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Life of Colleen
I'm too hot (hot damn), Call the police and a fireman
posted by Colleen Shirazi
on
Tuesday, June 27, 2017
at 2:33 AM (Pacific)
Snapped this while at UC Davis. It was 104F when I left the other day--dry heat so a bit difficult to b!tch about--and they did have this enchanting fountain, within a small park. If you sat there and ate your lunch, the breeze would traverse the threads of water with a nifty air conditioning effect.Labels: odds and sods
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Odds and sods, part 8
posted by Colleen Shirazi
on
Thursday, September 9, 2010
at 6:49 PM (Pacific)
Overheard on the BART (public transit):
Person 1: They're not paying me. I'm gonna give it another year for things to settle down, then I'm gonna transfer out.
Person 2: (encouraging person 1 to argue for more money) ...All the heroes who have endured...
Person 1: They all got stiffed!!
I suddenly remembered this song a couple of days past, when it was "unseasonably" hot (my co-worker says we now get four seasons every day). The Stones released it in the summer, so I can't listen to it now without recalling the heat—Norfolk, Virginia, before centralized home air conditioning became the norm—and I was fourteen, so I got the campiness of it all. "You're just a poor girl in a rich man's house..."
Culled from The Sartorialist:
So what is more important, fashion or style?
I attended a few fashion shows today and I have seen some very "fashionable" young ladies. But, they always come up short when compared to the young ladies doing their own thing.
I know what this season's trends are suppose to be and this young lady doesn't really fit into any of those forecasts and yet she really stood out from all the other pretty young things.Labels: internet, music, odds and sods, videos
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Odds and sods, part 7
posted by Colleen Shirazi
on
Friday, February 26, 2010
at 6:46 PM (Pacific)
Culled from Craigslist (beauty/fashion forum):
Try a microfiber waffleweave towel < hair-dries-faster > 02/24 13:59:25
because it absorbs so much moisture before you start to dry
Yes sham wow or the car shamies < 1stchicagostyle > 02/24 19:35:45
work well
...
These posts were in reference to a question about hairdryer performance...but it's something I've wanted to try for quite some time. You get one of those super-absorbent Sham Wow-type towels and use it to dry your hair in the morning (I don't like to blow-dry).
I realize I wrote something a bit stodgy the other day: Odds and sods, part 6, to the effect that long skirts are aging. I don't think long skirts are aging, but I am cautious about buying them...because it's easier for them to go wrong. They can be done well, like everything else.Labels: culled from craigslist, hair, odds and sods, wardrobe
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Odds and sods, part 6
posted by Colleen Shirazi
on
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
at 10:18 PM (Pacific)
Spring is...actually not here. Yet it's important to pull yourself out of any wintery slump.
J.Crew marked these down (for a magnanimous three days), so I decided to try it out. Not in the above shade--though tempting, I already have a cardigan in that exact lilac. A neutral boatneck would be more useful to me.
I 86'd the notion of trying LL Bean's boatneck (too casual) or Sunhee Moon's (sold out). A good boatneck is oddly uncommon. Oh well, let's see if the J.Crack version is all it's, ah, cracked up to be.
Once you delve into the sheer, something like this is essential. I was glad to spot a camisole with lace on it, and not some dreary miniscule edge o' lace. Here they've even nicely matched up the lace in the center. The only fuddling aspect is why they don't have cream or nude...yet, who cares, "nude" can mean more than your standard creamy brown. The light grey one would do it; the idea is any colorless color, softly blending rather than standing out.
This skirt is not going to be here until March. It looks ordinary--on me, it's not going to be that short, more a knee length (always check the measurements)--it sorta looks like a sewing project, the kind of thing you'd make if you weren't totally lame with a sewing machine.
Yet it seems ideal for what I want. Much as I like the idea of long skirts, I find them aging, on someone who's actually aging (they seem more youthful on the young). A miniskirt is aging as well, again unless you are young. Mid-length works best.
And, it's difficult finding prints that don't cost a fortune...I'm not against that, actually, makes better sense than mediocre prints...here I want a print that doesn't register as a print. If I could find something that looks like graph paper, so much the better, but stripes will do it.Labels: jcrew, odds and sods, wardrobe
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Odds and sods, part 5
posted by Colleen Shirazi
on
Friday, February 12, 2010
at 10:26 PM (Pacific)
Milligan: Someone's coming up the stairs, sir!
Bloodnok: What?! Quick, burn this on the fire.
Milligan: Right. What is it?
Bloodnok: A piece of coal.
Listening to:
I like it even better than the song it sampled (Tom Tom Club's Genius of Love).
Oh when you walk by every night
Talking sweet and looking fine
I get kind of hectic inside
Oh baby I'm so into you
Darling if you only knew
All the things that flow through my mind
But it's just a sweet sweet fantasy...
On the wardrobe front--I've been seeking a boatneck top for quite some time. The trick lies in finding one that's not overly casual.
Not really sold on the J.Crew version yet. It's unavailable in stores (rolls eyes), so naturally I checked the J.Crew Addict blogs. Mixed reviews; some complaints about fit, and about the raw edge in last year's 'Crew model. Hm. I'd prefer one with a higher, narrower neckline, like this:
The sole drawback here is the limited color selection--three to be exact (light grey, deep grey and black).
The beauty of a good boatneck is that it's practical. Done right, it can function as business-casual, as well as casual-casual, and few necklaces won't work with it. Or you can skip the necklace; few earrings wouldn't pop against such an uncluttered backdrop. Looks terrific with any hairstyle, pairs equally well with skirts or pants.
I'm not in a hurry to buy one, just looking around.
Much as I fancy myself a total screwtard with heels, I can handle small heels. I had a pair of vintage heels when I was around fifteen that I loved, and haven't been able to replace since. These are actually not too far off, even with the Cydwoq-y cutouts...it's the vibe of the heel itself, and of the long, pointy toes.
Plus, I have been look for something like a cross between a sandal and a pump, with a closed toe.Labels: cydwoq, jcrew, music, odds and sods, shoes, videos, wardrobe
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Odds and sods, part 4
posted by Colleen Shirazi
on
Sunday, December 27, 2009
at 7:28 PM (Pacific)
Dr. Hauschka Rose Body Oil review
Hermmm...I see this sample pack is a bit over two years old. I've been using up each item slowly--the three creams are gone, the kids got into the Lavender bath oil; the Blackthorn body oil is something no one seems to want to use, so it's slated to be next on my list. I've just shaken out the last drops of the Rose Body Oil.
I wasn't particularly into body oils; they appeared simply a messier alternative to lotion, and the inner cheapskate scowled that a mixture of oils and fragrances had got to be more economical to make yourself. But, hey. The Hauschka rep was nice enough to send a plethora of samples, and I've liked just about all of them--the products are, in a word, engineered.
Rose Body Oil is no exception; you need a mere drop or two of this delicately scented oil to moisturize an area of dry skin. It produces a silkier effect than lotion, and doesn't feel greasy on. As evidenced by my poky use of the product, it keeps at least two years. A full-sized bottle could be a negligible expense.
On second thought, I've decided to replace my current Salux Beauty Skin cloth. Its lifespan would appear to be about a year and nine months. Its scratchiness had diminished over time--it never frayed nor developed a hole, making it a bit awkward to throw away, but it is noticeably less abrasive (this is the thing for keratosis pilaris, ingrown hairs, and even some prevention of acne).
"Fixing" a zipper
I had a horrific experience: the zipper on my handbag ceased to zip. It'd started out getting sticky; crossed my mind it would need some kind of lubrication, like graphite for a keyhole, but one day the pull simply wouldn't lock the teeth. You'd yank the pull all the way over, and the zipper would gape open.
Sometimes the teeth at the base of the zipper would lock for about an inch and a half; I theorized one of the teeth beyond that point was bent, throwing off the remainder of the teeth. Got out my chain-nose pliers, and looked for something to bend back...but after a close examination, I couldn't find any bent or otherwise damaged teeth.
Finally I googled to get some ideas. One article stated you should lubricate your zipper by rubbing a piece of beeswax on it. I actually owned a piece of beeswax, from way back when, so I got that out and started rubbing it along each side of the zipper. You need to do this several times to make zipping nice and smooth.
Weirdly enough, the zipper works now. It wasn't really damaged; it was the stress of sticky zipping that kept the teeth from aligning.
The morale to this story is--if you can't find broken teeth on the zipper, and the pull starts out working (isn't out of sync at the base), why not try this method?
Edited to add: I'm also not unzipping it quite all the way.Labels: bath and body, clothing care, dr. hauschka, odds and sods, product reviews, wardrobe
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Odds and sods, part 3
posted by Colleen Shirazi
on
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
at 10:26 PM (Pacific)
Eh...tired. House cleaning, laundry, mending, yadda yadda...
Which brings us to:
Tide Coldwater detergent. I've used this for several rounds o' clothes; so far, it's good. It cleans as well in cold water as regular Tide would in warm. Possibly too soon to say, but it also appears to fade colors less quickly than regular Tide would in cold.
In 2010, I'm planning to get some black dye from Dharma Trading Company, and toss all my fading black cottons and linens into a ginormous dye vat. The site is a trip: four kinds of black dye (Black, Jet Black, Better Black, New Black), half a page of advice specifically on black dye, plus an entire small-print page of instructions on how to do it.
