Back to School: Backpack Essentials

As I prepare to head off to my first year of college, I have done what probably would seem to be an ridiculous amount of research on what I will need to bring with me. Most importantly, I wanted to know what all the essentials to have in your backpack include. Here are the items I plan to carry with me at all times and that I found to be most important!

Let's start off with the bag. This adorable backpack show above is from, none other than, Target! They've had some really cute backpacks for the back to school season and when I saw this one I couldn't pass it up. I also have another plain black backpack that is a bit more heavy duty than this one, but I hope to use this cute patterned bag as much as I can without it clashing with any of my outfits!

School supplies is obviously a necessity. My favorite items are Five Star notebooks and folders. I also carry with me a variety of pens and pencils to take notes and study with. Highlighters are also important study aids that can help to liven up your notes. One thing I never thought of until doing a bit of looking into what school supplies to bring was a mini stapler. When you have something to turn in during a college class, your professor with most likely not pass the one class stapler around the desk like I experienced in high school. Having your own mini stapler can be a life saver in case you had to print something out last minute and totally forgot to staple it before throwing it in your bag. 

Makeup Bag Essentials

I am not someone who likes to bring a full load of makeup to school but rather stick to the things that'll be good to have around in case I smudge my eye makeup or forget to use something in the morning. If you want to bring more makeup related products I'd definitely recommend things that can be multi purposeful. Choose a lipstick that isn't only a great shade for you lips but also could double as cream blush. Things that have dual purposes will save you space in your makeup bag and you will have less things to worry about bringing.

Personal hygiene is one of the most important things to keep up. However, everyone has had that one day that they are running late and forgot to put on deodorant or brush their teeth. Keep miniature sizes of those products so you will never have to worry. I also would have to say if you can find a miniature size of anything, get it, especially for something that needs to be portable like your makeup bag. Another thing that is helpful to stay feeling refreshed at school are oil absorbing sheets. After gym class or even if you just have oily skin, these sheets will remove excess oils without ruining your makeup.

It can be hard to feel nice when you are having a bag hair day. Keep extra hair ties and bobby pins in your bag just in case your locks won't cooperate. I also like to have these sorts of things just for when I want my hair out of my face. I usually put my hair up when I am taking a test or you may need to put in back in science class.

For actual makeup, I keep it pretty low key. The main things I have in my makeup bag are lip products. I like to keep a lip balm, gloss, and some sort of stain or tint. The three things shown in the picture are staples in my makeup bag. It is also super easy to add a little bit of makeup to your lips and you will look super polished after.

About at the mid day point at school I feel like my skin looks a bit tired and less glowy than it did in the morning. This is why I prefer to keep a matte bronzer in my makeup bag, but you could totally switch this up for a light, translucent powder. You can use the applicator, if it comes with one, or just a miniature sized face brush or kabuki. I don't wear pencil eyeliner too much but for some reason I think it is a useful thing to keep in your makeup bag for touch ups or if you decide you want to amp up your eye look. Mascara is definitely a number one must have! Keeping a mini sized bottle in your purse can be a life saver in case you forgot to apply it in the morning or just need another coat.

These are all the things I keep in my makeup bag! Let me know your must haves for yours in the comments. If there are any other Back to School types posts you would like to see let me know what those are also.

xx Meghan

Reducing Closet Chaos!

I am someone who goes through phases of keeping my room clean. Sometimes I make sure everything is in it's place a a tucked away while other times clothes accumulate on my floor to make mountains. When it comes time to cleaning, especially throughout my closet, I keep many different tricks up my sleeve. So if you are looking for tips to reduce clutter and give your closet that organized, yet stylish looks, you've come to the right place!

Pack the Perfect Beach Bag!

Since summer is in season and with that comes warm weather I decided to put together a sort of guide of what to keep in your beach bag! This is also like a What's in My Beach Bag because I went through mine to put the picture together! You could also take this to the pool or wherever you like to go in the summer to beat the heat! Tell me in the comments what your one essential thing you keep in your beach/pool bag! Happy Summer!

The Bag: I love to bring a backpack because my hands can be free to carry other stuff like towels, chairs, and coolers. For me I can pack more too if I bring a backpack! I also like that I can zip it up and keep the sand out. I really like the backpacks target has. They have some with really cute prints like the one above that are perfect for summer!

Organizing Jewelry

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I used to keep all my jewelry hidden in boxes and drawers and I found I never seemed to wear any of it. As the saying goes, out of sight out of mind, and that is just what I did. I wanted to create a way to store while also displaying my jewelry. I came up with a few different ways to store all my different pieces, including a DIY project I did that I'd love to share with you all!

Necklaces

My biggest dilemma was all of my shorter, more delicate necklaces. I had nowhere to put them. All my longer, chunkier necklaces are draped across my mannequin and I didn't want my smaller ones getting tangled up in that. So what I did, I cut down a tree branch from my back yard, one with lots of smaller branches coming off. I trimmed down the branches and spray painted it black and there we had it. There are similar decorations and actual jewelry organizers that resemble tree branches, especially from Urban Outfitters, but mine didn't cost a penny!

Purse Essentials

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Don't you hate that feeling of forgetting something? After reading this, you'll never have to feel that way again. I know I hate wishing I could have remembered to put something in my bag or just utterly forgetting something. I have compiled somethings I always keep with me, for those "just in case moments." To some this may seem excessive, but I know that the day I take something out, is the day I'll always need it. I'd rather be safe than sorry. This also can help you organize your bag/school bag (I just transfer things from one to the other if I decide to change purses after school or something), and it will help keep your personal things from mixing in with your other items. Keeping reading for more details and pics of my personal essentials.

Desk of Champions

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*WARNING* This is a rather long post! Don't say I didn't warn you!
Admit it. We have all gone through the state of feeling like we  have the most cluttered desk in the world. Organizing and simplifying your desk, while beautifying your it can be extremely simple (and actually quick depending on the state your desk is in beforehand).