5 chokers I need to add to my collection ASAP

Hey, ya’ll!

If you follow me on Snapchat (which you totally should – especially since I’ll be at College Fashion Week, giving live updates from my Snapchat!) and Instagram, you know that I totally love my tattoo choker.

(Black tattoo choker from Icing)

I’m obsessed with the choker trend and want to add more to my collection. I totally love the 90’s and think that chokers can just be added to any outfit! I wore my tattoo choker out with a romper to Foxwoods for my little’s birthday and then the next day with a tank top and cropped yoga leggings – and it looked cute with both looks!

Here are five that I currently have in my different online shopping carts:

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Hamsa Choker Necklace from Etsy

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Claire Velvet Choker Necklace from Urban Outfitters

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Acrylic Monogram Choker from Bauble Bar

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Double Ribbon Choker Necklace from ASOS

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Layered and Long Suede Leather Wrap Tie Choker Necklace from Etsy

What do you think of the choker trend? Where do you buy your chokers? Comment below and let me know!

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29Jan2016

My Flannel Friday secret {#OOTD}

by sparkleandshinesami

It’s Friday…are you wearing a flannel?

Flannel Friday was a common trend in my high school and sometimes I find myself absentmindedly wearing a flannel on the last day of the school/work week.

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Flannel: Expedition Flannel Shirt from Eddie Bauer | Vest: Women’s Puffer Vest from Lands’ End | Leggings: The Daily Legging from Victoria’s Secret | Boots: Lauren Ralph Lauren Marion Riding Boots from DSW | Necklace: Kenneth Cole NEW YORK Goldtone Chain Link Necklace from Lord & Taylor

But when I am buying my flannels, I have a secret. As a retired swimmer, over 5’8” tall, busty, I am built more like a linebacker than a stereotypical girl. When I go to buy flannels, many stores, like American Eagle, don’t fit me properly. They won’t fit right across my broad shoulders, close across my bust, or will stop before where it is socially acceptable to wear with leggings. At times, even looks like I am in the middle of an Alice in Wonderland like transformation of growing larger and everything else stays the normal size.

And this is why my secret is that I always, always, always purchase flannel’s from the boys section. But more importantly, male-focused stores that are known for their flannels. This is why I always choose to get them from Eddie Bauer. Here, I am able to purchase my flannels as a “tall” and never need to worry about feeling uncomfortable in a flannel that doesn’t fit the way that I would like it to. So for all my fellow tall girls out there and girls who feel they don’t fit a stereotypical female size, I recommend searching outside of the girl section because no one needs to not have the comfy-cute option of an over sized flannel and leggings.

Where’s your favorite place to purchase your flannels? Comment below and let me know!

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26Jan2016

Last first day of school {#OOTD}

by sparkleandshinesami

Hey, readers!

Yesterday was one of the scariest days of my life – it was my last first day of school ever. Yup, that’s right – I started the second semester of my senior year of college. Am I ready for the emotional roller coaster that this semester is going to be? Oh, absolutely not. Which is why I decided to at least dress the part of looking like I have it all together.

So check out the look….

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Jacket: Faux Leather Moto Jacket from Forever 21 | Sweater: (Similar) from Aerie

Scarf: (This has been my favorite scarf since high school, so it’s old – but here’s a similar one) from Charming Charlie

Jeans: WESTPORT 1962 Signature Skinny Jeans from DressBarn | Boots: Diba Shelby Bootie from DSW

And with today being the second day, I somehow ended up back in yoga pants and a Greek Streak Alpha Delta Pi spirit jersey. Whoops?

In my defense I somehow managed to wake up with swollen blood shot eyes, so I wasn’t trying to waste a cute outfit when I wasn’t going to wear makeup or glasses.

Whatever, maybe tomorrow I’ll look go back to looking put together..

27Nov2015

Rocksbox Look: a.v. max Mock Lariat Necklace in Gold & SLATE Crystal Spike Earrings

by sparkleandshinesami

Happy Black Friday, readers!

I hope you all had an amazing Thanksgiving with your family, remembering what you are thankful for as you eat your weight in mashed potatoes. My list included my sorority family, my best friend, Paul, boxed wine, and all of my readers.

And as my way of saying thank you for being so amazing, I wanted to remind you all about some awesome ways to celebrate Black Friday in a Sparkle and Shine type of way! You can get 10% off of a single shirt order from Greek Streak by using code SPARKLESHINE and you can get 10% off The Collegiate Standard with code SAMI10.

And one of my favorite discounts I can offer is a free month of Rocksbox!

When registering for the site, enter coupon code sparkleshinesamxoxo to get your free month.

As may you remember from a previous last Rocksbox post, I am loving the designer jewelry subscription box company and want you to all experience it, too!

