Makeup or Make Believe?

It's been summer 'round these parts (in case you haven't noticed), and I spent a good deal of mine lusting after a beautiful Estsee Lauder compact with translucent pressed powder that would reduce the glistening state of my face (especially nose) during those hot afternoons. I could just see myself sweltering on the bus (do I even take the bus?) on my way to somewhere important (where?) and whipping out my gorgeous, sophisticated metallic compact to powder my nose in the most old-fashioned of senses. How chic! And much better than dabbing at my sweat with a napkin, am I right?

And then recently, without warning, I have found myself ogling radiance sprays, especially with Vitamin E (or hell- flecks of real gold!) to keep my skin dewy and glowing all day. I would glow! I would shine! How badly did I yearn for the ubiquitous Guerlain L'Or Radiance Concentrate? So badly!

But um... wait, what? How did both an anti-shine and a moisturizing spray, both for the face, end up on my beauty wish list?? Am I seriously oily when I wish I were dry, and dried out when I really want to be shimmering and damp? Am I so out of balance that a complicated system of sprays and powders and pulleys and a trap door are necessary to save my face? (On top of, let's be honest, my daily washing, toning, lotioning, concealing, and general makeuppery?)

I... have to believe that rather than being a flawed, greasy, scaley freak of nature, I have actually been cowed by beauty blogs (no offense!) and magazines (lookin' at YOU, Glamour!). I have been sucked into a paradoxical black hole of beauty contradictions, all in the vain (heh) effort to be PRETTIER. Lord knows I won't get that job promotion or hunky boyfriend without my tool belt of makeupical uppers and downers, right?? (Yeah, I went there, I made up a makeup word.)

I think that cross-checking beauty and fashion (and hell, grocery) lists is pretty good for the soul. Let's weed out the advertising and get down to the nitty-gritty of what we personally need to highlight our assets. I mean, come on, do I really need a bigger trash can AND more at-home storage devices? Do I really need Kashi GoLean cereal bars (fiber! on-the-go capacity!) AND soy sausage (sit down for more meals! more protein in the mornings!) on my shopping list? Extra tall riding boots AND those under-boot over-the-knee tights everyone's swooning over? I don't think so.

Make up (heh) your mind, Bard!

fashion: the disorder

I NEED to meet this girl. I think it would just make my life.

From Overheard in NY:


Trendy chick: I can't go to places like Forever 21 and Urban Outfitters 'cause they study and watch me on camera, ripping off my style.

--Bar, 14th St & Ave B


And she needs to really, really take herself seriously. Ah, sigh. Some people are better than fiction, my friends.

Latest for HerFabLife

Here's the latest Bard installment for HerFabLife!

Four Easy Steps to Your Cleanest Face
- How to keep your skin clear, youthful, and healthy.

A New Attitude

I just moved. Like half of the rest of the world did last week.

Before I packed, I had a powerful desire to purge my closet. Moving! A big change to a new state and job! What a great excuse!

I got rid of about 1/3 of my closet actually, between a trip to consignment (2 bags of clothes, 1 of accessories) and two trips to Goodwill (1 bag of clothes, 1 bag of accessories, and some nicer things not in season so consignment wouldn't take them, phooey). And damn, it feels good. Nice and light. Sure, I look at my startlingly small concentration of certain objects I used to have more of, such as tanks, and worry. But for the most part I haven't missed anything yet, and yes, it really does make it easier to get dressed every day. I couldn't recomment it more highly.

By the way, did I mention that I went from having an entire wall of closet space to having 1.5 closets in the whole apartment? Because I did. And when I signed for the apartment, it scared me. But everything fits! So I don't regret the purge.

Meanwhile, a tight budget and the thrill of feeling unburdened combine to keep me from shopping as much as I did in the past year. So why not take this opportunity to finally ACTUALLY follow the mantra of shopping less but shopping quality? I've been to the mall about 4 times in the past week for various reasons, and I haven't bought anything. I haven't even been tempted. I don't feel like my wardrobe is necessarily missing anything right now, and when it is missing something, I want to be able to reward myself with a quality and costly article of clothing to begin building my quality and sophisticated closet. It doesn't have to be December to start forming resolutions, right?

Besides, the local mall has kind of crappy stores. No offense, mall. We're on the same team. But if I actually shop smart from now on, I might want to reward myself with a drive to the farther, more upscale mall, and get some nice things.

Not only that, but I actually returned the last belted Alfani shirt that bought at Macy's. I got it home and it was fine, but it didn't thrill me and I wasn't excited to wear it immediately, so I thought I might as well return it. Let's save those 50 bucks for the $150 top I can't live without. And I should (hopefully!) be getting some money back from consignment to go into that pot as well.

And yes, this also goes for shoes. I'm enjoying the gold flats I got for $20 at TJ Maxx but I'm thinking -- how does this ownership make me happy compared to how some new flat riding-style boots I could be saving for would make me happy? No comparison, really. I do spend a good portion of my time each week scouring deals on affordable shoes. Not that there's anything wrong with affordable basic shoes if you like them and they aren't too cheaply made! Especially if you can afford to buy whatever you want, (yes that goes for buying low-cost items as well as high-cost!), and grab shoes on a whim because you can. But those aren't the special shoes I really want, and if I need to choose between 6 pairs of cheap flats just to have new shoes, or a really amazing pair of boots, I'll take the boots, please! ... I can kick this habit. I think I can, I think I can.

I see the light.

New for HerFabLife!

Here's the latest Bard article for HerFabLife!

Your Fall Wardrobe
- preparing your complete cooler-weather wardrobe