Having the Best Sorority Recruitment Experience

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Summer in Sausalito

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Sunset on the Canal

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A Week in Cozumel

tunic ℅‎  // shorts // avarcas ℅‎  // sunglasses // necklace ℅‎

photos by Miguel Nunez 

Cozumel is the little island off the coast of Playa del Carmen where my family spent the most perfect week earlier this summer! I had never been to Mexico before, so I really didn't know what to expect. From the moment we stepped off the plane, it was such a fun, relaxing time. I thought I'd share my favorite experiences from our trip and what might be helpful if you're heading to Cozumel!   

 

Pack: 

I could have left half the outfits, and packed double the amount of swimsuits, coverups, and these Castell Avarca sandals by The Avarca Store! I wore them in this post, and basically every day of the trip. I could just as easily wear my avarcas to the beach, while we went on long walks through town, or on the few occasions we got dressed up to go out to dinner. They are the most comfortable shoes I have ever worn, and since they are so well made, I know I'll be wearing them for years to come! 

Eat: 

Kondesa for gourmet Mexican food. This was hands down the best restaurant on the island, and we actually ended up going twice! 

Albertos for great tacos and even better salsa! Possibly the best I've ever had! 

Guidos for incredible Italian seafood dishes and gourmet churros. Who would have guessed some of the best Italian food I've ever had would be in Mexico?! 

Coconuts for a super tacky beachside atmosphere, but great fish tacos. Definitely a quintessential Cozumel experience!

Shop: 

With the exception of a few kitschy souvenirs, I would say Cozumel was not the place to find the perfect outfit or great shopping in general. But it was fun to bargain hunt and negotiate at the roadside stands!

Do: 

Cozumel is the perfect place to do nothing. The majority of our trip was spent laying in the sun or floating on the ocean. That being said, if you feel like venturing off the beach, there is still so much to do! 

Quad tour for a unique way to see the the jungle and El Cedral, one of the oldest and most colorful parts of the island! It had poured rain the day before we went quadding, so our tour turned into mudding! We thought it made our trip even more fun.

Ek Balam for a stunning hike and the chance to experience one of the most historical sites in South America. This Mayan pyramid still (surprisingly) allows the public to climb all the way to the top. It is definitely a little sketchy, but the views of the jungle are stunning. It is so worth the ferry ride to the mainland and a long drive to get there. 

Snorkel tour for a boat ride to the coral reefs and the brightest blue water. On our trip, we saw tons of beautiful fish and even got less than ten feet away from a little shark! Equally exciting and terrifying!

San Gervasico for a walk through an ancient Mayan city. I would definitely recommend spending a few extra pesos to have a tour guide walk you through the park and explain the significance of each site. 

PS: more posts from Cozumel here and here 

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Stripes + Summertime

dress (similar)//kimono//necklace c/o

photos by Angelika Johns 

Today's look is all about breezy, bright, and summery tones. Lately I've been loving everything olive green. I feel like it is such a feminine and flattering color.  I picked up the actual dress I'm wearing for $14 at a tiny boutique in Venice Beach. I couldn't track down the exact dress online, but I've linked a super similar and even cheaper version from Forever 21! 

Side note: This whole shoot consisted of Angelika and I illegally parking, shooting a few pictures, and then rushing to move my car before I got a ticket! She is absolutely the sweetest, and there is no one else I would rather risk a parking ticket/adventure through Venice Beach with!  I'll be sharing more looks our shoot in LA, and then even more photos from when we were able to reunite on Angelika's side of the country! I was so happy that we could meet up while I was visiting Washington DC! 

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24 Hours in Charleston

Visiting Charleston, South Carolina had been on the top of my list for years, and when I realized that Mandy and I were just a few hours away, we knew we had to make the road trip! Charlestom was the perfect city for a girls trip with Mandy, my best blogging buddy!  It was so fun to be there with someone who equally appreciated each cute and colorful building, wanted to stop and take photos on every single corner, and who was also willing to pay for all of the trendy, overpriced coffee! We had a pretty packed schedule during my week in the South (and later DC), so we only had time to go to Charleston for a quick overnight trip. I could have easily spent a whole weekend (or really the rest of my life) in Charleston, but it was absolutely possible to knock it out in 24 hours! It never took more than 10 minutes to get from one side of town to the other, so we were able see and do every single thing on our list. Here’s how we not only explored the city but how we did it in just about 24 hours!  

Eat and Drink: 

Black Tap Coffee for  your pre-Charleston caffeine fix. Fuel up for the day with an iced lavender  latte. It may be the best I've ever had! 

Leon’s Oyster Shop for a delicious, quirky, and quintessionally Southern lunch. Let me just say, I hadn’t lived until I tried hush puppies with honey butter from Leon’s.

Magnolias for one of the best dinners of your life. We were lucky to get a reservation at this famous Charleston staple. 

The Daily for a casual breakfast and coffee.  I felt like The Daily was filled with more locals and a more hip vibe. I loved the city's colorful, historical charm, but it was fun to see another side to Charleston.

Sugar Bakeshop for the most life changing vanilla blueberry cupcake.

See: 

Tradd Street for a spontaneous drive. This part of our trip was unplanned, but actually one of my favorite parts! It started storming, so we just hopped in the car and drove around. Tradd Street was my favorite neighborhood, and where I snapped this Instagram picture! 

Rainbow Row for a walk along the beautiful cobblestone streets. Charleston has more pink and pastel colored houses than any place I've ever visited, and they are perfectly showcased along this historic row of houses. 

Pineapple Fountain for the perfect end to a walk through Waterfront Park, which is absolutely beautiful in it's own right. The ocean views and oak tree groves surrounding the fountain make for the most peaceful afternoon.

Shop: 

Candy Shop Vintage for the most darling mix of new and vintage jelwery and accessories. 

Be the Change Boutique for pieces with purpose. Each item in the shop has a unique story and gives back to communities in need all around the globe. 

Candlefish for a mix of fragrant homemade candles, beautiful home goods, and (of course) ample Instagram opportunities. 

Lilly Pulizter for your fill or preppy prints and colors. Lilly's King Street location was definitely more Mandy's favorite than mine, but had to be included in our Charleston guide nonetheless! 

 

Charleston is the most beautiful city with the kindest people. I left feeling like it was the best city on the planet, and what do you know, literally the next day it was voted Travel and Leisure's Best City in North America! If you are headed to Charleston and are really ambitious, I've made an hour-by-hour itinerary of our exact trip. Like I said, I would have loved to spend an indefinite amount of time in Charleston, but I feel like our trip was perfect if you're on a tight timeline but still want to experience all the charm, beauty, and Southern hospitality that Charleston has to offer. 

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Travel Style

tee ℅‎ // shorts // hat ℅‎ // avarcas ℅‎ // bag ℅‎ // necklace ℅‎ 

photos by Miguel Nunez 

I’m so excited to share photos more from my trip to Cozumel, Mexico last month. Cozumel was the most perfect place to unwind from the busy school year. I was home for less than a day before we hopped on the flight, and I couldn’t have asked for a better way to start my summer! It was nice to go from 100% school mode to 100% vacation mode. Cozumel was just stunning. Each morning waking up to that bright blue view was unreal. And I think I have finally found the perfect summertime travel outfit. This combination of breezy shorts, a cute tee, a straw hat, comfortable sandals, and my new favorite bag is essentially what I wore the entire week. I especially love these pieces because they were so comfortable. This tee is possibly the softest shirt I own, I was able to walk miles in these Castell Avarca sandals by The Avarca Store without getting sore feet, and this structured cross body bag was perfect for long days of travel. Do you have a go to travel look? I’m curious because I think I may have just found mine! 

PS: My other post from Cozumel and more travel looks here and here  

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One Year Ago // NYC

dress (similar) // hat // shoes 

photos by Kevin Kim 

I cannot believe that it has been an entire year since I was in New York City shooting with Kevin Kim. If you’ve been reading Practically Imperfect for a while now, you may remember that Kevin and I have the coolest story of how we became friends! We randomly met at the Arc De Triomphe in Paris and stayed in touch when I visited New York later that summer. I still smile about what a small world it truly is. This shoot from the Brooklyn Bridge has remained one of my favorites of all time, and I realized that though I’ve shared various photos wearing this outfit (see here, here, and here), I never shared the full outfit post. So today, exactly a year after I shot this look, I’m sharing this outfit as a throwback! This maxi dress and hat combination is such a bold, fun look. Who knew that neutrals could make such a statement? Though Anthropologie no longer carries this exact dress, I found a few pretty similar ones and linked them below. And as always, my all time favorite hat that I post about way too much can be found at Nordstrom. As I type up this post, my heart kind of breaks that I won’t be in NYC this summer. That city is truly magical, especially during the summertime. While I was in DC last week, I was so tempted to take the 3 hour train ride into NYC for the day! I wasn’t able to coordinate a quick trip into the city, but looking through these photos gave me a little piece of the city that I love so much.

