Black Friday Or Nah?

Black Friday or Cyber Monday? Decisions, decisions! The truth is, there is absolutely nothing wrong with both; it just all depends on lots of factors like what day you prefer to access some pretty smoking hot deals and if you're willing to wake up early to fight the crowds for them! Office Depot has made the decision easy for us by coming up with the "Are You Black Friday or Cyber Monday?" Assessment. Looks like we are split! All signs point to Cyber Monday for Co Founders Karen and Sakura. But, after utilizing our Black Friday Survival Guide last year, we think we are pretty equipped to handle both shopping days. One thing we always look forward to on Black Friday and Cyber Monday are the major sales on technological devices. Karen is big on arts and crafts and really wants to enhance the quality of printing she gets so this laser printer from Office Depot is on her wish list. Sakura is the Queen of picture taking so she is beyond excited to get her hands on the Canon PIXMA™ MG5520 Wireless Inkjet Photo All-In-One Printer. If you want to preview Office Depot's Black Friday deals, check them out here.

From now until Black Friday and Cyber Monday, gets lots of sleep, save up your money, and make a list of all the things you wish to purchase!

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

Why We Love Pure Barre

There's a reason why all of these "barre" classes are the newest trending workout classes and all fingers point to Pure Barre.  The membership is more than we would like to pay, but the workout and the result is something you really can't put a price on.  We're not here to tell you to go buy a membership, but we're here to give you an honest review about Pure Barre and why the workout is unlike any other.

So, here's how Pure Barre works! You know those body parts that all women "struggle" with- thighs, butt, arms, hips, and abs??  Well, in just 55 minutes you get a full-body workout without the huffing and puffing of intense cardio.  You will work muscles you never knew existed and your body will hurt the first couple of times more than it has ever hurt, but you will see immediate results right away!

Here are some other reasons why we love Pure Barre:

• Majority of the class is women
• You can reserve your spot online
• Full-body workout
• Completely tones out your muscles
• Great music
• You see immediate results after 3-5 classes
• Not a runner? Don't worry! You work your entire body without crazy cardio!
• They have classes throughout the day as early as 5AM and as late as 7PM!
• All the instructors are really nice and they're all there to help you get that perfect pose and workout

Have you tried Pure Barre?!

The Realities of What You See Online

So we all know about that one magazine that just came out, of that one famous girl with a big butt  showing off her well, BIG BUTT {we're trying not to give her any more attention than she is already getting}. However, we hate to break it to you but that image was Photoshopped. What is Photoshopping you might be wondering?

verb
alter (a photographic image) digitally using Photoshop image-editing software.

The key word is sticking right out: alter.

Nobody is perfect, however, a long time ago, someone decided that perfection should be shown to the world and it should be done through magazines and images of pretty popular people to make you hate them even more {just kidding...but, we all know you get a wee bit jealous}. We want to help you not have a jealous bone in your body because we are certain that most celebrities look at their altered images and wish they looked like that in real life {including that one famous girl with a big butt}. It is very impractical to compare yourself to a Photoshopped image. It is not real. I mean talk about an unfair fight! Now, don't get us wrong, there is nothing wrong with altering an image for fun or if it makes you like your photo a little bit more. The problem is the feelings it evokes in people who believe that you really look like that. So, the lesson is to absorb that not everyone you see online or in the magazines of someone's body/face are real. As long as you digest that then we can start to break the low self-esteem bondage many people (women and men) have after seeing "perfect" celebrity images.

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Plaid Attack

Shirt | Hair Ties | Scarf | Skirt | Scarf | Coat

Whenever the holidays approach do you ever notice an increase in plaid sightings?! Well, we don't mind it because we are obsessed with all things plaid this season. There is something about plaid that is just so laid back and comfortable. Pair some boyfriend jeans with a plaid top and some converse or TOMS and you're ready for a casual day out. Our latest obsession are the plaid hair accessories! All the plaid hair accessories from France Luxe are just the cutest. Plaid is feminine yet says "I can hang with the boys". It's cute, flirty, and unassuming; the perfect addition to our Fall/Winter wardrobe collection. Check out some of our favorite plaid fashion pieces above. Which plaid pieces are you currently loving? Share with us in the comments below!

