Goodbye teen!

Sorry for the major lack in posts - I've been crazy busy with work and all that nonsense. But this weekend has been amazing. On Thursday the 4th, I finally turned 20 years old :). It's so exciting for me to not be a teenager anymore especially because everybody out here mistakes me for being between the ages of 16 and 18... #annoying. Anyways, I had an amazing birthday! I was lucky enough to have Adam and his sister Angela come to visit the city for the weekend and get to do all the touristy things with me. We shopped like crazy, ate at some great restaurants, and went to the Museum of Natural History, the NY Aquarium and Coney Island. I even introduced them to Nathan's Hot Dogs, New York Chinese food, the subway, and the art of the black market.

I had such an amazing weekend. My birthday was great, and I got to wear my amazing dress I got from Zara.

 mind the messy room. O:)

dress: Zara
shoes: Forever 21
chunky ring: taken from Alex ;)

gold ring: Christmas gift from Adam

For my birthday, my awesome cousin Ashley (who is an avid reader of my blog, I guess!) got me a pair of TOMS Shoes! I was so happy when I read the label on the package since literally everyone and their dog has a pair of TOMS in New York. Angela got me a black and white striped skirt that I've been wanting for quite a while, and my mom sent me a package with crackers, snack foods, and some stuff she got from Kohl's. Adam decided to buy me some stuff while we were here, but I decided to get one thing that I had been wanting the entire summer: a New York Yankees fitted baseball cap. I've been wearing it constantly since I got it. 

X-ray on PhotoBooth is so creepy. lol

We went to the Roxy store and I seen this hat!
I had to try it on and get a picture. Too bad it was $129! :(

Until next time! xo

My Weekend in Michigan ♥

For the past 5 days, I have been in Michigan spending time with the people that mean the most to me. After 7 weeks of not seeing Adam, my parents, and the rest of my family, I decided to spend the money to head on out there. :)

To see my mini-diary of the weekend, jump!

Prom... do you have it all?

I know that June has approached us, but for my high school, the big day is almost near. Do you have everything you need? Here's a list so you can double check:

1. Corsage and boutonniere: If not - get on that, stat! What's prom without a picture of your date putting the corsage on your wrist? Or, for me, a photo of me arguing with my date about putting his bout on.

Arguing. BAHA! We're great.

2. What about a small bag? This was my biggest mistake at prom. I had a camera, a cell phone, my student ID, blah blah blah, without a bag. I had a bag with me at the first prom I went to, but at my actual high school's prom - I didn't bring one (idiot). Skip your giant shoulder bag or cross body satchel and go get a small clutch or wristlet. What to put in it:

• An extra tampon/pad - just in case! Your girlfriend may wind up starting RIGHT THERE in the bathroom, and you'll be her life saver.
• An oil blotting sheet, if you have oily skin. This will save you when you start feeling greasy, and you don't want to look greasy in photos!
• Extra gloss/lipstick if you need it.
• A couple of bucks. Especially if you are getting a limo. Tip him/her at the end of the night, especially if they are awesome and take you to a 7-11 after the dance at midnight like mine did. This'll come in handy for after-dance snacks - like a slurpee!
• And of course, phone, camera, student ID, etc.

3. Jewelry. This is obvious, but I kind of forgot about this until the day of. Oh, and make sure you have it in. I lost one of my earrings before prom even started. I had to go earring-less all night, and it sucked. Those earrings really added to the look I was going for, and then that look kind of disappeared.

Sticking earrings in. Didn't lose these ones, just the cool ones from the other
prom. They were gold leaves, going toward a Greek Goddess look.

4. Makeup. A lot of girls buy special makeup just for this day. But, have you tried it out? Try practicing the look you're going for at least once before you actually have to do it. If you have sensitive skin, this is a must. Not all makeup is the same! It would be a shame if your mascara or glittery eyeliner gave you an allergic reaction or something, forcing you to skip out on makeup, or have to suffer with it on all night. Don't let that be you. Oh, and don't forget - look like yourself! Don't try to be a clown just because it's prom. There is nothing worse than seeing the girl who never wears bright blue eyeshadow and thick eyeliner doing just that on the day of her prom.