For $19 a month, you will be able to have unlimited access to designer jewelry shipped right to their door. After selecting items and adding them to your wishlist, your personal designer will send you three items that average of about $200! You can swap pieces at anytime. There’s zero effort and no commitment. Shipping is free and pre-paid both ways.

In one of my recent Rocksbox sets, I received the a.v. max Mock Lariat necklace in gold and SLATE Crystal Spike earrings.

Thanks to the photograph skills of my awesome resident, Caitlin, check out how I styled the pieces.

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Sweater: Now only sold in plus-size Cutout Cable-Sleeve Sweater from Forever 21 | Leggings: Hi-Rise leggings from American Eagle

Boots: No longer sold (Similar from DSW) | Ring: Love & Kisses ring from Tiffany & Co.

With the holiday season officially in full swing, I recommend jumping on the Rocksbox bandwagon. Why not have the hottest pieces for Christmas and New Years Eve? Especially, when it’s all free!

Happy Black Friday shopping and enjoy wearing the jewelry. Make sure to tag me on Instagram at @sparkleshinesam when you post your favorite selfie featuring your Rocksbox look.

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24Sep2015

Rocksbox Look: Perry Street Mercer Crystal Earrings

by sparkleandshinesami

Hey, hey readers!

As you remember from my last Rocksbox post, I am loving the designer jewelry subscription box company!

And I want you to fall in love with it, too!

For $19 a month, one will be able to have unlimited access to designer jewelry shipped right to their door. After selecting items and adding them to your wishlist, your personal designer will send you three items that average of about $200! You can swap pieces at anytime. There’s zero effort and no commitment. Shipping is free and pre-paid both ways. If you don’t like a piece, no need to keep it or even wear it. Awesome right?!

But, as loyal Sparkle and Shine followers, I can give you an amazing offer-

I am able enough to give you all a free month of Rocksbox!!

When registering, enter coupon code sparkleshinesamxoxo to get your free month!

One of the amazing pieces you could receive could be these Perry Street Mercer Crystal earrings!

The great thing about them (besides being way adorable) is that they are so versatile- if I want to dress them up for a day in NYC for my internship or a night out to the bar I can. I can also dress the earrings down with a plain tee, like I did for our school’s annual country concert. No matter what I want to wear, I can always put these earrings in for an extra dose of glitz and glam.

One of the recent times that I decided to document wearing the earrings is when I anchored our school’s first newscast of the semester! Check out the look – and the newscast – below!

(Similar) Macy’s Purple lace peplum | (Not pictured) Dressbarn Black Sateen Skinny Jeans

Charming Charlie’s Helene Rhinestone Watch | (Cartiledge) Icing Sterling Silver Anchor Stud Earrings

These earrings became such a staple for my collection that I couldn’t part without them! When sending my first Rocksbox back to get my new one, I just had to keep these. One of the benefits from Rocksbox is that you can get the designer pieces of jewelry for cheaper prices. The earrings are originally $64, but Rocksbox would let me keep them for only $42. But even better, there are ways to work with the company to get them for cheaper and even free!

Follow me on Instagram to check out how I style the pieces of jewelry from my next Rocksbox and stay tuned with Sparkle and Shine for more!

7Aug2015

Underwear, not under there?

by sparkleandshinesami

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

For my internship at TheCelebrityCafe.com, I spend hours going through images of celebrities to find the perfect photo for my story. More often then not, I am browsing through their outfits to try and get inspiration for my next look. A very common look I was starting to see was intimates as outwear.

My reaction to wear just a bra as a top? Oh, no no no.

When it comes to this trend, it is just not for me. I don’t know what Kim Kardashian would wear if she couldn’t wear bralet like crop tops and skintight pencil skirts and I would be lying if I said I didn’t completely girl-crush on Demi in her Cool for the Summer music video. But, I’m not Kim K and I’m definitely not Demi Lovato. Instead, I’m just 21-year-old Sami who prefers not to wear a top that feels like a bikini top with no beach around.

However, Freshpair, the founder of National Underwear Day, has made me realize that there are different levels of the intimates as underwear trend that do not have to be taken to the extreme. The company helped show me that it is now the norm just simply have a corset, bra, or bandeau peeking out from a top and still be considered an underwear for outerwear look. Once the company helped me realize that only showing some of my undergarments was still considered the look, I decided to hope on board with the trend.

To put the post together, I didn’t directly have any outfits of my own that I could photograph in the look. I’m much more of a “there’s more to meet the eye” type of person, who was taught my mother/grandmother/aunts (hey guys!) that it is better to leave a little mystery. And with my top part of my body truly being my, er, assets, I always make sure to stay covered and only show a little something-something. So instead, check out some looks I found on Pinterest that I would be willing to try that stay with my personal style, mixing with Freshpair‘s intimates. All of the looks below still leave the air of mystery without being too exposed, whether it be thanks to an over-sized sweater or a cute, flowy kimono.

