Author: BriCiccotelli

5 Guidelines for the Ultimate Fresh-Faced Beauty Look

The fresh-faced beauty look is all over the place right now—on the runways, on the streets, and even on campus. If you don’t have a ton of time in the morning, the fresh-faced look is perfect for you. Even if you do have a lot of time and just want to rock this beauty trend, here are five simple and easy guidelines to follow to achieve a fresh-faced look in minutes.

PHOTO: Lex Kelly

1—Don’t neglect your eyebrows

Your eyebrows are important; they frame your face and balance out the rest of your beauty look. Even if you don’t do anything else to your face, just doing your eyebrows will make a huge difference. The goal is to enhance your existing eyebrows. If using a pencil is too harsh for you, I suggest using a tinted brow gel or lightly filling in your eyebrows with a brow powder. Pro tip: eyeshadow works great if you don’t have a dedicated brow powder product.

2—Keep it lightweight

This may sound like a no-brainer, but keeping your face makeup on the lightweight side is ideal. If you have freckles, let them peek through. Try a tinted moisturizer or just a mineral powder for the ideal fresh-faced look. The idea here is to elevate your natural beauty—the less coverage the better. If you can still see some imperfections on your face after application, then you are doing the fresh-faced beauty look correctly. Add a natural-looking flush of color to your cheeks with a liquid blush.

PHOTO: Lex Kelly

3—Highlighter is essential

Highlighter can be intense, but when used sparingly it can add the perfect amount of luminosity. The goal here is to give your face a glow, not a shine. Highlight the high points of your face to keep the eye on your best features. Your cheekbones, Cupid’s bow, and brow bone are a good place to start. For an even more natural and glowy look, try using a liquid illuminator under your face product.

PHOTO: Lex Kelly

4—Feature your lips

You should always prep your lips for a lip product. A lip scrub is your best bet, but a lip balm will be sufficient. Once your lips are prepared, add a pop of color. This is the step where you can be bold. Reds and oranges are the perfect pop for the end of summer and the beginning of fall.

PHOTO: Lex Kelly

5—Mascara makes all the difference

Focus on making your eyelashes stand out; this is the step that makes your fresh-faced makeup look come together. A few coats of a volumizing mascara will have all eyes on your eyes. If you use an eyeliner, I suggest a super thin light brown line across the lash line for some subtle definition.

What is your go-to makeup product for a fresh-faced look? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to share your looks with us on social media by tagging @Cfashionista! 

How to Stay Organized and Focused With a Busy Schedule

Organization leads to productivity and efficiency. Whether you’re in class all week, have an internship, or you’re at a full-time job, being organized is essential. Over the years, I’ve learned a few tips and tricks that help me stay organized and focused with a busy schedule; here are five of those tips!

1—Write down important dates in multiple places. This may sound a little excessive, but try writing down important dates and deadlines in multiple places. I use a planner, a desk calendar, and my phone calendar. A planner is very personalized and detailed. A desk calendar can be very simple and to the point. My phone calendar is basically just a replica of my desk calendar, but it’s useful to refer to when I am not home. No matter where you are, you’ll have access to your schedule.

2—Set personal deadlines. We all leave things until the last minute or sometimes just let our laziness get the best of us. To avoid this, set a personal deadline before the actual deadline. If you accomplish tasks before the actual deadline, you won’t have to worry about not finishing on time or just calling it quits in the name of defeat. Plus, you’ll have time to grab brunch with friends or get that extra sleep in instead of being up all night stressing.

3—Keep your space clean. I am convinced that a clean and polished space helps keep your head clear. If you’re at a desk job/internship, always leave your desk organized before leaving for the day. Going into work to a clean desk will ensure you have a productive morning. If you’re in a college dorm or apartment, I highly suggest making your bed in the morning. This will start your morning with productivity. I always clean my room before I go to sleep as well so I don’t wake up to a mess.

4—Make to-do lists. Just because you have things written down in a planner, doesn’t mean you are going to do them. Make a to-do list for the day, the week, or even the month. I always write one or two things at the top of the list that I’ve already accomplished. If I see something checked off, it makes me feel encouraged to accomplish the other tasks.

5—Set goals for yourself. If you have trouble differentiating between your tasks and your goals, this will help. You accomplish tasks that help you achieve a goal, so just think about where you want to be when setting goals. For example, a goal is gaining 50-100 blog readers. The task is to post three times a week in an effort to gain that following.

Don’t forget to take a break every once in a while; treat yourself to that mid-day latte. How do you stay organized? Share your tips in the comments below and share photos of your planner on social media. Don’t forget to tag @Cfashionista! 

