Style Post: Almay x CFW 2018

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I am among the many women that love fashion. I'm so thrilled to love fashion in a time when fashion is finally loving women back! For so long, runways, magazines, and catalogs were dominated by one body type, one ethnicity, one age group, and overall one Look. These days, there are so many different shades, shapes, sizes, and ages of women in fashion, just as there are in the world.

The 2018 NYC College Fashion Week event was all about celebrating that diversity, with all types of different beautiful women presenting clothes from pro-women brands. Among the clothing brands present, there were also some beauty brands in attendance.



My favorite sponsor installation was definitely Almay!

There were little coffee tables set up in the area with sample beauty products from Almay's Cosmic Collection to check out.

I loved the Goddess Gloss!



A couple days after the event, I decided to put together my own out-of-this-world look with Almay's Cosmic Collection! I loved the emphasis of shimmer and sparkle combined in a wearable way. None of the products are sticky or heavy and many of them can be played up or toned down.

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25 Years, 25 Lessons

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The Boy recently made me aware that it was my half birthday. In honor of being halfway through 25 (a bit more than halfway by now), I'm taking a moment to look back.

Here are 25 lessons I've learned in the last 25 years. There's no particular order and some are pretty random, but I hope you learn something and/or are amused!

25 Lessons of 25

1. The ocean is my happy place.

2. Relationships are what's most important.

3. You can't please everyone.

4. Never use regular dish detergent in the dishwasher.

5. Roommate compatibility is key.

6. Hot water + turmeric + honey = delicious, spicy, soothing drink. Try it and thank me!

7. There's something lovable in everyone.

8. You don't owe anyone affection.

9. You don't have to give everyone a shot.

10. Always being kind always feels better.

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Style Post: A LBD to Love!

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Can you believe it's already July? That's crazy! Half of 2018 is over!

One thing never changes - LBDs are cute forever!

This one is from ASOS, aka my favorite place for casual dresses.

I love the stripes! I'm also having a serious double layer dress moment.

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Style Post: Fairytales & Frolicking

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I've loved fairytales for as long as I can remember.

Fairytales were the first sort of story I ever wrote, back when one sentence took up a whole page, in crayon no less. The first book I've published under my own name through an indie press, The Princess Games, is a fairytale (if you haven't read it, please check it out!). Fairytales are the one certainty in my always-in-flux life.

I know I'll read them, write them, and love them forever.

I'm a relatively reasonable person in the ways that matter to be a functional adult, but I love fantasy and I love incorporating elements of fantasy into my everyday life. One of my favorite ways to do so is with fashion!



And it certainly doesn't hurt when a fairytale door presents itself, an unexpected gift from the universe. Day, made.

In just a few short weeks, I'll be back in Germany, land of castles, with my family. I can't wait!

Still, it is very, very welcome when lovely surprises, like this door, insert themselves into my life in the present. What better way to enjoy the anticipation of an incredibly lovely thing than with the enjoyment of a lovely thing?

One must twirl and be grateful!

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Style Post: Vivid Blues and Sparkly Shoes!

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Another day, another dress! I strive to live a bold, beautiful life, where I do what makes me happy and bring more light and positivity to the world along the way.

I'm not saying how I dress does that. It doesn't. But it's a fun way to remind myself that life is lovely and, even when it tests you, you must keep your chin up! 

I also regularly make strangers smile with my colorful rainboots and bright pink umbrellas, and who doesn't want to inspire a smile on a dreary, rainy day in the city? We could all smile more and the world would be all the lovelier for it!

Like the late Kate Spade, who designed the sparkly pink flats I'm wearing in this post (which happen to also be my current favorite shoes) I wish to leave a little sparkle wherever I go.

People have been calling me 'Diana' a lot lately and I choose to believe that that's because they see a bit of her charm in me, and not just because they're lowkey dyslexic.

This is an outfit fit for a proper tea, with scones and jam and clotted cream. 

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Style Post: Summer Brights without Splurging!

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I'm back with another style post and *surprise, surprise* it's another summer dress look!

I know, I know. I have a problem.

But what's not to love about summer dresses?

They're light.

They're bright.

They twirl well.

They take two seconds to put on and you don't have to coordinate anything. 

They can be quite affordable (like this one from Forever 21).

There are so many different styles and they draw inspiration in fabric, print, pattern, and cut from so many different sources.

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Style Post: Cold Shoulders and Flowery LBDs

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I am 100% a winter person. If it could snow every day from December 1 through February 28 every year, I would so be down. I'd also be very, very down for it never getting over 75 degrees Fahrenheit, max, in the summer. Heat and I just don't go together. 

