OK, so I’ve had to consolidate 2 months into one. This is mostly because of the stupid blog hacking that put me out of commission. And then it was finals/wrapping up of my first year of grad school. I’ve been busy.
Gosh, let me see if I remember what happened over these two months. I was busy with school and projects. I went to a lot of museums. I had a friend in from Seattle and we went to a k-pop (EXO) concert. I had a great time showing her around the city.
Somewhere in there, it was my birthday. And spring officially happened. Oh, and I had the flu for too long.
So, here’s my April and May favorites (or at least what I remember).
Wearing (fragrance) – My tastes were all over the place. I was in a mood for basic, mainstream white florals and actually wore the original gardenia-centric Marc Jacobs and a clean jasmine, Shanghai Tang Spring Jasmine. I also was into some animalic scents, which is another totally random thing. So, I wore Masque Montecristo and Miller Harris L’Air de Rein.
In May, I was really into Paco Rabbane Olympèa, which really surprised me. I was also into Hawaiian bath and body products by Malie.
Summary – I was all over the place.
Wearing (cosmetics) – I had the flu for way too long in April, so I actually didn’t wear makeup that much in April. I did actually clean up my messy brows. I enjoyed my grown-out, messy brows but I needed something new.
- Eyes – I realized in April that I miss a natural, glossy lid. This means a lid with no shadow, no primer. I actually went without eyeshadow! This also helped to highlight my “clean” brows. In May, I was back into liquid eyeliners.
- Face – I have been so into oranges. I started wearing NARS Blush in Taj Mahal, a cloudberry orange with tons of gold shimmer. It’s so pigmented, so I have to use it with a fan brush. But, I love its dramatic look. In May, I was totally obsessed with Juvia’s Place Blush Palette in II. I cant’remember the last time I was this excited by blush.
- Lips – I’m still hung up on orange. I like how L’Oreal Colour Riché Lipstick in Volcanic is almost like a “natural” orange. It has some red and some shimmer. When I wanted a bolder lip, I’d wear my favorite red-orange, NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Red Square. In May, I more about browns and mauves.
Summary – I was all about orange.
Wearing (clothes) – It’s actually been a really cool, mild and rainy spring. I keep wearing the same things that I’m sick of wearing (black jeans, black t-shirt and Dr. Martens). I did buy some Gucci slides and loafers. I have been able to wear them each once.
Summary – I shouldn’t complain about the cooler weather but gosh, I just want to wear something different.
Using (skincare) – I’m still using The Ordinary stuff and I’m still determining how I feel about them. I actually really love “The Buffet” but haven’t noticed any drastic results. I like how it feels. I’ve went back to using Paula’s Choice BHA Liquid. I love that stuff. It makes a difference.
Summary – Like usual, I just keep burning my face off with acids.
Eating/Drinking – With people in town and my birthday, I really ate whatever I wanted. I need to curb that. I ended up eating way toooo many sweets. I don’t even like ice cream, but I think that is what stood out to me over the past few months. Van Leeuwen has this vegan turmeric sugar cookie that is absolutely amazing. The mouth feel! Laboratorio has a basil gelato that is so green, so sweet and so wonderful. I also did the Milk Bar “Cereal Milk” soft serve which is garbage compared to those other two. And Fresco in the East Village has my favorite rose gelato.
Summary – I sure have a lot of opinions on ice cream for someone that doesn’t really care for ice cream.
Listening – Well, obviously I listened to EXO and watched their stunning choreography that left the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ a mass burial ground of teenage girls. I then spent the rest of the month listening to Acid House.
Summary – Am I cool mom yet?
Watching – I can’t really remember watching anything other than RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 9 and Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel. Oh, I watched that Casting JoanBenet on Netflix. That was an odd one for sure, but worth watching.
Summary – I have made it my summer goal to watch real movies and read not-so-serious books.
Reading – During April and May, I had no time to really read things unless they were coursework or research related. I have made it my goal to catch up on all the books that I have around. I read Lizzie Ostrom’s “Perfume: A Century of Scents“. If you read this blog, I highly recommend it. Expect a full review in the near future.
Summary – I get to read again!
Wanting – A vacation. We’re frazzled and tired of everything. But, I want one of those easy vacations, not an adventure vacation.
