…And we’re back.

Oh, hi.  Just took a casual month-long sabbatical from blogging.  (!)  I’ve been traveling, putzing around, lusting after lots of expensive things, and…working.my.tuchus.off.  But mainly I’ve been missing my bloglet and all of my blogosphere friends, and have, like, a bajillion and 34 new obsessions to share with you, so I’ll just let ’em roll, Kerouac style, and hopefully by next week, I’ll begin to organize my thoughts into tidy little themed posts.  Until then:

Beauty Magic Tricks

1.  Um, what.  Where have you been all my life, YSL Flash Radiance Brush ($52, Sephora)?  Did anyone else know about this freaking amazing product?  It pretty much airbrushes your face for you, leaving your skin dewy and fresh and, well, Kardashian-like.  I literally went to Sephora on a mad hunt for “something that would make my skin glow,” and, 234 products (and clown-style face of makeup) later, stumbled upon this treat.

(Note to self: be wary of testing makeup at Sephora.  Sneakily enough, the tricksters behind the store have TWO identical-looking bottles of fluid at their application stands.  One is, well, makeup remover.  The other is pure alcohol, which I doused my lips and face in and then nearly vomited up for like an hour.  FYI.)

2.  Fekkai Salon Glaze ($28, Fekkai).  In the summer, my hair turns wind-blown and sun-bleached, which frustrates me, because I love glossy locks.  I’ve started to apply this glossing treatment once or twice a week, and am smitten.  (Instructions on box curiously read: “Apply 2-3 times a week or everyday.”  So…what happens if you apply it 5x a week?)  My local CVS just started carrying the Fekkai line, and I’m both delighted and snobbishly weirded out.  (How do Neiman’s and CVS carry the same brands?  Weird.)

3.  Fresh’s “Hesperides” body lotion ($22.50, Fresh).  When my Tocca “Cleopatra” body cream ran out, I decided to try a new scent/formula.  (My life is soooo exciting.)  I settled on Fresh’s “Hesperides,” and pretty much can’t stop smelling myself.  Love.  Smells like a freshly-juiced grapefruit, which is, coincidentally, my current favorite ingredient in the universe — after a long weekend at the Delaware beaches, I fell in love with the local “Grapefruit Crush” drink (vodka plus freshly squeezed grapefruit plus sweetener), and pretty much have been recreating it on a weekly basis.

4.  I’m not a big “bold lip” gal, even though I’ve been testing the waters lately, but on the above-referenced afternoon I spent at Sephora, I tried pretty much every lip color on the planet.  And fell in love with a soft peony pink color called “rose carnation” by YSL ($30, Sephora).  It looks natural, but polished.  Wearable everyday.  Plus, that glossy gold packaging leaves me smiling any ol day 🙂

5.  DiorShow black mascara ($24.50, Sephora).  Nothing new, just showing it some love because it’s pretty much the best invention ever.  I live in it.

6.  I’ve been living in super-bright orange, red, and pink nail polishes this summer, and grew particularly fond of Deborah Lippmann’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” ($16, Barney’s).

For these transitional months, however, I’ve been loving Essie’s “Barefoot and Topless” ($8), a pink-lavender-beige blend.  And when it hits the dead of winter, I’ll test drive some darker reds.

Working It.

I may or may not have listened to Beyonce’s “Love On Top” five times in a row while on my evening run the other day.  I had to literally pry my fingers off the repeat button or I would have listened to it another five times and run the entire way listening to her awesomeness — Mr. Magpie always scolds me for loving things too much and over-using them and then tiring of them quickly.  It’s true, and it’s a problem.  I can’t tell you how many “favorite new snacks” and “favorite new drinks” (cf. my comment about grapefruit crushes above) and “favorite new outfits” I’ve ruined by loving them too much.  But anyway.  “Love On Top” = pure gold.  It reminds me of old school Mariah Carey (anyone who dislikes her should show herself to the door), and I dig it — I dare you to listen to it without wanting to bounce around with a cheesy grin on your face.  PLUS.  Did you see her perform the song at the VMAs?!  I mean, my sister and I were literally dancing on top of the sofa with glee, and when she did the big pregnancy reveal at the end, we actually shrieked.*  OK, so I may be overselling this single, but check it out, and let me know.

