NYC Will Always Have My Heart

I cannot believe it, but my NYC summer experience has come to an end. Unbelievable, right?

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New York City became my home this summer and I feel like I legitimately left a piece of my heart there. When I first arrived in the city, I kept saying “I think I am going to have a great summer but I definitely do not see myself here after graduation.” WELL, I WAS WRONG. This summer my heart grew fonder as the days went on.

From learning the subway to mastering the different areas of Manhattan, to becoming closer with girls in the classes and internship to discovering so many amazing restaurants, my summer in NYC is one I will never forget.

I lived in the Upper West Side, which I always compared to the suburbs of the city. My internship was in the Flatiron District and my classes were in Midtown. I loved my classes and I definitely learned a lot of about myself and what I want out of my future at my internship.

I interned at a fashion PR firm, which was definitely an experience I always dreamed about. For the past three years I have said my dream was to work in fashion PR, but after interning in a fashion PR firm, I learned that I LIKE fashion PR, but I don’t LOVE it. I am so grateful for the experience I had at the agency I interned for. I was able to work at both New York Men’s Day (the opening event for NYFW) and at New York Men’s Fashion Week.

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This summer was amazing, and I think one of my absolute favorite things was getting to try all the different trendy foods that were all over Facebook and the internet this summer. For example, Frosé, the roll-up ice cream and I went to the bakery , Union Fare, which sells the rainbow croissants, but they were sold out by the time I got there so I tried their cookies and cream croissant, which was just as fabulous!

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Exploring was also amazing. You would think in the eight weeks I was there, I would have been able to do everything I wanted to, but I didn’t. If I did not have class or my internship, I probably could have, but I know that I will definitely have to do the things I wanted to do this summer first as soon as I am back in the city!

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Another thing I loved about being in NYC, everyone wants to come and visit! My sister, Payton and best friend, Amanda came twice, my friend Mary came with Payton and Amanda on their second trip and my friend Erin came up for a weekend trip. The FUNNIEST thing was Erin and I sleeping in my twin sized bed in my dorm room, haha!

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During my friend’s visits we explored all around Manhattan and went to Brooklyn! In Brooklyn, we adventured in Williamsburg and DUMBO, which is in the picture below.

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DUMBO: Down Under the Manhattan Brooklyn Overpass 

Dumbo was gorgeous! The architecture, the view of the Manhattan Skyline and the view of the Brooklyn bridge are out of this world. The area is located right in the middle of the Manhattan bridge and the Brooklyn bridge.

This summer also included going to Her Conference. Her Conference is a conference hosted by Her Campus, an online magazine for women in college. I am a writer for Her Campus Kent State and I am also in their blogging network! They hosted a kick-off event, hosted by Rebecca Minkoff. I attended the event and had the chance to meet her. I fan-girled so hard! She was so sweet and even signed the inside of the bag I purchased that evening.

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I cannot believe all of the things I did within these past eight weeks. These were just a few highlights from my summer. I truly cannot believe this summer is almost over. Summer 2016 is definitely my favorite summer yet!

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The Creation of my Online Portfolio

Happy Friday!

So, I am currently taking a class called Online Tactics. Within the class I have been tasked with creating an online portfolio to showcase my work that I am doing in school to show my future internships and hopefully one day….a job!

An online portfolio is definitely something to consider for yourself, but you may not need one if your major is not something that requires any samples, but in PR I will definitely need one!

If an online portfolio sounds like something that might interest you, keep reading to see if this is something that could benefit you:

I made mine on Weebly. It was easier to make a quick online portfolio on rather than WordPress, even though WordPress will forever have my heart for any blogging needs that I have!

Lets take a look at Danieminor.weebly.com~

My homepage: 

I went with a very basic theme so it was very easy to understand and was straightforward!

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Something that I do not LOVE about Weebly is that it is not extremely customizable. I was hoping to brand myself a bit more with Defining Danie’s colors and fonts, but I had to go with something that was just close to it.

I kept my personality into my online portfolio but of course stayed professional!

Next I posted my Resume:

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One thing that I do LOVE about Weebly is they have a very easy-to-use set up for the pages. For me to upload my resume, it was very simple.

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Where it is circled pink, I dragged that element on to my actual Resume page of                      my online portfolio.

All I had to do was drag the element “Document” onto the page and then it let me upload any style of document I wanted, and then it uploaded into a Scribd document, so someone could scroll through and read my resume!

The third page that I have on my online portfolio is my section with my writing samples! This part took me a little while to figure out how I wanted it to look. I changed the style about three times.

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I finally figured out the best way to show some of my writing samples…I did it in a slideshow where you can preview the story/article I have written and then click on it if you want to read the rest of it. I linked each photo to go to the page where the story is located!

