What Else Did The Red Lipstick Make Me Do?

Posted on August 26, 2020     Leave a Comment

If it sparkles, I probably like it. If it’s shiny, I probably want it. And if you add glitter, I’ll hand over my credit card right then and there. That’s the thing though, I love everything that’s meant to be pretty. My favorite lipsticks are by Gucci and Tom Ford. Why? Because they last. After that, I’ll take the newest and boldest (red) lip NYX has to offer. For fun and a cause, I’ll wear something from Lipslut (I’m waiting for LipRevolt to come out! I will be shopping with them, too.) What you should see trending here, though, is that I love makeup and the best part it, I wear it for me. 

Since March, I have been working from home and honestly, my routine really hasn’t changed that much. Sure, I may not be doing a full face every day and my skincare brand of choice has also changed but (that’s more out of cost and results thing though) I’m still doing all of this for me and me alone. As I sit and think about all of things I do for me, I’ve been starting to think, what is this costing me? While the likelihood of needing to rush out and replace my whole make-up kit and skin care regime all at once is fairly low and I don’t have to replace each of these items after each use, the last time I checked, these individual items add up. This week, I thought it would be great idea to absolutely hate myself and see how much I’ve actually spent on these items. 

I know this is a list that absolutely no one asked for but, then again, no one has wanted to be in quarantine this long either so, I apologize for once again, finding my own form of entertainment.

The rules on this personal project are very simple: if it touches my face more than three times a week, I have to count it. Without further ado, I introduce you to my personal hell of skincare, cosmetics, and my daily routine.

It’s morning! I’ve set two alarms and I still don’t want to get out of bed. It’s almost 7am and my cat has a lot of feelings about my continuing to lounge in bed. Her meowing is getting louder and more things are being knocked off of my end table. It’s time for me to get out of bed. Into the bathroom I go. 

First up: Skincare!!! I personally like to do my skincare and then brush my teeth so that I give my product a couple minutes to sit on my face prior to adding makeup.

Total: $90.95

Some of this should look familiar… 🙂

Now that my face is clean, and I’ve moved on from Chip Skylark and have some shinny teeth, it’s time for the fun part: Make-up!!! Please note, I do not use all of these products daily. That would just be a lot. Do you know what my face would look like? A damn, clown. 

Total: $470.49

It is now 10:30 pm. I have spent the day styling away and watching something completely ridiculous on Netflix (yes, I have been watching everything from Selling Sunset to rewatching Gossip Girl. Don’t judge me!) It’s time to wrap my day up and take everything off so that I can get into bed and watch Friends (again and again and again.) 

Total: 46.98

With everything spelled out, tick, tied, and accounted for, my face total is: $608.42

Some takeaways from this personal experiment:

  1. This number is not as high as the last time I personally added this up. 
    1. Why? Well, at the beginning of this pandemic I switched up my skincare. As I haven’t worked at Nordstrom in over a year, it means I no longer have that discount and thought it was time to switch to a less expensive product. I still love Fresh Skincare, it’s just significantly more expensive.
  2. That New Year’s Resolution I had back in college about 10 years ago now, really took a toll on my wallet.
  3. As far as cosmetics go, the biggest thing that is keeping my cost down is that I still don’t do heavy makeup.
    1. You’ll see some key item missing from my list: foundation, concealer, setting powder, and heavy contour products.
      1. Why? I have fairly sensitive skin and when I wear heavy makeup, particularly foundation, I break out. It’s a little counterproductive to wear foundation for me.

So, now I am asking you… what does your daily routine cost and look like? Let me know while I go drown myself in gin. I need it after this.

*I believe this roughly what I paid for it. I bought this palette over the holidays and it is no longer available.

** This is not actually the brush that I use. I have an older brush that I love (yes, I do clean it, regularly) and the label and brand are nowhere to be found on it. This brush is very close to it, though.

