What to Wear: New Year's Eve

Hi everyone!

There's still one Holiday left in 2013: New Year's Eve! I'm so excited because this year I'm going to Athens! I can't wait to see all my college friends and my sorority sisters -- I miss them so much! Luckily, I haven't had to worry too much about what I'm wearing, because New Year's is the best night to wear sparkles!

I saw an outfit similar to this on Pintrest, and I knew I had to try it for New Year's! A gold sparkly dress with black booties is always fun, and I'm adding my black leather jacket -- partly because it'll make the fancy dress more casual, and partly because it's going to be really cold in Athens! Black tights under the dress also will also help fight the chill. Finish the look with a black and gold clutch (something with a chain will be less likely to get lost). Such a sparkly dress needs minimal jewelry, so I'm only adding gold drop earrings.

I'm so excited to be back in Athens, and I can't wait to ring in 2014 with all my friends!

Have a lovely day!

XO,

Carson

Merry Christmas to All!

Hi everybody!

I hope everybody's Christmases were everything they'd hoped for!

Our Christmas activities officially ended tonight with dinner with my grandparents -- of course, that was after Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, which were both filled to the brim with socializing and family, and of course, presents! Despite asking for almost nothing for myself, I was still showered with lovely gifts of clothes, shoes, and all things Lilly! A pink and green Christmas is the best kind, after all!

I am so blessed to be surrounded with such loving friends and family, and I'm so glad I got to spend Christmas with them!

Have a lovely day, and may all your Christmases be pink and green!
XO,
Carson

On Being Charitable During Christmas

Hi everybody!

I hope everybody is enjoying their holiday breaks, or for the unlucky ones who are still taking exams I hope they are all going well! While we're all home for Christmas, I'd like to encourage everybody to take my challenge: do something that betters your community every day leading up to Christmas.

My church allowed my family, and many other families, the opportunity to go Christmas shopping for a less fortunate family in the Atlanta area, and I think it was the most fun I've had since I've been home. As someone who has always enjoyed philanthropy work, I was really excited to go pick out all the toys we would give our adopted family. Mama and I went to target yesterday and we had so much fun playing with Barbie Dream Houses and Tonka trucks! It was so great to let my inner child play, and I know that the children we shopped for will have fun playing with their toys all year.

So, my challenge is to create your own kind of Advent calendar, but instead of receiving a piece of chocolate, remind yourself why we celebrate Christmas. It can be as small as dropping a few dollars into the Salvation Army bucket when you pass it at the grocery store; the small acts add up to the big acts that make the holiday season so special.

And then maybe reward yourself with a piece of chocolate, because, after all, it is Christmas!

Have a lovely day, and let me know how you do on my challenge!
XO,
Carson

What to Wear: Christmas Party

Hi Everyone!

I'm so so so happy to finally be home for Christmas break! It's so nice to be able to sleep in a real bed again, but I already miss my hallmates and sisters so much!

In other news, Mama is throwing a Christmas party on Sunday, and I've been really stressing out about what to wear. Seriously, I spent thirty minutes on the phone with my best friend (sorry for distracting you from studying!) while we discussed the pros and cons of every item of clothing I own. It's going to be a stressful day for various reasons, and I need to look polished and put-together, but also drop-dead gorgeous enough to make my Atlanta friends wonder what happened to me between high school and college! Here's what I finally decided on!

I decided on this adorable J. Crew gold striped mini skirt as the base for my outfit. It's the holidays, so it's fun to wear a little sparkle, but this skirt doesn't overdo it! On top, I've chosen a simple, black v-neck sweater -- a little slouch on top dresses down the sparkly skirt to make it appropriate for a day-time, family Christmas party. Since this is a family party, I put some sheer-ish black tights on underneath the short skirt so I can show some leg without actually showing leg, and my black booties up the fun level. To finish the look, I've chosen some simple gold accessories like this headband, gold studs, and of course, my signature horseshoe pendant!

I'm so excited to see everybody from my high school...it'll be the first time I've seen most of them since August!

Have a lovely day!

XO,

Carson

Top 5 Nail Colors for the Holidays

Hi everybody!

I'm still on my Christmas themed posts! I love love love nail polish and painting my nails certain colors to look good in pictures (skinny arm pics make your fingertips show, and they can't be plain!). With so many pictures about to be taken at Christmas parties, I thought I'd go ahead and show y'all my favorite shades!

1. OPI: The Thrill of Brazil -- I always love classic red nails! They add a little punch, and red is one of my favorite colors!

2. OPI: I Snow You Love Me -- the holidays  the best time to wear sparkly nail polish since all the clothes are sparkly too! Silver is so easy and goes with everything!

3. Essie: Blanc -- My favorite thing about white nail polish is that you can draw designs in sharpie on top of the dried white polish, then paint over with a clear topcoat to make the drawings stay!

4. OPI: Cute Little Vixen -- oxblood is everywhere right now...it's a more sophisticated, fun twist on red nails!

5. Essie: After School Boy Blazer -- for some reason I wear a lot of navy over the holidays, and navy nail polish pulls everything together!

An added bonus to fun nails? I tend to study better when I look down and see pretty nails! Finally, finals are a good excuse to get a manicure!

Have a lovely day!

XO,

Carson

What to Get: Guy's Christmas

Hi everybody!

As I mentioned earlier I absolutely love shopping for all my friends for Christmas! Unfortunately, guys are incredibly hard to shop for, so here's three go-to gifts I usually give my guy friends!

1. Bow-ties -- so classy and southern, and if you give them a tie in school colors, your friends can wear them on game-day!

2. How to Be a Gentleman -- I know one guy who for sure will be getting this for Christmas, but other books (especially Total Frat Move) are great too!

3. My very best guy friend specifically asked for a nice flask, and I found him a pretty stainless steel one that I can have monogrammed for him!

I can't think of anything else my guy friends would like for Christmas, so if y'all have any more ideas let me know!

Have a lovely day!

XO

Carson

What to Get: Girly Christmas

Hi everyone!

I had such a great day yesterday eating turkey and being with family, but now that Thanksgiving's over, it's time to start planning for my favorite time of year: Christmas! I love picking out gifts for all my family and friends, and I can't wait to go shopping -- but not on Black Friday...too many people. My girlfriends are so much fun to shop for because I get to pick out all the girly things I love for myself and share it with them!

1. Lilly Wristlets -- this has been a staple gift for me for years because they're so cute! I love all the fun Lilly prints, and you can get each friend their own! They're also really useful for when you go out -- you don't even have to take a purse because everything you need fits right inside!

2. Nail polish -- a perfect, inexpensive gift for the girls you love but don't know super well -- every girl loves nail polish! I love picking out fun holiday colors they can use all season long!

3. Personalized stationary -- I love this adorable stationary from C.Wonder! Stationary can be so classic, and feminine, and you get to show it off when you write all your Christmas thank you notes! (If you don't know how to write one, click here).

4. Dogeared Necklaces -- I have loved giving these necklaces to my closest friends for years! They are made of really high-quality materials and come with sweet notes about the meaning of the necklace -- everything from Karma to Lucky to Best Friends! I also love pendant necklaces because they can really show off your personality!

5. Crafty anything -- for my crafty readers, try making something that comes from the heart! This is perfect for girlfriends, as guy friends won't appreciate a painted canvas or memory jar as much, and you can put your personality and her personality into it to make something she'll love!

I can't wait to give my friends their presents, and open some of my own!

Have a lovely day!

XO,

Carson