8 Products That Are 'Worth The Splurge'

Hi readers! Lately I've been thinking a lot about smart shopping. There are a lot of instances where I spend a lot of my money on a product that just... Isn't worth it. I get barely any use out of it - or even sometimes none at all. Often I'm tempted to buy products because bloggers advertise them or because they're trendy. These thoughts led to ask the question... "So, what do I get a lot of use out of?" These are my "Trust me - I swear by it!" products. I have used these a loooooot, but some of them are on the pricey side. Keeping in mind that not everyone likes the same things, has the same style, or wears clothes the same (everyBODY is beautiful, we are just different) I tried to make my list as neutral as it could be considering that my style plays into what I wear/buy a bit. So without further ado, and in no particular order, here are my top 8 worth the splurge products!

1. Birkenstocks

These shoes average around $100. I would suggest checking the sale section, or even a local Nordstrom Rack if you want to snag a deal. I love my birkenstocks because they are just versatile, In this picture I'm wearing them with a T-Shirt dress, but I've also worn them with jeans to run errands, a quick slip on shoe when I'm late to class, or even walking long distances outside. They're a great shoe if you're the outdoorsy type - or even if you just love comfort (pretty universal I would say). 

2. Chanel Lipstick

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Alright, I'm not going to lie to you, the reason I bought my first Chanel lipstick was because the shade was named 'Adrienne' (pictured above) and well that kind of thing just never happens! I bought it last winter and to my surprise I still wear it everywhere. It's longlasting, and such quality lipstick! I've never regretted making this purchase, and I've definitely found my staple color. I really don't wear lipstick often, and am overall not a huge fan of how statement colors look on me. My favorite thing about this shade is that it's practical and can be worn on any occasion. These lipsticks average around $36.00.

3. Better Than Sex Mascara

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I think I could go on all day about this mascara. It is my go-to! I honestly am not sure if I will ever switch it up, its just that good. This mascara runs at about $23 and will last you a few solid months if you don't glob it on. I promise if you try it you will not regret it! I usually stock up at my local Ulta or Sephora. 

4. A Herschel Backpack 

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I bought my first Herschel for my trip to Australia two summers ago. It was seriously such a great decision! I got so many compliments on how cute it was (I got a classic navy backpack) and it always held everything I needed. This year for my freshman year of college I got a white and pink striped backpack and absolutely love it as well! They are so classic and sturdy. 10/10 best backpack recommendation. These run for roughly $60-100.

5. Topshop Jeans

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I have these jeans in a standard blue color, with ripped knees. They fit me so well, and honestly go with everything. The quality is great (duh - its Topshop!) and they are just so good for any time of the year. I purchased these at my local Nordstrom's for around $75!

6. Colored Ray-Bans
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I'm obsessed with how fashionable these glasses are. I can throw them on with any outfit and immediately appear to have my life together - at least a little bit. Fake it till you make it right? These glasses are around $175.

7. Tory Burch Sandals

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Just like my birkenstocks, these are the perfect sandal. They can be worn with a dress, jeans, a skirt, a more casual top and shorts... Honestly, endless possibilities. They always look classy and sophisticated, a timeless way to dress. I've had mine for over a year and they haven't shown wear and tear yet! Definitely long lasting, and worth their price of $195. (I have the color Sand Patent)

8. Levi Jean Shorts


I purchased these from Urban Outfitters towards the beginning of summer. I was hesitant to drop $80 on a pair of jean shorts, but I had only one pair that was a little too small, and these fit like a glove. I'm very excited to report that I've worn these dozens of times from exploring downtown, to going out in college, or with my jersey to the football games. I can really wear them anywhere and they're SO cute! Worth the price - although I'm sure you can scrounge to find them on sale somewhere online!

Thanks For Reading!
xx, Adrienne

Color Block Cardigan

Hello everyone! I'm so excited about todays post because I'm wearing my favorite jean skirt again! This skirt is super well made and very flattering, so if you've been on the market for a little bit of trendy denim - this is definitely it. I picked up this cardigan at Nordstrom Rack and then saw Caitlin Covington from Southern Curls and Pearls wearing it on her instagram so I knew it was a good buy (she is one of my favorite bloggers!). I wasn't able to find the cardigan online, but linked several similar ones below. For an exact copy I would suggest checking your local Nordstrom Rack which will score you a bigger deal anyways! I ordered this crop top from Topshop for a Halloween costume, but have honestly been wearing it more often for casual outfits with my high waisted skirts. It's simple, neutral and cheap and thats why I like it so much! All items are linked below, including my sneakers which weren't really discussed much in this post, but will be in a post coming soon. Check it out! :)

Cardigan (similar 1 | 2 | 3)//Jean Skirt//Crop Top//Bracelet//Sneakers

Thanks For Reading!

xx, Adrienne

How To Always Have a Productive Monday

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Today I'm going to talk about one of my favorite topics: productivity. I love feeling like I'm getting things done, crossing things off my to do list, and making the most of my day. It also helps me to relax and reward myself with down time. Mondays are a day that everyone seems to dread - but for me, its the beginning of a week of productivity, which doesn't have to be stressful if its planned and executed correctly. Without further ado, here is my advice on how to have a productive & successful Monday.

