Chicago to Dubai

Hey y’all! I’m so happy to be writing this blog post. I just got back from Dubai a couple of days ago and it was nothing short of amazing. I’m still processing the whole trip! It’s been a while since I’ve been overseas. I think the last time was when I went to Paris for fashion week in 2019. Since then I’ve been back and forth between Austin, LA and Chicago. So I was really looking forward to this new adventure! It felt good to get my passport stamped again.

The flight from Chicago to Dubai was approximately 14 hours nonstop. I was super anxious about being in the air that long. The longest flight I’d ever been on was 11 hours from Los Angeles to Paris. So everything about this trip was a new experience. We flew the Emirates which was really nice, however I am working on manifesting a business class seat next time. The seats recline fully back, the dining experience includes gourmet meals, the staff provides exceptional service and it’s just a better overall experience. As I was walking by one of the seats I took a photo that I added to my vision board!

Emirates Business Class Seat

Upon arrival at DXB I couldn’t help but notice how luxurious the airport was compared to most others. It was like being in a whole new world. There were also signs with directions to prayer rooms which is something I had never seen before. After going through security we rode in a buggy to baggage claim which saved us so much time. It would’ve been at least a 15 minute walk otherwise. Already I’m feeling so much gratitude in this moment. They’re plenty of reasons to celebrate so we stopped to grab a few bottles of our favorite champagne before leaving the airport.

By the time we checked in to the hotel it was around 7pm. We didn’t have any intentions of staying in on our first night in Dubai so we decided to go to a beach club called Smoky Beach. After hair and makeup I put on a new pink midi dress from Oh Polly and we were on our way. Our uber driver Rahat was amazing, he drove us everywhere during the entire trip. This beach club was such a vibe. It was located in Jumeriah Beach, overlooking the water. We enjoyed hookah, sushi and mocktails. It was a great time!

Thirty Never Felt So Good

Let me just start this off by giving praise to The Most High. Whew! 🙏🏽 What a decade. My emotions are over the place. I couldn’t be more grateful. I think that the best word to describe what I am feeling is: happiness.

My 30th birthday was a success to say the least. I wore a pink (not surprising lol) crinkle corset bandeau bodycon dress from PLT that fit like a glove. I paired it with black square toe mules, my Jacquemus mini bag and my Grandmother’s fur coat. It’s giving elegance. And I was very pleased with how I did my makeup. The Charlotte Tilbury airbrush matte bronzer always does it for me. I’ve also been obsessed with using the Chanel lip pencil in the nude brun color to give my lips a fuller look.

As you know one of my favorite hobbies is trying new restaurants around the city so it was only right that I celebrated my birthday doing exactly that. The restaurant of choice was Gino & Marty’s. I just realized that I’ve been hanging out in the west loop a lot lately haha. Anyway, the decor was gorgeous and they had some of the most delicious Italian food. Almost everything on the menu ended up on our table. The Spicy Gnocchi and Sunday Sauce were my favorite pastas. The branzino and herbed salmon were good also! 🍽️

For appetizers we ate the bread and meatballs, yum! Unfortunately I did not order a cute cocktail which is so unlike me but I was considering my go-to espresso martini or the Manhattan. Oh, did I mention that I decided to dye my hair jet black at the salon this week!? I’m in love with this color.

The next morning I woke up at the Palmer House with a bottle of my favorite champagne on the night stand beside me. For some reason the sleep hits different that first night you check-in a hotel haha. I was on cloud nine to tell you the truth. This birthday was very special for me. I was surrounded by love and positive vibes! 🍾✨

Cheers to being 30 I have a strong feeling this will be my best era yet!

xoxo, Briea 💓🥂🧁

Che’s Flirty 30 💘

Hey loves I’m back with another blog post. It’s literally been like two years I’m terrible I know. 🤦🏽‍♀️ I’m snowed in today so it’s a perfect time to update the site! I really want to stay active on here more often then I normally do. I’m excited to create cute and fun content around the city now that I’m back in Chicago. 🛩️

December has been hectic to say the least. There’s always so much going on during this month in general but especially around the holidays. One of my close girlfriend’s Ché’s birthday was yesterday and we had a fun night out to celebrate. One thing about Ché is that she’s always going to put me on to fancy new restaurants. We have similar tastes so when she told me she had reservations at a place called Blvd Steakhouse I was thrilled. BLVD is a modern American steakhouse located in Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood. It draws inspiration from Hollywood’s Sunset Blvd circa 1950: the golden era.

