Category: lists

list #3: the best makeup

dudes, you’re going to probably want to show yourself out for this one, and ladies, you can send all thanks in the form of nutella.

slowly, for years now, i’ve been transitioning and building my makeup collection past drugstore brands and into sephora brands. i have not advanced to mac because that store intimidates the life out of me. i will get there. and i’m not at all hating on drugstore makeup – i know there’s lots of rumors that it’s all the same anyway and yadda yadda, but this is one place where marketing really sinks its claws right into my soul. i feel a sense of Put Together Satisfaction when i review my collection and it’s urban decay, tarte, benefit, the balm, etc. i feel Fauncy.

but i’m giving too much away.

i (and everyone else) wanted the urban decay naked 3 palette for christmas – i have the first two already, as both an urban decay AND neutral shadow devotee. and in my research for whether or not i really wanted it, i happened to stumble upon a bunch of other stuff that i wanted. oops/yay!

come january, i ran into some magic money that just kind of fell out of the sky, and after i finished paying off the last of my credit card debt, i had enough left over to pick up a few things that had caught my eye. here i will tell you ALL ABOUT THEM as well as some of my other staple favorites.

Urban Decay - Naked 3 and the Lorac Pro Palette

  • urban decay – naked 2: i will love urban decay shadow for life. some say their quality has declined over the years and they’re less pigmented and so on – i disagree and i think they’re awesome. i owned several of their crazier palettes in my early 20s (emerald green! bright purple! hot pink! glittery black!) and i about died when i heard of the naked palettes. of the 3, the naked 2 is my favorite. 1 and 3 are peachy keen – i’ve just been able to create the most variety of looks with 2, and i think it’s colors work best for my skin. (pictured above, however, is 3. why? cause i felt like it/was tired.)
  • lorac – pro palette: if there is ONE neutral shadow palette you need, it is this one. it keeps you solidly stocked with high quality mattes and shimmers in neutral shades that are flattering to all. i’ve created the perfect nude, everyday eye from this palette, i love the quality of the shadow, and it’s universally highly reviewed online. this was one of my new purchases, and between it and the naked 3 that i did receive for christmas after all, i’m basking in the glory of eyeshadow.

January Makeup

  • NARS eyeshadow base: i asked around on twitter for recommendations, because UD’s primer potion wasn’t cutting it and i think my eyelids secretly run a pizza joint or something because they are amazingly greasy. i’d be impressed with myself if it didn’t render my carefully applied eye makeup useless by 11 am every day. twitter recommended this NARS base and i’ve been extremely pleased.
  • the balm – stainiac: i think every single person got a small sample of this in their birchbox once upon a time. i dig the balm as a rule and i love the simplicity of this product – it’s a lip stain or a cheek stain in a pretty flattering color. nothing crazy, just a nice berry tint. i love it for throwing in my purse when i know i’ve got to freshen up before going out after work  – it’s quick, easy, and convenient. it IS a little drying, so i generally use one of my (seventy) lip balm things over it.
  • benefit – boiing: i have some truly impressive undereye circles. i mean, i have marvelled at myself in the mirror when it really seems, some mornings, as though i had the sickest bar fight ever the night before. boiing is an industrial strength concealer and has done the job for me for YEARS.
  • benefit – they’re real: let me tell you the story of my eyelashes. they are stick straight and uber short. was that a boring story? yes. and that is how boring my eyes usually look unless i do some serious eyelash curling and mascara magic. this mascara does that magic, precisely.
  • julep – kajal eyeliner: i’ve been pretty impressed with the quality of julep’s makeup products, despite that they’re primarily a nail polish company, but this one kind of blew everything else out of the water. goes on smooth, double ended with brown and black.

tell me – what can you not live without in your makeup bag? (i.e., what do i get to covet until my birthday in september?)

 

Posted on by dominique 4

list #2: 2013 via instagram.

i’m getting really into the role of images and photos in my world – i’ve been exploring a lot of local/popular tags on instagram and i talked in a post last week about my newfound adoration of tumblr. scrolling through my instagram feed, i found myself remembering some of the finer moments of last year. i’m pretty terrible at year in review things that happen in december, but clearly i’m quite good when they happen in late january. so here are 12 good moments that happened last year, conveniently separated into months.

