My Chic Week October 23-30

Happy Friday! Is it just me or has this past week been the longest? For me, this week is in-between two short weeks (next week I have a four day weekend, thank goodness!) so it seems about 20 times longer! Not to mention it has been raining like crazy around here, which makes the days seem longer as well!

Last Friday, I had the day off of school so my mom and I took a little trip down to South Charlotte to do some shopping!

my outfit

lilly elsa similar jeans flats

I headed to Vineyard Vines and Tory Burch before heading to my personal favorite, Lilly Pulitzer. If you have read my blog before you probably know that I love, love, love Lilly Pulitzer! Whenever, I am down in Southpark Mall, I always spend a ton of time in the gorgeous Lilly store! For all of my Charlotte girls, the Lilly renovations are almost complete and they now have 7 dressing rooms (compared to 4 before)!

dress 1, dress 2, dress 3, dress 4

After shopping at Lilly, we grabbed Chick-fil-a for lunch before heading to a few more stores before heading back home!

The Haul (or damage done to my wallet!)

After my mom and I got back, I ran a few errands (and grabbed a PSL at Starbucks) before just chilling out at home for the rest of the afternoon.

Then on Friday night, one of the girls in my grade had her 17th birthday party, which was Halloween themed. I dressed up as Elle Woods from Legally Blonde and the party was a lot of fun!

 My Costume:

pink dress pearl necklace (not pictured) heels

Saturday morning, I slept in and hung around the house before meeting a friend to grab coffee at Starbucks. Our school play was that weekend so a friend and I went and volunteered at the matinee show and were able to see another one of my friends who was in the play perform. After the play, I went home to do a little reading for my AP Lit class before getting ready for Saturday night Mass. After Mass, I ate dinner with my family and just hung around the house and relaxed!

Sunday was full of AP Lit reading and then studying for an APUSH test on Monday!

This week has been pretty crazy for me as I have had multiple tests and quizzes in addition to a lot of reading for my AP Literature class! I also had a few projects due today so it feels like I have been doing assignments non-stop this week. I'm looking forward to the weekend so that I can catch up and hopefully get ahead in my assignments!

On Monday, I had a big AP U.S. History test (it was actually a retake) and I am so happy that I did decently well! After school, I had my Faith Formation class that I teach at my church, which is a great stress reliever especially on a busy Monday night!

striped tee (similar) j. crew skirt (this season's colors) riding boots (similar) pearls

Tuesday wasn't all that crazy during the day but that night I had a lot of homework to do, including studying for two different tests the next day. On Wednesday, I had two tests during school and I came home to work on a bunch of projects and homework! Thursday was pretty crazy as I babysat twice that afternoon and also had a plethora of projects to work and reading to do! I am definitely looking forward to the weekend to catch up on some much needed sleep!

On my radar:

1. My homecoming dress just came in the mail and I am OBSESSED! It is so flattering on and the color is gorgeous in person. For sizing, I would recommend sizing down, two sizes if you are shorter!

2. This video of a baby boy running from his "lion" grandpa is so so funny!

3. Re-watching Gossip Girl has given me some major New York wonder lust!

via

4. Adele just released her first new song in such a long time and, of course, it's amazing!

5. These Pumpkin Spice Blondies look amazing!

Check out my posts from this week!
Beauty Product Must Try List, Almost 8 Months Blogging + 50 Facts About Me, #GalPalHoliday Linkup: Halloween Costume Inspiration, Swingin' into Fall

What have you been up to lately? What is on your radar? Let me know in the comments!

Swingin' into Fall

Oh my goodness y'all, I am so excited for today's outfit post! I picked this dress up last week on my trip to Southpark Mall (more details in tomorrow's post) and I am seriously in love with it! It is oh-so flattering, fits perfectly, and has the cutest detailing on the back that I sadly didn't get a picture of!