I’m normally the first to arrive to these sort of events so I sat at the bar and ordered The Jack Willson while I waited on everyone to arrive. 🍸

The centerpiece of the restaurant is this huge chandelier which is absolutely stunning.

For dinner most of us had the grilled lamb chops and/or steak (duh) along with some tasty shareable sides like broccolini, mashed potatoes, Mac and cheese, creamed spinach, and baked potato. I’m still day dreaming about this food it was sooo good!

We finished with a sparkling treat for the birthday girl. Everyone had a great evening to say the least. I’ll definitely be going back soon. Ttyl lovelies 🫶🏽✨🍸 P.S. check out my latest YouTube video if you haven’t already! I’ll link it below.

5 Day Weekend in Los Angeles Post Pandemic

Heyyyy y’all. I pray that those of you reading this are healthy, thriving and living your best life! Now that things have gone back to “normal” I decided it was time to get back to my travel lifestyle. The most recent trip I took this year was to Vegas for one of my close friend’s wedding 💒 back in April (I was one of her bridesmaids ☺️). But it’s been over a year since I’ve been back to LA and I’ve been anxious to see how things have evolved since the reopening of the city after the pandemic. So Lawrence and I booked our 5 day stay at the Andaz in West Hollywood. The room was super spacious with gorgeous views of downtown and the hills. The views from the rooftop pool were even better. 🌴 There’s also a restaurant inside the hotel called Riot House. 🍽 

In LA you definitely need a car to get around and Uber’s tend to add up quickly so we ended up renting a car last minute on Turo. Our first move was a Target and Starbucks run. Then we pulled up to the Beverly Center. After some shopping we had lunch at Easy’s which was also inside the mall. 

Our car for the weekend - 2019 Kia Forte

Later that night we had reservations at Laurel Hardware which was a 5 minute drive from the hotel. On the outside you would think it was literally a hardware store but inside was the most beautiful indoor/outdoor restaurant. The vibe was perfect for our dinner date. 🌹 

The next day I met up with my girl Jerrica in Hollywood at Mama’s Shelter. Order the Bougie fries and Rosé Sangria and thank me later! Immediately after lunch I rushed back to the hotel to get ready for my hair appointment downtown. I felt like such a baddie with my freshly done box braids. 💁🏽‍♀️

My LV Palm Springs mini was my go-to for this trip. It’s super cute and small but functional and for the most part goes with every outfit. Saturday morning Lawrence and I had brunch reservations at Ysabel. We got there as soon as it opened so it was completely empty. You would’ve thought we rented the place out just for the two of us. I ordered the spinach omelette and Lawrence ordered the buttermilk pancakes 🥞. We also valeted the car everywhere we went. It’s super convenient as parking is hard to come by in LA. 

After breakfast we (mostly I) did some shopping at The Grove. First Zara, then Top Shop and finally Sephora. I couldn’t decide if I wanted another Fenty Glow or Mauve Wives gloss bomb 👄 so I didn’t get either one lol. Instead I picked up some translucent powder from Laura Mercier and bronzer from Charlotte Tilbury. It was still early so we went to Kith on Sunset Blvd to check out what they had in store plus they also double as Kith Treats, an ice cream shop. I ordered my usual The King’s Treat made with Cinnamon Toast Crunch, granola and snickers bar.

📸 @filmbylarry

Later that evening I met with my cousin Taylor for dinner at The Nice Guy in WeHo. It is known that celebs frequent this restaurant so much that paparazzi often wait for them outside to snap pics of them leaving. This place is so exclusive that no photos/video were allowed so unfortunately I wasn’t able to get any footage for you guys. But I can see why celebrities like to go there it’s super dark that you can barely see people’s faces. There’s no lighting other than a burning candle 🕯 on each of the tables. I wore a light grey blazer dress with clear block heels both from Zara along with my Jacquemus Le Chiquito mini. If you know me you know that I’m a Drake Stan so of course I ordered the Drake Spritzer w/ peach 🍑. It was really good! He must dine there regularly since they named a whole drink after him. 

We spent our last day of the trip in Beverly Hills. We had brunch reservations at The Maybourne but ended up canceling them and we walked up and down Rodeo Drive instead after getting an iced matcha 🍵 latte at Alfred’s. There was a short wait at Louis Vuitton but we immediately found what we were looking for when we got into the store. Check out my latest vlog on YouTube to see what we bought! 🎥 I also picked up some cute Prada sunglasses. 

Iced Matcha Latte with Almond Milk

Then we had a quick lunch at the Cheesecake Factory then headed back to the hotel to take a nap. After our nap we laid out by the pool and sipped on Long Islands 🍹 while chilling in the cabana. By the end of the evening we were packed and ready for our flight back to Austin. It was the perfect Sunday. ✨Until next time LA ☁️ 

📸 @filmbylarry

My 8 Step Winter Skincare Routine

The winter months have my skin feeling drier than dry. You know that feeling when your skin is super tight and brittle to the point where it actually hurts. And let’s not even talk about how pale I get due to lack of sun from being indoors all the time. You may mistake me for a ghost at first glance lol. This is why having a skincare routine is so important especially during the winter months otherwise it’s obvious that your skin isn’t getting the TLC it needs. 

So in today’s blog post we will focus on my nighttime skincare routine. I love letting the serums, oils and moisturizers work on my skin overnight while I’m sleeping. I will say that I don’t do this full skincare routine every single evening. I actually have different routines and products that I switch up depending on what my skin needs at the time. But when I take the time to do this full 8 step routine I can immediately see the difference in my skin. My face is deeply hydrated even into the next day. There was a time where I knew absolutely nothing about skincare and I had to really educate myself on what it means to take care of your skin properly and how to determine what you skin type is. So knowing your skin type is important because then you can figure out what it needs to flourish. I’ll leave a link to my youtube video in case you’d rather watch me do the routine with voiceover instead. 

I like to double cleansing so to start I use the Fresh Soy Face Cleanser. This gel cleanser is extra gentle on the skin and is rich in amino acids. I love that it gets rid of everyday impurities and makeup without stripping the skin of its essential oils. My favorite esthetician, LA Beautyologist taught me about the 60 second rule so I work this cleanser into my skin for 60 seconds. 

After I rinse and pat my face dry using a clean cotton towel I use the Fresh Rose Cleansing Foam which will get rid of any build up that is still remaining on the skin. It’s infused with rose water and is meant to balance and hydrate the skin for a healthier looking complexion. I also massage this in for about 60 seconds. 

Next up is the Fresh Rose & Hyaluronic Acid Deep Hydration Toner which uses real rose petals. This toner helps each product penetrate deeper into my skin as well as removes any pollution or impurities that can still be lingering after washing with a cleanser. For a mask I use the Fresh Rose Face Mask. I leave this on for about 5-10 minutes.

I always tone again after cleansing and before putting on the next product which is the serum. For serum we’re going to use the Mielle Organics Revitalizing Face Serum. All you need is 2-3 drops directly on your fingertips. The pomegranate and honey are combined to support the skin's collagen and moisture balance. It also contains vitamins, amino acids and minerals from sea weeds designed to improve the skin's elasticity. 

Now for moisturizer I’m obsessed with the Rose Deep Hydration Face Cream. It’s very thick but I don’t need much at all and it doesn’t feel heavy on my face. It’s also very hydrating. I never need to reapply it throughout the day. For lips we’re using Summer Fridays lip butter balm in Vanilla. Word of caution you only need a tiny tiny bit for full coverage. I wear it as an overnight lip mask. It’s super hydrating and it's vegan. 

I’m someone who will try out an entire skincare collection before I mix and match different products. Since it’s already built in that all of the products in the collection work well together I don’t have to try and figure it out too much. This is why you see me using mostly Fresh Beauty in this routine. I hope you enjoyed reading and got a few ideas and tips for your own skincare routine! Let me know in the comments if there’s anything you would add to this routine or what your favorite products are right now. 

