The Perfect Bikini Body

If you're like me, and most other girls, you sometimes get uncomfortable when it comes to wearing more revealing clothing. This is especially true for me during the spring and summer when regular attire revolves around shorts, tank tops, and swimsuits. Like every other girl in the world, I have things I don't like about my body. This can sometimes make it uncomfortable when it comes to going to the pool or beach and wearing a swimsuit that covers about the same amount as my underwear. Especially since just looking on Instagram, you can see thousands of pictures of perfectly tan and stick thin girls looking perfect in their bikinis.

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However, a campaign lead by Aerie, a spinoff company of American Eagle, is working to change this perception that you have to have the "perfect body" to wear a cute swimsuit in public. The whole concept is that their brand is designed for real girls, who (surprise!) have all different body types. They do not retouch any of their models to make them look skinnier, and have started to use models that have less of the traditional model figure and look more like the girls who will be wearing their clothes. I think this is amazing! Because anyone who has ever watched the Victoria Secret Fashion Show has immediately felt the need to diet or work out to look like those girls, which is ridiculous. Every girl has a right to feel happy, comfortable and confident in their bikini, no matter what their body looks like. It also doesn't hurt that Aerie has insanely cute swimwear. 

This week, as part of their Swim Break Road Trip, Aerie came to Clemson! This was amazing for so many reasons, mostly that it is half an hour to the closest mall that doesn't even have an Aerie store. I am very wary when it comes to buying things like swimsuits online, so having the chance to try some on in-between classes was awesome. They had a truck filled with swimsuits, coverups, and accessories. Little yellow changing tents were set up. They were giving out juice and providing free manicures. It was a girl's paradise, especially during midterm week. Everyone went nuts, grabbing any and every piece they liked. I did not go super crazy and only picked out two suits to try on because I was crunched on time. While waiting in the line to try them on, one of the Aerie workers from their main office in Pittsburgh moved down the line making sure everyone had sizes that would fit them and instructed us on how to try on some of the more untraditional tops. She was so nice and helpful, as were all the workers. It added that much more to the experience. 

I tried on one fairly traditional bathing suit and one that was a little bit funkier. Both fit and I loved how they both looked, but I decided to go with the one that was a little more out of my comfort zone, pictured below. 

top // bottom

Did I need a new bikini? No. Did I get one anyway? You betcha! It was a good deal too! Separates are only $20 each, which is only marginally more than if I were to get a bathing suit from Target. And that's significantly cheaper than places like Victoria Secret. I felt surprisingly more confident and happy in this bikini than I expected to, I think it may have had something to do with the fact that the style was already out of my comfort zone so I was deciding just to own it! I am so happy I got it and I can't wait to wear it while I'm in California next week (plenty of pictures to come)!

Remember the best way to get the perfect bikini body is to put a bikini you love on your body!

Spring Break Essentials

Happy Tuesday! 

Spring Break is just days away and I cannot wait! Like I've mentioned before, I'm going to California with my boyfriend and I am pumped. We don't have an exact plan for what we'll be doing yet, but it will be nice to just have a break and get out of Clemson for a week. Hopefully one day next week we will be headed to the Los Angeles area and the beach. So today I am bringing you some spring break essentials for your beach days since that seems to be how most college students spend their break. 

water bottle // When you're spending all day in the sun, and probably getting sweaty, it is important to keep your body hydrated. My personal favorite water bottle is is my camelbak because it is so easy to just flip the top open, you don't have to keep unscrewing a cap. This one is especially nice because it has two layers, making it more insulated than the regular version, and it helps keep your drink cold/

sunscreen // If you are going to be spending all day on the beach, you need a good sunscreen. Do not be one of those people who doesn't use sunscreen because you want to get a tan. You will end up a lobster by the end of the week. If nothing else, make sure to have sunscreen on your face because that skin is so thin and more susceptible to burns. The sunscreen I use all summer long is the Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch Sunscreen. I tend to use the 75 or 100+ spf. They have a range of spfs so you aren't limited to the versions designed for those of us who burn the second we get in the sun. 

fun towel // It's a good idea to have a very recognizable towel when you go to the beach so that you can always find your spot amongst the sea of spring breakers. How cute is this pineapple towel?! I know it is probably meant for little kids, but I think it is adorable. 

cute bikini // would spring break be complete without the perfect bathing suit. This bikini from Old Navy is perfectly on trend with the scallops, and if you're not a fan of bandeaus it comes with detachable straps. 

hat // I bought this pink Ralph Lauren polo cap before coming to college and I have gotten so much use out of it. You can bet it will be in my suitcase next week. It helps keep extra sun off your face and easily hides messy beach hair.

cheap sunglasses // One of the last things you want to do on spring break is bring your nice expensive sunglasses. Find a cute cheap pair, that you don't care if they somehow get stepped on or forgotten on the beach. This pair is only $3 but they have the same look as expensive mirrored Ray Bans. 

