The Terrible Twos

If you were on top of your Instagram game yesterday, then you would know that yesterday was the 2nd anniversary since I began The Caro Diaries.

A photo posted by Caroline Moses (@thecarodiaries) on Mar 29, 2015 at 4:38pm PDT

Who would have thought that two full years ago, I'd find myself logging onto Wordpress (long before the move to Blogger), and writing my first post - an introduction about myself.

But wow, two years. That's an incredibly long time. I sure as hell didn't think I'd stick with it this long. I started The Caro Diaries as an escape - my way to practice my writing, express how I was feeling, and share whatever limited knowledge I had.

What I didn't expect in these two years was that I would fall in love with blogging, with my own little space online. I didn't expect The Caro Diaries to become such a large part of my life, and for my little personal page to become a life and style blog. I didn't expect to like it this much, and I didn't expect to make such great friends and to get so many fantastic opportunities.

If you told me two years ago that I would be where I am today, I would have laughed at you. But then again, if you told me two years ago that I would be doing anything that I'm currently doing, I wouldn't have believed you.

Two years is a long time, and I'm so blessed that you've spent two years with me, and with The Caro Diaries.

You've watched me struggle with homesickness, fake friends, anxiety and losing a friend.
You saw me pack my bags and move to New York, and then realize it's a lot harder than I thought it would be.
You saw me join a sorority, and love it.

You saw some of the best moments of the last two years, but you also saw me go through some of the lowest moments of the last two years, and you still read even when I went MIA when I was going through some things of my own.

I'm excited to have shared the last two years, and so excited to see where The Caro Diaries goes in the future. I can't say for sure, but I hope to be around for many, many more years.

So to celebrate two years, I worked with this fantastic company called Dressometry to create a fun photoshoot.

Dressometry is basically Google for dresses, especially designed for college students and millenials. You can "design a dress" and they'll show you all the dresses that match what your criteria, including sorting by event, formality, price range, color and how scandalous or conservative you'd like to look. 

They sent me this hot pink asymmetrical open-back number from ASOS that just screamed "The Caro Diaries".. don't you agree? 

Paired with the perfect nude pumps, and a funky yet neutral clutch, it's gonna be a weekend go-to for me.

PS. Have you heard about Rocksbox as yet? It's this cool service where you pay $19 a month, and you get three pieces of jewelry sent to your door for you to use for as long as you'd like. Whenever you're ready for a new set, just send it back and get a new set of jewelry! Love a piece you have? You can buy it at a discounted price as a Rocksbox insider! It's a win/win! Plus, I've gotten you your first month free with the code carodiariesxoxo! 

SHOP THE POST 

ASOS Peplum Asymmetric Dress {c/o Dressometry} // Steve Madden nude pumps {similar}

TOM FORD Alicia sunglasses in black // Me and Her Casselini embroidered clutch

Gorjana Pressed Taner Studs {c/o Rocksbox} // Anoushka by Ilmes Jewellery gold bangles

What's in my Travel Bag?

This is a sponsored post. All opinions, however, are my own and that of The Caro Diaries. #FitToPlay #CollectiveBias

As you may know by now, I went home to Trinidad for my sister's engagement party last weekend, and funnily enough, I hate flying. I don't hate being on planes or the actual feeling of flying, I just hate the entire process. The TSA checks, taking off your shoes, taking your electronics out. It's all a huge pain in the butt. 

But, being a six-hour plane ride away from home, I'm used to it by now, and I figured I would share what I throw in my travel bag every time. 

Now, usually I carry a huge tote bag with everything one could possibly need to travel with - including three books, five magazines and a kindle, iPad and laptop. But it gets heavy and quite frankly, tiring, lugging that huge thing across the airport and back, so this trip, I decided to downsize. I had this super cute cross-body bag that my aunt bought me a few years ago, and it's big enough to hold my wallet, passport case and everything else I need without weighing me down.

a good book // this should go without saying, but i get bored pretty easily on a five hour flight, and a good book keeps me entertained. most times i use my kindle, but if i pick up a paper copy of a book I like, I'm hooked! I recently read Jennifer Niven's All The Bright Places and let me tell you I was judged hardcore for sobbing on the plane but I didn't even care.. so good! 

headphones // even though my phone's on airplane mode, I have Spotify premium so I can listen to my music whenever wherever, and that doesn't stop 30,000 feet up in the air! plus, whenever my ears pop, I get incredibly cranky and I find it extremely painful, so for the last six years or so, I've kept my headphones in when taking off and landing and it helps me ten-fold.. just don't tell the flight attendants! 

passport // well this one should go without saying, because.. duh.. #internationalproblems

oh, and my passport case is from Tieks, in case you were wondering..

sunglasses // I don't go anywhere without a pair of sunglasses, because bright sun and early morning flights and me just don't mix well.. I'm loving this Tom Ford pair that I got this Christmas. 

hand sanitizer // this one also goes without saying, but it gets gross out there. so many germs, so little time.. I don't travel without a Purell in my purse at all times. 

gum or mints // I tend to fall asleep on my flights, and the last thing I want is to wake up next to whoever is sitting next to me with morning breath. Gum is your best friend! 

emergency supplies // okay, so I don't go anywhere without this little pouch. It's my best friend. You never know when you, or someone around you, will need a tampon. I'm a firm believer that you can never be unprepared for that time of the month, and thank goodness for Playtex® Sport®. 

So I 100% believe that your period should not hold you back at all.. I am #blessed with the worst cramps a girl could ask for, and I spend most of my period throwing up in pain, but when I'm actually upright, I'm able to still do my daily routine, including going to the gym or going for a run.

The new Playtex® Sport® combo packs come with both pads and tampons for double protection, because you can never be too careful.. and they have this cool feature called Flexfit™ that twists and turns with your body (so no leakage while you remain active), as well as Qwik-Dry™ because no one wants to feel their period anymore than they have to, and Odor Shield™ which is probably the greatest invention of life, because when you're on a six hour flight with a stranger next to you, you don't want any kind of odor coming from that direction.

I usually use Playtex Sport every month, but especially when I'm active, and that includes traveling. Don't try and tell me you've never ran across an airport late for a flight, changed seating positions 100 times trying to get comfortable and slept with your legs practically in the air because you're on a cramped airplane. No? Just me?

I actually discovered this when I was browsing the Walmart cosmetics section because there's nothing I love more than drugstore makeup, and I was in the market for some new feminine products because you know, it comes around once a month, so yeah.. I picked these babies up, and I'm loving that it's a two-in-one deal with both tampons and pads or liners, depending on what you choose.. because you can never be careful enough.

So go down to your Walmart's cosmetics section, and these will be on an end-cap throughout the month, and after that available in the feminine hygiene aisle. I'm not kidding when I'm 100% recommending these to you, coming from the girl with the worst period experience every month, they made this month a lot easier! 

NEW! Playtex® Sport® now available in Pads, Liners and Combo Packs at Walmart! Now Sport Level Protection™ pads, liners and combo packs with Flexfit™ design to twist and turn with your body. Don't let your period get in the way. PlayOn! 

What's in your travel bag? Do you carry a "cosmetics" case like I do everywhere?

Wedding Season

I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Wedding Paper Divas. I received a product and promotional item to thank me for participating.

So a little-known fact is that over Christmas break, my sister's boyfriend proposed. He got down on one knee in the most romantic way and showcased all their years of friendship and love by asking her to marry him, and of course she said yes. It only took like 3.5 minutes until I got the screaming phone call announcing it, and of course asking me to be the Maid of Honor.. how could I say no?! (especially because now I get to check that off my 101 in 1001 list!)

We planned her engagement party for a few months away so I could arrange to fly home from school for it, and I tried my best to be supportive in any way that I could, even when I was thousands of miles away. We went through dress ideas, guest lists and of course, invitations.

When I discovered Wedding Paper Divas, I knew it was the perfect company to find her engagement party invitations. There were beautiful designs, high-quality paper and the best graphic designers available to customize it as much as you'd like, so it was a win/win.

What I loved about Wedding Paper Divas was that you could actually order samples - something that we did separately so that we could each see the collections before making a joint decision. It's hard work being the MOH when you're thousands of miles away, I'm telling ya..

It was simple too.. you have two options: you can either choose your own samples, by clicking the invitations you're interested in (up to 8 for free!), and clicking the "order sample" button on the page, and entering the code FREETRY at checkout to get 8 free sample invites, or you can just order the generic sample kit, where you get to see all the steps in the customization process, including paper samples and invitation and envelope samples for you to see and feel.

We chose the Wedding Paper Divas' sample package, and I'm so glad we did. Not only did we see different fonts, colors and styles, but it made a complete difference seeing and feeling the text and the paper, and seeing what other customizations we could do.

Plus, the sample kit came with a discount code for us, and one for a friend, so we could share the wealth.. because aren't all brides friends with at least one other bride?!

I cannot stress how glad Steph and I both were with the sample kit, because honestly you can't see the quality of an invitation online, and we were pleasantly surprised with the detailing and designs in person.

I'll probably do another post soon showing you which invitations we decided on, and we're definitely ordering more from them soon - maybe thank you cards, shower invites or even wedding invitations. They can do almost everything, even some gorgeous personalized stationery I may or may not be going back to order for myself.

Wedding Paper Divas made the engagement planning a lot less stressful than it would have been, so thank goodness for that!

Have you ever planned an engagement party or wedding? What's the most stressful part? 

Dive into Spring

It's finally getting warm out.
And by warm, I mean it's 50 degrees today and I'm so close to wearing shorts. Just kidding, but it's nice just wearing a trench or light jacket instead of a puffy winter coat. I even wore flats today, not boots!

Looks like "Spring" break actually worked this time. Especially for me, because I'm heading off to Trinidad tomorrow to see my family and be there for my sister's engagement party! I'm getting so excited to see my family and friends, spend time at home and let's be real, hopefully get a tan, especially before formal next week.

I spent much of my Spring Break shopping - hitting my favorite stores like Nordstrom, Lord & Taylor's, Bloomingdale's, and how could I forget TJ Maxx! I've been scouring the racks for bathing suits I can pack with me on my trip, and secretly wishing I was with friends in Cancun, Punta Cana and Miami, while I hit the slopes in Vermont.

That being said, I found quite a few that I loved, and I'm sharing with you some of my fave bathing suit trends of the year. Some of them are really affordable, and they're all super cute.

1 // 2 // 3 

4 // 5 // 6 

7 // 8 // 9 

Aren't they all so cute? I, like everyone else, am currently obsessing over the Triangl bathing suits - they're so fun and colorful! 

My favorite thing about most of the pieces I chose is that you can mix and match. There's nothing like a great black bottom piece, and four out of these nine suits can be worn with a simple black bathing suit bottom, so you can save yourself money and still look fab! 

I'm also super into whole-piece swimsuits lately! Gone are the days that you're teased for wearing a one-piece, and now they're getting cuter and more fashionable day by day! Plus, there are so many flattering options that work for every body type. 

If that's not a win/win, then I don't know what is..

Are you excited for Spring? Is it warm where you are as yet?