Why Buy When You Can Rent With CampusBookRentals.com?

If you're in college or grad school (like I am) then you understand the pain of high textbook costs. So when www.CampusBookRentals.com reached out about offering me a free rental of a textbook, I jumped at the opportunity. These are just some of the perks you enjoy when you use their site:
- Save 40-90% off of bookstore prices
- Free shipping both ways
- Flexible renting periods (ranging from 55 to 120 days)
- They donate to Operation Smile with each textbook rented

I'm starting summer courses next week and one of the books required for my Competitive Strategy course is "Strategic Market Management." On the NYU website it was nearly $100 and Amazon has it for $65 new. On CampusBookRentals.com I was able to rent it for 85 days for $48.24 (including taxes). The 85 days covered the full semester that I would need the book.

They also just launched a new initiative - RentBack. RentBack allows students to rent the textbooks they own to other students. You can make back 2-4x more money compared to through other buyback options. I'm definitely considering this once I'm done with this textbook at the end of the semester.

Have you ever rented a textbook?

Disclosure: I received a free book rental for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Fitness Magazine's Blogger Meet & Tweet Event Recap

I had such a wonderful last time at the Fitness Magazine's Meet 'n Tweet event that I was super excited to be invited back. I wore my Ellie leggings, Looksupply Zuni Top and my new running shoes from Zappos (the boys section). I had a great time hearing the speakers share their tips for healthy eating and living. I especially loved Rocco Dispirito talking about how you can eat Italian food and still lose weight. That's my kind of diet!

I know you want to know what was inside the goodie bag. I tried to capture all of them in the photo but here's a breakdown:

Beauty Travel Tips From Elizabeth Arden’s Global Makeup Artist Rebecca Restrepo + Review

Last Tuesday I had the pleasure of attending Single Edition's Blog Meets Brand event held at the Delta T4X lounge and sponsored by Elizabeth Arden. We learned about their long and rich history. I especially admired Ms. Elizabeth Arden herself for being a businesswoman in the 1920s before women were even allowed to vote!

They were offering mini-makeovers and I wanted to treat myself. She did a smoky cat eye with a nude lip. Thanks for all the love on Instagram! Now I need to try to recreate the look...

My First Conscious Box

I signed up for a 3-month Vegan subscription to Conscious Box through Fab about a month ago and have been impatiently waiting for my first box to arrive. This tiny box arrived that weighed more than what it seemed like it could handle. Inside there were TONS of products. The most I've ever seen in a subscription box! I kind of wish there were as a card to keep track of all the items but since there were so many products I understand that it would be hard to summarize them all (*Update: They sent a follow up email listing all the items in the box). Here's what was inside:

Weekend Recap: All Good Things Must Come to An End

New haircut // Wendy eyeing up a romper // Wendy and I playing around at the LOFT event // My new LOFT boyfriend jeans & tote

Friday I got a much needed hair cut. I purchased a Groupon for ICON Salon for a haircut, Moroccan treatment, and a blowout. It's not the best cut in the world but it will hold me over for a few months. Then I went to the LOFT summer preview event with Wendy of Sass 'n Curlz. If you read my blog then you know what a big fan of LOFT I am. They have a great Petite section and always have fabulous sales. I walked away with a new pair of boyfriend jeans, which I have been living in this summer - hooray! Then Wendy and I hit up Shake Shack and enjoyed the beautiful weather.

What I've Been Reading + GIVEAWAY!

I've been bad about keeping you updated on my readings but most books I've read in the past few months have been for marketing class so nothing exciting to share. But I promise today's post will make up for it! I'm currently rereading (and almost finished) George Orwell's "1984." In my marketing class we often discuss this book so I felt like I needed to refresh my brain. Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg's book "Lean In" has been traveling to all the women in my family - first my mom read it, then my sister and now it's my turn! I can't wait to drive in since I've heard wonderful things. Buzzfeed recently featured an article "65 Books You Need To Read In Your 20s" and I've only read 2! But two are on my "to read" list. How many have you read?

Mani of the Week: Summer Neon Ombre

What better way to show off my mani than with my MyTee BAD studded phone case!

Recently I re-purchased my favorite summer neon color of all time - China Glaze's Flip Flop Fantasy! I also wanted to wear the other new polishes I swapped so I decided ombre was the best way to show off all the colors at once. Check out my ombre tutorial. Here are the polishes I used:

My May POPSUGAR Must Have Box

This month's POPSUGAR Must Have box is about kicking party season into high gear since the weather should be warming up. "We have you covered whether you're sparking a lively conversation at your next girls' night out in or mixing up cocktails for a group of friends." There are also some great beach and beauty products. Here's what I received:

HowAboutWe's Book Launch of "Modern Dating: A Field Guide"

On Friday night I hosted some of my single friends at my apartment for the launch of online dating site HowAboutWe.com's new book "Modern Dating: A Field Guide." I've been a member of HowAboutWe since it first launched and like it's refreshing take on modern dating. We munched on some snacks and sipped on some wine and divulged our online dating experiences.

My May Birchbox

This month's Birchbox is about "you" and keeping a beauty diary to track "the order in which you try your products, your daily routine, the techniques you've mastered." The card featured a fill in the black diary. It was a bit odd. Here's what I received inside my box: