The Vine: March 12, 2010
Okay, so you have probably gone over this before but I missed it! I am shall we say “vertically challenged”?!I am under 5 feet tall and in desperate need of a pair of jeans.I use to buy jeans that ran in a 27-inch inseam.Apparently people have gotten taller over the last 10 to 15 years, and now the average inseam for petite jeans is 30 inches…which is way too long for me.
Can you and your readers point me in the right direction of where I could look for jeans in a shorter length?I have looked on line but seems like I mostly come up with skinny, cropped jeans at 27 inches and I don’t want those either. I want regular-looking jeans AND I don’t want to pay an arm and a leg for them.I know, I am asking for a lot.
Thanks all,
HATE JEANS
Dear Jeans,
I’m sure we’ve gone over this too, but I’m damned if I can find it in the archives.
I predict that the readers will recommend buying jeans that work for you in every regard but length, and taking them to a tailor. I have to do this on occasion because my inseam is pretty much a 31, so I can buy a 30 and try to wear them low on my hips so they don’t look like high-waters, or I can buy a 32 and have the cuffs dragging through every puddle in Brooklyn.
But as I’ve said before…welcome to mass-market fashion. Sometimes you have to pay a bit extra to hack it so it works for you.
My only other suggestion is to check the kids’ section (I have several clothing items from Old Navy’s boys’ department; kids must have gotten bigger too, because some of the stuff allegedly for 10-year-olds fits me just fine).
Readers?
Sars!
I’ve just discovered that Mudd Original Facial Masque has been discontinued and I am bereft.Seriously.
I’ve been addicted to this product for years and now, it’s gone!I’ve checked Amazon, Overstock, eBay, Bizrate and drugstore.com to no avail — any suggestions from you and the amazing TN readers?
My pores and I thank you!
JF
Dear JF,
Short of haunting the local flea markets, which is where I have the best luck finding discontinued beauty products, I don’t know what to tell you. Let’s see if the readers can suggest a similar product that you can switch to.
Sars,
Long-time Vine reader here who needs the help of the readers in a non-book related matter. I am 36, a lawyer, wife, and mother of two pre-school kids.I eschewed make-up in college (the grunge ’90s) and have continued to avoid it even after beginning a professional career. With a full-time job and two kids, I really have no time for it.
But my skin is aging along with me, and some days I think I really need…something.I wear SPF 15 moisturizer every day, but that’s it.I’d like to add one product — foundation, I guess? — that I can quickly apply on those mornings when my chin is blotchy, or when I have an important meeting and just want an extra layer of confidence, so to speak.Maybe a really good concealer would be enough?
I have zero interest in blush, eyeshadow, lipstick, etc. and don’t want to look like I’m wearing make-up.I’m really hoping there’s another Vine reader out there who can identify with this and who has also found a solution!I’m looking for something simple; doesn’t have to be cheap, but affordable is good; and ideally I would like something that scores low on the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database.
Thanks,
Will settle for 2 out of 3
Dear Settle,
Many companies make tinted moisturizer with SPF. I use Revlon Age-Defying, but Body Shop also has SPF foundations that are probably more environmentally responsible.
You could also try Neutrogena’s Healthy Skin Enhancer Tinted Moisturizer; the tint is barely visible, but does noticeably even you out. My caveat with that one is that, if you have oily or combination skin, higher-SPF Neutrogena moisturizers grease up on you like immediately.
Readers, go for it.
Tags: Ask The Readers health and beauty retail
@Dorine – I think you’re fine. I feel that the “preserve original hem at your tailor” thing (which round here costs close to $20) is a giant scam, and I’m quite happy washing, measuring, cutting, folding twice and hemming myself (although I do get the special denim thread in an appropriate colour for the pants I’m attacking). Within two washes, you can’t even tell the difference.
@Settle – I’m with Shonda, above. Tinted anything, bleuch, and you can so see it. I use Smashbox primer too, or Lise Watier (which is even more smoothing and refining) or else I use another Smashbox product called Anti-Shine, which just gives a nice finish to skin without all the silicone of the other two. I’m 41, and I don’t think most people need much more than that at conversation distance, honestly.
I concur with the point that although there are great foundation-like and tinted moisturizer products (I like both Some Kind-A Gorgeous and You Rebel in the pale formula from BeneFit), you have to be careful what you use alone, because you can kind of even out your skin tone and lose your … oomph, if you’re not wearing anything else. (Doesn’t happen to everybody, but on some days, it happens to me.)
So! One other thing to consider is also from BeneFit, but it’s called That Gal, and they call it a “face primer.” It’s pale pink, and it absolutely, positively would not work on all skin tones, but for me, if I had to run out to the grocery store, and I thought I just generally looked … rough, and I could only put on one thing, that’s what I’d put on. It’s very, very hard to explain why a super-pale pink cream would perk up your skin in any way, but for me (I’m very pale), it does wonders, and sometimes, I don’t need anything else on my skin at all. It kind of makes me look … like I’ve had more sleep.
Oh, I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks that wearing just foundation will wash you out a bit. I prefer powder blush for everyday, but when I want an ultra-natural look (let’s say, I’m going to the beach, but still have reasons to look polished) then I go with the Maybelline cream blush. Just a dab on your finger rubbed on your cheeks makes you look vibrant and awake. Plus, it’s cheap.
I dislike makeup also, but work in a job where occasionally I need to look a bit more put together. I don’t wear powder or foundation ’cause I’m rather furry and have yet to find one that doesn’t emphasise the fact, but I recommend that if you want a single makeup investment, consider a long-lasting lip stain. It doesn’t feel icky and sticky like lipstick, you put it on and forget about it for hours, and it’s available is some fairly neutral tones. I notice that when I wear it no one ever does that “Oh my god are you wearing LIPSTICK!?!” thing which they do if you don’t usually wear makeup and then show up with a face full of it, but they do say stuff like, “You look well-rested today,” which I take as a good sign. Or maybe a bad sign that I usually look wan, exhausted and washed out. But at any rate, a bit of that important confidence boost! I use Covergirl but there may be other more eco-friendly lines.
@Settle- I, and my ten friends that also wear it, fourth or fifth the Bare Minerals by Bare Escentuals. They even have a ‘sampler’ kit that is super cheap right now ($30-link below) so you can try it out without spending a bunch of money Be sure to watch the video they include in it for good instructions. The tinted moisturizers are too much for me as well, and with Bare Minerals, I can use a different brush to hit blotches and the dark areas until my eyes and then the big brush to hit the rest. It’s a five minute process at most and all my other make-up hating friends love it lots, too.
http://bareescentuals.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-BareEscentuals-Site/default/Experience-Show?cgid=BM_GETSTARTED&brandId=BM
I am 5″0 tall, and my inseam is about 28″. I will echo everyone who said to get your jeans hemmed. I am wearing my “boutique” jeans today, which I paid to have hemmed. They reattached the old hem so you can’t tell. I’ve since learned how to do the same in a cheating method that preserves the old stitching. It’s pretty easy and worth learning if you want to save some cash.
But, that said, I’ve had good luck, length-wise, with GAP. I buy the ankle-length (shorter than “short”), and that ends up being a good full length for me. I used to buy Old Navy, but they were too long and dragged on the floor.
My other recommendation is to look in the petites section of TJMaxx or Marshall’s. They’ll have the high-rise grandma jeans, sure, but you might find a gem on the racks.
And shorter length doesn’t just mean in the leg. Shortening a regular dress pant may leave you with extra fabric in the butt. They’re just built smaller in petites, so good luck in that department.
I don’t know what I’d do without my Express jeans. Yes, Express in recent years has turned a bit skanky/clubby for my taste, but their short jeans are just the right length for me, maybe even a bit short — and I’m 5’0″ (and wear sneakers whenever possible). They’re in the $50-$80 range, and they come in a lot of styles and washes. They also last, I’ve found. I like a little boot cut — I think the style I get is “Stella” but I can’t remember.
JF – Depending on what you’re willing to pay, Origins makes a really nice twice-weekly (or less) mask which I’ve found to be amazing. It’s called Out Of Trouble, and I really like it so far. Plus it’s gentle (I’ve got sensitive skin, and am not at all irritated/dried out by it).
Settle–
You’ve already received lots of ideas, but I wanted to add another. Revlon ColorStay Mineral Mousse Makeup SPF 20 is fairly new, so I haven’t been using it long, but I really like it. It’s very light, so it doesn’t look like foundation, just makes things more polished-looking. And, yes, a tinted lip balm can be good, too.
I was a Bare Minerals devotee until I discovered Everyday Minerals (http://www.everydayminerals.com). They recently changed the free sample program a bit, but it’s still a great deal – you get a gram each of 4 different shades in their different finishes, which is enough to mix your own shade for several applications. They offer more colors and more finishes than Bare Minerals, and are less expensive.
I’ll also chime in on the foundation-alone-will-wash-you-out chorus. I highly recommend the book 5 Minute Face by Carmindy (of What Not to Wear fame). Follow the basic plan for the 5 minute face (foundation, powder, blush, liner, shimmer, lipgloss) and you look very pulled together without looking made up. The book also includes ideas by skin tone and age, as well as a decent overview of many kinds of products.
Settle,
I hate going out with makeup on even though i am still young i hate the cakey feeling they leave my skin feeling not to mention being a full time student AND working two jobs doesnt leave a lot of “me” time. My FAVORITE product to go out looking fresh AND beautiful is Juice Beauty SPF 30 Mineral Light Moisturizer. These are great products because they come in Sheer, Light of Medium and offer SPF coverage as well. All products are AUTHENTICALLY ORGANIC and use 100% organic juice as the base for the products! not only are they good for your skin by the environment as well! the good thing is, if you have a blog and offer to do a review of the product you can get a sample FREE! that way u can see if it works for you!
Hate – I get my jeans hemmed, but wanted to add a word of warning about the “original hem”. I’ve had different results with the “hem attached” version, even with the same good and cheap tailor. Some fabric just seems to want to flip up at the inside edge of the original hem (both pairs of one brand do it, both pairs of another brand don’t). So, if you’re fussy enough about your pant-shoe interface to not want a rolled up hem, but not fussy enough to iron your jeans, you may want to go with the pricier version or with a new hem.
Sorry I’m late to the Jeans party, but I’m a shorty as well (5’1″ on a good day) and I’ve found that Lucky jeans in “short” lengths work pretty well. I bought a size 2 [ducking things flying at my head] and am pretty sure they have a 26″ inseam which is prefect for me – long enough to wear with heels or boots, but not too long that I can’t wear sneakers or cuff them slightly with flats.
I also swear by Gap jeans in the curvy style with short inseams. God love ya Gap!
For Seattle…. I LOVE Clinique’s Almost Makeup. I’ve been using it for years now. It has 15 SPF, and it goes on so light and thin that it doesn’t look like you’re wearing anything… but it hides imperfections/evens out skin. I use Clinique’s Clarifying Lotion first before I put it on.