Midweek Ramblings + Recent Purchases.

{Got to meet the lovely bloggers Ashley from Ashley Brooke and Michelle from Mash Elle in Orlando this week! Follow me on Instagram and Snapchat @miss_alk} 

Ramblings:

• A magical end to Spring Breaks: My dad, my suitemate Caroline and myself all had the most wonderful trip to Orlando over this past weekend! We enjoyed two days in the Disney parks, a day to explore Orlando, and also made time to relax at our hotel's pools. I can't wait to share more about the trip with y'all soon- my plan is to share a full recap of our vacation next week here on the blog! 
• Blogging meet-ups: The very last thing that I got to do on vacation is pictured above- enjoy meeting up with Florida fashion bloggers Ashley and Michelle! In the past year, I have tried to meet up with as many blogging friends as I can when I visit new places. I absolutely adore meeting other bloggers- it is so fun to meet the incredible people behind the blogs that I read. Ashley and Michelle are both total sweethearts in person, and we enjoyed chatting about everything from building social media followings to attending blogging conferences (I so hope to attend my first conference this year or next!). Do any of you try and meet up with bloggers when you travel?
• Apartment hunting: Even though I'm back in Charlotte now, part two of my Spring Break begins on Thursday evening! My mom is coming down of the second weekend of my break to help me and my future roommate do some apartment hunting. I have lived on campus for all four years of college, so I am SO excited for apartment life! I will be honest though and say that I'm a bit nervous about the apartment hunting process! Based on my future plans for next year, I have a pretty strict budget to work with, which might also be hard with needing to stay in Charlotte. All of the beautiful apartments in the nice neighborhoods here are more in my five year plan... not my directly out of undergrad budget. :-) But I'm hoping that everything will work out and that it will help to have my mom here! If any of you have apartment hunting tips- please share with me!! I'm all ears!
• SPRING WEATHER: While away in Orlando (and experiencing lots of Florida sunshine)- spring temperatures have decided to arrive in the Carolinas as well! During my first day back in Charlotte after break, it felt warmer here than it had in Florida! I am so excited for another week of warm weather, and getting to pack away my winter clothes and pull out all of my favorite spring and summer pieces!

Purchases:

• I recently bought this gorgeous top with intentions of packing it for Spring Break! I ended up deciding to pack other outfits instead, but I'm looking forward to wearing it here in Charlotte soon since the weather is going to be so nice coming up! It will be on the blog soon.
• Another purchase for Spring Break (which I did end up packing!), this darling floral romper! It actually comes in two colors- and I loved both so much that I had to ask my Snapchat friends which one I should buy when I found it in store. I'm pleased with the color that I did choose, but both really are stunning! 
• I am a total make-up junkie, but on days that I'm too busy to do a full face the two things that I absolutely must do before leaving my room are put on mascara, and do my eyebrows. Fun fact: my natural eyebrows are my biggest insecurity about myself! Everyday I comb and brush my brows, fill them in with pencil, and then set them with this eyebrow gel which I swear by. Anyways- while on Spring Break, my trusty eyebrow brush broke! I picked up this new brush this week, it was a great price (under $10!) and I'm hoping for great results! 

     Whether you're on Spring Break right now or not, hope that everyone is having a wonderful week! Before my mom arrives tomorrow the majority of my days will be spent both at work and working on homework- I had assignments in all of my classes for break! I'm telling y'all- no time for senioritis. ;-) 

     xoxo Miss ALK

Link-Up: 2016 NPC Badge Day!

     Welcome to my second annual fashion post link-up on Southern Belle in Training for NPC Badge Day! (Check out last year's post here!) As y'all know, one of the highlights of my college experience has been getting to be apart of Greek life at my school. I'm a sister of Alpha Delta Pi, which is one out of the 26 Panhellenic national sororities. Every year, the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) hosts a day when women of all sororities- both collegiate members and alumni, are encouraged to wear their organization's pins and pin attire, and to celebrate being apart of the larger women's Greek community!