It is casual but you can wear it so many different ways (with heels, with flats, with sandals, with riding boots, etc.). I'm planning on wearing it next month for Thanksgiving since it is so comfy and has room in it (perfect for Thanksgiving food babies).

I wore it last week for Mass but honestly I am going to be wearing this dress all fall and winter long!

Dress- Lilly Pulitzer Flats- Tory Burch Headband- J. Crew (similar) Watch- Kate Spade Bracelets- David Yurman (similar)

#GalPalHoliday Linkup: Halloween Costume Inspiration

Earlier this month, I was notified of a fun Holiday themed blogger linkup hosted by Cathleen of Classy Cathleen, Cristina of Cristina on Campus, and Rachel of Seashells and Sparkles. I immediately responded yes and I am so excited to participate in this month's themed post!

The theme for today is Witches, Ghouls, and Goblins and is anything Halloween or fall themed! I decided to put together a few Halloween costumes that are pretty easy and cute and you can re-wear the pieces for events other than Halloween. I had a Halloween themed birthday party to go to last weekend (more on that in Friday's post) so lately I have been thinking a lot on what are some cute costume ideas!

pink dress nude heels pearl necklace

Spoiler alert= this was my costume for last weekend's party! I love the movie Legally Blonde and thought it would be such a fun costume. The dress is from Amazon, so if you have Prime it should ship by Halloween (hopefully). I already had the heels and bought the necklace last week! Another fun thing to add to this costume is a stuffed dog to be Elle's pup, Bruiser. 

trench coat black heels

This is another pretty easy costume and would also be great if it's supposed to be chilly on Halloween! It would be fun to do this with 3 friends to be the Pretty Little Liars!

oxford black skirt black flats pearl headband

This just might be my favorite costume! Get ready to rule Constance and the steps of the Met in this costume! Another fun addition to this is to have a friend be Serena (same costume- just ditch the headband and add a messy tie to the oxford!).

What are you being for Halloween? Any fun plans? Let me know in the comments!

Almost 8 Months Blogging + 50 Facts About Me

Oh my goodness y'all, I honestly cannot believe that I have been blogging for almost 8 months. I started Chic in Carolina at the beginning of March and honestly cannot believe how much my little blog has grown since then! I am so thankful for all my wonderful readers and really can't believe that I have been blogging for this long because it honestly feels like I only started yesterday!

Anyways for all of my newer readers who only recently started following along, welcome! I decided it would be fun to re-introduce myself to y'all by sharing 50 facts about me so y'all can get to "know" me a little bit better!

1. I am a junior in high school

2. I live in the suburbs of Charlotte, North Carolina

3. I've lived in North Carolina for the majority of my life

4. I love where I live and honestly, I would love to live here when I get married and have kids

5. I have a younger brother and a younger sister

6. I'm 5'7

7. I love Cookies and Cream Ice Cream. Okay, I love any ice cream for that matter!

8. I love baking (and eating) sweet treats

9. I wear the same jewelry pretty much every day

10. I love everything and anything pumpkin flavored

11. I eat the same thing everyday for lunch- turkey sandwich, apple slices, rice chips, and a Snapple Half and Half Tea.

12. I have never been outside of the continental United States. I hope to (someday) travel to Hawaii, London, Paris, and Italy!

13. On that note, I haven't been on an airplane since the 6th grade

14. My favorite holidays are Christmas and Easter

15. I love little kids, they're too cute (the reason I love babysitting)

16. My favorite show is Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill is second!

17. I can be pretty sassy at times

18. If buying too many dresses is wrong, I don't want to be right! I seriously buy a ridiculous amount of dress but I always come up with something to wear them all too!