Balance is key! Can you really work for an entire day without a break or some down time? Well if you can, props to you - but I certainly do not want to endure that. The secret to not having to go through a billion laborious hours in a row is breaking it up. Wake up early to get the most out of your day - start strong and work hard and then reward yourself with a break while everyone else is just waking up. You'll feel more productive which will cause you to be more motivated overall.

Do your day planning Sunday night - this way you can start working right away, instead of filing through the different compartments of your brain to sort out your life when your coffee hasn't even really kicked in yet. Trust me, no one should have to go through that.

Make your day planning subject to change. If this schedule is minute to minute and set in stone, there is no room for error. One thing changes or goes wrong and it's all over - the schedule is completely useless! This should never be the case, be able to shift around some of your events just in case.

Eat good foods throughout the day. And well, all the time really. This doesn't have to be just a Monday thing. Eating a diet of organic, natural foods can boost your energy level a ridiculous amount. If you don't love your fruits and veggies, try out smoothies with some honey for natural flavoring.

Don't bury yourself in stress. When have you been super over the top stressed and also super over the top productive? Never. These two just don't go hand in hand - avoid stress as much as possible by focusing on one task at a time. If you totally cannot avoid stress take a break and unwind! Sometimes that is all it takes to get back into the swing of things.

Have an end goal! Knowing when you're going to be done is so important. If you don't see an end in sight, your motivation will be lost and ultimately you will get lost in your workload as well.

Hope this post was helpful - and HAPPY MONDAY TO ALL! :)

Thanks for Reading!

xx, Adrienne

Coffeehouse Playlist for Winter

Lately music has been everything to me. I absolutely love coming home from class and playing some soft and calming music to wind down from my day. It's important to me to have a solid playlist that I can put on for a little while at a time and not have to worrying about skipping every other song! These are the songs I have been listening to while I clean my room, write up blog posts, sip some tea, or just plan for my day. I hope you enjoy - let me know what your favorites are in the comments below!

1.  Love On My Arm // Matt Moberg
2.  Fresh Eyes // Andy Grammer
3.  Wide Open Arms // Marc Scibilia
4.  With You // Romeo Testa
5.  I Only See You // Benton Paul
6.  San Francisco // Stu Larsen
7.  Forever Like That // Ben Rector
8.  Montauk // Matt Sucich
9.  Wasn't Expecting That // Jamie Lawson
10.  Amazing Eyes // Good Old War
11.  Three // Cameron Ernst
12.  What Would I Do Without You // Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors

Thanks For Reading!
xx, Adrienne

A First Semester (ever) Reflection

I want to start this post off by saying how incredible grateful I am to have the opportunity to go away for college. I have made so many memories and met some incredible people. It's definitely been an experience that changed me - it helped me grow up. But I would be lying if I told you that it wasn't hard at times. In honor of the start of a new semester (as well as surviving the first semester - woo!) I gathered a few things that I just really wish I knew before going away to school, or maybe just things I wish I would have listened to.

1// You're going to be homesick.

In high school I was miss adventure. I always had a new travel destination and always wanted to do everything independently. I looked at it as a lifestyle choice - I never wanted to be in one place for too long. I never really even appreciated the amazing city I was from. That was until I went away to school. I love my school, I love walking to class in warm weather on a beautiful campus. But there is something extremely special about a place that holds memories. Your university, even if you live 15 minutes away, is new to you. You have never lived in a dorm/apartment/on your own and taken classes, and been a student here. But, you've grown up in your hometown. You've spent your innocent childhood and your trouble making teenage years building a collection of memories whether you wanted to or not. My advice to you? Take it all in. Being homesick isn't bad - it helps you to appreciate the things you have while you have them. It makes you enjoy coming home to your family who misses you so much. Another friendly reminder - it will pass. The homesickness will pass. But you have to let it. If you come home weekend after weekend, you will build a routine that will just enable the homesickness. Feel it, get over it, and then you can move on.

2// School is um, harder than you think.

