10.23.2014

Black Ankle Boots

I've been searching for a classic black ankle boot to add to my burgeoning shoe collection. Here are my top three:

1. Sam Edelman Petty Booties - Simple, classic, everyone has them. They're kind of a no-brainer.


2. Charlotte Stone Kari Boots - Supposedly comfy, waxed leather, handmade in Brazil.


3. Alexander Wang Kori Booties - Signature Alexander Wang. I love the matte black plate that rests inside the sliced heel.


10.21.2014

Currently No. 13

A smattering of my current wishlist. Crisp, scalloped sheets, sleek black ankle boots, and a few cult beauty products. Anything on your radar?

Currently No. 13

10.07.2014

Recommended Articles

A few articles that have caught my eye recently, two longer articles with a little more color on ISIS and the conservation efforts in Patagonia and a shorter one by the always charming Jim Hamblin. Have you read anything interesting lately?

Recommended Articles

1. Filkins, Dexter. "ISIS vs. the Kurds." The New Yorker 2014 Sept. 29
The incursion of ISIS presents the Kurds with both opportunity and risk. In June, the ISIS army swept out of the Syrian desert and into Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city. As the Islamist forces took control, Iraqi Army soldiers fled, setting off a military collapse through the region. The Kurds, taking advantage of the chaos, seized huge tracts of territory that had been claimed by both Kurdistan and the government in Baghdad. With the newly acquired land, the political climate for independence seemed promising. The region was also finding new economic strength; vast reserves of oil have been discovered there in the past decade. In July, President Barzani asked the Kurdish parliament to begin preparations for a vote on self-rule. “The time has come to decide our fate, and we should not wait for other people to decide it for us,” Barzani said.
2. Hamblin, James. "Always Make Promises." The Atlantic 2014 Aug. 27
Imagine you're a kid with a cookie and a friend who has no cookie. What happens if you eat it all? Your friend will be upset. What happens if you give all of it away? Your friend will like you a lot. What if you give away half the cookie? Your friend will be just about as happy with you as if you gave him the whole thing. His satisfaction is a pretty flat line if you give anything more than half of the cookie. People judge actions that are on the selfish side of fairness. Maybe because we denigrate do-gooders, or because we're skeptical of too much selflessness, the research shows that, as Epley put it, "It just doesn't get any better than giving half of the cookie."
3. Saverin, Diana. "The Entrepreneur Who Wants to Save Paradise." The Atlantic 2014 Sept. 15
In 2004, Conservación Patagonica acquired the Chacabuco Valley and has since been turning it into what the Tompkinses call the Future Patagonia National Park. It is this 178,000-acre plot of land that everyone in the region is now talking about. Once they bought it, the Tompkinses began their efforts to restore the land to the state it was in before humans exploited it. They sold almost all the 30,000 sheep and 3,800 cows that came with the property. They built several large stone buildings with wide, divided-light windows and pitched copper roofs. Their employees and volunteers removed more than 400 miles of fencing and pulled plant after plant of invasive species out of the ground. 
Meanwhile, gauchos and locals in town puzzled at the couple’s desire to build stone mansions and bring back wild species. Tompkins’s tendency to drop out of the sky in his small red and white plane and his insistence that all guests and employees take their shoes off inside his buildings only added to the mystery. Few in neighboring towns were quick to trust their eccentric new neighbor—the organic farmer, the WASPy backpacker, the amateur architect, the billionaire entrepreneur, the high-school dropout, the former ski racer, the grizzled mountaineer, the bold whitewater kayaker, the daring bush pilot, the audacious land-grabber, the radical environmentalist, the would-be savior of the Patagonian wilds—Douglas Tompkins.

10.01.2014

Vanity Project No. 2


Vanity Project No. 2


I thought I would update what's on my vanity (here are my picks from March) after 6 months or so of Sephora and Amazon orders. Here are a few of the products I've been reaching for lately...

Elizabeth and James Nirvana Black Rollerball is an addictive blend of sandalwood and vanilla that strikes the perfect balance between masculine and feminine. I love the rollerball for quick application.

Kate Somerville ExfoliKate® Intensive Exfoliating Treatment is my go to exfoliate, a little goes a long way and this stuff is magic.

Avene Thermal Spring Water Spray is addicting, I use it as a toner and to set my makeup, so fun and luxurious. Count me in on the thermal water spray trend.

Philosophy Time In A Bottle features a high-potency vitamin c8 activator that protects skin from aging environmental aggressors and further damage. It has a really great finish unlike some serums which can get a little tacky.

Yves Saint Laurent Top Secrets All-In-One BB Cream Skintone Corrector has a lovely finish and the color blends really well.

Benefit Cosmetics They're Real! Mascara is great at catching all of your lashes and has a natural-looking finish.

NARS Illuminator 'Laguna' works with even the fairest of skin as a bronzer and for subtle contouring.

NARS Lip Lacquer 'Chelsea Girls' is a perfect neutral color and the thicker lacquer has some staying power. It's also sort of discontinued, so if you can find it, grab it!

Yves Saint Laurent 'Touche Éclat' Radiant Touch is a great highlighter. I love this video that shows you how to use Touche Éclat correctly, it really brightens and adds polish to any look.

Tarte Cheek Stain 'Flush' has a lovely berry tone, it's a little intimidating in the packaging but goes on sheer and blends well.

Stila Eye Shadow 'Kitten' is a favorite of makeup artists, a great nude pink with just enough shimmer -- my go-to eye shadow.

Laura Mercier Rouge Nouveau Weightless Lip Colour 'Sin' is a deep plum color that builds well. I love a darker lip all year, but I'm especially partial in F/W.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Pen 'Universal Light' has better staying power than a pencil and the color is really natural-looking.

Do you have any perennial favorites?