Trick or Treat

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Even though I didn't do anything extravagant this year, I still wanted to dress up for all the little trick or treaters. I opted for a DIY, last minute, "I'm not trying" costume. (Probably because I have a fear of wasting a good outfit/costume when no one will see it.)

404 Error: Costume Cannot Be Found

Being that my family is a bunch o' nerds, I thought I would try to finally fit in! My dad couldn't stop laughing and begged to take a picture of me haha.

Materials: Old white tee, black Sharpie, and a magazine or piece of cardboard to place in between.

Here's a little #TBT to my freshman year of college. I can't believe how young we look!

What were you guys?!

Also -- in the spirit of Halloween -- the UPS Store gifted me with a little treat:

Ahhh! I'm so excited to finally have my gold iPhone 5S!!! It's so beautiful. I really can't put it down. Do any of you have the new iPhone?

always,

Nioxin System 3 Review

After seeing a couple reviews on YouTube on the Nioxin brand shampoos and conditioners, specifically the level 3 treatment for normal to thin-looking, fine, chemically treated hair. What is it supposed to do? "System 3 is specially designed for normal to thin-looking, fine, chemically treated hair. It amplifies hair texture while refreshing the scalp and providing moisture balance to colored hair." -Nioxin The YouTuber that I had heard about this product from claimed that it helped grow her hair healthier and thicker. Who wouldn't want to have that?!

Source: Nioxin

 A little back ground on my hair: I have been dying, bleaching, and using heat on my hair since freshman year of high school (over 9 years). Naturally, I have wavy/curly/frizzy hair with a lot of thin strands. I've always complained that my hair is too thin, doesn't grow, and just "blah."

Fast forward almost a decade and I am trying everything I can to treat my hair better in order to achieve healthy, shiny, long hair. I've started taking Biotin pills, those "Hair, Skin, & Nails" pills, and try to use minimal heat with the most protection. So to say my hair was a complete disaster and in dire need of this treatment would be a lie. I just thought, hey it works for others with similar hair types, why not try it out?

Well, after I finally caved in to spend the ridiculous amount of money for a single shampoo and conditioner, I used it for the first time tonight. At first I wasn't thinking too much about what was going on. I was just going about my usual shower routine. One thing I did notice was the minty smell the shampoo had to it. It's not my favorite smell, especially for beauty products, but I didn't hate it. It wasn't until I applied the conditioning treatment that I began to get a little curious. My scalp started to feel really, really tingly. And not like a "ooh that tingles," more like a "umm that doesn't feel right." After I got out of the shower and got dressed, I immediately went online to research whether or not it was normal to have that tingling sensation. Lo and behold, other users experienced the same feeling and noted that it could be due to the treatment working at your scalp (PHEW!). But I was still unsettled...probably because I am a self-diagnosed hypochondriac haha. I continued to do some more research and read more reviews. The comments were pretty much 50-50 between people that felt it truly helped them and swear by the products, and those who felt that it only added to their hair loss and dry, damaged hair.

My personal opinion and experience? I honestly just think I freaked myself out with the "negative" comments. If there is anything I freak out over and tend to be more of a perfectionist than usual with, it's my hair. So when I felt that unfamiliar tingly sensation and, on top of that, read (rare) horror stories of people's hair falling out, I kind of bugged. I ran upstairs and washed my hair again with my mom's shampoo...just to be safe.

BUT THESE KIND OF THINGS CAN HAPPEN WITH ANY PRODUCTS! I am in no way saying that these products don't work. There is still the possibility that this line could actually do wonders for my hair. But they just aren't for me. Between the smell, the tingling feeling, and the idea that it could not mix well with my sensitive hair, I'll just stick to the basics. I'm actually bummed that my body didn't agree with the products considering the potential of what could have improved. Nonetheless, I think research should be done before using products of this quality, especially for those of you with sensitive tendencies. I read numerous reviews and testimonies from users that felt it turned their hair around 180 degrees. They felt that no other products they have tried could repair the damage that had already been done to their hair. So please remember that this is just my experience, not facts!!!