Summary – Or maybe I just want some peace and quiet?
What were your favorites from the past few months? Did you do anything inspiring? Go anywhere inspiring? Eat anything inspiring?
*All photos are mine excluding Gucci loafer (Nordstrom), RuPaul Drag Race Season 9 (Vulture) and Provence (Rocksure Properties). Amazon, Nordstrom, Uniqlo contain affiliate links. Thanks!
I’m always on the hunt for a great big white floral. The Marc Jacobs perfume is a classic and brings back alot of great memories. It’s definitely something for late spring early summer where the humidity makes it bloom.
It was the first white floral I ever bought (so long ago!) and I still love it. It’s easy to wear. I agree, it smells absolutely wonderful when there’s humidity. So many things like this can be suffocating, but this one isn’t.
Congratulations on finishing your first year of grad school! I just got the Ostrom perfume book, too. Can’t wait to dive into it.
Gorgeous photo of you!
Thanks!
It’s an interesting read and easy to read. I think it’s a must read for anyone interested in perfume and history or cosmetic trends throughout the 20th century. I learned a lot from it!
I’m not sure I knew you were a fellow k-pop fan! Who’s your bias in EXO? I thought about going to Big Bang’s MADE concert at the Prudential Center in fall 2015, but the tickets were over $100 and none of my IRL friends like k-pop, so I would have been alone. I still kind of regret not going, though, especially now that my ultimate bias TOP looks likely to leave public life for the foreseeable future. I was so worried about him these past two days (and still am, tbh).
Aaanyway, back to makeup. I’m really into orange these days, too, though it’s always a struggle to find flattering oranges for my face. I want to try and swatch Rituel de Fille’s Bloodroot lipstick if I visit NYC this month.
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This TOP news is just breaking my heart (prescription drug abuse and overdose are my areas of interest). It’s just so sad.
Anyway, yes, I am. So, I missed that show as that entire year was a blur. I missed EXO last year but didn’t forget this year! My friend bought the tickets, no clue how much they cost. Next time I’m going to try to get closer seats. If you ever want to go, let me know. You won’t have to be alone 🙂 Or even the only person there over 17, lol.
I have Bloodroot. I love it but I tend to not understand the concept of things not being flattering.
Favorites for May:
Rediscovered my love of Tarte’s Lights, Camera, Lashes mascara because I couldn’t resist their iridescent unicorn packaging. Been using the Modern Renaissance pallette almost daily. Been living in these black jeans from Primark (i seriously have four or five pairs and they are the only pants I wear). Impulse bought keds that have little ants printed on them (so cute!!!). I’ve also been watching RPDR and have been feeling a little meh about this season. Though Trinity has won me over. I hope she wins. Been planning a trip up to Montreal the beginning of July! It’s so exciting to have a small little trip in the works. Have you ever been??
I’ve also been playing a lot of Dungeons and Dragons. It’s been a lot of fun!!
I tweeted a few days ago that I’m still so into the Modern Renaissance Palette. I’m just as excited about it now as the day I first bought it. I love it so much. The quality is amazing; the colors are great. My only complaint is the packaging which gets gross fast (and I keep mine in the box and I still get my grimy makeup on it!).
Once you find a pair of jeans that work, stock up! I literally have 4 pairs of the same black jeans. Jeans shopping is truly one of my least favorite activities in the world.
PRDR – I could go on and on, but there’s forums for that, lol. I actually like the contestants this season but can’t stand the VH1 editing. The show itself has went downhill but I don’t the talent has (Untucked is essential viewing imo). To my surprise, I’m into Trinity. I can’t believe it. I like Shea and Sasha for sure, but Trinity is polished and I actually love her personality (she’s actually hilarious but the show isn’t doing her justice). Anyway…I’ll cut myself off.
So funny you mention this! I haven’t been but thought about taking a train later this summer just to buy French pharmacy products and sunscreen that doesn’t suck, lol. It looks like a great place to visit.
YES 🙂
Yes, Buffet from The Ordinary feels wonderful but I have no idea whether or not it is doing anything. I like to think it is doing something….
Yes, the Cereal Milk soft serve is highly overrated. In fact, it was one of the worst things I’ve ever tasted. My son said yes it tastes like cereal milk if the milk was from cereal you left out in the sun all day long.