Be prepared for hours and hours spent in your campuses library, or the local coffee shop. Although some majors are traditionally harder than others (sciences, pre-anything, engineering) all majors will require a lot more work than what you are used to. Sure, a 4.0 in high school was attainable after some work and a cup of coffee, but this workload isn't just a lot of things to get done. College doesn't have completion grades and easy gpa boosters. Everything is done for a reason now - this means that homework you were assigned? It will prepare you for the exam, so you have to work as hard on that as you would on the exam itself. That is, if you want to succeed. You also have to do work on the weekends, and no not just Sunday night at 8. Fridays during the day, as well as some Saturday mornings will be spent last minute cramming, or maybe getting ahead. However, if you play your cards right, and spend a little less time on Netflix and Instagram, its entirely possible to have your weekend nights off. Yes - Thursday through Saturday. As hard as college is its important to have at least a little fun every once in awhile.

3// You have to put yourself out there.

There are a lot of ways to make friends. In your dorm, in clubs and organizations, in classes, in the dining hall, out at parties - the possibilities are endless. But these methods won't work unless you do. Make an effort to hang out with your "class friends" or your "club friends" outside of these activities, so that when the meetings slow down or the semester ends, you will have built a lasting relationship. Study together, go out to dinner or make a coffee run, have a movie night or go to a party together. I know it seems simple, but sometimes with school and your personal agenda, you can forget what it really takes to form new friendships. After four years of high school and having a comfortable set of friends, the time and effort to make new relationships is often underestimated. People want to make new friends - we're all in the same boat. So put yourself out there and start off strong!

4// Life's too short not to study something you love. 

I personally enjoy learning. When college started up I was thrilled to be learning, and now finally learning about things that I cared about. Things that I would use in my future career. When I started up some of my classes I realized that I didn't enjoy them as much as I thought I would. I actually really didn't like them at all. The biology class I adored in high school seemed to be all too different from the courses the a biology major would take in college. I thought that this meant I just had to try harder to like them. Force myself to be interested. But I wasn't happy with what I was learning, and for that reason I wasn't doing as well as I should have been. You have to study what you are passionate about. College is only four years, but what you learn there could potentially shape the rest of your life. So learn about what makes you want to get out of bed for your early classes. I promise, you will have a better experience this way.

It's only four things, but each of them was something that influenced me enough to feel the need to write about it. Whether you're already in college and can relate, or you're preparing to go away and looking for advice, I hope you found this post interesting and useful.

Thanks For Reading!

xx, Adrienne

Lace Up in The City

This has to be one of my favorite outfit posts so far! I'm obsessed with the lace up trend, along with big comfy sweaters, and this one fits both categories. It's also on sale for the next TWO days so hurry to the Goodnight Macaroon and order quick! My choker is also on sale linked below, only $6! With it being a typical cold Ohio day I added my new LL Bean hat, which I have been wearing non-stop (until I got to school back in the warm Carolinas anyways...). I got these over the knee boots from Target for Christmas, and honestly think they look and function just as good as any name brand over the knee boot. They even have the adorable little tie in the back (more posts to come on these boots). I had so much fun taking these pictures in my home town, and being able to celebrate how pretty the city skyline of Columbus looks! Thanks to my friend Meg for the great pictures :) All items linked below - check it out!

Sweater (On sale for a limited time!)//Hat//Jeans//OTK Boots//Choker (50% off!)//Bracelet

Thanks For Reading!

xx, Adrienne

Southern California Travel Diary

If you've been following my Instagram (@adash_ofclass) you know that I was recently in the Newport Beach area for about a week! I absolutely loved every second on California time (besides the rainy days) and I wanted to share everything I did. So, here it goes!

We stayed on Balboa Island, which is a quaint little beach town with adorable houses, good shopping, and lots of boats. Here is a picture of our house:

And a few pictures of Balboa itself:

       We ventured into Corona Del Mar for a few days, which is where we saw Little Corona and Big Corona - both beaches with the most beautiful scenery and sunsets I have ever seen! I took a few (ha - a little bit more than a few) photos of the various area's we visited here. Just for kicks I threw in a few miscellaneous pictures taken around Corona Del Mar during rare moments we strayed from the beach.

       One of my favorite things we did was visit the Laguna Beach area. We went to Crystal Cove State Park (highly recommend - so beautiful!) and saw the house from the movie Beaches. We had lunch with a view at Ruby's Shake Shack. It was an adorable little yellow shack with outdoor seating and the best burgers, sandwiches, and shakes!

       We were lucky enough to be staying on Balboa Island during their annual Christmas Boat parade. All of the pretty boats from around the area were decorated with a crazy amount of lights and Christmas decorations and sailed past us playing music. We got hot chocolate from the sweetest bakery on Balboa and camped out early to find a good spot. It was so crowded because people come from all over the Newport Beach area to watch!

       One of our very last sunny days we spent at Disneyland! 10/10 recommend amping up the disney magic and going around Christmas time. From the castle to the special Holiday rides and desserts, it was an experience at Disneyland for sure.

