Happy Spring Equinox, my Loves! I know you think this means that Winter is over and we can look forward to birds singing, and flowers blooming, and even weird Rain-wear, but what this actually means is that the count down to SUMMER is on!!! Can you read how excited I am?! 😁
I love that it is getting warmer and the days are longer and the air smells fresher. Sunshine helps with Zoom-filled days and makes me want to dress up my whole body and not just the virtually seen parts, especially now that going outside is more of a possibility.
I decided to be a little more intentional for this post and check out some of the Fashion trends predicted for the Spring/Summer 2021 season. Then Jilly, Bless her heart, sent me a link of an idea I used for inspiration to make them my own. A woman had chosen to use monochromatic schemes to showcase her new lippy collection. How cool!
Many fashion designers have taken into consideration that we are still in a pandemic and dressing for an occasion, any occasion is not what it used to be. It needs to deliver on comfort and style. It needs to be versatile and moldable so that beautiful curvy women like me can make it our own. There were monochromatic styles and a lot of incorporated loungewear. Isn’t this what we’ve always wanted fashion to be…stylish and comfortable?! Thank you God! Thankfully, two of my besties are also fashion designers. I asked one for her say on the idea of this fun back yard shoot and the other, Cherith Burke of Cherith B. Designs, I told would be featured for one of the looks here on this week’s blog post. Last year Cherith partnered with Hair stylist and owner of Hill Studio, Allison Griffith to create Restore Lounge Lear. Allison uses her studio and her influence to encourage Black women to embrace and participate in various Wellness practices and events. Because my schedule is usually bananas (outside of a pandemic), I try to support however I can. This past year I was able to support the Restore initiative by purchasing at least one thing from all of the collections. They are so comfortable and without any restrictive parts like a button or a zipper, I can slip in and out of any of the pieces easily. This has also been an added bonus since my size has shifted in good and not so good ways during the many lockdowns we’ve had here in Toronto. Check out their websites: https://www.cherithbdesigns.com https://www.hillstudioto.com/restore-1
Coral me:
This coral 2-piece is one of my favourites and is slightly too big for me…YAY! But I’ll take it anytime. I paired it here with a combination of liquid lipsticks. I used Anastasia’s Kathryn and Maybelline Super Stay Matte Ink in Self-starter. The perfect match for this outfit and it was so long lasting that my after-shoot Tuna sandwich didn’t stand a chance (but that was last week’s post). These colours seem to shine during this time of year. The not-quite orange-wannabe-pink-or-red shade still stands out without stealing the show. I even used it and a lower lid liner, what great fun lip wear can be! And even on a rainy Spring day, this colour palette will have just enough punch to brighten up the day.
Yellow:
Next I continued the monochromatic look that was inspired by the lipstick first. I looked at it and thought to myself, “you wore this for the holidays. Will this work?” And let me tell you, it absolutely works. I was giving myself some 80’s and 90’s vibes with this outfit. The top and bottom are both from BananaRepublic and were bought on separate trips in 2019, so yay me! I paired The LipBar’s Everything with this mellow mustard yellow outfit which happened to match my lips perfectly thanks to my natural undertones. This lipstick is so smooth and wearing it is so easy, but adding it to this look was so much fun. Yellow just screams Sunshine, so why not let my body say yellow!
Purple, but call me Lilac!
This one needs no introduction, but alas I will give it a try. I’ve mentioned it before and even in the Winter months, I thought of Easter when I first opened it. It is the perfect shade of a lilac easter-type-of-pastel purple. I thought of me going to church during the Easter season and how appreciative I am for everything Jesus did for me, so I got dressed up for church. I got dressed up because I haven’t done that in a while. I got dressed up because we’ve been inside for a really long time. I got dressed up because I’m still here and this is something to be grateful for. Still keeping it comfortable I went for Pat McGrath’s MatteTrance Faux Pas and paired it with a white t-shirt and a full a-line skirt with all sorts of pastel blues and lilacs in it. The green headband just reminded me of the blooms and the earth. I’m loving this comfy outfit and this purple pop on my lips. The Mothership and Pat McGrath can do no wrong when it comes to lipstick in my opinion.
Orange Only
The Bite Beauty Lab has a colour I fell in love with the first time I visited the place. It’s a fun colour because it goes on the eyes, lips, and cheeks…naturally I use it for my lips. It is matte and creamy at the same time and is orange and tangerine with peach tones all rolled into one beauty called Praline. I always love it. Orange is my favourite colour, so I used it to create a messy combo by placing it on top of my custom colour also by Bite Lab in Orange You Ready? I paired this very Spring combo with a soft denim jumpsuit. The whole look is easy and fun and the oranges pop just enough to compliment the blue in the suit. Talk about style and leisure.
Nude please:
Juvia’s Place has made my favourite nude. I wear it often. It is very pigmented and is the right shade of nude for solo wear or combinations. Because of its opaque and creamy texture, it pairs well with just about any colour or texture. Libra is paired here with a black shirt and the only nude skirt I could find. And even though the skirt is the colour of bones, the scarf my bestie Vanessa gave me and my skin tones (the same ones longing for Summer sun) seem to be a great canvas for Libra to shine while contributing to the whole outfit. Nude (for lip wear) is always a good idea.
You know as I look over this short concise list, I realize that this Spring is really about us: You and me! Wear the monochromatic thing if you want to, because that could be cute or wear the jumpsuit. Pick the t-shirt to go with the PJ bottoms or the church skirt. Pick the lipstick that makes you happy and use it first and foremost to compliment who you are and let it inspire your outfit and maybe even your day. Imagine that, dressing from the lips down! Listen, even when I have an ugly day, I plan it. Not a big strategic thing, more of a settling in my spirit that there will be minimal effort today, but plan I do. I do it on purpose because whatever I wear, even if it’s just the lipstick that get’s added to my person today I wear it like I mean it. Jump into Spring time with me and mean it in any shade and any palette, monochromatic and otherwise. I’ll see you next week…Summer colours are loading…
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