hrm.
the good news: I’ve finally discovered another place in which I feel instantly at home and comfortable.
the bad news: it ain’t Baltimore.
There will be something about this weekend in Boston, but it’s not going to happen today. I’m having a tough time getting back to regular life; yesterday was unfortunately really rough on a number of different levels.
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Tags: Boston, comfort, city living
the weekly makeup blather
So apparently I need to talk about makeup more often, because it jacks my stats up.
Makeup.
Makeup makeup makeup!
(Also, I think the fact I posted that video of Johnny Weir skating to Poker Face the other day bumped me up as well. I guess I’ll have to talk about the Gaga and controversially-clothed figure skaters more often.)
Parenthetical statement aside, that probably doesn’t count.
And the rest of this only sort of counts, because I’m going to tell you about a few bunch of my favorite things. Thus shall this post be more of a general beauty/hygiene/gushing about stuff I love sort of post. It’s a mixture of makeup, skin care, high(er)-end and drugstore stuff that I really dig. And you’ll like it, you hear? Please?
Comments lots, kbai!
In no particular order:
- Too Faced Shadow Insurance. It just plain rocks my socks. It keeps things (things = eye makeup) from creasing, it holds everything in place. I have a bad habit of rubbing my eyes, and because I still don’t wear makeup religiously every day, I forget I’m wearing it sometimes and rub my eyes. This stuff keeps the majority of it in place despite that. I’ve got a tube of UD’s Primer Potion as well, but I prefer this (I’ve found that the UDPP creases on me, before I’ve even put on anything over it, so I don’t use it very often as I have to be really careful with it).
- Avon Face Perfector thinger. It makes my face nice and matte, and it tones down my natural ruddiness (seriously, people think I’m wearing blush on the regular—I don’t even OWN blush). It’s a primer, so I suppose technically I’m supposed to put foundation over it, but it goes on clear and I don’t wear foundation, so… meh.
- Boots No. 7 Calming Serum/Lotion Thing. (Can you tell I’m doing this from memory and don’t have these products in front of me?) Again, another product to even my skin tone out and calm down my ruddy cheeks. At least I don’t need blush, I suppose. However, I do feel like this just calms my face down and evens it out a touch, even if it doesn’t really make me look less flushed.
- Maybelline Lash Blast Great Lash mascara. I’d read on one of the many Beauty blogs that I frequent—or perhaps on Yahoo—that lots of MUAs swear by this stuff, even though it’s a drugstore brand. So I tried it, because it was cheap and I needed a new mascara and blah blah blah. Love it. Love the little brush; it makes me feel like I can get to the bottom of my lashes without poking myself in the eye with mascara. And I can get to the wee little lashes at the corners without doing the same.
- Garnier Nutrisioniste Skin Renew Lotion. I think this is a newish product. I got it as a sample with a purchase of one of their other products, because I use another one of their day lotions with SPF, and I fell in love. It’s super light and makes my skin feel happy. It doesn’t have SPF at all, so I use it at night (when I remember to moisturize at night, anyhow). I also occasionally use their face cleanser/makeup remover wipes, because I’m lazy and don’t always physically soap and water wash my face twice a day. Yes, I’m probably going to be stoned for this. I’m aware. (Or maybe they just updated the packaging. I don’t know.)
- Lush Ocean Salt Face/Body Scrub. If I were to award any of these things an instant Holy Grail for me, it would be this. Seriously, the best scrub ever. I’m a fan of Lush’s products, even though I don’t like a lot of the smells, but this is gonna be the one I stick with for ages. I only exfoliate about once a week or so, and this stuff makes my face feel baby skin soft without drying or tightness or any of that nasty shit. It’s a scrub, not a wash though, so make sure you have something gentle to wash up with afterwards. And moisturize to maximize the awesomeness. It ain’t cheap, though. The larger size will set you back nearly forty bucks, but if you only use it once a week or so, and don’t use a whole lot of it on the rest of you (I do occasionally spread some around if I’ve got mega-dryness) it’ll last you a while, but you’ll still use it all before it expires. I would save up just to make this purchase if I had to.
P.S. Yes it has salt in it. No this isn’t bad for your skin. No worse than the acids in a lot of the shit we put on our faces, anyway.
P.P.S. Dear Lush, Please make this stuff easier to find on your website. Thanks, Lizzie - Victoria’s Secret Beauty Rush Soothing Lip Balm. I’ve used this stuff for years. Since before they changed the name from Soothing Night Time Lip balm or whatever it was before. It now comes in several different colors, and I buy at least two tubs of that stuff pretty much every single time I walk into a Victoria’s Secret store. It’s got a wee hint of menthol or something in it to give it a nice cooling feel and it works well. Now, if only it came in a tube; I’d buy it by the case.
- Nars Lip Gloss. Do I really need to explain this one? I have the new Ophelia, which makes my lips just a wee bit more pink and well-kissed, and Dolce Vita. I also have Orgasm, but I’m not sure the rather intense peachiness of it works on me. I think I’m a little coolly toned for it. I must be one of about four people on the planet who doesn’t really like the look of Orgasm.
- Sephora OPI nail color. Specifically Metro Chic. I own at least three bottles of it (though in my defense one is Matte). It’s quite possibly my favorite color of nail polish ever, and it is certainly the color that led me down the path into my current obsession with taupe/grey/brown colors. LOVE. <3 even.
- Biore facial cleansy/makeup removery wipes. I buy a box at Target that comes with two packs of thirty in it. For under ten bucks. For a Biore product, I count that a pretty good deal. I like them. They’re good for wiping away most makeup and for doing just a quick swipe over the face to destroy shininess and oil build-up without over drying. I like them.
- MAC Kohl Power eyeliner in Raven. I love this eyeliner. It’s a fabulous sort of bronzey color, and it looks awesome on. It’s my new favorite.
- Aromaleigh eye shadow from the Eye Plush collection in Prim Tweed. It’s pretty much the perfect base color (or highlighter!), a sort of taupey beigey grey off-white. And it’s got some shine to it without being HEY LOOK WORLD, I’VE GOT ON SPARKLY EYESHADOW. AREN’T I EDGY? Because I don’t tend to go for that look too often (not that there’s anything wrong with super sparkly eyeshadow. I own plenty; I just don’t wear it on a daily basis. More power to you if you can pull it off. For reals). I originally purchased a sample (or requested it as a free one on an order, I don’t remember which), and the very first time I tried it I knew I would need a full-sized jar. It goes great with… well, pretty much anything. Speaking of Aromaleigh….
- Aromaleigh Nourishing Color Crème in Candy Cane. Love. LOVE A LOT. I wear it like a lip balm, though I don’t believe that that is strictly what it is. It has just a hint of color to it, a real creamy color; it makes my lips look just a touch frosted, and I dig that. The smell is quite nice also. It’s definitely pepperminty and cool, but it isn’t overpowering at all, and it fades nicely without doing so too quickly.
- MAC lipstick.
- OK, MAC in general. I’m having a raging, intense love affair with MAC right now. Have you seen the pictures of the upcoming Give Me Liberty of London collection?! WANT. IT. ALL.
- Mary Kay eye makeup remover. One of my bestie bests used to sell MK. And really, it’s not the old lady line you think it is. They have some really nice stuff. (Seriously, if you’ve ever smelled Velocity for Men and not swooned, you probably aren’t human.) I love in particular their oil free eye makeup remover. Unfortunately I no longer have any and don’t have the sweet MK hookup so I don’t use it anymore. *Sad Face*
OK, I think that’s enough for now. Anybody want to share any other neat stuff I should know about? Apologies for the lack of pictures, I really don’t have the patience to go looking for them all right now. However….
Coming soon: pictures of the latest hauls. I went on a bit of a spree recently, although I’ve tried to cut way back. I’m trying to keep a moratorium on makeup purchases for the month of February, because I want to be able to justify buying practically the whole GMLoL collection when it comes out. Unfortunately I keep seeing Spring nail colors that I want. Bah.
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Tags: aromaleigh, biore, garnier nutritioniste, lush, MAC Cosmetics, makeup, nars, ocean salt, opi, sephora, sephora opi nail polish, soothing lip balm
Road Trip!
In case you missed it, which I don’t see how you could’ve as I’ve been shouting it from the roof tops, I’m going to Boston this weekend. In fact, I’m leaving at lunch time today. So you probably won’t hear much from me until at least Monday, and more likely Tuesday.
You know you’ll miss me. xoxo
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Tags: Boston, road trip, trip
She’s got me like nobody
OK, enough blather about the wedding. It was nice, on to other things.
I’m woefully behind on my reading. On the other hand, I’m reading something like four books right now. I never used to do that.
