on the eyes: rusty red via Estée Lauder Stay-on Shadow Paint

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Right now I am all about burgundies, sepias, rusty reds and burnt oranges, particularly on my eyes (this is going to come up again soon, I suspect more than once). I have the support of basic color theory, too; red enhances green. A true, balanced red or anything on the pink spectrum can be difficult to work with*, but I think rusty colors like this would suit a lot of eye colors and skin tones. This is the color Cosmic, a great ruddy brown. More visible glitter than I was expecting–as a warning–but still lovely.

I’m still trying to find a gorgeous, true sepia. I don’t see many examples of this kind of shade from any brand (though NARS has a new one–Persia– that might do, but $$), especially not in a cream formula. Let me know if you have any suggestions.

*This difficulty is not insurmountable, though, and I don’t think rules [i.e. don’t wear red on the eyes, don’t mix brown with black (I love brown with black)] are particularly helpful in the context of style. In the words of a wise friend, “I do what I want.” [At least, when it is in my power.]

crafted: patched beanie

This generic stocking cap/beanie has been sitting in my closet for years, forgotten (why did I ever get it in the first place?), but I came across it on a bad hair day recently and what do you know, I like it. It has the effect [like baldness, or very short hair, or a swimming cap] of isolating and so throwing a spotlight on the face, which results in a whole new set of instincts about presentation. Namely, I want to wear unprecedented volumes of eyeliner.

After years of passively owning both the stocking cap and this cute little whale patch (which I think I got when I was 10 or so, and have somehow preserved all this time), I finally happened to think of them both in the same moment, gathered needle and thread (I sewed a thing!), and lo, a new and improved hat was born.

I inherited this thread from my great grandmother...
I inherited this thread from my great grandmother…

Theorize that part of me has the precise aesthetic appreciation of a little Korean girlchild*.

*Exhibit A: my current cellphone charm is a stuffed baby turtle:

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I want to wear it all the time now, provided eyeliner. And black eyeliner, too, which I almost never wear. Like so:

Urban Decay 24/7 liner in zero
Urban Decay 24/7 liner in zero

I like accessories like this; something slightly out of my normal style range that inspires me not to look like myself and to experiment with entirely new patterns. Thus expanding my range and allowing for still greater expansion.

The only thing is, once I put it on, I am committed. Can’t really take it off…disaster underneath. [This is the trouble with hats, for me. Also my head is kind of big?]

Still, satisfying to have raised a dormant object up into a state of usability.