Your Answer To Ironing Without Ironing

Shark Garment Care Steamer

For those of you who live in a small dorm or sorority house or simply don’t like to iron, we have the ultimate solution to your ironing problems: the Shark Garment Care Steamer.

Karen has had this bad boy for years and swears by it. Skeptical, we asked her to demonstrate how this handheld steamer works and well, we were super impressed. Karen brought out her wrinkliest top and clipped it onto the steamer mat that came with the handheld steamer. After filling the handheld steamer with water to the max, Karen pumped on the steamer and pressed it against the top…and that’s when the magic happened. In just a few minutes the top was wrinkle free! The steamer works on any material and can be nicely tucked away in your storage or closet unlike those super tall steamers you’re probably used to or your huge ironing board and iron that take up a whole closet.  If you want to save time making your clothes crisp and neat, this is a great investment! You can pick this steamer up at any Target.

Happy Steaming! 

Study Session Survival Guide

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It’s finals season once again…our favorite (not!). Between the tons of group projects and research papers, you also have to start studying for those huge exams. Summer seems so close, yet so, so far away. Everyone is familiar with the long study sessions spent at the library or locked away in your room where it just feels endless. Have no fear, we’ve compiled a list of some essentials to keep you on-track, focused, and efficient!

• Water, water, water
• Whatever you do, do not dehydrate your system with soda or energy drinks. Hydrate your system and notice elevated energy and heightened focus. 
• Self-control apps
• If you have a Mac, you can use SelfControl to block out certain websites while you are studying. There are other applications similar for PCs and mobile phones as well!
• Healthy snacks
• Don’t stock up on junk food for finals (even though we know, it’s tempting!). Put some carrot sticks and ranch dressing in a Tupperware or grab an apple the next time you’re running out the door for a study session. Sometimes you need to munch on something to keep yourself focused and awake, so you might as well make it a healthy snack!
• Good tunes
• While songs with familiar lyrics or even words in general can be distracting, there are tons of amazing playlists with instrumental music that can help you stay on-track. Check out 8tracks.com for hundreds of instrumental playlists tailored specifically for studying. 
• A study buddy
• Sometimes studying with a friend can be extremely distracting, so you have to have an understanding that you’re both there to get down to business. Try explaining a concept you’re learning to them or have them quiz you on important concepts. Saying things out loud will help you process better and having a determined buddy will hold you accountable when you start to slack off. 

Even if you’re pulling an all-nighter (although we advise not to do that), be sure to take frequent breaks. For every thirty minutes you work uninterrupted, you should take a 5-10 minute break. Resting your mind will allow you to get back to work re-focused and energized. 

Top 5 Summer Scents

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Scents can really take you down memory lane! We have really enjoyed fresh spring scents this spring, but with summer around the corner, we have prepared ourselves to switch it up with more summery scents that welcome the change in weather and feel. Here is a breakdown on our favorite summer scents that we will be wearing throughout one of our favorite seasons:

1. Daisy Delight by Marc Jacobs

- A more fruity smell of the original Daisy by Marc Jacobs

2. Dolce Eau De Parfum by Dolce & Gabbana

-New fragrance by Dolce & Gabbana.  This scent is a gentle, feminine mix of white flowers and freshness!

3. Signorina Eleganza by Salvatore Ferragamo

-Velvety fragrance with hints of grapefruit, pear, and almond powder to name a few!

4.Fabulous by Victoria's Secret

-Fragrance type: Floral

5. Born in Paradise by Escada

-Fruity: Green apple, guava, watermelon, pineapple, coconut milk, jasmine tea

What summer scents are you looking forward to wearing?

But First, Let Me Take A Selfie

Selfie-n. The act of taking your phone or camera and taking a candid picture of your beautiful face. 

Oh the infamous selfie. We have all taken one before, and if we haven’t, we have either been enticed to or have watched someone take one. So, how does one take the most fabulous selfie? We came up with some easy tips to make sure your selfie is worth posting.

1. It’s All About Natural Lighting- Selfies are not cute in the dark-sorry. Your followers want to see your shining face! When taking a selfie, make sure the area is nice and lit up. Natural always delivers the absolute best selfie image. 
2. A Clean Background Is A Must-Your face should be the center of attention with your selfie. Therefore, we recommend taking your selfie against a nice, clean backdrop. A white wall gives a more bright and crisp look, but really any solid wall will do. 
3. Chin Up- Moving your chin up and forward makes your face appear smaller on camera. After all, you are sticking a camera in your face so you want to make it look nice and pretty. Having your chin down makes your face appear larger than it probably is.
4. Angle Your Shot- When taking your selfie, try to angle it a bit above eye level. Again, this helps to make your face appear smaller. 

