This is a
comprehensive list of the blogs that have made their way into my life and why.
Fashion Blogs
Nicolette Mason
This girl looks good. She is overweight. She looks more put
together than I ever will be. This is an
aspirational beauty blog that isn’t about losing weight. I love that. Nicole’s
Blog probably started the whole Fat-shion movement, but that’s not why I follow
it. Growing up I was lead to believe that I should only buy nice clothing when
I have the body I know I am going to keep. Because I always felt larger than
what was ideal, I never invested in nice clothing, never really invested in
myself. That is and was a mistake. I shouldn’t keep myself from feeling
beautiful, from feeling worth anything just because I feel like there are a few
more pounds I can lose. Nicole’s blog helps me realize that every body is worth
it. My body is worth it.
Dulce Candy
This blog is refreshing because it is not full of
unattainable items and fashion. The
fashion she wears are affordable. She makes it work with items from Zara,
H&M, and JC Penny’s. She is trendy and she accessorizes better than any
blogger out there. I also love her
beauty advice because she uses drug store items. I am more apt to try out her
makeup advice because the price is right. I also love the photography. She
looks taller in photos.
Girl with Curves
Tanesha is another plus-size blogger that knocks it out of
the park. I would drink goats blood out
of a 14oz glass if it meant I could have her perfect hair and skin. While this
blog is technically a fashion blog, I am in it more for the beauty advice.
Fashion Pirate
Arabelle Sicardi is a feminist fashion blogger of the Tavi
Gavison clan. The editorials are beautiful and I find it refreshing to see a
blogger whose idea of pretty means green hair and a tailored stripe pantsuit.
Again, I love seeing blogs where being beautiful doesn’t mean having a million
dollars, wearing bows in your hair, and being a size 2.
Atlantic Pacific
Atlantic Pacific is wordless and trendy in a high end
unobtainable way. She is ultra feminine with her red lips, full midi skirt, and
sky high stilettos. It looks like she has more Chanel bags than can fit into a
walk in closet. Atlantic pacific is also the blog that makes me grow concerned
about the blogging industry as a whole. Her life looks almost too perfect, too
fabricated. I am starting to grow weary of her c/o posts because this isn’t a
lifestyle that it exists. It is about as real as a magazine ad. I am still
trying to verbalize my feelings about this. For now, I maintain my fascination
with this fashion blog because it acts as a yardstick to just how perfect a
blog can make a person look.
Dressed and Fed
Kristin lives in San
Diego just like me. Her blog more closely aligns with the fashion I see in my
everyday life. She got me into modest jewelry and makes me want to buy a panama
hat.
Midwest Style
This is a Mens Fashion Blog. I follow it because I go
shopping with my boyfriend and honestly I like looking at the fashion for
myself as well. These guys have great taste in lesser known brands. They also
know how to layer like a mofo.
Tomboy Style.
Before I knew about this blog I would wear huge dangly
earrings and big bulky necklaces. My aesthetic has completely changed. This
blog helped me realize the simple beauty behind an unfussy wardrobe. Part of
the charm are the retro photos. What is even more charming about this blog is
that it often feels like they aren’t selling anything. They are just showing us
a world that isn’t as popular because it doesn’t make money.
Advanced Style
I bet you can tell I love reading about non traditional
beauty. Like Tina Fey once said, "'Crazy' in show business is a woman who
keeps talking even after no one want to fuck her anymore." Advanced style
keeps it real. It reminds me that I am going to keep living after the age of
30. The beautiful women on this blog put a spotlight on the people that the
mainstream fashion industry would rather hide. This is what blogs are about people.
It’s not about swallowing the traditional aspirational beauty that sells
lipstick and weightloss pills. It’s about understanding what the world is
actually like when you aren’t trying to be sold something.
Fated To Be Hated
I’ve talked about fated to be hated before on this blog.
This is a perfect example of a beautiful girl that doesn’t give a damn about
being pretty. I am quoting myself when I say she dresses like a young Cruella
Devile She is so hot it’s hard to fathom. She wears top shelf clothing from
designers I’ve never heard of. She lives in a world so different than my own
that every thing she talks about and reviews is an item I would never have run
into without her. I love hearing about the avenues people can explore in this
life.
