Yet Another Strapless Wedding Gown? Really? *Yawn*

As I hang out in our lovely romantic room in Canmore, I am starting to think about wedding dresses. I know it’s coming to the end of the wedding season but I know that most brides order their wedding gowns six to twelve months before the big day.

Please do the world of fashion a big favour and be an original when you choose your dress. What I mean by this is please don’t choose yet another strapless wedding dress. You’re a unique gal who has met a one in a million guy so why do you want to be like every other bride? I think one shouldn’t choose a strapless wedding gown until you have tried on every other type of neckline and it’s the only thing that makes you look your very best. Pretty much every wedding I have seen in the past ten years, the bride was wearing a strapless wedding gown. And for many of the brides, it wasn’t a flattering look at all. To top it off, most brides at some point tug up the bodice at least once in plain view. That would make for a lovely wedding photo later wouldn’t it? What’s worse is that some brides who are less endowed slide out of their bodices when they start dancing the YMCA.

Here are some real examples from the past ten years that prove there are many other options to choose from which are way more fashion forward, flattering, and interesting. For even more neckline options, there is the square, sweetheart, halter, portrait, off-the-shoulder, sabrina/bateau, and jewel. For definitions of these necklines, check out: http://wedding.theknot.com/bridal-fashion/wedding-dress-shopping/articles/wedding-gown-neckline-glossary.aspx

Zeke will be here Friday for his Friday Faux Paw. See you Monday!

From left to right: Katherine Zeta-Jones 2001, Gwen Stefani 2002, Alyson Hannigan 2003

Clockwise from left: Christina Aguilara 2005, Tori Spelling 2006, Me (Joelle) 2008, Rebecca Romijn 2007

From left to right: Ivanka Trump 2009, Alicia Keys 2010, Coco Rocha 2010, Kate Middleton 2011

Yet Another Strapless Wedding Gown? Really? *Yawn*

As I hang out in our lovely romantic room in Canmore, I am starting to think about wedding dresses. I know it’s coming to the end of the wedding season but I know that most brides order their wedding gowns six to twelve months before the big day.

Please do the world of fashion a big favour and be an original when you choose your dress. What I mean by this is please don’t choose yet another strapless wedding dress. You’re a unique gal who has met a one in a million guy so why do you want to be like every other bride? I think one shouldn’t choose a strapless wedding gown until you have tried on every other type of neckline and it’s the only thing that makes you look your very best. Pretty much every wedding I have seen in the past ten years, the bride was wearing a strapless wedding gown. And for many of the brides, it wasn’t a flattering look at all. To top it off, most brides at some point tug up the bodice at least once in plain view. That would make for a lovely wedding photo later wouldn’t it? What’s worse is that some brides who are less endowed slide out of their bodices when they start dancing the YMCA.

Here are some real examples from the past ten years that prove there are many other options to choose from which are way more fashion forward, flattering, and interesting. For even more neckline options, there is the square, sweetheart, halter, portrait, off-the-shoulder, sabrina/bateau, and jewel. For definitions of these necklines, check out: http://wedding.theknot.com/bridal-fashion/wedding-dress-shopping/articles/wedding-gown-neckline-glossary.aspx

Zeke will be here Friday for his Friday Faux Paw. See you Monday!

Joelle

From left to right: Katherine Zeta-Jones 2001, Gwen Stefani 2002, Alyson Hannigan 2003

Clockwise from left: Christina Aguilara 2005, Tori Spelling 2006, Me (Joelle) 2008, Rebecca Romijn 2007

From left to right: Ivanka Trump 2009, Alicia Keys 2010, Coco Rocha 2010, Kate Middleton 2011

My Lips Aren't Sealed!

I’m still enjoying my holiday in Canmore with my husband. It’s a gorgeous day outside indeed!

I have to tell you about a lipstick I have a total crush on right now. It’s called Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in the shade 750 Kiss Me Coral Creme (as seen in picture). Orange lips have been a hot topic this summer and this coral is very flattering if you have fair skin and are afraid of wearing a bright orange. But if orange is not for you, have no fear because Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick comes in another seventy-one shades! If you cannot find a shade that is right for you then maybe you’re not a lipstick person.

I find most cream lipsticks to be drying, but with this lipstick my lips felt great as soon as I applied it and for many hours after. It is not touted as a long-wearing lipstick like Revlon’s Colorstay line, but this lipstick stayed on really well. And at around $8.99 a lipstick, you can buy quite a few shades to spice up your make-up collection.

See you Wednesday!

Joelle

Friday's Faux Paw

Zeke here with my first edition of Friday's Faux Paw. Each Friday I will be stopping by to dispense my opinion on some of the biggest style mistakes. What qualifies a mere canine you may ask? I wear a tuxedo to work everyday, do you?

