I have such a great love for musicals. I never realized my appreciation for musicals until someone else said they didn't like them and I got very defensive.

What is there not to like about a musical? Yes, they are corny and out there because no one just erupts into a musical number in the middle of the street or their school hallway but that's why I do like them. They are unlike any other film out there and there is a musical for everyone.

Musicals are SO much fun! My family has a little obsession with them because all our favorite movies are musicals, including mine.

I was completely thrilled when I found out that this year's Academy Awards was going to feature a tribute to musicals and as John Travolta, the King of the musical (aka Danny Zuko) introduced the tribute, I got inspired to list my favorite musicals of all time.

1. Grease

UM, THIS IS MY FAVORITE MOVIE IN THE ENTIRE WORLD. I saw this when I was seven years old when my aunt showed it to me, my sisters, and my cousins one night. I was completely smitten and fell in love with Danny Zuko; I wanted to be a Pink Lady and I wanted to be the one that you want. This is a movie I could never get sick of, mostly because it reminds me of my childhood and instills such a happy memory in me. I've seen this movie more times than any other one and I'll continue watching and loving for the rest of my life.

2. West Side Story

The same night that I watched "Grease", I also watched this movie. Tony and Maria were a modern day Romeo and Juliet and the entire movie is based around our favorite Shakespeare tale. The Jets and the Sharks, the forbidden love, the school dance...it's all so great! Dancing in the streets is a classic musical move and West Side Story embodies that perfectly. Aside from being a great musical, this is  classic, timeless film.

3. Hairspray

John Travolta, we meet again. In the first week this movie was in theaters, I bought a bootleg copy and watched it 15 times. That's a bit excessive but honestly, this is a great movie. Look at the cast! John Travolta, Christopher Walken, Zac Efron, and Amanda Bynes! The talent is incredible, it's a great story, and it features such happy music. I could watch "Hairspray" forever and I think I just might.

4. High School Musical

Can I be my 12 year old self again who loves Zac Efron? Either way I'm a 20 year old girl who still loves Troy Bolton. This was a modern day, horribly made "Grease" but I don't really care. This movie was my adolescence and I loved every minute of it. This put Disney Channel and Zac Efron on the map and I'm obsessed. I always will be. Yes, it's the corniest movie ever made and it's also pretty terrible but it's High School Musical--if you aren't all in this together, then just get out.

5.  The Sound of Music

This to me is the original musical. It is the quintessential musical that has everything a musical should: a great story line, happy music, and a beautiful love story. If you don't sing "My Favorite Things" on a daily basis, then do you really love musicals?

I understand that these aren't "classic" musicals like "Les Mis", "Singin in the Rain," and "Chicago," but these are my favorites and always will be.

What are your favorite musicals?

  

A few weeks ago, I told you about a new curling product I started using that I got from Birchbox.

In this months' February box, I received another great curling product that I have been obsessed with!

Miss Jessie's Original Pillow Soft Curls is the best hair product I have ever used. Seriously though, it's something sent from the hair gods.

It's a bit different from The Curl Effect as it has a heavier texture and forms the curls differently; I think I like my curls better when I use Pillow Soft Curls, though.

I apply a few quarter sized drops to a freshly washed, brushed, and detangled head and scrunch my hair, forming the curls. I let my hair naturally dry (you could blow dry if you wish) and then the curls activate.

They look SO good and SO natural. They aren't crinkly or hard but rather very soft and very tousled. With Curl Effect, I have the same look but my hair doesn't come as curly; The Curl Effect does do better with the frizz, though. Pillow Soft doesn't tame the frizz as much as I would like.

I've gotten so many compliments with Pillow Soft; everyone loves my hair in this naturally, curly state. I'm loving it also and when my generous sample size runs out, I'm definitely purchasing this from Birchbox.com.

I've always been a little self conscious about my unruly, curly hair because in my opinion, it always looked a little messy but this product has completely changed the way I look at my curly hair. It has given me a reason to wear my hair curly because I think it looks so good.

What are your new favorite hair care products?

All the manicure mondays I do are manicure that I give myself. And when I say manicure, I mostly mean just giving myself a fresh, different coat of polish. I rarely get into the nitty gritty of giving myself a real manicure. I don't cut my cuticles or file my nails every time I paint my nails only because they don't always need to be.

This week though, I was in need of some major pampering, and true pampering filled with manicures and pedicures.

