an open letter to the male species

Let’s talk about boys for a second. I love them, and hate them, they’re annoying, they're flirtatious, they’re good, and they’re bad. Lately, I’ve been having some boy issues. Well, I guess issues isn’t necessarily the right word, but "inconvenience" is more like it. I decided that I should write an open letter to the male species. I figure if just one guy reads this and learns something from this letter, then maybe, just maybe, we can have less of the bad guys (bad being the opposite of a gentleman; a f*ck boy if you will) and more of the good guys, the gentlemen. 

image via

So here it goes. 

Dear the male species,

Girls, however seemingly “complicated” are actually super simple. In fact, in order to woo a lady, one must follow the simple steps outlined below. They aren’t difficult, they’re fairly cheap (and often free), and are almost 100% guaranteed to sweep a girl off her feet, and into your loving arms. So please read the list carefully, bookmark it in your preferred browser, print it and hang it on the mirror you probably so often stare longingly into, or just, simply, read and understand what I’m saying. Please, I beg of you. 

1. If you like a girl, tell her or at least let her know. Don’t ever just expect a girl to make the first move. If you really want her in your life, you’ll put in the effort to make her part of it. You can text to make the first move or whatever, but this doesn’t mean that you don’t have to talk to her in real life. A text is just an introduction, a real conversation is where you really make the magic happen, so to speak. Nothing compares to a real life “hello” or, you know, an actual conversation. 
2. When you pick her up to go on a date, walk to her door, ring the bell or knock on the door, and talk to her parents (shake their hands, make small talk about the weather/sports/whatever, ask what time she needs to be home, etc.), and then laugh about how awkward it was afterwards while driving to your date destination. Parents aren’t scary, they just want to get to know the person that is taking their daughter out on a date. Don’t be nervous, just be yourself. 
3. Plan the date yourself. Don’t ask a girl to come up with the idea. She’ll most likely be happy with anything you plan, girls like it when the guy is in charge. She might be a feminist, but that doesn’t mean that you still can’t plan a date. The movies are great, dinner is great too, but it’s nice to come up with something creative sometimes too. Make her think you put some thought and originality into your plans. Go play glow in the dark putt putt, attend a local farmer’s market, go rock climbing or hiking, or just have a picnic in the park. Creativity = extra points, trust me on that one.  
4. Always tell her how your feel. If you think about her right when you wake up, shoot her a good morning text. If you think she’s prettier than the entire milky way, please, please, tell her that. On the flip side, if you feel like your relationship isn’t really working out, let her know, preferably not over text. More times that not, I’ve seen guys just stop talking to their girl instead of telling them how they feel. Don’t ever let a girl wonder where you stand with her. It might be hard for you to tell her, but it’s easier than having her mad at you or leaving her upset and sad. 
5. Be yourself, be honest, and be kind. These don’t really need elaborating… at least I don’t think they do. Just treat your girl with the respect that she so deserves. 

So there you have it. Five, relatively easy, ways to become (or remain) a gentleman. Please try them out and see what happens. 

If you’re a girl who’s reading this, feel free to share it with, you know, every single boy you’ve ever met. Or just one, I’ll settle for it just getting into the hands of one guy. 

Let me know if you have any more things to add to the list, there are probably infinite ways to woo a girl… am I right ladies??

Thanks for reading! 
xox
Chloe

senior year reflection

Caroline from Citrus and Style just wrote a great blog post on her junior year reflection. In fact, it was such a great post that I decided that I should write a reflection of my senior year. Senior year was honestly my most favorite year of high school. I don’t know if it’s because I was finally back in “real school” after two long agonizing years of online school, but whatever the reason, it truly was the most amazing year yet. While it was amazing and great and fun, I did learn a few things in the process. 

