Situation: #hairproblems

Upon moving to New York City, I realized just how overly excited I was about living in one of the greatest cities in the world.  From New York bagels to Bleecker Street shopping to avant-garde fashion to Baked by Melissa cupcakes.  All the while pretending that I'm still a Boston University student "just in the city for the summer" and trying to get student discounts on anything I can.  Why?  Because I am and will always be a Recessionista.

One part of NYC-living I totally forgot about until I looked in the mirror and saw how badly I needed a hair cut and color (holy hell it's bad) is the Bumble and bumble. University Model Project my sister used to participate in when she went to NYU for undergrad.  When you hear something like this program at a reputable salon and phrases like "FREE HAIRCUT" and "FREE COLOR" are thrown around like it's nothing, you become a bit skeptical.  Nothing's actually FREE free, right?  So wrong.  So very, very wrong.

This is accurate.  Usually worse, though.

The Bumble and bumble. University program is a two-day class in which professional hairdressers from across the country come and learn new cut and color techniques and sharpen their hairstylist skills under supervision of Bumble and bumble.'s most experienced stylists and educators.  But, of course, in order to learn something new, practice makes perfect.  They need real hair to practice on, and who better than desperate college students or poor young adults looking for a new look?!  Literally the most perfect opportunity for hairdresser and desperate girl.  AKA, me.

I applied online and went in for a hair consultation last Monday.  Totally easy.  They assess basically how easy your hair is to work with and what it looks like you could benefit from.  (Bb professional to me: "You could definitely benefit from some darker colors to give your hair more depth, and maybe you should go back to that Razor Bob you say you used to have." Me to Bb professional in small, pathetic voice: "Fix me, please.")

After the consultation, you make your appointments for cut, color, or style (or two out of the three, or all three, whatever), which could range from the next day until October.  I lucked out with a color appointment the NEXT DAY and a haircut next Tuesday.

Oh haiiii.

My color "class" yesterday was simple.  You go in, get looked at by a ton of hairdressers who determine what color, technique, etc. would look the best on you with your eyes, complexion, etc. and then the stylists get to work with the approval of the educators.  My hairdresser was this little cutie-patootie from Kansas City who threw around terms like "feathering" and "hair depth" and did something amazing to my sun-streaked mousey-brown hair that hasn't seen a professional dye job in years.  They actually discourage tipping because it is a classroom setting, so literally all you're paying for is your transportation to and from the salon.  So like, $5 on the subway for an amazing color and blowout.

I am SO excited for my haircut next week, and then I'll be back in a few months to do it all over again as soon as I'm allowed.  For cheap girls looking for an exciting new look, THIS IS THE OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU.  You also get a say in what you want, although if it's something that the stylists know is stupid or outdated, they'll pretty much let you know and make you change your mind.  After all, they have more experience with hair trends than you do.

What do you think about the program?  New Yorkers, would you be willing to give up your rights and let a hairdresser go to town on your locks?  Comment away!

Cheap S%$T Pick of the Week: Etsy.com

Just a shameless plug to begin...

Congratulations to the Boston University Dance Team as they competed at NDA Camp last week and managed to do WERK on home court - First Place in Team Dance, Best All Around award, Most Collegiate award, best Game Day Hip-Hop routine, and a gold bid to NDA Nationals next April!  As I'm no longer a member of the BU Dance Team (graduating will do that to a girl...), I will take on full responsibility for promoting them as often as I can in real life and on my blog.  These beautiful girls perform at all men's and women's basketball games as well as events and competitions on- and off-campus, including the aforementioned NDA Nationals in April down in Daytona Beach, Florida.  Go watch them perform when you get a chance!

SO.  Etsy.  It's nothing new.  I can't count how many Etsy photos I've seen on Pinterest, and I'm not on the website often, but it's A LOT.  People (well, mostly girls and feminine boys) LOVE Etsy because it's literally everything your little heart could imagine.  The people who sell on Etsy are from all over the world, so your options (and markets) really are endless.  One of my favorite things about Etsy - besides its meticulous categorizing of gizmos and gadgets - is its "Buy Handmade" mission.  Each designer/craftsperson/artist's post for an item lets you, the buyer, observe just how perfectly crafted that item is, and new products are posted every day so there are always new items to look at.  One of the downsides of Etsy is the time it takes to ship an item, but I've heard from my friends' experiences that the wait is always worth it.

