the fade out

No matter how many Alanis Morissette songs you listen to on repeat, it's going to be a totally shit time. You go from being sad, to angry, to apathetic all in the time it takes you to suck down a [insert drink of choice]. Breaking up is bad. But at least from my experience, it's usually mutual and hardly ever a big surprise. You normally have sufficient time to stock up on an assortment of salty snacks, plan your angry girl playlist on iTunes, and allocate the appropriate funds for doing major damage at the mall. On the other hand, being faded out by a boy is much, much, much worse.

happy new year

"Have it your way."

If I could have it my way, the new year would start the very first day of autumn. Every time the wind picks up a chill and the leaves begin to yellow and fall, it feels like I've been given a fresh start. I find myself trying new things, meeting new people, and making resolutions for the upcoming season. 

globe trotter

in exactly one week i'll be saying sayonara to the states and starting off on a summer-long european adventure. my suitcase is nearly packed and an outfit similar to this one crammed somewhere in there. can't wait to share the photos in the weeks to come!

Imminent doom...

Excuse me, where did November go? I found these in my photo bank and had a little chuckle. Oct 31 was just yesterday, I swear! It seems we had a little too much fun taking down some of our Halloween favorites. Let me introduce you to Helsa, Henry, and Medusa and their victims: Mommalah, Faje, Scott, and Whoof.

Dear Mr. Vernon...

School officially started this last week and what better way to herald in the academic year with an 80's cult classic: The Breakfast Club! This is my second year teaching and it seems that no matter how much prepping you do beforehand in the summer, there is no way around the chaos of the first day back. I'm exhausted!

As a big believer in "a clear space = a clear mind," I spent the better part of last weekend clearing out my closet...or trying to at least! After floundering in a sea of too tight jeans I've been hoarding since college (so tragic), I managed to come up for air with these old favorites. Seeing as it has been a blazing hot summer, these guys were all but forgotten! But there is certainly no doubt that they will resurface for the fall/winter and be wardrobe staples again!

I wear that denim shirt on its own, over t shirts, over dresses, under vests, the whole shabang! 

Shoulder bling!

Love wearing this with some dark jeans and bright red lips! Ooo la la!

This last item here deserves a blog post all its own seeing as it has stuck with me for three years through nine countries and served countless nights as a pillow in airports, street alleys (hey, when in Rome?), and as my loyal dance partner in many a night club! 

Potatos, Potaaatoes, Tomatos, Tomaaatoes

Thin green beans, tomatoes, shallots, rosemary, and garlic
+

A little egg action

=

Throw everything together, add a few Persian cucumbers and olives.

+

Potatoes with rosemary and garlic + sauteed chicken marinated in paprika, parsley, and garlic
+ 

My favorite man :)

= a happy belly.

Diary of a Mascara Floozy

Whoof has the most va-va-voom lashes any girl could possibly dream of. Don't get me started on that natural kohl liner she's got going on. Some girls just have it all. Which brings me to the point of this post: what do those of us who might be a little lacking in eyelash umph suppose to do? Coat those suckers in emulsified wax and pigments of course!

Looking a little haggard without my makeup.

As a self-professed mascara floozy who has trotted up and down every drugstore aisle and make-up counter looking for the perfect formula, I've accumulated quite the collection. With all these tubes of mascara floating around, I thought it might be cool to put together a little series of reviews on drugstore and higher end mascaras. I'm not a make-up artist of any kind AT ALL but I know how much it stinks to have stumpy sticks for lashes, and wanted to share what I could with anyone else who is on the journey for the holy grail. BLAHBLAHBLAHBLAH let's get started. So here is what I'm working with: thin lashes that stick straight out and have a hard time holding a curl.

Cue Voluminous Million Lashes by L'Oreal. First thoughts are that the packaging is pretty swish. The brush is one of those plastic jobbies and what is neat about it is that there are shorter bristles dispersed among the longer bristles, giving the impression that it is going to catch each and every one of your lashes. The majority of the product stays in the tube so you don't have to fret over getting product on the lip of the tube and making a mess.

 Before I launch into my diatribe, here is L'Oreal's claim about this product:

"For lashes that look a million times multiplied and perfectly defined, there’s only one mascara - NEW Voluminous® Million Lashes™. The built-in Clean Sweep Wiping System wipes the brush free of clumps leaving the perfect amount of mascara for an ultra-volumized clean lash look. The Millionizing Brush evenly thickens lashes from root to tip. The result? Lashes look so multiplied, so clean, it’s like seeing millions."

They might have been getting a little carried away with the "seeing millions," but I have to admit that it did a decent job. The first picture is one coat, the second picture shows two coats. It didn't do too much in terms of volume, but it did define my lashes, keep them from clumping, and lasted the better part of the day without flaking, getting smudgy, or misbehaving in any other way. When I first started using this, the formula was a little too wet but after a handful of uses, it has since dried out a little and it much easier and cleaner to apply. I have a sneaky feeling that this mascara works best if you continue to build it up and might be really nice for a night out on the town. The brush is a bit big to get up close to those inner lashes of your eye, but it does fan out the outer lashes quite nicely. Kudos to you, L'Oreal!

Well that wraps up this entry in the diary of a mascara floozy. Let me know what you think or if I missed anything. Thanks for reading!

  
Too-da-loo!