My Month in Film | August 2017

I feel like I've begun every one of these month in film posts by saying how insane the past month has been. That was definitely true for August, and just about this whole period in general. With graduating, moving back to my hometown, getting settled, seeing friends, being on the job hunt, it feels like every month there has a lot to reflect on. I'm definitely starting to feel more settled and I know once September finishes, it will really hit me that I am here for good. While August has been a pretty hectic month, all of the changes are definitely things to be excited about. 

This top, which I've been borrowing from my mom, has been a real staple this past month. Because its rayon its super easy to wash and it looks incredible with straight leg jeans, like my beloved vintage Levi 501s which are pictured here.

Before my boyfriend and I started work we headed up to Napa during a weekday with one of my best friends to go wine tasting. It was easily one of the best days of this entire summer and we spent the majority of our time laughing to near tears. This particular photo is of the gardens of the French Laundry, which are definitely worth going to if you ever find yourself in Napa. 

My boyfriend's sister came into town at the beginning of the month and we took full advantage of my SFMoMA membership and went to the Edvard Munch exhibit, which I would highly recommend. I am in love with the views from the giant windows in the SFMoMA. 

We also spent a considerable amount of time wandering around the main exhibits, which I've seen about five times, but still have not gotten old. 

Most of the month has been pretty cloudy, which is getting me so excited for Fall and Winter weather. Although, as I am writing this we are currently going through a record-breaking heat wave. 

I am going to start featuring one picture in these posts of my favorite beauty products of the month in order to pay homage to where this blog began. I've been loving the Glossier Cloud Paints in Beam and Haze mixed together and the Glossier haloscope for a super natural dewy sheen. Most of my eye looks have been consisting of either just the Fairydrops Platinum Mascara on its own, or with a bit of MAC Groundbreaker pencil, or with a touch of Tom Ford Cream Color for eyes in Platinum on the lids. I've also been using the NARS Soft Matte Complete concealer, which has quickly become one of my favorite concealers of all time. 

One of my favorite parts of moving back to San Francisco has been the farmers markets. I love going to farmers markets early on a weekend morning or being able to stop by one after work.

Me and my boyfriend, Brad, at Off The Grid in the Presidio. 

The Off the Grid at the Presidio is definitely my favorite of the food truck gatherings. It's basically like one giant picnic and one of the most relaxing things to do on a Sunday with family. 

My family brought a little half-tent for the sun and when I was about to go in it, Brad snapped a very candid shot of me. I'm surprised it turned out as ok as it did. 

One of my favorite little coffee shops in the Mission, Fayes, also shares my last name. They also always have the best chalk signs outside.

Bought some pretty incredible green suede boots from Madewell, which I have already been wearing relentlessly and will continue to do so through Autumn and Winter. 

An outfit from a dinner date with Brad, which consisted of a Topshop Blouse which I bought in the Nordstrom Sale, Madewell jeans, and those Madewell boots.

The Zen Center in San Francisco is easily one of my favorite-looking buildings in the city. I am a bit obsessed with brick buildings!

Been going to Boba Guys a bit too much this month. 

Gonna take quick moment to gush about this guy right here, he's had a pretty crazy month of starting work all while continuing to be the most supportive person I could hope to have at my side. He's also been encouraging me to put time into this blog and has been helping out in order for me to do so.

Went to the Friday night Off the Grid with my sister and Brad's roommate. I took this snap of my sister while we were standing in line for food. 

The neon sign for Off the Grid is very instagram-worthy.

Another favorite outfit combo of the month: vintage cashmere sweater from Courtyard LA and Levis Wedgie Fit Jeans. 

Three Candles That Won't Break The Bank

I am absolutely obsessed with candles. I am not however, obsessed with the price of most nice candles. Don't get me wrong, smelling a Byredo, Jo Malone, or Diptyque candle can most aptly be described as ascending into heaven, but I have a near impossible time justifying the $70-ish price tags. Luckily there has been a surge of affordable (they aren't super cheap but significantly less than $70) candles on the market that not only burn incredibly well, but also have really complex and sophisticated scents that are very reminiscent of the higher-end candle options. Its worth noting that all of these brands of candles have a solid range of scents and while I am recommending specific scents, its worth giving the other scents in these ranges a whiff. 

One of the longest standing companies in my candle rotation is P.F. Candle Co. These candles range from $18-24 depending on where you buy them. One of the best fragrances in the range is Black Fig, which I think can be burned both in the warmer and cooler months because it has the fruitiness that you want when its warmer and the spicy and woodsy notes you want when its cooler. These candles also have a total burn time of 40-50 hours, which makes it a great value per ounce.

