Giveaway :: Tommy Hilfiger

Get Prepped

I was contacted by Tommy Hilfiger representatives about doing a giveaway with TH's new perfume, Eau de Prep!

In addition to the perfume, the winner will also receive a bunch of other great stuff:

True Prep by Lisa Birnbach

A Carryall

Plaid Journal

and everything else featured!

They sent me the perfume to try out too.  It's a really pleasant fragrance.  Very light and not too "perfume-y," which is an absolute must for me.  Simple enough as an everyday scent, but can be worn at night too!

Watch the video... It is so cute!  I wish I could pop into the video and play along with them.

Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below!  If it isn't showing up, try clicking on the title of this post and refreshing :-)  You have to be on the page of the actual post, as opposed to the homepage www.thecollegeprepster.com.  It's a little confusing, but the widget will really help me cut down on time spent typing up entries!

Organize, Please... Desk while studying

Midterm season is enough to make me lose my mind.  The exams are just as demanding as final exams... only worse.  Instead of having days off to study, we still have classes going on.  The schedule is all over the place (i.e. nothing for two weeks and then a test/paper due in every class on the same day).  And we don't even have the extra motivation of being done with classes afterwards... it's right back to class to learn more material.

Phew.

Thankfully, this is my last "midterm season."  This week in particular is quite stressful for me academically.  On top of that, I feel like it's also stressful in terms of College Prep meetings and phone calls.  I'm counting down the days minutes seconds until I fly home for spring break Thursday night.

One thing that ends up causing me stress, but shouldn't is how my desk is situated while I study.  I normally would head to the library or the business school to get work done, but since I have a single my room is really quiet and I can get a lot done.  (Without, I may add, having to lug my heavy textbooks to and from.)

Here's the layout:

1) Laptop.  Pretty standard ops here.  I have all my word documents open and any PowerPoints that I want to refer to.  I suggest closing out (or blocking) any extraneous websites, like Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook.  I keep gmail open for the most part, but turn off gchat.  I like to download documents or PPT decks one at a time so I don't get overwhelmed.

2) Glasses.  I keep both within reach.  I tend to switch between pairs for some reason while I'm studying.  Maybe it's a boredom thing, but every other chapter I'll switch it up ;-)

3) iPad.  I either have cases open or PDFs for study materials.  I also use it to play Pandora stations.  (My Pandora One subscription ran out a month or so ago... but commercials don't play on the iPad... only the computer.... neat little trick to get around that red tape!)  I really like the Stephan Moccio station for studying.

4) Plant.  My mom sent me this baby succulent and it keeps me company.  While it's not necessary, it does make my desk seem a bit more lively.  I like it has a personality.  Maybe it needs a name... suggestions?

5) Swedish Fish.  Any candy (I don't suggest chocolate though) will do.  The candy has similar effects as caffeine.  Read: Don't go overboard or you'll experience a "crash."  I pull out a handful and slowly work my way through.  Grab a piece or two after filling a page of notes or completing a chapter.  It takes a bit to get through the handful, but once they're gone I know it's probably time to take a little break and get up from my desk.

6) Index cards.  Not sure if you can really study for midterms without them.  I tend to avoid simply writing out vocabulary.  Instead, I'll summarize a "section" from a chapter.  That way, I have to know the material well enough to summarize, I get an extra review of the material writing it down, and I have a card for every section to go back and review/study.

7) Mouse.  I've already talked about how much this mouse has saved my sore wrists from computer work.

Some closeups.  I love this Knock Knock mouse pad.  I keep track of things to do, people, to call, and emails to write.  (Plus I always add some inspirational quotations!)  My phone is on my desk, but out of the way.  I let text messages sit for a while, only responding or reading during mini-breaks.

Pencil pouch, my May Books homework notebook, and my glasses.

Do you have a similar set up?

xoxo

Stella McCartney on Outnet.com

A HUGE selection of Stella McCartney is going on TheOutnet.com tomorrow (2.28.12).  I was sent some images to review before the big day and I love some of them.  I saw lots of feminine and sweet pieces mixed with a bit of edge and high fashion.

