Day at the Office with Me: Public Relations and Social Media Intern

J Crew high neck ruffle blouse (I've literally had this shirt since the 9th grade) | J Crew Factory navy blue pleated skirt (I've had this since high school) | Tory Burch double pearl earrings | Tory Burch Reva cheetah ballet flats

Every day at my internship is different and exciting! However, I do try to keep a somewhat rough schedule throughout the day to stay organized and to be the most productive.

Here is a rough breakdown of what a typical day at work looks like for me!

6:30 am: I wake up, do my skin care routine, get dressed and make my bed.

I plan out my outfits for the week on Sundays so I am not stressed trying to pick out outfits in the morning! I have done this kind of outfit planning since middle school. If you do not already do this, and plan your outfits out ahead, you SHOULD! It makes my mornings so easy!

For work, I dress professionally but more on the side of casual professional. I am working for a PR firm and we handle a lot of clients in the fashion business so I don't shy away from color and pattern! I also try not to wear a lot of black, despite working in NYC, and the corporate world, where everyone is always in black. Black is so boring! Wear some COLOR!

You can wear color and still look professional! 

After getting dressed and accessorized, I check my emails to see if there is anything urgent that I have to attend to.

7:15 am: I drive my dad to the train.

7:30 am: I cook breakfast which is usually egg whites with a full glass of water and a cup of orange juice. I also usually have plain Greek yogurt that I throw some blueberries or other fresh fruit. While eating breakfast I catch up with Instagram and I usually post an Instagram story. I also try to read the news headlines on my phone.

8:00 am: I put my makeup on, fix my hair and sit down at my desk and edit photos, or edit a blog post and get organized.

8:30 am: I go to the train and begin writing blog posts on my phone in the notes section. It’s kind of funny, but it is the only downtime I have now that I am working! The train ride is quiet and gives me plenty of time to write my ideas down and figure out how I’m going to execute them. I am also such a morning person that writing early in the morning is the time that I am most energized and productive! (I even drafted this post on the train!)

9:30 am: I get to work, turn on my computer, and get ready for the day!

10:00 am: I check all my emails and my boss’ calendar. I make sure my boss has everything set for the day with detailed addresses of where she has to go for meetings and if she has any other appointments for the day. In the early morning, I also check our client’s social media accounts and make sure they are looking good and convening the messages they need to. If they are not where they should be, I tell my boss in the early morning after she gets into the office.

10:15 am: My boss comes in and we talk about what’s going on for the day. My one co-worker makes a to-do list and my boss delegates jobs to us. I am usually put in charge of writing press releases for various clients or sending out mass emails.

11:00 am: I continue to check emails, send out emails, and tell my boss about the social media accounts. I then usually start on my big project for the day. The other day, I wrote a press release about summertime in NYC and spent all day working on it.

12:30 pm: We have a working lunch. I always bring lunch, (that my mom makes me ;)). It is usually a salad with different toppings each day. I love bringing lunch to work because it is so much healthier and cheaper. At lunch time is usually when I take 5-10 minutes and check my personal emails and blog emails, as well as my social media accounts.

1:00 pm: I get back to work and continue working on my press releases. Occasionally, I will write contracts and invoices for my boss. I usually spend the afternoon writing something and then giving it to my boss to edit. Then we usually go back and forth with edits for a while until the document is perfect!

2:30pm: I am usually done with the press release that I started in the morning. I send it out to our clients and start on a new activity to finish the day.

3:00 pm: I take a little break and check social media for myself and see what is happening.

4:00 pm: I start to wrap up whatever I was working on and send out final emails. I cross off completed tasks on the to-do list.

5:00 pm: I make my way to Penn Station to meet my dad on the train to go home!

There you have it!

A day in the life of an intern!

Have a great rest of the week!

xx

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college, intern, internship, J Crew, New York, New York city, pr, professional clothes, public relations, social media, student, Tory Burch, Warm weather, wear to work, work, work day

Lashes for days with Maybelline’s the Rocket Mascara

Before

During

After

I have been blessed with long lashes, but with Maybelline’s the Rocket mascara, my lashes go on FOR DAYS!!

