Inventory: Fall 2014

I've seen these going around the internet and decided to jump on the bandwagon. I think they'll be quarterly/seasonal little check-ins for me...and it's always fun to look back at these things. Here goes nothing!

Making: endless lists of things to do, places to go, and goals to accomplish. 

Cooking: nothing. Last night's (accidental) ten dozen pumpkin cookies with brown butter pumpkin spice frosting did me in!

Drinking: a "Happy Friday" glass of red wine. 

Not my coffee table. My wine, though. 

Reading: Monologues from Shakespeare's "Henry V," dramatically, and in perfect iambic pentameter.  

Wanting: darker curtains for my bedroom to sleep through the night a little better. 

Looking: out my window across the rooftops to the park. 

Playing: "1989" on repeat, just like every other basic white girl in the world this week (with dashes of "Frozen" to clinch my basic status). 

Haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate. 

Wasting: a perfectly good cucumber that went bad because I am too lazy to cook/forgot all about it in my sad vegetable drawer. 

Wishing: to feel at peace with myself like this all the time. 

Enjoying: my three mum plants, which have survived my black thumbs for almost a month now!

Pretty, right?

Waiting: to put laundry in the dryer once this interminable spin cycle ends.

Liking: the thought of playing a Halloween drinking game. I.E. "Drink every time a trick or treater dressed as Elsa shows up." Who's in?

Wondering: if there really is something wrong with my heat/AC or if I just have leaky cold-seeping windows. 

Loving: that my parents finally get home from Europe in under 24 hours. So ready for a catchup session with my mom and my dad's goofy jokes. 

Off they went!

Hoping: (wishfully thinking) for just a little more Indian summer. 

Marveling: at how much my blog has grown this month. 

Needing: to get off this laptop and get my butt in gear before tonight!

Smelling: my fall scent of choice on the inside of my wrist: Garden of Eden's Fig and Vanilla custom-blended.

Wearing: my basic girl uniform of Gap skinny jeans and a striped J.Crew top. Someone break me out of my rut please.

I do believe this is what they call an "overdose."

Following: a diet that will stop including fun-size candy bars the second this damn holiday is over. 

Noticing: that my Jillian Michaels renaissance is paying off, just a little bit. 

Knowing: that everything happens for a reason. (So trite, so true.)

Thinking: about how happy I am here in my beautiful home. 

Last Friday's spectacular sunset, from the roof. 

Bookmarking: This Taylor Swift Buzzfeed quiz. I'm "Fearless," obviously, because it's before she discovered straighteners.

Opening: up with more people and being a tiny bit more honest with myself about why. 

Giggling: at "War Paint," a standup comedy album by Iliza Schlesinger that Laura introduced me to, on Spotify. SO funny. 

Feeling: optimistic...nice to be back on track.  

A few quick links from the last 20 minutes.

So I just got lost in the Internet for a blissful, unproductive, totally self-indulgent 20 minutes, and here's what the outcome was: 

1. I'm craving Chino Latino's Banana Boat Chicken, but I'm too cheap to BiteSquad it, or god forbid, go to Chino and order it. So maybe (in my wildest dreams) I'll hunt down some passion fruit concentrate and make it. Riiiight. Anyone want to have a Chino date soon?

2. Wine. I love it, I drink a lot of it, I know a bit about it but would love to know more. And with a 12-bottle wine rack in my place that needs to be kept filled, I have a perfect excuse to try out Tasting Room. So that's my new plan for around the holidays...an ugly Christmas sweater wine tasting. Again, open invitation!

3. This was just posted on my Facebook feed and encapsulated my life at 25 pretty much perfectly. Here's to the universal self-flagellation and uncertainty of the post-college years, friends. 

4. Everyone knows how Taylor Swift hides messages in her album liners, usually decoding who each song is about. I'm thrilled with the direction she took on "1989"'s notes, for its departure from the "point a finger at the mystery man" thing and for the way it could tell my life story so much better than I could. 

A surprise gift and a beauty review!

The other day, shortly after our return from Andrew and Alyssa's wedding, I went down to check my mail and found a surprise waiting for me, courtesy of Target!

Courtney is a business analyst in Target's beauty department...talk about a fun job! She was sweet enough to send along a sneak peek at Target's new Beauty Box for me to take a look at. Beauty sample kits like Ipsy, Birchbox, et cetera have swept the Internet and makeup drawers of women all over the country lately, but I'm super excited that Target's getting into the game. Here's a look at what I received: 

First, the box includes a 20% off credit to dermstore.com, a new-to-me site that specializes in skin and haircare products. Even in the 20 minutes I spent poking around the site, I found dozens of items I'd love to try...but I was most excited to see they carry Clarisonic products! I'll be using my credit to stock up on brush heads.

I've always been a one-brand woman when it comes to makeup. Clinique was my first makeup (to cover terrible teenage acne, ugh), and I've remained loyal to their products for twelve years now. Given that fact, I was apprehensive about the LaNeige BB Cream...even more so because of its unique cushion format. In my experience, BB creams come in tubes...right? Imagine my pleasant surprise when I totally fell in love. The kit comes with a hypoallergenic application puff, and three different shades of the cream to try on a saturated sponge. You simply press the puff into the sponge for just the right amount of product, pat and blend it into skin, and voila!

Flawless. I still battle skin issues on and off, so seeing this porcelain-pretty finish made me incredibly happy...especially the light coverage that allowed the last of my summer freckles to shine through. (Pardon the excessive close-up of my face. Take it from me: this picture would not see the light of day it if weren't for the fact that my skin NEVER looks this good.)

