A Year In Review

Hi Friends! It's been quite a while since I've checked in. Well, it's official. I have survived my first semester of law school and it was certainly quite a ride. Thinking back to where I was 12 months ago, my life was incredibly different and I honestly would have never predicted being in Louisiana. 

I've made some amazing new friends this year, worked harder than I ever could have imagined, started over in a new city, learned a ton, and soaked up life in DC. 

Here are y'all's favorite posts from each month this year. 

January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December

Here's to hoping next year is even better! Happy New Year!

Hey There!

Hey y'all! I just wanted to check in. I'm alive! I know... Shocking.

I can honestly say this semester has been an absolute blur. I had no idea I could cram so much into my brain, but some how all these silly laws and rules seem to be sticking. I don't want to jinx anything, but I feel like finals haven't been a complete shit show. So that's good. I've got three under my belt, and you know what? They aren't actually that bad. (The endless hours of fear and preparation suck though).

So now, I'm here. One more test to go. Trying to keep motivated. Because lord knows my brain is exhausted, like it's never been exhausted before.

Also, happy 21st Birthday to my littlest sister Reba. I can hardly believe she's 21! Hope you have a fabulous birthday! Welcome to legality! 

Today's the Day

Remember when I took the LSAT? Oh man... I did no know what I was in for when I signed up for this whole law school thing. Today is my very first law school exam. 

Criminal law.

Those 71 other 1L's in my section better watch out. 

Here we go. Wish me luck!

If only...

Please Excuse Me While I Go Throw up

It's finals time y'all, and I just can't anymore. I'm not even going to try and feel guilty about not blogging until after I'm done. So, I'll see you sometime after December 19th! 

My first final is on the 9th. Wish me luck. In the mean time, I'll probably be posting motivational quotes on my instagram.  

I miss y'all! I promise I'll be back next semester since I'll have one less class! Yay!

My Goal For the Day

So, with finals quickly approaching you may have noticed my ever growing absence around the blog. Let me tell you, after my 12-14 hour days of studying the last thing I want to do when I come home is blog. I don't do anything instagram worthy either... so I feel as if I've fallen of the social media map! Nonetheless its finals season so I have to keep pushing. So today this is my motto.  

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Be happy is a lofty goal, but if I can wrap up my paper (due tomorrow, so I'd better!) and get a good jump on outlining, I may be able to sleep without being awoken by a law school nightmare. That's my measure of sanity at this point. Last night I dreamed I was giving jury instructions in a case where my sister negligently ran into someone who then ran into someone else, who died. What those instructions were... I have no idea.

Law school does strange things to your mind y'all. I swear I'm slowly going insane. 

Remember

Beauty Tuesday: November Favorites

It's been a while since I've done a monthly favorites round up, so I figured this post is long overdue. Lately as  sleep has become more of a priority in my life, I've begun to focus on mastering a five minute look. I swear it's quite the change from my working days were I routinely spent 20 minutes on just my eyes every morning. Ha. Now I feel good if I use more than 2 eye shadow shades.

Brown eyeshadow / blush / CC Cream / black mascara / Revlon Lip Stain

So let me take you through my quick routine. I wash my face, then moisturize. While I'm waiting on my lotion to dry I go ahead with an eye shadow primer, then a light all over color, maybe blend a slightly darker color in the crease. I'm loving both the coastal scents natural palette and even the bronzer from the Naked Flushed palette. If I'm feeling really good I may even add an eyeliner. Ha! Then a quick swipe of the benefit they're real mascara (seriously the best mascara ever!) and I'm done with eyes.

Next up, blend the Supergoop CC cream all over. Great coverage, I don't even need a concealer! Finish with a setting powder, a little blush from my Naked Flushed palette. Done.

Then it's coffee time and apply the revlon just bitten kissable balm stain on my walk to campus.

Easy. What are your five minute face tips?

Friday's Fancies: Sweater Weather

Hey folks, popping in for a quick Friday's Fancies! Thank goodness sweater weather has finally arrived to New Orleans! The last few days have been lovely. Fall is in the air!

 tall shirt /  legging / Black boots / Black purse / watch /  wide ring / black earrings

Hope y'all have a great weekend! "No Fun November" has officially started, so I'll be outlining, study grouping and reading ALL weekend long!

Quoted: Believe In Yourself

DemoDiaries: U by Kotex

So lets get real for a second ladies. There are products we all use, every month. But we rarely talk about them. Tampons. I don't know about y'all, but there is really nothing worse than a bad tampon. Now, normally I'm a product junkie. I can never stick to one shampoo or foundation or even mascara for more than a few weeks without wanting to try the next new thing. But when it comes to feminine hygiene products? I find one I like and stick with it. I've been using the exact same brand of tampons for the last ten-twelve years. So imagine my shock when I discovered U by Kotex. I am not going to lie to y'all, I was actually shocked by how much better these tampons were than my old brand. 

