Essentials

I don't always use foundation, but I rarely leave the house without using these essentials. From the top:

Lancome Le Crayon Khôl Eye Liner in Black Coffee

Anastasia Brow Wiz in Brunette

CoverGirl Lash Blast Volume (Waterproof) in Very Black

YSL Touche Eclat in Luminous Radiance

Shiseido Eyelash Curler

Kiehl's Lip Gloss in Golden Berry (to right)

Workout Style

I started running seriously and regularly right around my thirtieth birthday--so about fifteen years now. For the first thirteen years, I admittedly dressed like a truck driver woman. I had two pairs of black shorts which I would alternate, and on top I'd wear a ratty t-shirt or, in the summer, a ratty t-shirt with the sleeves cut off for a makeshift tank. To keep my hair out of my eyes, I'd wear an old bandanna of my Dad's that I'd used since my high school field hockey days. On cold days, I'd wear a baggy pair of standard-issue grey fleece sweatpants with elasticized ankles. I guess it didn't bother my husband that I dressed this way while I was an outside runner, but once we joined a gym he put his foot down. "How can it be that you are so fashionable in all areas of your life except when you work out: you are a slob!"

I acknowledged this and was more than happy to do some shopping. My first foray onto fashionable workout wear was at the Adidas store in Santa Monica. I had moved to Southern California in January and thought I would need only shorts for running. No! It's cold in Santa Monica during the winter, running in the dark after work! I hastened to the Third Street Promenade where I bought a running pant and a matching top. So coordinated!

Later, when I moved back to Illinois and brick-and-mortar athletic wear shops weren't nearby, I relied on Athleta, and later at Foot Locker (they have some really good online sales!). Soon it wasn't enough that my top match my shorts, I needed a real workout bag and water bottle. Walmart bestform bras for $12.99 failed the grade; instead I required the $58 high-impact styles at Title Nine. (Hey, a girl's gotta protect her assets!)

Now, I've really gone to the devil. I've discovered Lululemon. Their stuff is pretty damn expensive. But awesome. Seriously, I am addicted and as soon as I've paid off this splurge, I'm going back for more (See, husband what you have started?). Here's what I got:

Groove Pant, Tall (Lululemon hems for free! And these pants make your butt look incredible!)
Run: Inspire Crop (I've never had a crop...I hate the loose ones but these are badass)
Wunder Under Crop (I'm planning to do yoga twice a week this summer, alternating with running. I bought these with a rainbow waistline!)

Yes the price was outrageous. What can I say? It's for my husband :-P

Also added to my workout wardrobe:

Athleta Pilayo Zippy Headband and Lululemon Satin Pirouette Headband. I have fine, slippery hair; these have a silicone grip on the inside that helps prevent slippage. I hate when my headbands--which I wear to keep my bangs out of my eyes--slide off my head mid-run! Plus, the Satin Pirouette headband is pretty, so I wear it when I wash my face or put on makeup too.

Anyone have any other recommendations to feed my addiction? Bring it on!

Saturday Afternoon Tea Break

If you're a knitter, at some point you will tire of the ubiquitous woollen hats, scarves and socks, and succumb to the appeal of kitschy knitted items. Such as, I recently became obsessed with the need for a tea cozy. At first I was just thinking of a traditional quilted kind, but then I got on the online knitting community Ravelry and found the most perfect, silly and useful cozy project. Behold, the Strawberries and Cream Tea Cozy:

The beauty of it is that it matches my Wedgwood Wild Strawberries tea set. I just finished it this past week and I couldn't wait to break it in with some Darjeeling and cherry sugar cookies.


I still don't know if it did the job--that is, keeping the tea warm--because my husband and I were hungry after a morning of gardening, napping (me) and motorcycling (him), so we pretty much gulped the tea and devoured the cookies.

Maybe I am crazy, maybe my taste level has diminished, but I have to say I thought the tea cozy adorable.

NB:
1. The tea cozy instruction can be found in the book Tea Cozies 2. But beware: there are a ton of errors so make sure you email the publishers before you begin and ask for the errata.
2. If you happen to be a member of Ravelry, please friend me! I am, of course, CashmereLibrarian.

Violet Eyes

The older I get, the more makeup I feel compelled to use on my eyes. The no-makeup look makes me look tired, so I always wear, at the very least, eyeliner and mascara.

My eye color is hazel-green, and so I wear a lot of purple-ish shades to play up the green. Here I'm wearing:

The pink from NARS Alhambra Duo on my lid
NARS Daphne in my crease
Stila smudge stick waterproof eye liner in Purple Tang, along my upper and lower lash lines
Stila kajal eyeliner in Onyx along my inner lower rim
two coats of Covergirl Lash Blast Volume in Very Black

Has This Ever Happened to You?

You're sitting there, and you have this cute little blondie kid, and then all of a sudden he's 25 and he phones you and says,

"I met a woman in Chicago, and she's wonderful, and brilliant, and we're getting married!"

It happened to my husband and I two weekends ago, and we are all beyond thrilled!

Details to follow...

Ship Shape

Have you heard about Randy Quaid and his wife, Evi? Randy Quaid is an actor (and brother of Dennis) whose screen credits include Cousin Eddie in National Lampoon's Vacation and, more recently, Colonel Tom Parker in a TV movie, Elvis.

