Lately (the past week and a half) I have had to wear my glasses and not wear much makeup. The reason: my eye. Last week it was really sensitive to light, but the sensation came and went. Over the weekend, it got pretty bad, and the burning kept me awake. My eye is red and irritated-looking, but no, it is not pink eye or anything else contagious. I have a few theories: a blood vessel popped from stress or not getting enough sleep, or (as Chris suggested) I accidentally poked myself in the eye and scratched it.
I know, what does this have to do with style, beauty, fashion, etc, right? Well, I have had to wear my glasses, which only brings back memories from high school of feeling like a nerd. And to stop anything from possibly causing further irritation, I haven't been wearing any makeup. No foundation, as it could get in my eye. No mascara. Nothing. So I kinda feel.... naked.
Last week, I thought maybe I could use the need for glasses as a reason to dress like one of those sexy librarians. I wore a satiny frilly top with black trousers and heels. Not only did I not succeed with feeling sexy, I was also really warm and uncomfortable whenever I left the extreme air conditioning of my work environment.
Ever have days like this? How do you deal when you don't feel like the best version of yourself? The good news is that it seems to be getting better.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
Spending Freeze
You know to what I am referring. No spending, no buying anything unnecessarily, unless it is grocery shopping, I will not be entering any stores.
Not that I did a whole lot of shopping before. I mean, compared to some of my counterparts, I am tame. But it has been declared out loud this time. Other than bills (and savings) no money will be leaving the checking account. And all because...? Because a lot (A LOT) of work is going to be done to the house in the next month. The kind of work that involves knocking down walls. Raising roofs. (Literally.) Ripping fixtures out. And all that takes money.
Normally I will not even realize when it has been a long time since I last bought something frivolous. But when I declare a spending freeze on myself, I become painfully (PAINFULLY!) aware. Suddenly, I NEED purses. Shoes. Sunglasses.
I know, I know. All in my head. And it's for a good cause. My house will look better for it in the end. Yea yea.
Having my house in disarray will not help matters, of course. I will be looking for any reason to get out, and shopping won't be an option.
Petty? Probably. Whiny? Mhmm. Petulant? Definitely. But hey, at least I can admit it, right? And I can tell myself that while I am not making myself more stylish, I am making my house more so!
Do you ever put yourself on spending freezes?
Not that I did a whole lot of shopping before. I mean, compared to some of my counterparts, I am tame. But it has been declared out loud this time. Other than bills (and savings) no money will be leaving the checking account. And all because...? Because a lot (A LOT) of work is going to be done to the house in the next month. The kind of work that involves knocking down walls. Raising roofs. (Literally.) Ripping fixtures out. And all that takes money.
Normally I will not even realize when it has been a long time since I last bought something frivolous. But when I declare a spending freeze on myself, I become painfully (PAINFULLY!) aware. Suddenly, I NEED purses. Shoes. Sunglasses.
I know, I know. All in my head. And it's for a good cause. My house will look better for it in the end. Yea yea.
Having my house in disarray will not help matters, of course. I will be looking for any reason to get out, and shopping won't be an option.
Petty? Probably. Whiny? Mhmm. Petulant? Definitely. But hey, at least I can admit it, right? And I can tell myself that while I am not making myself more stylish, I am making my house more so!
Do you ever put yourself on spending freezes?
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
Flirty little summer dresses
One of the best things about summer is that getting dressed is so much easier. Just throw on a little summer dress and go. You can dress it up or down depending on what accessories you choose.
One of my favorite places to look for summer clothes is none other than Victoria's Secret. Well, the website anyway, as the store is mostly about what goes on under the clothes.
I did some virtual window shopping and came up with a list of looks I would love to add to my closet right now. Here are just a few dresses every girl needs:
A white dress- so fresh and clean looking. Great with any skin tone, and can be worn during the day or at night.
A shirtdress- a look that screams "borrowed from the boyfriend," which is right on trend right now.
The one shoulder- also right on trend. This one is a no-brainer for date night, weddings, basically anytime you want or need to knock someone's socks off. It bares a little skin without being revealing, and the options for accessorizing are endless.
Peasant dress- you all know how I feel about the boho-chic style. This kind of dress fits right in with that look.
The sporty dress- who doesn't love a built-in bra? This is the kind of dress you can run around, play and flirt in, but it still looks super cute!
So there you have it, my choices for must have dresses. While some of these looks are particularly in fashion right now, I think these are styles it is good to keep around. They can all be reworked easily in order to look more of the moment.
What do you all think? Have I forgotten any?
One of my favorite places to look for summer clothes is none other than Victoria's Secret. Well, the website anyway, as the store is mostly about what goes on under the clothes.
I did some virtual window shopping and came up with a list of looks I would love to add to my closet right now. Here are just a few dresses every girl needs:
A white dress- so fresh and clean looking. Great with any skin tone, and can be worn during the day or at night.
A shirtdress- a look that screams "borrowed from the boyfriend," which is right on trend right now.
The one shoulder- also right on trend. This one is a no-brainer for date night, weddings, basically anytime you want or need to knock someone's socks off. It bares a little skin without being revealing, and the options for accessorizing are endless.
Peasant dress- you all know how I feel about the boho-chic style. This kind of dress fits right in with that look.
The sporty dress- who doesn't love a built-in bra? This is the kind of dress you can run around, play and flirt in, but it still looks super cute!
So there you have it, my choices for must have dresses. While some of these looks are particularly in fashion right now, I think these are styles it is good to keep around. They can all be reworked easily in order to look more of the moment.
What do you all think? Have I forgotten any?
