Chic in Every Shade / Denim Shorts

Chic in Every Shade in collaboration with Have Need Want

We’re right in the middle of summer and the weather has been extra hot and humid lately. I personally do NOT do well with long pants during the summer so I either live in dresses or shorts during the summer months.

I’ve teamed up with a great group of bloggers to each style our favorite pair of distressed denim shorts in a Chic in Every Shade group post. All their post links will be at the end – please go check them out!

I’ve been loving white denim in particular because this tan only lasts for 3 months out of the year so I’m showing it off while I still can! Does anyone else do this? I savor the little summer glow that I have like it’s the last bite of dessert.

I’m sharing this great all white outfit that’s great for a casual or semi-casual event. I’ve been loving monotone looks with a pop of color!

Shorts: I have had these shorts from Hollister for maybe 4 years now and I couldn’t find the exact one but I found two very similar ones from Hollister linked here and here. This pair from American Eagle is also a great option and lastly, this pair from Reddress.

I normally like to wear a belt with these but I wanted to try something new and I threw up a ribbon belt that came from a dress that I had and I LOVE the way that it turned out! If you have a piece of long ribbon or sash give this look a try. I just tied it twice and tucked the ends in.

Shirt: I have so many button up shirts and this white Ralph Lauren Oxford shirt is great for summer and I love the slim fit. Alternatively – a blue Oxford shirt would also go amazing with white shorts!

I paired it with my favorite Daniel Wellington watch – I love the brown strap with the all white look!

More details of this outfit can be found here with shoppable links and I’ve also added in more alternatives!

I just re watched Dirty Dancing again for the…100th time and I won’t lie this looks gives me a bit of the Kellerman’s country club vibe?? I mean just put take me back to the 60s and put me on the dance floor with Patrick Swayze already!

I hope you’re all staying safe!

Until next time,

Sindy

Vanessa from Vanessa Alyson | Francisca from The Fancy Francy | Marlene from Life with Mar | Nicole from Take It From Nicole | Sindy from Sindy Spencer | Ashley from Swift | Laura from Have Need Want | Alexandra from Simply Alexandraaa | Lauren from Gabbing Ginger

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Why I Needed A Break From Social Media

I’m not gonna lie, I almost couldn’t log back onto my WordPress account – it really has been THAT long. I had to try three times to get the right password and voila, here I am.

I have had this blog and my connected Instagram account for almost four years and for the past two years, I have treated both accounts like my baby. I loved to write, I loved taking photos and editing them. I loved playing around with my photos so I could curate the most beautiful and aesthetically pleasing Instagram feed. In those two years, I spent most of my day thinking of ways I could improve my blog or my feed. When Instagram algorithms changed, it became harder and harder to get my posts noticed and because of that, my blog posts weren’t getting noticed either. I had fallen into the traps of the internet and I wanted to do everything in my power to get out- even if it meant setting aside other things in my life.

It’s a numbers game.

I wanted more followers, I wanted more likes and it was starting to canvas over the original reason why I started my Instagram account in the first place. The reason I ever started my account was so I could get more people to read my blog posts and I don’t know when my focus shifted away from my original goal. I’ve said it once but I’ll say it again. I love to write – whether I’m good at it or not is a whole other story but it’s something that I enjoy. Even my blog posts started to feel disingenuous. Honestly, I didn’t want to write about what dresses or outfits I was wearing each week. Yes, it was great to do once in a while but when that was almost all I was writing about, I felt creatively drained. But, I did it because that’s what everyone else was doing. Moral of the story, I needed a break.

My year-long break away from the internet didn’t happen abruptly. I had originally planned to take a month long break from posting to focus on school. That month turned into three months and that turned into almost a year. The idea of going back onto my account and back into the routine gave me overwhelming anxiety. The pressure of keeping up with everyone on social media felt like a burden. I couldn’t stand to watch an account that I had built from the ground up fall and eventually I logged out of my Instagram account because I didn’t want to be reminded of my failure.

My almost one year break was amazing. I had more time to do other things! Most people don’t know how much time it takes to run an Instagram account or a blog, it is like a full-time job and the hours bleed into every minute of the day.

I came back because I don’t abandon my projects.

I want to take my writing to a new level, write about more serious topics but still keep some of the original. I don’t want to give up on something I worked so hard for and I’m excited for the next chapter.

Have you ever taken a break before? Let me know 🙂

Until next time,
Sindy Spencer

 

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Back To School Outfit

It seems like months since I’ve written a new post and it’s true. I decided to take a break from all my social media platforms and it has been a very long but much needed cleanse.

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Back to school has always been my favourite time of the year. There’s a certain magic in the air about September. Everything smells like new notebooks and packs of pens and pencils. It reminds me of packing my lunch box with my mom the night before and picking out an outfit. It also reminds me of walking back into school after a long summer away and the smell of the hallway just seems a little cleaner. Being in college is a little different and the first day of class isn’t as ceremonial as it once was but the magic never leaves. One of my all time favourite quotes from one of my favourite movies ( starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks obviously) is a line from You’ve Got Mail where Meg Ryan’s character gushes over New York in the fall and tells Tom Hanks that she would send him, “a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils.” Frankly, I would cry if someone sent me a bouquet of anything.

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I wanted to share a cute outfit to wear for back to school season! I’ve been loving off the shoulder tops recently and for anyone who has seen my closet, they know that I have an abnormal obsession with stripes. The contrast of the white with the dark stripes is perfect for a post summer look – especially if you’ve picked up a little bronzed glow over the past few months. Paired with a nice pair of jeans and you’re all set. I wore my Sperry’s but even nude or white slip ons would look amazing with it as well.