I love the shape and color of this dress.  How often do you get to say both?  While the sale price is still pretty steep... this would be my number one pick.  SO CUTE.

Original Price: $ 1495, THE OUTNET.COM Price: $523.25

This blazer is perfect for the upcoming spring.  I hate days where springy dresses are appropriate, but there's still a lingering wintery chill hanging in the air.  Layering a blazer over the dress is a great way to stay warm and get use out of the dress.

Original Price: $995, THE OUTNET.COM Price: $348.25

If you want to stand out at a formal (or prom?), this dress is really cool... First of all, the color.  Hello.  And, it's hard to tell in that picture... but....

It's short in the front and long in the back!  Very interesting!!!

Original Price: $1095, THE OUTNET.COM Price: $383.25

xoxo

Where to find me!

There are SO many platforms that I use for College Prepster.  Sometimes even I forget how many different places you can find College Prepster!!!  But seriously, it's confusing.  Especially if you're new here... you may not know where you can find me or maybe you just want to know what I use each platform for.  It's complicated, but separating College Prepster out a little bit helps each reader/follower/fan/friend figure out which aspect works best for them.

So.

Obviously, you know about the regular blog since, well, you're here now!!!

But where else is the College Prepster?

Facebook.  I use the Facebook fan page to highlight blog posts that I particularly love, quick updates that I'd like to get some feedback on, funny tidbits that you may find interesting if you're bored in class, and special features/links about different brands I like.

If you have an iPhone, you can follow @collegeprepster on Instagram.  If you don't have an iPhone, you can find all my latest pictures on Followgram.  I send some pictures to Twitter, but I also upload Instagrams that don't get posted anywhere else!  Normally these are funny little updates about my day.  Notable photos: daily OOTDs, #brownienight, and funny pictures of California Funk.

Pinterest.  I am trying to be better at pinning to Pinterest.  Generally, I get on and pin a bunch if I have a few minutes to kill in between classes or I'm waiting for something to download.  The boards are definitely my "inspiration" boards (or whatever the cool people call them nowadays).  I tend to pin way too frequently in the food board.  I just added a super cute dog one, as well as a Paris wanderlust board.  I have a lot of fun finding images that suit my taste.

Tumblr.  I use Tumblr to document my daily outfits and answer reader questions.  "Reblogging" is not the primary focus of my Tumblr (images I like are added to my Pinterest), but I will from time-to-time if something really catches my eye!

Twitter.  I have NO idea how to describe my Twitter.  It's semi all over the place.  I like to share quotations that inspire me, connect with other bloggers, upload pictures/Instagrams, document the daily happenings, and share my enthusiasm over various events!

Prep Talk.  This is my weekly newsletter.  It goes out every Sunday at 7pm.  I designed it to be a motivational tool to get you through the week.  Sunday nights are always stressful since you know that the work/school week starts the next morning.  Prep Talk has a theme of the week and various columns written by other great bloggers!

Phew!!!  So that's where I am and how I use each platform!!!

What about you?  Do you use the same platforms that I do?  Do you use them differently?  Are you using something that I'm not on (but that I should)?

xoxo

J. Crew + Stripes

J. Crew is so on with their stripes right now.  So many super cute options in both clothing and accessories.  Stripes are definitely going to be a universal outfit re-energizer for the spring.

Viv

Evie

The shoes are a great way to add something fun to a casual outfit.  Either flat (the round or pointed toe) would be cute with ankle length or cuffed jeans and a plain tee.  The pumps are perfect for a plain navy dress.

Invitation Clutch

Enamel Bangle

Tillary Bucket Bag

I kind of cannot get over how much I love the clutch.  It's super chic and fun and striped and everything you could ever want!!!  The bangle is can be a tiny addition to an already perfect outfit... you know, that cherry on top!  The bucket bag is a little bit more fun with the added pop of green.  I'd wear it as an everyday handbag when it gets warmer.

