How to Preserve Your Smartphone's Battery

Oh the dreaded red zone warning. Meaning, your lifeline, your support system, your connection to the world aka Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest, are about to get cut off unless you recharge your battery! Every phone whether it's an iOS or Android has its issues with battery life, but there are ways to preserve and stretch your battery. Here are some ways we have learned to keep our batteries green for a little longer:

1. Invest in a Mophie . Having a Mophie has been life changing for Karen since she is constantly on her phone. Karen got her hands on the Mophie and it keeps her phone charging way past when her actual iPhone dies. The Mophie is a battery pack that you slide onto your phone and it charges your phone from its own charge. Seriously UH-MAZING!
2. Put Your Phone On Airplane Mode. 
3. Lower the Brightness Of Your Screen. Your phone uses a lot of battery life keeping the screen bright, therefore, lowering the brightness will preserve the battery life more.
4. Use Wifi. It uses less power than a cellular connection
5. Close Inactive Apps. If you're not using an app but have it open, it is running your battery. Make a conscious effort to close out of apps after you're done using it.
6. Update Your Phone. Whenever there are new updates for your phone, pay attention to whether or not it will help with battery life. When it comes to the iPhone, according to the Apple site iOS 8 is designed to be the most battery-efficient iOS ever. It gives you more precise ways to manage your device’s battery life because you can see the proportion of your battery used by each app (unless the device is charging). To view your usage, go to Settings > General > Usage > Battery Usage.

What tips & tricks do you have for saving your smartphone's battery life? Share with us in the comments below!

Why I Went Greek {Karen}

Yesterday, we highlighted why Co Founder, Sakura "went Greek" Today, find out why Co Founder, Karen "went Greek"!

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My story is really unique in the sense that I knew absolutely NOTHING about sororities. I of course heard about them via movies, but didn't quite understand it.

Here is a little background on me. I am Nigerian-American. I was born and raised in America, however, both of my parents are Nigerian. As my parents assimilated to the American culture, we were brought up in a predominantly Caucasian neighborhood. The majority of my friends were of that race and as I continued throughout junior high and high school I tried to diversify my circle of friends, however, I yearned for more African-American girlfriends.

As I entered into my Freshman year of college I had heard about sororities that fostered young African-American women. Eager to learn more about it, I went up to the Greek Offices. When I went up to the Greek Offices toward the Non-Panhellenic area, no one was there. However, across the way in the Panhellenic area stood a tall, black woman. She said, "Can I help you?" I then let her know I was looking to talk to her about joining a historically black sorority. The tall, black girl further introduced herself as Kiara and politely asked if there was a reason why I wanted to join the all black sorority. I gave her my spiel that I explained earlier and she then stopped me and said, "Karen, I am not in an all black sorority and I have made some amazing relationships with women who I call my sisters. We have all races in my sorority, even black women. At the end of the day, it shouldn't be about the race of girls, it should be about where you feel most comfortable ". Kiara had a great point. To be honest, I have never defined my life by race. For those who know me, I have a diverse circle and seek to learn the person BEHIND the skin shade. While I do believe that there are some things similar races can vibe on, I prefer to surround myself among all walks and colors of life. Kiara then suggested that I participate in the Panhellenic recruitment which happened to be that weekend--I had nothing to lose as the historically black sororities were not looking for new members until the next semester anyway. I figured if the recruitment that weekend didn't work out, I still had the opportunity to check out the historically black sororities. Long story short, going through recruitment that weekend was the best decision of my life. I met women who I could relate to on all levels and they helped to shape my positive college experience. From holding various roles like Recruitment Chair, Social Chair, and choreographing fun philanthropic dances, I was able to practice my leadership skills and overall have a blast in college. Above all else, without my sorority experience I would not have met Sakura and Ali to start The Sorority Secrets. For that, I am grateful.

What's your positive story on why you went Greek? Share with us below!

TSS Favorite Things {August}

Sakura - Shoes | Power Card | Ring

Ali - Jeans | Brow Pomade | Perfume

Karen - Minimergency | Shoes | Tote

Holy moly... is September really only less than two weeks away?  It feels like it was just yesterday that we were jumping for joy for the first day of Summer!  Well we're here to kick off the week with our monthly TSS Favorite Things!  Here's some of our favorite items of the month!

Sakura

TOPSHOP: Espadrilles - I've been obsessing over espadrilles lately!  There's nothing better than shoes that are cute & comfy!

J.Crew: Power Card - I'm constantly on my phone and I'm always stressing that my phone is going to die!  Luckily I have this adorable power card to charge anything with a USB power cord.

