How to be a Morning Person

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This past year I have found myself slowly becoming more and more of a morning person, and surprisingly I love it. Waking up a little bit earlier gives you some extra time to be productive and makes you feel more awake by the time you need to be at school or work. Although getting out of bed when it's still dark out is not completely appealing, there are lots of benefits to becoming a morning person. Here are a few things that I have been doing to get up a little bit earlier. 

get to bed earlier// Freshman and sophomore year I stayed up way to late during the week doing homework and studying. I finally have my afternoon routine down to a science and have not gone to bed after 11 on a school night all year. Maintaining a consistent sleep schedule will help you be more awake in the morning.

get up 30 min earlier// I used to get up at 7:00 every morning to be at school by 8:00 and this year I wake up at 6:30 Monday-Friday. I have found that I like to get to school on the earlier side as I can go to the library and finish up homework or fit in a little extra studying. Also, by the time 8:00 rolls around and class starts I have been up for an hour and a half and am significantly more awake. 

don't hit snooze// I think that I am in the minority here, but I get out of bed the second my alarm goes off and think that it really helps you get ready for the day. If you are constantly hitting snooze, try to eliminate one per day or week until you can finally get up the first time! 

lay out an outfit the night before// I have been doing this for most of my life and it is seriously a game changer in the morning. Waking up can be so much more relaxing and getting ready will not take nearly as long. 

morning workouts// Sign up for an early mooring workout class, or find the motivation to go on an early mooring run once a week. Starting your day with a workout will wake you up and give you the rest of the day to be productive! 

don't sleep too much on the weekends// I try to wake up no later than 9 on the weekends. If you are waking up super late on the weekends your sleeping schedule will get all messed up and waking up on monday will not be easy.

eat breakfast// I am a sting believer that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and have zero idea how people skip it entirely. You do not need to whip up some gourmet meal every morning but just having some fruit and yogurt or a bagel will give you some energy to kick start the day! 

drink coffee or tea// If you really are not a morning person and can't wake up, give yourself a little caffeine to kickstart the day. 

xoxo,

Catherine

Preppy by the Sea

4 Products I'm Loving

brush | rollerball perfume | concealer | chapstick

This Christmas I asked for a few new beauty products, as somehow it has been over two years since I have really purchased any makeup. Over the past two weeks I have used these four products to death and know that I will continue to get a ton of use out of them. I am definitely a makeup minimalist, however when I do buy new products I tend to lean towards nicer brands as I know they are great quality and will last me a long time. 

brush// This present was actually a complete surprise on Christmas morning. My dad bought one for my mom, my sister, and me after he heard someone at work raving about them. All my brushes in the past have been super cheap from CVS or Target and I would never have purchased this for myself, but I am not so glad I have it. You can really tell the difference when you use it after showering and is definitely worth the money. 

perfume// I have been using my Daisy by Marc Jacobs since 8th grade (I still love it) and wanted to try out something new. The Tory Burch perfume has been all the rage in the blogging community so I wanted to give it a try. The scent is kind of a citrus and floral combination and smells amazing. Whenever you try out a perfume, I recommend going for the rollerball, they are significantly less expensive and easy to take on the go!

concealer// Investing in a good concealer is one of the best makeup decisions I have made. I love my Laura Mercier secret camouflage conceler and have used it every day for the past couple of years. I like how their are two different shades to blend together to perfectly match your skin tone. I borrowed this NARS concealer from a friend once and loved it. This one has a bit higher coverage and would be great if you get bags under your eyes.

sugar chapstick// My lips get insanely chapped during the winter and I find myself constantly putting on chapstick throughout the day. When I was Christmas shopping, one of my friends started raving about the sugar products. I honestly think I have tried every lip product under the sun, and this is one of my favorites. It keeps your lips hydrated for hours and the lemon flavor is amazing!

xoxo,

Catherine

Preppy by the Sea

Nailpolish Must-Haves

Hi guys and happy long weekend!

I decided to do a polyvore of nail polish colors that will take you through the seasons with a chic and classy manicure! Enjoy and leave comments below!