Lets talk about the applicator. You thought all plastic applicators were the same right? wrong. U by Kotex Sleek Tampons have a no slip grip for "just right" placement and a smooth tip for easy insertion. I mean seriously, the grip is awesome and the plastic itself is slim and easily maneuverable.

You know what else drives me nuts? when a wrapper gets torn in my purse and I find random tampons floating around in my purse. No more with U by Kotex. The wrapper is secure, though still easy to open when you need to.

Want to try U by Kotex for yourself? Of course you do. Click here for your own free sample. They're available in Regular, Super and Super Plus.

Don't forget to follow U by Kotex on Facebook and Twitter for even more fun and offers.

I wrote this review while participating in a content series through Clever Girls Collective on behalf of U by Kotex, and received products to facilitate my post and compensation for my time to participate.

Quoted... focus on me.

I saw this on The Well today and I thought it was just too perfect not to share. Lately with all the competition in law school, I've become overly concerned with comparing myself with what my classmates are doing, and what they'll think about me. But with exams right around the corner I need to forget it. It's time just to focus on me.

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Friday's Fancies: City Style New Orleans Edition

Hi Friends! Remember me? Yah, it's been a while, I know. But I've wrapped up practice exams, and I decided to have a lame Halloween, so I could say in and read. Well after a long day I decided there is nothing more I'd love to do that put together a friday's fanices look for y'all!

Now that I've been a New Orleanian for a few months, I'm starting to really love this city. And let me tell you, this city loves to do it up big. Everything they do is bigger and better, and lord knows there are always plenty of sazeracs to go around.

So I'm thinking the perfect city style look for this town has to be a mardi gras ball look. 

nola by bluedogbelle featuring evening hand bags

Alexander McQueen purple corset / Topshop green sandals / Dolce & Gabbana evening hand bag / Elegant, Minimal, Luxurious Black Laser Cut Masquerade Mask w/ Royal...

Hm... maybe my old boss will invite me back to DC for washington mardi gras next year so I could wear this look twice?

A girl can dream right? 

Beauty Tuesday: Resvology Age Corrective Eye Cream

I received a sample of the following product for review through BrandBacker. As always all opinions expressed are solely my own.  

Today I want to introduce y'all to a new must have product in my medicine cabinet, it's the Resvology Age Corrective Eye Cream. Now... I can here y'all saying now, this girl is crazy. She's using an age corrective cream at 25? What's wrong with her? Well I hate to break it to y'all but the collagen production in our skin begins to slow once you hit your mid twenties. I'm lucky that I only have a few wrinkles on my forehead... that seem to appear after a long day of studying and thankfully disappear by the time I wake up in the morning, but that doesn't mean I cannot benefit from an eye cream now.

Now, Resvology promises this eye cream minimizes crow's feet, fine lines and wrinkles. It reinforces skins firmness and elasticity. Unfortunately, I can't really say if the cream actually does that or not, since I don't current have any of those issues.

However, I have crazy puffy bags under my eyes in the morning. Without fail. If I got tons of sleep, they're there. Not enough sleep, yep there again. And they only get worse throughout the day, Well... this eye cream also promised me it would deflate puffiness and brighten dark circles, and let me tell you what. It absolutely did reduce my eye puffiness. IN ONE WEEK I've seen a notice reduction of those silly bags, so hopefully the cream can help me combat my ongoing battle for sleep with that crazy law school monster.

I should also note the company claims this hydrating and rejuvenating anti-aging eye cream infused with active peptides, botanicals and the multi-patented 4-AR Molecule, is clinically-proven to help fuel healthy gene activity by 330%.

Also it's safe for all skin types, which is awesome for my super sensitive skin.

I will say it's pricey at $89 a bottle, but a little goes a long way with this stuff. I would absolutely recommend this eye cream if you're in the market. You can purchase it here. Also, visit the Resvology Facebook Page for deals and giveaways!

I was selected through BrandBacker to view this product. However all opinions are my own. 

Breathe

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I feel like all I've been doing lately is constantly apologizing for being MIA around these parts, but I in the middle of practice exams so the scarce posting will unfortunately continue for the time being. I promise though, I'll be back soon! Happy Monday!

Be Pretty

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Monday's are tough for all of us. Hope yours is lovely!

Friday Fancies: Happy 150th!