Talk soon,

Briea

72 Hours In Phoenix, AZ

The pandemic put a hold on leisure travel for many of us for obvious reasons in 2020. Many of our planned trips were canceled and the digital nomad life was put on hold indefinitely. Lockdowns are still happening all over the world. So this year instead of focusing on travel overseas, I decided one of my 2021 goals would be to visit as many places as possible in our own backyard: The Americas. ✈️ 

Arizona was definitely top 10 on the list. Great weather, landscapes and plenty of palm trees. 🌴 All I kept hearing about was the beautiful backdrop of mountains and sunsets. So we decided on Phoenix, AZ. Of course I scheduled all of my maintenance appointments the week before our trip. Eyelash & eyebrow appointment: check. ✔️ Hair appointment: check. ✔️

Unfortunately the weather forecast wasn't looking too hot. It was suppose to rain every single day during our trip. 😥 But ultimately we decided to pack our bags, get on the plane and figure it out as we go. A quick 2 1/2 hours flew by and we landed at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. During the flight I started reading a new book I picked up called Dare to Bloom by Zim Flores. Once we landed safely and got off the plane we picked up our luggage at baggage claim and made our way to our rental car. 

Y'all know we needed a sweet ride for the weekend. What better than the Tesla?! I rented a Model 3 using the Turo app (Airbnb for cars) which is super easy and convenient to use. The vehicle was waiting for us in a parking garage near the airport fully charged and ready to go. 🔋 

After spending 15 mins learning how to operate the vehicle we were finally on the road. It was now 12:30pm. We checked in at the Pointe Hilton at Tapio Cliffs Hotel & Resort which was only about 20 mins away from the airport. This hotel was hugeeeee. There were 4 restaurants on location, a golf course, multiple pools, and a clubhouse. Each room was actually a suite with it's own living area + sofa bed. 

The next day we drove to Fashion Square Mall in Scottsdale. Then we cruised to the city and explored the downtown nightlife. My matching jogger set is from Pretty Little Thing. 💓

On our last day it snowed. ❄️ I wasn’t expecting that even though we are in the middle of January. It was literally freezing. However we managed to make it out the hotel and went to P.F. Changs for lunch. I ordered spicy tuna 🍣 and crispy brussel sprouts.

Eventually it stopped hailing and the snow disappeared. It looked as though nothing even happened. It all seemed very strange, you could tell that it was a rare occurrence. It’s also rare that I come across cactus so when I saw one out the window I had to take a picture. Anyways that’s the end of our trip. It was super last minute and only lasted three days but I look forward to coming back when it fully opens back up!

Leave a comment below with any tips or suggestions for my next trip to Arizona! :)

Abyss By Abby Fashion Event in West Hollywood

So this happened the other day... got a chance to get Khloe Kardashian and Tyga behind the lens for one of my media outlets at a fashion event in Hollywood. The event was held to showcase AbyssbyAbby’s latest collection “The Goddess Within”. Of course Lawrence Brown got the money shot!  At one point Khloe even asked him “do you want me to stand right there?” 📸😻🙌🏽

All of the special guests arrived in one of Abby Kheir’s amazing gowns. The stunning Khloe Kardashian stepped onto the carpet wearing the Metallic HERA gown and a crystallized money clutch. Rapper Tyga gave a special performance later on that evening.

Seeing Fab Fashion Killas on the carpet next to huge names in Hollywood such as Hollywood Unlocked, TMZ, Getty, The Hollywood Life, and Daily Mail was a dream come true. It was definitely a night to remember. ✨

More pics + videos below!

Khloe Kardashian wearing AbyssbyAbby

Rapper Tyga performance

@lianev wearing AbyssbyAbby

Abby Kheir, CEO and Designer at AbyssbyAbby

Larry Legend, the shooter

Bathroom breaks

Love at the Louvre

Waking up in Paris was like being in a literal dream. You know those dreams where you can’t tell if it’s really happening or not? The city is always alive. There’s so many sights to see. I could barely sleep because I was so excited to see everything. The early mornings were always peaceful and quiet. The apartment had floor to ceiling windows that let in plenty of air and natural light. They also opened up to a small terrace that I was obsessed with. 

The main goal on today’s agenda was to visit the world’s largest art museum, The Louvre. It’s where the Mona Lisa painting is held. We didn’t get to see the Mona Lisa, but that will be on our to do list next time. Of course we took pictures in front of the pyramids. It felt like we were Jay-Z and Beyoncé lol. 

All that walking around will make you hungry, so for lunch we went to a place called Café Marly nearby. The restaurant was indoor/outdoor with some great views. We could see one of the pyramids from our table. They also have some of the best apple pie I’ve had in a while and it was served with vanilla ice cream, my favorite! 