That said, my favorite clothing style is definitely warm weather fashion. Ironic, right? It's not like I don't love slouchy sweaters and high socks, but summer dresses are just so fun and dreamy and perfect for frolicking about in!

I have some summer dresses that date back to my college years (and that's... a while... ago), but I also love to get at least a few new summer dresses every year. It's fun to update your look and try something new, even if you still like the old dresses!

And I never hesitate to mix in some old favorites, like these sandals - I've had them for three or four years and, before that, they belonged to my favorite German cousin (she knows who she is).

My earrings are also an old favorite! I got them almost 4.5 years ago now and they're absolutely gorgeous garnet studs. They're my first-ever Valentine's Day gift from my first-ever boyfriend (wonderful guy, but not my current boyfriend) and they're still my favorite piece of jewelry that I own, hands down. 

Wouldn't this be the perfect place to insert a photo of said drop-dead-gorgeous earrings?

It was a total facepalm moment when I started typing up this blog post and realized that my hair is hiding the beautiful earrings in the detail shot I took to show you said earrings! 🙈

Total blogger fail. Sigh. 

Anyway, you'll just have to take my word for it that they're gorgeous. Maybe I'll use them in another outfit post soon and then you can see what I'm talking about!

Anyway, back to what I do have photos of:

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The Ins and Outs of Surgical Drains

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I recently had a surgery that followed another surgery I'd had just four weeks earlier - long story - and because of the extra care and difficulty of the second surgery, I had a surgical drain inserted for a little over two weeks.

My surgeon gave me a head up before the surgery that I'd wake up with a drain - thank goodness, or I would have been freaked out - so I looked up drains online before the surgery. I was disappointed to not find one good resource that answered all the main questions I had. Since I've now had experience with drains, I've decided to create that resource!

What You Need to Know About Surgical Drains

What is a surgical drain and what does it do?

A surgical drain is a thin plastic tube used after some surgeries. There are flat ones, known as JP drains, and round ones. I, fortunately, had the round one - the only type my surgeon uses, because they're much less painful to remove than the flat ones. They connect to a small plastic bag (or bulb, in my case) in which the fluid drains into.

Yes, that's a drain out of your body, removing fluid your surgeon doesn't want in you. That means it sticks out of you and will remain sticking out you until your surgeon removes it. It's very important, though, if your doctor requires it - it can prevent potentially dangerous complications like seromas and hematomas!

Where are surgical drains inserted?

The drain(s) will be inserted near your surgical site(s).

How long will you have your surgical drain in?

This varies a lot, based on your surgery and your needs. My doctor said I could get mine out once I'd been draining consistently under 30mL of fluid per day, with decreasing measurements each day, for three days. He also waited until the fluid had lightened in color - it starts bright red, when the surgical site is still really inflamed, and eventually becomes yellowish as it becomes just regular serous fluid.

For me, that was just a little over two weeks - I had my drain removed on the morning of the fifteenth day post surgery. My poor surgeon, I was constantly checking in to see if it could come out already!

Oops.

How do you care for a surgical drain?

Keep. It. Clean. Always wash your hands thoroughly before you empty the drain. 

To empty it, you'll uncap the bulb where the fluid collects, measure the fluid in a cup (if your surgeon instructs you to do so, as mine did), and then flush the fluid. Clean the cap and stopper of the bulb with an alcohol wipe, then squeeze the bulb in your palm, fold it in half, and reinsert the stopper in the cap. The bulb will then unfold on its own, but there will be suction in the bulb, creating suction in the drain, to suck that icky fluid out of you.

If you have a drain for a week or several weeks, it's possible that the drain will clog and you'll see a reduction in flow. If you ever see a big change in flow, whether it's an increase, decrease, or color change, let your surgeon know immediately. S/he'll probably instruct you to start stripping your drain, also known as 'milking the drain,' to keep things going. 

I had to strip my drain several times per day to keep the flow going. Basically, you pinch the top of the drain, very close to the insertion site, with one hand and then pinch just below that with the other hand and slide that down, all the way to the bulb. This forces anything in the tube into the bulb and reinforces the suction, so it can really get things going again.

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5 Things I've Learned From Modeling

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As difficult as it is for me to believe, I have now been working as a model for six years. Six years! Guys, I'm going on decrepit. 😩👵

Anyway, do anything for six years and you have to learn something, right? If you didn't learn anything in all those years, you likely weren't fully present. For all the young ducks out there, or just anyone who's curious about what I've learned, here are some of my takeaways from the past six years of professionally making faces!

Want to follow along on my ongoing adventures as a sometimes model, sometimes-a-million-other-things, twenty-something in NYC? Follow me on Instagram @danaikadzere!

