Good times at the beach

While, like I said earlier, this outfit was definitely not intended to be worn at the beach, I'm still pleased with how it looked, and I'm loving how my waterside pictures turned out!
This is Richmond Beach in Shoreline, WA... one of our lovelier beaches... and my "casual wear for a sort of warm/sort of not day"



So, I'm sure by now you're familiar with my usual outfit details... cami is Vol. 1, skinny jeans are jolt (these ones have some great zipper detail on the ankles that is unfortunately covered by my boots)
The sweater is Mossimo, from Target. I'm a huge fan of cardigans. All mine are short sleeved, which has a tendency to get useless, but they layer so nicely, and they never go out of style
Just checked the brand name on my boots for the first time, and was both surprised and pleased to find out they were Børn. I got them at Nordstrom rack for about $90, and they're lovely, comfortable, AND real leather. Best find ever, and I finally understand why they're so comfy (I use the same brand for my work shoes, which aren't particularly cute, and had never bothered to think of them as much of a stylish brand)
I had to show off the detail on my lovely sunglasses, from Brighton... I got them for free with airline miles through a special gift shop United Air had set up for a limited time. I absolutely adore them, and the fact that there's a little something extra to them

And now, I'd like to introduce you to the girls who have volunteered to model for this blog...
The beautiful Lara, who, while convinced she has no sense of fashion whatsoever, always manages to look cute:


And Megan, who is always dressed adorably, and was super excited to be a part of this blog:

A non-update sort of update

Wow! A few days off, but totally unintentional. I've been swamped with work and friends, but I've got some pictures from a great day at the beach and the super awesome un-beach like outfit I wore (no one warned me what the plan was in advance), and also some other posts coming up soon.
No, I haven't forgotten about my blog yet!

A poorly lit (and slightly belated) guide to my makeup

So, I try to go for basic but pretty every day. On all but the most special of occasions, I totally skip lip gloss/lipstick (except in the winter or when I've been sick, when my lips get so chapped I HAVE to go for moisturizing lipstick... I'm allergic to lip balm)
I definitely don't do eyeliner
And I find a coverstick right on blemishes, plus basic powder foundation is less pore clogging and more natural looking than caking on the creme foundation.
So, here's your step by step guide to how I get my daily looks, in annoyingly poor lighting

First, I dab a CoverGirl coverup stick over any annoying spots that don't seem to be controllable... I believe the shade I use is "Light"


Second, powder foundation (fantastic trick once taught to me by a beautician at Gene Juarez... if you're using powder or cream to powder, you can put a base coat of it on your eyes as well, and it actually makes it easier for your eyeshadow to stick to your skin/show up vibrantly)... my color is Buff Beige


Here is my eyeshadow palette of the day... I'm working with the burgundy, the silver, and the off white... if I get a palette with 4 colors, I almost always skip the darkest... my skin is just too light to use black as an actual eyeshadow color (I honestly can't remember the name of this color palette, but I think it has the word drama in the name...)


So, while I do frequently vary my color schemes, mix various palettes together, and don't always layer my eyeshadow, the following steps are the easiest way for me to get ready when I want great eyes but don't have time to put much thought into it.
I start with a base coat of the darkest color I'm going to use, beneath the crease of my eyelid


Over that, I do a coat of the middle color from the palette


And finally, above the crease, I fill it in with the very lightest color in the palette. This is a little trick I picked up on in Japan, from my host sister. No one really explained the reason to me, but my guess from my own experience is that it tends to make eyeshadow look a lot brighter, and make eyes look wider and more alert


Top it all off with mascara, and I'm good to go (as previously stated, my color is black emerald)



The finished result? Me with a stupid face... (I just can't seem to make good faces when I take pictures of myself)


Some common variations include:
Different color palettes, same layering technique
Using just one color beneath the crease
Putting an actual color above the crease (but ALWAYS keep it super pale, or it'll make your eyes look heavy)
Loose powder eyeshadow
Mixing colors from different palettes, or using palettes + loose powder
Mixing lighter loose powder colors with a lot of water to make a sort of "glaze" which I'll put over the whole eyelid for a glimmery effect (I have a color called "Puget Pearl" which is by no means gold, but more of a super glittery beige that works so wonderfully for this trick)
Using an all black mascara
Using one VERY bright eyeshadow beneath the crease and skipping the upper crease (very rarely do I do this)
Using just mascara, no other eye makeup (this is my usual for work... I don't like to fuss a lot about getting ready for work, but I do like drawing attention to my eyes, and glamorous lashes are always a sure way to do that)

Any questions about makeup? Send 'em my way!

A day of indecisiveness

So, when I started out today, the outfit was this (and I apologize, because I'm being my own camera person again today... my camera does not have self timer on it, so I have to set it up, then jump back before the flash goes off, hence the usually stupid faces):

Shirt from Target, but originally from my sister, so not available anymore, and I don't know the cost
Tank top obviously Vol. 1 from Nordstrom Rack
Jeans are Jolt, from Nordstrom Rack for about $25... I'm in love with Jolt because, well... I'm short... their jeans run short... I'm annoyingly curvy... their jeans run wide enough through the hips that I can still wear a size 5 with them. I recommend them to anyone who wants good skinny jeans but just doesn't feel tall and "skinny" enough for what's usually available. I own 4 pairs of Jolt jeans, which will be featured regularly throughout my blog, as they are definitely my favorite pairs
Scarf is from Target, about $15... they don't have that particular color scheme this summer (bought it last year), but the pattern/weave style is still available in new colors
I also originally had these earrings on:


But, unfortunately, it was one of those days where I realized my shirt needed to go in the wash (yikes! I hate when that happens...), so I did a quick change in shirts and jewelry:



The black shirt is Soprano. You can find their blouses at Nordstrom AND Nordstrom Rack... I definitely prefer prices at the Rack, I think this one was $20... I love the beading detail, and if I dress it up just right, I can even give it a slight Victorian sort of look.
Just another one of my many Vol. 1 camis.
The earrings were a Christmas gift a few years back, and the necklace was a Christmas gift this past year from my lovely boyfriend (doesn't he have good taste?)

And finally, the shoes of the day:

They're Predictions from Payless... can't remember the price, but given the store, you can assume somewhere between $20-$30. I absolutely LOVE these shoes. They're my go to pumps for every occasion. I'm way too detail oriented to ever just wear plain ol' solid color pumps with nothing to them, so these are exactly my kind of shoe. High enough, but not too high, the right color to go with my entire wardrobe, and beautiful details that make them worth my money.

Makeup is, as usual, CoverGirl (I swear, if my blog ever gets popular they should start sending me freebies for how much I advertise their sheer awesomeness ^_^), and I'll be posting a blog later about how I do my eye makeup (unfortunately, there was horrible lighting, so one of these days, I'm going to get a friend to do the camera work while I do my makeup tutorial), and the hair was achieved by relentlessly squeezing my hair out as soon as I washed it up until it was too dry to squeeze any more water out. I lightly straightened my bangs and teased my damp hair with just my fingers... just trying to go for a very natural, just rolled out of bed look, without letting anyone see the absolute fright that is my hair post shower. But still, no product, minimal straightening... that's as natural as I ever get!

What I'm Wearing Today

Hey! I am definitely working on trying to get the other features up and running, but for now, this one is all that I've had time to work on (it's insanely hot in Seattle, and I count "trying to enjoy the one week of summer we might get" as "too busy to work on my blog").
I do have a couple friends on board who are super excited to be models for some of my posts, and also have fashion ideas of their own (correction: one super excited friend, one who continually tells me she has no sense of fashion while frowning stubbornly at me)

So, here's today's outfit!

The dress is Kensie, and one of the few expensive pieces I own... $90 for a birthday dress! But, I wear it all the time, and I love how it looks, so I consider it money well spent.
The cami is Vol. 1, and they're always available in an ever rotating color selection from Nordstrom Rack for $12.97... they're my wardrobe staple, and I think I currently have about 7 different colored ones.
The shoes are Montego Bay Club (so clearly from Payless), and cost me around $20... they're pretty comfy for wedge sandals, and considering I just about live in heels during the summer (I have knee problems that make flats without arch support unbearable for me), I need heels that at least have a little bit of a comfort factor.
The necklace was found by my parents at a street fair in a small town in Oregon, and features a gold foil leave design behind glass. I love it because it's simple and flashy all at once. The earrings are from Fuego... kind of hard to see, I know... black chandelier earrings which go with everything. My rings are from everywhere... I collect silver/silver-tone rings, pretty much. On my left hand is a snake from Wet Seal, and on my right hand is a big ol' silver ring from Target that I once broke my nose with, and a tiny silver band with a pink fake gemstone that I stole from my sister's room after she moved out.
The makeup is, I know, also kind of hard to see. I skipped lip gloss today (as I do on most days), and just have my powder, my usual emerald black mascara, ZuZu gold eyeshadow, and above the crease, a cream/off-white color I found at Victoria's Secret for 75 cents on sale.

