I took a stroll over to the Sephora at Atlantic Center the other day to stock up on Drunk Elephant’s B-Hydra Intensive Hydration Serum, and—because I am only human after all—left with quite a few other items, starting with this hydrating lip balm, which feels rich but not heavy on your lips, and provides a nice wash of color.
On days I’m feeling tired and haggard, I like to brighten up my waterline—that’s your lower eyelid—with a little of this genius product that really lives up to its name: my eyes just pop more when I’ve got this on.
I desperately need to stock up on my Portrait of a Lady Hair & Body Oil, which has been my scent for a while now. I prefer the body oil to actual perfume, because the fumes bug me, and also because I swear the scent lasts longer. And this hydrates beautifully, too.
I received a sample of this Charlotte Tilbury mascara, and I think it might be the most natural and clump-free mascara I’ve ever tried. Not a choice for times when you want to bring the drama (for that I’d still reach for this or this), but perfect for everyday.
Diptique always comes out with some special holiday-themed candles, and this one—which smells delightfully of pine tree—is really pretty too.
And here’s a less pricey way to scent your home, from a favorite brand of mine, Soap & Paper Factory.
This Charlotte Tilbury advent calendar is just so luxe, and actually a great deal considering all you get. I’m super-tempted.
I’m having such a hard time concentrating on anything at the moment because I’m so worried about Roe vs Wade. It feels as though our entire democracy hangs on this one Supreme Court decision. I dearly hope I’m being paranoid and simply need to schedule longer therapy appointments. Sorry I’m so off-topic!
I don’t think you are paranoid. Ever since Kavanaugh, and Susan Collins comment that he would “respect” precedent, I deep down suspected it was over… We were being mislead by those that told us not to worry.
I thought the same. Everything we fought so hard for in the seventies is being taken away. I am so upset. I dearly miss RBG
It is a tough situation for sure. Our entire democracy isn’t at stake because of choice though, imho. No, it is at stake because of gerrymandering and other election-related shenanigans. But even that is possibly a medium term problem only, if libs keep moving to red state areas. You know, *depending.* There are grounds for hope though. I still think there is a decent chance that the Supreme Court will … perhaps evennnntually … although, I hope sooooner … see that if they muck up democracy, people will in fact blame them directly. The people will know whose fault it is. (A lot of times, it’s not clear, and they skate on their mistakes.) They cannot allow elections to be stolen. And, I think that they do personally care about their reputations and about the prestige of the Court. Those things matter to them. So, all is not lost, again imho. With choice though, yes we may be in for rocky times.
Same.
I’m in the same boat. I am torn between knowing I need to disconnect more and also knowing that there is so much at stake. Donated $$ to Planned Parenthood during their 2 for 1 drive. My mom was a nurse in NYC in the 50’s and saw what happened before there was choice. I want to be able to focus on beauty products and be a little happy but it is SO HARD.
I also have 3 daughters, so there’s that. Voting rights really is the overarching issue here, but hard to see where I can be impactful. I’m sorry to add to the off-topic, but glad to vent for a sec. Wishing all of us more peaceful and beauty filled days.
Yeah, I can’t bring myself to care about beauty products when I’m on the verge of being made a second-class citizen.
I buy one of the Roland Pine candles each holiday season, it’s the only candle I’ve found that actually smells like pine. I also sent one to my mother-in-law because she misses having the scent of a real tree.
I have 2 of the Ilia balms in memoir (mauve) and wanderlust (reddish, berry). If you live in a dry climate and have dry lips, you may need to layer another lip balm under the Ilia. And–I’m very worried about Roe also!
