Thanks Square Cash for making going out so much easier!

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

Thank you Her Campus Media, Inc. and SquareCash for the opportunity and compensation for this post.

I’ve got to admit something to you, readers. Sometimes, going out is hard.

No, I’m not talking about the hours you spend doing your hair and makeup, the dozens of pictures you send of potential outfits in a GroupMe to your best friends (only to wear the first outfit, of course), or deciding whose house is going to be the first stop of the night before even heading out.

I’m talking about figuring out the monetary aspects.

Whose going to pay for the Uber this time? Who paid last time? And of course, Jackie forgot cash for the cash-only club’s entrance fee, so now what?

Why would I not just pay for everyone’s drinks since I got to the bartender first and we are totally on a first name basis, right? Or the fact that Dominoes is so not about to break up a $100 dollar order for your drunk pizza onto ten different debit cards, so who just got paid last and can throw it on their card?

Sound familiar? Yeah, I thought so.

And want to know what else is familiar, when all of the calculations for who was going to pay who and how much really goes out the window when the third margarita is served and the newest Nicki Minaj jam is bumping through the bass.

Now you don’t need to worry because Square Cash has made it easy for you!

Square Cash is a free app that allows anyone to quickly send money between their friends or even get paid for doing business. There’s no “cashing out” which means that the money gets deposited right into your bank account. This means that if the mom of the kid you are babysitting for wants to just send you your payment over the app, she will deposit it directly into your bank account from her bank account. No need to stop at the ATM! Plus, it is free to use between friends!

Not only is it super simple to use and works exactly how it should, it’s safe and secure. Plus, in a world where we want to get everything done quick, using this app is the quickest way to pay your friends! All you need to do is download the Square Cash app, link up your debit card, then start sending money to your friends. You can even request them to send you the funds.

So how do I know that this is all this super easy? Because my friends and I use the app! We all downloaded it because as I mentioned above, we got tired of always trying to figure out who owed who what and then trying to backtrack ourselves during breakfast the next morning to figure out who owed who what. Sometimes there is just not enough coffee in the world to help you do math! So now, we would have someone put it on their card, quickly divide the amount spent on our phone’s calculators by the amount of people it was split between, and then send the money right on over to whoever it belonged to. It was so quick and easy we were able to do it in while waiting on line for the bars, waiting on the bathroom line, or even on the dance floor after we checked our text messages. Going into my senior year, I know that this app will definitely be a necessity on my phone and should be on yours, too!

To find out more, check out the app‘s Twitter and Facebook page!

And to see exactly what it’s like to go out with my friends and I, stay tuned for another video blog coming very soon! This one will detail our recent trip to Atlantic City for our friend Jamie’s 21st birthday. Catch a preview from the pic I posted on my Instagram.

8Jul2015

Buh-bye, Timehop!

by sparkleandshinesami

Source: Tumblr

Happy Wednesday, readers!

So, I don’t have a Hollywood Hump Day Treat for you this week because of the holiday and then a 24 hour mini vaca to Great Wolf Lodge. Instead, I decided to explain to you all why I decided to delete the popular app, Timehop, and why it’s made my life better.

Like most of my friends, when I had the app, I would check it when I woke up in the morning. It was a part of my daily morning phone ritual – check my messages, e-mail, Twitter, Instagram, horoscope, and then Timehop.

I would open up the app to see a variety of different posts – tweets of Taylor Swift songs about boys whose names I don’t even remember, Facebook statuses about hanging out with friends I don’t really talk to anymore, Instagram posts of exciting adventures, and so much more.

Without realizing it, I was then setting my day up for either greatness or failure.

If in the past I was doing something exciting and now I was just lounging around on Netflix or at work, I would think that I should be doing something more with my life; that an average day was not good enough based on what had happened in the past.

If something sad or negative would pop up on my Timehop, I would then think about it for the entire day. I would start thinking about that moment or event, thinking about how it affected me today, etc. and not enjoy the day in front of me. A day that I would never get back would go wasted on a silly memory from Timehop.

Most of these posts were from years ago, when I was a completely different person. It wasn’t until I deleted the app that I realized this.

Sami from five years ago, just like most people from five years ago, is more mature, more confident, and has a different outlook on life compared to then.

Ultimately, I was living in the past and not the present.

Unfortunately, I don’t have a time machine. I can’t go back and change how something went and I can’t go into the future to see how one day will affect the next. What I do have is today, something I am lucky to have and most of us take for granted.

So, I deleted Timehop as a promise to myself to live each day in the present and not worry about what happened 365 days ago.

Do you still use Timehop? Comment below and let me know!

PLUS – make sure you’ve checked out my updated social media links on the sidebar and throw me a follow!

