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Hope everyone has had a decently relaxing (as far as one can be relaxed in 2020) holiday! I'm still at home enjoying a much-needed week off, so I've been watching a lot of television (why yes, I've already inhaled Bridgerton) and filming TikTok videos for fun.
For Christmas, my family gifted me some super cute clothes, so I did a little try-on video to show them off! Check out the new clothes I received and let me know what you think. I'm so excited to style all these in the new year.
For when you want the comfort of a pair of sweatpants but want to look put together and cool, there's nothing better than a sweatshirt dress. Funny enough, I bought the one I'm wearing in the above photo for my Ariana Grande Halloween costume last year, but it's quickly become one of my go-to pieces for when I want to look cute running weekend errands without putting too much of a fuss into my ensemble.
If you're anything like me, this year has taught you to embrace the joys of comfortable dressing more than ever before, so perhaps you also want to add a sweatshirt dress or two to your closet! Check out a few cute styles that I found!
I hope you are ready to fill up on turkey and pie, because you're going to need plenty of fuel for the amount of online shopping that will take place over the weekend! The combination of Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals is being heralded this year as "Cyber Week" since, unlike in years past, most of the deals and discounts will be found online. Fine by me, as the thought of fighting people over flatscreen televisions at 5am in the middle of a Target has always sounded like a nightmare, coronavirus or not. But if all I need to do is sit upright in my bed, open my laptop, and get to clicking, well...even I'll participate!
I've already shared how I plan to find the best deals all season long, but if you need to cross some items off your gifting check list, there is no better time to do it than this weekend. Just about every e-commerce destination is bound to have some sort of deal going on, but to make it easy on you, I'm rounding up the key sales that I'll be checking out. I'll keep it updated as I find more sales, so be sure to check back for new deals throughout the weekend.
For all things holiday on The Fashion Barbie, click here.
As you know, I'm a lover of bright colors and lots of them! They bring me joy and can brighten things up when the weather, or the world, is looking gray. For me, there's no better way to spread cheer than to showcase some fun colors and incorporate them into your outfit, your home, and beyond.
I purchased this rainbow dyed sweater from Anthropologie during a special sale a few weeks ago and it is amazing! Not only are the colors so fun and bright, but the knit is really soft and cozy.
I've used Swell water bottles and am always impressed with how long my water stays ice cold! This pastel marble print is just too pretty.
I've been wanting a Pat McGrath eyeshadow palette for forever, and finally bought this one and couldn't be happier! It's Pat's first 18-color palette, and also comes at a cheaper price point than her typical palettes, but the colors are just as dazzling as her signature shadows.
Typically, I love bopping through the malls in December, browsing the stores for the perfect holiday gifts, but with coronavirus cases rising and an inability to easily browse (and touch) in-store merchandise, I feel a lot safer checking things off my list online.
Between coronavirus concerns as well as budgetary restraints, there are a lot of tips to keep in mind when shopping this holiday season. My main advice is to make a plan and get ahead of things. but here are some other tips on finding the best deals and completing your holiday gift list on schedule:
Full disclosure: I've featured a few affiliate links and may earn a commission on those links!
I'm going to be honest with you, I'm sad that Halloween is basically nonexistent this year. Obviously there are no parties this year, no trick or treating (not that I've done that in ages), no costume contests at bars...as a fashion lover, picking a costume and dressing up for Halloween is so fun because I get to unleash my creativity. In the past I've gone as Ariana Grande, Eleven, and Chanel No. 3 to name a few of my pop culture inspired ensembles. Back in February when I saw Birds of Prey I had already decided that Harley Quinn's iconic caution tape fringe jacket would for sure be my costume...
Of course, that was before coronavirus became widespread. As much as I would have rocked Harley's outfit, let's be real: that is made for a party, so we'll have to save it for some other time.
However, I still wanted to dress up as something, if only to take pictures for the 'gram (and the blog!) so I did some brainstorming and decided it was the perfect occasion to dress up as my favorite Disney princess, Rapunzel!
Locked in a tower, isolated from friends, growing bored of activities, in a kingdom called CORONA!? Hello, could she be any more perfect for this moment? Knowing that I was heading up to our mountain cabin for a week and that the woods outside would make for an iconic backdrop, I found this costume on Amazon, ordered some fake flowers to clip to my hair, and even brought back my Ariana Grande ponytail extension for round two. I knew there was a reason I kept it around!
I've been working from home for 7 months now with no signs of going back to the office anytime soon and the height of my daily social interactions is picking up my ordered-ahead iced latte at Starbucks. I haven't gone to a restaurant in ages, let alone a party. I see most of my friends over FaceTime and Zoom calls. A wild weekend night lately is staying up until midnight watching a classic movie on my watchlist, maybe with a glass of wine and some Postmate-d sushi.
Yup, that's how thrilling my life is these days.
Despite all that, though, I've been putting on makeup almost every day, no matter if I'm venturing out to Alfred Coffee or just sitting at my desk doing work. For one, you never know when a colleague is going to spring a Zoom meeting on you, and let's be real, I have a reputation to uphold of looking put together, even in quarantine!
But beyond that, I genuinely have loved playing around with makeup while hanging out at home. I know it seems a bit pointless to get all dolled up with literally nowhere to go (and don't even get me started on the lipstick + mask dilemma) but it's a small little thing that makes me feel put together for the day and genuinely good in the face of depressing times.
My growing obsession with TikTok (you can follow me here if you want!) and learning all about makeup from incredible creators (a few of my favorites to follow for tips are @mikaylanogueira, @bexcxmpbell and @daniellemarcan) has inspired me to try new products, experiment with bold eyeshadow colors, and extend beyond my typical five minute routine to achieve that "barely there" makeup look.
