Tag: Consumer Goods and Services

Khakis … I Shall Burn Thee.

.Reading time 7 minutes.

Gap_0I’m starting to feel like I need to go to a therapist about all of my repressed childhood fashion choices that haunt me to this day. Khakis. I honestly don’t think I’ve owned a pair since I was in elementary school. Hey, it was the 90’s. And even then I was forced to wear them for “fancy” events like plays, family parties and other random events I was dragged to, because at this point in time I was repulsed by dresses and this was my mother’s second best option for me to look “dressed up.” Woof.

I blame the fact that Khakis have become a “classic wardrobe staple” on The Gap and their stupid hip commercials in the 90’s with all of the swing dancing and such. Remember those? If you are an embryo and can’t remember that far back, let me enlighten you … take a walk through the 90’s here.

Yeah. That happened. Thanks, Gap. I wish I was in the boardroom when the advertising big wig had this stroke of genius. “Khakis … AND … wait for it … SWING DANCING! EH?!”

So let me explain to you the reasons why the site of Khakis make me want to create a bonfire and throw them all in there. ahem …

1. They are stain magnets. It is like the universe turns them into a magnet for any type of colored liquid or food particle to drop on them. If you wear light-colored pants, like Khakis, you are most certainly asking to get a stain in a really awkward place and then have to walk around for the rest of the day with a sweatshirt wrapped around your waist … YOU know what I’m talking about. Also, remember as a kid how you were never allowed to play outside when you were wearing them due to parental fears of grass stains? “No sweetie, after Easter mass THEN you can go play outside. We don’t need Mr. Grass Stain to get you before then, do we now?” That SUCKED.

2. They never are the right color. Like ever. The really light ones are super ugly and weird. Like are they white? Beige? What the hell are you trying to be? And then the ones that are a little too dark are just as strange and remind me of a card board box. There is never the “right color khaki.” And if you know of one, don’t even bother telling me because I still will loathe them. Just call me the Goldie Locks of Khaki pants … they are never just right.

3. Uniforms. If you have ever worked in retail or at a convenience store, chances are you either had a uniform or weren’t allowed to wear jeans. I worked at numerous retail stores back in the day, mostly discount places, and we weren’t allowed to wear jeans, which was devastating to me. I lived in jeans and really didn’t know anything else outside the world of designer jeans. So I turned to khakis and had to pull together really awful outfits in order to meet a silly dress code. Someone call my therapist because I think this is another reason why I have repressed Khaki issues. But seriously, making sandwiches and dealing with awful customers that yell at you over discounted designer goods whilst wearing Khakis? You would want to burn them, too.

4. Too Short. Too Wide. Bell bottoms, wide legged, capri, skin-tight skinnies, drawstring, floods, mom jeans in the form of Khakis … all are repulsive. Once again … I blame this on the Gap. They put really good-looking people in really ugly pants with some sort of hypnotism device in the commercial so when you watched it, you immediately needed to buy them. I have never found a pair of Khakis that have fit properly. They always make my thighs look weird, my ass look flat, and, worst of all … they are NEVER long enough. When was the last time you put on a pair of Khakis and did you best model strut? Hmm? All signs that they should be burned.

5. What the HELL do you wear with them? Okay, so you could wear a white button down, or a white t-shirt with Khakis and look like you are a Kennedy taking a stroll on the beach in Martha’s Vineyard. Or you could wear a nifty cardigan with them … but seriously, how do you make Khakis cool? They are the ultimate statement piece if you are preppy. Nothing wrong with that. If you are preppy, you’re preppy. No shame. But for the rest of us, how do we make them work? The answer is, you don’t. They are made preppy, and therefore, you really can’t take that away from them. Unless you rock a “I Heart Satan” shirt or something with them with combat boots … maybe then.

Listen, Khakis are forever cool … because the Gap said so, and what Gap says goes. But at the end of the day, they may be one of my least favorite garments in the whole entire world. I tried them … therefore I can knock them.

