Yeah you read that right...dumpster diving. No I'm not homeless, and I'm certainly not doing badly even for a college student. I stumbled upon videos of girls like myself, who wanted to reduce waste, as well as save a few bucks, for seemingly meaningless products such as makeup. In these videos, the girls talk about how they nervously started going into dumpsters behind stores like Ulta and finding $1000s worth of product thrown out in perfectly useable condition. Some of the product was returns, others were opened boxes from the store or last years trends that weren't selling.



So all of this got me intrigued - I could find all the makeup of my dreams just by digging through a little bit of trash? In the videos, the trash didn't even look too bad, it was all makeup and maybe an employees lunch here or there, and the thought of so much potential payoff was too enticing.

I jumped in.

I started at an Ulta near me which I quickly found out was useless as it has a trash compactor where I decided losing my legs wasn't worth it, and felt discouraged already. The following day-- or rather night, because I was too embarrassed I'd be seen -- I headed to another Ulta, only to find out it was trash day and nothing much was left to sort through. Where was my gold mine? The free makeup? The pride in searching and finding what I wanted for free???

Then, just about two weeks later of finding little to nothing and claiming used eyebrow pencils as a "find", I happened upon an Ulta store right after they had thrown out four boxes of returns. It's store policy the employees destroy all the product and mix it in a "soup" of other products such as conditioner, body soap and foundation, and I strapped on my gloves ready to sort through the goop for my finds. The first two boxes were like this, filled to the brim with opened and sliced products where I found a few foundations that were unopened, and felt pretty good about myself, but picking up the third box I had a good feeling.

I opened the box to see untouched, beautifully wrapped, brand. freaking. new. makeup. (and maybe some angels singing and a bright white light coming out of the box)

Just a couple of my finds from that box

I called my best friend to facetime and show off my find, after her badmouthing my "hobo" ways she was shocked and begging me to send her some of the product. All in all, I found at least $700 worth of stuff in that one box, including two huge eyeshadow palettes, three foundations, and five skincare items just for starters.



So how did I do it? How can you do it? It's really easy frankly, you just find an Ulta (or other store that you like the product from) and hop on in the dumpster behind it. What surprised me most was how not gross it was, I mean I wouldn't wear your Sunday best, but it really wasn't bad. Here are some tips to get started that I've learned through my experiences and reading:

• (at Ulta) don't waste time looking through the black trash bags, they're from the salon portion (and can contain hair ew I know but get over it)
• look through the white clear-ish bags and don't be afraid to rip them open and sort through a little
• wear gloves, especially when going through return boxes as it gets very very messy
• try multiple locations at multiple times, once you figure out when they dump stuff and what time works best, you're golden
• grab a friend to go with you, seriously it's not as weird as it seems and hey it's also good for the environment
• especially if you go at night, bring a flashlight
• it's all about the hunt, sometimes you find a lot, other times nothing...and that's what makes it so exciting

I just got back from a three week trip to Italy and Eastern Europe, and it was amazing; I can never emphasize the importance of travel enough. But as I'm back and adjust to the jetlag, and think of all the things in my luggage that was lost (sigh, never again Berlin Air...), I also think of everything I packed that I never actually needed or used. These items I saw frequently on packing lists or in YouTuber's "must have travel items" videos, but I found to just take up space.

I always try to maintain, less is more, when traveling, and have a bunch of DIY's if you ever find you've forgotten something.

Water bottle - Seriously I saw this every where... "I always ask my flight attendants to fill it up for me!" Well for starters, it's totally weird to ask that, usually my flight attendants are told they can only give one cup of water at a time, and the space it took up wasn't worth saving $2 to buy a bottle at the airport. Throughout the cities I traveled I found myself forgetting to use it, or not want to carry it around, and opted to reuse my smaller recyclable bottle, and if I had to, I could ditch it (or as I sometimes did, forgot it in a restaurant).

Towel - Yes some hostels don't have towels for free, but about half of mine did, and the others had towels available for rent, again I would've preferred the space over the couple of euros. OR you can always use a t shirt that's already dirty as a towel.

Portable charger - I only used my phone for photos and when I had WiFi, and I never had a time where I ran out of battery. Some times I did get close and had to find an outlet, but overall I'm glad I didn't bring a back up charger and have to lug that around.

Fuzzy socks - Trust me I love fuzzy socks, but I never had a place that was so cold that I felt the need for them, I definitely never took these out of my bag, and certainly didn't need them for the plane as so many travel sites suggested.

Some things I brought that I'm really glad I did:

• Sunscreen
• Shawl that doubles as a plane blanket
• Travel sized shampoo/conditioner
• Variety of pants and shorts
• Ear plugs and eye mask
• Vaseline (so many uses)

After a brief (couple month) hiatus and a drink (half a bottle of Barefoot) or two later, I decided to come back to my blog and check up on it. I was happily surprised to see it still thriving after being gone so long.

