[ Make an Impression - April 28th, 2012 ]

Our first full day of digging and sifting and carrying and lugging had me a little more out of sorts then originally expected! In by that I mean I passed out as soon as I got out of my wonderful 40 minute long shower. So I apologize for this slightly late post!

Want to make an impression during an interview this Spring? You don’t have to stick to your traditional HBIC-Hilary Clinton approved pantsuits or business wear. Thanks to the current trends you can switch it up just enough to make an impression that’ll brighten your crayon among the options, but at the same time keep you appropriate.

Spring Interviews by relevantsurroundings featuring high rise pants

H M sleeveless blouse, £9.95
Summer jacket, $49
Vila high rise pants, £30
Dorothy Perkins patent leather high heels, $49
The Cambridge Satchel Company leather bag, $158
H M chain jewelry, £5.99
Essie turquoise nail polish, $7

For starters, I do suggest you stay more traditional with your shoes, black or nude pumps of some sort (close-toed) are going to be optimal. If you’re going for a Fashion-industry job you should feel free to switch this up (but not too much, you can make too much of a statement even in the Fashion industry – or alternatively come off as if you’re trying too hard, always stick with something that suits you and you’re comfortable in!), but in most industries – even if you can get away with switched-up tonal palette you want to at least keep the silhouette a bit traditional.

Jewelry should follow a similar design, while you can go a little more out-there with one, maybe two, standout pieces try not to overload yourself. I’m a big fan of lots of jewelry, but looking too cluttered can be distracting – you want to make an impression but you don’t want the interviewer to just be thinking about your shinnies when you leave – you want them thinking about you! I do fully endorse one or two standout pieces. For example, some complimenting and bold bangles with one great ring. It keeps it simple but can make you really stand out in a crowd.

Here is where you start to stand out from the pack. Instead of keeping with your traditional 3 B’s (browns, blacks, blahs!), mix it up a little in your tonal palette! Go with a pastel coral or pink pair of trousers – great for every day business-casual or for dressing up for something more formal! Pair your trousers with a cream or off-white button-up (I don’t really recommend stark white, ever, it can really flatten an outfit or look too harsh against other wise soft tones), if you aren’t planning on taking off your blazer or outerwear at any point I recommend making use of one of your nicer button-up tank tops, why? Well, no odd shapes under your blazer then! Nothing is more annoying then a button-up not fitting nicely under your sweater or blazer and making some wonky creases.

When picking a blazer to go along with your Spring-coloured outfit go with ‘ashier’ tones. I don’t want to say ‘cooler’ as that implies blues and greys and that’s not quite what we’re looking for! You’re looking for something that’s going to be a brown with pastelish tones to it. Something that gets away from being warm or neutral but doesn’t quite hit ‘cool’ tones. Confusing, I know, but you’ll know the colour when you see it! Anything too warm toned will clash with the rest of the outfit and anything too neutral risks flattening it out!

Last but not least, keep your nails and make-up simple! Stick with light lipsticks, basic eye make-up, little to no blush, and a nail polish that maybe has a little ‘pop’ but isn’t too bold – I again recommend pastels or neutrals!

The weather is finally suppose to feel more like Spring here in Chicago next week – so maybe I can go back to trying to do my own outfit posts! In the mean time check out HomeMint a new sister site to my lovely JewelMint that we all know I spend way too much time on (and got another free credit for – so another post is in the near future!)

[ To Dig, or Not to Dig - April 24th, 2012 ]

I’m super excited this week – despite an awful cold I’ve had since Friday plus side effects for a new medicine to treat my Fibro Myalgia, plus Pickles (poor thing) is also sick, its not winter what’s going on! – well okay anyway! We start doing field world in the Archaeology Field School this week at DePaul!

Off to Dig by relevantsurroundings featuring an opi nail

Denim top, $55
James Perse long top, $38
J Brand slim leg pants, $245
Frye kitten heel shoes, $215
Frye kitten heel shoes, $215
Burts Bees lip treatment, £3.49
Opi nail, $8.50

Its 5 weeks of digging on possibly historical properties out in Maywood, Illinois trying to help the city really find its history – its supposed to be a long running thing in the department if Dr. Gregory has his way. This is the second semester DePaul has been out in Maywood. I’m just excited because, well, I was that little girl who read Egyptology books and loved studying about old stuff and Mythos even as a kid, I mean I was never set up to be who I was trying to be at the beginning of my collegiate career – and my parents certainly weren’t shocked I made a complete 180 back to my childhood obsessions. Digging up sites and trying to figure out where old houses may have been, where someone dumped their trash, what type of nails and what not they used in their buildings (great for dating things!), who lived there… these are all interesting to me, even if they might be boring to someone else.

