This Side of Paradise

"What a wonderful song, she thought-everything was wonderful tonight, most of all this romantic scene in the den with their hands clinging and the inevitable looming charmingly close. The future vista of her life seemed an unending succession of scenes like this: under moonlight and pale starlight, and in the backs of warm limousines and in low cosy roadsters stopped under sheltering trees-only the boy might change, and this one was so nice." 

  F. Scott Fitzgerald, This Side of Paradise

Braving the Storm

Well, I did it.
I managed to survive in Manhattan last week, pilgrim/camping style. I never thought I'd use Oribe shampoo (and NO CONDITIONER!! the horror) in my kitchen sink. But I just couldn't bare a cold shower...

I also managed to walk approximately 30 miles throughout the island of Manhattan, stay in a 5-star hotel, and generally, toughen up.

However, many were not as lucky as me. Hurricane Sandy was an absolutely devastating event, and a real wake up call for many people. Always keep matches, candles, canned food, a flash light, playing cards, apples to apples, and most of all, faith, in one of your cabinets.

My friend Madeline sent me this email and I encourage you to donate.

"My friend, Megan, is from the Rockaways and was hit hard by the hurricane.  She's from a large family and many of them lost their homes entirely.  My family and I spent the weekend in the Rockaways and saw first hand how far-reaching the help is needed.  People are mostly fending for themselves without the help of FEMA and the Red Cross. If you have anything you're willing to donate please use the link below.  100% of donations will go directly toward families in need in Broad Channel, Rockaway, and Breezy Point."

https://www.wepay.com/donations/2107251105

Peace and Safety,

Charlotte

SOS: Save Our Skin





           It’s that time of year again – the air is brisker, the coats are essential, and unfortunately, your skin is suffering. Well, mine is at least. As soon as that snap of cold hits, I suddenly transform into something quite similar to a snake – the skin on my cheeks and forehead is so dry it begins to flake, my lips crack, my hands ache from dryness, and my body is as soft as sandpaper. Lovely, right? Thankfully, in my years of beauty product obsession, I have found some incredible healers that prevent the dramatic molting from occurring.

Contrary to the look of this slightly spooky black and white photo, oils are not to be feared.

          I have very dry, sensitive skin, but I get an oily t-zone. In a humid climate, such as India or NYC, my skin does fairly well in the spring and summer – it appears moisturized, and even has a slight glow. In a dry climate, like California, or basically anywhere during the fall and winter, I look like I’ve aged more than a few years. Thankfully, I’ve found a magic combination that seems to keep my skin supple and healthy-looking rather than dehydrated and parched. I only cleanse at nighttime in the shower – I first remove my makeup (pre-shower) with Amore Pacific Cleansing Oil, which is a splurge and a half but absolutely amazing, and afterwards, cleanse with Mario Badescu’s Acne Facial Cleanser. I finish my routine by mixing several drops of tarte’s pure maracuja oil with Sanre Organic’s Siesta Sunset face cream, which contains avocado and seabuckthorn oils. I religiously wear eye cream (currently tarte’s C-brighter maracuja eye treatment) for its “preventative aging” properties. I wake up with the soft, redness-free and dewy skin that I have always dreamed of. In the morning, instead of cleansing, which I find dries me out immensely, I simply tone with Thayer’s Rose Petal Toner, to get rid of oilies on my t-zone, and smooth on a light layer of whatever day cream I’m using; at the moment it is Mario Badescu’s A.H.A. and Ceramide Moisturizer. I follow with my makeup application. If I happen to get a breakout, I spot treat, rather than using an all-over acne serum, which I find dries me out. I use the classic Mario Badescu Drying Lotion. The lesson here? To “winterize” your favorite cream, add facial oil, like the aforementioned tarte product. Don’t believe the common misconception that oil will break you out. In fact, it will help acne. Facial cleansing oils (R.I.P. Shu in America) are some of my favorite products to try on the planet.

Are my lips chapped?!

          Lip balm is essential for everyone – men, women, and children. I probably have enough to supply them all. I think my lips are the first thing to feel the cold, as they go from kissable (or so I’d like to think) to pathetically dry in a matter of minutes in the brisk air. I can’t deny my love for classic Spearmint Chapstick, but if you want something a little more special, and much more pricey, By Terry and Sara Happ both make incredible products that smell divine. If it’s color I’m after and I will be walking for miles on the chilly streets and braving the windy gusts in Manhattan, I go for tarte’s LipSurgences, since I’m partial to matte lips if I wear a bright and basically every other matte dries me out to the max. Lively, a deep bright pink shade, flatters seriously everyone. The peppermint scent and tingle of these is quite addicting as well.

 I am almost as picky with body creams as I am with my foundation. There are only a handful of products that I’ve found that actually bestow immense moisture, don’t cause sensitive skin breakouts and flare-ups, and do not offend my nasal passage to the highest degree. Kiehls Crème de Corps Body Butter is my ultimate, but the high price tag can be a bit off-putting, so in a penny-pinching move,  Aveeno’s Skin Relief Moisture Repair Cream does the trick.

While this hair looks awesome in editorials, the same cannot be said for it in real life.

         Friends, I’ve recently discovered a miracle for my seriously fried hair. What is it, you ask? Shea Moisture Restorative Conditioner. I’m fairly certain it is not intended for my lame white girl hair, but boy does it penetrate and leave my strands soft and silky. Preceded by Oribe Moisture Shampoo and followed by one pump of Kerastase Elixir Ultime, I can actually see light bounce off my hair, which is a feat that I have been unable to complete since going blonde.

Obviously, I glow this much, if not more

          Last but not least, a product that helps you fake it (til you make it): RMS Beauty’s Living Luminizer. Formulated without any harmful chemicals and choc full of coconut oil, this super organic highlighter is a god-send for skin that has been pelted by the elements. Worn on the tops of cheekbones, beneath the brow bone, on the cupid’s bow of the lips and the tip of the nose, people will never guess you’ve basically been suffering from pneumonia since October 1^st hit. It’s not obviously shimmery, either, so guys, feel free to apply and get compliments.  

It goes without saying that a healthy diet will help your skin as well. Right now I'm loving Green Monsters - Spinach/banana/cocoa/flax/protein smoothies that I make daily in my beloved Vitamix and look quite putrid but taste delicious and are full of nutrients to heal you from the inside out.

P.S.: I would have done a proper product photoshoot for this, but I have been beyond busy between moving, work, and school. I'm quite pleased with the shelving I've installed in my bathroom. Here are some instagram photos; official shots to follow soon.

 

Change: The Only Constant

Image via Pinterest

           If there is anything I’ve learned in the 21 years of my life, it is that the only thing constant in life is change. One minute you think you have everything planned to a T, and suddenly, your plans go up in smoke and everything does a 180.

           I just arrived from San Francisco to NYC two Saturdays ago, and I just signed the lease on my first apartment – in SoHo, one of my favorite parts of Manhattan. Along with the move came the start of a new job, as marketing coordinator, at tarte cosmetics, where I will help to plan in-store promotional events and company video shoots, work on makeup artist education and training, and help with marketing copy. It is a perfect position for me because it takes both my writing skills and makeup artistry into account, allowing me to help create facecharts and looks to correspond with upcoming products, while giving me the security you have in an office environment as opposed to freelancing. So to say that I have been busy is an understatement.

          If you aren’t yet familiar with tarte cosmetics, you should get in-the-know now. Started by Maureen Kelly in her one-bedroom NYC apartment not too long ago, the brand has an amazing line of “high performance naturals” – products that are free of many of the harmful preservatives, irritants, and other icky things we see in many cosmetics lines. Many of the products are vegan and all are cruelty free. tarte’s products are fun and trendy, but they also seriously work. The company has won a plethora of beauty awards from Allure, Elle, and many other publications.

          I covered my favorite tarte products in the past, but I want to introduce a new fall launch that I absolutely adore: the Call of the Wild palette and eye liner, only available at Ulta. Not only is the black and leopard packaging super-chic, but the eye shadows inside really work. Most are bronzy neutrals, but I love the navy shade – “roar” – which is an unexpected pairing with the shimmering burgundy, “wild”.

          I’m so, so excited to start working seriously for a line that I love, and while this fall will be plenty busy, I can’t wait for the chaos! I find that I am the type of person that does much better on a regular schedule. Between tarte, my last few credits in college, enjoying what New York has to offer, and of course, blogging, I may suffer from a severe lack of sleep but I’m fairly certain it will all be worth it.