Black and white

This lovely vintage dress was a gift from one of my aunts two Christmases ago. People in my family have an uncanny ability to pick out clothes for me that I madly love. (Like this jacket, this dress, and these hats.) This dress is really quite stunning in person - the skirt is completely perforated, so I had to wear a black slip under it. I'd love to wear it sometime with a bright chemise underneath, like hot pink.

I suppose I could pretend that my deathly-pale lips in these photos are intentional (nude lips are a thing, right?), but they're not. That's just my natural lip color. I've always been envious of women who can wear lipstick with ease; when I put it on, I almost always feel like a clown. Back in high school I used to experiment all the time with different bright eyeshadows and lipsticks, but now I don't own any eyeshadow, and the only makeup I use on a regular basis is mascara and hypoallergenic mineral powder. I'm a maximalist when it comes to my clothes, but a minimalist when it comes to my makeup.

I rediscovered this Hershey kiss bracelet in an old dresser of mine at my parents' house last weekend! I got it on a family vacation in high school when we stopped at the Hershey factory in California. I wore it so it was right-side up when I looked at it, and didn't realize until I looked at this photo that it was upside-down to everyone else! (Yep, blond moment. I'm allowed to say that because I'm actually a blond.)

Black and white dress: vintage, gift from my aunt

Black turtleneck: Old Navy

Brown coat: Marks and Spencer

Black and tan wedges: Asos, gift from my husband

Black furry hat: Fred Meyer

Black leather belt: gift from my parents, from Uruguay

Silver Hershey kiss bracelet: from the Hershey factory

Black sweater tights: Forever 21