5 Lessons from Modeling

1. Professionalism is everything.

If you've been on go-sees in NYC, or even looked through the competition on your agency's page (or other agency pages), you'll know there are way more beautiful people out there than there is need for models.

Heck, just swipe through Instagram or take a walk around the block and you'll find a ton of visually interesting faces! Especially in modern advertising, where the 'real person' look is growing more popular and inclusiveness, diversity, and quirkiness, your looks alone are not what's going to make or break your career.

...well, they won't make your career. It is a superficial industry, so if you don't meet some minimum of symmetry or whatever else they're looking for at a given time, you won't make much money in mainstream modeling. But even though looks are a prerequisite, they aren't enough! This job isn't just about being nice to look at.

You can be the most beautiful girl, but if your attitude stinks, they'll book another 'most beautiful girl.' It's a small world and you will get a bad reputation if you're flaky, late, rude, entitled, or otherwise unpleasant to work with. 

At the end of the day, a professional photoshoot (or trunk show, runway show, commercial shoot, etc.) is a J. O. B. You are there with other working professionals and if you make the crew's and/or client's lives harder, you will not be booked again.

Show up, on time, with your business in order, and your game face on. If you want a lasting career as a model, you must treat your work with the same respect as you would a corporate job.

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How To Keep an Organized Closet

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I live on the Upper West Side in Manhattan, in a super cute (but also small) converted four bedroom apartment with three lovely girls who have become fast friends. I absolutely love my neighborhood, feel completely at home in my room, and am emboldened every day by the host of feminist art that decorates our common spaces. I've had many great living arrangements, but this apartment share is the best yet!

That said, it's a converted four bedroom in a prime real estate area of NYC, so I kid you not when I say storage is a hot commodity.

                    

I have a tall dress with a set of shelves and I keep most of my clothing there, with the less frequently worn pieces stashed away in the drawers under my bed. That's not a lot of space!

A messy closet can be such a headache, it's generally unpleasant to look at, and it can make getting dressed in the morning more challenging when you lose oversight of what your options are. Morning minutes are precious and I don't know anyone who wants to wake up earlier to deal with a messy closet!

Here's how I manage to work with limited space, but keep a neater, more organized closet than I've ever had before.

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Review and a Discount: LipSense Long-Lasting Lipcolor

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I love lip gloss! But it's so annoying when it smudges or kisses off onto my cup. LipSense claims that it doesn't kiss-off, smear-off, or wear-off. It should last all day.



...but I've heard that before. And, spoiler, it didn't mean much. I was pretty skeptical when I heard of LipSense. But the colors are pretty and I've heard good things about it on Instagram, so I decided it a go.

I chose Blu-Red, because red lips are so fun and dramatic, but they're also the hardest to wear. I don't want red lipstick sliding around on my face or kissing off onto my mug - not cute.



Before applying LipSense, you're supposed to clean and exfoliate your lips with a damp cloth, toothbrush, or sugar scrub. I used a homemade sugar scrub from Liz Bonner, who also sellsLipSense. It felt great and made my lips immediately a bit softer, so is probably in general a good lip care practice.

I noticecd a few differences between LipSense Blu-Red and the lipsticks and lipglosses I'm used to as soon as I opened the tube. While lip glosses are usually sweet smelling and lipsticks are mild, LipSense smells like makeup remover. No shock, given that the first ingredient is alcohol, but still unusual.

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Style Post: Winter Wear

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I love winter! But now that my favorite part of the season (the holiday season) is over, the temperatures are starting to fall hard and fast. Brr!

It's getting colder than ever, but that's no reason to hibernate indoors for months on end or to forgo anything resembling style in favor of massive muumuus and anything else to keep us warm. 

Especially in winter, with its short days and uptick in colds and flus dragging the general mood down, I like to wear bright colors to add some cheer to every day.

A big new Primark just opened in Boston this past fall (or possibly already in the summer) and I found this bright yellow sweater there! It's the perfect amount of pep for a grey winter day and it's warm, too. 

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Review: Irresistible Me Diamond Styling Iron

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I'm a pretty low-maintenance girl when it comes to my hair. Spending hours styling my hair sounds like pure misery and falls somewhere on my list of things to try some day just below electrocuting myself. 

It just isn't going to happen.

That said, hair is a pretty focal feature. It frames the face and can make you look so different depending on how you style it, so now and then I like to mix things up a little. Since I normally wear my hair natural (curly) that means straightening it sometimes!

Of course, I don't want to damage my hair unnecessarily or spend three hours trying to straighten it only to have it frizz back into a poof the moment I put down the straightening iron. Professionals always make my hair look great, so I decided to try Irresistible Me's Diamond Professional Styling Iron.