Winter- December-March

Two words, DARK RED! I love deep red nails in the winter; they are dramatic and glamorous and compliment any chunky sweater you decide to wear!  Consider something slightly muted and not too bright.  It is winter and a color too bright may make the color in you hands seem pale. I love the Butter London color pictured!

When in doubt, go neutral.  Every (good) nail polish brand has a nice neutral color that gives your nails a clean and polished look.  Browns in your nails look good with browns in your boots (I personally love the Essie color "Glamour Purse", I wear it all the time!)

Metallic of the month: Silver- Good for the holiday season as it reminds me of tinsel and silver bells.  A classy look that isn't too flashy. 

Spring- March(end)-May

Pretty, pink, and pastels! I love raspberry colored nails for all seasons, but I think that they work best in the spring.  Go check out the Essie color "Watermelon", if you don't already have it, I suggest you go buy it this instant; its my favorite nail polish color hands down!  Also, spring is often associated with pastels. Pastel blues, greens, and pink are designated springtime colors so take advantage of the few short months you have to wear them!

Metallic of the month: Pink/Silver Glitter- Essie makes an adorable rose gold pink that I love and also some glitter and sparkle confetti nail polish is dainty and perfect for spring. 

Note: I love the Chanel trio pictured; solid colors and necessities for winter and spring

Summer- June-August

Pink, pink, and well PINK! Go for something bright and not too dark, it will compliment your tan (and Lilly dresses) ;) and looks girly and cute.  You need a good selection so I suggest having 3 go-to pink colors. 

I personally think that summer is a month to do your own nails because it wears off so fast, but if you do go for a mani/pedi why not go for something bright!  Go crazy with a vibrant green, bright turquoise, neon coral (but not too neon!) because it will wear off in 3 days or less anyway.  Also, one of my favorite summer colors is "Aruba Blue" by Essie (dark blue pictured)

Metallic of the month: Blue- This is Essie color (lighter blue) is probably my favorite metallic of the year.  It screams summer and I think its just an awesome color!

Fall- September-November

It's the one season of the year you can wear crimson red and emerald green so go crazy.  Definitely go for darker nails in the fall as it is transition time into winter.  Consider colors that a comparable to the leaves (the colors of fall)  Also, fall is another month where neutral colors are a must along with dark grays (Loving that OPI color!)

Metallic of the month: Gold galore- Get a good gold nail polish that can become your go-to fall color.  It's classic and compliments your riding boots and gold stacking bracelets.

Bonus Tips

If you want to get good at painting your own nails, paint with your opposite hand first (I'm right-handed and I paint my right hand first) It's less messy and your opposite hand is steadier when there isn't wet polish on it.

If your nails chip, either touch up with the same color or take it off.  There is nothing worse than an old messy manicure, it looks sloppy!

Always put on base coat.  It's not something that many people do when doing your own nails, but the regular polish sticks so much better to base coat.  This is a good way to avoid nail polish that peels off your nails in one piece after a day.

Favorite Base Coat: OPI Natural Nail Base Coat

Favorite Top Coat: Essie Clear Coat (very quick drying)

Remember, nails add so much to your appearance.  Having a clean and classy manicure shows that you care and makes you look so much more sophisticated.  It's the little things that make your look better than the next girl's!

Oh and do me a favor, NEVER under any circumstances, paint your nails yellow :)

Did you make it through this very long post...I hope so!

xoxo,

Preppy by the Sea

Exam Study Tips

I am not sure when most school have exams, however I think they are just starting or coming up soon! This week I have my French exams and next weeks I have math, biology, history and English. Next week my school has half days on Tuesday and Wednesday and no school thursday so, I guess there are some perks with all the stress! If you have exams starting next week make sure to use this upcoming long weekend to your advantage!  Being in the midst of all these tests, I though that posting about my exam study tips might be helpful!


1. Use a Calculator when studying for math and science
Using your calculator instead of your phone is probably one of the best things you can do to study. I find that if I use my phone notifications will pop up and I will become easily distracted. I put my phone on the other side of my room on the charger and only look at it if I need to ask a friend a question.

