Stuck in a rut

I hate to admit it, but I am stuck in a style rut.

I am not at all inspired to dress up; I blame this on my weight gain and my current job-less state.

I try to look at blogs to at least get inspired, but sometimes, I get even more discouraged seeing everyone wearing the exact same clothes as everyone else, with their floral pants and neon tees, and even the same Zara heels. 

I have got to get out of this style rut! The only upside is that I get to save money, which I really need to do right now anyway!

Mane Matters

I have got to have the most boring hair in the world. I have never done any perming or coloring, and I have kept my hair long in the past 7 years, because my husband likes it that way.

It's flat, it's straight, and it's black. Like I said, boring. Everyone tells me not to tamper with it, but it's really dull!

Have been entertaining thoughts of curling it. I want soft, loose, waves, but not ringlets! I get scared thinking about what can happen if I go to the wrong salon, considering the price of these services...

No, no, no! Too tight, looks frizzy and dry. Just no!

Aside from this, if I have my hair curled, I might still have to resort to styling it (setting it in rollers) to get the big curls I want even after I get it permed, and that's another worry of mine because if it's still not obvious, I'm pretty lazy when it comes to these things.

I had my hair curled before for a wedding way back in December 2009, and it was fantastic (at least for me)! I wanted hair like that for everyday! Bouncy curls are the best! Ever since, I've been dreaming of the perfect head of lively, wavy hair from when I wake up in the morning until I sleep at night, and not just for a couple of hours.

There are already a couple of salons with services I'm considering, including one Korean salon, simply because Korean ladies have the best curls around.

If I don't curl my hair, I might have it colored instead! Just a subtle dark brown. I have no idea if I can call what I want to have done highlights or if it's all-over color, because as I mentioned in a previous post, I am a total idiot when it comes to hair and make up. I'll just have to show the photos below to the stylist, if ever.

This photo pretty much represents everything I want my hair to be!!! Love!!!

I just ache when I think about how much it'll probably cost me to have my hair colored + permed. Sigh.

This seems to be lighter, but so pretty! It might be cos of her light eye color, too.

I want it so bad, but I'm sooo scared!!! Not to mention on a budget. :(

Effortless Beauty

Can I just say I am blown away by Emily Weiss of Into the Gloss? She is such a natural beauty! And her make-up is always fresh and dewy, just the way I like it.

Check out this video where she puts on her make-up for one day of fashion week. Being such an idiot when it comes to make-up (before 2011, I was stuck to a routine I was used to doing since I was in 7th grade), I adore ladies who are so confident with it. I can watch this about fifty times over and over and never tire of it! I spy a new step in my routine for dummies: her contouring technique, I must try that!

I also love that she enumerated all the products she used in the video, check it out here.

Spotlight: Lauren Remington Platt

I first noticed Ms. Remington Platt from a few beautiful photos shot from the recent New York Fashion Week. 

I was taken aback with the way she paired an all-black ensemble with matching old rose accents -- belt and coat, glorious! Plus that silver knotted necklace for additional detail is perfect.

At St. John's

Have always loved different neutrals together, always so unexpected and elegant.

After Jason Wu

White, camel, and black, always goooood! And I absolutely adore the proportions of a short dress with a longer coat.

At Calvin Klein 

I am not a fan of uber-trendy dressers. Don't get me wrong, Taylor Tomasi Hill is one hell of a dresser, but I personally prefer cleaner lines and polished looks. That said, I love the way Lauren Remington Platt puts her clothes together without looking boring. She mixes colors unexpectedly, is so consistently well-dressed with perfect hair and make-up, plus she can switch it up from professional to sexy without losing the elegance factor. That, for me, is the perfect formula for personal style. 

I also noticed that she sticks to her pumps and peeptoes and rarely wears trendy shoes, which I prefer too! I think pumps are a godsend and can go with ANY outfit, whether it be for day or evening.

So anyway, I thought, hmm, another socialite, perhaps? I have never heard of her, and when I found out what her name was, it sounded perfectly high society.

According to Vanity Fair, she used to be financial analyst for a hedge fund and a strategist for a fashion company back in 2010. But more recent articles I found, specifically one from Into the Gloss, has revealed that she is now owner of Vensette, which in her own words is "for women on the go, and we offer professional hair and makeup in under 90 minutes--we come to you, in a uniform, with the best products available." That is genius!!! I wish we had the same services here in Manila, because having hair and make-up services can be so expensive, and not to mention hit-or-miss! 

