Around March, I had the idea of creating a desert theme for a period of time on my Instagram. I see so many beautiful tropical/beach pictures on Instagram that are impossible to recreate as I am living in the desert. I had so many ideas for this project and they came out completely different than I ever imagined.

Location #1- Lovelock, NV

A couple years ago, when I took a trip with my family to Moab, UT, I remember seeing this giant sand dune where a bunch of people were BMX-ing, ATV-ing, etc. The first idea I had for desert feed was to wear this red dress at this sand dune.

So, a couple weeks ago, my boyfriend and I took a mini road trip out into the desert. I decided not to turn my GPS on because I remembered it was along the highway about 1 ½ hours away. About 1 ½ hours of driving passed and I still hadn’t seen the sand dune. Then it started pouring! It was so amazing and beautiful to see crazy rain in the desert like this. We drove a little farther and I saw these majestic mountains and a rainbow appeared!

When I saw the rainbow, I knew it was time to pull over even though we hadn’t reached the sand dune. I am so thrilled with these pictures. It was such an unexpected and beautiful location. I’m so glad that we took the time to enjoy the desert and see this. Obviously, there’s not a whole lot to do in the desert, but it was so refreshing to see so much open space. When life can get hectic sometimes, it’s nice to know there’s always open space.

I originally bought this dress from Forever 21 for my trip to Colombia last year to wear while I was in Cartagena, but I never had the chance to shoot it before we left! I’m happy this dress got to have it’s moment. I looked up the location of the sand dune the day after we took these pictures. I found out that I missed a turn on to a different highway haha! I’m glad it worked out the way it did!

Dress (similar):

Socialite Floral Print Dress ($60)

Forever 21 Chiffon Floral Print Dress ($30)

Location #2- Rattlesnake Mountain, Reno, NV

We took these pictures a couple days after the pictures in Lovelock. I am so obsessed with this set I got from Abercrombie! I’ve never ordered from them before, but I am so happy with the outcome. This set is made out of a very light, breathable material that is so perfect for summer. My favorite detail is the asymmetrical buttons on the side of the skirt which turn into a slit. It’s literally my favorite clothing item I’ve purchased all year.

Looking around the desert terrain, my boyfriend and I saw a big rock that we thought would be cool for me to sit on in the pictures. When we were about 1 foot away, I saw the head of a snake and I immediately grabbed my boyfriend’s arm and took off running! My boyfriend saw the whole snake and he said it was about 8 feet long, wrapping around the rock!

We looked it up later and luckily, it was a bull snake and not a rattlesnake. I guess that snake was just enjoying his desert habitat!

Crop Top: Abercrombie Women’s V-Neck Crop Top ($38)

Skirt: Abercrombie Women’s Button-Up Linen Midi Skirt (on sale for $35)

Similar Set: Nasty Gal Midi Skirt+ Crop Co-ord ($35)

Location #3- Geiger Lookout Wayside Park

After a beach day at Lake Tahoe, my boyfriend and I drove to this lookout on the way to Virginia City, NV. There’s nowhere else in Reno that I’ve seen beautiful red rock like this! You can see pretty much all of Reno from this lookout and it’s really pretty. Unfortunately, lots of fools come up to this lookout and break their beer bottles. There was a ton of broken glass 🙁 It’s really sad that people would deface the land like this…

I’ve had this top for a couple years now. It’s from Grana and it’s made out of silk. I think it looks pretty chic and it’s a great top to tuck into high waisted pants. The only downside of this shirt is it can become easily wrinkled if your back is sweaty and you’re sitting in the car. These jeans are from Nasty Gal and I wear them so much! They were super tight at first, but now they’ve become much more comfortable. I LOVE the stripes on the side.

Top: Grana V-Neck Camisole ($60)

Top (similar): Gibson Satin Camisole ($45)

Jeans: You’re Absolutely Stipe High-Waisted Jeans ($22)

Jeans (similar): High Waisted Ripped Side Stripe Ankle Jeans ($88)

I’m so happy I decided to do “desert feed”. It was a great lesson in appreciating the diverse nature around me. I often hear people say that Reno is really ugly, but I found 3 beautiful locations that aren’t far from me! I wish I had done 1 more desert feed shoot, but it’s okay. I feel like I’m getting a little bit better at Instagram and that means making mistakes along the way.