The Awake Fake

Unsure of image source.

Unfortunately it is very common for most people at one time or another not to get enough sleep. I’m not here to judge as I too fall under this category. So I thought that writing about how to look awake – even when you’re not – would be a good blog entry.

When you wake up and look like you haven’t slept even though you may have, there are some simple tricks you can use to look more rested. First off, lie down again and reduce the dreaded under eye bags by putting slices of cold, raw potato over your eyes. A brewed tea bag soaked overnight in cold milk does wonders too. You can also try soaking a washcloth in icy water and putting it on your face. Another trick is to keep your moisturizer in the fridge to help constrict the swollen blood vessels which can be responsible for puffy eyes and face.

After you do some or all of the aforementioned, get up and start moving around. Try even jumping rope for five minutes. Don’t drink excessive amounts of caffeine if you can avoid it and instead drink water to re-hydrate and make skin glow.

Splash some cold water on your face and massage gently to promote circulation. Try some tinted moisturizer instead of heavy foundation to hide imperfections and look more natural. Tilt you head down to apply your under eye concealer to make sure you see where it needs to go most. And make sure to curl your eyelashes and put mascara on your upper lashes only so your eyes look bigger and more awake.

Hope this helps everyone to fake looking awake. I’m off to have a nap… ZZZzzzzzzzzzzz…

Monday's Meme

New Year, New You!

Now that the holidays are over and the new year is well under way, it’s a time for many of us to rethink our lives. For some it will mean losing weight while for others it will mean tackling a disorganized closet. For me personally it means reevaluation of my spiritual life, my relationships, my possessions, and a general reassessment of what’s working and what’s not in my life. So far I have spent time with God each day, had my Mom come for a visit from Saskatoon, had lunch with a friend, cleaned my bedroom (Thanks for the help, Mom!), donated a garbage bag full of clothes I no longer need, assembled a three tiered cake stand and organized my bracelets on it, made some wicked peanut butter cookies, and written some blog entries. I still have many other things planned, but will keep chipping away until I meet my goals.

Sooooooooo, what about you? Do you have some projects or ideas you wish to implement in 2014? If you want to get started to change your life for a better but are unsure where to start, here are some ideas to get you on the right track:

Volunteer

Many people only think of volunteering during the Christmas or Lent season. But throughout the year there are many opportunities to help your fellow man. You could shovel someone’s walk, help out at an event, serve food to the hungry, babysit for some new parents, help a student with her homework – the possibilities are endless.

Take A Course

Ever wanted to learn to knit, blog, sew, garden, take photos, etc? Then look around your community for a course. Not only will it get you out of the house, you will also meet like-minded people and possibly start new friendships. Oh yeah, and you will learn something.

Clean Out Your Closet

The clutter that you never wear is actually keeping you from the clothes you would look awesome in. So get rid of the things you no longer need. If you are unsure as to how to do this, check out my post called The Ten Step Closet Purge. Then donate them so someone can love them as much as you used to!

Get That New Make-Up Item, Haircut, Outfit Etc.

Are you stuck in a fashion rut? Dying to try a new shade of lipstick? Have you been wanting to get that pixie cut? Now is the time! Change is scary for some (it was for me when I got my hair chopped off – read about it here), but the end result can be something wonderful. So do it! You know you want to!

So what are you planning on doing?

Monday's Meme

Viva Les Curves!

After going online to check out the Golden Globes this year, I wasn’t in my usual euphoria over the gorgeous evening gowns on the red carpet. Why you may ask? It’s because I saw entirely too many women who were way too thin and sickly looking. When exactly did looking healthy go out of style? And more importantly what kind of message does this send to women, particularly young women? Apparently a very harmful message because in Canada one to two percent of women between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five have anorexia and three to five percent have bulimia.

I remember as a young woman looking at magazines not realizing the amount of retouching that had taken place on every photo. How I longed to look like that! I also didn’t realize that the model had three hours of hair and make-up and another three hours in wardrobe to attain that look. No wonder I had low self-esteem issues because I looked nothing like the beautiful women in the magazines. I remember feeling so ugly and inadequate. At least nowadays, photoshopping is very mainstream and talked about. A great video to watch about the magic of photoshop was made by Dove:

This video and many others nowadays show what goes on after an image is shot and what goes on “behind the scenes” at a photoshoot.

Yes I still model on occasion, however I am very concerned about the message it sends to young women. a while back I modeled and was interviewed for Lane Jensen’s I Feel Beautiful When… project. I chose I Feel Beautiful When I Model in order to discuss my childhood low self-esteem issues and try to debunk the beauty myth:

Remember, you can’t have style if you look sickly because you’re starving yourself. Eat healthy and always do some sort of exercise in your life daily – even if it’s power walking/shopping for those great deals at your favourite mall! And above all love yourself because “We are all of us stars, and we deserve to twinkle.” – Marilyn Monroe.

Tuesday’s OOTW – #BlackOutStyle Part Two

Last week I created an outfit with no black in it -you can see what I came up with here. It was so fun, I thought I’d do it again. What an unseasonably warm and bright day to take outside shots! After the photos were taken, I realized the soles and heels of my boots are black but hopefully I still qualify. Unfortunately I currently have a staph infection so my creative juices aren’t flowing that well. But maybe simple is better? You be the judge.

Earrings Ardene $4 (in stores now) // Sweater Reitmans $20 (similar) // Necklace eBay $2 // Jeans Joe Fresh $15 (similar) // Boots Target $40 (in stores now)

 

Monday's Meme

Yes!!! Bacon!!! Arf!

Tuesday's OOTW - #BlackOutStyle

I decided it would be cool to wear no black and see if I could still syle a great outfit. At first I found this difficult because even though I’m a fan of colour big time, I also like pairing my colourful creations with a bit of black. But I also love a good challenge as well. So without further ado, here’s my non-black outfit of the week. (The jacket, tights, and boots are chocolate brown.)

Earrings Forever 21 Set Of Three $5 (in stores now) // Sunglasses ?? (similar) // Necklace Suzy Shier $2 (similar) // Jacket ?? (similar) // Dress H&M $20 (similar) // Tights ?? (similar) // Boots $12 Payless (similar)

 

Monday's Meme

Building a Capsule Wardrobe

After a lovely Christmas holiday, we’re glad to be back! Hope you had as much fun and special moments as we did. Did you do anything exciting? We ate way too much, had lots of visits with family and friends, and of course I went shopping.

Do you have a lot of clothes but never seem to have anything to wear? If so, I may have the solution to your dilemma.

In pretty much every book on dressing well there is talk of creating a capsule wardrobe. A capsule wardrobe consists of basic clothes you can wear year after year and are the foundation on which you build the rest of your wardrobe.

First you need to pick a neutral colour which looks good on you, such as black, charcoal grey, chocolate brown, tan, navy, ivory, or cream. The most popular colours for a capsule wardrobe are black, chocolate brown, or charcoal grey.

Let’s build a capsule wardrobe. First I will choose a colour–black.

   The Basics Checklist

 

• Black three piece suit–blazer, pants, skirt.
• Black cardigan
• Button-up blouse in white or off-white, depending on your skin tone
• Black camisole
• Black opaque tights
• Dark denim jeans–the most versatile would be boot-cut.
• Little black dress

Once all of the aforementioned items are crossed off your list, then, if you want, you can buy the items you bought in black in a new core colour such as brown, then charcoal grey and so forth.

When you are finished with the basics, then you can add diversity and pattern into your closet. These will be your add-on pieces. While your basics will work for each season, your seasonal add-on pieces will be in secondary colours. Just remember that for each new piece you add, make sure it goes with something you already own.

To show what I mean, I have chosen blues and purples.

   Add-on Checklist

• Blue and purple printed dress (my example has black in it as well)
• Solid purple dress
• Printed skirt with purple on it
• Purple blazer
• Purple cardigan
• Printed or solid blouse in blue and purple
• Solid tanks in secondary colours–purple and blue

A good rule of thumb is to spend less on patterns than solids, because patterned clothing has fewer mix-and-match possibilities than solids.

And don’t forget shoes! I used black as the core colour.

   Basic Shoe Checklist

• Black high heels
• Black flats
• Nude heels
• Black boots (flat or heeled)
• Black booties
• Walkable black flats (canvas sneakers, sandals, or slip-ons)

And last but not least, please make sure you buy some good underwear. A piece of underwear can make or break an outfit.

   Basic Underwear Checklist

• Seamless bra and underwear to match your skin tone
• Seamless strapless bra to match your skin tone
• Black seamless bra and underwear
• At least one set of matching bra and underwear in a fun colour (I love leopard print!)
• Foundation shorts for tummy control under tight dresses
• Half-slip to wear under skirts
• A full slip to wear under dresses

Hope this helps you to have something great to wear each day!