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Style Post: Fall Fashion

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It's finally fall! I love the crisp morning air, the leaves changing colors and tumbling down around me, and pumpkin spice everything. Also the fashion!

Fall Fashion: Boho Chic Dresses in Autumn

There's something about the beginning of a new season that feels so magical. It makes me feel so alive and so blessed to get to live in this beautiful world.

It's all the better frolicking through Cambridge in a floaty dress, the sort of dress that will be totally weather inappropriate just a few degrees (or 1 or 2 weeks) from now!

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How to Survive Long Travel

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I love traveling!

I didn't make this meme, but I apologize for the missing 'l' in 'acutally'

...but when we fantasize about travel, we imagine direct flights with no delays, no turbulence, gorgeous views out of our window seats, and plenty of yummy snacks and cold drinks from friendly stewardesses with bright smiles and pleasant voices.

Anyone with any significant travel experience can attest to the fantasy-reality disconnect. But I still love travel! I love meeting new people, seeing new things or old things that I haven't seen in a while, trying exotic fruits and veggies and interesting vegetarian dishes, and just enjoying the sense of adventure and long walks in new places. There's so much to see in our big world!

The next 2.5 weeks are going to be full of all sorts of crazy (and long) travels - I'm taking the train back to NYC today after a summer in Boston, then I'm packing up my apartment in NYC and saying goodbye to my NYC friends before flying to Berlin on Thursday. That is, fortunately, a direct flight from JFK to TXL, but when I arrive on Friday I'll have to take two trains to get to the lovely village in northwestern Germany where my family lives!

After enjoying a wonderful 1.5 weeks with them, I'll take two trains back to Berlin, sleep in an airport hotel, take a really early morning flight with a layover in Dusseldorf to arrive in JFK in the late afternoon. After doing the whole immigration thing, I'll go through TSA again to catch a flight to Boston that I booked separately!

Fingers crossed that there are no delays, or that could get tight...I'll probably Uber to my new apartment in Cambridge, where I'll have two days to unpack the moving boxes and my suitcase before I start my new job on the marketing team of a tech startup!

Phew.

With so much travel and a bit of hectic ahead of me, here are some of the top tips that I've accumulated over the years of travel - my first international trip was before my first birthday!

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Style Post: Summer Special Occasions

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Winter is full of fun dress up events, from work holiday parties to New Year's Eve celebrations. But summer can be just as fun for those of us who love dressing up!

While summer has holiday galas, summer has weddings, baby showers, and soirees galore! I love this elegant, but summery, dress from ASOS for any of the above except weddings. 

Don't wear white to a wedding and most certainly not an all white dress! If you're not going to a wedding, however, summer is the perfect time to dress up in white. I'm not sure what it is, but I love white dresses!

I think they just feel so much lighter and floater and twirlier (we'll pretend that's a word).

Another advantage of choosing an all-white dress for your event is that you can add a pop of color with fun accessories and don't have to worry about clashing colors or having too much going on at once. Though I'm a big fan of pink, I tend to favor a pop of classic blue or red for my accessory color accent!

As is often the case, a little goes a long way. With the embellished bodice of this dress, just the blue earrings and simple eyeliner is enough to finish the look. I'm not big on going overboard with the jewelry or makeup, especially not in the summer! It just weighs your airy summer look down.

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Style Post: Vamp It Up

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Dressing up is super fun and, though I wear little to no makeup most days, doing the girl thing and wearing a complete look sometimes can be so fun!

In general in makeup, I love a bold lip and emphasized eyes, with just very light skin stuff.

I am very lucky to have clear skin, so I never really wear anything on my skin when I do my own makeup, but I also think that the eyes and mouth are two of the most interesting areas on our faces and I love to play them up when I do bother to get all dolled up!

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Style Post: Modern African

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I am half-German, half-Zimbabwean and from South Africa. Now NYC and Boston are home!

I have been lucky enough to have the opportunity to travel around the world and experience many different cultures and ways of life. The people I have met and cultures I have experience inform my own perspectives, as well as influence how I cook, how I tell stories, and how I dress!

Style is all about self-expression and I love to mix cultures in how I dress, just as I do in almost every aspect of my life!

African patterns and cuts, like this skirt, pair organically with urban items, like this top. It's a fusion that's meant to be!

The necklace, earrings, and loafers pull the outfit together for a more chick look!

Mixing patterns, colors, and styles is such a fun way to make fashion our own. 

Especially in cities, it's becoming more and more okay to stand out.

Be individual, wear what you want, and never worry about what others might think. Life is too short to stick to wear boring clothes out of fear - and that applies to so many other things, too!

Like this look? Tweet it!

Photographer: Vania Arroyo

Stylist: Bryan Alexis

Makeup Artist: Mea Sukri

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