Pillow Talk

After many purchases and returns, I think I have finally found the bedding I want for my dorm room. Believe it or not, making the decision for what colors I want on my bed has been one of the hardest I've had to make in a while. I'm just so afraid of picking something I won't like in four years or even next semester. Anyways, this post is not about the bedding I chose, but some tips for buying bedding and pillows that I have picked up from handy-dandy Pinterest, moving my friend into her dorm, and personal experience.

1. Get a full/queen comforter
Trust me on this one. A full/queen comforter or duvet will cover your entire bed plus act as a bedskirt to camouflage all the junk storage under your bed. After moving my friend Joely into her dorm this past Wednesday, I have also discovered that it makes the bed and room look a lot larger. When you're forced to live in an itty bitty room with another person, space is your friend even if you have to trick yourself into thinking that its there. A bonus to buying a full/queen means that you can use the same bedding for if/when you move into an apartment which usually have full beds!

Here is a picture of Joely's bed. She found her duvet cover here.

2. Less is more with pillows
I'm serious. I thought I would want a bazillion pillows to go on my bed like in all of the Pinterest pictures- I was wrong. If you can't tell from the picture of Joely's room above, the beds are soooo small. After buying a few pillows to go with my comforter, I tested them on my queen sized bed and they are almost overwhelming. I suggest purchasing two to three accent pillows to go along with your normal sleeping pillows and/or body pillow. And lets be honest, who has $80+ to drop on accent pillows at $20 or more a piece anyways? Not this girl! Stick to a few really nice ones and you will be fine.

These are the pillows that will go with my white comforter. The paisley/floral and yellow one is from HomeGoods and the Navy "Home Sweet Home" one is from Marshals. 

3. Get sheets that coordinate with your bedding
No matter how much we all want to deny it, we are college kids and we will probably not make our beds every day.. or week and that's okay! One solution to this problem is getting sheets that coordinate with your bedding so even when it's unmade it still looks put together and cute. If you are that rare student that makes your bed every single day of your life (seriously, does anyone really do this?) then at least get pillow cases that go with your comforter! Unless you have someway of hiding your sleeping pillow, a matching pillow case will look adorable with your bedding and not stick out.

These sheets almost match the blue in my pillow exactly and look really nice with the rest of my pillows. I also bought white pillow cases for my other pillow. 

4. Not matching perfectly with your roommate will be okay
My roomie and I have decided to coordinate our bedding instead of making it match perfectly like the unrealistic dorm rooms scattered all over Pinterest (or all in one place on my board). I think this way, we will be more comfortable living in our new room and we can each have our own personality shine in our little corner of campus. Although we are not matching our bedding, we did decide to have some pieces like the rug and curtains coordinate with both of our bedding sets. As you can see below, our styles are totally different but will work together because we have similar color schemes and comforters.

This is Kelsey's comforter, pillows, and throw. 

This is what I threw together at HomeGoods earlier this week. I ended up buying this comforter and pillows minus the navy one. 

Those are all the tips I have for you lovelies at this time. Once I get some more dorm stuff rounded up I'm going to post a haul so be on the lookout for that! 

XOXO. Monica

Summer 2015 Essentials

With yesterday being the official first day of Summer (even though here in Florida it has felt like Summer for the past 3 months), I think it is appropriate to post a list of my top ten summer essentials.. well year round essentials where I live! 

 1. Wristlet
My favorite wristlet for the past few years is the Vera Bradley Carry It All Wristlet. Although they have changed the format over the years, this wallet can literally carry it all! In the summer, I usually don't need much more than my license, student ID (for any and every discount I can get), my Ulta rewards card, and a few bucks so this wristlet gets it done for me. I don't know about the newer designs, but the style from a little over a year ago has a pocket on the backside perfect for the iPhone 5s to slide right in which is great for when you have no pockets!

