Summer Checklist
Okay, I had really good intentions about posting an outfit post today but I wasn't 100% sure if I liked my outfit. And I was tired from going to a concert in Minneapolis last night and driving back last night and then getting up for an 8am class. And I finished an 8-page paper and decided to go out tonight. So I had to have a nap. Okay, done with excuses.
Okay, I'm going to be honest, don't judge me.
Summer is not my favourite season. For many reasons.
Even though, yes I am a college student still so I still have that gloriously long summer, this one, as the last two have, will be spent working pretty much full-time at a job I can't say I adore.
I don't like hot weather, and even in England I find the weather sticky and uncomfortable.
I am also mad at summer, because it's getting so lovely here that all I want to do is sit outside in the sunshine, go for walks and drink cider.
Instead I spend my time in the library, drinking Diet Red Bull. True story.
Finally, I find summer stressful sartorially.
And now I'm going to share something with you that I hate to admit.
I am really, really insecure about how pale I am.
Even in the height of summer I have been known to wear skin coloured tights instead of baring my legs.
I just think my legs look... odd and pale and uneven in skintone.
Usually I spend my summer covering myself in fake tan every day, but as most people know, it's not awful fun.
And the other option isn't one. I have been strongly, strongly against tanning beds since I was a kid and when I was 14 my Mum was diagnosed with skin cancer. She was a sun bed user, admittedly, but now we all abhor them. I am not prepared to kill myself for my own vanity.
And I also don't sunbathe. It's boring. I have the attention span of a five-year-old so lying in the sun all day sounds like utter hell to me.
But this year I've decided to embrace being pale.
This is who I am.
It's going to be hard, and I might not stick to it. Especially for weddings and special occasions, a fake tan makes me feel much better. And I admit, it does make me feel much more confident about myself.
But it is a lot of work for something I should really just embrace.
Other sartorial challenges come in the fact that in summer you simply wear less clothes. For a style blogger who like to use layers and remix and play around with jackets and cardigans and scarves and socks, this poses a real challenge. Because in summer, you simply wear less, which gives me less to be creative with.
So after thinking about all this I decided to go through some of my outfits from last year and seek inspiration in them, and make a little checklist for my own summer style. (okay, the pictures totally don't match up to what I'm saying, but they're just there for inspiration, k? :]] )
1. Embrace being pale
Slowly. I am never going to be ready to suddenly wear short-shorts when I haven't done for years. But today, for example, I wore a dress and knee socks and left my thighs bare. It was refreshing. I think for now I'll see how dresses go before moving onto shorts (a lot of my shorts and skirts are very, very short).
2. Grow my nails
I know I've been trying to do this forever, but my boyfriend has started to tell me off whenever I unconciously start nibbling so I'm getting to be more away of it. I want bright, long nails for the Summmer, and that starts now.
3. Long hair
I've been growing my hair now for about 5 months and it's just about at my shoulders now. I'm looking forward to being able to plait it in a few months and just tie it back into a ponytail. I'm excited to try some summery braids and waves.
4. Summer makeup
I've gotten really into makeup lately, and love the idea of a soft, light smokey eye with a bright pink summery lip. I can't wait to experiment with less harsh, less dark makeup for summer. My black eyeliner is my crutch but I'd love to ease myself off it for a few months.
5. Summer florals
I am crazy about florals all year round, but I love big, bold flower prints at this time of year. I bought yet another floral dress on Sunday- isn't it adorable?
6. Denim
With a denim jacket of course. I love how denim makes everything look soft and summery.
7. Converse
I started to wear converse with my summer clothes last year and loved that edgy, urban look. I have enough pairs from my youth- I can't wait to try this again!!
8. Maxi dresses
I have been sent a maxi dress to review thanks to one of the sites I write for an initially this was a big challenge, but now I'm really excited. I definitely want to get a couple of floaty, bright floral maxi dresses for summer.
9. Wedges and Heels
I have successfully worn heels the last 3 Wednesdays as part of my "trying to wear heels more" project. I have also just ordered these Blowfish platforms which I think would be perfect for summer too.
10. Relax!
I am definitely going to try to take my summer style much less seriously this year. Lots of bright colours and florals and patterns and some mismatching and block colours along the way. Summer is always a challenge, but I can't wait to take it on.
What do you have in mind for your summer style? Do you embrace being pale? Can you give me some tips? Anyone else trying to recover from nail biting?!
I'm off out tonight but I'm going to get an outfit post in tomorrow seeing as it's been almost a week!! Ahh I'm so bad!! But if you need a Charlotte-fix (I flatter myself), I did a great interview with Student Beans last week.
I will reply to all your comments this weekend, promise. Also, you guys are adorable. Thanks for all your comments on my last post. I think my boyfriend is a cutie too :]]
Ciao for now :]]
Charlotte xxx
Okay, I'm going to be honest, don't judge me.
