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Life of Colleen
What I've been into, lately
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2010-01-18
at 11:26 AM (Pacific)
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.
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.Labels: jewelry, music, supima cotton, videos, wardrobe, what i've been into lately
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What I've been into, lately
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2010-01-11
at 10:20 PM (Pacific)
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.
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.Labels: hair, makeup, music, videos, wardrobe, what i've been into lately
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What I've been into, lately
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2008-11-02
at 12:01 AM (Pacific)
Wore this:
It was longer than I'd recalled; certainly longer on me than on the model (the "model height skirt factor"), plus I'd lost some weight, which wasn't planned. Still it's a cool skirt. I'm going to cook it in the dryer to shrink it (if you decide to do this, it's at your own risk!).
The skirt is a sort of dark grey green, and bells out at the bottom. Plus it's actually quite warm. It won't do ya the same as a wool skirt, but the weather here veers to the chilly more than to the outright cold.
I've used this four times now. My scalp (irritated and itchy) feels better. To this point I'd been using Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Treat shampoo, which seemed to work better at first than over the long run. It's a decent basic shampoo, mind you, but this sort of itchy scalp...reminds me of my experiences with adult acne. You can't treat it by using what they tell you to use. You have to find something that works, not by stamping out the problem--which either creates new problems, or else loses effectiveness over time--but by gradually countering the cause of the problem itself.
I'm so glad I replaced my Dr. Hauschka lipstick! I dunno...Hauschka isn't the most soigné brand out there, but it suits me. Somehow it evokes a lab...with mad scientists, working day and night, drinking beer on the job, yet what they produce is brilliant.
Between the time my last tube of Dolce wore down, and the sticky seal of my new tube got peeled away, I survived on an old tube of Clinique Apple Brandy Butter Shine lipstick. The color was pretty...dare I say even a bit prettier than Hauschka Dolce...but the formula! Ugh! Ugh! Ugh! Sorry, it was not moisturizing enough, at all, it was just depressing. One or two days into the new Dolce, and I felt quite at home again.Labels: dr. hauschka, sundance catalog, what i've been into lately
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What I've been into, lately
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2008-09-17
at 12:01 AM (Pacific)
Made this:
I stumbled across it on the Sundance site, and realized I actually had all the components handy to make it. Of course mine is not the same grade as the Sundance one. Theirs is solid karat gold, which adds a lot, while mine is goldfilled; theirs uses a somewhat higher grade of aquamarine. Since I'm going to wear it, not sell it, I didn't feel too guilty about copying, even down to the little white pearl (I used one that had a flat side to be a bit different). It's a charming design.
It felt good making jewelry again. My daughter cleared off a space in her room so I could make it there. Aren't daughters great!
Found this:
I've heard this song many, many times; it's one of my favorites. But I never knew what it was called until now.
Well crap!:
I was going to add something amusing here, but I see Red Lasso has been sued by a couple of networks. sighsLabels: jewelry, music, sundance catalog, videos, what i've been into lately
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What I've been into, lately
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2008-09-07
at 12:01 AM (Pacific)
 Montale eau de parfums
These are still going strong; plenty in the bottles, still smelling divine. I got them October of last year. Knock wood; they've been keeping well.
What I really like is having two of them. I don't wear them exactly the same way, any given consecutive days.
The residual question is how well they'll keep beyond the first year. I've read elsewhere the Montale Aoud line lasts for years, while the (less expensive) regular line doesn't. I'll post back here, ah, a year from now.
 Salux Beauty Skin cloth
I picked this up on a whim, almost five months ago, at our local Japanese dollar shop. It seems to have lost just a touch of its scratchiness, but I'm planning to soldier on with it, at least until I detect ingrown hairs on legs or keratosis pilaris on arms (this product excels at prevention of both).
Okay...STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT!!!!! Here is a collage of screenshots from a certain well-known clothing company, whose demographic, apparently, is me.
Everything, from its affable, tea-drinking models, to its weird pricing...they've got decent, yet ordinary shirts for $70, and outstanding chunky cotton sweaters for exactly the same price? to its sheer breadth of design...conservative suits dwell alongside funky-looking prints...to the comfy chairs in the b & m stores for patient daughters and newspaper-reading husbands to sit on, so the wives can go ballistic amongst the neatly-laid-out aisles...everything screams, "This store is just for you!"
Ugh! it's the cheapskate's dilemma. Spend money or... shudders Yet, it's a decent shop. I selected some of their more commercial-looking pictures, because the clothes in real life bear scant resemblance to their online images. Something totally fug on the Net turns out to be...gowns for angels. Something looks great online, is next to a shmatte in actuality. You really have to be there.
I tried on the two sweaters...the ivory-colored one has an interesting sheerness unusual in a sweater. I passed, but barely. It struck me as a skosh too delicate for my needs. The red sweater looks horrible online, as if a madman had assembled it; yet, once I tried it on, I knew I had to have it.
As far as customer service...meh. They don't have the nifty points system other merchants do, and they're parsimonious with coupon codes. I did try their online concierge, and she recommended I sign up for email updates, so I did. Let's see if these guys cut their customers a break once in a while.Labels: montale, perfume, skin, wardrobe, what i've been into lately
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