5 Things You Need to Know When Purchasing Plane Tickets!

Between all of us on the TSS team, we've done A LOT of traveling this Summer!  One of our Co-Founders is even leaving for Japan this week and we have a lot more traveling to do this year!  We've learned a lot about purchasing plane tickets and we've done some research to give you our TOP 5 tips that you should know when purchasing your next plane tickets!

Do you have any other tips we should know about purchasing airline tickets?  Comment below or send us your secret at secret@thesororitysecrets.com!

Bon Voyage!

It Girl Trend Report: Graphic Tee

I am sure you have discovered before that we have an obsession with graphic tees. Graphic Tees are a fashion piece that are timeless; they never go out of style! Our It Girls agreed too so we were curious what their go-to graphic tees were. If there is any store we can count on to have some awesome graphic tees it is Forever 21 and that is where Avery found her super cute, flower-crowned woman graphic tee. Avery said, "I usually pair it with a jean jacket, some white converse, and a fun statement necklace if I'm feelin fancy! It's really easy to just throw it on and go! And it's soft and comfy too!" Another place that sells some really trendy graphic tees is Urban Outfitters! Their "Day of the Dead" inspired graphic tees always catch our eye, and they caught It Girl, Cristina's eye too! Graphic tees are also fun to wear when the graphic is a word. Marisa's favorite graphic tee has a special meaning to it because it represents a part of her heritage. "My brother bought me this shirt when he went to Florence because he said that all the Italian men say "ciao Bella" when an American girl walks by!"--we love it! There is nothing like a cute graphic tee with images and words imprinted on them. Just ask Victoria and Allie with their graphic tee choices! Victoria absolutely loves her graphic tee from Zara sharing that, "The dolman shape of the tee with the tie front makes it dressy enough to pair up with a cute flowy skirt, or tone down for a night on the town with teal high waisted skinnies and black patent heels. Plus, the shirt gives off a mature vibe so you still look put together and not childish. The texture and colors are such a plus, too!"--we agree! Allie's graphic tee comes from an online company we hadn't even heard of called Necessary Clothing. Allie said, "They have really cute affordable stuff that's different from the stores!"--we love new store finds so we'll have to check it out! Our last favorite graphic tee style is sporting a famous person on your front. This has remained a popular fad and Serena just loves her Bob Dylan tank from Brandy Melville. She explained, "I love my Bob Dylan graphic from Brandy Melville! Not only am I a huge fan of John Galt graphics, but Bob Dylan is also one of my favorite artists of all time! I love this tank because I can wear it tucked into shorts in the summer or pair it with leggings and a light weight sweater when it's cooler out".

Are you a fan of graphic tees too? Where are your favorite places to shop for graphic tees? 

The Benefits of Threading vs Waxing

While tweezing has its benefits, we have turned to better solutions to keep our eyebrows looking great like threading or waxing. Both offer a cleaned up look, but we were starting to wonder if one might be better than the other. So, we asked our sorority sisters their thoughts on threading and we came up with a couple of reasons as to why threading is better than waxing.

• No burning! In order to use wax it needs to be warm, but in some cases the wax can be too hot for your skin and cause lots of pain and scabbing/scarring. You don't have to worry about any of that with threading since no heat is used.
• No chemicals. If you have sensitive skin, chances are waxing can be irritating since lots of preservatives, resins, and fragrances are components of the wax. With threading no chemicals are used-just a piece of thread!
• Less skin contact. While both threading and waxing have an interaction with skin, waxing seems to have more contact with the skin as it pulls at it while removing the hair. Threading has more contact with the root of the hair rather than taking the skin. 
• Limited redness. Since waxing pulls at the skin, it causes inflammation and creates a distinct red color in the areas of the skin pulled. Threading also causes some redness, but it is very mild and does not linger like after waxing does. It usually disappears within the hour.

Which do you prefer: Threading or waxing? Weigh in here or let us know on Instagram, @thesororitysecrets.

Giveaway: Erin Condren Life Planner! (CLOSED)

Just in time for Back To School, we've teamed up with Erin Condren to give TSS readers the perfect organizational necessity... the 2013-2014 Life Planner!  It's stylish, it's personalized, it's everything you need to stay on track for a successful year ahead.  Watch the video, need we say more?!  We love the little touches, such as the adorable graphics and inspirational quotes sprinkled throughout.  This planner brings smiles to all of your busiest days.  We use our very own Erin Condren planners in our daily lives; they're an organized and color-coded dream come true!

