Chapter 2

Hey guys,

Chapter 2 of my novel is posted on my Wattpad. Check it out if you have time, and comment and vote if you like it!

https://my.w.tt/AmAWeoSPeN

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Macy’s Backstage (Giveaway)

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fashion, fashionable, fashionblogger, fashionphotography, fashionpost, fashionwebsite, grunge, hat, look, lookbook, lookoftheday, macys, macysbackstage, ootd, outfit, outfitinspo, outfitoftheday, outfitpost, platforms

Last month, I had the opportunity to check out one of Macy’s new ‘Backstage‘ stores.  It’s essentially a Macy’s Outlet (think of Nordstrom’s Rack), that they are opening in some of their larger stores.

I’m always a little skeptical when it comes to outlet stores, but Macy’s Backstage impressed me.  There is a pretty wide selection and they’ve got all the designer brands that Macy’s sells at super affordable prices (photos below)

The purse section was probably my favorite!

I put together a few outfits below (couldn’t resist).  Every single one of them is under $100

These shoes are fucking awesome

Obsessed with camo at the moment

 

In love with this dress (it’s not on the website anymore but i want to say it was only like $18)

I was so physched they have cute workout clothes because honestly I have none.  I workout in my mom’s hand-me-downs.

Adorable home stuff too

 

And for the best part, Macy’s game me a $100 gift card to give away to one of my followers.  I’m really excited about this because I don’t get the chance to do giveaways very often, and I’m excited that I get to give something back to you guys.

All you’ve got to do is:

1.) follow me

2.) Like this post

3.) comment with your favorite thing to shop for (ex: shoes, furniture, books, food etc.)

As always, thanks for reading all the random shit I post on here ❤

My First Novel

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author, fashionblogger, firstnovel, novel, wattpad, writer, youngadult, youngadultnovel

Hi guys,

As some of you know, I write fiction in my spare time.  It’s been a passion of mine ever since I was a kid (seriously, I write all the time.  Probably too much. I love making up stories.)

Anyways, I’ve always had the idea that I’d like to publish something someday, but it’s easier said than done. Not many publishers are looking to publish first time writers, and agents don’t want to take on inexperienced authors.

Most first time authors self publish, so I began looking into it, and came across Wattpad. It’s basically YouTube for books. Authors publish anything and everything there. You can follow authors, vote for their stories, comment. So I decided to write something new specifically for the purpose of posting it on Wattpad. It’s totally free. I’m just posting to get feedback, and start building a writing platform. It’s a young adult mystery novel, that’s been vetted by my friends and family.

Anyway, if anyone has the time, I’d love it if you’d take a look at my first chapter. I’ll be posting a new chapter every week.

If you like it, please follow, comment and vote!

Link below!

Parker – Chapter 1: Parker #wattpad https://my.w.tt/wpICGW8G1M

Dark Paradise

Tags

fashion, fashionblogger, fashionphotography, fashionpost, fashionwebsite, look, lookbook, lookoftheday, metisu, ootd, outfit, outfitinspo, outfitoftheday, outfitpost

Dress: here

Jacket: here

Sunglasses: here

A pretty typical outfit for me: oversized denim jacket, mini dress, garter tights, and creepers.  All items are linked above and are super affordable.  Also I’ve been super into rose gold sunglasses as of recently, they are popping up everywhere and I’m obsessed with the color.  The ones above are a good alternative to some of the more overpriced designer ones on the market right now.

As I’m sure you can tell, my roots have grown out now for about 6 months and I have absolutely zero idea what to do with my hair.  Part of me is thinking about chopping it all off, and another part of me wants to keep it long.  What do you guys think?

Bali Secret: Review

Disclaimer:  I’ve been given this product for free to review, but all opinions are my own.

I was pretty excited to try this product because to be totally honest, my hair is SERIOUSLY damaged.  If you are anything like me (and you’re probably not because you’re more responsible), you like dye your hair on a whim and almost never trim it.

I don’t really have a legit hair care routine.  The only rule I really have is that I steer clear of animal products, or anything that tests on animals.  16 years of vegetarianism will do that to you.