Earlier photos I saw when I googled her showed her in Paris Hilton-esque outfits (I read she's an heiress too, after all), but the more recent ones showcase a more grown-up and sophisticated style. I can't believe we are just the same age though, she dresses so well! 

Daywear: Polished and Refined

 

  

Cocktails: Statements in Dresses and Separates

Eveningwear: Color, Color, Color!

Certainly someone to watch out for this 2012!

Photo sources: one.two.three.four.five.six.seven.eight.nine.ten

eleven.twelve.thirteen.fourteen.fifteen.sixteen.seventeen.

Monochrome

One of the biggest spill-over trends of 2011 (even of 2010) into 2012 is colorblocking. You must have, at least once, colorblocked in the last 12 months!

But for me, monochromatic outfits are actually much more chic! I mean, yes, all-black is always good. In my previous company, where I worked for more than 3 years, we had a black-and-white dress code, and I did all-black almost everyday, because as you've heard a million times, all-black is never wrong and is easy to pull off. And I've done all-white/ivory and all-gray about fifty times. Now, it's a totally different ball game, my friends. I'm talking about head-to-toe yellow! Red! Green! Orange! Pink! And in separates, okay, because dresses and jumpsuits are too easy.

All photos from style.com. From top to bottom, clockwise: 

Celine, J. Crew, Jenni Kayne, Giambattista Valli, Jenni Kayne, J. Crew, Christian Siriano, Jenni Kayne, 

Tibi, J. Crew, J, Crew, Willow, Vanessa Bruno, Jenni Kayne, No21, Jenni Kayne.

In reality though, it's a little difficult to pull off. Although it's easy to wear a blue shirt with blue trousers, there are certain shades per color that really work with each other, and there are shades that don't. 

That's not even my main setback! Unfortunately, I have a closet full of neutrals, predominantly black, white, gray. It's always been my preference, and working for said company did not help me break it off with neutrals. Add a smattering of camel and ivory. A bit of blue and red. A piece of orange and purple. The only color I've been able to wear is head-to-toe blue, because I have a few pieces, but I'd love to do all-red and all-yellow...what a challenge!

Leaving you with a few stylish ladies who have successfully (and I mean really successful, where the whole outfit works and they do not look ridiculous nor do they resemble a Muppet) taken this trend to the streets.

All pink in Australia

All red in Russia courtesy of Miroslava Duma 

(I couldn't bear to cut off Elena and Vika)

Orange in Australia

(I looooove Viviana's style)

Green in Milan

All blue in Paris

Current Obsession: Mixed Metals

I used to be a silver jewelry type of girl: I felt anyone who used gold was outdated. Please understand that this was back in the early 2000s, when everybody who was somebody wore those ubiquitous Tiffany&Co necklaces and charm bracelets.

And then in the mid 2000s, when our girl Rachel Zoe turned young Hollywood into her own Zoe-bots, gold returned with a vengeance! My silver jewelry was neglected, and I was suddenly buying everything gold. Silver was out, and gold was the color to wear, in the form of long pendant necklaces and snake rings.

Going through photos on tumblr (check out my tumblr account!) made me more open to mixing metal jewelry, bangles in particular. Blame it on The Man Repeller, too! Although I'm not the biggest fan of arm parties, I love the look of thin bangles and bracelets stacked on the wrist, regardless of the color. Rose gold is fast gaining popularity, too!

I actually just bought a Love Bracelet-inspired set from a trip to Korea a few weeks ago! I was going to give the others as a gift, but decided to keep all three colors to myself! Selfish, I know, but they were just lovely! And just the other day I was able to score another set from the trusty 168 Mall for a bargain, all of which I've been stacking with one Love Bracelet-ish bangle, whatever color I feel like wearing with my outfit. 

As general rules for when I'm arm stacking, I either keep all pieces feminine and delicate, or anchor the look on one major piece -- maybe a watch or a statement cuff -- and accent with thinner bangles. As I mentioned, I'm not too fond of the full-on arm party, maybe just an intimate arm get-together?

One of my daily inspirations -- or should I say daily lusts!

The wavy bracelets I got are the same as the gold one above, I just realized!

All images from tumblr

 I used to think it was a fashion faux-pas, but now I think wearing mixed metal jewelry is so modern and chic!

Reunited

I've been wrestling with the idea of blogging (as in actual writing + picture posting) since I left work last January. Looking for work is not exactly a priority right now, and I have so much spare time that I can use for other things, but I always go back and think about blogging.

And so here I am. Hopefully I can manage to do this long-term!