So here’s what I learned…

+Be friends with everyone. Each person at your school, however seemingly weird, has something so cool about themselves and something you can most definitely learn from them. Whether it’s the band geek, the math prodigy, or the super poplar and supposedly stuck up girl, they are all cool in their own individual ways. Don’t get caught up in trying to surround yourself with a certain “type” of friend group, because in the end, everyone is actually really cool.
+Grades matter, but don’t stress ‘till your breaking point over them. Don’t waste your time away studying for something ridiculous. Obviously,  try your best and do your best, but don’t put so much pressure on yourself. If you don’t get an A+ on a math test, don’t beat yourself up. Just go to some extra tutoring sessions or try harder next time. I spent the first three years of high school absolutely paranoid over my grades, and this year I didn’t, but everything still worked out perfectly. 
+Don’t get caught up in having to have a boyfriend or a significant other. If it happens, it happens, but don’t harp on it. Boys are dumb. Well, most boys. Go on a few dates, kiss a few boys, just have fun with it. 
+Stop caring what other people think. This is clearly easier said than done, but if you enjoy reading alone at coffee shops, playing a weird sport, or posting dumb videos of yourself on your Snap Story, just do it. Who cares what everyone thinks? You do you, flawlessly. 
+Spend time with your family. Of course they annoy you, but next year, in college, you won’t be able to just chill on the couch and watch a dumb movie with your dad, go shopping with your mom, or go on fun random adventures with your brother. Don’t take family time for granted! 

So there you have it. A list of five things to remember for your senior year, or just life in general I guess.
What’s something you learned from your senior year of high school? Any advice for me for college next year?

Thanks for reading! 
xox
Chloe

#ChicChat Recap | Number Two

This past Tuesday’s #ChicChat was all about originality. There are so many new blogs sprouting and it’s hard to stay original and create original content. Because of that, we decided we all needed to share some advice and insight relating to originality. Here are some tweets that really stuck out — in the best way possible.

Question One What are your initial thoughts on blogs and originality? “I think pretty much every blog has a lot of similarity. It’s passion and personality that sets them apart!” — @evegagnon1 “It’s SO hard to be 100% original unless you are a serious trendsetter - even then you grab inspiration from somewhere” — @The_RachelRoss “The worst think ever is when people copy other bloggers because they think people will like it. Originality is best!” — @citrusandstyle

Question Two Do you think originality is starting to lose meaning now that there are so many blogs? “I don’t think it has to. But you have to make the effort to be original.” — @ThePeachBellini “The more blogs there are the harder it is to come up with something new, but more blogs equal more voices and opinions.” — @CarrieOnBlogs “No, because every blogger has a written voice and their own authentic personality.” — @helloscarblog

Question Three How do you keep YOUR blog original? “I just try and think of what I want to read and haven’t yet!” — @CarrieOnBlogs “I get inspiration from others around me, but put my own spin on it!” — @citrusandstyle “Such a good question and yet so difficult to answer… hmmm” — @stylecontext “I write thanks that make ME happy, things that inspire ME, motivate ME and challenge ME.” — @helloscarblog

Question Four What blog do you think should win the “most original” superlative? “Atlantic Pacific by @BlairEadieBEE for sure.” —  @citrusandstyle “I’m truly not saying this just because she is here but I honestly think it should be @fashionnewcomer.” — @CarrieOnBlogs “I love @pbloverblog! Her posts are always so relatable.” — @petitepastels “So, I will go with @abeautifulmess with my girls Elsie and Emma.” — @helloscarblog “Not sure if @ManRepeller qualifies as a blog anymore, but they put out content I would never be able to think of myself!” — @twolilelephants 

Be sure to check out last week’s #ChicChat recap! Thanks for reading! xox, Chloe

FOMO

One of my bloggy besties, Caroline, from the blog Citrus and Style wrote a post recently that really resonated with me. It was basically talking about FOMO (fear of missing out) and how sometimes we have to make decisions based on what we need to do rather than what we want to do. As a senior in high school, going to a certain party or sporting event can seem uber important in the moment. If I don’t go, I might miss out on something big or exciting, I might not have a chance to flirt with the boy I’m crushing on at the moment or socialize with all my besties. However, sometimes it’s important to take a break from everything and just sit at home and catch up on Netflix and sleep.

My mom and I have been talking a lot about how I can’t do everything. I can’t have a sleepover on Friday night and then stay out until 12 Saturday night. I’m at the point in my life where I have to make decisions on what I want to do and whether or not certain things are as important as they are in my mind. FOMO is real, especially with social media, and it’s hard to make these choices. But I’ve realized, through missing things, that sometimes a night alone at home is better than staying out late at a party. Even though, most of the time, it’s hard to make the choice to stay home, when I do I really love it. In fact, I’m writing this at 9 o’clock on a Saturday night. In bed. With Netflix open. And honestly? I’ve never been more content.

