Alli Santmyer – Alli Santmyer

Fashion

Fall & Winter Lookbook ft. The Yellow Button

November 8, 2016

Hey everyone and thanks for visiting Allison in Wonderland! Today, I’m excited to share my first lookbook-style post and it’s going to be all about fall and winter fashion! To bring you today’s post, I’m collaborating with a shop located right here in Harrisonburg, Virginia called The Yellow Button! The Yellow Button is an adorable clothing shop located in downtown Harrisonburg. Miranda, the owner, has created such a wonderful company and it’s always so exciting to see what new items she’s gotten in store! All the clothing items seen below can be found at The Yellow Button, so if you see something you like, you might have to stop by!

The first outfit I’m going to share is such a statement outfit! It’s absolutely perfect for the fall/winter transition weeks we’re going through right now and it was surprisingly easy to pull it all together. The gray, ribbed long sleeve shirt, printed cape/sweater, and dark gray hat I’m wearing are all by Michael Stars. I’d never heard of this brand before doing this shoot, but now I’m completely obsessed. The clothing kept me so warm and it was super comfy and soft as well!

The next outfit is one of my favorite types of outfits for the fall season. Scarves and hats add so much to your look, I can’t help but be in love with them! Starting off, my gray sweater is by French Connection. You can’t really tell in the photos, but it has slits going up the sides, which are super convenient to be able to show off cute, high waisted pants you might have on! I’m not sure what brand the printed scarf is, but I LOVE it. It’s so, so soft and perfect for tying an outfit together, especially when you’re wearing a hat. The hat I’m wearing is by Lucky Brand and, don’t get me wrong, I’m obsessed with big floppy hats, but it was nice that this one was a bit smaller and didn’t get in the way! Lastly, the bag I’m carrying is by the brand Fashionable and it’s called the Tirhas Saddlebag. It’s so slim and sleek but you can still fit all your necessities in there! Definitely one of my favorite purses of the moment!

This next outfit really caught my attention because it brings a little color back into your wardrobe! If you’re anything like me, when we start getting into the colder weather, your clothing choices get darker and darker, so with these options, you can easily change that. This turtle-neck sweater is from BillaBong and the bag is from Nena + Co.! When we were taking these photos, it was about 35 degrees outside and this sweater kept me so warm! It’s pretty chunky but it doesn’t swallow you up, which is the best of both worlds! This incredible bag has also been something I’ve been obsessed with ever since I saw it. It’s SO big so it can carry a ton and it’s also a statement piece to help spice up your outfit!

This next outfit is a classic in my book. It’s perfect for errand day, lunch out with friends, a picnic at the park, anything! The maxi-dress is from En Creme and it has the best fit. It’s tighter at the top but transitions to being loose very nicely and the print is so eye-catching! The hat I’m wearing is from BillaBong and it’s goes perfectly with the jean jacket/maxi-dress combination. With it being a lighter color, it helps the other pieces stand out even more. I love the effortless vibe this look gives!

This last outfit is my absolute favorite of all the ones shown in this post! It’s just so cute (and not to mention cozy)! To start off, the shirt I’m wearing is from Free People. What I love about this shirt (other than it being from one of my favorite clothing companies) is the detail on the end of the sleeves. It’s almost like an accessory in itself but it’s subtle enough where it doesn’t take over the whole shirt. The adorable corduroy vest is from Wishlist and it’s something that I can totally see myself wearing all throughout the fall and winter. It’s a beautiful color that I don’t have a lot of, so it’s the perfect addition to my wardrobe! To round the outfit off, the knitted hat is from Lemon and the puff on the top is so big; I’m obsessed! Outfits like these are so easy to throw together but they still end up looking so good!

This is the end of my fall and winter lookbook, I hope you loved it! I’d like to give a big thank you to Miranda at The Yellow Button for providing all the clothes shown in this post. If you use any of these outfit ideas, be sure to let me know in the comments; I’d love to see! Have a great week and I’ll see ya next time!

Beauty

Beauty Babbles: LUSH + November Desktop Wallpapers

November 1, 2016

Hey guys and happy November! Welcome to the first post in my new series; Beauty Babbles! I’ve been wanting to dive more into the beauty part of my blog and I can’t wait to hear what you guys think!

In today’s post, I’m going to be focusing on the brand Lush! I’ve been a Lush fan for a long time now and they’re always coming out with new products, so today, I’m going to share a little bit about a few of my favorites!