20Oct2014

My Monday Musts {Seventeen Magazine App}

by sparkleandshinesami

This is a post on behalf of my contractual membership with “Seventeen Magazine” for the Seventeen Magazine Social Club.

Happy Monday, readers!

Seventeen Magazine has released their latest mobile app – your go-to place for all things Seventeen!

I received a free download of the app and have been obsessed ever since. I can read the latest issue of the magazine, check out my horoscope for the month, and read about the latest buzz on celebrities, beauty, and fashion.

The app offers a library feature, where I can check out the latest issue of the magazine. Being in college, my subscription to Seventeen gets sent home to New Jersey. Thanks to the app, I can pull up the latest issue whenever I want, and don’t have to worry about when I can go home to get to it. The latest issue is the Ultimate Fangirl Blowout.

Here are some screenshots of the app below:

Now go and add some sparkle to your Monday by downloading the app!

Have a great week, readers. Keep sparkling!

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!

27May2014

Find out WHO is Unfollowing you on Twitter & Instagram!

by sparkleandshinesami

Hope you all had a sparkling Memorial Day weekend – hopefully it even included some delicious desserts, like these!

A few days ago, I was complaining to my friend Megan about how I noticed someone had unfollowed me on Instagram (yes, the true social media addict that I am noticed that someone had unfollowed me). I then continued to say that out of my hundreds of followers, I had no idea who it was and how mad I was that I couldn’t tell who it is.

Then, she introduced me to the wonderful world of InstaFollow.

When first downloading the free app, you must log into your Instagram account. From there, you can see who you follow that does not follow you back, as well as who follows you that you don’t follow. Whether you have so many followers you just can’t keep track of them all, or if you are (sort of) obsessed with your following to followers ratio, this app will help you out. Each time you log onto the app after your initial download, you will be able to see what new followers you have gained and who has unfollowed you.

Megan then told me that there is app that will do the same thing, but for your Twitter followers! This app is called FindUnfollow.

Just like with InstaFollow, you will have to first log into your Twitter account with the app. Then, start checking who has unfollowed you, what followers you have gained, and more! From the app, you can follow and unfollow people, as well.

So, social media addicts, why don’t you check out who is actually following you on Instagram and Twitter…

17Feb2014

My Monday Musts

by sparkleandshinesami

Happy Monday, readers!

Hope you all stayed warm this week, “Sparkle and Shine” readers! I got to spend my week in the snow with some of my best friends and sisters – thanks to all the snow Connecticut has gotten this week. Check out another post coming up this week about all the movies I Netflix binged on during this snowy week.

I had so much fun – even though I am sick this week, I’m so not regretting the good times in the snow! We even “borrowed” some lunch trays to go sledding with. If you follow me on Instagram, you can watch the video of Jamie and I sledding with the trays!

And now with another snow storm looming over Connecticut, I present you with this week’s Monday Musts:

1. Alpha Delta Pi Decal

As I said, snow here in Connecticut has been super crazy. When I opened up a package from my mom – which thankfully included a new phone charger – there also was a letter from one of my sponsors, Jacqueline! I had previously posted about Jacqueline’s Etsy shop and being the fabulous woman that she is, she sent me back a thank you note which included this decal! I was so excited – it was like Jacqueline had read my mind, because I was planning on buying a new one soon. Plus, it’s set up like a monogram – which EVERY sorority girl loves! Meet Jacqueline in this post and make sure to check out her blog and her Etsy shop to order decals like mine!

2. My Formal Date

Based on yesterday’s post about how I’m living that single girl life, that put me in quite a predicament for formal dates. But hey, my formal date doesn’t have to be my boy toy. Instead, I decided to ask my best friend, Julia! A lot of other sisters will bring their best friends, so I figured, why not bring Julia. Julia is a year younger than me, so we never got a chance to put on pretty long dresses and go to prom together. Now, when my Alice in Wonderland themed formal comes rolling around, Julia and I can finally both put on our long dresses and get all dolled up together. Just because I was bringing my best friend didn’t mean that I couldn’t still do it in a fun way. So, I wrote a note, on Alpha Delta Pi stationary, that read “Julia, since we never got to go to prom and DANCE, will you be my date to ADPi formal BY ANY CHANCE?” and attached it to her favorite tea. I put it at her spot for yearbook, so when she walked in and went to sit down, it was the first thing she saw. I can’t wait for formal with my best friend!!

3. And the giveaway winner is…..

Sam Edwards, a sister of Alpha Delta Pi, won the giveaway! According to the raffle copter results, which pick a winner at random, it was Sam’s tweet about the giveaway that won my first giveaway for the Go Greek Pro app. Happy Monkey Apps, the sponsor of the giveaway, has been excellent to work with. I would also like to thank Caro for helping me post the giveaway! For the other entrants that did not win, I still recommend spending the money to download the ap. I hope you enjoy the app, Sam, I sure did!

So now, after finish typing this week’s Monday Musts, I’m seeing that it was very sorority related. I didn’t even plan on doing that. But while I continue to talk about sorority life, and bring it to your attention if you didn’t notice that this post unintentionally had a sorority theme, I think I realized why ended up being a sorority girl thanks to THIS TSM post!

Have a great week, readers! Keep sparkling!

6Feb2014

Must Needed App For All Sorority Girls AND You Can Get it With This Giveaway

by sparkleandshinesami

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

Happy Monkey Apps now offers the perfect app for anyone involved with Greek life. The app, entitled Go Greek, lets you add Greek Letter Stickers to your photos – right from your iPhone! It will make Instagramming, Tweeting, and sharing your favorite sorority/fraternity photos so much easier.

Want to post the picture, but don’t want to keep tagging your sorority in it? Just add the stickers right to the photo. Not only will it make the effort waaaay easier for you, it brightens up the photos!

Happy Monkey Apps gave me a free download of their pro version of the app, Go Greek Pro!

Check out how easy it is to use the app:

I already had the picture I wanted to use in mind, so I just selected Open Picture. It then brought me to a screen where I was able to select what letters I wanted to add. Of course, not all of you readers are in Alpha Delta Pi, so you can select and choose which letters you want to pertain to your sorority!

Once you add the letters, this is the screen the app will bring you to! You then have the option to share it on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, E-mail it, or save it to your phone. Here is what that screen looks like (along with one of my all time favorite pictures of my and some of my sisters!):

In the corner you can see the maroon colors outlined in gold -which matched perfectly with our King 0f Diamonds philanthropy event shirts!

Here are some other fabulous pictures of mine I was able to add Alpha Delta Pi’s Greek Letters to:

The cheetah print letters outlined in pink are my fave!

Here is the silver sparkle letters outlined with gold!

The simple black and white letters are perfect for adding to any photo!

And last, but certainly not least, add some photo with some pink polka dot letters outlined in blue!

Now before you rush out and get the app yourself, readers, I am offering a giveaway for you to download the app for free!

This is my first ever giveaway, so make sure to enter! Go HERE to enter!

I will not only notify the winner, but post it in February 17’s My Monday Musts!

18Nov2013

My Monday Musts

by sparkleandshinesami

Happy Monday, readers! I don’t think I have ever been more excited to say that it is Monday – because this is my last week of classes before going home for a week long Thanksgiving break. I am so excited to go home to see my family, my friends, sleep in my own bed, and shower without flip flops on in my own shower. However, in classic college life, this week is so stressful – exams, papers, projects, and nonstop craziness! It’s only Monday and I’m counting down the hours til I can go home.

Now don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love college. This weekend alone really proved it – I was able to spend time with some of my favorite people because it was initiation weekend for my sorority. We held our day initiation starting on Thursday. Finally, on Saturday my little diamond went through the official initiation ceremony to become an initiated Delta of Alpha Delta Pi. I am so proud of Amber and am so excited that my little diamond now gets to know all of our secrets and our ritual. Since it was initiation weekend, I spent so much time with my little diamond & big diamond – between a sleepover, late night talks, and baking cookies.

Now, enough about my love for Alpha Delta Pi and my big diamond & little diamond – here is this week’s Monday Musts!

1. Miley Cyrus’ cover of Lana Del Ray’s “Summertime Sadness”

A recent Buzzfeed title caught my eye – it was about how Miley Cyrus performed a cover of Lana Del Ray’s “Summertime Sadness.” Miley and Lana are both two of my favorite female performers, so to hear that Miley did a cover of one of Lana’s best songs, I was ecstatic. As soon as I listened to it, I immediately became obsessed. It’s been on repeat nonstop and is even playing as I type this post. Here’s the video for you to check it out for yourself! If you ever doubted Miley’s talent, after listening to this cover – you never will doubt it again!

2. 21 & Over

One of the rules of initiation weekend is that it is dry weekend – which means we are unable to go out. One night, a bunch of my sisters and I sat around watching movie marathons on Netflix. We ended up watching the recently released movie “21 and Over.” “21 and Over” is about three childhood friends, one who just turned 21. The friends take on a crazy night of legal drinking, until the birthday boy becomes so intoxicated he can’t give the boys his address to get home. He has to be ready by 7 am for his medical school interview, according to his super strict father. As Miller and Casey try to get Jeff Chang home, they realize how much college has interfered in their friendship. The movie takes on many plot twists that left all my sisters and I laughing until we were crying. This movie is a MUST for any college student!

3. QuizUp

During a study session with my friend Megan for our nutrition exam last night, she kept taking a break to play QuizUp, an app on her iPhone. At first, I had no idea why she was so addicted – until I downloaded the game myself. The trivia app lets you play against your Facebook friends, or other opponents that it matches you up with, in different categories – ranging from Spelling to Boy Bands, Beyonce to Dogs. As you play, you get points in the different categories that increase your levels in each category. I haven’t been addicted to app since Candy Crush – but I think I have found what my next one will be!

And as usual, now that I am finished sharing My Monday Musts with you – I must get back to my crazy schedule – a project, meetings, homework, and so much more.

Enjoy the rest of your week, readers! Remember, it’s almost Thanksgiving break!

18Sep2013

Stop stressing about your safety, thanks to React Mobile!

by sparkleandshinesami

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

College can be an overwhelming time. So many different things are stressing you out – and the last thing you should be stressed about is your safety. It’s something that you should always just feel comfortable about. However, there still are times, such as that late night walk back from the library when you’re completely alone or even that scary moment when you end up lost in a neighboring town after a long Saturday night out – that you do become stressed about your safety. Those “what ifs” quickly overwhelm your brain and before you know it, you’re prepared for the worst.

This doesn’t have to happen. Now, thanks to React Mobile, it won’t!

For Robb Monkman, the CEO of React Mobile, this nightmare had become a reality. When Robb was a college student, he had been a victim of a hostage situation. With hopes to improve campus safety after his incident, Robb said, that he saw “the need for a product that could be used to silently and discreetly alert the authorities and your trusted contacts if you are in trouble.”

Colleges have installed blue light systems to try and help protect students. However, they are expensive to install and aren’t always there in real life situations when you need them. That’s where the React Mobile comes in – no matter where you are, the app, and all of its features, are going to help you.

The features of React Mobile are:

1. “Follow-Me” Feature

React Mobile provides users with a safety enhancement feature for everyday use. The premium “Follow-me” feature allows users to have friends and family track them in real-time. People frequently feel unsafe and uncomfortable but may not want to trigger an SOS alert. React Mobile gave examples of a solo or late night runner (or runner in the woods), a realtor meeting a new client for the first time in an unfamiliar place, a student walking home along a dark pathway, an online dater who is meeting a date for the first time. If an emergency situation occurs, a user can escalate to an SOS alert, however, if for some reason the user can’t issue an alert (i.e. they are attacked), their friends will know where they are if they go missing thanks to the last known GPS and will be able to alert the police. When a user is concerned for their safety but doesn’t want to escalate a potentially harmless situation, they can have their friends and family track them in real-time until they are safe.

2. International Support

Users also have the ability to choose which country they are visiting (or living in) from our settings tab and when they trigger an SOS alert they will be prompted to dial the appropriate emergency authority depending on where they are (ex: if they are in the UK the app will prompt a user to dial 112 not 911). This featured because available this summer and is available in 39 countries.

3. Social Network Integration

SOS alerts can be posted to Facebook and Twitter – In the event of an emergency we want users to have the capability to alert as many people as possible. We are differentiating ourselves from the competition by offering users the option to post their emergency alerts to Facebook and Twitter with a link to their location.

4. White Label/Custom Branding

React Mobile offers corporate and educational institutions with our custom branding opportunities. React Mobile’s Private Label service is a cost effective and easy to implement layer of protection that allows institutions to brand the application as their own. The private label opportunities allow schools and corporations to focus on delivering a powerful risk mitigation tool to employees without having to go spend the resources and time developing a comprehensive solution like React on their own. Unlike other personal safety products such as pepper spray, rape whistles, guns, tasers, etc., React Mobile, is a safety product that cannot be used against a victim. All that is required  is a Internet signal, WiFi, or cell coverage to work. The Private label product is a cost effective way to take advantage of the safety benefits that technology can provide. React Mobile is a solution that is affordable for people to pick up independently or for corporations to sell as a benefit to others which helps to drive brand loyalty and employee morale. You can find out more about React Mobile’s Custom Branding Opportunities by following this link: www.reactmobile.com/private-label. ·

5. React Mobile is Free

Unlike many of their competitors, React Mobile is a free app because the React Mobile team believe that it is a safety tool that everyone with a smartphone should have at their disposal. React Mobile continues to go against their competition by imposing no charge for the use of key features and doesn’t require a users’ emergency contacts to have installed the app.

6. Automatic 911 prompt

Because it is critical to alert the authorities when you are in trouble, the app automatically prompts users to dial 911 if an alert is activated.

The app is available for download for Apple and Android. I have downloaded it for my iPhone and now you should too! I now feel safer at all times. I would not feel secure at all times if it was not for React Mobile.

Stay safe, readers! Be smart and download this app today! You never know what situation you could be put in.

If you do download the app, tell me what you think about it by commenting on the post!