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Greetings fashionistas! During the ongoing process of migrating nearly a decade's worth of posts to this, the new platform, it dawned on me that I have not done a hair post in what appears to be quite literally years. The posts I originally did back in 2012 (ish) about my journey of ditching the dye and making the transition to my natural gray hair are, to this day, some of my most popular posts, so I suppose I've been a bit negligent in the area of aftercare for those of you who may have been looking for a follow-up after all this time. I'm guessing that like me, those if you who have been living with your natural hair for a while now have long since ditched any insecurities about it. I know I certainly have. But that's not to say that I haven't had to rethink quite a lot of my overall style game in the wake of the transition. It's always been my belief that when you have long (too long as of right now), naturally unruly salt and pepper hair at middle age, the rest of your style game has to have a bit of bite to it as to not accidentally mimic that most tired of middle aged woman archetypes, The Crazy Cat Lady. Mind you, it's completely acceptable to actually be a Crazy Cat Lady, it's apparently looking like one that has become some sort of emblem of a portion of society's desire to erase middle aged women from the sartorial paradigm. But I digress. Some of us wouldn´t go quietly anyway, as you could probably guess. Defining Your Brows at 40+ Let's talk about what I think is the most important part of cultivating a finished, eye-catching, and at times dramatic look on the backdrop of natural gray and silver hair, middle agedness, or really wherever you happen to be on your journey. The secret ingredient? A strong eyebrow game. A well-proportioned, gently-defined brow has the power to completely elevate your look. This is even more important as we age. Thinner skin, graying hair, perhaps a bit of (dare I day it) sagging (gasp) of the facial structures all work to erase the definition we had in our youth. While it would be ill-advised to reach for the products we did in our 20s, we can still work with what we've got, in the context of where we are now. Those of you who have been with me for a while may remember a previous post I did about eyebrow pencils for gray hair. I still stand by the products that I recommended in that post. However, personally I have moved on to a different product, which I'm wearing in these photos. In fact, it is the only product I have on my brows in these photos. No pencil, no wax, no clear gel to "set" anything. This is what I'm into right now. And no, I hasten to add I'm not being paid for this post. Anastasia Dipbrow Gel - $18 USD / £25 GBP (varies) So first of all, don't get this confused with the Anastasia Tinted Brow Gel, which is a different product. This product, the Dipbrow Gel, is in the same line of products as their much-lauded Dipbrow Pomade, which I have also tried. Personally, I didn't have much luck with the pomade; I simply did not have a skilled enough hand to work with the little brush and waterproof formula to get a realistic hairstroke painted on my face before it dried down, and I always ended up looking a bit "painted-on." With that experience logged-away in my mental browsing history, I was a bit nervous trying the gel formula from the same line, but after giving it a go in Sephora in Tampa , I was hooked. It's essentially the same formula made into what is basically a mascara for the brows. But unlike mascara, you can also use this formula to do some shading. It's a lot easier than the original pomade formula, but some practice is still required to find the right amount of product and pressure of application to get the look you're after. The shade I use is Ash Brown, which I believe is the third from the left in the pic above. It's a really great cool option for a dark brunette without being inky black, or reddish when the light hits it. The following are a few tricks that I've come to learn about this product, which I love more and more with each application. Scrape off the excess product from the brush, as you would with a new tube of mascara. This will prevent accidental little blobs of color depositing more product than you may want onto your brows. Start with a very light hand. Don't press the wand into the base of your brows, as you do with mascara at the base of your lashes. Instead, just gently flit the wand in the direction of the hair. If you do make a boo-boo, you can correct it with a Q-tip dipped in makeup remover. The sooner the better, this formula doesn't budge once it dries. Pursuant to said waterproof formula, if you like a "feathered" appearance to your brow hairs like I do, make sure you work light and quick - it dries pretty fast. If you are someone who needs to fill-in your brows, the best way to do it with this product is to apply a light layer, let it dry for a minute, then use a brush to gently nudge the color into the space you want to fill. Most importantly, don't overwork it! Use a light hand - a little goes a long way! My favorite tool to use with this product is actually the brush I got when I tried the original pomade formula - the Anastasia Brush 12 Dual Ended Firm Angle Brush. Once the product has dried-down, I use the mascara end to comb-out any remaining blobs and spread the color out a bit. If you need more filling-power the angled end of the brush would work perfectly (being a rather thick-browed human, I don't do this.) Once you find your stride with this product, you can create looks ranging from natural to Ka-Pow! Today I did what I consider to be my standard application, which incidentally, also passes the nautral light test with flying colors. Now to do something about that frizzy hair. I should have paused for a handful of serum after I took the clip out. I clearly hadn't thought this through. This post has been shared with: Not Dressed as Lamb, Jersey Girl, Texan Heart, Living on Cloud Nine, A Labour of Fashion, Curly Crafty Mom, Doused in Pink Find it Here!

