Torn Between Two Styles

I have blogged about Kibbe and his style types before - to check out more about Kibbe, definitely check out this Yuku website: http://seasonalcolor.yuku.com/forums/71/Wardrobe-and-Style?page=1 - You can find a link to the Kibbe test and celebrities collages on this site.  When I first took the test, I seemed to be dominant romantic with some type of influence.  I have never been a 'frills and lace' person and found some similarities with the Soft Classic types, but I find that the clothes that I'm drawn to lately are more 'Theatrical Romantic' (Romantic with a dramatic flair).  Now I'm just confused - so I decided to try a little collage comparison between Soft Classic and Theatrical Romantic - I'd love to hear your feedback - where do I fit 'in' with the most harmony?

Soft Classic:

The physical description for SC is: Physically, you are basically symmetrical with slightly rounded edges (soft body type and features).

Theatrical Romantic:

The physical description for TR is:  Physically, you are delicate in bone structure and soft in body type, with delicate and full facial features (eyes, lips, cheeks)

Its clear that I have 'some' romantic influence to my style and facial structure, but to what degree???

Here is a comparison between the two classic face shades:

Soft Classic:

Theatrical Romantic:

Tribute to Marigold

Its been a while since I've done a 'colour tribute', so I decided to do a tribute to a colour that is completely fascinating to me - Marigold!  Marigold is a warm golden yellow and its a colour that generally makes people really 'happy' - its one of the brighter, warmer yellows, but its not 'blinding' - the warmth it carries instead gives off what I would describe as a 'rustic' glow!  So here we go - here is my tribute to Marigold:

You can't tell me you don't feel cheerfull after seeing this colour?  This colour is pure joy to my eyes!!!

Michelle Williams has such amazing style and her colour choices are always such an inspiration - I was so happy to see her in this marigold dress - it suits her personality and its a testiment to the fact that Marigold can be a geat fashion colour choice!!!

Yet another example of Marigold's potential in the fashion world - this dress is stunning and the Marigold leaning mustard shade is really stunning - its eye-catching and elegant all at the same time!!!

I'm loving these Marigold inspired shoes and boots - I find that shoes, handbags, scarves etc (basically any accessory) is such a fantastic way to add a pop of colour that you might not have otherwise picked for yourself to wear.  Perhaps wearing a Marigold dress is not your thing, but adding that pop of colour with a great pair of shoes may be just the ticket for a wardrobe 'pick me up'!

When people want to add a significant pop of colour into their wardrobe, very often its with a coat, jacket or trench!  I personally 'LOVE' the first photo of the more muted down marigold toned coat - this coat is from the 'Anthropology' store website and its definitely on my 'wishlist'!!!

Marigold is not just a fall/autumn colour - I've been noticing that this season, a lot of the spring fashion colours are colours that are typically seen in the autumn months - a lot of warm pumpkin, golden brown, teal and orange-red shades.  I'm also seeing a lot of Marigold - why not try a Marigold inspired summer dress?  Summer and warm golden yellow - you can't get any more cheeful and happy - its the ideal combination!!!

Marigold to me isn't just a bright warm colour - for me it evokes the emotion of rustic elegance!  Marigold is one of those colours that you 'feel' just as much as you wear - you see it and it makes you feel all warm and cozy - I personally love this colour and I hope you enjoyed me little tribute to a great colour!!!

NARS Albatros

I've been on the look out for a highlight that has that gold element without looking too 'over the top' for day!  I did some research on-line and came across MAC's 'Soft and Gentle' Mineralize powder, so I decided to go to MAC and check it out - I liked that it was a more natural highligh shade, but it was missing that 'gold' element that I wanted.  I use MAC's Gold Deposit mineralize powder almost everyday and I wanted something to compliment this shade - on its own, Gold Deposit is too dark for a highlight against my skin, but I love wearing it as a powder shade - its perfect against my golden beige skintone!  Disapointed that Soft and Gentle was lacking the gold I wanted, I went with a friend to the NARS counter at The Bay and she pointed out the Albatros powder - in the pan, it looked borning and like a plain off white shade, but as soon as I swiped it, all this 'gold' appeared and it turned out to be 'exactly' what I was looking for!!!  I decided to play around with the shade in the store and then took a few pics - I'm trying not to 'impulse' buy any more makeup, but this is definitely going on my wishlist!

For this look I started with NARS St. Moritz tinted moisturizer, Laura Mercier's Secret Camouflage #4 as a concealer, Gold Deposit Powder - I then used MAC's Refined Golden Bronzer as a contour, NARS Albatros as a highlight and Make Up For Ever #54 as a blush (with NARS Taj Mahal as a pop of colour).  For the eyes I used Arena as a base and Romp from the lid into the crease (both MAC) - I then applied Laura Mercier's Brown-Copper eyeliner and finished with a basic black mascara.  On my lips, I'm wearing Spice Lipliner and my 'holy grail' Strength lipstick (both MAC)!  This is one of my all time favourite looks and using the Albatros as a highlight has made a huge difference - so far, its the best highlight shade I've come across!!!  Anyone with a warm skintone will look amazing in this highlight!!!

Feeling 'Pretty'

There are so many looks that women can create with their makeup: glam, natural, bohemian-chic, classic, dramatic etc etc.  I've been thinking about what my personal journey is with makeup and what my 'intention' is behind pursuing makeup artistry!  I think that every woman deserves to feel pretty and beautiful - regardless of what look they love or what their best colours are - the end result is to look and feel pretty.  I would feel honoured and completely happy if I can bring this feeling of 'pretty' to someone.  I also realized that in order to do that, I have to get over some of my personal insecrities and channel this same feeling.  I recall reading a book where someone equated makeup to wearing a 'mask' and that makeup 'hides' the true beauty of a woman.  I decided to give this a lot of thought - what is makeup anyway?  We learned in class, that its the process of using colour and products to alter ones appearance.  But is makeup essentially creating a 'mask' to cover up your appearance?  I came to the conclusion that 'no' makeup is not a mask and 'altering' your appearance to feel pretty and beautiful is not a bad or negative thing!  We alter our diet to look and feel better - we alter our clothes to make them fit against our bodies - we alter our personality to remain calm under pressure or present our best self to others - yet, none of these things are negative - we do it to be our best possible self and I think the same is true with makeup!!!

Part of my personal journey is coming to terms with using makeup to present my 'best' self - to stop compulsive and 'impulsive' makeup purchases to constantly be in search of the 'perfect' colour or product - I've blogged about this before - for me, my jounrey has led me to declutter what doesn't work and stick to classic shades that represent my true autumn palette, my soft classic-chic style type and compliment my lifestyle!  But I still had to ask myself - do I feel pretty?  Does the makeup I put on my face to alter my appearance make me feel beautiful?  I think I have finally discovered a look that does just that - but before I was able to fully embrace this classic look, that feeling of 'pretty' needed to be discovered 'within'!  Yes, Makeup can alter your appearance for the better, clothes can alter your body to fit you the best, but unless you have that inner feeling of pretty 'within' first, thats when makeup becomes a 'mask'!  Its time to remove the mask of our insecurities, so that the makeup we wear truely helps us embrace that inner 'pretty' that we all deserve to feel!!!  Here is my 'Inner Pretty' Look:

For this look I used NARS tinted moisturizer in St. Moritz, Secret Camoflauge #4 as a concealer, MAC's Gold Deposit Mineralize Powder, Refined Golden bronzer as a contour and Arena shadow as a highlight.  For my eyes, I wanted to create a subtle, yet classic look, so I used arena as a base, romp shadow from the lid into the crease (both MAC) - I then lined my eyes with Brown-Copper eyeliner by Laura Mercier and smudged the upper lashline with galapagos eyeshadow by NARS.  I used Make Up For Ever #70 blush, a pretty terracotta shade.  I then used Chicory lipliner and Strength lipstick by MAC!  I also wanted to take a photo with this makeup using flash for an evening look - the 'only' change that I made was to deepen the lipliner to 'auburn' by MAC, but other than that - the makeup is completly the same:

Its amazing to me how much flash can alter a photo, but its also nice to be able to see how a particular makeup look will look in evening lighting or flash photographs.  I think that the auburn liner is perfect with the Stength lipstick - it takes it from a copper-brown shade to a stunning Warm brick-red shade!

I hope that you enjoyed this post about makeup and feeling pretty!  I think that if you feel pretty on the inside, this energy will make you glow and finding the right makeup colours will just enhance that inner glow!  So 'Shine On' and give yourself permission to always feel and look 'Pretty'!!!

What's In a Journey Anyway???

I've had a few light bulb moments lately - sometimes you do learn the truth the hard way and sometimes criticism isn't all that bad, as long as its constructive and doesn't put someone else down for trying!  I've been blogging for more than a year now and I started this blog because I've always been drawn and interested in everything related to beauty, elegance, looking elegant and sophisticated!  Some posts I've been very proud of, others, I look back and think "I could have done better"!  Recently, I recieved a comment about one of my recent posts that really hurt my feelings.  In fact, I was 'fuming mad' when I read it and didn't even post the comment.  However, since then I've had time to think, I've realized that by me even having a blog, I'm opening myself up hearing everyone's opinions - some that are awesome and some that are meant to be constructive criticism.  I've always know that I have a very sensitive side, especially when it comes to taking criticism, but in the end, its actually a benefit to me to stop and 'learn' from what others have to say.  I've been using this blog as a 'journey' into better-ing myself - journeying into my personal colour analysis, the looks I've been working on in my makeup course, style and fashion I really like etc etc.  I've never claimed to be the best 'anything' - I'm just a person, blogging, sharing my journey - I'm sure I will create looks that others hate, I'm sure that some people will dislike some of my makeup looks that I create on others, but in the end, this is me just posting my journey and having fun.  Do I appreciate peoples feedback and contructive criticism - Absolutely!!!  Do I appreciate people being mean or voicing their opinion in a harsh, hurtful manner?  No!!!  However, this is the internet and I have to respect everyone's right to voice their opinion, especially when I have a public blog.  I just wanted to say that yes, perhaps the comment I recieved was hurtful when I first read it, but could I learn from it?  Was the 'meat of the comment' something I could take constructively and learn from?  Yes!  Part of the Journey is being open to 'hear' what others are saying to me, requesting for me to post and learning from the advice given.  The only thing I ask, is to remember that I'm just being 'me' - I never claimed to be an amazing makeup artist or stylist or anything else - I'm just delivering a part of myself to those who are interested to hear what I have to say - I'd love to continue to hear you comments and get your feedback - It would just be nice to get constructive criticism that is 'constructive' - I'm more than willing to listen to what you have to say!!!  On that note, I found a photo where I created a look months ago that I wanted to post and 'completely' forgot about - I don't even remember what makeup I used, but I do remember that the lipstick I used in 'Stength' by MAC and thats 'exactly' what I need in this point of my journey - Strenth to continue my passion and gain more knowedge and experience with makeup, Strength to continue to write about things that I feel represent what this blog is about, Strength to deal with the constuctive criticism and Strength to have confidence in myself in learn from each mistake I make and become a better person as a result, so here's to STRENGTH!!!

Wardrobe Wish-List

One of the things that I've been thinking about lately is the idea of keeping a running list of things that I need in my wardrobe.  Since the idea is to keep up to date with essentials and build a wardrobe around personal style, your best colour palette and body type, here are some items that I'd personally like to see hanging in my closet:

1) A Warm Ivory/Cream toned White Shirt - Since my colour palette is on the warm side (True Autumn) and most of my staples are now centred around warm toned neutrals (i.e. brown, camel, rust, mahogany etc), I still want to include the idea of a classic 'white' shirt, but in my 'best' white.  In order for my wardrobe to work together and in harmony with each essential piece that I bring in, a warm cream toned shirt would be the perfect addition to pair with a pencil skirt of a pair of pants!

2) L'B'D - A Little 'Brown' Dress - The little black dress is considered by many to be the most versatile and important element within a wardrobe - it can be played up with accessories or made to look very professional with the right blazer or even more casual with a nice scarf and ballet flats.  However, why now really make an impression and wear your best 'black' shade!  For me, this colour would be a dark brown.  There are so many amazing deep brown tones available - be in a rich rust tone, a mahogany brown, a dark chocolate brown, a deep golden brown, even a bronzed brown - the possibilities are endless!  To maximize the effect of my colour palette, a little 'brown' dress would be the perfect addition!!!





3) An Autumn Inspired Trench Coat - I've always liked the idea of owning a classic trench coat in an elegant colour.  I find that the warm shades of warm khaki, olive-bronze, golden yellow-brown and/or caramel-yellow-brown are perfect to create harmony and a versatile look with the colours I always have in my wardrobe.  I'm definitely going to keep my eyes out for a timeless and classic trench in one of these shades!!!

 4) Pencil Skirts - If there is one skirt I could wear for the rest of my life, it would be the pencil skirt - I find that my body frame always looks sleek and classic in this type of skirt.  I own a few black pencil skirts which I intend to keep, but I'd also love a pencil skirt in a colour that would work well with the other shades in my wardrobe - once again, that deep chocolate brown or yellow toned brown would be perfect!!!

5) I would love to own a warm light yellowed-cream dress - This colour is hard to come by, but I think it would look so elegant with gold jewelery or even with a pair of warm ivory pearls.  There is something so elegant and rich looking about this shade of off-white.

Learning what your style type is, knowing your best colours and embracing your body type are all so essential when beginning to put together a wardrobe.  Black and White may be safe options for some, but not everyone suits a stark white or deep, dark black shade.  As Suzanne from 'Your Shop Girl' said, why look good when you can look great?  Why wear a little black dress when a little 'brown' dress would make you glow from the inside out?  Why sport a pure white shirt, when a cream toned white would make you look younger, fresher and more professional???  I'm hoping to really keep my eyes open for these items and I can't wait to add them one by one into my wardrobe!!!

Teal Dress - Work-Place Style and Inspiration!

Since learning about my best colours (as true autumn) and learning more about style, essential wardrobe items and using the true autumn palette, I decided to put a classic 'work-place' look together.  Since teal is a true autumn power colour, I decided to put on a teal dress that I got from Zara's a few months ago.  I paired the dress with a camel toned belt, a cream/ivory scarf and my brown boots.  I wanted the accessories to be in the same warm neutral toned family.  I have to say that I've become really inspired to learn even more about style and working with my palette to create new and interesting looks: