Details: Garage turtleneck, Gap vest, Kate Hewko skirt, Chicwish tulle skirt, Danier x Greta Constantine belt (all thrifted), Dr. Martens shoes (Poshmark)

Thoughts: This outfit was an homage to Vivienne Westwood, and amazingly fun to wear. How good is that vintage plaid patchwork Gap vest? And look at that: my Docs are coming in clutch. I’m soooo pumped about spring and summer and all the possibilities that are about to open up once I don’t have to limit myself to wearing boots outdoors. Really gonna lean into that goth/punk princess vibe … along with the whole 90s revival. I think those two things will nicely balance out the Ralph Lauren side of the equation (preppy/academia & prairie/cowboy). It’s all about balance!!

Details: H&M turtleneck & cardigan, vintage dress & belt (all thrifted)

Thoughts: Thrifted my fave cardigan in a new colour, which means I can try the blush pink/brown combo I’ve been seeing all over my IG feed. Can report that it works! Then again, show me a colour that doesn’t work with brown. I mean, ok, fine: you technically can. Those colours exist. I think. But who cares about them? Anyway, this vintage dress is still sparking all the joy for me. Easy, comfortable, makes me feel like a million bucks. What’s not to love?

Details: Guns ‘n Roses tee, Old Navy cardigan, Chicwish skirt (all thrifted), Dr. Martens shoes (Poshmark)

Thoughts: More goth princess shenanigans. That cardigan? Not the same brand as my black and pink ones, but pretty much the same style. Naturally, I love it. I’ve been wanting to add a bit more yellow to my wardrobe for spring and summer. For my needs, a topper like this is a great option for that. In this outfit, the yellow really pops and takes the whole look to the next level, without being too in-my-face, if you know what I mean. The fact that it’s a bright, crayon-like yellow (rather than a pastel or buttery yellow) works for this particular aesthetic. And even if it’s not the best yellow for my complexion, there’s not so much of it that you’d even notice.

Details: Babaton turtleneck, vintage sweater, Ralph Lauren skirt, Suzy Shier coat, Coach bag (all thrifted), Laredo boots (consignment)

Thoughts: This fun, vintage Hudson’s Bay-lookalike sweater (also made in Canada!) has 4 stripes, and I tried to match them all in my accessories. We have the bag, the hat, the tights … and the red lipstick. We can never forget the red lipstick! Is this too much matchy-matchiness? Is there ever such a thing? My heart says no, I don’t know about yours. Have you heard the news about the Hudson’s Bay Company shutting down? I haven’t really shopped in their stores for years (since I stopped going to malls) but, considering its historical significance in our country, I was sad to hear that the company is going out of business. The timing feels especially poignant given everything else going on right now. Sighhhhh.

Details: Ralph Lauren trench & shirt, H&M cardigan, BR jeans, Bata boots, Coach bag (all thrifted)

Thoughts: Quick, let’s move on to something less depressing. Pink? Lots and lots of pink. That’s a happy colour for me, always. I wanted to try a different way of styling one of my oversized men’s shirts. I usually tuck them in so, this time, I didn’t. Instead of layering a sweater over the shirt, I added a cardigan and only buttoned one of the buttons. I wanted a layer that could “rein” in the volume of the shirt, without completely covering it. And added the trench as I wanted a lighter neutral to pair with the pink, to avoid a high-contrast situation. To me, this feels more spring-like than a black/pink pairing, for example. What do you think?

Details: Ricki’s turtleneck, Liz Claiborne vest, Gap jacket, Ralph Lauren belt (all secondhand), Zara pants (retail)

Thoughts: Alright, I’ll leave you with this (loosely) RL-inspired outfit. I would normally wear jeans and a jacket in a different fabric, but decided to switch up the “polarity” and wear denim on top. This Gap jacket is an interesting piece, because it straddles the line between a traditional jacket and a shirt — so, like, a shacket, except denim. I like it. It has interesting possibilities as a layering piece, in terms of both weight and cut.

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.