Photo Diary | Nicole Gets Her Groove Back

I was turning 32 and had no plans for my birthday. A flight to London from LAX was only $500 so off I went to hang out with my parents. I decided I'd eat my way through the city and see some sights along the way.

[If you're wondering why I always go to London, it is because it's the cheapest "vacation" I can afford. I only ever have to worry about transportation. And it is also "home" to me because my parents live there.]

I arrived on a Sunday and the first of order of business was the Natural History Museum on Monday. But first, I needed some fuel so I decided to stop at Fernandez & Wells. I went with the Fried Eggs & Chorizo Fresco plate and a Flat White. The chorizo was flavorful and plentiful and the eggs are probably some of the best eggs I've ever had. I know you're probably tired of hearing this, but eggs in Europe really do taste better than the eggs here in America. 

Outfit of the Day | 7.29.18

Top: Styles 4 Less
Trousers: 711 Skinny Jeans | Levi's
Sandals: A New Day Remmy Plaid Backless Loafers | Target

I am so late on the backless loafers/mules bandwagon, but you know what? I'll happily ride the last of this wave alone. I picked up a pair on a whim. Most of my shoes are pretty simple and though this particular pair isn't anything to write home about, they're the most trendy in my current collection. I loved them so much, I went back to Target the next day and got another pair in black and recently bought this, also. I may be going overboard.

The Levi's 711 jeans are probably my favorite. I own another pair in a light denim wash. I love them because they are pretty stretchy and the size 27x28 is perfect for this literal shorty.

Unfortunately, I don't know where else you can get the tee that I'm wearing. It was a shirt that I saw hanging by its lonesome at Styles 4 Less and took to the register immediately.

By the way, are we feeling the tucked-in look? I sure am.

Outfit of the Day | 7.14.18

Top: Women's Cotton Box-Cut Pocket Tee | Everlane
Trousers: Paperbag Waist Pants | Zara (similar)
Sandals: Gwenna | Aldo

This day's outfit was brought to you by the letter "L."

L for lazy, that is. I know that I don't already throw in crazy pieces when I put together an outfit, but I was so tired that morning. I needed something quick, but still had to look put-together. The Everlane tee was so comfortable and soft that I wish I could have one for every single day of the week. But it's $16 a pop and mami ain't rolling in dough just yet.

The paperbag waist trousers from Zara are probably my favorite bottoms. They are so comfortable and I always get compliments when I wear them. I saw that Zara has them in green too so I might just grab it and "spice" up my wardrobe.

Favorite Fit

I think I've finally found it. I think I've found my "signature style."

From a young age, I've never been comfortable with wearing clothes that were particularly feminine or tight-fitting. I just never felt myself in them. Even when I liked what I was wearing, it never seemed like a genuine representation of my true self.

A few years ago, I bought a pair of boyfriend jeans from H&M. It was then that I started to realize that comfort was most important when expressing yourself with fashion. And I don't mean comfort as in comfortable fabric or comfortable fit. When I put on those boyfriend jeans for the first time, I felt comfortable in my own skin. I felt like I was making a statement, a true statement about what I wanted to artistically express with my clothes. It wasn't long after when I discovered culottes and I learned this is what worked for me.

I still keep a Pinterest board of outfits that inspire me and reflect my personal style and I've found myself leaning more and more to shapes that mirror menswear. There's something so incredibly chic and bold about it, although the clothes themselves are pretty simple.

For The Internet!

I couldn't sleep last night because I took Sudafed before I went to bed, so naturally my mind was running at 1,000 miles per minute. Aside from having my weekly existential crisis, I also got to thinking about how tired I am of living for the internet.

I should've gotten up and started writing straight away, but I didn't want to wake my boyfriend up and I also wanted to just fall asleep because I'm absolutely terrible at waking up in the morning for work (though more sleep doesn't necessarily mean I'm going to wake up early). So please forgive me if the what you're about to read sounds like mindless garbage.

Now when I say living for the internet, I mean basing the majority of my decisions on whether or not it's worth sharing on social media or even here on my blog. For example, when I'm trying to choose my next vacation destination, I find myself thinking of what place would produce the most Instagram-worthy pictures and what would elicit the most comments on Facebook. Can we all just stop for a second and think about how sad and inauthentic, and might I add exhausting, that is?

I long for the days when I could go out and do something or go somewhere without having to think of how I could possibly turn a lunch date or a simple hike into a post. It's not that I can't do it now. I'm not obligated to post anything on the internet because I don't do this for a living. What I would really like is to turn that part of my brain off. I don't want to have to ask myself, "Am I doing this because I want to do this or because I think it'd make for a great photo-op?" Do I even really like pie* or did I just want to show people that I went to Pop Pie?

Another part of the internet that I don't like is the need to announce or address every major issue or event on our social media accounts. I don't want to feel like a bad human for not posting something on Instagram on someone's birthday or anniversary, or commenting on their post. I'm also sick of trying to romanticize everything or turning everything into a photoshoot. It's overkill and I'd like to be able to relax and enjoy the moment I'm in.

My feelings of apathy towards web relations doesn't mean that I look down on how you use the internet. I really don't care what you use it for.

I'm not quite sure where I'm going with this. This is me expressing my disappointment and anger towards myself over something I have complete control over. Please don't get me wrong, I fucking love the world wide webs. It allows me access to basically all the information I need to learn so that I can play along to Jeopardy every night at home and I've met some amazing and wonderful human friends because of the internet. I also learned how to do my make-up from watching videos so high-five internet!

I think I'm just having a hard time reconciling my social life with social media.


*Don't be an idiot, of course I actually like pie. It's food.