Holiday Decor

Hi, friends!

Today, I'm going to be sharing some photos of my room and how I decorate it during the holidays. I was excited to come home from college and put my lights around my mirror. 

I like it best at night and that is when I shot these photos.

My favorite candle around this time of year is the Fresh Balsam from Bath & Body Works! It smells soooo good and is perfect for the winter time.

Last week, my friends and I took a 'daycation' to Asheville, North Carolina. Asheville is the neatest town and has plenty of great shopping, restaurants, and is home to the Biltmore Estate. We even spotted some snow on the mountain top on our way up there! 

I found these two signs in Mast General Store and I knew I had to have them. I love the quote and how cute is that cow?! My dorm room is lacking wall art so I will probably take these back to college with me.

Thanks for reading!

Carly

Lipsticks of the Season

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Hi, friends! 

When I came to college, I knew I wanted to get into wearing lipsticks. I was never a fan before because I couldn't find a color that I thought looked good on me. I recently purchased the Nars Velvet Lipstick and it is so good. I realized I look better in a pinkish nude color. It stays on forever! I also have the Bobbi Brown Lipstick which is perfect for game days and the holidays. As you can tell, I have listed above the color KoKo K Lip Kit by Kylie Jenner. Many people were skeptical of her lip kits but honestly, they are sooooooo good. I know I said my Nars Lipstick lasts forever, but so does Kylie's lip kits. It goes on very smoothly and it makes your lips look instantly fuller. My #1 tip would be do not apply chapstick or any sort of moisturizer to your lips before applying the lipstick because it is a matte formula that needs to be applied with dry lips. This Chanel lipstick is very vampy-perfect for a night out!

What are your favorite lipsticks of the season?

xoxo, Carly

Highlands, North Carolina

Ever since I was a little girl, my family and I would drive to Highlands every year around this time. The leaves and the architecture have always caught my eye. Nothing beats a weekend in the mountains!

Until next time, 

Carly 

Recent Favorites

Hi, friends! Long time, no talk. I have been very busy with school + life. I hope to get into a routine again writing posts. Sometimes, I find myself in creative blocks and I cannot come up with anything to write about! Today, I thought I would talk about some products I'm loving/eyeing right now.

I've seen everyone with this belt. It's a trendy, western look but it also adds something different to your basic, black belt. I love how some come with the double buckles or you can get one with just one buckle. A few weeks into school, I was still not recovered from my loss of sleep during sorority recruitment. I would finish with classes and then take 3 hour naps every single day for about 3 weeks. My under eyes definitely suffered for the loss of sleep so I immediately began looking for a solution to try to cover the dark circles. I found this product  from Benefit at Sephora. Apply a little on top of your foundation and then apply regular concealer and it really does work wonders! I got the shade medium (03) to add a brighter effect to my under eyes. Every week while I'm at Target, I find myself walking down the isles of the shoe section, hehe. I saw these booties and fell in love. They are a complete look-a-like to these Jeffrey Campbell ones at an unbeatable price! While at Target, my roommate and I have been obsessed with drinking tea lately. With it being fall and full-PSL season, we had to get this tea. Along the lines of fall things, my mom has been burning this candle nonstop. I purchased a couple of wall scents for our dorm room so it would smell like fall!

What are some of your recent favorites?

xoxo, 

Carly 

What's On My Desk

Hello, all! I hope everyone is having a great Tuesday.  Oh, and happy almost Fall! Even though it doesn't feel like Fall here yet in Georgia, I'm still thrilled to know the cooler temperatures are fast approaching. 

Today, I am going to share with you my tiny, tiny desk area in my dorm room. First off, I reorganized it about 5 times. Everything becomes cluttered so easily when you have a small space. I still don't think I'm finished with this area - I might add a gallery wall. Who knows! 

 I'm a sucker for an inspiration board. A lot of fashion designers create mood boards for their collections so I'm glad I started getting into that habit. These are so fun for me to create and I try to change them season after season. This time, I went for a white, blue, and black aesthetic. I also added some fabric swatches from a fabric store in New York City and some fun quotes. 

This is the area we were given to work with! Small, right?

I always have to have books with me wherever I go, not only as decorative pieces but also as references whenever I need to know something. I'm currently reading 'Leave Your Mark' and 'My Journey - Donna Karan.' {I will have them all linked below}

Here is a boring desk organizer with a couple of textbooks and notebooks! I'm taking Geology 1122 and Psychology 1101. 

This desk organizer from Amazon has allowed me to sort things out and stay organized! I just put miscellaneous stuff on the top shelf, like my current favorite perfume and this cute sign one of my friends purchased for me as a gift. 

On this corner, I have my makeup mirror, a lamp, dry erase board, and this painting by Blair Breitenstein. I met her at a Rebecca Minkoff event! She is so talented!!

Well, there is my tiny space for ya, folks. I look forward to having a bigger desk next year and having more control of the aesthetic. 

With love, 

Carly 

BOOKS from left to right: Jesus Calling, Jesus Calling for Graduates, The Pursuit of Style, Leave Your Mark, Milk and Honey, #GIRLBOSS, My Journey: Donna Karan.

