Winter don’t care.

Sorry I haven’t been around for a few days. Everybody in my house has been sick. Being a Good Mom, of course I took care of everyone, and then I caught it. And that, my friends, is called The Thanks I Get. So as I lay huddled under blankets, all sinus-y and over-medicated, I got good and tired of winter.

Eventually, I got over my cold. But I was still feeling the effects of the chill. I’d been staring at 2-3 foot piles of snow and ice so long, I was seriously starting think we had a Narnia situation going on here. Right? Remember, how the White Witch cast a spell and so it was always winter and Christmas never came? Except that we did have Christmas, but that was before all the snow storms hit so. . . When I had a 102 degree fever this all seemed very reasonable.

The combination of heated air, flannel sheets, and sickness had my poor skin screaming for relief. The skin on my body was so dry and painfully itchy, while my face was so oily and flaky AT THE SAME TIME. And don’t even get me started on how scary and reptilian my hands were becoming. And my hair? So sad, because…like coils of straw. Doesn’t that sound like black magic to you? So now you understand my Narnia/White Witch conspiracy theory.

Why yes, I am low on Vitamin D, why do you ask?

Anyway, things were getting real, so I took matters into my own hands and beefed up my beauty regimen. I simply had to do something about that dry-itchy-oily-scaly-red-and-flaky situation I had going on. I am happy to report that my nearly defeated skin and hair are coming back to life. So I made this pretty little collage of some of the products that helped me get through this crisis.

Oh, and guess what? Temperatures are expected to hit the mid to high 50’s next week. This is the deep magic. Spring is coming to Narnia.

Click any image for a larger view.

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1. Angels on Bare Skin facial cleanser by Lush.

2. Normaderm Anti-age serum by Vichy.

3. Time to Revitalize Extreme Firming Eye Cream by Ahava.

4. Lights, Camera, Lashes! 4 in 1 mascara by Tarte.

5. Ultrabland cleanser and makeup remover by Lush.

6. Hibiscus tinted lip balm by Burt’s Bees.

7. Limited Edition Rose Jam Shower Gel by Lush.

8. Healing Balm all-purpose moisturizer by Honest Company.

9. Dermud Nourishing Body Cream by Ahava.

10. Moroccan Argan Cream Shampoo and Conditioner by Organix.

11. Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy, Conditioning Hair Perfume by Lush.

12. Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil by Nutiva.

PS. This HuffPost article has something to say about refrigerating your beauty products. As if we need to do that this winter.

Book trailers are a thing, and other weekend amusements.

So yeah, books have trailers now. I know that because I am au courant (which is French for “knowing the newest information and trends…eventually”) and a zeitgeist (which is German for “I’m on Twitter”).

The New Yorker posted the trailer for B.J. Novak’s (The Office) new book, “One More Thing”. Novak is a smart guy. He featured Mindy Kaling and referenced Sartre in the same trailer. So funny. I’m getting the book based on those two merits alone.

When you’ve finished being impressed with the unbelievable beauty and complexity of Mindy Kaling, here’s some more amusing links to like this weekend:

Director Adrian De Sa Garces’ unreal personal photo journal of his home town Walvis Bay, Namibia.

A vocabulary test that will tell you how many English words you know! Crucial information if you are, like me, a writer, a teacher, and a nerd.

These recipes featuring eggs that look so good I want to cry.

Just ordered this book on Amazon based purely on this intriguing blog post and some of the comments that follow. This is the first time I’ve ever bought a book that I knew nothing about.

A leather jacket I totally want.

Also, this helpful little primer gives practical suggestions for dressing your age. Maybe no leather skinnies for me after all!

Motawi’s brilliantly beautiful new additions to the Charlie Harper collection of ceramic art tiles. I’d love to redo all of my backsplashes with a few of these lovelies.

As a faithful wearer of red lipstick myself, I thought this was a good tip to avoid ring-around-the-mouth.

Have a great weekend!

Reimaging the french manicure.

I certainly don’t mind a good trend when one comes around. Ombré hair, high-waisted shorts, hey I’m wearing skinny jeans even as we speak. Though I still say, when it comes to Boho: proceed with caution. But for the most part, I’m pretty classic in my personal style. I believe in the sanctity of the navy cashmere V-neck, the french-striped boatneck, the black ballet flat, the red lip. So when I’m getting my nails did and tired of single-hued tips, I have been known to sometimes opt for a french manicure. Sure, they fell out of fashion for a while, but they remain clean, simple, and they do not detract when kept crisp and short. A french manicure is doable for most, and unabashedly chic.

Lately, I’ve been noticing some very cool and creative retakes on my classic stand-by. Here’s a few that particularly caught my eye.

1. Palest pink with gold and a little sparkle. 2. Metallic green and sapphire color-blocking 3.Beige nude with the thinnest black tip. 4. The ombré trend at your fingertips. 5. The edgy sideways french manicure.

All uncredited images found via Pinterest.