theseventhsphinx - The Seventh Sphinx

Some days are harder than others (I don’t know if you will have noticed, but some hours are just awful), and on those days I try to give myself something to anticipate and and enjoy.

Something like…

a face mask

Maybe a clay mask or one of these Korean paper masks I’ve been enjoying lately. I go for hydrating, detoxing, or brightening ones. Really enjoyed this mask overview from Lisa Eldridge, which has several good recommendations.

take-out indulgence

Indian or Thai or maybe pizza. I rarely eat out or get take-out, so this feels like a personal luxury even when inexpensive. Alternatively, cooking something semi-elaborate that I really want, like Indian or Thai or pizza.

special pajamas

This is a lovely slip from Myla London, the candle is Feu de Bois from Lafco, the perfume is Bulgari pour homme

You know, the special ones. Donned early. Possibly I also put on perfume or light a candle, and use the fancy moisturizer. [If I had a bathtub, a bath would be on this list. One day I will have a bathtub.]

a cookie

cooookiiieeee

cartoons

There are some excellent cartoons out there (umm, Archer…). Alternatively, really bad movies. Alternatively, Tomb Raider or Jurassic Park.

trying on lipstick

You know, put it on…consider it….make faces…take it off again…put another one on.

I wouldn’t usually have a camera. This is a questionable reenactment.

It’s soothing. It’s constructive. Everybody does this, right?

reading an old favorite

There are a lot more.

There is always a pile of new books to be read and an endless list of the unread beyond that, many of which I truly hope to get to. It can feel indulgent, then, to return to old favorites, as I do time and again.

giving permission

That is, I give myself permission to get something I’ve wanted but, for whatever reason (it may not even be expensive), couldn’t quite justify getting. This is saved for those days when I feel I’ve faced my trials admirably (not uniformly the case), or when life seems especially unjust, especially rife with deprivation. This might be an object, a tool, a luxury food or beverage, anything. This strategy must not be abused (this strategy is occasionally abused).

One of the trends I like is that of the casual tuxedo blazer, especially with worn-in boyfriend jeans.

You know how there’s this kind of transition area between the lips and the not-lips, maybe 1-2mm? I was experimenting with coloring that area in (I usually don’t), to maximize the lip territory. It had a pretty dramatic effect to me, a little weird (unfamiliar) but not technically overdrawn (which nearly always looks off), just… bigger. This reminds me of my thoughts about pearl stud sizes, and how 1mm can make such a difference in the appearance of the size. Faces aren’t very big, was the conclusion; small changes have an amplified effect.

I went to the grocery store after this and an 8 year-old boy actually craned his head as far as it would go to watch my lips walk by, his mouth slack with distraction. This speaks to makeup being both arresting and slightly scary. I get a lot of positive feedback from this 8 and under demographic – the younger the child, the more bright lipstick seems to delight them. I’m right there with you, kids. What will those wacky giants do next? I don’t know either!

Wool tuxedo blazer from Isabel Marant for H&M, AG jeans (thrifted), J. Crew cardigan, Old Navy camisole, Adidas Spezial sneakers, Pearl Paradise golden akoya studs, scarab necklace. On the lips: Revlon matte lipstick in Really Red (I’m sure I’ve mentioned before how much I like these Revlon matte lipsticks) with a dark red Avon pencil…Cabaret or something? And this is the NARS Exhibit A blush again, which I like as much as ever. I find it quite youthful, not a sophisticated tawny shade but a true blood-in-the-cheeks, fresh-from-the-cold shade.

AND: Hurrah for daylight savings.

Author: theseventhsphinx

rough day?

the tuxedo blazer