Summer is not my favourite season. For many reasons.
Even though, yes I am a college student still so I still have that gloriously long summer, this one, as the last two have, will be spent working pretty much full-time at a job I can't say I adore.
I don't like hot weather, and even in England I find the weather sticky and uncomfortable.
I am also mad at summer, because it's getting so lovely here that all I want to do is sit outside in the sunshine, go for walks and drink cider.
Instead I spend my time in the library, drinking Diet Red Bull. True story.
Finally, I find summer stressful sartorially.
And now I'm going to share something with you that I hate to admit.
I am really, really insecure about how pale I am.
Even in the height of summer I have been known to wear skin coloured tights instead of baring my legs.
I just think my legs look... odd and pale and uneven in skintone.
Usually I spend my summer covering myself in fake tan every day, but as most people know, it's not awful fun.
And the other option isn't one. I have been strongly, strongly against tanning beds since I was a kid and when I was 14 my Mum was diagnosed with skin cancer. She was a sun bed user, admittedly, but now we all abhor them. I am not prepared to kill myself for my own vanity.
And I also don't sunbathe. It's boring. I have the attention span of a five-year-old so lying in the sun all day sounds like utter hell to me.
But this year I've decided to embrace being pale.
This is who I am.
It's going to be hard, and I might not stick to it. Especially for weddings and special occasions, a fake tan makes me feel much better. And I admit, it does make me feel much more confident about myself.
But it is a lot of work for something I should really just embrace.
Other sartorial challenges come in the fact that in summer you simply wear less clothes. For a style blogger who like to use layers and remix and play around with jackets and cardigans and scarves and socks, this poses a real challenge. Because in summer, you simply wear less, which gives me less to be creative with.
So after thinking about all this I decided to go through some of my outfits from last year and seek inspiration in them, and make a little checklist for my own summer style. (okay, the pictures totally don't match up to what I'm saying, but they're just there for inspiration, k? :]] )
1. Embrace being pale
Slowly. I am never going to be ready to suddenly wear short-shorts when I haven't done for years. But today, for example, I wore a dress and knee socks and left my thighs bare. It was refreshing. I think for now I'll see how dresses go before moving onto shorts (a lot of my shorts and skirts are very, very short).
2. Grow my nails
I know I've been trying to do this forever, but my boyfriend has started to tell me off whenever I unconciously start nibbling so I'm getting to be more away of it. I want bright, long nails for the Summmer, and that starts now.
3. Long hair
I've been growing my hair now for about 5 months and it's just about at my shoulders now. I'm looking forward to being able to plait it in a few months and just tie it back into a ponytail. I'm excited to try some summery braids and waves.
4. Summer makeup
I've gotten really into makeup lately, and love the idea of a soft, light smokey eye with a bright pink summery lip. I can't wait to experiment with less harsh, less dark makeup for summer. My black eyeliner is my crutch but I'd love to ease myself off it for a few months.
5. Summer florals
I am crazy about florals all year round, but I love big, bold flower prints at this time of year. I bought yet another floral dress on Sunday- isn't it adorable?
6. Denim
With a denim jacket of course. I love how denim makes everything look soft and summery.
7. Converse
I started to wear converse with my summer clothes last year and loved that edgy, urban look. I have enough pairs from my youth- I can't wait to try this again!!
8. Maxi dresses
I have been sent a maxi dress to review thanks to one of the sites I write for an initially this was a big challenge, but now I'm really excited. I definitely want to get a couple of floaty, bright floral maxi dresses for summer.
9. Wedges and Heels
I have successfully worn heels the last 3 Wednesdays as part of my "trying to wear heels more" project. I have also just ordered these Blowfish platforms which I think would be perfect for summer too.
10. Relax!
I am definitely going to try to take my summer style much less seriously this year. Lots of bright colours and florals and patterns and some mismatching and block colours along the way. Summer is always a challenge, but I can't wait to take it on.
What do you have in mind for your summer style? Do you embrace being pale? Can you give me some tips? Anyone else trying to recover from nail biting?!
I'm off out tonight but I'm going to get an outfit post in tomorrow seeing as it's been almost a week!! Ahh I'm so bad!! But if you need a Charlotte-fix (I flatter myself), I did a great interview with Student Beans last week.
I will reply to all your comments this weekend, promise. Also, you guys are adorable. Thanks for all your comments on my last post. I think my boyfriend is a cutie too :]]
Ciao for now :]]
Charlotte xxx
Love the pics throughout this! I really want to find a maxi that will be good for my short frame!
ReplyDeletexxx
I really love your madonna/material girl esque style, SO cute and vibrant! I'm sure your summerstyle will be amazing :) I don't mind simplicity in the summer, just keeping it real. Layering is for the colder seasons!
