Get out of your own way!...

You know, it is so easy to make things hard for ourselves. I realized this the other day when I riffled yet again through my too-small basket of makeup, set aside the bronzer I am NOT using any more to find the one I AM using. Repeated this with mascara and blush. What a waste of time and effort! I’m not ready to throw out the old makeup but I will probably never wear it again. So I put it in an old makeup bag under the sink and one day soon will find a new home, but in the meantime, now I have only the makeup I actually wear every day out on the counter.

Makeup made easy

Time per day gained? Probably just a couple minutes at most. The chance to get myself ready every morning without clenching my teeth in frustration? Priceless!

Here are two other ways to make easier to look great:

Plan your day. Take a moment to run through the various activities your day will bring. You may want to tuck a collapsible tote into your bag or a more dangly pair of earrings or a wrap.

Add beauty and tranquility to your morning routine. After you’ve gotten rid of that dried-out crusty old mascara and the crumbled blush, put the ones you use in a pretty pouch or on a tray in the order you use them in.

And one day when you have more time, I beg you — take an hour (or, okay, two) to reorganize your closet. That evening gown in a dry cleaning bag right in the middle of the closet? Move it somewhere else! Put your best, most stylish pieces front and center and wear them. Grandpa’s silk smoking jacket, that evening gown, your off-season top, and those empty dry-cleaning bags — get them out! You’ll thank me, I promise.

(Oh, and take one more minute and subscribe to this blog!)

Size isn’t everything, and other w...

I’ve been preaching the gospel of purge, purge purge to clients recently and even tried to put my own philosophy into practice.

So far, so good, right?

Right.

But then I opened my closet one day and realized I didn’t have a whole lot to choose from. (I still prefer that to a closet full of stuff I don’t like or that doesn’t fit.) So in the last week, I’ve been hitting the stores in a long-overdue restocking. My budget reflects the current economy, but that doesn’t mean I can’t get a few things to freshen up my look this fall. Anyway, after spending close to a full day shopping for myself over the past week, and logging equal time for clients, here’s what I’ve concluded.

1. Size really doesn’t matter! My bras were looking a little tired, so I started in the lingerie department. No one ran to help fit me, so I was on my own (in a mall chain store). I decided to go up a size, even though I didn’t think I’d  changed much. Lo and behold, a much better and more comfortable fit.

Takeaway: Don’t stick with that size 36B when you may really be a 38C. You too will look and feel better in a bra that fits!

2. Color DOES matter. I saw a cute apple green fine cord jacket on a mannequin and asked where it was. Sold out, the salesperson told me, and showed me to another cute jacket, this one in a midnight purple-blue, a lovely color. And by that point I was thinking about all the things I could do with a corduroy jacket. But that blue was just wrong, wrong, wrong for me — it would have made me look sick and tired — so I passed. (The green, which is perfect for my reddish hair and freckles, turned up in the back room, and I pounced.)

Takeaway: Identify the colors that make you look younger, happier and more wide awake, and then wear them! (Not slavishly, but most often.) (And lest you wonder what you’d ever wear an apple green cord jacket with — what CAN’T I wear it with? I’m thinking brown slacks and an orange and ivory bold flowered tunic, with the tunic longer than the jacket. A more subdued look would be the brown slacks with a brown or ivory tank or T-shirt. Really, the possibilities are endless!)

3. Pickiness is a virtue. As with the jackets, there were other things I liked in the store but didn’t love. Those are the things, I’ve learned the hard way, that I wear once or twice and then pass over every morning in favor of something I do love. With a small closet and a small budget, I am trying really hard to pass them over before I’ve bought them!

Takeaway: Approach stores with a discriminating eye, and if you have to think too hard about it, you probably should pass. (Well, unless you tend to be supercautious, that is — in which case, I recommend trying on a TON of stuff with an open mind. You may well be surprised at what you discover you like!)

4. Identify what makes you feel great. I’d really let my lingerie go, and it was definitely time for some cute, new matching lingerie. It just makes me feel better. I want to try to remember, when I’m shopping, what does (and doesn’t) make me feel great, and not get distracted by beguiling displays that having nothing to do with the priorities on my shopping list.

Takeaway: Think about make a small investment to get your wardrobe stocked with the things you love (and return the sentiment!). What makes YOU feel great? Do you have it in your closet and do you wear it regularly? If not, what’s stopping you?

5. Update your jeans. I’d been living my life fairly happily and then — wham! — I decided my jeans were a little dated looking. One pair had somehow become just too darn short. Another was in a wash that wasn’t looking current. The last of today’s purchases: a new pair of flared jeans in a dark wash. I’ll be wearing them into the ground.

Takeaway: Update your jeans at least every two years. No arguments, no exceptions. (And no, it doesn’t mean a complete purge every two years, just that you’ll need to add a fresh pair into the mix.)

I want to hear what you’ve been doing and noticing as you shop this season. Are you changing how you approach new purchases? Being more — or less — discriminating? I’d love to hear about it!

Color me pretty: Michelle Obama in Copen...

Here, finally, is Michelle Obama looking as fabulous and beautiful as she can. The crucial element is the sharp golden color of her dress, which suits her warm skin tones perfectly. The high neckline looks good on her (as it wouldn’t if she were a little more top heavy) and the full skirt reflects and complements her pear shape. The brooches at the neckline shine light on her face. It’s just gorgeous. Want proof? Contrast this look with with what she wore earlier in the day — wrong colors, wrong shape. Sure, she still looks better than most of us can ever hope to look, but she doesn’t look her very, absolute best.

I’ve been thinking about color a lot recentlyand am planning to get certified in color analysis in the near future. After seeing this dress on Mrs. O, I’m feeling even more committed — and I may just go weed out the “wrong” colors tonight from my closet!