Congratulations to the lovely Alison for hosting my favorite link up, 150 times! Can you believe it??? In celebration of 150 weeks, this week we are celebrating with our fall finest for a party! This fall I'm loving the touches of leather everywhere.

 leather trim dress /boots / clutch / necklace /  bracelet / earrings / glitter nail polish

I love the girly edge of this look. The peep toe booties, the studded clutch, spiked necklace. I'm kind of obsessed.  Now if only I could take a night off and go out and celebrate.

Hope y'all have a fabulous weekend! 

Quoted: Treat Yo Self

I'm sorry for being so MIA this week y'all! I'm on fall break, so no class all week. Yay for breaks right? Wrong. I've started the oh so fun process of outlining and realized that I really had no idea what I was doing the first few weeks of school. Briefs are terrible, my class notes are worse. It's all so fun realizing your hard work, late nights and stress filled mornings were essentially for nothing. Yay. Anyways. Today I'm actually taking a half day away from law school for a little me time. I'm going to get a fancy latte with some kind of swirly design in the foam, then head downtown for my hair appointment. A girl's got to keep up the impression that she's a natural blonde right? Then I'm going to hit the nail salon for a pedicure. 

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Then.... it's back to that silly law library. 

Currently

Reading: A Modern American Approach to Civil Procedure before class starts. I didn't read it very well last night. woops.

Drinking: a Starbucks triple shot skim latte. yum.

Listening: to the Kane Show on iHeart radio. I missed my morning show!

Watching: people slowly trickle in to class.

Thinking: how glad I am this week was easy after the last few crazy ones.

Wishing: Fall break would hurry up and get here so I can get out and enjoy the "cooler" weather set to hit the town this weekend! Yay for 70's!!!

Loving: That fall break is less than 36 hours away.

Today's going to be a long one, with four classes but a break is insight and my triple shot latte is definitely helping me get there. What are you doing currently?

Quoted: Growth

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Insta-September

Wow, this month was a blur. It's hard to believe I've been in New Orleans for almost two months! Time flies when you're having fun! Actually, September has been incredibly stressful with school, getting settled in a new city, making new friends, missing old ones, and not really having any time to reflect and adjust. 

law books / bourbon street

Beers and Georgia Football / Hurricanes at Pat O's

My life as a law student / care package from the lovely courtney

Abitas and trivia / interesting opinions about law school in the library

Constitution Day lectures / Begniets in Jackson Square

Lunch on the Law Quad / Relaxing with manis and some reading

coffee / again my life as a law student

As you can see, I've been spending an insane amount of time in the library, but I have been able to get out and watch football a bit. Yay for relaxing! How was your September? 

Where's the pause button?

Okay, remember when I said law school was totally manageable? Yah, seems like a lifetime ago. The law school gods have decided to test me this week. I would write a laundry list of all the crap I have going on, but I don't have time and y'all don't really care about the individual stupid things I have to do everyday, so I wont. I will say that those professors sure are bringing it, and I am not exactly coming through with flying colors. They always seem to find the ONE THING you missed in the 20 pages you spent 3 hours reading. ALWAYS. I sure would like to find that pause button so I could get some sleep and catch up on all the stuff I have to do!

But please know that I miss you all terribly, and school is stupid. But it's really not. But it is, because it means I don't have enough time in the day anymore to hang with you lovely ladies. 

10 days to fall break people. 10 days. 

Wednesday Wants

I'm absolutely loving the pleather trend this fall. I'm thinking a black pleather a-line skirt would be a perfect addition to my closet. One's a splurge, one's a major save. Which do you like better?

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Moroccan Mix up

Happy Monday Hope y'all had a fabulous weekend! Mine was great. Too short, but great. Over the next few weeks I want to share with y'all some of my inspiration for my new place here in New Orleans. Oh, and how convenient is it the polyvore added a home section last month? Loving it!!!

Table lamp / H M throw pillow, $6.39 / Fabric bed frame / Regina-Andrew Design metal accent table / Rug / Jiti linen throw pillow


Now, this is where I wanted to go with my bedroom. Grey headboard, white bedding, gold accents and maybe a pop of color with the pillows.

Not exactly the direction I went, but I'm still loving this look!

Quoted: Celebrate.

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We've made it to Thursday, and I actually took the night off from Law School last night. Reason enough to celebrate if you ask me. 

When DC Hurts

I hurt too. 

The tragedy at Navy Yard yesterday is absolutely beyond words. I'm hurting for my city today. Stay safe DC. I miss you. 