If there's one candle that is incredible just from a aesthetics perspective its got to be Boy Smells Cedar Stack. All of the Boy Smells candles come in the most amazing millennial pink boxes and are housed in a black glass jar with a pink label. Looks aside though, the fragrances themselves are incredible. Cedar Stack in particular is my favorite scent in the range because it has a really woodsy but fresh scent. I think the best way to describe it would be a sophisticated Christmas smell, because it has those woodsy aspects of a typical "Christmas" candle, without being over powering or generic smelling. Boy Smells candles are priced at a fairly reasonable $29 for a 8.8 oz. (which is the same size as a Byredo candle for more than half the price).

Last but absolutely not least is Maison Louis Marie No. 4 Bois de Balincourt. I think this has become my favorite candle, almost overnight. If you have ever smelled Le Labo's Santal 33, which is perhaps one of the most recognizable scents at the moment, then you will know exactly what this smells like. It's also half the price of the Le Labo option. I think that this scent is best suited for Autumn and Winter because it is very woodsy and almost leathery smelling. It is $34, but I think it is absolutely worth it because of how sophisticated and complex the fragrance it. 

A Makeup Collection Clear Out: Tips and What's Left

Because I've been working on my living space and downsizing how much stuff I have, I thought I'd go through my makeup collection and really have a thorough clear-out. While I am pretty good about getting rid of things that are clearly too old to use, I hadn't done a strict declutter in a very long time. Makeup, like clothing, is an easy thing to accumulate and lose sight of how much you actually own versus how much you actually use on a regular basis. I ended up clearing out a lot of stuff that I just wasn't using and was very strict with myself when it came to justifying things to keep. Here are some guidelines I followed to make this whole makeup declutter a successful one: 

Check Expiration Dates ~ Checking to see if a product has gone off is the easiest way to start culling through a makeup collection. Especially with lip and cream products its easy to tell when something is past its lifetime. Meg, from Lips So Facto wrote a really helpful blog post a few years back, which goes into detail about expiration dates of makeup and is very useful if you are unsure if a product has gone off or not. While I don't stick strictly to the expiration dates, because I use my makeup on only myself, it can be a helpful tool to get rid of things that are beyond useable. 

Empty Out Your Drawers ~ I always find whenever I am doing a clear out, whether it be for makeup, clothing, or miscellaneous items that it is very helpful to empty out everything you are clearing out from the storage system its in. I cleared out each drawer and put all of the products on my bed so I could sort through them easier. I think its also somewhat of a mental exercise to clear everything out because then its easier to feel like every product is subject to the declutter instead of leaving the things you think you'll use in the drawers without scrutiny.

Compartmentalize Your Products ~ Obviously, not everything I wanted to keep were things I used on a daily basis. In order to work out what I wanted to keep in the strictest way possible I compartmentalized my collection into two categories: daily makeup and special occasion makeup. Once I did this I feel like I could be more rigorous about the products in each category. In terms of daily makeup I used the test of whether I had used the product in the last three months, or if it was out of season if I had used it in the season it was appropriate for. In terms of occasion makeup, it was harder to use the test if I had used it recently. Instead, I made sure it hadn't been bought ages ago. I then went through and made sure each thing was something I would definitely use for a specific occasion I have planned in the relatively near future. 

In terms of what's left from this clear out, I kept all of the products that are in my every day makeup bag. I also kept all of the products in my Muji drawers that I use on a regular basis for daily makeup or that I use for nights out and special occasions. I got rid of a lot of my blushes that I hadn't used in ages because I have almost exclusively been using the Glossier Cloud Paints since they launched. I also did a thorough comb through of my eyeshadows because I had an absolute ton, a lot of which were similar to one another. All of the MAC products I used will be recycled using the Back To MAC program, however I will most likely give some of the free eyeshadows or lipsticks I acquire through Back To MAC to my sister or mom, since I don't want to get rid of a load of makeup and then replenish my collection with products I might not use. After doing all of this decluttering I feel like I have a much more thoughtful and useable selection of products at my disposal. Most importantly, I think that going forward this will make me much more thoughtful in my approach to buying makeup. 

What are your decluttering tips and tricks? 

