Outfit: Pink tunic and flowered shorts.

Photos by Aidan Bradbury-Aranda

earrings: Forever 21

tunic: Gloria Vanderbilt

shorts: Wet Seal

belt: Rue 21

bag: New York and Co.

sandals: Rue 21

This beautiful tunic is one of those things that my mother can't possibly expect to purchase and actually get to keep for herself. It's actually a thrift find, but originally by the lovely Gloria Vanderbilt, talented baby-conceiver of the love of my life Anderson Cooper. Not surprisingly, my outfit is centered on multiple shades of pink, coming together to form the quintessential girly color palette. I'm just having such a difficult time deciding where I want to go with my wardrobe- pink or red + black. Judging by my newly revamped layout, I guess I've subconsciously made my choice, but sometimes you just gotta keep the little girl inside of you alive, ya know? (Ironically enough, when I was a kid I was a tomboy with a bowl cut and a love of Hot Wheels/ giving Barbies buzz cuts). 

I wore this outfit (with a sports bra underneath) as double duty for a lunch date and trampoline park with my boyfriend. It looks like a perfectly appropriate outfit for a casual LA lunch, but who would've thought I'd feel so comfortable jumping around trampolines and trekking through foam pits? It's all in the undergarments, people! 

Style Tip: Tuck in one side of your tunic and match a belt with the embroidery. It will give it a carefree cool look and make it feel less boxy/shapeless.

Thank you plenty for reading! :) 

Outfit: Bright Girly Workout Gear.

Photos by Aidan Bradbury-Aranda

sports bra- Champion

top- American Eagle Outfitters

yoga pants- Forever 21

sneakers- Reebok

There's something about spending at least one day taking care of my body that makes me feel so refreshed and invincible. Over the weekend, date day turned into 'let's be cute and active together' day with us braving the mighty rays of sunshine and exploring the basic Hollywood hike for the first time. To top it off, lunch at Lemonade, basically my new favorite place on earth, made us feel like our morning efforts weren't in vain. For about $20, we feasted on kale, chickpeas, pineapple chicken salad (?- don't quote me on that one. It had SOME sort of fancy fruit-chicken combo going on), a sandwich, and of course, a red velvet cupcake (it was tiny, alright?). For anyone salivating after reading that (or not, because my description does NOT do that place justice at all), you can find your new favorite Los Angeles food stop here. 

Style Tip: Pairing same color family brights is on trend and looks put together when you stick to two or three colors. Playing with top cutout elements will not only give the outfit an aesthetically interesting look, but will also add functionality by helping air out your body throughout the physical activity. Basically, brights + cutouts = recipe for success, at least in my world.

With beautiful weather quickly approaching, I can't wait to leave behind sedentary activities and shower the outdoors with the love it deserves. I have a feeling this summer will be spent in plenty of workout gear.

Thank you so much for stopping by! :)

Outfit: Charlotte Russe Skater Dress + Touches of Red.

Photos by Aidan Bradbury-Aranda

hair accessory- Chico's

jewelry- handmade by boyfriend

clutch- thrifted

sunglasses- street vendor in Romania

dress- Charlotte Russe (gifted)

shoes- Rue21

As someone who is, for the most part, anti skater dress, I stand corrected. This adorable Charlotte Russe number was gifted to me by a friend (thanks, Laura!) and I've been waiting for the perfect occasion to wear it for a while. A museum outing just fits perfectly with this dress' vibe, doesn't it? A detail that I forgot to photograph is the massive zipper with red details on the back of the dress, the main element tying the dress to its accessories. I'm pretty bummed about forgetting, but I'll definitely feature this dress in future posts and make sure to share all of its cuteness with the world. 

Style Tip: For a timeless feel, choose one color from your main piece and match it with the accessories. The color scheme of this dress screams winter, but by adding red accessories, I managed to lighten up the entire look. Red is scientifically proven to make people look more attractive, so why not indulge? By choosing red as opposed to neons, this look maintains a classic elegance contrasting the current highlighter outfits popular among the younger crowd. 

As part of our little LACMA endeavor, we visited the Journey of a Dress DVF exhibition. The displays were a girly girl's dream with pink walls and insane prints! Below I've added some drool-worthy display shots. Gosh, I can't stop daydreaming about that sparkly black number and lip printed wrap. To anyone reading this: MY KINGDOM FOR A DVF WRAP DRESS. 