2013 in review

 

(we’re starting at the top left and going across the rows)

january: rang in the new year with wafels and dinges (one of my very favorite food trucks), watching fireworks in prospect park.

february: i went to harry potter world with the bouncer, tiff, and her husband nick. we also went on a five day cruise, but i chose the hp world photo because i can’t remember the last time i was so full of unadulterated joy. please see evidence via my tears when the bouncer surprised me with a wand and robe. this photo is from the legit three broomsticks cafe.

march: nothing truly momentuous happened, but i did take this photo while we were out for the bouncer’s birthday celebration and i love the way it came out.

april: by this point, i’d begun taking on freelance clients and decided to legitimize myself via business cards from zazzle. i’m incredibly proud of the strides i made professionally last year, the skills i taught myself and honed, and the extra money i was able to pull in.

may: bloggers in sin city, obviously. there was no one photo i could choose that had people in it, so to save myself that agonizing decision, i went with this one of the hanging lanterns in the wynn (or maybe the encore, they’re connected and i’m never sure which is which).

june: i took an amazing trip down to dc to celebrate lauren’s birthday, and berto was kind enough to host me in his home and show me the city. it was an injection of joy and friendship and laughter and pure amazing. this photo is after the road trip from philly with raoul and ed, when we magically ran into tom in the hotel.

july: we took a trip down to coney island with paula and jr. second summer i’ve had a coney island trip and now it’s going to be a tradition.

august: and then we had a picnic in central park with paula and jr. please note, one of the photos i could’ve chosen from june was a trip to atlantic city with paula and jr so in short, we became pretty good friends with paula and jr this year.

september: i went away for the weekend for the actress’ birthday, and she got a hold of a beautiful mountain house in pennsylvania. after spending the night, we went on a hike at glen onoko falls. and then i fell in love with nature. IT IS SO COOL YOU GUYS. (have i mentioned i am often very late to the party?) (also note, if you follow that link, i am really desperate to see these falls during the winter. that ice looks truly incredible.)

october: the bouncer and i ran away to the mountains, mostly because i was excited to do more hiking. we stayed in the most precious little cabin and had an amazing, recharging getaway. we’re hoping to make it an annual tradition.

november: i joined my local CSA for the fall/winter share. i’ve gotten incredible farm fresh vegetables all winter, i’ve made an abundance of delicious soups, and i got to know my community a little better. next, we’ll be doing the summer fruit and veggie share and possibly also a meat share from the same farm.

december: you’d think i’d post something christmasy, but no. i didn’t go crazy on the christmas instagrams this year. this photo is from the union square holiday market, which i was dashing through with a friend from work after visiting julep’s popup shop here in new york.

Posted on by dominique 3

list #1: small joys

kim is working on a years worth of lists, and she got the idea from hulaseventy. i’m maybe giving it a shot as well. this year i’m looking inward, not outward. i’m finding the small happinesses that already exist in my world, and i am focusing on them and savoring them. let me tell you the things that have brought me joy.

tumblr: for the longest, i didn’t really get tumblr. i’m still not entirely sure i do. but i’ve made mine a place for pictures i find peaceful, calm, and inspiring in a way. i’m learning my style, what i like, what appeals to me. why i’ve avoided doing such a thing is a much longer story that i’m not sure i can properly articulate, but i love having this small piece of real estate that’s devoted to my own calm. you can follow me!

wantable: i gave up on birchbox a while back, and judging from various online reviews i’ve made the right decision. last year i got into julep, and i still love it but i’ve racked up SUPER MUCH nail polish so i’m going to slow down for a bit. wantable’s a little pricier than your average monthly makeup box ($36/mo.), however, you get a few full size products and i love how specific their quiz is to determine what’s good for you. bonus – there are also options for accessories and intimates boxes! (yes, i want to try them.)

outside time: because i bought my boyfriend a remote control quadcopter for christmas, we’ve been making a point to get outside to fly it. i love prospect park – it’s one of the main reasons i wanted to move to brooklyn. we had a really awesome day after it snowed hanging out by a frozen over lake and taking our dog, sophie, to play in the snow. that’s a video there, and you’re going to want to click it.

lord of the rings: i knew nothing of these stories until i was into my twenties, and even then, the actress couldn’t get me to fully pay attention for ten hours of the extended edition movies. fortunately for everyone, i learned over time, and because of her, i love to watch them around the holidays – she always watches them while doing all of the gift wrapping for her family. i was a little late this year, but we watched them last week and oh man, i had the most cathartic cry after (some of) our heroes sailed off to the undying lands.

my new teacups: i’ve been on the hunt for amazing teacups for a little while, and when i spotted these anthropologie teacups (you don’t even have to click because you know how amazing they are if i said anthro), i needed them. luckily, my boyfriend’s dad was on the hunt for a christmas gift for me, because i was absolutely not shelling out $12/cup for myself. now i have three beautiful teacups that bring me great joy. in addition to tea, they are the perfect size to make a microwave mug brownie.

Posted on by dominique 14