Ah… Gotta give it up to Mother Nature for coming up with the coffee and tea plants. That first cup of tea/coffee/mocha-frappa-whatever-is-your-Saturday-morning-beverage is a glorious signal to my body (and my mind!) that it’s time to unwind! It’s the freakin’ weekend, baby, and I’m gonna have me some fun.
Today I’m doing a slow ramp up because I’m craving this Celestial Seasonings Decaf Sweet Coconut Thai Chai tea. It tastes like a blend of chai and Thai teas, so I’m going to start with that, then move onto the big guns (COFFEE, COFFEE, COFFEE).
Then, I’m gonna tuck myself underneath a blanket and get cracking on a book I borrowed from the library called If You Were Here, by Jen Lancaster (it’s supposed to be funny).
I don’t know if you’re in the mood to read right now, but here are a few online stories that struck my fancy this week…
- Makeup boosts my confidence. When I apply it, it’s like I’m donning my marvelous medieval armor to face the perils of everyday life.
(Nobody can mess with me when my brows are filled in, honey.)
Apparently, the same goes for the young women who compete in Utah cross country/track & field, which I think is awesome! Their motto is “Look good, feel good, race good,” and they bond on race days by putting on their makeup together.
What they wear is up to each person’s prerogative, and there’s no judgment on how much fleek (or how little fleek) someone decides to don during competition.
- Good advice from IT Cosmetics Founder Jamie Kern Lima on the importance of being persistent and trusting your instincts, and not only in how it applies to being a startup entrepreneur, but to life in general.
“The biggest hurdle was hearing the word ‘no’ from just about every retailer,” she writes of the challenges she faced growing her business. “But I decided that it just meant ‘not yet.’ All of our most important partners to our business today turned us down initially — in some cases, several times. But we kept being persistent, focusing on truly developing life-changing products, and real women everywhere started spreading the word about the brand until eventually we got a ‘yes’ from every retailer.”
Note to self: when people say “no,” it just means “not yet.”
- Are you into special effects makeup? I don’t have much experience with it (there was that one time…), but I love seeing how FX makeup artists bring characters to life.
Special makeup effects artist Arjen Tuiten did Angelina Jolie’s makeup in Maleficent, created creatures in Pan’s Labyrinth and, most recently, worked on the movie, Wonder, a story about a boy born with facial differences who enters a mainstream elementary school for the first time. Actor Jacob Tremblay sat in Tuiten’s makeup chair for more than an hour each day to get prepped for the day’s filming.
- China currently requires animal testing on imported beauty goods, and the rule applies to everything sold under that umbrella, from lipsticks to blush to sunblock to deodorant.
But thanks to new developments in product testing technology, China might be moving toward ending its animal testing requirements.
- Calling all #makeuphoarders! Take these steps, according to a KonMari expert, to cull your collection.
- If Connor Claire eventually makes it to Mars (Most likely as part of the second wave of NASA’s manned MARS missions, because she’ll be a little too young for the first. Yes, El Hub and I have discussed this at length.), I hope that she 1) trusts me enough to watch her cats, and 2) asks for my help in preparing her beauty kit for space.
- Also, don’t miss this piece on a painter who uses lipstick as her medium, bugs (yes, the creepy crawly kind!) in your makeup, and scents for dudes that will make your man smell delicious (Valentine’s Day is right around the corner).
Other than reading (which is fundamental), I don’t have a lot planned this weekend. I want to do some cleaning because Operation Spring Cleaning 2018 starts right meow, and bake some lemon bars, but that’s about it.
What’s on your agenda?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Hi! My lemon tree is producing a ton (even in the middle of winter!) and I’m looking to use them up. Lemon bars sound wonderful! Any chance you want to share your recipe?
Hi Morgan,
Lucky you to have a lemon tree, that’s awesome! We have a small orange tree right by our door and it’s going crazy right now. 🙂 I would love to have fresh lemons all the time!
The recipe I used is from The Crepes of Wrath. Here it is: Crepes of Wrath Lemon Bars.
It was my first time trying this recipe, and I kinda stumbled through it, to be honest, as my bars turned out just OK. The crust was a little too thick, and I made the mistake of putting all the stuff for the filling in a bowl and then jamming it all together instead of beating the eggs first, then adding the lemon juice, etc., so the custard was quite uneven. I probably could’ve done a better job, LOL! At least they were edible.
I’ve also made the lemon bar recipe from the kitchn (here’s the link) which is very good, but the bars very small, and they’re almost too rich for my taste. It’s flavorful, though.
If you try either one of them let me know! I would love to hear how yours turn out.
So glad to hear you are reading Jen Lancaster. She is my favorite author. If you like
Wish You Were Here, which is a novel, you should check out her hilarious memoirs, like Bitter Is The New Black, and Bright Lights, Big Ass. The Tao of Martha is great, where she spend a whole year trying to do things that Martha Stewart would do, and My Fair Lazy, where she spends the year trying to become more cultured. She has a house full of cats and dogs, too, so she is kind of a crazy cat lady. I really hope you enjoy the book!
Hi Daphne,
How are ya? I hope everything out your way in Atlanta is great! I’ve read that her memoirs are hilarious, so I’ll definitely put your recommendations on my (mile-long) reading wish list.
What have you been up to this weekend so far? I’ve made lemon bars, tried a new pizza place in town called Mod Pizza (it’s like a Chipotle for pizza) and did some window shopping at DSW and Pier 1.
It’s encouraging that China is at least looking at alternatives to animal testing.
If I were going into space, I’d want a makeup kit. lol
What does Thai tea taste like? How does it differ from chai?
Hi Alix,
It’s more of a black tea flavor and less spicy compared to chai. Typically it’s flavored with condensed milk and served over ice!
Lemon &Orange trees! I’m salivating from Connecticut!! Our first stretch in the 40° range finally so walking downtown Main Street to window shop ? Have a great weekend!
Jen Lancaster is one of my favorite authors. She is funny. Check out My Fair Lazy, Pretty in Plaid, Such a Pretty Fat and Bright Lights Big Ass.
I just used an Amazon gift card I got for Christmas and ordered an electric kettle and Taylors of Harrogate Classic Tea Variety Box. Loving it.