2. Portable Bluetooth Speaker
I honestly do not know what I did before I had my bluetooth speaker. I have used this thing religiously everyday for more than two years now. Its great for morning jam sessions while getting ready and great for the beach, pool, or hanging out with your friends. I've also found it's great for cars that don't have any kind of aux/bluetooth connection if you hate the radio as much as I do!

You can see how often I use this by the makeup stains on the top! 

3. It Works! Greens
Yes, my mom is that crazy wrap lady. And yes, she sold me on the greens. But I'm telling y'all, you have need to try them! I am one of those people who have to have caffeine in the morning to even do basic functions but I can skip my morning coffee and just take my greens and I am good for the day! This is especially important in the summertime for the long days out in the sun. My only suggestion is mixing the greens with juice instead of straight water because they don't taste that great on their own!

4. Hats
I cannot stress how important it is to have at least one hat in your closet. Hats are not only great for keeping the sun off of your face and neck, but they also can protect your hair from the sun. My dad has battled skin cancer for years from exposure to the sun, so you bet I am taking as many precautions as possible to prevent that from happening to me. Some of my favorites for this summer are here, here, and here (I just had to include the Florida State visor)!

5. Rompers
If you are anything like me (short with wide hips), then you know how hard it is to find many things to fit you, much less get a romper to fit. Even though it may seem like an impossible search, keep trying those things on until you find one that looks good. Ever since finding the two rompers in the world that look good on me, I wear them at least once a week. It is honestly the best investment I have made so far this summer. Rompers are great because you get the comfort of wearing shorts and the effortless style of a dress. Win, win.

6. Shorts
Okay so this one is a little bit of a stretch because who doesn't own a pair of shorts? I am including shorts in my list because in the summer, shorts can be worn casually or be dressed up depending on the style and pieces paired with them. Everyone should own a few pairs and rock them all summer long. My absolute go-to shorts this summer are the J. Crew Boardwalk Pull-on Shorts. These shorts are both comfortable and super cute with almost anything. I highly highly suggest investing in a pair!

7. Fake Jack Rogers
Listen ladies, I am not the kind of girl to drop down $100 on a pair of sandals, especially some that have WAY cheaper knockoffs that look better in my opinion available in tons of stores. That's right guys, I am that girl who wears designer knock-offs and I am not afraid to say it. Most people can't even tell that they aren't real. You can find the pairs I own at Shoe Carnival. These sandals are so comfy and dress up even the most casual Norts and t shirt outfit.

8. Oil Blotting Sheets
To my surprise, I have found out that many people have never heard of oil blotting sheets! To my fellow oily skin girls, you can not afford to skip over this product! You can literally find blotting sheets in nearly any beauty supply store including Ulta, Target, Walmart, and more. All you have to do is take a sheet from the package and pat it on your skin. The best part is that the sheets don't remove the makeup, just the oil! Go out and get some right away. Oil blotting sheets will change your life.

9. BB Cream
BB cream was the first foundation I've ever used and it's still a staple in my makeup collection. On the days that I have to run out of the house quickly, I just slap on some BB cream with my fingers, apply some mascara, and go. It evens out your skintone without making it look like you're wearing makeup, so it's perfect for no-makeup makeup days!

10. Large Beach Bag
Do I really need to explain why this is essential in the summer? My mom picked up this huge beach bag from Viv & Lou and I absolutely love it. It fits everything I need for the beach with excess room to spare. Plus, it's monogrammed and monograms make everything better am I right?

So what are your Summer 2015 essentials?

Hidden Drugstore Gems

When most girls first start wearing makeup, the brand Wet n Wild is their best friend. With makeup averaging from $.99 to $5 who can blame them? At some point in time, the media persuades us that drugstore beauty is just not good enough and high end is the only way to go. 

Sure, I could not live without my Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara or the Urban Decay Naked Palate, but there are some great products in the drug store too! Wet n Wild especially has some hidden gems among the drugstore isles. Stay tuned and I will go into depth about my favorite Wet N Wild products!