One of the things I really love about curating a vintage shop is challenging myself to create entire looks from only my stock. There's something so satisfying about creating a whole look out of pieces that someone else has written-off - it's actually very addicting. Once you get a taste for it, the "normal" consumptive practice of point and click, instant gratification shopping feels boring. To that end, I've decided to challenge myself each week to create a sustainable look from my stock to showcase here on the blog. Not only does it tick the box for shameless self-promotion, it's a small step towards shifting our collective attitudes as consumers towards a more sustainable, less wasteful means of cultivating one's personal style. It's also a bit like announcing on social media that you're going to go to the gym five days a week and post it on Instagram - I'm committing to it and you guys are going to hold me accountable, lest I suffer the public shame of being "all hat and no cattle". So. All of the looks I post here are pieces that are in the vintage shop. Many, if not most, you will probably recognize from their first runs during their respective eras. So without further Ado, I give you today's contribution which I'm calling "Y2K Hoedown" •1990s Esprit cropped plaid sleeveless blouse (M) •Y2K era Wrangler distressed embroidered denim skirt (M) •Y2K era croc-embossed cross body bag (unbranded)

When you hail from America's Dairyland as I do (that's the US state of Wisconsin to those of you not totally familiar with the American states), and The Universe sees fit to show you an ad that highlights the fact that after nearly a half a century you do not yet own a pair of Holstein print cowboy boots, there really is only one thing to do. Yeah, I pulled the trigger. As much as I don't really need anything new these days, sometimes you just have to. These aptly-named "Live a Little" boots by Dingo are the ultimate statement piece, and my new favorite thing. To create a look, they really require nothing from you other than to just show up. They work well as an accent to a simple monochromatic look , but equally are pretty darn fun to do a bit of pattern mixing with, or just to pair with a dress or skirt to take things in a bit of an unexpected direction. I paired it with this Dylan Babydoll denim shirt from Free People (which in retrospect I wish I'd gotten in a Medium instead of a Large but oh well), and just a simple plain black tank top and grey skinnies. That's it. Same basic pandemic uniform of t shirts and jeans, but now with 40% more cow! Just because things have gotten sartorially a lot more casual during the last year does not mean things have to be boring. Amirite? Above: Dingo "Live a Little" cow print boots | Free People Dylan Babydoll Top | snowflake obsidian drop earrings (old), similar | snowflake obsidian bead bracelets (old), similar Below: Boots as above | Vintage 90s Leopard Print Shirt | Y2K Vintage Wrangler Distressed Denim Skirt w/ Embroidery | Leather Medallion Belt

I used to love it when we all used to wear these little denim vests over our sundresses. IF you had a particularly boobalicious dress (like this one can be if you make too sudden a move), it gives you a bit of a protective layer. It also makes you feel a bit less full-on naked when you go into a grocery store in the heat of summer and are confronted with the AC and the freezers all going full-tilt. This little 90s era vest is nice because it hangs at an angle, so the points of the corners of the vest sort of slope inwards towards the waist to create a nice visual shape. All these items are secondhand. All available in the shop. Except the t-strap wedges. Those are mine, and I'm not sharing. •90s Tropical Sundress •90s Cropped Denim Vest •2000s Unionbay Western Style Handbag •Tooled Leather "Nicaragua" Flip Flops (below)

