Sunset in Perth

Tee: J.Crew (liking this current one) | Shorts: Topshop 'Hallie' (on a huge sale if you happen to be a size 10!) | Sandals: Splendid | Bag: Valentino | Sunglasses: Karen Walker | Bracelet: vintage (from my dear grandmother) | Watch: Michael Kors

After exploring Brisbane, Sean and I headed north to Cairns, where we saw the Great Barrier Reef and my fingers had their unfortunate encounter with the boat ladder. The day after I had surgery, we hopped on a plane across the continent to Perth, where we visited Sean's wonderful sister (and seriously considered staying forever).

My activities were somewhat limited with my recent injury, but I could still enjoy the gorgeous weather and unbelievable beaches. The climate and natural beauty reminded me a lot of California, but with so many fewer people! Perth is a bustling city, but not too far away, the natural landscape feels untouched and like it goes on for ages. It felt almost surreal to be so far from home.

Sean's sister took us to delicious Clancy's Fish Pub on City Beach in Perth for our first night there. The food was so fresh, and the view over the water was perfect. After a hectic few days getting there, the relaxed Western Australia beaches were exactly the recharge we needed.



After dinner, we snapped some outfit photos and watched the sun set over the Indian Ocean. It was my first time seeing this ocean, and it was beautiful (now I just have to dip my toes into the Arctic Ocean to complete my list--not sure if I'll be doing that ever).



One more snap from my Instagram to show you how lovely and turquoise this water was by daylight when we arrived at the beach. I ran in and dipped my toes in the water right after Sean shot this pic.

Hope you've enjoyed this little glimpse at Perth! More to come soon.

x, Tam

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P.S. J.Crew's sale is on sale today only--50% off everything in their sale section! I ordered the Petite Bow-Shoulder Dress and this pattered Carrie Cami. I also noticed the perfect-for-summer leather Cypress sandals I wore in this post are a steal at $20 with code DAYTHREE.

Australia: Exploring Brisbane

I'm so excited to finally share some of our Australia photos with you today! I'll be posting about our trip here and there for the next couple weeks. Our first stop in the Land Down Under was beautiful Brisbane, the biggest city in Queensland. We were lucky enough to have family in the area, so we got to stay at their lovely home and experience the city like locals.

Summer was just ending while we were there, and it was extremely hot and humid. Our hosts said the weather had definitely cooled off since summer was nearly over. We struggled to imagine how hot it must be in the summer!

Top: Anthropologie | Shorts: Topshop | Shoes: J.Crew (love these from this season) | Clutch: Clare V | Sunglasses: Karen Walker | Watch: Michael Kors | Lips: NARS 'Yu'

Given the weather, I tried to dress as coolly and comfortably as possible for exploring the city. Light crochet shorts, a breezy crop top, and strappy sandals were about as much clothing as I could handle.

Brisbane was such a pretty and fun city to explore. It went from bustling and urban in one locale, to serene and peaceful in a large Japanese-style garden only a block or two away from the main bus and train station. We wandered around the Brisbane Botanic Garden for a bit and drank in the scenery. While there, we chatted with a local cold-brewed coffee vendor (nothing has every tasted so delicious on a sweltering hot morning!), and she gave us some tips on her favorite restaurants and what we should do in Cairns, where we were headed next.

Other than the time we got to spend with family and friends while in this gorgeous city, I think my favorite part of the Brisbane portion of our trip was exploring the South Bank Parklands in the middle of the city. There's a large public swimming pool there, complete with a beach and shops. Sean and I spent a lot of time just lying on the beach, reading, and people-watching, all the while knowing that work was thousands of miles away.

Overall, we loved the hustle and bustle of Brisbane and our wonderful hosts. We're excited to do another trip sometime in the future and stay even longer.

Going to Australia and unsure where to begin? Comment here or send me an email--I'm always happy to chat about travel plans! Hope you're having a lovely week!

x, Tam

P.S. For glimpses into my everyday life, add me on Snapchat! Username: helloframboise

7 Tips for Surviving a Long-Haul Flight

On our Australia trip, Sean and I flew from Denver all the way to Perth, Australia, which was 10,101 miles away from home. We didn't do it all at once (thank goodness), but we did have on extremely long flight from L.A. to Melbourne, Australia, and then home from Sydney to LAX. I was a little nervous because 1) I'm a nervous flyer and 2) I have flown some long flights, but nothing this long! It was a little intimidating.

As it turned out, the whole process wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. We arrived in Brisbane, our first stop on our trip, not overly disgruntled and only a teeny bit worse for the wear. Here's what I did to make the whole thing much more bearable.

1. Wear the right clothing. This is so important! I wanted to make myself as comfortable as possible without looking like I was wearing exercise gear or loungewear at the airport. I did my hair and makeup as usual in the morning, then I put on my black Lululemon Wunder Unders (similar in petite sizing at Athleta) and a black Power Y tank as my base layer. The built-in bra with soft cups in the tank meant no underwire or other bra hardware that could cause discomfort. On top of the tank, I layered a long, wide-necked tee that came down past my hips, and then I added a blazer in a cozy sweatshirt material. This made it easy to add or subtract layers to adjust to a comfortable temperature.

I didn't really take any pictures at the airport, so I recreated my outfit over the weekend so I could show it to you.

Here's little collage I've created for you that shows some of my favorite products and essentials that made my flight a whole lot more comfortable. For most of the items, you can just hover over, click, and it'll take you to the page where you can purchase that item. If you aren't sure where I got something or how to find it, just ask me in the comments and I'll be happy to direct you to where I was able to find it.