1. Silk Finish Lipstick

At the cheap price of $.99, this lipstick gets it done! If you are looking for a super shiny and metallic looking lip, this is the product for you! My favorite shade is Fuchsia with Blue Pearl (521A)

The swatch on the left is just one swipe and the right is a few swipes

2. Color Icon Eyeshadow Single

These eye shadows are simply great. Out of the 7 shades offered Brulee and Nutty are amazeballs! Brulee is one of the best transition shades I have ever purchased from the drugstore. It's crazy easy to blend and is the perfect color. Nutty is great to messily throw onto the lid for a quick, put-together makeup look. I cannot stop raving about these shadows!

 The top photo is Brulee and the bottom is Nutty

3. Color Icon Blusher Pressed Powder

This is my go-to everyday blush! I literally use this more than any other blush I've ever owned because it is SO beautiful on the cheeks. It gives me the prettiest glow.. and P.S its totally a dupe for NARS Orgasm blush for literally 1/10 of the price (seriously, go get it right away)!

4. MegaLast Lip Color

Please go and get at least one of these lipsticks. They are a true matte finish and they cling onto lips for the long haul. Oh and did I mention the crazy color pigmentation. With one swipe, you have full pigmentation. My two favorite colors of this lipstick are Purty Persimmon (970) and 24 Carrot Gold (969).

The first two swatches are Purty Persimmon with the leftmost swatch being just one swipe. The next two swatches are 24 Carrot Gold, again with the leftmost swatch being just one swipe. 

Those are the top four products that I absolutely adore from Wet n Wild! I Highly suggest each one of them. Feel free to share with me in the comments what your favorite drugstore hidden gems are! I am always on the hunt for great and cheap products!

Keep checking back soon for more posts! I'm hoping to post a fashion blog soon!
Xoxo, Mo

The List

Hello lovelies! Today's lengthy post is all about my college packing list. I am leaving for Florida State University in exactly two months from yesterday and because I am slightly extremely OCD, I have already started preparing a list of things to start getting together. A fun fact about me is that I HATE procrastinating. So, making a list now does not surprise me the least bit. 

I thought that writing this post might help a few people like me who have been desperately searching Pinterest and Google for ideas and inspiration. (P.S. here is a link to my Pinterest!) So without further ado.... the list.

Bedding:
Throw pillows
Coordinating sheets
Comforter/Quilt/Duvet
Throw blanket
Bedskirt

Décor:
Wall monogram (this is a MUST)
Lamp
Pictures
Bulletin board
Curtains
Area Rug
Chair Cover
Jewelry Organizer

Miscellaneous:
Shoe Hanger
Storage Bins
Towels Shower Caddy
Over-Door shoe hanger thingy for cosmetic stuff (this is what I'm talking about)
Storage ottoman
Britta
Microwave
Makeup storage bins
Electric Tea Kettle
Ethernet cords
Printer
Full length mirror
Umbrella
Towel wrap
Mugs
Serving tray
Bracelet display/storage
Can opener (this may be the most random thing on the list)
Plasticware
Backpack
Fabric Storage Boxes

I know there is a ton of stuff that I am missing right now. Don't worry though, I will probably add and subtract things from this list on a daily basis. I figure that this is a good starting point though.

I hope this post will help at least one person in the same situation as me. If you have any additions to the list feel free to comment and share with the world. 

XOXO, Monica

Hi Y'all!

Hi y'all! Welcome to Makeup and Monograms. My name is Monica, but most people call me Mo. I am an 18 year old girl about to start school at Florida State University in the fall. I am creating this blog to share my love for fashion, beauty, and life. Over the past few months, I have felt the need to document my life, so I started journaling and for some reason that was not enough for me. Some of my family members were urging me to create a blog because I love to read them so much.. and here we are. I have no idea where this all will lead, but that is part of the fun I suppose!