Beauty/Fashion: Why do I care?

Why is it that we are all so vain? Part of me hates the part of me that cares about how I look. Part of me hates the part of me that decides not to do my hair or makeup, and just go au naturale.

Let's discuss. Most days, I decide to let my hair air-dry, I forgo all makeup and I wear what feels comfortable and yet appealing. I frankly hate having to get ready- because getting ready means not only buying in to the idea that in order to be beautiful one must be mainstream, but also because it is a pain in the ass. So, for years, while friends and co-workers don their 30-minute to an hour's worth of product, I generally opted for some lip gloss and a coat of mascara. While people spent their mornings trying on various outfits I put on whatever felt right. If you ask my college roommates they would tell you that would mean a pair of ripped jeans, my favorite O.A.R. t-shirt, and flip-flops. Flip flops, in fact were worn even in the winters of North-western Pennsylvania, unless there was snow-- but I digress. Even today, I tend to go for comfortable clothing over form-fitting va-va-voom outfits.



There have been, especially more recently, times in my life when I did give a damn about my appearance. Most formal occasions, for example. On holidays and weddings, my sister is delegated to putting on my makeup, an arduous task, because I frankly look like a monkey when it comes to putting on my own face, and she is generally embarrassed of my attempts (think:tons of various blushes, concealers and moisturizers open, as I shakily put eyeliner everywhere on my eyelid but the proper place). So, I stick to my mascara and lip gloss, but stare at counters fully of beautifully packaged beauty products longingly and wonder if I can be taught to put it on. . . Then I suddenly feel silly- why do I need all that gook?

Admittedly, once I graduated from college and got out in the real world- I had a bit of money and began to pay attention to fashion- I liked looking polished and a bit more put together, and then I liked following fashion even more closely, and now it has hit an apex, wherein I spend hours staring at the latest new thing, read my Vogue hungrily, and lean close to the point of self-destruction when I realize I do not have the money to buy half of the crap I long to have. Just now, I spent an hour online staring at the new Fall Fashion Trends for this year on net-a-porter.com and added about 50 unnecessary items to my wish list. What has happened to me?


Now, I think maybe I'm being a little bit hard on myself: Is it bad for me to want to look good, to take an interest in my appearance? no. Does it mean I think that appearances are all that matters? no. Do I judge others on their appearance? no, not really, unless I meet them in a dark alley I don't tend to make snap judgments about people. Can someone be independent, free-thinking, and feminist-leaning and still care about their appearance? I think so. Or is it that I am being beaten-down by all the media hype as to who I should be and what I should care about, making me really not as independent, free-thinking and feminist-leaning as I thought? mm, I hope not.

There, now I feel better. Sort of.



In any case, all this really started rolling around in my head after I read this interesting article from The New York Times on French Women's Secrets to Aging Well- and then wondering what really drew me to the article i.e. Why am I worried about aging when I am in my late 20's? Should I really care this much now? At least the French may have it right- age gracefully, proudly showing your age but maintaining Style and Dignity.


Comments? Questions? Concerns?

P.S. What do you think of this romper? Too Much?

A Rose is a Rose is a Rose. . .

If you couldn't guess by the title of today's Post- According to this handy-dandy writing analyzer, I write like Gertrude Stein!

I write like
Gertrude Stein

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

I can only wish to write like the lovely, indelible, Ms. Stein. Stein is an idol of mine for her part in American/ex-patriot and feminist writing. An American writer who spent most of her life in France, Stein was a catalyst in the development of modern art and literature.

I, like Stein, am preferential to the stream-of-conscious writing, unfortunately, I have a feeling that though the above website claims to look at your style and diction, I'm sure it either auto-generates something flattering or looks at your main theme- or something equally profound- and throws out an author with similar leanings.


((Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas in Paris- courtesy of Yale archives))


Regardless- have fun seeing who you write like, and report back.

I want to Bring some Color into My Life

Those who know me know my outfits are very rarely colorful. For some reason, I stray from anything which is not an earth-tone, black, or white. This also tends to be my style when it comes to decorating a room as well- mossy greens, deep reds, browns and blues are the only colors present in the home the Boy and I now share.

HOWEVER- something this summer has sent me over the edge- color, I mean, really, in-your face color. Lime Green. Electric Yellow. Turquoise. Slowly but surely, my closet is beginning to look more like a brilliant rainbow than a depressing landscape. (Although I did buy another black dress last night- but one can never have too many little black dresses- right?)



So, in honor of my new obsession, here are some items which will allow Color into all our lives:


"Instead of trying to reproduce exactly what I see before me, I make more arbitary use of colour to express myself more forcefully ... To express the love of two lovers by the marriage of two complementary colours ... To express the thought of a brow by the radiance of a light tone against a dark background. To express hope by some star. Someone's passion by the radiance of the setting sun."
Vincent van Gogh, 1888.




"Colour helps to express light, not the physical phenomenon, but the only light that really exists, that in the artist's brain."
Henri Matisse, 1945




"The craving for colour is a natural necessity just as for water and fire. Colour is a raw material indispensable to life. At every era of his existence and his history, the human being has associated colour with his joys, his actions and his pleasures."
-- Frenand Leger, "On Monumentality and Color", 1943.


((in order of appearance: Penguin Cloth-bound books, Sebastiaan Bemer acrylics on print, pillows from seesaw, Brandi Strickland mixed media, and vintage cushions from Seesaw Vintage, modern chartreuse clock from Uncommon ))

Vintage Color Block

I am absolutely in love with this outfit! I definitely feel as though I need to begin to incorporate some vintage into my life, especially when I see gorgeous outfits which allow both the vintage piece and all of the accessories shine. YUM.



Giovanna Battaglia in Vintage

((photo courtesy of Jak & Jill Blog))

Friendship

Last Tuesday I walked into a cafe in a town I had never been to,(two hours from my home-town), just killing time while the Boy played in a practice round-- and I ran into my best friend from middle school.

The next two hours, as you might imagine, were filled with stories, gossip from back home, exclamations and explanations. We caught up and reminisced and it was as enjoyable as it was surprising.

The next day we spent the morning and the better part of an afternoon together driving around the (beautiful) surrounding area searching for all things fabulous and unique at various antique malls-- and more importantly we were getting to know each other all over again.

The experience was utterly amazing for me. I am so happy to have found my long-lost friend to be so free-spirited, independent and successful.



((me, melissa and sarah- @ the 9th grade dance))

It was funny to think about how much has changed and refreshing find how simple and familiar we still were. I think both of us were pleasantly surprised with how easy it was for us to reconnect, and how invigorating it was to spend time together.

As I drove home from her house, I could not help but to smile at the thought of all the things I had not said- all the things I still had to share. I forgot to confess, for example, that I have finally (after years of trial and error) managed to perfect her mother's tuna fish sandwich (a perfect tuna-to pickle ratio has thankfully been found). Nor did I think to point out how grown-up we were since last being face-to face- here we were talking about dinner parties and cookware,(admittedly we did still talk about men). The two of us must have exchanged scores of notes and - perhaps as a reflection of our constant communique- we are both pursuing writing careers. It's amazing to see how far we have come, and yet how true to ourselves we stayed.

I could not help but to smile today, both at the memory of our pranks as teenagers and our recent run-in with each other.

So, here is what I have to say about Friendship:
Friendship is patient. It waxes and wanes. It is as quiet as a spoon stirring the leaves in a teacup and it is loud like fireworks on the Forth of July. It is resilient.

((kathleen, kimmy, myself, and heidi @OCMD-Senior Week)

Even when you least expect it, when you aren't even aware you need it, friendship finds you.

Thank goodness for friends; both found and waiting in the wings, past, present and future.

Accomplishments today= 0

Yesterday, I was kicking a** and taking names- cleaning the house, going to the bank, planning out my life, getting a bunch of writing done. . . And then today hit. Yes, I did still wake up at 5:00 a.m. and got my work-out on, but outside of that I haven't accomplished a single thing. Well, I did take a shower. And I have fed myself. But other than that I have been staring at the internet. Which reminded me of my favorite blog, Hyperbole and a Half, and one of her more hilarious/sad but true posts.

She just, gets me.



Did you look? Do you love it? Is any body else having a hard time getting started today?

A new Take on an A-Frame

While browsing through some Architecture Blogs, I found this off-beat A-Frame, called the Allandale House, set in the woods. What a wonderful, natural-yet-hip setting. I feel as though loads of creativity would pour out of your soul while spending time in this house!



I am usually not one for minimalist decor- but the fact that the items on the shelves are the only color throughout makes the house seem even brighter- plus the large windows let nature be the main focus. What do you think?



((photos courtesy of Buzz-Beast.com))