Fashion; It's Quick and Painless

At least, it can be if you know how to do it. For the longest time, I didn't really bother with fashion because I thought it was too much work. I wore basic jeans, t-shirts, and tennis shoes, and the same stud earrings in my ear almost every day. I wore make-up, and at that point I had already gotten pretty good at the "5 minute face", but it wasn't the greatest quality stuff. It wasn't until my senior year in high school that things started to click with me, and a while after that that I really started to master things. When I had the time, I was able to put together outfits that looked good, but in the mornings I was still more inclined to sleep than figure out what was cute to wear.


Now? I think I can call myself a pro. I've learned how to put together great outfits (complete with accessories) and make myself up all in a way that's as fast as possible, and for not too much money. Getting dressed, and doing my make-up/hair in the morning, takes me about 20 minutes, and (not to toot my own horn) I get compliments for my outfits all the time. Want to learn how to do it too? I'll give you my tips.


Clothes:
With clothes there is studying you have to do. There are items to invest in, and there are items that you shouldn't spend more than 20 dollars on. How do you figure this out? My basic list of investment items is this; jeans, good slacks, a great pencil skirt... in general items with staying power (aka something that isn't going to go out of style). Every woman should have these wardrobe basics, and why waste the money replacing worn out cheap ones, when you can spend a little more money less often. What it really comes down to is the price per wear ratio. If you buy a pair of good quality dark wash jeans for 70 dollars (this is the most I'll spend. I'm not worried about paying for labels, just a pair that makes me look good. Labels don't matter people) and you wear them two times a week, and they last you two years, that comes put to roughly 67 cents per wear. If you buy a 20 dollar pair of jeans, wearing them twice a week, but after 5 months the knees are stretched out and worn thin, and the butt is saggy (trust me, you don't want to wear saggy butt jeans) it's only 50 cents per wear, but most people want their jeans to be able to last longer. Spend that money on a cute fun top that was only going to be in style for those 5 months anyway.


So that's how to buy clothes. Putting them together is different. The key here is knowing what colors look good you, and how those colors can go together. If you've ever watched What Not to Wear (if you haven't, you should) you know that Stacy and Clinton's favorite sentence is "It doesn't match, it goes," For some people, that's hard to learn. They think, if you wear a green top, that means that everything else you wear must be a neutral or green. This is just about the fastest way possible to make yourself look out dated. The modern way? If you're wearing a green top (psst... it's flattering on you right? doesn't make you look like a frump or a stripper? good) then you should pair it with neutral pants (or shorts or a skirt). The accessories, and I'll get into these more later, should be a different color, and they don't necessarily have to be the same different color. So your shirt's green, you put on some black pants, then maybe some plumy purple shoes (purple and green are great together), teal blue earrings, and a necklace that's in a tarnished antique gold tone with maybe a red or orange pendant. None of those colors match, but if you get the right shades, they go.


Accessories:
While I consider hair and make-up to be accessories, I'm going to address them separately. Right now, I'm talking about the wondrous world of earrings, necklaces, scarfs, shoes, bracelets, belts, etc. Learning about accessories was the point at which I really got it. It made it so simple to look put together. If your wearing jeans and a V-neck top, pretty much no matter how flattering the clothes are, you're outfit will look unfinished until there is a necklace or a scarf to fill that empty space (if you're really daring you can do a pair of big earrings, but it's tricky to do right).


Shoes are also really important. Aside from the obvious reasons, like the fact that they're shoes and not your bare feet, they have the all powerful ability to make or break an outfit. You could have a great outfit, but if you put on a pair of chunky soled brown leather shoes with visible stitching... the whole outfit turns bad. Heavy shoes weigh you down, and they make your feet look big and chunky. Please please, if you have a pair of these shoes don't wear them in public. Taking the dog out at night, or working in the yard is fine, but that's it. I tend to live my life in flats, because it's hard for me to find a pair of comfortable heels, but if you can wear heels then great!


