TWENTY-TWO

I graduated college in June, moved out of my college apartment in July, moved home in August and turned twenty-two yesterday.  Twenty-two is tough because you're supposed to act like a serious adult (get a "real job" that will lead to a "rewarding career", save up to buy a condo, have a serious relationship, think about kids) but also be a kid (have fun with your friends, go on vacation, play the slots in Vegas).  I've read books and seen images that capture this period, but the scent I've found that best captures this time in my life is Romantina. 

Honestly, it's easy to find a good scent.  At a certain point everything just kind of smells like flowers, right?  I'm big on wearing a new scent everyday, but I think Romantina is perfect for everyday.  The Juliet Has a Gun website describes it as, "an ode to insouciance," and I think that's exactly what I want right now.  For me, twenty-two isn't about focusing on not having a permanent career, serious relationship or house.  Twenty-two is about the freedom of not having a set schedule, boyfriend to check in with or mortgage to pay. 

Romantina is musty and mysterious, but also has familiar elements of orange blossom and vanilla.  It's light and playful enough to wear everyday, but it has the presence and beauty to be taken seriously.  Romantina captures the best parts about the early twenties.

SACHAJUAN

I'm pretty much a sucker for anything my hair stylist tells me I need.  I like to keep my hair long and blonde.  I also I enjoy swimming in cholorinated pools, being outside in the sun, changing my hair color from red to brown to blonde, and abusing my hair in general.  I have a cabinet of Bumble & Bumble, Kerastase, John Frieda and pretty much every defrizzing, strengthening magic potion you can think of.  I can say that my favorite purchase was my ghd straightener.  I have seriously curly hair and it takes the curl right out.  My favorite product and latest "discovery" (It was, not surprisingly, a recommendation.) is Sachajuan.  I love the Silver Shampoo and Conditioner to keep my hair blonde.  I also like to mix it up with the Intensive Repair Shampoo and Conditioner to add extra shine and strength.  Another great product from the line is Ocean Mist, which lets me blow dry some beachy texture into my waves when I haven't set foot near the sea.

The Great Debate

There seems to be a generational lipstick/lip gloss gap.  I'm pretty sure anyone over the age of 30 refuses to wear lip gloss, and anyone under the age of 30 refuses to wear lip stick everyday.  My mom thinks gloss is too sticky and too shiny, and I think lipstick is too heavy for everyday use.  ILIA Pure Lip Care has addressed this concern with a "Lip Conditioner."  ILIA has the feel of a lipstick but moisturizes like a balm and goes on smooth like gloss.  It comes in a variety of colors, but my favorite is Arabian Nights, a berry shade that is surprisingly wearable due to the fact that it's a tint and not a lipstick.  My mom's favorite is Nobody's Baby, a light pink that she can wear everyday.  They all go on very different than standard lipstick, and I would highly suggest ordering at least one, even if it's just to try it.

Perfume Leather Jacket

At first glance it's pretty difficult to believe that the packaging above from CoSTUME NATIONAL comes from a company with a website like this.  The clean, black bottle with the sans-serif font looks pretty fancy (dare I say corporate?) at first, but after you smell the inside, you realize that it's no flair, stripped-down, every-great-think-about-punk-rock-in-a-bottle.  Stronger than almost any other perfume I've tried (barring the overly floral ones that make me smell suspiciously like my grandmother), CoSTUME NATIONAL SCENT INTENSE really deserves its CAPS LOCK lettering and claim to being "a punk rock no-holds-barred amber and woods beast".  I put it on.  It smelled great.  It lasted all day.  It's my new leather jacket of perfumes.

Mother's Day

The hardest person to shop for in my life is without a doubt my mother.  She's picky and seems to have everything she needs.  She's threatened to throw away any more knickknacks we buy her and owns almost everything from Sur La Table.  This Mother's Day I decided to buy her stuff she likes and has run out of or owns in a different color.  Here is a list of mom-approved things:

Top Row
1. Bliss Glamour Gloves - This is one of those presents that I end up buying two of because I just can't get enough of it!  They're especially nice if your mom does a lot of gardening in the summer.
2. ILIA Nobody's Baby - This is my mom's favorite lipstick because it's not really a lipstick, but a lip conditioner.  This shade is also sheer and perfect for everyday wear.
3. Beauty Blender - This is a nice addition to any gift basket.  It makes putting on foundation or tinted moisturizer so much easier and faster.
4. Lollia Calm Shea Butter Handcreme - My mom keeps this on her nightstand.

Bottom Row
1. Lollia In Love Sea Salt Sachet - Perfect gift of relaxation for after the Mother's Day festivities.
2. Mathias Paris Freezia/ Freesia Candle - My mom doesn't own this one yet, but I loved it enough for the both of us.  Seriously though, can you ever really go wrong with venetian-inspired hand blown glass?
3. Pevonia lumafirm Repair Cream Lift & Glow - Word on the street is that this is some pretty amazing stuff.  We gave samples to the hairdressers across the street and their clients started coming into the shop to buy it because they were so impressed!  Pevonia says that 100% of participants in a recent study were satisfied with the immediate lightening effect and felt their complexion looked uniformly smoother and visibly brighter, and I believe it!
4. Bliss Softening Socks -  These are the same deal as the Bliss Glamour Gloves, and I love them!  They're even more important to my mom in the summer because she wears sandals or goes barefoot most of the time.

Breakfast Club Bag

I love getting compliments.  I think it's why we buy half of the stuff we do.  Today I was complimented on my Jessica Kagan Cushman bag.  Since it was filled with all of my clothes for cycling later that day, I struck up a conversation and made a new friend.  I think that's what a good bag is all about.  That and being big enough to fit enough of your stuff in so you can pretend you're Allison Reynolds from the Breakfast Club.  I mean, you never know when you have to jam.

OK, I'm Sold

So I've been trying to apply liquid foundation for about five years now with mixed results.  I only wear it on special occasions (I wear either powder foundation or tinted moisturizer.) so it's always a little more difficult for me and takes a little longer to do than putting on mascara or everything else I do everyday.  (You definitely don't want to watch me put on fake eyelashes, people.  Seriously, they're my white whale.)  A lot of people have told me to put foundation on with my fingers, but it looks streaky and uneven. I ended up settling on sponges, but I find they're difficult to use near my nose.  I know half of you beauty geniuses are rolling your eyes like I'm one of those infomercial ladies who say things like, "Is your stove too difficult to use?" but it seriously took me an entire week to adjust to my new ghd flatiron.  Point being nothing is too easy for me in the world of beauty that I can't make it difficult.  I've had a beauty blender sitting in my drawer for a few weeks, but I had never had the chance to use it.  I bought Ellis Faas's Skin Veil, and I tried to apply it with my fingers.  My skin was so dry it sucked half of it up, and, not surprising, what was left was a blotchy mess.  I made a phone call to my beauty experts and they asked me if I was using moisturizer everyday and if I had tried my Beautyblender yet.  I said no, applied some moisturizer and tried the Beautyblender.  (All while I was on the phone I might add!)  It ended up working great!  I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to use, especially around the nose.  My moisturized skin also didn't suck up the makeup in the same way, allowing me to apply it more evenly.
My tips for easy liquid foundation application are:
1.) Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize
2.) Make sure you're using the right color (duh)
3.) Use an application method that works for you (for me it's the Beautyblender)