2. Pack things you can't afford to lose in your carry-on. For me this means:

• Medications
• Jewelry (I wear the most precious pieces on me on the plane)
• Electronics and chargers, both the plug-in ones and the charging bricks
• A change of clothes in case you spill something or the airline loses your luggage
• A bathing suit--same idea as a change of clothes. It's no fun shopping for a bathing suit while you're trying to get into the swing of your vacation.

3. Get your sleep on. The easiest way to get through your long flight is to get as much sleep as you can. It'll stave off both boredom and jet lag! In order to get some quality rest, I make sure to pack the following:

• Eye mask
• Cozy socks to keep my feet warm
• Pashmina to supplement airplane blankets and double as a wrap or scarf during my vacay
• Travel pillow
• Sleep aid of choice (Benadryl, Ny-Quil, or Dramamine are over-the-counter options)

4. Bring lots of entertainment. It wasn't possible for me to sleep for 16 hours straight, so I made sure to have plenty of things to do. I loaded about 10 new books onto my Kindle, added some TV shows and movies to my iPad, and made sure I had a good set of headphones that cancelled out ambient noise.

5. Make sure you take healthy snacks and plenty of water with you. Drinking lots of water will keep you hydrated in the dry, recirculated air on a plane. I love my spill-proof CamelBak water bottle and take it everywhere with me. For snacks, I like to bring my own trail mix of raw almonds, peanuts, dried cherries or other fruit, with a few crunchy and sweet things mixed in. It's great for tiding yourself over until they serve you the next meal. I also pack energy and granola bars for a little variety and for ease in snacking later while running around sight-seeing.

6. Beautify on the go. Spending hours upon hours traveling is not really conducive to looking your best. To keep myself looking decent, I make sure to pack travel sizes of my favorite products in my carry-on:

• Makeup remover wipes--no one wants to sleep with a face full of makeup! These make it easy to wash your face without ever leaving your seat. The lavender and camomile-scented Neutrogena wipes are my favorite.
• An easy wipe-off or no-rinse mask will help you arrive looking fresh
• Facial moisturizer to keep skin hydrated
• Hand cream to combat the drying soap in airport and plane bathrooms
• A heavy-duty lip balm
• Dry shampoo (I like this non-aerosol one for travel)
• Deordorant
• Portable toothbrushes
• A makeup essentials kit--I include powder foundation and a small brush, eyeliner, cream blush, and brow gel in mine
• A compact mirror
• Comb or brush
• A small baggie with hair ties, bobby pins, and/or a headband to make hair fixes easy

7. Keep your important documents handy. Most critical rule? Don't lose your passport or other travel documents! I like to place them in a zippered compartment in my purse or in a separate, sealable pouch. You'll need them as soon as you're trying to get on or off the plane, so keep them within arm's reach of your seat.

Hope this list helps you get ready for your next long flight! Happy travels!

x, Tam

Hello, Again

Hi, again, readers! As I was preparing to write this post, I realized it has been just under three months since I last posted here while I was getting ready for my big adventure in Australia. If you had asked me just before that if I ever considered taking an extended break from my blog, I would have said, "No way." But life happens, and life was telling me I needed a break.

Not long after my last post here, I learned my grandmother, with whom I was very close, had passed away very suddenly. It ripped a hole in my heart that was too big and raw to share with anyone but those closest to me. Although it was difficult, Sean and I headed off to Australia not long after. I kept up the sunny, happy posts on social media, and I took some outfit photos while we were there, but I couldn't bring myself to edit or post them here. I couldn't seem to muster up even an ounce of creative spark, and looking at my blog made me tear up because my grandmother always enjoyed looking at my outfits and photos so much.

While we were in Australia, my family's sweet rescue pup, who was somewhere around 16 or 17, finally got to the point where he was very ill and in pain. My parents made the difficult decision to let him go. Even though I knew this was coming, it hurt my already-broken heart.

Then, to add injury to insult, I suppose, I suffered a serious injury while out diving in the Great Barrier Reef. As I was climbing back into the boat, the ladder I was using moved suddenly and crushed two of my fingers. Ending up in an Australian hospital needing surgery and wondering if I'd ever be able to use those fingers again was definitely not on the itinerary. With lots and lots of help from Sean, I made it through the rest of the trip and back home.

Okay, that was the bad part--good part is coming up next.



Now, two months later, post-rehab, I am back to typing with my bones healed and my fingernails growing back (pretty thrilled about all of those things). My heart is slowly mending, and I have learned quite a bit about taking care of myself.

So where to next? I want to share some of the things I've learned over the last couple months with you, and I plan to open the window into my life a little wider in my future posts. I already love sharing outfits, shopping, and travel with you, but I'm thinking I'll add some posts that talk about my exercise routine, my journey to eating healthier, my strategies for coping with anxiety and difficult times, and the tips and tricks I've found useful.

In the spirit of sharing more, here's the wide-angle view of the first pic in this post--a shot of my little sanctuary, my bedroom. It's my favorite room in my house, and most of this blog has been written sitting right here.

Tee: J.Crew (more on my love for J.Crew petite knits here) | Denim: J.Brand '620' | Necklaces: Theresa Mink, Kendra Scott via Rocksbox (review here) | Watch: Michael Kors | Lips: Stila 'Fiery'

Don't worry--I'd never leave you hanging on outfit details!

x, Tam

P.S. Thanks so much for reading, friends. This was a hard post to write. Tune in later this week for a much more lighthearted topic: how I survived a 16-hour flight and my tips for long-haul plane travel.