Some general shoe do's and don'ts are these:
Do; wear shoes you can feel confident in. If you have trouble walking in heels, no matter how fierce and fashion forward they are, you'll look awkward and uncomfortable, and you can't be you (and "you" are the best accessory you have).
Do; get a great pair of pointed shoes. Flat or heeled, they are fabulous. Don't go too pointy though, or they'll cross into the elf or witch realm (especially pointy heeled black boots, these are tricky to find right)
Do; make sure that your round toed shoes look more like an oval or the top of an egg round than circle. Circle round shoes cut off the line of your foot and have the tendency to make them look like hoofs, especially if they're circle round toed heels. That little bit of stretched oval/egg shape lengthens the line of your whole leg and makes you look slimmer.
Do; make sure that your boots fit you right around the calf. I know for some people this is very difficult (used to work in a shoe store remember) so it can be frustrating, but if something is to big or too small, it's just as unflattering as clothing in the same situation.
Don't; wear your gym or running shoes anywhere but gym or running. Sure, you may be "running" errands, but that doesn't mean you can't wear a pair of cute ballet flats instead.
Don't; wear anything with a thick ankle strap, it cuts off the line of the leg. You look shorter, your legs look stumpy, and it's always hard to find one where the strap fits right anyway, so just say no.
Don't; wear shoes with too much "toe cleavage". A little is ok, but too much is weird.

Hair and Make-up;
My hair and make-up routine is probably the area where I spend the least amount of time. I am a devotee to both "5 minute face" and "wash and wear hair". With make-up on a normal day to day basis, you don't want it too complicated. I always do a little loose powder foundation and blush, then I play up my eyes with a little liner, shadow, and mascara. I almost never do lip color, but when I do I use a stain. For a special occasion, I just intensify the eye make-up a little. Really though, this takes very little time after practice.
Ok, hair. Now, this is a hard one. A lot of the ease for me is that I have a natural texture that makes it so that, with the right cut, it pretty much styles itself. A few months back I started coloring it though, and it brings a whole new life to my locks. Really, my advice to you here, is to find the right haircut, that's flattering to your face and that doesn't fight with what your hair wants to do.

Wow, I wrote a lot more than I originally planned, but I thought this would be a fun way to get back into blogging, and make up for my absence. Later in the week I might try to post some pictures as examples of what I'm talking about.

Wow it's been a while

Sorry I've dropped off the radar. I know there aren't many of you who read this, but I've heard mention (coughmomcough) that my absence has been noticed. Anyway, I spend much more time during the day sitting and staring at a computer thanks to my new job as a receptionist, but facebook is blocked so what's to do but this (and work, I do get work done)? Anyway, you will be hearing more from me. I'm actually in the process of working up a new post that's inspired by a few new blogs I've started following. Check back soon my friends.

I'm a bad blogger

I really have neglected my blog the last few weeks. I've been a bit preoccupied with my new hobby; knitting. It's had me so absorbed that I've been getting on the computer much less often, so it's not just my blog I've been skimping on. The site I have been spending time on though is Ravelry. It's a website for knitters and crocheters, with lots of fun things, including patterns (many of which are free).
Anyway, so far I've made two pairs of Bella Mittens, which are the mittens that Kristen Stewart wears in Twilight and New Moon. One for me, and one for my sister. Now I'm working on a tunic length sweater that's sleeveless with cables and a cowl neckline.



Knitting is so fun. I absolutely love doing it, and also having a craft that I can do by myself, but that doesn't have to take my full concentration.

Sorry I missed last week

1. Don't worry Aimee I can do it.

2. I was really sick last week, and so did not have blogging on my mind.

3. Retaught myself to knit today.

4. My inspiration was Bobbe teaching Lisa at work today.

5. I forgot how much fun it is. Bought some yarn and needles and started practicing.

6. I already found a pattern that I want to do. They're mittens with a cable pattern. Perhaps a bit ambitious, but we'll see.

