Don't Forget to Pack... (Beauty Edition)

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Fresh off the runway (tarmac, not fashion): …our travel must-haves!

Julia’s Top 3

-Neutrogena Oil Free Eye Makeup Remover: I won’t lie and say that I’m one of those girls who can’t sleep if she has a stitch of makeup on (I know- not good).  Priority #1 is taking my contacts out, after that, it’s fair game as to what gets done on vacation.  (Night serums, makeup remover…sure, on a good night.)  I do, however, always kick myself when I forget to pack this particular product.  I imagine it could remove permanent marker in the gentlest fashion.  Nothing makes me feel like I’m working with a clean slate like a thorough swab of this potion over my eyes.

- Morrocanoil: whether it’s the humidity or the hotel hair dryer, my lion’s mane is usually in need of some tender love and care come Day 2 of vacation.  Morrocanoil is the ticket to frizz-less, effortless beach hair…whether you’re at the beach or not (and it smells ridiculous! +5).

-A palette with a good size mirror:  Palettes are fantastic for travel because they lighten the load, but the emphasis here is on the mirror.  Hotel bathroom lighting is always touch-and-go.  Florescent bulbs!?  That’s not an accurate representation of how the rest of the world will see you.  Grabbing a sizable mirror and parking it by a window can be a real game changer for makeup application.  Natural lighting is a dear old friend.

Lauren’s Top 3

- Tan Towels: If I'm traveling for a special event, it often requires me to show body parts that haven't seen the sun for a long long time (see: the wedding I went to this past weekend). I've tried a number of different self-tanners over the years, but Tan Towels are by far the best. They distribute excellent color, don't streak and they’re perfect for traveling. Beware of Tan Towel look-alikes (even some that are more expensive). This is the brand you want.

- Kielh's Midnight Recovery: everybody knows that long flights dry you up, but sometimes your daily moisturizer just won't cut it. A few drops of this serum before bedtime quenches your skin over night and leaves you feeling refreshed and bright in the morning. It's travel size, but will last forever. 

- Bobby pins: Never underestimate the power of a bobby pin. Vacation hair is unpredictable. You might not have your favorite styling tools or hair products, so you often resort to throwing your hair up in a ponytail or bun... not that there's anything wrong with that... BUT, with a bobby pin, you can add a twist or a side braid in minutes and completely upgrade the look. 

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Week 5(?) Update: Account Deleted and other news

Veni Vidi Vici...
We came to online dating.  We saw a ton of gems.  We conquered...not a whole lot.
Nothing against the talent of Chicago, but the online matching process is simply not for us. (Perhaps it was just the site we used?) 
I think it's fair to say we could have put in a bit more effort.  There must be a unicorn or two roaming around out there.  But I guarantee, had we been more active on the site, we probably would have deactivated much sooner.
That said, onward and upward.
What have we been up to the past four weeks?  Finals, papers, and projects-- a bit of travel-- and most importantly, working harder than ever on TheStylisted.com! (Full site launch is mere weeks away!)
Since the most interesting tidbit in there (for most people) is probably the snippet of travel, let's build upon that! 
Next blog post: What do a couple of normal girls absolutely need (beauty-wise) when traveling?
(I love any magazine that includes this section, but, generally, I can't afford the $400 lavender oil that the French designer swears by.)  We'll keep it very honest.  No bubble bath and travel candles here!
Stay tuned!!

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March Maddness: Week 1 Update

Soooo... this might not be for us, but we're certainly learning a great deal about the sport of online dating and the special men of Chicago.
I guess since we don't have any actual dates to report on, we'll just fill the team in on what we've learned thus far...

1. What's in a name? (Umm, a lot)
The first thing you do when creating a dating profile is pick your username.  Something kind of normal and catchy, but vague enough so the stalker down the street can't find you. 
If you have the words "love", "foru", "mr.", or "sexy" in your name, chances are we're not the gals "foru".

2. Your picture
Congratulations, you work out. Thanks for being creepy. 
Shirtless pictures are not the way to a woman's heart.  Especially shirtless pictures that don't include your face.  I have a washing machine, thanks.  I don't need to do my laundry on your abs.  Furthermore, I'm going to assume you're frightening from the neck up and/or in the game for nothing more than a physical romp.  Let me direct you to the 12 bars on Division St. that are crawling with bombed beauties on a Friday and Saturday, many of whom will probably satisfy your needs.

3. Messages
Please no nicknames or emoticons.  Is that cool, hun?  ;)
Also, let's keep messaging brief.  The point of this is to meet in person, right?  Since our profiles are fairly vague and rather tongue-and-cheek, it's safe to say you shouldn't assume we're "looking for the same things"...especially if you're someone who claims to "eat to live, not live to eat".  #we'rehungry

We recognize this may sound kind of judgmental, but week one of online dating was pretty scary and kind of traumatic (did we mention one of us was asked to be a third in a menage a trois?). 

