color me neon

hello cherry amours! apologies for my absence - i spent the last week exploring cape town, south africa with my dear friend, julie goodness (1/2 of the megafauna t-shirt team). i was hoping to pick up some style and design things to share with you guys while abroad. to my great surprise and excitement, i found a british style magazine touting just the fashions that i had previously planned to write about anyway. hooray!

so let's talk about color. this conversation could go in many directions - color combinations, color palettes, shades, etc. specifically, i want to talk about neon colors, for two reasons: 1) neons are my favorite color group, and 2) they are the new colors for spring/summer 2011, by my research.

i feel like a lot of people shy away from neon colors because they feel like neons don't compliment their skin tone. it's absolutely true that neons should be approached with caution, lest you look like a madonna-ripoff. if you are neon-shy, i would suggest starting with some neon nail polish, like these from milani cosmetics (found at target, CVS, etc):

Photo from milanicosmetics.com

currently, i have neon yellow and neon pink. i've found that many of the neon colors, for some reason, chip easily, so you might consider pairing them with a no-chip top coat. neon nails are a safe starter, and they look GREAT with a healthy summer tan.

if you're a bit more bold, you might consider this neon sports bra from target - i have it in pink, and i'm highly considering the orange as well.

while not exactly for the under-funded, american apparel has a fair amount of neon colored stuff - awhile back i got my first piece of neon clothing from them, the jersey bandeau tie-it-a-million-ways dress in "coral" (though i like to think of it more as "radical red"). when it comes to neon clothes, i like to think of it as a treasure hunt, trying to find the best and brightest pieces wherever i go. let me know if you find anything you love in neon!

and lastly, my double dog dare to you (and myself!) is neon colored lipstick. i haven't tried it yet, so i don't have a ton of suggestions, but the best place to start would probably be with corals (if you have light brown hair, fairer complexion), fuschias (if you're darker, like me), or pinks (which pretty much look good on everyone). start at your drugstore, that way if you don't like it, you only spent $5. with neon lipsticks, downplay everything else (make-up and outfit). i'm going to start with something like this...

 or this...

and work my way up from there....

good luck! have a bright and colorful day!!