Annie Georgia Greenberg's "Best of Etsy: 50 Cool Finds Made in NYC" article on Refinery29 is a fantastic guide to buying local NYC products on Etsy.  The website can be a bit overwhelming with the amount of products being sold on it, but besides this article, there are many others that involve writers' favorite Etsy picks.

Also, the Weddings page on Etsy is just to die for.  Where else can you buy a wedding dress, engagement ring, bridesmaids gift and decor for your wedding on ONE website?!  As Etsy is obviously targeted mostly for women, the Wedding page is a dream come true for girls like me who could spend hours planning her own wedding that isn't likely to happen for years.  But... you never know.

As a "Cheap S%$T Pick of the Week," Etsy can be fairly cheap, but many products are also a bit pricy.  My opinion: everything on Etsy is totally worth the cost for product originality.  Make sure you watch where the seller is located and the shipping cost - many products on Etsy are similar among different sellers, so you might be able to catch a better deal if you look around the site more.

ON A SIDE NOTE, I'll be moving to New York City this Saturday, so please be prepared for my posts to target the NYC crowd more so than usual.  My apologies, Bostonians!

What are your thoughts on Etsy?  Too overwhelming?  Can't ever find what you're looking for?  Or are you in love with the creative marketplace?  Comment away!

Layering Bracelets: If you're not doing it, you're not cool.

Like so many young women out there, I fall into a new fashion-related habit almost every season.  I've been through SO many phases and wardrobes since I was a wee lad, and looking back at some of them now, I don't know how I didn't drive my mother to insanity.  Some of these have been super weird - like during my tomboy days back in the 90s, I refused to wear dresses, wore Nike every day and dreamed to be a WNBA basketball player.  I really don't know how I kept friends.  Obbbbviously, times have been a-changin', and since those times I've been "emo" with studded belts and black hoodies and slightly "hood" with name-plated belts and Phat Farm sneakers.  If my friends from home decide to dig up pictures for proof, I will disown them.

Somehow, I managed to turn out pretty normal.

Most recently, my latest habit has been mild in comparison with my childhood with a simple change in jewelry accessorizing.  While interning at Subversive Jewelry a few summers ago, I was HUGE on statement necklaces, and my jewelry collection grew exponentially.  This summer, I've put most of my necklaces on hold (besides my very very favorite Anthropologie bubble necklace) for an accessory switch-up.  This summer, I'm all about layering bracelets.  It's super easy and fast to throw on some colorful bangles with a solid colored tee, tank top or maxi dress when you need to quickly run out the door.  Plus, the sound bangles make when they hit each other is like playful chic, right?

And, for your viewing and buying pleasure, I've gathered some of my favorite cheap-ish bangles from my favorite websites.  The more you stack, the cooler you look.  It's a proven fact.

Enamel Bangle by Tinley Road (Piperlime, originally $26, now $14.97)

Zipper Cuff (Nasty Gal, $15)

Silver and Turquoise Bamboo Bracelet Set (Target, $16.99)

Zigzag Patterned Bangle Set (Forever21, $8.80)

ASOS Claw Cuff Bracelet (ASOS, $13.26 - VERY Pamela Love, don'tcha think???)

Breaking Free Aqua Bracelet by St. Eve (Threadsence, $20 - not a bangle but who cares? It's gorg.)

Pieces Marie Bangle Set (ASOS, originally $19.86, now $11.60)

Gold Wavy Enamel Bracelet (Target, $16.99)

My advice?  Buy them all.  Wear them all.  Love them all.

Thoughts on layering bangles?  Hate the clinking sound but love the trend?  Love the clinking sound but hate the trend?  Comment away!

Situation: #humidityproblems

Beach 6: A slice of heaven.

As much as I love Boston and call it my home and everything, my least favorite part about living in Boston these past two summers is The Humidity Factor.  It.  Is.  Awfuuuuul.  Maybe it's the fact that I'm a Jersey girl and my father conveniently has a beach house in Point Pleasant Beach right off the boardwalk, I can not stand the east coast's summer heat unless I'm laying (a.k.a. passed out and baking in tanning oil) on the Jersey shore.  Specifically, Beach 6.  That refreshing, cool breeze right off the Atlantic Ocean, 88 degrees with few clouds in the sky.  Sigghhhh.  Every single Jersey girl knows what I'm talking about.

