October 2, 2020
Falling in love with Westman Atelier, breaking up with the drycleaner, a metabolism-boosting supplement and an unobtrusive light for putting your best face forward on Zoom.
I have a major girl crush on Gucci Westman
I love makeup—even though I don’t wear all that much of it (especially these days). I actually love playing around with my products even more now, since when I do it’s because I want to, not out of necessity. And since I’m not usually keeping my eye on the clock (as if I were getting ready for a meeting or appointment), I can take my time and experiment—what’s the worst thing that could happen? I wash my face and start over (or don’t).
With all of this said, I’ve never been all that into watching makeup tutorials—at least until Gucci Westman cranked up her content game. I’m obsessed with her “Makeup with Friends” series and for more than the makeup tips. I love seeing her sit-downs with celebrities, and the “virtual” episodes are amazing because you get to see inside their homes.
It goes without saying that I want every Westman Atelier product (fortunately there aren’t all that many yet). I bought the Baby Cheeks blush stick in “Petal” quite a while ago and absolutely love it for the most natural-looking hint of color (and because you can swipe it right on your skin and blend with your fingers). I recently added the Super Loaded Tinted Highlight in “Peau de Soleil” to my collection, and this might be my new “desert island” product. A few light swipes of this golden cream (applied with a flat, synthetic brush) on the tops of my cheekbones and eyelids is often the only actual makeup I need aside from concealer and mascara—it’s that good. And OMG, the compact is so fancy.
Westman’s “less is more” approach just feels so right (especially right now), and I love how I can put on some makeup without my husband facetiously asking, “Where are you off to?” when I’m obviously not going anywhere. If you’re looking for clean, effortless makeup that makes you look like a fresh-faced, radiant, slightly better version of yourself, Westman Atelier is for you.
My drycleaning days are over
At the beginning of the pandemic when we were totally housebound, it’s pretty safe to assume that most of us spent day after day in loungewear (if we even changed our clothes at all). There are still days I’ll put on a comfy coordinated set after working out and showering, but most of the time I do put on some sort of an outfit, whether jeans or pants and a tee or button-down. But I have been sticking solely to items that I can wash on my own so I don’t have to go to the drycleaner—which basically eliminates silk, cashmere and other super-delicate materials.
I have a cream-colored cashmere cardigan that I like to wear around the house when I get chilly, and after living on my office chair for I don’t even know how many months, it was due for a wash. It sat at the bottom of my delicates hamper for about another month because I was really nervous about attempting to launder it myself—but after an encouraging email newsletter from The Laundress, I threw it in the machine with two capfuls of Wool & Cashmere Shampoo, selected the cold-water gentle cycle and crossed my fingers. 36 minutes later I breathed a sigh of relief that it was intact—and it actually looked better than ever! The cashmere was plush and fluffy again, with no shrinkage whatsoever after drying flat.
Feeling confident in my advanced laundry skills, next up was a pair of silk pants that say “dryclean only.” (According to The Laundress, most items that recommend drycleaning can indeed be washed at home, either by hand or on a gentle cycle.) For these, I followed the same protocol but used the Delicate Wash, which is ideal for silk, synthetics and blends. After hanging them to dry and popping them in the dryer to smooth out any creases, I had another success!
The Laundress also helped save one of my favorite white baseball hats, which had become stained inside thanks to my tinted sunscreen. I thought about tossing it in the washing machine to see what would happen, but instead I rubbed on some Stain Solution and let it sit overnight. In the morning, I ran the stained area under warm water and poof—the discoloration was gone! (BTW, this miracle gel works wonders on old and new stains.)
Always one to look on the bright side, the pandemic has done more than help me up my laundry game. When I think about how much money I’ll save by limiting my drycleaning moving forward, it’s a total gamechanger. Ever better, I’m happily wearing one of my favorite silk shirtdresses today—and not the slightest bit worried about washing it at home!
Could this supplement help stop the COVID weight creep?
I somehow managed to watch what I ate for the first five months of this sh*tshow (despite cooking and baking up a storm), but then I started to slip—I’m talking to you, pita chips, and you too, leftover baked ziti. I never stopped exercising (almost) daily except for two weeks when I was exceptionally busy with work, but I have started counting cleaning as my active endeavor on Saturdays—which I’m OK with because I need at least one day off a week from something. But after about a month of loosening about my eating, I started to notice less looseness in my clothes, not feeling great about myself and not liking the direction this situation was going in.
Motivated by the toll this laxity had started to take on my mind, body and IBS symptoms, I decided to reset last week with a little help from The Nue Co.’s Metabolism supplement. Featuring a clean, natural blend of cinnamon, cayenne pepper (there’s a reason this is a key ingredient in the Master Cleanse), the catechin antioxidant ECGC found in green tea and compounds called phytogenic ketosterones sourced from the Veld grape that play a role in maintaining blood-sugar levels, I figured it definitely couldn’t hurt.
OK, so if you skipped over that last bit, in simpler terms, this supplement is designed to reduce stress-reduced sugar/carb cravings and gently boost the metabolism. Since starting it I’ve definitely noticed less desire to snack throughout the day and I get a nice little energy kick that keeps me going. I also feel less bloated (although I would attribute that more to getting my diet back on track). Maybe it’s placebo effect, or maybe it really is working… Either way, I’ll take any help I can get and I just ordered another jar so I have more when this one runs out.
Why would you drop $300 on a makeup mirror when you can spend $15 instead?
There are a few key reasons why I have yet to invest in a fancy simplehuman makeup mirror. First and foremost, I have zero desire to see my pores at an intensified magnification. (If I don’t like what I see in the regular mirror—which is a much closer proximity than anyone other than my husband or child are getting right now—I can employ a variety of products, tools and techniques to make things better.) Running a distant second is the fact that I never actually sit down to do my makeup, so the ergonomics just aren’t there. I would need a super-tall makeup mirror or props for elevation to really reap the benefits—but to be honest, I’m not exactly required to get myself camera-ready these days. (Zoom meetings definitely don’t warrant the expense or effort.)
I did recently purchase a clip-on selfie light for my laptop to brighten things up a bit on my aforementioned Zoom meetings, which has proven to be a worthwhile purchase—and it came in quite handy last night when I felt a few stray hairs as I was washing my face. My office windows face west so my wall mirror is generally ideal for plucking during the latter part of the day, but daylight was already waning so I found myself in a pickle. Well, my clip-on light saved the day when I placed it on my mirror—and all of those almost-invisible stray hairs are history.
But perhaps the main reason I don’t own a magnifying mirror is because I’m a recovering pluck-aholic, and if not for electrolysis I’d still be fighting with my chin on a daily basis. (There’s definitely a genetic component to this issue, as my mom had the same problem—and she would even ask me to get a hair for her if her own attempts failed when I was as young as 10 or 11.) Fortunately those days are in the past, and I’ve gotten to a place where facial hair is somewhat at the bottom of my beauty-concern list (other than occasional DIY dermaplaning). But with this said, my ambience-enhancer for Zoom meetings definitely helped shed new light (pun intended) on those hair-to-get hairs I couldn’t see and could only feel—which not only helps prevent over-zealous plucking, but eliminates the need for me to get my reading glasses (because I try to avoid them unless absolutely necessary).