The Patricia-na at Brand

Today, I spent the afternoon shopping at the Americana at Brand (hence the pun in this post's title). For those of you who don't know, it's an outdoor shopping complex here in Los Angeles that has restaurants, a bunch of designer stores, and retail stores like Forever 21 and H&M. It's a nice alternative to super-crowded malls.

There's a gorgeous fountain in the middle of it all and a green area where you can just lay down for a little bit. Here are some quick snaps I took of a portion of the stores:

My favorite place to go at the Americana is the three-floored Barnes and Noble! It even has its own cafe.

And last but not least, here's what I wore. I love my little bat necklace!

Top: Forever 21

Necklace: Forever 21

Skirt: TJ Maxx

Shoes: TUK

P.S.: Practicing my OOTD skills in public is more awkward than it looks.

Stay beautiful,
Patricia

Black is the New Red

Happy Valentine's Day, all you lords and ladies! I hate wearing proper colors when I'm supposed to, so naturally I donned the color of my soul: black.

Dress: H&M

Necklace: H&M

Boots: Thrifted

Bonus Photo: Featuring me attempting to look edgy. 

Why does it always look like I'm judging someone?

Today was pretty much filled with me eating as much chocolate as I could get my hands on. If you've read my February Lifestyle Challenge, you'll know that my goal for this month was to be my own valentine in effort to learn to love myself, and I encourage everyone to do the same! I think loving oneself is crucial to happiness.

That being said, I hope everyone had/is having a nice Valentine's Day! Pig out! Eat lots and lots of candy, and regret it all tomorrow!



Stay beautiful,
Patricia

February Lifestyle Challenge

This month's lifestyle challenge is a bit late, but nevertheless, let's get down to it!

Is it just me, or did January seem to fly by? It didn't really hit me that a new month came until I started seeing Valentine's Day ads everywhere.

I don't really like how Valentine's Day comes with the implication that someone has to shower you with gifts in order to make you feel like you're loved. I especially don't like that, for girls, Valentine's Day is made to be a waiting game for some guy to come court them. That's complete BS to me, and I think that attitude only perpetuates the idea that people are in desperate need of a significant other to make them happy or to make them love themselves.

That being said, February's Lifestyle Challenge is:

      be your own valentine.

This month, I challenge you (and myself!) to take the time to truly pamper yourself. Use the holiday of love's theme to your advantage and do something that makes you feel great about yourself! Buy yourself something nice, write yourself a confidence-boosting letter--anything that makes you feel awesome.

Celebrate your existence. You deserve it.

Stay beautiful,

Patricia

Urban Bronze

Happy Monday, everyone!

Jacket: Forever 21

Dress: TJ Maxx

Boots: Jeffrey Campbell

I just wanted to share a quick OOTD with you guys; I feel like an outfit post has been long overdue. I finally got to test out my new tripod today! As you can tell, I need some more practice, haha. My OOTD game is gonna be on point eventually.

I am so obsessed with these Jeffrey Campbells! Strutting them around all over campus was the best part of my day. They make me feel like a badass warrior princess. A full review on my new babies is going to be up soon, so stay tuned for that! Until then, thanks for reading!

Stay beautiful,

Patricia

"I don't care what you think!"

You can't please everyone.

Today's post is going to be about being confident in your own skin, even though some days, judgments can ruin your self-image. We've all been there; you feel good about an outfit, until suddenly, some insulting comment sours your mood for the rest of the day. Whenever this happens to me, I'm usually told to simply brush it off or forget about it.

When I was younger, my defense mechanism against negative energy was a somewhat stubborn, I-don't-care-about-you attitude. Perhaps I was just being naive, but it got me through some rough experiences with rude people. I wore, said, and did as I pleased, disregarding antagonistic people. Over time, I eventually lost this thick skin; it hit me one day that, you know what? I do care what people think of me.

And that's completely okay.

It's human nature to care about how others perceive you. It only starts becoming a problem when you become so burdened with what people think that you lose yourself in the process of trying to please others. In other words, while it's perfectly fine to be concerned with your image, your opinion of yourself has to be greater than anyone else's. That's easier said than done, and often times I find difficulty differentiating between who I am and who others want me to be.

As Dita Von Teese says, "You can be the ripest, juiciest peach in the world, and there' still going to be somebody who hates peaches." You can't please everyone, but you can definitely please yourself. And in life, you are only person you have to please. There are always going to be people who don't appreciate who you are. There are always going to be people whose sole intent is to hurt you or bring you down. And frankly, who needs 'em?

In the end, we live for ourselves. There's only one you, and there will only ever be one you. So be you. Learn to love yourself because you're the only you there is, and that's how it's going to stay. Never let anyone, and I mean anyone, stop you from being happy.



Stay beautiful,
Patricia