Yes this is one big ramble, for that I apologize, its the migraine and sniffling puppers.

Its not the most exciting project, but I’m excited regardless, having field school experience will be great for grad school applications as well as trying to find internships.

I’m afraid this’ll be another boring personal update. I’ve spent all weekend just trying to relax and… in the process watching all four seasons of Parks and Recreations, I’m sincerely glad I finally gave in and just watched the show because even though, yeah, the first season was kinda blah and sucked – sticking it out was totally worth it the third and fourth seasons are pretty universally hilarious.

Now starts the ridiculous time of the year. Catching up a chapter in French, doing my field study for Ethnography, starting field work in Archaeology, my 10 page paper for Forensics (which I still need a topic to research or book to review – eek!), and starting a realism project I’m really stoked for in Sculpture. Its certainly going to keep me busy for the rest of the quarter, thankfully!

[ Fight the Downpour - April 20th, 2012 ]

A nasty cold has me late once again! This rather gross weather outside doesn’t help to get one motivated either – but it can make for some good writing inspiration!

The Transitional by relevantsurroundings featuring steve madden boots

H M sleeveless shirt, £9.95
High waisted skinny jeans, £20
MOTO Fitted Denim Shirt, $64
Steve Madden flat leather boots, $100
Steve madden boots, $100
Leather watch, $32
Turquoise ring

How is it one dresses in this disgusting weather? I find myself wanting to bust out my Spring fashionables and colours (those lovely purples and nudes and natural-stone tones I’m seeing everywhere make me die of happiness inside!) but its so nasty out this time of year that I find myself stuck with the b’s of Winter (that’s black, bronw, and bland by the by!). My Spring fashionables just don’t seem to live up to the test of this weather. Then I remembered something lovely about layering – there’s no problem with a little overlap of your winter staples into your spring wardrobe to weather-proof but keep it blooming!

First, a good pair of ankle boots is important for anyone who lives… well anywhere that isn’t near the Equator. They’re great for snow, rain, and can be worn during the summer to edgy up your favourite sundress. I suggest going for black always as it has the most versatility, but I myself have been eyeing some brown boots to add to my wardrobe since my black ones get so much use out of them.

Second, wraps and denim/flannel! Want to wear that cute nude tank top you bought when we got a glimpse of spring/summer weather that just POOF disappeared? Well wraps and overshirts are a must for any wardrobe, they’re great ‘transitional pieces’ things you can wear 80% of the year and you can throw over a cute dress or top if its a little chilly out. Wraps are great because, well we all know scarves in summer is a little taboo but on those days where it might get a bit chilly – they double up!

Lastly, a staple you should invest in during these Transitional times is jeans with some ‘pop’ to them. I know, I know how scene kid right? Wrong. I’ve always kinda had a thing against coloured denim – but I’m beginning to think that’s because they were neon back then. These new corals, purples, reds, and pastel denims? I’m kinda falling in love with them and they’re a great way to spice up any outfit!

[ The First - April 17th, 2012 ]

Well hello ladies and gents! I’m pretty excited about todays post – though for those of you who were curious to see how I’ve revamped my apartment you’ll have to wait until next week – because I’ve got some pretty big news that I mentioned originally last month but got a little side tracked from…

I have a website now! For those of you who have followed my on tumblr or my wordpress for awhile or however long, I’m no longer a subdomain! Thanks to a lovely donation of some server space from a friend who practically forced me into it (yeah, looking at you Josh, I wasn’t really given a say in the matter, ahem!) relevantsurroundings.wordpress.com is now just relevantsurroundings.com! Except its not just a blog website, I’m going to be using it for a lot of things most likely.