The only downside was very obviously being judged by some guy for my Rue21 Valentino look-alikes. I felt like such a phony, but oh well! Not all of us were born in fluff. 

As per usual, I am insanely grateful that you stopped by! Thank you so much! :)

Outfit: Modcloth's Uniquely You Challenge.

Last week I was contacted by Modcloth's Amy Hirt to take part in the 'Uniquely You' challenge. Needless to say, I did a little internal silent dance (I was at work at the time) because WOW IT'S MODCLOTH and WOW I'M BEING COMPLIMENTED BY A BEAUTIFUL WELL-KNOWN BRAND and WOW BUT REALLY IT'S MODCLOTH! 

By agreeing to participate, I was sent a picture of the Summer Night Stroll Dress in red, and given the task to style it with at most seven other items currently being sold on modcloth.com using Wanelo. Here is my take on this lovely maxi dress: 

You can also check out my storyboard and all the product details at Wanelo. 

I call this look Olive Oyl (as in Popeye the Sailor Man's lady).On the show, Olive's standout piece of clothing is always red, and her name is the perfect color inspiration to finish off the look. Massive earrings and blazers are some of my go-to wardrobe staples, so it's definitely a look I will be sporting all summer long. 

As usual, thank you for stopping by! 

Opinion: Self-discovery through another's eyes.

Tonight's post is going to be a little bit different than usual. I've been meaning to write about this for a while, but now I'm getting around to it in an attempt to procrastinate on the important academic stuff I should be dealing with instead. A few weeks ago, I was having this gag-worthy adorable conversation with my boyfriend- he was telling me everything he's observed about me these past two years. And as he was listing more and more things, I came to a realization- we take so much of who we are for granted!

I'm not sure if I'm expressing what I want to say correctly. Basically, from the inside, growing into our own bodies, we become accustomed to ourselves to the point where there's never a sense of novelty. We just kind of take every little aspect of who we are and shrug it off as just that- a part of who we are. In doing so, we might think of ourselves as ordinary people with nothing special to offer, but from an outsider's perspective, things may be different. Throughout our talk, I found myself thinking, 'Oh, wow, this really is me!' He was mentioning little things, that have always been such a huge part of who I am, yet I've never been able to detach myself from them enough to identify them as traits, assets, hobbies, etc. As an example, I'm studying journalism because I'm tired of all the negativity the press is bombarding us with on a daily basis, and I would like to play a small part in the shift to positive news. Frequently, I spend my time watching UpWorthy videos, or scrolling through Buzzfeed's cute love-filled community posts. More than anything else, this is the stuff I share with my boyfriend, and, until he brought it up, I failed to realize just how important it was to identify this aspect of my life as a passion rather than just a habit.  Society places such a strong emphasis on figuring yourself out rather than relying on other people's descriptions, and while it's an empowering concept, it does has its flaws. For one, as mentioned before, sometimes things become us to a point where we can't peel off the layers and analyze them as individual traits forming a whole. But another, equally important aspect is the fact that people tend to sugarcoat the way they view themselves and describe themselves more in terms of who they'd like to be than who they actually are. In theory, a lovely concept. In practice, a dose of realism really should be applied.

The moral of the story is this- you owe it to yourself to ask for an honest description of how you're perceived by other people. It could be your parents, it could be your significant others, it could be your friends. They could have some pretty strong insight into who you are, and what your strengths and weaknesses come across. You don't have to take their opinions to heart if you don't want to, but don't cheat yourself out of the opportunity to hear them.

Ever use the expression 'You know me better than I know myself'? Well, sometimes it's a major truth-bomb.

Thanks for stopping by :) 

Outfit: Polka Dot Sweater and Comfy Leggings.

Photos by Laura DeMouche

jewelry: handmade by boyfriend

jacket: thrifted

sweater: Worthington at JC Penney

clutch: thrifted

leggings: G by Guess (thrifted)

shoes: Wet Seal

Out of every single outfit I've ever posted, I can truly say this is as me as it gets. The color scheme, the mix between mall pieces and thrift store pieces, the comfort aspect, this outfit is everything I love about clothes. Back in middle school/first half of high school, 3/4 of my wardrobe was full of thrifted gems! I miss the days when people were impressed with my (read: my mother's) mad thrifting skills, and sometimes wish I wasn't so addicted to the mall setting.