As you can see in the photo above, the products I’m going to be zoning in on are the Mask of Magnaminty Face and Body Mask and the Popcorn Lip Scrub. The Popcorn Lip Scrub is actually a product that’s a repurchase for me! I first bought it about two years ago and loved it so much that I bought it again at the end of the summer! This is truly a product that you’ll want all throughout the year. It’s perfect for when your lips are chapped in the winter AND for when your lips are burnt in the summer! Not that you would ever wish for either of those things to happen to you, but when it does, it’s nice to be able to treat it with a nice, yummy-scented exfoliant that gives soft, smooth lips! Before buying this product, I’d never had a lip exfoliator and now I’ll never go back; especially since it’s under $10! I’d say I use it about once a week and that’s all you need!

Moving on to the next product, the Magnaminty Face and Body Mask is my favorite face mask I’ve ever used! Made up of china clay and peppermint oil, it really gets deep down into your pores and leaves you with such clean skin! You also get a nice, cool sensation on your skin while using it, due to the peppermint oil in the ingredients. Another reason I love it is because of how easy it is to take off! I’ve tried other face masks where no matter how much water I splash onto my face, it won’t soften up again and then you feel like you’re damaging your skin trying to scratch the mask off with your nails! This one isn’t like that AT ALL. As soon as you wet it again, it comes right off and you’re left with squeaky clean skin!

That’s all for the Lush products I’m using right now, but I’m sure I’ll be getting more soon, especially with the holidays right around the corner! 🙂 To round out this post, I’ve collaborated with Candidly Keri to bring you a few beautiful November desktop wallpapers! Keri has made 4 exclusive ones just for us! Two of them incorporate my favorite verse, Matthew 28:20, and the other two are super cute and festive November calendar wallpapers. I will definitely be using these this month and I’d love it if you did too!

Let me know if you have any Lush favorites and if you’d like to see a post on them. Also, be sure to check out Keri’s blog if you’re interested; it’s super cool! Have a great week!

Travel

Being a Tourist In: Charlottesville, VA + OOTD

October 25, 2016

Hi everyone! Welcome back to another “Being a Tourist In:…” posts! It’s been so long since I’ve written one of these, so I thought it was about time I start exploring again.

The place I’m going to be telling you about today is Charlottesville, Virginia! As you might know, I go to James Madison University, so Charlottesville is only about an hour away from me. Throughout my time at JMU, I’ve come here a few times, but this last time was definitely my favorite trip I’ve ever taken there, so I thought it was the perfect time to do a post about it! I hope you enjoy!

We started in the historic downtown, outdoor mall area and it was so cute! I’d never been there before and the atmosphere was amazing! They had typical stores that you’d see anywhere, like Urban Outfitters (my favorite!), but they also had cool little boutiques that are unique to this area. All of the buildings in this area are older and beautiful and that just made it even cooler to be walking around! We spent a good amount of time going through all the shops because there were so many to see! Three of my favorite shops were Darling Boutique, Rock Paper Scissors, and Roxie Daisy. Darling Boutique and Roxie Daisy were both tucked away so they were a little bit off the beaten path, but they were so worth stumbling upon. Both were so adorable; I could’ve easily spent all afternoon in just these two shops! Rock Paper Scissors was really neat as well because it’s a paper/stationary shop. These kinds of stores are my absolute favorite because you can find anything you might need in there. Need a planner? They have it. Need a card? They have it. Any paper good that you would ever need, they have it and I can promise that whatever you pick out is going to be beautiful! This stationary shop in particular was very open and inviting and I really enjoyed looking at all the designs, especially the ones from local artists!

Inside Roxie Daisy!

Our next stop of the day was The Shops at Stonefield. This shopping area is neighborhood style and it’s probably the most beautiful strip mall I’ve ever seen. They have a mix of restaurants and cafes, boutiques, and they even have a movie theater! My favorite shop here was Altar’d State. I’d never been in an Altar’d State before but I have heard a lot about it and it did not disappoint! The style of clothing was so up my alley and it’s Christian-based, which just makes it even better!

To finish off our trip to Charlottesville, we grabbed a bite to eat at the Burger Bach. It was a beautiful fall day so we got to sit outside and the food was absolutely delicious. I would definitely go back!

And, of course, to round out the day we had to do an OOTD! To explore Charlottesville, I was wearing a comfortable, fall outfit that I love! My white sweater and black jeans are from American Eagle and my booties are from Target! I just got these boots the other day and they were only $25! Definitely worth the $25 to have a black, staple ankle boot for the season! The last piece of my outfit is the bag that I’m carrying. I just got this for my birthday and it’s a beautiful cross body, fold-over bag from Nordstrom! I’ve been loving this lately because it goes with the season and it can carry so many things!