     As a sister of ADPi, I take so much pride in wearing the diamond shaped badge of my sorority. I know that sisters of other sororities also understand the significance of wearing their own pins! In honor of NPC Badge Day and to promote Greek unity in the blogging community, I decided last year to host an annual link-up where bloggers can share pin-attire inspired fashion posts, or other posts related to Greek life on NPC Badge Day. :-) Please feel free to join in the fun and link-up a relevant post!! I'm leaving the link-up open through this week.

     For last year's Badge Day outfit, I featured a very business casual and traditional pin attire outfit. This year, I wanted to show y'all the way that I normally dress for pin attire days or chapter meetings. My sorority holds weekly chapter meetings on Sunday nights. I often get dressed for church in the morning, keep my dressier clothes on all day (it motivates me to do homework!), and then change things up slightly that evening for my chapter meeting. See below for a perfect example of what I would wear on a Sunday:

     

     This gorgeous blue maxi dress would be perfect to wear to church on Sunday morning, for lunch with friends, and it's also comfortable enough for a day of homework afterwards! 

Dress: c/o Pink Blush // Cardigan: J. Crew Factory // Shoes: Rack Room Shoes {similar here} // Bracelets: c/o Jet Chic Arm Candy, Kate Spade // Lips: Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie

  

     Later that day for chapter I would change up my accessories a little bit, and add a cardigan and pin to make it a little more conservative. This outfit is transformed from afternoon casual to pin attire appropriate!  

      My outfit details are linked above, and the NPC Badge Day link-up for all of you to link your posts to is below! And lastly: I have a fun giveaway for y'all :-) 

     Pink Blush is an online boutique that sells very fun and trendy fashion and accessories! (They also have a huge section on their website of maternity clothing- perfect for if you or someone you know is expecting!) I styled a gorgeous top from them in Saturday's blog post, and the dress that I'm wearing here is from Pink Blush as well. They are generously giving away a $50 gift card to one lucky Southern Belle in Training reader! This giveaway will run through Tuesday, March 15th, 2015. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

     Today's post was sponsored by Pink Blush. Thank-you for supporting the brands that support Southern Belle in Training! 

     xoxo Miss ALK

A Spring Break State of Mind.

Top: c/o Pink Blush // Jeans: Abercrombie & Fitch // Shoes: Aldo {old, similar here} // Sunglasses: LOFT // Earrings: Charming Charlie // Necklace: Kendra Scott // Bracelets: c/o Taudrey // Lips: Essence XXXL Shine Lip Gloss in Popping Pink

     Hello from sunny Orlando Florida! Popping in from Spring Break to share a quick weekend blog post, since I wasn't able to post yesterday. 

     Today's post is the first of a few blog posts to come with Pink Blush! I am loving some of their new arrivals for springtime, and this gorgeous printed tank is one of my favorites. I can think of numerous ways to style it: with a cardigan for a day of classes (or work), with boyfriend jeans for a casual afternoon outing, or with a skirt and heels for a night out on the town! I love versatile pieces like this. 

      There aren't a lot of fashion rules that I am a stickler for, but one of the few that I adhere to is the no-white after Labor Day/before Easter rule. Sometimes I break my rule for tops, but always put away my white jeans after Labor Day weekend! I most definitely broke the rule this weekend though after I previewed the Orlando weather temperatures when packing for my trip. :-) 80 degree afternoons called for breaking out the whites a little early! I also think that wearing white jeans and wedges with this gorgeous top allowed the neon colors in it to come alive a little more! 

      Be sure to stay tuned for Monday's blog post for two reasons: first, because there will be a fun giveaway for y'all to enter with Pink Blush! And second, because Monday I'm sharing my second annual NPC Badge Day link-up for fellow fashion bloggers to join in for! NPC Badge Day is an annual day in March when women in all of the Panehellenic sororities (both collegiate members and alumni) are encouraged to wear their sorority's pins and pin attire. This link-up encourages Greek bloggers to wear pin attire and talk about their experience in their sorority. If you are a current member of a Panhellenic sorority or an alumni member, please consider joining in this fun link-up this Monday!! 

