Au Nature-al.

I never knew how much it bothered me until I woke up one morning, face free from crusty mascara that had managed to evade makeup remover from the night before.

But, a week ago, when I decided on a whim not to coat my face in makeup (not that I wear that I wear a lot anyway), I got to experience that crust-free sensation and have been loving it.

Every morning, I've gotten to sleep in that much longer and have left the house feeling the freedom of a makeup-free look.

In all honesty, I've been inspired by nature to don this "nature-al" look. When you live in a state that is known for its pristine, rugged, and raw landscape, you can't help but feel the desire to emulate that from within yourself.

While I adore donning a red lip and am constantly attempting to perfect my winged eyeliner (did you know that winged eyeliner was worn to ward off the evil eye in ancient Egyptian times?), there is something so liberating about going out into the world, naked and fresh faced.

Beauty is the celebration of being your singular, unique, and special self. It's about exalting the natural beauty you were born with. I'm in no way condoning the usage of makeup as a distraction or distortion of the natural self, I'm simply celebrating how I felt when I made the choice to allow my face to breath this fine Alaskan air.

Being makeup free made me feel more connected to the earth, more in sync with Alaska's pure inner beauty. See, Alaska doesn't need skyscrapers, celebrities, box-businesses or billboards atop her soil. Her fishing, hunting, hiking, and natural assets are what draw hundreds of thousands of visitors to her soil each and every year. 

Alaska is known for her beauty in the most simple sense. She isn't fluff, isn't frivolous, but raw in her most beautiful and natural self.  

And she embraces that, all of her nature-al looks. She knows what she's got and she isn't timid about sharing that with the rest of the world...

Denim on Denim.

There's something inherently classic and nostalgic about denim.

Growing up, I was never much of a denim girl, and whenever I did sport the one pair of jeans I owned at school, I was approached by many and told that I was finally dressing "normal." Whatever that meant!

But it wasn't until I spent a year in San Francisco that I was truly exposed to the heritage and history of true raw denim.

Founded in the mid 1800's by the one and only Levi Strauss, denim was created as the "working man" pant, known for its strength and durability for miners.

Since then, it has taken on many shapes, patterns, dyes, cuts, and styles: from bootleg to capri, light wash to dark, and that boyfriend ripped phase we're all still loving. Some 150 years later, jeans continue to remain a staple in nearly everyone's closet.

Which brings me to yesterday. I'm at work, crafting coffees, and one of my old dance friends comes up to the bar to order her signature hot chocolate. I look up and I notice that she's rocking some serious denim on denim.

She looked so on point. She had on double dark washes and underneath, a simple black leotard, harking back from our dance days together.

Course I had to say something to her, and in return, she thanked me and told me how much it meant to her to hear me say that, coming from the "fashionista".

Aww.

Well, she inspired me. When I got home, I immediately hunted down my old dance leotards (how they still fit, I do not know) and then found the jean shelf, now overflowing with various pairs I've collected over the years (I now own about fifteen pairs of jeans, mostly vintage, or stolen from my brother's closet).

Lo and behold, today's look was denim on denim. And I felt fierce.

The cool thing about denim is that it will always remain an iconic and staple piece of historic American clothing.

Even better? Anyone can pull off wearing it! After all, it's in our "genes"...