Guess – The Seventh Sphinx

I love the contrast of a short skirt in winter. If otherwise well bundled on a not-too-cold day, it doesn’t have to be woefully impractical. Some tights. Some boots. Legwarmers, maybe. It’s all about that unexpected near-bareness of leg, all the better if there is a bit of thigh on show, too. And near-bareness is key, as true bareness is a) too cold and b) sort of uncomfortable to see, you feel for the sufferer.

Ankle boots maximize the leg-visibility here, though I really like this kind of look with bulky knee-high winter boots as well. Either way.

Another great hood. Another winter cape. The arm holes on this one aren’t quite where I want them (meant for a smaller-armed person?), but of course I can’t get enough of this camel color.

It helps that I’m always selecting the same kinds of colors over and over again, across fashion [and other life] categories, but there is such effortless color harmony here. Effortless in the sense that I did not try to make things match, exactly, I just selected what I wanted and it came together naturally because I so often want the same kind of thing.

Wool blend cape (thrifted, been a while since I wore it last), pleated corduroy skirt (thrifted), Guess ankle boots, Zara scarf, Free People tote. On the lips: MAC lip pencil in Beet and MAC lipstick in Damn Glamorous (LE), a dark pinky red. NARS Exhibit A blush, which never disappoints me. These fur-lined mittens are awesome, so warm. Where are they from again? They are linked in a past post somewhere.

These are actually not tights but thigh-high stockings. Secretly kind of sexy, which is in many cases the best kind of sexy, I think, subtle and indirect. Perhaps technically invisible but shining through, somehow, nevertheless.

I have never done anything beyond brushing my eyebrows (I really love brushing them, though). No plucking, dyeing, threading, waxing, trimming…the occasional penciling-in to darken them. They are naturally level and quite fair, the color of the lightest blonde shades in my hair rather than the darkest. I like them.

It is probably due to some tacky 90s advertising (I am thinking Jordache could be a culprit, the closest modern equivalent I could find is Amber Heard for Guess – very much the same look. Trashy gorgeous.), but I quite like the look of brows that are several shades darker than the hair. Even platinum with dark brown eyebrows…as long as they are good eyebrows. Actually I think I am, at heart, a bit trashy. And I have a thing for contrast. And for eyebrows.

So I bought an eyebrow dyeing kit, on a whim, on Amazon the other day. A basic, popular one around $12 in a light brown shade. Nothing too crazy. I imagined how well this would compliment the impending natural bleaching of the hair in summer sun, contrast-wise. I looked in the magnifying mirror at the brows.

…hm. Was it me, or did they seem, upon scrutiny, rather haphazard? No wonder people pluck them. Mine are unobtrusive, so you can’t tell that the odd hair is out of line with the natural shape. I do not want to pluck, though! I cannot be bothered, and I don’t like the idea, besides. I would have to keep it up indefinitely, and like them looking casual, as big as possible, not overly groomed. The odd out-of-line hair is key. I like the look of quite scruffy eyebrows on some, and dense Mediterranean brows, gender irrelevant.

Hm. Their natural color is lovely, too, gently bleached on the top ridge from the sun. And would never get it back…I could just use makeup when I want them darker…

So I returned the kit.

The End.

Tag: Guess

the winter skirt

a tale of two brows