Style: Hide-and-Seek

Took me an hour on each hand! But well, well worth it.

Coldwater Creek dress, thrifted vest, Merona shoes, self made floral headband.

Please Excuse The Mess

I'm trying to change the blog format, and though I've cleared all my customizations, backgrounds, etc., the blog appears the same to me as always. I don't know if that's true for the rest of you. If it isn't, Style And Graphite must have some strange colors going on; I'm trying to figure it out and fix it as quickly as possible. Please bear with me! :)

Makeup: Playing-Card Nails

I'm sorry I haven't posted: between school, work, and my brother and my schedules hardly crossing paths I haven't been able to take any photos! However I'm back with a quick blow-by-blow of today's manicure. It is complicated, certainly.

I started with a basecaot and two coats of Crabtree & Evelyn's Snowdrop nail polish. I am so impressed with the formula: before I bought I tested it over black polish to see how opaque it was. It covered completely! Also, it has a soft cast to it as opposed to a gray cast some whites have (OPI, I'm looking at you) which is very flattering.

Then, with my Sally Hansen Nail Art pen in Silver, I made vertical lines on all nails but my ring fingers.

Dipping a very fine-tipped brush in OPI's Bastille My Heart, I drew lines on my ring fingers (I messed this hand up a little), a heart on each index and a diamond on each pinkie.

Using the same brush and OPI's Black Cherry Chutney, I drew clubs on my thumbs and spades on my middle fingers. I thought briefly of spades on my ring fingers and birds/birdcages on my middle fingers but I do have a job and a sense of decency. :-P

Everything was finished with a OPI top coat.

For my first shot at this- although last week I played with background designs- I'm quite proud!

Style: Damask Corduroy Shirt

Last Saturday I went on a thrifting haul at Salvation Army- there's one at the same strip mall as my orthodontist. Bought an Ann Taylor black-and-white floral flared knee-length skirt perfect for summer, an American Apparel black handkerchief hem skirt, a Coldwater Creek grey damask-print corduroy button front, another grey utilitarian-style blouse, a grey striped thermal shirt, and a red tunic. All for $14!!! I love thrifting!

This shirt is great right now because it's freezing cold, literally, the dew drops are freezing on our cars every night. And this is an elegant alternative to flannel for an elegantly-minded person.

The new CC cord shirt in action, with a thrifted faux button-front skirt, vintage belt, Talbot's hose, and Merona shoes.

My tights sustained a massive run in the right calf today, sadly. The silver lining is that if I'm at home, I just change them. If I'm at work, I can buy another pair for less than $5.

I'm on a diet right now where I eat a set amount of an animal protein, vegetable, and fruit every day. I feel great and my skin looks incredible, pregnant-woman glowy. I've never seen it so flawless and smooth before. I'm not even wearing concealer anymore!

Me, wearing sunblock.

Last week I got caught looking and had to apply my eyeliner at a bus stop on the way to work, without any eyeshadow. I decided to get a little four-color palette for my purse in case of future forgetfulness, and I chose Relvon's 16HR in Siren because it has a shade set closest to what I use from my 144 color palette. I'm wearing it here and quite like it.
Revlon Lipstick in Cherries in the Snow on lips.

Style: Simple for Shopping

Bloody difficult to get a proper photo today- blustery winds whipped my skirt into all manner of peculiar, unflattering shapes...

Sunglasses, Sam's Club Kenneth Cole Reaction tee, thrifted skirt, Merona tights, shoes. New Revlon lipstick- Cherries in the Snow. A bright magenta-red. It's different for me, but I like it!