My good friend, comadre, and soon to be blogger Cara-lista, asked that I join her for a make-up event at the Prudential Center in Boston. We signed up through Facebook for consultations at the Makeup Forever Makeup Bag Remix Tour. I was familiar with the brand through Cara-lista, who is quite the makeup connoisseur and loves their products. She has been obsessed with makeup since she was about thirteen years old, so I consider her a makeup expert.

The event brings makeup education to cities around the US. They teach techniques and best practices that work for your face shape and skin-tone.  And did I mention it was free?!  I liked that they asked that we bring our own makeup bag to teach how to properly use makeup with products we already own.

Truth be told, I was a little intimidated. Mixing foundations and concealers on your own to get the right color for your skintone? Unheard of! And not to mention the hundreds of color choices and combinations! But with Cara-lista by my side, I knew I wouldn’t be swindled into buying things I didn’t need. With Busco’s help on what would be an appropriate outfit for a sunny cold Boston day, I spent the day playing with makeup.

• Forever21 Cardigan
• Vintage 1980s leather skirt (thrifted)
• Viktor&Rolf for Samsonite luggage bag
• Guess black leather boots
• Red Plastic Bangles, Forever21 earrings, Vintage 1980s green belt

Mira Menos

I’ve had this dress for a while, but hadn’t worn it.  I love the back design, the graphic print, and the structured shoulders (even with removed shoulder pads). But when I tried it on at home, it felt like a little too much dress. So after putting my head together with Busco, we decided the remedy would be to hem the dress. Thus, a new Do-It-Myself (DIM) quick project was born.

I’ve been changing hem lengths on my dresses for years. However, this dress has a row of buttons down the back that I didn’t want to loose. So we decided to do a fishtale hem, which was a new way of hemming for me. I did a quick check for online tutorials, but they all left the skirt unhemmed. This could work for some fabrics, but not for this dress. So I measured, pinned, cut, pressed, and sewed with very satisfying results!

Before (front)

Before (back)

Busco had been wanting to style me in a “neo-global tribal” look since we started writing the blog. It’s not really my style, so I had been politely putting it off. But he brought it up again from being inspired by the dress, so I could object no longer.

• Vintage 1980’s dress with customized hem (thrifted $1.00)
• Vintage 1980’s Carlos Falchi clutch (thrifted)
• Nine West suede heels
• Betsey Johnson black knotted stretch belt
• Vintage 1980’s red hoop earrings, bangles, Puerto Rican camandula bead necklace worn as bracelet, handmade animal bangle by The Sin Embargo

Mira Menos

On break for the holidays, the family and I decided to get out on New Year’s Day for some fresh (FREEZING COLD) air.  We took a scenic drive up north.

• Vintage 1980’s leather bomber jacket (thrifted)
• Missoni for Target shirt
• Vintage 1980’s wool plaid skirt (thrifted)
• Stubbs & Wootton Palm Beach carpet bag (thrifted)
• Black pashmina from NYC
• Silver cuff, silver bangles, silver hoop earings, silver dome rings
• BCBG leather boots

Mira Menos

I love a picnic. Usually I’m always on the go and have been since my first summer job at 15 years old. From work to home to kids to everything in between (in heels).

 So I like to metaphorically dig my heels into the ground and slow down for a picnic, at least 3 times a year: Spring, Summer and Fall.  Its relaxing, and kind of fun. And yes, even the picnics are thrifty: all foodstuffs from home, a homemade blanket, carefully stored games and toys that we’ve had for years. And the best bargain: our imagination.

• Hand crocheted blanket from late 1990s by Mom and me
• Vintage 1980’s dress
• Marc Jacobs tote bag
• Vintage 1980’s fucshia pumps
• Custom headpiece by The Sin Embargo
• Vintage white plastic necklace; red hoop earrings; plastic jade bangle; plastic clear/navy blue bangle

Mira Menos

My recent trip to Las Vegas included an off-strip casino concert outing to see Morris Day & The Time. Admittedly not a group I would rush to see, the experience unearthed a nearly repressed memory: My junior high school lip sync performance of Fishnet.

