Wednesday, July 30, 2014

sam is her own lady

From time to time I feature ladies who are doing their thing. Today you're going to meet Sam! I met Sam when she was in high school with my younger sisters, and I've admired her evolving style for years.  I’m thrilled that Sam agreed to answer some of my nosy questions about her look.


Tell us a little about yourself!
I am twenty-two years old, and I live in a cozy little home in Tampa, Florida with my long term boyfriend and our Miniature Schnauzer. I currently work in a coffee shop but my real passion is taking pictures. Both my boyfriend and I are also total Disney geeks and annual passholders - we go to Disney World probably every two weeks, at least!


Do you have any words or a phrases to describe your style?  
According to my boyfriend, my style is hippie/classy/vintage/alternative.

It really just depends on what I am feeling like day to day. Sometimes I feel very punk, wear my hair messy and wear a denim jacket with feminist patches all over it. Sometimes I dress up in a polka dotted dress and put my hair in victory rolls. Some days it’s high waisted shorts and a crop top, and some days it’s a striped skirt with a Doctor Who tee that really doesn’t match. Some days I’ll do dark, defined eyebrows and some days just a pop of bright lipstick. It’s about whatever I’m going to feel comfortable and happy in, in that moment.


What influences your style?  Who are your style icons?
I wouldn’t say I have any specific style icon - I mostly just get ideas from people I see around town, or on television, or on Pinterest or Tumblr. I see trends that are popular and I try the ones that interest me. I first got bangs because of Zooey Deschanel, I tried stiletto nails after seeing Lana Del Rey’s.


Do you have a typical beauty routine?
I get up for work at 5:00 in the morning, so I really don’t do anything but splash water on my face and head to work during the week. In general though, I am a huge fan of coconut oil! I moisturize with it and I do hair treatments with it from time to time. I have an exfoliating brush from Sephora that I use on my face in the shower, which I love. And I take biotin supplements which I think make my hair grow faster, although I can’t prove it.

What is the wildest look you’ve ever experimented with?
That would probably be when I chopped all of my hair off! It was terrifying and unlike anything I had done before - but I loved it and I would recommend it to anyone who is thinking of it. Everyone always says it but hair really does grow back! And even the growing-out process was fun.


Style-wise, have you ever tried something you regret?
I wouldn’t say I necessarily regret anything, because you have to try in order to figure out what works, but there have definitely been things that did NOT work. And sometimes I don’t even realize they didn’t work until much later, when I see myself in photographs. But the point is that I liked how I looked at the time, I felt cute, and that’s the fun part.

What is your favorite thing about your appearance?
I really love my legs - they are long, and I like to walk and bike and run so they have always been pretty strong. I tend to have nice, clear skin as well, which I have always been thankful for. I used to hate my thick, curly hair but I recently have learned to really love and appreciate it. And I really love my nose ring, I don’t know how I’ll ever get rid of it, or at what point it is no longer age appropriate, or whether I care.


Is there any style-related thing you’d like to try that you haven’t yet?   
I like to think that my style is constantly evolving, and at the moment there isn’t anything I can think of that I want to try but haven’t. I tend to make a point to try new things whenever I want. Like as soon as I decided my hair was long enough and I wanted to try ombre, I did it the next day. Maybe I’m a little impulsive!



How does your look affect your relationships?  Are your family and friends supportive of your experimenting?  How does your appearance affect your professional life?
My mom used to always say that my style was “intimidating” to men and that I would have trouble finding someone who liked my septum ring and wild glasses. I told her I didn’t want a partner who didn’t like those things, so who cares! Fortunately, I started dating Danny who is supportive of just about anything I do, and who didn’t even mind when I cut off the long hair he loved. At my current job I am not able to express my style much - we have a specific uniform and hats and rules - but in the future I would like to work somewhere I can dress up nice and fancy.


What has helped you define your style? Do you have any advice for someone who would like to grow in their style, or even try something new with their appearance?
Trial and error. Really, just keeping your eyes open to what other people are wearing and doing, looking at trends you see online and in the media, and try whatever appeals to you! If you don’t like it, don’t do it again, change it, laugh about it. I guess it’s about taking the leap and knowing that you can re-dye over it, you can take out a piercing and it will heal, you can buy new clothes, use some nail polish remover. Even a tattoo can be covered up! When you find something that makes you feel good, keep doing it, make it yours, and don’t worry about people who might disagree.

Thank you so much for sharing with us, Sam! You can see Sam's pictures on her flickr account, or follow her on Instagram and Twitter. I want a tattoo of the logo from the tree nursery my father and grandfather owned when I was a child OR a nontraditional hair color. How about you? Any style trends you want to try?

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4 Comments:

At July 30, 2014 at 7:10 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

This is so well done!
Do you mind if I post a link to this to my blog? I adore Sam and would love to have the chance to brag about her.

 
At July 30, 2014 at 1:02 PM , Blogger Becky Goerend said...

What a fun lady! Thanks for sharing about her!

 
At July 30, 2014 at 1:21 PM , Blogger ashlie said...

I would love you to post a link! Thanks so much, Sam is an easy subject :)

 
At July 30, 2014 at 1:21 PM , Blogger ashlie said...

:) I'm excited to be sharing more. Thank you, as always, for reading!

 

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