Suzanne Carillo

5 items every woman should own by suzannecarillo

J Crew long sleeve layering top, 200 CAD / Nicole Farhi black velvet blazer, 540 CAD / J Crew petite skirt, 96 CAD / Gap tall jeans, 74 CAD / Diane von Furstenberg

These are five items that I find myself wearing repeatedly in my wardrobe no matter the season and should be in every woman’s wardrobe, regardless of age.

Wrap dress – They fit and flatter every shape of woman, are classic, sexy and will never go out of style.

Well Fitted Dark Wash Jeans – Unlike the skinny or distressed jeans these “plain jane” dark wash straight legged jeans will never look out of place.

Fitted Blazer – Classic and stylish no matter what you pair it with.

Pencil skirt – This is a throw back to my love of all things vintage. These can look fantastic on any figure as long as they fit correctly.

Cashmere sweater – Cashmere comes in many different weights, so it can even be worn in summer. It won’t pill and you’ll always look polished.

Do you agree with my choices? Or do you have other favourite pieces?

I was prompted to write this post by the lovely Kristian from Never Fully Dressed Without A Style. She has several other bloggers writing their opinions on what their five choices would be…pop over and see if we picked the same items.

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You know that I love clothes, and I love dressing up, however I'm not a fan of everything that marketing suggests is necessary to be a modern well groomed woman.

What some ladies love and consider part of their daily beauty routines I simply don't have the time, interest or desire to bother with. Here is a list of where I measure up on Princess…or Practical.

Practical

Fancy Manicures

I don't do manicures. I've tried and they last all of 1 minute on me. It is a waste of time and money as far as I'm concerned. I like my nails short and unpolished. Just call me NNR (naked nail rebel).

Make Up

I really don't like wearing makeup. Most days I can be found just wearing 60 SPF sunscreen and Nivea lip balm ( I am seriously addicted to that stuff! I have stashes hidden all over the house). For my photos (in the summer) I will put on a bit of shear BB cream a dusting of powder blush and lipstick. In the winter I am more likely to wear eye makeup since I'm not wearing sunglasses all the time.

Jewelry

Earrings bother my ears after an hour. Rings I don't care for unless I never have to take them off to wash my hands. Necklaces and brooches are the jewelry I wear the most often and although I don't wear bracelets as often (same issue with the hand washing) I still love them.

Beauty Products

I have Rosecea so finding something that doesn't bother my skin is very difficult. I use Oil of Olay Total Effects and Effaclar a special non soap based light cleanser for my face. For the rest of my body I use good old Ivory soap and Lubriderm.

I use a funny named product called Snoxin around my eyes for wrinkles. It doesn't cost a fortune and lasts forever. I don't use salon shampoos either. I buy John Frieda shampoo & conditioner for coloured hair.

Lingerie

I used to love to have matching lingerie. Now I just love having something that fits me properly and does the job it is supposed to do. La Senza's outlet store is not too far from where I live and I am able to buy the same bra I would have paid $65 for in their regular store for only $10. It may not be the skin tone colour I would have preferred, but you can't beat $12 for a really good bra. If I'm lucky, with all the cash I've saved on the bra, I can also score a few pairs of matching panties from the same store.

Teeth

I hate (is there a stronger word than hate?) going to the dentist so I am borderline OCD about caring for my teeth. I have an electric toothbrush that has a timer and I floss and use mouthwash every day. I can't use tooth whitening strips because my teeth are hyper sensitive. I tried them once and wasn't able to open my mouth for two days because even air on my teeth was crazy painful.

Shoes – Fluevog, Dress – consignment Pink Tartan silk, Bracelet – Chloe and Isabel won via Liz, Clutch – Anthropologie, Necklace – Forever 21

Princess

Lashes

I get lash extensions. This is partly because I don't like wearing makeup or putting on mascara daily. My lashes are blond and invisible without mascara. Last extensions last around 4 weeks and must be professionally painstakingly applied, the appointment lasts about 40 minutes. For about four weeks I have dark lashes without the daily hassle of putting on mascara and removing it.

Pedicures

I didn't have my first pedicure until I was around 35. It was a treat while on vacation in Cuba. I thought it would be fun for photos of my feet in the sand. Since then I've been hooked. I get one every 4-6 weeks in the summer and every 8-10 weeks in the winter.

Hair Colour

I get my hair coloured every 4-5 weeks. I really dislike the amount of time it takes, but I love the results. When I was blond I got streaks once or twice a year. It was much lower maintenance, since I am a natural blond, but I prefer having red/ombre hair now.

Lipstick

I do love my lipstick. At home it is just lip balm, but when I head out anywhere I will always wear lipstick. I usually use Revlon since I find it has the best staying power. I did find a great tutorial on how to keep your lipstick fresh all day long since I have a big problem with this. The trick is to dust your lips with face powder first, then line them (if you use liner) and then add the lipstick. After that you can place a kleenex over your lips and dust them very lightly again with some pressed powder. That sets it brilliantly and also stops it from running into the lines around your mouth.