I found this mascara in high school and it has been my favorite one ever since!

Everyone always thinks I am wearing fake lashes or lash extensions. But nope, it’s just the Rocket!!

This mascara lengthens, curls and volumizes my lashes.

I cannot count how many times I have been stopped by STRANGERS at stores or in classes and asked if my lashes were fake. 

Every time I reply, nope, it’s just the Rocket!

I have even had you guys, followers, comment on my Instagrams and ask how I get my lashes the way I do!

I don’t curl them or anything, I just wear the Rocket in brownish black!

I have gotten my best friends and my mom also hooked on this mascara.

Michelle called me when we were away at school and said her lashes were so long from the Rocket that they were hitting her lab goggles and she couldn’t see!!

That’s what I call a successful mascara!

I recommend this mascara to everyone because of how long and voluminous it makes your lashes.

 The only downside to this mascara is that it is very hard to take off... BUT I have found after years of trial and error that the Garnier waterproof micellar water works the best to take it off!

I have experimented with the waterproof version of the Rocket, for the summer months when it gets a bit hot and sweaty, but I have come to realize that the regular one doesn’t budge! You really don’t need the waterproof one because the non-waterproof mascara stays in place. Also, the waterproof one is literally IMPOSSIBLE to take off at night.

In my last blog post I talked about my "signature fashion item." 

In the beauty world, mascara is definitely my signature item.

I am hardly ever seen without this mascara on. I even go to the gym with it on! I always take off all my other face makeup, and leave my mascara because a) it is hard to get off and b) it keeps me looking put together even if I am at the gym. Even if I don’t have time to do any other makeup I will ALWAYS throw this baby on!
I feel naked without it!! It is part of my identity now!

This mascara opens up my eyes, accentuates them and really makes them look amazing!!

I love the Rocket mascara and I would 10/10 recommend!!

I need to take a moment and thank Michelle, my best friend, for suggesting to add a beauty section to my blog. She has been one of the biggest supporters of T&P over the years, and one of the first supporters.

I finally took her suggestion and started a beauty section. So, thank you Mitch!

This section is dedicated to you and your undying love for T&P!

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beauty, beauty routine, eyelashes, J Crew, lashes, makeup, mascara, maybelline, monogram, Pearls, the rocket

Neckerchiefs, Bandanas or “Little Neck Scarves”

J Crew Factory off the shoulder white linen shirt (similar) | J Crew Factory sea foam green boardwalk shorts | J Crew factory New York bandana | Jack Rogers Hampton sandals in platinum | Tiffany pearl studs | American Eagle denim jacket

If you have been following me along for a while you may have noticed that over the past year or so, I have become slightly obsessed with wearing little neck scarves, neckerchiefs or bandanas, whatever you want to call them.

My new love all started in this blog post when I finally had the guts to wear a bright red bandana with my white button down to class my freshman year at Wake.

A couple of guy friends made fun of me, but I loved it!

It was a way to give my jewelry box a rest and to wear something different than everyone else.

Since then I’ve bought two more neckerchiefs and put them around my neck, my bags and in my hair.

The one I’m wearing in these photos is a New York themed scarf with pictures of all New York things: hot dogs, taxis, the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, etc.

I got this little white and pink one after I bought a Paris themed one in white and navy.

Both of them are from J Crew Factory and were only a couple of dollars!

It’s way cheaper than a new piece of jewelry and in my opinion, more interesting.

I have to give credit to my mom for being the one to inspire my neckerchief obsession.

Back in the day, when I was just starting to get really into clothes, so age 6 (not kidding), my mom told me that I would eventually find my “signature item” in my closet.

For my mom, who went to the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, and worked in the fashion business before she had my brother and I, she found her signature item to be silk scarves. To this day she is still rocking her silk scarves and I am following in her footsteps.

