My Month in Film | October

This installment of my month in film series is coming to you a bit late because of two reasons, first off being that my camera broke around mid-October, which then meant that I had to re-order a new camera and quickly shoot a roll of film within a weeks time in order for it to be truly considered a month in film of October. To be honest this is more of a week and a half in film but I think it'll do just fine (hope you lot agree). October was an interesting month, I've been working non-stop, which I love but it also has meant that I have very little to do outside of work that is worth photographing. That being said, October is easily my favorite month out of the year since it really starts to feel like Autumn in California, its the month of my sister's birthday (who just turned 21!), Brad and I celebrated our anniversary, and of course Halloween! 

In an effort to get back into reading this month I started Orlando by Virginia Woolf, who is easily one of my favorite writers ever. While it isn't the easiest book to read, the writing is gorgeous and the plot is so incredibly complex and unique. It's not a super fast read but I would highly recommend it!

I took this shot on my way back home after work. One of my favorite parts about this month in film series is being able to show you all my favorite parts of San Francisco. Elixir is one of my favorite bars and if you are into whiskey I would definitely check it out, they literally have hundreds to choose from!

Bought three polishes from J. Hannah earlier in October and have fallen in love with them. I got Blue Nudes, Himalayan Salt, and Ghost Ranch. While the formula doesn't quite compare to Smith & Cult, the shades are incredibly sophisticated and unique. In fact, I've never been complimented on my nail polish as much as I have when I've worn Ghost Ranch 

I've been wearing these wide leg pants endlessly this month and they've really broken me of my compulsive denim wearing habits. 

For some reason when it gets cold here I am always drawn to the Victorians in the city. Not only are they incredibly gorgeous from an architectural standpoint but they always look very festive, and like they are ornate gingerbread houses. 

I don't know why I was so drawn to taking pictures of bars this month. However, Orbit Room is another one of my favorite more neighborhood/relaxed bars in the city. They also make a great G&T that won't completely break the bank. 

Wore this outfit to work and my co-workers said it looked very Diane-Keaton-in-Annie-Hall-esque, which is both very kind of them and pretty much the best compliment I could ever hope to receive. 

Brad and I went to Absinthe for dinner on our anniversary. I think it's an absolute classic in the realm of San Francisco restaurants and if you want weird but wonderful cocktails, this is the place to go. 

Had to pull over while I was driving because this shot just seemed too good to pass up. I love the moodiness of shooting film during gloomy weather and Sutro Tower is always photo-worthy in my books.

One of the highlights of the month was easily my parents finishing the kitchen in our house. We had been sans kitchen for about 4 months and it has been a very welcome change to eat something besides cereal for breakfast and takeout for dinner (first world problems). This oven has also already been exposed to some marathon baking sessions!

Bailey, whose fur coincidentally blends in the floor, is also very much enjoying the new kitchen. 

I've been cutting down on coffee the past month, which has basically just meant that I have been frequenting Samovar, where they have THE best chai, more than is considered a normal amount. 

I wasn't joking about being obsessed with Victorians, now was I?

I've also been obsessed with this cashmere cardigan from Everlane and have worn it several times since I got it. Ever since Lizzy Hadfield mentioned wearing cardigans as a top rather than another layer, I have absolutely loved the idea and how they look. 

This is without a doubt my favorite shot from this month. It had rained the night before and when the sun rose the clouds broke in the most picturesque way!

Skincare Products I'm Switching Into My Routine For A/W 2017

Every Autumn without fail my skin does a nose dive into serious dryness and sensitivity. Not only is this odd because I generally have very well behaved skin the rest of the year, besides the odd hormonal breakout, but also because I don't live in a particularly cold or harsh climate. It's as if my skin has an internal clock, realizes its October and decides to deplete itself of all moisture. I jest, I jest. I know there is nothing scientifically accurate about that statement, but because my skin tends to freak out from October through February I have to insert extra products into my routine in order to keep my skin in check. 

The most recent addition to my Autumn/Winter skincare routine is the Peter Thomas Roth Pumpkin Enzyme Mask, which is an exfoliating mask that you leave on the skin for 3-5 minutes to get rid of any dull or dead skin. Not only does this mask smell like you're slathering a pumpkin pie on your face (I don't know about you but that sounds incredible to me), but it is extremely effective at removing dead skin without irritating. The mask does make my face sting a bit when I first apply it, which is totally normal since that is the acid doing it's job. (I always follow the Caroline Hirons rule: burning is bad, stinging is good). My skin does look a bit red after using this, but that calms down pretty fast. I always do this mask at night, and without fail, whenever I wake up the next morning my skin looks and feels pretty incredible (if I do say so myself). 

