Safe Summer Skin

No one is oblivious to the fact that too much time in the sun is bad for you. But still--so many of us seem to take this idea for granted, myself included. Why is it that despite countless warnings about the dangers of sunburns and not wearing sunscreen, that so many people--particially young women--are still ignoring the facts? With the weather getting warmer and summer coming up, I've been excited to start working on my tan and have spent several days by the pool already. I have somewhat fair skin, but still tan pretty easily, and after just a few pool trips I've already gotten multiple comments on my new tan. However, for whatever reason this weekend it hit me (something I've been hearing for years, yet somehow managed to ignore until this point)--my tan may look good now, but how will it look when I'm 30? 40? 50 and older? I also have a lot of freckles on my face (although weirdly almost none on my body), which also began to concern me. I like the way my freckles look for now, but how much will it take for one (or more) of them to develop into something bad? Here's a quote from the Skin Cancer Foundation Website:

"One blistering sunburn in childhood or adolescene more than doubles a person's chance at developing melanoma later in life. A person's risk for melanoma also doubles if he or she has had five or more sunburns at any age."

Yikes. Five or more sunburns? This statistic is particularly alarming for me, given that I remember having two bad sunburns last year alone. I also looked at their website's Skin Type Quiz to determine what my skin type and corresponding risk of developing skin cancer is. I was a Type II out of 6 possible types. Type I would be the lightest skinned people, with light hair and eyes and many freckles. Type VI would be a very dark-skinned African American person. I would assume most people are around a Type III.

So--where does this leave those of us who are still interested in getting a decent tan for summer? Luckily I've never been one to go to tanning beds--I categorize those with activities such as smoking and eating very unhealthily--but still, laying out in the sun for long periods at a time isn't much better. I definitely won't be giving up spending time at the beach or pool, BUT I've decided that I'll only lay out for very short periods of time (not even close to getting a sunburn) AND I'll wear sunscreen. Period. There's no reason to choose something unhealthy, when a much healthier and safer alternative is available.

I also decided to add two new products to my beauty routine, one of those being Neutrogena Micro-Mist Airbrush Sunless Tan. It works just like the self tanning lotions, except it comes out in a spray. I was a bit hesitant to try it at first since I've never used a spray tanner before, but it works wonderfully! The directions say you don't have to rub it after you spray it on, but I did and I think it made a difference. I don't have a single streak, splotch, or uneven spot anywhere! It also is a pretty good color--not unnatural looking whatsoever! I think that as long as I keep using this and spend just a tiny bit of time in the sun, I'll still have a nice, healthy summer glow. No more damaging sunburns! I'd definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a good self-tanner, but I'd also suggest watching some YouTube videos that show the best way to apply it first. The second product is Garnier Skin Renew Anti-Sun Damage. It's a daily facial moisturizer with SPF28 that is supposed to work to remove wrinkles, sun spots, and uneven skin tone caused by the sun. It's never to early to start thinking about your future skin, and working to keep it healthy and pretty! This lotion works alright as a daily moisturizer. It's a bit heavy for my liking, but not bad at all, especially given its SPF!

Overall, I guess this post is supposed to sum up one idea: You're only "young" for a very short time, relatively. I've read that women hit their beauty peak at age 31, so from that point on it's only downhill. You spend most of your life as an adult, and going through the aging process. Tanned skin may be alright for the time when you're young, but how will it look for the majority of your life when you're not young? Are you willing to sacrifice the quality of your skin for the greater part of your life (when you're old) just for brown skin now? I don't mean to be too preachy, but it just hit me recently how much of a real concern this is and I really feel it's something for everyone to think about!

How do you feel about tanning vs. protecting your skin for the future? Do you use any tanning products? Products to protect your skin from damage and aging?

~KBR~

Monday Morning Motivation

Lovin' the Springtime

Hey everyone! This week sure has flown by...I can't believe it's already Thursday, and I haven't done a post since Monday! Whoops! Anyways, I've been suuuuper busy this week, but not in a bad way. Sure, I've had lots of stuff I've had to do, like papers and studying and babysitting...BUT I've also been spending LOTS of time loving the fact that springtime finally seems to be here to stay!