My hair has been a major problem since I've decided to grow out my short bob haircut, and the in-between stage is just terrible.  As often as I see Refinery29 and Fashionista.com put out articles about how sophisticated and stylish "The Long Bob" can be, I manage to look sufficiently awkward with my hair down.  Unless it's a REALLY good day.  And, let me tell you, humid days are NOT good days.  And, most days of the east coast summer are humid days.

My solution: the ballerina bun.

It's versatile.  It's classic.  It takes no more than five minutes.  It saves you any type of straightening frustration.  And it's PERFECT for a humid summer day in Boston, the Jersey shore, or wherever you want to be this season.  As a former ballerina, I know it takes about 300 bobby pins to secure the perfect bun, but since I don't whip my head back and forth on the daily (as I assume not many people do), all you need is a hair elastic and a few bobby pins to fix it into place.  Because I have some shorter hairs in the back, I put my bun in and then secure my shorter hair to the back of my head with bobby pins in the X shape, and hairspray the shit out of it (like any girl from New Jersey would).

Another good point about the ballerina bun is that your hair doesn't have to be stick straight to do it.  SO, if you shower at night, you can let your hair air dry overnight and then put it up in the morning.  Dealing with a blowdryer in the summer is torture, and the ballerina bun saves you the hassle (and the sweat) of dealing with hot air.  If you have curly hair, try leaving your hair a bit loose and secure a tight bun on the top of your head.  SUPER cute.

Total cost of a ballerina bun up-do:

• One hair elastic = less than $1.00
• Approx. ten bobby pins = less than $1.00
• One can of hair spray (my fave: AquaNet Super Hold Unscented) = $2.99
• TOTAL: $4.99

Not too shabby, eh?

What do you think of the ballerina bun?  What are some other ideas for awkward hair on a humid, summer afternoon?  Comment away!

Situation: #patrioticproblems

He went to my high school, I'm allowed to make fun of him.

Every year when July 3rd comes around, I find myself totally stumped for a July 4th get-up.  Every year I think I have something in my wardrobe that is perfect for the occasion, and the night before the holiday, I look through my clothes and realize I have nothing.  Nuh-thing.  The American flag bathing suit is soOoOo 2000, the stars and stripes tee shirts are unoriginal, and don't even get me started with the flag-dress.  It's a flag, it's not supposed to be wrapped around your body as a fashion statement with a skinny belt.  Spilling your red solo cup of beer on that and you're basically disrespecting America.  And I'm not about to head to Walmart for a $5 bald eagle tee like my friend Dom Mazzetti (no offense, I just couldn't pull it off like you do...).  Hilarious, but not for me.

This year, I've turned to Pinterest.  You know, that up-and-coming social media website that sorority girls are obsessed with but what boys think is for lame housewives.  I'm not on the website all that much, but when I do, I'm on for probably an average of five hours.  It's like crack.  I don't even think I'm using the website to its fullest, but I've found amazing arts and crafts and fashion inspiration within the past few days that I would love to share with you.  Especially because they're all 4th of July related.

I haven't tried any of them yet, but I'm thinking about it with my afternoon basically free besides some blueberry beer and watermelon margaritas closer to 3pm.  Here are my favorite Pinterest 4th of July crafts:


Braided Back T-Shirt, courtesy of Brooke Long

Stars and Stripes Shorts, courtesy of Atavia Rochille

American Flag Tank, courtesy of Jolene Del Toro

Lace Shorts, courtesy of Sofia Do Carmo

What do you think - super cute or super tacky?  How else do you rep your country's colors?  Comment away!

NEW EDIT: As I mentioned, I tried one of the crafts yesterday, and it went REALLY well.  It only took me about a half hour (because I couldn't figure out how much of the shirt to cut).  Here are a few pictures!  Hope you try it out yourself!

Cheap S%$T Pick of the Week: Piperlime.com

I admit it.  I have a sick addiction.

The kind of addiction that once I start even thinking about it, I can't stop.  My adrenaline builds, I get this incredibly euphoric high, and all of a sudden I come crashing down.  I've tried to get my doctor-in-training sister to prescribe me something to get my mind off of it, but my disease in incurable.  There's no hope for me.  I will live the rest of my life knowing that I'll have to forcibly stop myself from pursuing this activity, or I'll be broke as shit.


Girls and boys, you know what I'm talking about.  Online shopping.  Especially with my fairly recent discovery of Piperlime.com

Piperlime is like the Zeus of online shopping.  No offense to Zappos, but I've completely switched to Team Piperlime within the past few months.  It has amazing brands, amazing prices, and most importantly, amazing sales.  The website includes both high-end brands and low-end brands but manages to have a fantastic selection of products when narrowing the search to Under $50.  When do you EVER see that?

