Plus Size… Style?

One of the reasons most of us are trying to lose weight is so that we never have to set foot in a Lane Bryant again. Nothing against the company at all, but I can tell you that the day I stop shopping there will be the happiest day of my life and I will run through the mall, giving sizes 14-26 the non-chubby finger.  But until that day, we still need to cover our ample asses and there's no reason we can't do it fabulously.

I've been overweight the majority of my life (ugh), save a handful of starving/purging teen years, so I honestly don't know what my own personal style is. I've never really cultivated a look for myself -- I just wear what makes me feel safe, my uniform -- black skirt and some sort of top.  In the last few years, I've branched out and tried more fun dresses and brightly colored looks. I even wore some leggings recently, which for me was sort of a big deal. I don't do pants in public, really.  But still... I don't know what my style really is since I've never had much option of wearing things outside of plus-size clothing stores.

I do know what my look isn't.   Lane Bryant is much better than most, and I do shop there, but it's not really my brand, per se. The majority of the clothing I find either too trendy (ergo, kinda ridiculous) or too old. Some might argue, but plus size clothing tends to run a bit more mature looking -- and I'm only 36. I'm not ready for that yet. In general, their clothes are cute, they just don't speak to my aesthetic... my aesthetic that I'm still figuring out.

The other mainstream option is Torrid, which on the flipside is too young for me. I like the vintage looks they have and I can find an occasional piece in there, but overall, the clothes are too youthful and a bit too pricey for what you get, in my opinion.  $45 for a printed tee?  No, thank you.  Their stuff is cute and I do believe that with the increase in plus-size teens, it's a good niche market -- but again, some trendy items just don't belong on bigger bodies. Taking a trend that looks great on a thin person and simply blowing it up isn't always the most flattering for someone with a fuller figure. It's not sizist, it's just a fact. They do have cute accessories, though and their employees have always been really sweet girls.

I did just notice that Lane Bryant has launched another division: Loop 18, which appears to be "junior plus". I don't really know what "junior plus" entails, other than younger looking clothes. It looks to still be in 'growth-mode' as the selection is pretty slim (they have 75 items in the entire shop) and it's pretty pedestrian stuff -- I've seen similar at Walmart. (Sorry, LB, I'm not looking to alienate advertisers -- I'm just calling it like I see it. It's all constructive.)

There are a few smaller chains, but nothing that speaks to my personal style -- places like Avenue, Fashion Bug or heaven forbid, Catherine's... where muu-muus go to die.

Need a Schpritz?

In the sweltering months of August, sometimes you need a lil' pick-me-up. I know I could have used one last week at BlogHer '10 in New York City. It was HOT, hot, hot the first couple days.

When I got home, I was thumbing through some back issues of Health Magazine and I found this quick recipe for an Energy Spritz. (April 2010, page 25).

Energy Spritz

• 2 bags of white or green tea
• 2 cups of hot, filtered water
• 2 drops of lemon or orange oil

Brew tea with hot water. Let cool to room temperature; discard tea bags. [Ed. -- heh, "tea bags"] Combine tea and oil in a spray bottle. Refrigerate and mist on when your skin feels dry or needs a lift.

I've done something really similar to this with ginger tea and a little lemon juice instead of white/green tea and oil. The scent of the ginger is really mood-lifting and calming at the same time. It makes me feel like I'm in Origins.

Another soothing spritzer is an oldie, but goodie of mine:

Joelle's Rose Schpritz

• Thayer's Rose Petal Witch Hazel with Aloe
• Seltzer Water, plain

I get one of those little hairdresser spray bottles from Sally's or some other beauty supply, fill a third with Thayer's and the rest with seltzer. (Plain seltzer, not lemon or whatever -- just plain -- but I guess you could use an "essence of" as long as it doesn't have any other ingredient but water.)  Chill it in the fridge and when the A/C goes out and it's 95°, hit the fridge and spritz your face, chest... anywhere that needs cooling down.

The seltzer makes it invigorating (you could use still water if you wanted), the rose water a pleasant scent, relaxing. It takes you to a better place.

 A word of caution: DO NOT get plain witch hazel. You must get the Thayer's Rose Petal Witchhazel (or their Lemon, Cucumber, Lavender or Peach varietes, if you're into that -- though I've never seen those in stores. Maybe Whole Foods?). It's cheap, under $10, and worth the hunt if you can't find it easily (I get mine at CVS). Regular witch hazel stinks so bad, I couldn't get away from myself fast enough. Trust me on this, it smells like burned toenails. But Thayer's does make an unscented variety if you're not into scents at all.

The witch hazel is clarifying, like an astringent (only without alcohol), so you're not only cooling off, you're getting a mini spa break, kind of.  Or at least, that's what I tell myself when I'm standing with the fridge door open, cooling off and spritzing down.

Got any good summer-cool-down ideas or doubleduty beauty tips?

The Laughing Cow Blue Cheese Martini

YOU GUYS!  I totally have to tell you about my idea. Ok, someone else has probably already thought of it, but I felt like freakin' Edison while I was in the kitchen last night making myself a cocktail.

I've been pondering lately what to do with my blue cheese Laughing Cow wedges. Not that I can't just tear off the foil and nom it is as-is, but I was looking for innovation.  And lo, the vodka gods... they spoke to me. They got really close and whispered in my ear, "Blue cheese-stuffed olives..."  all seductive-like.

BLUE CHEESE STUFFED OLIVES, y'all.

So last night I broke out my best martini olives, sucked out those pimentos and started stuffing. It was messy, but since Laughing Cow is already so soft and pliable, it went in pretty easy (I just used my fingers. *stuff stuff stuff*).  One wedge gave me about  6 big olives with a bit left over (which I ate, of course). 

I skewered a few of those babies and plopped them right into my martini and yea, verily, it was delicious.

The cheese dissolved just enough to make my martini blue-cheese essenced, though stirring with your olives will  quicken the dissolution of your cheese. I was worried about it dissolving faster and giving me blue cheese-vodka soup, but it didn't... stayed tidy inside the olives just like straight-up blue cheese does. And when I was ready to munch them, the flavor was just right. Not too intense, but blue cheesey and I didn't feel as guilty about having cheese in a beverage.

Vodka Martinis with Laughing Cow Light Blue Cheese-stuffed olives, my friends. I love you that much.