I went to the nail salon by school with my little on Friday and was surprised by how well the manicure and pedicure was. I rarely try new places because I'm so comfortable with my nail salons at home so this was a pleasant finding.

On my nails, I chose Essie's "Lady Godiva." I never go for dark browns because to me, they always look the same and I was right in the fact that Lady Godiva looks an awful lot like "Wicked", a go to color for pretty much everyone I know. I never got "Wicked" because everyone else did. I'm such a rebel.

I also let the woman doing my manicure to shape them in  a square shape. I usually go for a more rounded look but I thought this would be nice to switch it up.

I'll add something extra on this manicure monday and show my pedicure. 

I love getting pedicures, probably more than the regular person. It's one of the most relaxing things ever in my opinion and I'm pretty much obsessed.

My favorite part of a pedicure? The sea salt mixture they rub on your legs. It's a great exfoliate that feels great and leaves your legs incredibly smooth.

I'm very picky about what colors I put on my toes; I always do lighter colors, even during the winter. I just love the way they look.

This time around I chose a color I've never done, Essie's "Honey Bun". It looks a bit like "In Stitches", a deep coral-like color. I'm pretty obsessed.

What are your nails like on this Manicure Monday?

This month's Birchbox is one of my favorites yet!

I obviously peeked before my box arrived in the mail because I just couldn't wait and I'm so happy I did. 

All the products I got were stuff that I really want to use and they're great sizes! They were bigger than sample sizes, more than I expected and definitely more than I have received in the past.

Birchbox also threw in a Ghirdaelli Caramel filled Chocolate Square in for Valentines Day. I obviously ate it as soon as I opened the box because it's chocolate and I'm a girl 

It was such a busy week last week between Nemo and Recruitment Week that I'm happy it's over!

Recruitment went amazingly--we had 100 young women come out for Greek life, the largest we've ever had on my campus. Our theme was NFL, Nation's Finest Ladies Drafting the Best Since 1913.

Our recruitment chair did an incredible job with new themes and during the nights, a perfect Pref Night.  It was a great recruitment :)

Because of Nemo, Bid Day got pushed back till yesterday and it was a very stressful time, especially for someone on both the Greek Council executive board and Phi Sigma Sigma's board--I was a stressed out gal.

Waiting three extra days to find out who picked us as their new sisterhood was painful but finally we got the good news yesterday!

The Delta Nu chapter of Phi Sigma Sigma got 22 amazing new members as our Spring 2013 class! I couldn't believe it! My chapter is 74 members, the most we have ever had and probably the most any organization has seen on Iona's campus.

It is such a milestone and I am so thrilled to have so many amazing new sisters! It definitely is going to be a challenge but I learned through our advisors and through Leadership Conference that you should never shy away from a big new member class...they are the future of the sorority and it should be welcomed.

Here is a picture of my kickass HUGE chapter. It might not be big for a typical sorority chapter but for a campus with a bit more than 4,000 people and not a large interest in Greek life, this was pretty incredible. 

I am so proud to be Vice Archon and to be a sister of Phi Sigma Sigma <3

A few weeks back I entered College Prepster's giveaway for a monogrammed necklace from Rutherford Papers.

I always enter giveaways like this but I never win; I never win anything for that matter but the day before I got back to school after Christmas break, I got an email from the lovely Carly telling me I had won!

I almost cried I was so happy. Seriously, I never win a single thing so to win something as wonderful as this, from one of my favorite blogs, I was overjoyed!

Carly connected me to the people at Rutherford Papers and I gave them my choice of size, color, and chain style. The people at Rutherford Papers are the sweetest people I have ever dealt with and were so helpful with everything.

I received the necklace no more than three days later and it is perfect!

I already have a small, white monogram with a silver chain so I decided to get a large, black monogram with a gold chain. It also came in this adorable mesh bag that is great for storage; I like to keep some of my good jewelry separate from the rest so this is perfect. 

It's an acrylic necklace but the quality is superb. It's definitely not too big (I ordered a monogram necklace from Etsy for my big a few months back and it was REALLY big), this one was perfect though.

I've received so many compliments on it whenever I wear it and because it's gold and black, it matches pretty much everything I wear.

I'm totally in love with it so thank you once again to College Prepster and Rutherford Papers !

Last night started Iona College's Spring 2013 Recruitment week! WOOOOO!

Recruitment, to me, is the most exciting week of the entire year. It's the one week where talking about your sorority in the upmost standards is socially acceptable. 