Color Crush: Samba

For the next installment of color crush I decided to full on embrace fall with this gorgeous samba color. Now it hurts my soul to say that, because this is basically Alabama red, but it's still pretty, so I'll those crimson tide fans out there... I'll admit it. You have a good color.

red skater dress / coat / mini skirt / flat shoes / satchel handbag / wallet / scarf / sunglasses

I've decided that I need that scarf, and the bag? Yes please

Currently

Watching: The clouds go by from inside the law library. Where I have spent the last four Sundays. Oh and every week day since school started. I'm beginning to feel like I live here. 

Reading: Contracts for class tomorrow. Are moral obligations sufficient consideration to bind a contract? Fascinating stuff. (but actually I am really fascinated by it. #lawnerd)

Listening: to my Mozart radio on Spotify. I've decided that listening to classical music in the big fancy law library makes me feel more important. And when I need a break from that I switch over to some Robin Thicke. Love me some Blurred Lines. 

Feeling: Tired. Anxious. Overwhelmed. Confident. You name it, I'm probably feeling it. Law School has been an emotional roller coaster, let me tell you. 

Drinking: Venti iced coffee. Extra shot of espresso. One splenda. Splash of half and half. 

Planning: On attempting to finish the discussion portion of my first memo by Wednesday at  2 pm so I can get comments on it. I don't think I've ever been this nervous about a 7 page paper in my life. 

Loving: That my lovely friend Courtney sent me a law school care package this week. It was beyond sweet and I really needed a pick me up. Slash I ate the entire giant kit kat bar for dinner last night. So that was awesome. Thanks again love!

Friday's Fancies: Football Fashion

Is anyone else doing a little happy dance because it's Friday? Man let me tell you, these weeks certainly feel long and unfortunately I'm in for a very long weekend of work. I signed up for this right? Oh yep, I certainly did.  Thankfully there's no UGA game this weekend, so I wont miss much spending the weekend in the law library. But if I was going to a game this weekend, I'd definitely be wearing this gorgeous dress.

white dress /  ballet pumps / vintage black handbag / black bracelet

Perfect right! I definitely need to remember this one. Anyways, hope y'all have a fabulous weekend! 

After you hit publish...

So I saw this on pinterest today and I just had to share it with y'all. This is a great reminder to all of us that blogging is about so much more than putting words on a page. I definitely need to focus on these steps a little more.

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Sorry for the slow blog week over here. But I promise to be back with a Friday's Fancies Post tomorrow. Happy Thursday!

Quoted: Quiet People

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After being back in school with a whole bunch of type-a gunners I can't help but think about this...

Color Crush: Carafe

There's something about fall that just makes a girl want to shop. All the pretty fall foliage perhaps? The annual ritual of back to school shopping? Sure. Well, this girl has definitely been lusting after a few fall hues I'd like to add to my closet. A while back I bookmarked the 2013 fall color lineup from pantone, and now I'm ready to get shopping and to share some of my favorites with y'all

First up, Carafe. What could be more perfect for fall than a rich warm coffee brown? Nothing, that's what. I'm kind of obsessed with the possibilities of pairing this gorgeous color with emerald, magenta and some of the other hues I've added to wardrobe this year.  So without further adieu, my carafe crushes.

 skirt / booties / clutch / brown leather cuff bracelet / scarve / hat / cap

I had to throw in a little leopard for good measure. Hope y'all don't mind too much. I'm completely obsessed with those booties and would LOVE to add them to my shoe collection. and that dress? UH MAZ ING.

Now what carafe wear are you crushing this fall?

Friday Fancies: Transitioning to Fall

While it still feels like the height of summer down here in New Orleans I'm told fall is on it's way... one day. Fall was one of my favorite things about living in DC and I'm already missing pulling out my scarves in preparation for those crisp fall days. So those of you in a more northern locale get to transition your summer pieces to fall, I'll still be here, rocking in the Louisiana heat.

dress / cotton jacket / polka dot tight / riding boots / necklace / hat / Sneakers

I've been obsessing over the return of the denim jacket for fall, and those gorgeous riding boots and some opaque patterned tights? Perfect!!!

Alright gals, I hope y'all have a fabulous weekend! I cannot believe I've made it through two whole weeks of law school! Ready for a break this weekend FOR SURE. 

Insta-Life Law School So Far

Hey y'all! So, the initial law school terror I've been experiencing over the last few weeks has started to fade, and dare I say it? I'm actually feeling confident about the work/studying I've been doing. I've officially been a NOLA resident for a month now, and man is it crazy how much your life can change in such a short amount of time! Here's a little peak c/o my instagram of my life in NOLA so far. 