To pin the outfit to your own account, just click the ‘Pin Me!’ link in the caption below each photo.

Comment below and let me know what you think of this trend! And if you want to see more of what I am actually wearing, head on over to my Instagram and throw me a follow!

4Feb2015

Top 3 Instagrams of the Month: January 2015

by sparkleandshinesami

Happy February, my sparkling readers!

The first month of the year has already come and gone. Have you been following my January adventures on Twitter and Instagram? It’s been a fun-filled month thanks to being reunited with my friends and ADPi sisters for the second semester of junior year! Oh, and a whole less of fun when my computer got a virus, crashed, and had to be re-imaged, in which I lost my documents and photos. But, let’s not dwell on the negative.

A year ago, I posted my first ever Top 3 Instagrams of the month post. Since then, this monthly post has become one of the most popular posts of “Sparkle and Shine,” gaining hundreds of hits each time it gets posted! Due to the success, I decided to continue chronicling my year through Instagram and sharing the top photos of each month with you.

Without further ado, here is the top Instagram posts from January 2015!

2015 is the year that my best friends and I turn 21! Kathleen was the first of our friend group to turn 21 and no amount of snow, sleet, or sludge stopped us from celebrating and giving her a great night!

I’ve taken a step into the fashion blogging world, one cute shoe (or snow boot) at a time. In this Instagram post, I showed off my “day after” outfit for how to still look cute and comfortable the day after going out. To check out the post, you can go here.

A whole new yeaaaaar, a new fantastic point of view. No one (but my mom) to tell me no or where to go or say I’m only dreaming – except for one HUGE dream is no longer a dream, but a reality. I am continuing to work with Seventeen Magazine in 2015 as a member of their Social Club! This means not only new adventures for me, but for you, too, readers!

Continue to follow me on Instagram to see what February will have in store. I have a feeling that it will be just as exciting as January!

23Jan2015

Mixing Cute & Comfort for the Day After

by sparkleandshinesami

Happy Friday, readers!

It’s no longer a secret that college weekends now start on Thursday nights, which makes Fridays on campus look like zombies rose from the dead. Since it’s syllabus week, I wanted to make sure I definitely seized the Thursday opportunity. So, my little and I went out last night!

I don’t have classes on Fridays, but I’m still out and about on campus all day long. I woke up this morning with a busy schedule: an audition for my school’s television station, a meeting for my sorority, a meeting for my school’s television station, blog e-mails to answer, this post to write, and some how find time to eat, go to the gym, and socialize in between. While running all over campus, and to Dunkin Donuts for my medium iced caramel swirl with skim, I try to still dress cute.

No matter how much your head is pounding or you may want to go back to bed, there are days when you need to just keep moving and cross items off your color coordinated to-do list! Just because you want to look comfortable, doesn’t mean you have to just throw in the towel and throw on a baggy sweatshirt.

My go-to for these types of situations are always leggings! Leggings dress up an outfit a little bit more than yoga pants, but are still just as comfortable. To continue to add comfort, I always will put on my favorite sweater. To continue to mix the comfort and cute aspects together, I added a scarf and a vest.

To my sparkling readers, a scarf is always my go-to accessory to dress up an outfit! You can almost always catch me in a scarf in the winter. Gap is one of my favorite stores for winter scarves, which is where I got the one that I am wearing today.

Vest: Gap | Sweater: American Eagle | Scarf: Gap | Leggings: Victoria’s Secret PINK

Boots: Ugg Australia | Sunglasses: Icing | Backpack: Coach

Keep this easy, cute, and comfortable combo in mind the next time you want to dress to impress, but don’t want to get out of bed. Check out more of outfits on my Instagram!

20Jan2015

My First Day of Class Look: Simple & Classic

by sparkleandshinesami

Happy first day of classes!

Today I started the second semester of my junior year. I decided to put the yoga pants and leggings on hold for a day to break out a simple, yet classic outfit for the first day of classes.

Cardigan: New York & Company | Cami: New York & Company | Jeans: American Eagle | Boots: DSW | Necklace: My Name Necklace

It’s a pretty warm day out for a winter in Connecticut, so I decided to wear just the simple cardigan. However, I couldn’t not sparkle on my first day of classes, which is why of all the cardigans I own, I decided to wear one with gold-glitter stitching. The look combines all classic and simple pieces that are staples in any girl’s closet.

Follow me on Instagram to see what other outfits I will be posting this semester.

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: