But then a little voice inside my head told me to stop being so sensible and just treat myself to something really special. I usually try to ignore the little voices in my head, but on this occasion I let them lead the way.

Enter my new favorite makeup thing:

I’ve never been a fan of lipstick. Chapstick, yes. Lipstick, no. It just feels all wrong and gross. But lately I’ve been experimenting with lip stains. Most are crap that taste like a chemical wasteland and wear off in about 20 minutes.

This stuff however…AMAZING. It’s super sheer so it just gives a tiny pop of color. Add on a few layers and it glams up for that “hey I’m wearing makeup” look.

I was skeptical of using it as a cheek stain fearing it would make me look like a rag doll with big pink dots on my cheeks. But with a bit of advice from Sephora’s bomb ass makeup artists (and a new and much loved arsenal of makeup brushes) I think I’ve got the hang of it. Blended properly it gives just enough color without actually being noticeable.  I am officially swearing off all powder blushes.

Did I mention I also may have splurged on some new makeup brushes? LeSigh. This is where the “indulgence” part really kicks in. Makeup brushes, they are expensive, but oh-so worth it. Especially my new foundation brush. I swear the thing is made of unicorn hair or something. I’ve never had a foundation brush that blends so perfectly. They call it the airBrush, and it too is pure amazing. It also does double duty applying the cheek stain – hence the lack of big red dots on my face.

Did I really NEED any of this stuff? No. But sometimes you have to do something special for yourself and indulge a little to remember not everything in life is a total crap sandwich.

Be good to yourself.
Be good to others.
And remember, nothing goes better with a total crap sandwich like a margarita and a smile.

Style. Make a (preliminary) definition of your overall look(s).  The issues you’re trying to define are level of formality, basic silhouette(s), balance of color and pattern, what you expect of your tops and your bottoms when they play together. Think in terms of how to put together outfits for your typical weekly routine.

After seeing a few of the other gals involved in this round of WT’s use of polyvore.com, I decided to give it a whirl myself. I have to say, the site is a dangerous place to land when you have things that need doing. It is the pinnacle of internet distraction and time suckage.
In any case, it did come in very handy for this portion of the task as it allowed me to compile images of standard types of outfits I generally wear without having to bust out the camera again.

Me, everyday. I have lovingly dubbed it my “glittery bum on the road” look.

If I’m not at work…this is pretty much what I look like.
Super casual loose fitting jeans with a few barely coordinated often contrasting layers on top. Some pattern often comes into play, but I’m not super picky as long as it isn’t a large print. Also, it tends to get a little buried under another layer so it probably shouldn’t count.
Funky flats.
Too much sparkly black eye shadow and OPI nail polish. (ore on make up as week 4 unfolds)
Also a few pieces of bold jewelry. Usually a few rings and occasionally a necklace.
As a side note, the percentage of clothing in my closet with skulls on it is a bit silly.

The “Office Conservative” look

I am not a conservative person, but the office I work in is. So I generally try to stick to basics whenever possible. Figuring I can liven them up with other funkier pieces if I need to wear them outside the office.  I wear more black than I would like, but it’s easier that way. Large pieces of jewelry still make it into the mix though. Hey, I gotta bring at least a little bit of me to the party

Slightly Funky Office Conservative

Office look part 2: cause sometimes I get bored and just NEED to jazz it up a bit.

All in all, I would say my general style is casual eclectic, with a bit of funk. I’m working on adding a bit of softened girlitude to the mix though. More and more that sort of thing has been appealing to me. We will have to see how the two combine…

The remaining tasks:

Start securing your supply lines. Shopping is easier if you have reliable sources of flattering garments. My supply lines have completely fallen apart, and many of the shapes I want are available only from thrift these days. That’s great for the wallet, not so good for the time sink required to find clothes, especially as the recession means there’s more competition for the best thrift finds.

This one is easy, as my supply lines are bound to my highly limited budget these days. I stick to the basics: Target, TJ Maxx and Gabrial Brothers. Especially Gabs.

Glance at your undergarments. Thank goodness we mostly expect less of the lower undies than we do of the upper ones! If they pinch, create bulges, fall off, are falling apart, or are not sufficient to get you to the next laundry day, this is the time to do something about it.

I have a tendancy to ratate these out fairly regularly. Socks, shoes and underwear are among my favorite things to shop for so none are ever really in desperate need of attending to. Except for shoes…there can never be enough shoes in the closet. Not to be cliche, but it’s true. Shoes have a fairly long shelf life and are an easy peasy way of mixing up your wardrobe. Though they aren’t especially nice on the budget.

Last week in Paris designers took to the catwalk with their couture lines. Regardless of season, I am in general a fan of couture. Not so much for the pomp that surrounds it. More over, I love the artistic flair these lines tend to have. The designers aren’t super hung up on making the lines mass producible, and highly marketable. These tend to be the lines that really show off what the labels are about.  This means they can also tend to be the absolute ugliest.

This time around, I decided to do something a bit different. I’m not going through each designers line and picking through them piece by piece. Instead, I’m just making one post about the entire season summing up each label in one or two sentences.

Adeline Andre

Look guys! A couture snuggie!!!!

Anne Valerie Hash

…and all that jazz. Suddenly I miss the glory days of Liza Minnelli.

Armani Preve Couture

It is what it always is, amazing and perfectly assymilated with the label. This time with a pinch of sci-fi and a dash of just not my thing.

Boudicca

Looks like Little Bo Peep lost a little more than her sheep this round.

Chado Ralph Rucci

A really pretty line. Nothing super extraordinary, but pretty! Personally, I think it would have made a really marketable RTW line. Maybe the designer just really needed to feel fancy for a bit. We’ve all been there.

Chanel*

I am so over Chanel. Yes the clothes are amazing, but Karl Lagerfeld is such a douche that it kinda ruins it for me.

Christian Dior

It’s like Marry Poppins fell down the rabit hole and landed on Dita Von Tease. Amazing!

Elie Saab

While this isn’t really my style, I totally get it. And I don’t imagine there is a woman on earth that wouldn’t feel down right pretty in his dresses.

Givenchy Couture

The line started out so great! Dark and moody and totally glam couture. But then it just sort of fell apart for me. I dig this look though. The rest, I’m just going to pretend I walked away and didn’t see the end.

Jean Paul Gaultier Couture

Stole the mutha-flippin show. Seriously. The entire Spring 2010 Couture season now belongs to JPG. Totally haute.

Maison Martin Margeila

I don’t get it. I think maybe this is a punchline to a joke I missed or something.
*shrug*

Valentino Couture

Totally different for this label. It looks like the new designer for Valentino is finally coming into their own. I like it. Fresh and bright and… wait…hold on. I just read that it was inspired by the movie Avatar.

That is it.

I give up.

All photos courtesy of New York Mag.

*If I am going to be totally honest. Chanel was truly amazing. Breathtaking really. Especially the accesories. I just wish they would put Lagerfeld in a burka or something. Just the sight of him makes me all fighty.