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Free Things to Do in LA

photo by Angelika Johns

I love living in LA. There's always so much to do, see, and explore. After living here for a year, I still have an LA bucket list that's a mile long. I could live here for years and years, and never run out of cool places to explore! I've been able to cross a lot of the places off my list, but the problem is that I keep adding to it. Trendy restaurants and shops just keep popping up! That being said, it is not a cheap city to live in. It is so easy to spend money so fast, and I'm a college student on a very limited budget. The a $7 dollar Ubers, $4 lattes, and $8 ice cream cones (yes, those exist) sure do add up quickly. I try to stick to my budget instead of mindlessly spending money. If I do my research and plan, its still totally possible to have a great time in LA and not break the bank! Here are my favorite free things to do in LA!

Wall Crawl
If you're on Instagram, I'm sure you've seen photos of some of the murals along Melrose Avenue like the Paul Smith pink wall, the Global Angel Wings Project wall, and the Made in LA wall. Some incredible artists and iconic buildings are all so close together, and you can spend a whole afternoon just shooting (and posting!) pictures. I've personally never done the wall crawl. I can't decide if it's way too touristy and cliche, but either way it would be fun!

The Beach
Ah, the beach! It stretches on for miles and is the best way to unwind. I'll spend a whole Saturday there or even a few spare hours between classes. If you want a busy and fun vibe, head to Santa Monica. If you want a quieter and more relaxed vibe, Malibu is the place to be.

Runyon Canyon
If you want to find the best view of that legendary LA smog, spend a morning hiking Runyon Canyon. The trails begin right in the city, but you'll feel miles away. It's so nice to get in touch with nature and get some exercise. (Plus, all the trendy dogs, athleisure clothes, and Instagram opportunities)

The Getty
There are many incredible museums in LA, but my favorite is the Getty. Most museums participate in free days throughout the month. You can check out the schedule here.

Window Shop
There are tons of great walkable neighborhoods in LA, but my all-time favorite is Abbot Kinney Blvd. in Venice Beach. I actually wrote a post a while ago. Though Abbot Kinney has countless cool (and expensive) shops, window shopping is still super fun and completely free! More of my favorite places to shop and window shop are The Grove, Larchmont Village, and 3rd Street Promenade.

Yoga in the Park
I've recently started doing yoga a few times a week and have been loving it. Nothing makes me feel more refreshed and renewed like a great yoga class. Many organizations (including Lululemon) host free or donation based sessions on the weekends. You can check out the different ones here! They are usually in huge group settings at local parks or on the beach. The fact that it's free will leave you feeling great mentally, physically, and financially! Yay for free yoga!

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Cozumel

dress c/o // sandals c/o

photos by Miguel Nunez 

I'm so excited to be sharing my first post from Cozumel, Mexico today. Spending time on this beautiful island has been the most amazing way to kick off my summer. I feel like we've had the perfect balance of chill days on the beach and busy days exploring! So far, I have been able to snorkel in the beautiful bright blue water, climb up an ancient Mayan pyramid, repel into an underground cavern, and also shoot a few travel looks with a local photographer! I'm so glad Miguel and I could shoot together while I was visiting Cozumel! He has been living on the island for over 20 years and knew all the best places to shoot! This light and breezy dress was perfect for Cozumel's hot and humid weather. The heat here is no joke, so I was so thankful for the light linen fabric and flowy fit. I loved the unique stitching on the top too! Shooting this look with Miguel was so fun and felt like a new way for me to see the island. Between the heat, humidity, and accidentally stepping in a pile of fire ants (oops), we still managed to have a great time shooting! If you are ever visiting Cozumel and looking for a photographer, I couldn't reccomend Miguel Nunez more!

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