157/ MAKING GOOD ON MY RESOLUTIONS

I'm trying to make good on my New Year's resolutions. 

It has been rewarding, albeit a bit difficult. 

Let me explain: I live with social anxiety. Meeting new people and making small talk is not easy extremely stressful for me. I'm trying to put myself out there more and I'm taking small steps to do that. Blogging has always been about community for me and that's why I love it. It's a whole lot easier to strike up a conversation with someone that has a known similar interest to you. So with that being said, I've been trying (my best) to converse with other bloggers and to collaborate with them. This past weekend I met up with a new blogger in Ottawa, Chelsea, to grab coffee and snap some pictures for each other's blogs. It was such a lovely afternoon and I'm so happy that she reached out to me.

In my New Year's post I talked about reaching out to both old friends and new friends and I'm pretty happy with the progress that I've made on that front. I also discussed stepping out of my comfort zone in terms of my fashion choices. I haven't exactly lived up to that just yet but there are a few exciting (and edgy) #ootd posts coming up shortly. I kept it pretty simple for this look, though. I stuck to wearing a lot of my favourite pieces because that's what I feel most comfortable in, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.

I have been wearing a lot of grey lately. I used to be drawn to all black ensembles but I love how grey adds a bit of depth to those kinds of looks. I've talked about this coat from H&M 101 times but my love for it is still going strong. This large pukey coloured scarf is a new addition to my wardrobe, though. If you know me, you know I'm drawn to anything that can be described as ugly and I think that the colour of this scarf fits that description perfectly. I'm a fan of how unexpected it is and how it has the ability to go with everything. I tend to wear this scarf when I'm wearing lilac lipstick; I think the combination of those two colours + the blue in my hair is a match made in heaven. The black skinny jeans that I wore, along with my Dr. Marten boots, are fairly standard in my outfit posts (and in my life) because they work perfectly with just about everything in my wardrobe. I'm trying to make changes in my life and in the way I see/approach things, but some things are bound to stay the same. And that's okay too.

HAT&SCARF&COAT&TOP/ H&M JEANS/ Forever 21+

HANDBAG/ 3.1 Phillip Lim 'medium Pashli' BOOTS/ Dr. Martens

Photos by Chelsea Lanthier

125/ ONE BAG TAG (& REVIEW)

I'm the kind of person that likes to change their handbag on an almost daily basis. Switching out the contents to a different bag can be a bit annoying at times but to me it's rewarding and comforting to be able to match my handbag to a specific look. There was a tag video on YouTube that was pretty popular a little while ago - it was called the 'One Bag Tag' and it had YouTubers talking about the most practical (or favourite) handbag in their collection. Basically the idea behind the video was if you could only have one bag in and of your collection, which would it be and why?

This had me thinking. Although my collection is relatively modest compared to some, all of the handbags in my possession have a purpose in my eyes. Some are bold and colourful, some are more classy for events, some are huge bottomless pits that are strictly grab and go and some are just collection dust at the back of my closet (we all have those, don't lie).

When I first sat down to think about it my mind was stuck on my big Longchamp Le Pliage tote - it holds a lot, it's great in any climate and it is probably my most worn bag. Although Le Pliage totes have a ton of redeeming qualities, it isn't appropriate for all settings. It's super casual and if I were to attend any events or meetings I would be screwed.

Then a light bulb went off - my 3.1 Phillip Lim Pashli!! Of course! How dare I forget?

ONE HUNDRED & FOUR/ what's in my bag pt 2

Since I've been talking a lot about handbags lately (what else is new?) I thought that it would be the perfect time to do an updated 'What's In My Bag?' post! I'm extremely nosy and I live for these sorts of posts. Lately I've been carrying my Longchamp Le Pliage bag but I've been switching it up the past couple of days and wearing my 3.1 Phillip Lim Pashli instead so that's what will be featured in this post. I'll try to find the names of everything pictured and add links if they're still available for purchase.

If you'd like to see my previous 'What's In My Bag' you can find it here.

NINETY-THREE/ sunday funday

Sunday is by far my favourite day of the week. As someone who works Monday to Friday, I take my weekends rather seriously. Fridays and Saturdays are typically reserved for shenanigans with friends and Sundays are when I can relax and prepare for the week ahead. I spent today running errands, painting my nails, drinking coffee and catching up on some reading (aka fashion magazines #sorrynotsorry). All of that was so necessary and pretty basic but so amazing and well deserved. I feel as though Sundays are the best days to rest and clear your head before starting a fresh week.

For running errands I just threw on my favourite giant plaid scarf from Forever 21, ripped skinny jeans, my go-to 3.1 Phillip Lim Pashli bag and my crested Ralph Lauren blazer - aka my favourite piece in my entire wardrobe. This look is super simple and preppy but I make it my own by throwing a bit of an edgy twist with the raw hem jeans and slip on shoes. 

BLAZER/ Ralph Lauren TOP/ Thrifted SCARF&JEANS/ Forever 21

SHOES/ via Winners BAG/ 3.1 Phillip Lim Pashli (medium size)

WATCH/ Michael Kors BELT/ New Look

Photos by Suzanne Waugh