My current look in three words? Casual, simple, and comfortable.
Now that quarantine has a tentative end date (or month… September), I’ve been going out more in the past few weeks. When I say “out more,” I mean just straight up leaving the house for reasons other than exercising and the grocery store. As such, my massive sweatpants and birds’ nest hair just don’t cut it anymore!
To be fair: I do think that fashion is leaning towards a more simplistic aesthetic. Athleisure was already part of the mainstream prior to the pandemic, and the third-wave feminist movement was staunchly in favor of going braless! Now that we’ve all spent a year indoors, without necessarily feeling the need to put on all kinds of glam and neato underwear, I think that the 2020s will roar with a cry of self-expression in a capacity outside of fashion.
With that in mind, I’ve been taking my own personal presentation to more minimalistic measures. As I’ve mentioned previously, I was never one for massive makeup looks or overly elaborate fashion personally. I think that my more demure presence makes me seem more approachable, and thereby even more worthy of a double take when I do actually throw on some contour and a bright red lip (“though this be madness, surely there’s method in’t”– Polonius, Hamlet).
I have made SOME personal changes… did I mention yet that I’ve dyed my hair? It’s true! Last month I took the plunge and got a balayage. My hair is still mostly brunette, but it’s splashed throughout with bits of blonde! My inspiration? Madison Beer. I’ve also returned to a look that I dabbled in several years ago, stylewise. Something old, something new… I also bought eyeliner for special occasions that’s royal blue? I had to do the rhyme.
Here’s a more in-depth analysis!
Makeup
Now that my skin is in such a good shape, I don’t feel particularly called to wear foundation every single day. That said, when things do look a little uneven (or, if I just look sleepy), I put on my new Tarte tinted moisturizer! It’s so light and it’s perfectly my shade. It looks like I’m wearing nothing at all. About a month ago, I found this TikTok of a makeup look inspired by Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennet in “Pride and Prejudice.” Here’s a fact about all women: we may have self-confidence, and love who we are, but we all wish we were Keira Knightley in “Pride and Prejudice.” I promise you, it is a truth universally acknowledged. I’ve been following this makeup look when I’ve needed to leave the house, and it truly makes me look effortlessly, naturally pretty. It also takes at most ten minutes. That’s what I’ve been after this whole time, really: the perfect face of makeup in no time at all.
Hair
The blonde hair has really enforced that desire to have healthier hair! Once a week, I have to apply a purple shampoo and a hair mask. In addition, several months ago, both my mom and my best friend told me about the latest hairstyle tool: the blow dry brush. You know how when you get a blowout, the stylist brushes your hair with a round brush while simultaneously blow-drying your hair? This tool is a blow dryer in the shape of a round brush! Less hands needed for a perfect at-home blowout.
Granted, I trust my stylist to do my hair better, but when I’m meeting people for dinner, I break out the blow-dry brush (and like, ten jaw clips to section my hair). Boom! Twenty minutes at most and my hair looks like I emerged from a salon.
All else fails, I like a good baseball cap these days, too! I used to really like putting on a hat and tying an all-black look together with a bright red lip, a la Gabbie Hanna. However, I stopped doing that look because while it looked cute on her, I was scared that I looked like a greaseball, or Phillip Seymour Hoffman in “Twister” (RIP, you legend). Nowadays, I feel more comfortable in this kind of sporty look!
Style
Speaking of sporty, I don’t know when it happened (perhaps it was my senior year of college?), but at some point, I decided that sneakers were my new way of life. I love a good pair of stylish tennis shoes. Solid black Nike sneakers for workouts? Yes. Rose gold Nike sneakers for a pop of COLOR during a workout? Check. Stan Smiths? Yup. White-and-black Adidas? Check. White high-top Converse? You know it. Khloe Kardashian has an entire wall dedicated to sneakers in her closet. I would like that sneaker wall. I would also like her glass jars filled with Oreos.
I’ll pair a pair (hey!) of sneakers with a high-rise jeans (that typically fall above my ankles) and a mid-riff level crop top tee shirt. That’s just enough for my lil’ tummy to say hello, but not enough for a blorched-out belly to say “What’s up, I’m sloppy!” If I’m feeling like accessorizing, I’m relying more on small gold necklaces or big hoops. That’s when my hair goes up in a proper bun, giving my ears a chance to shine!
Considering I’m not working in an office these days, my current look reflects a more laid-back individual. My hair is the one thing that requires the majority of my focus, because it doesn’t always LOVE to cooperate. That works in my favor, however, since my makeup look and style choices are so simple. My current look doesn’t require a lot of effort on my part, and I always look cute, presentable, and approachable! For now, this is what I find best for me. Based on current patterns, I don’t see me going full glam daily any time soon!
That said, to all the women who missed getting dressed up to go to dinner and clubbing, and will therefore put on false lashes and high heels to go to CVS: I salute, honor, and respect you. Godspeed, goddesses.