I was supposed to go to a concert that a band from school was playing in, but because I had a sleepover last night, my mom said I couldn’t go. Was I mad that my mom wouldn’t let me go? Absolutely. Am I missing something fun? Yep. Do I have a lot of FOMO right now? Not a lot, just a little. Am I ok staying home? You Betcha. So, moral of the story? Sometimes a night at home is better than a night out. Sometimes it’s ok to miss “the biggest party of the year” or “greatest concert of all times” or “best basketball game of the century.” FOMO is real, but staying home is fun too.

Do you have a problem with FOMO? Thanks for reading! xox, Chloe

#ChicChat Recap | Number One

Every Tuesday night from 9-9:30 Eastern time I host a twitter chat that talks about all things blog related called #ChicChat. In the past we have talked about things from the importance of Instagram to contacting brands to coming up with creative post topics. Every week the topic is different and we always end up learning something new or gaining a piece of insight. I decided that every Thursday, starting today, I’m going to post a #ChicChat recap. photo via

So, this past Tuesday’s topic was “Common Blogger Mistakes” which was recommended by Scarleth from Hello Scar. We’ve all made mistakes when it comes to blogging and learning from our own mistakes is often a way to build ourselves up and learn new things. I’m not really sure how I’ll format these posts down the road, but for now, I’m going to show the question that I asked and then share a few tweets from that specific question that sparked some interest.

Here we go…

Question 1: What’s the biggest mistake you’ve made while blogging? “getting into the comparison game-you can't judge anyone's blog success the same way! We're all at different stages.” - @somemoredunsmor “Without fail, not promoting them enough. I will go to the ends of the earth for others' posts...but mine? Um…” - @theideologue “underestimating the time it takes to maintain a blog” - @ThePeachBellini 

Question 2: What’s a mistake that you see new bloggers making? “copying other bloggers that have original content and not giving credit where it's due.” - @helloscarblog “Not having a clear point of view or not focusing in on a target market.” - @GalleriadiGiani “Too much self-promotion on other's blogs & social pages. It can look like spam, even though the intentions are good.” - @teresalauraxo “using dry language to share things they're passionate about. The blogging craft is re: conveying authentic passion.” -  @theideologue

Question 3: What’s one piece of advice you wish someone told you before you started blogging? “blog like no one's watching! i think this would've helped me post more expressively and not be so self-conscious” - @stylecontext “start with a few posts already in your arsenal so you're ahead, it's so easy to get behind on posts” - @alwayshunterb “that no matter how long you've been blogging you'll still feel brand new. You'll still Learn every day” - @ThePeachBellini “all the little stuff-every network to join,photo size for pinterest,social media scheduling,etc.” - @somemoredunsmor

Question 4: Is there anything that you wish you could re-do or take back regarding your blog? “I wish it were my job! I wish that I were brave enough to take the leap and do what I love! #failtoplanPlantofail” - @ThePeachBellini “No regrets, it's all a learning experience” - @GalleryPlaceDes “I wouldn't have tried to sound like anyone else for so long. I would've accepted that my "voice" was/is a needed one.” - @theideologue “I feel like I should've done more research prior to starting a blog. 1 thing I don't regret is my blog name!” - @diningonstyle “i wish i would've picked a better name! something more fun and descriptive. i think it's too late now” - @stylecontext

So there we have it! A short little recap. If you’re interested in joining next weeks chat, but aren’t really sure where to start, be sure to read this post explaining what a twitter chat is!

Have you ever participated in a twitter chat? If so, what's your favorite one? xox, Chloe

Lanakin

Throughout my entire life, there’s only been one thing that I’ve been jealous of my brother for. It’s not that he’s smarter than me, that he has a better sense of style than me, or that his level of common sense definitely out ranks mine; it’s the fact that his eye lashes are so luscious. Ever since the day he was born, he’s had amazing eye lashes while mine have been on the more “stubby” side. It’s something that I’ve learned to live with and throughout my years living with him, I’ve learned that he will forever have the better genes in the eyelash department.

However I felt my luck in the lashes department start to change when Lanakin reached out to me asking if I wanted to test out their  eyelash lengthening formula. I was all ears/all lashes. Anything to make my eyelashes look more luscious and beautiful than my brother’s oh so perfect lashes is seriously right up my alley. These are just the before pictures, but in just a few short weeks I’ll be back with an update post letting you know how awesome my new and improved eyelashes turn out to be, and if it really is possible to pull through and have the best eyelashes in the undeclared sibling war.

If you’re interested in purchasing Lanakin, feel free to use our discount code to get 10% off your order! The code is POPCO10

Have you ever used anything to help your eyelashes grow? If so, I’d love to hear about your results! xox Chloe