TSS Favorite Things {September}

Sakura - Tank | Wedges | Makeup Bag

Ali - Card | Ring | Hat

Karen - Temporary Tattoos | Book | Nail Polish

Is it really September?! We started discussing the possibility of starting The Sorority Secrets two years ago this month and it's crazy how fast time flies! It's been a wonderful two years and we're excited for many more years to come! 

Like every month, TSS Founders bing you their favorite items of the month in TSS Favorite Things, so here's September!

Sakura

• Tank from Splendid - "Having a basic tank in every color is a must.  You can wear them with any and everything, and these are great quality tanks so they will last forever!"
• Wedges from Kelsi Dagger - "These wedges are the cutest, most comfortable things ever!  I can wear them with skinnies, boyfriend jeans, shorts, or even dresses!"
• Makeup Bag from Tory Burch - "Having a black makeup bag is always the way to go.  No matter how much you try to keep it clean, makeup bags have a tendency to get dirty easily.  This makeup bag is a great size and it'll last forever!"

Ali

• Greeting Card from Rifle Paper Co. - "I purchased a few of these cards... one for my office pinboard, and others to give to friends!  The design makes me smile."
• Fedora from Rag & Bone - "Wool hats are my favorite accessory this season!  They add a touch of style to any outfit.  This one from Rag & Bone is perfection."
• Ring from Kendra Scott - "This ring is flat-out cool.  I love the knuckle ring style, and the organic shape of the sparkly stones!  Dress this ring up at night, or pair it with denim for a little daytime glam."

Karen

• Temporary Tattoos from Flash Tattoos - "Ever since I saw Beyoncé rocking these flashy, metallic tattoos I have been obsessed. Talk about dressing up your skin! The styling possibilities with these tattoos are endless as they can pair well with jewelry or as jewelry."
• 365 Style by Nicky Hilton - "Nicky Hilton is a style icon and I really admire kids from rich families trying to make a name for themselves. This book is all about fashion and style...two things I love! Nicky gives advice using a formula she created to develop your own signature style and it's called 3-6-5. She has you consider the 3 main aspects of your lifestyle, then choose 6 staple items of clothing, and identify 5 essential accessories" 
• Nail Polish from Christian Louboutin - "Wait, Christian Louboutin has nail polish now?! I'm a sucker for red nails and have heard nothing but amazing things about this nail polish. Red is back for fall in full affect!"

What are some of your favorite things of September?!

Fall 2014 Concert Line Up

Summer may be coming to an end and although outdoor concerts may be wrapping up, we are so excited for all of the fun, fall concerts ahead. We put together a list of the concerts you won't want to miss this fall. Most of these concerts are having tickets sold through Ticketmaster, but if you don't have luck there, be sure to check out StubHub or Craigslist--there are always people willing to sell their tickets. Also, if you never want to miss a concert announcement, then sign up with Concert Fix! They compile concerts both present and future to keep you in the know.

1. Sam Smith
2. Usher
3. Phillip Phillips
4. Sarah McLachlan
5. Maroon 5
6. One Direction
7. Jason Aldean
8. Luke Bryan
9. Florida Georgia Line
10. Iggy Azalea
11. August Alsina
12. Pitbull
13. Nas
14. Ty Dolla Sign
15. Skrillex

What concerts are you looking forward to?

6 Essie colors to have this Fall!

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 

It's not quite Fall yet, but it sure is feeling like it.  Bring out those cozy knitted sweaters, cute suede boots, and all those beanies and scarves!  Another thing to change now that Summer is almost over is your nail color- can't be wearing bright blue, yellow, or pink this season.  It's time for some new Fall nail polish colors and Essie has the perfect Fall nail polishes for us- aren't they great?

Another great reason why we love Essie is because they don't chip as easily.  We like to change our nail polish color pretty frequently so gel or acrylic doesn't work for us!  So for the regular, basic manicure gals, Essie is the way to go!

What are some other great Fall nail polish colors?

Spicy "Cheesy" Kale Chips Recipe

Kale is all the rage! This is the perfect delicious, yet healthy snack filled with tons of flavor without gaining the extra weight! Paulding & Co. has some awesome recipes that we were happy to come across their Spicy "Cheesy" Kale Chips Recipe. It is simple to make and pretty healthy. Check out the full recipe below!

Spicy “Cheesy” Kale Chips

This recipe makes 12 oz. chips (2 one-gallon zip bags)

Ingredients 

▪ 2 ½ cups of raw cashews
▪ 1 large (Holland type) red bell pepper
▪ 2-3 red Fresno peppers
▪ 1-2 tsp lemon juice (to taste)
▪ 2 tsp mineralized sea salt
▪ 2 Tbs. nutritional yeast
▪ 3 bunches curly kale

TIP: Be sure to purchase ultra-fresh organic vegetables for this. Soak the cashews in water for 3-4 hours. Combine with the stemmed and seeded peppers, lemon, salt and yeast in a blender. Puree. Taste the mixture, and if it needs it, add more salt or lemon. Strip the stems from the kale leaves-you can do this easily by holding the end of the stem in one hand, and firmly running the other hand up the sides of it, dislodging the leaf. The tough part of the stem will come off, leaving the tenderer part intact.

In a large bowl, combine the Kale with the blended mixture, using your hands (evenly) as possible distribute the mixture. Lay the leaves onto a dehydrator racks, crowding them but not stacking them. Dehydrate at 105° F for 12-16 hours, until very crisp. Store in sealed zip bags. If you don’t get them dry enough they will soften in the bag.If you don’t have a dehydrator they can be laid out on a rack or over a pan in the oven with the temperature set as low as possible. The time to dehydrate will be greatly reduced, probably to about an hour or even less.

