PENDA SARR

An Afternoon in Greenwich Village

2:41:00 PM

What do you get out of a nice location, superb lighting, a talented photographer and lovely aesthetics? A great photoshoot :)! Las...

What do you get out of a nice location, superb lighting, a talented photographer and lovely aesthetics? A great photoshoot :)!

Last weekend, I spent the whole day in Greenwich with Mariana, a lovely photographer whom I met through social media(it's amazing what you can do withs apps these days, but that's for another conversation). After going back and forth through emails and discussing possible areas and concepts, Mariana suggested we shoot in Greenwich Village. I had never blogged in that area so I thought hey, why not! Fast forward and here we are with some great images.

Greenwich, or simply "The Village" is located on the West side of Lower Manhattan and boy, is it blogger friendly. In fact, we even ran into another group of people shooting, so we just all shared the space.

Mariana took me to a quiet street full of colorful little houses, and coincidently, one of them matched my outfit's pieces! The area was so aesthetically pleasing because of the unique tones found on the walls. I mean, look at the paint on this house! <3

Oh! I almost forgot to talk about these sandals! They're casual mules, great for a day out. I love the color and the style, makes it effortless. However, they did give me some blisters so I think I'm gonna have to wear them more to break into them.

And I can't forget about this mini Chanel bag either. It's probably one of my favorite things in my closet. I use it when I don't have that many things to carry around on certain days.

I kind of got obsessed with the house, so I wanted to get as many shots as possible. The owners came back from what seemed to be a shopping spree so of course, ya girl had to #switchsides. To be honest, I don't know the village that well so we wandered around until we found this mini garden.

What I liked about that afternoon was the fact that Mariana challenged me. She directed some of my poses and movements, and I'm happy because the shots came out really nice. I think it's cool to work with different photographers because each of them has a unique eye, and Mariana is no exception. If you check out her website, you'll know exactly what I mean: http://www.marianaquevedo.com.

The garden was less busy so we took advantage of that. It's definitely easier having a spot to yourself because you get to experiment without feeling rushed or pressured haha.

Fun fact: I get super hungry and thirsty after a shoot, so I always like to have a treat afterwards. While we were working, I noticed there was an Insomnia Cookies next to us (*insert dancing girl emoji here*). The cookies were on my mind during the whole shoot, no way I wasn't gonna go home without my ice cream sandwich haha.

So there you have it. My afternoon in Greenwich Village was so much fun and I think it's safe to say that I will definitely be going back :).

Thank you for reading. Enjoy the rest of your week!

Love,

Penda

Outfit details:

Top and pants: Zara

Shoes: Mango

Bag: Chanel

Get the look!

Top:

https://www.zara.com/us/en/woman/t-shirts/view-all/off-the-shoulder-crop-top-c733912p4872069.html

Pants:

https://www.zara.com/us/en/woman/trousers/view-all/drawstring-trousers-c733898p4908341.html

Shoes:

http://shop.mango.com/us/women/shoes-flat-shoes/metallic-mule_83093543.html?c=OR&n=1&s=rebajas_she.familia;42,342,442

Bag:

https://www.tradesy.com/bags/chanel-shoulder-bag-black-21762957/?utm_source=gpl&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Shopping%20-%20Bags%20-%20Brand&utm_content=chanel&utm_term=&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI38PA39q71QIVAylpCh1hGwI_EAQYESABEgIExvD_BwE

Connect with me:

Instagram: @pendasarr

Snapchat: @pendouchi

Less is More

4:12:00 PM

Wearing two of my favorite colors in the outfit below made me feel good because the look was simple, and accentuated my femininity. ...

Wearing two of my favorite colors in the outfit below made me feel good because the look was simple, and accentuated my femininity.

Black and white is one of the best combinations out there, you really can't go wrong with it. Since I'm more on the neutral side of the spectrum, these are definitely colors I wear a lot. Granted, my look is very simple: no accessories and only two pieces. However, sometimes mixing basic colors brings your outfit together, even if it's minimal.

I think simplicity often goes a long way, and that applies to everything in life. For me, amongst other things, living a simple life means being my authentic self, practicing gratitude and generosity, and being as stress-free as possible. I've learned that worrying over stuff I can't change just complicates things. The smallest things can make you the happiest or most fulfilled, just like with clothes in fashion.

For example, like I said earlier, this look is simple but "less" was definitely "more". I think my favorite piece about it were the white culottes that I got on sale from Zara(#clutch). The pants are tight at the waist and looser near the bottom. I said they're white because of the pictures but in reality they're like a mix of cream and light beige.

The bottoms also looked good with this black bandeau I ordered online. All in all, it was a nice summer look for me. Outfits like these work perfectly for occasions such as rooftop parties, birthday dinners, or even nights out to the club!

Outfit details:

Top: Pretty Little Thing

Pants: Zara

Shoes: ASOS

Watch:Marc Jacobs

Get the look!

