You know how life has a funny way, thank you Alanis, of chucking more and more stuff at you and the more you absorb the more it seems to throw at you? Until the point at which you can take no more and hit the gin? That.
And that feeling that you have maybe lost your way and don't know how to get back to the person you were. That too.
Lots of reasons, most way too boring for a blog post frankly, but all told I was feeling grey, dull, old and boring.
I have been incredibly busy so much so that I had hardly read a blog, let alone written a post and then one day recently I was bored and decided to have a look at some of my favourite blogs and found a really interesting, very well written, guest post on the lovely Grace's blog. The post is fascinating and it made me wonder if giving some thought to the colours I wear wouldn't be a bad idea. Like many overweight women in their mid-forties my idea of a great outfit is something that enables me to blend into the background and hides the fact that I can't seem to shift my obsession with eating bagels for breakfast and think that salt on Dairy Milk is a sound snacking proposition. (it is, seriously, try it). I loved the idea that Heather had filled her home and her life with the colours that instinctively she knew worked for her, but hadn't followed through and filled her wardrobe with those same colours. I even jokingly suggested that maybe I had done something similar with my gorgeous turquoise/teal bath towels.
Yesterday evening I was at an all time low and tweeted that I needed "stuff" something to make me feel happy and maybe what I needed was "colour". You know when you tweet and sort of hope that a couple of specific people will see your tweet and respond but don't want to be presumptious and tweet them direct and then they do and they reply and give you really incredibly good advice out of the goodness of their hearts? Isn't that a joy and aren't those people just wonderful? Queen of colour Helen responded to say she had some ideas and would be in touch and Grace also replied saying she had a feeling that I would be either a Bright or a Light Spring and sent me some useful links so that I could get some ideas what that actually means in real terms. As soon as I looked at the links and the colour suggestions Bright Spring seemed to feel right to me. The more I read the more I realised that much like Heather I had a lot of the colours I SHOULD have on me around me, but again hadn't made the leap of incorporating them into my wardrobe. Helen sent me an incredibly helpful email referring to blog posts of mine over the last couple of years, pointing out what she felt worked for me and, very honestly, what she felt didn't do me as many favours - it was surprisingly obvious when I looked back through the posts Helen had highlighted that when I wore the right colours I looked completely different to when I wore the wrong ones!
I decided this morning that I'd go all out and implement some of the suggestions made, rather than easing into this transition I decided to go straight for purple eye shadow. Weirdly I have never had a problem wearing the "right" colour lipstick, well apart from that brief moment when I decided that nude lips were fashionable and therefore I needed a nude lipstick. So enough witter, pics.
Purple eye shadow! And the bright beads that Helen had mentioned liking - trying to inject some life into a brand new grey top. Kicking myself about this as the same top was available in a lovely teal colour but I opted for nice "safe" grey!
And then just because I can I draped myself in my bath towel and took photos.
Ignore the facial expression, I always look like a loon in pics. What do you think of the colour? I have to say I'm rather loving it!
I know the light and the camera position is different and both are more flattering in the towel draped pic but overall I think my skin looks more glowing in the 2nd pic and the colours of the lipstick and eye shadow are brighter. I am off to the hairdressers tomorrow and I am going to have some low lights mixed in with my hightlights too, OH has agreed that I look younger with slightly darker hair.
I have a real fancy now for a teal coat, cobalt blue handbag and a pair of fuschia leather gloves for the Winter and I am defnitely going to purchase some more eye and lip colours so watch this space!
Love this post.. People are absolutely wonderful sometimes aren't they. I agree, the colours suit you and really bring you to life.... I wonder what I am? I don't think I'm ready for anything other than black!
ReplyDeleteHi Charlie, people really are! Thanks re the colours. I always think you look most fantastic with nice bright lipsticks, what that means in terms of your "season" I am not clever enough to say but the brights really work on your lips! x
DeleteLove that the colours I picked out from your photos match the Bright Spring suggestion from Grace. Totally independently.
ReplyDeleteHere's to a whole new you! xx
Thank you Helen for spending all that time trawling through my blog, very much appreciated and a clear indication that I am on the right track given that you and Grace both came up with the same thing! Daughter appeared wearing a teal scarf this morning - I let her keep it for today but when she gets in from work tonight its mine! x
DeleteYou look so comfortable and right in the turquoise towel. Your eyes and skin both look beautiful with it. Here's to colour! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you Grace and thank you for the linnks which have been invaluable in working out at least a rough idea of where I should be going! x
DeleteYes, I see it! All bright and happy! The colours we like and the colours that like us are so different. I like earthy colours and country tweedy things (think Clarissa Dickson as the gamekeeper in ABFab if you're aware) but I know mints and bright blues make me look alive. Sadly, apart from bath towels and jewelry, those colours in fashionabloe cuts are hard to find :)
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