Tuesday Tidbits

I have always envied those women who always look cute no matter what the circumstance. Like the ones you see at the grocery store with their cute little fitted velour tracksuit-thingies (which usually say Juicy or something similar across the butt). Their hair is always pulled into an adorable updo with "messy" loose strands that strategically fall in all the right places. They look effortlessly sporty and casual. You know the type.

I, unfortunately, am far from that type. If I tried to wear a velour tracksuit it would look like I was trying to smuggle two holiday hams, and my butt would have room for more than a catchy one-word phrase. (Try an advertisement meant for the side of a city bus.) When I attempt the messy updo, I end up with hair sticking up where it should be laying down, and vice-versa, which makes me look more "insane asylum" than "sporty."

Seriously, what am I missing here? Why do some women look consistently polished and pulled-together, even when they're going for a casual look, when I'm lucky to manage looking decent? Determined to find out, I did some research, and gleaned some tidbits from various Internet advice gurus:

- Wear big sunglasses a la Victoria Beckham. (Yeah, maybe this is a good tip for hiding puffy eyes or lack of makeup, but how trendy would they look with an oversized Iowa Hawkeyes T-shirt and maternity jeans? I mean really.)

- Slip on a sexy bra or panties. (Here's the deal. By the time I find lingerie that doesn't give me major muffin top, it's like a size extra-extra-huge ... which doesn't make me feel all that sexy.)

- Keep your brows groomed. (This one is sooo true. Even despite the fact that I grow a beard during pregnancy - yes really, LOL - my brows are always waxed, and it does make me feel better.)

- Wear cute ballet flats instead of tennis shoes. (Again, a good tip ... if your feet are small to normal-sized. My feet are size ten, which means that flats make me look like I'm skating along on two pontoon boats.)

- Update your accessories. (This is another good one. Buying new accessories - and I'm talking Target, not jewelry store - is a relatively inexpensive way to keep up with the trends. Still, you have to have a decent outfit to go with them. My response to this is much like my response to the "big sunglasses" tip.)

- Keep your nails painted. (I do. My toenails, at least, are always painted. Does it matter that I splurged on a beauty-school pedicure in mid-December and kept the same polish on until *cough cough* March?)

In all seriousness, I need to try some of these tips. Especially now that I'm pregnant and feeling about as sexy as somebody's incontinent great-grandma.

How much do you keep up with trends? How do you keep yourself feeling cute?

Comments

  1. i definitely am right there with you the majority of the time! (and i dont have kids--what is my reasoning?!?!). i tend to feel a lot "cuter" if i throw on some mascara and lip gloss. quick fix! as far as trends go, i've never quite been a follower of them. no skinny jeans for this girl! (pontoon boats! you crack me up!)

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  2. I SO know what you mean with the hair! Even when I had long hair, it wasn't ever cute just thrown up in a clip! More like I was too lazy to do anything with it that day!
    Big sunglasses? Hmm...what if you wear glasses? That'd be cute, huh?
    Sexy bra & panties? Like who's gonna see them but you and hubby?! But taking the time to shop for just the right ones really can do wonders!
    Brows? ok...you can probably tell but I've never done this...I think I have a fear of them coming off lop-sided then how cute would that be?
    Ballet flats? I'm with on that one!
    Accessories? Right! I could have the cute jewelry but it still wouldn't dress up my comfy casuals!
    Nail polish?! I've heard of others wearing salon polish that long so don't feel bad! I do feel better when my nails are groomed & polished!
    Could it be that we have just worked at home for too long?! Working at home we can work in our jammies all day long if we want to! And we have a tendancy to take care of everyone else in the house & putting ourselves last esp when it comes to sprucing up our wardrobe!

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  3. Amy - I do feel better with mascara and lip gloss. Maybe I should try it more often because makeup is pointless if you're wearing slouchy clothes ... so then I'll have to get dressed ... which will ultimately lead me to feel less frumped-out, I'm sure. :)

    Cindy - I doubt you'd have a problem with your brows coming off lopsided ... especially if you get them done for the first time at a salon! But I guess they must not look too bad as-is, because I've never noticed, and I tend to notice those things. :)

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  4. I'd like to say that I am fairly trendy & try to keep up with polished nails, tweezed brows, etc....my problem is when I'm lazy I hate putting makeup on! We'll dress each other up next Friday when you're in town - YAY!!!

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  5. Girl, I SO can't wait ... you don't even know! :)

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  6. I am with you on all of this! I seriously put my feet up one night last week and just started to weep uncontrollably... I'm so swollen and uncomfortable! So I scheduled myself a hair appointment with my stylist friend and presto! I feel so much better this week! Plus, my brother took my pictures on Sunday and even without airbrushing I'm truly excited to see the outcome! On his little camera screen they looked pretty good! This weekend it's a pedicure! :-)

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  7. OH! And p.s., if you're coming near Columbia this weekend and you REALLY want to feel good about yourself, just give me a shout and we can meet up! My stretched out, distorted body should make you feel fantastic about yourself!

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  8. LOL @ your last comment, Amanda! It'd be the other way around though ... all I'd have to do is show you my stretchmarks and you'd be like, "Wow, I feel like a goddess!" :)

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  9. Oh, Rita-the airbrushing is FOR the stretch marks! I lost that battle about 2 months ago. After the first 2 popped up the other 48 came within a few days!

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  10. Thanks for making me laugh today! I needed it. I agree the brows are a biggy. I also love shoes but like you said when your feet are freakish it defeats the purpose. My feet are about 2 3/4 x the width of a regular person's and have finally learned that no matter how cute the shoes are, when your feet look like some animal trying to bust out of them people just don't appreciate them. Outfits are the toughest for me because even though it might look cute in the closet it's not when you put it on. I think the key is to have clothes that you really feel comfortable in (nix the t-shirts and sweats of course) I always feel more cute and confident in something that I don't have to pull up or cinch down every 15 seconds. I really couldn't help you out. I am pretty hopeless and on top of it, half the time don't care what anyone thinks at the grocery store. If I am going to see someone important (i.e. friends or appointments) I will try harder. :)

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  11. I so agree with that, Jessica - something you don't have to constantly adjust is DEFINITELY a good thing (and these days, they're becoming harder and harder to find!). Also the "looking cute in the closet" thing - I hate that! I'll see an outfit on, say, a poster at Old Navy and buy that exact outfit ... only to look disappointingly icky in it. Grr.

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