OOTD: Bachelorette Party

If you're following me on Snapchat (and if you're not, you should: thehannahgold), you probably saw that I went to my cousin's bachelorette party as my first night out as a 21er. I totally went all-in on the going out look: flash tats as eyeshadow and in my hair, four inch stilettos, and my favorite formal romper.

A Week Without Makeup

I've recently read a couple articles citing Audre Lorde and bell hooks to argue that makeup can never be considered feminist. As a big believer that makeup can be extremely empowering to women, I found this interesting. The basic argument is this: wearing makeup, whether it's to please yourself or to please the public, cannot let you reclaim your body and your beauty as it is still playing into ideals of beauty established in a patriarchal society. I am not going to get into my personal opinion on this argument as this is neither the place nor the time, but these articles did get me thinking about whether or not I could go without wearing makeup.
I don't wear makeup everyday. This isn't a statement or anything. In all honesty, it's just because I'm kind of lazy. However, I do love a good bold lip color and some mascara to make my fine eyelashes a little more proportional. So, I challenged myself to go a full week without makeup of any kind. No tinted lip balm, no concealer, no eye brightener, nothing. I photographed myself each day and wrote a little reflection on how I'd felt that day. I didn't find anything revolutionary in the process, but some of what I found did surprise me.

{photo via Carissa Gallo}

Monday: This is already kind of hard; I wanted to wear lipstick today! I felt kind of self-conscious in situations when I felt under-dressed.

Tuesday: I actually had extra time in my morning routine, so I caught up on some reading instead of spending that time to do my makeup. I felt self-conscious today and didn't want to look at my reflection in the mirror.

Wednesday: I had a bit of a late start, so I felt comfortable going makeup-less because I wouldn't have had time anyways. I've been spending a couple extra minutes on my hair in the mornings. I just want to feel presentable!

Thursday: I wonder if anyone else notices I'm not wearing makeup. My eyes feel tired and I'm worried it shows.

Friday: I used to think I only used makeup to add to my look (i.e. with statement lipstick and winged eyeliner), but I'm starting to figure out a lot of my makeup routine actually focuses on hiding what I'm self-conscious of. Some days I'm particularly self-conscious of my stubby eyelashes, my too-small eyes, and my undefined lips. Wearing makeup really can make me feel better about my appearance sometimes.

Saturday: I didn't recognize myself in the mirror today. I guess I need some of the enhancements of makeup to feel like myself. That seems like a bit of a slippery slope to me. I feel like I need longer eyelashes, bigger lips, bigger eyes, and smoother skin to feel the most comfortable in my own skin. But the more women like me rely on things like serums and extensions and makeup, the more the unrealistic standard of beauty in society is enforced. I don't want my daughter to feel like she has to spend hours on her appearance just to feel comfortable around other women. Maybe hooks and Lorde are right.

Sunday: I think I feel comfortable without makeup, but I don't feel pretty or stylish. I don't know how important it is to me that I find inherent beauty in my naked face, though. The only time that would serve to be convenient is when I don't have time to put on makeup on days that I really wanted to wear makeup.

Well, 7 days without makeup was certainly interesting... But I'm going to have to make up for it in the next 7 days. Stay tuned to see what I do next week!

Adventures in Short Hair: Flat Iron Curls

I've never really been good with hair. The extent of my hair styling abilities is being able to french braid. However, I've recently discovered that day-after hair with short hair doesn't look as good as it did when I had long hair. So, I've been forced to experiment with crazy things like straightening and curling my hair. This is the first of probably many updates about my adventures with short hair.

I've tried curling my hair on more than one occasion to no success. Somehow I always burn my fingers on a curling iron, so the only heated hair product I own is a straightener (the plastic edges ensure less fingers being burnt). I'd heard you can curl your hair with a hair straightener but I'd never seen it done until I came across this post on Pinterest. It was super helpful and I followed the tutorial provided in this attempt to curl my hair.

Here's a quick peek at my attempt:

It only took me 27 minutes but I managed to get the results I'd wanted! It didn't last very long– the curls completely flattened when I went to sleep– but it was definitely worth it for the day. I wouldn't be able to maintain this every day but it's nice to have it as an option for special occasions. 

