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#GirlBoss Guide College Lifestyle

Spring Break Essentials: The Curtsy Way

You bring the party, we’ll do the rest

FINALLY. Spring break is here. January lasted about three years too long. February felt like a week, and now spring break is here. If you’re like the majority of college girls, you’re taking every last-minute babysitting job you can to make some quick cash and trying to figure out whether Ulta or Sephora has better self-tanner. Mousse or lotion, right? Wipes or spray? Too many options.

Better news: Curtsy has you covered. From spring break wardrobe essentials to all the best sunscreen and beach towels, all you have to do is bring the party and Curtsy will provide the rest. Read along to see top items on the app you can rent for spring break with our special 10-day rental feature. Curtsy HQ’s favorite products are linked too, so you can find them easy before you hop on a plane to LAX.

50 lb. limit, yikes

Who decided 50 pounds is the limit?? If you’re anything like me, you pack everything you own “just in case.” Hopefully this guide can help you narrow down your entire wardrobe so that you don’t travel to another country and bring your entire closet along. It’s time to pull out the white pants and light colored pieces to show off that #sb2018 tan. This tie-dye two-piece dress is perfect for dinner & drinks after a long day on the beach. Perfect colors for showing off tan and maybe a little bit of sunburn?? (wear sunscreen!! keep reading for top picks)

Girls just wanna have sun

Sunscreen, ladies! It’s so important. I heard one time that you get tanner from wearing sunscreen than from going in the sun without it. That was probably a trick from my mom, but hey, it stuck with me. But really, even if you only put on SPF 15 that is better than going without. Sun Bum and Hawaiian Tropic are my two favorites. Both smell super beachy and Hawaiian Tropic even makes a kind with sparkles. Sun Bum has SPF 30 lip balm too that comes in a variety of flavors: coconut, banana, watermelon and more. Both brands are relatively cheap, but it’s also your skin we’re talking about so it’s also totally normal to splurge. Moral of the story: wear sunscreen!

Aloe. Don’t be the girl to forget aloe. In the event you forget to reapply or if you doze off in the sun, make sure to pack aloe in your beach bag. I don’t know if aloe is proven to help sunburns, but it sure does feel good. And while you’re at it. Pack after-sun lotion too. It keeps your skin from feeling tight after being in the sun and provides good moisture after a long day on the beach.

And to answer that previous question about self tanner– St. Tropez lotion. Immediate results, no streaks and it smells good! Ulta is the place to purchase.

Half of my spring break clothes are white

Don’t worry, this is totally normal. No matter how freckled, tanned or burnt you get on spring break, wearing white will highlight those tan lines. This Free People sweater would look perfect with white jeans or light wash jean shorts. Always pack a light sweater to throw on over a tank top or dress for nighttime. The wind at the beach can get chilly… and sunburn can make you cold too.

White nail polish is a popular pick for spring break too. Light-colored nails help you look more tan, and they also just look really good on everyone.

Add some gold jewelry to your white-themed outfit, and you will look flawless for sure.

Effortless perfection is the goal

This has never been me and will never be me. Pictures on the beach usually go like this for me: my skin is splotchy either from sunburn or ocean water/sand/sunscreen mix, and my hair is absolutely everywhere. Normal, tame hair? Nope. I don’t know how girls manage that. No uneven sunburn or weird tan lines? Not me either. I can’t control the wind wherever you’re going but at least your outfits can be #onfleek.

These spring break essentials will get you a few steps closer.  Tkees has the perfect flip-flops for walking to and from the beach. They come in almost every color, and they make them in “foundation” tones too so they can match your skin. For when you want to lay down on your stomach to tan or for cute pics in the sand, Las Bayadas has the best towels. They make towels using fun, bright colors and you can get  tassels on your towel too.

Dressy looks better with a tan

Maxi’s and two-pieces are perfect for fancy dinner and going out while you’re on spring break! Take advantage of all of the maxi’s on the app, and use the 10-day spring break rental feature to take Curtsy with you this spring break! This Dolce Vita two-piece is a perfect addition to your spring break wardrobe. Look at how cheap that member price is too!

No matter where you’re going for spring break, take Curtsy with you. The 10-day rental period won’t be here forever, so take advantage of it while you can!

Tag @curtsy in your spring break pics so we can see where our Curtsy girls are off to this year. Bon voyage!

P.S. Don’t have Curtsy?! Download the App Now.

 

 

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#GirlBoss Guide

Rent, Rock, Repeat: Frankie Edition

My week as a Curtsy renter

One week renting off Curtsy? Challenge accepted, Curtsy HQ.  In case you didn’t know, it is totally possible to rent your entire wardrobe off Curtsy now. The app now offers tops and bottoms in addition to just cocktail dresses. So you’ll find new categories on the app for tops, bottoms and even two-pieces!

Disclaimer: I am no stranger to Curtsy. I’ve had more than 60 requests from my closet and 39 rentals in the past 4 semesters. I’ve made over $800 off my own clothes! Better yet, I’ve turned that money around and rented over 10 times from other girls on the app. I’m going to use all of this experience to show you how to rent like a #girlboss.