8 Holy-Grail Products You Need to Pack This Summer

I don’t know about you, but for me summer means random weekend trips, visits home, and beach trips. Packing a bag can be difficult and time-consuming especially when you don’t know what to bring and leave behind. To make the packing process a bit easier, I’ve rounded up eight products you need to pack this summer.

Neutrogena Alcohol-Free Toner: One of my favorite ways to use this toner is after I wash my face in the morning. I pour some toner onto a cotton round and swipe it onto my face. It gets rid of any extra makeup residue left behind and leaves my face feeling clean, refreshed, and ready for makeup.

Olay Complete All Day Moisturizer: Being lightweight and having SPF 15, Olay’s Moisturizer is perfect to wear under your makeup in the summer. I apply the product and then wait about 10-15 minutes before putting makeup on.

Tarte Shape Tape Contour Concealer:  Everyone gets those dark circles, especially if you’re staying up late the night before with friends. Tarte’s concealer is a lifesaver for those “designer bags.” It has an insane amount of coverage and is perfect to toss in your bag this summer. You can definitely avoid the cakey look by using a small amount of product.

E.l.f. Cosmetics Waterproof Lengthening & Volumizing Mascara: I bought this mascara to hold me over in between purchases of my high-end mascara and ended up falling in love with it. It separates, lengthens, and adds tons of volume to your lashes. Plus, the waterproof formula is perfect for the summer months. Oh, and did I mention it’s only $3?

Batiste Dry Shampoo: I can’t be bothered to wash my hair every day, especially in the summer. This product will easily become your lifesaver. It leaves my hair feeling refreshed, clean, and ready for a new day of adventures.

Moroccanoil Texture Clay: I love the tousled beachy waves look for my hair and this product gives me just that. I take a tiny amount, rub it in between my hands, and distribute it through freshly curled hair. It holds my curls in place while also adding that beachy texture.

IT Cosmetics Naturally Matte Eyeshadow Palette: This palette features a wide variety of shades that can help you achieve any look. These eyeshadows are all matte except one shade called Transforming Pearl, which transforms any of the shades into a pearl finish. The shadows are soft and extremely easy to blend. However, if you want something more travel-friendly, try the Naturally Pretty Essentials Matte Eyeshadow Palette.

What are your holy-grail beauty products? Let us know in the comments below! 

ALL IN THE DETAILS: Spring Florals and Distressed Denim

With temperatures already in the mid 90s here in Florida, it’s hard to believe that it isn’t even officially summer yet. This Fashionista is holding onto spring as long as she can by incorporating florals and light denim in her outfit, and I’m totally into this classic combination.

The little details that make this outfit a spring dream are the wrap sandals, floral print, and distressed denim. This Fashionista wore a floral romper from PacSun and threw on a distressed denim jacket from Forever 21 to add more structure to her look. My favorite aspect from this outfit are her suede wrap sandals from Forever 21. Not only are they super cute, but this Fashionista says they are extremely comfortable as well!

While the denim jacket is the star of the show, I am obsessed with how this Fashionista accessorized. She confessed she can’t go anywhere without a pair of sunglasses. For this look, she chose to wear a pair of rose gold sunglasses from Quay Australia. Her nude bag is from Kate Spade New York, but with such a simple design, you can definitely find similar ones from almost anywhere. Lastly, her brown wrap bracelet is from Francesca’s and her gold earrings are from Forever 21.

I am already thinking about the pieces I have in my wardrobe that will help me recreate this look. If you don’t have a romper or you’re super tall like me and rompers don’t always work for you, don’t worry! Substituting a pair of floral shorts and a white tank will give the same look. Happy spring, Fashionista/os!

STYLE GURU STYLE: Campus Chic

My mornings usually consist of me hitting snooze until I have just enough time to throw on a pair of leggings and add some dry shampoo to my hair. Then I run out the door to make it to Starbucks in time to beat the morning rush.

While sometimes it is easier to just wear leggings and my favorite Nikes, I love looking put together for class too. Especially on days I have meetings or plans to meet someone for lunch, dressing nice makes me feel confident and powerful. A loose fitting dress and some type of jacket is my uniform for these kind of days.

For this outfit, I paired my casual gray dress with a denim utility jacket from Forever 21. This jacket is light enough that I can still wear it outside in the Florida heat. I threw on my favorite pair of flats for comfort and style. The ankle strap and pointed toe add a classy element to this look. I completed this campus chic look with an oversize Steve Madden bag. I love this bag because it has a detachable crossbody strap and it is big enough to fit my laptop and all of my other belongings inside.

For my makeup look, I used my go-to foundation, the Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup, because it has amazing coverage and it really does stay in place all day long. I added the Tarte Shape Tape Contour Concealer under my eyes and set it with the RCMA Makeup No Color Powder. The combination of these three products leaves my face looking flawless all day long.