In my absence, I've been figuring out what I want to do, what I want this blog to be, and where I'm going in life -- and I think the next stop for me is the travel industry.

I've touched on travel a few times before, incorporating it with fashion. But now, fashion doesn't interest me like it used to; it feels old hat, words anyone could regergitate, and I want to bring substance if I'm going to spend time posting it.

So what do you want to see? How to travel for less? Where to find great flight deals?

Or maybe your focus is on seeing new places and day dreaming about what you would do if you were in an exotic country...

Until next time, enjoy this video of what I did all summer before working.

Xo, Sam

I love to travel, and I'm traveling all the time. Throughout all these travels I've come up with quite a few good little hacks should you get into a pinch, or just want to pack fewer beauty items like me.

Forgot a toothbrush, paste, razor, shampoo... ask the front desk of your hotel, they usually have extra basic toilitries for free.

Chapped lips? Dry legs? Go to the hotel lobby or local Starbucks and grab a packet of honey along with a packet of sugar (many packets of honey and sugar if it's for your legs) and you have a DIY exfloliator when mixed. Scrub where needed and rinse off. You should use enough sugar to honey that it makes a thick paste like in the photo below.

Eye makeup remover can be made from the free lotion bottle given in your hotel bathroom. Just use a dab and be sure to wash it off after.

The conditioner provided next to your lotion in a hotel bathroom can be a shaving cream substitute. You can also mix conditioner with honey and any natural oils you can find around the hotel kitchen nook (olive oil usually) and leave on dry hair for 15-30 minutes for a quick deep conditioner.

If you have nail polish on hand, you can paint wet nail polish on top of old, dried, chipped nail polish to remove it. Just paint on top of the old nail polish and wipe with a cotton ball or wad of toilet paper if you don't have a cotton ball.

An oldie but a goody, use toothpaste in a pinch to dry up a zit.

Revive a dry, tired face by brewing tea (caffenated green tea is best) and wiping your face with the warm tea. Place the wet tea bags on your eyes to reduce dark circles and puffiness as well.

A little bit of hand soap or shampoo can be used as a facewash if you're really in need, but be sure to moisturize afterwards. Always try just water and gently scrubbing with your fingers first.

I hate when I forget nail clippers and really need to cut a jagged nail. To hold you over from going crazy, a pair of scissors can clean up the edge. Again check with the hotel front desk if they have a file as well.

What other things do you commonly forget on trips? Let me know in the comments and I'll see if I can't find something to DIY.

Happy Friday again! You can bet your bottom this gal is sleeping in today, last night was my 21st birthday, but I had to share it with you. Here's how I styled my night out --

yes that is me eating a grilled cheese

Before going out, I went to dinner with a friend and wore this cute but comfy sweater from Forever 21. I've been wearing this so much, it was perfect for this weird chilly April night we had.




Then after dinner I changed into something a little more sexy and "twenty-fun". I love these over the knee boots and they helped keep me warm throughout the night. I also threw on a black bomber jacket to keep me warm from bar to bar.


Thanks for sharing in my birthday, all the best. Xo.

As just a junior in college, I've already held two internships, (Nationwide and L Brands -- owner of Victoria's Secret) and plan on holding my third one this summer with Kohl's HQ in merchandising. A lot of people I go to school with and know, ask me how I've gotten so many offers, and in a field I enjoy as well.


Many people think to work in the higher ups of the retail industry (i.e. not a sales associate) you need to be unpaid, and work from 7 am to 7 pm -- I'm here to tell you I've made competitive wages, never worked more than 40 hrs a week on the regular, and have done actual work; not coffee runs and file organization.

How is this possible you ask? A lot of hard work simply put. But here are some tips to help as well.

Start the search EARLY

Like so early you say, wait is anything posted yet? Because it will sneak up on you and suddenly it's April. I've started looking for my internships beginning of September, and find there to be two big "waves" of hiring for college students; early November and February. It might differ at your school a little, but this is from large companies that are all over the country and you don't want to miss these big hiring points.

But you could luck out later

Although not as likely, if you have missed the waves of hiring, last minute (April) some companies find they didn't hire enough interns, or too many of their offers were declined. This is when you spring in and take that spot they desperately need filled.

Utilize all your resources

So how do you even find these great opportunities? Start the search with your school career board, then use other sites like LinkedIn, Indeed, or Internships. Check out this Forbes article that has a good, short and sweet list, but those above are my favorites.

Don't just check online, talk to your professors who work in the fashion industry and ask for their contacts, talk to your parents and other family. Getting your first internship is the most difficult, and most often people get it through knowing someone.

Know what to look for

Figure out what your key words are and what search filters to use. If you want that job to be paid (and I highly recommend you don't settle for anything less), use the filter 'paid' vs 'unpaid'! I've not selected this in case a company hasn't filled out all of the pieces of their ad, but think, do you really want to work for a company that isn't proud to pay it's employees? Plus what do college students want more than a paid internship? If it doesn't outright say that the position is paid, it probably isn't (and thus not worth your time).

Starting your searches close to home, even if you were happy anywhere in North America like me, will limit yourself to only relevant job postings and also make it easier for interviews. Sometimes you waste time realizing you can't afford the flight to a small company in L.A.. It happens.

Boost your resume

Okay but like really when is the last time you updated that thing? Make sure you're using good adjectives, promoting your accomplishments and leadership positions, and cutting out that you were a babysitter in high school as job experience (cmon you're in college who cares?). Go to your school's career center to learn how to write an effective resume, check out this site, or let me know if you want to see another post about how I made my resume ;) ;)

If you want a job in fashion particularly, make sure you write experiences you've had working in fashion, seriously is underline/italic/bold enough to grab your attention? Fashion loves fashion, so even having that you worked at Hollister in HS is better than swiping in people at the dining hall (lol I worked at Hollister, I thought I was really really cool). If you haven't worked at a store try writing out some blog posts, or go through magazines and spot the latest trends; do something that relates to fashion.

Follow up

Ever had where you submit a resume and like a month later there's still no update? After 2 weeks, send an email to the company and ask to make sure they got your resume, and see if there's anything else you can do. Sometimes they just miss you, or sent the email to the wrong address...human error knows no limits.

Interview like a pro

There's a million tips on interviewing, I could even do a whole post on it (seriously let a girl know in the comments), but my top tips are to sell yourself, find a connection, and be different.

Sell yourself: This is your time to brag! You are awesome. So awesome. This company should be blessed to hire you (ok that's cocky but really you've done a lot if you got an interview). Talk about your best aspects only, but be honest. There's a fine line between cocky and confident, but feel the situation out, sometimes it's good to skirt that line.

Find a connection: This one is a personal favorite. Science shows (no I'm not making this up ok look it up yourself you skeptic) that people are more likely to trust you if you have something in common with them. So chat it up during your interview, get to know your interviewer a little, and when the tiniest thing that connects you too pops up, elaborate on it. "Oh no way you went to high school in Canada? I just got back from a trip to Toronto, it is such a beautiful country!" Seriously. They will love you.

Be different: Everyone reads the same preparation articles, studies the same information on the company, and expects the same questions. Be different! Say something outside of the box, be original, don't follow a pattern and be afraid you will be judged for it. High risk is high reward, and sometimes you will fail, but being different is memorable and can really set you ahead.

Go back a few years to eighth grade, I was one  hell of a nerd with two nerdier friends by my side and we all planned on going to Ivy League universities. In fact, I was sure I was going to my mother's alma mater, Cornell University. I was determined to get excellent grades in junior high, because high grades in junior high meant I could get into advanced courses in high school which meant getting into an Ivy. Yes I was that obsessed with college.

Freshman Sam thinking she knows where she wants to go and won't get the freshman 15

Move ahead a few years, and sophomore year of high school I still thought I was going to Cornell, until I went to a three week intensive there where I took a course on medicine and found out I didn't actually like the school (or medicine, I mean I can barely take a needle who knows what I was doing there). I don't know if it was the lack of city life or it was just too much pressure to be in an Ivy League for me, but I just knew it wasn't the right fit. For the first time in my life I didn't have a clue where I was going to college; I just knew one thing, I would go to a top 25 ranked school.

By junior year I had moved from my hometown in upstate New York to Arizona, and pushed myself into an angry depression. I hated the place, I hated moving from my home I loved, I hated the weather, I hated the slowness of the west coast... let me repeat it, I. HATED. IT. Over 75% of my high school went to an instate institution (all of which were not even in the top  100 college rankings to my disgust) and a lot went to a 2 year school, or didn't even go to school at all. For me, that was never an option, and I didn't even know it could be one that worked out or was the best option for many. I felt like the I was the only one who cared about where I went to school and began driving myself to do more to get myself into a good school and not end up like the majority of my class. I visited over 10 schools across the country that year and applied to about 12. But one school stuck out more than any of them, The University of California: Los Angeles, aka, UCLA. I was obsessed with the environment, the city life, the big sports, its high ranking; it was a dream come true until of course, I was rejected admission. I had a great shot at it too, my scores were right in the middle of accepted applicants, I was a varsity captain, second chair flute in band, and did my fair share of volunteering, but it was still a resounding no. I of course, didn't give up and appealed the decision, but with an appeal acceptance rate of about 3% it was still a no.