sandals // Personally I don't like wearing just plain old flip flops. Cute sandals like these can easily go from the beach to dinner with your friends. I have wanted this pair from Target for a few years now, and this spring I might finally have to get them. The glitter strap just adds a little something extra and fun. 

coverup // Since it is still early spring, the beach has the possibility of being a little chilly, especially in the evening. Lauren James' interpretation of a spirit jersey is the perfect top to throw on over your swimsuit. I bought this exact beachcomber over the summer during the Lauren James pink Friday sale, and I have worn it so much. It is super soft, and the seersucker panel on the back is adorable.  I am a huge fan of the Lauren James, because they have amazing customer service in addition to really cute clothes. Check out all their perfect spring pieces. 

beach bag // Last but not least, you need a bag to haul all of your stuff to and from the beach. I love the rope handle on this bag and the price is extremely reasonable!

Have a wonderful spring break!!!

5 Tips to Add Happiness to Your Day

I've been telling myself since I got back to school about three weeks ago (umm..what? where did January go?) that I would get back into blogging. It was even a goal of mine for the new year (lol I'm terrible at resolutions). So today I'm adopting the Nike attitude and just doing it. Writing is something I've always really liked to do and I've been realizing more and more in college that I really need an open, creative outlet. I spent a lot of last semester in sort of a funk. I was stressed, sleep deprived and just generally not happy. I want 2016 to be a good, positive year and so blogging is one way I'm trying to do that. 

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With this new upbeat outlook, I thought I would share some advice on how to combat the craziness and add a little more positivity to each day.

1. Take a little bit of time for yourself every day.

Whether it's getting up a little early to drink coffee and do your makeup, blogging between classes, or painting your nails while you watch the Bachelor (may be doing all of these today!), do something at least one thing purely for your enjoyment each day.

2. Plan ahead, but be able to be flexible.

I'm a type a, planner person so I love to play ahead. My agenda is my best friend; it's color coded for all of my activities and I may smile every time I pull it out of my backpack, weird I know. Try to plan  ahead as much as possible: know due dates for assignments, pack your backpack and prep your Keurig at night (saves soo much time when you're running late to an 8am). But also know when to be spontaneous. This is something I am terrible at, so I'm trying to recognize the times that I need to take a break from my planned-by-hour day to go grab coffee with a friend and just relax.

3. Get all the negativity out, instead of bottling it up.

Getting emotions out in any form usually always helps me. Whether it's writing it out in a journal or ranting to my sweet, patient boyfriend, once that negativity isn't stored up in me, I feel lighter. So get it all out, then move on. 

4. Wear something that makes you feel good

I know it's easy to roll out of bed and throw on leggings and a big t shirt. I'm guilty of this a lot! But it's also really nice to put together a cute outfit that makes you happy. Maybe leggings and t shirt is that outfit for you, but no matter what, before you leave in the morning look at yourself in the mirror and appreciate that you look good today. As strange as that sounds, appreciate yourself, because you are gorgeous and awesome!

5. Smile more!

This is actually something we talked about in my psych class today! Fun fact: your brain can't recognize a real smile from a fake one so even when you're forcing a smile so you don't look completely miserable in microeconomics, your brain recognizes that you're smiling and fires the neurons in your brain that make you happy. Pretty cool, huh? So try to smile more, even at strangers when you're walking to class, and it'll actually make you happier.

I hope this adds a little happiness into your Monday! Writing it made me feel better and it'll be a reminder to myself of what to do to be happy everyday. 

Remembering...

It's been a while since I've posted on here, but given some recent events I figured it was as good a time as any to put some of my thoughts into words. 

I learned yesterday that a boy I was friends with my first year of high school was killed in a car accident. Upon first hearing the news, I was shocked; it's always shocking when someone young dies. I was also shocked by how I reacted. Here I was, sitting in my dorm room, thousands of miles away from where the accident took place, crying hard about the death of a boy I hadn't talked to in years; Austin left my high school after our freshman year, and I didn't do a good job of keeping in touch. Amidst the shock and sadness, I remembered this quote, well part of it, by Maya Angelou.

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I was, and still am, so upset and troubled by Austin's death because of the way he made me feel. I was new to SMH my freshman year, and knew no one. A lot of kids had been going to school there since they were in elementary school or younger, and shy, fourteen year old me had a hard time finding people to be friends with. Now five years later, I couldn't tell you how I first met Austin or how we came to be friends, just that we did. He was one of my first friends in high school and I will never be able to thank him for being so nice to me. There aren't many people out there with as kind of hearts as Austin, and even though we may not have stayed friends throughout the years, I will never forget the boy that always had a smile on his face, who helped me survive physics honors, who was the only person I danced with at my first winter formal, and who was genuinely one of the nicest people I will ever have the privilege of knowing. 

Rest easy Austin. My thoughts and prayers are with you, your family and friends.

Love Always,

Ashley