The Nyx Cosmetics Highlight & Contour Pro Palette is a staple item in my makeup routine because it is so versatile. I used this palette for my contour, eyeshadow, and inner-corner highlight. Finally, I am wearing the Dior Blush in the shade “Mimi Bronze” and the Nyx Cosmetics Butter Gloss in the shade “Fortune Cookie.” 

For my hair, I always start off with the Batiste Dry Shampoo to freshen up my hair and add volume. Then, I use a curling wand to achieve some loose waves and I’m good to go.

WHAT TO WEAR: Girl’s Night Out

Sometimes getting dressed in the morning is a struggle when you know you will have to wear the same outfit all day and into the night. If you have school, work, and plans with the girls later, going casual with your outfit for the day is key. If you know you will not have time to go home and change, all you need to do is throw a pair of heels and a statement necklace into your bag for later and you’re golden.

This Fashionista’s romper is perfect to modify from day to night. She chose to wear a black romper with lace detailing on the sleeves. While a romper is a casual piece, it is an easy piece to dress up. Her loose curls and “my lips but better” lip color choice keep this look on the more casual side for the day time.

This Fashionista chose to wear a pair of deep red heels that not only dresses up the romper, but also add a classy element to the look. Her stone necklace adds an elegant flare and is perfect to wear during the day and into the night.

While this Fashionista chose to wear heels during the day, you can always swap them out for a cute pair of ballet flats or even a pair of lace-up sandals with a smaller heel. If it gets chilly at night, you can also add an oversize blazer to keep you warm while still keeping the look classy and elegant.

Lastly, don’t be afraid to pop on a red lip to complete the look for the night. A liquid lipstick is perfect since it is made to stay in place for hours. And there you have it, nobody will ever have to know you didn’t have time to go home and change for the night.

STYLE ADVICE: Start With the Basics

Putting together an outfit is a struggle for a lot of people, and they tend to use the “I don’t have cute clothes” excuse. The truth is, you can use basic items to create a put together outfit in just minutes. You don’t need a suit and tie or a cheetah print coat to be considered fashionable. This Fashionisto used simple pieces from his wardrobe to create a comfortable, everyday look. Dig out that plain white shirt and those blue jeans that you have in the bottom of your drawer, throw on a pair of sneakers, and you’ll be good to go.

This Fashionisto opted for dark beige pants and paired them with a basic gray sweater and a simple pair of slip-on sneakers. He also added a plain white long sleeve shirt underneath his sweater for a layered look.

Once you get the base down, incorporating different items will become easier. You can always change it up and eventually you will find that including a patterned pant, some lace-up shoes, or even that cheetah print coat will come naturally.

If you live in a cold environment, experimenting with a patterned coat or a colorful scarf is an easy way to trick people into thinking you spent lots of time planning your outfit. In reality you’re wearing three layers of pants and your mom’s cable-knit sweater underneath.

Don’t be afraid to re-create outfits you see online or on your favorite celebrity either. I’m not going to lie, I purchased a baby blue coat last winter just because I saw Taylor Swift wearing a baby blue coat. Re-creating outfits you see is just another easy way you can make people think you are a pro at styling outfits.

STYLE GURU BIO: Bri Ciccotelli

Hello Fashionista/os! My name is Bri. I am a junior studying public relations and design at the University of South Florida. I drink a lot of coffee and listen to a lot of Taylor Swift. Secretly, I just want to own a coffee shop and have my own show on HGTV.

I absolutely love fashion and how you can really express yourself through your style. With this being said, I also love that your style can change, as mine has over the years. While I’ve always had an extremely feminine style, I’ve been incorporating more classic, edgy, and preppy pieces into my wardrobe lately. I like to think that I can refer to my style as classic chic with a hint of romance (I only say this because I try to find a way to incorporate rose patterns in every look and to me roses equal romance). Anyway, whatever you think my style is, you are probably right.

For this look, I took a distressed black denim and a classic black mock-turtleneck top for a black-on-black look. I purchased this top at H&M, and it quickly became my favorite top of all time. I threw on my favorite pair of black booties, a chunky pearl necklace, and a muted pink lip color. Of course I finished the look with a rose patterned bag!

I hope you enjoyed seeing what a signature Bri Ciccotelli outfit looks like. I am so excited to get to know you all and look forward to interacting with you on social media. Be sure to check me out on all socials and, of course, check back here for future posts! If you need me, I’ll most likely be at a local coffee shop taking photos of my latte or nonchalantly slipping Taylor Swift lyrics into every day conversation.