Thursday, July 23, 2009
I have chic friends
At a recent party for a friend's engagement I was wowed by the style some of my friends have. Just look at these outfits:
Above is Tiffany, and she gave me the lowdown on (almost) her entire outfit.
Dress: Free People
White corduroy jacket (pictured on her below): American Eagle
Purse (a lookalike of the timeless Coco Chanel chain shoulder bag): Etsy
Can you believe Tiffany scored this purse on Etsy for only $12?? It is vintage and real leather. Love!
I am unsure about the shoes and belt, but she is right on trend for this season with both. Wedges and espadrilles made of natural materials always work for summer, but there is definitely a focus on them this year. The belt is brown and leather, and is perfect for giving this sweet and girly flower print some edge.
On the right is Candice, who always manages to look beautiful. She obviously knows you can't go wrong with the little black dress. I forgot to ask her where she found it, but it looked great on her, especially paired with her sky high strappy platforms!
This is Brittany, our host and the guest of honor for the event. She said the dress is BCBG, and the shoes are Manolos. Aren't they beautiful??? I wanted to rip them off her feet!
Do you have stylish friends too?
Above is Tiffany, and she gave me the lowdown on (almost) her entire outfit.
Dress: Free People
White corduroy jacket (pictured on her below): American Eagle
Purse (a lookalike of the timeless Coco Chanel chain shoulder bag): Etsy
Can you believe Tiffany scored this purse on Etsy for only $12?? It is vintage and real leather. Love!
I am unsure about the shoes and belt, but she is right on trend for this season with both. Wedges and espadrilles made of natural materials always work for summer, but there is definitely a focus on them this year. The belt is brown and leather, and is perfect for giving this sweet and girly flower print some edge.
On the right is Candice, who always manages to look beautiful. She obviously knows you can't go wrong with the little black dress. I forgot to ask her where she found it, but it looked great on her, especially paired with her sky high strappy platforms!
This is Brittany, our host and the guest of honor for the event. She said the dress is BCBG, and the shoes are Manolos. Aren't they beautiful??? I wanted to rip them off her feet!
Do you have stylish friends too?
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
I tried it- Mixing patterns
I think Michelle Obama has GREAT fashion sense. Whether you agree with her husband's politics or not, you can't deny that. Take this look for example:
The rule used to be that mixing patterns was a definite no- that it would look too "busy." But as The Girls in the Fashion Department put it, "This is such a simple, wearable way to do the pattern mixing thing. She sticks with one color palette, keeps it summery and fresh, and doesn't complicate things with the rest of her accessories."
I wasn't going for the exact same look, complete with pearls, however. I wanted my outfit to have a bit more edge.
I wore a loose, flower-print spaghetti strap blouse from Old Navy, bermuda shorts from Old Navy, and the striped cardigan is New York and Company. Wedge sandals are from Nine West, bangle bracelet is from NY, and the skull-and-bones ring is Lucky. What do you think?
The rule used to be that mixing patterns was a definite no- that it would look too "busy." But as The Girls in the Fashion Department put it, "This is such a simple, wearable way to do the pattern mixing thing. She sticks with one color palette, keeps it summery and fresh, and doesn't complicate things with the rest of her accessories."
I wasn't going for the exact same look, complete with pearls, however. I wanted my outfit to have a bit more edge.
I wore a loose, flower-print spaghetti strap blouse from Old Navy, bermuda shorts from Old Navy, and the striped cardigan is New York and Company. Wedge sandals are from Nine West, bangle bracelet is from NY, and the skull-and-bones ring is Lucky. What do you think?
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
SPF in triple digits!
My friend and co-worker Kelly and I talk about skincare (and other things) a lot. It is no wonder, after all- she sells Avon! She does buy and use a lot of products from Avon, but she is not exclusive to them. She also complains of sensitive skin that reacts and gets irritated by facewashes and lotions easily (a problem many of us have)- so when she finds a product that she likes, she tends to highly recommend it.
She took my recommendation of Cetaphil from a previous post seriously, and she says it helped to calm her skin. Yay! In return she told me about a little find she made herself. :)
Finding a good, high SPF sunscreen or facial moisturizer can be hard when you break out easily or have a tendency to get shiny. Believe me I know. I haven't found a good one above SPF 15 because it seems that the higher the SPF, the greasier the feel.
Kelly claims this is not so with one particular product from Neutrogena. She put it to the true test when she went to the Maryland shore for the weekend. According to her findings, it was not greasy, but it was also waterproof. It didn't cause her to break out, but it didn't budge the whole time she had it on. And she didn't need to reapply. She even had to wash her face more thoroughly to ensure it all came off. Those are some pretty great user results to back up their pretty big claims!
According to the website:
"Neutrogena Ultra Sheer® Dry-Touch Sunblock SPF 100+ with Helioplex® offers the highest combined UVA/UVB protection. SPF measures UVB burning rays, while PFA measures skin-aging UVA rays. Now, Neutrogena Ultra Sheer® SPF 100+ is the only sunblock proven to protect skin from over 99% of UVB sunburn damage. Plus, with an unbeatable PFA, nothing provides better UVA protection. Infused with a light, fresh scent, this elegant formulation is fast-absorbing, non-whitening, waterproof and lightweight. Neutrogena's Dry-Touch technology provides an ultra-light, non-shiny finish and leaves skin soft and smooth."
I may need to pick some up myself now- I am almost out of my higher SPF sunscreen (for when I am out in the sun for longer periods of time) anyway.
Anyone else use this one already? What do you think of it? Use something else you think works even better? Share!
I may need to pick some up myself now- I am almost out of my higher SPF sunscreen (for when I am out in the sun for longer periods of time) anyway.
Anyone else use this one already? What do you think of it? Use something else you think works even better? Share!
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