PRADA RED

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Prada Saffiano Vernice Tote, Kendra Scott Necklace, Badgely Mischka earrings, Urban Decay Gwen Stafani lip color in Wonderland

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Prada Sunglasses, Prada Venice Bag, Tiffany & Co bracelet

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I look like I take myself so seriously.  I really don’t.  I have to explain how this post came about and you will see the humor.

I was going to Paris this month.  I decided it would be a perfect time to get pictures done with my husband, in front of the Eiffel Tower.  After researching, it became evident that I would need a red dress for the supposed photo opportunity, so I set out to have my own dress created. The dress is a wee bit different from my original design idea but I learned a lot!  Grace Abbott was the seamstress I worked with to create the gown.  I think next time, I will try to have an ultimate black dress made. That dress that makes anyone look good. One can dream.

I wasn’t counting on extreme wind and cold on the day we took time to actually do the photo session.  It was so cold and windy that you literally could barely hold your eyes open and when you did, freezing cold tears would fall out of them.  A see-thru red lace dress flapping in the wind was not going to work. Fortunately, I brought a back up. It was a 20 year old black dress that I keep around and let clients use for photo sessions.  But that’s another story and I’ll post the photos from that later….here we have the dress that I didn’t wear in Paris.  Instead, I wore her to our anniversary dinner here in Houston.

I wanted to share it on the blog, so here we are!  I am not sure what my new obsession is with red…I’ve always been a pink person.  I guess I’ve decided that red is a classic, fun, forever color pop. I recently invested in red shoes…which is hard to do!  It’s very hard to find a red shoe that is acceptable.  Red sneaker wedges, red stiletto nails, 5 million tubes of red lip stick and of course…this red Prada bag which I will use until I’m dead to justify the cost! I was lucky enough to purchase her in Paris as a souvenir. At least this is what I tell myself to help rationalize.

The red Gianni Bini heels are adorable!  The name is Valentina, and I’m really hoping to wear them here and there, they are super comfortable.

All of my home revamps are finally finished so a lot of my spare time will be used for MUA jobs on the side of my Day Job working for Johnny Was, but I will still make time for my blog!  Why? I have worked in fashion and makeup for years. I still do freelance work here and there.  I love photography. Art. I have opinions. Strong ones from what I’m told.  Blogging is a creative outlet so that I don’t feel compressed by having to blend in with society and grind. My blog is a platform for what I am doing in life and what I aspire to do more of.

-SDS

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RODEO GLAM

 

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Inc jeans, Cache top, Nordstrom necklace, Michael Kors watch, Thierry Mugler bracelet, Tiffany & Co bracelet

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I don’t get out much, so when I do, getting dressed and half the fun.  The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo was the perfect opportunity to cut loose and be the Texas hot mess that I am! Lashes, bleach, pink Lancome lipstick, and rhinestones. Oh the joy! This is Texas.

It’s who I am, it takes no thought or work. When I’m trying to fit in and blend…that’s what takes work for me.

I went to the Rodeo with some friends from work.  We all ate crazy, fattening foods and all had stomach pains the next morning. It appears that wine, barbecue and ice cream don’t blend well.

I’m too sensible and internalized, but they were singing Wilson Phillips and White Snake tunes the whole way home.

Here lately, I’ve decided that loose fitting clothes are fabulous, but made an exception for the rodeo.  The jeans are Inc, and I have two identical pairs in different sizes….pudgy and not as pudgy.  The great thing about the jeans is that they have a little stretch to them!  Too much stretch makes you look saggy but these are perfect!

I also wanted to show off my trendy/easy/cool three tiered pony tail. One pony tails is too heavy and won’t stay in place, but my three small tails stay in place all day and the humidity level doesn’t matter.

The is a rehashed outfit, with the jacket being used here in my B*** On A Budget post.  The necklace from Nordstrom is the only new piece and the jacket was purchased a few months ago, and has been a winter staple.   My shopping is very light lately, and not as hard-core as it used to be, because I am more financially mature now so I love remixing old with new.

My previous Rodeo post from two years ago is shown here in Black Leather Houston Rodeo.

My looks might not be for everyone, but after years of creating outfits for customers and doing visual fashion displays and marketing, I’ve learned how to play and mix!  It’s so much easier when you have a woman with a perfect body, but as Granny used to always say, “I did the best I could with what I had,” as she often referred to her depression-era fashion and lack of perfect physique.

