Thank you, Seventeen!

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After two years of working with my dream company, I am now passing on my Seventeen Social Club torch to other social media mavens and bloggers. My contract with the company has wrapped up, there is now an end-date listed next to Seventeen Magazine on my LinkedIn, and the chapter in my life has ended.

My favorite memory was during my first year with the company. My little and I got to attend the 2014 New York City Makeup Show. We skipped a day of studying for finals to go gallivanting around the beautiful Big Apple. It was the first time I got to introduce myself as press at a big event, leaving me with butterflies that I could certainly get used to. Once inside the Metropolitan Pavilion, Amber I got to talk to different vendors, sit through tutorials, test our new beauty products, and of course, make some purchases! To find out more about that incredible experience, make sure to check out the post from May of 2014.

Besides being able to attend the New York City Makeup Show, I was exposed to a lot of different companies that I may not have gotten the opportunity to contact otherwise. Maybelline and Milani cosmetics became staples in my makeup bag after receiving so many awesome products from them. I also got hooked on ABC Family’s one-season show “Chasing Life” after ABC Family and Seventeen helped me host a season premiere party for “Chasing Life” and “Pretty Little Liars.”

While working for Seventeen over the past two years, I have gotten to experience so much and realize how much I truly love the media industry. Here’s to hoping I continue to reach more goals, continue to fall in love with this industry, and more as graduation (eeeeek!) keeps creeping up on me.

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What I wore & how I was asked to a fraternity Christmas party

Ho, ho, ho readers!

Are you in the holiday spirit? I know that even with finals being right around the corner, I am makings sure that I am with Christmas music, candy canes, and holiday pajamas.

Right after giving gifts to those that I love, my favorite part of the holiday is the Christmas parties! I love the ugly sweaters, the red dresses, and decorative earrings.

Last week, my best friend and I went to his fraternity’s Christmas party and I wanted to share the look with you all:

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Dress: Red Lace Fit and Flare dress from DressbarnShoes: Embellished caged heel from Lane Bryant 

And weeks before the event even happened, Paul had asked me by surprising me with a festive stocking! Weeks earlier, I had asked him to my sorority semi formal with donuts. Here’s how he asked me, complete with a festive puppy stocking (since we call each other puppy):

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See mom, it looks like being on the naughty list for all of these years has finally paid off!

Do you have any Christmas parties coming up? What about ugly sweater parties? Share your looks with me down below!

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Sami’s Holiday Gift Guide: An On Location Tour

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

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It’s beginning to look a lot like Blogmas, readers!

So, it seems that all my professors have gotten together and decided that they were going to make the week BEFORE finals week when everything would be due. Of course, that would be successful if not every one of my professors decided to do that, but well, we can’t change some stuff in life, now can we?

In the meantime, I have been holiday shopping for all of the special people in my life. After last year’s successful holiday guide, I decided to bring it back this year! So if you’re looking for a craft, a new phone case, or more, last year’s gift guide has got you covered.

And for all you little elves this year, we’re kicking off with something for your favorite movie buffs or someone who loves an experience rather than an item.

On Location Tours offers just that!

My mom and I went on the New York City TV & movie tour earlier this month and had such an amazing time! For only $43 a ticket, you can travel all around NYC for 2.5 – 3 hours checking out where some of your favorite TV shows and movies have filmed. We even got to see where they were going to be filming an upcoming CBS show, how cool?!

During that time, my mom, myself, and the others on our tour bus were taken all over New York City to see the sights of where some of the best movies have filmed. Throughout the trip, our tour guide will tell us about the films that have taken place at the locations, show us clips, and tell us insider secrets about the different locations.

Check out the pictures from the trip. Do you recognize them from some of your favorite movies and TV shows? Hint, hint you should recognize some of them from Gossip Girl, Friends, Sex and the CityGhostbusters, and New Year’s Eve!

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For big fans of Seinfield, Gossip Girl (a.k.a. my current Netflix obsession), or Sex and the City, On Location Tours offers tours specifically geared to those shows. Other speciality options include Turner Classic Movies, Central Park, and the Holiday Lights & Movie sights.

Not in the NYC area? Boston and Washington D.C. also offer tours geared to their areas.

Tickets can be purchased online or at  (212) 913-9780.

Stay tuned for what will be next in my holiday guide! If you end up purchasing tickets, comment below and let me know.

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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!

ACTUAL USE

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.

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Hollywood Hump Day Treat

Happy Wednesday, readers!

Ugh, this Wednesday is so needed. I don’t know about you, but I feel like I haven’t had time to take a break and just breathe. I have off from work today. I have made a vow to myself to do all blogging work, intern work, and Res Life work in my favorite pajamas, comfiest slippers, while sipping iced coffee from the biggest coffee cup I have. Plus, with going back to school and starting all my other activities oh so soon, I really need to enjoy these days while I can.

What I would really love to be doing with this day off is lounging by the pool catching up on all the celebrity gossip! Lucky for you, you don’t have to worry about this! Thanks to my internship at TheCelebrityCafe.com, I bring all of your favorite celebrity and entertainment gossip right to you.

Who has been named the most-viewed person on Snapchat? Eminem made fun of which star now? And you will never, ever guess which celebrity couple has been spotted out together mid-divorce! Find all this out – and more – right below:

Make sure to follow me on Twitter to stay timely with your entertainment updates.

I wonder what is going to happen this week in Hollywood….stay tuned for next week’s Hollywood Hump Day Treat and I will fill you in!

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Tim McGraw Concert ➛ {first ever vlog, ootn, pictures & more}

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Readers, this may be the best Friday I have had in a while.Scratch that, ever! Why?

BECAUSE MY FIRST EVER VIDEO BLOG IS POSTED ONLINE!!