*Shrieking/gleeful behavior may have been influenced by champagne.

Also consider downloading GaGa’s “You and I” (l.o.v.e.), Rihanna’s “Cheers,” Dev’s “In the Dark” (everyone needs a little techno on the ol playlist), and all things Lupe Fiasco.  The latter has been a personal favorite of mine for years now, but Mr. Magpie and I had him playing over the long weekend, and we both were obsessing over him.  (Check out “Daydream,” “Kick Push,” and “All Black Everything” — my personal favorites.)

Clothing Obsessions du Jour

1.  Sloafers.  I was already dying over “sloafers” in early August, so now I’m chomping at the bit.  My top pick is the Sam Edelman “Alvin” in leopard ($150, Shopbop), which I’d wear with skinnies and a menswear oxford stripe button-down or tunic, big statement necklace, and slouchy tote.

A close second: these House of Harlow haircalf flats ($188).  Has my interest in this style been made possible by virtue of the Toms phenomenon (no, you will never see this little lady in those toilet paper shoes — no offense to those of you who rock them; I know they are popular right now, and for a good cause, but…no.)?  A close tie for second: the  J. Crew “Darby” — more expensive than the Edelman model, but I’m digging the gray ($275).  Whatever you do, don’t get this style in the patent fabrication — ew, yuck, barf.  For some reason, they look geek-chic in a fab kind of way in the leopard, but with all that sticky-looking patent, it looks more like Aladdin poured honey all over his feet.  Sorry, Jenna Lyons — for the million and ten things you do right, there’s got to be one clunker out there.  Within that million and ten: this Edie leopard crossbody ($448, J. Crew), which I’m absolutely foaming at the mouth to own.

2.  Edie Crossbody

Love at first sight, no?!  I mean, I just die at the thought of wearing it with a silky button-down blouse ($48, Dorothy Perkins), some skinnies, some black ankle booties (these Zanottis are divine — $795, Intermix), maybe a black fur vest (Elizabeth + James, $595, LesNouvelles)?!  Drool.

These House of Harlows ($295) look strikingly similar to the above Zanottis — but cost 1/3 of the price.  Tempting.  Also tempting in the leopard fabrication, but…would that be “too, too”?

3.  Chloe Fold-Down Boots.  I ordered a pair of leopard booties last month, but when they came I decided I just couldn’t see myself wearing them enough to justify the price tag…and preferred to instead save up for these money See By Chloe bootskis ($580).  Check them out — do you not love the button-down feature?  I can totally imagine myself rocking the folded-down style with a fur vest in the winter months.  (Also comes in a luxe cognac color, but I’m gravitating towards the grayish-brown — partly because my Loefflers are in cognac, and partly because I feel like the color was sort of “done” last season.)

Love you, bootskis.  Get in my closet.  I’d wear you with leggings and tunics, tights and skirts, over skinny jeans.  I just want you now.

P.S.  Can you believe I’m gunning straight for fall (see ya, summer)?  It’s still been hot and muggy here in D.C., but I can’t help but anxiously await sweater weather.  (And today, it was a cool 65 degrees outside!  Woo!)

4.  Colored Denim.  I was hot on this trend earlier this summer, but am still loving it.  So fun to wear red, pink, blue jeans instead of the standard black or dark denim.  I’ve been wearing mine (all of mine are by J. Brand — $176, Barney’s; select colors are now on sale at Shopbop) with loose, blousey tunics (I found and snagged this exact, patterned style at H&M — $29, H&M) and simple flats (Lanvin, $595, Net-A-Porter):

I’d finish with a black roll bag (Givenchy, $1,940, Barney’s) — really into that style at the moment, and this pricey Givenchy makes me very, very jealous.

And this concludes my deconstructionist return to the blogosphere.  More soon (and more structured!)  LOVE to you all.