#RealBloggerBeauty with Charmingly Styled

I'm really happy to be linking up with Maya of Charmingly Styled for her #realbloggerbeauty campaign. Today, along with Maya and many other bloggers, I'm taking a break from the perfectionism that seems to dominate the blogging world these days and getting personal by sharing a bit more about myself, my life and all the perfectly imperfect things that go along with it.

I really love blogging - it's my passion. Sharing my interests through Cupcakes & Couture, including my recipes, outfits and more, keeps me fulfilled. On top of that, I've met so many fantastic bloggers from Boston and beyond who have become my real {and virtual} friends. But blogging and everything that comes along with it isn't all peonies and French macarons and sequins, although I do admit I have a fair amount of those things in my life. As someone who has struggled with depression, anxiety and perfectionism for as long as I can remember, it's tough for me not to constantly compare myself to other bloggers and feel sad, anxious or not good enough, especially those who have "made it" it in this brand new business of blogging. In the Pinterest-perfect world we all live in nowadays, it's easy to look at other female bloggers and and feel inadequate because their lives seem so glamorous. Why can't I be as skinny, as stylish, as great of a baker? Why don't I own a Chanel bag and Louboutins and have a huge, luxurious apartment that's impeccably decorated? Why does it seem like everyone around me is able to find the one thing I really want in life - to be in love and have a successful, happy relationship - but I'm still alone? If I let myself focus on these thoughts and compare myself to those whose lives seem perfect, I'm never going to be happy, and I'm never going to appreciate all of the amazing things I do have going on in my life.

I rarely talk about my personal life on my blog, and in order to maintain some privacy in my life, I'm never going to write about anything extremely difficult for me to deal with or serious issues from my past. But, as a first step of sorts, I'm going to get real today because let's face it: NO ONE'S life is perfect, even though it may seem to be on Instagram or Facebook. Here are some real facts about me and my life as a blogger - things I may not shout from the rooftops because I'm afraid of being viewed as imperfect or worried that others might think I'm a bit of a mess.

-My apartment is only 400 square feet and I struggle fitting everything into my closet. I need to use the trunk of my car for extra storage. My couch is scratched to pieces thanks to Phoebe {and now little Oliver too.} I sleep on a mattress in the loft and don't even own a bed frame!

-Blogging isn't my "real" job, which I'm sure most of you know. During the day, I'm the Executive Assistant to the President of a small financial firm, and spend my 9 hours in the office completing such tasks as booking, re-booking and re-re-booking flights for him and his family, taking his car to be serviced at Colonial Volkswagen of Medford {I've become pretty close with the technicians there}, buying birthday gifts for his nieces and nephews who I've never met and calling the County Sheriff's office to try and clear his outstanding traffic violations. At the end of some days:

-Although I get to attend a lot of fun events as a blogger, some of which require getting dressed up and include amazing gift bags, a typical evening for me goes a bit more like this:

-No matter how well I eat or how much I pay a personal trainer, my stomach is never flat. To be totally honest, it jiggles when I walk. I've been told that cutting carbs and dairy may solve this problem, but I refuse to give up mac & cheese because I like it wayyy too much.

-I've been single for over a year now. I'm not going to lie - it gets lonely. I went on one vacation totally alone and one vacation partially alone last year. I'm a really independent person, but I do wish I was in love and had someone to share my life with. This often means I have to do single people things that suck, including carrying heavy items up many flights of stairs, building Ikea furniture by myself and going to weddings alone.

-I buy 99% of the things I'm wearing in my outfit posts. Although I have made some great partnerships and have been sponsored by a handful of amazing brands, I'm not at the point yet where people are sending me free designer clothes/bags/shoes/accessories, although I wish that was the case!!!

-I do not wake up looking like this, although I wish I could say I do. Here is a more accurate representation of what I wake up looking like:

yes, that's a Breathe Right strip I'm wearing.

So, in the spirit of being real and embracing my insecurities, I thought I'd give up the vanity for minute and include a few outtake photos from outfit shoots/events that didn't quite make the cut when I was editing for my posts.

hey everyone! here's my butt.

is this my resting bitch face?

watch me do a sexy hair flip.

hey everyone! here are my boobs.

hold on, I have to get my wedgie first...

does this pose make me look good?

to answer the previous question: no.

wait don't take the photo yet!

just taking a minute to drop a beat during the photo shoot.

and because I don't always feel like I can accurately describe everything I'm trying to convey with my own words, here's a song from one of my favorite artists that might just do it for me.

Make sure to tell me what's real about your life or share your own insecurities in the comments below. I hope you'll join in with the #realbloggerbeauty campaign today!