As you’re leaving the Louvre you’ll walk through the Jardins de Tuileries. I swear Paris has some of the most beautiful gardens. They remind you of how amazing life is and the beauty that’s all around you. It’s a great place to contemplate and just breathe. Lawrence and I walked through the gardens for about 30 minutes while having great conversation as our love for each other grew deeper. There’s so much love in the air in Paris. It is truly a city for romance. You’ll see people walking around selling roses and playing live jazz music in the gardens and even in the metro stations. 

Paris is also home to some of your favorite luxury fashion designers. If you walk all the way down the Champs-Elysées you’ll see fashion houses such as Balmain, Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, Givenchy, Louis Vuitton, Celine, Hermès, Dior, Balenciaga, Fendi, Tom Ford and more! I was so impressed by how massive these houses are. The first floor is typically where customers can shop. Then there’s a second and sometimes third floor for who knows maybe fittings, offices, more shopping those are just my guesses. I would love to go on a guided tour through some of the Fashion Houses one day.

Lastly we visited my Uncle in Bagnolet which is just outside of Paris. Did I mention that my Auntie moved to France, married a French man and together they brought my baby cousin into the world 17 years ago? Well yeah that happened lol. But unfortunately my Auntie wasn’t in town so it was just the 3 of us. My Uncle made us a French lunch that included 3 courses! We had cheese, plenty of wine 🍷 and some tasty French pastries for dessert. After lunch we just talked for an hour or so before he had to go to work. So we all got on the metro together, said our goodbyes and that was the end of another wonderful day in France. 

I’ll be back with more Paris highlights soon! ☁️✨

Paris, We Meet Again

It’s been five years since I’ve been here and each time I have visited Paris it was between September and October. I don’t know what it is about Paris but it’s a vibe for sure, especially during fashion week. 

Since we were traveling from LAX it took us 11 hours to get to CDG (Charles de Gaulle). Once we touched down the first thing we did was head to the apartment. Our Airbnb was located in Pigalle, the 2nd arrondissement in Paris. I’ll leave a link here just in case you want to stay there the next time you’re in Paris! 

Pigalle basketball court

Views from the courtyard

As soon as we got settled in we immediately searched for food. To our amazement there was an Ethiopian restaurant in the 9th arrondissement which was not too far from the Airbnb so you know we had to stop there! The food was excellent and the staff was very friendly and welcoming. The owner was great, he spoke some English and made sure we were well taken care of. The place was called Restaurant Addis Ethiopia. I definitely recommend you try it out especially if you love Ethiopian food. I ordered the vegetarian plate!

Can you guess what was next on our to do list?! Yup that’s right, shopping lol. The Champs-Elysées in Paris is similar to the Magnificent Mile in Chicago. The avenue is home to upscale shops, luxury fashion houses, cool restaurants and posh hotels. It even has not one but two ✌🏽 Zara stores. Speaking of Zara let me give you some quick details from my outfit that day. My trench coat is from Mango, sweater and denim are both Zara, shoes are from Miss Lola and my hat is from Sorella Boutique!

The Galeries Lafayette is a huge department store that carries mostly luxury designer brands. The main attraction, The Arc de Triomphe is located at the very end of the Champs-Elysées. The monument is at the center of Place Charles de Gaulle and the Eiffel Tower is not too far from there.

Traveling wasn’t a problem, we took the metro most of the time and it nearly always took us a few steps near our destination. An all-day pass around Paris was only €7,50. I love taking the metro it’s super reliable, the stations are clean and trains come every 2 minutes so you’re never waiting around too long. It can get crowded sometimes but that’s really the only con I can think of. 

Later that evening we had dinner at Chez Francis, located in the heart of the golden triangle in Paris. The restaurant had heated seats and beautiful views of the Eiffel Tower. I ordered the macaroni with morel mushrooms, it was bomb! 😍

When in Paris macarons are a must so you know I had to stop at Laduree later that evening. I got a small box of 8 macarons: 2 strawberry candy, 2 salted caramel, 2 vanilla and 2 chocolate. These little pastries are truly one of a kind. 💓😍

From left to right: strawberry candy, salted caramel, vanilla and chocolate.

That’s all for now but don’t worry I will be back with more from our Paris adventure very soon! 

