, napping, and watching Gossip Girl. Maybe 22 really is turning me into a grandma already…

While the rest of the 22-year-old adventures continue, make sure to follow me on Instagram and Twitter to see what’s happening next!

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9Mar2016

My last Alpha Delta Pi formal {pictures & senior superlative}

by sparkleandshinesami

Happy Wednesday, readers!

And for those of you who are an Alpha Delta Pi sister of mine, whether from the Theta Theta chapter or not, happy We Live For Each Other Wednesday!

I figured that We Live for Each Other Wednesday would be the best day to share my favorite pictures from my very last formal (cue the tears). Per usual, I took my best friend Paul cause I knew that I would have the best time. I even had him fill out the University’s required off-campus event forms before I even asked him – whoops!

Check out some of my favorite pics from the night:

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And to make the night complete, seniors receive superlatives. Though the word senior/graduation (and the constant reminder that I turn twenty two in less than a week) makes me want to curl up in ball , have a quarter life crisis, and cry, I was so excited to find out what my award was going to be.

Last year, my big won “Most Likely to Be at Toad’s on a Saturday Night,” which not only shows her love – and our family’s love – for the popular club, but how much we live up to our Bad Girls Club family name.

So in true BGC fashion, I won….

drum roll please…..

Most Likely to Make a Bad Decision Seem Like a Good One

Sorry, mom.

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3Mar2016

The Wishlist of a Netflix Addict

by sparkleandshinesami

Hi, my name is Sami and I have an addiction…..to Netflix.

This past summer summer alone, I finished Greek, Grey’s Anatomy and Orange is the New Black. , now finding any spare chance I get to watch Gossip Girl. And as soon as I’m done with Gossip Girl, I’ll be starting Fuller House.

Some of the greatest shows have stopped releasing new episodes – and some have stopped being shown on television all together. Yes, I may be able to catch a good Sex and the City marathon on a Thursday on E!, but with so many episodes that teach me about adulting, boys, and friendship – I want to watch them on my own time.

Dear Netflix, if you are reading this – these are the shows I wish you would add:

1. Sex and the City

Knowing if someone is a Carrie, Miranda, Samantha, or Charlotte can tell you more about them than any social media stalking could ever do. Sex and the City is what taught me about my friendship, adulting, and everything in between as these women tackled life as a female in the beautiful NYC. They tackle feminism in a way that wasn’t discussed before – from motherhood, to being a successful woman, to expressing your sexuality.With each designer shoe-step and cosmopolitan, these women were there for each other. They weren’t perfect, but they were real.

2. Lizzie McGuire

Before there was Sex and the City to teach me about life, there was Lizzie McGuire. Lizzie talked first kisses and first bras with her parents and best friends at the same time that I was. She showed pre-teen girls in a real way, not as secret rockstars. Lizzie faced the struggles that we all do growing up and Disney Channel portrayed these obstacles in a very real well. For this, the show will always have a special place within my heart. All 90’s girl grew up with Lizzie and I would love nothing than to sit back and watch the Lizzie-Gordo love unfold.

3. The O.C.

Moving down my wishlist list, I can’t help but wish that the most dramatic television show in the history of teen show history, The O.C., was on Netflix. Everyone was dating-and sleeping- with everyone, everyone seemed to be an alcoholic, and everyone seemed to struggle with some very serious hardship. If your mouth didn’t drop to the floor during every episode, where you really watching The O.C.? But I don’t think I bawled my eyes out harder then when Ryan carried Marissa’s lifeless body away from a burning car or when I realized that Seth and Summer were the most perfect couple.

4. Laguna Beach

I don’t know if I’ll even love my husband as much as I love Laguna Beach, L.C., and the lessons that I learned from the show. My obsession with Laguna Beach will never be “dunzo.” Before Sex and the City, Laguna Beach is where I learned about high school boys, friendships, and the importance of a good eye roll. The cast taught us that both boys and friends can break your heart and through these moments, you’ll realize who really matters. I learned that Lauren Conrad is the definition of #goals and what happens in Cabo does not stay in Cabo, my friends….

5. Jersey Shore

Call it my biggest guilty pleasure ever, but I love Jersey Shore. I don’t think I would binge anything more than some Season 1 antics from my favorite guidos. I teased my hair, bought a tanning membership to GTL, and would have “t-shirt time” before going to teen nights at Karma, thanks to my favorite Italians. Also, we need to remember that no show has every had any better set of quotes come out of the “diary room” like chats. Even past all of this, to re-live the hook ups, the drunken mishaps, and realize why the ocean is actually salty sounds like the best way to avoid doing homework.

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