Bae Area // SF

Since my sister's wedding is coming up, I made a quick trip to the Bay Area a couple weeks before the actual date. I left LA in a crop top and when I left the car to go to the hotel room I was immediately freezing - I definitely knew I wasn't in SoCal anymore. I have a thing for exploring cities, trying new foods, seeing the different houses and SF has some of the best, funky houses you can ever set your eyes on. My family and I walked through Noe Valley, which is called "the best neighborhood in SF" also the most expensive and I was in awe, it is absolutely beautiful. If you're ever in the San Francisco/Bay Area, Noe Valley is a must see. 

COMFY CASUAL

Simple strap heels are my favorite heels of all time and definitely my go-to. My current go-to for this moment in time are my new nude simple strap heel from Chinese Laundry. I have always drooled over the heels of CL every time I passed by a store window or took a quick walk-through, finally I purchased my pair. They are the best, go with anything and are the perfect touch to any outfit.

PHARRELL WILLIAMS

That name is all I have to say, it is self-explanatory. I have been a devoute Pharrell Williams fan since I was in elementary school, with all the Neptunes and N.E.R.D. cds in my possession. For my birthday I received this wonderful book that I've been wanting to purchase since he released it. It is one of my favorite gifts of all time. Each page is full of bright, colorful photos showcasing his past tours, style, photoshoots and it also includes interviews he has done with people that have influenced his journey. It has inspired and I can't to place this on my future coffee table of my future house.

Cruisin' Manhattan & Venice neighborhoods

As a summer baby and being me, the beach is my second home. I've gone countless times this summer, just the way I like it. One of my favorite past times aside from being on a surfboard in the water is beach cruising. I took the liberty to sight-see the beautiful characteristic architechtures and houses of the Manhattan and Venice beach neighborhoods. All I think in my head as I pass them are, "life goals".

LA garment district

My sister is getting married (oh the FEELS) and so I took a quick trip to the Los Angeles garment district to get materials for this special event. It's fun going through the different stores and finding all these beautiful patterns and stores specializing in pieces, clothing, accessories and more. Of course I had to pick up a few accessories for myself, because I couldn't help myself - cute and great prices can't be beat.

JULY - BIRTHDAY MONTH!

So I haven't been able to get around to posting the past month of July, because it's been pretty busy with summer classes. But awesome at the same time, because it was my favorite month of the year and my birthday month (whoo)! I have officially turned 21 (cue the 'celebrate good times' music)! And let me tell you, it has been an amazing start to adulthood.

Before my birthday I was excited with a mixture of worry. Yes I was excited to be able to do anything I please without restrictions, but at the same time I thought to myself, "wow, this is it - everything in my life gets real and everything I do will affect my future". As a cancer sign, I tend to think of the future a lot. I assure myself that it is better to go with the flow. 

The week of my birthday I took a quick trip to Vegas, of course and it was incredible. I spent my very first birthday there at the Rio Hotel, and have an annual trip since then. So I'm used to the Vegas scene, but nothing compares to the day you turn 21 and the possibilities are endless. After I got back from my trip, my older sister who lives in San Francisco came to LA and took me on my birthday weekend tradition, SUPing. It is my absolute favorite watersport and one of my favorite things to do in general. Later that night I had dinner with my family at a swanky, delicious Hawaiian Fusion restaurant - Roy's.

Overall to sum it all up, it was a stupendous birthday month and I can't wait to carpe diem the rest of this 21st year!

HENNA OBSESSED 

Anything and everything about different kinds of culture intrigue me. I absolutely love learning about new things and one of my favorite things to learn about is culture. I feel like being cultured is an important way to live life, because you have a greater understanding of the people and world around you. My latest obsession has been henna (mehndi) tattoos. Of course it's summer! Now I got my first one done at the beginning of summer (before Pia Mia and all these celebrities started posting them). I was absolutely hooked. Now I know what people say, why don't you just get a real one? The fun thing about hennas are you can constantly customize and choose various designs depending on your moods. And I just love how it looks on my left hand. I actually considered getting a real one on my hand because I love how it looked, but considering the career field I want to get into, it wouldn't be the smartest thing. I plan on getting more and more every couple weeks.

SUNFLOWER GIRL FOREVER

Sunflowers are my absolute favorite flower in the entire face of the universe! If I was a flower, I would definitely say I'm a sunflower. Everybody that knows me, knows about my true love for this beautiful plant. Of course I had to celebrate the sunflower/summer season by wearing it all over my body. 

Fun fact: For my debut (which is like a sweet 16, but for 18 year olds) the tradition is usually having 18 roses, but obviously I had to break that trend with my beloved sunflower. So yes, that means my future wedding will have sunflowers everywhere. 

BOHO VIBES

Ch-ch-chaaaiiinnnssss! I've always had a little obsession for chains, the amount of chain necklaces I have in my accessories drawer is endless. Although, I've settled down from wearing those because what better way to rock a chain than to wear on your body and your head. Depending on the style of chain instantly brings a different vibe to an outfit. This particular head chain put me in a boho mood. I paired it with my loose indian-inspired top and a silver choker. 

VENICE BEACH BOARDWALK (IN ONE MINUTE!)

If you're a native Southern Californian or LA person you know that Venice beach (right next to Santa Monica) is notorious for the endless amount of interesting/weird things you see. There are so many different kinds of people (normal of different ethnicities to strange beach bums) and stands were you can buy henna tattoos, handmade jewelry, apparel, food you can find at fairs and festivals - like fried oreos, funnel cakes, fried twinkies, fried pizza etc. If you have never experienced this beach before you get to do it here in just one minute - here's MY own short visual summary of a walk down Venice!

PURPLE DAZE

This flowerly/paisley print chiffon kimono is absolutely perfect for a summer evening and night. It may be a long-sleeve, but it's super thin and light. I've always been in love with kimonos, it's like they give you wings for the day (haha). I paired it with these fun pastel high-waisted shorts to add a little more pop of color. Why? Because I just love color, the more - the better. Just like rings - I have about seven on my fingers (I basically have a jewelry obsession).

SUNFLOWER FEET

Summer days mean more days to relax in a nice shaded area of a park or to simply bask in the sun. Sunflowers are my absolutely, positively number one favorite flower in the entire universe! I was so excited to get my hands on these beautiful babies and take them out for a breather.

ORANGE YOU GLAD IT'S (ALMOST) SUMMER?

I AM! Summer is my absolute favorite season of the entire year! It probably has a lot to do with my being a summer baby, I'm sure. I've been on summer vacation for about 2 weeks now, but I'm basing summer off of the first official day which is June 21st. Took a quick stroll down Venice before work and loved every second of the weather. I appreciate and love summer so much, you don't even know. Oh! And I finally got myself my new canon baby, can't wait to start using it like crazy.

☼ SUMMER READING ☼

When I was little I was the biggest bookworm, major emphasis on bookworm. I lived and breathed literature like no other, finishing books I would borrow from my elementary library as I got off the school bus or reading while eating and reading while following my momma around stores as she shopped. As I got older my reading dwindled down, as the technology era seized the hearts of every child (including me). Once you get to college it's like, who even reads books? Let alone the books that were assigned in class, hello spark notes exists. But I told myself once summer starts I'm going to take the time to read a really good book. And not through an e-book, I can't do e-books, I'm already tired of always looking at my computer screen and phone, so paper-back it is! I've heard about The Alchemist in so many places, whether through mentions by professionals or word of mouth - how could you not hear about it? I always heard such great things about how it has been inspiring and being inspired is one of my favorite feelings ever. So I'm extremely excited to be in the process of reading this book.

(this is me trying to pack "light" for 3 days)

I'm one of those people that packs last minute for a trip - literally hours before. And at the same time, packing "light" does not exist in my vocabulary. What even is packing light, how does accomplish this state of packing? So here I was thinking, okay, this time I'll just bring a smaller luggage, because me arriving with my huge XL luggage is just embarrassing. Low and behold, I ended filling up my adidas sports bag, my herschel backpack and more. A girl's gotta have options ya'know? You never know how you're going to feel. 

Anywaaaaays, every year for the past five years I've been volunteering for this amazing non-profit organization called Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership (best known as HOBY) that changed my life. I go back every year in hopes to create the same positive impact that was instilled onto me and always end up leaving even more inspired seeing the ambassadors go through the program - it's definitely a blessing. It is held in various universities across the country and the world, my local seminar is HOBY Los Angeles. On the last day as I was doing my duties as the deputy director of programs I cameacross this quote on the floor and felt like it was absolutely perfect and the best reminder of what living really and truly is all about. 

SUCKS2SUCK

Went on a quick little shopping trip and happened to find this little gem of a jersey shirt on a table filled with other random shirts of all different brands. It reminded me of the UNIF Hate You 2 jersey - instantly I knew I had to get it, the sarcasm is just great. The day I wore it was one of the last days of finals and lots of people got a kick out of it, especially those sitting behind me in class - sucks2suck eh?

BABY-SIZE NIKE AIRMAXES

My latest obsession for the spring-to-summer transition of the year hands down has to go to my all-white nike airmaxes (90). They go with almost any and every outfit I wear, so I've definitely been breaking them in. They are basically my equivalent of a sneaker heel without even being a heel (in my opinion better than sneaker wedges), they add so much cushion and a little height once they're on your feet. Which is a good thing for me since I'm a shortie, or as I like to refer to it - fun-size. LOVE LOVE LOVE 'EM!

FAVORITE TIME OF DAY ☼ FAVORITE PLACE

The beach is my happy place! Any opportunity, free time I get to have a quick trip to the coast of SoCal makes my day. It was extremely hot in Los Angeles county today, in the late 90s and early 100s - so since it was my day off, straight after class and a couple video edits, I headed straight to the best place ever just in time for the sunset. It was a lot cooler, and perfect weather for a maxi and floppy hat.

I GOT IT FROM MY MOMMA

Trends always come back; ever wish your mom kept some of the clothing she used to wear back in the day? That is definitely me right now. Since it is Mother's Day, I naturally have to dedicate a little some some to the amazing woman that has raised me and my older sister. Especially because all my life she has played double roles as both a mother and a father to me. I'm sure many of you feel me on this one. And I just had to show off these gorgeous photos of her, she has been workin' it since day one.

Shout out to all the single mommas in the world - the true definition of a strong and incredibly beautiful human being! Nobody holds it down like you. You are appreciated. <3

FUNKY FRE$H

I've always had an eye for different kinds of patterns, all kinds of color, vintage pieces and street wear. Basically anything and everything FUNKY. You can hand me the funkiest piece of clothing in your closet (or that you can just find in general) and I bet you I can and will make it work. Story of my life.

Since I'm just starting this up, what better way to summarize the kind of person I am by throwing a bunch of photos onto one post! From here on out I promise to begin easing in a new outfit with each and every post. So without further ado, here is a compilation of a couple outfits I've worn in the past year or so. One thing I've always lived by - I can never ever repeat an outfit. Because of that, I usually take a visual memory. I mean who doesn't nowadays, right?

SUNSET SILHOUETTE

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing."

After years of observing, inspiration and others constantly encouraging me - finally got around to creating my very own. So cheers to the new frontier I explore and share of personal style!