from back in june...

 

 ...when I completely stopped laughing at the joke.

they don't deserve it anyway

The other day I was talking to an Uber driver that inquired about my hat visor and told me about how everyone's Lord and Savior Dr. Fraudci was now telling people to wear goggles along with their masks. He said that in any type of service showing a friendly/smiling face is a part of good customer service and that would be difficult if goggles were mandated along with masks. This is true, but I couldn't help but think of how the service industry has pretty much deleted itself over the past decade or so--like, the ENTIRE service industry; it's to the point that most people don't even know what good service is anymore.

The fact that so many customer service oriented businesses were shut down permanently is unfortunate, but like...were they really THAT great to begin with? Part of it is because technology and A.I. has taken over to the point where proper, professional human contact is a foreign concept to many...some service people don't even understand how to properly greet a customer or who their customer even is and how to meet their needs. It's actually really sad that it took a whole government-mandated shutdown and faux socialism (well, the beginnings of real socialism tbh, communism-lite maybe? Lol) for people to realize that little things like showing a welcoming facial expression are an ESSENTIAL part of the human experience.

Maybe that's why more and more people are becoming so hostile towards one another? I mean, I knew I was ahead of the game with the visor hat, but that has brought on hostile behavior from some who are literally LOOKING to create even more conflict instead of simply providing the service they are supposed to provide and then closing their mouth and minding their gotdamn business. That's a huge part of it too: people always opening their mouths to do and say things they shouldn't when it simply isn't their place or their business.

We have entered the surveillance/police state and it's full on; there are people with ankle monitors on them and they didn't commit a crime, blatant restrictions on people's movements withing the country they live and pay taxes in, also censorship under the guise of not spreading "misinformation" if it misrepresents a more widely accepted narrative--if that's not policing, I don't know what is. All of this gives unqualified people power they simply shouldn't have. Why am I being interrogated by a random masked service person about my whereabouts and contact with others? What good does that do except make me even more terrified that my own government might try and arrest or kill me for going about my business? Is this the "new normal" that all these fools with no education or critical thinking skills are looking for? Why do people insist on thinking because they are in some sort of service industry they now have all this extra authority that supersedes giving good service? Why are alleged scientists and doctors now running the world even when some of them specifically say they have no idea what they are doing (disguised in phrases that include the words, "re-evaluate" or "after doing more research")?? I know I'm not the only one asking these questions and seeing the parallels in the many conflicts that have been created by everything BUT this "novel" flu the past several months.

I just want things to go back to a simpler time; you walk in to a place of service, whatever that may be, and you're greeted with a smile, a friendly clearly-heard greeting and someone makes you feel comfortable while in their establishment so you'll want to come back...but regardless of whatever pathogens are floating in the air that's simply too much to ask. However, given that society as a whole is rapidly deteriorating, there aren't too many people who would deserve good service anyway. 

safety in numbers

Honestly, masks are for ugly people...like that dumbass bus driver that TRIED IT telling me to wear one while I was already covering my ENTIRE FACE IN THICK PLASTIC as you can see here (also, I wasn't even getting on his bus, but he had the right to refuse me a ride so he should have just kept rolling instead of attempting to argue with me as I quickly grabbed a specific bus pamphlet I needed, said 'thank you' and walked away. These days, GROWN MEN want to pick fights with women over anything just to get attention. I should have just directed him to the unemployment line everyone seems to think is the answer via a phone call to his superior for harassment and verbal assault (which it wasn't, but if Susan Cooper can do it, SO CAN I). It's funny because the TSA wears the exact same thing and so do medical professionals (along with masks in acute settings, which obviously most of these fools are not in, but according to them, breathing regular air will now kill them). Moreover, I'm almost certain a piece of cloth handcrafted in your living room will do nothing to keep the "deadliest virus ever in the entire universe since the beginning of time" from infecting you. People have lost their damn minds and I'm just now finding out that the "cure" for all the madness is some sort of injection that might not ever come or might not even be completely effective. Where are the real men with guns already? Are real men even a thing anymore or did they all die off from fear of the flu? We're all waiting.

the wild wild midwest

I think I'm going to be wearing boots in the summer heat more often; I feel like it gives off strong conceal/carry vibes, which is important...for reasons.

style lookbook | ivy park and chiffon

 

 

 

 

I was hoping for a more tepid summer given the cooler temps of spring that warranted my heavy Vetements sweater dress day after day, but now I'm just trying my best not to get bitten by mosquitoes or melt in the almost 90 degree weather. 

My Ivy Park onesie is like a Godsend (honestly she just never ceases to bless us now does she?) and I'm definitely looking to pick up several more pieces as soon as Net-a-porter gets their shit together and restocks my selections. Wearing this AA chiffon skirt makes me feel less like a homeless slob and more like......a lady? I don't even know, but the length and weight is perfect and as modest as my Mormon pinafore. 

