Finding your signature scent

So Chums found her signature scent. How cool is that?! My signature scent is Escada Magnetism and I felt like I reached a new level in the scent world when I discovered this. Every other perfume I've loved since has been of the same family as Escada Magnetism - floral oriental. Here's a few tools that helped me narrow in on my signature scent

• Sephora's Scentsa: Scentsa is a computer that allows you to take a quiz and then gives your recommendations on a few perfumes to try. It used to be available on Sephora's website but now, it can only be used in their stores. I like this tool because it points you in the direction of scent families that you may have an affinity to.
• Perfume Counter of a major department store: Most of the beautiful people who man the perfume counters are pretty good at what they do. After giving you a few scents to try and getting your feedback, they're able to narrow down on the scent family you'll enjoy wearing. Quick tip: The person helping you should give you coffee beans to sniff between perfumes. The coffee beans act like a reset button for your nose. If they skip this step, your sense of smell will be "dead" after the third perfume and you could end up with the wrong choice.

Those are the 2 best tips I have for finding a signature scent. What's your tip?

Where Would Olive Oyl Shop

Shopping Options for the tall and skinny
As I type this, my wrists are sticking out of the sleeve of my long-sleeve shirt. I hate it when that happens. The only thing worse is high-waters - I've been a victim of that too. I say victim because the fashion industry punishes those who are not of the "general" body type

I'm 5'6 (considered tall in some parts) and also a size 4 with incredibly long limbs. The standard size 4s do not work with me. Here's a list of the retailers that actually stock clothing for tall women

• JC Penney - Sizing starts at 8T
• Land's End and Eddie Bauer have tall sizes but not my style
• JCrew and Banana Republic also have tall sizes but not in my preferred price range

• Old Navy has tall small sizes but I'm not a fan of their quality

So who wins?
Best Pants for tall skinny women - Express fashion for formal pants and jeans. Delias for the more youthful look
Best Maternity wear for tall skinny women - Gap Maternity
Best Tops and Dresses for tall skinny women???? - I'm still looking for the golden fleece on this one

Winter Stylin'

Since I moved from Houston to Calgary, I'm getting to see a lot more of winter fashions and I like what I see. Unlike the more androgynous styles of Houston, Calgary women seem to all be rocking their sexy in feminine styles. I'm seeing and loving dresses and short skirts with beautiful boots.

Images courtesy Ralph Lauren.com

5 vs 15

Looking back, I can only conclude that I became a tomboy very early in life. The difference between me at 5 and me at 15? The length of my jeans

 

Image source here

(Don't) Let the Sunshine in

Ladies, please don't let the sunshine in, unless

1. You're on the catwalk for Gucci
2. You're a Hollywood starlet
3. You're a British princess of the House of Windsor

 

 

If you're not one of those 3, be sure to check the transparency of your skirt/dress before venturing out into the sunlight. Sun between the legs? That's a no no!

A is for Accessories

If I could give only one piece of fashion advice (why give more?), it'll be accessorize. Your choice of accessories can make or break a look.

Glasses with the right frame scream "smart". Stilettos say "sexy and confident". Panty hose can make you look stylish like Kate Middleton  or you aunt Kathleen. It's all about choice of accessories. And in the right shoes, a maid can look like a princess - just ask Cinderella.

And speaking of Cinderella, the best accessory? A sense of confidence. A head that's held up high always looks good atop whatever it's sitting on.

What is this TV you speak of?

TV? I am unfortunately not a big TV person. I have just two shows that I will go out of my way to watch - The Closer and NCIS. Guess I like crime dramas. Stylewise, it's been fun watching the evolution of Brenda's wardrobe on the Closer - From the country girl style of season 1 to the LA sophisticat style of season 6.

I Love Fall

I love fall! What's not to like about fall. This is one season that fits me perfectly. It's cold enough for boots and sweaters but not so cold that you have to cover up with a big coat.

Things I'm looking forward to this fall:

• Rocking my boots and all those sweaters that are so out of place in Texas.
• As an added bonus, I'm going to look for courdroy pants. Can we say heavenly?!
• Forgoing the drycleaner's bill on my knitted shirts for a laundry load of sweaters that don't need ironing
• Black Friday and cyber Monday shopping for Christmas presents
• Christmas carols - I start playing my carols from fall right into Christmas
• Leather jackets

What can I say, fall brings out the chic in me.

Red on Red

I'm not a big TV person, but I still love to see the red carpet outfits. The outfits I like the most are the ones that are simple and showcase the beautiful figure of the wearer. And of course, you can't beat red on the red carpet (pardon the cheesy play on words) 

Here are the outfits that caught my eye from the 2011 Emmy Awards

The Beauty of Color

The Color of Beauty by Iman

This book is described on its cover as the "ultimate beauty guide for skin of color" and it is that. But it is also more than that. I think ever pre-teen girl should be given a copy of this book and get a chance to look at all the beautiful women showcased and understand that beauty is not a function of skin color.

This is the only fashion book that I own and read. I'm keeping it because it'll be one of the first gifts I give to my daughters when they are ready to navigate the intricacies of beauty and style.

My Glass Slippers

When it comes to fashion and what I own, my closet is like a water glass - half full or half empty depending on which pair of glasses you're wearing.

Speaking of glasses, I have 2 pairs and I'm in the market for a third. Not a biggie you say, except as at my last eye test, I actually have 2020 vision and do not need glasses. Maybe 3 is too much

I own 5 coats. That's nothing compared to Chumchum's 15 you say... that is until you notice that I live in Texas and wear a coat maybe 6 weeks in every year.

My one laptop always has a tough time trying to decide which of my 5 laptop bags to live in

I love shopping for swim suits and am the proud owner of 3... and just maybe someday I'll learn how to swim

You see a trend yet? So you tell me, is my  glass closet half full or half empty?

Tuesday's Child

I'm actually a Thursday's child but my kids are Tuesday children and today they just happen to be turning 9 months. Yay! So Mama's day goes something like this:

4:30 I'm feeling a little insomaniacy so I get up and wash the baby bottles and prepare their daycare bag
5:00 Shower and ponder what to wear. Pick out the girls' outfits. I wanted them to spend the day in white bodysuits and pink tutu skirts so I could take some cute pictures. The tutu skirts still have the tags on and I need to wash them before they can be worn. I debate the washing mentally for 5 seconds and decide to skip the tutus. There's always the 10 month birthday right?!
6:00 Babies wake up and get a bottle each
6:15 I get dressed. Debate what to wear and settle for my blue striped RL shirt. I automatically reach for a pair of black Express pants, then I decide to live dangerously and settle for brown Express pants instead. Yes people, I love to live on the edge of fashion *insert sarcasm*. Fluff my hair and slap on a black head band. Black socks, black loafers, gold hoop and stud in each ear, a necklace and I'm set for another Tuesday.

Trend Shouldnas

Cloppity clop! Dancing down the road in your MC Hammer pants with your underwear in full view of the world. Those trends shouldna been and should never come back.

Now unlike Ms Chumchum, I've always loved my skinny jeans and if they come in coudroy, slap 'em on me even faster.

These Boots are Made for Walking

My shoe closet is very certainly a reflection of the sporty, minimalist, utilitarian side of me. I have 2 types of shoes - my boots and my work shoes. Yes, there's a few pairs of sandals and sneakers thrown in there, but I am a creature of habit.

Through the year, at least four working days out of five, I wear the same pair of shoes to work. They're always black, comfortable loafers. I wear them till they give up the ghost; usually after a couple of years. Over the last five years, these are the 3 shoes that have played that role. See a trend?



I unlearnt how to wear pointy heels when I started working as an engineer and I never recovered that skill. Outside of my work shoes, I love boots so I have them in all the different rises - knee, mid-calf and ankle. Throw in a pair of sandals, slippers, flats and sneakers and you have a summary of my 16 shoe wardrobe. 

One thing my shoes all have in common is comfort. Life's too short to wear uncomfortable shoes and I think comfort trumps beauty when it comes to shoes. That's my take. What's yours?

Where Have All The Flowers Gone?

I love flowers. Internationally, flowers have always symbolised beauty and feminity. So to write this post, I  went into my closet to write about my floral dresses and tops but I had none. Lots of stripes and geometrics, but no flowers.
Then I checked my shoes, no flowers there either.
Underwear drawer? No floral lacy pieces!
I started breaking out into a sweat as I walked towards the drawer that held all my hair clips. Yes! I found one bent out of shape flower clip that had been used once in five years. Not good.
Jewelery box? Nada
Perfumes? One bottle and a few minis. All of them oriental smells

I was perplexed. Were there no flowers in my life? Where have all the flowers gone? So I sat on the dining table dejected, ready to come up with an adequate post to explain the lack of flowers in my life. Then I looked up and smiled at the flower bunch wilting away on the dining table. And the wooden pictures of flowers I bought years ago. And the floral picture that I got from my wedding registry.

Ah ha! I do have flowers in my life. Just that I prefer to look at them and not wear them.

Sorry, bad camera phone photos

Summer Business Casual in the Tropics

I've worked for the same company for the last 10 years and started my career in Nigeria. At work the most formal dresscode we have is business casual and jeans are pretty commonplace. As I've risen up the ranks and changed countries, I've changed my dressing (a little).

I do have a summer look. Yes I do. The only thing is that for me

summer look = winter look minus the sweater = spring look minus the pashmina = fall look minus the boots 

That's right, my business casual look is a button-down shirt and smart pants with leather loafers or oxfords. Occasionally, I may go for a camisole with a jacket or swap my pants for dark colored jeans but outside of that, I look the same at work all year round. I guess you can take the girl out of the tropics but you can't take the tropics out of the girl.

I thought hard about which celebrity best epitomised my look and I was quite surprised to land on Ellen DeGeneres. Now whodathunk that?!

How A Reformed Shopaholic Shops

Years ago, I spent hours walking all the stores in the mall, browsing every aisle, eager for sales and a good deal. Eventually I got shopping weary. You could say the aisles started closing in on me. Now, I've become a brand loyal shopper. I stick to what looks like a very short list of stores for my clothes shopping these days.

Top of that list is the magical Macys. I tend to favor bespoke button-down shirts for work. For this look, I've found Ralph Lauren shirts sold at Macys to be the best fit.

Under those tops, I always have the Editor pants from Express. I've searched low and high and these are the pants for me. No more searching. I have them in various dark neutral colors.

Outside of work, my weekends are spent occasionally in a casual dress from Macys but usually in Tommy Hilfiger tees and denim shorts or skirt

Every other occasion - and by that I mean church and the infrequent wedding or office to do - seems to be a dress. Now I'd like to say I own a variety, but they all have something in common: they're all Calvin Klein sheath dresses, most of which I got from Marshalls or TJ Maxx.

Yes I'm a simple creature of habit and I'm proud of it. My name is Olusola and I'm a reformed shopaholic.

Mrs O Love

I'm a big fan of Michelle Obama and not just for her sense of fashion. I love what she personifies as a black working mother. On the fashion end though, I like her best when she looks.... streamlined is the word that keeps coming to mind. When her outfits are simple and the emphasis is on fit. This is what I mean:



Simple and classic!

Credits to Stylefrizz, Essence magazine

10 Essential Items I Never Leave Home Without

I never leave home without 

1. My wallet containing my health insurance cards, credit card and driver's license
2. hand lotion - I'm not brand sensitve. Any creamy one will do 
3. CO Bigelow tinted lip gloss from Victroria's Secret
4. My coupon pack
5. A couple of pens
6. My mobile phone
7. A pair of earrings, usually gold hoops.

And that's it. Were you expecting ten? The minimalist in me cannot consider up to ten items as essential.

Me as a Handbag

As a handbag, this would be me. Looks like just another brown everyday satchel. So what sets it apart? Ostrich skin. You need to come a little closer to see how special it is. That's me as a handbag.