I understand that most people like a fresh start January 1st. This mentality for me each year would spur about two and a half weeks of change before I would resort back to the old habits. Last year I was sick of it and wrote this in my travel blog before I left to live in Europe:

“This year I’m going to take a different approach to life…no expectations, no limits, no resolutions, no regrets. 2010 was amazing but I feel like I was still always searching for things and people to make me happy. For the next 365 days I’m going to let things happen, take each day for what it is worth and in the words of my friend Kathy T I’m going to “do me” this time around (whatever that means) haha. I am finally ready to focus on me this year…however scary that might be to actually face and confront who I am. I’m so scared to leave my life here and live in a foreign country but for now I’m going to say... cheers to the unknown that won’t be solved by worrying, to the new friends I’ll meet, the old ones I will skype, the adventures I will have, the cobblestone roads I will get lost on, the homesickness I’ll undoubtedly feel, the new home I will create for myself and the endless possibilities for change that, good or bad, will make me who I am.”

I wish I could have known then just how exciting the unknown could be. Sometimes the most terrifying situations out of your comfort zone are the ones in which you find who you really are and help you become who you want to be. Take it one day, one minute at a time. There is no rush for perfection, instead embrace the beautiful imperfections you possess and use them for good. Spread joy to those around you and you will receive it back in full. Resolutions aren’t meant to be made one day of the year, they are meant to be made when change occurs regardless whether it is good or bad. Be you and free yourself from any expectations except your own. Stop comparing. Focus on the simple things. Feel yourself breathe, buy daisies at the store and don’t stop giving thanks for just being alive. Live and love in the present. Life isn’t about changing, it is about evolving. Go out this year and be limitless.

One of my favorite things in life is wearing my hair in a braid. After studying in Scandinavia my braid-making skills were put to excellent use seeing as all the women there seem to love wearing their hair in beautiful plaits just as much as I do. My addiction began in high school after one (or three) unfortunate hair cuts that I may or may not have done myself... All of these will work from very short to very long hair depending on where the braid is. If your hair is short, braid it along your temple instead of in a ponytail.

Whether trying to fix a haircut from emotional teenage angst or dressing up to go out on the town, a braid looks elegant and flawless no matter how messy it is (even my guy friends have noticed some of these!)

For starters a waterfall braid is an easy alternative to the french braid and looks SO cool!

How To:

(aren’t these girls so cute?)

Another easy braid is the fishtail braid...I like to keep mine looking a little bit messy. It seems easy at first but takes a little bit of practice!

The rope braid is extremely simple but looks like it takes a lot of time... (so obviously one of my favorites!)

Another braid that I discovered the other day is a fun one called the snake braid.

A Girl’s Life Lessons Learned in Style

My freshman year in college I went through a phase where I looked a little homeless. I would wake up in sweatpants, roll out of bed, lazily write notes in class and then usually fall back to sleep before finally starting my day. This routine became easier and easier to justify...I told myself it was ok because a) I had a boyfriend (long-distance obviously) b) I savored six extra minutes of sleep, woke up late and had no time and c) I was warm and comfortable. Back then it kind of mirrored the same thought process that I still have when I don’t wear makeup simply because I dread taking it off. Pathetic.

Flash forward to today... This morning I pedaled my bike through town and felt clean and crisp in black leggings, knee high suede boots, and a summer dress veiled by a warm, knit, double-button sweater perfect for fall. I felt ready to conquer the world, to do something worth my time, to end my day as productive as the first minutes of the morning when I picked out my outfit. I realized that when perpetually dressed in sweats my mind enters a zone of no return. When wearing work-out clothes without working out not only do I want to curl up and sleep all the time but I start to almost feel dirty....kind of the same feeling when you go to bed at 8pm and sleep until 3pm the next day. It’s just not right.

I could care less, honestly, about people seeing me in sweats or with no makeup on (they don’t know my life!), but I DO care about how I feel in the clothes I wear. Something to take away from the sweatpants situation?- I like comfort, a lot. This means  I learned that when I try on the itchy, adorably cute, one of a kind sweater in the store, I won’t try to convince myself that I’ll always wear a long sleeve cotton shirt with it. We all know those days are limited and it’ll just sit in the closet like an abandoned puppy begging for attention that will most likely never come. Lesson learned: Never buy something that you wouldn’t wear out of the store right then. If you need new jeans don’t buy a size too small and think it will motivate you. All it will do is make you want to turn and run back to that soft, elastic band on your sweatpants- don’t give them reason to tempt you!

Clothes are meant to feel good AND look good in, a mixture of both is what makes an outfit beautiful. A gorgeous girl dressed in a fabulous outfit only looks as good as she does confident and happy. Wearing an uncomfortable grimace does not coincide with glamour; a big part of being happy with how an outfit looks depends entirely on how you feel in it. Fashion is important but how we wear it is what makes it timeless and iconic.

On a hanger clothes are fabric, but on a confident, comfortable woman they become the blue dress your husband remembers when he met you for the first time, the shorts you ripped when hopping a fence in the summer with friends, or the shoes you danced your first salsa in. Be comfortable, be happy, and take pride in clothes that fit you when they should, that put an extra pep in your step when you’re sad and that help define you as you whenever and wherever you want them to.

A Girl’s Life Lessons Learned in Style

I was on a train not that long ago and started to analyze my recent past only to realize that in the last couple years I have done some pretty cool things that the “old me” would have never considered capable of accomplishing. I went abroad, I donated twelve inches of my hair (twice), kept a personal blog, learned to cook and bake, traveled alone, opened myself up to new things and in a certain essence changed who I was, all thanks to a break up.

