Macaw

 

Somebody wise and renowned once said "Never wear yellow eyeshadow with blue eyeliner and bright red lipstick", but apparently I never got the memo. I personally thought it turned out great! I don't know any real makeup routines, and I got into it later in life than most girls, but I kinda just move colors and stuff around on my face until I get something I like. I've gotten a little better at it than when I first started, figuring out what works for oily skin and what colors go well with a generally olive complexion (most!). Maybe one day I'll look up makeup tutorials on Youtube channels and get really good at it, but videos bore me in general, and I'm kinda addicted to cheap drugstore makeup. So pretty much, I'm lazy as crap and not willing to spend the extra time and $$.

This dress was a thriftstore find (surprise, surprise) and I wear it to work all the time in the summer. It's a tiiiinnnyyyy bit little-kiddy, and not high fashion by any means, but it's cute and I get compliments on it all the day long, so I'm not complaining. I just wear it over a coordinating camisole and matching jewelry, slip on some sandals, and I'm out the door. My makeup probably took way longer than it took to create and wear the outfit.

The overall effect of the bright colors together reminded me of the tropical parrot, the macaw, hence the title name. I'm definitely not one to shy away from colors, there just has to be something holding them all together, an underlying backbone so to speak. I keep all the colors to a specific spectrum, and they all have to coordinate; it's not just a slapdash thing. It's difficult to describe, but it's like a mental closing the circle thing. Similar to when the conclusion of a story ends in a way that throwbacks to its beginning. A full circle. Everything has to mesh. I could just be crazy, who knows? I just know what feels right and my personal style is a way to indulge in that artistic compulsion.

Dress, necklace - thriftstore

Earrings - boutique store

Sandals - DSW

<3 The Magpie

Body Electric

I bought a bright candy-colored eyeshadow palette from a Walgreens just in time for the summer. It's a cheap Wet n Wild thing, but they do have great eyeshadows, despite my face now owning flashing neon signs winking above my eyes. Sorrynotsorry. I wore this outfit to work so it's pretty simple. I work at a coffee place where we aren't required to wear a uniform, but you definitely don't want to wear anything that you can't throw in the wash, because your clothes WILL get dirty. So I sometimes try to dress a little cute, but the kind of cute that's chill and easy going, and still light weight enough for the summer heat. The lipstick I added later, because why not go full neon? The colors seemed to crackle and spark, like hot pink orange electricity in my mind.

Every stance I've ever had with color is now falling away into dust and whole new exciting fields are opening up to explore, now that I've moved past particular biases. I used to hate pink; loathe it. And look at me now, excitedly slathering it on my face while it sparkles behind my eyes. I wish color was as exciting for everyone, but it does take work to bring your mind around and some cultural perceptions are hard to overcome.

 

Shirt - hand-me-down

Skirt, necklace - thrifted

Earrings - gift

Sandals - DSW

<3 The Magpie