And finally, my Defining Danie lovers… I have a Blog Portfolio! I love writing this blog so I definitely wanted to include some of my favorite posts to showcase my writing skills.

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For my blogging portfolio, I made it look like a mosaic of photos where you can click any of the photos and have them take you directly to the link of the blog post! I thought it was a creative way of putting the posts on here rather than having just clippings of the articles.

This online portfolio is definitely a necessary thing to have if you are looking to go into public relations or any other field of work where your writing MATTERS.

I have been meaning to create one for a long time now, so having it as a project for class was just a way to give me a “kick in the butt” to get it done!

I hope this inspires you to showcase your own writing. If you create one, please share it with me because I would love to read yours!

 

XODanieSparkle

Join the Monday Mingle!

for the love of fashion

This Friday, I went to the 2nd annual College Town Kent’s For the Love of Fashion, fashion show! It showed all of the 2016 spring trends that all of the stores in downtown Kent, Ohio will have in stock.

Isn’t this such a cute idea? Wait, it gets better…

College Town Kent, which is a business that markets everything that downtown Kent has to offer to the student of Kent State and the Kent community, hosts a competition between all of the sororities at Kent to see which sorority the money from the show will go to from the ticket sales for the show.

This year the sorority that won was Alpha Xi Delta (AXiD)! Their philanthropy is Autism Speaks. Last year, I loved going to this event, and I know that many others did too since Kent State is number two for fashion merchandising and number four for fashion design in the country.

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The show opened up with looks form UniversiTEES. They showcased all of the various new Kent State apparel and accessories they are offering.

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We could see the models having a great time walking down the runway! There was even some “Dabbing” as you can see in the photo above! My favorite piece from UniversiTEES is the sweatshirt about that says “Home” but the letter O is replaced with the state of Ohio!
CTKFeatured next was Gracylane. The models walked down the runway in all black while featuring all of the latest accessories from brands such as Vera Bradley, Kate Spade and S’well water bottles.

I am definitely need one of the new umbrellas that they were featuring from Vera Bradley’s new collection, because spring in Kent= rain, rain and you guessed it- more rain!

The coolest part of the show was next…

One Love Yoga, a yoga studio and boutique, performed yoga positions down the runway. It was amazing to see the clothing presented in a way that wasn’t just twirling around.

A major trend that was appearing during their time on the runway was tie dye tights! IMG_0878

You go girl! This is amazing, I can only imagine how nervous she was holding this pose in a room full of people.

And finally of the boutiques that were featured was Carnaby Street Style, a London-inspired boutique. The owner, Emma is from England wanted to bring some of her home country to Kent, Ohio.

Their store really featured a ton of pieces that really captivated the 2016 Pantone Colors of the Year: Rose Quartz and Serenity.

Colored jeans, colored hates and floral dresses rocked the runway!

My favorite look from Carnaby Street Style was this fun duo!

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Every model from the show had their hair done by Rush by Dino Palmeri, my favorite salon in Kent! They also had a spot in the show. They named the top hair trends for 2016 are going to be: soft, sun kissed and natural colored hair!

If you’re looking for a great salon that has great prices, Rush is definitely your place.

After the show, they had a mini boutique where you were able to shop the looks of the show. I left with an awesome burnt orange floppy hat from Carnaby Street Style and a necklace that is handmade from the brand One Million Wonders from One Love Yoga.

I had an amazing time at the show and I am already looking forward to 2017’s show.

Did you go to the show? Please share your experience with me!

I hope you had a Happy Monday

 

XODanieSparkle

 

This was not sponsored content, all opinions are my own. 

Halloween Makeup Look + Giveaway!

Can you all believe it is already Halloween? I can’t! At Kent State, Halloween is HUGE. Kent, Ohio goes crazy for Halloween…but this year I am not feeling great so I have decided that tonight I will definitely be staying in and watching Halloween movies (Disney Channel ones, of course!).

I decided that this year I wanted to attempt a fun Halloween makeup look!

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I have always loved when I see people do their makeup as a baby deer, or also known as a fawn!

What do you all think? I had so much fun doing this makeup look. I have some other things to do today, or I honestly would have left this look on all day!

Now time for the GIVEAWAY!

As a part of this look, I used one of my favorite bronzers, Hoola by Benefit!

I am giving away this ‘Do the Hoola’ kit! Now that it is slowly becoming colder, we are all loosing that bronzed-glow that we all love to have so much!

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Want to know what’s inside of the box? I know you do…

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So as you can see there is a lipgloss, mascara, lip tint, the Hoola Bronzer in a liquid and a Hoola Bronzer in powder!

I cannot even express how much I love these items. When I purchased this kit, I also purchased myself one and I have been obsessed with it since then. The mascara is crazy! Any time I wear it, people ask me if I am wearing false eye lashes.

