TOPAZ HORIZON

The Kate Camp and the Meghan Camp like accusing the duchess they don't like of copying the other but goodness, if I wore a yellow dress tomorrow, would that make me unoriginal? Neither duchess copyrighted any OOTD so let's give it a rest and just enjoy how both beautiful women styled their looks!

Here's what I think:

Meghan in Brandon Maxwell (July 5, 2018) Kate in Dolce & Gabbana (July 15, 2018)

I love how Kate's hugged her bosom and waist, for example. And showed off her legs, too. I wish Kate would dress this way again! She's been in high-necked, long-sleeved, midi dresses for a looooong time.

Kate in Alexander McQueen (January 19, 2019) Meghan in Burberry (February 13, 2018)

Love Kate's coat here. The fit, the tailoring, the length. Perfection! Love the black tights and gloves. It's such a sleek look. Very feminine power. Love!

Meghan's coat added bulk to her slender frame. And she has a penchant for wearing pants that are too long. I think that's really her style. If you lived through the 90s, you'd know the puddle pants trend was huge. Our parents hated us for looking sloppy haha. But I also wish Meghan fixed her hair. But this is also another style of hers - her messy hair. If you're going to look sloppy, you polish the other parts of your look - your hair and makeup. This looks just messy all around.

Kate in Stella McCartney (June 18, 2020) Meghan in Victoria Beckham (March 5, 2020)

Possibly my most favorite Meghan look ever. Even if her dress is riding up her hips, I don't care. She looked AMAZING. The hair, the makeup, the red lip, the matching clutch and pumps - perfection. The way she didn't wear jewelry to distract from her showstopping dress. The way she used other shades of blue for her accessories - love it!

As for Kate, well, her look is bland and boring here. It's something any of us would wear to brunch or the mall. But like I keep saying, I miss it when she wore shorter hemlines. She has fabulous legs. She should show them off more.

Meghan in Black Halo (April 19, 2018) Kate in Roland Mouret (Nov 10, 2020)

Okay, I know I mentioned I don't like Meghan's messy hair but this casual bun is sooo pretty. Love the hair, the dress, the slim belt, the laced up heels. SEXY!

Kate wore a similar dress - same color, same asymmetrical neckline - but hers is the matronly version. Again, she'd look better in a dress ending at just below the knee and sleeves maybe ending at just above the elbow.

There you go! Just a few styling tips from me today. Maybe I'll do this again! This was fun. Happy weekend!

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Let's get the confession out of the way: I play online games while I'm working! Yes, and it's okay. Much of my work as operations manager of a communications agency based abroad is waiting for submissions to come in from our writers and artists. So when I approve copy and wait for the artist to lay it out, I switch to the tab where Solitaire is on and I play a few card games. 

It's better than toxic Facebook, believe me! Social media reels you in and you go up the heaven of cute corgis and kittens or down the hell hole of news and negative comments, and then you're too distracted to go back to work. So I've gone back to my childhood hobby of playing cards, but this time online.

I actually still have a deck of cards on my bedside table and I play solitaire sometimes on the bed as I chat with my husband. If he's reading or working and can't talk, I sing the Carpenters' song, "Solitaire" while I play. It's one of my favorite sad songs. 

Solitaire is a game my grandparents taught me to pass away afternoons, listening to radio dramas. My Lola said you can ask the cards a yes-no question and if you win the game, then it's a yes. So that's another confession. I ask the cards stuff!

So anyway, let me tell you about my new find, Solitaire.org. It has dozens of free solitaire games like Klondike, FreeCell, Spider, gin rummy, crazy eights, hearts, and more. Like a LOT more. But I usually just play solitaire because it's my favorite. It calms my mind and helps me focus. Makes me better at remembering deadlines and editing work. So it really is a good way to while away the time when I'm waiting for work to come in.  

I don't dislike it. In fact, I play it every day because I just really want to get to Level 10! But I definitely don't play this game when I'm working. It doesn't relax me. It brings out all my killer instincts and I just want to blast those balls to kingdom come!!!

So let me reiterate that I don't play Zuma Ball while I work. Instead, when I'm not playing solitaire, I play this: Candy House. It's like Candy Crush but slower and more mellow. So again, makes me feel calm. which is great when I'm working.

There are dozens more games at Solitaire.org. Sometimes I let my kids play the games, too. For school! Patterns are part of math, you know! I highly recommend these games for your kids as a fun way to recognize patterns. 

And that's my little secret! And my new online find. Try Solitaire.org, too! Happy Monday and I hope you have a great week, everyone!