Have you ever hit a breaking point in your overwhelm where your brain just forces you into a mandatory summer chill session?

Maybe it’s a summer thing…

I hit that point last week. I won’t even try to make it sound cute: I was a stressed out mess over everything from work to personal stuff, and no amount of list-making or staring at the computer screen was helping.

I thought I could hustle through it, but no. My brain was like, “That’s it, Mishka. Slow the eff down.”

I fully admit that I may have too many projects going on right now. As basic as it sounds, I love doing stuff! Making things, going places, collaborating…

I mean, you guys know me.

But sometimes, a girl’s gotta grab a bottle of brut rosé—this one, in particular, is perfection, and I grabbed it while leaving Grand Central—and just recline in the grass.

So that’s exactly what I did.

I ended up taking an entire day mid-week to slow down and defrag my brain.

(Remember manually defragging your PC? I used to love watching those little cubes get organized!)

I popped that bottle, sprawled out on the lawn and attempted to reach a place of relative zen. I still thought about projects (and I still took these photos—guilty), but once the tripod was shoved aside, I was able to chill out and just enjoy the day.

Aaah, what a feeling! Summer in the Hudson Valley has been amazing. Knowing that I’m returning to the city in August has helped me to appreciate it even more.

And what’s a chill session without a chill uniform?

I’ve been repping DOPESINS this week in my favorite new muscle tank, which they printed just for me (but you can grab the t-shirt version here).

In short, my afternoon lounging in the grass taught me a few things:

• Lemon essential oil scares most bugs away
• An overcast day is even better than the blinding sun
• It is possible not to obsess over the projects
• It is sad when you accidentally drink a tiny bug that’s landed in your drink
• Trust no one 😉

I hope you’re having the chillest summer ever—and yet, I hope you’re hustling and achieving your goals, too!

I think the key to being a creative person who seriously needs the occasional recharge is finding a balance between the two.

If you’ve cracked that code, drop me a comment. I wanna know.

Until next time…

On a total whim the other night, I took a pair of scissors to my hair and chopped off 6″ or so. Maybe even more! It was getting super long, and even though I was having fun styling it this winter, I felt that cliche need for a change of some kind. It sounds silly if you’ve never done it, but it really does change your life when you lob off this much hair.

The last time I cut my hair into a short bob (way shorter than this) was when I was 25—here’s evidence!

Just like the first time, I felt like I had some heavy energy to shed. Some demons to release. January wasn’t the easiest month, and I sort of felt like I was dragging the 2017 version of myself along for the ride.

Aside from the idea of releasing energy and feeling lighter, I really like how it looks! I can wear it down with bangs or flip it over on my head for a sort of instant hairdo.

I was never really into “doing” hair or figuring out what style works for me. It has all been trial and error. Having long hair often meant just trying it up so I didn’t have to deal with it either way. Even when I dropped a fat stack of cash on balayage last spring, I had no idea how to make it work for me.

So, here we are. Short hair, happy Mishka, and my favorite hat.

Spring is finally here! My brain is a veritable explosion of boozy brunches and cherry blossoms! Also? I’ve officially put away my winter wardrobe.

It was a relatively mild winter in terms of snow storms and such, but it felt so, so long, and there’s just nothing as amazing as seeing the flowers and leaves pop into view after months of grey.

It’s been a long time since I did an outfit post, too, so I thought the onset of this delightful season would be the perfect time to share a few of my favorite recent finds.

Here’s what I wore over the weekend when I was traipsing around my nabe and stopped for an iced chai at Brooklyn Kolache.

Just a few postcards from New York Cit-ay!

This week I did some sketching, got glittery nails, toasted the end of winter with some bubbly rosé, wore my new cat-eye sunnies everywhere, and soaked in the sights and sounds of this crazy place I call home.

I also got a new necklace, which I fell in love with and then promptly broke. Story of my life.

What are YOU up to this week?

After every 3,000 words we write, Krystal and I have a cocktail. It’s called motivation!

“There is no time for cut-and-dried monotony. There is time for work. And time for love. That leaves no other time.” — Coco Chanel

Brooklyn weekends are getting lovely thanks to the sun staying up in the sky longer… but it’s still chilly outside.

Another BK trend right now? Blustery, cold nights. Lately I’ve been draping myself in a cozy scarf and big cushy knit cardigan for evening rooftop hangs… which my friends and I are pretty fond of all year round.

One of my favorite scarves this winter has been this cute pink and black plaid wrap by Free Endearment. The brand gifted it to me to take for a test run and it definitely earned a hook on my coat rack.

Tropical prints, luxe silhouettes… easy dresses that beg for the sun to come out. That’s what I’m craving as the NYC winter continues to cascade down in the form of sleet and snow. Luckily, Mara Hoffman‘s newest arrivals are doing their part to lift my spirits with all of the above.

She imagines every scenario in which a girl wants to look amazing, from wandering the coast to lounging by the pool. Is it any wonder I’m in love? Here are five of my favorites from her newest resort collection.

1. Tank Dress

2. Triangle Top Cutout Maxi Dress

3. Jaquard Cropped Top

4. Linen Cropped Top

5. Poncho Sweater

So we’re officially a week into November, and I’m really starting to enjoy this chilly weather. This morning I’ve got my mug of green tea, my favorite candle burning, and some brand new slippers on my feet. The stuff fall weekends are made of!

While I can reminisce about sunny summer days and tropical prints all day long, there’s no denying that fall fashion is a different kind of addicting. Here are 5 outfits that are perfect for November to get you inspired for that epic fall shopping haul.

Above: 1. Bauble Bar Violet Meteor Drops 2. Rag & Bone Mila distressed cut-off denim shorts 3. Topshop Double Layer Sheer Solid Sweat 4. J.Crew Diamond Dot Tights 5. Rupert & Sanderson Leather Parnassus Ankle Boots

Above: 1. Donna Karan Oversized alpaca, silk, cashmere and wool-blend cardigan 2. AUDEN Lenox Bib Necklace 3. Topshop Jacquard Swing Slip Dress 4. Essie Nail Polish in Mademoiselle 5. H&M Cable-knit Knee Socks 6. Dirty Laundry Tall Tales Lace-Up Tall Boots

Above: 1. Topshop Freedom Found Collection Engaved Disc Bracelet 2. Topshop Outline Detail Cuff 3. Free People Hybrid Strappy Leather Bootie 4. APIECE APART striped woven alpaca-blend poncho 5. Rick Owens Stretch leather and cotton-blend leggings

Above: 1. H&M Jacquard-knit Cardigan 2. Dara Ettinger Top Dipped Gold And Pink Agate Jill Ring 3. Milly Jacquard mini dress 4. H&M Macramé Bag 5. Free People Fleet Lace Up Boots

Above: 1. Leif Gem Collector Beanie 2. Nars Nail Polish in Schiap 3. Rick Owens ‘Nasha’ ankle boots 4. Diane Von Furstenberg wrap style jumpsuit 5. Vivienne Westwood Anglomania Atmos chunky-knit wool-blend cardigan

Speaking of shopping… I just learned about the Amazon universal wishlist button, which lets you build a wishlist on amazon.com from any other retail sites on the web, including marketplaces like Etsy, and then share it. It’s perfect for the holiday season—you can tell your family and friends to set one up, so you can get a glimpse at what they want this year. *wink wink*

Time to play dress up…

I think I’m coming down with the cold virtually everyone I know is suffering from. Probably a post-NYFW immune system rebellion after so many late nights and early mornings. Small price to pay for having so much fun, I guess! For now, I’m hovering over the new arrivals at Net-A-Porter and hoping it’ll distract me from the sniffles… Here’s my fall fashion wishlist!

1. Diane von Furstenberg – Tiger-print dress – $390

2. Diane von Furstenberg – Intarsia sweater dress – $385

3. Christian Louboutin – Robot 120 ankle boots – $1,295

4. 3.1 Phillip Lim – Sequin T-shirt – $525

1. Milly – Lamé silk-blend dress – $415

2. Miu Miu – Embellished wool crepe skirt – $4,030

3. Bird by Juicy Couture – Paillette embellished tank – $400

4. RM by Roland Mouret – Ponant silk chiffon tunic – $995

5. Matthew Williamson – Bead embellished silk belt – $595

1. Malene Birger – Knitted summer bouclé dress – $350

2. Maje – Kremlin drawstring dress – $240

3. Giuseppe Zanotti – Patent leather ankle boots – $850

4. Matthew Williamson – Printed silk-blend blouse – $975

5. Helmut Lang – Cotton-blend vest – $80

1. Issa – Printed jersey dress coat – $675

2. Thurley – Pop and Fizz mini dress – $395

3. Hervé Léger – Vivien cutout bandage dress – $880

4. Balmain – Buckle-embellished boots – $1,605

5. Balmain – Suede zipped ankle boots – $1,975

What’s on your list?

The evening after the Milly show I was wandering back to my apartment in Chelsea and detoured to H&M. I knew it was all meant to be when I saw these black harem pants (thick enough for fall) with the double-braided gold/black belt hanging in the back corner downstairs, separated from the herd. Now I can’t stop wearing them.

Also, here are some recent posts by moi on Refinery29…

• Steven Alan Spring 2010 Mens’/Womens’ Review
• Make It Through Fashion Week Alive With Our Super-Stylish Survival Kit
• Shear Genius: The Top 10 Fiercest Bobs
• Brian Reyes Gives Us Springtime With a Spritz Of Lime
• Rodarte’s Apocalyptic Collection Channels Nomads of 2012
• Cut! 10 Classic Fashion Flicks That Put the Runway To Shame
• Extreme Cleavage Is the Latest Trend Du Jour

Happy reading, fashion-addicts!

If you’ve been following this blog for more than five minutes, you know I love highly decorated nails, whether slick looking paint jobs or acrylic molded roses or (in my most frequent case), press-ons coated in rhinestones found on design studio floors.

Here are some of my recent & semi-recent nail jobs, one of which made it to the archives of Missbehave Magazine’s blog back when they still had the “Let’s Talk Nails!!” section.