*** The brush I use from Ulta is no longer made. This is, however, a similar brush. 

Sprinkles on my Parade

Posted on August 18, 2020     Leave a Comment

Ariana had it right when she said buy myself all of my favorite things. The difference between myself and Ariana though is that instead of buying myself and my friends diamond rings, I bought sprinkles. And not the kind of Sprinkles that Angela tried to save from the fire. I bought the kind of sprinkles that go everywhere. The kind that make you think of sweets, treats, and smiles. 

Apparently, I am growing cookie jars in my yard.

For the past year, I have been on the hunt to make the perfect beeble cookie. I missed the bakery counter at Canter’s. I wanted those perfect cookies. So buttery and flakey, that they melted in your mouth as you ate them. While Seattle may be good at a lot of things, deli counter bakeries is not one of them. This past fall, I purchased a cookbook called The 100 Most Jewish Foods and in this, I found what led me down the first rabbit hole of this story. 

A cookie gun. I needed one. They couldn’t be that hard to find. William Sonoma had to have one. I could go out to the store and have it ready to go that weekend. I was wrong. It would be two weeks until I would be able to have my cookies if I ordered my cookie gun from William Sonoma. Irrational want in my head; I wanted those cookies that exact weekend. On to Amazon on went. They had it. The Wilton Preferred Press Cookie Press, with 13-fit right discs was mine. 

When it arrived, I was so excited. I pulled out my cookie caulking gun (say that five-times-fast) and discarded the directions. Bad idea. Don’t do this. Cookie press dough is not the same as regular cookie dough. Why you ask? You cannot use parchment with these. And like any good at home baker, I had gotten everything out and ready to go prior to making anything. I struggled for a solid 15-minutes, cursing the cookie gun for its lack of working. I finally pulled the directions back out. There it was, clear as day: do not use parchment.

Swish and stick!

Annoyed with myself and my lack of paying attention to directions once again, I tossed my parchment and went on to make absolutely perfect little morsels, or so I thought…

The first time I made them, they were fantastic. I took them to work and the cookie jar was empty before the end of day. The second time, they were fine, but my edges were slightly too crispy. The third time, something was wrong. The edges were too brown, the middle was light and buttery. They just weren’t the perfect little beeble cookies I knew them to be. At this point, some of my other cookies were not coming out right, either. My oven was doing me dirty. It was running too hot. 

I knew this time around I was going to have to play a different game. I had to prep and get myself ready to make these cookies because the old way was not going to cut it. I even ordered new sprinkles – 1.8 lbs of sprinkles to be exact – and brand new, Nordic, silver baking sheets. When the sprinkles arrived, I realized that this was my time to try something new. I mean, I did order a pound of sprinkles. 

Sprinkle cookies. Beeble cookies. Oneg cookies. Kiddush cookies. I looked all of them up. And there is was: the show-down recipe. Rainbow Sprinkle Cookies. The two recipes were incredibly similar. The big difference being cream cheese in one, and egg yolks in the other. After months on being on the hunt for the perfect beeble cookie, it was now time for the sprinkle parade. 

Saturday morning, I got myself ready for my personal form of fun. Sun dress on, tassel sandals fastened, it was time to go get my nails done before baking. It really isn’t the best plan to accidentally rip them off in the kitchen, or really whenever. Nails done, groceries bought, butter softening, I made my way back home and to my kitchen. It was time to bake. And bake I did. 

By the time I had finished baking the first cookie type, it was 8:30 pm. I was covered in flour and my feet were sore. My sandals were so cute but had ditched them hours before, opting for a barefoot contessa vibe. I was done for the day. I would finish the cookies for the bake off the next morning. 

Sunday morning, it was once again go-time. Sweater and shorts, I was ready to go. Dough mixed and cookie gun filled, I was back to baking. By 11:00 am, all of the cookies had been baked. On the rack, the last batch sat cooling as I looked over all I had done. Over 100 cookies sat in my kitchen. Two jars were full and a cake tin. It was time to call in the testers. My opinion simply wasn’t enough. I needed to know which cookie was the best. Which beeble did we beeliebe in? Which sprinkle would lead the parade?

