What I Want To Be Wearing This Spring

I've been talking about how much the weather has sent me into a wardrobe rut, as I think it does for most people. Now that I can happily say we are fully in spring here in California, I have been re-assessing my wardrobe and taking in lots of inspiration in the hopes that I can perfect my spring/summer wardrobe. Especially since I'm more of a fan of cold-weather clothes, I find it hard to be really inspired by spring/summer collections, but with the winter this year lasting so long, I'm fully committed to having a really good warm-weather wardrobe. 

As part and parcel of not being a huge warm-weather person, I do feel a renewed sense of adding pieces that will get me out of my comfort zone (ahem vintage jeans and a t-shirt) and hopefully get me to experiment more with different shapes and fabrics. One of the most glaring examples of this that I can think of is injecting more non-denim trousers into my wardrobe. I wear denim almost every single day without fail, but that's a habit I want to get out of for spring. I'm definitely not saying I won't be wearing denim full stop, but I do think incorporating different styles of pants will make a huge impact on the kinds of silhouettes I wear.

Whenever it gets to be the spring-time I tend to gravitate towards a much more feminine aesthetic, whereas my fall/winter wardrobe is far more menswear inspired. When I was having a closet clear-out recently, I noticed that there's a big hole in my wardrobe for more feminine tops and shoes. I gravitate a lot towards sweaters and cotton t-shirts for my top half and, for shoes, I love loafers and boots. However, for the spring time that combination can look a little too heavy. I really want to invest more in a few feminine blouses, especially wrap tops, since I think they are one of the most flattering shapes, and still look incredible with a pair of vintage jeans. For shoes, I've been hugely drawn to slingbacks, because even though they're still flats they look far more feminine than a loafer or a basic slide. 

Last, but certainly not least I want to touch on my intense, newfound love of linen. I've been seeing lots of images of linen clothes floating around Instagram and Pinterest and I can't quite put my finger on it, but there's something about it that just looks so effortless and cool. I bought this linen shirt from Everlane a couple of weeks ago and it has quickly become one of my favorite shirts. Not only is linen extremely pretty, but it's also easy to take care of, which makes it that much more enticing to wear for the warmer months. I will definitely be keeping an eye on some good linen pieces for the upcoming seasons. Who knows, a pair of linen pants might even be in the cards!

Spring Makeup Updates

Even though it has officially been spring for about four weeks, it really hasn't felt like it till now. I'm someone who always feels very effected by the weather and by the changing of the seasons. I don't consider myself the biggest fan of warm weather, but coming into this spring especially, I've been much more restless for the longer, sunnier days ahead. I've also been stuck in a rut over the past couple of months because I got caught in a routine of wearing the same things clothing and makeup wise during the winter months. I rejigged my makeup bag a few weeks ago (as well as bought a few new products here and there) and it is making me feel so much more refreshed and spring-like. 

I always tend to go for minimal makeup in the spring time and I love to keep things even fresher and simpler than a usually do when the warmer seasons come around. Because of that most of my makeup in the spring and summer is mainly eye and cheek products, since I usually just wear a swipe of tinted lip balm on my lips. One of my favorite additions to my makeup bag for spring has been the Make Beauty Bisou Bisou Universal Stick, which was created by Maddie from LaMadelynn. I love not only that you can use this product on both lips and cheeks (which can't always be said for most multi-purpose products), but the shade is unlike anything else I have in my makeup stash. It is the perfect bricky red tone, and when applied to my cheeks, makes me look like I've spent some time in the sun (without looking like a lobster). I also absolutely love the Glossier Haloscope in Quartz and even though it's a product I use year-round, it gets the most use during the springtime when I want that super healthy and glowy skin look. 

I'm normally into a good mix of matte and shimmer eyeshadows, but for some reason this spring I got very into shimmery eyeshadows that are so iridescent they almost give off that glossy eye look. As I'm sure most of you know, I love a good cream eyeshadow stick and the Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Moonlight is my most recent edition in my eyeshadow stick collection. The color is a sandy bronze color, that leans a tad cool without being full on taupe. While it is incredibly shimmery it doesn't come off as tacky or frosty, but rather its metallic and because of that looks glossy when applied all over the eye lids. I think it would be remiss of me to give the Glossier Lidstars a mention. I have to say that I don't think these are the be all end all of liquid eyeshadows, but the shades Slip and Moon are really nice if you just want a sheer wash of color all over the lid, and they are pretty fool proof to apply. 

My Month in Film | March 2018

First off I’m going to apologize for this post being so late. The end of March was super busy, as was the rest of the month. Even though it took me a little longer to finish this roll than it normally does, there were lots of exciting things to document this month. While it was an incredibly busy month, I had a decent amount of time off work both on the weekends and during the week to go on trips, see more of the city, and spend time with friends and family. It also helps that it finally started to feel like spring this last month, which had a huge effect on both my mood and motivation. 

Sézane Farrow Bag | A Review

Today's post is a bit different than the usual ones you see on here, as I usually don't do single product reviews, especially of fashion pieces.  I've waited a while to write this blog post because even though it was total love at first sight with this bag I wanted to give myself some time to mull over my thoughts in order to give a very thorough and honest review. I first saw the Sézane Farrow bag on Lily Pebbles' Instagram and was immediately drawn to it. I knew that was the first sign that I should think about getting it because I am almost never drawn to bucket bags. It just was never a shape that resonated with me. I also love Sézane and I think they produce some really amazing, high-quality pieces, without charging an insane amount. Even though seeing the picture of Lily with her bucket bag made me change my thinking about bucket bags I was not at all prepared to go out and splurge on what is perhaps the bucket bag, i.e. the Mansur Gavriel bucket bag. Even though I think that is the ultimate bucket bag, I wasn't in love with it enough to justify paying the several extra hundred dollars. 

Over Christmas I decided to take the plunge and buy the bag (with the help of some Christmas money) and have not looked back since. I decided that since its not a shape I'm necessarily used to I went for the classic black. First off, the ordering process on Sézane is great! The shipping was free, which was especially nice since it was shipping from France and since it shipped via DHL, it got to my house in about three days. As soon as I got the bag I knew it was going to be perfect. The leather is extremely thick and seems like it will age beautifully over time. For me, the size is the best thing about this bag. It's just big enough to fit everything I'd need either on a work day or a day out, which usually includes my little film camera, small makeup bag, phone, keys, water bottle, wallet, and the book I'm reading at the moment. However, because it's not nearly as big as something like my Longchamp Large Tote or my Madewell Transport Tote, its a much more realistic bag to take from day to night. The strap is also long enough for it to be worn over one shoulder or crossbody. 

Because it is a bucket bag I assumed the inside would just be one big cavity, but there is actually a decent sized zipper side pocket and an open pocket, which is about the size of an iPhone 8 plus, in the lining. Even though there isn't a zipper, because of the drawstring at the top, you can still close the bag pretty much completely and have it feel pretty secure. It is more time consuming to have ties on a bag rather than a zipper, but that just comes with the territory of owning a bucket bag. The only downside that I have come across with this bag is that it can get heavy if you really pack it with a lot of stuff. This is partly because the bag itself is, as I mentioned before, made of pretty thick sturdy leather. That being said, I would much rather have a slightly heavy bag that will be durable over years and years than a lightweight bag that'll wear out over time. 

The Importance of Self-Care & My Self-Care Routine

I recently talked about my journey with self-love and the more that time goes on I have realized how self-care is a necessary component within practicing self-love. Working full time and trying to get my freelance career going has meant that I have very little free time and the free time I do have is normally dedicated to seeing friends, being with my family, or spending time with my boyfriend, which means I have very little time to just be by myself.  As someone who is a true introvert, I need time to be completely by myself to feel energized and refreshed. I have learned, especially in the past few weeks, that taking time for myself and really being present for myself is absolutely essential for my well-being and feeling like I’m really taking care of myself. 

As I’ve become more and more aware of what exactly it is that I need to feel refreshed and energized, I’ve been able to implement a more solid routine for self-care. That’s not to say that it’s absolutely perfect, because it’s still definitely a work in progress and something that I will continue to hone in on. 

One of the most important elements of my self-care routine is unplugging. I am normally attached to some kind of device at all times whether it be my phone or my computer. As nice as it is to unwind by watching a load of shows on Netflix, it never helps me totally relax and feel like I’m doing something good for myself. The simple act of reading for an hour or so has a drastic impact on me feeling refreshed after a long day because it is done with a lot more intention. It’s also easier to stay present when I’m reading than it is if I’m binge watching Netflix or scrolling through Instagram on my phone.

Another element of my self-care routine that I really need to work on more is excercise and being more rigorous with myself about sticking to some sort of a routine. Oftentimes the nights where I would benefit the most from doing exercise are the nights that I’m exhausted from work and convince myself that I can’t possibly excercise. I would like to get back into a routine of doing yoga especially because it is easily the most relaxing and enjoyable forms of excercise I have done.

Finally, there’s the pampering aspect of a good self-care routine. In some ways I kind of hate the word pamper night, because it sounds superfluous and vain, but sometimes doing a face mask and taking a long bath is exactly what you need to feel human again. Lately I’ve really been enjoying doing epsom salt baths because not only do they help to relieve muscle soreness, but the magnesium is really good for you if you have very high stress levels. Even the simple act of lighting my favorite Byredo Bibliothèque can have a huge effect on my mood when I’m trying to get into relaxation mode. I have also gotten in the habit of doing more face masks during the week, some of my favorites include the Peter Thomas Roth Pumpkin Enzyme Mask, the Glossier Moon Mask, and the Glossier Mega Greens Galaxy Pack.