Parade of Black Flats

Since moving to New York, I have trashed two pairs of flats; discovered that another pair I owned is completely uncomfortable (and ugly); realized the reason I never wear another pair (wretchedly uncomfortable, blisters); and acquired a special occasion pair. The thing I don't currently have? A black pair suitable for wearing with dresses and jeans alike that will allow me to sprint down subway stairs to make trains. While running an errand on the east side of town, I happened to walk by a Steve Madden store. I literally walked by. I had a definite Steve Madden moment in college- lots of round toed platforms and chunky heels - but it's been years since I've found something there that's worked for me. Too overtly trendy. . .too young. Too collegiate. I don't know why, but the Madden just wasn't working for me.

But after walking by the store I actually walked a few steps backward because the windows were full of. . .cute flats. I went in the store and was literally overwhelmed by the possibilities. It got me wondering about what kind of shoe style-image I want to have this fall. The choices are endless. Do I want to be classic? What kind of classic do I want to be? Classic ballet flat? Classic pointy? Classic pointy embellished? Or do I want to be a funky hipster boho girl? Carry the summer's gladiator trend* into fall? Try to emulate Chanel** with these quilted cap-toe flats? Yes, I know they aren't black flats per se, but they are both adorable and neutral. I'm just not sure. . .

* Am I the only one who thinks these shoes tend to broadcast a more Christopher Robin type vibe than Russell Crowe?
**Although it seems to me that faux Chanel is the very antithesis of Chanel . . .

Dark Circles Take Two: One Great Concealer

After I posted my recent blog about Mary Kay’s amazing under eye serum that has, if not eradicated my dark circles, then certainly reduced them, the feeling that I had left something out continued to nag me. In the middle of the night, I woke up and suddenly remembered my conversation with my frenemy about my dark cirlces in greater detail.

After I explained to her, in a slightly snippy manner, that I’d tried all kinds of remedies for dark circles, she knit her brows together and suggested that I perhaps try some concealer then. As if I’d never thought of that. At that point, I became annoyed, and rather tartly told her that because of the sensitive nature of under eye skin, concealer often cakes on and is obvious - hence concealing nothing. (It was a bit of a hint to her, I admit it). And, yes, I informed her, I had tried many concealers. No wonder we don’t have brunch any more.

Anyway, this reminded me of something else. About two months ago, I lost my somewhat expensive, and oh so fabulous Laura Mercier concealer, and still have not replaced it. If said frenemy is reading this, I suggest she look into the Laura Mercier concealer, which is the only concealer I have found that doesn’t look cakey under the eyes. I also think it has helped me with my ongoing battled against mascara flakiness. But anyway, it hit me that I still haven’t replaced the concealer. BECAUSE MY DARK CIRCLES ARE. . .NOT SO DARK. Further proof that the Mary Kay eye serum is in fact, working.

But, the Laura Mercier concealer is seriously great. It’s creamy, glides on, and provides amazing coverage, while still managing to be fairly lightweight - but it's also easy to layer it up. I recommend applying it with a brush - I happen to like a big foundation brush best for under the eyes. And – here’s a fun tip taught to me by a make up artist from a rival company – if you lightly apply it to your eye lid before applying eye liner or eye shadow, said eye liner/eye shadow will stay put longer, and will not smudge. This is especially useful for those girls who, like me, have greasy eye lids. Works better than any eye primer I’ve tried. My eye liner stays put when I use it - even in the oppressive mugginess of a New York City summer. I may go buy some now, just for that purpose.

Sense, Stilettos and Sensibility

There is a certain kind of girl who can pull off this shoe. She is tall and thin, and probably has an accent and Gucci sunglasses. She definitely always takes cabs.

I am not this girl. I adore shoes, and I adore heels. My friends can vouch for my penchant for utterly impractical, but absurdly adorable shoes with gravity defying heels. Oddly enough, since moving to New York, I’ve embraced the flat shoe. Actually this isn’t odd, because this is a city that requires a lot of walking, and believe you me, it is impossible to navigate the New York City subway, or run for buses, or hike the four flights to my walk up, in peep-toe- gladiator-stiletto-booties. Also, last fall, I developed a foot problem commonly seen in people who run a lot. Like 25 miles a week a lot. Or wear a lot of high heels. Guess which category I fell into. No, really. Guess.

Anyway, between transitioning to New York, and my foot problem, and the continued trend that I think was a gift from heaven (the return of cute flat shoes), I just don’t wear that many heels these days. I miss it. So I want to wear some cute fall heels, but I’ve realized that my high pointy stilettos are a thing of the past save on rare occasions when I am strolling a few blocks, or cabbing it. I think fashion might be moving on from that look anyway. Fortunately, the shoe-gods continue to smile on me with round toes and thick heels as we go into Autumn, even as they smile on that tall, thin, Guccied out girl who is cabbing around the city in her strappy, gladiator, peep-toe, stiletto booties. . .but I digress.

I’m thinking that these would be a fun addition to my fall wardrobe. I love the rich red color, the heel is chunky without being stodgy, and I adore the ruffle down the front, as well as the retro 1940s vibe. I envision them with dark jeans and a long grey cardigan, or a perfect black dress, or especially with a sleek motorcylcle inspired jacket with a bright scarf for contrast. Best of all, they are even cuter in person. While not exactly perfect for traversing the subway, or strolling in Central park, I think they are doable. And won't give me nearly as much trouble on the cobble stoned streets of the village as those gladiator booties. . .but I'm not sure if they are grown up enough. What do you all think? Too much?

Miracle Product?

Several years ago, I was innocently having brunch with a well mean-
ing (I think) friend, when she asked me if there wasn't something I
could do about the dark circles under my eyes.

I was a bit taken aback by how disturbed she was by my dark circles, but unfortunately, dark circles just seem to run in my family. In fact, they are mainly caused by heredity. I'd used various eye creams that claimed to eradicate dark circles, but without much success.

My friend left town for several months, and the next time I saw her, she again sighed over those dark circles. This time, I explained to her that I'd tried creams - multiple creams, expensive creams - and that they didn't work. She sighed again, and moved on to some other topic and I resolved not to have any more lunches with this particular frenemy.

Then, last year, Mary Kay - yes pink-lady, Texas founded Mary Kay- came out with an eye serum, the official name of which is: “TimeWise Targeted Action Eye Revitalizer”. It comes in a small slick bottle, and it has a roller ball application, so the serum glides on. It promises to reduce not only dark circles but also eye puffiness. Naturally I was skeptical.

But my sister, who in the interest of full disclosure is a bone fide Mary Kay lady, persuaded me to try it. Being a bone fide product junkie, I needed little persuasion, and rotated the “targeted action eye revitalizer” into my morning routine. It went on cool and if nothing else, I liked the way my eyes felt after I put it on – refreshed, possibly a bit tighter. And after a few months, I even thought my dark circles were looking. . .not so dark.

Still, I shrugged it off, thinking that perhaps it was because since moving to New York, I’ve slept more than I did in the preceding three years. (Although as the first hyperlink confirms, that has nothing to do with dark circles per se, though a lack of sleep can increase the pallor of skin which exacerbates the appearance of dark circles). But then I realized that since I’ved moved here, no one ever tells me I look tired anymore. Even when I am tired. This gave me pause. A trip home in August confirmed it. My mother verified that my dark circles were, if not entirely a thing of the past, not terribly noticeable.

Use it. Love it. If you don’t love it – Mary Kay has a guaranteed return policy. Seriously. One tiny jar has lasted me for about 8 months, with a once a day application. And there's not any pink on the bottle. For some reason, this reassures me.

Back to Basics: Or So I Thought

Thomas Wolfe said you can't go home again. Apparently, you also can't go back to products again.

I discovered St Ive’s Apricot Scrub as a freshman in high school, when every girl I knew (including me) had to have a tub of it in her shower. And I do mean a tub: it was apricot colored, and you had to reach in to scoop it out, leaving the outside a gritty mess. I’d forgotten all about Apricot Scrub until a sleek white tube of it appeared in our shower shortly after our summer subletter moved in.

I’ve tried many, many face scrubs since my initial encounter with St. Ives (which I’m not even sure I used on my face, come to think of it), and none have really stuck. After eying our subletter’s for a few days, I tried a dab. It left my skin. . . softer. The new packaging sucked me in, and the scent was the same subtle, fresh scent I remembered. A week later, I tried another dab. Softer still. Stealing a bit every few days became a habit. It wasn’t my imagination – I had fewer clogged pores. But alas, after a long August vacation, I returned to find that our subletter had left and taken her St. Ives with her. I was so disappointed I resolved that I was going to recommit to this classic product. Or maybe it's just because every September I have a yearning to buy school supplies and new shoes, and this year my back to school urges were manifested in the form of going retro with my face scrub. (Tip: to really maximize the exfoliating effect, use it when your face is really wet. It's the last thing I use in the shower).

A few days after I made this resolution, I was wandering through the East Village Kmart (don’t ask) and my eyes searched out a row of sleek white tubes. Paydirt! I snatched one up, and I felt my smile of delight at finding my old friend scrunch into an expression of puzzlement. The label read “St. Ives Apricot Scub: Renew and Firm". Huh? I crouched down and discovered that there were now 4 kinds of St. Ives Apricot Scrub: Aging (Renew & Refirm), Sensitive, Blemish Control, and Blemish & Blackhead Control.

So much for back to basics. My head spun as I frantically tried to remember what our subletter's tube had said - but I just remembered that it said "St. Ives Apricot Scrub." I don't want blemishes or blackheads. But I also don't want fine lines - and I like anything that says alpha-hydroxies. And though it's never been confirmed, I have a firmly held belief that I have sensitive skin. What to do? After a solid twenty minutes of deliberation, I walked out with a headache and a tube of the Blemish & Blackhead control. We'll see how it goes.

Here's the thing. . .

The thing of it is this: I've been on a quest for perfect, flawless skin since I was thirteen and my father - yes my father - walked into my bedroom after a trip from the drug store with a tube of Oxy10, a bottle of some type of toner or astringent and something called a buff puff, which was supposed to restore my face to it's former baby softness. The fact of the matter was that I had acne - nothing severe mind you, just normal run of the mill teenage acne, exacerbated by certain times of the month and the half of can of Rave hairspray required to sculpt my bangs each morning - and he was giving me some tools to help.

I remember my fascination with the cool, tingly feeling that the toner (no idea what brand it was) gave my oily face, and the slightly scratchy texture of the oval, pink "buff puff" which was really sort of like a very gentle brillo pad for the face. I was hooked. That bottle of toner lasted maybe a month. It was the start of a life long obsession with skin care products, and an ongoing battle with my face. There have been highs and lows in the war for perfect skin: I've eradicated pimples only to be hit with blackheads, banished oiliness and then gone through periods of excessive dryness. Occasional periods of glowing skin have been followed by the realization that my eyes are puffy and I have terrible dark circles. It's a catch-22 that Joseph Heller never imagined - how to fight blemishes while simultaneously staving off fine lines. Over the course of my journey, I've tried practically every brand on the drugstore aisle, and a fair amount of the ones at Nordstrom. The first time I went to Sephora it was like coming home. I've been devoted to single lines, and used cocktails mixed from various lines. In short, I've tried a lot of products, and feel the need to share my knowledge with the world.