An "eighties shoulder" is of course the polite euphemism for the sartorial elephant in the room - that thing that makes us all cringe when we think about it. Shoulder pads. Eeew. Even typing it gave me a wee moment of panic just there. All of us of a certain age remember those linebacker-inspired 80s styles that were so famously paraded around by every television presenter and Dynasty cast member of the time. When I'm curating my vintage shop, I spend a fair amount of time gazing upon shoulder pads - enough time to have apparently brokered a peace treaty between us. While there once was a time where I simply would never consider a garment that had shoulder pads in it, now I'm in the "maybe these aren't actually that bad" camp. Sure, say what you will; that tolerating any level of shoulder pad is the gateway to bigger, harder forms of shoulder pads, that zero tolerance can be the only policy, blah blah blah...it's fine I can quit any time I want! The thing I've come to realize is that many of these vintage garments are actually cut to accommodate the shoulder pads. If they're especially big shoulder pads, removing them entirely can alter the look of the garment, sometimes for the better, often not. Consider for a moment this vintage 80s Liz Claiborne dress. This is a dress that was definitely cut with the shoulder pads in mind, and I'm wearing it as it was sold off the rack in the 80s, with the original shoulder pads intact. These shoulder pads work great in a 1986 sort of way. The strong shoulder makes your waist look smaller, keeps the shoulder seams of the dress where they're supposed to be, and gives the top a nice blousy effect without the neckline plunging too low. Are they larger than I would want in 2021? Yes, ideally I would downsize them to something that just provides a hint of structure without all the bulk, retaining the overall shape the designer had in mind, but generally, I like what they do to the drape of the dress. Equally I think with these 80s pieces, bringing your own personal sense of styling into play is the other essential ingredient; a strong sense of personal style sort of coaxes a strong vintage 80s piece back into the modern realm, lest you end up looking like an extra who wandered off the set of some 80s flashback film, in search of the craft services table no doubt. So... the question at hand: does an 80s shoulder work in 2021? Yes. Mostly. I reserve the right to make modifications to some of the more spectacularly scaled-up specimens, but (and I can't believe I'm writing this), even shoulder pads have their place in the Great Divine Cosmic Sartorial Design Scheme.

I'm a big fan of 90s-style denim shirtdresses. They're easy to come by (check your local thrift stores!), travel well, layer even better, and are something you can grab in a pinch and feel like you at least tried to make some kind of look happen that day. This particular specimen is the only denim dress I have in my closet that isn't actually secondhand. Yes, it's distressed and has the look of something pre-loved, but this one I actually bought off the rack. Sadly, it's from a season ago, so I can no longer find it to link to any more, but this look is easily reproduced with just about any denim dress you can find in your local stores. I decided to go ahead and purchase this one new (something I hardly ever do any more) because I was drawn to the heavy, old-school thickness of the denim, the Western detailing on the pockets and back yoke, and the high-low hem that makes bending over a bit less terrifying if you're not layering it over something. My intention today was to layer it over tights and a long sleeve shirt, but this sort of happened on its own, and I liked the look. If you were to swap out my Dan Post over the knee boots, which on me are more "mid kneecap" boots (what can I say I'm a giant with long femurs) - but if you were to swap those boots out for a thick-soled Doc Marten and dye my hair back to it's natural bark brunette, you'd basically be looking at my 90s self. I used to be one of those people who was wary about the type and amount of "destruction" I was willing to wear in my denim, but like a lot of things I used to hold up as sartorial "rules", the older I get the more of them go straight out the window. Check back when I'm still doing this blog in my 80s for the pleather parachute pants paired with a gold lamé bikini top and light-up cowboy hat. By then it will be an absolute no rules free-for-all around here.

This post is a bit of a quick aside that I conjured while I was busying myself photographing this late 90s wrap tunic for the Etsy shop. Despite my hypothermic brain fog caused by trying to take advantage of the outdoor light in a short sleeve shirt, I realized while I was out there that this Ikat top and these embroidered jeans (which I just so happened to have on) did indeed create a bit of a look. I have quite a few of these Ikat and Aztec-inspired print items from the 90s and 2000s in the shop - I am drawn to these prints at the best of times, but especially at this time of year - they're a nice antidote to all the darkness. And yes, I suppose mean that literally and figuratively. A few weeks ago, pre-lockdown, I had to make a trip to Glasgow and was struck at just how dark everyone's sartorial game was. I mean sure, it's January, but I think that's exactly why I like color at this time of year. When the sun doesn't even think about bringing in the light until well after 830 am and starts going down at 315 pm, you've got to get your light somewhere. Sometimes you just have to bring it yourself. Vintage 90s wrap top | Rock & Roll Denim embroidered jeans

Oh, hey! Yeah, just nipping out to the shed to get some wood in my vintage dress, high-heeled boots, jewelry, and a hat...no biggie. I think I speak for us all when I say that this is in fact, not an accurate representation of that newest of fashion genres, "2020 apocalyptic lockdown chic." I'm also happy to report that after several months in the US, two international flights, and a fair bit of driving from Wisconsin to Florida, I appear thus far to have come out the other side in one piece. Here but for the grace. But I want to be very clear about the fact that this is not luck. I am an advanced practice nurse, a religious mask-wearer and hand washer, an embracer of social isolaton as a lifestyle choice, and I suppose having actual training in the proper donning and doffing of PPE doesn't hurt either. Because, science. What's really going on here is that I was going through my unlisted stock for the vintage shop, trying to fish-out all the 80s pieces since I've put the entire decade on sale for the month of November, and out popped this dress. I instantly remembered how I was immediately struck by the black and red print when I found it. You just don't see black and red as a popular color story these days, but in the 80s? It was everywhere. This is the second black and red 80's piece I've put in the shop today. This was the first one. I KNOW, RIGHT!? This blouse tickles me. It's so 80s. It's like 80s Annie Oakley hooked up with one of the Chippendales dudes and had a kid and that kid was a blouse. But I digress. Let's go back to talking about this 80s dress. First off, I feel like I need to just get out in front of it. YES. There are shoulder pads in this dress. But they're not overwhelming. Sure, you can take out the shoulder pads in 80's garments, but if they're not massive linebacker pads, I kind of like to leave them. I think design details like shoulder pads and wonky bat sleeves and Michael Jackson shoulder pleats often prevent people from really seeing these 80s pieces for what they could be in 2020. A lot of them have zero hanger appeal, it's true. But seriously, try them on once in a while if you get a chance. They actually make more sense on the body than they do on the hanger. This dress is definitely one of those 80's secretary dresses (instant images of that movie Working Girl where all the women are walking through Manhattan in dresses like this and bright white sneakers, their real shoes in their handbags). This dress was definitely meant for someone much smaller than me, as evidenced by the matching fabric belt that is several sizes too small for me. This dress was probably meant to fit much blousier than it does on me, as was the norm in the 80s. But if you overlook that potential 80s design hangup, what you're left with is a really lovely vintage dress with a surprising number of styling possibilities, shoulder pads and all. So in conclusion, wear your dang mask, wash your hands, and when you can, try on that weird-looking 80s piece that made you pause for a moment. Nine West Boots (old), similar | Charlie 1 Horse Highway Hat | similar earrings similar necklace

Up until yesterday, it was pretty hard for me to really think in terms of the fall clothes that I pretty much live in year-round when I'm in the UK. Here in Florida, it's been pretty consistently in the high 80s and 90s pretty much every day. Yesterday, it finally broke towards the Florida winter temperatures, and was a frigid (snort) 75. I'm flying back to the UK on Tuesday (don't worry, I already voted), so it was pretty nice being able to finally open the house up at night. And I suppose it's actually time I start thinking about fall clothes again, if only for my own survival once I land. This little jacket is pretty much everything I love about late 90s-early 2000s fashion all in one place. My very favorite thing about this piece is that it's 80% silk, so you get a jacket look with of all these fall colors, yet without the weight or scratchiness of heavy, wooly fabrics. Even when I'm in a cold climate, I find all these wooly, tweedy pieces, as much as I love the way they look, to be just too damn hot and scratchy for indoor wear. This jacket packs a nice big punch without the weight, and it will layer nicely as well. So let's talk late 90s fashion. Short sleeved blazers with a little puff in the sleeve, swing jackets, peter pan collars, lots of earthy tones (so much brown) and Aztec-inspired prints were all over the place. This little jacket brought back all sorts of fashion memories. I worked in retail on and off quite a bit during that time period, and I can remember all of these pieces like the back of my hand after hours "shop-girling-it"; folding and sorting and picking garments up off of dressing room floors and making them look nice again. Which brings up a point...the picking things up off of dressing room floors, that is. Seriously, who does that? Who throws shop garments on the floor and just....leaves them there!? There are precious few things that tell the world that you are a gigantic spoiled jerk incapable of adulting more pointedly than going into a shop dressing room, trying a bunch of things on, then leaving them all rumpled on the floor or balled-up in a corner. Even just writing about it makes me all ornery. So. Rude. But I digress. Apart from apparently triggering some residual dressing room sensory anger, the psychological associations I have with late 90s fashion pieces are nothing but positive and fun. To complete my Y2K " Geez I hope my AOL doesn't crash when the clock turns to 2000" look, I added a similarly-dated red leather envelope clutch for color and happiness. Because that's what we all need right now, right? Color. And. Happiness. Both of these pieces are available in the Highland Fashionista Etsy Shop.

I know I haven't been hitting you guys with a lot of daily outfit posts lately. Truth be told, I'm still in the US for another few weeks, and this being a pandemic, and it still being pretty damn hot out there right now in Florida, I'm really only ever in a pair of cutoffs and a -shirt most days. Or in my scooter gear if I'm going somewhere. There's not a lot of variety in my sartorial diet right now. But that doesn't mean I'm not thinking about sartorial things. I'm still curating the vintage shop, and in doing so I inevitably happen upon pre-loved pieces that find their way into my closet. This is one of them. In fact, come to think of it, with the exception of the jewelry and shoes (okay and the underwear), absolutely everything about this look is secondhand. The jeans are early 2000s era bootcut Hudson Jeans (that I was going to list in the vintage shop then lost the heart), the gorgeous leather belt an unbranded but truly spectacular seven dollar thrift store find, the tank from a Goodwill haul last summer, and the piece de résistance - this duster. I think this duster is originally from Target (pron: Tar-jay), and it was actually on one of the mannequins in a thrift store in my hometown a couple of weeks ago as I walked in with my sister. It was rumpled and the fringes were all knotted and tangled, but I knew instantly I wanted it, so I wrestled the manneqin for it right there and then, with an audience of people gawking at me. I handily won the wrestling match, by the way. Skinny b**ch never stood a chance. It took a good washing and me literally combing-out the fringes on the thing with one of those little black barber shop combs, but it was worth it in the end. It's a beautiful piece, and I'm really loving how you can just throw it on and go. And yes, I gave the poor mannequin a different top to wear to cover herself in her humiliation of such a decisive defeat. I'm not a complete barbarian.