2. Flash Cards
For foreign language, I find that flash cards are the best way to study vocab. Writing out the vocab helps commit the word to memory and you will learn how to spell it. The other benefit of flashcards are that you can take them with you where ever you are going, throw them in your purse and use time in the car to study!

3. Post-it Notes 
When reviewing old notes or going through your text book, using sticky notes is an easy way to remind yourself what to go back and look at. At the end of each term I empty out my binders and put all the notes into a big binder that is divided into my five main classes. Using color-coded sticky notes allows me to write myself a little note and remember what I didn't understand and which class it goes with.

4. Tea 
After a long day at school or even after dinner, I love to drink tea. Tea is so calming and helps me relieve some stress. How adorable is the monogrammed mug!? Celestial Country Peach Passion tea is my absolute favorite and it is decaf so drinking it late at night will not keep you up. If you know that it is going to be a very late night I would resort to coffee.

5. Word Documents 
I have two study tips involving word documents.
The first tip I have is regarding a study guide. A few of my teachers gave us HUGE study guides for the exams. My friends and I decided to split up the study guide and then e-mail each other our work. Sharing the work with friends is a life saver, it allows you to have extra time to work on assignments for other classes and have the study guide ready to go in a more efficient way!
The second tip is for classes you don't receive a study guide in
Starting to study for a class that does not give you much to work with can be extremely difficult so, take advantage of what you do have. I use old homework assignments and vocab lists that I had previously typed to make my own study guide for the class. The old assignments and notes from class will definately help you review the material.

6. Nightly Routine 
During exam week it is crucial to get as much sleep as you can so that you feel rejuvenated in the morning. I like to take a shower early so that I can change into cozy pajamas and study in my bed. For me moisturizing my skin is a must, seeing as it gets so dry in the winter. The St. Ives Oatmeal and Shea Butter lotion is my go-to moisturizer and I love eos and Burt's Bees lip balm.

7. Know When to Take a Break 
You can not study forever, end of story. There comes a point when you know that you need to pull your head out of your binder and take a break! When I take a quick break, I like to read a few of my favorite blogs (http://www.prepinyourstep.com, http://kellyinthecity.com, http://www.classygirlswearpearls.com, http://www.prepavenue.com, http://thedariadiaries.blogspot.com and lots more!)

Let us know if you found any of these tips helpful or if you have any other good tips! Good Luck!

xoxo,

Preppy by the Sea 

Exam Study Tips (MId-Year Edition) by preppybythesea featuring Lilly Pulitzer

Yankee Swap and Secret Santa Gift Guide

With less than 10 days until Christmas, I'm sure many of you have an upcoming secret santa or yankee swap that you need to get a gift for! Every year my friends and I do both and I always wait until the last minute to get something and end up with no good ideas! This year I thought it through and decided I would make a gift guide for the blog! I hope you can get some ideas from this. Leave a comment about what you are giving or  what you received this year! On Sunday, I went to a Yankee and left with the J. Crew "minimergency" kit and some chocolate I was very happy with it, seeing that it was on my gift guide!

The "Beauty Bag" 

With a small budget, the beauty bag makes it seem like you are giving/getting a whole lot more! I found this Lilly Pulitzer Cosmetic Bag on Amazon for $2 (from a promotion last year) everything else would be available at your local drug store, Ulta or Sephora. 

 Starbucks gift card

Honestly if you don't know what to get your secret santa or what to bring to a yankee swap, you really cant go wrong with a Starbucks gift card! Who doesn't love a Peppermint Mocha?!

Daisy by Marc Jacobs roll-on perfume 

I have this perfume in the full size bottle and use it everyday! Every girl needs a travel size perfume to bring on the go! (available at Sephora)

J. Crew Factory Scarf 

This scarf is so cute, perfect for any season! Take advantage of the twelve day sale! 

J. Crew Studs

These studs are the perfect winter accessory, they are so timeless! 

I want to apologize now if any of the J. Crew sale items sell out quickly however, you will definitely be able to find something similar! 

xoxo,

Preppy by the Sea