Happy 3rd Birthday To The College Catwalk!

Hi Everyone!

I cannot believe that it has already been 3 years! Where has the time gone?! I want to keep this short and sweet but I really wanted to do a post to thank you all for your support for these past few years! This "blog" would be nothing without you and all of the kind and encouraging words.  When I started this The College Catwalk, I did not even imagine how much happiness it would bring me! 

Today, I want to thank my friends for taking my pictures, always double tapping on the Instagram pictures, and waiting to eat so I could take the perfect brunch picture. I want to thank my family for believing in me and encouraging me to keep up The College Catwalk even when they secretly wanted me to put it on the side to ensure I would pass pharmacy school (lol don't lie, fam...I am sure that crossed your minds)! Lastly, I want to thank the many amazing companies that I have had the opportunity to collaborate with! It has been a true pleasure and has granted me with the opportunity to grow as a blogger and a person. 

Overall, you all are the best! I am so happy with what has come from this and it has truly been a blessing. One advice that I want to leave you off with is to do want you want and start today. Start it for the right reason and always believe in what you put out there. Numbers and followers will come and go, but the impression you put out in the world, will always stay. Be the best version of you, learn to say "no", but also learn to say "yes" to new opportunities. 

Thank you x a million! I love you guys!

 

Coffee Dates!

Happy Hump Day! 

I recently went on a coffee date with my sister in Kennet Square at a coffee shop called Philter last weekend and this outfit was perfect for the semi-chilly (but not too cold) morning. The suede booties were only $15, which was definitely a steal! 

Now for the bulk of the outfit, I scored both, the distressed jeans and the open-shoulder sweater, for under $15--TOGETHER! Forever 21 was having a crazy sale before President's Day and clothes were more than 65% off so I scored some awesome pieces for great prices! 

Outfit Details

Sweater: Forever 21

Jeans: Forever 21

Chinese Laundry Booties: Burlington 

Earrings: Anoki Boutique(code:collegecatwalk20 for 20%off)

Definitely keep an eye out for Forever 21's deals before and around major holidays, they are the best! 

Radiant + Full Coverage Foundation

Hi Beauties!

I have always been a fan of matte foundations because of my oily skin, especially near my T-zone! The concept of having to touch up my makeup during the day sounds like a pain. I just want my foundation to set and stay set.

The past few months, due to the cold harsh weather, my skin has become so dry and chapped! If any of you don't know... dry chapped skin plus matte foundation is a horrible combination! I could always get the hydrating medium-coverage foundation to help with it but like many other college students, I rather just manipulate my foundation than buy a new one.

Today I want to share with you a foundation concoction that I have been whipping up for the past few months! As it covers all of my acne and scars underneath, I have been told that my skin looks healthy and radiant when I wear this foundation "formula."

Here is what you will need: 

Full-coverage matte foundation

Thick face moisturizer

An illuminator/cream highlight

Mix 2:1:1 of foundation, moisturizer, and an illuminator on the back of your hand. Combine the liquids and apply it to your face. I personally like to combine and apply using a beauty blender as it presses the foundation into my skin more flawlessly than a makeup brush. Once everything is covered, set your t-zone or any oily/creased areas with a translucent powder. The full-coverage foundation will give you the same complete coverage while the moisturizer and highlight will add the radiant factor.

I hope this was helpful! Let me know if it works for you! :) 

Harry Potter Hoodie!

Hello Beautifuls!

Today I am wearing what I wear most...hoodies!! I swear, five days out of the week you can find me in a hoodie at some point. I just love how hoodies are considered to be so "in trend" now... like who would have ever thought? Whenever I am flipping through magazines or scrolling through Instagram, I see A-list celebs sporting the hoodie and sneaker look so often which is the complete opposite of what it used to be! 

TIP: Skim through the hoodies in the men section of stores like Forever 21 and H&M -- they are sometimes 100x cuter and 50x cheaper on sale! 

Today, I wanted to share one of my recent favorite hoodies -- Harry Potter inspired! I am absolutely obsessed! I went out to lunch a few blocks away from my apartment today and I got so many "nice sweatshirt" comments on the way. Casually I was like "Oh, thanks"and played it off cool...JK! Lets be honest--instead, I was like "Oh! Thanks! You NEED one in your life -- I got it from Romwe and it's a great deal, do you want me to spell that for you?!" I mean, if you are not a fan of the series -- I just cannot even....

HAHA! I get so excited (maybe too excited) when I can share my special finds with strangers so I definitely need to tell you guys first! You can get this awesome find (HERE) and they have so many colors! I just love the back which is personally my favorite feature of the hoodie. :) 

I hope you Harry Potter fans have a chance to snatch this hoodie up before it is gone! 