But recently, I’ve been trying to grown my hair long.  My vision is to have super long mermaid hair.  Because of this, I’ve been making an effort to look into products that help strengthen and grow your hair.

So when i was asked to review this product, I decided to give it a try out of curiosity.  What drew me to it was that it’s all pretty natural.  It’s just made up of organic oils (avocado, moroccan and macadamia), and is supposed to be good for dry and damaged hair.

It comes in a bottle with all these cute capsules.

You cut off the top, and spread the oil on your hair directly after it’s been washed.  I actually use 2 because I have so much hair.  Then you work it into your damp, clean hair.  I let it dry, and was impressed at the texture of it.  My hair felt smoother and softer than usual, even the usually dry ends.

When I straightened it, my hair felt more malleable, and not at all oily.

Overall, I’m pretty happy with the result, and plan to keep using the whole bottle.  I’ve been using it for about a month now and am noticing the texture change of my hair.  Its softer and less dry.

I’ll be honest, this product doesn’t really help you to grow your hair any faster (i could be wrong, but i don’t really believe that many products on the market do).  But I do think it’s beneficial if you are trying to grow your hair long, like me, because your hair won’t break off, and you won’t have to trim it as much.

It’s also much cheaper than many of the hair products out there, so that’s a plus!  Linked it below if any of you want to try i out!

Shop it here

How did I start blogging?

I’ve gotten asked this question a lot, mostly by people who know me in real life. Honestly its a pretty valid question, seeing anyone who’s met me knows that I’m an extreme introvert.

I’d like to say that I had some grand plan for this blog, but honestly i didn’t. That’s not to say it just happened magically (blogging is work, don’t get me wrong), but it was a very slow process for me.

I’ve harbored an interest in fashion since i was a little kid, even though most of my life I was quite sure that i was awful at it. I remembered as a child i always gravitated towards outlandish or gothic clothes. I had a babysitter who wore black pants and crop tops all the time and i thought she was the coolest girl in the world. I often wore my mom’s old clothes to school.  Sometimes I would mix prints together. Needless to say i got made fun of a lot. I was always torn between loving clothes and hating them; or more accurately: loving fashion as an actual art form versus hating the idea of mindlessly following a trend. Other kids at school would tell me I looked stupid.  But I would look at girls in a clique who all wore virtually the same outfit and think ‘i may look bad, but at least i don’t look boring.’

I found High School completely un-inspiring fashion wise. I mean seriously, nothing makes you feel more pathetic than being placed in a sea of teenagers that judge everything you wear or say (not that i was any better than them, i was probably just as terrible.) I was positive that i wasn’t thin or pretty enough to wear the sort of clothes i liked. So i did what i never wanted to do: i tried to blend in.

It wasn’t until college that i really got inspired by fashion again. It was when i discovered a site called Lookbook NU. It struck me as this extremely simple idea that was also kind of revolutionary: A site where people shared their fashion and personal style.

It was full of the sort of girls I wanted to be.  Their clothes were daring and over-the-top.   It was the type of clothing I’d always loved, but assumed I’d never actually wear. After-all, there was something special about girls who wore clothing like that. They looked brave, and interesting.  I spent hours searching blogs for fashion photos. I made collages of ones i liked.

It wasn’t a well known platform like Facebook or Instagram, so posting something on there felt somehow safe.  I went on that site nearly every day for a year before i got up the courage to actually post something.

This was my first post. Pretty awful right? Also i had platinum blonde hair because ‘Game of Thrones’ was new at the time and i wanted to look like Daenerys.

Slowly, I began posting more and more and growing a very small following. I didn’t tell a soul about the site; I never planned on sharing these photos outside of Lookbook.  I thought of it as a dairy or a journal; something private i did just for me.  I’d buy clothes from thrift stores, put outfits together (often altering pieces), and take photos of them.  Almost like a child playing dress up.

After college I took a short temp job. I sat behind a desk and answered phones. Sometimes i re-stocked the snack room. The majority of my day was spent sitting and waiting for it to be 6:00. I applied to jobs, but there’s really only so many hours a day that you can spend doing that. I hated the idea of wasting so much time. I needed a project. Something fun and productive.

