Cheryl Shops

Way back in December, I mentioned in this post that I was contemplating buying a black midi skirt, but I talked myself out of it because I figured I could re-create the look with a dress. That worked for winter when I was wearing heavily layered looks, but now that it's warmer (and we've had a crazy heat wave), lighter is the way to go. So, long story short, I pulled the trigger on a black midi skirt, and I've worn it approximately five times in the last two weeks. It goes with so much, but here's one of my favorite ways to wear it.

It's been awhile since I've done a get the look post, but while I've been sleeping on it, you guys have been pinning up a storm—and this month's most-pinned look from my Outfit ideas for ageless style Pinterest board feels just in time for summer in San Francisco. And by that, I mean it's lighter-colored and incorporates sandals, but also layers, because fog. I'm so excited about this look, I kind of want to get it for myself, so here's how I'd do it.

Ok, before you get all technical on me, this dress is probably not actually a muumuu. It has an empire waist and some crazy sleeves, and I doubt Hawaiians make their muumuus out of toile. It was also not super-well suited to the 98-degree weather we were having when we shot these photos (yes, in June!). But this dress is loose, comfy, and easy to wear, plus it captures the laid-back spirit of summer (and of Hawaii), so I think that makes it an honorary muumuu. That said, this dress is a lot of look. so let's jump right into how to wear it.

In my neighborhood alone, there are several beauty retailers to choose from—everything from big guns like Ulta and Sephora, to single-brand fragrance stores (Atelier Cologne and Le Labo), clean beauty (Credo), and super luxe  (SpaceNK). For a beauty junkie like me, the more the merrier, which is why I was eager to check out the latest addition to my neighborhood, Bluemercury. Owned by Macy's, this very boutiquey chain is ramping up its presence in the Bay Area; the location nearest me, in Laurel Village, was one of nine new stores that opened last week alone. But what makes Bluemercury different from other stores, and why should you shop there?

The first thing you may notice about this outfit is that I’m wearing Birkenstocks. I will get to that in a moment. I would like to start with the fact that we shot these photos a mere week ago and I was literally freezing; today the high in San Francisco was 97 degrees. In the six years I’ve lived here, I think it’s been that warm here once, two years ago, and that was in September, which is usually the hottest time of the year. I know I complained about how crappy the weather was in winter and earlier in the spring, so it probably seems a little hypocritical (or even whiny) of me to complain about the heat now, but keep in mind, this is a city where most people don’t have air-conditioning…because even temperatures in the 70s are rare. Long story short, global warming is real. So in the name of less complaining and more action, here are 10 easy things you can do to stop global warming, courtesy of my alma mater. Now that’s that’s been said, let’s move on to my outfit.

As I mentioned on Tuesday, it seems like Mexico City is THE place to go right now, and for good reason—it's really affordable, it has world-class museums and restaurants, and it's a quick flight from most of the US (it was only about 4.5 hours from San Francisco). There's so much to see and do that it's hard to pack it into a single trip; we were there for five days and definitely feel like we need to (and want to) go back for more.  That said, I was happy with what we accomplished in our time there. So without further ado, here's what did, where we ate, how we got around, and why we loved Mexico City so much.

In case you haven't been following me on Instagram (shameless plug, sorry), I spent an extended Memorial Day weekend in Mexico City. I had wanted to go there for awhile—I feel like nearly everyone I know has been there in recent years—and without spoiling my upcoming trip diary, it completely lived up to the hype. The food was amazing (and cheap), the city very urbane, the people incredibly kind, and I had a fantastic time overall. We were incredibly lucky weather-wise—it rained briefly a few times at night (it's the beginning of the rainy season) but was sunny and in the low 80s during the day. The city is at a very high elevation (7,000 feet!) and the air is quite dry, so the weather was actually quite temperate (and my hair remained blissfully frizz free). I stuck to a light-neutral color palette for this trip, which made both packing and getting dressed quite easy. Plus, the city is gorgeous and brightly colored in lots of spots, so it totally popped in photos against my outfits. Speaking of which, here's one of my favorite looks from the trip.