I've been hitting the gym really hard and trying to eat healthier to get bikini-ready for summer (luckily I didn't have to do that for spring break, or else I'd be a little behind)! I've also been spending countless hours--yes, truly countless--outdoors and by the pool for the past two weeks. I love that I can lay out in the sun without getting way too hot like I do in the summer. Lazing around by the pool has also allowed me some free time to catch up on my one of favorite hobbies--reading! Last week I finished a book I had been working on for a while, called The Mermaid Chair. It's by the same author who wrote The Secret Life of Bees. Honestly, this book wasn't nearly as good as The Secret Life of Bees, but still a decent summertime read! Then, I started working on a book called Sarah's Key, which I finished Sunday evening. It's about the Holocaust in France, and how it affected the children there (although the characters are fictional). Definitely a good book though, I'd recommend it!

Finally, this week I started the ultra-popular Hunger Games...and just in time too, since the movie's about to come out in theaters! I had been hearing for sooo long about how it good it was, and finally decided to read it. Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down--I finished the first book in two days! I'm already on the second book, Catching Fire, which is just as captivating. I can't wait to see the movie now!

The last thing I've been busy with this week is a super fun one--shopping! With the new warm weather approaching, I couldn't wait to start adding some fun new pieces to my wardrobe. Using Pinterest as my inspiration, I recently purchased a good bit of new flowy, girly, colorful pieces that I can't wait to share with you all! That post should be heading your way some time next week ;) I'll be spending this weekend with Derek (per usual) but he's been in Italy with his family this week for spring break so I've had very limited communication with him! Even though we usually have to go a whole week without seeing each other, it makes it much harder not being able to talk on the phone or use Skype.

Anyways, that's my little week summary/excuse for why I've been so absent this week ;) What have you all been up to lately?

~KBR~

Monday Morning Motivation

~KBR~

St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone! Hope you all have a wonderful day celebrating, whether it be with a parade, party, or lots of festive treats...and you better have all remembered to wear something green today ;)

~KBR~

Colored Denim

Hey everyone! I hope all of you have had the chance to enjoy some of this GORGEOUS weather we've been having this week. Today after class I spent the whole afternoon lounging by the pool, and I have the exact same plans for tomorrow ;) Anyways, my post today is about the colored denim trend! I've always been a huge fan of super colorful shorts in the summer/spring, and colored pants immediately seemed like a fun, dressier alternative (at least for the cooler days). However, I'm not a fan of spending big bucks on trendier pieces like this. Basically, the way I see it is that if it's something I can wear multiple times a week without people noticing (shoes, jewelry, basic denim or khakis, purses, etc.) then I consider it a "staple" and am fine with shelling out a little more money to make sure I get a quality item. But let's be real...how often can I wear bright, pastel pants without people noticing? Not very often.

Luckily, I found a super affordable and cute pair of peach/coral jeggings at Delia's! I honestly can't remember the last time I shopped there, but an internet search led me there and I orderded them online ASAP. I'm glad I did--they're perfect! I haven't taken a picture of me wearing them yet, but here's a picture from the website:

At $44.50 they're such a steal...plus all of their denim is buy one, get one 50% off. I added a pair of white jeans to my order, and the price of each went down to about $35. Not bad at all! However, I'm still not super confident on how to style these bold jeans...which is where you all come in! I know that all of my followers are a bunch of fashionistas...how would you reccomend styling them? I know it's pretty easy to pair them with a white/cream top like so:

However, I only have a limited number of white tops and would love to find some other ways to wear them! I love the added stripes in this picture:

Is it too much to wear them with a different colored top? Also, I'm already on the search for a new pair of colored denim...preferably a light mint color! Thoughts? Where have you found colored denim this season?

Side Note: I also realized today that I've reached 100 followers...yay! :) I'm aware that this means I should do some kind of giveaway soon, but I've been super busy so bear with me! I'll try to work something good out soon ;)

~KBR~

Monday Morning Motivation

Be not afraid of growing slowly; be afraid only of standing still.

-Chinese Proverb

Even if I don't reach all my goals, I've gone higher than I would have if I hadn't set any.