What do you think of stripes and off the shoulder tops? Yay or Nay?

Hope you’re all having an amazing week!

xoxo,
Sindy

 

 

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Beauty Secrets From My Mom

Happy Mothers Day!! Growing up, my mom was always the person I went to with skincare concerns because the woman has amazing skin. She didn’t wear foundation for years because her skin was just too good to cover up. I lined up a few beauty secrets she has shared with me over the years that are tried and true. Let me know if you try any of these or have tried them in the past!

  1. Eggs whites

Whenever a recipe called for just the egg yolk, my mom would save the egg white and use it as a mask all over the face. Even on days where no cooking was involved, sometimes I’d find her sitting on the couch with a thin layer of egg white on her face. After trying it, I can tell you that it’s a great mask that’s super easy to make (only one ingredient folks!) and INCREDIBLY CHEAP. I apply just a thin layer and wait for it to dry and then wash it off with some warm later and it’s great for skin tightening and a more refreshed face.

  1. Royal Jelly

If you asked me before today what exactly royal jelly was before today, I probably wouldn’t have been able to tell you. My limited knowledge about the stuff was limited to the fact that it tastes kind of like honey but the texture and colour are different. After a little “research” (aka Wikipedia) I found out that it’s a bee secretion that is used to feed larvae. It really doesn’t sound very appealing but I swear this stuff is amazing. You can use it as a very mild exfoliator or use it as a mask. It does wonders for my dry skin during the winter because of it’s amazing moisturizing properties. According to my mom, because of all the vitamins in royal jelly, it’s also amazing for anti-aging.

  1. Black Sesame Seeds

Black sesame seeds are great for reducing the number of grey hairs but on top of that, it’s also great for nourishing your hair to give it a healthy glow. I obviously can’t attest to how effective it is grey hairs but I can say my mom has amazing hair. This one has less instantaneous results but great for the long term- just remember to keep it consistent. Black sesame seeds have other great health benefits so you can’t go wrong adding it to your diet.

  1. Honey

Honey is great for a face mask and has similar skin benefits as the royal jelly BUT it is amazing for hair. My mom likes to use raw honey because its consistency isn’t as runny and easier to use for hair masks. For saving dry hair or for lightening, mix about 2/3 raw honey with 1/3 conditioner in a bowl, and simply put it in your hair and wrap your hair in a plastic bag or even saran wrap. For more immediate lightening results, sleeping in your hair mask over night is the best way. However, if you opt to sleep in your mask, make sure to wrap your hair very well so you don’t wake up in a …sticky mess.

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My Irrational Fears

A while back, I brought up one of my random irrational fears to someone because it was something that had been sitting in the back of my mind for so long. Frankly, I wanted to know if anyone else felt the same way. The conversation went a little something like this.

Me: This is weird but whenever I exit a store, I always have a fear that the security alarm is going to go off and I’m going to get arrested for a theft that I didn’t commit.

Him: OH MY GOD I FEEL THE SAME WAY.

So, now that I know I’m not alone in my irrational fears, I thought I would share some with all of you and maybe we can all bond over how weird we are.

 

Store Security Alarm

I don’t even know where this one started but in recent years, every single time I leave a store, I have to mentally prepare myself for the security alarm to go off. The worst part is, one time the alarm actually did go off and it FREAKED me out. I froze and didn’t know what to do with myself as I frantically looked around at the store clerk with a look of confusion. Turns out, it was a faulty alarm but it only just made me more paranoid. Love that.

Sidewalk Grates

This is one fear that I’ve had for as long as I can remember. I used to refuse to walk on sidewalk grates because I thought that I would fall through them. Frankly, I think they look hella dangerous. I mean, there are holes everywhere it just doesn’t look architecturally stable.

Public Bathroom Flushing

Every time I come out of a public bathroom stall and I see someone else waiting in line to go into the same stall I just used, I get this weird fear that perhaps I didn’t fully flush properly. You know, sometimes your mind wanders and you forget to check whether everything went down properly and it’s just embarrassing and gross for someone else to walk into that.

Airplane Flushing

Speaking of flushing, this one is a weird one. The flushing sound of airplane toilets scare me so much. It’s this massive flush that sounds like the soul is being sucked out of the toilet. So, whenever I have to use the bathroom on the plane, I mentally prepare myself for the sound but even then, I get a little jolt everytime.

Potential Danger – How to Escape

Whenever I’m in a room for a long period of time and I get bored, my mind starts to wander. Sure, I think about a lot of other things, like what I’m going to snack on later or how the boy sitting in front of me has really nice hair.  However, eventually, my mind always lands on one place. I always plan out my escape route if an attacker were to enter. I image someone coming through the door and think about where I would hide. Normally, I check out the window to see if jumping out of it would be a valid option- sure I might get a few broken bones but it might be worth it. Please tell me someone else does this.

Music In A Quiet Room

Sometimes when I’m in the library or anywhere quiet, I can hear the music blasting through someone else’s headphones. I have to say, most of the time it comes from the Apple headphones because I have experienced first hand the extent of sound leaking that comes from those things. Every time I’m in the library studying and I turn up the volume of my music, I cautiously have to take my earbuds or headphones off to see if anyone else can hear my music. Whenever someone else stares or looks at me in the library, I always think it’s because they can hear my music. What can I say, I just get paranoid and worried about the most random things. It happens every single time.

 

That’s all for today, what are some of your irrational fears?

 

XOXO,
Sindy Spencer

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