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Why Did You Wear That: On the Six

By |December 3rd, 2014|Why Did You Wear That?, WhyDid Wisdom|

why did blog sixth birthday cake

When I actually published my first post is debatable (as I made a switch from Tumblr to WordPress very early on), but it was six years ago, give or take a few days.  That first post wasn’t prolific or groundbreaking and at the time I had not one clue as to what I was doing or where it would lead me.  WhyDid has evolved as have I over the past six years.  It even underwent a name change (from Why Did You Wear That) to encompass the expansion of topics from celebrity cameltoe (most popularly Katy Perry‘s) to all things fashion, beauty, and lifestyle.  I came pretty close to a name change myself, but fortunately dodged that bullet.  There have been times when I wanted to just scrap the whole operation and revert back to normal.  One of those times came from a nasty commenter who told me my blog was just like “some dumb diary” where I recorded my life and outfits.

denim-shirt-scotch-and-soda-nyc-whydidI guess she (he?!) was right.  This is kind of like my diary, except I share my stories and my troubles and my outfits publicly not for any narcissistic reason, but so anyone who stumbles upon my site finds a place where she/he can spend a few minutes a day laughing, or feeling understood, or getting inspired to try something new.  The fashion world and the world wide web can be very scary places, but I wanted to create somewhere safe.  Somewhere kindred spirits could meet and know that they are not alone in the world and that any silly life trauma we might be going through isn’t that serious.  Sharing my life is not only scary, but also therapeutic.  By sharing so much, I open myself up to people who are negative and feed off of knocking people down, but by sharing I also open myself up to people who may need to hear exactly what I have to share.  So, I let the good outweigh the bad.

why did blog kirsten smithAs someone who hates having her picture taken (though all evidence would suggest otherwise), it was pretty uncomfortable to start posting photos of myself and one guy I dated told me fairly early on that I looked incredibly uncomfortable in my photos (I was).  I’ve been told my eyebrows were too light (enter Anastasia of Beverly Hills), my boobs appeared saggy, and that I looked like just another Southern California girl (even though I’ve lived 97% of my life on the East Coast).  If I said that I didn’t initially feel incredibly hurt by these comments, I’d be lying.  I nursed my wounds for several days each time and confirmed with friends that my breasts were, in fact, as perky as those of a 19 year old over topless chats on FaceTime.  Being dissected by people I’d never met was painful, but it opened my eyes to the scrutiny that we put celebrities and each other under all the time and it changed my perspective.

kirsten-whydid-nyc-dog-walkingRealizing that was helpful, but sometimes stopped me from expressing what I really wanted.  Over the years, I found myself censoring… myself.  I played it safe at times so as not to offend or alienate people.  Sometimes I had to dilute stories or descriptions because I knew my parents were reading or because I was worried someone I cared about might get offended.  What I learned was that people appreciated it more when I crossed the line.  When I said something outlandish or because I was being myself, I allowed my readers to feel comforted or validated in their own lives, to feel a part of something bigger.  There are plenty of people out there playing it safe and repeating what the media and society has programmed us to think, feel, wear, watch, and say.  I didn’t start WhyDid to be just another brick in the wall.  That’s the wall I wanted to knock down.

top-knot-crop-top-whydid-blog copyI didn’t write this post to pat myself on the back (though I certainly hugged myself earlier), but to thank you and to promise to continue sharing my life and my authentic self and to encourage you to do the same.  Know that as scary as it can be to just be yourself, it’s the safest thing you can do.  So, don’t be afraid to shine.  You can be weird.  You can be emotional.  You can have different opinions.  You can march to the beat of your own damn drum, but don’t you dare ever hide the beauty that is you.

And in case you were wondring, Katy Perry’s cameltoe is still the most searched term that leads to WhyDid.

xx,

WhyDid

Beauty Buzz: Beauty Bamboozle

By |November 13th, 2013|Beauty Buzz|

fake eyelashesSociety basically demands perfection from women these days.  That’s a lot of pressure and I don’t know about you, but I don’t have time for all of that.  So in order to cut some corners and fake the beauty funk, there are a few tricks of the trade that will have you looking effortlessly beautiful in much less time, pain, and money than one might think.  Be a beauty magician and pull some tomfoolery on these fools.

