Oh hey there! I’m in Australia at the moment in the final days of a 2-week solo trip around the east coast of the country. As I’ve shared before, traveling solo is always a time for me to recharge, reflect and reset and the downtime has been really good for me after just how much has happened this year. Admittedly I’ve been a bit burnt out on blogging after nearly 8 years of balancing a busy career and creating content over here, and have been somewhat amazed by how of a life I could have and enjoy if I took the pressure off maintaining my “influencer” status.

So here we are… I’m sitting down to write willingly, because I truly want to (not because of editorial calendar pressures or sponsored content or because I feel like I should) and buried within my drafts were some questions that you’ve asked, so let’s get to it and catch up a bit.

What blogs do you follow for style inspiration?

Despite being quiet on the blogging front, I still follow and regularly read a bunch of blogs and look to several of my friends on a regular basis for style inspiration including See Anna Jane, Sequins & Stripes, Wit & Whimsy, and The Golden Girl. On the fashion front I always like to follow people who have style that’s accessible and relatable; as pretty as full-blown editorial shoot can be, if it’s not something I could ever actually see myself wearing (or have an occasion to wear it for), I’m not interested, and all of those ladies have great every day style that mixes investment and affordable pieces.

Did you take a different job to move to New York?

Nope! I’m still with Collectively – in March I transitioned to a new role within the company and begun conversations about moving from San Francisco to New York, where we also have an office. After a few months of getting into the groove of things with the new team I had created, I was lucky enough to be able to make the move back to the east coast by my own choice and on my own timeline. I feel very fortunate that I was able to transfer offices which provided a lot of support and stability for me amongst the chaos of a big cross country move.

What are some of your ultimate skincare products?

While I love testing out and reviewing new products in our New Beauty Faves series, I’m fiercely loyal to a few products within my routine and always seem to find my way back to them after I’m done trying something new: Pixi Glow Tonic toner, Laneige Lip Mask, Origins GinZing Moisturizer, and Drunk Elephant’s Virgin Marula face oil.

How are you liking NYC?

I really love being in New York – this move was a lot different for me than Chicago or San Francisco for two big reasons: #1: it was my own choice, and #2: it’s a city I’m already familiar with since I grew up in New Jersey, started my career working in the city and have spent a lot of time here over the years for both personal and business travel. It was much easier to move to a new city that already felt familiar, and I already had a solid network in, so I feel like I was able to skip a lot of the hard parts of moving to a new city where it takes awhile to find your groove and make it feel like home, and get to the good stuff much faster. The energy of living in a big city has been invigorating and it amazes me how many wildly different things/lives/people can all coexist in one place.

Have you found the dating scene to be better in NYC than it was in San Francisco?

New York and San Francisco basically could not be more different as far as cities go, which is also reflective in some ways within their dating scenes. After moving to New York I did the whole app swiping thing for a bit and did find a lot more variety within the NYC options as far as backgrounds/jobs/diversity goes – it’s a much bigger pool so obviously there are a lot more fish ;) I was only on the apps for a little bit and went out with a few guys and date-wise, I think it’s the same anywhere you are. One major difference is the going out factor in NYC that doesn’t exist as much in SF – everyone’s much more out and about, increasing the likelihood of meeting someone IN REAL LIFE, which is something I had completely written off and never expected to have happen, but sometimes chatting with a stranger at a bar can actually work out.

What are your favorite places you’ve traveled to and what’s next on your wish list?

UGH. Hardest question ever as far as favorite places go. As I’ve traveled more I’ve realized I’m the happiest in places where I can walk around and explore on foot, are culturally rich, and have great food – top trips to date include Cartagena, Tokyo and Mexico City. Next up I’m hoping to get to Morocco, back to Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Cambodia, Bali?), and South America (Peru or Argentina), but most of my trips are booked based on finding random cheap flights so you never know!

I’d love to hear from you! You can submit a question via my sidebar or this form and I’ll be sure to answer another round of questions soon.