If you're interested in a little bit more of an interactive experience with my California adventure, check out the video I made on my youtube account. There's a link at the top of my blog that says 'On Youtube' that will take you straight there!

Thanks for Reading!

xx, Adrienne

Top Ten Tips for Rush

Spring sorority recruitment is almost upon us! I have quite a few friends whose schools use Spring as their primary recruitment. I rushed as soon as I got to school, so I figured I would round up some tips for those about to go through it. Rush is such an exciting time, but it can also be very stressful. If you're anything like I was you're probably worrying about your outfit and the kinds of questions you should be prepared to answer. Since I go to school in the south, my experience may be different than someone going to a northern school, or somewhere on the west coast. It honestly differs between each and every school. Things you should know about your school is: the dates of the different rounds of recruitment, how many sororities you have on campus, whether or not you have houses (this one is a given, but recruitment changes a lot based on having or lacking houses), what your school recommends you to wear for each round (this changes at each school as well), and what you are looking for in a sorority.

Now that I've covered what you're responsible to know, I'll give you my top ten tips that will help you have an easy breezy recruitment process. And remember, stay calm, you'll end up where you need to be!

ONE // Talk to the girls like you're talking to a friend. Because that's what they will be if you join that sorority, right? Be comfortable, laugh, and most of all be genuine. Fake is not fun.

TWO // You will be dropped. Okay maybe there's a few girls who will be wanted by every sorority. It happens! If you're that girl, lucky you. But if you're not, don't fret, this simply makes your decisions easier. You can't be in every sorority - so a drop shouldn't matter when you have many other options.

THREE // Wear something that expresses who you are. Your outfits should be your style. Don't wear something trendy if you don't genuinely like it and feel comfortable in it. You should feel like the best version of yourself in your outfit, so you can show the girls talking to you who you really are.

FOUR // Don't write off a sorority after the first round. So many girls go in wanting only one or two sororities, don't be that girl! You could be writing off the sorority you belong in! The first round is quick - take it with a grain of salt and be ready to get to know the sorority better the next round.

FIVE // Get.Some.Sleep. Please, please sleep as much as you can. It may not seem it but it is tiring making small talk for hours on end, and running from house to house, or across campus to do so. Don't stay up all night and use coffee as your crutch, you won't be able to portray your happy self to the sororities you want.

SIX // Okay, it's going to be loud in rounds... Coming from someone with very below average hearing, rounds were rough. There are a lot of girls in one room all talking at the same time. It takes maximum effort to hear what the girl talking to you is saying. It's possible - just difficult. Keep your ears open and you should be okay.

SEVEN // Think for yourself. I'm sure there will be a lot of girls you know rushing as well, maybe even some you meet during the process. But what's right for them may not be right for you - even if you're similar people. Trust your gut, and your preferences of course.

EIGHT // Don't judge the whole sorority off of one bad conversation. You may not click with someone you talk to during rounds, but odds are you'll talk to more than one girl per round. Make sure you keep an open mind and understand that you don't love everyone you may meet, but you can still love that sorority!

NINE // Make friends with your fellow rush goers! There is a something that happens while you're running across campus just to stand in line and make exhausted small talk with strangers - this my friend is called bonding. Let it happen, these could be familiar faces around campus or your next best friends.

TEN // Be prepared. Alright, take notes. You'll need a small purse with mints, perfume, deodorant, lip gloss, a snack, a water bottle, a notepad and pen (you don't want to forget your impressions of different sororities!), a tide stick, coffee filters or blotting papers for your (soon to be) sweaty face, powder and a brush for the same reason, a change of shoes if your cute ones aren't comfy, and... Okay make that a large purse. Although all of the above are important to bring, there is something more important. Enthusiasm. A smile. Good conversation. A positive attitude. And trust me, if you bring those things you will undoubtedly find your home. 

GOOD LUCK!

xx, Adrienne

New Years Resolutions To Inspire a GREAT 2017

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So 2016 has been rough for (more than) a few of us - and maybe for some it's been good, even great. But no matter the past year and it's events, I'm sure you want to make this coming year even better than the last. I'm posting my New Year's resolutions to inspire others to do the same, and to make it easier to decide and prioritize the upcoming year. I'm planning on making 2017 a few different things: successful, organized, happy, and low-stress. There are things I want to accomplish, and things I want to do for myself - which I think all of these resolutions will help me fulfill.

1// Start Yoga classes.

2// Read (at least) one book per month.

3// Stop judging. Start Accepting. 

4// Make lists and stick to them.

5// Get an early start each and every day.

6// Save money.

7// Establish a consistent morning routine.

8// Travel somewhere I've never been.

9// Eat more green foods.

10// Write everyday.

Thanks For Reading!

xx, Adrienne