“The” break up was one of those “Yeah, I’m doing great!” then go cry in the shower, barely want to eat dinner kind of deals. For weeks I thought it was the end of all ends but some time around the end of Love Actually and the bottom of my Ben and Jerry’s I realized that I had become the kind of girl that I normally couldn’t stand to be around. At all costs I usually try to avoid the whiny, super-dependent girls who can’t live without a boyfriend’s re-assurance 24/7. I needed to be my own person, to stand on my own for awhile but it took me a little longer to figure out how to get started.

It began with a list.

I wanted to stop focusing on him and instead focus on myself. I figured that even though this relationship didn’t work out and there were faults on both sides, it didn’t change the fact that I was still my own person with my own future. I wanted to become the best person I could be in all facets of my life not only so that I could feel strong and confident on my own but also so that later I might make better decisions on who was deserving of my new, fabulous self. This list is not just about break-ups, everyone is deserving and capable of becoming and re-inventing the very best version of themselves whenever they feel like it!

First on the list

1. Get a New Look

This step is by no means necessary (and I might have been a little extreme) but after one break-up I pierced my ear and in another I cut 12 inches off my hair and felt like a new person. Believe me, in the deepest of slumps even if you just paint your nails or get highlights it will create a fresh start that you’ll be excited about!

2. Create a bucket list

On mine I put short-term and long-term goals to work towards.. here are a few random examples.. don’t laugh..

-be amazed by something every day

-fly a plane

-cook a seven course meal with all original recipes

-become really good at yoga

-try to eat healthy but more importantly always savor what you eat regardless

Some on the list might take a whole life-time to accomplish but they’re on paper which makes the goals real and puts me one step closer to achieving something previously thought to be an impossible dream.

3. Be happy in your own body

I started jogging on the beach, eating more fruits and vegetables and spending time with people who made me feel good about being me. It meant cutting out some of the toxins in my life both mentally and physically but also helped me to see just how much happiness depends on the decisions you make for yourself. I stayed away from gossip and people who would bring me down and instead focused on what made me feel healthy and happy and started to gravitate more towards those things. This was probably the hardest step to actually do.

4. Spend some time alone

I went to cafes to read books by myself, saw a movie alone, went on two trips solo, challenged myself to ask for the cute guy’s number and to essentially do little things that scared me every day. I pushed my limits and took risks that to most people may be second nature but for some reason used to frighten me. This meant being the one to call for reservations (I hate the phone), to go to the gym (I hate working out in front of strangers), introduce myself to new people, admit my mistakes, learn a new language and do things that exposed me to uncomfortable situations with no one but myself to depend on. This part is crucial because once I became happy just being by myself, facing my fears and accomplishing things that I once didn’t believe I was capable of fulfilling, I found the me that I was proud to be.

5. Buy an outfit that you look hot in and wear it out with your friends

Some key items?

-Little black dress

-Comfortable but stylish wedge heels

-Fun rings and bangles

-Nice lingerie (no one has to see it but you know it’s there)

I’ve tried the ice cream, the 80‘s movies, and the long talks with my best friend but the list is the only thing that has never failed me in getting over a guy. At the end of the list it’s not about him, the wrong ones will come and go, and instead it becomes about the one life you have to live.. the one where your biggest regret will be that you didn’t take enough risks, or watch enough sunrises or buy those gorgeous shoes you’d wanted for months! Taking pride in the fact that we can always be better and deserve more and work harder isn’t exhausting, it’s inspiring. The list is just a start..the rest is up to you!

These two aren’t moping around after their recent break ups...

Shakira

Blake Lively

“Less is more” never used to be a mindset that applied to my closet. Up until the past year or so I would overload my drawers with clothes fresh off the hanger from stores that had the same label for its shoes as it did for its sweaters. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have anything against these types of stores - in fact they are usually my go-to when it comes to something trendy that I can’t imagine living without. This past year however, I lived abroad in a country that values quality over quantity when it comes to most things in life. Gorgeous staple items replace cheap clothes that are worn within two months of buying them and outfits are effortlessly mixed and matched to create a look that is both classic and fresh at the same time.

I always thought that having the perfect outfit meant keeping along with trends, buying new things, following some designers style...until I arrived in Denmark. The trends stay bold but basic, chic but comfortable and above all, protrude an air of simple perfection that makes it seem as if every passing stranger has walked straight out a glossy page of Vogue. There seems to be a innate sense of sophistication born within every Dane, five-year-olds to eighty-five year-olds seem to own their style, women wear minimal makeup, accessories are thoughtfully chosen and everyone seems to feel at ease in their own skin and in the clothes that are covering it. I like the natural beauty, the gracefulness in wearing outfits that neither need to hide or overly flaunt a person’s assets. 

I loved people watching in Copenhagen because everyone seems to have a strong sense of self, especially when it comes to what they like to wear.

To give a brief explanation, I have a very small list of the basics that are worth it to save up for, just in time for the fall and winter months:

1. Leather Jackets

Courtesy: freenewfashion.com

Courtesy: freenewfashion.com

2. Thick Sweaters

Aymara
Courtesy: Wild Swans

"Danish label of sustainable, luxurious knitwear of the finest, softest llama wool from the highlands of Bolivia and 100% organic cotton. Beautiful, simple and socially responsible."

DAY Birger et Mikkelsen
Courtesy: Wild Swans

"Hardly needs an introduction, one of the most successful Danish labels around the globe. Day is Bohemian, yet modern, directional with a dash of Glamour."

Courtesy: weheartit.com

3. Peacoat or Trenchcoat

Courtesy: Color Me Nana

Courtesy: unknown

Add a pair of black tights or skinny jeans, some ankle or knee boots and you’re set to stay warm, look cool and feel comfortable.