In the meantime, I shall call my therapist. I think we should start with the Old Navy Khaki capris I bought in sixth grade that were skin-tight and came below my knee. :::Chills:::

Ps. No one has performed a swing dance in Khakis since 1998.

 

 

 

Turning Makeup Chaos Into Makeup Sense

.Reading time 6 minutes.

 

I’m a notorious pack rat. I save every little tiny piece of everything to have a “memory.” And according to the shelf on top of my closet, I have far too many memories to store since I risk a box of Hallmark cards from 1995 falling on my head and giving me a concussion every time I enter my closet. It is not just keepsakes that I hang on to … oh no. Makeup hoarding a whole ‘nother hoarding issue to deal with.
Check out Exhibit A. to the left. Yes, that is a Nordstrom bag pretty much filled with makeup that I tossed after going on a violent cleaning rampage whilst listening to the Blueprint III. I basically use five or six products on my face every day. Maybe seven if I’m putting my fancy pants on for the night. So I thought to myself, why in Jesus Christ’s name do I have a horrific drawer filled to the brim with nonsense that I never use, making it hard for me to track down the makeup I actually want to apply, which in turn makes me late.
It wasn’t just makeup that was filling my makeup drawer with chaos, it was excess nonsense that was turning my drawer into the land of cray-cray. Eye liner shavings, caps from God only knows what, three bottles of red nail polish, all old as hell, all half empty (#problems), my hair (yes, I straighten my hair at my vanity, which is where my makeup drawer is … and I shed like a mofo), boxes from makeup I’ve purchased and never thrown out, old razors (yeah, I know … I questioned that one too), black powder (I’m hoping it was eye shadow and that someone was not trying to poison me secretly) … and so much other ridiculous crap.
So if you feel like your makeup drawer is like the cave of wonders holding nonsense you could do without, learn how I transformed my makeup drawer, Exhibit A to the left, by asking myself the following questions … ahem:
1. Have you worn this in the past month? If not, toss.
2. Was it expensive? Doesn’t really matter if you haven’t worn it in the past month, toss.
3. Is this a color/product you have been holding out on to because you need time to experiment with it but haven’t gotten around to it? Toss … you’ll never get around to it if you haven’t already.
4. Are you just saving this makeup for a “what if” scenario? Have you been saving it since college? Toss … if a “what if” pops up there is an Ulta/Sephora on almost every corner next to all Starbucks now.
5. Is it absolutely disgusting to the point that it creeps you out to even touch. Toss!
6. Are you just saving it because it is a cute sample size and makes you happy. Toss … and for the love and get a therapist while you’re at it.
7. Do you have 17 of the same product … all half empty (like my mascara issue)? Toss it ALL and start fresh, unless they are different brands.
8. Do you find yourself collecting said item (like me and my empty bottles of perfume)? Who has room for that kind of shit … toss!
9. Are you just hanging on to shitty makeup brushes so it looks like you have numerous different kinds like the experts tell you to? TOSS … shitty brushes don’t count.
10. Are you saving all this shitty, old makeup so it looks like you have an overflowing drawer? Toss it all. Christ, less is more when it comes to makeup. Quality over quantity. No one is ever going to look at your makeup drawer expect you and maybe your roommates, significant other, and/or best friends once in a blue moon. All people who will not care if you have 10 really great makeup products over 100 old, probably useless and outdated ones.
And after asking myself the above 10 questions, behold Exhibit B, my makeup drawer of perfection! Sure it looks bare, but having the chaos eliminated is truly amazing. Do you understand how genius it is to put my hand in my makeup drawer and not pull it out to discover a weird powder or liquid on it!? Ah-mazing.
I suggest all makeup drawer owners to ask yourself those 10 questions. Coming from a girl who has a makeup hoarding issue and literally had makeup from her college years (yes … college … I won’t date myself by saying how long ago that was) and was keeping it for the “what if” factor making my makeup drawer look like swamp thing, you can do it. I have faith in you. Turn on the Blueprint III and get to business. Less is more and remember, this is your face and body. Take care of it properly!