Forgive me for the following longwinded comment. I don’t think the directions of the comments here are purely the coincidence of timing. I’ve said before that I think it’s very moving how beauty is often a response to trauma. Years ago, a neuroscientist explained to me that the term, insult, can be used in the medical sphere to describe an injury. So, the therapeutic joy of shared perfume and lip balm is being disrupted by the ongoing insult to the collective female body. As a southerner whose family has lived in multiple southern state capitals, I am doing my best to tamp down my rage at the cynicism of the southern politicians at work here. I agree with Viajera about the gerrymandering aspect of causation. However, I would add that, a factor in the gerrymandering is that it goes on in states where a malnourished public education ensures the electorate has civic illiteracy: a lot of the people who voted for Tommy Tuberville don’t understand why his utterances are embarrassing https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/11/13/alabama-senator-elect-tommy-tuberville-botches-historical-facts/6283806002/. Going back even further, the desire to improve public education is hindered by the problem of the public at large only knowing how to speak of education in quantitative terms, when a huge chunk of the remedy will include qualitative responses (critical thinking, understanding the nature of rhetoric, etc.). Yeah, I’m really glad I jumped on that huge Aromatherapy Associates sampler set: I think I’m going to need lots of scented baths to stay calm and constructive in my actions. By the way, here’s some advanced level bathing arts wisdom: adding a fragrance-free bubble bath before you add scented bath oil decreases how much oil sticks to the tub following the bath.
D., as usual you have blown me away with your wisdom and insight!! I will think deeply about your bath wisdom too. I know lots of bath-lovers. … … … I wholeheartedly agree that people forget too often that educating voters is the real reason to have public education and libraries. Likewise, having more access to actual news reporting would not end our political battles but might make them marginally more focused. Like, we would still argue, but over smarter things. (Bit of a pessimist here at times.) … … … Where I live, we only got decent re-districting quite recently. Dems gerrymander too. Until they decide not to anymore, when it suits them? California is only as blue as it is bc the state GOP leaders must actually be stupid. They could have almost half the Latin vote tomorrow if they stopped being idiot racist-enablers. But whatever, I’m not going to help them.
That USA Today piece was something. I wonder if one of the education issues is actually a parenting problem. If parents need to work three jobs to keep a roof over their heads, how much time can they spend w/ the kids? I also wonder if there is still dinner table conversation. When I was a kid, my father would insist I read the newspaper and be prepared to defend a point of view, and he would argue the opposing side. Maybe this stuff only happened in the house of a history lecturer and a math department head? I don’t know the answer, but we’re getting awfully close to the edge of a cliff.
What a beautifully written comment, D! I’m finding that I’m upset by EVERYTHING again (Roe v. Wade, climate change, gerrymandering, downgrading the value of higher education, etc. – Trump’s rhetoric hasn’t gone away & even certain Dems have adopted some of his BS!), and like Lisa, I’m wanting to disconnect but knowing that I have to stay involved and make my voice heard.
OMG I just love this blog! Thanks for being so awesome everyone! I am smarter just by association!
You make an excellent point about beauty and comfort. I work in corporate government affairs and am immersed in politics and current events every day. It can be absolutely gutting. I love to take time to read articles like this one and learn about lipsticks or the latest mascara – and maybe buy the brow treatment everyone touts. I especially love Girls of a Certain Age, because I feel like Kim and the community speak to my age group but without making me feel”old” and without marginalizing those who are younger. It’s also nice to find a community that is so engaged and so astute not just concerning fashion but also politics, health, and so many other things.
I, for one, find a post like this oddly soothing, ESPECIALLY during times like these. Isn’t this why we all read this blog?
I just got the Ilia volumizing mascara after being haunted by it on Instagram for the past year and it is so good. I can’t wait to try the multi-stick.
https://iliabeauty.com/products/fullest-volumizing-mascara?gclid=Cj0KCQiA15yNBhDTARIsAGnwe0UsxD6qB04hRHlE_IDSi5vxipqTtI1_Ni_vcC1q3Epk7AESCwAgrLIaAr1BEALw_wcB
Ilia is great. I have the multi–stick, color haze, and my fave, the serum skin tint. It’s unlike/better than any other product, including Nars and Mercier tinted moisturizers.