The chips will be a tasty snack!

For more information on Paulding & Co. recipes, please visit http://pauldingandco.com/recipes.
 

The Dos and Donts of Snapchat

Snapchat is one of our favorite apps for many reasons! It's the perfect way to share with your friends and family your day-to-day without feeling like you're blowing up their newsfeed. But, like most apps, Snapchat is pretty addicting. As much as you don't want to press your finger down on your friend's latest snap, you really can't help yourself. Considering how time consuming this app is, it's important to make it worthwhile so that your friends and family are viewing quality Snaps from you. Therefore, we have created a list of Dos and Donts when it comes to Snapchat.

1) Like any storyline, have a beginning, middle, and end. In other words, if you're going to Snap about your haircut, make the story of it fun. Snap yourself with your hair before and your hair after. That's much more interesting than just a picture of your new hair.

2) If you're going to snap a photo of an object, make it quick. Making a still object go for 10-15 seconds is totally unnecessary in the Snapchat world.

3) Please, no selfies all day long. Leave that for Instagram!

4) Have fun with the filters!

5) If you're trying to grow your audience, then Snap every day.

6) Keep it clean! Once the internet gets a hold of a picture of yours, there is no telling where it can end up. Although Snapchat notifies you when someone has screenshot an image you've shared, that doesn't stop them from using it. 

7) Keep your Snaps different each day. Nobody wants to see every angle of your dog every minute of the day (haha!). If you can't hold back, then keep the repeat snaps for your BFFs.  

What are some suggestions you have when it comes to utilizing Snapchat? Share with us below! 

5 Braid Tutorials to Try on Pinterest!

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 

Braids are so in right now.  It's an easy way to make a bad hair day into a GREAT hair day!  We're really into Pinterest (follow us here!) and we love referring to Pinterest for great hair tutorials.  We've done our research and found the best/easiest braid tutorials on Pinterest!

1. Waterfall Braid Tutorial - Oncewed.com gives you an easy 8 step hair tutorial for the perfect waterfall braid.  It's easy and casual, yet so cute!

2. Bohemian Side Braid - This beautiful bohemian side braid is perfect for music festivals!  Emily over at The Freckled Fox guest blogged at  The Wonderforest for this easy tutorial and it's definitely a must try!

3. The Four Strand Braid - Now, this isn't your typical braid- it's a four strand braid! It looks like it can be a bit complicated, but Hair Romance does such a great job with the tutorial!  It's a great hair style for a date night or a girls night out!

4. The French Braid Fish Tail -  If you haven't heard of The Beauty Department,  you're missing out!  They have some amazing beauty tutorials like this beautiful french braid fish tail!  They have easy step-by-step photos and instructions and you can make any girl look like a Disney princess with this hair style!

5. Lace Braid Up-Do - We love a good messy up-do, but what's even better is a messy up-do with a braid incorporated in it!  Check out this hair style over at The Wonderforest!

How To Get Through a Break Up

Getting through a break up is no easy feat, but you have to go THROUGH it before you can properly heal and move forward. Suppressing your feelings is a sure fire way to spiral into deep sadness or depression and life is too short to harbor your feelings and essentially self destruct. There is a healthier way to get through a break up and if you follow these tips, you will be on your way to emotional freedom and you'll be ready to tackle the next relationship just waiting for you!

• Confide In a Trusted Friend
• Feedback is so important while going through a break up. As much as it may seem easier to bottle up your emotions, hearing input from a trusted friend or someone who has also been in a relationship can offer more help than you think. No relationship is perfect and it's great to hear the perspective and advice from friends. They can offer a shoulder to cry on or words of wisdom.

• Travel
• Do NOT stay cooped up in your room to drown in your misery. Our thoughts are so powerful that you might find yourself suffocating in a confined space. Rather, take a trip away from it all. Whether it is a car ride with the windows down, a tropical vacation, or a fun trip to the happiest place on Earth, clear your mind so when you're ready to fully analyze the break up, your thoughts are not clouded.

• Write Down Your Thoughts
• If you want to make sense of your break up, write down everything that was shared between you and your ex that lead to the break up. Create bullet points so you can organize your thoughts. 

• After You Write Down Your Thoughts, Throw It Away
• Whether you throw away your thoughts physically or figuratively, it is important to move on. Don't rehash old thoughts because it will make you nuts and resurface negative emotions. The point in writing down your thoughts is to have a better understanding of where things went wrong in hopes that history does not repeat itself. 

• Cry
• Cry. Be human and let your body purge of the pain. Break ups can cause a lot of stress, often times not realized for a couple of days. Therefore, every second you feel like crying, allow yourself to-it's normal. The grief your body goes through after a break up is said to be in conjunction to the feeling of losing someone. Grieve; mourn the loss of the relationship and don't feel bad for doing so.

• Smile/Laugh
• Laughter is the best painkiller. Smiling and laughing will lift your spirits 100% of the time! Studies show that smiling and laughing improve your mood so don't hold back. 

• Listen To Upbeat Music
• Skip the sappy love songs and opt for upbeat tunes. Listening to music is such an easy, positive, free way to both lift your spirits and temporarily relieve pain/stress. 

• Find a Silver Lining
• Absolutely everything happens for a reason. Ask yourself: "What lesson can I learn from this past relationship?" There is a lesson to be learned from any relationship you embark on and you can apply those lessons to your next relationship whether it be with the same person in the future or a new person. 

Break ups are not the end of the world {though it feels like it..haha!}. Cry your tears, wipe them off, clean up your face, apply some makeup, and get out there and date. Life is too short to stay stuck on the past....learn from it and be the best individual that you can be. After all, you have to love yourself before you can love anyone else.