      And be sure to follow me @miss_alk on Instagram and Snapchat (and @rainbowflash94 on Twitter) to keep up with my adventures on Spring Break. I'm having lots of fun here in Orlando with my suitemate and my dad!! We spent all of yesterday in Epcot- my favorite Disney park!

    


     Today's post was sponsored by Pink Blush. Thank-you for supporting the brands that support Southern Belle in Training!

     xoxo Miss ALK

21st Birthday Wishes with Top Shelf.

All glassware and 21st birthday wish jar: c/o Top Shelf 

     

     I'm so excited to be partnering with Top Shelf for another fun collaboration project! I previously worked with Top Shelf for a Wine Night themed post that was published around the time of my 21st birthday, which you can check out here.

     One of my favorite things about college is the plethora of birthday celebrations that you get to be apart of. I have had the absolute best times over the past three and a half years celebrating the birthdays of dear friends of mine. There have been numerous dinners, luncheons, dorm room get-togethers, nights out on the town, and even a few classroom celebrations that I've had the pleasure to attend for different friends, as well of course as celebrating four of my own birthdays while in college!

     But something that I didn't start to learn until last year was how much fun 21st birthday celebrations are. Celebrating someone near and dear in your life becoming a legal adult just takes the birthday fun and shenanigans to a whole new level! During the past few years, I was usually a DD for older friends who had their 21st birthdays, but this year now that I'm legal myself I can partake in all of the fun that 21st's entail!

     My sweet sorority sister Mary turned 21 last week! Her birthday fell during the middle of the week, but some sisters and I made sure that she still got a chance to celebrate properly once the weekend arrived. One thing that I wanted to plan for Mary was a fun Wine Night. We held this at my sister Hannah's apartment (who is Mary's Big sister in ADPi), and the three of us had such fun trying out fun 21st birthday and sister-themed wine glasses!

      My favorite thing that we got to do for Mary was give her one of Top Shelf's brand-new Wish Jars. These beautiful mason jars are filled with rolls of blank "wish tickets" which you can give to a lucky recipient- there are jars perfect for anyone with special birthdays, new homeowners, newly married or engaged couples, retirees, or many other special occasions! The friends and family of the guest(s) of honor then write their special wishes on each ticket, and the person receiving the jar can keep all of their wishes for years to come. Hannah and I had so much fun writing down wishes for Mary's 21st year- everything from silly inside jokes in our sorority, to more serious wishes for the rest of her college experience!

     Top Shelf provides the perfect glassware and party accessories not only for birthdays, but for all of life's special occasions! I have linked some of my favorite Top Shelf glasses below:

   

To check out recap posts from my own 21st birthday:

• 21st Birthday Photoshoot
• Birthday Dinner in Myrtle Beach
• Myrtle Beach Birthday Weekend Trip Recap

   

     xoxo Miss ALK

     P.S. -I leave for Spring Break TOMORROW! :-) Be sure that you're following me on Instagram and Snapchat @miss_alk to keep up with the fun! 

   

   

Last Chance for Winter Style.

Top: Lands' End // Jeans: American Eagle Outfitters // Shoes: TJ Maxx {found online here!} // Vest: LOFT {older style, similar here} // Sunglasses: {old, similar here} // Purse: Forever 21 // Earrings: {old} // Necklace: ILY Couture {on sale!} // Lips: Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie 

     Charlotte's weather has been all about the ups and downs this winter! We will have a few days of frigid temperatures that remind me of Maine, and then before I know it, it's back in the 60s or 70s. Too unpredictable, and it can make it hard to dress!

     This past weekend, it was sunny out, but on the chillier side and quite windy. I knew that I wanted to get a little bit more use out of some of my favorite winter fashion pieces, so I threw this outfit together for a birthday lunch for one of my sorority sisters. The pops of bright blue with the flannel, purse and sunglasses make the outfit more appropriate for the spring transition season! But it still kept me warm and cozy through the harsh winds as well. Win-win!

     This week is absolutely insane for me- I have midterm exams and projects today, tomorrow and Wednesday, and very early on Thursday morning my friend Caroline and I fly out for our trip to Disney for Spring Break! I need to get my packing done ASAP. :-)

     xoxo Miss ALK