-SDS

 

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BRAND BUILDING

The Woodlands, Texas, Houston hair stylist, jewelry designer, Luxor Living and Style, over 50 blogger, stylist, fashion blogger in The Woodlands Texas     Everybody has a fighting chance to obtain success in today’s digital world. This change is due to the advanced age of the Internet and the opportunity to share your business and your passion with the Universe.
      Through proper branding 
of your products, skills, company and persona even one single person can reach more potential customers and contacts than ever before. Across all social media accounts, while their should be a cohesive nature to images chosen for each… it is also best to realize that each account has a particular demographic and you may want to change up the methods that you use depending on that social media account’s genera demographic.
The Woodlands, Texas, Houston hair stylist, jewelry designer, Luxor Living and Style, over 50 blogger, stylist, fashion blogger in The Woodlands Texas
     While it can be scary to put your face out there and tell the world who you are and what you do…it can mean the difference between
giving yourself the best  
chance at success…
or never being heard
or seen.
     So that being stated, meet my new friend, Angel.  She is the designer and creative
mind behind
Waste Not Want Not Creations.  She creates Eco Accessories  and one of a kind pieces made from recycled items or re imagined vintage items. 
     There are fabulous book purses and whimsical lollipop necklaces as well as more conservative designs.
I recently created her online shop and website, and while doing so realized that we didn’t really have a lot of great artwork for the site.  It appeared rather heartless and generic without shots of the designer on the site.  I knew this would help to set the tone for her brand, and help future consumers connect with her.
     Products are one dimensional, however a Brand has many moveable components and layers.  People connect with
a Brand.
As a blogger, I realize that a lot of people do not care to read very much.  In those cases, people look to a photo
to tell them what they need
to know.  People are more likely to connect with your brand over a photo than they ever would if they had to read a three paragraph Bio.
    This is sad but true.
     Angel, a modest person, requested a little shoot to help 
bring her personality and heart to her brand. 
 
      It is very hard to make a person’s heart and passion shine through in photos, but I feel we accomplished this for her on this 108 degree day in Houston!
 
    While I am not the most talented photographer on the planet…I truly enjoy the creative process and being able to help people feel comfortable during a session.
      Check out Angel’s Waste Not Want Not Creations site to see more of her fabulous accessories!
-SDS
-July 20, 2014
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TOP GLAM SWIM SUITS for 2014

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     It’s been a year since the last Top Glammy Swim Suits  Edition was posted so I figured it was time for yet another edition.

     I realize that swimgerie… a new version of lace embellished swim wear is attempting to come in… it looks too crazy to be worn poolside, so I denounce this as a upcoming trend.

     I also realize that a mere 5% of females have what is considered to be an ideal beach body.  If you don’t believe me, go to the beach. Or the pool. Or ask a man. Or Google it.  Just because you are skinny, won’t mean that any swim suit will make you look fabulous. Just because you are larger, doesn’t mean you’re not sexy, but the wrong suit can make a mess of most of us. Naked is not always a good thing. A big boob is not always a great boob. Cheese should always be covered. Period. 

     It is because of this that I have chosen very structured swim suit designs to be included in my Top 10 post this year.  Structure by design is good.  It creates the illusion of firmness and solid form.

 

     Structure is a win-win for us all.  Basically, if your body is lacking in fit or form, the right suit can solve a myriad of problems.  The shape of a suit can help to create shape where none truly exist, or hide what does.


 

    As for accessories, I am a firm believer in poolside accessories.  They help you to give the allusion of being dressed and having a tailored appearance.  They can sort of hide the fact that you are basically naked in blaring daylight, which isn’t truly a great thing for very many.

    I asked my husband to get his opinion, before doing any research, “What percentage of females do you feel probably have a perfect beach body?”

     “5%,” he immediately decided with absolutely no thought put into his answer. After doing some reading, I found he was right.  So this leaves out me and 94% of you reading this.  


 

     What this means for you and me, is that while we may have one or several visually pleasing parts to our physique… society and media now has an insane expectation of our nakedness.  The right suits can help everyone feel fabulous and a little less self aware.

     The suits we have here are all for a wide array of body shapes and types.  

The top three pictures all show fabulous yet simple suits that allow for the individual person to shine.  The criss-crossed, hip exposed picture above is great for creating contour and the hat is a perfect fun look.

     


 

     While I did include some great full sized models here, you have to admit the red hot bikini with bling rings on the brunette does look amazing.  If you can wear it,  do it well.  The thing with these type of  unstructured bikini tops, is that if you have a floppy chest, you should not wear these.  Trust me, you are doing more harm than good.  It is so much better to cover it up and let the world assume you are perfectly fabulous than to prove to them that you are not.

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     The suit above comes in several colors but it’s so hot in black.  The style adds structure to a flat chested or a larger chested person. If you have a great back, it’s going to show it off, yet appear fair covered by today’s standards.

I absolutely adore the cut of this monokini.  It’s so classy. Again, it adds form and structure and the ruffle would help a smaller chest to have a bit more volume.

