Technicolor Tessellations: Purple, Orange, and Stripes

With flowers filling the once bare branches and pollen circling the air like a pack of hungry wolves (what?), you know it's time to put away the heavy sweaters and boots and break out your sundresses and flip flops. Or if you're me, keep the boots and heavy sweaters like a crazy person and skip wearing tights. Because wearing a thick wool sweater in the oppressive humidity of the South is the smartest way to prevent overheating in the summer. Casual.

That was supposed to be a joke, but it wasn't funny. Awkward fail.

But anyway, yea I know what you're thinking, "Who would ever pair orange and purple together"? I thought the same thing, but these two split complementary colors are oddly appealing. Great for the transitional Spring-Summer and Summer-Fall months, purple and orange has the ability to transcend the lines between girly and edgy. The stripes help keep the focus away from the odd mix of colors and blend the hues in an eye-catching yet playful manner. So here are a few outfits I put together inspired by the odd mix of color and prints.

Summertime Drive

Please ignore the titles of the outfits. It's the end of the semester and my creativity is basically nonexistent. Anyway, I thought this outfit would be cute on a trip down to the beach. The only thing this breezy top and Lennon-esque sun glasses  are missing is the sweet smell of sunscreen.



Chilly Spring Night

Although it's pretty warm outside, the nights are can be a bit chilly. During the daytime, you can switch out the sweatshirt with a loose fitting tank top and throw on the sweater after the sun goes down.

Breezy Weekend

This has to be my favorite outfit of the collection. The high waist of the lilac pants allows modesty despite the midriff baring top, and the bright shoes and matching bag bring life into the outfit.

Cute and Clean

Not gonna lie, this outfit is on the preppy side for me, but cute nonetheless. I love how the stripes in the unitard continue down into the tights, which brings the top and bottom halves of the outfit together.



Night Beneath the Stars

It's kind of cliche to have a striped dress and heels, but it didn't feel right making a collection including stripes without it. In order to keep the insane amount of pattern from clashing too much with the purple and orange, I decided to keep the colors at opposing ends. The orange lipstick adds just enough contrast to the deep purple shoes, both of which are just enough to balance with the dress.




Feel free to comment with any questions or suggestions!!!

Review: MAC So Chaud Lipstick

I heard oranges were the "it" color this summer, and with my bronzy-olive skin tone, I thought I should give it a shot. Unsure of the brightness and warmth of orange in my comfort zone palette of deep, rich fall tones, I began experimenting with the color in my wardrobe. First to don the staple color were my nails, which I thought looked stunning. Then the color migrated to my clothing, a favorite being a monotone neutral, usually some shade of grey, and high waist jeans with an orange bag and turban. Then while browsing the mall I found the ultimate statement and addition to my makeup collection, MAC's So Chaud and Morrange. I ended up purchasing So Chaud, since Morrange was a bit too far out of my comfort zone. I didn't take a picture of the swatch in the store, but will compare the two colors in my review.

As stated in the photos above, So Chaud is a matte color. I was pleasantly surprised that this color was no where near as dry as Ruby Woo, which literally feels like crayon. Anyway, this matte goes on smooth, has an opaque application, and stays on all day.

The color is bold, but not as bold as Morrange, which has a neon quality to it (I believe Morrange has an amplified finish, explaining the neon quality). So Chaud is more on the red orange side of the color spectrum, whereas Morrange is more yellow orange, so keep that in mind when deciding which will work better for you.

Here is So Chaud swatched on my hand. It looks more red than it actually is, but I promise, it's orange.

The color will stain your lips, so I suggest a thin layer of Vaseline before application of this color (or any other mattes for that matter)

Overall, I believe that orange is a much softer alternative to red lipstick. It's also a lighter, more youthful choice for adding color to an otherwise neutral face. I highly recommend So Chaud for anyone looking for a way to incorporate orange into their wardrobe or wants to try something different.