Finally, a really wearable lip gloss

I am not a lipstick girl. It's not that I don't like the way it looks, I just don't like the maintenance involved. Refreshing my lipstick is a process that requires a mirror so I do not color outside the lines. I tried the long-wearing "paint" type lipstick and that just dried out my lips horribly and in the end it looked like I was suffering from some kind of lip funk. Ug.

However, I am prone to dry lips, so I always have lip balm with me. I apply that about a hundred times a day – no mirror needed. But I get no polished look from Chap Stick. Lip gloss seems like the obvious choice for a girl like me, right? Easier to refresh, no long-term commitment, no lip funk. I have tried tons of the stuff, and nothing really worked for me until I tried CoverGirl Wetslicks.

I actually read about the stuff at Style Bakery in their Spring Beauty Trend Report and thought I would give it a try. It was cheaper than the other products they recommended to get the pale lip look, so why not.

My first color choice was Honey Talks – it's a light, fleshy color with a little glint to it. The color is fresh and trendy, and gives me that finished look I wanted. I liked it so much I went back and got Sugar Maple, which is darker than it looks on the CoverGirl site. It's like a sugared raisin color. I am now eyeing something with a little more pink in it, which is another color trend for Spring.

Wetslicks really does feel like lip balm, which makes it perfect for me, being a Chap Stick addict. It isn't high-maintenance, and you aren't making a 24 hour commitment to the color. Slick some on and see what you think.

I have taken to wearing men's jeans. Again.

Years ago, I wore men's jeans from the Gap. A friend of mine gave me the idea to try men's jeans because I could get the exact length I needed. Made sense to me. They sat a little lower, and had a little closer fit through the hips, but with a straight leg. The bonus was that they were very comfortable.

As the years went by, I tried all kinds of jeans, with varying degrees of success. See my previous article about buying jeans. I ended up committing fairly squarely to the boot cut, because they make my short legs look longer and help balance out my proportions (read into that whatever you will). They are more fitted through the hip and thigh and flare out gently at the hem.

While I still like my sleek boot cuts, I recently started craving something a bit slouchy. I noticed that several retailers have introduced something they called "boyfriend" cut, like these from L.L.Bean ($49.50), or these "boy" jeans from J.Crew ($98). You know me, I am not willing to part with anything close to that for a pair of jeans. So, I went right to Wal-Mart and found a pair of men's boot cut jeans on sale for $13. And I get compliments on them every time I wear them. I went back and picked up another pair a couple of inches longer to wear with heels.

I have a few suggestions if you want to give this a try.

• The only way to know how they fit is to try them on. Don't be afraid to take them to the women's dressing room! Try a variety of sizes to get the right fit.
• Stick with either boot cut or straight legs, never, ever tapered. The idea is for them to fall straight from the hips.
• No extra pockets, zippers, loops or other bells and whistles. Keep them simple.
• Start with a cheap pair like these Wrangler boot cuts from Wal-Mart – they're only $16.82. You don't have to invest a lot of money to get this look.
• Don't go slouchy head to toe. Keep the look balanced by choosing a more fitted top. You don't want to look like you actually raided your boyfriend's closet.

What goes around comes back around – I have taken to wearing men's jeans again and I'm loving it.