Of course first and foremost at the moment is the blog, which can be found by either going to the main page or simply adding /blog to the end of the site. Its powered through wordpress itself so followers no need to worry! You’ll still be able to get updates and the likes and you won’t have to navigate another new layout (that was step one, getting my wordpress layout situated so I could follow through on making the rest of the site blend with it).

It also has a revamped About Me section and a Photo page as well that will eventually hold photography, sketches, and graphic design done by myself – but for now its just another little fox sketch that links through to my Flickr and gives everyone a little apology for it being under construction!

Sorry to break it to that person who thought my sketches were ‘flat’ and ‘like an 8 year old drew them’, whoever you are anon, I warn you! You won’t like the site! It happens to feature my favorite sketch I’ve done so far – Bernard, a fox that was inspired by my own foxy little dog Pickles. I did all the work on the site myself, with a little guidance on some backend things from my generous friend Josh – but all the coding itself and sketches (of course!) were done by me, which is something I’m rather proud of as I haven’t really built a website since high school, at least not anything more then coding some images onto a page for my online journalism course. Its pretty simple for now but I’m still proud of it! It was a good practice exercise to get myself back into being able to code html and use Dreamweaver.

Hopefully in the next month the Photos page won’t be too much of a project for me and Josh to somehow tackle before my Dreamweaver trial runs out (whomp whomp whoooomp). All in all, I’m pretty stoked!

I’d really love to have everyone’s thoughts on it! Questions, comments, concerns, typo’s I overlooked because I wrote the About Me on no sleep, no caffeine, and having just written two Anthropology papers!

PS. Please ignore the wonky, randomly doubled up posts on the site blog for now! WordPress went a little overboard with the importing…

[ Cabochon - April 13th, 2012 ]

Now silly me, I wrote this post but Comcast is the worst company in existence and my internet has been so shoddy, slow, and constantly restarting the last few days wordpress just wouldn’t load properly to post it – utterly rude if you ask me (so was the first lady who yelled at me, called me a liar, oh and refused to transfer me when I kept having to repeat myself, I have a lot of respect for people who work tele-comm customer service because of the rude douche entitled people they have to deal with, but if I have to say the same sentence 6 times and I ask to speak with someone else, there is nothing unreasonable about that or cause for you to be snarky when I was polite, kthx).

I immediately fell in love with the Tiger Cabochon ring the second I saw it on the jewelmint homepage when I logged in – knowing I had a free credit and wanted to treat myself to something nice for getting through the first round of papers and tests for this quarter (is it still treating myself if it was 100% free?). I’m always a little skeptical to order rings from websites – because much like shoes or jeans they can fit differently in every single style and brand and there really is no one size fits all, heck even a size 7 heel can fit differently just from one being a stiletto and one being an oxford pump! But thankfully, the ring fits comfortably my middle finger – right where I wanted it (though noticeably a little wobbly on really cold days, but thankfully that’s not often enough for me to care and I’m still definitely glad I didn’t go a size down, the ring would be much too large to not look silly on my ring finger.)

I’ve never been big on the huge ring thing but this one sold me, it wasn’t gaudy, it wasn’t obnoxiously big, it wasn’t silly abouts of this-is-obviously-from-Urban-Outfitters-and-worth-1/3rd-what-I-paid or just clearly out of my price range so maybe it was bitterness, that’s right actually ya know what I think it was bitterness.

My favourite part of this piece is actually how well it goes with all of my turquoise jewlery. On my left hand I wear the same three rings everyday: a little $1.50 ring I got in Wales, a great cheap thrift store find, and my one splurge in Paris – the big turquoise sterling silver ring I wear on my pointer finger (the other two go on my ring finger to cover up my tattoo, which I need to get touched up and its really annoying to get asked all the time if I’m engaged – no I just don’t need a diamond to make me happy, I’ve already got one!) I was honestly worried I was investing (kinda?!) in another piece of jewlery that I wouldn’t be able to wear very often because it didn’t go with my daily essentials! (I’m STILL wearing my Prarie Rose necklace daily, its perfect for my Springtime colours and trends!)

This ring is another one of those fantastic jewelmint pieces that just goes with so much of my wardrobe it makes me squeal on the inside. I’ll admit though, I wasn’t really sold on this whole mint franchise when CollegeFashionista first got involved with it when it was fairly new, I hate things that you have to pay monthly for (fun fact: of all the jewlery I’ve received as of yet, I only payed for that Oscar’s grab bag because its one of those awesome sites where referrals earn you credit, ie – freebies).

