Life of Colleen

Perfume coupon code

2010-01-28T19:45:00.000-08:00

For Parfums Raffy:

To celebrate Valentine's Day, today January 26th through February 5th, 2010 receive 10% off your entire purchase placed online. This special is valid for new orders only and is not applicable to past orders.

To activate your discount please enter the following code when checking out:

IHEARTRAFFY

http://www.parfumsraffy.com

They have niche as well as mainstream brands, and their own line of perfumes.

I like Duran Duran.

2010-01-18T18:10:00.000-08:00

Don't hit me.

Duran Duran - "Save a Prayer"

What I've been into, lately

2010-01-18T11:26:00.000-08:00

I made this labradorite pendant necklace almost two years ago today (the vermeil beads in back counterweight the stone in front). Admittedly it has lain in a drawer, more often than not, since. Brought it out today...it's perfect. I've found making something, or buying something, years in advance to when you'll need it, is not a bad idea.

Supima cotton/Modal turtleneck, made in the U.S.A.

I'm pretty much turtlenecked out, thanks to some spectacular sales.

Originally I was seeking a deep red top of some kind, and wasn't too picky about the shade. Deep red has been one of my favorite colors since I was a kid: all kinds of deep red, such as a red-wine hue, or pomegranate, or a color veering toward dark purple, or a faded deep red approaching orange.

Contemplated this:

It's pima cotton, made in Peru, and while that sounds a bit unnecessary I've found pima cotton items made in Peru to be next to indestructible. They were sold out of this top in Large though...I don't mind buying any cotton top in Large, so long as the company doesn't produce mega-baggy tops, since the bust is sure to fit. If it's really too big I can always "cook" it in the dryer.

This one (far right)...eh...it's pima cotton and Modal, and likely looks more luxe in real life. But how versatile? When it's cold, I don't want a scoop neck; when the weather warms, will I be as obsessed with deep red? Probably not.

On the purpler end of the spectrum:

The one in front still has enough red to be of interest...it's described as a fine-gauge pima cotton top, with a subtle puffed sleeve detail. But it would have been $80.95 with shipping (assuming no sales tax). If I'd needed a lightweight pullover sweater, that would have been one thing, but I didn't.

I wound up with the first shirt. It went below $10 from its original $52, and they had it in my size. But I haven't worn it. It's stashed away, likely for next year.

Red Hot Chili Peppers - "Fortune Faded" (live)

Debated a bit whether to post the official video for this song. The official version has a unique lighting effect (created using glow sticks, according to the comments), but keeps getting pulled off Youtube. If the group is good enough, live is better than canned, anyway.

Roses are red...

2010-01-14T22:11:00.000-08:00

Roses are red
Some diamonds are blue
Chivalry is dead
But you're still kind of cute.

--Nelly Furtado, from "Promiscuous"

What I've been into, lately

2010-01-11T22:20:00.000-08:00

Everyone came back from our furlough today. It was nice, seeing them all again.

My daughter commented that my wardrobe development was pretty much over with; all I'd need were a few particular items. I should say she's been an excellent wardrobe consultant, having the artistic eye I so do not. It's one of the best ways to do it...find an artist. It's like in school, where you would find the mathematician.

Got one of these:

It was a splurge, but it's killer. It's just the thing if you have thin, annoying hair like I do. The teeth keep it from sliding around.

Been using this:

It's a deep pink lipstick I'd tried on at the now-defunct Elephant Pharmacy in Berkeley, years ago. I remembered liking it; but, when I bought it, I found it too much color and wondered why I'd liked it in the first place.

I must have tried it on in the winter, because it works now. So...winter might be a good time to bring out lipsticks that didn't work when you had more color yourself. It's counterintuitive, because you're thinking deeper color would look better against a tan of some sort, but somehow it doesn't, at least on me.

Daryush - "Dastaye To"

This is from a previous "What I've been into, lately" post, because the original was taken down. There was a time in my life when I listened to a lot of Daryush. I find I always return to the same things, the same people, the same concepts.

How to unshrink a shrunken wool sweater, part 2

2010-01-10T15:36:00.000-08:00

See How to unshrink a shrunken wool sweater.

I did try the "soak sweater with hair conditioner" method (and have since read to use 1/3 cup of conditioner, more than I'd used before), and had gotten some results...but I've wanted to try the "soak with mild soap, don't rinse" method for some time now.

For this you are to soak the sweater in lukewarm water with a mild soap, then grab it out (no rinsing), blot excess water in the sweater with a towel, stretch the sweater back to its original shape, and dry flat.

I should say I've been avoiding sweaters that shrink in the washer to begin with. Finely-knit lambswool or merino sweaters don't shrink much, as long as you put them in mesh bags--when you take them out, you can gently stretch them back into shape and hang them on the line. It's those loosely-knit, fat-yarn wool sweaters that seem determined to lock up on you, even with the mesh bags.

I don't have much space to dry anything flat, and don't like hand-washing clothes for the same reason I avoid ironing: it's time-consuming.

Okay back to the sweater...I tried it today, using a gob-load of Johnson's Baby Shampoo (enough to make the lukewarm water a tad slippery). It did seem to relax the wool some, so I grabbed it and stretched the bejabbers out of it. Hm. It's a nice day, so I put it on the line to drip to its heart's content. It looks bigger, but I'll post back when it's dry and I attempt to put it on again.

Why so many laundry- and mending-related posts? Maintenance is always a bit more key than acquisition. Acquisition is the flashier, more glamorous topic, but where are you going to put it? How are you going to take care of it? How long is it going to last? These should all factor into the cost of the item.

Happy Saturday!

2010-01-09T10:39:00.000-08:00

Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band - "I'm Going Away Smiling"

My mother turned me on to this; it's really just elegant. There are other versions on Youtube, but I like this one the best, just the two of them.

First post o' the decade

2010-01-06T12:18:00.000-08:00

I've dithered a bit over what to post here. Granted, it's an arbitrary date, but a new year is always special to me. I am one of those people who always make a New Year's resolution, and almost always keep it. (Last year was an exception, due to California's budget crisis...mumbles)

Today is the last of our mandatory furlough days. I don't think I've done this much laundry in years. lol Anything that can be washed has been washed. After a while it becomes scientific...what goes on the line and when (we've been blessed with three clear, mostly sunny days), how many times a combination of dryer sheets can be used, temperatures and cycles, minimums of different kinds of detergent; the whole shmeer really.

Now I just need to do my hair, some minor mending...and put a little E6000 at the base of a zipper on one of my skirts, the part below where it begins to zip. I discovered a rough place there after it got stuck on my tights.

I've had the above image sitting on the server since early last year. It is the most beautiful evocation of summer; what to look at when you start to wonder whether hot weather will ever return. To go with it, the lovely Eddie Cochran:

Eddie Cochran - "Summertime Blues"

Pacifica Tahitian Gardenia soap, continued

2009-12-30T20:02:00.000-08:00

Bryan Ferry - "Will You Love Me Tomorrow"

You must be tired. You've been running through my mind all day. Actually this is not the song that's been running through my mind--that would be "Taxi," from the same Bryan Ferry record. But I like this cover as well.

It's occurred to me Pacifica's Tahitian Gardenia soap smells quite similar to a perfume I've thought about, on and off, for a couple of years: Diptyque's Do Son.

Google Street View of the Diptyque shop on Maiden Lane

Tahitian Gardenia is not as complex as Do Son--you wouldn't expect it to be, soap not being perfume--but this is one type of scent to which I return, time and again.

Do Son was almost freakishly realistic--along with the Tahitian Gardenia slew of white flowers and a fresh green note out of nowhere, it featured a slight bitter edge (as actual flowers possess) and what I swear smelled like running water and a smidge of sunlight. The deal-breaker--like the other Diptyque eau de toilettes I sampled back then (2007, the same time I took a screenshot of the shop), it had no staying power. You'd be like some kind of a nut, spraying it every half hour or so.

So the question--and it's a beauty blog question--would be, how does Pacifica's perfume version of Tahitian Gardenia compare to Diptyque's Do Son? I'll have to look more closely next time I visit Whole Foods; maybe they have Pacifica scents out?

Pacifica Tahitian Gardenia soap review

2009-12-28T20:20:00.000-08:00

I chanced upon this tasty soap at Whole Foods in Berkeley, from the standard wall of scented soaps each health food store seems to possess these days. The Pacifica soaps were not the most economical--I get my bath soap at health food stores; less drying, superior quality--yet were reasonably priced, and smelled nothing short of divine.

So, along with my Whole Foods store-brand soaps ($3.99 for a honking 8-ounce bar), I chunked in a Pacifica Tahitian Gardenia soap ($5 for 6 oz.).

I was in no hurry to try it. A confirmed cheapskate, I was content to have the soap function as a sachet for a while; its white-flower scent could infuse my clothing with intense tropical goodness. (I'd never forgotten how flowers smelled in the South. They don't, out here, in our parched Western air.)

When the Whole Foods soaps had been consumed, it was time to unveil the Pacifica model. I somehow expected a neat white bar, like a Lever 2000, the kind of soap sold in the actual tropics, but the Pacifica bar was beauteous--a slightly translucent block, with softened corners and edges, a freckling of what appeared to be crumbled dried flower petals, beneath a thin layer of more translucent soap, so the whole was smooth and silky, yet angular enough to be interesting.

Soap-wise...good, but then good soap is good soap. A Trader Joe's shea butter soap is as good...the outstanding features here were the fragrance and lovely look and feel.

To me, Tahitian Gardenia didn't smell purely, nor even mainly, of gardenia; rather of a blend of white tropical flowers and lilies. To me the lily note was as strong as anything tropical or gardenia. On the Pacifica site, this soap is described as follows:

Pacifica's Tahitian Gardenia Natural Soap is handmade using a proprietary biodegradable, vegan, vegetable oil and glycerin soap base, ground almond meal, and Pacifica's own fragrance blend with ylang ylang, osmanthus and jasmine essential oils. No parabens, animal testing, animal ingredients or artificial colors. 100% VEGAN and Gluten-free.

Sweet! Oh, and I had to replenish my stock of Whole Foods soaps tonight; I added in another Pacifica soap--French Lilac--mmmmm....

Odds and sods, part 4

2009-12-27T19:28:00.000-08:00

Dr. Hauschka Rose Body Oil review

Hermmm...I see this sample pack is a bit over two years old. I've been using up each item slowly--the three creams are gone, the kids got into the Lavender bath oil; the Blackthorn body oil is something no one seems to want to use, so it's slated to be next on my list. I've just shaken out the last drops of the Rose Body Oil.

I wasn't particularly into body oils; they appeared simply a messier alternative to lotion, and the inner cheapskate scowled that a mixture of oils and fragrances had got to be more economical to make yourself. But, hey. The Hauschka rep was nice enough to send a plethora of samples, and I've liked just about all of them--the products are, in a word, engineered.

Rose Body Oil is no exception; you need a mere drop or two of this delicately scented oil to moisturize an area of dry skin. It produces a silkier effect than lotion, and doesn't feel greasy on. As evidenced by my poky use of the product, it keeps at least two years. A full-sized bottle could be a negligible expense.

On second thought, I've decided to replace my current Salux Beauty Skin cloth. Its lifespan would appear to be about a year and nine months. Its scratchiness had diminished over time--it never frayed nor developed a hole, making it a bit awkward to throw away, but it is noticeably less abrasive (this is the thing for keratosis pilaris, ingrown hairs, and even some prevention of acne).

