September Favorites

Hi Everyone!! 

My name is Grace and I am the blogger behind, Preppy On The West Coast and I could not be more excited to guest post for Ashley!! She is definitely one of my favorite bloggers/someone I look up to!!

When Ashley told me my post would be scheduled for September 30 {the last day of the month} the first idea that popped into my mind was doing a "September Favorites" post!! I absolutely love reading these kind of posts and thought it would be a fun post to write!! 

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The first thing I actually have been loving this month is a beauty/skincare product and that is my Proactiv Oil Free Moisturizer {this is an Amazon link, not affiliated//I couldn't get the direct link from the Proactiv website to work!!}. A year or so ago my mother bought my a whole Proactiv set and this is really the only product I used because it is very easy to apply and you don't have a sticky after feeling. I have recently begun swim in the morning before school and it is just so easy to throw in my bag and go! And also for an added bonus, it has SPF 15!!
pictured in 'clearest rinse'
I know everyone {and their mother's} complain about wearing jeans and how uncomfortable they are, but you just have not found the right jeans yet!! I bought a couple pairs of Levi's at the beginning of the school year, and I literally wear them every chance I get!! They obviously feel like jeans, but you can still comfortably move in them and don't constantly have to be readjusting them!! My two favorite washes are the Cleanest Rinse and Ultra Black because they are so clean and versatile pieces for the fall and winter time!!

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The accessory I have found myself always wearing this month is actually my 'love' bangle from Nordstrom BP. My mother picked this up for me one day and I absolutely love it!! It could easily be paired up with a couple other bracelets/watches/etc. but by itself it makes a statement as well!! 

I don't know about you all, but I am OBSESSED with Duck Dynasty... to the point where I have a whole post dedicated to how much I adore the show. {check it out here!!} #SorryNotSorry
I love this show because it is not like other shows where they are just after fame and wealth, but at the end of each episode they come together as a family and share some sort of message. And I mean, how can you not love Uncle Si?! The show airs every Wednesday at 10/9c on A&E!!
via Instagram
The final thing I've been loving recently, you would know if you follow me on Instagram, is actually a snack I have every day after cross country practice and that is frozen berries, whether it is blueberries or raspberries!! I love having frozen berries after practice because they are not just healthy, but very refreshing!! In California, it still gets pretty warm in the afternoons so this snack is perfect.

I again would just like to thank Ashley for letting me guest post for Private School Prepster!!

What are some things you've been loving recently?

xo,
Grace

Pierrepont Hicks

While reading through the Matchbook Magazine archives, I came across Pierrepont Hicks. Pierrepont Hicks is a brand started by a married couple, Mac and Katherine McMillan in 2009. They were getting married and couldn't find the perfect tie, so they decided to make their own. This turned into a huge business!

I was searching through this website the other day and fell in love. Since this company first started out as a brand for men's ties, they don't have many women's items. However, there are two that I totally adore!

I need this jacket! It's absolutely perfect for the cold fall and winter weather. I just wish it wasn't so expensive because that price is definitely out of my price range!

These moccasins are absolutely adorable! To me, they're a mixture between Sperry's and moccasins. They look so comfortable, and I love the mix of tan and pink. If only they were cheaper!

Have you heard of Pierrepont Hicks?

Design Darling Wants

We all know how fabulous and perfect Mackenzie Horan is. But do you know what's even more fabulous and perfect than her? Her boutique, Design Darling. Design Darling is a mixture of everything I love - totally adorable, chic, and classy items.

I often find myself looking through Design Darling on my iPad in school, and I'm in love with basically everything. I have a set wish list of what I want from her, which would be perfect to get for any kind of gifts. I'm dying to get any of the items below!


Long Tortoiseshell Necklace - $45 (which I must admit Caroline styles quite fabulously!)













So as you can see, I basically want the whole boutique... and I have no shame in admitting that! All of these items will be added to my Christmas list (and no, it isn't too early to start making a Christmas list!). But if any of you ever need to get me a gift, any of these pretty little things would be fabulous... ;)

What do you like from Design Darling?

Frankly

Note: This is a sponsored post. All opinions are 100% my own.

A couple of weeks ago, I found out about the app Frankly. Frankly is an app where you can talk to people privately, and after the person reads a message you sent, it will disappear - just like Snapchat! It's a super cool way to have private conversations with people. You can get it for iPhones or Androids. Check out more info from the workers of the company below:

Features of the app
1. Be Frank! Say what you want to your friends! All text and photos self-destruct once read. Nothing is saved to our servers. 
2. Go Incognito. Create a group room with your friends and chat anonymously! You know who’s in the room but you don’t know who’s saying what!
3. Late night mistakes? You can unsend messages if you change your mind before the message is opened! 

