10 Ways to Look Fresh

Boy, oh boy, is this a hot summer. I spent much of the long weekend with the air conditioning cranked up and an ice pack on my nape. I was melting in this weather—and it wasn’t a pretty sight.

But that’s not the end of it. As many of you can probably attest, whenever a national holiday rolls around, social gatherings are inevitable. My weekend was dotted with coffee dates and dinners and hangout sessions with people I usually don’t get to see. Not to say that’s a bad thing—I treat my quality time with friends and family as a sort of mini-vacation, a much-needed respite from the real world.

But if there’s one thing I dread, it’s having to climb out of my pambahay clothes and into more presentable attire at times when I feel like a puddle of sweat. Ick!

But you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do. I eventually managed to peel myself off the couch and combat the sizzle with an ice-cold shower (or two). All that was left to do was (ugh) figure out what to wear to all these places. And given my sour, climate-induced disposition, there was a long, grouchy list of things to consider before I could decide on the clothes. For instance:

I didn’t want to wear anything tight.

I didn’t want to wear anything stuffy.

I didn’t want to wear anything dark.

I didn’t want to wear anything fussy.

Basically, I didn’t want to put on anything that made me feel even sweatier than I already did with just my underwear on. I can’t say it enough: I was melting.

The only solution I could come up with—which turned out to be a great one—was to go for the fresh look. You know—light palette, airy fabrics, no-fuss hair and makeup. I hauled out my simplest white dresses and barely-there beauty products, and I used more or less the same combo for every get-together I was invited to. I don’t know, but I think I pulled it off! (Style-smart tip: Same outfit, different crowd—no one will know the difference.)

Anyhow, I learned a valuable lesson from this sweltering weekend, and it’s something that any fashion-lover can relate to. Fierce, high-concept style is always a blast, but sometimes, all a girl wants to do is strip it down to the basics (especially when it’s a scorcher outside). And that’s totally okay, as long as you make it work (to quote Tim Gunn).

Need a little freshening up yourself? Read on for my top 10 tips!

(Flashbox photo from Mamma Mia courtesy of Universal Pictures)