That being said, I have to say, I fully back this company – a true rarity for me with anything that requires monthly service (ahem, looking at you Comcast) – if only because its also so simple (unlike on many sites) to go in and ‘skip’ a month, I only wish they let you fully remove a credit card once it was added on to the account, because you can only replace it with another one which I guess makes sense with the skip option, but I don’t currently have access to a credit card so its a little annoying I can’t remove my old one without putting up my debit card when my finances really can’t risk me forgetting to skip a month. I’m honestly not as sold on StyleMint (the Olsen shirts and sunglasses version) because honestly, I could get anything on there at Forever 21 or H&M for half the price and it’d probably last me just as long. I do wanna take a spin around BeautyMint though, I’m always looking for new Beauty products to fall in love with! And there really is no price you can put on having good, clear, healthy looking skin.

Plus, the pretty jewlery certainly doesn’t hurt! And theres so much variety, there truly is a bit of everything for everyone!

This post brought to you in part by the really dreadful lighting in my apartment, and how much I hate how those eco-friendly lightbulbs do not make for good photo taking. Oh also, the lighting in my apartment just sucks – which I will be rectifying as soon as I get a bit of return cha-ching from someone owing me with another glorious trip to Ikea.

[ Slugs, Nails, and Puppy Dog Tails - April 6th, 2012 ]

Again I’m posting quite late on a Friday! I promise its for a good reason though, many trials, errors, a doctor’s appointment, and two trips to the two in-city Target’s later and I think I finally just give up and have to admit my hands aren’t steady enough for this fancy-nails business, but that doesn’t mean I can’t talk about it!

(love the colours, but the look on my face accurately describes my feelings toward my shaky hands and bad eyesight – I mean I could put on my glasses, but come on that means walking across the apartment)

Ever since two-toned nails popped up in fashion shows last year, I’ve had nail-envy (and so it seems, has most of tumblr). I was specifically trying out the coloured cuticle look myself (I’m going to try and do two-toned with just the tips next week! I’m likely to be way more successful at that).

I truly adore this trend and all of the fun nails you see these days, its a really awesome thing to see how creative some people can get with them.

Personally I’m all for simplicity (or maybe that’s also because art classes tend to be a killer of pretty nails, the only time I’ve done something fantastic with them, they were ruined in three days!) but I love looking at nail art, and I love seeing fashionable ladies who rock it on the daily!

(all images found on here)

You don’t have to be artsy or creative to give a little extra UMPH(!) to your nails. Try doing a fade with some glitter, or painting one of your nails another contrasting or complimentary colour. You can even try some simple polka-dots (toothpicks are your best friend!). A fresh set of stand-out nails can add just as much sparkle and ‘wow’ to an outfit as any accessory or pair of shoes can!

If you’re not the type that wants to muck around with details or try anything two-toned you can always just go for complimentary/contrasting overlays!

(all images found on here)

Any girl with any style can have a bit of fun with a simple switch up of the usual polish!

[ A little bit of Retro - March 30th, 2012 ]

Thankfully, I have really good friends who have really great taste and make my Fashion Friday posts ridiculously easy.

Unthankfully I can not find my sunglasses at the moment and my lazy self is taking one of my only Fridays off this quarter as a day of rest and relaxation so you don’t get many photos of me or my sunnies specifically.

Retro has been a big thing for a few years now, but I never got into the trend of out-there or super trendy sunglasses until I received these lookers from my bestie, Zarah (zarahlee.tumblr.com). Typically I was either a simple, big and black or aviator style of shades girl but these have been the only pair to grace my face since I first opened our customary belated Christmas exchange.

The great thing about Retro shades is the diversity. You don’t have to dress retro to wear these or other smashing sunnies. You can dress edgy, feminine, retro, biker, relaxed – really the ideas are endless. Personally I wear them every day but my favourite outfits to pair them with thus far have been: an oversized bilowy, black button-up with panneled leggings, and ankle boots & a simple coral shirt with a high-waisted circle skirt and my favourite oxford heels.