19. I am extremely indecisive so whenever I go out to eat, I consult everyone with me on what I should get and then typically order the same thing every time

20. I always have my Lilly Pulitzer tumbler full of water with me

21. I wear peal earrings 99% of the time

22. I'm not the biggest fan of breakfast except for pancakes and waffles and bacon

23. I have this really weird hatred for bananas

24. I once told my parents I wanted a jet-ski instead of a car when I turned 16, thank goodness I decided against that #jetskiscantdrivetoschool

25. I am totally guilty of sending ridiculously long hashtags in texts to my friends

26. I love to shop... a lot

27. Last year, I got a superlative in my English class for being the most likely to work at Lilly Pulitzer (insert sassy hand emoji)

28. I want to major in elementary education in college!

29. I cut my hair in the 5th grade into an awful bob.. and I've been growing it out ever since

30. I like to go to bed pretty early (around 10 on school nights) and typically don't stay up later than that unless absolutely necessary

31. Even though my family is from the North, I was raised in the South so I consider myself southern

32. If I was ridiculously rich (a la Gossip Girl), I would get my hair blown out every single day

33. I like to pretend that I'm a good singer but really I'm not

34. My favorite vacations spots are Kiawah Island, South Carolina and my family's lake house in Upstate New York!

35. My golden retriever and I share the same birthday- April 14

36. I am definitely Type-A and like things to perfectly organized

37. Like I have been called the organized one of my friends

38. I only started drinking coffee regularly last year

39. My closet pretty much consists of Lilly prints and navy

40. My favorite piece of jewelry is my mother's monogram ring that I have worn daily since my freshman year of high school

41. I love ordering clothes online because when it arrives it's like a present (that you picked yourself)

42. When I grow up, I want to be a mix of Blair Waldorf, Elle Woods, and Kate Middleton

43. I have a weird love for alliteration so that's why a lot of my blog titles have some form of it

44. I'm pretty bad at painting my own nails

45. I eat a ridiculous amount of granola bars daily

46. I'm not the biggest fan of roller-coasters

47. My Lilly Pulitzer agenda holds my life together 100% of the time

48. I love buying presents for other people

49. I've loved home decor since I was pretty young and I can't wait to decorate my own home someday

50. I hate when people don't use proper grammar and I often correct my family's grammar out loud

Thanks for reading and following along so far and I can't wait to continue to blog for many more months to come!

Beauty Product Must Try List

I have to admit, I'm not the biggest beauty addict. I much rather spend money on clothes than on fancy makeup and as a result, I tend to stick the same beauty products and not really branch out from that! Clinique is the only brand that I use for makeup since that's what my mom uses and what all my friends used back when we all started wearing makeup in middle school. I still love the brand but unfortunately some of their products don't work as well for me as I would hope for them to. Lately I have been wanting to try out some fun new products so I decided to look around and gather some products that I would love to try with y'all!

Clarisonic

I have been wanting to try out the Clarisonic for years! 

The Dry Bar Flatiron

First of all, I have heard wonderful things about The Dry Bar but haven't been able to go to a location since they don't have any locations in the South except for Atlanta! Anyways, I really need a new flatiron since my current one isn't working as well anymore and this one looks great!

Tory Burch Perfume

I received a sample of this perfume last year when I ordered a gift for my Mom and I loved it! It smells amazing and I would love to have the full size (or the roller ball size)!

e.l.f. Concealer

I really need a new concealer and this sounds like a great, budget-friendly option!

Sugar Lip Scrub

I've heard amazing things about the Sugar brand! Winter (and the dry lips that go along with it) is approaching quickly so this may be the perfect product to try!

Clinique Moisture Surge

I actually received a sample of this earlier this year and I loved it! It made my skin so soft and the smaller sample size lasted for a super long time!

BeautyBlender

Another product that I have heard rave reviews of! It sounds like such a cool concept and I would love to test it out!

What beauty products do you swear by and I need to try? Let me know in the comments!

My Chic Week October 16-22

Happy Friday y'all! I'm so sorry for not posting on my regular schedule and being active on social media but this week was the last week of the first quarter (how did that happen?) so I have been crazy busy with tests, quizzes, and last minute assignments! Anyways, I am so excited for this weekend because I have the day off today and it's full of fun plans that you will see next week!