We know I've always loved a bright lipstick, but I've never been particularly skilled at eyeshadow looks. However, after months of experimentation, I'm now pretty adept at a winged eyeliner and have even tried a cut crease look or two. I've pulled out palettes that have been sitting in my makeup drawer for ages and have followed tutorials for no-heat waves and other fun hairstyles. I even purchased the Revlon blow-dry brush that everyone is obsessed with on TikTok.
Sure, I may not be hitting the town in my fancy makeup, but I can always share my looks to social media and use that as a way to make sure my makeup efforts live on beyond my bathroom mirror. And above everything else, it makes me feel happy, and honestly, I think we could all use a little bit more joy these days wherever we can find it.
The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is going on right now, which usually would be a huge deal for me. In years past I've previewed the collection, circled my favorite items from the catalogue, and counted down the seconds until my new fall purchases made their way to my doorstep. This year, however, I couldn't care less about getting a discount on boots I can't wear for 3 more months; the only section of the sale I've even looked through is their pajamas and home goods, and even then I feel no desire to purchase anything.
My ambivalence towards the Anniversary Sale is reflective of my feelings towards shopping as a whole right now. Five months ago my work sent me and my coworkers home, and currently there is no end in sight to my work from home situation, or the end of the pandemic as a whole. I venture out of my apartment rarely and for short periods of time, usually just to the Starbucks around the corner or the grocery store, and while I do love to dress up, dressing up for a run to the grocery store where I try to get in, grab what I need, and get out as quickly as possible, only to return to sitting on my bed in my apartment, seems frivolous. Occasionally I will put on a fun outfit for a TikTok or Instagram photo, but those looks last thirty minutes, tops, before I switch back into a T-shirt and loungewear.
And I know! This all sounds crazy coming from me, Lindsey, THE Fashion Barbie! The girl who wears dresses more often than jeans, who believes it's always better to be overdressed than underdressed, the girl who gets genuine joy out of finding a new item of clothing to love and style and treasure for years to come. Even toward the beginning of the pandemic I was feeling more optimistic about clothes and shopping, encouraging readers to check out Memorial Day Weekend sales and posting cute photos of the fun spring dresses I had hopes about being able to wear out and about by midsummer. But now, in August, the situation feels so much more dire, and with my return to the office now permanently TBD, I feel little desire to spend money on trendy items that might be totally out of date by the time I get to actually debut them outdoors.
Don't get me wrong, I want to like new clothes and feel enough energy to purchase cute new things. With social media becoming one of my few outlets, I’m constantly eyeing fun new trends to try on TikTok and Instagram, from cottagecore romantic dresses to pastel matching sets.
The problem is that, perhaps because my current situation longs for escapism, I keep gravitating toward dreamy maximalist pieces like this rainbow poof of a dress from Selkie or that strawberry dress that’s all over TikTok; dresses that, while fun and joy-inducing, don’t really make sense to wear in the confines of my apartment. The dresses I purchased near the beginning of quarantine have seen the light of day maybe once, and usually just for the purposes of content creation. I realized that one dress I bought back in April still had tags on it because I had only worn it for the purposes of Instagramming it, and while I know influencers do this all the time, it feels disingenuous and almost irresponsible to constantly be flaunting new items that aren’t actually worn out. From my blog’s conception back in high school, I always vowed that the outfits I showcased would be ones that I actually wore out in real life, not just for the purposes of a cool photo. I’ve prided myself on that authenticity, and don’t want to change that now.
Between the pandemic’s major effects on the economy and the fashion industry in particular, along with the Black Lives Matter movement encouraging me to be more mindful about where and how I shop, the idea of constant clothing consumption feels off-putting. I’m fortunate to have a job through the pandemic, but I know that for many people that is not the case, and even those with jobs have experienced salary cuts and other financial hardships. To spend money on clothes that may or may not stand the test of time feels wasteful, and again, if I’m not getting any use out of the clothes for the foreseeable future, why purchase them at all? If I do get the urge to buy something, I don’t want to spend large amounts of money on something because who knows how the economy could change in the near future; but then my options are fast fashion retailers who typically use substandard manufacturing practices and underpay foreign workers. As much as I can, I’m trying to avoid those retailers.
So what am I left with? A vague desire to try new clothes and styles but no true want to purchase anything, out of fears of uncertainty and wasted money. I’m not sure this will last forever, as I’m sure I’ll get back to my usual ways of wearing girly dresses once the pandemic is over and life gets closer to normal than it is now, but I do know that the ways I’ve thought about my clothing consumption has changed how I look at shopping, and I do think that will stick with me for years to come.
This isn’t to say that I’m “over” fashion or have no desire to talk about it, just that I’m putting more of an emphasis on the clothes I already have sitting in my closet and that I’m thinking more mindfully about my shopping practices. I may be wearing more shorts and T-shirts than usual, but even through all of this my love of fashion remains, just reframed to be more conscious of my participation as a consumer and what that means, both personally and for us all.
How are you feeling about fashion and shopping right now? Have your shopping decisions changed during the pandemic? Has your style?
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Is the age of the #GIRLBOSS over? |
The Girl Boss wasn’t how you acted as a businesswoman, but how you branded yourself.
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UOMA Beauty's ad campaign shows how wonderful and diverse the beauty industry can be |
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All dressed up! |
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Wearing a Faithfull the Brand dress |
Some of the cards I designed using templates from Basic Invite. |
Exploring the Basic Invite website |
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The original color combination in the middle, plus some other options I played around with. Can you tell I like a pink and green scheme? |
My customized creation! |
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My exact tie dye sweatshirt is sold out, but I'm sharing some other options with you! |
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