"Fixing" a zipper

I had a horrific experience: the zipper on my handbag ceased to zip. It'd started out getting sticky; crossed my mind it would need some kind of lubrication, like graphite for a keyhole, but one day the pull simply wouldn't lock the teeth. You'd yank the pull all the way over, and the zipper would gape open.

Sometimes the teeth at the base of the zipper would lock for about an inch and a half; I theorized one of the teeth beyond that point was bent, throwing off the remainder of the teeth. Got out my chain-nose pliers, and looked for something to bend back...but after a close examination, I couldn't find any bent or otherwise damaged teeth.

Finally I googled to get some ideas. One article stated you should lubricate your zipper by rubbing a piece of beeswax on it. I actually owned a piece of beeswax, from way back when, so I got that out and started rubbing it along each side of the zipper. You need to do this several times to make zipping nice and smooth.

Weirdly enough, the zipper works now. It wasn't really damaged; it was the stress of sticky zipping that kept the teeth from aligning.

The morale to this story is--if you can't find broken teeth on the zipper, and the pull starts out working (isn't out of sync at the base), why not try this method?

Edited to add: I'm also not unzipping it quite all the way.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T17:58:00.000-08:00

Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) - Darlene Love

Bono massacred this song at one point, didn't he? :)

All I Want For Christmas Is You - Mariah Carey

My girl Mariah Carey--love her.

Happy holidays to all, and a happy and prosperous New Year (in case I don't post before then).

Some recent-ish earrings

2009-12-23T17:08:00.000-08:00

Hammered goldfilled hoops / golden rutilated quartz earrings

Peridot and vermeil / prehnite, peridot, tourmaline earrings

London Blue topaz / tourmaline earrings on oxidized sterling chain

Baby coin pearl / tiny pearl earrings on rolo chain

Moonstone and labradorite / rhodolite garnet, grey moonstone earrings

I'll go into more detail on the Beading Blog.

Odds and sods, part 3

2009-12-22T22:26:00.000-08:00

Eh...tired. House cleaning, laundry, mending, yadda yadda...

Which brings us to:

Tide Coldwater detergent. I've used this for several rounds o' clothes; so far, it's good. It cleans as well in cold water as regular Tide would in warm. Possibly too soon to say, but it also appears to fade colors less quickly than regular Tide would in cold.

In 2010, I'm planning to get some black dye from Dharma Trading Company, and toss all my fading black cottons and linens into a ginormous dye vat. The site is a trip: four kinds of black dye (Black, Jet Black, Better Black, New Black), half a page of advice specifically on black dye, plus an entire small-print page of instructions on how to do it.

And finally--given this blog still touts itself as a beauty blog, despite the fact I seldom if ever post about beauty products any more--a passage about makeup.

My beloved Nars Jezebel duo eyeshadow has bitten the dust:

It's still in the "Vintage" section (which is polite, apparently, for "discontinued")... And there is a 20% off $60 coupon code, CP9H1211, good through December 31, 2009, at narscosmetics.com, and free shipping for $25 orders--et cetera.

Buying a back-up copy of Jezebel, and tossing in some other Nars-a-licious product to get the discount, would appear a cosmetiholic no-brainer.

But...do I really want a back-up copy of Jezebel in the first place? It's my favorite eyeshadow--the lilac side features a good-sized dent, whilst the coppery side can't, since it requires a light touch. The duo goes with just about everything...but it'll be months, if not years, before the thing gets used up. I bought it July 2007, and Nars eyeshadows keep for years, without the tragic hardening of, say, MAC eyeshadows, or anything weird and crumbly happening.

I'd much rather wait longer and visit a b & m Sephora and just fiddle around with whatever's on offer at the time.

Reminiscing...

2009-12-21T16:32:00.000-08:00

Was digging through some old directories...it's good to do that, once in a while.

Various perfumes, Q1 2008

I still have these, though I'm no longer as nuts about the AG Passion. Good thing it was a small bottle.

