Summer – CollegeFashionista

Hometown Getaway to Manhattan Beach

Living in the beautiful city of Angels has its many perks. One of which is being a short 30-minute drive to the golden Pacific Coast. My favorite thing to do on the weekends is to take a day trip out to the beach with my close girlfriends.

I love the vibe of beach life: the cool salty breeze, shouts of beach volleyball players, and bells of beach bikers. One of my favorite beaches off of Pacific Coast Highway is Manhattan Beach, a charming coastal community with bright blue waters and soft sandy beaches.

After circling for parking for close to an hour, my friends and I decided to recharge with a good latte. We ended up trying out a cute new spot located at the end of the pier called Vitals Coffee, formerly the Aquarium Cafe. Great coffee I must say!

We then headed down to the beach to claim our spot in the sand and soak up some sun. I never forget to bring a big beach tote filled with all the essentials including a cute bathing suit, my favorite pair of sunnies, some flip flops, a beach blanket, hydrating sunscreen, water, and some snacks.

I usually take the time to find some color at the beach and lay out. I like to bring a portable speaker to play some tunes and a good book or magazine to occupy my tanning time. Then when it gets too hot, a nice dip in the ocean does the trick!

I would have to say one of the hardest things about going to school in Wisconsin is being away from my home, the beach. I love California for so many reasons but its sunny golden coast takes the cake! However, the surfers don’t hurt either!

What’s your go-to hometown getaway? Let us know in the comments below!

How to Shop Local and Eat Local

As young professionals, it is important that we not only maintain a healthy lifestyle and give back to the community we live in. We are in the transformative period of our lives when we become independent and are contributing members of the economy. Make a positive influence by shopping and eating locally. I’m extremely passionate about shopping at local farmer’s markets for my food. I’m helping my community and developing a healthier lifestyle because of it. So slip on a pair of your favorite flat mules, throw on a cute kimono, and bring your straw tote because we are taking a trip to the market.

Shopping locally for your food builds community. I know the people that farm my food, and my money is not being lost in the corporate world. There’s nothing I love more than meeting new people and seeing their faces light up because I purchase their products and ask about their family business. It truly warms my heart knowing that I am supporting local families.

As I said previously, it is healthier for you to buy locally. Everything is fresher and has higher nutritional value. The people who you buy from can tell you exactly how it was grown and the process it went through to get to your straw tote. The more steps between you and the source of your food, the higher the risk of contamination.

Personally, one of my favorite benefits of shopping locally is that most of the time it is cheaper. I know this may be shocking to hear considering how expensive it is at the store. The truth of the matter is, it is cheaper (and healthier) to buy foods when they are at the peak of their season. I like to buy in bulk and throw them in the freezer so I have them for future seasons.

What do you love about shopping and eating locally? Leave me a note in the comments below!

Makeup that Beats the Heat

One of the best things about Southern California is the shimmery, golden sun almost all year round. Summer is the best time for adventures, long days, and late nights. I’m always on the lookout for makeup products that last and tips to keep me fresh-faced. These great beauty tips will leave you glowy and bronzed throughout your summer adventure!

1—The base. The most important part of a full face of makeup is the base that it rests on. The key to long-lasting makeup is a trustworthy foundation. I like to go for the Lancome Teint Idole Ultra Wear Foundation. This foundation feels natural and smooth and blends perfectly into my skin. Also, it has SPF 15 which is great for a day out in the sun. Not only does it cover my small blemishes, it’s lightweight and lasts all day and night. So no worries about touch ups on your day out.

2—The eyes. I love a good smokey eye for the summer. My favorite palette of neutrals, with a little pop of color, is the Too Faced Chocolate Bar. These eyeshadows are highly pigmented and blendable. And it smells amazing! I always start with the light browns and slowly add in darker shades. I top it off with a little shimmer on my inner lid and I feel glamorous and effortless.

3—The glow. My favorite part of a makeup look is finishing off with a gorgeous bronzer and highlighter to give me a bronze glow that leaves me feeling like a goddess. One of my favorite products this summer is the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Bronzer. This two-in-one bronzer and highlighter leaves me with a natural color and strobe. It’s the perfect way finish off a glowy summer look and locks in that ray of sunlight.

Extra Tip

If you feel like making your summer look a little more glam and chic, I love to add a rose-toned liquid lipstick and top it off with a glittery gloss!

I love a natural look for my summer adventures. What are some of your favorite products and tips? Let me know in the comments below!