-Danielle Fotopoulis

~KBR~

Spring Break: Part Two

Well, after a completely exhausting 5:30am flight out of Austin, I'm finally back home in good ole Charlotte! I had such a wonderful time in Texas, and after sharing Part One of my little spring break trip, I've decided to share Part Two!

Like I said on my Part One post, I spent Monday visiting UT and meeting with their local TriDelta chapter, which was wonderful! Well, Tuesday I headed off to see Texas A&M, which was a completely different experience from UT. First of all, UT is located right in downtown Austin, whereas I had to drive through two hours of farmlands to make it to A&M. Literally, there was nothing else out there! However, A&M is really big on their history and traditions, and since pretty much the only thing in College Station (the town) is the university, it seems super school-spirited, which could be really fun! I also met with the TriDelta chapter there, and just LOVED them as well!

Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures at A&M, so I can't show you the things I loved about it like I did with UT :( However, I do have a few pictures from my next Texas experience...which occured at TCU!

Elizabeth & I

One of my absolute BEST friends from high school, Blitz (yes, that's her name) attends TCU, and one of my other best friends, Elizabeth (who goes to College of Charleston), happened to be visiting her the same week that I was in Texas, so I knew I had to make a trip to see them. I drove straight from A&M to TCU, and although I was only there for a night, I'd say I had a pretty full experience! We went to a fraternity baseball tailgate, watched a bit of the baseball game, went to a yummy Mexican restaurant, and checked out the "downtown" scene that night--lots of fun! I had to wake up superrr early the next morning to make it back to Austin by 11am to meet some people from my dad's office, so it was quite the short trip to see my friends, but well worth it!

Part of the group at the Mexican restaurant



Now it's Thursday and I'm SO glad to be writing this post from my own bed! Derek is coming tomorrow to stay for the weekend--yay!--and I'm hoping for a relaxing weekend after this busy week full of lots of driving, airports, and long flights.

View from the plane at 7am this morning

What are you all looking forward to this weekend?

~KBR~

Absolutely Worth Watching: KONY2012

Hey everyone! I hadn't planned on doing a post today since I'm still enjoying my spring break in Texas, but when I got on Facebook this morning and saw that 45 of my friends had shared this video, I knew I was about to watch something good...and I knew it would be worth sharing with you all! This video is heartbreaking, informative, inspiring, and motivating. I encourage every single one of you to watch it and take some kind of action--even if your only action is sharing it with one other person. People like you and I are so blessed to live in a nation where we have personal rights and a government that looks after us (regardless of political party differences). We have the resources (aka things we take for granted everyday, like Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, text messaging, etc.) to make a HUGE impact by sharing knowledge, and I hope all of you choose to do so!

Spring Break: Part One

Hey everyone! I hope those of you who are on your spring breaks are having a blast and will have lots of fun pictures to share when you get back...for those of you still waiting for spring break to get here, just hang on a little longer--it'll be here before you know it! :)

As I mentioned in my post last week, I'm spending my spring break in Texas visiting my parents and looking at some schools I'm thinking about transferring to! I arrived Saturday evening, and had a wonderful late dinner with my parents and sister. Sunday my stepmom and sister left to head back to Charlotte, so it's just my dad and me here for the week. It's so great getting to spend some one-on-one time with him! We spent all day Sunday looking at potential new houses, seeing local sights, and grabbing a bite to eat here and there. Austin is SUCH a cool, fun, lively city--I've loved every second I've spent here! I spent today exploring the University of Texas and just fell in love with it. I even got the chance to meet up with the TriDelt chapter here and have lunch at their house...so much fun! Tomorrow I'm road-tripping across Texas in order to visit Texas A&M and meet their local TriDelt chapter, and after that I'm heading off to TCU to stay with some friends. Then Wednesday morning I'll head back here to spend my last full day in Texas in Austin, and I fly back to Charlotte early Thursday morning (5am flight---yikes!). I wanted to share a few pictures (from my iPhone) of my last two days here...I'm sure there will be plenty more to share by Thursday!

Austin has a bunch of "food trailers" scattered all across town. Each trailer specializes in their own type of dish, such as Thai food, hotdogs, cupcakes, etc. (there's seriously so many options!) My dad and I stopped by the "Mighty Cone"...as you might have guessed, all food is served in a cone, including the almond-covered chicken I ordered. It was so yummy!