A Bedroom Refresh

As part and parcel of moving back to San Francisco, I moved back in with my parents into my childhood bedroom. I absolutely love that room. When my parents did a massive renovation on the house about eight years ago, my sister and I got to move into separate rooms and our parents let us pick out most of the details of the design of the room from the bed frame, to the wall color, to the lighting fixture. Because of all of that this room has always felt like mine, rather than a room that my parents designed for me. While I love the major aspects of the room, it felt weird to be 22 and be living in a room that had been reflective of my teenage self. In other words, it was due a refresh. 

I started the whole refresh with my bed, I had my old bed frame since I moved into this room and while it was a nice one, I wanted something a bit more minimalist and modern. I luckily already had an IKEA Malm bed frame from my apartment in college and just decided to swap out my old one for this one. I also replaced the bedding with this duvet cover set from Urban Outfitters, again to go along with the more modern aesthetic. After moving back from college I had my full book collection so I rearranged my bookshelf above my bed to be color coordinated because its just so darn pleasing to look at. 

My bedside table was due a rejig so I bought a new frame and put some of my favorite polaroids in it. I also bought this dreamy Boy Smells candle, which not only looks great but smells incredible, it's making me very much look forward to autumn. I also invested in an Echo Dot, which has replaced my rather outdated and clunky iPod speaker/alarm clock. 

It wouldn't be a bedroom post if it didn't include my cat bailey. I've had this Papasan chair for five years or so and I replaced the throws I have hanging over it just to make that space look a bit more pulled together, but still cozy. Clearly Bailey thinks its a cozy spot. 

One of my favorite corners of my room is where I have my guitar and amp. Not only do I think they add a lot to the room in terms of looks, but I like having them be front and center so I remember to actually pick up my guitar and play it on a regular basis. I also bought this 2018 calendar of 60s rock posters from the Summer of Love exhibit at the deYoung Museum. 

The final and biggest part of this bedroom refresh was replacing my desk. I previously had a huge desk with a giant hutch that took up a huge portion of the wall. While it was a functional desk, it got cluttered really easily and I no longer needed a desk quite as big. I opted for the IKEA MICKE desk, which is super simple but actually can store a lot. I love how much getting a new desk has changed the whole feeling of my room. It also opens up the opportunity to start putting together a gallery wall, which I will definitely write a blog post on once it is finished!

25 Random Facts About Me

In an effort to reintroduce myself to my readers as a part of my revamp of the blog I thought I'd write a post so you all can get to know me on a more personal level. I thought I'd go ahead and share twenty five random facts you probably won't know about me. 

1. I was born and raised in San Francisco. Ok so it's not a total secret, but I am a full-on San Francisco native. I don't know if I'm going to live here forever (because the rent is insane) but this city will always be the best city on Earth in my eyes. 

2. My favorite bands are The Beatles, Arctic Monkeys, The Cure, and the Strokes.

3. I have been to about 30 concerts in my twenty-two years on this planet.

4. I have attended a fair number of those concerts with my dad because he basically has the same taste in music as me. Sometimes it pays to have a dad that likes classic and alternative rock. 

5. Speaking of which, my dad and how he dressed as teenager has massively influenced my style as well. He is where I get my intense love of Levi 501s from. 

6. I studied history in college.

7. I have considered going to graduate school and potentially even getting a P.h.D in history at some point in the future.

8. My go-to drink is a Gin & Tonic. 

9. While I love a good G&T on a night out my preferred Saturday night consists of staying in, watching movies with my boyfriend, and doing a face mask. 

10. I have a Bernese Mountain Dog named Sam who thinks he weighs about 10 lbs when in reality he weighs about 125 lbs.

11. I am a natural redhead.

12. My hair is incredibly curly and used to be such a nightmare to brush when I was little that most attempts my mom made to brush out the knots usually ended in tears. 

13. Rainy days in the autumn and winter are my favorite. 

14. I actually really do not like summer (controversial I know).

15. I have seriously considered moving to the U.K. or to Ireland at some point in my life. 

16. I love doing my makeup every morning, but I hate doing my hair. 

17. My favorite book is Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion.

18. My favorite movie is Breakfast at Tiffany's

19. I have been shooting film photography for five years. 

20. Getting a roll of film back from the developer is one of my favorite feelings. 

21. As much as I love the city, I also love being outdoors and going on hikes. 

22. My nicknames have ranged from Hannah Bob (thanks Dad), Hannah banana (pretty standard), and Hannah Montana (thanks middle school). 

23. I spend an embarrassing amount of time on Instagram (especially Instagram stories) and Pinterest. 

24. I hate running with a passion but will happily swim several miles. 

25. Writing is my greatest passion and the thing that keeps me the most creatively fulfilled.