What I got out of doing a 30 day style challengeI decided to do a style challenge in the month of May. A random list of daily style goals I found on Pinterest months ago has been on my Projects board collect virtual dust. I decided to try the challenge in the month of May because as you can see it’s been some time since I’ve written a post. Considering the name of this blog please use your better judgment to assume that I haven’t been feeling progressive or perfect in a while. Not to discount my life. My overall life has been really great lately, albeit boring and mundane. I don’t have any complaints about the things happening or not happening yet. I was feeling frumpy nonetheless. As usual I’m in a body funk because that’s just how I live. Training hard for a few weeks, enjoying too much junk food for a few days, sedation after and then pick back up the cycle when I start to feel like I’m out of control.
I planned as many outfits and styles that I could in advance. I even put each days challenge on my calendar as to not forget and be prepped for the next day. The only thing I was worried about were the pictures. How was I going to make sure I got a flattering picture every day for 31 days? I not much of a selfie taker and I’m an editor by nature. So yes, I do edit a lot of my photos before posting them anywhere. I don’t use photoshop apps and alter my appearance but I am a fan of filters, auto-correct, crop, saturation, brightness and shadows. In addition to only having the camera on my LG as a photo resource, daily photos became very time consuming after the first week. I didn’t take any pictures of me defeating this challenge. I like the way dressing up and being prepared for the day ahead gave me clarity and focus. It cut out a lot of down time I was wasting in the morning. It helped me navigate my schedule a little easier. I realized that it was still a good idea to continue the challenge even though I wasn’t documenting for all to see. I realized that doing the challenge was for me and only me anyway. I rediscovered old clothing pieces that I hadn’t worn in a while or have been stumped to try and fit into my current everyday wardrobe. I started wearing makeup again. Since being out of the modeling industry I gave up on my every day makeup. I claim the only place I ever go to is work. I need makeup for an event on the weekends I might slave for 30 minutes trying out a random look. While doing the challenge I started dusting off old eye shadows and cleaning my brushes. I went shopping for new things and realized my signature lip color is any shade of orange with a shimmer. I started feeling really cute, sexy and absolutely girly leaving out for work in the morning. Before the challenge I had spent a lot of office hours in jeans, basic t-shirts and hoodies. During the challenge people complimented me on my clothes and “new” makeup choices. A lot of my clothes and shoes collecting actual dust were shaken free and given the chance to shine. I fell off the challenge consistently around day 15. It was a Friday and the plans I had for that style challenge fell through. I still looked at the challenges every day and adjusted to try and still fit everything in the month, even if that meant doubling up on one day. Now it is the following month and I’m happy to say I’ve been fairly successful. And you should know it’s true because since I don’t have the photos to prove it I could easily lie and say I defeated the challenge. Defeat, I did not. But I did ignite some much needed confidence and was able to take inventory on my wardrobe. This challenged gave me the opportunity to make my own inspirations and test my dormant creativity. I was easier than a writing challenge and way more fun than a fitness challenge. I would encourage trying new things with your personal style, consistently, for a week. It is well into June and I haven’t drawn on my eyebrows or done my hair in a twist out. I’ve been taking it easy this month focusing my energy on more important things than my looks. I’m actively looking for the next inspirational jumpstart to keep my mind occupied now. Suggestions are appreciated.
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