Cheryl Shops

It's been a minute since I've done a Get the Look post, and I'm happy to report that spring is in full swing—on my Outfits for Ageless Style Pinterest board at least—because this week's most-repinned look is perfect for transitional weather. (And there's no winter coat in sight!) I have a feeling the headless lady in this photo is Sincerely Jules, one of my favorite bloggers, so let's channel her for this casual but classic look.

Real talk: I gained five pounds on my various vacations of the last two months, and I'm having a rather hard time losing it. (Welcome to your 40s, Cheryl!) I know I am not alone in struggling with my weight, especially at this age, so hopefully this post will come in handy. While I would prefer to lose said weight, I refuse to fat-shame myself, and I'm trying to be as patient with myself as possible (and not beat myself up for, say, having more than one glass of wine or more than a few bites of chocolate). In the meantime, I'm wearing some of my more forgiving outfits, because being uncomfortable—and thinking you look like crap—isn't going to help anyone's confidence. Here's my new favorite way to dress in a body-positive way.

After five glorious days in Moorea, we set off for Bora Bora. As I mentioned in the previous post, Bora Bora was the intended destination for this trip, and while I had a blast with my friends in Moorea, I was really looking forward to three days of chill-out time in paradise. Unlike with Moorea, I had done very little research for Bora Bora, which ended up being a good thing. And while I had seen countless photos of this little island, I had no idea how special and beautiful beyond words it would actually be.

Saturday was our anniversary, so we decided to take a trip down memory lane to the site of our first date, a cozy little wine bar in Hayes Valley called Hotel Biron. We'd both had first dates there before, but thankfully none as good as the one we had with each other—neither of us had been back since! But given that this was our anniversary, I wanted to wear something feminine and special, however it's been raining for the last week in San Francisco, so the weather was not on my side. Also, to be honest, I really wanted to wear my new shoes, and they look better with pants, but more on those later. So while my instinctual anniversary outfit would have been a dress that showed a little leg, I decided to take a risk and wear trousers. Offset with a bit of cleavage, of course—this was a major date night, after all. ;)

I don't know exactly when, but several years ago, I decided that I needed to do something big for my 40th birthday, and that something was a trip to Bora Bora, which I'd always wanted to visit. Really, I just wanted to stay in one of those overwater bungalows and wake up every morning and jump right into that warm, aquamarine water. For years, I'd invite everyone who showed even the slightest amount of interst on my trip (which I referred to as #BoraBora2018), so when it came time to actually plan it, I think 20 or 30 people were initially on the invite. Of course, not everyone could make it—we ended up with eight people, which was the perfect number—and after some research, I discovered Bora Bora was rather expensive and I felt uncomfortable asking everybody to spend that much money to celebrate my birthday, so we made some slight modifications to the plan, electing to spend a week all together in Moorea, another island in French Polynesia (my boyfriend and I then went on to Bora Bora, just the two of us, but more on that later). The trip was everything I had hoped for and more. Here's everything we did, saw, ate, and more.

That may have been the most humble-braggy (or just braggy) blog title I've written to date, but I went to Bora Bora last week for my 40th birthday, and I'm just going to own it. The trip was years in the making, and I can't wait to show and tell you all about it in my very first travel diary post, coming later this week. But in the meantime, this very special outfit post is coming to you from the St. Regis Bora Bora, where we spent four way-too-short days in paradise. My daytime uniform was bikinis, sunglasses, and flip-flops, but by night, I was all about a simple sundress and barely-there sandals.

Last month, I was out with friends who I hadn't seen in awhile and one asked me how blogging was going. I said great and that I love creating Cheryl Shops, so I hope you, dear reader, enjoy perusing it. She then asked me if brands are sending me clothes to wear. My answer was not yet—but if you're a brand and you're reading this and would like to work with me, please check out my Contact page! Anyway, since nearly everything I wear here is something I've bought for myself, I wanted to create an outfit post featuring pieces that I've already worn in other posts. I was so happy with the result, I wore it to the San Francisco Ballet a few weeks ago. Here's how it all came together.

Of all the things I've been blessed with in life, thick hair has not been one of them. This includes my eyelashes. I've tried every mascara and lash serum (I have a favorite, but more on that later) and while I've had some success, nothing ever gives me the lashes I want—think Audrey Hepburn, not Kim Kardashian. I've even tried false lashes, both the strip and cluster kind, and I am completely inept that those. So for my upcoming birthday, I decided to treat myself to a set of lash extensions. I was a little apprehensive—I've heard the lashes start falling out right away, and I was slightly worried I'd come out looking like, well, a Kardashian—but I decided to take a chance, and I'm so happy I did.