Choosing a Planner / Agenda

It's hard to believe next week is already August, aka the officially month where most 2016-2017 planners / agendas begin. I've had my planner ready to go since May, but I wanted to share a few cute options today in case you're still on the lookout for a good agenda for the school year.

Wise Words // Maybooks (comes in a million colors/patterns/monogram styles) // Kate Spade stripe

Day Designer (mini and full) // Desktop // Ban.Do

Painted Petals // Floral // Lilly Pulitzer

This year I will be using this striped Kate Spade agenda. Let me know if you're interested in seeing a closer look at what the inside looks like / my plans for organizing it. In the past I have used the Day Designer, a Maybooks planner, and a large Lilly Pulitzer agenda.

A few pros and cons of each...

The Day Designer is really roomy and wonderful overall. The actual pages are incredibly organized, probably the most organized of any planner out there. The day-to-day pages allow you to set goals and reminders at the top, and next to your daily schedule, which is lined and numbered per hour, there is a to-do list, checklist formatted list as well.

The Lilly Planners are a popular choice because of the classic Lilly look and convenience factor (and the adorable stickers that come with it!!!). However, in my personal experience, I struggled with the Lilly planner. I used a size large my sophomore year, after a mini my freshman year. I assumed the large would suffice, but it's safe to say it was still too small, and I would recommend to anyone choosing a Lilly planner to opt for the "jumbo". The pages are very basic and simple (just lines), so the more room you have, the easier it will be to stay organized. 

I used a Maybooks agenda this past year and found it to be incredibly compact, which wasn't actually a bad thing. As I mentioned above, my large Lilly planner felt too small and often left me feeling irritated when I had no more room left to write. My Maybooks planner is definitely way smaller than the Lilly, for sure the smallest planner of all of the ones I've used, but for some reason it didnt feel as crammed. The daily boxes are totally blank- no lines or anything, so occasionally organization was a challenge if I had a ton of assignments on a particular day. However, I loved that this planner was completely customizable and incredibly compact. I often felt like the spirals of my Day Designer and Lilly agenda were bulky, and despite having less room with my Maybooks, the compact style was really nice.

I am really excited to try out the Kate Spade agenda this year. I feel like having a ton of room in my planner now that I'm starting college just makes the most sense, so it should be a good fit for what I need! 

Do you have a favorite planner?

xoxo

Desktop Wallpapers + Laptop Organization

Fun fact... I'm really OCD about my desktop. I try to keep my laptop as organized as possible because between blog photos and documents, school papers and projects, endless college application essays, scholarship essays, and random other thing that I use my laptop for, it's just not practical for me to save files and photos wherever I want and expect to find them later. A big part of how I keep my laptop organized starts right at the desktop, and I love the method I have set up.

I only keep a few applications in my dock at the bottom of my screen because I don't see the point in having extra apps down there that I'm not going to use. The apps I use are available when I need them and things I don't use, or use less often, are just a few clicks away in Finder. 

On my actual desktop, I have a photos folder and a school folder, which each include a lot of the things I'm often working with, so it's nice to have them accessible. Inside my photos folder is a folder for desktop wallpapers and another containing the graphics I use on my blog. In my school folder I have another folder that contains college materials, like my essays and scholarship applications. I also color code all of my documents and projects by class.

Like I said, I have a whole folder dedicated to wallpapers. I keep a few desktop wallpapers always in rotation because I like have crisp and clean, but still aesthetically pleasing wallpapers on my desktop, and I know I'll get sick of my current photo within a few weeks. I always keep two desktops on my computer that I swipe back and forth between because it's easier when I'm working just to swipe to the right to look in my Spotify than to click over to it on my dock and have to minimize tabs.

My favorite place to find desktop wallpapers is Design Love Fest, but I find them on Pinterest and other random blogs too! Here are some of my saved backgrounds (and you can find the backgrounds above right here: blue // blush)

 Do you have any laptop organization tips?
xoxo

Packing my Cosmetic Bag

I am beyond excited to leave for New York and the Hamptons today! Packing yesterday was quite the struggle, and I'm seriously crossing my fingers that I didn't forget anything. One of the most crucial aspects of packing a suitcase is packing your cosmetic bag. For me, I always think I won't need things and then I show up on vacation missing something I seriously would've liked to have with me. 

So, fear not, consider this your field guide to packing your cosmetic bag!

I organize my bag in layers. I start with my makeup brushes, moisturizer, eyelash curler, and heat protectant on the bottom. Although these are all things I will need almost everyday, they are the bulkiest and make packing my toiletries that much easier. I swear by this moisturizer and this heat protectant.

Next, I add on top my deodorant, a roll-on perfume, a razor, makeup remover, cuticle oil, and highlighting drops. These are kind of those awkward things you need but don't really know what to do with them.

Towards the top I like to add the things I absolutely must have; the things that wouldn't be too easy to replace in a pinch. This includes my favorite tinted moisturizer, my everyday mascara, go-to bronzer and eyebrow pencil, and the nail polish I'm wearing that week.