What I'm Wearing Today

I sincerely apologize for the quality of these pictures... ordinarily, I do not condone taking pictures of oneself in the style of social networking sites, but I'm home alone, and I wanted to make this an "early in the day" feature. As I'm going clothes shopping with a friend later, I'll be taking my camera and hopefully getting some fashion inspired shots, including another shot of today's outfit, full body, taken by someone else...
But, here we go!






I found the shirt at Nordstrom Rack for I think 12 bucks. I know visible bra straps went out of style about 10 years ago, but I figure if they're at least a decent color, I shouldn't have to be forced to not wear tank tops just because I'm too busty to wear a strapless.
The skirt is from Target, and definitely my favorite find of the summer so far. I usually have a really tough time finding skirts that I think are a decent shape for my body, but this one makes me feel fantastic, and it was only $22.
The hairpiece is a combination of a plain ol' headband (whatever anyone says, I will always, always, ALWAYS continue to wear headbands... they're lifesavers when you have big hair), and a flower clip that I could never get to stay in place if I just put it straight into my hair. The headband solves that problem.
I scrunched my hair with gel when wet (Giovanni brand hair gel) to get the frizz out and make my waves look nicer, and straightened my bangs once they were dry (my daily look... sometimes I straighten everything, but usually it just takes too much time, and I can't stand the way my bangs frame my face if I leave them wavy).
The makeup is almost all Cover Girl (I'm obsessed with them... best cheap makeup ever), except the lip gloss, which was a Christmas present. I use a light powder foundation, and a run a coverup stick over any visible zits... I think it looks a lot more natural than using a cream foundation all over. I no longer have the name of the eyeshadow palette I used, but it's a 4 color one with black, burgundy, silver, and white. I use burgundy and silver below the crease, and white above the crease. My mascara of preference is the lash blast luxe line, in emerald black. I absolutely refuse to use eyeliner.
These shoes are my pride and joy. Found them in Utsunomiya, Japan for about 2000 yen (a little less than $20 USD). This will be 4th summer wearing them, and somehow, despite me wearing them everywhere, they're not even close to falling apart or being any less comfortable. The same summer I got them, I was working at Famous Footwear, and when I got back home and went back to work, I noticed we had very similar Steve Maddens, but much clunkier looking, and for $60 O_O. I've never had much luck with Steve Madden shoes holding up for very long, so I'd say I got a much better deal on similar but cuter shoes.

Nice to meet you ^_^

Hey there, I'm Kathryn, usually known on the internet as Kaija.
I've been playing with the idea of a fashion blog for a while now, and here it is, at last. I've got tons of ideas for this, and hope to update as often as I possibly can.
Some features I'm hoping to include:
What I'm Wearing Today (I promise, I'll only do this on days when I'm wearing something cool... my boring black work outfits will not be featured, nor will my plain ol' jeans and t-shirt outfits)
7 Days, 3 Pieces (inspired by the Japanese version of NYLON magazine... take 3 pieces, and incorporate them into a week's worth of outfits... I've seen other Japanese fashion magazines that do 7 or so pieces for a month, but I think it'll be more fun to do one weekly)
Some weekly feature about an item that can be worn all year (I swear, I'll come up with a creative title... I'm the sort of person that thinks of seasonal clothing as things like coats vs. swimsuits, and pretty much anything else I own can be layered or dressed down to work in all seasons... I even wear light colored tank tops in the winter, and dark jeans in the summer... but, the point of this will be to pick one item every week... boots, an LBD, a nice blouse, and make one outfit for it for each month of the year)
A daily beauty tip (be it makeup, hair, skin health, general health, etc., it'll be something that goes beyond just the clothes you're wearing)
Reader questions and photos (I want to feature other people who look awesome, and hopefully answer fashion questions for others)
Accessory tips (I hesitate to do a weekly column on this, as accessories can really be summed up in any of my other full outfit related posts, so I'm fairly certain I'll just be incorporating these)
And any other fashion related tidbits that come up... things my friends have mentioned, something I'm excited about, etc.

I'll see you on Wednesday with the first installment of What I'm Wearing Today, and hopefully a little something extra!