(Wild violets in my yard.)
Ryan worked extra long hours this week, so I’ve been flying solo with the boys. It’s exhausting, to say the least, and I find myself less inspired to write when I’m so tired at the end of the day. I’m hoping to rest and recover over the weekend, because next week will be more of the same. Here are a few things that caught my attention this week.
Sweet letters from Bésame Cosmetics.
Sixteen Candles turns 30!
The real life Bernie was released from jail this week and ordered to live with director Richard Linklater! Sounds like a great movie plot to me.
The singing nun’s story just gets better and better.
An excellent post on loving your physical flaws.
A day in the life of North Korea’s capital. A fascinating read.
Is this immigration policy legal? This week, I witnessed the ICE arrest of a man as he bought gas for his lawn mowing business. He didn’t go home to his family that night.
When a political tragedy becomes a Twitter trend.
Have a wonderful weekend!
(Laura Mercier’s Caviar Stick Eye Colour in Rose Gold and a deluxe perfume sample.)
A few weeks ago, I found a lovely picture of gold eye makeup on Pinterest. The photo wasn’t properly attributed (a huge pet peeve of mine!) and I spent hours trying to track it down unsuccessfully. I’ve never been a big fan of neutral makeup, but this gold is anything but! It inspired me to try my own version of a golden eye with Laura Mercier’s Caviar Stick Eye Colour in Rose Gold, which is slightly more muted and not quite as over-the-top as the gold in the picture I love.
I’ve sung the praises of these stick eye colours before, and I now own a small collection. They are so easy to use, incredibly versatile, and perfectly suited for the summer months, since they don’t smudge or smear throughout the day. I’ve been wearing the rose gold on top of a lighter color, and the mix creates a nice neutral eye with only a touch of sparkle.
And when I ordered the eye stick, I redeemed some of my Sephora points and received a deluxe sample of See by Chloé. It’s a pretty scent that is also nicely suited for warm weather.
(Fragrance cards from Sephora.)
Along with my products, I found a gorgeous envelope filled with fragrance cards, too. I’ve noticed that a lot of perfume brands are advertising this way now, and I really like it. I don’t often use the small vials of perfume samples, mostly because I find them hard to open if they aren’t a spray bottle. But fragrance cards, with a tiny sample of perfume attached, are a lovely way to try a new perfume, I think. It’s like getting a little note in the mail, with the added detail of a pretty scent. My mom often sends me her perfume card samples, too, so I’m accumulating quite the little collection of these, without even trying.
And lately, I’ve had a few people ask about my product photos. I am not an expert by any means at all, and I found a great tutorial that helped me tremendously. I’ve thought about writing a post about my product photography process, but I think it’s so basic that you could just follow the steps in the link. I also edit my photos in GIMP, and I am still teaching myself how to do it. I’m pleased with the way my photos are evolving, but I still have a lot to learn. I just enjoy documenting some of the things I use on a daily basis, and I’m having fun with it!
The 6 for 4 Mindful Consumption Challenge technically began yesterday, and today I’m showing you the six pieces I selected to wear this month. Choosing some of them was harder than I expected, mostly because I waffled back and forth between wearing all skirts and dresses as the weather warms up. In the end, I decided on a black skirt, a grey dress, capri jeans, and three tees from Everlane (my daily uniform these days).
(My skirt, jeans, and dress for the challenge.)
My pictures are a bit overexposed, but I’m including a basic black skirt from Fair Indigo, since I wear it often and it’s very comfortable and easy. I also chose a pair of thrifted jeans from ThredUp, which I’ll mostly wear to parks and open gym at our gymnastics center. I wasn’t sure if I really needed a pair of pants, but they are the best choice when playing with the boys, so I decided to add them to the pieces. And then I chose a new dress I’ve only had for a week or so, also from Fair Indigo. I’ve worn the dress a few times and it is very comfortable, but can be dressed up, too. With the right accessories, it will be really versatile this month.
(My three tops for the challenge.)
The tops were an easy decision, since I wear these tees in rotation all week long. The colors look muted here, but are darker in real life and the middle top is actually closer to black. All three work great with my black skirt or the jeans, so I can easily mix them up. It’s definitely a uniform, and a simple one at that, but May is a pretty quiet month for me, and my days mostly consist of driving the boys back and forth from school or their other activities.
The only major event I have scheduled this month is James’ school graduation at the very end, and since it’s a special occasion, I may decide to wear something else from my closet, just for the evening. Eden selected her choices last week and actually mentioned excluding weddings or formal affairs from the challenge. My event isn’t quite so dressy, but it is a big deal and everyone will be dressed up, so I want to dress appropriately, too.
You can read more about the challenge at Eden’s blog, and I really hope you’ll consider participating along with us! It should be fun and insightful, too. I’ll be sure to share my thoughts each week during May, so stay tuned!