That project would eventually become this blog. At this point, I had been reading fashion blogs religiously for years, so i had a vague idea of what i wanted mine to be. I tried to improve my photos. I bought a new phone with a better camera. I spent time learning how to take a better picture. I wrote posts on this blog daily. As my following increased, i began to wonder what the next step was-if there was one at all.

One day during lunch, a co-worked sat down next to me and informed me that she had found my Lookbook page.

‘fuck!’ my inner monologue went.  I had never spoken to anyone about my lookbook.

“It’s cool!” she chirped, “Where do you get your clothes from?”

Her tone wasn’t mocking.  She was actually curious.  I muttered one of my favorite thrift stores and turned back to my sandwich, stunned.  That had painless.  I began to wonder why I had always been so quiet about it.

Finally, i showed my blog and Lookbook to a friend.  Her response was just as positive as the girl at my office.  She suggested that i start posting them on instagram.

I’d never used Instagram, but i hated the idea of it. At this point in time i had a certain disdain for social media. I felt like it was a platform specifically designed for everything about my generation that I could not relate to.  Full of poorly framed smiling selfies, laughing girls crowding into a small photobooth, or a plate of pretty gluten free-whatever-the-fuck pancakes someone or another was talented enough to make for breakfast.  

The whole thing didn’t feel social to me-it felt isolating.  It made me wonder if everyone’s life was supposed to sparkle that way? Mine certainly didn’t.

She encouraged me to check it out before I judged it, so I did. I was surprised to find that there were millions of fashion accounts-many filled with photos better than anything i had ever taken.

I had a sort of realization: social media wasn’t necessarily fake.  It was the tiny sliver of your life that you want the world to see. Perhaps it’s the things you cook, maybe it’s the watercolor you paint, maybe it’s photos of your dog. The thing about sharing your little streak of creativity or your passion for your hobby is that it can inspire others.

I began to challenge my introverted, nervous self.  Really, what was i so afraid of?  And would i really let fear control me?  In the end, i bullied myself into posting my first instagram photo.

I posted a photo a day.  I had a huge backlog of Lookbook photos to pick from, and on top of that i was making new content daily.  The response i got from Instagram blew me away.  It quickly surpassed my following on both my Lookbook and my blog.

The first time i got a shipment of clothing for free, i couldn’t really believe it. The fact that anyone would send me free clothing just to post photos of it on my instagram was totally unreal. Despite this, i made a decision pretty early on that blogging was only a hobby for me.  Not a future career. I know that people make a living doing this, and i completely respect it. But the fact that i treat this as a hobby allows me to be much more selective about the collaborations i take from brands (since I’m not relying on income from blogging). Sometimes ill get a message saying I’ve ‘sold out’ because I’m promoting a product. For those of you that think that: believe me, for every product i promote, there are five others I’ve turned down. I’m pretty picky, and refuse to promote products or brands that i don’t actually like.  Plus i respect you guys, my followers, too much to spam you all the time with useless junk i wouldn’t actually wear or use.

I got a few rude questions, and mean comments.  but for the most part, my followers are wonderful and positive.  I know I am very lucky.

None of this is meant to say I’m successful at blogging. In fact, I’d say I’m probably NOT successful seeing as I’m not make a living at it, and never plan to. Even so, I am proud of it.  And I do think it’s been a positive thing in my life.

Your comfort zone is there for a reason, and frequently i listen to it. But through all of this I learned that stepping outside of it is what makes me evolve.  I think the most important thing I’ve learned in this process is that: literally the only person who you need to please with your appearance is yourself. Dress the way that makes you feel best about yourself. Even if it’s skimpy, over the top, widely viewed as ugly (plenty of things I wear are), wear it if it’s what you like. That is the best and only real advice I can ever give anyone. I spent too much of my life worrying about what other people thought.

