Checking In

First off, HAPPY NEW YEAR!

So a lot has happened since my last post. Last time I posted, I had graduated college. Since then I've been sending out resumes and applying to lots of places. I must admit that I started to get frustrated and discourage by the lack of immediate response I was receiving. Although I had heard how long it typically takes to land a job in your field after graduation, I still wanted to find my job immediately. Right now my goal is to have a job by the time LSU students go back to school, since if I was still in school, I'd be on this break anyway.

In other news I GOT A CAR! :D It's my first car, and I bought it on my own. It feels amazing. The car buying process is stressful, overwhelming and way too much to deal with. I literally had no idea what I was doing so I'm so thankful I had family to help me. The car I initially was ready to buy got sold by another salesman and I was super annoyed. That just goes to show that it wasn't meant to be and when good things fall apart, it's always for something better to come together.

I have my first job interview for a big girl job tomorrow. This would be amazing if I get hired this quickly, so fingers are crossed. The job hunt is stressful, and if anyone else is in this position right now, don't give up! Keep searching and you will find something right for you.

Would You Like a Tour?

Some of my friends from school were going to the Drake concert since we would be on fall break at the time. So at the last minute, I finally got my tickets (of course the only seats left were horrible), put together an outfit and joined Drake for a night.

Top: black tube top folded in half

Skirt: my mother's maxi & DIY split by me

Sandals: Burlington

Collar necklace: ebay

Lipstick: Cyber by MAC

Drake came through with Miguel, Future and Jhene Aiko for the New Orleans stop of his tour. Miguel opened the show with a few of his songs and electric dance moves reminiscent of a James Brown/Prince hybrid. Much to my surprise, Drake followed immediately after him leaving speculation to whether Future was there.

After performing a few songs, Drake left the stage, and Future performed some of his songs. When Drake returned after a wardrobe change, he gave us more of his upbeat songs. Drake showed so much love for New Orleans, crediting my city as the reason he has a career and shouting out Young Money/Cash Money. He even had a bounce remix of "Hold On We're Going Home." Birdman hit the stage and performed "Stay Fly," which had to be my favorite part of the night. Growing up in New Orleans, the Hot Boys and Big Tymers have always been a big deal for us.

Another one of my favorite parts was the DJ section where he played some of Drake's older songs from his mixtape days. It's always the best when you have a crowd filled with people who know more than just what's mainstream.

As I mentioned, my seats were way up high, but I stood in the front for the entire show and had an amazing view. I always manage to get to the front for concerts somehow. :) Apparently where I stood was right next to the backstage area because I saw Miguel, Drake's father and some of the OVO crew casually walking pass.

Jhene Aiko, who is absolutely beautiful came out to assist Drake in the breakdown of "Come Thru" before they performed their duet "From Time."

At one point, Drake gets onto a riser that allows him to walk over the audience and talk to everyone. He shouted out people from every section, even all the way at the top. After he came back down, as a special gift for New Orleans, he showed us the "Worst Behaviour" video. He pulled up a sofa on stage for him and his crew to watch with us as well. The video features Drake's father rapping along with the lyrics in the beginning before Drake takes over. Take a look at some of the parts I recorded.

By the way, if there are any hardcore Drake fans, I have more of the video recorded if you'd like to see.

DIY Halloween Costumes

Halloween is right around the corner, and if you're like me and don't have a costume yet, then this post might help you out.

Instead of buying a typical costume from a Halloween shop, try making your own. It's a guarantee that no one else will have it. Here are some of my favorite DIY costumes that I've come across.

This is probably my favorite! Can work as a birthday present or any other type of gift bag.

Turn yourself into pop art.

Rosie the Riveter 

I've NEVER seen this one done before - Jellyfish!

LikeWowLala on YouTube has a pretty good DIY Miley costume video. 

Couple/Group Costumes:

Red Tutu Dress

Blue Wig

 Nametags

White Gloves

Bunch of Grapes - wear solid color top and stick bunches of balloons on.

Let me know in the comments what you'll be dressing up as for Halloween.

Instagram

Hey dolls!

Just a little shameless plug. Follow me on instagram : kaitlyn_amor

Style Crush: Aila Wang

Can I just take a moment to rave about this pint sized fashion killer who I want to keep forever? Aila Wang takes the crown for the most fashionable kid around; and dare I say, even among the ranks of adults two and three times her age. As the niece of fashion designer Alexander Wang, it would be difficult for little Aila to NOT be this dope.

Am I the only one who wants to put her on my shelf? Such a doll.

The shades, the sneakers, the stance, not to mention the mini Chanel bag. Boss. 