This Lane Bryant suit is adorable in metallic gold animal print. Again, the hat and bracelets add an extra bang for those times you want to appear more fashion forward, keep the sun off, control the wind blown hair and rock the summer like the girly girl you are.

This ruffled monokini comes in all types of colors, and it also has a great contouring ability due to the shape as well as the padded boost cups. There is a thick, structured band holding up the top around the back, so this is something to look for when you need more chest support in a swim suit.

     If being a glamour puss is your thing, a solid color is best most of the time you want to make a statement.  A multi-colored and patterned suit is usually a bust that washes a person out. A strong and bold swim suit print can usually make a larger person appear even larger.  Solids or well done color blocked suits are best.

   

      And  this was so adorable, I had to include it.  Yes, it is a bikini.  It’s 

a well structured bikini on a well structured woman.  The top clearly has under wires for support and the shape is great.  However, the accessories and the hat make this so much more fabulous. For the self conscious, a really sheer black cover up would look amazing as well.

     These suits make me want a vacation now.


SDS

-June 7, 2014

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SIX SHOTS: MARCH 2014

SIX SHOTS

march, two thousand and fourteen

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1.  BLACK ANGEL SHOOT

     This entire month’s top six shots all come from a few trips to the beach.  The shoots with Jennifer went well, but click the picture above to see my favorite shots with her!

     

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2.  AMERICAN GIRL SHOOT

      The versatility of her look makes it fun to try new things.  Click the picture above to see the rest of this shoot!

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3.  BEACH SHOOT

     ….and then there’s bikini time.  In trying to keep it clean, we tried to stick to her sporty girl nature. Being glamorous while in bikini-state, and anonymous onlookers are gawking, was not making it easy for her! I learned a lot here.  You’ve got to take your time and not rush. And the damn sun! Never in the right direction!

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4.  ANONYMOUS SURFER GUY

     Anonymous surfer guy came out on a day I went to the beach for a picnic with my husband and Jazzy and Bella.  We get there, and the waves were choppy, it was dark and wet with black clouds over head.  I always appreciate a rebel, so I snapped this surfer who looks like he’s supposed to be behind the desk of the local insurance office.  He clearly ran away from work a few hours early to hit the very rare wave action.

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5.  ANONYMOUS BEACH BIRDS

     The birds were going crazy for what was left of our family picnic and the crazy, dark waters and winds were surreal. It was an adventurous feeling in the air.  Not quite the beautiful, sunny picnic weather I was planning on. Imperfectly perfect.


6.  BEACH INSTAGRAM

     So Instagram and camera phones DO have their place! These were phone shots from that day, and while they are not exactlyof Canon quality, they collectively merge as one to highlight our day! everything doesn’t make it to my Instagram, and Instagram doesn’t make it to the blog, but I wanted to share it here!

-SDS

-March 31, 2014

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BLACK FEATHERED ANGEL


     This week I had the opportunity to do a full shoot in which I got to style, do the make up and photograph some photos for Jennifer’s acting/modeling portfolio.

I wanted to share some of the photos here on the blog because I absolutely had a blast spending the day together and working on her shots!

     Although I work in cosmetics, as well as own my own Apartment Locating business in Houston, I also enjoy doing freelance makeup and small shoots here and there. It’s a passion.

I decided to go for a more retro look this time, and used the new line of lip colors by Estee Lauder, Pure Envy, to give her that bold, sculpted lip look. I had used a nude lip in previous shots, shown here.

     The black feathered dress I used is a special vintage find that I own and it waits patiently in my closet for events such as this!  I use this fact to illustrate my continual point, in that fashion doesn’t have to kill your finances.  I actually bought it years ago. I’d taken over as District Manager for a chain of fashion stores in Houston, and they had decided to close out their formal collection, so I purchased this at a total steal although at the time I’d had no place to where it to!

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I would almost be upset at how wonderful it looks on Jennifer, but she’s such an angel and so fabulous that it’s impossible to be upset with her for being 5’10 and gorgeous! And young. And smart.

     I’ve always been so interested in advertising and how exactly people a select few work their way up into ad positions with retailers.  I once worked for a US company that kept making odd choices in the catalog models and styles and sales began to suffer with each poor decision. 

     Once, they hired an actress from another country to be our model.  The problem was, they paid her a lot of money, but 98% of our demographic didn’t even know who she was so the large salary spent accomplished nothing.  I always felt it would be a better decision to find a fabulous unknown, and develop her and your company image simultaneously. If your product is great and your catalog is great, do you need a multi million dollar face? 


    

     Anyway, there will be other themed pictures from different parts of the shoot shared in the future here! What are your thoughts?

 

    

-SDS

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