So what about you guys?! 

Have you tried these products and had a different experience? I would love to know if maybe I just jumped too soon to judge. Are there any products you swear by for your hair?

Let me know!

always,

Disclosure: This post is solely my opinion and my personal experience with the products.

50 Shades of...Who?

As you've all probably heard by now, Christian Grey will no longer be played by Chris Hunnam. This may be a major disappointment to some, but it is a huge relief to me. 

Ever since I read the first 50 Shades of Grey, I always imagined Mr. Grey would have dark hair and light eyes. When I heard Hunnam had been cast it didn't click for me. I mean, did I make it up or did the book actually spell out what he looked like? 

Any who...I've come up with a few options from which I think the one and only Christian Grey should be chosen from.

Ian Harding

Ever since there was a possibility that he could have an evil side to him at the end of the last PLL season, I became even more intrigued with this actor. I always loved Harding's boyish charm, but the idea that he could have a dark side as well made him seem like the perfect fit for Christian Grey.

Ian Somerhalder

Since I never jumped onto the whole vampire bandwagon, my best friend actually suggested this fella' to me. Physically, Ian fits the profile for Grey's character. As for his demeanor..I have nothing to base it on other than the fact that vampires are kind of mysterious?

Jon Hamm

Mr. Don Draper himself. To me this was also a no brainer. Hamm has demonstrated his ability to dominate a room, or an individual, throughout the many characters he's portrayed. So in my eyes, he fits the suit well (pun intended).

Matt Bomer

Last but not least, the actor from White Collar came to mind when I was trying to come up with this list. To be honest, I think the reason I initially chose him as a contender was solely because of his piercing blue eyes. They just scream Christian Grey to me. 

So ladies and gentlemen, who's it gonna be? Who's going to dominate the role of mister Christian Grey?

Leave your vote down below! And if you have any other nominations feel free to leave them in a comment as well!

UPDATE: Apparently, the possibility of Matt Bomer being cast as Christian is close to none. Here's why...do you agree?

always,

Summertime Sadness: June Highlights

First of all, I want to talk about how it was supposed to be miserable outside this weekend but turned out to be absolutely beautiful. The bright, sunny weather didn't really make me miss summer enough to want to write about it. I wanted to enjoy the here and now.

But since I still have a few months to go, I have to keep on truckin'.

 June.

I started of the month with a post-grad celebration in Hoboken. Even though it was only my second time in this wonderful city, I fell in love all over again. The second I get a job, I will be seeing you again, Hoboken. This time...as my home <3

Next up, a nice celebration for my boyfriend's 22nd birthday. I don't think I stopped singing that Taylor Swift song for a good week or so. I don't hate it.

As a belated celebration of our 2 year anniversary, Pat took me to see The Little Mermaid musical at the Paper Mill Playhouse! Not only was it amazing because it has always been my favorite Disney tale, but a fellow ZTA sister's actual sister was performing in the show! It was absolutely amazing and I would definitely go see it again.













Pat and I standing outside the theater.

Okay, so June was apparently filled with a million celebrations. This is before we went out in Belmar for Kelli's birthday. Lucy wasn't able to make it, but obviously we saved a spot for her :)

Trips to New York means....

Seeing the one and only, CHOPIN! He seriously gets cuter and cuter every single time I see him.

Such a precious little pup.

Doesn't this shot look so natural and not staged at all? This is what Felice and I do when she comes to my house for the day to work. She's doing real world work while I distract her. Sounds about right to me.

I surprisingly saw my big out in Asbury Park and could not have been more ecstatic! No matter what, she can always put a smile on my face!

My big, my cuzo, and I out at Porta! I love my fam <3

All of the girls out in Asbury! There's never a dull moment with the 4 of them :)

My outfit for a "meet & greet" at a family friend's company!

Since it was in the city and I had an interview the next day there as well, I was lucky enough to stay at my brother's apartment. Aka...hang out with this little munchkin.

