Showing posts with label college prep. Show all posts
Showing posts with label college prep. Show all posts

08 October 2013

What's In My [Longchamp] Bag?

This is the mess that was my Longchamp
It's been a while since I've done a post like this,
and I've seen multiple questions get asked about Longchamp Bags on Twitter and other social media sites.


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 I am known as the Queen of Longchamp among my friends at Purdue- I love mine and use them almost every day. That being said, I thought it appropriate to write a little bit about what I carry in my bag on a daily basis. From the "giant" to "mom bag", my poor 'Champ bags go through quite a lot, but they never let me down! Through spills and pen stains, traveling and study dates, I love having these big totes to hold everything and look cute! Since I'm currently on October Break (thank Goodness!) my bag is sans- textbooks. Not to worry! I still carry a ridiculous amount of stuff with me on a daily basis... in fact, this post helped me to actually clean out my bag too. 



The best part about Longchamps is their functionality and versatility. They're cute, yet simple and the colors available can make them the statement piece of an outfit or blend in. My first purchase was a neutral, grey-blue color. I love it for when I'm wearing colors or am not in a bight and cheery mood- that's what my red bag is for! I take full advantage of the tote and it's ability to become a full-fledged Mary Poppins bag! 

As I'm sure you have, I have my daily must-haves. I carry my wallet, sunglasses, hand sanitizer and mints, and an assortment of lip colors year round. Headphones, when I remember to throw them in, are perfect and help me calm down in unexpected, stressful situations as well as make me feel really cool as a I walk around to this personal soundtrack to my life. Thanks to iOS 7, I now have to carry around my phone charger, as well. sigh. The things we do to have the latest & greatest. More recently, I've begun to carry a notebook and pens for on-the-go jotting down of ideas, and a book or magazine. Having material with me at all times to read and gather ideas is one way that I've been able to make the blog more of a daily focus. It's become something that I'm always thinking about, rather than just an afterthought, and that's reflected in the amount of prep that I carry with me everywhere. 

More specific to fall, I carry a [giant] lotion, a scarf, and tea. I've been cursed with dry lips and skin- hence the lotion and excessive lip products. I love carrying my Burberry scarf around with me because it goes with pretty much everything and it perfect in a bind. It's large enough to drape over me as a blanket, but can be folded into a traditional scarf. It's also just fun to know that I'm carrying around such a nice product- definitely worth the splurge! Okay so I know you're thinking it, and yes- that is a box of tea. I used to just carry around a few bags but I'd always forget to replace them when I ran out so I started carrying around a box. It may be a security blanket at this point, but I always like to have access to a hot drink. Since hot water isn't all that hard to access, and I almost always have a travel mug with me, I found that carrying my own tea was a huge money saver. I still like to buy drinks sometimes, but it's nice to have this option. 

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I love my Longchamp[s] and their ability to hold everything I could ever need and then some, but the product isn't flawless. The bags only have one, rather small pocket on the inside. Luckily for me, I don't find it that much of a pain to dig around for whatever it is I'm looking for. Some people, though, like my mom, can't stand not having the compartmentalization opportunity. If that's you, you will not enjoy this bag. For an everyday, relatively inexpensive bag that's cute and functional, these bags work wonders. The nylon material is easy to clean and the bags can seemingly hold pounds of stuff without breaking. The fact that they bags can be easily folded and stored [read: no more giant bags of bags in boxes at the top of your closet] is wonderful for changing out colors on the fly or for saving room in you tiny dorm closet (my life). I still credit Carly for introducing me to the great bag, and I am a convert!

Sure, pretty, expensive bags are fun. 
But Longchamp is practical and cute. Perfect for a college girl on a budget 


08 September 2013

21 Before 21



I've been inspired by Mackenzie's "1001 in 1001" and Carly's "25 before 25" lists.
Enough for me to make my own list of 21 things I want to do or see before I turn 21. Yes, I do realize that it's only two years. And yes, I understand that most of my life will be spent in school, working, or internships. That being said, I think having a deadline and a few major things to do will be really fun to do and see how it works out. 
So, before I turn 21 I'd like to...

1. attend the Kentucky Derby
2. Go on a vacation where I unplug and just read books on the beach
3. Attend the Macy's Day Parade in New York City
4. Run a Half Marathon... and maybe a Full?
5. Go on a legitimate blind date set up by a friend
6. Watch all 8 Harry Potter films in a 36 hour time span
7. Spend a ridiculous amount of money on concert tickets 
8. Give a 100% tip on a bill of $50 or more
9. Go to the CMA festival
10. Move in with some of my best friends
11. Learn how to accessorize with jewelry
12. Buy random gifts and give them out to the homeless on the street
13. Find an international pen pal
14. Take a class that I don't really need, but just want to take
15. Go a month without sweets (Sept 10 - Oct 10, 2013)
16. Pick a campaign, cause, event and dive into it whole-heartedly
17. Unplug in daily life (as much as possible) for two weeks
18. Go on a road trip with my best friend(s)
19. Spend a weekend with my Grandparents doing whatever they want to do
20. Apply for a study abroad program or to an international school
21. Become conversational in a foreign language (Francais?)

As you can tell, none of these items tempt fate or have me simply thinking wishfully. These are all things that I can and will accomplish by the time I turn 21. Why 21? Well I think that it's a good time frame for me to enjoy my youth and have fun. While I'm technically an adult, you're not really and adult until you're 21. So I'm taking these years of having some independence but still a kid to go and have fun. I'm also a planner, and I think that having a time frame and a bunch of random things to do is such a fun thing for someone who plans and works without much free time. In a way it's "forced fun", but it's necessary.

Because, let's face it
Life isn't life if you aren't living.