Dressing My Best: Lips

Headscarf: Dollar Store, $1
Shirt: secondhand, $6 from consignment store
Undershirt: Downeast Outfitters, $8
Bracelet: booth at Pike Place Market, $16
Jeans: American Eagle brand via Downeast Outfitters, $12.50
Loafers: secondhand Cole Haan brand, $2 from thrift store

Knotting a scarf on top of my head makes me feel a little like a housekeeper. In a good way.

Way more often than not, I wear Dr. Pepper Lip Smackers as my sole lip treatment, but to celebrate my lips on this fine blazing June day, I went for some bold lipstain instead. Little known fact: putting stuff on your lips correctly can be tough, and looking at the pictures from the day, I can see that I did so a little unevenly.

But it feels oh-so-ladylike, right?

Dressing My Best: Torso

Necklace: some beachside shop in Oregon, $10
Shirt: secondhand Downeast Outfitters brand, $3.50 from thrift store
Belt: secondhand, $2 from thrift store
Right hand ring: gift from mom
Rose bracelet: gift from brother and sister-in-law
Watch: borrowed from husband
Leather bracelet: booth at Pike Place Market, $16
Skirt: secondhand J.Crew brand, $10 from consignment shop (shortened with hair elastic and leaf pin)
Sandals: gift from mom

I've had this shirt for a little over a month, and even though it's ultra-basic (and cheap), it has become one of my favorite pieces. I love the color, the sleeve length, the neckline -- everything about it. Summer in Provo has been hot as the blazes so far, so I'm all for things that don't need layers on top or underneath. The skirt, too, is a new addition; I bought it on a shopping trip with my mom the weekend of my brother's wedding. It has proven to be marvelously versatile and easy.

Continuing on with academichic's "Dress Your Best" challenge, today, I'm dressing for my torso. My torso is a bit on the long side, throwing that golden ratio of body proportion right out the window. I can shorten its appearance by wearing a high-waisted skirt or placing a belt a bit higher than usual, but for the most part, I don't like to take these measures. Being long of torso is a quirky yet happy little thing about my body, and I'm much more likely to draw attention to that rather than to disguise it with tricks. I wore a shirt today that fits close to the body and emphasizes my shoulders/chest/waist, then added a belt slung low across my hips.

Good ol' dictionary.com defines "torso" as "the trunk of the human body." What a cool visual, drawing that connection between the center of our bodies and the trunk of a sturdy tree. (And given this definition, what are we to make of the phrase "junk in the trunk"? Is that slang more appropriate for pot bellies than generous booties?) My trunk is pretty much straight up and down, slight but sturdy. Thanks, Torso, for being the place where my limbs grow from and the vertical root of my body.

Now give yourself a hug around the waist and share: what's the deal with your torso?

Dressing My Best: Skin

Necklace: vintage family heirloom
Dress: Downeast Outfitters (here), free with store credit
Flower pin: handmade by my mom
Heels: secondhand American Eagle brand, $8 from thrift store

This new dress of mine is quite the number. It fits the bill for that infamous "Little Black Dress" every woman's supposed to have in her closet, but the lacey print makes it both quirky and extra-classic somehow. The cut is really flattering, the fabric is tough to wrinkle, and it has pockets. Pockets, I say! The only downside is that it features straps to be tied in the back. I get the appeal of this addition, since it can make any dress fit a little neater without requiring a tailor or sewing machine, but I tire quickly of feeling that little knot in the middle of my back. I resolved the problem in this case by wrapping and overlapping the straps behind me, then bringing them to meet on the side and securing with a flower pin that matched the creme print on the dress. Not the perfect solution, but it worked for today.

The academichic ladies put out the call for style bloggers to "dress their best" -- dedicate some outfits to body parts or attributes that we deem our best. Today, I'm celebrating my skin. I went for a dark color (courtesy of my beloved new dress!) to demonstrate the unabashed, undisguised lightness of my skin. Some call it "porcelain," some call it "fair" or "pasty," but I'm good with calling it pale. I'm pale, y'all. There are no tan lines to be had. You will get no apologies from me on the subject of super-white legs.

My dad and brothers have that olivey skintone that tans so well in summertime, while my mom and I are on the "burn-or-be-white" end of the spectrum. While I sometimes wish for skin that will look great when decked out in oranges, yellows, and earthtones, this is the skin I have. Purples and blues are the colors for me. Over time, having gravitated away from my friends' middle/high school fixation on beautifully bronzed skin, I've come to really appreciate the pale.

I'll also give a little shout-out to my complexion, which has improved mightily since this time last year. Those folks on the Proactiv commercials may be cheesy, but they also speak the truth when they say that having "bad skin" -- acne-prone, scarred, whatever -- can really take a toll on your confidence level. I've tried to up my skin care consistency in this past year, and while I'm still never without a pimple or two, the change is noticeable and much appreciated. Rather than uttering that common lament -- "I have such bad skin!" -- I'm giving my skin a little love today. Thanks, Skin, for keeping my insides on my inside and looking so good in turquoise and plum.

Let's pass the microphone along: How do you feel about your skin?