Kite festival in a nearby park. There were SO many people there...just goes to show how HUGE Austin is! All of the rest of my pictures are from the University of Texas:

~KBR~

Monday Morning Motivation

~KBR~

Everything's Bigger...

Alright y'all, so I have some BIG news to share with you guys. I actually have been debating when would be the right time to do a post about this since about mid-December, but I think now is finally the time. Before I share the big news, I wanted to share a little excerpt from this post I did back towards the beginning of December...I know it's a little lengthy, but nothing I share today will really make sense without this background!

"...however my school situation is a bit complex, so let me explain. I spent my freshman year at NC State, and quite frankly...I hated it. Loved the people I met there, loved my sorority sisters, but I really disliked the campus as well as the city of Raleigh. Apologies to all my wolfpack fans out there--it just wasn't the right school for me! So, I decided to transfer...which is where it gets complicated. My dad's job is likely going to require him (and obviously the whole family) to move out of state sometime soon...like really soon. And really far...as in maybe Connecticut, Texas, or California. And honestly, I miiiight be a little scared of staying over here alone on the East Coast if they're going to end up across the country. So, I didn't want to choose my "final" school after the end of my freshman year because I wanted to wait and see where my family ended up, but I also wanted to get out of NCSU. The solution? Spend a semester or a year at UNC Charlotte, which is near my hometown, then transfer yet again. I don't know if transfering schools twice sounds a little crazy (...okay, I know it does) but its worked out for the best so far! I can't say I love UNCC but I love being close to home, and closer to my boyfriend at Clemson! Still not sure which state I'll be graduating college in, but we'll cross that bridge when it comes..."

So, as some of you might have already guessed, that bridge is here and ready for crossing! The news..? I finally know where my family is moving to, and which schools I'll be applying to!

Without further ado, my family will be moving to....TEXAS!!

And yes, some of the schools I may potentially be transferring to are also in Texas! Such a weird concept for someone who's spent the majority of their life in North Carolina. Now, it's not like I have to go to school in the same state as my family...I guess I just see it as 1) I'm already planning on transferring, 2) At the very least, I don't want to be TOO far from my family, and 3) I'm always up for a new adventure, and I think I could really learn to love Texas! Plus, as much as I adore good ole Carolina, there's really not many schools that I feel would be the right "fit" for me...other than one, which actually happens to be my first choice! *PS: Schools outside of NC or TX aren't options because of the out-of-state tuition* So, again, without further ado...my list of potential new schools (in order):

1. UNC Chapel Hill

2. University of Texas

3. Texas A&M

4. Texas Tech

Part of me reallyyy would LOVE to go to Chapel Hill so that I can stay in North Carolina. I love everything about this state, plus I love that I would get to stay close to Derek. However, from what I've learned about the Texas schools I think I would have a ton of fun and really enjoy myself... plus Derek will be graduating soon, and could end up with a job somewhere really far away from North Carolina...maybe even closer to Texas! So I don't want to base my decision too much on that.

Whew! That's a lot of information, sorry this has been such a lengthy post! I tried to keep everything as simple and to-the-point as possible, but some of this stuff is hard to write about without a little background or explanation! So anyways, there you have it...the main reason I wanted to share this news is because I'm actually going to be spending my spring break (next week!) in Texas, visiting some of the schools and meeting with the TriDelta chapters there. Yay! :) So I wanted to be able to write about my experiences when I got back, without confusing anyone. I know I'm probably going to be spending a lot of time helping my family with the move this semester, and then a lot of time with them in Austin this summer...I'm actually looking for summer internships in Austin! Either way, I know it's going to be a big change: If I get into Chapel Hill and go there I'll be a plane ride away (or 20+ hour drive) away from my family...if I go to a Texas school, it may be a bit of a culture shock, plus I'll be really far from Derek, which I think would be really hard!

So, keep your fingers crossed for me that I get into the schools I'm really hoping for (pretty please)! :)

Have any of you lived in or visited Texas before? Have you had experiences transferring to a collge far away from where you're used to, or far away from your family or other loved ones?

~KBR~