That’s about all we had time to do during this trip, but I hope to go back soon. I really, really enjoy the area and I hope you will as well! Please leave a comment if you have a favorite shop or area in Charlottesville that I didn’t go to! Thanks for reading and I’ll be back next Tuesday with another post! Bye!

Fashion

Jewelry Talk ft. High Point Supply Co.

October 18, 2016

Hi everyone and welcome to another post on Allison In Wonderland! I’m here to bring you this week’s article! Today, I’m going to chat a bit about a cause that’s been very heavy on my heart in recent years: human-trafficking. Attending James Madison University in Harrisonburg has really brought this issue to the fore-front of my mind, being that this city has a rather large issue with this injustice, due to being located right along highway 81. Fortunately, there is always a way we can help!

One way we can make a difference (and my favorite way) is by shopping! Exciting, I know! I recently came across High Point Supply Co. and immediately fell in love with the heart of the company. As I was poking around their website, I realized that they have a really cool way of browsing where you can shop by subject, but you can also shop by country or by cause. So, if you already have a country or cause in mind that you want to directly give to, this is your place!

After exploring the anti-trafficking section for a bit, I ended up finding such wonderful goodies! They’re all so beautiful and you can feel good about your purchase because you’re not only helping your wardrobe, but you’re helping and supporting those who really, really need it. In the case of giving towards the anti-trafficking cause, the jewelry is coming straight from women in India who are survivors of sex-trafficking. Part of the proceeds go towards providing those women with jobs, financial stability, and emotional rehabilitation!

The first piece I came across is called the Journey necklace and it’s my favorite piece that I got! It’s so dainty but it still stands out against any pattern you might be wearing. This is one of the more simple necklaces High Point Supply Co. has and I love that it tells a story! Some other pieces I got are these rings! Ring are my absolute favorite accessory so I already knew I was going to love these. The stack of 3 rings is so wearable! The other ring is larger than I usually go for so I was a bit skeptical if I’d actually be able to keep it on throughout the day, but it was no problem at all; I barely noticed it!

The last item that I got in this package is a set of stud earrings. Stud earrings are my favorite because they’re so easy. They don’t get it in the way and they add such a subtle difference to your outfit! The ones I got are called Aztec Studs and I chose to get them in the brass color. They go perfectly with the other pieces and are such a great addition to my collection. Another plus was, when my package arrived, all of the pieces had a little note attached of the name of the person who made it, which just makes them even more special to me!

If you’d like to purchase something from High Point Supply Co. and “shop for a cause,” put allisoninwonderland in the space at the checkout where it says “ENTER AFFILIATE CODE HERE.” “Enter affiliate code here” will be in red ink and you have to click the sentence and it opens a little comment box where you will enter the code. By entering this code, they’ll know that you’re one of my beautiful readers! Let me know in the comments if you purchase anything, I’d love to see!

Lastly, I’d like to give a huge thanks to my friend Leslie for taking the photos included in this post! Check her out on Instagram at leslie_heisler and also follow High Point Supply Co. at hpsupplyco! As always, thanks for reading and I’ll be back next week with a brand new one!

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How To

Sorority Big & Little Craft Ideas

October 11, 2016

Hi everyone and welcome to this week’s post! I really appreciate you coming back because this is going to be my first DIY post! As some of you might know, I’m in a sorority at James Madison University called Sigma Alpha Omega. SAO is JMU’s only Christian sorority and its tons of fun! Part of that fun is recruitment, which we have every Fall. Included in recruitment is the dispersing of little sisters, or “littles” as we like to call them. 🙂 Throughout this post I’m going to be sharing some (I can’t share all of my secrets) of the crafts I did for our Big/Little reveal that we had this past Sunday!

The first DIY that I did was something I’ve been wanting to make for a while. My original idea was to get a big letter initial and cover it in flower tops, but when I walked into Michaels to get my supplies, I noticed they had leaf cut-outs and thought that would be even more perfect! So I went ahead and bought the letter initial, the leaf cut-outs, and super glue. It barely took any time to make and it turned out so well! It can stand alone or be hung on the wall and I just love it. I wish I made one for myself!

The next idea I had was to make a couple cute canvases that she can hang on her wall in her dorm/apartment! I went on Pinterest and found some cute Big/Little quotes to use and I was set! The one I’m going to share today says, “Here’s to you, here’s to me, Big and Little we’ll always be!” I thought that was just perfect to put on a canvas and I love how it turned out! I used gold and black Sharpies for the lettering and just left the canvas white so it wasn’t that expensive either!