"Pink Day," Q4 2003

lol! That was from the old Lipstick Page. We were to wear pink make-up on that day (I forget the occasion), so that's what I did. My hair was wet in the image...I still have the red cardigan sweater. It's easily twenty years old, and probably more stitches than wool at this point, but I can't find anything that shade of red.

"A New Hive," Q3 2008

This was from a "save the honeybees" project called A New Hive.

Happy Sunday!

2009-12-20T18:48:00.000-08:00

Dolapdere Big Gang - Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood

Hey, it's the Muni bus! uh huh....

A cheerful rendition of Nina Simone's classical tune (perhaps more famously covered by The Animals).

Trasparenze Gennifer merino wool tights review, continued

These stretch out half a size with wear. I now feel size 2 is correct for me; they were kinda like doll clothes, coming straight out of the package. You have to wear them once or twice.

Sometime I might check out the other shades--"dark khaki green," for example (Bosco) sounds useful--there is also a dark plum, fawn, and cream, as well as the Rubino red.

Finally got to see these in person (Bulo Shoes in the City carries them). I'm convinced now that Cydwoq shoes should not be bought online, unless it's a dire emergency. Like all things handmade, the shoes possess an intimate quality which doesn't translate too well to the Web.

The top leather is distressed-looking in real life, while the embossed lower leather isn't (and the pattern appears subtler too). These are the old pair of shoes I've been looking for. Though the footbed seems long and narrow, to me--I have those little Asian pancake feet--these run half a size small. So if I'd bought them online in my usual size, I'd be SOL.

Shantel - Disko Boy

Much as I've tried to avoid slapping up multiple music videos, I can't actually resist this one. Yabadabadai yoboboboboi, I wanna be your disco boy, I wanna dance with you, wanna hold you tight, wanna make you mine tonight...

Happy Monday!

2009-12-14T19:55:00.000-08:00

Persian Music Santoor (Santour, Santur) and Tonbak (1)

I had a sudden craving for santoor music. I don't play the santoor, mind you :) but it is one of the most fascinating instruments to watch someone else play.

The santoor is basically a big box o' strings, and the ones I've seen have absolutely no markings on them anywhere. That's part of what makes watching santoor playing mesmerizing...you're thinking, how does this guy know where to hit this thing? how is it even possible?

Brrrrr

2009-12-09T19:58:00.000-08:00

Lewis Black on Broadway

Okay, it isn't quite that cold here, but you've got to love Lewis Black. (If you are offended by bad language, yadda yadda...)

Trasparenze Gennifer Merino Wool Tights review

I got some of these--so far, so great. They're a better price than domestic wool tights, and the quality is lovely.

Gennifer aren't built for Antarctica, exactly, only slightly thicker than regular cotton-blend tights. It's a trade-off; I wanted something that would work with my existing pumps and boots. The colors, at least the ones I've tried, are perfect--Blu is dark inky blue, Fumo a very dark grey, Marrone a notch lighter than espresso...reminds me of coffee grounds, actually. I gravitate toward dark tights (easier to match with clothing and shoes).

Unlike other Italian-made legwear I've tried, these are relatively short; they just fit me (5'5", 134 lbs). I got size 2, which according to their size chart should have fit up to 155 lbs. in my height range--which is 5'5" to 5'8". I'm inclined to say no way would this size fit the upper end of that range in either height or weight.

Warmth-wise...not the warmest, but decent. In a lightly-heated office, Gennifer tights have been good to me.

It's too soon to say how well they wear, having washed mine only once so far, but I'll post back later on with an update.

Speakin' of updates...

Salux Beauty Skin Cloth

I love this thing! I still have the one I bought around April of last year, and, knock wood, I keep waiting for it to go bad. It did lose an eensy bit of scratchiness, but it's still pretty darn scratchy, and it dries admirably fast even in cold conditions (no need to fret about mold).

Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose Shampoo, continued

2009-12-07T21:18:00.000-08:00

This is just the thing for a post-coloring shampoo! ...the week after you color, when your hair can go to fly-away hell, if not properly conditioned.

It's still way too emollient for me to use as a regular shampoo...and I still use good ol' L'Oreal Féria Deep Conditioner after coloring:

I used this combination this morning...the shampoo was sufficiently heavy so I didn't need to slather on the Féria, and the overall effect was both silky and light.

Happy...Tuesday

2009-12-01T21:26:00.000-08:00

Timbuk3, "The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades" (1986)

I study nuclear science
I love my classes
I got a crazy teacher, he wears dark glasses
Things are going great, and they're only getting better
I'm doing all right, getting good grades
The future's so bright, I gotta wear shades

I've got a job waiting for my graduation
Fifty thou a year will buy a lot of beer
Things are going great, and they're only getting better
I'm doing all right, getting good grades
The future's so bright, I gotta wear shades

Well I'm heavenly blessed and worldly wise
I'm a peeping-tom techie with x-ray eyes
Things are going great, and they're only getting better
I'm doing all right, getting good grades
The future's so bright, I gotta wear shades

I study nuclear science
I love my classes
I got a crazy teacher who wears dark glasses
Things are going great, and they're only getting better
I'm doing all right, getting good grades
The future's so bright, I gotta wear shades

video

Odds and sods... part 2

2009-11-25T21:08:00.000-08:00

Whatever Gets You Thru The Night - John Lennon featuring Elton John

Watching an entire video of John & Yoko is too sad, so I liked this blend of Lennon's drawings (animated) and dark New York City clips.

I picked this up on something of a whim, along with a repurchase of Aubrey Organics Blue Camomile shampoo (reviewed here, a bit). Hm.

Honeysuckle Rose smells heavenly; though, to me, neither of honeysuckle nor of rose. Rather, it evokes orange blossom, only without the loud righteous cleaning-product edge so many orange blossom scented products fall prey to. Really nice soft fragrance, which lingered in my hair a commendable several hours.

But, they're not kidding about "DRY"--this may be the ideal shampoo for desert-arid hair (a notch behind Dr. Hauschka's Macadamia and Orange Shampoo, which could lube your bike chain).

Used Honeysuckle Rose the once this morning, and could tell right away it was too heavy for my fine, limp, "combo" hair (oily roots, dry ends). Oh well. I look forward to mixing it with an Avalon Organics shampoo I find too drying.

I can see Aubrey Organics are a bit literal about their shampoos...Blue Camomile was labelled both "Normal" and "Hydrating," and it made my hair quite normal, perhaps a tad on the hydrated side. Camomile Luxurious was both "Normal" and "Volumizing"--pretty normalizing, a skosh less moisturizing than Blue.

If loving you is wrong, I don't want to be right. I'm not overly big on hair ornaments, most of which require thick hair, but there are exceptions. One is the "French clip":

As long as you don't get a huge clip, it should hold even straight, slippery fine hair as well as a claw does.

Originally I was seeking a plain matte black barrette (difficult to find, most are glossy), but the yin and yang of this particular design caught my eye.

Listening to...

2009-11-18T21:26:00.000-08:00

Rolling Stones, "Miss You" (1978)

Mazzy Star, "I've Been Let Down" (1996)

The former...you've probably never heard (okay I have socks older than some people); the latter is a tad obscure, yet amazing.

Wardrobe meanderings part 8

2009-11-17T21:54:00.000-08:00

This totally reminds me of a shirt I had when I was twelve or thirteen. I mean the general shape, tie neckline and lovely pink color. To the point I was tempted to buy it. But, eh...how useful is this particular top? You'd have to see it in person, to determine its casualness or formality.

I don't really have much to say; I've been knackered lately. It's the worst time of year for my department--or the best, depending on how enamored you are of being, well, knackered. I'm okay with it. One trick is to take a nap when you get home, for even an hour.