The Hidden Photo Gems of Old Sacramento

I’ve lived in Sacramento my whole life and it wasn’t until recently that I’ve learned to adore this city. I’ve seen it grow through culture, diversity, and community. This month I’ve decided to dedicate this post to a couple of great photo spots in Old Sacramento.

Old Sacramento is a historic section of Downtown Sacramento. Its riverfront attracted businessmen looking for opportunities and thus a commercial center grew in the area. What truly created the city of Sacramento was the Gold Rush in 1848. Now, Old Sacramento is a prime spot for a taste of Sacramento history and beautiful scenery.

My friend and I used these historical sites for an out-on-the-town photo shoot.

I’ve grown to appreciate the Tower Bridge, which connects West Sacramento to the Capitol. It looks beautiful both during the daytime and nighttime. To some, it may just be a bridge, but to fashion bloggers and photographers alike it becomes a perfect photo spot.

For this shoot, I wore a gingham two-piece set. I love how gingham has made its way up the ladder this summer. It’s the perfect summer print, turning old-school style into a modern-chic look. You can find the pants similar to ones I wore for this shoot here. I paired the pants with a crop top to create a two-piece outfit. Any gingham top works, however, try to make sure the top and bottom gingham prints are the same color. I wanted to dress up my look with a pair of block-heeled black sandals.

If you walk past the Tower Bridge, on the parallel side of Old Sacramento, you’ll see a ramp that takes you down to the Sacramento River. At night, it creates the perfect spot to view the illuminated golden bridge. During the day you’ll spot people on their boats, enjoying the river.

For all my Sacramento residents, what’s your favorite spot in the city? For all those who aren’t from Sacramento, what’s your favorite spot in your city? Let me know in the comments below.

A Seattle, Washington Travel Guide

I don’t know about you but this summer heat has made it so that all I could think of was taking a vacation. I mean who wants to work when literally every piece of business casual clothing makes us sweat our buns off? That’s why my recent trip to Seattle was the perfect relief: the weather was cooler (in fact, we saw snow), the city is beautiful, and it’s definitely a place I highly recommend. Here’s a quick travel guide I’ve put together of my favorite places in Washington’s largest city.

1—Pike Place Market.

If you want to get a taste of Seattle’s vibrant population, this is the perfect place to go. This nine-acre neighborhood is comprised of farmers, craftspeople, and small businesses all looking to sell their wares and preserve its historic character. While here, we ate at Market Grill but, while the food is delicious, I don’t think it’s quite worth the 45-minute wait. Instead, buy some of the fresh produce and seafood from the vendors, take it home and make your own delicious dish.

2—Museum of Pop Culture.

If you have the chance to go to City Center, which I highly recommend, this is the place you should go. Not the Space Needle (sorry Seattle) but this museum. I’ve been to my fair share of museums in my lifetime, and this is by far the best. Click the link to see their current exhibits.

3—Chihuly Glass and Garden.

As a fan of Dale Chihuly’s glasswork, I was excited to see the galleries and garden that provided the perfect backdrop for his art. The long-term exhibition includes the garden where the trees, lush plants and flowers perfectly complement the glass installations, eight galleries and a Drawing Wall, and a Glasshouse that pays homage to Chihuly’s love for conservatories. Make sure to wear a cute top and pants because this is the perfect site for some Instagram photos!

4—Mt. Rainier.

If you’re down for a long but gorgeously rural drive, this is the perfect place for you. It took us about two and a half hours to drive there, but the view was definitely worth it. The snow-capped mountains are absolutely beautiful. Yes, you read that right. We had a literal snowball fight in the 75-degree weather and it was awesome! Just make sure you wear some sneakers that have traction on the bottom so you’re not slipping all over the hiking trails (me). And even though there’s snow on the ground, a tank top and leggings will be your best bet this time of year.

Is Seattle, Washington, on your bucket list? If not, what is? Let me know in the comments below!

Bagging the Beach Essentials

Growing up on an island, I qualify as a certified beach bum—if that were a position. I have learned from my own firsthand experiences, and people watching at the beach, that there is certainly a right and a wrong way to do a beach day. With the last weeks of summer upon us, it’s not too late to re-evaluate what you wear and what you bring to the beach. Whenever I am at the beach, I see women lugging huge beach bags that makes me imagine they are prepared for the apocalypse, but I have realized there is a happy medium in packing a beach bag. You can ensure that you are not forgetting anything, but don’t need to pack everything.