Adia Kibur: Band Ring - I really like the look of simple band rings.  These really go with anything!

Ali

J.Brand: Black Distressed Jeans - I've been looking everywhere for black skinny jeans with distressed details.  These are the perfect look!

Anastasia: Brow Pomade - Eyebrows are everything.  This pomade lasts all day, and applies easily!

MAC: Perfume - My signature fragrance... the scent makes me feel happy!

Karen

Minimergency: Emergency Kit - This little pouch carries everything from a mouth refresher, a band-aid, clear nail polish, nail polish remover, deodorant, stain remover, lip balm, shemergency tape (double-sided tape), safety pin, and more! Yup... all in this little pouch that's smaller than the size of your palm!

Converse: Sneakers - You can never go wrong with the classic white Chuck Taylors! They're the perfect sneakers to dress cute & casual!

Baggu: Tote - If you've never had a Baggu tote, you're missing out.  These totes are really inexpensive and you can practically use it for everything and anything!  

Have a wonderful Monday, everyone!

TSS Favorite Things {July}

Sakura- Hat | Lipstick | Flats

Ali- Shoes | Makeup Palette | Earrings

Karen- Juicer | Sunglasses | Lotion

July has been a wonderful month for us and we've had so much going on!  We're currently working on some fun & exciting stuff for TSS on the back-end that we can't wait to share!  Still in this crazy month of July, we still found time to go shopping and give you our must-haves of July!

Sakura was determined to find a new lip color and found Twig by MAC!  It's a great color and goes wonderfully with MAC's lipliner called Whirl.  It has that perfect "Kylie Jenner" matte look and it's definitely a must-have color.  Ali is Miss Fashionista and you can never go wrong with black wedges!  These Halogen wedges goes perfectly with everything and you can dress it up or down!  Karen's been committed to eating healthy and let's just say, she's doing a fabulous job!  Getting a juicer can be a bit pricey, but with a great juicer like Breville, it's worth every penny!

We hope everyone had a wonderful month!

TSS Favorite Things {June}

Sakura- Book | Bangle | Lipgloss

Ali- Dress | Shoes | Lipgloss

Karen- Scrub | Speaker | Nail Polish

Oh boy, June is coming to an end already and our summer has been absolutely crazy!  Like every month, we gather our favorite things of the month and compile them just for our readers!  This month, we have a little bit of everything from books, lip glosses, to speakers!  Check them out and share with us what your favorite things of June are!

Happy Summer!

Getting Glam {with The Stylist LA}

Dress: Caletto Maxi. Earrings: Forever 21 (old) similar here. Lips: Makeup Forever: Aqua Rouge. Photography: Nikki Closser Photography

Every girl should take glam photos at some point in her life, right?! These were Karen's thoughts exactly as she brainstormed ways to make turning 26 years old memorable. After finding a fabulous photographer in the Seattle area, next came finding the perfect outfits. Karen wasted no time browsing The Stylist LA's closet for some super trendy, photo perfect looks. The Stylist LA is just like your best friend's closet. You can pick up a nice outfit to wear for a day, and then return it! Taking glam photos in dresses that are gorge and you didn't have to spend hundreds of dollars on them for one simple picture is well worth the money if you ask us. Karen opted for a sleek, chic, and sexy look in the Caletto Maxi in black. We love how she paired it with red hot lips from Makeup Forever to go with the glam look. 

You just can't go wrong getting glam with The Stylist LA!

TSS Favorite Things {April}

Sakura- Flats | Primer | Brush

Ali- Phone Case | Sunglasses | Heels

Karen- Jewelry Tray | Earrings | Coin Bank

April is here and it officially is starting to feel like Spring!  This past month was a big month for us with birthdays, wedding celebrations, and lots of traveling.  We've gathered some of our favorite items of this month for you all to check out!  

Sakura's Tangle Teezer comb has been a big secret we have been wanting to share along with the super trendy initial earrings that we have been seeing on tons of celebrities!

What are some of your favorite items of April??

TSS Favorite Things {February}

Sakura-[Bag][Nail Polish][Mug] Ali-[Perfume][Clutch][Lip Gloss] Karen-[Lashes][Heels][Nail Polish]

We're well into the month of love, aka February and we have some new favorite things that we wanted to share!  Sakura and Karen found a new love for their new favorite nail polish and Ali found the perfect fragrance for a big day!  We've Instagrammed some of these items, but thought we would share it so you know where to find these products- just click the links above!