Fall of 1988. It was the second annual lip sync contest, created by Music Teacher. First prize was dinner at the restaurant of your choice. Music Teacher showed us a video of last year’s winners, three girls lip syncing to Show Me by The Cover Girls. Decked out in their oversized, belted, buttoned-down blouson tops, stretchy pants (currently known as leggings), pointy flats and a big bow to the side of the hair, they Roger-Rabbited, Cabbage Patched, and Wopped their way right to first place. I was impressed. Mira’s friends wanted to enter the contest. I don’t know why they just didn’t decide to do a song with female vocalist or group, but one of them really wanted to do that song, so they needed a guy. Enter me. They were going to be my back-up dancers. It was clear that we not only wanted to win, but we needed to raise the performance bar so that next year’s 8th graders could see us on video.

The styling was simple. The four girls wore alternating black & white (black skirt, white top, white skirt, black top). The fishnets were Halloween costume accessories. Fishnets on a bare leg would be too risque for the girls, so they decided that white pantyhose under the black fishnets would not only reinforce their modesty but also look cool. I wore a white tuxedo shirt with black buttons from my First Communion, black pleated baggy dress pants, a black tie and white shoes. With my hair plastered on the sides with gel and curly on top with a deliberately descending curly bangs, I never felt more dashing.

A copy of the song was made for me to learn the lyrics. Without the original liner notes or the internet, the only way it made sense to me was to write out the lyrics as I listened to the song was stopping the cassette every 10 seconds so that my writing could catch up to the song. The rudimentary choreography which consisted mostly of arm-based moves was rehearsed to perfection. My only memory of it now is the Cabbage Patch at the beginning, one girl at one end pointing at me, then I point at the girl on the other end, as though I were a dance conduit and an “on bended knee” finish.

We won. But I was an even fussier eater than I am now, so in my head I would have been content going to McDonald’s. But the girls had higher aspirations. It was decided that Music Teacher would take us to dinner to a restaurant hotel that at the time was the Lowell Hilton. It wasn’t bad, but I remember eating a piece of chicken fat I mistook for meat. I was drinking Diet Coke at the time and when I asked for a Diet Coke, the server asked, if I was on a diet, to which I replied “does it look like I need to be on a diet?” Music teacher, embarrassed by my rudeness, gave me the hairy eye. I retreated into my menu.

I don’t remember much else about the dinner other than seeing the $50 dinner bill. I had never seen a restaurant bill that high in my life. At one point Music Teacher did jokingly say “I could’ve had three lovely young girls to dinner”, referring to the other contestants. But you know there’s always some truth to those statements made in jest. But we didn’t care. We were having fun as a group, as friends. Maybe that’s also why I didn’t care where we went. It was hard being one of the only boys that hung out with girls. But I did it, and at least for that one moment, it paid off. In an $8 chicken soup and a Diet Coke.

I don’t know if anyone ever recorded our performance. Maybe I’ll look for it on Youtube. But the Morris Day version is out there. Click here to watch the official Morris Day Fishnet music video. 

• Missoni by Target top
• Kenneth Cole skirt
• Michael Kors heels
• fishnet black pantyhose from late 90’s
• Vintage clutch
• Silvertone earrings, sterling silver scarab necklace and dome ring

Busco Mas

El Pecado de Oyuki is a Mexican soap opera, or “telenovela” from the 1980s.  This was one of the many Spanish-language soap operas that we watched with our mom. You’d think that we’d be too young to watch soap operas, but as long as there wasn’t any nudity, mom was OK with it. Violence? OK. Drugs? No problem.

It quickly became one of our favorites. The story takes place in post-war Japan, and is about a Japanese girl turned geisha who falls in love with an English aristocrat, against the wishes of their families. Her English love gets killed by her brother, but she is accused of the murder by his parents. She is sentenced to 20-years but released 5 years before the end of her sentence as a result of her brother’s deathbed confession.