In the little pocket I have chapstick, bobby pins, a few nail tools like a cuticle trimmer and mini file, and an extra hair tie. Other essentials inside: my favorite eyeshadow palette, lip balm, and clear nail polish.

Finally, on the very top, I throw in my toothbrush, toothpaste, medicine, hand lotion and qtips!

And that's that! Do you have any tips for packing your cosmetic case?

Shop the post:

xoxo

A Peek Inside My iPhone...

Is it just me, or is anyone else super nosy when it comes to other people's cell phones?! I love knowing what kinds of apps people download, or how they organize their apps, and some people just have really cute backgrounds too. Here's a peek inside my iPhone 5s for anyone else who might be just like me ;)

My most used apps are definitely messages, mail, and Instagram. I have this weird thing where I like a lot of my apps to be in folders, so that's why I keep Instagram separated from my bottom row. I found my background on tumblr {here} and cropped and rotated it to fit as a wallpaper. I always keep my home screen and lock screen wallpapers the same because I can't stand it when they don't match.

I'm not sure why, but I don't like having a lot of apps on each page. DWC is my folder for all things blogging related, in case you couldn't tell :) I keep a lot of things in random folders...

...and yes, I have an app called shit with a dollar sign. Also, I don't have any games on phone besides 2048 which I don't even play anymore, so if you put in a good word about the Kim Kardashian game then maybe I'll consider it. On another hand, I can't stand notifications, so that's a good motivator to actually read my emails and update my apps and actually reply to people's texts... if you're wondering what it's like to be in the DWC group chat, you don't want to know!

How do you organize your apps?

xoxo

How To Get Ready In 10 Minutes

Every morning I wake up 20 minutes before my carpool picks me up for school, and if I weren't eating breakfast every morning then I could easily be picked up 10 minutes before my ride showed up and have plenty of time to prep for school.

How do I do it? Not gonna lie, it's just a perk of going to all girls school! I don't put on any makeup, and having a uniform definitely restricts all "nothing to wear" moments... although sometimes I do struggle with what color polo to wear (kidding) ;)

I think we have all heard the stereotypical tips like... Mouthwash, plan your outfit ahead, and swipe mascara on and leave. Yeah, it's so true. 

Here's what I do:

1. Eat breakfast - Ok, obviously you're not going to have time for this if you need to be out the door in 10 minutes, but eating breakfast is super important. I really like Trader Joe's cereal bars, and they are healthy and filling, perfect for when you're running behind schedule! Grabbing something to eat on the way into school or work or wherever really is so much better than skipping breakfast all together.

2. Brush your teeth - If you don't brush your teeth twice a day I'm judging you. That's honestly just gross. But, sometimes you just don't have that extra time and gurgling mouthwash is faster - trust me, I have been that girl too. Please do everyone a favor though, and at the very least have a piece of gum or a mint. Morning breath is not made for the public.

3. Wash your face - I know a lot of people don't wash their face (jealous if you're one of those people with a naturally perfect complexion!), but for those who do, you know just how time consuming it can be. Good alternatives: splash hot water on your face which will clear off those excess oils and open pores a little, apply a little toner on a cotton ball, or use one of those face cleansing towelettes (mildly obsessed with those after sports practice...)

4. Makeup - Like I said, I don't wear makeup daily, but when I'm going somewhere where I actually have to look alive and slightly presentable, I always swipe on a little mascara, apply lip balm, and pinch my cheeks. Lip balm is so much less messy than lip gloss or lipstick and it enhances your lips to be a really nice natural shade for your skin tone. As for pinching your cheeks, I've done this for like a year or two now ever since I read somewhere that it's a really good substitute for blush just to add a little color.

5. Get dressed - Ha, the dreaded "I have nothing to wear" moments will definitely be a lot more stressful when you're on a time crunch. What I do when I'm in this position is stack up all my basics... White converse, dark jeans, a sweater or jacket with a simple top and limited jewelry. This is definitely the hardest part of any moment, am I right?

What are your tips when you're on a time crunch?

xoxo

How I Organize My Planner

Hello, hello! Today I will be sharing how I organize my planner, and a little bit of how I organize my monthly calendar. I use a Lilly large agenda for school, and a Sugar Paper desk calendar for everything else!

I write all of my assignments in pink pen, and all of my notes to myself in pencil. After I complete an assignment, I cross it off in pencil. A lot of people highlight their assignments once they finish them, but when I highlight things it usually signifies importance, and I don't find completed assignments very important, so that method doesn't work for me.

When I don't complete an assignment, I either cross it off with a squiggly line, or I circle it. I will cross it off with a squiggly line if it's not a big deal that I didn't do it, because it's due in a few days or something, and I will circle it if it's very important to get done.

My Sugar Paper calendar is so nice to have. I use it to keep track of life events, big school assignments or events, and blog posts. As you can see, the pink is consistent with my agenda and also represents school on my calendar as well. Pencil symbolizes life just like in my planner, and then my blog post ideas are written in light blue.

Here's another view of my planner and agenda. It's pretty straightforward, which I like. Sometimes people can go overboard with their color coordination, but this method really works for me.

What are your tips? Show me how you organize your planner, leave the link, and I'll be sure to check out your post!

xoxo