The Eyes Have It

I have heard men joke that a girl loses points for too much makeup. It makes sense that the idea of makeup is to enhance what is already beautiful about your face and not to "recreate" your look. My eyes have always been something that I love about my face. I prefer wearing liner only on the top, and I have never worn fake lashes, but like to layer my mascara pretty thick as you see here. I wouldn't wear this look to work necessarily, but on a date or out with friends. I have found that these products work the best for me.

 

I was using Loreal, but as you can see below, I had a hard time getting a good, solid line and it took forever to dry. Now I have switched to Maybelline and have zero complaints thus far. When I do add liner on the bottom I use a pencil.

On my lids for a more day look I use either one of the shadows below ONLY ON THE LID and slightly on the inside corners of the eye with an eye shadow brush. The Cover Girl has a bit of shimmer and the matte is MaryKay. With all the 80's throwbacks in fashion and makeup, I would simply say that white shadow is one of those trends I personally cannot make work for me. I prefer a more subtle effect.

(Champagne)

(Crystalline)

The Fungus Among Us

 We all had things we hated to eat when we were younger. Somebody needed to call the paramedics if I may have accidentally ingested a tomato. Now I eat garden fresh ones like an apple (both are considered fruits by the way). Asparagus, spinach, brussel sprouts, sweet potatoes and the like would throw me into a severe state of anxiety if I had to partake in a meal that included them. I can even recall sitting at the dinner table with wilting, cold cooked carrots for over an hour after everybody else had finished because I wasn't allowed to leave until I tried them. But, as in all things, we grow up and mature and so does the palate. I found this recipe a couple weeks ago for Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Portobellos on dessertfortwo.com and couldn't wait to try it. I was intimidated at first, but it was super easy and really fun. They are fairly large so one was more than enough for me alone. Coupled with a glass of stout and I couldn't have asked for a better lunch on a very cold and wintry day.

Pretty close to perfect I think.

Solitary Confinement

{Last Summer}

I used to dread my weekends alone. The thought of waking up to a beautiful sunrise I couldn't share. The total and unforgiving quiet of my place. Eating standing up at the sink from the leftover container because the thought of going through all that trouble to dirty one single solitary plate seemed senseless. After a while I got used to it. I would know in advance what days I had free and fill them with trips to the farmer's market, movies (going alone isn't that bad because you don't talk in there anyway), getting takeout from the places only I like to eat from.. ie. Rally's. (I know. Don't judge me.), walking my puppy Norman through my favorite parks, and spending time with my friends who make me feel loved every single day. Now that's not to say it isn't still difficult and at times I feel sad, or that having someone to share this time with wouldn't be meaningful, but for me, it has become the opportunity to be myself separate from work and responsibility. I am me, in all its simplicity. Because in the end, I'm just a girl. Sing it Gwen.

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All Torn Up

 One of my favorite things about Winter (other than snowboarding) is sweater weather. I own sweaters that are older than my son. I consider myself very loyal, so even when it comes to clothes, I have a hard time parting with things. Especially if they are well made to stand the test of time, because very few things do these days. I picked this one up from Anthropology on black Friday and I am always looking for an opportunity to wear it. I am also partial to very high heels because I am only 5'2", and ripped denim, which I feel can give an ordinary outfit some edge. The juxtaposition of ripped denim, a sweet sweater, and sky high heels has me hooked. It's like a good girl gone bad....

On the Rocks

I like to shop for wine. There have been times I have gone to the grocery store with every intention of purchasing food items only to spend way to much time trying to decide what cute label of a particular vino I prefer that day. There has even been research that has shown that people will purchase wine purely for that reason. Price notwithstanding. If the label appeals to them, they buy it. Last spring I came across New Age. It is a sparkling Argentinian cocktail that is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Torrontes. It is very affordable and tastes great. The best part is, that when you're as busy as I am, trying to chill white wine takes too long. So pick up a bottle of this, a couple limes, (maybe a pizza) and you're off.

Dirty Laundry

 Somebody actually privately messaged me on a social media site because I was wearing one of the shirts above in a profile picture and said "you're too good for that". Too good for a little cotton with a bit of stretch and a cap sleeve??? I think not sir! Besides, I know how to keep it clean. See below.

               

Who can resist the perfect t-shirt? One that hugs the body and is so comfy soft you never want to take it off ever. I have a few of those too, the kind I wish I could wear to work every day. The one pictured above is one I purchased a few weeks back and reads "never forget your roots" in the shape of the State of Ohio. You can purchase this shirt and other really cool gear at www.freeclothingco.com. I have their blue beanie which is super soft and warm (much needed with the current weather conditions) and just ordered a zip hoodie big enough for a boyfriend, but I don't have one, so I don't have to share it.

For every dark cloud, therein lies a silver lining. Boom.

Coupe de Gras

With the recent resurgence of the champagne "coupe" on blogs all over the internet and Instagram, I wanted to know why, in fact, the switch was made to the now more common "flute". Apparently, according to Wikipedia, there are three main reasons:

1. Simply put, the flute shape allows more glasses per tray, which makes beverage service more efficient.

2. If you didn't know this (I did. Go me.) you're supposed to hold wine and champagne glasses by the stem so as to not affect the temperature of the beverage. If you held the coupe that way, and due to the larger mouth of the glass, it spills easier. Try walking in five inch stilettos with one of those full. Trust me.

3. Also, and finally, the larger mouth of the coupe allows the carbonation to dissipate at a faster rate. Boo.

So in essence, even though we love the coupe with its vintage charm and more robust shape, it simply is not as practical. Not only that, but with the craze over them I have been seeing, people are charging lots and lots of money for them. One Etsy account charged six dollars a glass and the set was mismatched. I just bought several of different shapes for no more than one dollar each at Goodwill. There, I said it.

As a final comment on stemmed glassware, I would like to add that stemless wine glasses should only be used for beverages that are served on ice. See number 2.