Hapa Time
Jessica wears Body Con like no one else can. This half
Japanese beauty has a perfect body and everybody knows it. Hapa time is like
the polar opposite of Fated to be Hated. Its hilarious that these bookmarks are
directly adjacent to eachother. Jessica has a preppy tennis star vibe. I can’t
say that I pull any style inspiration from this blog, but its nice seeing what the
cool norcal girls are wearing.
The Quarter Life Closet
Christina and I are the same age. When I am hurting to keep
borderline clothed for every season, she seems to have an unlimited wardrobe
that makes her look fabulous beyond words. Both of us are in graduate school,
but somehow she is far and away better dressed than I am. This girl is Atlantic
Pacific Level fabulous but for some reason it doesn’t seem like a false facade
for a j.crew catalogue. Christina is the real deal. Where Atlantic Pacific makes me doubt the
authenticity of the blogging industry, The Quarter Life Closet makes me think I
should take a long hard look at the excuses I made that lead to such a dowdy
wardrobe.
Fashion Hayley
This is how Austrialians dress. This blog is what it was
like if Fashion Pirate, Mermaidens, and Nicolette Mason raised a child in a commune.
She loves Harajuku and makes frequent trips to japan to achieve this very
special look. If Jellys make a resurgence in the United States I know how it
got here. I can’t say that I picked up any style tips from her, but I never
thought small and fuzzy would be an acceptable texture to include in an outfit
before I started reading this blog.
Fitness Blogs
Skinny Chick
This girl is a great running buddy. She has good days and bad
days just like everybody else. It was probably because of this grl that I was
so into compression socks during my marathon running days. I don’t run as much
as I used to, but sometimes reading this blog makes me the enthusiasm I had
back when I was always high with endorphins.
Chick on the Rocks
Natalie is a hard core climber. I bet you could tell if you
saw her walking down the street because this girl is jacked. She is so real, I
can’t stand it. There couldn’t be a tv character like her because no one would
believe it. She is an athlete that wears heels. She is a jock medical school
bound. She is more real than any other media I consume can illustrate. Also,
she is my oblique muscle fit-spo.
Crux Crush
This blog makes me climb harder and smarter. I love reading
the interviews with the best women climbers in the world and I do my best to
use every fitness tip they have. I also
bought the Gregory pack they recommended. When every person I climb with is
male, this is my only avenue of sisterly climbing I can get.
Run Freckles Run
I feel like I know
Lindsey. She has evolved so much ever since I started following her blog two
years ago. She runs a lot, is fast as hell, and has an honest ever evolving
perspective that I think will eventually will bring her to great places. I
don’t follow this blog because she inspires me or teaches me about blogging, I
follow this blog because I am honestly rooting for her.
Stuft Mama
Stuft mama is incredibly buff. She is a fitness instructor
in San Diego, and she actually teaches less than 4 miles from where I live.
Despite all that, our paths have never crossed and I found her blog through
organic channels. I always thought that to be more healthy, I had to pare down
my food choices to the most basic, simpliest, most healthy items. But no. Stuft
Mama proves that a healthy diet is vast. Sure, her blog is more about “look
what I ate!” than “this is how you make it” but its impressive nonetheless.
Beauty Blogs
The Beauty Department
This is seriously where I go when I am looking to try
something new. This blog is put on by several awesome women who recommend
items, review items, and show new ways to use old ones. Everything I have
learned or ever will about make up will come from here. The simple no nonsense
format makes this an easy to digest short course on beauty.
Fiore Beauty
I will forever thank this blog for introducing me to
Clinique Chubby Cheeks Blush. One has to shift through a lot of content before
they can get to a product that is truly worth using, and this blog made it
through the muck.
Miss Maven
This blog teaches me that makeup can completely change what
you look like. Teni is a chameleon that takes it from normal to out of this
world with just a little bit of makeup. Most of her tricks are too advanced for
me, but it helps me see where some expertise can take you.
Cult of Pretty
Yeah, I don’t go to this blog for beauty advice. I love the
photography. None of it is particularly realistic, but its not meant to be.
Good, Bad, and Fab
This blog has its ear to the ground when it comes to Asian
beauty products and trends. Its not that Asian beauty is better, its just hard
to hear about on this side of the pond.