Van Leeuwen, on the other hand, had the best vegan ice cream (chocolate) I’ve ever had in my life.
Don’t worry, soon you will be too hot and will be able to wear your new shoes!
I do love The Buffet’s feel. Haven’t noticed anything, but haven’t noticed anything negative either. I said I’d decide on my feelings once I finish the bottle.
THANK YOU! You guys are so correct. Cereal Milk is terrible. It does have a funky, curdled flavor. I actually didn’t finish mine. I couldn’t. It was making me feel sick. Now Van Leeuwen, that’s a different story. They are so good. I’ve only had their vegan varieties. I still haven’t tried the chocolate yet. They have a rose/cardamom that is so good. They are hands down the best vegan ice cream I’ve ever had. I may just say vegan or not, some of the best. The mouth feel is so satisfying.
I wish I didn’t even say anything. The forecast says its in the 90’s next week 🙁
I did finish my bottle of The Buffet and can’t decide whether or not to buy another. I will await your assessment. I’ve also tried the vitamin C serum, which I have mixed feelings about. It’s very strong! Seems very harsh. I’m using it up now by putting it on my hands and arms (for brown spots). I also tried the Retinol 2 percent and think it caused a rash on my chest. Paula’s Choice seems much safer, though more expensive, of course. The Ordinary is so tempting because it is so inexpensive and in those nice little bottles.
And I’m excited to hear about Van Leeuwen’s other vegan ice cream options. I will definitely go there again the next time I’m in New York. Haha, I’m avoiding coming during the summer even though I’m dying to visit my cousin because, well, the heat.
I agree. The price is very good so I hate to say anything really negative because it’s good for the price. I love the packaging, very streamlined and pleasing. I think they are introducing actives to people that may not have tried before (too expensive). It’s a great brand. However, I think there are better products out there (and they cost more). Like when you buy something like PC (or a list of others), you get ingredients that also soothe, which is important when you use stuff that may be “too much” for a lot of skin types. These are like “raw”. So you have to build a tolerance or spend money on other products to soothe/counteract the “rawness”. The Vitamin C does make me look red, but all Vitamin Cs do. I need to find one that is efficient but also loaded with buffers to make soothe my fussy skin…and to get that I’m going to have to pay more than I want.
Before moving here, I’d only visited NYC in August and Feb. I had no idea that pleasant weather existed here! Summer is rough. Already upper 90’s.
[…] summers. In fact, that’s why I’m reviewing these now, years later after purchase. The past month I have been wearing Spring Jasmine at least 5 nights a […]
I went to Australia so that was my favorite everything in May. Do you know how freaking friendly and awesome Australians are?? I am practicing the accent because I wanna be all in. Except for the 14 hour flight. I had amazing macarons there, ate delicious things at a restaurant called Lucy Lui’s (no relation), had a wombat named Mariah try to nap on me, watched a pair of sister Tasmanian devils lovingly fight over dinner, and fed meatballs to a tawny frog mouth (which is an adorable owl-like bird) named Kermit.
I want your PRE-birthday cake (and I think that’s a great idea!). Instead of cake, I’ve been eating healthy, SSSSIIIIGGGGHHHHH, but birthday month is almost here!
I want to know more about k-pop, but it feels like saying, I want to know more about jazz. Where does one start?
What?! A wombat named Mariah?! Feeding meatballs to frog-birds? My mind is BLOWN. That sounds like one heck of a trip. I could totally do a 14+ hour flight for that! My mind is still trying to process all of this greatness.
That cake was amazing. I honestly couldn’t decide. There was one that looked like a giant cappuccino and had a handle and everything. I need to get back to being healthy. I was so thrown off from birthdays month (mine, my spouse’s and everyone else is a Taurus!) It’s hot here now so that typically makes me eat less…plus lots of veggies and fruits in season.
Hmm…I’d just watch some videos on Youtube and you’ll get the idea…lots of dancing, funky fashions and people with perfect skin. This is so lame but I follow some of the “gossip” websites, OK, they’re more news but I feel like they get gossip-y. I only follow these to introduce me to new groups and because it’s a nice distraction from real, scary news.