MEGAN AUMAN

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snow in spring: casual late winter style (with a statement necklace!)

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black and white statement necklace with cozy cardigan and knit hat

The calendar may say it’s spring, but this past week we got a pretty hefty snowstorm. So even though I’m jonesing for warmer weather, I couldn’t resist heading out for one last snowy photoshoot. (Especially since I just got this new Nickichicki hat and Lululemon cardigan.)

While I love dressing up (hence my one dress, thirty ways challenge), I’m also equally at home in comfy casual clothes. Which is why I design my jewelry to work with both. Because I don’t think jewelry should be reserved for special occasions!

Sometimes, you just want to wear a statement necklace with your t-shirt and cozy cardigan to distract from the fact that you’re squinting thanks to the sun bouncing off the snow and the wind is whipping your hair into your lipstick. (Not that I know from experience or anything.) Bonus points if that statement necklace perfectly matches your new hat!

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one dress, three necklaces: what to wear with an oversized striped dress

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bold comfortable style: oversized black and grey striped dress with one of a kind gemstone statement necklace

I’ve been reflecting a lot on my personal style since the one dress, thirty ways challenge, and if I could sum it up in two words, it would definitely be bold and comfortable. I want my style to be creative and interesting, but I want to be relaxed and cozy at the same time. And nothing in my description fits that bill more than this grey and black oversized striped dress. (Which actually made an appearance on Day 7 of the one dress challenge.)

I was reminded of just how much I love this dress when I wore it on the final day of a craft show I was at last weekend. Not only did I get a ton of compliments, but I was super comfy all day, even packing up the show and driving home. (Especially because I opted to wear it with a cute pair of sneakers.)

And while this dress is pretty fantastic on it’s own (it even has pockets), I think it’s even better when paired with the right necklace. And since I know it can be challenging to figure out what necklace to wear with a dress this bold, I thought I’d share three different options.

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winter snowfall style: casual layered sweaters and a Contra necklace

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casual winter style: layered sweaters and chunky gemstone statement necklace

Before I embarked on my one dress, thirty ways challenge, I was actually planning on doing more blog posts showing how to wear pieces from my Contra Collection with more casual, everyday clothes. Because as much as I love dressing up, I also love comfy casual clothes. (I have a shocking number of oversized cardigans from athleisure brands like Lululemon and Athleta.)

So yesterday’s snowfall seemed like the perfect opportunity to show you how well pieces from the Contra Collection work with more casual style. Like this sweater layered over a sweater. (Because if I’ve learned anything from my one dress challenge, is that layering is almost always the answer.) And adding a Contra necklace (like this one, which I’m wearing with a 2” chain extender) is a great way to make even the most casual outfit look a little more put together.

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your face doesn’t need facetune

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why we need more real portraits and less facetune

Yesterday, I got served an ad for the facetune app, and frankly, I was horrified. Not only can you remove blemishes and smooth out your skin, but you can literally change the shape of your facial features. All, so the app claims, your seflies can get more likes.

Since I’ve been photographing my jewelry more on myself, and posting more images of myself (without makeup), I’ve also been thinking about the faces we’re used to seeing online and in the media.

We’ve been told for years to take the images we see with a grain of salt, because literally everyone famous has been airbrushed or photoshopped. But now, thanks to technology, you don’t have to be famous to get the smoothing treatment. You can literally smooth and alter the shape of your face, all with the swipe of an app.

Lately, I’ve been following more people in the body positive community online, and the Militant Baker recently shared a post about the importance of changing our media diet by following more people with diverse body types. I think the same needs to be true for faces.

Because if all we see online are perfectly facetuned faces, it can only make us more critical of the actual faces (ours and others) we come across in our everyday lives.

So here’s my face, as it is. No makeup (except for lipstick), under eye circles, pores, and a zit I forgot to photoshop out.

Oh yeah, and a new Contra Necklace with a gorgeous stone I’m obsessed with. (And that’s available in my online store!) Because I’m trying this radical thing where I assume that real people (not smoothed out selfies) wear my jewelry, and I’m photographing it accordingly.

cozy and elegant holiday style

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elegant and cozy holiday style: chunky sweater, tulle skirt, and gemstone statement necklace

I had big plans to post a lot of holiday looks on the blog this year, but then the holidays (and shipping holiday orders!) got in the way! But now that I’m enjoying a slow Christmas morning (and watching White Christmas on repeat) I thought I’d share this look I photographed the other week, inspired by this outfit post I put together last year.

It’s the perfect blend of elegant and cozy, with just enough attitude from the bold Contra necklace to keep it interesting!

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let it snow, part 2

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winter style: snowy winter portrait with black and white statement necklace

Woke up to a fresh dusting of snow this morning! But since I’m still in my pajamas, I figured I’d share the second look from Saturday’s snowy photo shoot. Because what’s a winter photography session without a little wardrobe change?

I picked up the massive stone for this oval Contra necklace when I was in India back in March, and it’s so funny to think about a stone that came from such a warm place being the perfect accessory for a snowy winter scene. But that’s one of the reasons I named the collection Contra. It’s full of contradictions like that!

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let it snow!

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winter style: snowy winter portrait
It snowed here on Saturday, and I think this might be the most excited I’ve been about snow in my adult life. Because, hello, pictures in the snow!!

Of course, it’s so much easier to get excited about snow since most of the stones in the Contra Collection look like little winter landscapes. (Or big winter landscapes, in the case of this serious statement necklace!) It suddenly makes winter feel totally on brand. (And I can get excited about that!)

Sadly, the snow has already melted (and it’s back to looking like fall) but I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed for more snow, since I’ve got lots more winter photography ideas to play with!

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holiday style obsession: velvet little black dress

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holiday party outfit: velvet little black dress and gemstone pendant necklace

This dress is not my usual style. (It kind of makes me feel like I should be wearing it to perform in the orchestra. And since music was never my strong suit, it’s not the style of dress I’ve ever had a reason to wear.) But I absolutely love the way it fits me. (It’s not often that I find something that gives my rectangular frame an approximation of a waste.)

What originally drew me to this dress is that it’s made from my current favorite holiday fabric: velvet.

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Is there such a thing as a selfie blogger?

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jewelry style blog: bold necklace portrait

In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been posting a lot more pictures of myself around here lately. That’s because I’ve made the shift to modeling my jewelry designs on myself. (And learning to like pictures of myself in the process.)

But the result is that I’m feeling a little bit at a loss as to what to call the kind of blogging I’m doing these days.

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