Another awesome thing about Retro shades right now is, like this pair from ModCloth, they aren’t one-dimensional and just your traditional turtle shell any more! They come in patterns, pleasers, and most importantly pastels. Now I’ve never been a huge pastels girl but I’ve been won over by the mints, corals, pinks, and nudes of this and last year – they’ve made me a convert and I’m loving it.

Pictured:
Shades – Primark
Blouse – Primark
Bracelet – JewelMint
Rings – (Bottom) Marc by Marc Jacobs (Top) Forever21
Nail Polish – Color So Hot it Berns, OPI
iPhone case – Otter (buy one and buy one now, they are phone savers)

[ Spring Break Part 1 - March 27th, 2012 ]

Over today and tomorrow I’ll actually be making two posts! Me and my Mom scored an awesome win and managed to get both of us the $99 three day passes for Disney! (Which is a ridiculous savings by the way, those two passes together cost less then it would be for just one single 3 day pass). So I’ll keep the words short and the pictures flowing – day one is dedicated to Animal Kingdom!

Warning: If you do not have fast internet or are on a phone right now, don’t go further with this post, when I say picture heavy, I mean holycrapwow picture heavy, I mean like 70 photos of cute animals is awesome but would be painful to load.

Also: All of these photos were taken by me. Don’t use them and say they’re yours that’s rude etc. If you post any of these adorable animals anywhere credit me, por favor

Keep an eye on my tumblr for the next few days for photo tumbls with witty comments on some photos and some lol worthy outtakes.

[ Jason Wu for Target - March 15th, 2012 ]

So I was being a bit of a tease when I said it was a preview of this weeks Friday post! I’m sort of in love with these sunglasses and this dress, they’re definitely new staples of my wardrobe! The sunglasses are from Primark and were a lovely Christmas gift from my best friend, Zarah – my favourite gift by far. The weather here in Chicago has been really fashion friendly – warm, but not hot, and breezy, but not gusting. This is a great season for fashion since you can still make use of layers, but you don’t have to plan your whole outfit around keeping warm or wearing outerwear.

I apologize for the wonky awkward photos, jumping back from photobooth in 6 inch heels? And trying to make it look at least semi-attractive? Yeah not exactly the easiest thing I’ve ever done! I really need to invest in a new tripod.

I tried this dress with a few blazers and sweaters and ended up just deciding to simplify it by wearing it with a pair of heels I don’t get to wear often – hey its not easy to walk in 6 inch heels even when you’re a heels girl like me! The blazers I own just didn’t sit right or fall into the right colour shade and it was just far too warm out for my chunkier sweaters. I’m a little torn on the sleeves of the dress – I don’t like nor hate them but they do push me toward wanting to wear something over it to avoid having to think about them (at least they aren’t ugly H&M style capsleeves that awkwardly show my armpits).

I know I’m late on the blogging about the Jason Wu for Target line but I didn’t get my dress in the original sale. I lucked out on this dress, it was completely fate so of course I had to purchase it. It was the only Jason Wu item left besides one size 14 pleated black skirt and another size 12 dress and lo’ and behold it was also 75% off. Why was it 75% off? How did I luck out and get a $39 for $10? Because some silly person bought an online-only dress and returned it to the store not the website! So BAM, instant savings for me! I fell in love with the playful dotty pattern, but the lace piping is really what sold the dress for me. All the little details in this dress are what make it fantastic. Honestly, if it were just a plain blue dress of this shape I probably wouldn’t have even taken a second glance at it. But who could turn down such a perfect amount of subtle daintiness?

I really wish I could wear these shoes more often, there is something just really awesome about being 5’6″ temporarily and feeling like I’m a normal-sized person, but really 6 inch heels just aren’t practical for every day life. Beware: stairs without anti-slip are very dangerous in these shoes, as are curbs, oh yeah and cracks in the side walk. These shoes are more ‘hey I’m going out to a lounge’ or ‘hey I’m going to a fashion show’ or ‘hey I’m going to such and such event’. They’re special occasion shoes – and what is more of a special occasion then turning in two final art portfolios and an anthropology paper?