ReplyDeleteAnd who cares about an uneven skintone, that's just how people are you know. I'm sure you have lovely pale skin! just own it, people aren't going to look at you funny because you have normal skin :D SO many people are pale!
I love love love all of these outfits & your hair!!! AWWW To.Die.For! Makes me want to dye my hair again! For now I will be sticking to some blue extensions for Autism Awareness.
ReplyDeletehttp://behindtheleopardglasses.blogspot.com/
i am really, really pale as well, and i was also a very active sunbed user until i decided to embrace my paleness! i am on my way to a hot destination wedding, in a dress suited for people with far more color in their skin thank me, and i am so insecure about it looking dreadful! i just recently became a redhead from blonde, so that does not help my case at all!!! it is a hard thing to come to terms with, but fair skinned ladies are just as beautiful as ones without. we can play with rosy cheeks and glowy blush, right???!!! pale sisters, unite!!!!
ReplyDeleteI think pale is beautiful! Rock it girl :)
ReplyDeleteI'm super pale too, always am even after being in the sun for hours (probably because I am firm believer in spf 40+). For summer I am looking forward to warm weather and easy dressing, throwing a pretty dress on and enjoying the weather! And getting freckles :)
ReplyDeleteI love all the photos throughout this post!
& thank you for the recommendation for the 50 mm lens, I know my brother really loves his too
xJennaD
I like pale skin, though I'm mostly an average skin tone. So I'm always putting on sunscreen and wearing hats AND shielding sunlight wherever I go. My friends think I'm crazy for hating tans!
ReplyDeleteMargaret
im super pale too honey, and in australia its not cool! i fake tan sometimes but obvs cant be bothered all the time, so YES embrace the pale. xo
ReplyDeleteI can relate about being pale - the color of my legs is definitely paler than my face, haha. Which is the same reason I never really liked summer - I don't like baring my legs. :x However, I love your skin tone, I think it suits you. :)
ReplyDeleteAnd I am a former nail biter - however, now I just replace my teeth with the nail clipper - I constantly clip them even if they're short already - it's definitely a process. :/
And I love how you wear your denim jacket in all these outfits! :)
-Evelina
effervescentevelina.blogspot.com
I'm very pale and have never had a tan in my life. If my skin sees the sun I turn the lovely shade of lobster hehe. Embrace the pale!!
ReplyDeleteI adore the outfit with the hot pink skirt and black and white top! :) xx
I'm a fellow pale-legger right here! No matter what I do, I am a ghost. Last summer I finally sucked it up and went to sunbathe... I just sneakily chose the days that had horrifyingly high UV index ratings, so I only had to lay out for about 15 minutes before I was cooked (seriously, any longer and BURNING would have been a result) but I do admit it's horribly boring. I usually bring my MP3 player and listen to some nice tunes, or bring along a book.
ReplyDeleteAND, if you are going to embrace the paleness... avoid dark clothes! The obvious contrast between dark clothing and pale skin is... well, obvious.
I love the last outfit photo, with the chunky pink necklace and florals... so pretty.
aww. I'm pale too. It's fun. I don't like tanning at all. My husband likes when I tan but it isn't me. I try my best to stay out of the sun. I sweat far too easily. yes you must work those maxi skirts sometimes! it will be fun!!! I look forward to seeing how your hair will grow!
ReplyDeleteYeah, power to the pale girls! ;) I vividly remember when I was in middle school and someone called out their window as I walked down the street in my neighborhood, something about my pasty, white legs. It was the first time I'd worn shorts that summer, and of course being in the land of middle school age hell, I was traumatized! Miraculously, I never got that into tanning, but I always felt self-conscious about my paleness. Then one day a friend of mine said my skin was pretty like peaches 'n cream, and I started to feel much better about it. (Can you see the pattern here where I was letting other people's opinions change my opinion of myself...)
ReplyDeleteI've always poo-pooed tanning beds because they're unsafe and only went for special occasions a couple of times, but I don't even believe in that now...I used to tan a little if I went to the beach, but after I fell asleep a few years ago and woke up with a burn so bad that even the sheets hurt me, that did it for me. I finally just embraced it; it is what it is! Plus, when it's really hot out like it is here in the South, you're too hot to care WHAT your legs look like in shorts! Like you said, vanity is not worth dying for or even getting extra wrinkles for. I'm 30 and hope to age gracefully, but I certainly don't wanna bring on more wrinkles myself! I don't watch Jersey Shore, but I've heard of the everyday tanning, and my mind truly cannot wrap around that; I think one day they're gonna be really sorry and realize it wasn't worth it. :(
P.S. That first dress is to die for...swoon!!