7. Watching old episodes of Sabrina the Teenage Witch.

8. Glee comes back tomorrow!!! I love that show so much.

9. Gotta love when your tax return comes earlier then they said it would. Woohoo!

10. By the way, I know I'm a night owl. But it is technically Tuesday so...

ten things

1. Well, you all know what day it is.

2. Dolly has to stay tied up to the door nob. She has a UTI and her house training is not very reliable at the moment.

3. She really really does not like being tied to the door.

4. Got my Toms shoes this week. They are incredibly comfortable.

5. Went to the dentist today and found out that I have a tooth that may one day spontaneously self-destruct. I guess this is a thing that happens to people on rare occasion, and the dentists don't know why, although it's not because of poor oral hygiene.

6. Watching New Moon with mom. It's the first time she's seen it since it opened in theaters.

7. Next week I'll try to go a whole TTT without mentioning anything Twilight related.

8. I want to go to Ben Franklin. There are some crafts I've been pondering, and I want to look at supplies.

9. I need a nail file, but I'm not sure if I want to get up.

10. I have music for Easter stuck in my head.

TTT

1. Currently watching the commentary for New Moon. I wonder if it'll be as good as Twilight, cause I'm not sure since none of the actors are in it.

2. The Eclipse movie poster was released today. So pretty.

3. Poor Dolly. She got bit by a spider, and had an allergic reaction. Dr. Frey gave her some antihistamine.

4. Antihistamine makes Dolly kind of sleepy. It's fun.

5. Gonna order a pair of Toms shoes. I've heard great things about how comfortable they are, and they're cool because every pair bought the company donates a pair to a child in need. One for one.

6. "Look at Romeo; kills his love out of sheer stupidity," I love that quote from Edward.

7. Hey Natalie, should I be a total nerd and re-read Twilight again?

8. I think yes.

9. If you guys can't tell, I absolutely love the Twilight series.

10. This ten things went pretty well. Thanks to twilight.

Because Natalie said I should.

Baby C

Ten Things Tuesday

1. I absolutely love my new hair. It's so fun.

2. The Twilight graphic novel is so pretty, and it was fun to read.

3. I wish it was the whole thing though and not just part one. It's stops just after the meadow.

4. New Moon is out on Saturday.

5. Last Twilight thing. Watched the Eclipse teaser trailer. I wish I could see more.

6. I really want to go camping. Might be going with Nat, Garrett, Connor, and Megan Memorial weekend.

7. I always do these so late in the day.

8. Watched a video Garrett put together of Connor's first 5 months. So cute.

9. Connor just may be the cutest thing ever.

10. That's it. I can't think of any more. This is all you get.

I dyed my hair

Never underestimate the power of a red head.

10 things tuesday

1. I love Hello Panda cookies. Natalie, you know what those are:)

2. Dolly smells like Advantage Multi flea treatment.

3. A lot of sweet things I used to love are too sweet now a days. I had chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting, but the frosting (which I used to love) I almost couldn't finish. This has been happening a lot lately.

4. I suppose it's technically a good thing that I'm losing my sweet tooth. I heard sugar's supposed to not be good for you or something.

5. I'm getting my hair colored on Thursday.

6. Ten days till New Moon DVD is out.

7. Vote for Connor. Because he is the cutest.

8. I hope I don't get called into work early tomorrow, but something tells me I will.

9. Two left and I'm stuck, so I'm going to cheat by including this as one of my thoughts.

10. Going to go read a review for a book I want.

Why I love Smart Mouths

I've mentioned it in my Ten Things Tuesday, but I feel the need to elaborate on what Smart Mouths really is. It's a podcast put together by a group of twenty-somethings who talk about what's going on in the world. What I love is that they are able to present the news in a format that's easy to understand, and is truly enjoyable. I don't watch really watch the news on tv, because there's nothing engaging about it. With Smart Mouths, even political discussions are interesting to listen to, which is certainly saying something. I hate politics. So often, discussions are so one sided, or they get way too personal. But Smart Mouths is able to have a discussion without their personal party affiliations getting in the way. They are able to have their views, but still recognize when something that someone does from their party is bogus. They don't automatically bash someone, or hero-worship someone, because of their party, they look at the situation and base their opinions on what the see and hear at the time. Smart Mouths podcast is news I can get behind, made by people like me, who aren't afraid to say what they think, but say it in a way that anyone can enjoy.