We're so excited for one lucky reader to win a $50 eGift Card provided by our friends at Erin Condren!  Use it towards your very own Life Planner, or for any other fun items on their site!  Here's how to enter:

Here's how to enter:
Step 1: "Like" Erin Condren on Facebook (click here to "like")
Step 2: "Like" The Sorority Secrets on Facebook (click here to "like")
Step 3: Leave a comment below, telling us how the Life Planner would help keep you organized!  Make sure to leave your email address so we can contact you if you win!

Good luck, and make sure to stay organized this coming fall with Erin Condren's fabulous planners!

*Contest ends 7/25/13.  Winner will be notified via email*

7 Best At-Home Workouts

1. Power Jack
2. Foam Roller Push-Ups
3. Side Plank Crunches
4. The Reverse Lunge
5. Plank Kickbacks
6. Power Jack
7. Foam Rolling

Oh the gym, how we wish we could visit you more often! With our super busy schedules, we always feel guilty not making it to the gym. A lot of the time we find ourselves working from home, so it dawned on us that maybe a better solution to ditching the gym is bringing the gym to us with some quick and easy at-home workouts. TSS Reader and one of our great friends from Arizona State University, Estela, is a Fitness Specialist so we asked her to share with us some simple at-home workouts that will help keep us in shape.The best part of all, is that to complete these workouts, you only need four things: comfortable workout shoes, a foam roller, an exercise mat, and your body!

Estela numbered each workout in reference to the order it should be performed. For workouts #1 and #6, she recommends using those two workouts as a warm-up and to finish as a cool-down when you complete exercises #2-#5. For every exercise she suggests doing 10 - 25 reps of each without rest, repeating 3-5 times depending on your fitness level (please consult your doctor or trainer). 

Ok, so we lied, you actually need five things to complete a workout....CUTE WORKOUT CLOTHES! Estela is wearing her favorite workout apparel brand: Lululemon, however, for a more affordable price, she recommends trying Ellie. 

Try out all the workouts and let us know which one is your favorite!

For more fitness tips, email Estela at estela@power1k.com. 

6 Photo Editing Apps You Need to Download!

PicFx, AfterLight, A Beautiful Mess, GalaxyFx, PicFrame, Camera+

So, we're all about sharing our personal secrets and favorites! I mean... that IS the whole concept of TSS, right?  So many of our readers and Instagram followers ask us everyday what type of photo editing apps we use on our Instagram account (@thesororitysecrets), so we decided to share our Top 6 Favorite Photo Editing Apps!

What are some other Photo Editing Apps you like to use??  Share your secret and email us at secret@thesororitysecrets.com

It Girl Trend Report: Favorite Summer Sandals

As much as we love boots in the fall and a nice pair of UGGs in the winter, we look forward to hanging those up and giving our feet a breather in some cute summer sandals. There are always so many sandal styles to choose from that we asked our It Girls to share with us their summer go-to sandals for this week's Trend Report. One thing is for sure, wearing sandals is the perfect excuse to show off your fabulous pedicure. Victoria loves to show off her painted toes in her Nine West glitter sandals. As a true sorority girl, crafting and glitter runs in her veins, so when she saw these sandals it was love at first sight. Victoria added,  "They're great paired with a flirty summer dress, or even some casual colored shorts, and what girl isn't a sucker for gold glitter?!" Avery and Marisa prefer to wear sandals that are classic and can go with anything. Avery loves her gold sandals from Francescas by the brand called Report. These sandals are so cute and well priced too which is always a bonus! We laughed when Avery admitted, "My two best friends even had to get them...now we always have to call each other before we go out wearing the same shoes". Marisa goes for the gladiator look with her super fab gold Vincent Camuto sandals that she wears with everything during the summer season since she says, "they match with pretty much any summery color". There are always certain brands you can count on for some awesome pair of sandals. Cristina knows she can never go wrong with sandals from Steve Madden. We just love how trendy Steve Madden sandals are- they really are comfortable, fashionable, and can also go with anything. Serena couldn't decide between Lilly Pulitzer and Jack Rogers for her favorite summer sandals so she chose both! "I love both of these sandals because they're pretty and versatile, they can be dressed up or down depending on the outfit. Plus, they go with almost everything". A little embellishment makes all the difference too, so we absolutely loved Allie's favorite summer sandals pick from Chanel. The cute flower embellishments add a perfect summery touch to your feet.

Got a favorite pair of summer sandals? We want to see it! Hashtag them on Instagram or Twitter with #tssummerlook! Don't have Twitter or Instagram? Then leave a comment or send us your summer sandal secret at secret@thesororitysecrets.com!