Paris is always a good idea.

Paris, France. Fashion capital. City of love. Home to the Lourve. The Eiffel Tower. It seems that Paris has it all; fashion, love, food, and adventure. However, when I visited Paris, I was not as impressed as I thought I would be. What kind of snobby 14 year old would be unimpressed by Paris? Well, apparently that was me. Maybe it was because I had to cover the entire city in two days, packed with tours and lack luster prepaid lunches. Now as I look back, I think I missed the true beauty of Paris. I think Paris is so beautiful because it is so slow paced and pretty. Everything is delicate and detailed. I now dream of gooing back and taking in the sights, the smells, the fashions, and most importantly, the people. If Paris really is the city of love and lights, I was clearly doing it wrong last time. This new found love of Paris has inspired this blog post with a collage of Parisian things.

 

 

Spring trends.

Being on vacation this week, I have obviously done a lot of shopping. Spring is just around the corner and there are a lot of great trends I've seen in the stores for spring.

The first, is colored denim. This trend has been big for a few years now, but this spring, it's all about the brights and pastels.

 

This mint is one of my favorites. Mint is a very hot color for spring and in a pant, you can pair it with other pastels, prints, or just a plain white shirt.

Hot pink pants are a major do for spring also. They can be dressed up or down and will go well with a floral shirt or just a plain top.

These yellow pants are great too, and will transition well into the summer. This outfit also brings us to my next big trend:

The chambray shirt. It's essentially a denim shirt, but much softer material and can be paired with a variety of outfits. It can be dressed up, dressed down, and paired with almost any color.

One of my favorite uses of the chambray shirt is paired casually with leggings and boots. You can really play with accessories here and it's great for casual Saturday shopping or just an afternoon in.

Another great use of the chambray is with white pants. This is a great summer night look and looks great with gold and opalescent accents.

 

Finally, here's a great way to dress the shirt up. Paired with a maxi skirt, you can take this look easily from day to night and also be comfortable. 

The next trend I want to highlight that I have already slightly touched upon is pastels. A classic for spring with Easter, these colors will match the blooming flowers around you.

 

Pastels offer many options. You can go bold with pants, or use subtle hints in nail polish or a purse.

Another spring trend that is always in: Prints. Especially florals. Florals are always a spring trend and are nothing new. To quote the Devil Wears Prada, "Florals? For spring? Groundbreaking." It's obviously nothing new, but always in style.

 

I really like this Lauren Conrad floral dress. It is very subtle and in a great design.

Another good print for spring is polka dots. Always classy, and pairs well with everything.

My final spring trend is brights. This is also nothing new for spring, but I am really liking colors like pink and coral.

 

Coral is a really great transitory summer to spring color and it looks good on almost every skin tone.

Hot pink pretty much goes for the same as coral: transitions well, great on all skin tones.

Old and new, these spring trends are bound to bring you to another level of fashion and a plethora of complements if paired well. Enjoy spring shopping!

Flawless.

I think that we, mainly as Americans, have created a society that is vastly built on looks. What you wear, how you look, how to do your hair, and whether or not you are attractive are seemingly valued more than what lies beneath. When it comes to relationships, almost all of them begin with an initial attraction based on looks. Why are we so driven by looks, when it's really who we are that defines us? A friend of mine recently made a comment and said "wouldn't it be cool if we were all just orbs or something? And that's how you decided who you liked, looks didn't matter." While my other friend called it "hippie talk, " I couldn't agree more with her. We are far too centralized around how a person looks and not how they act. You could find the most beautiful person in the world, but if there is nothing to talk to them about, then you can't form a solid relationship.

Unfortunately, people are always judging others and comparing themselves to them. We like to think that if an ex moves on, their new girlfriend is ugly. We think that if someone is really pretty, they must be a bitch. We often judge people, and even ourselves, on how we look faster than it take to say "hello."

As all young girls do, I have had my own personal struggles with my looks. I have always been a very confident person, but sometimes I think to myself, why can't I be as pretty as other girls? I then came to the conclusion that there will inevitably always be someone prettier, smarter, cooler, and nicer than you. What you have to do is stand out from the crowd in a way that looks can't do. You have to be confident and have a good personality, and the right people will fall in love with you based on the inside alone. Any exterior beauty becomes an added bonus. Once we accept ourselves for how we look, we no longer care what others think. As the quote below says, "Once you've accepted your flaws no one can use them against you." I honestly believe this, as if you have no problem with yourself, than it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. This is obviously easier said than done, but I truly believe it is possible, and comes even easier with age, when the inside truly counts more than the outside. I leave with the reminder that "The happiest girls are the prettiest girls." Your own happiness should come before anyone else's and be based on what makes YOU happy, not others.