A couple more tips for you guys:

• Don't turn prom into a make-out session with your boyfriend or crush. It's unattractive for everybody around you, and you really need to soak the prom experience in. After you graduate, chances are, you won't be going to another one. On that note, please don't be the 20-year-old in the future who goes to prom...
• If you are going to get tipsy before, don't. Chances are, a lot of high school kids have tried before and succeeded. Now, people (aka your teachers and principal) are smarter than that. A lot of schools make you take a breathalyzer before prom and all-night parties. You would spend all that money on the dress, shoes, limo fee, flowers, and time just to not go. Better be safe and just not do it. I went sober (both times) and I had a blast.
• If you are going to get tipsy afterwards, be smart. Don't drink and drive. Cabs and limos are for that reason - so you DON'T drink and drive. For a cab, call 411 on your phone, ask them for a taxi, they'll hook you up.
• Also... come on. Don't publicly post on Facebook: "Prom After Party at 101 Jefferson St at Christy McDonald's house! Bring money and my brother is gonna go buy for us. We're gonna have beer pong and we're gonna get WASTED!!!!" Yes, I seen one.. a PUBLIC event that ANYBODY can see and RSVP to. Cops have Facebook accounts too, along with people that don't like you. And we all know catty high school kids are out to get one another. Yes, they will call the cops impersonating a "neighbor" and say "I think there is underage drinking going on at 101 Jefferson... It's loud and annoying." Then, you're screwed. And it all could have been prevented if you didn't want to be an idiot on the internet. </rant>
• Most importantly: have fun. :) Don't be tied down with one group of people all night. Dance with everybody you can. Take A MILLION pictures. This is the last chance you'll have to really hang out with everybody from your class again. Some of the people I remember taking pictures with at prom and hanging out with at prom - I haven't seen since prom - 2 years ago. Soak it in, and don't take this all for granted. Once you're taking 300-level classes in college and you have all this hard work to do, you'll be begging to go back to your senior year.

Have fun at your prom, everybody. :) I hope these tips helped you out, even just a little bit! Here are some pics from my prom:

All the girls in the limo with me, and my best friends!

Me and my date, Casey, on the red carpet

Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty at the Met in NYC

Above is a small compilation of some of McQueens runways, including the models who look like they're flying, one of my favorites.

First of all, I want to start this post off with saying that I am not a keen follower of high end fashion designers. Do I love runway shows and high end fashion? Of course! But this growing love of mine for fashion just blossomed recently. Therefore, I never really did find the time or intrigue to discover Alexander McQueen.

McQueen is one of the most well known fashion designers on the planet, and his work is suited for on and off the runway. It's hard to describe his collections because what I saw tonight literally left me just... speechless.

What I've Learned in NYC in 1 Week

Yes, I am finally in New York! We just settled in to our lovely apartment in Brooklyn, and I started my internship on Monday. I'll only be working Tuesday through Thursdays, so that leaves me some time to blog for BeYOUty Queen! :)

By the way, GO FOLLOW MY OTHER BLOG! It's a blog on the world's top 50 women models, a little bit about them, where you may have seen them, and how to get a look of theirs from the street, an editorial, or cover! I'm going to be doing them hopefully once a day, so please check it out and follow it!

Anyways, onto the purpose of this blog. The things I have learned in just one week of living in the city. I've obviously learned more things, but these are the good ones. :)

• There is no such thing as "pitch black." Even when it's 1am and you're in bed with the doors shut and blinds down.
• Even outside of the city, if you expect a quiet life, dream on.
• If you just act like you know what you're doing and where you're going, others will think you do.
• Walk straight, look forward, and act like you don't even speak English (or whatever language they're speaking) when a man says "Hey baby, *kiss kiss*" or in one case of mine "Ooh, bonita, bonita."
• If you're not reading a book, doing a crossword or sudoku puzzle, or jamming to an iPod you are totally screwed and an outcast on the subway.
• Sometimes, you have to do what's best for you and ignore those who will be upset with you.
• Especially in the PR world, research is a must. This has been shoved down my throat since I started my PR classes, but it is becoming more and more relevant.
• The people here really aren't that bad. In fact, I've come across some really nice and helpful people so far.
• Despite what I've seen in movies, there is no cell phone service underground. Duh, Sam. Duh.
• Pigeons are probably the ugliest, stupidest, most annoying creatures to ever exist. Especially when they roost in the roof right next to your upstairs bedroom.
• I have fantastic parents and in-laws.
• Public restrooms are extremely hard to find.
• Kosher food is when they separate dairy from meat. And Kosher ice cream is THE BOMB.
• You can't always trust the pretzels from the street vendors to be fresh.
• This is a fantastic place to live.

Student Fashion Alliance Photo Shoot!

In case you haven't seen my update posts, I am part of the Student Fashion Alliance (VP!) at Ferris - a Fashion RSO that a few of us girls started. We had our first photo shoot a couple of weeks ago, and I wanted to share my favorite (yet, untouched) shots. :) All photos were taken by Ryan Witten, www.ryanwitten.com.

To see the pictures, click below!

Bucket List for NYC

Summer 2011 will be one I will surely never forget. I'm spending 3 fun-filled months with 3 awesome roommates and I'm sure we'll have the time of our life! :)

Here are my things to get done while I'm spending my time in the Concrete Jungle:

• Go to a Yankee's game & become a Yankee's fan!
• Visit at least 1 show on Broadway or see the New York City Ballet
• Go to MTV's The Seven
• Run a marathon with Alex
• Drink little to no pop (err, soda in NYC talk?!) and stick to juice & water
• Meet (or at least get within a 5 feet radius of) somebody famous and get a picture
• Shop at DASH
• Have the best 20th birthday EVER
• Possibly join a co-ed volleyball team?
• Visit Carlo's Bakery in Hoboken
• Figure out the legendary, unanswered question: Where is the best place to get pizza in NYC?
• Try Sushi
• Go to a zoo
• Master the subway system
• Lay out one day at Central Park
• Read "If You Have To Cry, Go Outside" by Kelly Cutrone from cover to cover
• Plan some really sweet events for Model Lounge, and do some great PR & marketing stuff, too!
• Go to Kleinfeld's for Alex!
• Go to the Jersey Shore for the day
• Buy a fake Louis bag that looks semi real, because I can't afford the $1,700 one I want. :(
• See a movie set in action
• Get my picture with Spider-Man again
• Go to the Mermaid Parade in Brooklyn
• See the Macy's 4th of July Fireworks
• Try to find a good church so we can start going on Sundays :)

More to come, probably. But for now this will do! If you guys were going to NYC, what would you want to do? I've already visited the Statue of Liberty and Rockefeller Center and stuff like that.

Update with some bad news :(

Just as the semester is about to wrap up, my stress level has peaked. This week started off with my computer acting up (again) and me not being able to fix it. I took it to one of the hall RA's, who is super good with computers, and he couldn't even fix it. So, I'm without a computer until who knows when. :(

I've also had to deal with 5 tests/quizzes this week for my classes, failing one of them even though I studied really hard for it. Don't you hate it when teachers don't stick to their study guides?

However, today marks 1 week, 6 days until I leave for Brooklyn! I can't believe how fast time has flown by since I found out about my internship opportunity. Along with other good news, Ferris is starting a Fashion club (started by a few of my lovely bloggers!) and so far we have almost 40 members after just one informational meeting! It's so cool to be one of the leaders of this and start something totally fresh at my school. We were even in our school newspaper :) You guys should go like our Facebook page! Since I'm in charge of external affairs, I'd love to plan some blogger meetups and try to get some successful bloggers to come and talk to the girls (& dudes!!).

Also, hence the late post, I'm working tonight until 5:30am, which means I get to watch Royal Wedding coverage for an hour and a half until I go to bed! I'm so excited to see Kate Middleton and her radiant beauty on her wedding day. I think Kate is just gorgeous, and is such a trend setter in today's fashion.

I hope you guys have a great weekend and enjoy all of the Royal Wedding coverage! I'm hoping to take my computer in tomorrow to see what's going on with it and if they can fix it. Until then, I may be on a hiatus for a while. :( xoxo!

Hoppy Easter!

I spent a couple of days at home to celebrate Easter with my family and it was definitely time well spent. I spent Thursday with Adam and his family, mainly his sister, Angela, while they cut down some dead trees and dealt with one of them falling on the power line - oopsie! It was still such a relaxing time just sitting in his house with Angela and their new Rottweiler puppy. Friday we tried out Bagger Dave's in Novi, a popular burger place, then I came home to spend some time with my 1 1/2 year old nephew, Nathaniel. I'll try to upload a video of him coloring eggs! He was so excited - it was his first time!

Saturday, I spent about 2 hours playing with my makeup so I could get some ideas for Angela's prom makeup. I'd post pictures, but I want her makeup to be a secret until her big day. :) It's going to look so awesome though! After lots of makeup time, I went to dinner with my parents, aunt, and uncle to On The Border in Dearborn. For all my downriver followers, if you ever happen to head in there, be sure to ask for Dan! He may be an older guy, but he provides great service and is so nice! Don't you just love when you get a server like that? Especially when they cut you some deals? ;)

Here is my first ever outfit shot. Thanks to my momma for the shoot - she did a good job for a newbie. :) I can't wait to get to NYC so my roommates and I can do these all the time. Picture is in a part of my back yard, by the way.

Dress: Body Central
Cardigan: Papaya
Shoes: Deb
Earrings (bows): Charlote Russe
Necklace: I got it in China at a Jade jewelry dealer. Yes, it's REAL black jade! :)

Have a beyoutiful Easter Sunday everybody! And for the college students: good luck on finals! I have 5 last-minute tests this week along with 3 finals next week. Going to be a drag!