She does street fashion so effortlessly. Too much swag for that little body.

Yes, that's a custom miniature Rocco bag. Jealous yet?

I can only hope and pray that one day I have a child as adorably dope as Little Miss Aila. Until then, I'll just be admiring this tiny fashionista. 

Nothing Comes to Sleepers But a Dream

Here I am. 20 years old. Senior in college, with only one semester left before graduation. And today it hit me. Hit me like a ton of bricks. After December, I'm done with school. Forever.

Time has always been my cushion. I've always thought, "Oh, I have time to figure that out." "That won't be happening for me any time soon." But it is. It crept up on me, and now the time is almost here.

I know exactly where I want to be, I'm just not sure how to get there. I'm looking into the face of my future, and I can't lie - I'm terrified. Terrified of the unknown, of what's next, of making the wrong decision, of... failing.

I'm sure there are tons of people in my position right now feeling the same way, but I only allowed myself about one hour of feeling this way, and then had to shake myself out of it, because I knew that would get me nowhere. I had to start contacting people, reaching out and sending e-mails letting companies know I'll be in the job market soon.

If any of these feelings sound a little too familiar, then it's time for you to shake those fears as well and replace them with opportunities. Make yourself so busy with promoting yourself and networking that you have no time to worry about what's next.

Get an internship.
By now you should have had one, or a few; but if not, start applying to some NOW. Companies look for people with experience. Ever notice how job applications always ask for previous related experiences? Well, you need experience just to get experience, crazy cycle, I know, but it's necessary so get to work.
Finding an internship isn't difficult. Depending on where you go to school, your college may offer an internship database. My school, The Manship School of Mass Communication at LSU does. More than likely you'll be able to find an internship related to your field right on campus via the various departments of the college. Apply. Apply. Apply.

Always take the interview.
Even if the job may not seem ideal, go to interview anyway, you may end up liking it, and if not, you can always decline the offer afterward.

It's never too early.
Over the summer, my ant asked if I had started applying and contacting PR companies for post-graduation employment. I looked at her like she was crazy and thought it was way too early. Turns out, I was the crazy one. It's never too soon to start contacting companies to let them know that you will be in search of a job within the coming months. Make that connection. They can always just keep your resume on file for the future. Some jobs have long training/hiring processes, so the sooner you get in touch, the better. If you wait, it could be too late.

Social Media
Twitter is good for much more than just sharing your opinions on celebrities, and trends - it's a great networking tool. You can use t to link with professionals in your field as well as view job listings without having to do in-depth searching.

Here are some useful resources:
@sweetcareers  provides useful tips and articles for college students to help transition to the working world.
@internshipjob is the Twitter feed of internships.com

Also check out the hashtags for what you're looking for #interns

Affordable Dupes for Expensive Brands

The price of  just one tube of lipstick can run you $14 and upward depending on the brand. I'm going to provide you with some ideas for cheaper dupes that you can get in place of the more expensive brands. Same color, better price. I don't own all of these colors, but I've done some research to come up with the best alternatives.

I'm a huge fan of Nicki Minaj, so when her Pink Friday Lipstick - the perfect baby pink- came out for just a few Fridays, I made sure I was logged on at midnight to get mine. Most people weren't as lucky. The lipstick was Special Edition, thus is no longer available through MAC. If you absolutely must have it, you can still find it on eBay, if you're into that sort of thing, starting ay $70. But if not, try these instead.

NYX Round "Power

Think Pink

NYX Round lipsticks retail at about $4 each. "Power" appears to be a bit darker, almost lavender in the tube, but is actually light pink.

Wet n Wild lipsticks are available at most drugstores and are usually about $2. Its color "Think Pink" parallels to Pink Friday.

Tickled Pink

Pink Friday

On the subject of Pink Friday, the OPI nail lacquer from Nicki Minaj's collection closely parallels Wet n Wild's Tickled Pink nail polish, in case you can't find an OPI retailer. I own both of these colors, and you can't tell a difference between them.

Fleshpot by MAC
Photo taken from
 http://www.beautezine.com/db-mac-fleshpot/

If you're looking for a nude color, as I have been for the past few months, Fleshpot by MAC is perfect. Aside from the fact that MAC lipsticks start at $15, Fleshpot is a MAC Pro color (not sold in regular stores) so it would be pretty difficult to get your hands on.

I did a little research and came up with these alternatives:

e.l.f Mineral Lipstick Natural Nymph

NYX Round Lipstick - Echo

Natural Nymph

Echo

If you have a product or a specific color that you'd like to find an alternative to, let me know and I'll try to help you out.