The last little gift I incorporated was a little white tin bucket and succulent that I got from Target. I obviously didn’t hand-make either of these but I thought it would be nice to include a little something extra in her gift to accompany all the artsy pieces. If you’re in the market for extra ideas, try finding out what her favorite kind of candy is or her favorite nail polish color to be able to throw in!

Making all of these items was a blast! Even if you aren’t in a sorority, I hope you can still take away some ideas for fall decor, decorating in general, or maybe even a birthday gift! Thanks so much for reading and I’ll be back next week with another brand new post. See ya then!

5 Comments

Beauty Fashion

Autumn Makeup Must: A Bold Lip

October 4, 2016

Hello everyone, welcome back to Allison In Wonderland! I’m so excited to share today’s post with you all! Today, I’m going to be doing one of my first Fall-themed posts and it’s going to be about one of my absolute favorite trends: a bold lip. A bold lip has always been something I’ve wanted to get into but never had the guts to do; but this year is going to be the year. After finding a shade that I loved from a company called Lime Crime, I knew it was time to take the plunge!

The shade that I purchased is called Saint and it’s the perfect shade for Fall. I’m pretty fair skinned, so it stands out against my skin-tone, but I think it would really hold it’s own against any. It’s also the perfect shade to accompany a cute, Fall outfit! With it being the color it is, you can easily pair it with neutrals such a black or white, or it could also be paired more seasonal colors like burgundy or forrest green! It’s so pretty that I really couldn’t imagine a situation where it would look bad!

Just to add on to how much I’m loving this product, the packaging was extremely cute as well, coming in a little red box. Before getting this product, I had never used a liquid lipstick before and was a little nervous when I went to apply it for the first time. The application was super easy and it’s a good thing it was because I don’t have a lip liner in this shade to keep it all together! It’s very pigmented, so I only needed one swipe across and I already had the color in the image above! I was quite happy with that because sometimes you don’t always get the color that’s advertised on the package. It actually dried relatively quickly too, so I didn’t have any problems with it smudging after I was done putting it on.

I’m so excited I have a go-to bold lip color to use now! If you want to learn more about this brand, head over to Lime Crime’s Tumblr page. They’re vegan and cruelty free so you won’t have any guilt about your purchase! I love to hear from you guys so be sure to leave your recommendations in the comments if you have another great Fall shade that I should check out. Thanks for reading and see ya next week!

1 Comments

How To

How To: Style Boyfriend Jeans

September 27, 2016

Hi guys, welcome back to my blog! Today, I’m going to give you a little guide of how to style boyfriend jeans! This trend has been around for a little while now and I still love it just as much as I did at the beginning! Keep reading to get my tips and tricks to mastering this look! 🙂

To start off, the jeans that I’m wearing are from American Eagle and, let me tell you, fit amazingly well. It took me quite a long time to find a pair that fit the way I wanted them to and now that I have, I’m never looking back! I did go a size down, however, so they aren’t as baggy as American Eagle intended them to be, but I like the fitted look better on my body type.

The first item I like to pair boyfriend jeans with is any pair of Converse sneakers. It doesn’t matter if they’re low-tops or high-tops! I think this look is so effortless and carefree and it allows you to look like you didn’t try too hard when choosing your outfit! I chose my white pair of Converse to create a beachy, summertime outfit and I think it looks super cute!

The next item I am always pairing my jeans with is a big, cozy sweater. I like to call this outfit my bonfire look because this is an outfit that is quickly and easily thrown together and is perfect for chilly summer nights. If you keep a tank on under it, it’s perfect to be able to keep it on or take it off depending on your mood/temperature! It’s also a convenient outfit if your boyfriend happens gives you his sweatshirt to wear! 🙂

Those are my two favorite ways to style boyfriend jeans, I hope you enjoyed! If you try any of these out, let me know in the comments. Thanks for reading and see you next week!

Beauty

Birthday Haul

September 20, 2016

Hey everyone and thanks for coming back to read another post on Allison In Wonderland! Today’s post is going to be all about a few things that I got for my 20th birthday! If you missed out on last week’s birthday post, make sure to check it out here! I hope you enjoy!

For my birthday this year, I received some makeup items that I’ve been wanting for a while! These products are very random but I already know they’re going to be staples in my everyday makeup routine. Starting off with primer, I got Benefit’s the POREfessional. This product is perfect for applying under your concealer or foundation to make your pores look like they don’t exist! Moving on, the next product I got was the Naked 2 Basics palette. I’ve had the first Naked Basics palette for about two years now and I have completely worn it out. I’m someone who wears mostly neutral makeup, so these kinds of palettes are absolutely perfect for me! The next item is my Smashbox bronzer in Deep Matte. I think this is the product I’m most excited for! I’ve had such a hard time finding a bronzer that goes well with my skin tone (and doesn’t look to orange-y) that I’d almost given up, so I’m so thankful I found this one! It’s the perfect mix of warm and bold and it’s very build-able! The last makeup product I have to share is my Urban Decay de-slick setting spray! This is definitely a product I’ve been needing because sometimes I have my makeup on for 14 hours at a time and by the end of the day, it’s not looking so good anymore. I’m excited to see how much this will help!

