My Blog is Taking a Change

So I graduated from college in December (2014) and I've been struggling with the burning question of: "Now what?"

What do I want to do to start off my career?
Do I even want a career?
Where do I want to apply?
What is my biggest passion?
When did I lose sight of my dreams?

... And the ultimate question: What is going to make me the happiest?

All through college I had a burning desire for reporting and a passion for writing. I had not always been the best student, but by the time I became a senior, I had mastered the skill of being the ideal "college student." I thoroughly enjoyed going to class and completing assignments. Time seemed to fly by and before I knew it, I was graduating.

Looking back, I'm not quite sure when I lost my passion. 

Did I lose my dreams of starting a successful career when I lost my very best friend due to drug overdose?
Did I lose sight of my ideal outcome when I got so distracted by my busy life of working 3 jobs along with too many hours in school?
Did I lose myself when I poured all my energy into my complicated, serious relationship that always seemed to keep failing anyways?

Where did the passion go?

Don't get me wrong, I am still going to get a "real job." Because that's the only choice I have, right? It's a constant struggle of what I WANT to do and what I SHOULD do.

Today, as I sat at the tanning salon that I absolutely love working at, I decided I needed to start writing again. For too long have I sat silent. This is why I am changing the entire aspect of this blog. I started this blog for one of the classes I took in college, but I've always felt the name of the blog as fitting. It started as a fashion blog, but today I am turning it into more of a reflection blog.

Writing is my passion and I plan on getting my motivation back. My life is going through some interesting changes right now. For better or for worse? I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Cupcakes and Cashmere

One of my assignments for this blogging class, was to "adopt" a blog that I really admire. Ultimately, I ended up choosing Cupcakes and Cashmere.
     I. History:
          -Has been around since March 2008.
          -Blogger: Emily Schuman
               *Lives in Los Angeles, California.
               *Full-time blogger; Author of Cupcakes and Cashmere.
               *Began her career working in media at Conde Nast publications' Domino and Teen Vogue magazine.
          -Started her blog to document the things she loves.
          -Goal: "To encourage and inspire readers through fashion, food, beauty, and interior design.
          -Over 85k followers on twitter, over 189k followers on facebook, and over 150k followers on instagram.
          -Makes money from display ads, selective affiliate links, marketing consultations and collaborations. She also makes money off of her book (Aug. 2012).
     II. What makes the blog unique
          -Emily is her own model for her blog. She puts outfits together and then her husband takes pictures.
     III. Strengths:
          -Covers a lot of different subjects; fashion, food, beauty, decor, diy. Appeals to many.
          -Includes videos.
     IV. Weaknesses:
          -Tries to cover too many different subjects.
     V. Advice from Emily:
          -Write often.
          -Provide compelling content and high quality photographs.
          -Make sure your site is clean and easy to read.
          -Find other blogs that you admire and take note of what it is that you like about their sites.
          -Most important piece of advice: "Write about things that bring you joy and that you're truly passionate about!"
     VI. Likes and Dislikes
          -I really like the series part of her blog (Ask Emily, Five Things, Links I Love, etc).
          -I also really like the layout of her site.
     VII. Influence:
          -I have been focusing strictly on fashion on my blog, but I realize that other things such as food and interior design incorporate very well with that.
          -I also need to work on making my blog a bit more personal and let the readers get to know the real me.

Ugg-- Most Popular Shoe of 2013

You are all familiar with the popular brand called Uggs. These boots originated in Australia during the 1960s. Throughout the years, these boots have become vastly popular among all ages and sexes. According to a survey conducted by Beso.com this last spring, more than a quarter of American women polled own a pair of Ugg boots.

According to the Huffington Post, Uggs were the top trending fashion item of the year on black friday. For me, my Uggs really are one of my favorite pairs of shoes. I own multiple pairs. I love how warm and comfortable those boots are.

North Face was also near the top trending searches on the internet which doesn't surprise me at all. I can't go anywhere on campus without seeing North Face items (I may or may not own a north face backpack as well). Their jackets are super warm and cute.

Scarves

It's getting cold out there, bloggers, but there are ways to bundle up and still look cute. My absolute favorite accessory for the cold, is the scarf. Scarves so easily add a little something extra. They're so simple but can add so much to your look.

My OOTD. I like to call this my hobo scarf.

Blogging in Iran

This is going to be somewhat off topic, but I feel like what I learned today is of importance.