Valentine's Day Gift Guide!

Hi Ladies!

It is almost February which means that Valentine's day is only a few weeks away! Regardless of your relationship status, we all have ladies in our lives that deserve to be recognized every single day of the year whether it is your mom, sister, grandmother, or friend. This gift guide is compiled with gift ideas under $50! From that gorgeous statement classy cuff to Henri Bendel travel accessories, there is something for every leading gal on your list! 

UMBRELLA | BACKPACK | CUFF (code:collegecatwalk20) | SHIRT | BOOTS | EARRINGS | EYESHADOW | TRAVEL POUCHES

Hope you find a great gift on this list for your loved one or even yourself!

Duster Coats!

Hi Everyone!

Duster coats with a lapel front scream "classy and feminine". I absolutely love the trend and love it even more when it is combined with the year's "it color scheme", nudes!

When SheIn reached out to collaborate, I was over-the-moon ecstatic! This brand is a leading fashion retailer that offers high quality, stylish clothes, accessories, and shoes for great prices! If you see a new style trending on Instagram or in magazines, I bet you that SheIn will have it! They offer a wide selection of high style pieces at an affordable price + FREE shipping and as a college student, it does not get better than that!

Browsing through the SheIn website, I fell in love with this mauve duster coat! It was pretty much love at first site. It is perfect for the fall, winter, and early spring-time. You can dress it with black ripped jeans and white sneaks, thigh-high boots, or with heels like I did. Dress it up or dress it down, it works either way!

Coat: SheIn

Top: Forever 21

Jeans: Old Navy

Heels: Madden Girl

Necklace: Anoki Boutique (code: collegecatwalk20)

Purse: Primark

I hope you all enjoyed this post! Definitely check out SheIn's website for stylish pieces at affordable prices! 

A big thank you to SheIn for sponsoring this post but as always, the opinions are mine! 

Winter BFF: Tights!

Happy Hump Day!

The cold never stops me from wearing dresses and skirts. Year-round, I rarely wear a dress without tights, especially when I have to dress professional for lab and events at school. I have realized that in the past year, I have become obsessed with 2 things -- mugs and tights. It's like Pokemon -- gotta catch em' all!

During the warmer weather I wear sheer tights with most of my dresses and skirts if I am going to an event or class. However in the winter, I wear thick tights with all skirts and dresses, regardless of the occasion simply since it's so freakin' cold! I have realized that adding tights during the winter will make you look not only a little less crazy but a little more classy, too! These Berkshire tights were sent to me along with 2 other more sheer pairs, Shimmer Oqague and Trend. I absolutely love them and honestly have 5 more pairs in my drawer from J.C. Penny that I have accumulated since I started pharmacy school.

This outfit, without the plaid coat, could easily be a summer or spring look but the tights allowed me to dress winter appropriate with a feminine kick without having to pull out my sweater dresses. Don't get me wrong... I love sweater dresses but they just are not as fun!

Outfit Details

Coat - Forever 21 ($13 January 2016)

Top - Forever 21 ($8)

Skirt - Charlotte Russe ($6)

Boots- Sears 

Bracelet - Anoki ($12)

** Holy smokes! I did not realize how affordable this outfit until just now as I just typed that ^ up!

I hope you enjoyed this post! If you are ever in need of a good pair of quality tights, I definitely recommend Berkshire! And don't forget, Forever 21 is having a great sale right now -- take advantage of it!

Winter Holidays in Philly!

Hi Everyone!

Happy 2017!

I am currently at  home away from school for winter break but I had the opportunity to spend a few days in Philadelphia to partake in the city's holiday festivities over the past few weeks! Like many cites, Philadelphia during the holidays is beautiful! The true nature of Philadelphia's "brotherly love" shines even brighter during the holidays. During the semester, even though I have been living in Philly for the past 3 years, I rarely get the chance to experience the holiday festivities to the fullest so this year I made it a priority!

The numerous events, fairs, and festivals occurring at this time of the year is absolutely great and I wanted to experience them all before school starts back up next week. The week before Christmas, my friends and I went to Dilworth Park's Christmas Village which surrounds Philadelphia's City Hall. It truly reminded me of what the holidays are all about and I genuinely felt the love and spirit.

The best part of these events are witnessing the non-Philadelphia residents travel up with their loved ones to enjoy the music, ice-skating, and local pop-up shops (...and I know it is weird but get excited when people ask me for directions for some reason)! Christmas Village had a little something for everyone including delicious hot chocolate, of course!