One of the best features of Piperlime is free shipping both ways, with no minimum cost to do so (same a Zappos, but I just like Piperlime better).  My BIGGEST pet peeve (I really do have a lot of pet peeves, but this one is a biggie) is realizing that my shopping cart has $49 of items when I need $50 for free shipping, and nothing on the website is cheaper than $20.  I end up scratching my entire order out of frustration that one item would have blown my budget for me to receive free shipping on my order.

I've recently ordered this pair of flats from Piperlime, and I LOVE them.  So perfect for my fall flats collection.  They're called the Yvonna by Hive & Honey, and right now, they're $24.97 on final sale.  They also come in black with a brown ankle strap and red-and-"fall color" striped with a brown ankle strap.

So far, I've only bought purses and shoes from Piperlime, but they also have clothes, jewelry and accessories.  They also have a section with "picks" from style icons Olivia Palermo, Rachel Zoe, Rachel Bilson (wait where has SHE been???) and actress and model Byrdie Bell.  Another "Headlines" section puts certain clothes, shoes and accessories into specific categories like "Girl on a budget," "Fabulous flats," "Workweek chic," and more.

Word on the street is that Piperlime will be opening a store in New York City.  Needless to say, I'm pretty sure I'll be there once a week.

Have you had a great experience with an item from Piperlime?  Or do you prefer its sister brands - GAP, Banana Republic, Old Navy and Athleta?  Comment away!

Do It Yourself: Cap Toe Shoes (thanks, Courtney!)

I was in this very room! Way in the back, though...

One of my favorite parts of volunteering for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week this past February (besides just knowing that I was, in fact, skipping class for FASHION WEEK in NEW YORK CITY also known as a college girl's dream come true), was meeting the slew of volunteers who came near and far to get that insider's perspective of Fashion Week that so many people wish they had.  One such volunteer was this Canadian chick, Courtney, and we hit it off as fellow Canucks.  We drooled over Kellan Lutz together when we saw him front row of the Lacoste runway show, and stuck it out together when we were made to individually lint-roll hundreds of chairs after millions of tiny white feathers escaped a large runway prop.  She also introduced me to actress, fashion icon and socialite Olivia Palermo when we saw her leaving one of the Fashion Week tent-trailers.  Well, not exactly introduced, more like pointed her out while we gawked from afar.

BeTrendMe.com

Courtney's Twitter handle (@CourtneyJayBee) is hilarious, but it is also filled with fun crafty projects she picks up from a website called BeTrendMe.com.  BeTrendMe is a trends blog that gives "individuality" a whole new meaning.  The projects.  Are.  AMAZING.  One I became especially fond of as soon as I saw Courtney tweet about it - DIY Cap Toe Shoes.  I mean, just look at the picture!  Who wouldn't want a pair of these?!

My mission this summer is to make a pair of these ASAP as soon as I order some cheap white Oxfords.

How To Make Them

What You Need:

A pair of white Oxford flats
Neon fabric spray paint
Tape
Newspaper

What To Do:

1. Lay down newspaper to avoid getting spray paint everywhere.  Be sure you do this outside so then you don't fill your house with toxic fumes.
2. Place a line of tape on the toe part of each shoe.
3. Pick a color of spray paint and spray the toe part of the shoe.  Be careful to not spray past the tape.  The tape is there to leave a clean paint line after you remove it later.  Be sure to spray the shoe thoroughly leaving no white spaces, but do not go overboard meaning don't let the paint start to drip.  If it's starting to drip that means you've sprayed too much.
4. Leave your shoes outside to dry for at least a day.  Be sure to check the weather forecast for the night to make sure it won't rain.
5. After 24 hours, check on your shoes to see if they're dry.  If they are but you see the white fabric of the shoe seeping through the paint then spray on another layer.  If you don't and are happy with the final product then you are ready to wear them!

Voila!  Seems easy enough.  I'm thinking about buying some Krylon Spray Paint from the Blick Art Store in Fenway in either Fluorescent Cerise, Global Blue or Fluorescent Lemon Yellow and this pair of white oxfords that BeTrendMe recommends.  I can't seem to find another cheap pair of white oxfords.

What do you think about this trend?  Will it stay around for a bit this summer?  Interested in trying out this project?  Comment away!