Other notable striped clothing from J. Crew:

Colorblock Stripe Boatneck Tee

Boatneck Popover

Back-zip Long Sleeve

Merriweather Jacket

Maritime Dress

Are you into stripes too?  Which is your favorite?

xoxo

Giveaway :: The Paper Cottage

I'm teaming up with The Paper Cottage (new College Prep sponsor!!!) for a giveaway this week!

The winner of the giveaway will receive a Nico and Lala Monogrammed Catchall lucite tray and a Makeup/Pencil Brush Holder!

The hardest, but best part, for the winner is going to pick out which style of monogram to get!  Look how many cute styles there are!!!

Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below!  If it isn't showing up, try clicking on the title of this post and refreshing :-)  You have to be on the page of the actual post, as opposed to the homepage www.thecollegeprepster.com.  It's a little confusing, but the widget will really help me cut down on time spent typing up entries!

cover it up

Okay, so it's safe to say that I am very much looking forward to going to Mexico!  Actually, I'm just really excited for having a break from school.

Oh and I'm super craving the sun!!!!!

But I'm also afraid of the sun.  I mean, I practically glow in the dark (sad but true).  Of course, I'm the only one in my family who really needs to hide from avoid the sun.  So while we're doing all sorts of family bonding baking in the sun, I have to get creative to keep the rays from toasting me to a crisp.

Enter The Coverup.

This long Lilly dress is perfect to throw on after being around the pool.  Bring a pair of wedges down with you, pull your hair into a bun, and slip it over this suit and you can hang out a bit by the bar.

I always tend to get really hot on the beach, which eliminates about 90% of all coverups!  This Cape Madras tunic is light enough to wear in the hot sun and also has the added bonus of protecting my skin.  How cute is the striped suit from Target?

So what to do while I'm in the water?  When I stumbled on the J. Crew rash guard, I knew that this was a major win!!!  Normally these are not attractive!  But I love this J. Crew one!!!!! I want to send a personalized note to the creative brilliance behind it :-)

What do you do to protect your skin?

xoxo

five ways to have a happier day

In order to have full disclosure here.... I have not been happy lately.

It's probably a combination of being terribly sick, stressed to the max, a looming graduation date, and an unsure future.

Yep.  Talk about awful.

My to-do list is seeming more and more like a form of torture.  (And let me tell you, school is beginning to really get in the way.)

Here are my five ways to have a happier day:

1.  Scrolling through Instagram seriously makes me happy.  I think I have a borderline unhealthy relationship with the iPhone app.  Finding a new fun person to follow can be a highlight in my day.  (Oh, and I definitely follow a bunch of Disney Channel stars... totally like a loser.)

2.  Tall Skinny Vanilla Latte... yes, please.  I really go out of my way for this one.  On days when stress levels are running extra high, I don't even bat an eye paying the ridiculous price for the best drink in the world.

3.  My nail polish collection has gotten a bit out of hand (no pun intended).  But the good news is that I typically have a few stashed away that I've never tried out before.  I love digging through the pile of polishes and finding a new color!  (Plus, as strange as it seems... painting my nails is quite therapeutic.)

4.  I start and end every day reading.  It's basically a drug.  I need it to clear my head before I really get going into my day... and I need it to clear my head at the end of every day!  (If anyone has any book recommendations, feel free to leave them in a comment!!!)

5.  Wearing ballet flats (that don't hurt, of course) can essentially make every day a little brighter!!!  There is just something about ballet flats in general that make me smile.  They're like candy... for your feet.

What do you do to make your days better???  What would be on your list of five things?

xoxo

Favorite Apps

The iPad is one of those things in life that definitely falls under the "luxury" category.  It's not something that anyone really needs... but it definitely can be used in a positive way.  (Read: it's not just for entertainment purposes.)

Before I got mine, I used to play some sort of fruit slicing ninja game (???) on California Funk's.  I thought that the use was to play games.  While the games may be fun– I'm not, for the record, and Angry Birds fan– the iPad can enhance your experience in the classroom with the right apps.

Most of my classes don't allow for computer usage and the ones that do require actual computing (like Microsoft Excel).  I do use my iPad extensively for homework and studying purposes though.