We hope now you are all set and ready to take a super cute selfie. In fact, take a selfie and hashtag it #TSSelfie—we would love to see how you rock a selfie. 

Bring Back Our Girls

 

As women, we should stand together. Too many times as far back as history can date, we have been oppressed, discriminated against, and treated like slaves to the male race. Though we have come so far in women's rights, there are still some countries who don't see women as equal to men. This very mentality is being exercised in Nigeria. Please read below from Ify E. via Change.org about a recent situation where young Nigerian women were kidnapped. We need help in spreading the story so after reading what happened, please sign the petition.

"In Nigeria, over 200 girls were recently abducted from their boarding school by a terrorist group, Boko Haram, that may be selling them as brides for $12 each. I am calling on the Nigerian government to save them.

This is part of an ongoing conflict within Nigeria that has nothing to do with these 200 girls. The abducted young girls are being affected by a conflict they did not create, and their voices need to be heard.I can only imagine what these 200 girls have been through, and their government is not doing nearly enough to save them.

The group Boko Haram has repeatedly said girls should not be educated. I am a young Nigerian woman pursuing my education in Germany. I believe the Nigerian government must do more to ensure the safe return of these girls.

By signing this petition we declare our solidarity with the kidnapped girls and call upon the world not to forget them, support all efforts to ensure their safe return, and ask President Goodluck Jonathan and the Nigerian Government to ensure all schools are safe places to learn, protected from attack".

We, along with the rest of the world, are using the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls in an effort to spread awareness about this devastating situation in hopes that the Nigerian government can take a stand and bring these young girls home. Help spread the word by taking your own 'Bring Back Our Girls' picture and sharing it on your social media outlets.

Sign the petition here!

Graduation Gift Guide of 2014

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It's Graduation time!  Whether your friend or family member is graduating, we've put together a little graduation gift guide of 2014 for your graduate! 

For the Graduate that's taking the Summer to travel, The New York Times recently released a book for the must-sees of United States & Canada and Europe in 36 hours!  They list everything from weird museums to fun amusement parks- basically everything and anything you want to and can do in 36 hours!

One of our newest obsessions is the Stila "Stay-All-Day" Beauty Balm!   It's perfect for that new Graduate with a full-time job that has to wear the same make up that you applied 9 hours ago.  It's a perfect primer that also contains SPF for sun screen and it's also amazing for your skin!

What else would you add on our Graduation Gift Guide of 2014?

Make Writing Fun With BIC 4-Color Pen

*Disclosure: This post was sponsored by BIC 4 Color, however, all views and opinions are solely that of The Sorority Secrets.

Growing up, we were always fascinated with the pens that had multiple colors. Multiple colors meant multiple fun ways to write notes, draw, and stay organized. When we discovered that BIC had a 4 Inseparable Colors in 1 Pen, we couldn't wait to get our hands on one. 

Just like we remembered, the BIC® 4-Color™ Pen has 4 colors that offer a fun and colorful way to express yourself on paper. Like we mentioned before, it allows for an easy way to outline writing or to organize thoughts through color-coding which is really important for us as Bloggers and women who have full time jobs. We plan out all of our blog posts and use the pen and it's 4 colors to distinguish between blog posts and work related tasks. It's like these 4 colors come with 4 distinct personalities! Therefore, when we are not using it to distinguish between blog posts and work related tasks, it serves as a way to express our moods and feelings. The video below does a good job of conveying what each color and mood represents!

It is fun to know that each color in the BIC® 4-Color™ Pen has a certain personality flair to it. The red color pen is very intelligent and self aware, while the green color pen is timid and goes with the flow. The blue color pen is a leader and knows how to take charge, while the black color pen is competitive and resilient. Given the situation and setting, we are a little bit of all the colors and that's what makes us so unique. What color best represents you?

So, where can you get the BIC® 4-Color™ Pen? You can find this pen at your local Staples or Staples.com and on Amazon! While you're at it, be sure to follow BIC's social media accounts on Facebook and Twitter.

Happy Writing!