And finally--given this blog still touts itself as a beauty blog, despite the fact I seldom if ever post about beauty products any more--a passage about makeup.
My beloved Nars Jezebel duo eyeshadow has bitten the dust:
It's still in the "Vintage" section (which is polite, apparently, for "discontinued")... And there is a 20% off $60 coupon code, CP9H1211, good through December 31, 2009, at narscosmetics.com, and free shipping for $25 orders--et cetera.
Buying a back-up copy of Jezebel, and tossing in some other Nars-a-licious product to get the discount, would appear a cosmetiholic no-brainer.
But...do I really want a back-up copy of Jezebel in the first place? It's my favorite eyeshadow--the lilac side features a good-sized dent, whilst the coppery side can't, since it requires a light touch. The duo goes with just about everything...but it'll be months, if not years, before the thing gets used up. I bought it July 2007, and Nars eyeshadows keep for years, without the tragic hardening of, say, MAC eyeshadows, or anything weird and crumbly happening.
I'd much rather wait longer and visit a b & m Sephora and just fiddle around with whatever's on offer at the time.Labels: coupon code, makeup, nars, odds and sods, product reviews, wardrobe
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Odds and sods... part 2
posted by Colleen Shirazi
on
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
at 9:08 PM (Pacific)
Watching an entire video of John & Yoko is too sad, so I liked this blend of Lennon's drawings (animated) and dark New York City clips.
I picked this up on something of a whim, along with a repurchase of Aubrey Organics Blue Camomile shampoo (reviewed here, a bit). Hm.
Honeysuckle Rose smells heavenly; though, to me, neither of honeysuckle nor of rose. Rather, it evokes orange blossom, only without the loud righteous cleaning-product edge so many orange blossom scented products fall prey to. Really nice soft fragrance, which lingered in my hair a commendable several hours.
But, they're not kidding about "DRY"--this may be the ideal shampoo for desert-arid hair (a notch behind Dr. Hauschka's Macadamia and Orange Shampoo, which could lube your bike chain).
Used Honeysuckle Rose the once this morning, and could tell right away it was too heavy for my fine, limp, "combo" hair (oily roots, dry ends). Oh well. I look forward to mixing it with an Avalon Organics shampoo I find too drying.
I can see Aubrey Organics are a bit literal about their shampoos...Blue Camomile was labelled both "Normal" and "Hydrating," and it made my hair quite normal, perhaps a tad on the hydrated side. Camomile Luxurious was both "Normal" and "Volumizing"--pretty normalizing, a skosh less moisturizing than Blue.
If loving you is wrong, I don't want to be right. I'm not overly big on hair ornaments, most of which require thick hair, but there are exceptions. One is the "French clip":
As long as you don't get a huge clip, it should hold even straight, slippery fine hair as well as a claw does.
Originally I was seeking a plain matte black barrette (difficult to find, most are glossy), but the yin and yang of this particular design caught my eye.Labels: aubrey organics, hair, music, odds and sods, product reviews, videos
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Odds and sods...
posted by Colleen Shirazi
on
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
at 9:48 PM (Pacific)
Come to Mama! A built-in remedy, for Khrushchev and Kennedy--yes, I remember that song--I like these shoes, what with the little architectural windows.
Aubrey Organics Camomile Luxurious Shampoo review, updated.
I have since used this up, but don't plan to repurchase. Much prefer Blue Camomile:
Blue is thicker...I don't require weighty shampoo, but Luxurious was actually kind of hard to use, it was that watery. You had to pour and apply so carefully, to avoid wasting precious 'poo.
Blue smells better, as well: light and faintly sweet, rather than the almost medicinal scent of Luxurious. In fact, Blue has achieved this shampoo ho's (unusual) stamp of approval.
Neither lathers particularly well, being organic, but they do clean.
If the road to hell in software development begins with: "Wouldn't it be nice if...", in wardrobe development, it is: "There's a shop..."
This is a killer top. You may be thinking, meh, it's a cotton top...but it wasn't casually slapped together. Like the Art shoe above, a certain amount of thought went into its construction.
This top has a sort of draped, almost paper-like neckline (and cloth that evokes paper is one of my favorite things). The look is more timeless than the cowl neck I was contemplating before.
The cut around the bust is generous (yay!), without appearing baggy. Presumably the neckline would simply be more or less draped, depending on what size rack we are talking about.
The tiny "sleeves" make it seem more season-spanning than true sleevelessness, yet of course it would work in hot weather.
And...it's not cut straight, the way a dude would make it. It subtly undulates at the sides, just enough to be flattering, without being cheesy.Labels: aubrey organics, cydwoq, hair, odds and sods, shoes, wardrobe
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