gold & taupe

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Gold and taupe are so good together. Take, for instance, China Glaze polish in Fast Track.

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[Observe my semi-competent nail painting, which is all about advanced clean-up, it turns out. The China Glaze is layered over Revlon’s Elegant, which is nearly the same shade only without gold flecks.]

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A comparable combination was, I thought, Urban Decay’s 24/7 liner in Baked and Rimmel’s Scandaleyes pencil in Taupe. On the lips, Rimmel’s Spotlight Beige lipstick. The pearl studs are from Pearl Paradise, the pearl and jade ring is an antique, the other a class ring. The shirt is from the Gap (thrifted).

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Taupe is a kind of unusual eyeliner choice but I like these muted, tawny shades so much. The taupe on me hovers on the verge of lilac and the cool tone is entirely distinct from something like a light, warm brown, though I would put that in the same easy, wearable category. The effect is definite yet understated, at once casual and polished.

These are combinations I appreciate.

 

crafted: patched beanie

This generic stocking cap/beanie has been sitting in my closet for years, forgotten (why did I ever get it in the first place?), but I came across it on a bad hair day recently and what do you know, I like it. It has the effect [like baldness, or very short hair, or a swimming cap] of isolating and so throwing a spotlight on the face, which results in a whole new set of instincts about presentation. Namely, I want to wear unprecedented volumes of eyeliner.

After years of passively owning both the stocking cap and this cute little whale patch (which I think I got when I was 10 or so, and have somehow preserved all this time), I finally happened to think of them both in the same moment, gathered needle and thread (I sewed a thing!), and lo, a new and improved hat was born.

I inherited this thread from my great grandmother...
I inherited this thread from my great grandmother…

Theorize that part of me has the precise aesthetic appreciation of a little Korean girlchild*.

*Exhibit A: my current cellphone charm is a stuffed baby turtle:

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I want to wear it all the time now, provided eyeliner. And black eyeliner, too, which I almost never wear. Like so:

Urban Decay 24/7 liner in zero
Urban Decay 24/7 liner in zero

I like accessories like this; something slightly out of my normal style range that inspires me not to look like myself and to experiment with entirely new patterns. Thus expanding my range and allowing for still greater expansion.

The only thing is, once I put it on, I am committed. Can’t really take it off…disaster underneath. [This is the trouble with hats, for me. Also my head is kind of big?]

Still, satisfying to have raised a dormant object up into a state of usability.