Last Friday, I attended my first ever country concert with three of my best friends. I decided to try something new and video blog during the experience. I finally edited it all together and shared it online.

Check it out:

Sleeveless Sweater | Tank Top | Shorts | Flip flops

Make sure to subscribe to my channel to check out more videos! If you’re not a big fan of YouTube, I will be posting all of my video blogs on here, as well. SO make sure to keep checking back in for more!

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Mixing Cute & Comfort for the Day After

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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Hello, 2015! I’m Coming for You!

Happy New Year, my sparkling readers!

With 2015 already underway, I’ve been writing down many, many post ideas in my Victoria Secret notepad. As with life, you learn more and more with blogging as the time goes by. With almost a year and a half under my belt, I can safely say that these ideas are some of my best yet. It’s time for “Sparkle and Shine” to become your go to guide, to all things to help your life sparkle! That means more beauty posts, fashion posts (I have my first Outfit of the Day post planned out), and more. I’m on a mission to not only have my life sparkle, but to help add some sparkle to yours!

2015 is already starting out on the right foot for me, adding a lot of sparkle to my life! In 2014, I received the amazing opportunity to earn a contract with the one and only Seventeen as a member of their Social Club. For years, I have scrolled through the pages of the magazine learning about beauty hints, fashion go-tos and faux pas, and more. Now, it was my turn to learn more and help decide on beauty picks, fashion picks, and more for the glossy pages of the magazine. At the end of the year, the magazine asked me to renew my contract! I am too lucky to start this new year working for my favorite magazine yet again.

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Also, If you haven’t already noticed, “Sparkle and Shine” got a makeover. New year, new you is the mantra all over CVS, which I am constantly staring at as I stock the newest beauty products. Well, it’s new year, new blog, too! I chugged a medium iced caramel swirl with skim one night, downloaded Photoshop, and went to town teaching myself the ins and outs of the Adobe program. As the hours ticked by, I ended the six hour night with a new header, new background, new meet me photo, and a new signature! The concept that “Life won’t sparkle unless you do,” readers, is still threaded throughout the new layout.

2015 is going to sparkle – for you and me! Stay with me in on the wild ride!

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Sami’s Holiday Guide: Treat Holiday Cards

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Hello, readers!

In about one month it’ll be Christmas Eve – which means that the next 30 days will be filled with shopping trips, crafting, and online shopping to make sure that you have the perfect presents for friends and loved ones for the holiday season.

However, with daily life stressors – this can become rather hard. This is why I am stepping in and creating Sami’s Holiday Guide to help you all find the perfect gifts, crafts, and more for this holiday season!

In the first installment of Sami’s Holiday Guide, check out the perfect place to make all of your holiday cards – Treat.

Treat is a subcategory of Shutterfly, the popular photo gift site. Treat offers a variety of different options for your holiday cards this season. You can shop by certain recipient for your holiday card, such as grandparents. The site also offers a variety of photo or non-photo cards for different holiday occasions. The new feature, the card multiplier, allows you to make a personalized card and then duplicate the card for multiple recipients.  Treat prides itself on being personal, convenient, and helpful.

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I worked with Treat recently – and can gladly say that the site truly is personal, convenient, and helpful.

Four of the most important people in my life have birthdays within weeks of each other – my mom, my big, my little, and my best friend. I worked with Treat to personalize birthday cards for each of them. Check them out!

My mom’s card:

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My big’s card:

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My little’s card:

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My best friend’s card:


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As you can see, the cards came out absolutely amazing! They all loved their cards – they add a much more sentimental touch than any card I could have bought at a Hallmark store. More importantly, I loved the quality of each card. Plus, they came in super quick.

I don’t think I’ll ever buy a card from a site other than Treat, including my holiday cards! Stop by the site to place your order for holiday cards and stay with “Sparkle and Shine” to see what else will be added to the gift guide!

 

 

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Top 3 Instagrams of the Month: October 2014

Hey, readers!

It’s officially one week into October – a.k.a. one of the best months! Before deciding which Halloween movie I am going to want to watch while on R.A. duty tonight, I have to share with you all my top Instagrams of September!

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A majority of my September involved around sorority recruitment – which is why there is no surprise that my photo with the top likes came from day one of recruitment! This year was the first time my little diamond, Amber, went through recruitment as an Alpha Delta Pi and the last time my big diamond, Katherine, would get to go through recruitment. It was amazing getting to snap my fingers, chant my loudest, and recruit new sisters with them by my side in our day one attire of chapter letters and white jeans!

 

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My second most popular post related to my Back to School post, courtesy of Seventeen Magazine and Office Depot. Through my contract with Seventeen, I was able to get some awesome school supplies from Office Depot. I stocked up on cute folders and my multi-purpose four color pen. To learn more about these supplies, check out the post or search the #GottaGetIt hashtag on your favorite social media site!

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As I mentioned, this was Katherine’s last recruitment. As you can see in the caption, Katherine has been one of the greatest assets to my life. If I never went Greek or Alpha Delta Pi, I wouldn’t have been able to be blessed with Katherine was my big diamond. Over these past few years, Katherine has shown me how to exemplify the Alpha Delta Pi values each and everyday. More importantly, she has become my best friend, my forever friend, my future bridesmaid, and my rock. Going through recruitment made me reflect on my time in ADPi and I know it wouldn’t have been the same without her. So, on our last day of recruitment, I posted this photo of us before we started the final rounds!

To stay update on all things Sparkle and Shine, you can follow me on Instagram by going HERE.

OR if you want to check out previous Top Instagram posts, you can see what made the list in January, February, March, April, May, June, and July/August.

I wonder what Instagrammable opportunities October will have for me!

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