Love this...not sure what I'd do with it though. The lace appears to have been sewn over a cut-out area of the camisole. Argh! What you want is a solid neckline, with the lace sewn over that. Still, it's quite pretty.

And finally... It's not the clothes...it's the ice cream. (Although a part of me craves the velvet jacket, in a 1970's kind of way.)

Wardrobe meanderings part 7

2009-11-15T11:50:00.000-08:00

This past Veterans Day, or Armistice Day, was a paid holiday for us. I can admit it still boggles the mind, how Armistice Day became Veterans Day in the first place, but it's true...freedom is not free.

I'd fully intended to do nothing on this day off, but ended up going through the stuff that's been amassing on my shelves. I will do this periodically; I'm not sentimental. If it doesn't have a purpose, it goes. If I discover a need, it goes on my to-buy list. In fact, much as I'd envisioned this sort of...orgy of frivolous fashion conquest, touring my shelves revealed how boring and practical I really am.

This was the last of my recently-acquired J.Crack turtlenecks. (Sorry about the "J.Crack," I can't help it, in the same way "Needless Mark-up" comes out instead of Neiman Marcus?)

"Champagne" barely resembles the image. It's more a light creamy brown, than the delicate cream I thought I'd bought. Less versatile, seemingly, but lovely nonetheless.

Why so many turtlenecks? Again with the practicality. A turtleneck is the ideal garment to wear under sweaters. (Not to mention, everyone looks good in a turtleneck.) It's easy to replace, relatively inexpensive, a cinch to care for, stores nice and flat.

You're gonna need one of these, if you own even one unlined skirt or dress, and wish to wear tights, or even nylons. One day of not having to unstick your skirt from your nylons, and the thing is paid for.

I'm trying this one out...hmmm...it's filament silk. It doesn't look like much but has made a world of difference. Still I'm contemplating the Mary Green one; costs more, but seems likely to wear better.

Yes, part of me wants to replicate this entire outfit, down to the shoes. Life is short...hmmm...snaps out of it

These are wool tights. I bought some cotton/microfiber tights, but you can't beat wool for warmth. Adding in wool tights will extend the life of my cotton tights--I've been wearing the cotton ones every day since I got them, it's been cold--so next up shall be some of these.

Odds and sods...

2009-11-10T21:48:00.000-08:00

images courtesy hatsandhaberdashery.com

Come to Mama! A built-in remedy, for Khrushchev and Kennedy--yes, I remember that song--I like these shoes, what with the little architectural windows.

Aubrey Organics Camomile Luxurious Shampoo review, updated.

I have since used this up, but don't plan to repurchase. Much prefer Blue Camomile:

Blue is thicker...I don't require weighty shampoo, but Luxurious was actually kind of hard to use, it was that watery. You had to pour and apply so carefully, to avoid wasting precious 'poo.

Blue smells better, as well: light and faintly sweet, rather than the almost medicinal scent of Luxurious. In fact, Blue has achieved this shampoo ho's (unusual) stamp of approval.

Neither lathers particularly well, being organic, but they do clean.

If the road to hell in software development begins with: "Wouldn't it be nice if...", in wardrobe development, it is: "There's a shop..."

This is a killer top. You may be thinking, meh, it's a cotton top...but it wasn't casually slapped together. Like the Art shoe above, a certain amount of thought went into its construction.

This top has a sort of draped, almost paper-like neckline (and cloth that evokes paper is one of my favorite things). The look is more timeless than the cowl neck I was contemplating before.

The cut around the bust is generous (yay!), without appearing baggy. Presumably the neckline would simply be more or less draped, depending on what size rack we are talking about.

The tiny "sleeves" make it seem more season-spanning than true sleevelessness, yet of course it would work in hot weather.

And...it's not cut straight, the way a dude would make it. It subtly undulates at the sides, just enough to be flattering, without being cheesy.