How to Look Older
No, seriously. Occasionally, I have had friends who have wanted to look older. Of course, they were under the age of 25 at the time. So, tips on looking older, for those under the age of 25:
- lose the “high school hair”. High school hair is that beautiful, but unstyled, long, straight-ish hair.
- add blonde highlights to your dark brown hair. This is especially effective in mimicking the affect of graying.
- wear a full face of foundation AND powder.
- trade in the elements of leisure in your outfits (runners, hoodies) for a carefully crafted contemporary classic look.
And it couldn’t hurt to shop Old Navy - Women’s Wear to Work.
Have you ever wanted to look older?
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Personal Style Profiling Revisited
As soon as I posted the illustration of my first draft of thoughts combining DISC profiling with style personalities, I knew there’d be a revision soon. Why didn’t it work for so-and-so? Entertaining the thought that some of those people were not authentically expressing their natural personality resolved some of the inconsistencies. But not all.
But - yikes! What if it’s me that’s not authentically expressing my natural personality?
Sniffing out the clues: a recent craving for pattern, a feeling of being restricted from expressing my personality more exuberantly until my “nest” is completely empty. Smells fishy!
(In the meantime, I’ve been investigating the Dressing Your Truth system. More on that to come.)
This diagram is roughly the same as the previous, but with the center axis flipped and with less definition of style types. Anybody feel it fits them better?
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Looking Younger
Looking younger, I’m afraid, has more to do with makeup than I want to accept. But I’d rather accept makeup than color my hair. Maybe I can just find a couple of easy things I can do …
Kathy Peel got a makeover from Robert Jones, author of Looking Younger: Makeovers That Make You Look as Young as You Feel
From Kathy’s website, which also has a list of the 10 mistakes Robert sees most commonly: If you only have a few minutes, Robert says these things will make the biggest difference:
- Curl your eyelashes. This will open up your eyes and make them look bigger
- Apply a little mascara-starting at the base
- Put a dab of concealer under your eyes
- Brush some blush across your cheekbone
- Groom your eyebrows
- Apply lip gloss
Check!
Check! I am currently using the two different mascara method.
Yes. I use Bobbi Brown creamy concealer.
So far, so good. (He also recommends bronzer in the video. In the past, I have used it, but I don’t have any now.)
Here’s my problem. I’ve tried several kinds of magnifying mirrors, but I still have trouble tweezing. Also, I asked my hairstylist last week whether she thought I should dye my eyebrows and she didn’t think I should. (She also didn’t think I should dye my hair.)
Y’know, my hero prefers that I don’t wear any lip product. We compromise. I wear a frosty pink all-day lip stuff which literally will not kiss off. (That is, I wear it when I remember to put it on.)
Here’s my remaining question: how to keep my mascara from melting into my concealer. Suggestions?
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The Oval as Feminine
A glimpse into my brain: is that what it means? I can’t believe I’ve never stumbled onto that path before: oval, ova, egg, egg-shaped …
Am I the only one who thinks these kinds of things?
Recently I observed a female acquaintance, one with very short hair but whose feminine appearance I had never questioned. Until this one day. It wasn’t that I thought her unfeminine at first, but something was definitely less attractive than her usual. After a moment of dissecting her presentation, I concluded that her short, tidy hair combined with a collared shirt and no makeup somehow added one too many “masculine” points to her look. Which lead to wondering whether a quiz could be developed to help pin-point that fine line, because, face it, we all know lovely, very feminine ladies with short hair who don’t wear makeup. What is it that makes those ladies unquestionably feminine? And what is it about taking away some of the “feminine” which equates to less attractive, even somehow boring?
And now for the personal application part. Somewhere I picked up the following concept (any idea where?):
oval = feminine
rectangle = masculine
Tracing my recent hair makeover, what do you notice in terms of my face and hair shape?
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Get Suitable Makeovers
Here, for those of you who enjoy makeover video, are two Get Suitable with Amy Verner of Globe and Mail makeovers (I just found this post languishing in my drafts with nothing but the links, I think credit for the tip goes to Wendy):
- Suitable jen, and another little video interview of Jennifer with the image consultants who did her over. Or should I say in?
- The guy makeover, which I greatly prefer. I love how they allowed him to stay a “mountain man”.
What I like about the Jen makeover: her hair. What I dislike: the colors. Black and white don’t relate to her personal coloring AT ALL. When will image experts begin thinking outside the (black) box? (They need to read Imogen’s black-busting post, as well as her How to Choose Your Perfect White.)
What are your favorite substitutes for black and white? Presently on my radar: pewter and ivory.
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Accessories as Infrastructure: Round 1
Previously posted, in Accessories: Embellishments or Infrastructure:
Without even doing the project I know what I need: necklaces.
- silver to support my hair color (I already have pearls),
- pink to add color near my face when wearing a neutral outfit, and
- brown to enhance my eyes and complete the infrastructure effect of brown buttons and belt.
Often when getting dressed, I know I need a third color near my face. Without a necklace (or scarf, but I don’t like them) my options are limited.
Spending a grand total of $25.41, here’s what I’ve found so far (mostly at Fred Meyer):
- silver and rose (pink) beads
- non-gold-tone earrings to coordinate with my pearls
- big brown tortoise-shell looking earrings
- wood pendant necklace
Both necklaces are convertible length.
This is a good start. When I get around to it, I’ll pile everything I have on the bed, sort it out, and take pictures of color groupings. But I’m still working through the wardrobe therapy part. When I think about wearing accessories, rather than getting excited like I do about, say, argyle or paisley, I get sort of a sick feeling. Like the feeling of losing one’s individuality. You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile.
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Blogging My Own Comeback: The Final Cut
+ 
+ my habitual styling techniques =
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(I Am a Purple) Velvet Blazer
(Hopefully I don’t get in trouble for using this photo from Banana Republic.)
Considering my present state of mind, this post is likely to be an unlikely mish-mash. Oh well. I’ll try to produce a somewhat organized mash. 
From the top. Hair:
- Presently, I’m okay with my hair.
- This haircut - without the turned under, uniform smoothness of the other - suits me better, both style idiom and hair texture.
- Here’s the problem: hanging across my face, hair would goo up my glasses. Yet Christopher Hopkins would say that asking for this haircut but with bangs is like asking for chocolate chip cookies but without chocolate chips. (I don’t think my stylist would mind doing it.)
- Comments on how this haircut would suit me?
Next: If I were to wear a scarf, unlikely as that is, this application is one I would consider. Thoughts from you accessory people?
Finally, twenty years ago, when I had a fashion retail career, I considered myself a “pink suit”. Daily I wore suits. But they were feminine and colorful, not mannish. Now I am finding myself with a strong preference for velvet blazers. Currently in rotation: blush pink, brown paisley, and grape. My favorite way to wear them is with white oxford button-front shirt, collar flying.
So, all in all, this post was just an excuse for running the photo, which captures the stylistic essence of my personal idiom (me on the inside), everyday-wear. Now, I’m off to the studio. In a little over a week, I have the final for my beginning watercolor class. I need all the practice I can get.
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Are We Hair Yet?
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Just Get Dressed
What I have called “everyday leisure“, Jennifer and drwende have aptly renamed “just get dressed“. How many days out of the week does that describe your wardrobe needs? And what activities might those days include?
For me, “just get dressed” (for which I have the option, in my geographic region, of wearing “outdoor leisure” or “everyday leisure”) encompasses most of my Mondays and Tuesdays, and approximately half of my Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Maybe more. On any given day I could be cooking, picking up after the dog, grocery or thrift store shopping, walking for exercise, or … ? And what’s easy for me to forget is I am always representing my own level of fashion authority. 
Here’s what I’m wearing today.
- old black “bowling shoe” style flats, resurrected because they are comfortable and they blend with my jeans (too old for the cost of them to signify, they were moderately priced, purchased on sale at JCPenney)
- dark skinny jeans ($15, Shopko clearance)
- white oxford button-front shirt, which - due to the fantastic flying collar and the perfectly placed darts- is becoming such a favorite that if I can find another I will be willing to pay real money for it (hand-me-over-for-$1 from a daughter, originally Costco’s Lady Hathaway brand)
- v-neck, cable-knit, cashmere sweater in oatmeal heather ($15, TJMaxx). Worn with the white shirt this illustrates the question I asked Imogen on her post “How to Choose Your Perfect White”.
- reversible belt, worn animal print side ($5 clearance from Wilsons leather), held in place by lingerie straps pinned onto the side seams of the sweater. he hee.
Since I’m an accessory retard, please tell me if this belt works. I know one thing: if I had added a necklace to this outfit, one or the other (belt or necklace) would have had to go.