This jacket is one of my all-time favorites- a versatile piece, which can be dressed down or up (as can be seen here). It even came with a skirt, so I'll definitely be wearing it in other combinations in the future. At the beginning of every month, my local thrift store has an offer where you can fill an entire large brown paper bag with whatever items you can fit in for $5. This little beauty occupied about 1/1000 of the bag, so I probably paid around 25 cents for it. What's not to love?

As always, thank you so much for stopping by :)

Outfit: Shiny Peplum and Tights.

Photos by Laura DeMouche

earrings: thrifted

necklace: Icing

jacket: Rue21

backpack: Mossimo (at Target)

peplum: Charlotte Russe

shorts: Wet Seal

tights: Charlotte Russe

boots: Route 66 (at K-Mart) 

I've been spending a lot of time in yoga class lately, and every time I work on my breath, I'm supposed to visualize the air filling up my lungs and thinking of a mantra to repeat in my head. For me, that mantra is "It's almost over." It feels so ironic and counterproductive to be trying to slow down my thoughts and be mindful and in the present while constantly repeating something that sounds so rushed and impatient. This semester has just been dragging on and on, and the sophomoreitis I'm suffering from is so intense that I just need a lot of medication (and by medication I mean a trip to Los Angeles to see a cute boyfriend and eat macaroons- oh wait, that's ACTUALLY HAPPENING soon!). 

This month, my outfits have been filled with as much color, or shine, or combination of both as possible. Faking it till I make it has never felt more difficult, but I'm so grateful for the power of clothes! It's all about perspective. Yes, that particular day may have been gray, but all it needed was a bit of sparkle. Don't give up quite yet, overworked college students. We're all in this together!

Thank you so much for stopping by! :)

Outfit: Fluffy Winter Coat and Boots.

Photos by Ionela Petriu

earrings: Charlotte Russe

coat: Aeropostale

turtleneck (underneath): Gap

jeans: Aeropostale

bag: thrifted

boots: Jazmin at Ross Dress for Less

Confused about my seemingly unreasonable outfit choice for an obviously sunny day? Oh, so was I when it magically started snowing lightly one morning during spring break. Northern New Mexico weather is definitely a force to be reckoned with. It's no polar vortex, but if you come up north dreaming of (365) days of summer, good luck with that one!

On the bright side, the weather really does keep you on your toes- one day it's spaghetti strap time, and the next, it feels like Christmas season all over again. I enjoyed donning this outfit because I hadn't gotten many chances to show off my new Aeropostale coat, which I got for $5 (!!!) on sale.

Aeropostale is definitely one of those stores that stepped their game up these past few years. From the Bethany Mota collection, to the Pretty Little Liars collection, and all the new colorful workout gear, Aeropostale has a lot to offer at budget-friendly prices. I found this particular jacket in the sales rack, marked at $15 (which would have been an amazing deal in itself). Imagine my surprise (and delight) when I only had to cash out $5! So excited to go back and purchase more cuteness from them!

Thank you for stopping by :)

Outfit: Carrie Diaries Inspired Animal Print + Flower Power Look.

Photos by Leo Petriu

earrings: Icing 

shirt: New York and Co.

blazer: Wet Seal

skirt: Cherokee

heels: Charlotte Russe

This spring break, I've been catching up on all my Carrie Diaries episodes, and it's just been the ultimate guilty pleasure. I hate all of the characters- especially the way they talk- yet I can't get enough of the visuals, so I keep on watching. And by visuals, I of course mean Carrie's dad, who is a total hunk. Partially kidding! I'm also obsessed with Carrie's print-rich wardrobe. For today's outfit post, I attempted to channel some of Carrie's printed charm into my look.  Though all three prints are relatively the same in size, they do not overwhelm because of the color scheme. At first glance, the skirt's vibrant colors pop out, balancing out the neutral animal prints. The skirt's cut and heels add height and definition to my legs, making it seem like I spent hours working on calf definition. Ladies, maybe she IS born with it. But most of the time it's just a nice pair of heels.  Thank you for stopping by :)