Want to win this giveaway? 

You have to follow me social media and share this post with all of your friends and make sure to tag me in your post so I know that you shared it! 🙂

Instagram: @Danieminor13

Twitter: @Danieminor13 

You have until November November 5th to follow me and share this post because on November 6th, I am sharing who the winner is!

Happy Halloween!

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Thrifty Thursday: Summer to Fall Bag!

So, Defining Danie reader’s, it’s been a while. I’ve missed you all! School has been more than hectic, which is why I haven’t blogged in what feels like a lifetime.

Look at this amazing purchase that I found. The bag was originally $45 and at Goodwill it was being sold for $17, and then I got the student discount and ended up getting the bag for $15!

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This week’s Thrifty Thursday is based on a bag I found a few weeks ago that was originally from Target. Orange can go for either summer or fall, but adding this scarf definitely adds more a fall-feel. The bag was brand new and I bought it from Goodwill in Kent, Ohio. Goodwill and Target have a partnership where the Goodwill sells the clothing/accessories not sold during the time that they were being sold in Target so they have another chance to be sold again. The clothing/accessories are sold for a cheaper price than they would be sold in Target.

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Although the oranges are not the same, the scarf and bag still complement one-another. The bag has more of a coral undertone and the scarf has a darker orange, magenta, yellow and various colors of taupe! I love the scarf, which I got for only $1.00!

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Take a look inside this bag! It even has the perfect compartment for pencils and lipstick. 😉 And the polka dots are a lovely touch.

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Incorporating thrifted items into your daily outfits is not hard at all! It was a coincidence that I was actually wearing was thrifted over the summer.

I hope everyone is having a lovely start to fall!

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Event in Kent! 

 

Tomorrow April 11th is a day that I have been waiting for, for a while!  It is the grand opening of blue, the Goodwill boutique in Kent, Ohio! 

There will be style demos, refreshments and a fashion show that will include myself, and many other bloggers in the area. I have a theme for my outfit. But… It’s a secret, so you can’t see my outfit unless you come to blue! 

From 2-4 p.m. we are going to have a blast! I’m so excited and honored to be a part of this event. The blogger Dina, from Dinasdays.com put this event together along with employees of Goodwill Industries of Akron! 

Come join me and the other bloggers for, For The Love Of Fashion💙! 

Can’t wait to see you all there.

 

New season, new Me!

I cannot believe how long it has been since I have posted a blog post. I missed you all!

I am nearing the end of my spring break. I had a fun start to my spring break! I went to Canada with my sister and best friend for the weekend, and then we drove back to Maryland for the remainder of the break. We went to Windsor, Ontario. It was absolutely adorable for a weekend.

Yesterday, I went to a new salon and had the best hair cut/color I have ever had! If you are in the Annapolis, Md. area, you must go to see Virginia at Possibilities Salon in Crofton, Md.

Before Hair:

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After Hair:

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I went BLONDE! I love it so much. I have always wanted to go this light with my hair, but I was too nervous. I can’t imagine having any other hair color now.

I bought this adorable cup at Target! Tell me it’s not adorable!

I missed you all!

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Event in Kent, Ohio!

Hi everyone! There is a really fun event coming up this Friday from 6-8! I am hosting this event along with a few friends!

The event is called “Thrift Night Out”! Remember that really adorable Goodwill boutique that I wrote about last week? Well, that’s where the event is!

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New Thrifting Store: Blue Boutique!

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Who doesn’t love combining fashion and hot deals? My friend Elise and I went last week to blue/ A Goodwill®Boutique / that carries upscale women and men’s clothing. I am in love with this store and have already been back six times!

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In the picture above, my friend Elise bought this BCBG jacket for only $15! The prices are hard to beat. The most expensive item in the store is $45, which are the real fur jackets (yes I said REAL FUR)! I bought an adorable Ellen Tracy faux-fur vest for $6.

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I also bought the black lace shirt underneath. The shirt with the vest is such a cute combo, and blue has many styles like this. Here are some other cute looks that Elise and I put together (notice the awesome art that is on their walls!):

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As you can tell from my photos, I am obsessed with the poncho-style capes. No matter the look you want to go for, blue has the options for you.
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Make sure to visit next time you’re in Kent!

Their address is:

118 E. Main Street
Kent, Ohio 44240
Phone: 330-677-2525

Monday – Thursday:  10 am – 8 pm
Friday – Saturday: 10 am – 9 pm
Sunday:  12 pm – 5 pm

xodanie2

Holiday Travel Guide

traveling this holiday

Are you traveling this Holiday season? I am! I need to make sure that I am carrying everything I need with me to make sure that I have the best flight that I can have! I am going to have two carry-ons and a huge luggage!

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