I talked recently about how I’ve simplified my make-up routine quite significantly in recent years. One area where experimentation is still the name of the game is lip products. I love a good red lip. Actually, I like a bright lip in general. I’ve had a few products I’ve stuck to using in the past, mostly out of convenience and laziness; I’m not especially devoted to any particular type or brand of product. I just like ’em cheap! And, lately, I’ve had amazing luck with a few “cheap heroes” aka drugstore-type products that deliver lots of bang for the buck. Let’s take a look!

Etude Dear Darling Water Tint

I found these at Winners, but I believe they’re also available on Amazon. I paid about $6 per bottle, which looks similar to the Benefit Benetint. I wish I could tell you the shades I got, but sadly the name isn’t listed on the bottles; one has a dark red cap, and the other a deep pink one. I love these because they’re so different from anything else I’ve tried (which has not included Benefit, as that’s too bougie for my budget). They give a bold yet very natural-looking tint to the lip — sort of like the effect you might get from sucking on a red or pink lollipop. Once the product dries, it doesn’t smudge; it’s also buildable, up to a point. The downside is that it tends to come off quickly if you eat or drink, and I find the formulation to be somewhat drying. However, it’s a perfect product to use when I want a pop of colour on my lips without looking like I’m wearing any product.

CoverGirl Clean Fresh Tinted Lip Balm

I raved about this tinted lip balm in a previous post, but I’m mentioning it again because I tried a few more colours and discovered that they’re all fantastic. In the photo above, I’m wearing (left to right): Bliss You Berry; You’re the Pom; and I Cherry-ish You. The formula feels and behaves like a lip balm, but delivers the colour of an almost-lipstick. In a nearly 10 years of searching, they’re the closest thing I’ve found to my beloved (and, sadly, discontinued) Rimmel Colour Rush lip crayons. Anyone else remember those? It was a CRIME when those were taken out of circulation, I tell you. They were, themselves, a dupe for the Clinique Chubby Stick tinted lip balm crayons; however, having recently splurged on one of those (during a Shoppers bonus points redemption event), I can tell you that both the old Rimmel crayons and the CoverGirl lip balms deliver way more colour than the more expensive Clinique Chubby Sticks, at least in their current formulation. The Bliss You Berry shade is actually a close dupe of another Clinique product, the famous Black Honey Almost Lipstick — at a fraction of the price, of course.

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick (Creme)

Okay, these are legit lipsticks and a bit pricier (though still well under $15), but I had to give them a shoutout because I recently took a walk down memory lane and got myself a new tube of Rum Raisin. If you were a teenager in the 90s, you will be having some strong flashbacks right now. I couldn’t afford Revlon back in those days, so I could only dream of wearing the lipstick that was all the rage in every single magazine. Well, guess what? It’s making a comeback, and I’m here to report that it is, in fact, a very nice shade. The formula on these lipsticks is also quite nice; creamy but not sticky, and not drying. You will need to reapply after a meal (or a make-out session, hah), but they’re otherwise decently long-wearing. I also ended up randomly getting the shade Wild Saffron because I found it deeply discounted one day and it looked like a potentially nice red … which it is! It’s a bright, warm-toned red with orange undertones. I’m not sure if it’s my best red but I don’t care. Frankly, I think I can pull off both warm- and cool-toned reds (others may disagree) and I like having both options at my disposal, to choose depending on my outfit.

Do you have a favourite cheapie lippie that makes your smile brighter? I’d love to hear about it!

Details: Ralph Lauren sweater & skirt, Babaton turtleneck, Pedro Mirailles shoes (all thrifted)

Thoughts: Guys. Guyssssss. GUYS! I found this vintage handknit RL sweater just randomly on a random rack on a random day at my random local thrift store. My hand shook as I pulled it off the rack, no word of a lie. A real “fell to my knees in a Walmart” moment, ok? I’ve been looking for one of these ‘novelty’ RL sweaters for yeeeeaaaars — unsuccessfully until now — so I almost couldn’t believe my eyes. Sweaters like this are very popular among RL fans, so their resale value is in the hundreds of dollars. I paid $8. Yes, you read that right. Anyway, I wore it, it’s amazing, the end. Byeeee!

Details: Ralph Lauren turtleneck & vest, Nine West jacket, H&M pants, Nocona belt, Ricki’s bag

Thoughts: Ok, not goodbye quite yet. Another day, another RL-inspired fit. The original inspo is better suited to spring/summer, so I had to improvise here a bit, but I think I managed to pull … something … off. These H&M jeans were a recent thrift impulse buy; I got them because I like this cut and wash, but mostly because the fringe detail appealed to me. It gave me some southwest/cowboy vibes somehow, so I think I’d get them and see how they’d style up with my prairie pieces this summer. Strangely enough, my daughter loathes them. It’s reassuring to know that we still have some things not in common, haha!

Details: Twik sweater, Ralph Lauren skirt, Zara shoes (all thrifted)

Thoughts: At the risk of sounding (and looking) for a broken record … here we go again. I hadn’t worn my fave RL skirt in a while, so it was time. I also realized that this sweater matches the green colour from the skirt pattern perfectly, so voila: matchy matchy option unlocked. Piled on the silver accessories and called it an outfit.

Details: Ricki’s turtleneck & skirt & bag; H&M cardigan, Levi’s jacket, Frye belt, Laredo boots (all thrifted)

Thoughts: I’m seeing a lot of white maxi skirts on trend lists at the moment, and I couldn’t be happier because I love mine. I’m quite drawn to the way I’ve seen white skirts like this styled with black, so I’ve been trying out a few combinations. Still difficult to do, what with it being the eleventy month of winter, but I gave it my best shot. This Levi’s jacket has been coming in clutch all season, because it’s loose enough to accommodate quite a few layers, plus decently warm itself.

Details: Bozzolo top (retail), Tommy Hilfiger dress, H&M cardigan, Dr. Martens shoes (all secondhand)

Thoughts: As soon as I saw this vintage Tommy dress at the thrift store, I knew I had to get it. It unlocks some core memories, that’s for sure. This whole outfit, in fact, is an ode to my 16-year old self, who couldn’t dream of wearing clothes this cute. I mean, just peep those Docs; teenage Adina would have died and ascended to Cool Girl Heaven. Better late than never I guess 😉

Details: Ricki’s turtleneck, Tabi vest, Social Tourist jeans (all thrifted)

Thoughts: Listen, I paid waaaaay too much for these jeans, but I just couldn’t resist. I’m pretty sure they’ll probably end up in my daughter’s closet any day now, but I had to give them a wear or two first. They’re just so cute! I try not to do too much twee/whimsical stuff these days (unless it’s whimsigoth) because it doesn’t speak to the Me of Now, but sometimes my heart still pulls in that direction. Or, in this case, hearts.

Doc Martens Mary Janes

Friends, I have a feeling these shoes are about to become my entire personality. You have been warned. You may remember that I was looking for a pair of mary janes shoes for more than a year, and I’m glad that I didn’t find one before I discovered these Docs because They. Are. Perfect. Everyone knows I love a chunky shoe, and the 90s vibes of this style dovetails beautifully with my current aesthetic direction. It’s gonna be a Docs Girl Summer for me … a Docs Girl Spring in the meantime. I’ll even let you in on a little secret: I may or may not have bought a pair of 14-eye lace-up Docs from Poshmark. For extra stomp and 90s goth princess cred 😉

Opaque Tights

I’ve been getting back into mini skirts pretty hard-core lately; which is to say, wearing them regularly for pretty much the first time in my life. Because of the whole long torso/short legs situation, mini skirts are tricky for me, proportions-wise. This issue is compounded by the fact that my legs are Casper the Ghost-levels of pale; exposed to sunlight, they are practically blinding and, as such, too much of a visual distraction.

Enter opaque tights. Having a darker colour on my legs gives something of a lengthening effect, I find, and also an opportunity to play around with the outfit palette. They’re also practical this time of year, which is not an insignificant consideration. I’ve drastically expanded my colour selection in tights, and I am now able to accessorize quite creatively, without always having to resort to black tights. Nothing wrong with those, but sometimes the outfit calls for something else. And I’m pretty sure I’ll have just the thing.

Puffy Heart Necklace

This is a deep cut, but hear me out. In the last little while, this darn thing has become one of my most-worn accessories and I feel that deserves a shoutout. It’s minimalist but a statement at the same time. It takes me back to my teenage years, and we all know how I feel about that. It can do the whimsical thing, and it can do the goth thing. Not bad for a $5 thrift store find.

I should mention that I got a similar heart necklace (on a longer chain) in gold-tone – also from the thrift store – but find myself wearing this one more often. Some of that has to do with the fact that I tend to favour silver over gold (though I wear both regularly), and some has to do with the length of the necklace. I prefer this shorter length and find it more versatile.

Baseball Hats

I’ve never been a huge “hat person” – mostly because I have a huge head that’s difficult to accommodate. And I never wore a baseball hat, specifically, until last year. My husband and kids love them, but it wasn’t until I noticed that I kept mentally “pinning” outfits from IG that featured a Yankees hat that I decided it was time to give them a try. I actually don’t care and know nothing about baseball, the sport. I’ve thrifted several baseball hats recently, chosen purely on aesthetic grounds. I love the “NY” logo the most, but I’m also fond of the “LA” and “SD” ones I have (along with a couple of Ralph Lauren ones, and I don’t think I need to explain why I got those). Don’t ask me what teams those are, because I have no idea; I assume they play out of Los Angeles and San Diego, but if I’m wrong, no need to correct me. No, really! Absolutely no need at all.

[I only know the Yankees because it’s an easy name to remember and it starts with Y, which is part of the logo itself. And half the time, I forget it anyway.]

Anyway, it turns out that baseball hats are relatively easy to fit on a big noggin, and look great with ponytails; this being my go-to hairstyle for ‘low effort’ days and/or ‘need to wash my hair but I’m too lazy’ days, I think you can begin to appreciate why baseball hats are a great accessory for me. Also, they are a nice, subtle way to reinforce the colour palette of an outfit.