I’ve lived in LA for over two years now but have yet to fully explore the Venice Boardwalk. Partially because… it’s a bit of an interesting scene and I really dislike large crowds/tourist attractions. One day I decided to get up early and check out the beach, rent a bike, and actually explore a part of the city I’ve been dying to see more of! I love Venice – if nothing else this part of town is so full of character and such a welcome change from West Hollywood!
If you go early enough, you can beat the crowds and get the boardwalk mostly to yourself. I also get asked a lot by my out of town friends how often I make it to the beach – the answer is embarrassingly only a couple times a year, at best! One of my resolutions (why wait for 2017 when you can start now?!) is to explore the city more and not make distance/traffic/other excuses a barrier to making the most of where I live.
Even in November, LA can be hot, hot, hot – and the last thing you want is to be a sweaty mess (especially when wearing all white – eek!). Thank god for deodorant. My favorite deodorant now comes in a spray version – Dove Dry Spray deo smells amazing (the cucumber scent has been my go to for YEARS and translates wonderfully in the spray version), dries instantly, and keeps you fresh for 48 hours. What’s not to love?
Thank you to Dove and Simply for sponsoring this post. As always, all opinions are my own.
The hunt for the perfect pair of vintage Levi’s isn’t easy. If you’re like me and love vintage denim but don’t want to spend your weekends scouring flea markets and vintage stores for the perfect fit, you’ll want to go the route of having the work already done for you. Enter Re/Done denim – one of a kind, repurposed vintage Levi’s. No two pairs are the same, so don’t be shy about trying on a few different sizes/washes/fits before fully committing.
I finally bit the bullet on buying a pair this year (I have the shorts and high rise cropped) and while I’m sure you could get similar denim for a fraction of the price, the time and energy I saved was well worth the cost. It also takes the guesswork out of sizing – as many of you probably already know, sizing on vintage denim is a bitch and it can be a nightmare trying to figure out what size you are depending on the year/style/cut. Besides, denim trends are cyclical and I’m a fan of mom jeans for life.
RE/DONE Vintage Denim
The older I get, the more I fall in love with denim (despite my natural aversion to wearing pants or anything particularly constricting). The best part of vintage denim is it only gets better with wear. The material really stretches to fit your body. And softens to the point where you just want to wear them all day long.
Also now that it’s winter and we’re in the thick of the holiday season I can’t stop wearing faux fur jackets. Thankfully there are so many great options at every price point this year.
Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving week! Debating whether or not to do a holiday gift guide. It seems like there are SO many floating out there. LMK if this is something you’d like to see!
Wanted to quickly chat with you guys about YOGA before the weekend. I’ve shared my workout routine before, but something I’ve been trying to incorporate more lately is yoga. I find exercise to be the #1 form of stress relief for me, but nothing clears my mind the way yoga does.
I know a lot of people think yoga is “boring” and “not real exercise” (I disagree with both statements!) – but I really do believe yoga is one of the best things you can do for your body.
The benefits of yoga are practically endless.
Increased strength and flexibility, improved circulation, posture, bone health, stress relief, the list goes on and on… It’s also a great cross-training option – especially if you run and/or lift weights! I especially love hip opening stretches (LOVE/HATE half pigeon pose).
The key is to find the type of yoga that is right for you.
Here’s a helpful guide to different types of yoga. My personal favorite is heated vinyasa (the heat is so detoxifying), so I stick to that. Although LA has a seemingly endless amount of yoga studios, I had a hard time finding a studio I really loved. Lately I’ve been really into Y7 studio – basically heated vinyasa set to badass music (think tons of hip hop).
In terms of what to wear to yoga, it helps to wear something slightly more form fitted so you’re not constantly readjusting your clothes. There are so many stylish athleisure brands out there today – if you’re looking for a wide selection definitely check out Sculptique – some of the cutest workout clothes out there.
I’ve always wanted to get my yoga teacher training certification – any trained yoga teachers out there with insight or advice?
Ok, I have to ask… what are your thoughts on the law of attraction? If you’re not familiar with the concept, it’s the idea that “like attracts like.” To put it simply, if you give positive energy, you’ll attract and receive positive energy. If you give negative energy, you’ll attract and receive negative energy. It’s thrown around a lot, especially in LA. I started to look into it recently and my feelings are totally mixed.
Not trying to be all new age and weird on you guys (for the record I don’t get my tarot cards read and I only jokingly talk about my horoscope), but I couldn’t help but notice that the law of attraction is… kind of true.
You’re probably thinking, hold up, she’s lost it – but here’s the thing. Doesn’t it, on a somewhat baseline intuitive level, kind of make sense? I wouldn’t go so far to say that it’s a “law” (we’re not talking physics here, guys) but it isn’t a bad principle to live by.
Law of Attraction
In our daily lives, often what we give is what we get. Think about when you’re walking around on the street. What is everyone doing? They’re most likely walking past you, barely looking at you or focused entirely on their phones. But what happens when someone smiles at you? Maybe it takes you by surprise, and maybe you’ll smile back at them. Try it today – smile at 10 strangers and see how they respond. You’d be surprised by how many people break their mold to reciprocate.
Even on a deeper level, it kind of makes sense. “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” It’s all about perception. Isn’t it interesting how two people can look at the same exact situation and see things so differently? One person might see a setback that brings them down, the other a challenge that will take them to the next level.
I couldn’t help but look into the law of attraction when very recently, I was being a typical millennial and having another quarter-life crisis about my career and destiny. After complaining to my boyfriend the 286276x time he gave me another pep talk (he’s the best) and helped me shift my mindset, view things more positively, and then – the craziest thing happened. It was almost as if an opportunity came knocking on my door.
Maybe it’s because when we’re positive, we see things differently.
I see this every day in life. I do my best to recognize it in myself and others around me. If someone is seeing things through a negative lens, I do my best to flip it into a positive. (Note: Not trying to be that annoying girl that doesn’t let you complain – I recognize not every situation is appropriate for this and I totally get that not everything in life can be perfect and happy. BUT a lot of the things we complain about in our day to day is small and more often than not, #firstworldproblems.)
What do you think? Am I completely crazy? It has been a really crazy time of year so who knows, I may have totally lost it – but I’d love to hear your thoughts!!
I wrote about the importance of loving yourself recently, and have sincerely made it a point to honor my mind and body more. To me, one of the key components of self-love is self-awareness. Also, the ability to recognize when you need a break. We all know the feeling of being on the brink of complete burnout and running on empty.
Thinking that if you push yourself just a little more you’ll be able to truly do it all (which in my mind is a myth, but more on that another day). More often than not, when we try to do too much we end up completely fatigued, exhausted, and sick. As much as I would love to be the person that can do it all, I’ve recognized the importance of taking breaks BEFORE that burnout occurs so that you don’t end up completely out of commission.
The Importance of Taking Breaks
This past week was long and emotional. To be honest I struggled internally with blogging after Tuesday. It didn’t feel right to me. I try to keep things light hearted and positive on the blog, but I just couldn’t muster up the energy. I’ve talked a lot of positivity on the blog, and in general think it’s so important to be hopeful and optimistic. But sometimes you’re just too tired to fake it. Even if you’re trying to find ways to stay motivated. I know this isn’t the normal fluffy happy blog topic BUT I do think it’s important to keep it real and honest. Not every day is going to be sunshine and shoes and trends and it’s ok to acknowledge that.
I had to tell myself – it’s ok to take a break. It’s ok to be tired. It’s ok to want to do nothing and just have a day/night to yourself. So I’m putting the coffee down, hitting the snooze button, and focusing on healing and rest before trying to take on the world again. (Probably going to meditate and get a massage as well.)
On a somewhat tangential note, if you’re looking for ways to take action, here’s a wonderful post written by a friend compiling all the ways to help women and minorities in the wake of last week’s events. Thank you Hayley for more eloquently sharing the words many of us are thinking.