Last Friday was pretty normal during school, but was pretty crazy after school! My siblings, my mom, and I went to a local garden store to pick out our pumpkins and the store was so cute! There was so many pumpkins and I couldn't help but take a few pictures (if you follow me on Twitter, you have already seen the tractor they had)

Sweater, Bracelets (similar), Watch

After coming back from getting pumpkins, I hung at home and then headed back to school for the boys's soccer game and a tailgate. The game wound up getting canceled but my friends and I stuck around for the tailgate, which was funner than expected. Unfortunately though, I don't have any pictures to share with y'all!

Saturday morning was my neighborhood yard sale so I helped my mom out for the majority of the morning. My grandfather was in town last weekend so after the yard sale ended, we took a boat ride over to our favorite restaurant on the lake!

An outtake from Tuesday's outfit post

After lunch, I relaxed around the house and my family and I went to Saturday night Mass before dinner to celebrate my brother's birthday.

Sunday morning, my mom and I worked at the Book Fair at the school my mom works at and my siblings go to (and I went to as well when I was younger). My job every year is to man the table with donuts for everyone who comes so I spent the morning working on homework and eating a couple too many munchkins! 

After the Book Fair, my mom and I ran a few errands before an afternoon full of homework and studying!

This school week has been crazy busy full of tests, quizzes, assignments, babysitting, meetings, and tutoring as it was the last week of the quarter. I am so excited for the weekend to relax (and unfortunately study for an APUSH test retake) and to hopefully plan ahead a few blog posts for y'all so there is content next week!

agenda bracelets (similar) watch

On my Radar:

1. I ordered this dress for my Halloween costume of Elle Woods and I am so excited!

2. I love this recap of Amy's trip to Paris!

3. When my Kate Spade dress arrived, it came with a free sample of this perfume and I love it so much!

4. Love this outfit from Julia!

5. I can't believe Halloween is next weekend, fall is going so quickly!

Check out my posts from this week!

Lilly Pulitzer Resort Collection, Kate Spade New York Home Collection, Finally Fall, Tory Burch Private Sale

What have you been up to this week? What is on your radar? Let me know in the comments!

Tory Burch Private Sale

Tory Burch just announced their private sale this afternoon and let me say, the pieces are amazing! Tory Burch tends to run on the more expensive side so sales like this often run out of inventory quickly (similar to the Lilly Pulitzer sales). The website currently shows a lot more items than what is actually available but there is still a lot of amazing deals to be found!

I gathered up my favorites for y'all and it is quite apparent that I love everything blue, navy, and white from the sale!

bikini top bikini bottom wedges blue bracelet wallet

caftan coverup striped reva flats navy and blue skirt

Are you shopping the Tory Burch sale? What are your favorites? Let me know in the comments!

Finally Fall

I am so excited for this outfit post y'all! It's my first "fall" outfit post since all of my outfit posts have been either spring or summer since I started blogging in March!

Anyways, last weekend my family and I went to our favorite restaurant on the lake and it was quite cold. I broke out my new blanket scarf and it turned out to be perfect for the windy ride over (my family was quite jealous that I had a blanket).

Sweater- J. Crew (similar) Jeans- J. Crew (similar) Vest- J. Crew (similar)

Blanket Scarf- gift from a family friend Boots- LL Bean Bracelets- David Yurman (similar) Sunglasses- Burberry (similar)

What are your favorite fall outfits! Let me know in the comments!

Kate Spade New York Home Collection Favorites

Oh my goodness y'all! Kate Spade released a home collection and it is to. die. for. I love how chic and fun all Kate Spade products are and the home collection definitely does not disappoint! I honestly can picture myself choosing a few items for my future dorm or even home (a long ways away though!). Since it is Kate Spade, the items are very pricey but they are so so so pretty! Can't you just imagine filling your apartment with these pieces (#goals)?