Blog Parade

1. What's your favorite time of the day, and why?

There are so many, but one is when Dolly is sleeping curled up against me. She's so calm and peaceful and not running crazily around the house:)

2. If health wasn't an issue, what food could you live off of?

I think I'm going to have to agree with my sister and say Starbucks, triple grande peppermint white mocha (two pumps of each syrup). So good. Or maybe citrus squeeze Jamba Juice. They have protein powder...

3. If you could have one wish granted (besides wishing for more wishes), what would it be?

Win the lottery (sorry Nat for stealing your answer again) so that I could do what I love without having to worry about money.

4. What's one thing that you get teased about a lot?

Every time I stub my toe. I do it a lot because I'm really not careful. Story of my life.

5. If you could choose one movie, book, or TV show to spend your life in, which would you pick? What type of character would you be?

I'd actually love to be in Cassandra Clare's world in the Mortal Instruments series. To live in New York (or the Glass City of the Shadowhunters) and have bad-ass demon fighting powers. Not to mention the fact that Vampires, Werewolves, Faeries, and Warlocks/Witches are all real.
6. If you could have one talent that you don't already have, what would it be?

The talent of not procrastinating.

7.If money were no object, where would you go on vacation.
If money is no object then I'm going to Europe. The whole thing.

8. If you were an awesome singer, which genre would you sing?

Jazz with a little blues.

9. If you could have a $10,000 shopping spree to one store, what would it be?

I dunno. Is there a store where I can get amazing clothes and good books in the same place?

10. If you could live in any point in time, when would it be?

I don't want to give up my freedoms as a woman, but there are a lot of lovely things about the past that I wouldn't mind experiencing.

11. If every outfit in your wardrobe had to be one color, what would it be?
Monochromatic isn't a good look for anyone. Do I get jeans? Well, I'd make the colored things green (the shade that looks on me)

12. If you were one of the seven dwarfs, which one would you be?(Doc, Grumpy, Sneezy, Sleepy, Bashful, Happy, or Dopey)

I have no idea. I'm a little bit of all of those. Can I just be Snow White? She's prettier.

13. What's the last album you listened to?

Joss Stone; Color me Free.

14. What's something we'd be surprised to know about you?

I'd actually really love to travel to India. I know there are some scary parts, but it also seems like an amazing place.

~~~Be real, be fun, and be you! In your party post, give us a glimpse into who you are--what your passions, interests, quirks, and traits are. The more we can relate to you, the more likely you are to get people returning to your blog for more! :)

ten things tuesday

1. New shows again this week. Horray.

2. I love reading author's blogs. They're fascinating.

3. Libba Bray, one of my favorite authors, announced that she is working on a new series. I'm excited.

4. I'm working really hard to break Dolly of her barking habit.

5. Everybody needs to call my father and tell him the proper articulation of the suspense sound "Dun dun duuuuuun".

6. I watched Juno last night. Such a funny movie.

7. Smart Mouths podcast. My new favorite thing.

8. Had crab rangoon and yellow curry for dinner. Yum yum.

9. Some people are just stupid. It's unfortunate, but true.

10. I want to go on vacation.

Thirteen Things Thursday

1. I was late on posting this week, so I thought I'd give you all a little extra.

2. Went to the outlet mall with my sister (and baby Connor) on Sunday. It was very fun, and we both bought things.

3. Today I had a successful shopping trip to TjMaxx. It's hard to do. You have to be in the right mood to try a million things, but I found 2 shirts and a scarf.

4. Watching figure skating. It's such a beautiful sport.

5. I didn't have to work today. It was kind of fun to be able to decide to do whatever I wanted with the day.

6. A couple of friends of mine have made lists of things they want to do before they die. It's not a new concept, and having "die" in the title is a bit morbid, so I think I'll make a list of "Things I'd like to accomplish in my lifetime." I'll post it here once I've created it.

7. Unlike my friends, I will make my list only out of things I haven't done, not start with a half filled list.

8. The reason I missed Tuesday was that I took Nyquil for a cold and my brain went away.

9. I have no excuse for Wednesday.

10. I talk about coffee a lot, I really love it, but I really love tea too. It's incredibly good.

11. I don't know what I'd do without spell check. I'm quite the abysmal speller without it.

12. I also have terrible handwriting, but technology can't fix that.

13. Clap if you believe in faeries.

Tuesday Things Ten

1. I'm starting to have trouble being creative about my titles for TTT

2. A special shout out to my cousin Maelee! Thank you for your card. It's so nice to hear from you, and that you read my blog:)

3. Read a 380+ page book in one night. Could not put it down. (The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong)

4. Don't worry mom, I wasn't up that late. It was a fast read.

5. Can't wait to start the sequel tonight.

6. Oh Mike Rowe. That Dirty Jobs host is one crazy person.

7. Homemade chicken soup. Yum yum yum. Thanks mom.

8. Cornbread is good too.

9. I know you're feeling crummy Nat. Hope you get better soon.

10. Dec is a little baby kitty that just breaks my heart. She's only a couple months old and today she had surgery to put a pin in to set her broken back leg. Every time she moved wrong she let out a cry that just goes to your very core. In theory though, she should make a full recovery and once again become a healthy happy cat.

Ten Things Tuesday

1. I love "The Big Bang Theory," It's such a funny show.

2. My new Elle magazine should be arriving soon. I'm excited.

3. I need to clean my room, asap.

4. Ditto on getting my laundry done.

5. In a few days I will no longer be a teenager. I can't believe it.

6. It's a beautiful day outside, perfect for a walk with the dog, but I have to get ready for work soon.

7. My cat's an idiot. She's perfectly fine, but the other night she was jumping onto the short wall upstairs, overshot, and fell 15 feet from the second story to the ground floor. They do say that cat's always land on their feet, and it seems to be true. She wasn't hurt, but she was embarrassed for a while.

8. Because of falling, my poor Hazel only has 5 lives left. She's crawled into and fallen 10ish feet down a vent and gotten trapped, she's gone into the vent twice (half life gone for each time), gotten stuck in a wall for a few days, and now fallen nearly two stories.

9. The new Alice in Wonderland looks really really creepy.

10. Time for Starbucks soon. Hip hip hooray.

Something Different

I've been thinking for a while about what I could do for a blog post other than ten things tuesday, and to tell the truth it's been hard. Part of the problem, is that when I'm thinking about it, I'm usually not on the computer. I like to say that a lot of my writing happens in my head. I'm always thinking, always creating stories, and the only person that hears or sees them is me. Most of those things would be just for me anyway; my little observances throughout the day, conversations I wish had happened differently, things I imagine having in the future... stuff that isn't worth sharing. It's hard, finding something to put into words for others that is something I want read. I'm going to work on that, or at least try to. At the time being though, a lot of my writing time is concentrated on my book, so it might still be only every so often that a post isn't ten things tuesday.

10 things 2sday

