Easy Outfit Formulas: Striped Tee + Distressed Jeans

Easy Outfit Formulas: Striped Tee + Distressed Jeans

You know those days – the ones where you roll out of bed (after hitting the snooze button too many times), stumble into your closet, and have no idea what to wear? Our new series, Easy Outfit Formulas, is here to help! Every other week, I’ll feature two items (which you probably already own) that can be paired into outfits for those days when you need some quick and easy inspiration.

It’s In The Bag: Book Bags for Every Style

It’s In The Bag: Book Bags for Every Style

Back-to-School always means one thing for me: picking out a bag to store all the essentials! Whether you choose a classic backpack or a designer tote, a book bag can make or break your campus outings.
Not sure what to pick? Not to worry – CF has rounded up our favorite backpacks and bags to fit your style and budget, so you can carry those textbooks with ease. Scroll down to see them all:

Fall Beauty Trend: Berry Lips

Fall Beauty Trend: Berry Lips

Fall is the perfect time to experiment with a new lip color – the changing seasons means you can take a break from candy-colored pinks and corals, and try on a bold, dark shade. Berry lips are versatile and classic, plus this shade is flattering on every skin tone!
Below, we’ll tell you two ways to rock this vampy yet trendy hue this semester and tell you which budget-conscious berry-colored lipsticks you should keep an eye out for during your back-to-school shopping excursions.

TV Fashion Recap: Pretty Little Liars and Graceland

TV Fashion Recap: Pretty Little Liars and Graceland

TV Fashion Recap is a biweekly column featuring the best of TV fashion. Every other week, we recreate our favorite outfits from the most recent episodes of all of the hottest shows. Stay tuned; we may feature your favorite show next!

Every other week, I break down the best of TV fashion, featuring my favorite looks from the last two weeks. This week, I was inspired by Pretty Little Liars and Graceland. Read on to check out the outfits!

1.  Pretty Little Liars (Season 4, Episode 10): Aria’s Cropped Jacket and Floral Dress

Pretty Little Liars may just be the most suspenseful show on television right now. I don’t want to give away anything if you haven’t caught up, but it keeps getting better and better. Hanna and Caleb, a.k.a. “Haleb”, are probably my dream couple (mostly because Caleb is really ridiculously good-looking), the Aria and Ezra drama is thickening, and “A” is getting more diabolical every episode.

From CollegeCandy: Your 2013 Back-to-School Playlist

From CollegeCandy: Your 2013 Back-to-School Playlist

The following post links to our friends at CollegeCandy. Before clicking over, know that some readers found CC’s content/ads to be non-work-safe – just a heads up if you’re at the office or around parents!

 

Looks from Books: Fashion Inspired by On the Road

Looks from Books: Fashion Inspired by On the Road

Welcome to the latest edition of Looks from Books, which aims to prove that you can look smart, while still being book-smart, too. Fashion inspiration can be found between the pages of your favorite stories, on well-designed book covers, and in your favorite characters… if you read closely enough.
We’re nearing the end of summer – and the return of homework – all too quickly, but that doesn’t mean that you don’t have time for one last, great summer road trip! Even if you’re already back at school, you can find an escape in the wandering Beat Movement classic, On the Road, by Jack Kerouac. 

Inside Cover

On the Road is a classic postwar novel from the Beat generation, heavily inspired by the cross-country travels of its author, Jack Kerouac, and his friend Neal Cassady, in the 1940s. It was written in 1951, and published in 1957.
The novel follows Sal Paradise, a young, recently-divorced writer, and his friendship with the spirited and adventurous Dean Moriarty, through a series of cross-country travels, and towards the decisions that would define the life of the burgeoning author.
The novel quickly drew general regard and national acclaim for its lyricism and deeply current themes – as well as critical backlash, with Time magazine damning it as “barbaric yawp.” The novel cemented Kerouac as leader of the Beat Movement, later aligning him with names of friends, like Allen Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs. The Modern Library ranked On the Road as Number 55 in a list of 100 best English-language novels of the 20th Century, and its 50th anniversary in 2007 was marked with a renewed zeal for the themes of self-discovery presented in the book.

A Fashionable Literacy

A promotional shot from the 2012 adaptation, starring Kristen Stewart and Garret Hedlund|| via Elle

I Tried It: Tape-In Hair Extensions

I Tried It: Tape-In Hair Extensions

Ever since I can remember, I’ve always wanted to
be a gangster have a thick head of voluminous, cascading hair, like the celebrities I watched on TV and the models I saw in magazines. Sure, I realized that they probably had some professional intervention to help make their hair look that great. Regardless, my thin, static-prone locks have always been a source of great frustration.
A few months ago, I ran into my friend Kat and my jaw dropped. She’s always been one of the prettiest and most fashion-forward friends I’ve known, but suddenly, she had hair that would make any Victoria’s Secret Angel green with envy. After a little (okay, a lot) of questioning and badgering from me, Kat finally let me in on her glamorous secret: tape-in hair extensions.
Less than a month later, I too finally had the luscious mane I’d been craving my whole life. While I loved many aspects of my new hair, there were also several things that I wished I knew and had considered before getting them.
In this post, I’ll share the story of my experience with my tape-in hair extensions, from pre-installation to how my natural hair fared after I took them out. Along the way, I’ll share some tips and pointers to help out any of you who might be considering a set of your own.
Of course, if you have any experiences, tricks, or stories about hair extensions to share, please leave a comment at the end to add to this discussion!

Taking the Plunge

I had pretty long hair prior to getting extensions, so my primary goal was to increase the body and volume. My hairdresser recommended that I use only half of a package of extensions, which would not only be less expensive, but easier to care for.
My friend pictured above used a full set, which as you can see looks absolutely amazing. I’m not as skilled in the beauty department as my friend is, though, and I figured half the amount would be as good starting place. Plus, I could always add more if I wanted to later.
Here’s what I learned while my hairdresser installed them: