Pale Pink

 I always edit my photos a bit, just for brightening and contrast purposes, but I assure you that my hair has remained untouched. That's right, my hair is pink! I had to dye it for an Aveda fashion show that I am walking the catwalk for, and I am absolutely loving it. I'm not looking forward to changing it back after the fashion show in order to get more modeling jobs, so I'm going to try and enjoy it as long as I can! 

I am so excited, because tonight is the Free People event that I am cohosting here in Portland! My boyfriend will be going towards the end of the event to take some photos, and I will be sure to share those with you all!

Have a happy day!

Jeffrey Campbell Minimal Lace Up Heel - Free People | Big Dipper Tee - Free People | Galloon Lace Halter Bra - Free People | Necklace - Free People | Sunglasses - BP@Nordstrom

Beauty is Unrefined

Women have lots of nasty habits. One of which, in my opinion, is the way we take parts of our physical appearance and equate them with sexiness. If it was done on an individual level, it would be a different story - But when all women are held up to a standard of what is beautiful, it gets really frustrating. If sexy means skinny, and you're not skinny, are you not sexy? For me, a struggle of mine has been the opposite - If sexy means curvy, and I'm not, am I not sexy? Big boobs, curvy butts, and one brought to my attention rather recently is - Long hair.

I've never had long hair, but I had never had hair shorter than chin length, either. I've learned a lot about myself, as corny as it may sound, in the last few months in regards to my physical beauty and my pixie cut. Because I'm too sick to take outfit photos (not to mention the downpour we're having in Portland right now..) I thought I'd take a little time out to tell you guys why short hair, in my personal opinion, is sexy.

1. Vulnerability is beautiful.
It's really hard to talk about myself in a positive light and not feel like a total narcissist. One of the only things I do love about myself is my lack of narcissism. That being said, I hear a lot about how a pixie cut takes confidence. I don't know about all that; it seems to me that a lot of times, girls with pixie cuts are emotionally pretty vulnerable. (Take Winona Ryder, for example.) However, to me, and probably to Winona, and to lots of other women - That vulnerability is beautiful. I think we live in a culture where it's really easy to hide behind hair, makeup, or clothing. I'm not into all that, personally. I'm a vulnerable human being. Don't get me wrong; I'm no delicate flower. All I'm saying is that I think that the sexiness of vulnerability is 10x more intense than the sexiness of someone more severe. Again, this is only my opinion.

2. I can be "fierce".
Tyra Banks would be so proud to hear me say that. Though I do think vulnerability is something beautiful, and a humble opinion on yourself is the best one to have, I no longer mistake confidence for weakness. I used to roll my eyes anytime a girl talked about her own beauty, and to some extent in certain situations, I still do. What I've learned is that, being humble doesn't mean being insecure or self conscious, and that talking highly of yourself doesn't make you a narcissist. I don't think about myself physically speaking very often; I feel like what I got is what I get, and I'm okay with that. I don't celebrate it or discriminate against it. However, hair has always been the one thing I could change whenever I wanted, and having a very sweet cousin who is also an amazing hair stylist (shout out to Alex!) has given me the opportunity to experiment. The greatest of our experiments, by far, has been my pixie cut. With getting my hair cut into a pixie and my modeling career (do I even call it that?) happening parallel to each other, I've learned that I actually have a really unique face! Sure it took a dramatic hair cut, a few fashion photographers, and a modeling scout - but I'm in the processing of accepting the fact that I'm not as ordinary as I may have thought. In fact, I might even be fierce at times. :)

 3. "A woman who has cut her hair is about to change her life." - Coco Chanel
Oh, how true this is, Coco. As dorky as it may sound, I think there's some weight to that quote; and I think most women would agree with me. There's something empowering about a different look, or even a fresh trim of your old look. Before my pixie cut, I had what I call the "fashion lovers haircut" - Shoulder length hair or longer, with blunt bangs. (To be totally clear, I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with that look, because I love it, and sometimes even miss it. Just clarifying!) It's always been a stupid tick of mine not to want to look like anyone else. I know that's impossible and that there are more dramatic looks to be done than just a simple pixie (cue Miley Cyrus photo! No? Okay.) but for me, it's about finding the balance between crazy/weird/punk/different and adorable/vulnerable/classy/sweet. For me, the pixie has been the perfect thing, and let me tell you, it changed my life. Did I start doing everything differently, and did I grab the world by the balls in every situation all of a sudden? No. But I started doing it more often, and I started becoming more comfortable talking about myself, and I started becoming more comfortable talking to others, and I started becoming more comfortable going after things that I wanted. Some days I wake up and I'm just as depressed and broken down feeling as I've ever been - But other days I wake up and am Queen of the world, with nothing but my pixie cut as my crown.

4. Beauty is unrefined.
For my final point, I would like to touch on this idea that beauty is refined. You hear it a lot, but we never really think about what it means. By definition, refined means "with impurities or unwanted elements having been removed by processing." Hearing it in those words, how boring is that?! "Impurities", "removed", "processing" - What? Maybe it's the 1960s/1970s hippie chick inside of me, but I hate this idea. Beauty is wild, untamed, and free. Now that doesn't mean you should stop shaving your legs and armpits, it means you should start doing whatever it is that makes you feel beautiful - Despite what conventions might have you believe. This idea of refinement leaves me with a sour taste in my mouth, because what does "beauty is refined" even really mean? Perfection? Well, what does perfection mean? If perfection means Beyonce, then I would love to sign up, but I can't be Beyonce. Most of us can't. I'm a naturally bony girl, with legs too long for my body, and a heart too big for my chest. I have a fast heart beat, a fast thought process that makes me dizzy, and a silver tongue, too. I'm a horrible mess. I am unrefined, and I am so damn glad. I am uninterested in fitting into the box that defines beauty. I have come to the conclusion, since having my pixie cut and starting my life as a real life "adult", that there is no such thing as true beauty when it is refined in a broad sense. I have met so many beautiful women who are full figured, I've met so many beautiful petite women, I have met so many beautiful women with wild curly hair, straight hair down to their butts, cropped bobbed, wavy "fashion lovers haircuts". I've seen gorgeous women with skin so deep brown it's almost black, and I've seen gorgeous women with skin so pale you can see the veins on their arms. But the thing is, they are all beautiful - So how can beauty be refined? Whether you look just like me, or the total opposite of me, you're beautiful because you're you. I know it's a cliche, but it's cliche for a reason - It's true! So own what you've got, and never hide. 

Pinspiration Monday!

Fashion:
I'm already really excited for fall fashion. It's my favorite season to shop in, as I've probably already mentioned. Sweaters, tights, boots, darker earth tones, layers, long sleeves, socks, scarves... God, I'm so excited! I'm also dying for a floppy black hat like in the second and fourth images, but the shoes in the fourth image are what I'm really coveting lately. I love love love them! They have a pair like them in the July catalog of Free People, I believe and I can't stop drooling over them! With socks? So cute!

Hair:
You all might remember a few posts ago when I said I think I might have found my signature hair cut in the pixie but that I'm completely fickle about it? Well now I really, really am missing my long hair and blunt bangs. As much as I love change, I always come back to the blunt bangs! (Seriously, if you look through my childhood pictures my style is very prevalent from a young age - Blunt bangs. Converse sneakers. Layering. Stripes. It's pretty hilarious, actually.)

Words:

I'm not going to say much about each individual quote because I think they're all pretty self explanatory, but I will say that I've been thinking a lot and writing a lot lately. Writing and thinking is always the best way for me to get out of a slump - You know, those blah days? An interesting thought or philosophy to ponder always gets me back on track. Reading and writing, like my mom always says, is brain food. 

Design:

So much time spent looking at cute apartment ideas on Pinterest! I'm obsessed with interior design - Not in a very serious sense because I've never gone to school for it or anything, but I've always had a strong interest and passion for giving a room a personality or feeling. Though it's really nice to finally have furniture in my apartment, it's looking a bit too catalog for me - Which you can probably tell from the pictures above is not a look I want! I love the lived in, cozy home feel. I guess the only way to get that though is to just keep living in this apartment of mine! And maybe spending some time DIY-ing and buying accessories and accent pieces. :)

What has been inspiring you all lately? Let me know in the comments below, or send me a link to your Pinterest account so I can see for myself! There is a link to my Pinterest profile in my bio section.
Have an awesome Monday night!

Pinspiration!

