The Clunkster

Style

Send More Help

Outfit of the Day, StyleKristenComment

Hey y'all! Sorry for the lack of postage yesterday. I've come down with a terrible sinus infection and literally felt like I was gonna die. Never fear though, at least I looked cute while dying. I went to a birthday party, and since the guests were cool and quirky, I wanted to be cool and quirky too, with my little twist of course.

I started with my little black dress, because after all, it was a party. I wore it with my Cheer Spanx, of course! Then, I put my kimono over it so I wouldn’t look super dressy. I wore my white Converse to go with the triangles in the kimono, and a choker because I’m on a chocker kick. I topped things off with my Send Help hat because I’m literally obsessed with it and want to wear it everywhere.

My makeup was normal, but I used a new tool that I’ll be reviewing here soon! I’m VERY excited to share it with you all. I also kept my jewelry normal, and my hair was nice and straight. And short. Meh.

Overall though, I liked this look. Perhaps it wasn’t the best to wear in this heat, but I like looking cute.

Black and White

Outfit of the Day, StyleKristenComment

Today’s look is simply cute. I went to Manhattan yet again, and since I knew I would be walking around in the heat all day, I wanted to keep things light. I wore my black high-waisted shorts and my bralette! Sometimes I like wearing bralettes and bandeaus in the heat because bras can get super sweaty.

It’s also helpful to wear bralettes/bandeaus under flowy tops like this one, which I just got from my cousin. I don’t know if you guys can tell, but it’s a crop top that's long and flowy on the sides. So, when it got windy, my shirt was flying up. I’d personally rather be wearing something pretty on my boobs if I accidentally flash someone, which happened several times while waiting for the train.

I was between black and white Converse on this one, as usual, but I decided to go with black since the stripes of my top were more off-white and it looked kind of weird with my white shoes, even if they are super dirty. I’m happy with the way everything looked!

My hair was being itself, and I kept my jewelry normal. My makeup was normal, but I brought back my vamp lip! I haven’t worn lipstick in a while and I missed it (I was also trying to test out a product I’ll be reviewing soon, so stay tuned for that!). My lips didn’t melt in the heat because of my lovely setting spray that I went off about yesterday. 

I would definitely wear this outfit again, but I would experiment with different color shorts. Black and white are cool because they’re neutral, so they can pretty much go with anything. Maybe I’ll get super bright. You guys will have to keep reading to find out...

New Favorite Outfit

Outfit of the Day, StyleKristenComment

Hat. Sunglasses (similar). Sneakers. Tank Top (just a basic white tank top you can get anywhere). Shorts.

Okay guys, it's official: I found MY outfit for the summer.

You know how every now and then you come across an outfit so cute, comfortable, and completely you that you just HAVE to wear it all the time? To events you need to look relatively decent for, meetings in which you need to showcase yourself, places you know you'll be meeting new people, etc. Well, I found another one of those for me. 

Today, I went bike riding on the boardwalk with my mother, so I knew that I needed to wear lightish clothes so I wouldn't be super sweaty. I chose these high-waisted denim shorts that I haven't worn in forever (it's summer!!!). My legs were freshly shaved and ready to go. Then, I picked out this regular white tank top that I usually wear under other shirts or along with a jacket or something, but I figured, it's summer, so why not?

After going back and forth between black Converse and white Converse, I eventually chose white since they matched my tank top, and I'm happy with my choice! Last time I went bike riding I wore flip-flops and it was really difficult to stay on the pedals, but the sneakers made things so much easier. I did get a mani/pedi earlier in the day (my toes are yellow and my fingers are black with a lime green accent on the ring finger!) so I wore flip-flops for that, but then I put my sneakers back on when I got to the beach. I generally like sneakers better anyway. 

What completed the look was one of my favorite things ever: my Emerson Dad baseball hat. 

I have an immense amount of pride for Emerson College (where I go to school!) and I've been loving this new trend of calling our friends moms and dads. As time has progressed, I've become more and more of a dad. What better way to commemorate my love for my college AND my newfound Dad status than by buying an Emerson Dad hat?! I knew I had wanted to try baseball hats, and I'm so happy I did because I wear them with some really cool outfits. Backwards baseball hats just take everything to a new level of 90s. It's a different kind of urban, a slightly rebellious, girl down the street sort of thing. 

In addition to my cool ass hat, I wore my normal jewelry and Pura Vidas that PERFECTLY matched my outfit. I LOVE when things match perfectly. I have a blue bracelet, a purple bracelet, and a purple AND blue bracelet. The shades matched perfectly with my shorts and hat. I added my new black and silver beaded one (that I'm actually more in love with than I thought I would be) and it seriously completed my look. I was at the beach too, so that made it absolutely perfect because Pura Vidas are actually meant to be worn in water. When you first get them they're a little more waxy and structured, but as you wear them more, especially in water, they get a little more broken in. (Remember, if you use my code KristenBruck20 at checkout at puravidabracelets.com, you get 20% off! You're welcome!) 

I wore minimal makeup since I was sweaty and at the beach, and I left my hair really wavy. The cool thing about baseball hats is that they make bad hair days look like good hair days! 

I felt amazing in this outfit soaring down the boardwalk on my cute little bicycle. I was super comfortable and the clothes hugged all my curves in all the right places. When I got cold, I put on a light, grey jacket that also looked really cute tied around my waist. My aesthetic was completed when my mom and I bought AMAZING acai berry smoothies. 

