Have You Ever Accidentally Spent A Month Naked?

Don't Leave Home Without It!

I have another confession. Perhaps not as horrid as the pimple popping, but still garish enough, I spent an entire month naked. Yes, I retired myself from wearing makeup for a month. An entire month. As in, I didn’t wear a single product except for moisturizer. You might be thinking that this is slightly contradictory, as someone who, you know, loves the whole beauty/glam thing, especially makeup. I agree. This wasn’t a conscious decision. It wasn’t an experiment or anything like that. Merely a thing of circumstance. I was vaguely aware as each day went by that I hadn’t slapped the old face on, but I had gotten so caught up in a bunch of other things that time went flying by. It wasn’t until I was meant to be going out one night for a function that I broke out all the gear, did the math and was stunned to realize that a month had gone by. It’s kind of scary when you lose all that time. What’s more scary is realizing that you had survived not putting on your face. That being said, I wasn’t happy about it. It was an eye-opening experience for I had engaged in the behaviour that I myself rally against.

As an aside, I hadn’t given up completely. My hair remained being fussed over, pampered and copious hours devoted to it. Some things will never change. Psychologically speaking, with regards to the makeup debacle, I felt worn down, sluggish and fairly depressed about the whole thing. However, that night as I applied my fabulous Estee Lauder foundation and pulled out the stops with my eyes, making them pop like fireworks with silver and gold, my spirit lifted. I am now, more than ever, confident that we must definitely force ourselves, no matter what’s going on, to take the time to engage in these rituals. Since this revelation, I have been diligent in my makeup practices. It’s a slippery slope I realize. Similar to the year that I spent in yoga pants—an emotional disaster of epic proportions, but I won’t get into that just yet!

Keep Calm and Sparkle On

Summer 2011 I fell into obsession with “Teenage Dream” from OPI’s Katy Perry Collection (January 2011 release). What a super-sparkly bottle of lacquer-love! I wore it with everything. I couldn’t get enough of it! Now it’s nearly gone and that saddens me to no end.

It was that polish that triggered a cheeky little urge to collect a bunch of glitter polishes, but none ever compared to the extreme sparkle and awesome coverage that Teenage Dream provided. That was until I came across the Sally Hansen collection called Gem Crush this month at the pharmacy. After such dismay and disappointment of the past year with many high-priced polish brands, I was extremely hesitant to even bother. But, with Gem Crush, the colours were so vibrant and the glitter ratio appeared to be higher than that of the others. After long deliberation I said screw it, why not, and had my mum buy it for me (yes, I’m in my thirties, but she wanted to get me a present!) I chose “Big Money,” a lovely gold and silver glitter, “Lady Luck,” a magenta and silver glitter and “Blingtastic,” a gorgeous glittery ocean blue. 

The results? I’m thrilled to report these really do sparkle! I love seeing my nails in the sun. I think what made “Teenage Dream” so absolutely gorgeous in the first place, besides the sweet pink shade, was the fine grain of the glitter, which made for such a lovely application and maximum coverage. Gem Crush makes a fine addition to any polish collection. Are you ready to get your sparkle on?

Rainy Days and Mondays Never Get Me Down

How could anyone hate rainy days? Seriously. Yeah, the sun is nice and cheery, but with the rain comes the need for all sorts of awesome accessories that you look kind of funny with when the sun is shining! Take for instance the umbrella. Now there’s an underrated / unappreciated / under acknowledged gem of style. And we all need an umbrella. Well, I need about fifteen. Not because I break them, but because I am addicted to all the lovely fabrics, colours and patterns. If you think that’s ridiculous, realize that they also look eye-catching arranged in a stand in your hallway. They become functional art! And what about the Wellies (rain boots in case you think I’m mental)! Everywhere you look now there’s vivid, funky, bold Wellington boots just begging to be worn. They don’t need to be designer, or cost a fortune, they just need to make you smile!

Everything doesn’t have to be so serious all the time, you know? Why not have a little fun and splash around? Lastly, how many adorable raincoats are out there? Scads of them. Me, I picked up a Bianca Nygard anorak raincoat for Spring 2012 in the loveliest stone colour. I am enamoured with it because of all its fun details like buckles and poof sleeves. What about a red trench? Or a traditional yellow Mac jacket? So my message is this: when you look out your window to a dreary, rainy day, don’t get put off. Seize it as an opportunity to flaunt your style! Go bright! Go fun! Go outside!