I looked at my back up options and realized I never applied to another school I really liked. I was stuck with some great options; University of Maryland, University of California: San Diego, California State: Long Beach, University of Miami, and Northeastern University, where I ultimately decided to go simply because they were the second highest ranked on my list and had an outstanding career services department along with a unique internship program that went along with the curriculum. There was never a point senior year where I felt like saying "hey everyone I'm going to an amazing school that I love!" I didn't ever feel 100% with my decision but thought it was just freshman jitters and would grow to love this school I had hardly looked at before even applying.

It was this first year at a school I found out I hated and was not right for me whatsoever that I really realized the stupidity of caring about college rankings. Those high school friends who went to the big in-state schools were having a great time, while getting an affordable education at a well-known institution. Although Northeastern University was highly ranked and regarded by those who knew it, no one I knew had even heard of it. It's "big name" didn't even make a difference, and I wasn't getting the type of college experience I wanted.

(A much happier) Me with my dad after transferring to THE Ohio State University

This is why I urge you to stop looking at those Forbes.com and US News college rankings, because there's so many other factors that matter 1000% more! Is it in a location you like, do you want Greek life, how big do you want the sports to be, etc. Think of someone who goes to MIT to get a journalism degree; it may be an amazing school (recently ranked #1 by Business Insider), but why would someone who wants to do journalism go to a school with emphasis on technology? I doubt you're going to find a school that fits what you want to a T, but at the end of the day, getting a job comes down a lot more about experience and skill than where you went. Sure, going to Harvard might put your application at the top of the pile, but after that entry level it's about making your company better, be it more sales or more viewers. My father works for a Fortune 10 (yes top 10!) and went to Florida International University...ever heard of it? Probably not since it's not even ranked in any of those top rankings. He's managing people who went to Harvard and Georgia Tech, and at one point, another person who went to a state school was chosen for a position over the person who went to Harvard.

Strive to go somewhere that will challenge you, but don't let that challenge be simply an academic one. Let it be academics, social life, political ideas, culture and more.

Xo, S.



(like content like this? leave me a comment and let me know!)

It was a couple of weeks back that I was doing research on some cute and affordable over the knee boots, when I found some at Rue21 that were actually super adorable and fashionable. When I think of Rue21 today it makes me cringe, I really was only in there in middle school to get neon graphic tees with not so funny sayings (I specifically remember having one during the election that said "Obama is my homeboy" with a cartoon of Obama....yikes).

This got me thinking, where are our awkward middle school brands today? Have they evolved and become better, or just gotten worse and appealing to the newest of awkward tweens? Here's some you might remember, and how they are today.

1. Limited Too

This was the coolest place at the end of elementary school, like everything was pink and sparkly and the dressing rooms felt like a catwalk. As many know, Limited Too became Justice, but it still seems like a 10 year old's dream.

2. Abercrombie & Fitch


3. Aeropostale

Aeropostale was the regular kids alternative to Abercrombie & Fitch. It wasn't quite as cool but it still had t-shirts with the logo splayed all over it and destroyed denim mini's so hey it worked. Now Aeropostale is getting back on track, they have some cute sweaters in for fall and a lot of basics for very cheap.



4. American Eagle

American Eagle was another cool, laid back brand from middle school, and was even popular in high school. Today, they continue the chill, bohemian vibe, but for the higher prices, I don't think their clothes are worth it. However, kudos to their lingerie line, Aerie, for being one of the first brands to be body positive and have healthy sized models.

5. Claire's

Claire's was the one stop shop for getting your ears pierced, (unless you were a bougie 5th grader like me who went to Piercing Pagoda ).  Flavored lip smackers, and sparkly scrunchies...the accessories haven is so underrated! Today they have great deals, and some super cute stuff. It takes a little looking through the thousands of products they have, but totally worth it. It's especially great for buying trendy pieces that you know will be out of style by next year. Plus check out their older brand that also has some great stuff, Icing.

6. Juicy Couture

Poor Juicy Couture. It's hard to come back from the velour tracksuit that raged in the early 2000s, but JC is really trying. Their clothing still isn't very attractive, but their accessories and shoes are kinda cute -- however the giant pricetag just isn't helping in their favor.


7. PacSun

Surprisingly enough PacSun is still doing relatively well. Recently they had their Kendall and Kylie collaboration and have been coming back from a bad slump in 2010-ish. Although the title "Pacsun" doesn't hold the cool, sufer vibe it used to, they're still doing pretty well for the younger generation.

Then

Now





8. Wet Seal

Wet Seal is consistenly changing; seriously it feels like they're always doing some last ditch effort to save their brand, and they're either nice surprises or giant fails. I was surprised this place was even still around just because so many other fast fashion retailers took their place with a more streamlined style. I will say I have one pair of palazzo pants I got here a few years ago that are still so comfy. However, they did do a collab with Ashlee Simpson just 5 years ago...so...yeah.

Then