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BY Christina Reyes | Photos by Emily Brashier
Clothing from Ck & company
Makeup by Ciara Amir
She’s bold. She’s beautiful. She is part Greek goddess, part Oklahoma City girl. Meet Irene Gianos: wife, mother, and founding editor of the popular fashion, lifestyle, and ultra-glam blog, The OP Life. But being “glam” is simply a fun byproduct of the OP Life Gianos has created for herself. It is a life based on her secret to finding true joy. What is her secret, you ask? Well, it doesn’t have anything to do with money or beautiful things. Nor does it have anything to do with achieving a certain level of success. Rather, it has everything to do with the way in which we live our lives. It’s all about living in the moment and being “on purpose” in pursuing our passions.
The OP Life stand for The On Purpose Life,” says Gianos. “Lifestyle, On Purpose.”
Gianos began the Oklahoma City lifestyle blog just a few years ago and initially intended it to be a venue for sharing inspiring thoughts with others. And while she still does a bit of that, the OP Life has evolved into something much, much greater.
“I realized I had all these passions inside of me; that this truly was a place to bring all of these things together into one place. Which that in and of itself has been so fulfilling for me. So it’s evolved into this place where I express all of my passions and interests that I hope others will find interesting, informative and meaningful,” says Gianos.
Gianos’ passions are many and diverse. From words of wisdom and inspiration on Motivational Monday to the kick back and relax drink recipes on Fuzzy Friday, the OP Life is entertaining, enlightening, fun and informative. Other categories include fashion, beauty, travel, healthy living, interior design and local happenings.
It’s easy to see that Gianos is an “on purpose” real person. She doesn’t put on a face or a front in her blog. She is who she is and she makes no apologies. She’s not afraid to post a close-up photo of her rough heels pre “Baby Foot” treatment and she’s not afraid to post a photo sans makeup. Gianos wants to relate to you. So, reading her blog is in a sense, like hanging out with your best friend.
“I think people relate to real people. And I love expressing myself through my blog, so yes, I’m very transparent,” she says. “I’m just like every other person out there. I have my issues and challenges just like everyone else, and I have certain strengths, as do others as well. People relate when they see us for who we truly are, not a fake image of what we want them to see. And people have a sense for authenticity and people who are genuine. I don’t see why I shouldn’t be real. I love to laugh at myself and say, hey, I am what I am: silly, goofy, funny, dorky and everything that comes with it!”
Through transparency, we see Gianos’ not-so-glam side, but she also lays claim to the things that personally make her feel good on the inside. To quote a line from her blog: I love anything that sparkles or that has fur. I love to surround myself with beautiful things, from living beautifully, to fashion and beauty to decor and dwellings.
“I laugh about that because it’s how it personally makes me feel,” she says. “Fur makes me feel like I’m immersed in luxe. Sparkles shine and I love the radiance that comes from shine. It’s about how it all makes me feel. When we feel good on the inside, it shows on the outside. Look at it this way: if you’re dressed in your Sunday best, you’ll carry yourself in that ‘Sunday Best’ way. I think that’s why I enjoy dressing up more than dressing down. I carry myself completely different wearing my heels then wearing flip-flops. And I love my flip-flops. Don’t get me wrong. There’s just a time and place for them all. And truly the best part about it all is that it doesn’t have to be the finest most expensive fur and sparkles. Sometimes my favorite things are my thrift finds!”
And while Gianos loves to indulge in the finer things in life, her thoughts on true beauty are anything but superficial.
“I think without inner beauty, there is no outer beauty,” says Gianos. “True beauty comes from within. From kindness, to how we treat others, to respecting others, to
loving ourselves, to giving of ourselves to others, inner beauty is what makes the outer beauty. All the material things and all of the extra fluff is just that. Just extra fluff. It’s meaningless without the inside part.”
Beneath all the extra fluff, Gianos certainly imparts plenty of goodness on each and every page of theoplife.com. This Greek girl found true happiness, and she wants to share her message with everyone.
“I would love for the whole world to take a look at The OP Life in hopes that they might be inspired with some morsel of inspiration,” she says. “Maybe I’ll share something that would enhance their life. Maybe they’ll try something they never thought they’d try. Maybe they’ll read something insightful. I just want it to be that beautiful space they can go to see something that might help them in some way, shape or form live a more beautiful, joyful fulfilled life.”
Irene Gianos is also a contributor for SPLURGE! OKC. You can find more about The OP Life at theoplife.com.
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