Uses of the app:
1. Gossip and goof off with friends
2. BFF group chats ("keep it in the group")
3. Get real – with disappearing messages, you can finally get as real as you want 
4. Coordinate group events
5. Group chats during events
6. Chatting while in a crowded setting (minimal over-the-shoulder reading)
7. Worried about someone reading your old texts? You’ll never have to erase texts at the end of the day!

How to use it:
1. Download Frankly
2. Find your friends
3. Send them a text or a picture message
4. The message is bubble is encoded until they are ready to read it
5. Tap message bubble to reveal content (photo or text)
6. Then, your message will self-destruct

I got the chance to try this app out, and I have to admit that's pretty cool. I've always wondered if there would ever be a way to permanently get rid of text messages, and Frankly is the answer!

What do you think of Frankly?

Review :: My Pink Heels Boutique

Ashley Andrus, the owner of My Pink Heels Boutique, sent me a cross bracelet to review. My Pink Heels is a fairly new brand. I can't seem to find a link to the bracelet on the website, but pictures are below!



The bracelet is cute, but I have to admit I'm not in love with it. The cross is made out of a cheap, bendy metal, and the string is very dainty. The string is also rather long, so it tickles my wrist. I probably wouldn't buy it if I saw it in a store.

However, the good thing about the bracelet is it is adjustable, which is fabulous for my wrist seeing as it is so small! Even though the bracelet isn't what I imagined, I was super happy with the customer service. Everything was sent in a timely manner, and Ashley was so sweet!

What do you like from My Pink Heels Boutique?

Fall Sweaters

One of my favorite things about the fall is getting to wear cute little sweaters. They look fabulous with a pair of jeans or leggings and riding boots or moccasins. I don't have too many sweaters though, so I definitely need to invest in at least one of the sweaters below!




What sweaters are you eyeing this fall?

Two Years

As of today, my boyfriend and I have been dating for two years! I honestly cannot believe how fast these two years have flown by. It's crazy that we met the second day of school freshman year and started dating three weeks into freshman year, and now we're juniors. We went from being awkward, shy freshmen (that's what going to a Catholic high school where you don't know many people at first does to you...) to being outgoing juniors.

Even though we have our ups and downs, I wouldn't have wanted to spend these last two years with anyone else but Tyler. He makes me happy, he answers my 3 am phone calls if I can't sleep or if I'm stressed, he spoils me, and more. T is all that I could ask for in a boyfriend and more.

So, in honor of our two years, I thought I would say some of my favorite memories of us!

{one} Red Sox
In June 2012, we went to a Red Sox game. During the seventh inning, the sky started to absolutely downpour, and the rest of the game was canceled. Tyler and I had to run all the way from Fenway Park back to the train station! We ended up getting lost once and absolutely soaked, but it was so much fun that I didn't even care.

{two} Walmart
This one happened super recently. On Friday, I was really upset. So, Tyler picked me up from my friend's house and was trying to do things to make me happy. He asked me where the nearest Lilly Pulitzer or Vineyard Vines are so he could buy me stuff - adorable, right?! Unfortunately, it was 8:30 at night, and the closest Lilly or Vineyard Vines store is 30+ minutes away. I couldn't stop crying, and we just drove around until we figured out something to do. Tyler knows about my obsession with office supplies (which he constantly makes fun of me for in a joking/cute way...), so he suggested that we go to Walmart and get office supplies for me, which made me laugh. So off to Walmart we went! He ended up buying me $60 worth of office supplies (oops...), and my mood totally changed around. I'm so thankful he did that for me.

{three} anniversary date
On Saturday, Tyler and I celebrated our anniversary because it would be too hard to celebrate it on a school night. We ended up going to an Olive Garden (always a good choice!) located at an outdoor shopping mall. After that, we looked around at the stores for a little bit and got milkshakes at Coldstone. We were both all dressed up, and I wish I had someone snap some pictures of us or Tyler snap some pictures of me for an OOTD post. Oh well! Anyway, I wore my Lilly Pulitzer Delia dress in Spring Fling, my silver Jack Rogers, and my pink North Face rain jacket since it was a little chilly. The car ride there and back was definitely my favorite part because we blasted Lana Del Rey the whole time and sang at the top of our lungs!

