Blue Collar Red Lipstick

09
May
2014

Grey + Gingham

What I Wore: Shopping

blue gingham shirt, J. Crew Boutonniere grey jacket — Shirt & belt, J. Crew Factory; blazer, J. Crew (via consignment); shoes, Old Navy; bag, MbMJ (via eBay)

I was having one of those No Good, Very Bad Days when I wore this, and at least my outfit turned out better than expected. I get zero credit, because I cheated. Well, sort of. See, I keep a running list of tentative outfits on my handy dandy iPad, and whenever I have a flare-up of holy-crap-I-have-nothing-to-wear-itis – bam, crisis resolved. The downside is that some outfits end up looking less flattering than anticipated, and I usually don’t have the time to change. Just between you and me (and the world wide web, of course), that explains 67% of the outfits on this blog. The other 33% … I don’t really have an explanation.

Back to this outfit. I disguised my un-ironed shirt (sorry, so tired, so sloppy) by tucking it in, and throwing a blazer on top. Did it work? Or are you still tsk-tsk-ing over there? A cute bag always serves to distract, when all else fails. On this we agree, yes?

08
May
2014

The Monday Blurgundies

categories: style

What I Wore: Monday

J. Crew Factory paisley shirt — Skirt, shirt, cardigan & belt, J. Crew Factory; flats, Ferragamo (via Etsy)

Don’t worry; the spell-check on my computer still works. My aptitude for punny titles … still leaves something to be desired. To explain: I had a case of the Monday blues, so I wore burgundy, because it’s something of a pick-me-up colour for me, and it’s more or less guaranteed to work with whatever outfit I manage to throw together. Recipe for success? Well, maybe on a Monday.

I am wearing head-to-~~toe~~knee J. Crew (Factory), but the nice thing about monopolizing a store to that extent is that it increases the chances for a hastily-thrown-together outfit to look somewhat cohesive. Most of my Crew pieces are interchangeable, and I mean that in the best possible way. OK, that belt is probably too bright and fuchsia-leaning for the rest of the outfit here, but this outfit needed a jolt of something bright to get it off its one-way track to snoozeville. The result is … passable. Yes? Maybe? Vote in the comments.

07
May
2014

A Little Bit Lumberjack

categories: Beauty products, style

What I Wore: Grocery Shopping

Josef Seibel Sandra 10 boots — Shirt and belt, J. Crew Factory; coat, consignment; jeans, American Eagle (via consignment); boots, Josef Seibel; bag, Marc Jacobs (via consignment)

This outfit has a definite eau de lumberjack about it, doesn’t it? Something about that plaid shirt, tucked in and belted. But, you know, je ne regrette rien.

Actually, not quite. I regret whatever the hell is going on with my hair here. Oof! Let’s blame it on the snow because … because … the snow. The snow in late April. Enough said. Hey, want to see a close-up of my Medusa head? Too bad, you’re getting it.

That hair is about to eat my whole head ... — That hair is about to eat my whole head …

I look entirely too pleased with myself considering my follicular situation. Some people have bitch resting face, I have bitch smiling face. Sigh.

What, you come here to read about outfits? Naaaaah …

How about a reader question? I swear I did not make it up.

Hi there! I was wondering what lipstick you wear in your blog photos?

It really depends on whatever is closest at hand, but it’s usually one of two things: Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Beso (the bright red, matte one), or Clinique Chubby Stick in Chunky Cherry (the more sheer, pinkish-red one – see above). I find the latter infinitely easier to apply, which helps me avoid ending up with clown mouth. But I get a ton of compliments when I wear the Stila (and it photographs really nicely too), so sometimes it’s worth the extra effort. I’ve taken to lining my lips first, before using it, because one skill I did master as a child was colouring inside the lines. I use a NYX lip pencil called … hang on, let me check … Hot Red.