Welcome to The Fancy Lady

Hi and welcome! So what is this blog all about? Fancy ladies and the things that make us fancy, of course. I love makeup and fashion, all that great girly stuff, and I'm always trying new things and being asked how I do this or that, or complimented on my makeup or style. So...I thought maybe I'd share my thoughts, tips, tricks, recommendations, and ideas with all of you. What's one more blog about fabulously girly stuff?! ;o)

But I want this blog to take a distinctive -- and I believe important -- stance. This blog is not a place to come and find tips, tricks, or product recommendations to make you beautiful. You are already beautiful just the way God made you. This blog, instead, is a place to come and find tips, tricks, or product recommendations to make you FANCY.

My inspiration behind this idea is actually a couple things. The first being that I have never seen makeup as a way to hide. Makeup, to me, is a way to express yourself, to enhance the beauty you already possess, to make yourself look and feel polished and, well, FANCY. Makeup should be fun, should reflect your personality, should enhance your outfit, and, sure, give you a little boost of confidence because you feel like you're putting your best face forward. Makeup, hair, nails, clothes, and shoes, jewelry, and accessories don't make us prettier or somehow magically better people. They just make us Fancy Ladies.

The second inspiration, which ties in with the first, is someone incredibly special to me.

My niece, Tilly. (With me, her "TT"!) She's 3 years old and a girly, makeup-crazed, budding fashionista after her own TT's heart. She LOVES all things girly and sparkly and I LOVE sharing them with her. She likes to put makeup on with her Grammy and me. One day, a couple months ago, my sweet Tilly said "TT, I want to put on makeup so I can be pretty!" and I felt a little twinge in my heart. I immediately said "you are already pretty. Makeup doesn't make you pretty. Makeup makes you a fancy lady. How about we get some makeup and make ourselves fancy ladies?" She squealed and was excited because she was getting what she wanted in the first place: to wear makeup. I decided in that moment that I was going to make the very conscious effort never to say "oh, pretty" when she shows me her hair or makeup -- even though those things ARE pretty. Instead, I was going to compliment her hairdo or makeup by saying "what a fancy lady!" while enforcing that she is, just as God made her, a beautiful little girl. I want her to continue to love makeup and fashion, sparkles, pink, and all that girly stuff. I want her to continue to enjoy being a fancy lady. I NEVER want her to feel her self worth and her beauty are found in the gels, powders, liquids, and sparkles we smear, buff, and brush onto our faces. I never want her to feel as though she isn't good enough just the way she is when she wakes up in the morning.

And I never want any of you to feel that way, either.

So, here I am, a beautiful Fancy Lady, to share with you my thoughts on all things girly, fancy, and fun. To teach you tricks I've picked up along the way, to recommend products I think are fabulous, and share with you my opinions on how we all can be Fancy Ladies.

Stay tuned for more substantive blog posts. Over the next few posts, I'll be sharing a little bit about my routines, my regular looks, and generally giving everyone a sense of what this blog might be. If you have a question or comment, feel free. But please, can we all remember the "lady" part of The Fancy Lady? Let's keep things friendly and ladylike.

Until next time,
Shannon