Anyways, the pieces are just way too cute for their own good so I decided to round up my favorites from the collection to share with y'all!

navy and white dining set pink striped pillow

this is the life pillow odds and ends jewelry dish turquoise scalloped bedding

tan and navy striped rug gold dotted vase hot pink chair

What are your thoughts on the Kate Spade home collection? Let me know in the comments!

Lilly Pulitzer Resort Collection

I feel like I say it every season but Lilly Pulitzer has done it again. I received the lookbook of the resort collection a few weeks ago and it is all so gorgeous! Definitely makes me want to book the next flight to a sunny beach! Safe to say I was excited for last Thursday when the first shipment (Lilly lingo for part) of the collection arrived in stores and online!

I am so excited to try on my favorites in store this weekend but until then I have gathered my favorites to share with y'all (and knowing me, I'll love absolutely everything once I see it in person #byebyewallet)

iona shift dress caftan dress navy, white, plus pink striped dress

shift dress tank top swing dress

What are your favorites from the Resort collection? Let me know in the comments!

My Chic Week October 9-15

Thank goodness it's Friday! This has been such a weird week because of the PSAT and the schedule because of that, meaning I thought it was Friday yesterday which was a total bummer!

Friday was quite a busy day since I had a bunch of quizzes during school and then an essay due that night! I was supposed to have my usual babysitting job after school but at the last minute, I wound up having the afternoon off which was perfect for writing and editing my essay! I also babysat that night which was great since I got a lot done!

Saturday morning, I slept in and then my dad and I had some errands to run! We also went to one of my favorite restaurants for lunch! I came home and spent some of the afternoon doing homework and then just hung around the house since it was rainy and gross all day! My family and I went to Saturday night Mass followed by a yummy dinner of fajitas at home. We also went over to my neighbor's to go see their adorable puppies!

southern charm elsa top hot pink cardigan

The puppies are too cute and I may or may not have a gazillion pictures of the puppies and I (and maybe some selfies with the puppies?)

On Sunday, I slept in and worked on homework during the morning and then spent the afternoon babysitting 2 of my favorite kiddos! We went to a little fall festival in their neighborhood and probably the highlight of that for them was the hay ride around the neighborhood, which was so fun!

Monday was pretty normal during the day but was slightly crazy after school. I had a lot of homework and my Faith Formation class. I also had a Bio test to study for so I was pretty busy Monday night! On Tuesday, I had a Service Committee Meeting followed by an afternoon full of a Bio test then a quiz! After school, I mainly just studied for the PSAT.

On Wednesday, we took the PSAT at my school and then spent the afternoon playing wifleball with shaving cream in the balls in our households (there's 4 households that have 5 advisories or homerooms in them!) which was a lot of fun but oh my gosh, it was so hot out! That night, I didn't have a lot of homework, which was so nice!

Thursday wasn't anything super crazy as I had school all day along with a Service Committee meeting followed by homework!

Now for what's on my radar:

1. Lilly Pulitzer just released the first shipment of the Resort line and it is gorgeous! The whole entire collection this season is perfection! Be on the lookout for a post with my favorites next week!

2. The PSATs were this week so of course a plethora of tweets were made about it! They are so funny!

3. I've been loving Shannon's travel posts about her semester abroad in Italy! Makes me want to catch the next flight to Europe!

4. Love this navy and white striped dress styled by Caitlin and it's under $100!

5. I'm trying to schedule new posts and I'm curious if y'all have any posts you'd love to see! Either leave me a comment below or send me an email at chicincarolina@gmail.com!

Be sure to check out my posts from this week:

Laptop Organization, Homecoming Dresses, Pumpkin Recipe Roundup, Being Productive While Stressed Out

What have you been up to this week? What's on your radar? Let me know in the comments!

Being Productive While Stressed Out

I'm going to be honest with y'all: junior year is currently kicking my butt. Granted, I do have a very heavy courseload but it seems that my life has been Go, Go, Go these past few weeks! It's almost the end of the quarter (um, wasn't yesterday August?) so I have had a lot of tests and assignments due lately. And with the more stuff I have to study for and accomplish, the more I get stressed out! This has been the reason for the lack of Instagram posts and blog posts going up late!

Anyways, my rant on stress is over and one good thing that has come out of the rigor of this school year is I have found new ways to help get work done even though it might be the most stressful week ever!

Promise Yourself a Treat

I love promising myself to a treat on Fridays. Whether that be leaving 10 minutes early for school to grab a PSL or splurging on that dress you have been swooning over, it is definitely a good motivation to get to Friday and finish all of your work! On a more daily level, I love promising myself an episode of Gossip Girl for finishing my homework!

Wave Sounds are your new BFF

Sounds so weird but if you're ever in a loud room trying to do your work, look up Wave Sounds on Youtube (this one is my favorite and it's 11 hours!). It drones out outside noise and the wave sounds aren't distracting at all. I find they actually calm me down (I listen to them all the time while writing in-class essays), which is definitely beneficial when stressed!

Beauty Rest is Key!

Prioritize your sleep! Only stay up as late as you absolutely need to! Without sleep, I am definitely crankier so in order to get the most done, I always try to go to sleep at a decent hour!

Spend a few minutes to organize your Agenda

Take a minute or two and simply write down your tasks for the day or add new events to your monthly calendar! This usually helps me to better visualize what's due when. See how I organize mine here!

Breathe

For the "I'm never going to finish and I'm going to fail moments", just take a deep breathe. It might not seem like it now but it will turn out exactly how it needs to! Take a breathe, calm down, and kick that assignment's booty!

Talk It Out

Whether it be your mom or a friend, I find it so helpful to talk about whatever is stressing you out! A few minutes can help to realize that this one assignment isn't going to affect your whole life or that your friend is feeling the same way about the situation (pretty sure the whole junior class is stressed 95% of the time, which is sometimes good to remember!).

Take a (small) Break

I usually allow myself to take a break of checking Insta, Twitter, or Pinterest after completing one thing off of my to-do list! I actually wrote one of my earliest posts on this so check it out here!

Make Time for Friends

One of the ways I do this is unless I have a meeting, I always make time to have lunch with my friends. Instead of getting 45 minutes ahead on an assignment, I give myself a little break to enjoy lunch and usually wind up laughing the whole entire time, which, in my opinion, is worth it! Another way to do this is to take a few minutes from studying and text (or call!) a friend!

What are your tips for getting stuff done while stressed out? Let me know in the comments!

Pumpkin Recipe Roundup

When I think of fall, I think of pumpkins. Pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies, and Pumpkin Spice Lattes are all staples in my fall diet. And of course, being the Pinterest addict that I am (follow me here), I find myself pinning a gazillion pumpkin recipes during the fall months! I literally have so much that it's overwhelming so I decided to roundup all of the pumpkin recipes that I'm dying to try this fall!

Starbucks Copycat Pumpkin Scones

I love scones and these pumpkin ones look amazing!

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

I made this cupcakes for Thanksgiving two years ago and let me tell you, they are amazing!

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Waffles

These waffles look amazing and would be perfect for a casual Saturday morning breakfast. Not to mention, they are healthier (under 400 calories for 2 waffles) which is a total win in my book!

Pumpkin Oreo Cheesecake Bars

All I can say about this recipe is yum!

Mini Pumpkin Layer Cakes

These are too cute! Could you imagine making each guest their own for Thanksgiving dinner?

Mini Pumpkin Sugar Pumpkin Muffins

These having been on my must-bake list for years (no joke) and I am determined to make them this fall!

Chocolate Pumpkin Bars

I love chocolate and I love pumpkin and this looks the perfect combination of the two!

What are your favorite pumpkin recipes for fall? Let me know in the comments!