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Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Fancy Pants

............Or, the SSM's Guide to Faking Fashion..........

Happy Wednesday morning, all! We are halfway through the week and I tend to get re-energized when I can see Friday around the bend. On days like this, I can get a little crazy. I may even iron my shirt before I leave the house. Or, it's not unheard of for me to apply a bit of lip gloss before I run in the grocery store - on a Wednesday. The hard truth, however, is that most days I appear pretty disheveled. It's not intentional! It's just how it happens when kids, work, puppy, extra activities and husband descend upon my beauty routine(s). I wonder if you guys have the same thing going on....missing that great shade of lipstick you used to love but can't find and finally realize that was a tube you had in college? Here's another hard truth...I am more productive when I have myself "together". There is nothing I can't accomplish with clean hair and full-on makeup. But beauty takes time - that thing we all crave so much more of - and a few things - that cost money. So, I've listed a few ideas that will help you to look and FEEL like you are "tending to business", as my grandmother used to say.

So, here's to our appearance! May you appear confident, organized and able! Go get 'em Fancy Pants!!

1) Jewelry. Doesn't have to be expensive and certainly not real. Just one bangle on one wrist will make it look like you took the time to peruse your jewelry selection for just the right look. Get a plastic black one and you are set. Remember the Car Bag I mentioned a few weeks ago? Put together a clear plastic bag with just a few key pieces you can pull from as you sit at a traffic light. That's one less thing you have to do in order to dash out the door. Contents: a pair of silver earrings, a pair of gold earrings, one long necklace, one short necklace and one bangle bracelet.

2) Makeup. Again, put together your own essentials in a clear plastic bag. Be sure to include: tweezers (there is nothing like natural sunlight to reveal strays!), only one tube of lipstick/lipgloss (don't give yourself too many choices), tinted sunscreen and mascara. Any of this can be applied at stop lights.

3) Shoes. This one requires tremendous discipline, but since this post is about making you look your best with minimal effort, I gotta tell you this: dirty and worn shoes must go. Period. I realize comfort matters, but so does your image. Have a comfortable and cute pair of black flats and you will be fine.

4) Hair. Styled is ideal. Clean and styled is what you should work toward but we all have limitations. Here's the shortcut: sunglasses. Target and WalMart have cheap sunglasses. Go there and try several on. This time, however, don't worry about how they look sitting on the bridge of your nose. This time, use them as a headband and make sure they will stay in place. If you walk into a teacher conference or the grocery store, it looks like you have been somewhere else first and just "threw" your sunglasses on your head as you walked in the door. That says "I have responsibilities and this is only one of them so let's get shakin' ". Plus, this method can mask lots of hair disasters in about 5 seconds.

5) Find 2 pairs of pants that are neutral-colored and fit perfectly. Try to spend a little and get good quality because you want them to last a long time. Then, pair them with a selection of colorful but inexpensive shirts. People will remember the most colorful item you wear, not the beige. In other words, no one will notice if you wear these pants a couple of times a week (at least!). This will give you endless mix-and-match opportunities that require little thought.

6) Smile. Anybody and everybody looks better when they smile!

All my Wednesday love,

Kate

11 comments:

Princess Freckles said...

These are some great tips! I always seem to finish my lipstick (and sometimes mascara) at red lights on the way to work!

Southern Living: Preppy Style said...

The sunglasses tip made me laugh because that is SO what I do. When I buy, I make sure they look good on my head and in the mornings when I'm fixing my hair, I think "do I really need to fix that or will my sunglasses cover it?"

Extra tip there - carry a sunglass repair kit so you can screw them back together - they get a little loose after using them as a headband for a while! =-)

Jessica Ryan said...

I live in skirts and dresses! Little white T shirts and cute pearl earrings look great with any skirt. When the weather cools I toss a cute cardigan over it... I have 3 pairs of shoes that I could live in forever... my white JR sandals, black TB sandals and silver Reva flats. They look good with everything. I like little sundresses too. I always look polished and slipping in to a cute little dress or skirt is actually easier than pulling up a pair of ratty sweat pants!

Love my sunglasses! Love them. I would die without them.

I too have lipsticks/lip glosses in all my bags!

It's hard to keep my fine hair style. Pony tails with ribbons are my trick to looking polished, even when my hair is dirty!

Great tips!

Misty said...

i totally loved this. I tend to be an all or nothing girl... complete effort or none- so this was perfect!

Anonymous said...

Great tips! I love the jewelry idea- a bangle really can make a huge difference in the way you look and especially the way you feel!

I've moved!

http://wellladida.blogspot.com/

xoxo

Sara @ Domestically Challenged said...

Great tips! I love them all!

Unknown said...

Great post! And Kate has seen me in my "turnaround" finest.

I do try to make an effort when I have to go to school for an event. These are all great tips! Some of them are staples (the sunglasses paired with a pony most days) & others I definitly need to incorporate.

Do flip-flops count as good shoes? They are LL Bean.

After I finish with the house, maybe I'll take on MY appearance.

SarahHub said...

I use the sunglasses trick myself!

Kathy B! said...

AHA! I am a total devotee of number four! These are awesome tips. And I am guilty of the worn shoe thing... I'm going to have to review my habits and edit.

LOVED this post.

TF Girl said...

Oh my...Miss Fancy Pants...great tips & ideas...known to use the sunglass tip on occasion!

Unknown said...

I love these tips! My favorite is the beige pants :)

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