1. peppermint tea
2. a hot bubble bath
3. going to bed early
4. a cold water bottle from the fridge
5. 10 minutes in the jacuzzi or sauna
6. dark chocolate
7. cuddling my puppy
8. lavendar (lotion by my bed, oil in my home diffuser, milk bubble bath, sachet, and even a potted, aromatic plant in the house)
9. a glossy magazine
10. yoga
After a long day, any of these 10 help me to unwind and relax.
Around this time of year, work gets a little overwhelming and the first thing I lose is my sense of fashion. Last year during this same season, after my work had been packed away for the day, I’d look over my appearance in the mirror and be puzzled. How could someone who shops so much look so disheveled? How many times could I wear the same too-casual corduroy pants to work in one week without feeling any sense of shame?
This year I came up with a plan of attack. Every time I sit down with a magazine, I have scissors in hand. When I find a look I like, I snip it out and add it to a little look book. My look book is a 4×6 slip-in photo album flip book. I slip the cutout from the magazine into the book and have it by my closet. The cutouts are fairly small, so I can usually fit one to three looks in a page. I typically lay out my outfits the night before, and when I’m feeling a little brain dead or indecisive, I grab the look book and try to recreate a look I admire.
My look book has become my fashion coach. Since I’m trying to replicate the looks, I’m noticing the shapes of the clothes, the lengths, and the pairings. Shopping is less haphazard. I am less afraid to try newer trends. Rather than going to the sunglasses and looking at them as compared with one another, I’m thinking of them within a larger context, as a piece of a larger look or as a part of a movement or trend.
I guess you could say my look book is my personal stylist.
When a cheap product is mentioned in any magazine, I’m sucker enough to go and pick it up. Which is why I found myself at Kohl’s one Friday afternoon looking for the Flirt! BIG DEAL lip & cheek tint in Berry Flair. The article suggested Berry Flair, advocating it as a tint anyone could wear. Well, the author was wrong. Thank goodness Kohl’s has testers. Berry Flair looked like clown makeup on my fair skin. It was much too dark. I was hoping to find a new tint, so I picked up Tini Bikini instead. The color reminds me of a cheek tint I had in high school from Clinique. It was during my luminescent phase where every piece of makeup I wore was dewy. On a side note, I checked the Clinique Web site, and it doesn’t look like they make this product anymore. Anyway, I do like the color, on both my lips and cheeks, although this tint doesn’t last long on my lips. On cheeks, it works best when wearing either no foundation or a liquid/cream foundation. It doesn’t work well over powder, and is drastically muted under powder, but I suppose that shouldn’t be a surprise. There are days when it is nice to swipe this on my lips and cheeks, add some mascara and head out the door.
I love the design label Chloe, but considering the purses typically cost just a few hundred shy of my mortgage, I don’t buy. I adored all things Paddington when the bag was the hype, finding the shoes equally lovable. Well boy was I a happy camper to find Franco Sarto’s Oggi flat. It’s definitely a throwback to the Paddington flat. And at $44.99 on sale, I consider it a steal. I bought them in black, but am considering returning for white and beige–which were even cheaper. I found them at Famous Footwear. I had never been into one before. I’m adding it to my hit list when I’m in the mood to do some retail therapy.
Chloe Paddington ballerina flat, which retailed for $500 and above when they were available.
Franco Sarto Oggi ballerina flat, <$50.