To pack the perfect beach bag, one first needs a great beach bag. I prefer a beach tote in a neutral color so that it matches all my cover-ups and swimsuits. I have been using this straw bag for years and one of the bonuses is that if you just shake it a bit, it gets all the sand out. If you want to dress it up, you can add a pom-pom key chain or a tie a silk scarf around the handles.

What’s Inside?

I like to use a smaller subset bag to hold all of my sunscreen and beauty supplies. Transparent bags are ideal because you can see exactly what is in it.

When it comes to sunscreen, as I am fair, I have tried and tested almost every sunscreen under the sun. My go-to is Australian Gold because it has bronzer in it, so it gives my skin a nice shine while protecting it. When constantly hopping in and out of the water, it is easier to not wear makeup, but I like to have a little color on my lips and I swear by this lip balm. After I get out of the water, I like to brush out my hair with this comb to eliminate any knots and then put it up with this clip. I try not to tie my hair up with a hair tie when it’s wet because it always seems to pull out so much hair.

Some other things I make sure to have in my bag are whatever sunglasses are the current favorite in my rotation, my Kindle (loaded up with some new books), and a big fluffy towel. I also like to throw a hat in there whenever I have had too much sun.

What are your beach essentials? Let us know on social media and don’t forget to tag @Cfashionista!

4 Makeup Products You Need for That Sweet Summer Glow

As someone who rarely even bothers with makeup and knows next to nothing about the intricacies of the art, I thought it would be refreshing to do some vital research and maybe learn a thing or two. I enlisted the help of two Fashionista sisters and amateur makeup connoisseurs to show me some of their favorite products and how they incorporate them into their summer makeup routines.

1—Too Faced Sweet Peach Eye Shadow Collection Palette. The Too Faced Sweet Peach Palette has a great mixture of light and dark colors and features a few nice shades of pink. These eye shadows are very pigmented and easy to blend, making them great for novice or professional makeup artists.

2—Benefit They’re Real! Lengthening and Volumizing Mascara. Benefit’s Lengthening and Volumizing Mascara is always the sisters’ go-to for their lashes. Although it’s on the pricier side, the quality is far superior to any other mascaras these Fashionistas have tried. They’re Real applies evenly with minimal clumping and stays on all day, even without primer!

3—Urban Decay Naked Smoky Palette. The Naked Smoky Palette is a great collection of grays and browns that make for the perfect smoky eye. All the shades are very pigmented and application is effortless. The eye shadow also stays on very well for long periods of time without smudging or fading.

4—Milk Makeup Highlighter. The Milk Makeup Highlighter is a creamy highlighter that is the perfect tool to accentuate your natural look. Whether applied directly to your skin with the stick or just applied with your fingers, the results are stunning! The perfect way to embrace the summer sun!

Do you have a makeup product you swear by? Let us know in the comments or show us on social media! Tag @CFashionista!

How to Combine Vacation and Work Outfits

I got the opportunity to intern in London this summer. London is a beautiful city and so is Europe in general. The downside to this trip was I could only bring one suitcase and one hand luggage unless I want to pay extra. My trip plans included traveling to seven other countries over the weekend excluding England. Luckily my job was pretty casual since it was a media company. That being said it’s still not easy to combine work outfits with vacation outfits. Plus it can get pricey. So I decided to show my four favorite outfits that I wore to work and my weekend travels under $35 with simple black flats unless stated otherwise.

For my first trip in Europe, I went to Amsterdam, Netherlands. I wore a black and white cotton overall dress and combined it with a simple white top. The upside to this look was I could combine the dress and top with any other outfit when I go to work. I like mixing the dress with various neutral color tops.

For my third trip in Europe, I went to the city of love: Paris, France. For Paris, I wanted a more sophisticated look. I wore a houndstooth-print mini skirt with a 3/4 sleeve mesh yoke crop top. I decided to top it off with my black combat boots. The cool thing about this look was it was super easy to combine the items with other items for work. I was able to pair the skirt with most of my black, white, and red tops. The black top went with any bottom.

For my fourth trip in Europe, I went to Barcelona, Spain. Picking out an outfit for this city was a little more difficult since it had to be beach-related. However, it was still manageable. I bought the perfect swimsuit cover-up for the beach and work. This cover-up can easily be worn with a tank top underneath for work. The material of the product is thick enough to make it hard to see through, which makes it work-friendly but if your cover-up is sheer, you can also wear shorts or leggings.