Top:

https://www.prettylittlething.us/basic-cream-jersey-bandeau-top.html?istCompanyId=b972e4de-de58-4ac9-9a3c-d255a815fef9&istItemId=xxwmiiqrqq&istBid=tzww&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI5Zu19dmi1QIVW1cNCh3UEQLXEAQYAiABEgLhSfD_BwE

Pants:

https://www.zara.com/us/en/woman/trousers/view-all/high-waist-trousers-c733898p4661721.html

Shoes:

http://www.asos.com/public-desire/public-desire-avril-black-barely-there-heeled-sandals/prd/8085969/?clr=black&SearchQuery=black+heels&pgesize=36&pge=0&totalstyles=695&gridsize=3&gridrow=3&gridcolumn=1

Watch:

https://www.marcjacobs.com/the-vic-watch-20mm/796483318892.html?ptype=productpage&viewmode=null_

Connect with me:

Instagram: @pendasarr

Snapchat: @pendouchi

How I Travel

12:01:00 PM

Hey guys, I hope you're having a great Monday! Since it's vacation season and people are taking trips, I wanted to share my travel l...

Hey guys, I hope you're having a great Monday! Since it's vacation season and people are taking trips, I wanted to share my travel look and beauty tips with you. Whether it be a short or long flight, I always want to make sure I'm comfortable yet stylish, and fresh-faced.

What I wear:

Like I said before, comfort is key! I wear a pair of jeans or pants, a tank top, and sneakers or other types of comfortable shoes. To bring the look altogether", I usually wear a blazer with some gold necklaces and bracelets.

Also, I don't know why but I try to wear dark colors when I travel. This outfit example was an exception since my blazer is red. I stole it from my mom (if you're reading this sorry) and it's been a great addition to my closet. The shoulders are slightly padded and the buttons are gold! It ended up matching my accessories, a win-win!

The reason I try to be as minimalist as possible is because traveling can get hectic sometimes. Between going through security, walking down airports long aisles and all that jazz, I like to make sure I'm wearing things I can move around in freely.

Beauty routine:

As for my beauty routine, less is definitely more. Before I leave for my trip, I like to cleanse my face, exfoliate and do a clay mask to bring out all of the impurities. I don't wear makeup when I travel, especially during long flights. Instead, I pack a small lip balm, cleanser and moisturizer in my carry-on. On the plane, I wash and moisturize my lips and face about 45 minutes before landing, that way the products have time to go deep into my skin.

Here are some examples of products which come in small, travel-friendly sizes:

From left to right: Purity pre-cleanser, Origins face cleanser, Origins face mask, La Mer face moisturizer, Marc Jacobs lip balm.

Also, water is super important! I try to drink at least a liter or two on the plane. Yes, that means multiple trips to the bathroom but it's definitely worth it. Another "beauty" hack I've learned is to stay away from sugar and salt. Flight attendants suggest things such as pretzels, coca-cola etc. These tend to make your face puffy and you'll be more prone to getting a breakout. Instead, ask for lemon water or some baby carrots.

I hope this was helpful! Happy travels :)

Golden Girl

12:00:00 PM

It's officially summer and this warm weather couldn't make me happier :). This is my favorite season because my energy levels are hi...

It's officially summer and this warm weather couldn't make me happier :). This is my favorite season because my energy levels are high, I go to fun outdoor events and of course, I get to blog without worrying about the freezing cold! I recently bought a new journal and I've been writing down all of the things I want to accomplish in the next 3 months. One of them is exploring NYC's spots more to not only eat and lounge around in, but also to shoot my looks.

For this photoshoot, I met up with my photographer friend Matthew(he's really talented, check out his page here: https://www.instagram.com/maffewl/) and blogger bestie Sarah(https://sarahfromnewyork.com). I had already planned my outfit and was going to shoot in near a wall but Sarah then kindly suggested we go to the NoMo Hotel in Soho.

As you can see, the place is absolutely beautiful. The entrance is surrounded by green plants and stunning golden lights. The background is very blogger-friendly and the colors matched my pants!

The pathways's earthy tones gave off some really good vibes. That's something that has been very important lately. The end of the school-year took a toll on me: my sleeping schedule was off and I barely had any time to take care of myself properly. However, I've made some lifestyle changes now; I've been working on boosting my energy levels by getting proper sleep, working out, and eating right. All of that has consequently led to me protecting my energy and happiness.

I think as I've grown older, I've come to realize that before anything, my happiness and care should come first. I no longer worry about the things I can't change or hang around people I can't resonate with. You'd be surprised how being around certain things or people can drain you. Protecting your energy and happiness is important because it'll help you become a more aware, positive, and vibrant person.

And like I said before, this area's nature-friendly feel and abundance of golden lights put me in such a great mood and served as a nice contrast to my outfit. I wore an ivory top from www.tobi.com and paired it with high-waisted pants and nude pumps. This type of look is usually what I wear on casual days, minus the heels haha. If you want to make it stand out a bit more, you can wear some stacked gold necklaces with it, like this:

I would have loved to pose more in the pathway but unfortunately, it started pouring heavily about 10 minutes after. The entrance isn't really covered so yes, I felt some heavy drops of water at one point and was like #gottago. We still made the most of it though and went to a different area of the hotel.

And look, some more gold lights :). I seriously fell in love with the NoMo and I will definitely be going back. After all, it does give off #PositiveVibesOnly :)