Cargo Shorts and How I Wore Them

It was a daring move for me, but I bought a pair of cargo shorts.


I say daring because A) I have very white legs, and B) I typically think of cargo shorts as comfy but a bit sloppy. However, I was in the mood for something different and tired of wearing jeans in the Texas heat. The question is how can they be worn without looking like I'm on my way to Margaritaville? (Not that Margaritaville is a bad place to be...) Sorry flip flops and over-sized "Keep Austin Weird" t-shirt, but you're out of here. I want something that can take me from errands to cocktail hour and maybe even dinner if the occasion arises.

So after browsing shoes online as I often do, I was inspired by my favorite sandal and wondered if I could make them work together...


I love these shoes but rarely have a chance to wear them so any excuse to pull them out instantly makes me happy! But I may be able to pull them out more often if these shorts become part of my regular rotation...

Not such a good photo of the sandals, but I like the overall look and I did go to happy hour wearing it.

Now to work on the white leg problem.

J.

Weekend Pedicures and Shoe Shopping

It was either the last weekend of spring or the first weekend of summer but it doesn't matter because it was a lovely one regardless. It was a weekend made for pedicures, swimming and shoe shopping.

My sister was my date for mani's and pedi's on Saturday and as we were leaving, a delightful pair of something caught her eye in the DSW window, so Sunday we investigated the inventory and she found these:

As usual, I found several pairs of love, but I held back. But there was a funky pair of grey slouchy boots that might be calling my name. I'll have to sleep on it.

J.

Gucci Purple Part 2 - The Eyeshadow

An update on my previous Gucci Purple blog. The eyeshadow was a bit daunting, but I figured it out after mixing and matching just about every eye product I own.

Warning - I used to work in a cosmetic store and have a large makeup collection...I researched the internet to find the products I used or products that I felt will work as well as what I have. It's probably not the exact recipe the Gucci makeup artists used, but I test drove my combination and I think it works quite well.

1) Using a Kajal (or kohl) eyeliner in a medium purple, color your lids from the base of your eyelashes to the crease of your eye. (The color shouldn't be too lavender or eggplant.) I like the Pupa brand - it goes on smoothly which is important when covering such a large area of the lid.


2) Brush a white iridescent powder with blue undertone on top of the liner. It will look white in the container, but trust me, it will look more like a colored shimmer when smoothed on. I used Zhen Element Shimmer Powder in Earth. I also found 2 other iridescent shadows by Aromaleigh Cosmetics here...(I'd try the Blue Haze or Pixie Blue...)


The look in the ad is very dramatic and if it's a little scary for you try just doing this as a thick liner on your upper lid, which is actually what we did for these pictures.

(It looks blue on my computer, but it is purple in person.)

To take the look even closer to the ad, line the bottom lid with black liner, starting thin at the inside of the eye and getting thicker as you move out. Smudge it carefully into the inner rim and just around the outside corner of the eye and blend into the purple. Use several coats of mascara on both upper and lower lashes.


If you're brave, use a dash of white liner below the black liner at the inside of the eye, which is what we did not do...too over the top for Texas.

Next, add attitude or find a jungle to sit in and you have your own Gucci ad.

Thank you J4.

J.

Cocktail Rings

I've recently been lusting over cocktail rings. The statement necklace is still a strong look, but sometimes in Texas I feel like it can be a little hot and sticky for a heavy piece of jewelry. So how's a girl to shine? A cocktail ring could be just the trick!

I've had this one in my jewelry box for a while and it never fails to get compliments. Clearly it's not real, but it's a great traditional style and I still have a lot of fun with it.

I also love animal and bug themes and I found these and fell in love with them...


(Photos from www.emitations.com)

I love the fox! These would be great conversation starters.

Or how about something more modern? My friend Jaden turned me on to the designer Paul Phillips at www.noformdesign.com.



(Photos from www.noformdesign.com)

I could wear any of these and be happy. Apparently he'll do something custom if you ask...

Jaden's prototype...you can see what this turned into on the website...gorgeous! I'm dying to have something made, but I need to save the money first.

All this talk about rings makes me realize how bad I need a manicure so I'm off to the shop!

J.

Busy

Sorry for the lack of words, but I've been busy. There will probably be few short spurts for the next week or two, but I'll be back into the blog shortly.
J.

My Day Off and What I Wore

Another descent day off...I really didn't do anything. I have a work trip coming up next week, so I really should be making a packing list, doing laundry etc, and maybe I will, but not right now.

It was a very humid day today, the kind of day you feel the need to take a shower every 2 hours...gross, (and makes me wish the air conditioning in my car worked.) But, this is Texas and you learn to live with it, so I decided that something floaty would be the way to go.

Top - Anage Too
Pants - Express
Shoes - Payless

I'm always concerned that I'll look like Ms. Roper from 3's Company, so I pair a loose top like this with more tailored pants and skip the big jewelry.

Okay, so now I'm off to do some laundry.

J.

Evening Bags

I'm a purse fanatic! I can go through my closet and weed out clothes, but a purse has to be falling apart at the seams in order for me to get rid of it, and even then I worry about what I did and regret tossing it.

Anyway, here's a sample of my favorite evening bags...

This one only holds the essentials, phone, I.D. credit card and lipstick, but dresses up the simplest of outfits.

This one is vintage and also tiny, but can be thrown inside a larger purse and pulled out as a glam cosmetic bag.

I bought this one for a wedding I went to a couple of years ago, but I use it all the time. I like to wear brown at night because it's a little less harsh than black, ( don't get me wrong, I love black and am certainly not opposed to the lbd...)

This one has been in my closet for years, and I just noticed that the beads are beginning to fall off. Is it a keeper? Should I invest in having the beads restrung? Does anyone have any good tips for care of beaded bags?

Last but not least, this fuzzy evening puff was found at Goodwill for about $2.99. The gold closure on top and the chain were coming off, but the lining inside and the fur are in amazing condition. So I stitched it back together and reconnected the chain...check out how cool the opening is...

Cool pattern...


With purses like this, how can I be expected to get rid of any of them?

J.