Terranea Cove X Vegan Boutique: MooShoes

A couple weeks ago, I went out on a little day adventure with one of my girlfriends, @imadilife, to Terranea Cove in Rancho Palos Verdes, California to shoot for MooShoes! I came about MooShoes from an Eco-Sessions event I went to in Downtown Los Angeles a month or so ago focused on vegan fashion - count me in! I met many vegan fashion lovers, some vegan-curious attendees, and some awesome vegan brands and companies - one of those being MooShoes! And so came, the partnership with the vegan boutique on this lovely shoot!

In my first look, I styled both the Matt & Nat Shareen black purse as well as the Novacas Olivia Heeled black sandals. For those of you who don't know Spanish, "No vacas" means "no cows", aka animal free! Both the purse and the shoes were such high quality, they could have fooled anyone into thinking they were real leather. Very comfortable sandals as well!

I styled the Good Guys Daisy Booties in black in my second look. No joke, these are probably some of my favorite boots I've ever worn, with the exception of them being too big on me haha (last pair!). You can dress them up, dress them down, and the heel is only a few inches so you can wear them all day! Definitely worth the extra dough for versatile, ethically made killer booties!

In my third look, I'm carrying the Matt & Nat Parabole bag in brown and wearing the BC Footwear Valor Sandals in sand.  These items paired so nicely together and are neutral enough to wear with most outfits! BC Footwear in general is a more affordable vegan-friendly shoe brand and these ones were awesome with their lace-up detailing. The purse is pretty versatile and has a long shoulder strap to be worn at your sides or crossbody too. 

Overall, I had the best experience with these products and with MooShoes as a company! My hope is to bring veganism (no, not just food!) mainstream and show others that you can be stylish without harming others, the planet and your health. There's no need when there are plenty of vegan friendly options nowadays! One of the hardest parts of my transition to living a full vegan lifestyle was giving up animal based fabrics like leather and suede (aka 95% of my shoes and purses)! This was pretty difficult for me as I have always been fashion and shoe obsessed. I had a realization though - that I can live a kinder, happier, (and still fashionable :D ) life with less material possessions and rid my closet of items where someone had to die in order for me to enjoy them. There is a guilt and burden you feel when wearing animal based fabrics once you look at it from that perspective. There are also environmental and human rights/safety implications as well that are a big issue... but that's all for a future blog post! Companies like MooShoes make it so easy to shop ethically and responsibly - no checking labels, tags, materials, etc. - just shop freely and shop with compassion!

That's all for now babes! and remember...

StyleWe Collab Part 2

This is part 2 of my collaboration with StyleWe! The first one went so well, we decided to do another :) I met up with model, @cosettedemille , in Manhattan Beach and we explored the area looking for cool spots to shoot around! She was a pleasure to work with and also happened to be vegan so we bonded about that! Not only was she my model, but she was also the girl behind the lens for my photos! Don't ya just love when people are multi-talented?

In my first look, I'm wearing the IVY Floral-print V Neck Boho Long Sleeve Mini Dress! Besides the fact that is was super windy out and my dress kept flying up (definitely wear shorts under), I absolutely love this dress! It's also short enough that it would look really cute as a long top with black skinny jeans as well,  but I'll save that for next time! BTW I tend to like to blend in with plants if you haven't noticed already lol. 

In the second look, I'm featuring the Casual Sleeveless PU Paneled Pierced Midi-Dress from Liya's Closet! I'm a huge fan of how leather looks, but I'm very against actual leather for many reasons. This is why I'm a HUGE fan of vegan leather styles - you get the same look without all the cruelty, environmental impacts, and smell (yes, leather smells..bad). After visiting a tannery with my study abroad group in Morocco a few years back, I will never look at leather the same way again. I started dry heaving and was having gag refluxes seeing and smelling all of the rotting carcasses and harsh chemicals. It was hard for people to breath, myself included. Sorry if that got too graphic too fast haha but I needed to share! So in light of my experiences, when I find a cute vegan leather style I gotta have it! This dress was so cute on and I liked how it was slimming but still a relaxed fit. Thanks for the goodies StyleWe!  

Green Vegan Suede Hat - Free People

Black Floral Dress - StyleWe

Cream Socks - American Apparel

Black Lace-Up Vegan Suede Shoes - Coconuts by Matisse

Black Vegan Suede Hat - Free People

Black Vegan Leather Dress - StyleWe

Silver Necklace - Free People

Gray Studded Vegan Suede Booties - Coconuts by Matisse

Sequioa National Park Feat. JORD Watches

Zach was lucky enough to have a few days off of school this past week so we took advantage that it was over Valentine's Day and took a little trip together up to Sequoia National Park! Originally we had planned to do five day, four-night loop around to Sequoia, Yosemite, Mammoth Lakes, stop by Death Valley and spend the fifth night in Ridgecrest. Unfortunately, there was way too much snow and a lot of roads were closed so we’re going to save that trip for a warmer time. We ended up booking two nights in Sequoia at Wuksachi Lodge. It was way up in the mountains on a windy, narrow road and I actually got motion sickness! 

Over the past two days, we explored the area, the lodge, went to the General Sherman Tree (biggest tree by volume in the world!), the Giant Forest, etc! It almost felt like we were in a fairytale like Jack and the Beanstalk because the trees were so huge! There was so much snow too, close to an 8 ft. snow bank in some places.

I had the pleasure of collaborating with Jord Wood Watches as well on this trip! All of their watches are vegan and super high quality! It’s pretty difficult to find animal-free, sweatshop-free, sustainable products, (especially watches), so I was thrilled for the opportunity to work with Jord. I’m wearing one of their newer styles, the Reece watch! It’s really important to me to that the companies I wear and use share my same values towards sustainability and ethics. I’m not always the perfect eco consumer, but each purchase can be a step in the right direction if you make it one. I would highly recommend ordering from Jord for your next watch purchase!

Overall, the trip was pretty relaxing and the perfect little romantic getaway with my boyfriend, Zach. We ate way too many snacks and not enough actual meals (two to be exact) lol but that’s what you get for being a vegan with only one lodge restaurant for two days! Next time, I think we’ll go back in the summer so we can actually hike some of the trails and not have to worry about driving through the snow, getting snow tire chains, etc. Cheers to a wonderful few days with my honey! 

XO

Luxury Wooden Watch

Saltwater Luxe Collaboration

This was probably one of my favorite shoots I've ever done! I had the pleasure of working with Saltwater Luxe, a casual luxury brand based in Long Beach, California. No joke, their office is two minutes from my apartment!! As you guys know, I'm a huge advocate of ethically sourced goods and Saltwater Luxe is Los Angeles made (yay no sweatshops!), and often sources vintage fabrics reducing their carbon footprint. Their style is beachy bohemian with a little adventure. Toria Webber (model) and I sought to capture the wanderlust #SWLBabe vibe and hit the road on a day trip to Angeles National Forest just east of Pasadena. Side Note: I highly recommend going on a weekday, there were barely any cars or people! We also ventured around some neighborhoods around Pasadena. It was so much fun and I can't wait to work with Toria and the gals over at Saltwater Luxe again in the future!

Boyce Thompson Arboretum

One of my oldest and best friends, Kelsey Hughes, and I decided to go on a day trip to Boyce Thompson Arboretum in Superior, AZ about an hour or so out of town. I was amazed on how much there was to do out there! We just went on the main trail which passed through multiple greenhouses, a bridge, a creek, and a short scenic hike around the area.

I recommend going here during the winter because everything is outside, not much shade, and your going to be drenched in sweat, likely getting a sunburn in 90+ degree weather if you don't. Unlike most national parks, scenic areas, and nature spots, there is an actual address to pinpoint where you are going and there is a huge parking lot which makes life way easier. You likely won't have cell service all day either and there aren't any food or snacks to buy so make sure to pack your own food! This is definitely worth a trip and makes for an awesome get-out-of-town day trip with friends!

Denim Shirt (Kelsey) - American Apparel

Black Distressed Skinny Jeans (Kelsey) - Topshop

Cream Fringe Sweater (Allison) - Free People

Vegan Suede Brown Hat (Allison) - Gigi Pip

High-Waisted Blue Denim Skinny Jeans (Allison) - Free People

Brown Vegan Western Booties (Allison) - Coconuts by Matisse

Black Vegan Suede Hat - Free People

Army Green Denim Shirt (Allison) - American Apparel

Taupe Shirt (Kelsey) - Kastlfel 

High-Waisted Black Denim Skinny Jeans (Allison) - American Apparel

Maroon Fuzzy Sweater (Allison) - Kensie

Black Tri-Blend Racerback (Allison) - American Apparel

Vegan Waterproof Hiking Boots (Allison) - Jeffrey Campbell, purchased on Poshmark

