The Little Things

Happiness comes in all sorts of packages . . .

1. Sephora + Pantone Universe Matte Lip Creme in Masala: The search for the perfect nude lipstick led me to Sephora this week.  My intention was to exchange a Nars lipstick that was too light for a deeper shade from the same company.  When I complimented the beauty consultant on her lip color she led me to this Sephora brand lipstick.  Masala is an intense rose colored brown, which is considerably lighter than the colors that I usually wear.  Because Masala is the Pantone Color of the Year, many of the beauty consultants were wearing it, and I was able to see how flattering it is on women of all skin tones.

The texture of the lipstick is creamy without being shiny, and the packaging is fabulous! Plus, the Sephora brand lipstick is almost half the cost of the Nars.   The only downside is that it has the smell and taste of drugstore lipstick.  My New Years Resolution is to stop being such a lipstick snob :)

Available at sephora.com

2. The Affair: The Affair comes on Showtime after Homeland, which is one of the shows that I watch religiously.  However, after looking at part of the first episode I realized that the amount of sex on the show precluded me from even thinking about turning it on until way after Chloe went to sleep.  Once I finally had a chance to watch it, I was immediately drawn in by the dual-narrative format of the show.  This is the story of an affair (and a murder) told from the differing perspectives of the two people involved in it.  The Affair makes you question the nature of the truth and the stories we tell about ourselves.  As Toni Morrison says in The Bluest Eye, "to find out the truth of how dreams die, one should never take the word of the dreamer."

 Oh, and Dominc West is fine! If you liked him in The Wire, he's basically playing a more education version of McNulty on this show.

Photo: Baltimore Sun

3. The Men We Reaped: Last year, I read and enjoyed Jesmyn Ward's Salvage the Bones. Her use of metaphor reminded me of Toni Morrison, and even though I wasn't interested in the plot of the story her language and characters kept me engaged.  The Men We Reaped is a memoir which describes her experiences growing up in Mississippi and the deaths of several of the male members of her family.  The subject matter is depressing, but Ward's interpretation of it is frequently insightful.

Photo: mobilebaymag.com

4. Perfect365: I'm probably the oldest person on Instagram, but I could care less!  I follow celebrity stylist June Ambrose, and after looking at her pictures I began to suspect that she was using some kind of app to give her skin a glowy, even tone.  After some research I found the FREE app called Perfect365.  The picture on the left is an unretouched selfie.  In the picture on the right I evened my skin-tone, softened the bags under my eyes, slimmed my face a bit, and added more blush.  The result is subtle, but noticeable.  If this is what I can do in a few minutes for free, imagine what celebrities do.  Everything is indeed an illusion.

(Be careful with mixing the retouched picture with Instagram filters.  The result can be waxy-fake looking skin.)

Wearing my new lipstick from Sephora!

5. Grilled Skuna Bay Salmon @ Minton's.  Charli, Chloe, and I headed to Minton's this Sunday for a reunion dinner. With the exception of having to watch a  European woman with an iPad dancing around in what looked like her pajamas, we had a great time.  The standouts of the meal were the Arugula Salad with poached pears, boiled peanuts, and black eyed peas, and the Grilled Salmon served with with Fried Dirty Rice, Peanut Butter Collards, and Mustard BBQ  Sauce.  So yummy!

6.  Lush Tender is the Night Massage Bar: I have always been into Lush bath bombs, and their Karma perfume is my signature scent (although it has been impossible to find recently).  I like that their products are natural, but don't smell like vanilla or musk.  The Massage Bar is part of the gift basket that I received from Misa (that child has good taste!) As you rub the bar on your body the cocoa-butter melts into your skin like a lotion.  I've even been using it on my scalp in the paths between my cornrows.  Chloe uses it too and she says "I like this because it's soft and it makes your skin shiny."

www.lush.com

7. Brunch @ Lido: Lido is definitely my favorite restaurant, and you can't go wrong with good friends and bottomless mimosas! Happy New Year!