Meet Me at The London

Who doesn’t love a good date night? Well in this case it was lunch but you get the gist. If you are ever in LA you should try Boxwood at the London in West Hollywood. The dining area has plenty of natural light with spectacular views of the city. The food is on point! I had the Cauliflower Steak with charred onions and portobello mushrooms. It was bomb! Lawrence had the cheeseburger and he enjoyed his meal as well.

While on Sunset Blvd we walked to the popular clothing store called Kith. Kith is one of Lawrence’s favorite brands, it’s a sneakerhead’s haven. My favorite part of the store is Kith Treats it’s a cereal mix-in ice cream bar with a menu created by artists & athletes. The King’s Treat by LeBron James is a must have its sooo good! I wanted to order another one but Lawrence talked me out of it lol. I’m telling you it is THAT good!

Ok now for some outfit details. My blouse and shorts are from Zara, purse from H&M, sunglasses from Quay, and my shoes are from Aldo! I’m surprised my curls looked this amazing because they normally dry really fast in this heat and puff up. But I got away with the “wet look” most of the day so that was a plus. Also I’m not sure if you can tell by the photos but my skin was looking dreadful due to the peeling. Good news is my skin is all clear now! Whew!

Btw, Lawrence and I are traveling to France for #PFW next week! We are super excited! I’ve only been once and he’s never been so this will be a great experience for both of us! Expect some new blog posts coming soon!

Have a great day lovelies! Talk to you soon! ✨✨

Beach Day in Santa Monica

Hey you guys so sorry I know it’s been a while since my last post. I’m so behind with content. Life has been great to say the least. I’ve been exploring and taking plenty of pics of course. So I’m back with another blog and it’s from this past Labor Day. Lawrence surprised me with a beach day which was only a shock because I wasn’t really expecting to do anything. He’s such a gem. He knows I will never say no to the beach. I honestly didn’t even remember that it was Labor Day it was just another Monday for me. We were actually walking home on our way back from Trader Joe’s when he asked me if I wanted to spend the day in Santa Monica. Little did I know he was planning it all along that’s why he bought fruit and snacks from the grocery store! So we threw on some swimwear and called the Uber (after I spent 30 mins in the shower shaving my legs and detangling my hair).

I love, love, love Santa Monica. There’s so much to do out there and it’s not always super packed with people at least not when I go. Of course I couldn’t forget to bring my notebook to do some journaling and a book to read. Being near the ocean brings out all type of emotions. All I could think about was how blessed we are to be here. Moving to Los Angeles is still so surreal to me because it was once just a dream. I only use to imagine waking up to the sight of palm trees, consistent weather and being just a drive away from the ocean. The last time I visited Santa Monica was in 2016 and I remember speaking all of this into existence back then. It’s just amazing what the mind can achieve once you believe anything is possible. The power of manifestation is a real thing I have no doubts about it.

So anyways, my skin is now peeling from being in the sun too long. I need some aloe vera asap! I really need to be more mindful about how long I sit in the sun and/or maybe it’s this sunscreen i’ve been using that’s the issue. Or maybe I’m not drinking enough water. 🤷🏽‍♀️ Please leave some recommendations in the comments if you’ve had this problem in the past.

Until next time! 💓

Chanel Coffee at Carrera Cafe

Hey y’all so today’s blog is more behind the scenes of my lookbook for Akira. This look was so fun to put together because I love two piece sets and this one was holographic so it was super trendy. I paired the outfit with a transparent hot pink mini bag from TheStyleAnimal.Co. Akira is also one of my favorite brands so I really appreciate them for gifting me with clothes. Melrose Ave was the provided the perfect setting for this shoot. It’s the home of colorful walls and cute shops. 

But first coffee! ☕️

I love exploring new places so before the shoot we stopped at Carrera Cafe. The deco was cute there was a pink vintage telephone in the back and a ‘Ciao Bella’ neon sign on the wall that you see as soon as you walk in. They offered a variety of goodies there like donuts 🍩 pastries and all sorts of sweets that I don’t need 😂. Of course I ordered an iced latte and it wouldn’t be me if I didn’t sprinkle some Chanel on top.

