Striped Tunic + Grad School

It’s been a year since I got my grad school acceptance phone call! Thinking about that day puts a smile on my face, but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s been a tough few weeks in the life of a grad student. Lately I’ve been eating, sleeping, and breathing flashcards and textbooks (and I know I’m working hard when dog snuggles reserved for bed time only). I’m feeling  guilty these days because for a very long time I prayed, and hoped and crossed my fingers as hard as I could for acceptance into a master’s program, and I finally got in. I cried so much that day because I was so happy! That day, in that moment, I promise you you couldn’t find one person in the universe who was happier to go back to school than I was. I got what I so badly wanted, and I’ll be grateful to the school acceptance gods forever, but it’s so hard to maintain motivation. For weeks now, I’ve been telling myself, “next week will be better.” This time, I genuinely believe next week will be better!

Back to business! I woke up yesterday morning to a cold front that brought temps down to 75 degrees (c’mon fall, you can do better than that!). It’ll be back up to 90 this week, but it’s finally starting to cool down long enough in the mornings and evenings to wear long sleeves, which is kind of exciting. This striped tunic was on my Instagram along with this black crossbody yesterday and a lot of you seemed to love the bag, I did too! It’s less than $20 and comes in 4 colors, including a pretty metallic gray that I’ll be ordering ASAP! After linking the crossbody on here I realized it’s from the latest brand Target started to carry, A New Day. If this is a taste of what’s to come, I’m looking forward to it! Happy Wednesday, friends!

XO, Vivian

Tunic – Old Navy
Jeans – Abercrombie & Fitch
Boots – Vince Camuto / Nordstrom
Bracelet – Sugar Fix by Bauble Bar / Target (similar)
Crossbody – Target
Sunnies – Target

Watch – Kapten & Son

Continue Reading

How to Keep Clean Shoes

If I’m judged on the cleanliness of my athletic shoes, you’d probably think I jump in muddy puddles and roll around in dirt. Then, you’d take a look at my sneaks and be impressed with how clean they are! White platforms on sneakers have been in for a while and I really like the trend, but if your platforms are dirty, they give a “less put together” appearance.

We’ve all tossed shoes into the washer before and let them air dry, but there’s always a chance that this method will shrink your shoes if you’re not careful. That being said, I’m really not the kind of person that is easily persuaded by sales people, but I was feeling particularly open to listening to an employee’s spiel about a shoe cleaner at an Aldo shoe store. After listening to this guy I felt like I had to buy the product, so I took it home and didn’t use it for months. Eventually my sneaks got really dirty and I pulled out the shoe product as a last resort and it worked! I love it! I felt so silly for not having used it sooner! I hope this method works for you the same as it has worked for me.

Here’s a step by step of my process:
  • Fill a container with a 1/2 inch of warm, soapy water. This should be just enough to cover the soles of the shoes.
  • Place shoes in the container and allow them to sit and loosen dirt for 10 minutes
  • Remove shoes from the water and apply this shoe cleaner 
  • Use the cleaner’s brush applicator to work in the product
  • No need to rinse off the product! Just pat your shoes dry and that’s it!

XO, Vivian

Tank – J Crew (similar)
Skirt – Abercrombie (similar and cute)
Shoes – Guess (similar and popular)
Crossbody – Tory Burch (similar)
Watch – Marc Jacobs (similar and scalloped)
Continue Reading

Freshmen Feels

Welcome to A Chance of Charm! I’m ready to take on this blogging world and have felt somewhat overwhelmed and in need of guidance with all my thoughts reminiscent of my freshmen year in high school (glad those days are over!). I talk a little about myself here, but I figured there’s so much more to know about me, so let’s kick this off with a few Vivian facts:

  • I am most proud of my athletic accomplishments. I have completed a sprint triathlon and a half marathon!
  • My diet lacks variety. I’m a terribly picky eater and don’t eat any veggies but I’m working on it.
  • When I grow up I want to be a dog lady
  • I’m 5’0” tall and it’s the furthest thing from my mind until I see a photo of myself next to people of average height
  • Coffee smells amazing, but I don’t drink it. If I’m ever holding a coffee cup, it’s a prop!
  • I’ve competed in 14 pageants and have loved every competition (including my losses)!
  • My siblings are 10, 14, and 18 years older than I am
  • The coolest thing I’ve ever done? Fell out of a plane on purpose to skydive!
  • I love scrapbooking! It’s a cool way to see the highlights of my life.
  • You can find me listening to Maroon 5 and Coldplay most days
  • Using reusable bags at the grocery store makes me feel like a good person

That’s me in a nutshell, thank you so much for reading! Don’t forget to subscribe for new blog posts every Wednesday 🙂

XO, Vivian
Continue Reading