There are so many more memories of us that I cherish. So here's two a happy two years!!

Fall Fashion Outfits

Hey y'all! I'm Ashley from The Southern Prepster. I am so happy to be guest posting for Ashley M. today!

Fall is one of my favorite seasons for fashion. I love how it isn't too cold outside and it isn't too hot. Riding boots, vests, cardigans, and everything else about fall fashion makes me so happy for fall!

I pieced together 3 essential fall outfits: comfy, casual, and dressy. Enjoy!

pullover//leggings//riding boots

button down//vest//jeans//scarf//riding boots

dress//scarf//riding boots

I would say the biggest staple pieces for fall fashion would be riding boots, vests, long sleeve shirts, and scarves.

What do you like to wear in the fall?

xo

First Blog-aversary

Yesterday was my first blog-aversary! Unfortunately, I couldn't post about it yesterday due to a prior post commitment, so I'm writing about it today. When I made my blog last year, I never thought it would turn out to be like this. I made it as a creative outlet to have during my difficult sophomore year, and basically as a way to just record my growth as a person. It has totally changed, and I'm happy to say I love my blog!

I never would have thought that I would have almost 30,000 pageviews, almost 200 followers, and around 20 brands I've worked with. My blog has grown so much, and I can honestly say I'm proud of it. It's no doubt that blogging takes up a good amount of my time, but I don't even look at it as a chore; I look at it as a hobby, something fun that I love to do.

Honestly, my blog most likely wouldn't be here if it wasn't for my fabulous readers and followers because I would feel like I was talking to myself and therefore be bored! All of the emails, tweets, and comments you guys leave me truly make my day. You guys are part of the reason why I love blogging so much!

I can gladly and proudly say that I can't wait for many more years of blogging!!!

Review :: Salty Sea

I'm so excited to be doing a review for Salty Sea! Salty Sea is a Southern-based brand that has tons of fabulous shirts, tanks, and sweatshirts with their pelican logo. I was sent the Salty Pelican Long-Sleeved Shirt in Watermelon.

I worked with Brandi from Salty Sea, and she was so sweet! The customer service was fabulous, which is always a plus. I even got my shirt super quickly! Brandi had me review a long-sleeved shirt since the cold weather is coming. Unfortunately, I was unable to get any pictures of me wearing the shirt. However, I've still been able to wear it a couple of times, and I have to admit that I'm very satisfied with it! I got a small, the smallest size, and it's pretty big. The fact that it's over-sized makes it super comfortable, and I love pairing it with a pair of yoga pants. Overall, I'm super happy with this shirt and brand! I highly recommend going to them!



What do you like from Salty Sea?

School Clutches

One thing I need to get for school is a new clutch/wristlet. I need a quality wristlet that is big enough to hold everything I need, such as my money, pens, highlighters, etc. I've had my eyes on two wristlets, but I just need to look at them in person to see if they're a good size. Check them out below!



Both of these are absolutely adorable!

What do you use for school?

Lilly Pulitzer Hair Bows

One thing I've been obsessing over lately is Lilly Pulitzer hair bows found on Etsy. I don't really wear hair bows, but I would love to start wearing them. The bright Lilly patterns brighten up any outfit.

High Beams (which match a pair of shorts I have!!!)

Between the Lines

Chomp Chomp

Tusk In Sun

Which Lilly Pulitzer hair bows do you like?

Your Life & Your Blog

Photo Credit
My name is Zobia and I blog over at TheEternityJournal.com. Today I am taking over Ashely's wonderful blog and writing to you all about how blogging effects our lives and visa-versa.  Blogging effects your life and your life effects your blog in several ways. Your life and blogging go hand in hand. Your blog is a reflection of who you are in your every day life and your life becomes the basis of what you blog about.

How Your Life Effects Your Blogging
Blogging would not exist if it wasn't for your lifestyle. For example, if you are involved in the fashion industry in any way anything that inspires you-a new collection, a specific brand, a color palette, or a new trend becomes what you blog about. Therefore you are know as a "fashion" or "style" blogger. If you just use blogging as a way to write and share your daily life-you blog about your life's experiences, you blog about your favorite things, what makes your lifestyle different from everyone else, share tips, and aim to relate to your readers by just being yourself. If you're a computer/business enthusiast, (like myself), anything you find on the Internet that involves technology and business ends up your blog, opinions, reviews, and tips end up making your blog's topic list as well. See the trend? Your hobbies, your interests, the person you are, the things you like, the things you don't like-all of that becomes what you blog about and what your blog stands for.