College Beauty Must-Haves

Beauty is something that changes as we grow older. I've realized in college how different 'beauty' is approached. For example, in high school, I wore makeup everyday but in college, I wear very minimal makeup or none at all to class. I've also noticed that girls make more of an effort to try exotic looks when it's a night out on the town. Whatever your routine is, there are definitely some must-haves for the college gal who's trying to get a degree while still looking pretty. 

1. Dry Shampoo: I used to never be a fan of dry shampoo. Who in the heck would go three + days without washing their hair?! Not I. Now that my days vary, I don't always have time to wash my hair every night or I'm too lazy, ha. Dry shampoo has been a life saver so far for my roots. A quick spray before class and bam, hair that isn't greasy. I highly recommend this one and this one!

2. Setting Spray: I can't believe I went all throughout my years of high school without using this stuff. Setting spray sets your makeup and allows it to stay in place for a long time. It's perfect for a night out! You can get the pricer option, like Urban Decay or the less expensive option.

3. Highlighter: Guys, can we take a moment to realize how amazing this stuff is?! I recently got on the trend and I won't be abandoning this product from my routine anytime soon. A highlight, is what it sounds like: it highlights whatever part of your face you wanted highlighted. You can swipe the product on with a brush or your finger. I recommend applying it on the area above your cheek. It makes you look as if you have a glow!

These are amazing options: one / two / three / four

4. Hair Treatment: PSA, dorm showers SUCK.  The water pressure is awful and it's hard to find showers that have the pressure just how you want it. Along with getting ready for events, your hair takes a toll on the amount of heat that's used. I recommend doing a treatment once a week, whichever kind works best for you. I personally use this one because my hair always smells amazing and is so smooth after! I really notice a difference the next day because my hair maintains the softness and shine. 

5. Sleep: You've probably heard a million times how important beauty sleep is but I cannot express it enough, especially when you get to college. There will be many nights where you're studying until 2 a.m. or coming home from a night out with friends. Right now, my study schedule hasn't been too crazy so I've been able to take naps everyday. I think I'm still recovering for the 4:30 a.m. sorority recruitment wake-up calls, ha. It's hard to be productive when you can barely keep your eyes open so take that 30 minute quick nap. You won't regret it. Plus, you'll feel more energized and refreshed. :)

I hope you all enjoy these quick tips! Have a good Monday!

Carly

College Life

Hello, hello friends! 

I am officially blogging from my sweet, little college town of Athens, Georgia. I moved in August 7th for sorority recruitment and classes began August 11th. Drop/Add week, commonly known as 'Syllabus Week' is officially over and everyone is getting into the groove of things with their classes. 

I've only been in school for 11 days but it seems a lot longer than that. Many things have changed in my two weeks here. As I mentioned earlier, I participated in Formal Sorority Recruitment. It consisted of 4:30 am wake up calls, going to 18 houses to meet active members and then going through the rest of the rounds leading up to Bid Day. The whole process was about a week long. However, I withdrew from sorority recruitment the morning of Preferential (Pref) Rounds. The entire process is life-changing and I plan to do a few posts about Greek Life and rush in general if you all are interested. 

Now, onto college life..

The good:

- SO. MUCH. FREEDOM. 

High school never consisted of this much freedom. I have breaks in between my classes and I only have 2-3 classes a day. It gives me enough time to catch up on sleep, run errands, and do homework. No one is there to tell you to go to class or do your laundry. butttt, you should go to class!!!

- Meeting new people

Everybody is the 'new kid' in college. New school, new town, even a new state. I've been fortunate enough to meet great people so far, through my Gamma Chi group and on my hall. My hall mates are the bomb and we've already had great times together!

- Better food

My cafeteria food was awful in high school. At UGA, there are multiple dining halls that offer different things. One dining hall serves Hibachi while the other serves healthy shakes and so on. It is hard to eat healthy unless you are disciplined. 

The bad:

- Illness

My doctor recently told me that you'll never be more sick in your life than in college. #joy. Many girls who participated in recruitment have been experiencing the same cold and freshman who are getting acclimated to the dorms. You always have to wash your hands and be mindful of those around you who are sick. 

- The buses

UGA is a very large and hilly campus. Many buses run through campus but figuring out which route to take can be challenging! UGA has an app that has the bus routes but it's still easy to hop on the wrong bus. 

- The heat

It's hot as hell here in Athens and the South in general! Fall is in a month and we could not be more ready for it. Plus, Fall = FOOTBALL. I walk everywhere on campus so #sweaty.  Is anyone else dying in this heat right now?!

- Textbooks

I highly highly recommend that you rent your textbooks if you can. You will save a ton of money. Plus, you can still highlight in them as long as you don't destroy them. Do not pay full-price for a core class textbook. And if you have to, prepare to have your heart break. 

What other posts would y'all like to see?! Feel free to submit them at my Tumblr or shoot me an email at carlymixon11@gmail.com :)

Happy Monday!

Carly