Summer wrap up

Bum cheeks, fake tan & lipstick

The season is starting to change here and before autumn officially takes over I have a few thoughts I want to share. You’ve probably gathered with all my talk of summer that it never really arrived this year in Dublin. But whether you are on this side of the world, longing for a season that never was or on the other side of the world dreaming of what’s to come I thought this would be a good time to have a bit of a chat and share a few things that stood out for me this summer.

As you know I was fortunate enough to have a break in Lisbon and I’m not sure if it’s because I haven’t travelled in summer for quite some time, my age, or the fact that I love people watching, but there were a few things that really stood out while I was on holidays. Before I get going can I just say I hate selfie sticks! I actually get rather sad when I see people using them as isn’t the fun part of taking a selfie trying to squish everyone in, laughing so hard and knowing that even though the picture is not quite right it is one you will frame?!

Anyway now that I have that off my chest let’s talk fashion. I think I’ve mentioned this before but as much as I love summer, dressing for it can cause me a bit of stress. This year I was actually looking forward to it as I had purchased some pieces that were comfortable, that suited my body shape and made me feel good. If you haven’t seen them take a peek here. With my summer wardrobe sorted, I unfortunately felt somewhat over dressed. I clearly missed the memo declaring ‘bum cheeks are in’ or should I say out. Yes you heard me right – bum cheeks! I’m personally not a fan of shorts but what I saw were barely shorts! I don’t know how many times a day I said in shock, ‘would you leave the house like that?!’ and although I would never walk out of the house wearing what can only be described as denim underwear, it did make me think. At first I wondered how these came to be ‘fashionable’? Then I thought, maybe people wear them because they like them and they don’t care what anyone else thinks. Having considered both sides of the crack, unfortunately I saw many cracks, all I was left thinking was, where is the mystery? At just that moment I saw an interview by Leandra Medine (aka Man Repeller) with Carolina Herrera. This interview is great on so many levels and I watched it shouting at the screen ‘yes!’ and ‘exactly!’. It was like Carolina Herrera had been inside my head, took my words and stylishly and eloquently put them altogether! Take a look. 

Moving further south, lets talk legs. You know I don’t like shorts, actually anything above the knee can cause my heart to race but because I had some outfits I was comfortable with, I was not going to let my legs go to waste. Let’s be clear, I personally don’t like showing my legs but if you’ve got them, as the saying goes, flaunt them! Ok so back to my legs. Earlier in the year I discovered TanOrganic. We all know fake tan can go horribly wrong and having tried so few, I’m happy to say this self-tanning oil is perfect for me. I put this on before I left for Lisbon and to tell you the truth, it was exactly what I needed to make me less self-conscious. I didn’t think about my legs once while I was away and I was actually happy to have a bit of flesh on display. 

Before I finish up do you remember earlier in the year I went to Paris? Do you remember how well I packed for my mini break? My trip to Lisbon was the complete opposite. My bag was overweight, I packed far too many beauty products and I hardly wore any makeup I brought with me. The latter wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. I actually enjoyed keeping it simple with some mascara and lipstick. I ended up wearing one lipstick the whole trip, Charlotte Tilbury’s Matte Revolution in the shade Sexy Sienna. It went with everything I wore, was comfortable to wear in the heat and complimented the stunning blues skies that engulfed me. When I looked around me though, I saw quite a distinct style when it came to makeup. Clean, fresh bases and bold lips! My natural instinct is to go for brighter shades in the warmer months but it was great to see people wearing deep, rich colours without it looking heavy or out-of-place. It was a good reminder to wear whatever the hell shade you like, come rain or shine! 

xo