Another wonderful surprise package from RealHer found its way to me a little over a week ago. They've rolled-out five new shades of their Matte Liquid Lipstick, and sent them to me to take for a spin. For most of last week, I wore a new shade every day. You'll remember from my post not so long ago that these RealHer liquid Matte lipsticks are literally the only liquid matte lipstick I'll even go near. They stay on beautifully, aren't overly drying, and can be used as a stain or a base to create endless other looks. Just today, I had no makeup on, but put a bit of one of the pink shades on before I nipped out on my scooter. the weather went from Florida sun to wind to drizzle while I was out, but my lips stayed put. That lipstick looked the same when I came home hours later as it did when I put it on. These new shades really go from one end of the spectrum to the other, and even though at first glance I thought perhaps some of them might be...er...challenging for me, especially with a bit of sun on my skin, They are all pretty wearable, albeit with differing levels of drama. Just like real life, I suppose. I did this little experiment by wearing these shades exactly as I would in my daily life, as opposed to as one might for the camera. In other words, if it looks like I'm wearing minimal make-up, that's because more often than not, I am. That's how I roll most days, especially when it's hot outside. So let's get to it, shall we? Shade: I WILL RISE This was the lightest shade of the bunch, and probably too light for my slightly olive, tanned skin. It was sort of like putting concealer on my lips, but in the spirit of the exercise, I decided just to go with it and make it into a LEWK. On me, this shade really was a very 1960s white-out kind of shade so it cried out for a dark eye. So that's what I did,. It's more makeup than I normally wear during the day, but I ended up really liking the look. Even with my bra strap hanging out in the photo. Yep. We're all about keepin' it real over here at Highland Fashionista HQ. Shade: I AM ENOUGH This is a shade that I would buy ten thousand times over. In fact, it's a shade that I probably have ten thousand versions of right now. On me, I Am Enough is a perfect neutral shade for those low/no makeup days as well as a perfect base for any other. It is the kind of look I wear every day and offers just a hint of color. I especially liked this one with a bit of sun on my skin. For me, I consider this shade an essential. Shade: I AM BRILLIANT I Am Brilliant is a lovely mauve-based pink that I would place firmly in the "everyday" category. Because I have sun on my skin right now, it was a bit on the light side for me at the time of this photo, but this is one that I would say is slightly more intentional and finished of a look (than say the more neutral previous shade I Am Enough) in that it gives a hint of color without needing to scream it at you. I think we've all had enough screaming in 2020, am I right? Shade: I AM A GODDESS My reaction when I first encountered this shade was "...oh boy" followed by a conciliatory "well, it was nice of my 1990s lipstick to pay me a visit after all these years." Once was the time I wore a shade this dark as a part of my larger 1990s uniform. That was nearly three decades ago, and if I do go dramatic these days, I tend to favor brighter reds, pinks, and corals on account of the hair. That said, the shade was not as harsh on me as I had envisioned. Granted, I think this shade would look best on someone a with dark skin, or conversely, someone with porcelain skin who's really making it a look, but I did manage to find a happy balance with this one. It is a very blue-based shade, and with sun on my skin, it made for an odd contrast. I also found it to be way too opaque if I applied it straight from the tube with liner and allowed it to dry down; it required a bit of blotting, and was a bit harder to get even due to the relative opacity of the shade. Would I buy this shade? Probably not at age 49. My 29 year old self would have been all over it. But this shade is a commitment, and I am inherently lazy. But you never know - these days I tend to eschew certain shades, then shortly thereafter wish I had it when something comes up. Shade: I AM AMAZING I saved this one for last because it was hands-down my favorite. I AM AMAZING is a bright, firey orange-red (the swatch in the photo just doesn't do it justice). I knew the minute I unpacked this one it was going to be the favorite. This is how I like to bring the drama. On me, this shade had all of the drama of the darker I AM A GODDESS, but without the trickiness of application. Perhaps it is on account of the warmer shade matching my skin tone better, but this shade went right on without any hassle, and stayed there. This shade is one of those shades where the lipstick is literally the only makeup you will need. And yes, it shouts. But I happen like its message.

You guys! It was so weird...I was just sitting there in the house, chillin', drinking a beer, and I had QVC on for background...and then a few days later this jacket arrived at my house! I think that my transformation into Eccentric Florida Lady may be nearing completion. I'm riding around the town on a powder blue scooter in a glitter flames helmet, and quaffing cocktails while ordering from QVC. All I need is a velour sweatsuit and maybe a turban, which come to think of it, both of which would be great for the vintage shop. Okay, that said, I really didn't know what to expect with this, but when it arrived I was really pleasantly surprised. This blazer is made by Kim Gravel, and it's super stretchy and comfy. The whole jacket is soft, no stiff collars or restrictive sleeves or anything, yet it has enough structure to look sharp. It really is the perfect amount of comfort and shape. And the whole reason I bought it, the print, is the perfect snow leopard for my black and white hair. Want to entice me to buy your product? Make it a black, white, and grey animal print that matches my hair. Apparently that's all it takes with me.