It's fine that we scream at the slideshow, paint our nails blue and gold, and stay up to the wee hours of the morning deciding on the fate of our chapter.

Spring recruitment at Iona is the most fun because unlike Fall recruitment, freshmen are allowed to come out! This year, we have a very large, eager freshmen class and I can't wait to meet them all tonight and see who's going to become my future sisters.

This will be the third recruitment I've seen as a sister of my sorority and I feel like I'm an old pro at it by now.

Iona has a weird recruitment week because despite Phi Sig being a national sorority, we're the only one on campus so we don't have NPC formal recruitment. We have round robin rounds where girls are placed into groups and go to each room to meet each different sorority. 

Then, at the end of each night the potentials pick who they would like to go back and see the next night.

If you're going through recruitment this semester, formal or informal, here are some helpful tips for during the week:

1. Get dressed up

I think this is one of the most important things. When I went through recruitment I dressed to the nines; I wore makeup, did my hair, and made sure I had fresh painted nails. We're not judging you based on your looks but it's nice to see a potential who put some effort into how she looks. It shows us that you're taking this seriously. 

You don't have to go crazy, just dress to impress.

2. Smile

It sounds so cliche and corny but smile when you're in the room. If you have a pissed off look, the women of the sorority might get the wrong idea and feel like you don't want to be there. Be polite and friendly; I know recruitment is overwhelming and I feel for you but just remember to smile, it will make things easier!

3. Keep an open mind

This is very important. At Iona, we stress to "Go Greek", in general. No matter what sorority you decide is best for you, during recruitment be open minded. You might go into recruitment week with your heart set on one organization but your mind might change during the week while you get to know the sisters better. 

You will know what organization is right for you at the end of it. In your heart and in your gut, you will know so don't stress too much. Just keep an open mind :) 

4. Don't be a follower

Are you going out to recruitment with your best friend? Your roommate? Do you have your heart set on being sorority sisters?

Not to be harsh, but don't think that way. Don't follow your friends or roommates to the organization they want. If you don't want that particular sorority, don't worry. This is your decision and your decision alone. It's not fair to you to follow your friends because you're afraid of doing something alone or because you think you won't be friends if you separate.

That is so not true! I went to recruitment with my roommate and we chose different sororities; we are still roommates and still the best of friends! I think being in different organizations made our relationship stronger because if we were in the same one, we might get sick of each other.

This tip goes back to keeping an open mind; don't be a follower if that's not the sorority you want.

5. Have fun!

Don't think so much about this week; yes it's stressful and very nerve wracking but ultimately, this should be the most memorable week of your life! You are making the first step in becoming part of a sisterhood that will change your life forever. 

A sorority is the greatest thing and it will make your college experience. Enjoy recruitment week, you only get one!

Good luck to everyone going through recruitment this semester! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to leave a comment and ask :) 

My body is completely fighting off school, is anyone else's? 

Last week I was sick with a cough, cold, and sore throat but I couldn't stop. I didn't even have time to go to the doctor, that's how busy I was.

Now, the weekend hit and I didn't want to miss out on anything so I put my illness behind me, sucked it up, and dragged myself out to parties on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night.

I made a vow to myself at the beginning of the semester that I would go out more this year and not make silly excuses for myself to stay in bed and read magazines. Therefore, I forced myself to go out while I was sick and now I'm paying for it.

I haven't been sleeping great but this weekend, I slept so much that it made my body feel worse. I am beyond exhausted and I feel like complete crap.

Now I'm fully behind schedule with all my work and I've lost all motivation. It's a never ending, viscous cycle. 

I'm not writing this post to complain, I'm writing it to give you advice from my own experience. 

No matter how busy your schedule is, you need to calm down. You need to take a day off; a few hours break is not going to help you because you are going to keep thinking about what you have to do.

Every hectic week there is, you need a day off. Let your body catch up on sleep, relax without stressing about what is to come, and do something that makes you happy...whether it's online shopping, getting Starbucks with your friends, or literally laying in bed all day until you get cabin fever.

Both mentally and physically, you need to recuperate from the week's worth of craziness. I have been going non stop since two weeks ago and with Leadership Conference, there hasn't been a moment of rest until this weekend, which was very weird.

I need to learn how to stop every now and then to really sit home and let my mind and body catch up. I should've taken that advice this weekend because now I'm regretting it 100%.

This week, take a day to yourself, don't listen to your inner voice for once, stay home and relax.

Hope you're all enjoying the Superbowl :)