"Red lipstick and heels put the fear of God into people"

So Jamie and I found that quote in Cosmo, right?

And we were trying to figure out whether or not this was true. Then, since I've started rubbing off on her, we started discussing scientific ways to prove this, and I started chatting with Deborah (my sister) about this, and we came up with an idea.

In order not to influence the other variables, the default outfit will be the same skinny jeans, top, and eye makeup. Preferably, these trials will be performed on days with similar weather.

We will, of course, be testing the effects of each component individually, as well as both together, or neither.

Some difficulty was encountered when determining what the control lips and footwear should be. Since "no footwear" was not an option, and "no lipstick" seems not to work with similar eye makeup, further examination of the original source was conducted. Upon determining that the magazine assumed that women would wear some kind of lipstick, light pink lipstick will be the "negative" control for the lipstick factor, and ballet flats will be the "negative" control for the shoes.

However, the most difficulty is determining the results, as they will be qualitative rather than quantitative. According to Jamie, "fear of God" would be literal, causing those around us to suddenly literally start fearing God, making us some sort of fashion missionaries. I, personally, think that people moving out of your way and being particularly polite or deferential would be the appropriate effect.

More information will be posted as the trials are conducted.

That tiger hat...

People actually say they like it.

One of my friends said it was "probably the loudest thing in your closet."

That actually isn't true. I've got lots of loud things in my closet. They just generally require specific circumstances to wear them.

Experiment #2: Hooded Scarves

These items appear to be a huge trend right now. And when I went into Claire's, this thing was on clearance for $4, and I can't resist anything cute and furry... 

Fig. 1: Tiger Hooded Scarf

Research Question
How does one fashionably wear such an item, and with what sort of clothing?

Methods and Materials
One "Tiger Hooded Scarf" was obtained from the clearance section of Claire's.

Data was obtained by Googling "How to wear a hooded scarf", "How to wear an animal hooded scarf", and "how to wear a spirit hood" ("Spirit hood" is the colloquial name for such items).

Data
The first page of results (10 links) on Google.com were considered. Results featuring hooded scarves that did not resemble animals, or results that were links to buy such items, were disregarded.

Results
Only the third search, "How to wear a spirit hood" contained any relevant data.

• Cracked.com listed it in an article titled "4 Fashion Tips For Being Left Alone This Summer." In the author's opinion, this is a highly desirable outcome.
• According to this LA Weekly piece, they are often worn at Coachella, with accessories including rainbow-colored duck floaties and copious amounts of psychoactive mushrooms and/or marijuana.
• Another LA Weekly article, this time about how the original ones were made, is equally baffling. However, it indicates that for some unknown reason, there are differing styles intended for men and women. Who knew that a piece of faux fur with animal ears wasn't unisex?
• The website from the official Spirit Hoods company actually contains advice on how to wear them:

• "They have a button on the front to ensure your hood stays on, and they also double as a scarf that can be tied or untied for extra warmth and a tighter fit."
  "You could comfortably wear your hood in 70-degree temperatures, and if you are working up a sweat on the dance floor, you can button the front clasp and let it hang off your shoulders."

• The remaining four links that were not sales-oriented indicated that many people believe that choosing a "spirit hood" is a long and arduous process that should depend on finding an animal that best fits the wearer's personality, and that wearing a "spirit hood" might institute a change in their personality, creating a puzzling dilemma.

Conclusion
Nowhere in this research did anything indicate that coordinating colors, prints, or specific clothing styles is a consideration when wearing this item. Further research on such topics is needed, but may need to be carried out through trial and error.

New makeup!

So my roommate (Jamie) and I, after attending a midnight candlelight service for Christmas, went to the shiny new Walgreen's at Sunset & Vine to pick up hot cocoa mix, and after finding out they were out of it, spend nearly an hour in the makeup section until we realized it was 2 AM.

First of all, they had lots of brands I'd never heard of - I immediately gravitated towards a European brand called "GOSH", because the makeup was all bright colors and sparkles (I know. My makeup preferences tend towards things that small children and Ke$ha might like) and the testers seemed really, really nice. Their liquid eyeliner was in a sort of marker form and in all sorts of colors. It was a bit too expensive for me, though, but not more expensive than I remember Sephora being the last time I was in one of their stores.

This is it.

This is why I'm not even going to try to hide which Walgreen's we go to at 1 AM, because as far as I can tell, it's one of only a handful in the US, and probably the only one in my time zone, that carries that line. If I get a full-time job, I'm SO getting some of this.

But I also found some things from Wet & Wild. Because I really really like metallic eyeliner, and the colors in this and the eyeshadow go perfectly with my skin. I've just got to figure out what to do with them...

Yes, I instagrammed it.

Research may follow. Eventually.

Velour Tracksuit

Research Question:
Is a velour tracksuit appropriate apparel to wear in public today?

Methods and Materials: 
The materials for this experiment consist of one dark blue, size M cotton/poly blend velour track suit, obtained at least eight years ago. One pair of wool socks. One dark blue cami. One pair of Vans sneakers.

The data was collected by Googling "how to wear a velour tracksuit" and "how not to wear a velour tracksuit", then disregarding the links dedicated to selling velour tracksuits.

Data:
http://www.divavillage.com/article/id/68669/section_name/Fashion/title/Velour+Tracksuits/pg/1
http://bevancouver.wordpress.com/2011/10/18/why-i-dont-like-velour-tracksuits/
http://thegrindstone.com/career-management/casual-fridays-banned-items-velour-tracksuits-285/
http://betweenmypeers.com/2011/10/18/what-not-to-wear-to-work-velour-track-suit/
http://www.lovelyish.com/764638242/will-velour-track-suits-ever-die/

Results:
Two websites (The Grindstone and Between My Peers) indicated that velour track suits are not appropriate work apparel.
One website (Be Vancouver) claimed they were "ugly".
Two websites (Diva Village and Be Vancouver) indicated that one should not wear sparkly jewelry nor high heels with them.
All websites at least implied that velour tracksuits are comfortable, if possibly aesthetically unappealing, and appropriate to wear for causal errands.

Conclusion: 
As the experimenter is wearing a velour track suit with sneakers to go shopping at Goodwill, this is in fact appropriate apparel for the situation. Further research regarding the effects of wearing high heels or sparkly jewelry with them may be possible in the future, if funding for such items can be obtained.