Rather than shut down our profiles and take the oath to deny this ever happened (deleting all blog posts), we proactively went online Friday and tried to make our own matches.  Why let the men do all the picking?  We have a few prospective gems, but time will tell.
Winners never quit and quitters never win so here we go....Week 2.

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March Madness

Always fashionably late to the party, but we're kicking off March (3 days later) with something new and special. 

Since love in February is just too obvious, we've decided this is the month to get out there, meet some hidden gems, maybe a weirdo or two, and blog all the while.

That's right, friends, we're doing ONE glorious month of online dating! Somehow, someway, between running a business and taking finals...we'll be moonlighting as girls who date.

We're crafting some pretty top notch dating profiles as we speak...throwing up our finest glamor shots and listing our hobbies.  Since we're both new to this quirky form of dating, please chime in with some online dating do's and don't. 
We look forward to updating you all along the way.

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Wassily

I caught up with an old friend the other day and she expressed a concern that many others have shared with me recently. Now in their late 20s, some of my friends fear they’ve missed the boat on doing something spectacular. Lena Dunham and those damn 30 Under 30 lists make it easy to feel like really talented game-changers are on a path from birth.

But while chatting with my friend I remembered Wassily Kandinsky. I don’t know much about art, but frequently accompany my mom on her museum adventures when I’m in NYC. A couple of years ago we saw a Kandinsky exhibit at the Guggenheim. I vaguely recall the masterpieces I saw, but I do remember learning about the painter’s late start – with little exposure to painting and the art world, Wassily left his prestigious post as a professor of law and economics to attend art school at the age of 30. This made me feel good when I first heard it and made my friend feel better when I shared it, so I thought I’d do a little digging to learn of others who didn’t find their genius until later on in life. I found an incredible discussion on Quora and lots of other gems in my research. Here are the highlights – a fun list spanning many centuries and pursuits:

• Martha Stewart: Stewart was a stockbroker before restoring an old farmhouse at the age of 35 triggered her real passion.

• The Zagats: Both Tim and Nina Zagat were attorneys before turning their notes on NYC restaurants into a cherished resource in their early 40s.

• Laura Ingalls Wilder: The Little House author didn’t start writing until 44.

•  Peter Roget: At 61, Roget stopped practicing medicine and began creating the thesaurus 8 years later.

• Harland Sanders: The Colonel started cooking chicken out of a gas station at the age of 40.

• Bram Stoker: The author didn’t start writing until the age of 43 and wrote Dracula at 50.

• Vivienne Westwood: The famous designer was a schoolteacher until the age of 30. She had her first runway show at 40.

Some basic themes emerge here – they all succeeded through trial and error (they kept experimenting and pushing forward without a specific end goal in mind) and weren’t self conscious in their pursuits.

Take that Taylor Swift!

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Resolutions! *Fashionably late

Happy New Year!!  We hope 2013 is off to a great start for everyone! 

By now, I imagine many people have already mucked up their New Years resolutions so perhaps this is the perfect time to figure out a few of my own.  (So on January  31^st, it’ll seem quite impressive that I’m still going strong with my resolutions…see that trick?)

1. Use my iPad for more reading, less gaming.

I have three unread books on my iPad, and no time to read them...yet, every day I find a minute or sixty to game.  I’m not talking Halo/headset gaming, I’m talking Bubble Mania/make a cat toss a bubble into more bubbles to pop them and free his small kitten friends from the bubbles they’re trapped in. (Absolute nonsense.  Further reason to stop.) 

2. Wear a hat. 

I’ve been off hats since 1^st grade when my Dad made me keep my pompom hat on during a soccer game.  A pompom hat without a jacket…while playing soccer? C’mon, Dad!

Yesterday, while roaming the streets hatless, I noticed I was in the definite minority, and I was freezing…so I’m thinking it’s time to drop my first grade grudge and start embracing hats, though, mark my words, I will be forgoing the pompom.

I should also specify, I’m just referring to winter hats for practical purposes.  Mayim Bialik’s career may be back in full swing, but Blossom isn’t convincing me to bring back “fashion” hats anytime soon.

3. Blend frequently.

I’d like to make more blendable snacks/meals- soups and smoothies and such.  I just bought an emersion blender, and I sprung for the chrome finish, so it goes without saying, I’m pretty excited.  I pureed a vegetable soup last night and it was the worst, but I’m not discouraged just yet.  Plenty of room for improvement…

4. More Barre, Less Bar

Because the former makes you look like a ballerina and the latter makes you round and lush-y. ‘Nuff said.

I think these are four, fairly reasonable resolutions.  Hold me to’em.

And feel free to share your resolutions here- beauty related or otherwise!!

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