Month: September 2016
questions & answers
in light of oh-so-curated beauty brand glossier’s newest addition–serums–I wondered if everyone else wondered the same thing: what the heck is a serum? into the gloss, the proud parents of glossier, fittingly & unsurprisingly had the answers. they have all the answers. reading these whiz kids’ write ups on techniques and products is always informative, if not inspiring.
I’ve been thinking about questions & answers–fumbling through the index of war&peace for context, researching rilke when a spirtual friend referenced his modernist self-orientation & pessimism in context to her mediative practices, her understanding of the universe as an entity in lieu of god, and finding, aghast, that the poet had been appropriated by the ‘new age’ community. made up of folks like her who watch a lot of oprah.
do they understand the context–and do they care to?–of questions, even if present in psuedo-mystic poetry, on the self and society, on god and nature?
wondering about what constitutes or complicates cultural appropriation when a fabulous friend declared he hoped to emmulate the bold, whimsical, riotous textiles popular in west & southern african sartorialism and was scolded about gay rights in said part of the world.
and then we talked about art as global, as shared, as lacking ownership and therefore, potentially, unifying, with glasses of wine and cigarettes in hand. straight out of some meandering godard film (watched a bit of his documentary on sympathy for the devil the other night; it was, of course, stange and beautiful and political. if not informative, inspiring).
sometimes, there are not really any answers, no objective truths. but one should always ask the questions.
adios, summer
summer is almost over. those balmy, hazy, lazy last days are upon us, even in Texas, where the temperature is at a steady ten degrees cooler (ninety-ish) than it once was.
it’s going to be a fall of classic, classy, low chignons; minimalism: all solids and horizontal stripes, thank you, black jeans & black turtlenecks and plum or bold red lips–no mascara, thank you. I’m going to read War & Peace, a novel that, as far as I can tell, speaks to self-improvement and self-actualization, revolution, change.
the first chill hasn’t hit yet. even still, that electric sense of newness in the air. that jolting bolt of transformation, that buzzing urge towards productivity and creativity. that sense of moving forward that impels looking back.
in the spirit of summer’s last days, there’s some scuzzy, garage pop-punk via White Reaper. wreck shit and have some fun while the sun’s still shining upon backyard gatherings and rooftop hangs.
in the spirit of fall’s first days, there’s Into the Gloss’ fall makeup report.
I, personally, am into the glowing, natural Kors look & the sunburnt, ruffled Wang look–but that’s the end of season in me talking; before long I’ll be all Wu.
there’s also, for me, an impetus towards being more staid & thoughtful in my eating habits–not, for instance, taking it for granted that I get free, pillowy ciabatta to dunk in copious grass-green oil whenever I want. behold: raw granola bars.
it’s a start.
Untitled #5
blood orange, wine
drank red wine + blood orange soda the other night atop my friend’s car, and as the ice clinked and jangled we talked about life as a part of death & vice versa, that it was cyclical, and while scientific–death, as we all know and can observe, comprehend and analyze, creates and sustains new life–inherently spiritual.
wine cocktails or spritzers or whatever nomenclature strikes your fancy are surprisingly refreshing. I’m not an effervescent girl, I like still not sparkling, straight not muddled, diluted or lightened up. but when it’s late summer and you’re sitting on the hood of an old Volvo chainsmoking and talking about life and death, it’s just the thing.
choose a big yet balanced red, nothing too fruit forward. about 1/4 soda to wine–we mixed ours with the inimitable aranciata rossa from san pellegrino; I’d even recommend a splash of cocchi rosa for extra cheek.
serve over ice & get philosophical.
bisous!
france gall, sheila & johnny hallyday // pin via electric love company
au naturel
it’s been the summer of au naturel, of suntans and freckles, makeup that enhances rather than transforms, cropped tee shirts and cropped jeans–the summer of keeping it simple.
this summer I nearly turned blonde; the sun gave me the prettiest highlights, gratis, and my brunette girlfriends got little red flecks & streaks after we sunbathed on roofs and on blow-up rafts and on plastic daybeds.
now, it’s time to think about fall. I’m thinking camel & mulberry, black turtlenecks and gold earrings.
I’m looking at fall through the dissipating haze of late summer, when everything has a golden glow, and following that gamine hipster turned chill-ass babely rock goddess 60’s/70’s vibe on home (also looking to invest in some decidedly transitional reading, moving on from the lighter rooftop fare to the academic & retrospective). here come longer days and cooler nights, new looks and new vibes.
happy September.
images: glossier / lisa says gah / NARS (fast ride) / madewell / anjelica huston
minois chiffonné 