Today, I attended the International Festival at UCO. It's a festival where all the different ethnic groups from our school come to set up a table and teach students about their culture. When I first arrived, I was immediately drawn to the Iran table. My sweet boyfriend is from Iran so I am fascinated by and love their culture. I had the opportunity to speak with Maryam Amighi about her views on blogging in Iran.

Maryam told me that the internet is highly censored in Iran. She explained that the last president, Mahmoud Almadinejad, was very strict on journalists and bloggers and had many arrested and executed for posting things about the government online. Almadinejad soon realized that blogs could be used for himself, so he started a pro government blog.

After Hassan Rouhani was elected this year, there have been some improvements. Maryam explained that they are not as harsh on internet censorship and Rouhani even has his own Twitter account (@HassanRouhani). She also told me that people are starting to be encouraged to utilize blogs.

This was an eye-opener for me. I simply can't imagine living in a world where I wasn't able to post freely on the internet what I please. I started this blog simply for a class, but I'm realizing the importance of it. I feel privileged to live in a country where I am able to express how I feel with no lurking consequences. Just something for all of you to think about.

-Mandi xoxo

Fashion on the Slopes

It's that time of year! The mountain slopes are starting to open up and welcome back the snowboarders and skiers. Anytime I go skiing, I make it my mission to find cute skiing gear. However, I hate being cold so it's important for my gear to be warm as well as fashionable. I found some of my favorite looks for the slopes.

I LOVE coral and this outfit shows how you can work that into your outfit.

These are some cute, girly snowboarding outfits.

By now, everyone should know how much I love leopard print! I love this jacket! I probably will order something similar to it for my ski trip this year!

I love Oakley's look. This jacket is cute and you'll be sure to be spotted on the slopes from anywhere.

I love this jacket because it's chic as well as warm. I love the fur on the hood. It's girly without being too overbearing. Black is my favorite color and I do like this jacket.

These Oakley goggles are great!!! They're also available in many different colors.

Halloween Edition

Halloween is my absolute favorite holiday. There is nothing better than dressing up and pretending to be someone you're not all night long. Now, with so many Halloween parties, the dressing up lasts many weekends in a row, giving even more time to enjoy this awesome holiday! 

During this time, celebrities costumes are constantly praised, criticized, and ridiculed. Here are some of my favorite and least favorite costumes. Happy Halloween, Dolls!

Paris Hilton's costume was on point. I love when celebrities dress as other celebrities and considering how Miley Cyrus is talk of all the town, it was right on trend. Bravo!

Throwback Halloween but I just LOVE this costume. Jasmine was always my fav Disney princess and I dressed as her multiple times growing up. Plus Kim's body is amazing at this point.

Okay, I might have a slight woman-crush on Kim K, but this poison ivy costume is a great one. I love the red hair with the green. It fits her body well and she looks fierce!

Chelsea Handler cracks me up. She dressed up as a preggo woman. I love her humor!

Jwoww and Snooki left their old ways and went a little more conservative this year. Guess they really are growing up and they look gorgeous.

Alessandra Ambrosio looked gorgeous. There's just something about bright red hair that I love! 

Ryan Seacrest went for an easier costume but still looks great in his nice suit.

Matt Lauer, Carmen Electra and Willie Geist dressed up as characters from Baywatch. Now, that's just funny. I loved that show. Matt makes a great Pamela Anderson!

Ewww Miley. You do not look anything like Lil' Kim besides the hideous purple onesie? Is that what it is? It's too revealing and not flattering for Miley. Embarassing!!!

I just had to include this picture in this post. Being a broadcast major, I like anything that spices up the information delivery. The host of Fox and Friends rocked Duck Dynasty beards on set.

Martha Stewart tried to pull of Glinda the good witch, but she may have missed her mark. To me, she looks like a ball of pink, lacey cotton candy. Nice try, Martha.

Julianne Hough caused quite a stir when she showcased her costume as Crazyeyes from the Netflix show Orange is the New Black. Many people called her costume racist, but seeing interviews with Julianne, I am certain she didn't mean any harm by it.

My favorite costume every year is Ellen Degeneres! She always has the funniest/best costumes! She pulled of Nicki Minaj quite wonderfully! Hilarious!

The pet costumes this year were adorable! I love this Meowdonna costume! Too funny!

Super Poms! Pomeranians are my favorite dogs and these costumes were way too cute not to post!