Lausanne Lifestyle: Meet Jaifa

I’m not sure about you, but every once in awhile (ok, more often than not) I start to feel a bit of a fashion lull coming on.  You know, the one where you don’t feel inspired, and frankly don’t have the energy and time to put effort into your look every.single.day. When I became a mother, I hit a new low–I remember sitting with a friend for coffee and finding a stain on the jeans I was wearing (for the fifteenth time in a row) and flicking at the stain to remove most of it. I wore those jeans four more times after that before washing them.

While some of you are judging, I know there are several of you that are nodding your heads in total agreement. This post is for both of you.

I met Jaifa almost a year ago through a Baby Sensory class here in Lausanne and the first thing I noticed about her was she is absolutely stunning. I realized that Jaifa always looked so put together, so fashionable (her former career in diplomacy must have helped), yet was a mother of three children. How in the world did she do it? I decided to ask.

Jaifa was kind enough to invite us into her home (and her wardrobe) to give us a peek and some advice on how we can look great and feel great, even on a tight schedule. Our great friend Eleni, from Eleni Eyebrows, was also on-hand offering some beauty tips as well.

How would you describe your style?
I don’t like to be pinned down to one category–fashion is part of my creative expression. Some days I feel like I want to look classic, others I want to be trendy. Sometimes I want to look sexy, other times it’s better to go conservative. I love being able to change depending on my mood or my preferences.

What are some staple items all women should have in their closet?
A good pair of jeans (splurge for the high quality ones, even if that means spending more–you’ll be thankful you did), a solid soft jersey dress, comfortable flats, a jumpsuit (effortless and trendy–and breastfeeding friendly!) and leggings.

What’s your favorite go-to item for everyday?
Leggings–there are so many different options for leggings these days; from spandex to cashmere to leather paneled, they’re easy, comfortable, and chic at the same time.

Can you show us how to transition leggings from morning to noon to night?
The key is investing in some nicer leggings, perhaps ones with a pattern or extra details–then you can go to the gym in the morning, switch your top and shoes and get to the playground with your kids, then swap the top for a nice fitted dress and put on some high heels and you’re ready to go out!

Do you have any advice to new mothers who are feeling the [fashion] blues?
New-new mothers, give yourself some time. Let yourself eat, let yourself sit, don’t put pressure on yourself! All other mothers, set realistic expectations. You know what you feel comfortable with, you know what you look good in and what looks bad–follow your sense of style and your comfort level. At the same time, try to be courageous too. Try a different color lipstick, or a different line on your lid, play with patterns and colors–don’t live your life full of limitations. Fashion is meant to be fun! If you’re having a hard time with inspiration–pull up some fashion blogs, watch what people are wearing around you, or flip through a magazine. 

Do you have any tricks that make you feel great?
Activity. I need to do some sort of physical activity everyday. Lausanne is such a perfect city for this because you don’t need a gym membership–the city is your gym! Walk along the lake, push your stroller up the hills, do yoga at home using an internet tutorial. Whatever it is, do something good for yourself, good for your body, everyday. 

We asked Eleni, from Eleni Eyebrows, to offer some beauty tips to those of us who are on a crunch for time. Here are the basic essentials:

• First, use a tinted moisturizer instead of foundation with an SPF factor–you can find these everywhere (i.e. BB and CC creams).

• Next is the most important of all, do the brows. Eyebrows are such a game-changer when it comes to looking manicured–if you keep your brows in good shape, you don’t really need much else. Eleni uses Anastasia products, both a pencil to fill out the brow lightly, as well as a brow gel to keep all the hairs nicely in their rightful shape and place. (If you haven’t seen Eleni yet, you must. Seriously.)

• After, apply mascara. There’s no rule about which mascara brand works best–honestly we’ve tried $7 drugstore mascaras that have worked better than the $50 high-end ones. Use whatever brand works best for your lashes.

• Then it’s onto the cheeks. Use a bronzer (Eleni used Peggy Sage, who just opened a store on Rue de Bourg); start at the apple of your cheeks and direct the brush upward toward your ear. Bronzers are quite versatile because you can also lightly brush them along your forehead, nose, chin, to give you that sought-after glow.

• Finally the lips. Here’s where you can get creative and go wild (if you wish) and it will add no extra time to your beauty regimen. However, Eleni and Jaifa both swear by Dior Lip Glow–a color that adapts to each individual woman’s lips and requires no liner. It’s also not sticky and leaves no color trail behind, so you can kiss your kids or partner without leaving a trace!

If you wish to quickly transform your day look to an evening one, try using a copper shimmer on the eye, opt for a darker shade of lip color, and if you’re feeling brave, try a cat’s eye or similar line on your lid!

Thank you Jaifa and Eleni for spending some time with us and sharing these valuable tips. Do you have any fashion must-haves or beauty advice that could make our lives a bit easier? If so, please share with us!

If you’d like to see more photos from our Saturday morning together, visit our photographer Gabriel Garcia Marengo’s albums here, here, and here.