With the help of some family and friends, it was decided. The Rainbow Sprinkle Cookie won but, by one vote. Either way, cookies are cookies and just like shoes, you can never have too many in your closet or kitchen. 

The winner!

If I Were the Princess of Genovia…

Posted on August 12, 2020     1 Comment

Well, to start, if I were the Princess of Genovia I would be Anne Hathaway. I definitely not sitting here, beginning to tell you about my weekend convincing my friend that running around downtown Seattle taking pictures for Amazon, was in fact, a good idea. 

It all started when one of my co-workers asked me if I wouldn’t mind being a featured stylist. Seemed like a pretty straight-forward idea. I would be wearing my own clothes, all I needed was a picture. Just one decent picture that I would be okay with having on the site. It was after I said yes that I remember that this wasn’t like when I did product videos for Nordstrom. This was Amazon. Well, shit. I had already said I would do it. I was on the schedule. 

Thankfully, my trusty partner in crime had a background in photography and an apartment in the city. The ocean may be beautiful but, a brick background is more my vibe. I promised my friend socially distanced tacos and the Princess Diaries if she would help me take these pictures.  

Friday evening came about and I needed to make sure I had everything ready. This is also probably the time I should mention that I was only going to be gone for one night. One night. I arrived at my friend’s place with the following:

  • A weekender bag that included:
    • Pajamas – the most reasonable item in this bag
    • An outfit for Saturday that I would not be photographing
    • Wine – 19 Crimes featuring Snoop Dogg to be exact
    • Unicorn Sandwich Cookies
    • My Entire Make-Up Kit
    • Straightener for my bangs…. I knew they would need it 
    • Empty Backpack
  • Bag #2
    • Twin-set in Lavender by J.Crew from Amazon
    • Green Floral Skirt from H&M
    • Pink and Orange Plaid Skirt from H&M
    • Black Strappy, Block Heel Sandals from H&M
    • An Extra Face Mask
    • Belt
  • Bag #3
    • My Entire Skin Care Routine
      • Toner
      • Serums
      • Moisturizers
      • Eye Creams
  • Prop Purse
Yes… that is all of my face crap. Should I be worried for my sanity?

You read right: all of that was taken with me for one night. Just one. Apparently quick and easy travel, along with packing light, is something I missed in all of my quasi-backpacking trips. 

When I unloaded this mess at my friend’s apartment, all she could do was laugh. If you know me, you should expect nothing less. I am not anything close to a minimalist and will never pretend to be. 

After dropping all of this off, it was time for tacos. We had both been waiting for these tacos for months. With the promise of margaritas and chips, hand sanitizer and masks in hand, we ordered our next level Lyft and made our way over to Cactus. We drank. We ate. We happily sat far away from any other parties. What we weren’t prepared for was Bob…

We stood outside waiting for our ride, when all of a sudden, we heard music blaring down the street. Then we saw lights and open windows. The vehicle was slowing down. In fact, this vehicle was coming to a full and complete stop. My stomach sank. I had not had enough margaritas to get me ready for this journey back. We slowly approached and realized that yes, yes it was our Lyft. 

As we got in the vehicle, all I can say is thank god for face masks because, I could not hide my feelings about what was happening. There were microphones. There was a karaoke box and I was trapped. The very nice man driving turned around and welcomed us to his party vehicle and asked us if we were doing anything fun that evening. My friend, oh my lovely bitch of a friend, told Bob that… that it was my birthday. Bob then proceeded to serenade us with, I Want It That Way by the Backstreet Boys. Don’t get me wrong, BSB 4 life. Nick Carter had been on my door growing up. I can still tell you if it’s Nick, Kevin, AJ, Howie, or Brian singing. I just really was not ready for what was happening. That 10-minute drive was one of the longest 10 minutes of my life. As we exited the car in tears, it was time for the entertainmentportion of our weekend. 

