Rocking the natural texture of my hair

Growing up in the era of Kardashians and Victoria Secret bombshells, I've spent so much of my time striving to achieve beauty perfection. How to get the perfect smokey eye, how to achieve perfect curls, how to look #flawless even when I just woke up.

In the age of photoshop and Instagram filters, it is so easy to look at perfectly polished celebrities and glamorous fashion bloggers and strive to achieve that same level of beauty perfection, even when said level is virtually impossible without the use of some editing and retouching. And when you're like me, someone who is still dealing with the occasional acne outbreak and still figuring out how to do my hair and makeup like a pro, it can be easy to get discouraged and feel inadequate when constantly looking at perfect fashion faces all day long.

My hair, in particular, has been quite the struggle. I've always loved the color, of course, but never the texture. Since middle school I religiously blew-dry my hair to get it stick straight, and then I would style it with a flat-iron. I would curl my hair almost every day, and even now I spend a great deal of time trying to achieve Victoria's Secret Angels-status curls in front of a bathroom mirror, but lately I've been mixing up my hair routine a bit more. I've been air-drying my hair more, letting its natural texture reveal itself instead of trying so hard to suppress it.

And you know what? I actually like how my hair looks naturally! I like how it looks when it's perfectly done and curled too, but it's important to feel comfortable with my normal hair and not feel like I have to hide what it actually looks like. It's good to know that I can wake up, dab on some makeup, and feel confident with what I look like without spending hours to feel that way. Sometimes you just don't want to do your hair, so I'm glad I've learned to embrace it.

Luckily, all the cool French girls seem to be embracing the natural hair look, too. Here are some of my favorite French style stars who love to rock their hair as-is.

Natural Texture Inspiration

Caroline de Maigret

Clémence Poésy

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Chloé Fall 2015 hair | Jeanne Damas via Byrdie Backstage at Rachel Comey Fall 2015 via Byrdie | Lou Doillon

What do you think about the undone, natural look?

The Chloé Small Faye Shoulder Bag in Faded Rose

What do you think of Chloé's latest It bag?

Light pinstripes are the new print you need to have.

Zara Striped Blazer With Belt ($99)

FROM LEFT: Marios Schwab; Red Valentino; Chloe; Mulberry

Following yesterday's Pink Coat Analysis, I find myself obsessing over another outerwear trend: the return of the cape.

While not always entirely practical (in other words, the lack of sleeves) the cape is a stylish and swinging piece that can serve as an alternative to the typical, classic coat.

And recently, capes have made a remarkable return to the forefront of cold weather fashions, which has gotten me questioning just how practical they can be and thus, how justified I would be if I were to buy one.

MICHAEL Michael Kors cape, $295 at Net-a-porter.com

This MICHAEL Michael Kors cape in particular has got me swooning. It is classic black and gold and comes in at a perfect price point, which is quite tempting. Plus, it totally goes with anything, including my somewhat preppy style.

But as the fall 2013 runways have shown, any style of lady can wear a cape, from the innocent fairy tale styling at Red Valentino to the witchy vibes at Marios Schwab.

Take a cue from these bloggers and fashion-savvy ladies; there are endless ways to wear the cape!

one ; two ; three ; four

What do you think about the cape trend?