Brush: The Wet Brush

Straightener: Similar from Andis

Heat protector: Redken Thermal Setting Mist

Inspired DIYs

One of my oldest and favorite hobbies is crafting. Specifically, recreating things that I want to buy for a lot less money. I used to make earrings out of wine charms, but I've recently upgraded to DIYs that are a little classier. Here are some of my favorite DIY projects from this summer and the pieces that inspired them.

Inspiration:

Anthropologie and Francesca's

My DIY (with a little help from I Spy DIY)

Inspiration:

Lilly Pulitzer and Nasty Gal

My DIY

Inspiration:

ASOS and True Religion

My DIY

Short hair, kinda care

Okay you guys... I have some news. First of all, I just purchased a real domain name. As soon as I get it hooked up to my blogspot, I'll be able to start posting on a real domain! Second of all, I finally bucked up and cut my hair!

Before showing you the "after" pictures, I figured I'd remind you just how long my hair was. I've been growing it out since I can remember in hopes of one day donating it to Locks of Love. When I was young, my grandma was going through chemo, and wore a wig made of donated hair. My mom has donated her hair no less than three times, but my sister and I have yet to do it. Yesterday, I decided to turn "someday" into "today". 

I donated a total of 12 inches, and my hair is now shorter than it's ever been. I'm definitely still adjusting to not having mermaid hair anymore, but I've already gotten used to looking in the mirror and seeing short hair.

Today is a wonderful day for change. Remember to bookmark thehannahgold.com and be on the lookout for my transition to the domain!

So All About That: Wristlet

Ok, I've officially found my new favorite summer purchase-- this phone wristlet from Target. It reminds me of something I'd buy from Kate Spade; my current fave brand, by the way. Besides its cute pattern and easiness to carry around, I love that it can go with any outfit. Here's a couple of my favorite ways to wear a preppy wristlet this summer.

My suggestions:

My suggestions:

My suggestions:

My suggestions:

Faux Festival-Ware

Romper: H&M
Jacket: H&M
Purse: Similar from Forever 21
Necklace: Waxing Poetic, similar from Love Culture

My school puts on a "music festival" every year where they invite a couple bands to come play for us on our quad. I haven't been to a real music festival in a couple years and I don't foresee myself attending one in the near future, so I took this opportunity to wear something a little unconventional. This "fanny pack" is actually just a small purse that I wore around my waist... I think it might look a little silly but at the same time it was fun to wear something different.

So All About That: May Wishlist

Confession: as I get closer and closer to summer and as my calligraphy teacher becomes more and more critical, I've found myself online shopping a lot more than I probably should be. I know I've prided myself in the past on my money-saving habits, but I think I've deserved some retail therapy. What am I buying, you ask? Here's 4 items in my online shopping carts!

Earcuff-- I'm buying: Winged Crystal Earcuff from Baublebar. I've already kind of touched on how much I love this style earcuff, but I'm going to reiterate it for you right now. First of all, I love this style jewelry in general; the almond shaped, clear/white stones in a simple arrangement. I'll probably look back on this in 20 years and think it looks ridiculous, but for right now, I'm totally digging this look.

 Vintage-style sandals-- I'm buying: Fisherman Sandal from American Eagle Outfitters. Here's another confession: I've only ever owned 1 pair of sandals that weren't flip flops. When I was dancing, my feet always looked strange in sandals, but now that they've had time to recover from being shoved into pointe shoes all the time, I'm ready to flaunt them!




One-piece floral swimsuit-- I'm buying: Hi-Waisted One-Piece from American Eagle Outfitters. I will never fail to shamelessly promote American Eagle and Aerie simply based on their anti-Photoshop campaign. Plus, their swimsuits are so cute--and seeing them on girls that actually look like me make me want to buy them that much more!

 Lip Stains-- I'm buying: e.l.f. Essential Lip Stain in Crimson Crush and Fuchsia Fusion. I'm so lazy when it comes to makeup, so I've found solace in lipstick this last year. However, lipstick is messy and easily smeared; this lip stain doesn't need to be reapplied nearly as often, and the color stays on my lips, not my coffee cups.