Maskcara
I was sort of iffy about this blog for a long time. I
thought it was just another pretty girl that shows off how beautiful she is.
Its her transformation posts that got me hooked. She frequently shows how just
doing your makeup differently can make you look like a happier person with more
sleep. I also started watching her videos recently and found myself taking
notes when she casually recommends products. I am hoping to revamp my entire
hair routine with her help.
Lifestyle Blogs
A Well Traveled Woman
I got into this blog shortly after I learned about the
glamour of travel and the outdoors from Tomboy Style. This tumblr is full of
exquisite photography that shows what your life should be like, and it doesn’t
have anything to do with buying things.
Pink Peonies
I wanted to call this a fashion blog but she talks about
travel, beauty, and cooking just as often. Of all the blogs I follow, this one
is the most like Atlantic Pacific. She is like a brunette version. She has a
feminine aesthetic but not as overtly so, and seems to have just as vast a budget. Every
item she owns is an investment piece. She also has a perchant for IT-bags
that I find myself lusting over.
Ivory Lane
I came to this blog through Pink Peonies, because they are
sisters. I could tell they are sisters even if they didn’t go out and say it.
Their design asthetic is very similar, and so is their style. This one is
particularly fascinating because of how chic she makes being pregnant look. I
could only hope to look as hot in a structured maturity dress.
Barefoot Blonde
This is a fashion blog but that is not the realm of where
this blog excels. This girl is a braiding genius. Every page has more braids
than a years subscription to Seventeen Magazine. I was starting to think that
there was no more content in the world of hair that could be found, but
Barefoot Blonde blows me away with every post.
Bianco
This is the Norwegian blog I follow. This blog is addictive.
Camilla Pihl is a footballers (soccer) wife and seems do nothing all day but
eat small amounts of beautifully delectable food and tower around in 4 inch
stilettos with her perfect clothes in her perfect house with her perfect baby.
It is unapologetically glamorous in a way that an American blog would be unable
to achieve.
Oh So Coco
This blog tries to be about fashion but its not. Coco Rocha
is a very popular model and her blog is what it is like to live life at the top
of the world. I think she can stand to be more introspective, but its nice to
at least infer what its like to live as someone whos talent involves a twist of
the body instead of a turn of a phrase.
Lauren Conrad
Lauren Conrad is the good girl influence I wish I had in
high school to have just the perfect senior year. This blog shifted away from
fashion and Lauren Conrads growing empire to a young Martha Stewart feel with
its seasonal snack ideas, book club, and DIY décor posts. I get this nagging
feeling that Lauren Conrad doesn’t do any blogging herself anymore, but that is
the most inauthentic part of this blog. The saccarhine sweetness is sincere.
Niotillfem
This is the Swedish blog I follow. Sandra is so happy that a
language barrier doesn’t keep her blog from being infectiously happy. She wears
white panty house, circle skirts, and platform sneakers. This is how I would
imagine baby spice would dress if she were popular now. She frequently talks
about her favorite books, her political party, and the super fun dinner parties
she attends.
Cheetah is the New Black
This is another blog I’ve discussed before. Alicia is what
is the personal style embodiment of the Tomboy style blog. She is perfect and
always on pointe. She mixes vintage with high street fashion and always looks
like a million bucks. This blog is where I go when I finally have some cash to
spend and want to invest in an item that is low key, high quality, and fashion
forward.
What is Reality Anway?
Krystal is the ultimate tomboy with California Cool. I am
positive she is the one that brought birkenstocks into high fashion. She makes
a skateboard, seawater soaked hair, and a trucker cap look oh so glamorous.
Sure, she is a model selling a lifestyle, but she makes beautiful look
comfortable and adventurous.
People I know IRL
Rowdy Style
Rowdy is a modern day polymath that has the type of
interesting life I aspire towards on dreamy afternoons. He is also much more
introspective on his blog than I tend to be on mine, so its nice to consider
how editorial I could be if I liked the long form like I should.
Casey’s Blog
Casey has killer taste and a high flying lifestyle. Reading
her blog makes me feel like we are at the mall together. Its amazing how much
she can influence my shopping habits virtually.