...global warming is too real and I'm over it.

 

end of an era...

reversible petticoat, plush leggings, three basic menswear tee shirts

 ...the American Apparel in my area has finally closed its doors after filing for bankruptcy a little while ago. I managed to pick up some much needed staples and an item I've always wanted, but was previously too broke to buy. I'm pretty sure I got about $500 dollars worth of stuff for around $80, which is nice despite the unfortunate circumstances.

I've always loved the clean, fun aesthetic and I feel like it's still a very strong brand even with the atrocities of their former creeper CEO Dov Charney. Luckily, the new H.B.I.C. Paula Schneider seems to be picking up the pieces just fine so maybe I'll be able to have random shopping sprees once again in the future.

Nail Art | Neon Daisies

 

The first official summer nail look, inspired by all the floral designs I've been loving on Pinterest.

 

I'm kind of obsessed with this pastel from Essie and I've always thought pastels and neons look cute together. The flowers are not particularly detailed, but I don't really do flowers aside from my first attempt here and they look like blobs so I've improved. 

Art Club neon; Stripe Rite pink neon; Essie "turquoise and caicos"

Note on this matte topcoat by American Apparel: it has more of a satin finish after a short while and it takes an annoyingly long time to dry however, it's pretty legit as a top coat and doesn't start cracking or chipping for a reasonable amount of time (which varies from nail to nail), maybe like four days? Long enough for me to keep using it.

Nail Art | Cool and Uncool

 

I did my best to compile all the nonsense going on with my phalanges. I'll start with what's on my nails now:

 

I tried the whole crystal thing for the first time, I've always thought it was very nouveau riche bougie (in a classy way). 

 I stayed pretty conservative for my first attempt using these crystals and sponging on a little French tip to be minimalist cutesy.

 ...I used a beauty wedge to sponge on "sure thing" from Revlon's Gel Envy line (it's pretty legit)...

  

 ...and "sugar daddy" by Essie is a great color if you want a neutral tone to gloss over the white; I think the nude color by F21 is a great cheaper alternative (definitely doesn't last as long, but the color is about the same).

American Apparel's "cameo blue" with Revlon's "sure thing" and Sally Hansen's "cheery on top" (seen below)

 ...here's another sort of botched look with white tips. It's not the cutest combo; the glitter was so unnecessary and like, I had to do the inverse on three of them because I messed them up...bleh. Whatever.

 

 ...this glitter combo is my new fave, I thought it was really effective with this next look:

American Apparel "smoke dazzle" with Art Club white and neon nail art polishes.

...this is honestly one of my favorite nail art looks ever; the neon swipes made it so striking in person. Definitely doing some variations in the future.

 The metallic polish is new; it needs two good coats to achieve a bottle opacity and the Art Club neon works best with white underneath.

I also experimented with mattes:

(L-R) Urban Outfitters; American Apparel; NYC; Essie; Forever 21

  ...I will be updating you guys on which ones I think work best; so far I'm loving Essie's super chalky matte look and I was moderately impressed with Urban Outfitters version.

F21's matte top coat over their nude polish; UO's "afterhours" and Art Club's black nail art polish.

Revlon's "sure thing" and Essies matte top coat with "a cut above" (pink glitter).

  

For spring/summer I'm also getting into pastels--it's an overall aesthetic as you already know:

 

...here's a few Essie pastels I'm loving right now (there's even more in my collection after these pixs were taken).

Essie's "romper room" & "a cut above" with Revlon's "sure thing" on the tips

Essie's "romper room" with "mint candy apple" and the pink glitter again

 ...and above and below are a few uncool pastel looks...maybe the bottom ones are sort of cooler I guess...

I thought this was pretty cool, probably would have been better without the glitter; Essie's "who is the boss" used.

 And finally here's a random look from the holidays: 

Revlon's weird and not that great bohemian line (I don't even know what it was called but it sucked so RIP to that); this was the red one called "confident".  It chipped too much and it was just so whatever. L'Oreal's "the statement piece" was the gold accent (from their still fabulous textured metallics line).

Okay, that's all for now...and not one mention about a Mormon dress.

2014 summer style regurgitation

...placed in order of appearance...

...so because this is still sort of a fashion/style blog, I figured I should finally post some of my recent style snaps taken on my days off from work. Moving, working and trying to catch up on an increasingly busier life has cut into my blogging time, but who cares, that just means I'll have more to blog about, right?  All of these looks, ranging from whimsical to minimalist (well, I think), were thrown together (read: meticulously selected) during the times I decided to leave my apartment to do more than just take out the trash.

As you can see, I'm still obsessed with some pieces and some are totally new (to be reviewed at a later date), but everything is basically a combination of my new luxe minimalism style philosophy and lack of fucks to give.

Yay fashuuun.