J Crew - The Seventh Sphinx

April 7, 2014April 15, 2014

hit ’em high

I hit ’em high, hit ’em high, hit ’em high

Hooooops.

These are incredibly comfortable jeans. Pseudo-jean legging things. I don’t uniformly love a high waist (not every time, not in every context), but I really like these. At one point I was going on about back pockets and proportions, and these pockets are, to me, a great size. (I also really like these jeans pocket-wise, the pockets of which are even more square). Larger back pockets, if anything, make my ass look bigger, more generous—as does a high waist—, which I like. Small back pockets do not make it look any smaller (no one is fooled by this ploy), which I don’t want anyway*, and they look immature and useless besides.

*I want it to look…not small. Like, a handful. I have no time for jeans that are not on board with this goal.

Express Stella high waist leggings, Eric Michael boots, Urban Outfitters plaid shirt, Banana Republic trench (thrifted), necklace via asos, J Crew belt, Mulberry bag (thrifted), Fossil watch. On the lips: Milani lipstick in Naturally Pink, much blotted and with Smith’s Rosebud Salve over top. On the cheeks: Michael Kors bronzer and Tom Ford blush in Love Lust, which will tell you about soon. It’s gorgeous, just a bit more muted/sophisticated than the (otherwise very similar) Japonesque blush I like so much.

I’ve been wearing my hair down more, too. Not as inconvenient as I was remembering. Hm. Don’t faces look totally different at 10′ vs 2′ away? The whole architecture of the face seems to change.

p.s. I’m giving away one of these Designsix ‘love’ necklaces this week. Just leave a comment below to enter! Open internationally, winner will be chosen randomly next Monday 4/14/14 at 10pm EST and informed through disqus. Good luck!

March 10, 2014March 9, 2014

the tuxedo blazer

One of the trends I like is that of the casual tuxedo blazer, especially with worn-in boyfriend jeans.

You know how there’s this kind of transition area between the lips and the not-lips, maybe 1-2mm? I was experimenting with coloring that area in (I usually don’t), to maximize the lip territory. It had a pretty dramatic effect to me, a little weird (unfamiliar) but not technically overdrawn (which nearly always looks off), just… bigger. This reminds me of my thoughts about pearl stud sizes, and how 1mm can make such a difference in the appearance of the size. Faces aren’t very big, was the conclusion; small changes have an amplified effect.

I went to the grocery store after this and an 8 year-old boy actually craned his head as far as it would go to watch my lips walk by, his mouth slack with distraction. This speaks to makeup being both arresting and slightly scary. I get a lot of positive feedback from this 8 and under demographic – the younger the child, the more bright lipstick seems to delight them. I’m right there with you, kids. What will those wacky giants do next? I don’t know either!

Wool tuxedo blazer from Isabel Marant for H&M, AG jeans (thrifted), J. Crew cardigan, Old Navy camisole, Adidas Spezial sneakers, Pearl Paradise golden akoya studs, scarab necklace. On the lips: Revlon matte lipstick in Really Red (I’m sure I’ve mentioned before how much I like these Revlon matte lipsticks) with a dark red Avon pencil…Cabaret or something? And this is the NARS Exhibit A blush again, which I like as much as ever. I find it quite youthful, not a sophisticated tawny shade but a true blood-in-the-cheeks, fresh-from-the-cold shade.

AND: Hurrah for daylight savings.