We were fascinated (and couldn’t understand why) they spoke Spanish. But we later learned that the actors were Latin actors with facial features that could pass as Asian. Adding to the fascination was learning about the world of the geisha, pre-Memoirs of a Geisha. We were fascinated by costume, hair, makeup, the way she spoke, danced, behaved. We’re not sure how accurate the portrayal was, but we didn’t know. To us, she was a walking work of art!

And ever since then, we’ve been inspired by Japanese culture, collecting decorative objects, books, and vintage kimonos/robes!

• Vintage child’s kimono/robe
• Vintage child’s tuxedo cummerbund
• Joe’s Jeans denim jeans
• Nine West shoes
• Emilio Pucci handbag
• Plastic plum bangle, painted wood bangles & earrings

Busco Mas
Mira Menos

Husband has a job where he gets to travel all over the world. So when his work destination is within a 5 hour driving radius, the kids and I pack our bags and meet him for the weekend. Saratoga Springs, NY would not be on my list of places to see, but since that was where husband would be, it became the family travel destination for the weekend.

Saratoga Springs, NY is apparently known for its horse racetracks. Summer is peak season for horse track enthusiasts, so there would be plenty of people, and is probably one of the more exciting things to do in the area. I didn’t know what to wear exactly, so I tried to channel Kentucky Derby. In a sea of jeans and T-shirts, I was a little overdressed. I noticed people looking, if not the outfit, definitely for the headband! 

The icing on the cake of this new experience was a winning bet! More money for thrifting!

• Isaac Mizrahi for Target dress
• Vintage Leather purse (Made in France)
• Nine West gladiator high heel shoes
• Vintage belt
• Custom headpiece by The Sin Embargo
• Sterling silver earrings, rings, and beaded cuff bracelet

Mira Menos

Today I strolled over to the new premium outlet mall.  It’s about a 10 minute ride, versus the 1 hour and 15 minute ride to the other premium outlet mall.  I didn’t want to go on opening weekend because of the crowds.  It’s not so much that I don’t like people, but I didn’t want to have to fight anyone at a sale.  Not in this dress.

• Vintage silk dress
•  H&M Belt
• Guess black slingback platform shoes
• Vintage purse
• Gold plated cuff, 14K gold & glass ball earrings, 14K gold chains

Mira Menos

I’m a city girl. I grew up in a city, (albeit a small city). I do appreciate and enjoy the beauty of nature, but in small doses.  I never went camping as a kid. I went to a day camp, which was really going to a community center in the projects, the local park and swimming pool.  Mom grew up on a farm, so she was always surrounded by nature. She couldn’t comprehend why people would want to sleep outside when they have perfectly good beds. But with my mom hat (and shoes) on, my goal is for my children to have as many experiences as I can provide. Which includes the wilderness. Which means I had to go camping.

Camping trip #1 wasn’t fun for me. It was Memorial Day weekend, 2009. It was the worst year of my life for allergies. Bugs everywhere wanted a piece of me. Every leaf that touched my skin was potential poison, since I wasn’t sure what poison plants looked like. And it was COLD as a mofo’.  At night, I’d hear rustling noises from nearby trees and bushes, and so I kept thinking about how I could strategically get my kids and I into the car as fast as I could. I didnt sleep a wink! We had no experience with camping as a family, and relied on friends who lent us their equipment (tents, air mattresses, lighting, and grill). Despite all these modern amenities that our friends graciously loaned to us, I could only take 1 night. Once the sun came up, I woke up my family, packed our stuff and headed home!  Needless to say the kids didn’t have a full camping experience, so that meant at some point in the future I’d have to make up for it.