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bandana, college, denim jacket, J Crew, j crew factory, long island, neckerchief, New York, off the shoulder, park, shorts, summer, Warm weather

Social Media Internship: How I Got the Job, What I’m Learning and What I’m Wearing

J Crew factory pink a-line knit dress | J Crew New York neckerchief (similar) | Tiffany pearl studs | Tory Burch gold bangle | Ray-Ban Wayfarers | Tory Burch cheetah Reva flats

If you did not already know, I am the social media and public relations intern at a public relations firm this summer!

You can read more about my first day on the job HERE.

I am having so much fun and learning so much along the way.

I am learning a lot about marketing, public relations and social media.

If you couldn’t tell, Instagram is the key marketing tool these days! It is so fascinating.

On one hand I am learning more in the office than I ever could behind my computer at home or at school. On the other hand, I am also teaching my boss and clients about how to have coherent feeds on both Instagram and Pinterest based on what I have taught myself through blogging.

It is so fascinating because I will be listening to my boss on a phone call with clients about social media, and my boss will bring up the same marketing strategies to the clients that I have taught myself for my blog. It is so cool that the strategies my boss is sharing with clients are the same ones that have worked for me and my blog. 

If you read my About Me page, then you would remember how much I have grown over the years of creating this blog, both academically, with my writing but also technologically, with my tech savviness in using Instagram to really “sell” my brand. I am so proud of myself because I am able to show everything that I have taught myself about blogging and Instagram to my boss, and more importantly, to our clients.

Last week I was given the opportunity to go to a marketing and influencer event with a client. I took the train all the way downtown to 29 Broadway where I met my client to learn all about the influencer market. 

The client was so excited to hear that I am a “influencer.”

I don’t really like that term because I just feel like an average gal with a blog! But apparently you can put me in that category because I am influencing all of you when you read my blog! 

The meeting was very cool because I got to see the brand perspective of working with influencers. In the past I have only seen the other side, the influencer perspective, when a brand reaches out to work with me. It is really cool that I now understand both sides.

As you can see, most days at work consist of me playing around with Instagram and Pinterest, but other days I get to write press releases.

To me, press releases are just fancy and super professional blog posts.

I just wrote a press release a couple of weeks ago about Meghan Markle and how every brand she wore on her wedding day can be found on Madison Avenue.

The press release has been a big success!! All the experience I have had with writing blog posts and “selling” my product, aka myself, to the world has all been self-taught and has really helped me in my internship and in the press release world!

I have to say having the experience as a blogger has helped me with this job dramatically. I think my experience with blogging, Instagram and Pinterest are really what sold my boss into hiring me!

Before this job, I never thought that blogging would a) be a job b) be something to put on my resume, and c) teach me skills that employers want!

I am very thankful to all the amazing opportunities blogging has given me and that I have given myself by deciding to create a blog!

It is one of the best decisions I could have made as a 16-year-old!

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bandana, college, dress, intern, internship, J Crew, j crew factory, neckerchief, New York, New York city, Pearls, professional clothes, public relations, scarf, social media, tiffany, Tory Burch, Warm weather

The Perfect Father’s Day Barbecue Outfit

J Crew navy gingham dress (similar) | American Eagle denim jacket | Jack Rogers Hampton sandals in platinum | J Crew red floral statement earrings (similar)

Sunday is Father’s Day!

For my family, every Father’s Day my sister hosts a combined Father’s Day and Birthday barbeque for my nephew and for all the dads in our family.

This summer has been very chilly and rainy so I’m hoping that for Father’s Day it will really feel like the beginning of SUMMER!

I have put together the perfect barbecue outfit, featuring gingham because what else screams summer, for you to wear on Father’s Day or to any barbeque this summer!

This dress is very sweet and preppy but paired with the red statement earrings, it makes the outfit a bit bolder. I think paired with Jack Roger’s it is a more casual barbeque outfit but paired with wedges, it could be a cute rooftop party outfit or date night outfit!

Happy Barbecuing!

