Country Music Festival Outfits We Love

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Whether its Country Thunder, Watershed, Stage Coach, or even CMA Music Festival, you name it, country music is in the summer air! It doesn’t matter if you live and breathe country or Luke Bryan’s “Sorority Girl” is the only song on your country playlist, we all have a little room for some country. Former TSS Intern, Audree is not the author of her own blog Simply Audree Kate and she is the expert when it comes to country music festival outfits. Therefore, we asked her to give us a breakdown on the perfect pieces to snag for your next concert. Check out her suggestions below!

Outfit 1: American cowgirl outfit

Trade in your middle school jean skirt for a high-waisted acid-wash chambray skater skirt and pair it with a lace bustier or crop top. Accessorize with cute boots, a statement necklace, shades and headband.


Outfit 2: Rocker cowgirl outfit

Edgier modern outfits are a common theme in country music right now and are a great alternative for a casual look! Pair cut offs with a loose tank, cowboy hat, boots and chunky jewelry such as a cuff or a ring.


Outfit 3: Floral cowgirl outfit

My favorite country combination is a floral sundress, leather belt, and boots. Turquoise pairs nicely with every color so don’t be afraid to color block and mix prints!

For my hometown’s summer rodeo I made my outfit! I copied the skirt outline from one of my skirts, sewed the ends and added an elastic band and had a simple skater skirt in a few minutes. Next, I took 1 ½ yards or floral red fabric from a local fabric store and tied a giant bow as a bandeau on my chest. I tucked in the edges in the band and had a super cheap and cute bow bandeau!

Lace, floral and fringe are hot season trends and work perfectly for a country inspired outfit.

The Best Back-to-School Laptop Cases

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For a lot of you, school is starting this month! That means some heavy back-to-school shopping. When we were in college, an important product on our shopping list was getting a really nice laptop case. If you're anything like us, then you're obsessed with your laptop and want to keep it in tip top shape. Forego the boring basic black laptop case and opt for a cute trendy laptop case like the ones you see above. We recently got wind of the designer Vera Bradley and her laptop cases are really focused on intricate prints and bold color patterns. Of course, you can't go wrong snagging a Kate Spade laptop case; all the heads will be spinning asking you where you got your laptop case since they make the cutest everything! Shop the links above to ensure you have the perfect laptop case before school starts!

Best Sorority Instagram Contest

It's time for some friendly competition! Instagram has really taken flight over the past few years and now so many people are Instafamous (we can't believe that that is even a word!). We have been loving seeing what all of our sorority readers have been up to all summer via their shared Instagram photos that we want to give you and your house more of a spotlight. From now until August 7th, we want you to prove that your sorority's Instagram page is the best by showing us through pictures how it fits with all six of our site categories: Campus Catwalk (clothes, fashion accessories), Dolled Up (makeup), Big Sis Tips (sisters helping sisters, activities, philanthropy, sisterhood events) Kitchen (cook-offs, exercising, health & wellness), Secret Steals (awesome deals), and Chapter Room (house decor). DM your pictures to us via our Instagram: @thesororitysecrets and the sorority to display the most pictures in all six categories will get a feature on our site. 

Ready...


Set....

 
GO!

Recruitment Makeup Tips

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We can't hardly wait for you to participate in recruitment! Just like a job interview, you want to look your best for recruitment. Display your beauty inside and out. The best way that you can exude your outer beauty, is through getting your face dolled up for each day of recruitment. However, it's crucial not to overdue it; your makeup shouldn't hide your natural beauty. Our favorite products to use for a natural look are anything from Smashbox concealer and powder or Anastasia Beverly Hills blushes and dip brows. Simple and pretty is your best go-to no matter what brand you use! Here is a link to some awesome makeup tutorials perfect for recruitment shared by Kappa Alpha Theta, Mackenzie Brown (@kenziemacbrown)

Why We Love Hello Fresh

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Um, school is like a month away, but heck, who cares if school is a month away because this particular company is super useful even now when you probably have more time to spare and it's called Hello Fresh. Hello Fresh provides you with the ingredients to make a delicious meal. Delivered fresh and straight to your doorstep (or dorm room!). If you're too busy studying or working your job or internship to go grocery shopping, this is the answer for you!

Sorority Girly Exercises

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With summer halfway over, anyone else not as motivated to work out? When going to the gym or personal trainer starts to lose its luster, we are a huge fan of at home workouts. Of course, we are no expert in the best exercises to do at home, so when we stumbled across Girly Exercises (@girlyexercises) on Instagram we were more than obsessed. The workouts they showcase can be done right at home or at your office! It's amazing how many workouts you can get in with a simple chair and mat! Follow them on Instagram for free and simple workouts!

Sorority Recruitment Q&A

Wow, we seriously cannot believe that recruitment is around the corner for so many of you! We have received a lot of personal messages from women eager to learn more about joining a sorority so we decided to provide you all who are interested in going through recruitment with a little Q&A. Find the questions and answers below. If your question wasn't answered, then please leave your question(s) in the comment's section below!

Q: When is sorority recruitment?
A: It all depends on what school you're attending! Typically, recruitment is hosted in the summer time at the beginning of school (few sororities also do it in the spring). Be sure to check your college or university's main website and locate where the sororities are categorized to identify when recruitment is. You can also try to find the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) or National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) sites to get that information.

Q: What is the difference between National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) and National Panhellenic Conference (NPC)
A: The National Pan-Hellenic Council is comprised of nine of the historically African American, international Greek-lettered fraternities and sororities. These frats and sororities are also collaboratively referred to as the "Divine 9".

The National Panhellenic Conference encompasses 26 (inter)national women's sororities.

Q: What does "pledge" mean?
A: Pledging a sorority means committing to getting to know a particular sorority. Being initiated would make you an official sister/member of that sorority.

Q: How does recruitment work?
A: Depending on what type of sorority you choose to pledge (an NPHC sorority or an NPC sorority) most of the sororities host a formal 3-4 day recruitment process where you get to visit each sorority, talk to the girls, and rank which sororities you would like to learn more about and revisit. Eventually, you narrow it down to 2-3 sororities and you attend an exclusive night with each potential sorority before you make your final decision. The following day, typically called Bid Day, you find out which house wanted you (and you wanted them) It's the best feeling ever.

Q: Should I go through recruitment my Freshman year or my Sophomore year?
A: We can only speak from our experience and say that going through recruitment our Freshman years was the greatest decision we could have ever made. It simplified the struggle to find friends in such a big college world because we already had so many friends to choose from making the memories of our first year in college nothing short of amazing. On the other hand, we know several women who opted to do it their second year in college and they too had a blast gaining new lifelong friends. Ultimately, it's up to you!

Q: Is joining a sorority super expensive?
A: Joining a sorority will certainly cost money to maintain, no different than the monthly payments you make for the other bagillion things you love. There is no amount of money that could pay for the amount of friendships and memories that you will develop during and after your time as a soror. In any case, properly budgeting will make it possible for you to actively participate. Many sororities can also offer you payment plan options so don't let money get in your way of making lifelong friendships.

What other questions and comments do you have about recruitment? Leave your questions in the comments below!