Glossier's Super Bounce Serum is in my skincare rotation year-round but come October, it becomes my most-used serums. The hyaluronic acid in the serum really helps my skin absorb moisture better and just generally look and feel less dry and dehydrated. I love using this in the morning underneath my daily moisturizer just to give an added boost of hydration. I am definitely curious to try The Ordinary's version of this serum, since it is a fraction of the price, but for now I'll be sticking with the Glossier offering since I know that it works so incredibly well. 

The ultimate "comforter" in my A/W skincare routine is by far the Pai Rosehip Seed Regenerate Oil. This oil seriously does everything, from helping with hyperpigmentation, to hydrating, to calming down aggravated skin. I use this oil almost every night during the winter because it always "resets" my skin. No matter how awful it is feeling or looks, this oil always makes my skin feel and look much healthier and hydrated. I would definitely recommend this to those who suffer with acne-prone skin (who often have oily skin) as well, because it really helps to heal existing breakouts. 

Last but certainly not least is the La Roche Posay Cicablast Baume B5, which is definitely the meatiest "skin fixer" in my routine. This stuff works on both the face and the body to repair really dry, irritated skin. I usually have a few instances over the course of the colder month where I have small patches of eczema on my face and this stuff works great to soothe the irritation as well as hydrate the effected area. If my lips are extremely dry and cracked I will also use this on them to get them back to normal. 

What are your skincare essentials for Autumn and Winter?

How I've Learned To Juggle a Blog and a Job

It's no secret that I've had a busy past couple of months and one thing that I've definitely learned is the importance of time management. In college I was pretty good at managing my time, but in some ways my time was much easier to manage in college. In other words, my life was much more compartmentalized in college. I had class during certain hours of the day on set days, my weekends and nights were the time to spend with my friends and socialize, and my free hours during the weekdays were spent doing my course work. I also spent some time working on this blog, however it was more at the discretion of my schedule and while I always enjoyed writing, I would take periodic breaks if I had too much school work or I just felt like I needed a break. 

Since college this blog has become more of a priority and I want to dedicate more and more of my time to creating the best content I can. That said I have to juggle writing for this blog and a full time job, which can be challenging. I absolutely love my job and I would not trade it for anything, but it can be hard to find time to balance both working most days and writing, without sacrificing my social life. When I was in school it was much easier to put the blog on the back burner and not feel bad about it, but now I feel an intense feeling of guilt if I don't get at least one post up per week. 

One of the best strategies that I have taken on since starting work and getting this blog back to where I want it to be, is to be extremely realistic with your time. For me that means that I don't try to plan to write four or even three posts a week, even if that's what I'd love to do in a perfect world. I see a lot more value in getting a couple or even just one well-written and thought out posts, rather than none because I'm too overwhelmed by looking at my editorial calendar. I fall more into the category of a slow blogger, and I'm totally ok with that because I know that while I'm not pushing as much content as others (and therefore maybe not getting as many views or gaining as many followers), I can be assured that the content I do create is meaningful and of a certain quality. 

Going along with being realistic with time, planning and working ahead of time has proven to be absolutely essential in keeping my blog running whilst I work. I have become much better about not only writing all my ideas for blog posts in my notebook and making a coherent editorial calendar, but also including posts and their due dates in my everyday planner so that I am constantly reminded of their due dates. Before when I just designated my blog content to a notebook, it was really hard for me to be reminded that a post was due because it was out of sight and out of mind most of the time. So much of my content is also connected to pictures, which was the thing that really held me back at times from getting posts published. Luckily Brad has been a huge help with taking photos for me. While I used to take photos for one blog post at a time, I plan ahead more and try to shoot for multiple posts on one day, so all I have left to do later in the week is write.

Finally, because I do most of my writing on my days off, it has become extremely important to change up my environment for when I need to get things done. While I love working at my desk at home, I can also fall into the trap of feeling like since its my day off and I'm at home that I have time to binge watch Gossip Girl instead of getting things written. (In fact, as I'm writing this I am at a coffee shop now and have managed to write this post approximately 5x faster than I would have at home). Some people have a hard time working in more public places like a coffee shop, but for me it really helps me get more work done. I feel less inclined to procrastinate, because I feel like people are watching what I'm doing on my computer (which they most likely are not) and therefore feel motivated to get my shit done instead of watch funny cat videos. It also helps to have background noise that isn't a TV show or a Spotify playlist, because while I love listening to those things while I work they can be more distracting than not, but I also find it impossible to work in silence. 

