Fall Clothing Must Haves

Hello once again! Today I would like to share with you all some of my staple items for the up and coming fall season. I decided to do it in collage form so it is more visually and aesthetically pleasing.

1. Striped T-shirt Dress- This dress is very comfortable and rather versatile and I wear mine frequently. I bought mine at J. Crew!

2. V-Neck Cashmere Sweater- I own a sweater just like the one above and I bought it from Gap, it looks like a ballerina type sweater and they are super comfortable and cute!

3. Puffer Vest- I have the exact puffer vest above from Nine West. I am so excited to pair it with linen shirts and any other clothing discoveries! I also have a navy blue one and they both pair so well.

4. Classic Denim- Everyone needs denim in the fall. They can be casual but also a bit cuter with a nice shirt! Great, classic staple item.

5. Bean Boots if you want to see the story of how I got my first pair of bean boots you can find that here. However, I have been in love with them since last year and plan on purchasing again this year!

6. Riding Boots- I actually wore riding boots today and I loved my outfit that went with them. Riding boots are probably one of the most versatile pair of shoes I own. You can wear them to church with the dress above or just a t-shirt and jeans! It's up to you!

7. Timeless Flats- A good pair of flats are close to necessary in the fall for school so you can be comfy and cute. Also, once again, a versatile shoe! 

Thanks for reading! 

Rebecca

DIY Back to School Spa Day #bloggersbts

As the school year is vastly approaching, or may have already come for some of you; relaxing is a big part of a fresh new year! If sometimes you don't want to cough up the cash to go to an actual spa, but still want to look and feel refreshed, this post is for you! I have put together the perfect back to school stress reliever spa night to have you feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. Let's get started!

1. Setting the Mood- One step when it comes to relaxation is setting the mood. A place to start is lighting your favorite candle. My current favorite is the Bath and Body Works Lavender Vanilla candle. Lavender is my all time favorite scent! You can also use a room fragrance if you don't want to light up a candle!

2. Do Your Skincare Routine and Put on a Face Mask- This is my favorite skincare routine and it keeps me very close to acne free! 

3. Run a Bath- If you like bubble baths, feel free to run one of those in the tub or add a bath bomb from Lush. 

4. Exfoliate- Exfoliating your skin is a vital for smooth skin. Out of all the skin scrubs I've ever tried, and trust me that's a lot, my all time favorite is my homemade scrub! To make the scrub: Mix 1 cup of Brown sugar, 1/4 cup of olive oil for moisturizing properties, 1 Tbs. of Vanilla extract for good smells, and 2 Tbs. of honey for softness. Mix it all up and scrub away!

5. Hair- In order to have good smelling hair the next day, you might want to do a full-on hair care routine the night before! That's right, deep conditioner and all! I started off by washing my hair with my Bed Head shampoo and conditioner and followed up with the Aussie 3-Minute Miracle deep conditioner for tropical, soft smelling hair. You can also add in whatever else you do for your hair! 

6. Teeth Whitening- To have a pearly white smile for school, teeth whitening is totally necessary! If you don't have whitening strips, I have an alternative for you- DIY Teeth Whitening! Just add 1 Tbs. of baking soda and 1-2 tsp. of water and get the whitest smile!

That is my back to school pamper night routine! I hope you all enjoyed!

 Thanks for reading,

Rebecca

How to Start a Blog

I love my readers. I love helping you all in any way that I can. So today, I wanted to write a post for those of you all that would love to start a blog, or even have a little urge to try! Thus being said, let's start the process! 

Choosing a Platform- First of all, when starting up a blog one of the main steps is choosing a platform to blog off of! As you all know I use blogger. From personal experience, this is my favorite platform as I have once used, Wordpress and Wix. I believe blogger is easier to navigate and easier to install themes! However, everyone has different preferences so, choose what you think is best! 

Choosing a Name- This was definitely the hardest part for me! The name choosing process can be difficult, but just think intensely! You can try making a list of things that you love or would like to write about. So say you like fashion. Your list might sound something like; purple, loafers, tortoise, heels, sass. When you sort out your list, you might come up with Purple Loafers or Sass and Heels. When your name is picked just Google or Bing it and make sure no one has that name because getting sued is not cute. 

Building the Site- This is the fun part! Once you've figured out your name and platform, it's time to make your blog cute! When I started out I just had a simple Lilly Pulitzer print as my background and now, I have invested some time and money on a theme and my blog is definitely looking better! If you want to start out basic, that's fine and if you want to invest early, that's good as well! Once again, it's all your preference! 

Creating your Content- This part is also fun but can be just a little bit tedious. Coming up with content used to be a massive problem for me when I first started out. I had writers block continually, but I promise, becoming a blogger makes you so much more creative and you can make a post out of literally anything. Another thing about content is making sure you know what you're talking about. Especially when you're doing sponsored posts. DO NOT and I mean DO NOT do a review on a product that you do not like, or would not use. You would be lying to your readers. More opportunities will come! Also, check grammar. I use an installation called Grammarly. You can install it on your computer and it corrects every single grammatical error! 

Some Tips- Stay with your blog! Sometimes it get's a little tough but you'll always make it through and it's worth it in the end. If you need help try to get a mentor! There are plenty of bloggers willing to help. You can always contact me at ofprepandlacepromo@aol.com and I will definitely help you! If there is something that I can't stress over enough is that you shouldn't get in over your head or try too hard. It makes everything so much harder than it should be. Also, if you do your blog for fun and not the money, everything turns out fine. If you want an idea on how it feels in the end, this is the perfect epitome.

Those are my top 5 tips for starting a blog! Thanks so much for reading!

Rebecca 

GOP Debate- My Highlights and Thoughts!

    I think it's rather safe to say that a fair amount of America was tuned into the GOP Republican debate last night. I have noticed some specific view points and factors that I would like to share with you all.

    However here is a MAJOR disclaimer. I am not an avid political partaker have miniscule knowledge when it all boils down. I am not trying to sound as if I am some type of political analyzer and reporter. I am just Rebecca a 14- year old girl who tuned into the debate this year and is fairly new to politics and is starting to notice things.

    Now, without further ado- here are my findings!

1. Common Core- One of the topics that really stood out to me was Common Core. I suppose it's because it relates to me. I am a high school student, and figuring out what was and more importantly is happening in our school system is vital and important to me. Jeb Bush went head- to- head with Marco Rubio and the pair were asked about the aspect of education. One of the first statements that Bush spoke was " I am for higher standards." This was an interesting choice of words for someone who according to Reporter Kurtis Lee was "assailed" for his support of Common Core learning. Now it’s time for Rubio’s opposing remark. Rubio claims that the problem with Common Core is that “ The Department of Education will never be satisfied” Agreeable. He also adds in more depth that “They will not stop with making it a suggestion. They will make it a mandate. In fact, what they will say to local communities is, 'You will not get federal money if you don't do things the way we want you to.' They will use Common Core and any other requirements that exist nationally to force it down the throats of our people in our states.” Once more Rubio- agreeable. As for the end of this segment it was ended in friendship, in which I definitely enjoyed seeing the camaraderie between the two. Bush was asked if he was in agreeance with what was said by Rubio and Bush said  “He's definitely my friend,” said Bush. “I think these states need to create these standards.”
2. Carson’s Thoughts on Hillary- When I heard Carson’s remark about Hillary Clinton, I wasn’t taken back, I wasn’t shocked and I wasn’t annoyed. I was sitting in a state of normality. You’re Probably wondering why I mentioned that. I do realize that a lot of citizens do not appreciate Clinton. No, I am not one of those people. There is not one politician that I loathe. I loved Carson’s words on Hillary being the candidate. Carson states “If Hillary is the candidate ... that would be a dream come true.... She is the epitome of the center-progressive movement.” Speaking from experience of scrolling through my Twitter and Instagram feed I realized a lot of nice things aren’t spoken of Clinton and this was one of the few nice things that I have heard and that stood out to me and I loved it. Nice Carson!
3. Trump’s Spunk- I am well aware of the comebacks and wit that are enclosed by the man named Donald Trump. His replies were no surprise to me tonight. However, there was one that stuck with me even as I am writing this post. Trump took one lunge towards Rand Paul tonight. Trump states “ I don't think you heard me. You're having a hard time tonight.” Yikes. Sassy tonight, are we Trump?
   