Hey everyone! It's a pretty gray and gloomy day here in Portland, so I'm taking this rare (lately it's rare, anyways) rainy day opportunity to just relax, blog, and snuggle with my kitty and boyfriend while watching Netflix. Because it's such a blah day, I don't have an outfit post for you, so I thought I would do something a little different. Many of you share my addiction with Pinterest, I'm sure, so I thought I would take this time to show you all a few of my favorite recent pins! I pin a lot of fashion stuff, pixie cuts, quotes, interior design stuff, and tattoo ideas. I hope you enjoy, and maybe gain some inspiration of your own from my favorite images!

1. I love getting outfit ideas from Pinterest. I think it's fun to search pieces I own, like a denim jacket or plaid shirt, and see what images come up to see how other people have styled their pieces. I have a serious thing for plaid, lace, leather, and studs. I have a pretty strange mix of 1990s girly punk and 1960s hippie chick chic pins on my fashion board.
2. I totally didn't even mention that I got a pixie cut! (Hopefully you all figured it out from my pictures though :) ) I am so in love with it! At first I was really nervous, but I've wanted it for so long. I'm so happy I did it, and I think I look best with super short hair. I love pixie cuts so much, even though I have one, I still find myself coveting over other girls'! A small part of me wants shoulder length hair with blunt bangs again, and as much as I want to say I've found my new signature cut in the pixie, I'm very fickle when it comes to my hair cut.

3. I love D.I.Y. stuff, but I've been so busy I haven't had a chance to do any fun projects! I love the little owl painted rocks in the first image. I have always loved owls, and I think they would make really cute paperweights or even just little decorations to set in a flower pot. 4. I'm also a huge fan of paper. I know, that's kind of a weird thing to love. For some reason, I have always loved school supply shopping, a cute notebook or stationary is almost like a weakness to me! Google May Books, I looked up customizable notebooks and these are really cute and you have a lot of control over what you get! I haven't ordered any yet, but I think I will. These D.I.Y. stationary envelopes are a super fun, and simple way to make snail mail really fun. (As if it wasn't already.)

5. I swear, if I wasn't a fashion marketing student I would be an interior design major. My mom has always been really into home making and decorating, and she definitely passed that on to me! Picking out furniture and putting together a room is so much fun, and I definitely think it's an art form. I like the rooms in my little apartment to evoke a feeling of freedom and adventure while still being home-y, comfortable, and most importantly, cozy.

6. I am extremely obsessed with nautical tattoos. Of course they are cute, but they also have a very special meaning to me. My dad is a fisherman, and being an Alaskan native, I come from a very long line of fishermen. I am very close to my culture and heritage, and there's nothing I miss more about home then the smell of beach mud and salt water. My grandpa was a fisherman, my uncles are fishermen, my dad and one of my brothers are fishermen, and my great grandfather was even a pretty famous (in Alaska, anyways) pirate! (Get the image of Jack Sparrow out of your head -- Not that kind of pirate!) My dad absolutely loves being on the water, and it is just a huge part of who he is, where I come from, and my family and home. I really want an anchor tattoo because my parents, family, and where I come from really are like my center and the basis of who I am - my anchors. :)

7. Keeping with that nautical theme, I absolutely love this quote. All the personal symbolism aside, I think it's a great quote that I need to start reminding myself of more often. I believe everything we go through in life truly does make us better and stronger people, or at least it should if you have the right attitude.

8. This quote is also very, very special to me. I hadn't heard it in a long time, and when I read it again a few months back, it really struck me as important and familiar for some reason. A couple weeks later, my mom asked me if I remembered what she used to tell me every night as a little kid when I went to bed, and I said no. She read me this quote, and then I remembered. I have a very unique and very special relationship with my mom, and this quote just so summarizes her philosophy on life and what a beautiful person she is, so I always keep these words close to my heart, especially when I'm having a hard time. It reminds me to stay grounded, kind, and most importantly, grateful.

9. I 100% agree with this quote. I think that everyone goes through hard times, and I was raised to be, and try to be, the kind of person who doesn't let it get me down. What you have been through is not what defines you, and I have a very genuine dislike for those of us who try to use their lives as sob stories and who play the victim. We are all victims at some point or another in our lives, and I think it's a very hard but important thing to move passed that. I have a lot of respect for people who are able to overcome their circumstances.


I hope I've been able to share some of my inspiration effectively with you all, or at the very least, I hope some of these pins made you think or smile. Feel free to follow me on Pinterest for more of my favorite pins, and let me know if you would like to see more of these sorts of posts on my blog.