Striving for excellence motivates you; striving for perfection is demoralizing. ~Harriet Braiker

I've always wondered how fashion bloggers do what they do. 

I understand the text aspect. You write about brands you love, compare new trends to old trends, try to discover new designers, etc. I kind of do that here. But what really gets me are the outfit posts. They really make me question so many things.

Does Blair do her own hair? 

It's perfect, always.

And does she walk to work in those heels?!

Who takes all of Emily's pictures?

Or any of the bloggers for that matter..

Does Rumi feel awkward posing in the streets of foreign countries?

It's probably easier there actually..

Does Elin look this perfect everyday?

Probably.

Their poses seem so flawless. It's as if they've been caught on their way to an event or walking out of a dry bar. What really goes into getting those 4 pictures for a post? How much time do they spend on their outfit choice or their lipstick color?

Well, I'm here to say it's really not that easy.

I've always wanted to share pictures of myself on my blog, but I get so self-concious. Candids are never flattering.. unless you've perfected the candid smile, which I haven't. And to me it just seems so awkward to post pictures of myself. I know, people do it all the time. WHY is it so hard for me to do it? So.. here goes nothing.

My very sweet boyfriend grudgingly agreed to snap a few pictures for me.

Outfit choice? Something I've worn to an interview.

Did I get dressed just for the picture? Yes.

Did I put on on lipstick that I normally wouldn't wear on a lazy Sunday? Yes.

Originally, I wanted to brave the sidewalk. "It's okay, people take pictures all of the time," I kept telling myself. Well, there was someone sitting on our bench chatting on the phone, so I immediately turned back around. No way would I even TRY to take pictures any where near someone who has nothing to do other than stare.

:: Rebecca Minkoff bag, Jessica Ricci ring, La Mer watch, Alex & Ani gold bracelets, Harabu House turquoise bracelet ::

So we went to our back patio and posed around the pool. The light was awful and I couldn't stop laughing. Do I act serious? I couldn't.

So instead, I gave up. And although my sweet boyfriend offered to try a few more.. I resorted back to my Sunday staples. 

His sweatshirt, sweat pants, a bun and a nice fuzzy blanket. 

Oh well. Better luck next time.

At least the scariest part is over.. 

I've officially posted pictures of myself posing.

[ignore the boxes!]