I’ve never been one to really overshare personal things on here, but this was something i felt compelled to write.  After all, you never know when personal experiences resonate with someone else.  Maybe you are thinking of putting yourself out there in a way you haven’t before.  Maybe there’s something you’ve always wanted to do; someone you’ve always wanted to be, but there’s something holding you back.  I’m not saying to always go with your impulses, but I think I’ve learned to listen to mine every once in a while, and I’m glad I did.

70’s Vibes

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fashion, fashionable, fashionblog, fashionblogger, fashionphotography, fashionpost, fashionwebsite, look, lookbook, lookoftheday, outfit, outfitinspo, outfitoftheday, outfitpost, urbanoutfitters

Sweater: similar here

Skirt: similar here

It’s been forever since I’ve done an outfit post on this blog, so I thought I’d do a quick post today.

This was a super random photoshoot done yesterday from the rooftop of my husband’s office.  One of those rare occasions where the place was perfect and I actually liked my outfit.  This look is super simple, but it’s one of my favorite outfits as of late.  I’ve been getting more into 70’s retro vibes.  Seriously, this sweater looks straight out of ‘That 70’s show’, I freaked out when I found it.  I got it from Urban Outfitters a few weeks ago.  It looks like they aren’t selling it anymore, but I linked another awesome one above (probably my next purchase.)

Hope you guys are having great Sunday!  Let me know what you think of the outfit in the comments below!

 

Photo Diary: Pompeii

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casual, dress, fashion, fashionblogger, fashionpost, fashionwebsite, italy, look, lookbook, lookoftheday, ootd, outfit, outfitinspo, outfitoftheday, outfitpost, pompeii, travel, travelblogger

Seeing the ruins of Pompeii might have been my favorite part of the entire trip. I’ve been dreaming of seeing it ever since I heard about it in 6th grade history class.

While I knew a bit about the history, I hadn’t expected the ruins to be so vast and SO well preserved (city was destroyed by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD.)

Casts of the citizens of Pompeii, preserved under layers of ash.

pompeii colosseum

JORD Watches

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accessories, fashion, fashionblog, fashionblogger, fashionphotography, JORD, look, lookbook, productreviews, Reviews, watch

Disclaimer: I was given this product for free to review, but all opinions are my own.

 

I’m quite picky when it comes to accessories, which is why I don’t review too many of them on this blog.  I tend to wear the same jewelry every day.  Both because I don’t own  a whole lot of jewelry, and because I’m particular to simple pieces.

I’ve been looking for a watch for a while now.  I think the last one I owned was when I was a Sailor Moon themed one in the 2nd grade (and yes I totally wish I still owned it.)  I ended up picking out this JORD wooden watch (pictured above), and it’s quickly become one of my every day pieces.  I had honestly never tried on a wooden watch before and was surprised at how light and comfortable it was.  I went with a deep navy blue for the face and a dark mahogany for the band.

Also, this isn’t something I usually notice, but I adored the packaging.  It came in a little wooden box, along with cleaning supplies for it (pictured above).

Check more of them out here (and this link automatically gives you 25% off!)

My watch: https://www.jordwatches.com/series/frankie-35/zebrawood-and-navy/#paulagallagherblog

Men’s Watches:  https://goo.gl/forms/Ql3bE6HEO5vyKZpE2

Women’s Watches:  https://goo.gl/forms/b1x3LeTcsqqVLJnZ2

Rome Photo Diary

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fashion, fashionable, fashionblogger, fashionphotography, italy, look, lookbook, lookoftheday, ootd, outfit, outfitinspo, outfitoftheday, outfitpost, rome, travel, travelblogger, traveldiary, travelpost, wanderlust

Our third stop on our Honeymoon: Rome.  I have dreamed of visiting Roman Ruins since I was a young history nerd.   I honestly couldn’t believe how beautiful it all was.  Being an american who’s really never traveled before now, I often forget how new U.S. history is compared to most places in the world.  It’s crazy seeing ruins over a thousand years old such as the Colosseum (70 ad!)

We spent 3 days here and managed to see the Vatican, Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, Spanish steps, and Palatine Hill.  Needless to say, I was exhausted.

Again, the outfits are pretty simple and comfortable (they have to be when you are walking all day), so hopefully you guys aren’t bored of them!