The LaNeige is officially a "will buy in full size" product for me. Next up, I received a Jumbo Eye Pencil from NYX: 

I have to admit, on first look, I was a little baffled by this one. Who wears white eyeliner? I'm terrible at eye makeup in general (I have really deep-set eyes), and the width/heft of the pencil, combined with the stark whiteness, really threw me. So I did what any makeup idiot would do and turned to Le Google. Who knew there were so many ways to use white liner? While some of the looks I found in tutorials veered distinctly space-agey or snow queen, I did learn a few super-helpful tips to brighten and widen eyes. First, inner corners of the eyes can be illuminated instantly with white liner smudged in. It makes small/almond-shaped eyes (UM, ME) appear bigger if used to line the waterline, the inner eye visible above the bottom lash line. It can also be used as a brow highlighter. I messed around a lot with the tips I found and had fun figuring out ways I can use this guy from day to day!

I also received a pretty L'Oreal Paris Colour Riche Extraordinaire lip gloss in "Nude Ballet." I'm terrible with lip glosses because they usually feel sticky and gloopy on my mouth. This one, however, glided on without globbing up, stayed put through a few glasses of wine with minimal smear-age, and looked subtle enough for work...good trifecta!

That's the finished face...not too shabby for a makeup noob whose usual M.O. is concealer and a swipe of mascara, eh?! 

Onto hair: as we all know, I have ridiculously curly, unmanageable hair on a regular basis. It's the bane of my existence. I really struggle with blowouts and heat-styling because it lasts such a short time on me before frizzing out and being generally terrible. The Beauty Box contained two sample-size hair products: the famous L'Oreal Elnett hairspray, and a Frederic Fekkai dry shampoo/"blowout reviver."

I gave myself a "blowout" (aka tortured my hair with a paddle brush, blowdryer, and big-barreled curling iron) on Thursday when I received the Beauty Box, and headed down to my parents' place on Friday afternoon, where I snapped a few selfies of the finished product around 24 hours later. LOOK! IT'S A MIRACLE!

This might really truly be the best my hair has ever looked, ever. Unfortunately, being me, I whipped it up in a ponytail the next day to go hiking and then ended up washing away the really, really ridiculously good hair before giving the Fekkai dry shampoo another day to work its magic. That said, I'm probably buying the full-size on my next Target run because who doesn't love day-after-blowout hair that looks amazing?!

Thanks to Courtney and Target for sharing the Beauty Box with me--I loved an excuse to mess around with my face and hair, and it was such a treat to get to experiment with products I otherwise wouldn't have tried! To check out Beauty Box for yourself, visit www.target.com/beautybox. Have fun!

Ear Candy: The Chateau de Liz

As I am the sole inhabitant of my downtown abode, I find I need music on at all times to keep my place feeling like me. Over the past few weeks, here's what I've been spinning...it's a quirky, fresh mix of old favorites and new gems that's just as perfect for dancing around while folding laundry as it is for impromptu social gatherings. Enjoy!

Shakey Graves - "Dearly Departed"

Robyn - "Dancing on my Own"

BØRNS - "10,000 Emerald Pools"

Annie Stela - "Lovesong"

Parov Stelar - "Chambermaid Swing"

Misterwives - "Reflections"

Cherub - "Doses & Mimosas"

Johnnyswim - "Home"

Vance Joy - "Riptide"

RAC - "Cheap Sunglasses"

Yuna - "Rescue"

Rusted Root - "Send Me On My Way"

Little Joy - "Brand New Start"

CHVRCHES - "Recover"

Empire of the Sun - "Half Mast"

A Friend in London - "The Light"

WE ARE TWIN - "Don't Tell Your Parents"

Caroline Smith - "Half About Being a Woman"

Matt and Kim - "Let's Go"

Regina Spektor - "Hotel Song"

Lately I'm Loving

Things making me smile/on my mind/causing distraction these days: 

--As a total bookworm, I always get excited when people talk about books, literacy, reading, et cetera in the media. This article in The Atlantic accordingly piqued my interest, claiming Millennials are out-reading older generations. The article went on, however, to explain that 88% of Americans under 30 stated they had read a book in the last year. Um, a book?! I read a book a week...at least! So what does that make me? At any rate, I found the discussion of the waning of public libraries interesting.

--Since moving to Loring Park, I've been seeing a ton of this guy around. Odd, right? I was curious as to who he is, so I hopped on Google and searched "Minneapolis weird guy in white suit." Cue falling down the rabbit hole that is Scott Seekins, artist and local celebrity of sorts. He's got an obsession with Britney Spears, wears head-to-toe white all summer and black all winter, and is said to bring good luck to all who spot him in his daily ramblings. There's even a site to track spottings! Just one of the myriad reasons I love this crazy small town, big city. 

--My friend Kim sent me this Buzzfeed article about what happens when you reply to guys on Tinder exclusively in Taylor Swift lyrics. There's a long, convoluted backstory as to why I found this extra-funny, but it's worth checking out. She knew you were trouble when you walked in, and all. 

--As I've been furnishing my apartment, I'm looking all over the Cities for fun, feminine touches to make it really reflect me. I've hit up all my usual standards (Patina, Bibelot, Ampersand, and duh, Anthropologie), but headed to I Like You in Northeast after work the other day to snap up some of their adorable Twin Cities pint glasses. The store is uniformly precious and I want everything they sell. That's all. 

--I'm extra excited that it's Friday because one of my favorite people ever is en route to visit! Laura has been my unofficial "life coach" for years...since she's basically living my life two years before I do. We both studied in London, suffered in the Big 4, and found professional fulfillment after our exits from that world. We love Taylor Swift, musicals, brunch and the Backer. And I am OBSESSED with her adorable standard poodle, Fiona, who is without question the most intelligent and attractive dog in the world. This weekend, I've got a ton planned for us! I think we'll hit up Minnehaha Falls, check out the lakes, grab brunch somewhere on my list, and maybe take in a show at the Guthrie if time allows!