The next item I got for my birthday is a black, foldover, crossbody bag. It’s from Nordstrom and it can hold SO MANY THINGS. I was looking for a bag that was a little bigger than the one I already have but not so big that it was overwhelming and this is my perfect solution. Since it folds over, if you need to take a planner or notebook with you, you can just flip it up and carry it like that; it’s awesome!

The last item on my list to share is this incredible-smelling candle. I believe it was purchased from Target and it has completely taken over my bedroom. I’ve used up so much of it already and I’ve only had it for a week! I definitely recommend going out and getting one if you’re a fan of lavender and thyme.

That’s all for my birthday haul, thanks for reading! Make sure to come back next week for another fun post. Have a great week!

2 Comments

Things I'm Loving Right Now

20 Years

September 14, 2016

Hi everyone and welcome to another blog post! This week’s post is a little bit more special than usual because I turned 20 today! That’s right, I have officially ended my teen years and entered into my twenties! Stick around to hear some of the most important things I’ve learned in my 20 years.

1. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there – whether it’s in a relationship or a work-related opportunity. I don’t regret many things I’ve done and actions I’ve taken in my life, but I do regret being so nervous of being bold in some situations. I think I’ve played my life rather safe, and that’s not a bad thing at all, but sometimes I wonder how my life would’ve been different had I taken a chance. Now that I realize that about myself and I have been putting myself out there more, I have been really, really pleased with the outcomes!

2. Don’t care too much about what others think of what you’re doing. Now, take this statement with a grain of salt because I take the thoughts of my loved ones very seriously. If someone that I trust is telling me not to do something or that it’s a bad idea, I’m going to take that to heart. What I mean is don’t take the opinions of those who you don’t even know too seriously. That’s something I’ve been learning in the past few years or so and it’s so, so freeing. I used to be very caught up in what others thought of how I looked, or what kind of house I lived in, and so on, that I couldn’t completely focus on bettering myself. I was in the mindset that if I looked a certain way, then I would be happier because people thought I was “cool” and I was so wrong. If you focus on being the best you that you can be, that’s what will attract the right kind of people.

3. Slow down. I think this is the most important lesson I’m learning right now. My whole life, I’ve rushed through everything because I’m so excited for the next step. It’s not bad that I’m super excited, but in doing this, it’s been hard for me to live in the moment and focus on being present. I have a life that I love and people that I love surrounding me and I need to fully appreciate that because I’m so grateful for the opportunities that I’ve been given!

That’s all the life advice I have for you right now, but let me know if you’d like me to do more posts like this in the future! Have a great day!

1 Comments

Fashion

Simple Jewelry for Everyday Wear

September 6, 2016

Hi everyone and welcome to this week’s post on Allison In Wonderland! Today’s blog post is all about the jewelry that I wear on a day-to-day basis! I keep it pretty simple and easy, so I thought it would be fun to share!

To start off, I tend to go for gold jewelry over silver. I think, in most cases, it suits my skin tone better and there’s something about it that just draws me in! My favorite kind of jewelry to wear are rings. I love wearing them! They don’t move around on you, so you kinda forget they’re there, and are so easy to slip on in the morning. Also, if you stick to more simple rings like I have, they pretty much go with any outfit! The ring that I’m wearing in the picture below is from H&M. I just got this ring a few weeks ago, in a pack of three, and they were only $7! I love how it’s so beautiful (at least to me 🙂 ) but it’s not so big that it takes over your hand! The other ring I’m wearing is a ring that I have worn everyday since I got it, I love it that much! I don’t know where it’s from because it was a gift but you can find very similar ones on Etsy!

Another piece of jewelry that I wear everyday is the necklace that’s shown in the photo to the left. I got it from Nordstrom a few years ago and am so glad that I did! Nordstrom is actually still selling the same necklace so I’ll link it right here. This necklace is just a little pendant but it adds so much to whatever outfit you’re wearing! It’s perfect for a casual day but it also spices up even a more formal-looking dress! I would definitely recommend having something like this in your collection.

Those are the jewelry items that I wear on a regular basis, I hope it helped you out in figuring out your jewelry routine! Let me know in the comments if you have any comments or suggestions for me! Thanks for reading!

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