I was just pondering if-I-was-a-man-what-would-my-hair-would-look-like. (Who knows why.) (Maybe its because the woman behind the espresso machine was talking about having a sex change for Michael Stipe.) (I wouldn’t want his hair.) (More parenthesis, please!) So while I’m thinking about it (and random as it may be), here are my top three favorite if-I-was-a-man-what-would-my-hair-would-look-like picks: Keegan Singh, Nick Cave circa 1984 and Johnny Suede.
Origins A Perfect World™ Nighttime antioxidant mask with White Tea Anyone that knows me is all too familiar with how frighteningly dry my hands get in the winter. I can’t begin to over-exaggerate how thoroughly desiccated they become. It’s bad. But there’s a light at the end of the tunnel! I finally found a moisturizer that smoothes out and hydrates my poor little paws and it’s been sitting next to my bed all this time. I used this mask on my hands twice last week and they’re completely healed, a million (!!) times softer and on their way to fewer lines.
Emilio Pucci Vivara The most heavenly scent in the world. I initially got this as a free sample from Sephora but instantly declared, “This will be mine!” And now it is. I love it. The notes are Italian bergamot, amaretto, sambac jasmine, narcissus, Indonesian patchouli and iris butter. The amaretto is very pronounced, which I love.
bareMinerals Liner Shadow in “Bark” I feel like I’ve already written about how much I like this eyeliner but I wear this every day so it’s definitely worth praising. I mix a little bit of powder with two drops of Bare Escentuals Weather Everything Liner Sealer and it lasts the entire day. As someone with bad allergies, I’m very careful about what I put near my eyes and this is completely non-irritating. (Plus I have to really claw at my eyes to make this stuff flake off!) To apply (cat eye-style!), I use a Sephora Professionnel Angled Liner #15 brush.
Murad Resurgence Hydrating Gel Mask I’m a bit of a product junkie so I’m always rotating my skincare products, mainly masks. (Because I finally found a cleanser I think I like.) Right now I’m using this handy dandy hydrating gel mask which does the job. I always get random dry patches on my face (I suspect the culprit is my deeply dehydrated self) and thus far, this has been keeping that at bay. It might not be The One but it’s good.
Chie Mihara Rumi B I said they would be mine and apparently I meant it. After getting my tax return back, I decided to take the plunge and invest in a pair of Chie Mihara’s to-die-for lace-ups (in black). They arrived tonight and they’re everything I hoped they would be. I absolutely love them even though they’re a little cold after riding around in the UPS truck all day. Part of me feels ever so slightly bad for spending so much money on shoes but you only live once, right?
Swamp Thing Vol. 3: The Curse I’ve lauded Alan Moore before but I have to do it again. Particularly when it comes to the third collection of his Swamp Thing series. The writing is incredible, the character development is great, the beginnings of John Constantine are appreciated. What I also love is that these were written in the 80s but they’re still relevant today. Favorite issues: “The Nukeface Papers,” followed by “The Curse.” This volume can be read independently so I highly recommend it, even if you’re not familiar with the entire series.
Breville Ikon Electric Kettle Stork got me this the Christmas before last. I loved it steadily for awhile and then we took some time off. Now that I’m sick as a dog (boo), I’m using it again and it’s so convenient. I can easily make enough tea for me and the mister in just about a minute. I don’t know if it’s the best on the market but when you feel this sick, all you need is tea.
Clementines For me, it’s all about the sweetness. I don’t care if it’s juicy, as long as it’s sweet. And when you get a good clementine? It’s fabulous. Besides, everything orange is good. Traffic cones, prescription medicine bottles, Ayers Rock, California poppies…
Shuffle Like a good clementine, when the iPod’s shuffle is on—it’s on. I’m of the school of thought that it’s possible to have a doomed shuffle or an I-never-hear-this shuffle or the always-a-favorite shuffle. Sometimes a little human intervention is necessary to get things back on the right track. (Tonight it’s on.)
Netflix We received a six-month subscription for Christmas. As a result, we saw four movies in January: Pirates of the Caribbean 3, Knocked Up, Trees Lounge and Johnny Suede. Sitting beside me now are The Triplets of Belleville and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds: God Is in the House.
Curled Eyelashes I’ve been curling my eyelashes for a month. I wear very minimal makeup but I was curious. So I started. And I love it, even though I wonder if the effect is all in my head. Even if the effects are purely psychological, the simple pleasure it gives me is worth the extra minute it adds to my get-ready-set-go.
Bright Colors Especially on grim days like today. All overcast and icy snow covered. All those spools of thread in embroidery almost make work tolerable!