This very past weekend, I was in the city once again to ring in the new year with some of my dearest friends. During the day we frolicked through the city, induced a few food comas and went to Waterfront Winterfest at Penn's Landing! This area is incredibly beautiful, day and night! Winterfest is everything that you would expect from the name! It has a cabin vibe with faux cabins, fire-pits, marshmallow roasting, iceskating, and an area that serves food and hot beverages all day! Winterfest is open till March, so definitely check it out if you have not yet done so!

I hope you all get the opportunity to experience the great holiday festivities that are in your town/city!  If you are near Philadelphia, definitely check out Christmas Village, Winterfest, and Franklin Square at this time of the year!

NYE Decorations - Pinterest Edition!

Nine more day till 2017! I would say "Where has time gone?" but I say that every single year so I should maybe stop...

As a college student with a tiny apartment, DIY decorations are the most practical way to go with the space and the budget. I have been on Pinterest the last few days looking at a few affordable ideas and I found so many cute ones, some of which I have already tried successfully in the past year. I wanted to share some of them with the original links to the rightful creators in hopes that it may inspire some of you to DIY this year instead of spending the unnecessary money that I know you would rather spend on other things like the next day brunch (or is that just me?)! 

ONE

This is such an adorable idea! You can either DIY it or get it on Etsy (HERE). This is the perfect substitution for a PhotoBooth if you have a small living room where you are hosting a party or pre-game and it hasn't been played out, yet! 

TWO

How creative and easy is this? This is perfect for that bare wall that you have no idea what to do with. You can make the clock as little or as large as you want to make it and for an interactive portion -- you can let your guest change the arms for a countdown! You can use black adhesive for the numbers like the creator did (HERE) or write them one yourself! 

THREE

Party hats done the chic adult way! Simple, cute, and non-oboxious! Your guest will love them! You can use a regular headband like the creator did (HERE) or use the gym stretchy headbands! 

FOUR

Everyone loves hershey kisses and you don't have to pay a seasonal (hiked-up) cost for a bag! A few of these cute baggies can double up as decor and party favors for your guests to enjoy! This link (HERE) also features many more simple DIYs for the holidays! 

FIVE

I have done these before a few years ago they came out so cute! I used some modge-pog that I had laying around but the adhesive that the creator used (HERE) may be easier! If you use a different adhesive like modge-pog, make sure to spray the glitter with hairspray to keep it intact! Before your guest arrive, lay them out on a cute tray and you will best the hostest with the mostest! <3

SIX

When you cheers at the strike of 12, these champagne flutes will be perfect! This is a super easy and affordable DIY and the link (HERE) will take you to a short tutorial video!

I hope you all find something great to make this holiday. DIY projects are always a blast to do with friend and family! Have a safe holiday!

Stocking Stuffers!

Happy Holidays! 

Its the most wonderful time of the year! Shopping for presents is so much fun as well as a hassle. I hate leaving my house at this time of the year because everyone and their moms are out shopping for presents and trying to take advantage of the awesome deals. I definitely do not blame them but I have never been a casual shopper. By "casual shopper" I mean- I never walk into a mall aimlessly. I always know what I am getting for someone and exactly where to find it. I walk fast store to store and never window shop because dealing with the crowds is probably my biggest fear. 

This year as I was shopping for people, I realized that there were so many little goodies that I wanted to get for everyone that wasn't "big" enough to wrap as a lone present but was perfect as a stocking stuffer! For that reason, I complied a list of my favorites and wanted to share them with you! 

Here is a little breakdown: 

The light switch thingy-magig (1) is from Icing! My best friend got one for me as a part of my birthday gift and since then I have gifted it to 3 people! For your beauty junkie, lipstick sets and perfumes would be perfect! The Grace perfume (4) and NYX (6) lip cream set are from Ulta at a very affordable price for your all things beauty lover! For your skincare junkie, gifting quality products from Pur~lisse (2) and Kiehl's (7&8) would make them feel luxurious every morning and helping them achieve great skin really says "I love you"! 

For that person that loves everything fashion, always remember that jewelry fits all! These (3&5) are my current favorite jewelry pieces from Anoki Boutique (code: collegecatwalk20)! Last but not least, the mugs are from Anthropologie (9) and are practically owned by every blogger. Currently on sale, you can get your coffee lover a gold or a black initial mug for only $8!

ONE | TWO | THREE | FOUR | FIVE | SIX | SEVEN | EIGHT | NINE

I hope this post helps you this holiday season!