My outfit for my interview the next day! I'm totally not one to do business professional, but I managed to put my own twist and style into it. Not too shabby, if I may say so myself!

June was also filled with many fire pit gatherings at Kelli's house. We even made s'mores one night! Nothing like sitting around a fire, listening to old songs, and reminiscing with your closest friends.

The next day some of the Crazy Fatties and I went crabbing in Point Pleasant! I've never done that before but it was so much fun!

Even though it wasn't what we expected...this was SO COOL! One of our cages caught an eel, a crab, and a blowfish! You can even see it all blown up in the top right corner.

I love my girls. Through thick & thin.

                            

One weekend, Pat and I spontaneously went to AC hoping we would somehow be able to get into the Hardwell show. An HQ promoter that we had met was actually able to get us in AND we were front row!

The last celebration of the month was Pat's graduation party! This is what I wore..eventually I took the headband off because I felt like Cleopatra haha.

So that was my June! A lot of things to celebrate in one month, but it was all so much fun! Keep an eye out for my July highlights...can you guess what you'll see? Probably not fireworks or anything...

always,

Summertime Sadness: May Highlights

Guys...it's fall.

I feel like I was just on the hunt for the newest and cutest bikinis, and now (not that I have a problem with it) I'm searching for the biggest and coziest sweaters. Honestly...where has the time gone?!

Probably since the song came out, I had the most genius idea to feature my summer highlights using the title Summertime Sadness (wow, Cristina..it must have been so hard to come up with that). Being that I was quite forgetful over the summer months to keep you all up to date on my activities and whereabouts, I figured I'd make a series of posts dedicated to reminiscing about those beloved summer months. On top of that, I kiiiind of strategically planned to wait until a Throwback Thursday so everything would "fall" together. See what I did there? ;) Also, since it is JUST starting to feel like fall I can officially put the summer behind me (metaphorically, of course).

So let's get started with the month of...

 May.

I GRADUATED!

After some (much needed) extra time at college, I finally received my diploma :) I couldn't have asked for more when it comes to my college career...except maybe some more time haha. I never wanted to leave!

This had to be one of the biggest, most exciting moments during the month of May. As happy as I seem in the picture above, it was also really sad to say goodbye to the place I had spent the last 5 years at. Just thinking about it now is getting me all worked up. Thankfully, I'll be going back for Homecoming in less than a week!

Some more pictures from graduation...

I can't even begin to explain to you how hot it was during the main ceremony. It was on the football field  which, when you're at the bottom of the pit, seems to never receive any breeze whatsoever. So if I seem a little sweaty in these pictures, cut me a break please!

Pat, his parents, and I after the main ceremony!

I swear...we couldn't be normal even if our lives depended on it!

Absolutely love my Zetas <3












I was so thankful Felice was able to make it to my graduation! She has been one of my best friends since freshman year (not that she had a choice). 

This was such a weird yet rewarding feeling to finally receive my diploma from the #1 Business School in New Jersey!














My biggest support system since day 1. Thank you for making all of this possible. I love you both!'

Just some of marketing babes with the Dean of Marketing haha.



















Pat and I at our celebratory dinner with our families. Such a great way to end an amazing day.

As you can probably tell, graduation was a big part of May for me. Aside from that, here are a couple of pictures from some other memorable moments...

Pat and my last formal ever!!! I still can't believe that we're not in college anymore.

I'm still in love with that dress. Can I wear it every day? Is that weird?

These 2 pictures actually make me want to cry. On the left is a picture of me and my sorority family. CHAMP FAM BEST FAM. My family is filled with some of the most loving and beautiful girls I know. I miss them more and more every day. I don't think the picture on the right needs much explaining. Senior Zetas just didn't want to graduate. 

Starting the summer with some family time for my mom's birthday and mother's day!

All in all, ending my 5th year of college with some of these great events in May wasn't a bad way to go out. I just wish it didn't have to end.

Out with the old, in with the new!

always,