30 Chic Days - days 18, 19, 20 and 21.

I took up the challenge to be as chic as possible over 30 days, plus trying to eat healthily and being aware of how much I moved. My reading has tended to be posts by other bloggers (especially Fiona and Juhli who are also doing this challenge) and the BBC website, where I can read the latest news and catch up on sport. I particularly enjoyed a recent post where Fiona spoke about browsing folders on her computer where she has saved some of her favourite articles and blog posts. If the news is too depressing, which sadly is often the case nowadays, I think I'll do the same

Day 18 (Tuesday)

Outfit - day 18

Day 19 (Wednesday)

Outfit - day 19

Day 20 (Thursday)

Outfit - day 20

Day 21 (Friday)

Outfit - day 21

The reason I look a bit lop-sided in the above photos, and especially the one of day 21's outfit, is that I had software problems.  For some strange reason, every time I tried to straighten then crop the photos, I chopped off either my head or my feet! Some people may think the photos would look better without my head (lol), however it's easier to judge the overall effect of an outfit when you can see the whole picture. To be honest, day 21's outfit isn't the most flattering, but what it lacks in style it makes up for in being comfortable. I'm sure there are a few over 60 women out there who also have comfort near the top of their list when deciding what to wear!

This is probably a good time to talk about the difference between fashion and style. Culottes are fashionable at the moment, and many women also look stylish in them, however are they chic on shorter women like me? Women who love to wear the latest fashions have to take care not to look like a fashion victim and culottes are a good example of this. Stylish women will only wear culottes if they suit their body shape and their personal style. Similarly, if the colour of the year is tangerine and they look better in softer, cooler colours, chic women might carry a tangerine clutch but their clothes will be in more flattering shades. I found doing the 7 Steps to Style course helpful in showing me which colours, shapes and styles suit me best as well as learning about other aspects such as contrast -  but I still get it wrong sometimes!

As my focus during this challenge has been on trying to eat more healthily, my main meals have been salads, omelettes (ideal when I've been short of time) and vegetarian main courses like couscous. My husband eats meat, though I only eat fish nowadays, so occasionally he will add some chicken or other meat to his meal if it's a vegetarian dish. We both enjoy a glass of wine with our dinner, especially as we live in a Spanish town that is renowned for its red wine: after all, we're supporting a local industry!

My best day for steps was Tuesday, as I walked to my hairdresser's, which is on the other side of town and the daily total was over 14,000. I was just under my target on Thursday, however the average over the four days was well over my 10,000 steps target.

Finally, I'd like to wish all my American readers a very happy 4th July!