  1. Bumble and bumble Spraychalk: Adding a pop of color to your coif became a whole lot easier with this spray on chalk.  You could always do it the old fashion way though…
  2. St. Tropez Tanning Essentials Kit: The best thing you can do for your skin is not fry it with UV rays.  This kit makes it possible to be sunkissed without wrinkling.
  3. Buxom Full-On Lip Cream: Rather than suffer through painful needles, pucker up with a lip plumping gloss first.
  4. Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Powder Duo: There’s a reason Brooke Shields and Cara Delevingne are beauty icons.  Those brows.  Fill yours in and transform your face.
  5. Color Wow Root Cover Up: Save time and cash by covering up unsightly roots with a temporary touch up ’til you can get to the salon.
  6. Sephora Collection Day, Night, and Glam Lash Set: Nothing adds drama like a pair of false lashes.  Be sure and watch this video pre-application so as to avoid any accidents.
  7. Sarah Chapman Skinesis FacialiftBefore going under the knife, try this at home tool that claims to sculpt facial contours, reduce puffiness, and even prevent jawline breakouts.
  8. Batiste Dry Shampoo: The best way to disguise an overdue blowout is with dry shampoo although there are a few other clever ways to disguise a bad hair day.

Abracadabra!

xx,

WhyDid

 

image via

Beauty Buzz: Five Product (and Minute) Face

By |May 9th, 2013|Beauty Buzz|

five minute makeupI mentioned before that less is more when it comes to cosmetics, but sadly the winter has a way of making you fall prey to caked on bronzer and and extra swipe of liner to make you feel like you look human.  And fall I did.  However, as the sun has started to shine again and my skin has begun to glow, I’m back to the bare bone basics.  I can not express to you enough how many (male) compliments I receive when I wear barely there makeup.  Groomed brows, berry stained lips and cheeks, and a healthy skin tone are the look that garners all the glances.  Five products and literally five minutes is all it takes to have you looking perfectly polished and oh so pretty.

1. Laura Geller Spackle Tinted Under Makeup Primer in Bronze, 2. Benefit Benetint, 3. Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in Ash Blonde, 4. Benefit They’re Real Mascara, 5. Josie Maran Argan Infinity Cream Intensive Creamy Oil

You’re welcome.

xx,

WhyDid

 

Beauty Buzz: Brow Down

By |March 22nd, 2012|Beauty Buzz|

famous eyebrowsLong gone are the days of over tweezed and drawn on eyebrows.  The full brow is back and better than ever as seen on the Spring 2012 runways.  Everyone from Naeem Khan to Derek Lam channeled their Brooke Shields a la The Blue Lagoon. In seasons past, the bleached brow had made an appearance, but this spring, it’s all about the statement making power brow.

filled in brows I suffer from having fairly light and fairly thin eyebrows naturally, so I have to fill them in just to make ’em look normal using  Tarte’s EmphasEYES brow pencil in Taupe on a day to day basis.   Rosie Huntington Whitely swears by Laura Mercier’s Brow Powder.  It’s time to find your power tool for banging brows.  The look is full, groomed, and face framing.  It is also important to find the right shape for your face as well.  I have found that just having a groomed brow makes me immediately appear more polished and adds an extra impact to my eyes.

brow enhancers1. Anastasia Beverly Hill Beauty Express for Brows and Eyes, $39.50, 2. Laura Mercier Brow Powder Duo, $24, 3. Amazing Cosmetics Brow Gel, $14, 4. Tarte EmphasEYES For Brows, $19.50, 5. Too Faced Cosmetics Brow Envy Kit, $35, 6. Revlon Colorstay Brow Enhancer, $7.74

 

xx,

WhyDid