Happy February, everyone! :)

TSS Co Founder's Interview: Karen

1. Where do you currently reside and what do you love most about it? "I live in sunny (just joking) Seattle and I love EVERYTHING about it. Seattle offers you everything from Starbucks to hipsters, to the mountains, water, city-life, and so much more. P.S. It doesn't rain as much as people claim…it honestly just sprinkles. No one uses their umbrella! Did I mention we have an amazing football team too? GO SEAHAWKS!"

2. Describe your closet. "Well, I have two closets because I am a shoe and clothes fanatic. My walk-in closets are filled with clothes that are all color coordinated and shoes for days. My style is so eclectic that you see everything from a leopard Forever 21 jumpsuit to sparkly Louboutin heels!"

3. What was your favorite part about being in a sorority? " I absolutely loved choreographing and performing dances for philanthropies. Our dance group (which included Co Founder, Sakura!) called ourselves The Thetawockeez--it was great!"

4. What did sorority life teach you that you applied in the real world? "Sorority life taught me to show people the greatest version of you. You want everyone, whether they are compatible with you or not, to fall in love with who you are. This is one of the biggest lessons that my sorority taught me that I have applied in every aspect of the real world".

5. What are 5 beauty products you can't live without? "Lipgloss (Victoria's Secret lipgloss will always be my fave but I have recently started using Smashbox Lipgloss and it is equally amazing), Bare Minerals Foundation powder, Lilly Lashes, MAC Comfort Creme, and my favorite sets of perfumes that I rotate (Angel by Thierry Muglier, Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel, Bright by Versace and La Vie Est Belle by Lancome)".

6. What do you love most about working on TSS? "I love seeing the reaction our readers have to our content. It is so inspiring to watch and hear how much our content improves lives!" 

7. What is the best advice you were ever given? "Be careful how you treat people on your way up because you might meet them on your way down". Those are famous words from my mother and they couldn't be more true. Often times in life, people gain a level of success where they forget where they came from or how they got there and choose to mistreat those who were on their journey. Lack of humility and self-entittlement can really hinder your reputation with people who have known you so it's so important to remain humble and avoid burning bridges. After all, you never know, you might see these same people again and the tables could turn where you will need their help".

8. Who's your celebrity style crush? "My STYLIST crush ( I say Stylist crush because we all know celebrities do NOT dress themselves) is Monica Rose. She styles women like the Kardashians and Guiliana Rancic to name a few and I absolutely love every look she puts together. I would love to raid her closet!"

9. What are your top 3 stores you like to shop at? "This is a toughy but I would have to go with TOPSHOP, ZARA, and FOREVER 21. If I can sneak one more in I would say my favorite online store is ASOS".

10. What do you like to do on your day off? No days off here folks! Haha, just joking…sort of. On my day off I like to have friends over where we enjoy a glass of champagne and catch up on reality TV!

11. What else do you do for work? When I am not blogging, I am working full time in medical sales. I love working for a company that is essentially saving and improving lives!

12. What are your interests/passions? I absolutely LOVE party planning. It is my true passion and I really look up to party planners like Colin Cowie and Mindy Weiss. My specialty is candy buffets which I do here and there for my friends and people who reach out to me. I started documenting my parties and party advice here.

Throwback Thursday: The Sorority Secrets Video

The Sorority Secrets from The Sorority Secrets on Vimeo.

We thought we would change it up a bit this Thursday and do a little Throw Back Thursday!  It has been roughly 8 months since we released our teaser video and we've gained quite the followers since we launched The Sorority Secrets at the end of January.  By doing a Throwback Thursday, we thought this would be a perfect way to show our new readers and followers who we are, our mission, and why we created The Sorority Secrets.  

If you haven't gotten to know us, the Co-Founders, then find out about each one of us here.  It's been quite the journey and it's been amazing to see how much The Sorority Secrets has grown in so little time, but we have SO MUCH MORE for you all in the pipeline.

We want to take this time to thank you all; thank you for sharing your secret, for following us, for helping us spread the news about The Sorority Secrets, and thank you for believing in us.  Our goal is to spread the positivity of sorority women and Greek life; as well as to be the go-to site for ALL women, not just sorority women to be able to share and hear other women's secrets and recommendations.... cause some secrets are meant to be shared!

We love you all and thank you!

Happy Father's Day!

"A daughter may outgrow your lap, but she will never outgrow your heart"

-Unknown

To all of the Dads out there, we're wishing you a Happy Father's Day this weekend!  And a special thank you to our own Dads and families for all of their endless love and support.  We love you, and would be lost without you!  Have a great Father's Day everyone!