For my last trip in Europe, I went to Vienna, Austria. For this trip, I went with the classic look a black dress. However, in this case, I wore a high-low black dress. A black dress is something you can wear anywhere and doesn’t need to be paired with anything. Sometimes keeping it simple is the best route to go.

What outfits do you wear to work and vacations? Show us your favorite outfits on social media! Don’t forget to tag @Cfashionista.

The Perfect Bronzed Summer Makeup Look

When I think of summer makeup, three words come to mind: fresh, glowy, and bronzed. For my 20th birthday, my best friends got me something all aspiring makeup gurus want—the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette. Since then, I’ve been creating makeup looks for day and night. After lots of trial and error, I think I’ve finally come up with the perfect, bronzed, summer makeup look.

A fresh, dewy face is very popular during the summer months. Around this time last year, I was looking for a long lasting foundation from the drugstore. After reading multiple reviews, I finally found my holy grail foundation. For the past year, I’ve been using the Revlon Colorstay foundation. This foundation is long lasting and gives my skin a natural glow. Although advertised as full coverage, I find it is very lightweight on the skin making it perfect for summer.

Bronzer is crucial to any summer makeup look, especially when you get an unsuspecting tan, and you don’t have a dark enough foundation color. My favorite bronzer to use is the Rimmel Natural Bronzer in the shade, Sun Shine. Personally, I prefer to use a bronzer that has little to no sparkle (I like to save the sparkle for my highlighter).

As for my eye look, I used a handful of colors from the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette. Don’t worry, you don’t need to have the palette to recreate this look. The drugstore has lots of close alternatives that match the colors in the Urban Decay palette. For this look specifically, I mixed Foxy and Bootycall for my base shadow. Next, I applied Tease in my crease to add definition. On the outer corner, I placed Busted to give the look more depth. To get that bronzed goddess look I mixed together Chopper and YDK and applied it to the center of the lid. The final step is to blend it all out. My favorite blending brush is from Real Techniques and it has been a lifesaver. To finish off the entire eye look, I added a light touch of black eyeliner and a few swipes of mascara.

No makeup look is complete without blush and a highlight. A few months ago, I walked into Ulta searching for a replacement for my Physician’s Formula highlighter. I ended up purchasing the Makeup Revolution Vivid Baked Highlighter in the shade Radiant Lights. I add this to my cheekbones, nose, brow bone, and cupids bow.

Until next time, you can find me rocking this summer look, trying to convince my friends to let me do their makeup.

What’s your favorite summer makeup product? Let us know in the comments below!

Road Trip Essentials for Any Destination

When you hit the road, you want to make sure you have everything you may need because there is no turning back, but what exactly is everything? Here is some insight on the pack and do-not-pack items you have always wanted to know.

1—Clothing. This is probably the most important thing because when you are snapping all those pictures for Instagram, you want to look good. I always try to fit my style to the places I go to, for instance: if I’m going to New York, I’ll try and dress very clean and polished by packing some comfy, chic shoes and pairing it with a sundress or solid shirt and patterned pants. If I’m going westward, I’ll probably pack some jeans and add some flannel over a classic graphic T-shirt. Wherever you are going, try and pack light because you will buy souvenirs and you will run out of room in your suitcase. I’ll normally pack two pairs of pants that match all the shirts in my suitcase and a couple dresses for variety. The shoes you choose depend on what you plan on doing. If you are hiking and doing outdoorsy things, stick with a pair of Vans or boots. If you are strutting the streets of a city, wear some comfy flats or a pair of mules.

2—Electronics. Cameras are your best friends on road trips. Pack every single one and get a camera bag from a thrift store if need be! This is a must because when you are long gone from the places you visited, you will want to look back on the moments you cherished throughout your trip. In addition, I pack my laptop on every trip because it comes in handy for storing pictures and editing them. Of course, don’t forget your phone. How else will you make all your friends jealous on social media while you’re on an adventure of a lifetime?

3—The little things. I always try and pack little things besides electronics to keep me busy on the road in a small backpack. A deck of cards is always a good choice to keep yourself and some friends and family members entertained. Pack some snacks like goldfish or popcorn to munch on when you’re hungry. The little things don’t necessarily have to entertain you in the car; they can also entertain you when you get to your destination! You could pack a travel-sized hammock to set up and lay amongst the mountains or a longboard so you can cruise on the coast. The little things vary and depend on your likes but be sure not to forget them because the little things matter!

These are the main three categories I think of when packing and I hope this helps with whatever trip you are going on. Adventure on, my friends!

Going on a road trip? Tell us what’s in your suitcase in the comments below!