How To Get Around Dry Cleaning

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Dry cleaning is such a drag, right?! You've got to gather all of your clothes, throw them in a big enough bag, lug them to the dry cleaners then wait several days just to get a few pieces back. As business professionals, we have a lot of clothing that requires trips to the dry cleaning making it very costly. This is why when we found out about Dryel a couple of years ago, we immediately wanted to try it. Dryel are little packets of dry cleaning material that you can use to dry clean your own clothes. How it works: Grab 3-4 pieces of dry clean worthy clothes. Throw them into the Dryel bag (this is provided when you buy Dryel's Starter Kit). Then, open up one packet of Dryel and throw it into the clothes-filled bag. Throw the bag into the dryer and tumble dry it for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, take your clothes out and see the amazing, dry clean worthy results! Dryel is inexpensive and can change your life in terms of the way you dry clean. No more expensive dry cleaning bills! You can buy Dryel at Target or Walmart and even some convenience stores carry it. Your best bet is to buy it online via Amazon. If you reach the point where you love using Dryel frequently, there are Dryel refill packets that you can buy separately since you'll likely still have the Dryel bag and spray from the Starter Kit. Little tip: if you have a stain, follow the instructions in your Dryel box as it includes a spray that you can spray on stains. Dryel does have a separate stain remover pen that is sold separately that you can purchase for those extra tough stains.

Admit it, you're kind of excited to try it, huh?!

Skin So Soft: Beauty Secrets For Your Face

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We have learned that you can buy as much concealer, face powder, and blush, but nothing makes your face shine more than healthy skin. Your face is the palette for your makeup; it's important for your palette to be clean and smooth to be ready to apply the paint. Are you with us?! In the past, we have talked about getting chemical peels to aid in keeping your skin looking great. However, let's take it one step further and focus on every day skin care. First and foremost, washing your face at night is super important! Even if you don't wear makeup or you think "I didn't do anything to make my face dirty" you should still wash your face. By not washing your face you are clogging your pores which can create pimples and blemishes as well as speed up aging on your face. When considering a product to wash your face with we have had a lot of luck with the two in one bottle face soaps. Basically, these types of products both remove your makeup and serve as a cleanser. The best one we would recommend is Basis. You can buy it in most stores like Walmart or you can find it online. While Basis does a pretty awesome job removing eye makeup, consider specifically using Mary Kay's Eye Makeup Remover.

Extra Face Washing Tips: It's perfectly fine to wash your face with your hands; just make sure to wash your hands prior to touching your face to get rid of the germs currently on your hand. If you are absolutely too tired to wash your face, consider investing in makeup remover wipes. We have loved using Neutrogena and Clean & Clear carry some great makeup remover wipes which you can easily snag at most drugstores and Target.

Alright, so you've washed your face, now it's time to moisturize it. Moisturizers rejuvenate your skin. Many companies carry moisturizing creams and we haven't tried them all. But, we do have a list of our personal favorites like MAC's Comfort Creme. Keep in mind that it's not the end of the world if you don't moisturize every day; you don't need to overdue it. Consider moisturizing in the morning or at night or every other day.

Do you have any beauty secrets for your face? Share with us below in the comments!

Thanksgiving Dresses Under $100 From Nordstrom

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Can you tell we have a thing for Nordstrom? While we were taking advantage of Nordstrom's awesome sale {which ends TODAY, 11-11-14!} we decided to do some shopping for Thanksgiving attire. It's all about the dresses that can hide the turkey size stomach you're going to have after you eat everything on the table on Thanksgiving! We want to sit fashionably at the table while we experience food coma {haha!}. Check out some of our favorite dresses from Nordstrom above. Keep in mind, online orders have free shipping and be sure to order ahead of time in case you need to make a return or exchange--Nordstrom is pretty generous about returns and exchanges!