#1:  Dropbox.

Do you use Dropbox on your desktop?  If you don't, you should.  If you do, the iPad app is fantastic.  I store all my downloaded PDFs and PowerPoint files from my desktop and then can download them to my iPad.  If you "star" the file, you can access it even if you don't have WiFi.

#2: XanEdu

Do your professors use XanEdu to make course packs?  I am so thankful for professors who choose to hand select articles and cases in a XanEdu course pack instead of a textbook.  It saves students so much money and you know that you're not "wasting" chapters of a textbook that aren't covered during a semester.

The iPad app for XanEdu is truly brilliant.  Since a couple of my courses use XanEdu, I'm able to download and use the app for certain cases.  Normally, I'm all about having a hard copy of a case to highlight and annotate... but the app is so perfectly designed to integrate "virtual" into "reality."  It's actually award winning.

The video gives a great demonstration!

I typically will read a case/pdf on my iPad, highlight, and make notes and then prop it up next to my laptop while I type up the actual written report or paper.

#3: Flipboard

So Flipboard can be used for recreational purposes (like reading Facebook, Tumblr, or Twitter), but it is a great resource for catching up on the news and other current events... in a visually appealing way!  (Bonus: You don't have to carry around 100 newspapers.)

Most of my classes require me to keep up with current events.  Specifically for each class.  I added a bunch of boards

My two favorite selections are The Economist and Forbes.  You really can flip right through and find articles that appeal to you and read them super quickly.  It's much better than a website honestly.  I find myself really distracted when I'm actually on my computer; I click a bunch of links that I don't really need to read.  Flipboard makes catching up on the news fun and easy and right to the point.

Those are my Top 3 apps for the iPad to make studying easier.

Do you have an iPad?  Do you use it for recreational or educational purposes?  What are your favorite app?

xoxo

Work It

I kind of work a lot.  I get asked a couple times a day, "How do you have time to do everything?"  Honestly, the answer is that I sit at my desk and just get work done.  I have a list of homework (reading, cases, papers) that needs to be completed, studying (read: memorization) that must be done, emails to be answered, blog posts to be written, articles to be drafted/edited/pitched, and about 298 other things that have made their way onto my to-do lists.

For the most part, I'm so consumed with my work that I don't even realize how much time I've actually spent working.  And I generally like what I'm doing.  (Unless I'm having some sort of issue with technology... and then I want to throw my laptop out the window..... Ugh.)

There are days, although rare, however when sometimes I wish that I only had to do homework.  College Prep kinda takes over my life at times.  Don't get me wrong, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!  But I get in these weird "coulda woulda shoulda" moods where I think about how my life would be different without it.  Not in a good or bad way, just in a curious way.

And then I have amazing days where I remember just how much FUN what I get to do is.

This past Saturday was one of those days!!!  I was meeting Melissa for the first time in person (pretty anticlimactic considering how much time we've spent video conferencing together haha) and Mackenzie to shoot the cover for the March/April Sweet Lemon Magazine!

Even though I was quite sick, I hopped on the MegaBus up to NYC before the crack of dawn Saturday morning.  I met up with Melissa and Mackenzie and Michael (whoa... just realized... three M's!) in Grand Central.

Our first stop?

Doughnuts.

I thought this would be a good way to start the morning for a couple of reasons.  1) We are obsessed with doughnuts and 2) I thought it would be a good way for the four of us (Michael included... he was such a trouper!) to relax a little so we could have as much fun as possible during the shoot.

[True Story: I was literally shaking from all the sugar/caffeine I consumed that morning.]

The Doughnut Plant in Chelsea... oh my goodness.  Amazing!!!

Our calling cards.  It's so funny how much of our personalities are so much in the cards.  They're so different, but so us.

Our Longchamps were quite like Mary Poppins' magic bag.  Seriously, we had so much stuff.  Such girls.

Michael took control of the video camera!  (Watch the video at the bottom of the post!)

We were so lucky that the weather was beautiful in February.