I have stopped pestering my Mom and Dad to play frisbee so I could write about an epidemic sweeping the nation. I’m talking about the humans who think it’s okay to leave their houses in the same clothes they went to bed in. I’m not talking about crashing at someone’s house and wearing the same outfit the next day which is not that bad. I’m talking about the human who wears pyjamas in public! What is even worse is if it’s August and the pyjamas are of an obvious winter theme – Christmas trees, snowflakes, reindeer, penguins, santas, etc. What this shows is you are at the pinnacle of not caring about your life. This is such a serious fashion crime that this offense deserves my stinkiest rating.

Beware The Golden Orb!

Happy Wednesday everyone! It’s Wednesday for me as I write this but it’s a week earlier than this entry. I’m still in the mountains making sure that you’ll have something to read for the next while.

With the recent bout of hot, sunny weather (until now it’s mostly been a rainy summer here in Edmonton) I thought I’d take a moment to write about sun protection. What does this have to do with style you may ask? You could be wearing a several thousand dollar Chanel suit complete with Birkin bag, but if someone confuses your face for your handbag, you won’t be stylish at all!

Over time sun damage will age you. Because I have fair skin, I wear at least a 30 SPF sunblock in summer and a 15 SPF in winter. Also do yourself a huge favour and do not sun tan or fake-bake. You may think you look great now, but in the next twenty years your skin will begin to take on the appearance of leather. The few times I had a sun burn as a child are coming back to haunt me as an adult. If I could travel back in time knowing what I do now about proper sun care I’d look a lot younger. 

Now if that’s not enough to make you start slathering on the sunscreen, this next bit of information might. Here in Canada one in seventy-four men and one in ninety women is expected to develop melanoma during their lifetime. (Taken from http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/cd-mc/cancer/melanoma_skin_cancer-cancer_peau_melanome-eng.php) At least two people die from skin cancer every day. (Taken from http://www.skincancerguide.ca/skin_cancer_faq.html) Okay, preaching over. Your call.

Stay tuned because Friday Zeke will be dropping by with his style advice on what not to do with his Friday Faux Paw.

If you enjoy my blog, please click on the link "Join this site" under "Followers" on the top right of this page so you will never miss an entry and show that you appreciate my work. I’ll be back on Monday so have a great rest of the week and weekend!

Joelle

Photo below: Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock SPF 30 for around $13.00

You Can Nail It Too!

Hello everyone! Welcome to Clothes But Not Quite – a blog updated Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for the average person wanting to know about style.

As I write this, I’m lying on a king-sized bed looking out the window at majestic mountains. My husband and I are on holidays in beautiful Canmore, Alberta. He suggested I write lots of entries for my blog as life can get pretty hectic and I don’t want to miss an entry. Great advice, Buggo!

Anyhow, I thought I’d talk about a really awesome nail polish I discovered completely by accident. I was at London Drugs looking to buy an OPI Nail Lacquer which is the only nail polish I use because it has the longest chip-free days of any polish I’ve tried. As I was looking at the sad colour collection, two ladies approached me. The younger one asked me if I have tried Sinful Colors Nail Polish. I said that I hadn’t. It turns out that she had and liked it so much that she brought her mother with her to buy more. Then the daughter thrust her bright orange tips at me proudly exclaiming, “This has stayed on for over a week and I’m a typist!”

As I glanced over at the $5.99 price tag for a bottle of Sinful Colors versus the $11.99 for OPI, I thought, “Why not?” Don’t even get me started on the colour selection! If you can think of a colour, it was there! So for a mere $17.97, I walked out of London drugs with three shades: Aqua – a metallic blue/green, San Francisco – a metallic emerald green, and Daddy’s Girl – a metallic royal purple. I bought all three to wear on my toenails. On my fingernails I usually wear a nude colour – OPI in Privacy Please is my current favourite.

Currently I am wearing two coats of Aqua (without a base or top coat) on my toes.  The picture below was taken eight days after I painted my toes. I am certain with a base and top coat they would last longer and look better. And soaking in a hot tub 5 times, going for several walks, and going whitewater rafting for an entire day probably didn’t help either!

Now here’s the exciting part! For the fiftieth person who follows my blog, I will draw a name out of my followers and give away a bottle of Sinful Colors Polish just to say thanks. I know it’s not much, but I’m poor. ; )

See you Wednesday!

Shown in photo clockwise: Sinful Colors Nail Polish in Aqua, San Francisco, Daddy’s Girl, and OPI Nail Lacquer in Privacy Please. The middle photo is my crazy toes painted with 8 day old Sinful Colors Nail polish in Aqua.

Joelle