Spring is in the air, and wedding season is starting up! I have five weddings this year (not even including my own!) and the planner in me always tries to think of outfits way ahead of time. I'm in love with the color and flow of this maxi skirt. In general I'm drawn to the feminine look mixed with a slightly tough edge, and this necklace throws in the perfect twist. For a more edgy night look you can switch out the white blazer for a black leather jacket (my ultimate closet essential and favorite) like this one.
This post was inspired by Dove's real beauty sketch. I've found that I feel the most "beautiful" when I'm consistently exercising and eating well. Before the wedding I have to say I was in the best shape I've been in probably since college. I was eating a lot more fruits and vegetables, eating lighter dinners and less carbs, and exercising up to 6 times a week. I felt great! Not only did I feel more "beautiful" but my energy level was up and I was feeling great about myself in general. After the wedding I quickly reverted to my old habits (of basically not exercising) and I noticed all my jeans purchased pre-wedding (I had dropped almost two jean sizes!) were feeling a little snug. I'm feeling sluggish and just weak, both physically and mentally. It's time to get back into it. Not easy at all! I definitely felt out of shape and my body was incredibly sore after one work out - none of this helped my motivation either. With all that being said though, I'm into my third week and I'm starting to feel a little stronger. More importantly, I'm starting to feel a little better about myself and my body! It's still going to be a long process but I'm happy that I've at least started. So for those of us who are wondering how do we in fact embrace our inner beauty and boost our self-confidence... go hit the gym!
If you haven't seen this video, you need to. Dove did a social experiment looking at how women view themselves and the findings are heartbreaking yet eye-opening.
I'm the first to admit that I am very critical of myself. VERY critical. We're constantly surrounded by images in the media portraying women who are "beautiful," and it's only natural that we compare ourselves to them. The media has set the beauty bar pretty high up there, and when we don't feel like we even come close to that bar we start wishing that our imperfections could be fixed. "If only I had a smaller nose," or "if only I had higher cheekbones..." But what seems like huge imperfections to ourselves, are tiny if not even an imperfection at all to a third person. My husband tells me this all the time when I complain about how I look. He always tells me it's just in my head and maybe it really is...
How we view ourselves is so intimately tied to our self-esteem, our self-confidence, how we carry ourselves, how we speak up. Believing and KNOWING that we are beautiful is more than half the battle. Without that self-confidence, you can wear all the "fashionable" clothes you want and you still won't look or feel beautiful. Beauty comes from within. So embrace those "imperfections," or better yet don't even think of them as imperfections at all! Know that they make up who you are, and that you are in fact beautiful in your own unique (and awesome) way.
All week I've been trying to nurse this horrendous cold, and I spent the better part of the weekend trying to rest up. Minus Saturday. On Saturday I had to say goodbye to a dear friend moving to Sweden. Goodbyes are always tough but we celebrated in true New York fashion with brunch in Brooklyn and a visit to a beer garden. Today, I got a haircut (finally) and in the afternoon the husband and I went furniture window shopping in Soho. We ended the weekend making breaded chicken and roasted brussels sprouts, with coconut macaroons for dessert. Came out absolutely delicious, and it was so easy to make. And now, it's time to cuddle up on the couch and watch Game of Thrones!