How great is he?  Carrying that Longchamp like a, well... like a champ!

Definitely got yelled at for this picture... Whoops!  We just absolutely had to stop by Laduree.  It was worth the 20 minute wait outside in the cold (although, I probably shouldn't speak on Mackenzie's behalf here).  I'm actually surprised at how the crowd did not even compare to the Georgetown Cupcake ridiculousness.  Laduree's line was due to an inefficient in-store design... really!

Our last shot took place on a giant rock in Central Park.  (Note: Can you spot the couple... um.... "hanging out" in the bottom left hand corner? HAHA)

Here's the video with some pretty funny (and some pretty) footage from the shoot:

My favorite part?  The scenes with the dogs.  I mean, my goodness, those dogs were crazy...

We wrapped the shoot, grabbed a quick dinner together, and then each headed back home: Connecticut, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C..  I was completely wiped out from the trip, and my feet were terribly sore... but the whole thing was so much fun, I can hardly consider it "work."

xoxo

sick days.

I rarely get sick.

But when I do get sick, I feel totally out of commission.  Let me tell you... I am out of commission.  (I'm writing this post in advance, and already praying that by the time it goes live I'm feeling better!)

My body is fighting me right now.  I haven't been taking care of it in the way that I should, and it is letting me know in a big way right now.  With trips back and forth between NYC and DC, I got a little behind in, well, everything.  Emails, school, blog posts, sleep.  Yikes!!!

I was up really late and awake really early pretty much every day last week.  And it totally caught up with me.

Yay?

I guess it's my own fault... The good news, though, is that it's forcing me to take it easy.

Sick days for me:

Nail Polish

Thick Socks

Tons of Oranges

Boxes of Kleenex

One Tree Hill on Netflix

Sometimes you really do need to listen to your body.  I needed to rest and my body is forcing me to rest.  It's a good thing.

xoxo

PS Sunday @ 10pm update... I'm actually feeling a little better.  I survived the trip to NYC and I actually was out and about a bit today.

Bathing Beauties

It's cold.  It's February.  It's midterm season.

But... Spring Break is RIGHT around the corner.  Georgetown has an early break; it begins on March 2.  This is the first real spring break that I've had since freshman year... of high school.  I've always had to train for crew, but now that I am not coxing I get to have a real break!!!

We're going to Mexico!!!!!!

As a family.  I'm really excited.  I'm also trying not to worry so much about the fact that I might have to live under an umbrella slash hide under towels to avoid the sun.... But I digress.

I am really looking forward to just having a few days of relaxing.

Picking out bathing suits is always a challenge.  I'm quite particular about bathing suits.  I don't like strings in the back of the top.... I hate the knot when you lean back or wear a coverup.  Coloring is a trick too since I'm pretty pale ;-)

Here are my top three pics for this year:

I love the seersucker bandeau top and the fun print and mixed pattern on the bottom.  This is most definitely my number one pick.  I think it's a "must-have" actually!!! 

J. Crew is always a good option as well.  The bright red is quite fun and the ruffling is just an added bonus.

I have never tried on a Nanette Lepore bathing suit before... but this one has me tempted!  I like the teeny-tiny cut out with the bow!

Where are you going for Spring Break?  Where do you normally buy bathing suits from?

xoxo

Giveaway :: Francesca Joy

SO excited about this giveaway.  I'm a pretty big fan of Francesca Joy PB and I'm loving all of her new product lines!!!  (The bow ties are too cute!)

I met Elise (she's the brilliant artist behind the prints!) last September and tried on one of the Francesca Joy dresses.... I fell in love!

Her totes are also super cute.  They're all handpainted and perfect to carry around for errands, to the pool, the gym, the beach.... anywhere.

The giveaway is for this Francesca Joy iPhone 4/4s case! 

Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below!  If it isn't showing up, try clicking on the title of this post and refreshing :-)  You have to be on the page of the actual post, as opposed to the homepage www.thecollegeprepster.com.  It's a little confusing, but the widget will really help me cut down on time spent typing up entries!