Lately, however, Randy and Evi have been holed up in Vancouver trying to obtain asylum from the Canadian authorities. Why? Well, it's a long story. It has to do with outstanding arrest warrants in the United States for vandalism and other illegal conduct, and apparently being targets of a gang called the "Star Whackers."

Whatever. Today I want to focus on happier times in the Quaid household, when Vogue featured their Los Angeles home in a 1993 spread.



Nice Hermès bags, Evi! And I don't know why I find this Hamish Bowles line hilarious, but I do: "Most recently she has cropped her blond hair like a midshipman's...."

A view towards the Pacific over the Santa Monica canyon...

I love the lined-up custom riding boots.

Blue, white, shells...and a Hermès apron!

I love that Evi commissioned a quilted leather jacket from Chrome Hearts when they were just starting out...lined with a Hermès scarf!

I'm pretty sure this house (in which they no longer reside...don't worry, Randy & Evi, I'm not stalking you) is in Santa Monica; does anyone know it's exact location? It looks like it overlooks the canyon, but I don't recall ever seeing it when I lived there. Does it still look like this?

Lotions and Creams

I've had the driest skin since day 1 and thus have been slathered in lotion my whole life. My Mom put Keri lotion on me when I was small and used Alpha Keri in my bath, but now of course I have a whole arsenal of creams in my bath cabinet. I remember visiting a friend in Vienna for Christmas while I was in college; he was watching me unpack and laughed as I pulled six, seven, eight bottles of various lotions and potions out of my suitcase. (Since the new TSA regulations came out, I can never fly carry-on only because my ointments would never fit in a quart size baggie [Do we still have to do this??].) Then, when I was first married, my poor oily-skinned husband was horrified when I'd come to bed with my face covered in petroleum jelly.

Now, the upside to dry skin is that I've never suffered from acne, but in daily life it's a pain. I often wonder if I would have killed myself had I lived in the Dark Ages where my only moisturizing option would have been unrefined lanolin or whale blubber or whatever they used back then. For instance, I MUST apply lotion to my hands after every washing. I can't just leap out of the shower, dry off and pull on clothes; if I don't moisturize I become a prune within minutes. (I've given up camping...aside from the hard ground as a bed, bathing is just way too inconvenient.)

Anyway, since we're in the absolute depths of winter here on the Prairie and I am clearly an expert on the subject, I thought I'd share a few tried-and-true products for my fellow dry skin sufferers out there. Some of these are not for the fainthearted! I no longer use straight petroleum jelly on my face but at least one of the following products are pretty darn close. So, let's start with a good body lotion.

As you might expect, I've tried a good number of body lotions, including the famous Kiehl's Creme de Corps, but my favorite is Eucerin Plus Intensive Repair Lotion. It also comes in a cream, which is probably even richer, but I opt for the lotion because I like having a bottle dispenser. (The cream comes in a tube.) Not only is this moisturizing, but the alpha hydroxy helps eliminate flaky skin. And, it's available at any drugstore.

Before I get out of the bath, I like to apply Neutrogena Sesame Body Oil. If I do this while my skin is still damp and then use the Eucerin afterwards, my skin seems to hold the moisture longer. Plus, it feels nice. A cheaper but as effective option is generic baby oil (mineral oil).

I use a 30 SPF on my face all year round. Right now I have Lancome Bienfait Multi-Vital Sunscreen. It's okay, but when I've finished I'm going back to another drugstore favorite, Aveeno Positively Ageless Daily Moisturizer. I think it moisturizes better than the Lancome and it's certainly cheaper!

During the winter, I love using Elizabeth Arden's Eight Hour Cream under my 30 SPF moisturizer. I think you can only love this product if your skin is normal or dry: it's thick and greasy which I adore, but my husband would break out just looking at it on me. Eight Hour Cream is basically a more finely textured petroleum jelly (in fact it's main ingredient is Petrolatum), but it makes my winter skin really happy.

The best eye cream I've ever used is Bobbi Brown's Extra Eye Repair Cream. Extraordinarily moisturizing, lovely texture and application. It is thick--you need to dab it gently into the skin under your eye and let it soak it. I don't think this is a product that will help under-eye circles, but its moisture and line-diminishing qualities are remarkable. And my concealer flows nicely over top. Unfortunately, it costs $65.

I just discovered this wonderful cream for night, although it's not new: Clinique Repairwear Intensive Night Cream: Very Dry Skin Formula. I think the name says it all. Sephora stocks it (of course). I use my Bobbi Brown eye cream at night, too.

For lips and general dry skin patches, you must have a tube of Aquaphor Healing Ointment nearby.

For cuticles (hands & feet, as well as cracked heels), I like Solar Oil. You can find it at Ulta and CVS, among other places.

I have an expensive hand cream option and a cheap one. I keep the cheap one in my drawer in my office and in my purse; I use the expensive cream before I go to bed.

• Expensive: L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream. Luxurious and smells amazing.
• Cheap: Vaseline Deep Moisture Petroleum Jelly, Creamy Formula. Yes, I know: I can't help myself. And you shouldn't touch anything for a few minutes after you apply it because you will leave greasy marks (you should see my iPhone screen--ew). But even my ugly hands look soft after using it. And that's a miracle!
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Any reader recommendations? I have my favorites but I love to try new products!