There’s the one that I both have a terrible time putting down and sometimes can’t quite bring myself to pick back up again, because I know it’s going to break my heart at least two more times before I finish the last hundred pages. That one is The Stress of Her Regard. This book has already jumped into a nice cozy spot amongst my “oh holy shit this is one of the best books I’ve ever read” group. (It’s up there with The Court of the Air and The Lies of Locke Lamora.)
(Dear Scott Lynch, Please release the next book in The Gentleman Bastard Sequence post haste. I need to be able to keep going once I’ve started Red Seas Under Red Skies. Thanks, Lizzie)
I’m also reading Emilie Autumn’s The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls. This is one that strictly stays by my bed. A lot of it is because it’s a huge hardback book, more of a coffee table book than anything even remotely portable. It’s lovely, all full color and with pictures and a bunch of Emilie’s drawings and whatnot. It’s a fascinating and harrowing read, since it deals with the author’s incarceration in a mental ward as well as including fictional elements that she used to cope with her situation. Fascinating. Really.
A few weeks ago, I started World War Z. It’s good, I like it, but it’s not exactly something I can just sit down and read. It’s a little too… dry for me. Is dry the right word? Maybe I just mean that due to the documentarian nature of the prose, I find it a bit disturbing and I don’t like reading it before bed. That sounds about right.
And finally, I started reading Déjà Dead, the first book in the series that the TV show “Bones” is based on. I like so far, but I’ve only gotten a few pages in. So that’s sitting and waiting as well.
I suppose all this is to say that I’m woefully behind and very divided in my reading attentions of late, but I’m still plugging away and trying to keep at it as best I can. So, more reviews shall hopefully be coming soonest! I don’t know that I’ll have much time for reading this weekend during my trip, but I’ll certainly have a book with me at all times, because when do I not?
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Tags: books, books i'm reading, cannonball read 2.0, Emilie Autumn, not a review, reading, scott lynch, the asylum for wayward victorian girls, the stress of her regard, tim powers, world war z
want.
If someone can find me the frames that the ever-so-lovely Christina Hendricks is wearing in this picture (and I can get them for a reasonable price), I will be your best friend forever. There will be cookies involved.
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Tags: christina hendricks, eyeglass frames, glasses
mazel tov, continued
The snow was the biggest problem with the wedding on Saturday. It started around ten in the morning, and kept going for most of the day. It was pretty, but rather a treacherous pain to drive in. It didn’t help that we live on the northeastern side of the city, and the church was allllll the way down on the south/southeastern side of the city, and then the reception was on the west side.
We must’ve passed about ten different accidents on the way to the church. People were either driving waaaay too slow for the snow, or waaaaay too fast. It’s ridiculous. If people were reasonable and careful, a lot of the slip sliding around could be avoided. Bah.
Anyway, we made it to the church in one piece, and only half an hour late! Go us! (Keep in mind, the drive should’ve taken about thirty five minutes and instead took over an hour.)
There were more priests on that altar during that Mass than I have ever seen in one place in my entire life. Including at my own confirmation (at which the Bishop counts as at least three). This probably has something to do with the fact that my cousin spent five years in Seminary before deciding that the priesthood is not for him.
The drive from the church (in the middle of nowhere) to Martin’s West (halfway back from the middle of nowhere but in the opposite direction) where the reception was held took even longer than the drive down. The weather was frightful, and none of the roads had been plowed. At least, they didn’t look as though they’d been plowed.
The food was delightful at the reception, but goddamn was there a lot of it. We had a good time. Half of our table hadn’t been able to make it, because they all live on the Eastern shore. There was an open bar (unfortunately it was all rail drinks).
I went to go get my coat from coat check at the end of the night. It was late, I’d been running around all damn day, and I was tired. I also didn’t have my coat check ticket because I’d left it on the table when we first sat down and it disappeared.
“Why did they take your coat check ticket?” My mother asked.
“I don’t know! They took Matt’s knife halfway through the meal too! Obviously they just grab whatever shit they can get their hands on!”
I told the coat check person, and she looked me dead in the eye and said “Oh we can’t give you your coat without a ticket.”
“Excuse me? It’s that one right there.”
“We’d have to call a manager. We can’t give someone a coat without a ticket.”
“I need my coat.”
“We’d have to call a manager.”
“Then. Call. A. Manager.”
