Mulberry - The Seventh Sphinx

A cape is a nice option for this schizophrenic spring weather. A loose, effortless layer. I’ve always liked a cape.

How I enjoy navy with mustard.

Brows can be much darker than this, of course, but this is dark for me, and about as dark as I can go without things getting suspicious. Without, as it were, giving the game away. This is a bit of pencil brushed through with some of Benefit’s gimme brow tinted gel over that. Quite like this gel, which I use in the lighter shade and find entirely natural on its own. My brows are not conspicuous and this is a quick way to bring them forward.

Brows and lips have, for me anyway, for my eye, the largest capacity for impact, and doing something to groom and present one or the other of those elements is all that is needed to convey the impression that you’ve done a lot more. I’m not really demonstrating this theory here, as I’ve done other stuff, but I’m convinced.

Express leggings, American Apparel cape (thrifted), Jeffrey Campbell France boots (similar), Mulberry bag (thrifted), J Crew turtleneck, mustard leather gloves (thrifted). On the lips: MAC lipstick in Kinda Sexy.

Wearing a bit of Tarte’s Amazonian clay blush in Exposed, a lovely neutral mauve shade so muted that I understand it can be a contour shade for paler skin tones. Its’ matte and subtle, as is this lipstick, a bit of a departure for me but one I’m liking.

This look has a polished up top/party downstairs contrast that I like. The multiple anchors of solid white bring it all together for me.

These shoes are quite fake. Les knockoffs.* I wanted to try out the studded look and find that I like it, but it’s not love. They are uncomfortable, too. I have too many other shoes I prefer to keep them but they have convinced me that I want to find a pair of white pumps. I’m totally on board with the trend of white pumps.

*I don’t generally have much interest in knockoffs—I don’t generally have much interest in their originals—but once in a while they are convenient for playing. I don’t feel a moral quandary about it when the original is something I would never consider purchasing anyway. Louboutin is not losing a potential sale here. Still, they are unsatisfying unless made well in their own right, and desired in their own right (there is a bag I want, of which I’m considering getting a (still pretty expensive, but comparably cheap) replica, because I find the silhouette so appealing and can find no wantable substitute) which they usually are not. I often later think my money could have been better spent…this is undeniably the case. It always serves as a lesson, however, and from such lessons one emerges an increasingly superior shopper.**

**Interesting thoughts on this in Garance Dore’s recent post about style bloggers being, in a way, people who are just really good at shopping for themselves. There is a lot of truth to this, I’d say.

This is the Givenchy Fushcia Irresistable lipstick, the Japonesque blush, and a bit of playing around with the Kat Von D Monarch palette.

Floral leggings (thrifted), Banana Republic trench (thrifted), Loslandifen pumps (eBay), Lands End turtleneck (thrifted), Mulberry Roxanne bag (thrifted), Pearls of Joy 10mm studs. On the nails: Essie polish in Naughty Nautical.

Tag: Mulberry

the spring cape

the floral print