We asked for recommendations on the best campsite closest to home, in case we needed to implement plan B: GO HOME. I also wanted a campsite with electricity and running water. Luckily the waterfront campsites (with no water or electricity) were all booked.  This was actually husband’s first choice. I’m not sure how I could have survived!  I needed all the help I could get, so I went online and printed out a camping checklist (which looked like it was from the 80’s) to make sure we had all our basis covered. We went for a weekend, which I believed would be enough time for the kids to form an opinion as to whether they’d want to go back or not. If anything, they will chalk this one up on their life list of things they did once. 

We arrived at the site, set up, and explored our surroundings.  I saw the hardcore campers. But is it really camping when your in an RV that has a nice bed, running water, your own bathroom, air conditioner and satellite television, and internet? Yes!

Our experience with camping this time was pretty smooth and uneventful, except for the torential downpours on Saturday early evening.  We did a little fishing, swimming, hiking and alot of eating. The best part was after sundown and when the rain stopped, roasting marshmellows, making smores and just spending time with my family!  I was even surprised that we were all able to sleep 8 hours. I was a little OCD this weekend asking husband every 10 minutes if he would make sure there wasn’t any food on the ground, so we wouldn’t get unexpected visitors at night!

• Son’s khaki shirt
• Gap cropped flare jeans
• Marc Jacobs scarf used as hair accessory
• Dolce Vita for Target wedge espadrilles
• Wood earrings from NYC, vintage brass bangle, plastic Amrita Singh bangle, gold-plated cuff
• Gucci prescription sunglasses
• FIDM Tote

Mira Menos

• Catherine Maladrino dress
• Badgley Mischka shoes
• Vintage patent leather clutch
• Diamond ring, bracelet, and earrings

Mira Menos

Mira: 4th of July. Parades, Fireworks, BBQs and family gatherings.  A celebration of Independence. Red, white, and blue. I was never one to dress in holiday colors. As I got older, holiday dressing became more of a challenge, figuring out certain color combinations that might not fly on a regular day.  Red, white & blue doesn’t seem so bad after all.

Busco: As an kid I dressed in holiday colors on holidays, usually by request of teachers. In the 7th grade the country was celebrating the bi-centennial of the Constitution. Our Social Studies teacher asked us to wear red, white, and blue, and we were going watch the televised event. At the time I wore khaki-like elastic waist pants, because they were cheaper than jeans. I had a pair that was navy blue, with red and white piping along the side. I wore these with my brother’s stars & stripes sleeveless t-shirt, which was a little too tight. When I got to school, no one else was wearing red, white, & blue. As of that day I decided never to dress in holiday colors. Maybe next year it will be my turn.

• Vintage dress
• Vintage red clutch
• Vintage white multi-strand necklace, vintage red button earrings
• Vintage plastic bangles: blue/clear, clear with suspended pearls, and beige Amrita Singh bangle
• Gucci Prescription Sunglasses
• Kanna Wedges

Busco Mas
Mira Menos 

A hot, bright, summer day and a fun-filled weekend of family birthdays. Enjoy!

• Vintage dress
• Vintage Coach handbag
• Franco Sarto Heels
• Vintage white skinny belt
• Pearl earrings, necklace and bracelet, silver watch, sterling silver pearl dome ring

Mira Menos

Today’s photo shoot is a contest entry for a magazine, sponsored by Puma. Prize is a trip to NYC to style a photo shoot. So I street styled Mira Menos, keeping true to her love of mixing vintage, low end, and high end.

As far back as I can remember, I have always admired street style, even before “street style” came to be a fashion look. It represents taste in clothes, music, recreation, culture, art, and has been a big influence on my own style. Street style is usually associated with a youth culture. But I’m not one to give up anything from my childhood or adolescence so soon.

• Puma sneakers and top
• Paper Cloth + Denim white jeans
• DKNY Jeans jacket
• Fendi handbag
• Gucci prescription sunglasses
• Vintage headscarf
• Sterling silver cuffs, necklaces, hoop earrings, and rings; Marc Jacobs plastic black bracelet, Amrita Singh plastic bangle

Busco Mas