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barbecue, bbq, dress, family, father's day, gingham, J Crew, jcrew factory, statement earrings, Warm weather

Let's Get Moisturized with Neutrogena

Since I’m writing about my beauty routine now, I wanted to share all about my moisturizing routine!

You will need to read my last post about my acne troubles to appreciate this post a bit more.

Long story short, I came back from my freshman year of college and my skin FREAKED OUT! 

I went to several dermatologists and they figured out how to combat my crazy skin.

With all the meds I was on, my skin became extremely dry.

 Only recently I have found a remedy and it has really made such a difference in my skin.

Neutrogena Hydro Boost water gel with Hyaluronic acid is the best.

 This moisturizer is good for anyone with acne skin, since it is oil free, or perfect for anyone with dry skin, or people with both, like me! 

I apply the moisturizer right after I wake up, it is a bit cooling because it is a gel and wakes up my face, before I apply my topical acne treatments and my Neutrogena SPF 50 moisturizer.

The Hydro Boost gel has really healed my dry skin. I put it all over my face including under my eyes, day and night.

It helps my makeup go on smoothly and evenly and keep it like that throughout the day.

Before finding this product, which is about $20, I went to Sephora to find a heavy duty cream.

I did some research and was recommended to use the Sunday Riley Tidal Brightening Enzyme Cream, $65.

It worked, it really did, but it was expensive, and I went through it so fast!

I then found the Neutrogena moisturizer and I was sold.

I think the two products are very comparable minus the price tag.

10/10 would recommend to a friend.

I would also 10/10 recommend the Neutrogena SPF 50 Healthy Defense daily moisturizer.

You can never be too careful with the sun and your skin.

I wear this under makeup or on its own.

When I go to the beach, I wear this product and then Neutrogena SPF 70 face sunscreen, oil free.

I don’t mess around with protecting my skin, and neither should you.

It is so important to protect your skin regardless of what age you are!

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beauty, college, drugstore, long island, makeup, moisturizer, neutrogena, New York, pjs, skin care, SPF, sunday riley

Broadway, Beaches and Bethesda: NYC Travel Guide

Ten Point Boutique black dress | Splendid black wedges | Francesca's denim jacket | Ray-Ban blue mirror aviators | Tory Burch black cross-body bag

J Crew black and white stripped dress | J Crew denim jacket | Tory Burch gold and double pearl earrings | red bandana | Ray-Ban black and gold classic aviators | Tory Burch light pink satchel (similar) | Jack Rogers Hampton sandals in platinum

Thanks Erin for the title!

Erin and I started off our trip in the capital of the world, NYC, Friday afternoon.

We took the train into the city after a delicious lunch from La Bottega, Roslyn, which has a lot of gluten free options (perfect for Erin and her gluten allergy). After carbs we had even more carbs at Bond 45 right in Times Square. I was skeptical because I had never been to the restaurant before and I usually just go to my favorite, Becco, but I kind of forgot to make reservations until very close before the trip.

After an early dinner we walked up a couple of blocks to CHICAGO!

I was so excited to see a Bob Fosse show.

I had seen the movie and sang to the music in chorus before, so I knew a lot of the music.

It was amazing!

The dancers and actors were insanely talented, and it was just a really fun show to watch.

At the end of the show, the curtain call- where all the actors bow, I stood up to clap for the insanely talented two leads.

All of a sudden, the non-speaking English tourist behind me tapped my shoulder and said the show wasn’t over yet and to sit down.

Being the avid theater goer that I am, and since I was in the theater department my whole life, I know that when it’s the curtain call, the show is over.

I was defiant and did not sit down when she asked me to.

The women would not take my “no” for an answer, so she started aggressively pulling the back of my denim jacket to make me sit down.

I continued to stand, like all of my friends and family would have done, and I continued to shrug them off and stand proud and clap.

Three seconds later the lights turned on and I spun around and got in the women’s face, without making a scene and told the women to not touch me ever again. 

Of course, they “didn’t understand me.” And I just walked away.