I really didn’t want it that way.

A little over six months ago, two of my friends decide that I should no longer be single and after lunch one day, they took my phone and signed me up for Bumble. In that six months, I am a) now living in the midst of a pandemic with the rest of the world and b) still single. Because of the latter portion of this, my friend and I took a page from The Princess Diaries 2 and… connected my phone to screenshare with her tv. We spent the better portion of our evening laughing at the nonsense people write on their profiles – No one is spending that much time hiking or at the gym. Netflix is proof of this. – eating pie, and generally laughing at the fresh hell we are living through. 

Saturday morning arrived and we were ready for a fresh start. Kraken shirts were available for purchase and we needed to get hash browns and coffee. We again, grabbed our masks and sanitizer and headed out for food. After a quick breakfast and a rescue mission to commandeer a monitor from A’s desk at work, we headed back to the apartment. We knew what we had to do. It was time to partake in the dreaded part of the weekend but not before we walked over to get new Kraken shirts (Let’s get Kraken!!!) With shirts in hand, I had nothing left to steal me from getting ready. 

I love getting dressed up. I love clothing and doing my makeup. I’m just really not fond of having someone else take my picture. While I know everyone has their own hang-ups and things that they don’t like about themselves in photographs, it doesn’t make it any easier. 

The Birks are really what are completing this ensemble.

After completing a full face of make-up, doing my hair, and changing into my look, we walked a few blocks over to start scouting for a spot to take said pictures. We knew wherever we took them, it needed to be fairly quiet so that it would be okay for me to take my mask off and slip it into my prop purse. Thankfully, my friend was familiar with the area and found our first location: a mural. 

We set up on the side of the wall, looking like two fish out of water. Our set-up was very simple: backpack to shove Birks into and swap out for block heels and an iPhone. We had everything we needed. After testing a few shots to make sure the lighting was good, we were all ready to go. Shot after shot after shot, I kept telling my friend, I didn’t like them. Exasperated, she suggested we change locations. 

Off to our new spot we went. Shoes changed and masks on, we walked on to some fantastic brick steps with skyscrapers behind them. The location was perfect for anything not trying to show off my outfit as the focal point. We were about ready to give up. I jokingly turned to my friend in the middle of the walkway and just stared at her. We tried it and it worked! Shots taken, photos done, it was time for gelato. We were both worn out from my grumpy self-deprecation and very much ready to be done. 

And just like that, our weekend came to an end. No more tacos. No more pie. No more crazy karaoke vehicle. All that was left to do was submit the photos and Current Must Have statement. 

Hopefully, you’re able to get some of your own tacos. That’s definitely a current must have. Even for this fake princess. 

Sincerely, 

– S

(Thank you Ariel for taking all of the outdoor pictures of me!! I really do owe you more tacos 🌮)

Hello, Lovelies!

Posted on August 7, 2020     2 Comments

 I’m sure many of you have already thought, 

Amazing… another blog. Another girl who thinks she knows best and that her opinion must be heard. Another “fashion” girl…

Well, I would just like to help assure you of the following:

  1. I do not know best. At all. All I know is what I think is best for me at that given moment in time and chances are, that will change.
  2. It’s not that I think that my opinion must be heard; it’s that I, like many of you, am incredibly bored. Oh, so damn bored. Having been working from home since March has really put a cramp in my already lack luster social calendar and I’ve decided to do something about it.
  3. As far as the fashion thing goes, I’m not going to tell you than I am an expert. I’m not going to claim that I am always right or that I haven’t had any blunders because there have been plenty (like the bell bottoms I insisted on wearing when I was 10 but they were frankly way too long and had a whole list of other things wrong with them.) I will however tell you this: following fashion and trends is part of my actual job.

I hope this helps to clear some things up and enjoy!

Sincerely,

– S

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