I'm definitely not in the perfect place that I want to be with my workflow, but I've definitely gotten much better at planning and managing my time than I had done at the beginning of the summer. My blog will always be a work in progress, and now that I've begun to accept that it won't be perfect, it's made it a much easier task to manage. 

My Favorite Denim

It's no secret that I am obsessed with denim. I wear denim almost every single day on my bottom half and, because of that, I have really narrowed down what I look for in a pair of jeans. My all-time favorite jeans have to be vintage Levi 501s, and while I did write an entire blog post detailing my tips on finding the perfect pair of vintage 501s, I wanted to talk about the jeans that I love that are readily available for you all to go and buy should the denim-buying mood strike you. 

With the rise in popularity of vintage 501s, Levi's has done a phenomenal job at trying to recreate the integrity and silhouette of their iconic vintage denim. That is definitely the case with their Wedgie Fit jeans. These jeans have a slimmer silhouette than 501s, however they maintain the vintage look with their rigid denim, high waist, and tapered leg. The Wedgie Fit jeans are some of the best jeans to get into if you are a die-hard skinny jeans wearer but want to get more into wearing straight leg jeans. I have a few pairs of these and I foresee myself wearing the dark indigo wash a lot during the fall and winter. 

Up until about a few months ago I only would wear straight, skinny, or boyfriend fit jeans. The thought of wearing a bootcut or a flare jean brought back some not so pleasant sartorial memories of wearing low rise bootcut jeans as a kid in the early 2000s. I had seen images floating around on Pinterest of bloggers wearing flared jeans, and while they looked incredible I doubted how they would look on me. However, the Madewell Cali Demi-Boot jeans have changed my opinion on flared jeans for the better. I have a pair of these jeans in a typical denim blue wash with a frayed hem, but the washed black with the exposed button fly pair are my favorites. These jeans are relatively skinny fitting over the thighs but have a gradual kick flare starting below the knee. Because they are slightly cropped as well (they hit just above my ankles and I am 5'6 for reference) they make for a very versatile piece, if you find yourself struggling to find a flared jean that goes with a variety of shoes. 

Last but not least is the newest pair of jeans to my collection, however they have quickly become my favorite skinny jean (and believe me I've tried my fair share). Everlane launched their denim about a month ago now and like everything the brand does, every step of making this denim has been done in an ethical and eco-friendly way. These jeans are 98% cotton so they have an incredible structure to them and don't feel like super stretchy jeggings, which I absolutely hate. While these are definitely a skinny jean they aren't skin tight so they don't have that sprayed-on look that so many skinny jeans nowadays have. Considering these are $68, they are also some of the best quality jeans (they sit up there with Levi's in my books) I have since they are made of Japanese denim, which is pretty much the gold standard in the denim world. 

What are your favorite jeans?  

Lipsticks for Autumn

I always find myself wearing more and more lipstick during the cooler months. I don't know whether its the fact that I enjoy wearing more makeup in general during autumn and winter, or if it's that darker lipstick seems more festive for this time of year, but I find myself much more drawn to lipstick starting around October. There are so many lipsticks that I love during this time of year, in fact I could write a whole post solely on my favorite red lipsticks, but for the purposes of this post I thought I'd narrow down my three favorite lipsticks and shades to wear from now until the end of winter. 

I'm usually not the biggest fan of nude lipsticks, just because I like the natural color of my lips and a lot of nudes can read as quite ashy against my pale skin. However, NARS Intriguing Velvet Matte Lip Pencil has become my go-to nude and is a shade that I will wear a lot with darker eye looks in the coming months. The warm rosiness of the lipstick keeps the lips from looking too pale or ashy, while being neutral enough to still be classified as a nude. The Velvet Matte Lip Pencils from NARS are also easily one of my favorite lipstick formulations because they are incredibly easy to apply, and stay on all day without feeling uncomfortably dry.

The red lipstick I see myself wearing a lot this autumn is actually a newbie in my collection. The shade is Scarlet by Make Beauty and it is a truly vibrant red that sits somewhere between a blue-based and an orange-based red. Because the undertones are quite neutral I can see this shade working on a lot of different skin tones. One of my favorite looks during the fall and winter is very minimal makeup with a bold red lip and this lipstick works perfectly for that look. The formula is also classified as a matte according to MAKE Beauty, but I would say it is more of a satin because it does have some slip to it. 

And finally, an autumnal lipstick post would be nothing without a mention of Glossier Generation G in Jam. I don't think there has been another color that I've worn on a consistent basis like I have with Jam. I love berry shades, especially for that stained look and Jam does just that. It is easily one of the most low maintenance lip products I own and because of that I reach for it all the time. I love wearing this lipstick all year round but because of its tone, it works the best in fall.