The infamous Pink Wall was right across the street so that super convenient! At first I didn’t want to shoot in front of the wall because I thought the bright pink would be too much for my outfit but Lawrence insisted that we take pictures there. So you let me your thoughts in the comments 💭 but I think the photos turned out pretty amazing! Walking down Melrose turned into a mini shopping spree because we ran into one of my favorite fashion boutiques, Sorella. I go there at least once a month for sure. The owner, Heather Sanders has always been an inspiration to me and I’ve been following her journey for years now. She started Sorella with $500 and it is now a million dollar brand. She was also just featured in Forbes!

Anyways, after Sorella we took an Uber back home and I immediately went to work editing! Don’t forget to watch the video for this lookbook! Also subscribe to my channel if you haven’t already 💓

Talk to you soon!

Grandma Visits Sunny California ♥️🙌🏾

It’s been two months since my sister and I moved to LA. We are absolutely loving it here but sometimes we do get homesick and begin to miss our family back in Chicago. So we thought it would be a great idea to surprise our grandma with a week vacay in Venice, California. Her flight landed in the AM so the first thing we did was check-in her cute little AirBNB which is literally 2 blocks away from the beach. The apartment is very spacious and the kitchen is bright and airy with stainless steel appliances. There’s also a colorful garden in the backyard.

Our second order of business was making a quick trip to the store and pharmacy. Of course she needed to stock up on a few groceries for breakfast in the mornings. She’s a light eater so she doesn’t need much. Whole Foods was the closet supermarket and there was a CVS right next door, how convenient! I personally love Whole Foods especially their organic fruit and produce sections. They also have the best ready-made food that mainly caters to vegetarians and vegans. YUM!

Next it’s time for my favorite part of the day, lunch! I know what you’re thinking…we just left the grocery store why not eat food at home? Well we thought about that but my grandma wanted to do some exploring so we decided to do just that! Luckily everything is in very close walking distance. We found a really nice cafe nearby called The Rose Venice.

I ordered a Mai-Tini and the three of us shared the Thrilla in Manila pizza minus the clams. This was the best thin crust pizza I’ve ever had in my life! Because we all know that Chicago has the best deep dish. But seriously this pizza was so good that we ordered another two servings! I’m a huge fan of roasted anything and the toppings on this one were roasted tomatoes and garlic! So I was in pizza heaven.

I can’t help but think about how you have to appreciate the small moments. It makes me so happy to see her happy. She reminded us that it’s important to find healthy ways to cope in life with all the changes that we go through as humans or else you’ll go crazy and lose yourself. You’ll feel like there’s no where to turn and possibly go down a dangerous path. Talking with her really helps because she’s been through so much and she’s still here. And she’s so strong. I’m so blessed to have my grandparents. ♥️

Designer Galore in Beverly Hills

Lawrence and I spent the day creating content for one of my favorite brands, Akira! And what better place to shoot than Beverly Hills. It’s such a blessing to have a photographer, videographer and boyfriend all wrapped in one! He’s always down to do random things with me! We sometimes refer to ourselves at the content couple, clever huh?!

Fashion is something I’ve always been into but it’s not something I was able to make a priority until now. My mom owned a lot of designer so I guess it’s her fault I have expensive taste lol. Some of my favorite designers are Chanel, Givenchy, Celine, Fendi, Dior, Balenciaga and Saint Laurent. I would always wear her purses and a matter of fact I still have her Chanel No. 5 perfume that I wear to this day.

I was so hungry after shooting all day. Alfred Tea was nearby so you know I had to grab my Matcha iced latte with almond milk. Chipotle was right next door to Alfred so we decided to have a quick lunch there! I ordered the Sofritas bowl (vegetarian friendly). After lunch, Lawrence thought it was a good idea to walk through some neighborhoods close by. I thought wow that’s a great idea because we’ve always talked about living in Beverly Hills at some point in our lives. In order to manifest it’s important to visualize yourself where you want to be as if it’s already happened. So that’s exactly what we did! We were also able to walk off our food so that was a bonus! I don’t know what it is it’s something about this area that is so inspiring. Maybe it’s all of the money, luxury and success you see everywhere you look. The homes are absolutely stunning and the neighborhoods are quiet and peaceful which I love.

Anyways, back to Akira. Like I said they agreed to send me a couple of outfits in exchange for content creation. I am so grateful that they are interested in working with me especially with me being new to this whole fashion influencer thing. This rust bodysuit I’m wearing is from them! I also filmed a look book for you guys to check out in case you wanted full outfit details!