1. My internet has been bugging the heck out of me today.

2. I keep forgetting to do other posts. It just keeps becoming tuesday before I do anything else.

3. Pistachio pudding is delicious.

4. I deleted my Myspace this week. I just didn't see the point of having it anymore.

5. Even though I haven't been blogging I've been doing a lot of other writing lately.

6. My dad is trying to spray the dog with the squirt bottle (for being naughty) but he keeps hitting me.

7. I just got a webcam to use with Skype. I can't wait to really start using it.

8. Dolly lost her toy at work yesterday. I didn't find it till this afternoon.

9. My pant leg is still wet, and it's making me cold.

10. I promise I'll get a real post done this week.

TTT

1. Yeah, I know. Still just another ten things tuesday.

2. I think something's wrong with my sinuses. I just keep feeling a little off.

3. I really hate the negative connotation that the world has put against Pit Bulls. It's the owners, not the breed.

4. We got a new fireplace. It's gas and awesome.

5. New couch and rug too.

6. Dolly's not allowed on the new couch. She's not very happy about the arrangement.

7. I love how, the older you get, the easier it is to be friends with your sibling. My sister, and my brother-in-law, are two of my best friends.

8. I'm reading P.S. I love you. It's a lot different from the movie, but still good.

9. I figured out how to get the cd player at work to play my Ipod.

10. I want snow. It's january, and there hasn't been any real snow. I don't want to screw up the roads really, I just want a little bit of winter wonderland.

What else but Ten Things Tuesday

1. Seriously need to post something else. lol

2. I love using Facebook to keep in touch with friends, but I hate all those extra apps people use. "Farmville" "Mobsters" etc. Luckily I've managed to hide most of them. Otherwise, it'd take me a lot longer to read the news feed.

3. Did a photo shoot with my sister on Sunday. It was a blast.


4. The photo shoot took place at our old elementary school. Everything was so much smaller then I remembered.

5. Unfortunately, on a sad note, my grandpa (dad's dad) isn't going to live much longer. He's been sick for a while, and my uncle says it'll be a matter days.

6. I'm watching Criminal Minds. It's a very intense show.

7. I have seriously found the best nail polish. Sally Hanson Insta-Dry. In less then a minute you can knock your nails against anything and it won't smear or dent.

8. My sister left her Iphone at our house. It's tempting to fiddle with it, but I'd probably screw it up.

9. I'm glad I don't have the flu anymore.

10. My brother in law has a job interview tomorrow. Good luck Garrett!

Ten Things Tuesday

1. I promise that i will soon make another post non-tuesday related.

2. I really hate being sick. It's just not fun.

3. It's also hard to think while you're sick. I'm supposed to come up with ten thoughts, but I'm having troubles.

4. I made a smoothie for breakfast today. It was actually really good. Our blender doesn't work well though.

5. I hate taking the dog out when it's pouring down rain. She takes so long and I get soaked.

6. I got new equipment to start exercising with; a balance ball and a medicine ball. It's actually kind of fun.

7. Because I'm sick I don't get to hold baby Connor, and that makes me sad.

8. There's nothing good on tv at 3 in the afternoon.

9. I haven't had starbucks since saturday because I haven't been out of the house. I want my grande 2 pump peppermint 2 pump white chocolate mocha.

10. This has been a mostly mopey/sorry for myself post, so I'll close with the fact that Dolly is so cute when she sleeps under the covers. She's the only dog I've ever had that does that, and it's adorable.

Ten Things Tuesday of my very own.

In order to motivate myself to update this blog with any regularity I am taking a page out of my sister's book and starting "ten things tuesday," the post where you post ten thoughts that pass through your brain on tuesdays. Here goes.

1. It's really difficult to type while bouncing. My nephew Connor is asleep on my bed and I'm trying to keep him that way. He's very tired and I know he'll benefit from a long nap.

2. I just had to edit thought #1 because I wrote "bounce while bouncing" instead of "type while bouncing." I have problems.

3. I really want to start exercising more, but it's so hard to get motivated when you have asthma.

4. I'm so proud of my dog Dolly. I took her to the dog park for the first time in many months. She had been having aggression problems since July, but I've been working very hard to correct this and am happy to say I've been successful. She gets to have doggy friends.

5. I love watching cheesy entertainment television. E! network really is my guilty pleasure. But hey, it keeps me current with Hollywood. lol.

6. Connor just woke up. Luckily he seems happy.

7. I'm going to make sure to start writing more, both here and in my book. My New Years resolution is to write 3 pages a week.

8. My sister got a new camera (nikon D3000 if memory serves) with christmas money. We're going to do a photo shoot this weekend.

9. Dolly's such a good girl with her human cousin. I've had Connor down here since 8:00 and it's now almost 10:30 and she hasn't moved from where she's laying at the foot of the bed the entire time.

10. This took me a bit longer then I thought. I understand why my sister doesn't get as much done as she'd always like.