I should have forseen the fact that I had to walk up and down three flights of stairs… then two flights of stairs… not including the fact that I live on the second floor of my building. Lets just say by the time I got home, my feet were in much need of pampering and were promptly soaked in my sink with lovely salts for 10 minutes as they cried and moaned over the fact that I made a poorly planned (though sexy looking, I mean come on – look at those calves! thank you 8 years of soccer, thank you.) shoe choice.

[ grab bags, take your chance - March 9th, 2012 ]

Welcome to my first weekly Fashion Update! Each Friday a post either reviewing some new item I’ve acquired or be a street style sort of post. We’re starting out this week, because I look like death and its finals and ya know what? Screw getting out of my PJs while I finish my final papers and projects. The day I got put on my medicine I bought myself a little present, something I felt would cheer me up and continue to get me trough the little rough patch. A little something shiny is the best way to start off a new chapter of your life and mine happens to involve three shinies!

As I mentioned last week, I took place in JewelMint’s little grab bag event – Oscars time means lots of fashion flops and fiascos, but it can also be the cause of some very great finds. In my case? Definitely some great additions to my jewlery box! The catch is that one person would win a diamond bracelet and other participants would receive 2 or more items, I lucked out and got three! Though I am a little bitter I didn’t get the diamond bracelet, I’ll definitely get more wearability out of the items I did get!

First we have the (poorly photographed due to my laziness of course) Wonderland Earrings. Now, of the three things I received these were the only ones I hadn’t been eyeing already on the site, and honestly are the only ones that don’t really fit in my ‘style’. This doesn’t mean I don’t like them though! They’re just the sort of thing I’ll end up wearing out to a special event, with a fancy dress or something, not something that would fall into my every day wardrobe.

Now, I’m a sucker for Victorian fashion and anything antique looking so, it goes without saying I love the effect these earrings have. They have a splash of girly, thanks to the bows, but they retain an elegant maturity that makes them, despite this portion, not ‘little girly’ but instead – feminine.

I have to say, at first I was skeptical but after I thought about it, I really am enchanted by these earrings, they’ll be perfect the next time I manage to find myself a fancy event or party to go to! Paired with a chic orange dress and some pumps, these would make any Fashion-savy lady stand out.

The most wearable item of the three that I received has to be the Huston Heritage Bracelet. I’m not a big person for gold, and often the closest I’ll come to it without putting up a serious fight is something antiqued or bronze, but this bracelet had actually been on my wishlist for a bit from the site. I saw it and was instantly attracted to the brilliant colour selection for the striking orange-red they used in it.

I’ve got fairly slender wrists/hands/fingers so often I stray from buying bracelets and rings online when I can’t physically try them on. That being said, you can imagine my ecstatic realization that it fit perfectly! Just the right mixture of loose by not, ya know, falling off my hands. This bracelet only goes about a third of the way up my arm when its lifted, which is also another bonus, meaning I can wear it with long sleeve shirts with a lot less possibility of looking like a tool at some point.

This bracelet has a ridiculous mount of versatility. Want to dress it up? Wear your favourite LBD (little black dress, for this uninformed!) with a standout pair of wedges and have yourself a fantastic night. Looking for something more casual? Try a simple maxi dress and a comfortable pair of sandals.

By far my favourite I received was one I had actually intended on purchasing in the near future – as in whenever I could afford it. I don’t wear earrings enough and I’ve really been wanting to get back into it.

These earrings perfectly complement my wardrobe. Not only can they be edgy, but the can be so many other things. I’ve already worn them three times and I only got my package on Monday! I could go on and on for ages about these earrings. Not only do they have the perfect antiqued look that I just absolutely swoon over – but they have rhinestones that aren’t obnoxious. Yes, ladies and gents, JewelMint has managed to do the impossible and have sparkle in a piece of jewlery that doesn’t look obnoxious nor does it look cheap or childish! This is a first for me. I honestly can’t remember the last time I’ve seen a company that wasn’t quite high-end. I really have to give them a huge cudos for pulling it off! You’re sure to see my next few street style posts of my upcoming outfits (holla, going to be 70 next week so it will definitely be an outfit post!) litered with the five pieces of jewlery I already own from them!

These earrings can probably be worn with anything, something edgy, something girl, but my favourite way to wear these earrings is definitely going to be something that I’ll call ‘boho chic’, relaxed, comfortable, but makes that ‘wow’ statement.