wyclef for prez. not.

i have a brand spanking new empty ipod touch that i'm in the process of filling up, and after downloading the necessities (mike rizzy podcast, this american life, the moth), i started buckling down and parousing itunes for songs that i needed to round out my playlists. during my searches, i somehow managed to stumble across wyclef's greatest hits album, which kinda surprised me that he actually had a greatest hits album out. i remember liking wyclef at a time, but i had forgotten about him till now, and after retracing my steps via youtube, i unearthed some gems that i think i'll add to my ipod. wyclef, you aren't my favorite fugee, but i still like you.

Food for Thought

I've always been more of a baker than a cook as baking just comes easier to me. Recipes seem easier to follow and I can pick up on baking techniques pretty quickly (specifically when working with pastries). But this doesn't mean I don't love cooked food; it just means I don't have that eye (or brain?) for it. There's a whole other set of techniques and flavors that I appreciate as a consumer (haha) but have a hard time replicating. I mean, I can churn out some good meals, but I'm no chef. I am and always will be an everyday kind of cook.

That said, cooking--because it comes off as a mysterious, elusive skill--fascinates me. So I've been reading about it, meaning cooking as an art form; a political platform; and a link to other cultures, other people, and the past.

Below are some of the magazines I've recently come across that feed my interest.

Gastronomica

Meatpaper

Some magazines have food issues that are also worth checking out, such as the March 2010 issue of Oxford American, and I'm pretty interested in this one as well.

getting over that hump

i want/ i need?

i've been on a mission for the past few weeks to get crazy healthy skin, since for all my years previously i have greatly abused it (not washing my makeup off! no spf! picking at my face!). this mission has led me through several cleansers, face creams, primers and samples of possible candidates, but all roads lead to here. the clarisonic mia. it's the key. i need it.

oh the claims are so so promising. gotta start saving my nickels and dimes!

high brow

i've never quite realized it before, but i've amassed quite the load of makeup and beauty products. so in an effort to keep myself sifting through my inventory so i don't forget any old treasures, i'm gonna start reviewing some of my goods (oh, and to also increase consumer knowledge!). to kick off this round of reviewing, i'll start with Wet n' Wild's Arch Envy:

So I was compelled to buy this because my friend had recently bought the Anastasia Brow Fix pencil (which is amazing) and I wanted it so badly but couldn't really bring myself to spend $21 on brow gel. For some background, my eyebrows have a mind of their own. No they aren't crazy and un-tamed, but they like to spike up, spike down, spike sideways if they can throughout the day, so brow wax is like heaven to me. I used to use brow gel but I've had issues with it flaking, and that is never cute. SO, prowling through the aisles of Ulta for an alternative, I came upon this Wet n' Wild cheapo version and snagged it right up. Here's the brow wax side (obviously already used up a bit):

For the brow taming side, in comparison to the Anastasia pencil, it's definitely not as good. In terms of doing it's job for the price, it's pretty spot on. It applies easily and invisibly, and my brows for the most part stay in place (an occasional stray after several hours of work). I do have to say that after about 3 days of usage, this stuff wore down super fast, it made me wonder where all the product was going! The thing about the Anastasia pencil is that it has a more waxy consistency that practically glues your brows into place, but for Wet n' Wild's $2 price tag, I'll take my losses.

(brow liner swatches, L is slightly smudged, R is harder application)


Now for the brow liner part. This definitely does not get as much usage, pretty much for the sheer fact that it is completely the wrong color for me. My hair is black, and this brown color doesn't fade well into my stark black hair. In terms of consistency, it's really hard and not very easy to work with, so I'd much rather use eyeshadow for any brow filling I need.

Overall

For someone looking for a much much cheaper alternative to the Anastasia Brow Fix, I think this is a decent dupe. The brow color not matching was a bummer, but if you can find a color that matches your brows, even better! But considering I only really wanted the brow wax part of the pencil, I think $2 is still a nice deal. I am searching for a new replacement for my Wet n' Wild since I don't think it's gonna last me but another month, so I'll report back with some brow fixing finds.

Farewell Fête

To bid a fond farewell to our dear Hari, who is moving to New York in a couple weeks, a couple of friends and I threw a formal-ish dinner party, complete with:

good old sloe-gin fizzes, Tom Collins, and a variety of wines,

red-wine-and-lingonberry-marinated game hens (not to mention pork jowl beans, sesame seed-encrusted seared ahi tuna, obatzda, homemade rye bread, etc.),

magic tricks,

red velvet cake with a mascarpone/cream cheese/fresh whipped cream frosting (served with caramel gelato from the Split Banana),

beautiful weather, a little Sam Cooke playing in the background, and wonderful, wonderful company.

snack machine

my new favorite sweet treats:

i've already shown this on the blog you say?

booyah! nutella and delicious milky goodness come together in one tasty little hippo. don't get it twisted.

heed the directions, and plz microwave for 5 seconds, so you can have it at optimal deliciousness, i.e. :

melty, melty baby smores.

I LOVE CHOCOLATE!

dancing shoes

what i like to do in my spare time, or anytime really

Crystal Renn from Dossier on Vimeo.

*crystal renn for the block

toaster pastry

my recent breakfast of choice.

in other news, i did a closet cleanse and sold many many things, thus de-cluttering my closet and making me a richer woman! in much, much more exciting news, i'll be attending rock the bells this sunday, where i'll be seeing legends such as:









but yea, no big deal. SIKE. HUGE DEAL.

r&r

a very excellent day off, if i do say so myself.

good morning desk! a cup of green tea to start the day and flipping through my blogroll.

oh hey there lady poodle. (i finally got a new desk lamp after many months of sitting way too close to my computer screen, so excited).

time to run some errands! what to wear what to wear.

that'll do. first things first though, lunch!

now what else

how about avocado, mahi mahi, cilantro hummus and sunchips? yes please and thanks. now those errands.

time to reorganize! i also picked up some hangers since i'm overhauling my closet, but that's not so exciting.

all my babies in one place! makes my heart so happy.

lippies.

gearing up for the cold weather with some yes to carrots for the bag.

such a cute little tub!

needed a new top coat to keep my nails laquered up for longer. i do not consider this part of breaking my ban.

okay now this is breaking my ban. BUT i did go into several clothing stores and did not purchase a thing, so for day 2 of the ban, i still consider the progress successful. slow and steady wins the race.

time for dinner and some apartment cleanup. microwaveable pad thai (which btw is really good) with the snazzy new chopsticks my beau gave me.

and done.