Keep Clunkin'!

Comfort is Bliss

Outfit of the Day, StyleKristenComment

Sweatshirt (no longer being sold). Leggings (similar). Bandeau. Sneakers (no longer being sold).

After yesterday's mishap (to say the least), I decided that today I would be going relatively natural. It took me forever and an excess amount of tissues to take off all that makeup, and some was still around my eyes when I woke up. Today was a relatively chill day, so I decided to embrace the complete opposite of Him. 

I threw on some leggings because leggings are my best friend, which automatically made me feel ten times better. I also found this cute shirt sweatshirty thing that's actually not like a sweatshirt at all since it's super light and has low sleeve openings which you will soon learn are my favorite things in the wooooooorldddd!!! I love showing off my bras and bandeaus. I don't think I've ever worn this shirt(?), but I do remember seeing it in Charlotte Russe and being like I WANT THAT! I paired these cute items of clothing with my favorite sneakers and some messy hair. 

Jewelry was normal, except my neck was too high to wear a necklace (I mean I could but it would probably look weird) and I only wore one Pura Vida, a black and silver one that I stole from my mom! 

Obviously, I went in a completely different direction with my makeup compared to yesterday! My foundation was much lighter than usual and I used a very little amount of mascara. 

I really loved how urban this look was! Since I moved to Boston, my outfits have been less girly and more urban. I wear more neutral colors, sneakers, boots, and hats. Sometimes, I just feel better when I'm flowery and cute. Other times, I'm more comfortable in slouchy clothes. 

I think this outfit is proof that as long as you're comfortable, you really will look good. Yesterday, I completely stepped out of my comfort zone and felt SO weird, which registered in the way I wore my outfit. Looking in the mirror today, I just felt great, and I think it really shines through. I wanted to go out and show off how happy I looked. My ass looked great, my hair was wavy, and I was just really comfortable! 

I use my clothes to show how I feel inside. When you're not comfortable, you're not happy. Moral of the story: wear what you want. If it makes you happy, wear it. Even if it's clunky. 

EPIC FAAAAAAAAAAIIILLLLLLL

Outfit of the Day, StyleKristenComment

Dress (no longer being sold at H&M). Bandeau. Fishnets. Shoes (no longer being sold at Payless). Earrings (no longer being sold at Claire's. Choker (I ripped the spider off).

Nine years ago, Hannah Montana belted those infamous words, "Nobody's perfect / I gotta work it / Again and again 'til I get it right." Well, today I truly understood Miss Montana's words. Let's start from the beginning.

As I watched he Powerpuff Girls today in an attempt to summon the good feelings of my friends from college (we'd always watch together), I paid special attention to one of the villains on the show, Him. I've always been really interested in villains, and for some reason I overanalyzed Him today. I realized that his suggestiveness and gender ambiguity may be a play on his lust for power. The more I thought, the more I realized that Him would make a really good outfit recreation. 

So, I started with my adorably sexy lace dress and fishnet tights. Kicked the red and black out of the way, as well as the tights and the weird sex appeal. Since the back of the dress is see-through, I wore a black bandeau instead of a red bra like I usually do. I thought it would give it a little extra edge, and I needed more black in my look anyway. I put on my black heels (which are evil enough since they're so cute but hurt more than anything in the world), a black choker, and red earrings. I definitely looked interesting, but I thought it was kind of an intriguingly sexy kind of interesting. 

I gathered my hair into the highest ponytail I can manage and slicked it back completely (one of my favorite styles), leaving the actual ponytail wild instead of setting it into one big banana curl like I usually do. I braided a strand of hair around the ponytail holder to give it a little something extra. Like I said, I looked different, but at this point, it was kind of okay.

Then, the shit hit the fan. I have no clue what I did. I looked in the mirror and a multitude of thoughts ran through my head. "Tacky." "Trainwreck." "Toddler who found her mother's makeup bag." 

Allow me to explain: Him has very dark features that I thought I could incorporate into the look by giving myself a smoky eye, some liquid eyeliner, lots of other eyeliner, and defined pink cheeks. The only issues were, I have never successfully completed a smoky eye, never accurately used liquid eyeliner, don't wear eyeliner because I look terrible with it, and I don't have blush or a blush brush, just a finger and a Sephora palette with a passable pink shade. I knew things weren't going to work out when my eyeshadow started falling off of my face. Then, my eyeliner dried up, even though I've used it a grand total of two times. The application of my favorite lipstick color that perfectly suited Him's aesthetic successfully set this pile of shit on fire. 

Honestly, I don't think my makeup looks terrible. If I wore this makeup with something else, maybe it would work. I think the clothes I was wearing would have looked sexier with a more natural face. Everything together was just a mess, which I guess kind of fits Him, but not a normal person. 

Though I sat in front of my mirror for a good while telling myself to just write an article about something fashion-y, I realized that the whole purpose of this blog was to take risks. Here I am, the first time writing without an editor, making my own choices. Some of them are bound to be bad ones. Half the fun of fashion is taking risks anyway. There are so many outfits I wear that wouldn't exist if I didn't push myself  to try something different. Most of the time, we learn from our mistakes. I'm gonna make a ton of mistakes on this blog, and I'm going to document every single one of them. Fuck-ups are fun! And I just want to have fun. 

Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be scrubbing this excess amount of makeup off of my eyes.