Month: April 2018

Design
07 Apr 2018

Vero

So it has been a month; is Vero still a thing? It was early March when I was flipping through my Instagram stories one day and started noticing a few of the people I followed posting about their new accounts to Vero and beckoning others to follow them. Naturally, I had to do my research. I am someone that does get that FOMO feeling sometimes so I didn’t want to be on the outside of it, but I also know that new trends in tech and social media come up frequently. It’s hard to adopt them all. I already struggle to keep up with my favorites so if I’m going to make a new account, it better be a good one.

To put it simply, Vero is supposed to be Instagram, but better. The app promises that there aren’t any ads. In addition to sharing photos, you can share the things you like right now – books, music, movies, etc. I’ll admit, the intro video is quite compelling and visually pleasing. This alone almost sold me… almost. But not quite, because…a little bit more research brought us to this piece. Honestly, it wasn’t even research because this sort of things was shared everywhere and spread like wildfire across the internet. I’m not convinced yet that this is a platform that I need to join, but I’m willing to hear your thoughts if you’ve given it a go!

Style
07 Apr 2018

Reflective

Sunglasses – Quay / Turtleneck – Aritzia / Denim – Levi’s / Sneakers – Nike

I’m now a woman in my late-20’s living in San Francisco and I love to run errands on the weekend. When I was living in South Bay, my car was my best friend. I would bop around to Santa Clara, Cupertino, Mountain View, and Palo Alto for all the things that I needed. The only weekends when I don’t have errands are when I’m traveling. In the city, I’m using my car less and running errands by foot. My weekend uniform tends to be different from what I wear on the weekdays. For one, it’s darker. On top of that, it just is more functional. I feel like what I’m wearing allows me to be more flexible and there’s room to stretch – especially in my Nike Flyknits. I love how this outfit makes me feel stealth. These are my usual staples, but Winny was in town this weekend that we took the photo and these are her Quay sunglasses for that added pop of color!

Music
07 Apr 2018

Song of the Day

Drake – Nice For What

Is this going to be my favorite music video of the year? Most likely. With lyrics like:

You’ve been inside, know you like to lay low
I’ve been peepin’ what you bringin’ to the table
Workin’ hard, girl, everything paid for
First, last phone bill, car note, cable

you just know that this song is all about supporting strong and powerful women. To take things even a step further, Drake asked all of his lady friends who spread that power to join him in this music video. You’ll find cameos from Olivia Wilde, Misty Copeland, Issa Rae, Rashida Jones, Jourdan Dunn, Tracee Ellis Ross, Tiffany Haddish, Yara Shahidi, Zoe Saldana, Elizabeth Lejonhjärta, Victoria Lejonhjärta, Letitia Wright, Bria Vinaite, Emma Roberts, Syd and Michelle Rodriguez. Ladies, this song is for us. Add it to your girl anthems playlist; I know I will. Let’s also not forget that this song samples Lauryn Hill’s “Ex-Factor.”

 

Music
06 Apr 2018

Outside Lands 2018 Lineup

Every year the lineup comes out, I have this back and forth with myself. I think about the acts that I might want to see and the acts that I don’t care to see. I think about how much this is going to cost me and if I want to miss work for it. I wonder if the food and drinks are really worth it because that’s something you have to consider when it’s a festivals that considers themselves more than just a music festival.

This year was different. I saw the lineup and I pretty much made a decision immediately. We’re going. At least one day.

Life
02 Apr 2018

What You Can’t Explain

Every time I think of crying in front of strangers, I think of that one episode of “How I Met Your Mother” where Robin talks about crying on the subway and not giving a damn. This has only happened to me once before. I was in Salt Lake City for a weekend. My two friends had just been with me at the airport, but they were at another gate headed to another flight on their way back home to Seattle. We had flown to the hometown of our other friend to say goodbye to him along with his other friends and family. The weekend went by and I couldn’t bring myself to cry once. It wasn’t until I got to my own gate and had called a friend that I was starting to go through that grieving process. Every moment from the weekend replayed in my head and there I was, at a full gate, crying and not giving a damn. I was 23 and attending my first funeral for my friend. I think about this moment often because it’s one that I don’t ever feel like I can explain. Is there a name for this kind of crying? Why does crying in front of strangers feel so much worse than crying in front of those that know you?

The second time this ever happened to me happened this week. I am still processing it and I definitely didn’t think I would write about this in a post. I had signed up for a volunteer opportunity and in the middle of an exercise I found myself in tears standing in front of nearly 75 people currently incarcerated. Going into the exercise, I wasn’t expecting to cry and then in an instant, I felt overwhelmed and a wave of anxiety coming over me. As much as I tried to stop it or hide it, I couldn’t. I even physically tried to hide behind my friend Pat, but couldn’t avoid how exposed I felt. I couldn’t name those feelings that I felt when I cried in front of strangers that first time, but this time it was embarrassment and guilt. What I didn’t expect to happen afterwards was that those who had seen me in this moment thanked me for my honesty and vulnerability. I didn’t know how to acknowledge it or maybe I didn’t want to because that would mean I was admitting that I was so visibly crying, but it happened anyways and I was painfully awkward.

In a few weeks, I’ll share more thoughts on the experience I had and a little about the “why,” but for now will just leave you with this. At the end of the day, I am okay. And even well into my adult life, I still can’t speak to my emotions as clearly as I thought I would be able to.

Style
01 Apr 2018

A Good Brick

Sweater – Madewell / Skirt – Aritzia / Wallet – Kate Spade

I recently decided that it was time to donate this Madewell sweater, but seeing photos of it again makes me want to give it a second chance! When I first put this ‘fit together, I wasn’t confident it would work out. I thought the sweater would be too frumpy given how fitted the skirt was and that it would be unflattering. Truthfully, I didn’t feel my best in it, but it doesn’t look terrible in photos. If there’s one thing that I like about this outfit it’s that we stayed light on top and used an accessory (my wallet) and shoes to bring in darker elements giving it some balance.

 

Life
01 Apr 2018

Currently Craving: Chia Seed Pudding

Back in February when I took a personal day off and gave myself a 3-day weekend, I stopped by the new Wholesome Bakery on Divisadero Street. Now, I’ve heard it nicknamed the “no-fun” bakery, but that’s because it’s got a long list of things that describe it. Are you ready? Wholesome is Gluten Free, Vegan, Dairy Free, Egg Free, Soy Free, Low Glycemic, Soy Free, Diabetic Safe, Paleo, Low Sugar, Wheat Free, Organic, and Sustainable. Okay, I know what you’re thinking. What CAN you eat here? This was exactly what I wanted to prove, but to my surprise, there were a lot of options. If I didn’t know that it excluded all of these things, I would’ve thought it was just your standard bakery. While there, I ordered the Lemon Bar and a Chia Seed Pudding to go. Since that first time, I have been back four more times and each time purchasing two Chia Seed Puddings on my way out to have for breakfast the next couple of days after.

We all know that I don’t cook around here, but I’m told that it’s so easy to make and incredibly healthy for you. The pudding from this bakery tastes like dessert and is so flavorful with its berry compote and toasted coconut flakes. I’m obsessed. So what did we learn from this whole experience? Don’t judge a book by its cover – life lessons we learned when we were much younger.

Design
01 Apr 2018

Beauty for Breakfast Pt. 34

Earlier this year, I discovered a drugstore product that I wish I had found years and years prior. Pimples and acne are the worst, but as we all know, they come in a variety. Sometimes it’s right on the surface, beneath the surface, or come in as a blackhead with skin grown over, etc. I’m prone to getting the type of pimples that grow beneath the surface and take forever rising to the top. The result is that they end up being a bump on your face that you don’t want to pop because it will likely make it even worse or start to scar.

I had been reading a few articles about this to see how I could get rid of them safely. Most highlighted a warm compress as being the #1 option, but who has the time for that? Then I read about these acne stickers. They were pretty inexpensive at just $6.50 a pop so I thought I would try and find it at my local drugstore. Unable to find them, I relied on a source I knew would have them – Amazon.

This product in particular comes with 36 stickers, but only two sizes – regular and large. They say that you can put them on during the day and cover it with makeup, but I didn’t do a good job of hiding it so I stick to wearing it only in the evenings and overnight. The sticker is meant to be put over your affected spot and acts as a non-drying way to clean up clogged pores. In the morning your sticker should appear white because it has pulled out all of the oils and pus. It’s half disgusting, but half satisfying. It allows your blemish to not be picked at during this time and removes all of the bad stuff without making it worse. Whenever, I feel a new “beneath the surface” blemish coming through, this is my first act of defense.