Camelback Mountain

Went out for a shoot around Camelback Mountain to feature some of my new pieces I got for the holidays (aka my mom and I went to Nordstrom Rack together over Thanksgiving weekend, I found cute stuff, and she saved it for me to open for Christmas). One of these items being this flouncy pirate-looking top from Free People - at least my dad thought I looked like a pirate haha but it wasn't exactly the look I was going for. Second, being the vegan suede fringe vest! I always love finding synthetic suede and leather, it gives me hope about the future of ethical fashion! 

White Top - Free People

Distressed Denim Jeans - Nasty Gal

Taupe Fringed Booties - Coconuts by Matisse, purchased from ShoeMall

Vegan Suede Fringe Vest - Bagatelle Collection, Nordstrom Rack

Happy Holidays

Hi all and Happy Holidays! I don't say this to be politically correct, trust me haha. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanza, Happy New Year etc. etc. I actually come from a mixed religious family. My father is Jewish and when he married my mother, who grew up in a Christian family,  they agreed to raise the kids Jewish. She converted to Judaism when I was a kid but then read the Bible years later and became a Christian when I was in high school. My brother became a Christian in college. I consider myself Jewish however I am not super religious. I do believe that God has a plan for all of us, a better plan than we may have for ourselves and to trust in Him always. Christianity and Judaism have the same basic values; treat others with respect, be truthful, value life, and generally just be a good person. So, on that note, I wish you all Happy Holidays! 

These photos are from a little adventure Zach and I took to Snowy Pines Xmas Trees in Long Beach, CA. Even though we weren't getting any decor or a tree this year because we were going to be out of town, I thought it would be fun to help us get in the holiday spirit. Spoiler Alert: we definitely got in the spirit after our little outing! 

Vegan Felt Hat: Target

Lace Dress: Free People

Sweater Shawl: American Apparel

Thigh-High Tan Socks: American Apparel

Vegan Black Thigh-High Boots: Jeffrey Campbell, purchased from Nasty Gal

(I know what you're thinking, Jeffrey Campbell NEVER makes vegan boots!! These were quite the find on Nasty Gal and I got them on sale - YAY!)

Desert Stardust

This was the same day as the Cotton Field excursion, however different vibes call for a different blog post! Ryen was awesome and let me get a little creative and put glitter/foil all over her face. Made for a beautiful stardust effect or starDUSK in this situation because it was sunset :)

Denim Shirt - Buffalo Exchange (consignment store), brand is Madewell

Tan/Brown Vegan Western Boots - Coconuts by Matisse, purchased from ShoeMall

Brown Vegan Western Boots - Coconuts by Matisse, purchased from Amazon

The Scottsdale Cotton Fields

I went out exploring with my friend, Ryen, for a photoshoot. I've seen these cotton field photos all over Instagram for years and have never been able to find them and when I did they were out of season.. until NOW! These cotton fields were so dreamy. 

Rust Sweater - Mom's Closet 

Brown Distressed Jeans - Free People

Tan Hat - Urban Outfitters, Ecoté

Brown Vegan Western Boots - Coconuts By Matisse, purchased from ShoeMall

Vegan Suede Olive Hat - Free People

Turtleneck Sleeveless Top - Free People

Brass Necklace - Buffalo Exchange

Deserted Farm - Becca Booker Media

Part 2: This was the same farm/deserted horse stables in Scottsdale that I explored with my friend, Becca - pretty cool area! Also, I'm obsessed with this vegan leather jacket I purchased off of Mercari. It's a new app that is similar to Poshmark but is less of a social network and they only take out 10% of sales instead of 20% like Posh. You can buy new or used items on the app, I highly recommend it! By the way, this is not a sponsored post, I just genuinely like using these apps haha. My jacket was gently used, so yay for reducing my carbon footprint (and getting a good deal)! 

Vegan Felt Hat - Target

Vegan Leather Jacket - Free People but purchased on consignment app, Mercari

Lace-Up Black Top - Free People

High-Waisted Black Jeans - American Apparel

Vegan Western Boots - Purchased from Free People, brand is Coconuts by Matisse

shot by @beccabookermedia, edited by me