How Blogging Effects Your Life
Many of us struggle to find time to blog every day. Blogging should be fun, it should be easy, but if you really get into blogging, you'll realize majority of the time it becomes a small "business" or "project". No matter what you call it, your blog becomes something that no longer just requires you to blog, but now socialize, advertise, network, work with brands, and take stat counters seriously. This effects your life because now you have to make time to blog and manage all of that. Tip: One way to manage how blogging effects your life is by scheduling time to blog each week. Setting aside blogging time as well as blog management and networking time will help you make time to live your life (and do something worth blogging about) while keeping your blog organized! Blogging is not all fun and games, but it's not completely serious either, but as long as you love what you do and love to share it through blogging, you'll enjoy the ride!

Cute School Bags

A new school year usually means a new bag. At least, that's how I think of it. A school bag is truly important because you want to make sure it doesn't kill your shoulders, it can hold a lot, and it's cute. Check out these adorable bags that I love below!




Which school bag do you use?

Study Tips


I've received a couple of emails from some of my lovely followers and readers regarding my study tips. They said my tips were super helpful, and they wanted to hear more, so I decided to make one list of study tips all together!

{one} make flashcards
Making flashcards are super helpful when you need to know certain topics or definitions. You can either do online flashcards through Quizlet (which has a fabulous app for iPhones and iPads!) or handwritten flashcards. I like to do both. Flashcards will allow you to test yourself and help you figure out which concepts you need to focus on more!

{two} outline the chapter
If you're having a history or science test on a chapter, outline the chapter. The outline will help you study key points instead of studying things you don't really need to know. The only bad side of outlining the chapter is it can take up a lot of time. Other than that, reading over the outline will help you memorize important points!

{three} make fake tests
Make fake tests or quizzes using information that you think (or know!) your teacher will ask you about. This will help you see what you need to study more and what you know. It's also a great way to practice taking tests in a restricted amount of time!

{four} study notes
If you take any notes in your class, study them. Everything your teacher says during a lesson is important, so it's something that you should write down to remember. Highlight and color-code your notes to help them stick in your mind. You can also write notes on your notes if you need to remember something or add something.

I do all four of these things when studying for a test or quiz, and they work really well. You can either use these tips exactly how I give them or adapt them to your own preference!

How do you study?

Lilly Pulitzer Fall Choices

Most girls associate Lilly Pulitzer with spring and summer. However, Lilly Pulitzer has some adorable clothes for the fall and winter. They're just not the bright patterns like the spring and summer clothes; they're just normal patterns and neutral colors. Check out the clothes I like below!






What do you like from Lilly Pulitzer this fall?

Giveaway :: YT Clothing

Mandi from YT Clothing not only sent me a Sadie Bracelet in silver to review but wants to give away an Erin Necklace in garnet as well! This necklace is absolutely gorgeous and definitely a cute statement necklace! It will brighten a dull outfit and add just the right touch.


This giveaway will end Thursday, September 19th at 12:00 AM EST. Good luck, ladies!


What do you like from YT Clothing?

React Mobile

Robb Monkman created React Mobile, an app that allows you to send your GPS location to your contacts whenever you don't feel safe. Check out Robb's description of React Mobile below!

Can you explain your inspiration for creating this app? What exactly happened to you? 
I’ve personally been the victim of a hostage situation while I was a college student and saw the need for a product that could be used to silently and discreetly alert the authorities and your trusted contacts if you are in trouble.  When we first came up with the idea behind React Mobile, we wanted to develop a tool to improve safety on university campuses. What we noticed is that institutions are actively installing and maintaining blue light emergency phones which help to create the perception of safety on campuses. Although these blue light emergency phones can be useful, they are very expensive to install ($7K - $10K on average) and maintaining these phones costs upwards of $60k per year. Furthermore, usage rates are low and these phones are typically used for crank calls pestering police and security officers. While there is no doubt that these blue light emergency phones serve a purpose, we wanted to develop technology that puts the power of an emergency blue light phone in the palm of every students’ hand, thus, arming individuals with a more effective safety tool that can be used on and off campus. Since our launch we’ve found other markets beyond schools that can benefit from our app’s capabilities, and we’ve been gaining traction with runners – women runners in particular. 