After the first week of getting settled, I've pretty much spent 85% of my waking hours somehow related to school. Now I will say, I expected law school to be tough. The subject, the stress, the long hours, the competition, and the constant anxiety about looking like an idiot. Well, two weeks into class and I have to say so far law school hasn't been too bad. If you're not familiar law professors use the Socratic Method to teach you. Essentially they cold call on you and try to make you look like an unprepared idiot. Fun right? This aspect of law school definitely had me the most nervous. Well. I got cold called. At the very beginning of my very first torts class. Honestly, I think that was the scariest moment of my life. My mind went completely blank and my stomach was instantly in my throat. I completely butchered the ruling of the case, which is kind of the point of reading cases, but you know what? I lived. And I realized that it's really not all that bad. And, yeah there are going to be plenty of stress filled days, but there's also plenty of time (for now at least) to have some down time. So yay for that! Now for y'all, hopefully that means you'll actually see me around this here blog more than I thought! And I'll actually have time to read y'alls blogs too! 

August Birchbox

I can't believe it's been a whole month since the last subscription box link up! August just absolutely flew by. My August Birchbox was a great one!

My absolute favorite find in the box was the Stila stay all day liquid lipstick.  This stuff is absolutely awesome. Mine is this crazy bright brick red called "Tesoro" but it comes in a whole bunch of other colors too. The coverage is matte and dries in seconds. It survives drinks and eating (though you may need a touch up to two). 

Next up, the Whish Deodorant Swipes with Hair Inhibitor. These are handy little deodorant wipes which are super convenient and they smell lovely. I really like the concept of this product because we all know there are days where our deodorant doesn't quite cut it, but who wants to carry a whole stick of deodorant in their purse? Not me. Needless to say this is a great idea, my only qualm is that they are a tad to expensive for me to justify in my law student budget. 

Whish Exfoliating Body Wash is a gentle exfoliant with sugar cane and oatmeal extracts. It smells great and isn't too rough. This would be a perfect pre-sunless tanning body wash.

Next up a product I've been dying to try. The KMS California Freeshape Hairspray. As a self proclaimed hairspray addict I've been intrigued by the idea of a pre-dry hairspray. Essentially you spray it on damp hair before you blowdry and you won't need any hairspray afterwards. It protects your hair against heat, and it's non-aerosol so yay for saving the environment! The hold is definitely loose, but I can tell a major difference as opposed to just using my normal heat protectant!

Finally, the OC8 Professional Mattifying Gel. Did you know in a previous time in my life I worked for a dermatologist? Well I did. It was just a summer gig, but I got to know quite a bit about the products she sold. One was this OC8 gel. So it is most definitely a professional mattifying gel. Unfortunately, I didn't have great success with it. I know when I tried it in the past it was GREAT, but this time around I didn't really have ANY mattifying results beyond my normal primer/foundation/powder. 

So, that's it for my August Birchbox! Don't forget to visit all the other lovely ladies in the link up! 

Happy Labor Day!

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Happy Labor Day! 

Hope you are all taking a break! Unfortunately I'll be laboring in the library over my law books, but I'm still enjoying having an extra day in my weekend!

SHOP: Walgreens Healthcare Clinic and the saga to fix my ankle...

I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and their client.

So, do y'all remember right before I moved to New Orleans I sprained my ankle when I was running some errands. Well I'm a whole four days into Law School and I'm already crafting a negligence suit against said store... I can see it in the law books decades from now. Law Student slipped on lettuce in the grocery store, sues for punitive damages and wins a million dollars. Totally right? Anyways, I digress. It's been a few weeks now and my ankle still isn't 100%, so I decided to head over to the Walgreen's clinic to get one of their providers to take a look.

The Walgreen's healthcare clinic is awesome! So easy, so fast (which is key for all of us these days), and did I mention it was inexpensive. I was in and out for $25 plus they gave me some free bandages for my foot!

All you have to do is walk in during normal clinic hours, and use the handy kiosk to schedule your appointment! You can see them for general wellness, illness prevention or even minor injuries like mine. 

Then you wait either in the little seating area or you could go shopping and the page you! I'll give you one guess as to which one I chose. 

I was in and out of the clinic in 10 minutes with my recommend course of treatment (rest, ice, compression and elevation or RICE if you're curious)

You can pay with any major credit card which is nice... and did I mention you can peruse the beauty aisle on your way out? Love it. 

The Walgreens Healthcare Clinic is awesome for a busy student like me. They respected my time and are open longer hours which is way more convenient. I don't have a primary care physician, but get what? You don't need one. Which is even better because I'm new to the area and haven't had a chance to set up regular doctors appointments. I'll most definitely be dropping by again for a flu shot, or even a minor cough or cold. Flu season is not that far away, so we all need to take care of ourselves now, and with a Walgreen's in every neighborhood you really have no excuse anymore.