My Style

Life Update: My New Relationship & Fresh Start

By Esperanza on October 16, 2024

I have been waiting to share this news for a few months now and I decided that I was finally ready to open up about my new relationship! Andrew and I met in an unexpected way on a dating app and hit it off right away. He was living in Portland but the app changed his location to Phoenix while he was here for a few day’s interviewing for a position (he is a chef/food consultant). It happened to be the day I created my profile otherwise we would have never matched! He came to visit me about a week later and we started officially dating.

My Passion For Supporting Small & Local Businesses

By Esperanza on

Small business, local business, passion, ethical, sustainable, local, Phoenix, Phoenix business, local Phoenix business, ethical style, sustainable style, desert style, desert vibes, boho chic style, fashion blogger, lifestyle blogger, The Urban Darling, Redemption Market, Apolis, Paper Anchor Co, Leah California, Nomad Design Co.

I have always been an entrepreneur at heart. When I was 18 and going to college in Spokane, WA, I started an Etsy shop re-selling vintage clothing as well as my first fashion blog! I would share the photos I took for my shop on the blog. I was inspired by this small consignment boutique in downtown that I loved visiting and from there I started discovering record shops, thrift stores, and other small boutiques. They did not have these kinds of shops in the small farm town I grew up in! I think that’s where my love of small & local businesses began. I love sharing small & local businesses that I visit on my travels or here in my current hometown of Phoenix, AZ on my blog and socials. I like to think it’s my way of giving back and supporting those businesses, especially because I too am a small business owner as a blogger/content creator!

My Life | My Style

Life Update: We Moved Into A Modern Rental Home

By Esperanza on October 5, 2024

Open Spaces, Onsen, waffle towels, move in sets, kitchen organization, bathroom organization, Sezane, Sezane style, modern interiors, modern kitchen, baby boy style, neutral style, neutral modern, first time mom, single mom, rental house, Phoenix house, lifestyle blogger, Phoenix blogger, milestone, life update.

My son Sage and I recently moved into a beautiful new rental home, which is a huge milestone for me personally after living with my parents for a year while I was finishing the last half of my pregnancy, giving birth to Sage, navigating postpartum, and getting over a bad breakup. It’s been almost 2 weeks and we are finally unpacked, finished quite a bit of decorating, and had my parents over for dinner! It’s a 3 bedroom house so Sage has his own nursery, we have a garage, a nice sized back yard, and the interiors are gorgeous. The place has a neutral modern feel to it, the owner remodeled about 4 years ago and the previous tenant kept everything in great condition. It was by far the best place out of the 13 homes I toured. The minute I stepped in, I knew it was perfect for us!

Baby | My Style

Sage Wylder’s One Month Desert Photo Shoot

By Esperanza on March 5, 2024

Newborn, one month old baby, baby, baby boy, baby boys style, newborn outfit, newborn style, neutral style, matching style, mommy and me style, desert style, desert, sustainable style, Phoenix, Phoenix blogger, lifestyle blogger, The Urban Darling.

Sage Wylder is a month old?! It makes me so proud and so sad at the same time because I know he will never be this little again… Taking care of a newborn, especially as a single mom, is not easy but he is thriving! He gained 2 pounds and grew 2 inches at his one month wellness check, which makes me feel like I am doing a good job as a momma. I always felt I would be in my heart and now I feel validated lol! I’m going to credit it all to the breastfeeding and of course mama’s love 😉 Anyway, I wanted to take some cute photos in the desert to celebrate his first month of life!

My Style | Pregnancy

15 Outfits I’ve Worn During My Third Trimester

By Esperanza on January 23, 2024

Pregnancy, maternity, third trimester, third trimester style, third trimester outfits, maternity style, maternity outfits, maternity looks, chic maternity style, casual chic maternity style, chic style, casual chic style, sustainable style, fashion blogger, lifestyle blogger, first time mom, first pregnancy, The Urban Darling.

I would say the third trimester is the most challenging trimester to dress for because during the first and second trimester I could wear a lot of the clothes I was wearing pre-pregnancy but by the third trimester there was no way I was fitting into some of those pieces. I thrifted some maternity pants which really opened up a lot of options for me! Linen pants with stretchy waist bands and stretchy dresses became my goes to as well. I thought I would share some of the outfits I wore during my third trimester with links to similar and exact pieces in this blog post!

My Style | Pregnancy

My 3rd Trimester Maternity Lingerie Photoshoot

By Esperanza on December 19, 2023

Boho, denim, lingerie, boho lingerie photo shoot, denim photo shoot, lingerie photo shoot, maternity lingerie photo shoot, maternity style, maternity photography, maternity photo shoot, third trimester, boho bedroom, boho chic style, bedroom decor, home decor, boho decor, boho nursery, neutral nursery, boho interiors, lifestyle photo shoot, fashion photo shoot, lifestyle blogger, fashion blogger, The Urban Darling, Phoenix, Phoenix blogger, desert style, desert vibes.

I wanted to do a maternity lingerie style photo shoot inspired by one that I did last year while I was still living in Pittsburgh! I’ve linked that blog post here if you guys want to check that out but I wore the same lingerie set and Levi jeans. I did the same thing with a swimsuit photo shoot I did in Malibu a few months before my pregnancy began here and one at 6 months pregnant here wearing the same swimsuit in La Jolla. I thought it was a fun way of looking back at how much my body has changed during pregnancy and honoring my body both before and after!

My Style | Pregnancy

2nd Trimester Maternity Style With Nisolo Boots

By Esperanza on October 7, 2023

Maternity style, maternity outfits, 2nd trimester, 2nd trimester maternity style, 2nd trimester outfits, maternity, fashion blogger, lifestyle blogger, Nisolo, fall boots, early fall style, sustainable style, sustainable blogger, The Urban Darling.

I had another appointment for my pregnancy this week and I couldn’t believe that I was 24 weeks pregnant. I am in my sixth month of pregnancy so in just a few more months, baby boy will be here. So wild! I have done a few fashion photo shoots recently styling my new Nisolo boots for fall, so I thought I would share them in a 2nd trimester maternity style blog post! I will hopefully be sharing a few more maternity style posts throughout the remainder of my pregnancy so be sure to check back for those.

My Life | My Style

Boho Lingerie Photo Shoot & Turning 30

By Esperanza on August 9, 2023

Lingerie, neutral lingerie, chic lingerie, lingerie photo shoot, self love, boho chic style, boho bedroom, boho decor, boho lingerie photo shoot, 30, lifestyle blogger, fashion blogger, at home photo shoot, turning 30.

I was scrolling through my camera roll this week and remembered I hadn’t yet posted these lingerie photos Schyler took for me a few months back. I debated whether or not to share these because I know being too “sexy” in photos can be a little controversial. I was raised Catholic so there is a part of me that always feels a little uncomfortable about sexuality and things of that nature. All that aside, as a woman, I’m very proud of my body and looking at these photos makes me feel empowered, confident, and beautiful. I turned 30 this year and I am at the point in my life where I care less what other people think and more about doing whatever makes me feel happy and good about myself. That kind of freedom is a thing of beauty.

My Style

Neutral Spring Outfit And New Sustainable Pieces

By Esperanza on April 11, 2023

Neutral outfit, Neutral spring outfit, spring outfit, spring dress, spring shoes, sustainable shoes, sustainable dresses, chic dress, chic shoes, chic outfits, huarache sandals, neutral sandals, neutral shoes, neutral dress, white denim, denim dress, sustainable brands, sustainable fashion, Nisolo, Nisolo sandals, Unpublished Denim, Unpublished Denim dress, lifestyle blogger, classic style, fashion photography, lifestyle photography, fashion blogger, The Urban Darling.

Schyler and I have been going on a lot of nature walks over the past few months and lucky for us, we live right next to a beautiful canyon with lots of pretty photo spots! I knew I just had to shoot some photos on this beautiful grassy hill when we came across it and we finally got the chance to on this sunny spring day. The chic neutral spring outfit I’m wearing features some new pieces from some of my favorite sustainable brands. I love the way these photos turned out, they definitely have a classic, dreamy feel to them!

Holidays | My Style

Retro Valentine’s Themed Photo Shoot

By Esperanza on February 10, 2023

Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day 2023, Valentine's Day Couples, Valentine's Day photo shoot, photo shoot, couples photo shoot, couples style, couples photography, matching couples, couples outfits, vintage style, retro style, his style, her style, fashion blogger, lifestyle blogger, The Urban Darling.

While scouting for new local shops in our hometown of Tri-Cities, WA (I can’t believe we’ve been back a month already!) we found this amazing heart mural! It’s located in the alley of the Uptown Mall in Richland, WA where I used to work once upon a time. I knew it would be perfect for a fun Valentine’s themed photo shoot and it certainly was! 😉