Is the Android version out yet? Windows?
Yes, we have released our app on several Android platforms and we are working to expand our list of supported Android smartphones.  It's difficult to keep up with the many different Android phone models and operating systems but we work on most of the popular Android platforms. We don't currently have a Window version of our app.  As a Seattle based company we plan to develop a Window version of our app in the next year.

React differentiates itself in the following ways:
“Follow-Me” Feature - React Mobile, is a safety tool that you hope you never have to use. We differentiate ourselves by providing users with a safety enhancement feature for everyday use. Our premium “Follow-me” feature allows users to have friends and family track them in real-time. When a user is concerned for their safety but doesn’t want to escalate a potentially harmless situation, they can have their friends and family track them in real-time until they are safe.

International Support:
Users also have the ability to choose which country they are visiting (or living in) from our settings tab and when they trigger an SOS alert they will be prompted to dial the appropriate emergency authority depending on where they are (ex: if they are in the UK the app will prompt a user to dial 112 not 911).

Social Network Integration:
SOS alerts can be posted to Facebook and Twitter – In the event of an emergency we want users to have the capability to alert as many people as possible. We are differentiating ourselves from the competition by offering users the option to post their emergency alerts to Facebook and Twitter with a link to their location.

White Label/Custom Branding:
We are differentiating ourselves from competitors by providing corporate and educational institutions with our custom branding opportunities. React Mobile’s Private Label service is a cost effective and easy to implement layer of protection that allows institutions to brand our application as their own. Our private label opportunities allow schools and corporations to focus on delivering a powerful risk mitigation tool to employees without having to go spend the resources and time developing a comprehensive solution like React on their own. Unlike other personal safety products such as pepper spray, rape whistles, guns, tasers, etc., React Mobile, is a safety product that cannot be used against a victim. All that is required
 is a Internet signal, WiFi, or cell coverage to work.   Our Private label product is a cost effective way to take advantage of the safety benefits that technology can provide.  React Mobile is a solution that is affordable for people to pick up independently or for corporations to sell as a benefit to others which helps to drive brand loyalty and employee morale.  You can find out more about React Mobile’s Custom Branding Opportunities by following this link:www.reactmobile.com/private-label. 

React Mobile is Free
Unlike many of our competitors we are offering our product as a free app as we believe that it is a safety tool that everyone with a smartphone should have at their disposal. Unlike the competition, we impose no charge for the use of key features and we don’t require a users’ emergency contacts to have installed the app.

Automatic 911 prompt
Because it is critical to alert the authorities when you are in trouble, our app automatically prompts users to dial 911 if an alert is activated. 

What is the Follow-Me feature?
React Mobile's SOS emergency reporting is a safety tool that you hope you never have to use. We differentiate ourselves by providing users with a safety feature for everyday use. Our premium “Follow-me” feature allows users’ friends and family to track them in real-time whenever they are concerned for their safety. People frequently feel unsafe and uncomfortable but may not want to trigger an SOS alert. Examples include , a solo or late night runner (or runner in the woods), a realtor meeting a new client for the first time in an unfamiliar place, a student walking home along a dark pathway, an online dater who is meeting a date for the first time. These are just some examples of when people might want the peace of mind of knowing that their trusted, self-selected contacts are tracking them in real-time. If an emergency situation occurs a user can escalate to an SOS alert, however, if for some reason the user can’t issue an alert (i.e. they are attacked), their friends will know where they are if they go missing thanks to the last known GPS and will be able to alert the police.

Other news:
As previous stated, we’ve also launched React Mobile on select Android smartphones. The app is currently available for many Android devices on Google Play, with additional releases are anticipated later this year. This summer we started to offer International support and React Mobile has world-travelers covered, with availability in 39 countries. As mentioned above, this summer we also introduced a custom branding solution that allows universities, K-12 schools, and businesses to have their very own custom security app to share with their students and employees. For an annual fee, organizations can have a custom branded safety app, with their logo, colors, and user interface customizations that has all of the safety features of React Mobile.

In my opinion, this app is super helpful when you're walking around your college campus alone or going on a run by yourself. It's an app that everyone should definitely have in order to feel safe and secure. I highly recommend getting it!

Note: This is a sponsored post. All opinions are 100% my own.

What do you think about React Mobile?

Vineyard Vines Fall Catalog

If you haven't seen my multiple tweets about it, the Vineyard Vines fall catalog is absolute perfection. Everything in there is just so cute, and I need it all! If only I had the money (and privilege to wear actual clothes to school instead of a uniform...) to buy all of it.









What do you like from Vineyard Vines this fall?