Hazelnut Lattes Lattes make little cartoon hearts explode around my head. I just love them. They’re that extra special treat I indulge in uh, almost every morning. I generally get vanilla—occasionally a seasonal flavor—but earlier this week I mixed things up by getting a hazelnut latte. It’s amazing and I don’t know why I waited so long to get it.
Yellow³ I was standing in my yellow bathroom this afternoon and I looked up at the mirror. I was wearing a acidy yellow sweatshirt (and a jade green tank) and a canary yellow knitted earflap hat. It just made me smile.
New Jewelry I haven’t gotten new jewelry for my ears in at least two years. Every day I wear the same 1-3/8″ Pyrex eyelets. I have a pair of fluorescent pink silicone eyelets for emergencies. But then I was randomly looking at the Bodyartforms website and fell in love with the horn plugs with lime hearts and horn plugs with white stars.
Headphones + Justrained There’s something so good about walking home at dusk with headphones on after a rainy day. Everything sparkles. Extra big plus is listening to my favorite Nick Cave & the Badseeds songs on the way. (“Baby, you’ve got to start listening to some different stuff.” “I’m on a Nick Cave kick.”)
25% Off Sale Sale Way to reap the benefits of a sale! I was doing an exchange and found out at the register that everything on sale was having an additional 25% taken off. This is how to get shirts tagged $68.00 for only $14.99. (Psst, it’s bright red and I love it.)
Acid Green + Baby Blue + Black That’s what I wore today. With an electric blue scarf. And a black down jacket. I was actually very happy with everything I wore this week. If Pastself were here right now, she’d slap me for saying that.
Nick Cave & the Badseeds I would extol the greatness of Nick Cave but I think that’s already been expressed. I’m on a Nick Cave kick.
All-Time (This Week) Nick Cave & the Badseeds, “Lay Me Low (Munich)”
At This Very Moment Skinny Puppy, “Deep Down Trauma Hounds”
Top Three Pix(ies) “Hey,” “Levitate Me,” “Caribou”
French Sole Shoes’ “Sloop” Flats These are absolutely the most comfortable flats I’ve ever owned. As soon as I come home from work, I slip into a chocolate brown pair of these. That might make them sound overly comfortable—which usually means “unsupportive” to me—but I’m also able to throw a half-length SuperFeet orthotic in there and wear them all day.
Family Christmas Ornaments My mom’s collection of Christmas ornaments is massive and goes back as far as her teens. And while her collection grows with each year, her tree keeps getting smaller. This year she gave me a small bag of ornaments that never make it onto the tree. I didn’t get a chance to look at them until today and I love how, while I was repacking them, I was filled with the same wonderment for them as when I was a child. I love that something can still make me feel like that.
New York City Bagels I’m not one of those everything-is-better-in-New-York types because that’s just not true. (Traffic is definitely not better in New York.) But bagels are definitely better in New York City. (So is the tap water.) They’re just perfect and I don’t even bother eating bagels when I’m not there. (Okay, this sounds a little ridiculous but it’s all true.) The very last thing we got while we were in New York were a dozen bagels and six bialys. I’m going to be so sad when they’re gone.
Vermont It’s so good to be home.
Lodge Enamel 6-Quart Dutch Oven I love this thing. And I loved the beef stew I made in it and the goulash and the chili. And I didn’t mind boiling water in it last night although I don’t know if it really made a difference. This weekend I’m going to test out the “Chicken in a Pot” recipe in the new January / February issue of Cook’s Illustrated.
Roasted Broccoli Also in the new January / February issue of Cook’s Illustrated. 500°F + ping pong-sized garlic clove + olive oil + seasonings = quick and easy. Sometimes great sides are the simplest and most unthought of.
bareMinerals Liner Shadow New-to-me powder eyeliner! I also got some waterproof liner sealer and an angled eyeliner brush. So far it’s as easy as any other eyeliner but lasts all day—no smudging, fading or flaking. And let me repeat: so easy!
Ugly Betty Did you see tonight’s episode? Ridiculous.
iPod Classic Since I finally got that $205 check in the mail from the State of Vermont—it was only a year and a half late—I decided to replace my old 20GB iPod. $250 for 80GB sounded like a great deal until I got home, opened it up and discovered that I had to be running OS X 10.4! So this actually cost me $370… I’m a little annoyed but ultimately, it’s a fun new toy and I like it. Yay.
LU Biscuits Le Petit Écolier Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, hazelnut—I don’t care. They’re all so good. When I have a box (as I did last week), I ration myself to three per night—is that still really gluttonous?—otherwise I would savor every single cookie in one brief sitting. Somehow, three is the magic cookie number.
Chie Mihara Rumi Oh man, I feel something fierce for these. Patchwork leather, laces and a completely managable 1.75″ heel. I love them. I’m still trying to figure out how I’ll possibly have them but ‘m determined to make it happen.