So, lesson to all Broadway newbies, the curtain call signals the end of the show, and it is polite and customary to stand and clap for the lead actors! You don’t have to stand at the curtain call to clap, but most people do.

Also, stranger danger! Word of wise for everyone, DON’T TOUCH STRANGERS!!!!

Pacsun bikini | Ray-Ban blue mirrored aviators 

Aerie blue and orange bikini | Ray-Ban pink mirrored aviators 

We had an early wakeup call the next morning, so we could have optimal sun exposure at the beach.

Erin got to meet two of my besties: Michelle and Marykate as I picked them up to go to the south shore for the beach.

We picked up bagels and made the drive to the ocean.

After several hours in the sun we all felt sun kissed and relaxed.

However, we did not realize until we got home, that we were a bit more than sun kissed.

I put sunscreen on my arms, legs and chest but missed an important body part- my stomach.

Don’t ask me how I forgot my stomach, but I just did.

I was conscious to do every other body part but my stomach... and now I am suffering the consequences.

So, I am now fried.

It hurts to wear pants or laugh.

I haven’t been this burnt since 10th grade right before sophomore prom, in Florida.

That was the first time I ever burned so badly that I peeled.

Lauren James pink t-shirt

Kappa Delta White Rose Formal t-shirt

The weather was so nice on Saturday that we had an early dinner in the backyard which was accompanied by ice cream at the dock!

Such a beautiful sunset with some delicious ice cream ;)

Free People tank top | Forever 21 white denim skirt | Superga green sneakers | Tory Burch black cross-body bag

J Crew floral dress | J Crew denim jacket | J Crew gold hoop earrings | Tory Burch navy espadrilles | Tory Burch large navy York tote bag (similar)

After finding a brunch restaurant with a multitude of gluten free options, Erin and I “brunched” on Sunday morning.
A trip to my town wouldn’t be complete without a family party with lots more food!

We had my niece/Goddaughter’s 2nd birthday party and we munched on lots of appetizers until we decided to depart and make our way back into the city.

We legitimately walked 50+ blocks!

We started at 34th Street and zigged and zagged our way through Macy’s and Lord and Taylor, which they are sadly closing after 100 years, and then we made it to Grand Central Station- the famous station that the city almost tore down!

It wasn’t really raining rather spitting, like how Winston-Salem does (click HERE to read about the Winston-Salem spit) so we decided to walk all the way up 5th Ave to Central Park!

We went into St Patrick’s Cathedral, passed Trump Tower, the Plaza and then walked all the way through Central Park to the Upper West Side.

We of course had to find the Gossip Girl spots, like the Bethesda fountain and the structure behind the fountain which is the place where Chuck and Blair said, “I do.”

I really wanted to go to the bridge that is right near the fountain, but I miscalculated, and we ended up walking literally an extra 20 blocks in the park.

But it worked out because when we exited the park on the Upper West Side we were at the Museum of Natural History, which I slept over at with my Girl Scout troop back in the day, and was only a block away from our restaurant, Cafe Frida.

We munched on some delicious homemade chips and quac before our main courses: tacos and quesadillas.

I found all of the restaurants from the trip on OpenTable! I have been using OpenTable for years and I am a HUGE fan!

I am usually a bit skeptical about going to restaurants that I have never been to before but I love that OpenTable is like an upgraded Yelp because you can find restaurants based on location, read reviews and make reservations! 

I love the website because it makes booking reservations so easy!!

 OpenTable is not sponsoring this post but they should!! 

I was able to easily find restaurants with gluten free options for Erin that were located around all of our NYC plans!

After a fun filled weekend it was time to head home for Erin :( We are both very sad that we won’t be in the same place next fall, as I am going abroad, and little miss Erin is staying at Wake. It hurt me to say goodbye to her as it will be a long time until we are reunited :( but don’t worry senior year ROMMIES!!!

Until next time!

xoxo

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beach, broadway, central park, food, friends, kappa delta, KD, New York, New York city, restaurants, sorority, the plaza, Tory Burch, travel, Warm weather