FASHION | Sexy Summer Lace Inspiration

July 12, 2016July 6, 20174 Comments

Hello Lovlies! ❤️ Yay, it’s officially summer! Hope the heat has been good to you so far. I was having a discussion with a friend the other day on which season was our favorite. I obviously said summer and his response was winter. His argument: “When it’s cold, at least you can put layers on, but when it’s hot, there’s only so much clothes you can take off.” While that’s true, I disagree. I love the summer season for the fact that you get to wear less layers! Don’t get me wrong, I know you can’t be going out in your unmentionables, but it’s fun to show them off sometimes. I think side-boob is a thing right now, but I just can’t do it. So when I want to wear a top that is low-cut on the sides or backless, I usually opt for a lacy bra to give a pop of sexy.

Lace is usually my material of choice. It’s feminine, elegant, and can be combined with anything. And when a bit of lace pops out with the movement of your clothes, it can be ever so sexy. So for the summertime, consider combining lacy pieces that are within the same color palate as your top. Opt for pieces that are darker shades if you want to make it the highlight of your outfit or lighter shades if you want an elegant understatement.

Highlighting the piece gives this outfit an edgier look.

Rose lace design

Hopefully this flat lay inspires you! Let me know what you think of this look and if you want to continue to see more posts like these.

XOXO

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– ♥ ♥ ♥ –

Travel | Santorini, Greece

July 7, 2016July 8, 2016Leave a comment

This spring, my best gal pal and I took a European adventure from France to Greece! Out of all the locations we visited, Santorini, Greece, was hands-down the most amazing.

Santorini is actually the most active volcanic center in the Aegean Sea. The island is known for being the site of one the largest volcanic eruptions ever recorded in history. The eruption caused a portion of the island to collapse, giving the area the crescent shape of today.

Today, Santorini is best known for their blue top buildings and marvelous sunsets. The food is not so bad either and the locals are kind and friendly. Things to do on the island range from sailing to wine tasting.

During our trip, we rented a car and explored every town. The rental was $40 euros for 24 hours. They didn’t even check for a driver’s license!

That day we had lunch in Pyrgos, explored the black sand beaches of Kamari, and caught the sunset in Oia.

The following day we set sail on a snorkeling sunset excursion. It ended up being too cold to snorkel, but catching the sunset off the ocean was worth it. The boat sailed around the island stopping at all of the various beaches – black sand, red sand, and white sand beach. The crew made us a great meal and shared their stories with us.

While being on that island was so surreal, hearing people’s stories made the experience humbling. I can’t even tell you how many times we were asked what is what like to be living the “American Dream.” Hearing locals’ first-hand accounts of Greece’s economic state and how they had limited access to money during the initial stages of the banking crisis really put things into perspective. It wasn’t something that we asked, but it was the stories the locals wanted to share… so, we listened. The most amazing part of all is that through it all they were still happy and kind because they have a love of Santorni…. and that’s what made me fall in love with Santorini even more.

XOXO

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Motivation | Why it’s okay to travel solo

June 1, 2016June 9, 20162 Comments

Travel as much as you can, as far as you can, as long as you can. Life’s not meant to be lived in one place.

Paris, France

I always romanticized travel. I imagined one day traveling the world with that special someone. That we would stroll through the streets of Paris, eat gelato in Italy, and experience the monuments of Rome together. I imagined that one day I would travel the world, and that ‘one day’ it would be with that special someone. Yet, I find myself in a point in time where that one day has not yet arrived. So I have to ask the question, does my decision to travel and experience the world really hinge on finding that special someone?

Growing up, I was taught that travel was a luxury. That travel was something that you got to do when you were well settled in your life. Perhaps, this is what helped to shape my romanticized idea. I guess I equated being married with being well settled in my life. But yet, here I am, without that special someone and I find myself with this longing to experience the world!

So I took a leap of faith. I mean, what was I really waiting for? I decided that I let too much of my life pass without experiencing the moments. I came upon a crux. Perhaps a quarter life crisis? I like to think of it more as wise thought. I took a friend up on an offer to take a trip to Thailand. Maybe it was a crazy whim, but if I was going to go out of my comfort zone, I was going to go big. I knew that by taking that trip to Thailand, life was about to happen. A second thought didn’t even cross my mind.

Don’t think twice about travel. Make that commitment to take a trip. Perhaps you are a little hesitant to go outside of your comfort zone. Or perhaps you feel like me, where you want to share that experience with that special someone. But just because you experience the world on your own, doesn’t mean you can’t make different memories with that someone later on. Whatever it may be, take my advice and travel as much as you can, as far as you can. Make memories. Indulge in different cultures. Experience the moments. Don’t let a longing desire eat you up inside. You don’t know what is out there until you experience it for yourself.

Travel the world while you are able. Live and be free. Let life happen.

XOXO

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OOTD | Spring Forward

February 28, 20162 Comments

Is it spring yet?! The weather in California seems to be confused lately. Some days are sweltering hot, while others are gloomy and chilly. The weekend before last was one of those perfect California winter days though, with the weather right in between.

My cousin and I decided to dress up a bit. It was her birthday and we were also celebrating Galentine’s Day. She wore a blue jean dress while I wore a floral winged romper.

She dressed up her outfit with a vintage purse, a thrift store find, and handmade sandals from Mexico.

I wore my Lucky Brand studded gladiator sandals and small tan Marc Jacobs cross body purse.

We had a great time exploring Old Town Pasadena and ate to our heart’s content. Check out my previous post to see what we were up to.

A wise girl knows her limits, a smart girl knows she has none. – Marilyn Monroe

XOXO

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Galentine’s Day | Exploring Pasadena, CA

February 18, 2016February 18, 20167 Comments

“Galentine’s Day?”, you may be asking. What exactly is Galentine’s Day? Well that’s the same question I had when I noticed that hash tag trending in IG – so I looked it up!

Season 2 of Parks and Recs can be credited for starting the trend. Galentine’s Day is celebrated on February 13th, the day before Valentine’s. According to Wikia, Galentine’s Day is the best day of the year. It is a day to celebrate your female friendships and it’s basically an excuse to pamper yourselves and have a girls day out.

Armed with excessive FOMO (fear of missing out), my cousin and I set up our Galentine’s date and set out to explore Pasadena.

We started out the day with intentions to do brunch at Urth Caffe. If you checked out my ‘Breakfast in Southern California’ post, you probably have a good idea of just how amazing breakfast at Urth Caffe is.

Well, things didn’t turn out quite as planned and we missed the breakfast menu. But that didn’t stop us from enjoying our “brunch”. We ordered a green tea boba, morrocan tea boba (which tastes like a minty green tea), a chicken pesto salad, and sprout sandwich.

Our lunch options did not disappoint. The lunch at Urth Caffe is just as good as the breakfast.

Did I mention it was my cousin’s birthday? The main reason for celebration of course! (Although a Galentine’s Day celebration is also a good excuse.)

Following our lunch, we ventured out to old town Pasadena, one of my favorite places for people watching and window shopping. We were pleasantly surprised to find an interactive art installation in One Colorado. It was entitled “Heart Strings”. Guests were encouraged to take a heart and write a message of love or declaration for an admirer and pin it to strings that were hung from wooden posts.

I was so excited when @EnjoyPasadena re-posted my photo on their Instagram account!

Following our stroll we decided to stop by POP Champagne & Dessert Bar for some bubbly. It’s not a true brunch unless champagne is involved. 😉

We wrapped up our day with milky buns from AFTERS ice cream. What is a milky bun you may ask? Only the most amazing deliciousness wrapped in a donut!