Those were my favorite highlights of the night! Thank you so much for reading!

Rebecca 

Medium Hair- My Transformation and Views

Lately, I have been scrolling through my pinterest feed looking for hair ideas. I came across in un-escapable trend of the "long bob" or medium hair as some might call it. I have been thinking about changing my hair up and finally got up the strength to do it!
The process I went through was nothing special. I just washed my hair with my Bed Head damage controll shampoo, because my hair is chemically processed. I then blew my hair out straight and took scissors to my hair! This is how it turned out! I love the style because I personally belive that it frames my face better, adds more volume, and is definitely more managable! 

I am very happy with the results and am enjoying this style! If you are teetering on the edge of this decision I totally reccomend it! Try something new.

I hope you enjoyed! Thank you so much for reading.

Rebecca

New Service- Monogram Binder Covers

Hi there! As the school year approaches quickly, I can imagine a lot of you all are gathering school supplies and planning for your best year ever. Every single year I create monogrammed and labeled binder covers and I now have a FREE service offered to make these for my readers! If you would like one of these, please email me at ofprepandlacepromo@aol.com and mention your initals and what classes you have. If you have a specific background in mind, you can mention that as well!

Chocolate Banana Smoothie Recipe

This summer I really started enjoying smoothies, and recently my dad bought a Nutri Ninja and I have been experimenting more than ever. However, I'm not much of a big fan when it comes to citrusy smoothies so finding smoothies when shopping or driving around is a wee bit hard. That is one of the main reasons that I decided to start trying different concoctions. My favorite smoothie so far has definitely been the Chocolate Banana smoothie, which is the recipe I will be sharing with you today! So, buckle up we're about to cook  up some truffle trouble in here!

The ingredients you will need: 

• 1 medium banana
• 1 Tbsp. cocoa powder
• 4 ice cubes (if you don't use frozen banana)
• ¾ cup Silk Vanills Soy Milk
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon 

The first thing I did was add my ice cubes, sliced banana, and as you can see in the picture above- some cacao powder!

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• Up next, I added my cinnamon for a little kick of flavor.
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Up next, I poured in my vanilla flavored Silk milk.

Now here's the fun part! I loaded up the Nutri Ninja and started to blend!

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• Lastly, it's time to enjoy!

I hope you enjoyed! Thank you so much for reading.

Rebecca

Saturday Savors

As the weeks continue, so do my loves and obsessions. These are my obsessions for this week! 

1. Jack Rogers- I posted about these yesterday! You can read the blog post here if you want more details.

2. Vintage Lilly Pulitzer Top- I was selling my old clothes at Plato's to get some extra cash and while I was waiting for the staff to be finished analyzing my clothes I found this Lilly P top! I absolutely adore it! It pairs well with my Jacks and is an overall comfortable tube top!

3. Rock Bangles- I actually became rather captivated by these bracelets a week or two ago shopping at my local boutique also known as Fiore. 

Definitely check them out as the also have an online shop! I was shopping around for another Lilly agenda as the school year is approaching and I came upon these bracelets that were on sale! I absolutely love these bracelets and wear them on a day to day basis. They match anything and everything!

Those were my favorites for this week and I hope you all enjoyed. Thanks for reading

Rebecca