Spoiler alert: this renting escapade cost me only $80 for FOUR bomb outfits. Without Curtsy, these FOUR items would have cost me $383. That’s right, I saved $300 using Curtsy. My lifetime Curtsy savings are legit $2,005.00. Yeah, I gasped too.

Here is what my agenda looked like for this week of renting. The week featured a lot of messaging on the app, meeting up with girls at NC State, trying on clothes and my favorite part– wearing AWESOME clothes. Follow along to see how each step in the renting process works!

Sunday: search the app for potential rents

Monday: message owners about renting

Tuesday: try on Urban skirt, Zara jacket, Lauren Moshi Dress & Express two-piece

Wednesday: wear Urban skirt to V-Day din with bf

Thursday: strut stuff in two-piece at ADPi Cocktail

Friday: Look cute and casual in distressed sweater

Saturday: B-day party time rockin’ leather jacket with lace tank under

Scope out the scene

So, the app’s feed kinda looks like Pinterest. You can scroll for days. Better yet, you can “heart” anything and everything while you scroll. I try to go on the app at least once a week to heart new items so that I can keep my “loves” up to date.

This week’s agenda calls for some going out clothes and an outfit for my Valentine’s Day cocktail. With the addition of non-dresses to the app, you can rent for more than just cocktails once or twice a month. Why keep re-wearing the same tank top with the same skort every weekend when you could spice it up with Curtsy??

I found this 3/4 length sleeve leather jacket to pair with something out of my own closet and this loungey Lauren Moshi dress. I also found this adorable black and white striped skirt from Urban, and I REALLY hope it fits. When I shop, I’m way more likely to buy tops than bottoms so the many, many skirts on Curtsy keep me #blessed. Last but not least, found a red two-piece from Express for my sorority cocktail.

 

The world is my dressing room

Curtsy is like a hyper-local Revolve store, really. It’s like their website brought to your campus. I went ahead and messaged the owners of the skirt/jacket/t-shirt dress and asked if I could come by today or tomorrow to try them on. Two girls said they’d be home tonight for me to try on, and I’m snagging the jacket from Hope while’s she at the library studying for her test. It’s like Curtsy to-go???!

The good thing about trying on is you don’t have a time frame where you’re in crunch time trying not to get charged. I didn’t start the try-on period until I was at the house trying on the skirt. If it works, you pay. If not, you don’t.

Trying on clothes is sometimes a swing and a miss. Curtsy understands those strike-outs and only charges you when you find that home run piece.

 

To commit, or not to commit

This skirt fit like a glove. I mean really… I don’t think my own skirts fit me this well. Shout out to you, Kelsey!! Since it fit, I went on the app and paid her right there, it was really easy.

After I left there, I went to try on the t-shirt dress. I couldn’t help but laugh at how I looked in it. It is SO CUTE in pictures, but I really looked like I was omw to a sleepover in it. Maybe next time 🙁 Bella is such a good friend, she’s in the pic with me. She took some shots of me trying on clothes and agreed that this was not a good look for me this weekend, or ever.

I didn’t have to pay for the dress since it didn’t fit. The app doesn’t automatically charge you anymore! Lucky me, Rachel has literally ALL of her closet on Curtsy so I went through and found something else of hers to rent– super cute sweater as seen up top.

Strike a pose, woman

I totally get made fun of for tagging Curtsy in all of my pictures, but I’m really hoping I get re-posted some day… persistence is key, ya know? And when people ask you where you got your outfit, always tell them Curtsy!! Nothing like making someone feel silly for paying full price for a dress that’s on the app for $20.

Even more reason to strike a pose… look at these savings.

Urban Outfitters skirt – $60, rent for $14

Express two-piece – $90, rent for $18

Zara leather jacket – $60, rent for $15

Lauren Moshi sweater – $173, rent for $30

Doesn’t this leave you wondering why you ever go shopping?

The morning after

The post-wear steps are a lot easier than you think. On Sunday, I messaged the owners on the app and asked them when I could bring by their clothes. I’m not a huge drink-spiller so I didn’t need to get anything dry cleaned, phew. But if you do, it’s really no biggie. Curtsy insures each item up to $1,000, so they’ll pay for minor damages in case something happens while you’re wearing it!

Don’t forget to make it official. I’m so bad at this, but try to be better than me. When I say official, I mean make sure you mark the item as returned on the app. You could get charged a late fee if you don’t return it in time! It will also ask you to review your experience, and ALWAYS upload pics of you in the clothing if you took any! It’s so helpful for other potential renters to see how the skirt fits or how the dress hangs. Help a sista out.

Bask in the Curtsy glow

Now, go tell your friends about Curtsy. Brag about how you wore a $300 dress for $20. Show them how great you looked without breaking the bank. Never spend that much money again, and look flawless while you do it. While you’re at it, let me help you bask in the Curtsy glow. Thanks for renting along with me! Use FRANKIE15 for 15% off your next Curtsy rental! Follow me @frankiebmiller on the ‘gram to see how I wear Curtsy each week!

Leather jacket at Mash’s bday party!

 

 

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Life Advice From a Small Town Girl Making It In The Big City

This girl does not sit still. She’s a small town girl from Mississippi who’s taking this big city by storm. She’s a blogger, yogi, marketing guru, and hair & makeup artist. Ladies, meet your Atlanta inspiration of the week: Katherine Riddick.