______This felt like the first time I've dressed up in weeks. I've been muraling most of the summer and my primary lük has been a paint-stiffened tank, grungy, year-old tennis shoes, and globs of paint in my hair... sweat, sunscreen, and small bugs have been the closest things to makeup I've worn. The first couple of days muraling I'd partake in my usual makeup routine, but knew it would just sweat off or I'd resort to covering my face in sunscreen, thus rendering it moot. Eventually, I succumbed to going makeup-less, and although not anything over a 4-minute regimen, it was nonetheless unnerving those first few days. But then it became easier since I grew more focused on the task at hand and less on the way I looked to potential onlookers.
______And on a day when I wasn't muraling, such as the day these photos were taken, suddenly spending so much time again on my appearance felt like a considerable transformation; regardless, I still recognized myself as me at the core of this so-called transformation. In sum, I'm glad to say I'm comfortable with both versions of myself--it feels just as acceptable for me to be slathered in sweat with my hair in a scraggly, paint-striped ponytail while I'm at work as it does spending time on picking out an outfit and curling my hair for everyday errands.
Dress: Forever 21
Lace kimono: similar
Heels: Vince Camuto (exact)
Necklace: Dolls Kill
Earrings: Francesca's (similar)