Seriously, folks? Don’t keep telling me that you can’t give me my coat. I can’t magically produce my ticket BECAUSE THE WAIT STAFF TOOK IT. I’m not just telling you these things to give you a hard time, so don’t be such a fucking moron about it. Call the goddamn manager.
About ten minutes later, he finally showed up. They explained to him that I no longer had my ticket because the wait staff had taken it during the dinner. “Well, she’ll have to wait until everyone else has collected their coats.”
At this point, the coat check wonder duo explained that there was another party going on that lasted a further two hours. And the manager sighed. I about saw red.
My lovely little brother stepped in at this point, perhaps sensing that in my frustration I was about to a) start crying or b) scratch somebody’s eyes out. “Is there any way she can identify the coat as hers? I mean, she can tell you what’s in all the pockets. She can tell you what brand it is.”
The manager sighed again and nodded. I stepped up to the counter and explained where precisely he could find my house key and what it looked like. Thank god I keep that stupid key in that stupid inner pocket. He took the coat off the rack and asked me, several times, if I was absolutely sure that was indeed my own coat. He explained that they’d done this before only to find out that the wrong person had taken a coat and driven all the way home to Pennsylvania. I pointed out that he’d just pulled my house key out of the pocket I’d told him it would be in.
So, yeah, that was a bit of a trial. Which isn’t to say that I disagree with the policy. You don’t want to leave your coat in coat check only to come back and find it’s been given to some random dude off the street. So I understand it. I even agree with it. I just wasn’t in any mood to deal with it calmly and rationally Saturday night. Yes, this probably makes me an entitled-acting bitch, but I was severely cranky at the time. Like, four year old who hasn’t had their afternoon nap cranky. Not my finest moment, perhaps, but we all have them sometimes.
I will note that I never raised my voice or cursed at any of those people, however.
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Tags: coat check, wedding, weekend
I know that Rusty just posted this last week, but I can’t help but follow suit. Oh Johnny Weir. You’re going to make me watch the Ice Skating in the Olympics this winter, aren’t you?
Also, I continually type “Weird” instead of “Weir”. Not a commentary on him, just on my own muscle memory.
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Tags: ice skating, johnny weir, lady gaga, olympics, poker face
mazel tov
Matt: So the first miracle was for more booze?
Me: I’m glad I’m not the only one going to hell.
Me [to mom]: Look at the crucifix, Mom. Isn’t it supposed to look like Jesus could hop down off the cross and bless the whole church or something? I’m pretty sure if he did that right now, he’d break every bone in those spindly little chicken legs of his.
Matt: I’m kinda glad we got there halfway through the Mass.
Me: Me, too.
My Uncle: Did I embarrass you sufficiently? [By making me dance with his nephew on my aunt's side.]
Me: No, it takes a helluva lot more than making me dance with a guy who dances worse than I do to embarrass me.
Me: Mom, look at S! She’s crying harder than the groom’s mother. [This was during the Groom and his Mom dance. S is my aunt's sister.]
Me [at numerous points during the evening]: Good god that woman is insane.
Charlie: Who told that woman I was in the bathroom? She went looking for me.
Mom: Fine for chrissakes, I’ll drive. You can all drink.
Me: Shouldn’t she be medicated?
Mom: Yes, that’s the whole problem.
Me: Well, he probably should be too.
Mom: I’m pretty sure the problem is that he is medicated.
Me: *snort* Yeah, self-medicated.
It was a lovely wedding, and I’m very happy for my cousin and his new bride. But good god I think we take irreverent to a whole new level. Which is really just a nice way of saying that we’re a bunch of assholes.
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Tags: reception, things heard, things said, wedding
Friday Videos: i failed
Sorry, Shan my dear. I couldn’t find Wank’s “Forgiven” anywhere that I could pull it to post. It’s not on youtube.
I was going to post some Smashing Pumpkins, because they actually have about three songs I really like… but everything on youtube is fucking embed disabled. figures. screw you, EMI.
so… here’s an And One song:
and a Neuroticfish song.
now get your ass up and let your inner goth kid out.
Filed under: Friday Videos | 2 Comments
Tags: and one, Friday Videos, mfapl, military fashion show, music for a paranormal life, neuroticfish, remix
blergh
I spent last night the majority of yesterday feeling like ass and ended up going to bed at about eight o’clock.
And I had a doctor’s appointment this morning, so I was late to work and all that.
So there’s your excuses for my not posting anything today… except for these excuses. Deal.
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Ch-ch-ch-changes
