My Latest Score: The Thickening Spray.
I had my hair cut and colored recently and can’t say I’m thrilled with the hair style — the stylist majorly “thinned out” (well, in her euphemistic words: “took some of the bulk out of”) the back of my hair and I feel like I have approx. three strands left. It’s just too edgy for me. I think I crossed the line from Kate Mara to Kate Moss territory (aka purposefully beachy >> unwashed and bedraggled) and it just doesn’t feel like me anymore. But, it’s hair. It grows back. And it can also always go up into a convenient bun. I’ll ride the edgy wave for the next few months and then I might go back to a more straight-forward/blunt haircut. I recently saw a picture of myself back when I got married — before I’d ever highlighted my hair or thought about wearing it wavy, and I liked what I saw. I can pull off blonder highlights but my natural dark brown hair suits my coloring best. And, at one point, I had this great set of French girl bangs somewhat similar to the photo above. LOVE. Maybe I’ll re-do?
In the meantime, I’m using a lot of this volumizing thickening spray ($30), which I mist on while my hair is still wet. Once dry, I use this finishing spray, which I’ve raved about for a long while. Basically, I need as much lift and volume as I can get…
You’re Sooooo Popular:
The most popular items on Le Blog this week:
+Minimagpie’s favorite Christmas gift.
+My new best friend. I’m stashing a bag in the stroller and in my diaper bag for wiping down surfaces.
+For those of us with babes approaching a year.
+My favorite recent clothing acquisition.
+A fabulous sweater at an incredible price.
#Turbothot: The Bro Book Club.
At a recent event, Mr. Magpie and I found ourselves chatting with a very sharp gentleman in his 20s. Over the course of the evening, our conversation turned to books, and he mentioned that he facilitates–in his words–“a bro book club.” He went on to say that they recently came upon the unsettling discovery that they’d not read a single book by a female author, and intended to rectify the situation. “So, what should we read?” he asked.
My first thought was a classic by Austen or one of the Brontes — but then I decided that those can be polarizing; some find the old-fashioned diction tedious and impossible to get through, and those unaccustomed to close readings might write off the domestic subject matter as less important and powerful than it actually is. I decided that their first encounter with a female author should be more contemporary. I mentally scrolled through my list of the best books I’ve read in the past 10 years, and cherry-picked the ones written by female authors. The first that came to mind was Girls by Emma Cline. I felt that it was sufficiently juicy and plot-driven to engage even the most bro-y of bros, but with enough meat on the bone to really sink into. (I still maintain that she is one of the most talented new writers of our generation, from a purely aesthetic standpoint — the pastiche of language! her diction! it’s perfection!).
Afterwards, I thought of about 34 other books I’d recommend — The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy, The Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri, JOAN DIDION BY GOD (!!!!) I also had the churlish thought that maybe I should suggest Men Explain Things to Me but then I didn’t want to seem abrasive or smug.
What would you have suggested?
#Shopaholic: The Ladylike Dress.
+Very Diane Lane traveling around Italy. Pair with Supergas and you’re a Euro-chic lady.
+Dig the wash and hem of these jeans. I’ve never tried Rag + Bone jeans, but I know people SWEAR by them.
+This is my favorite blanket of minimagpie’s. Still super soft even after tons of washings. Though I received about a dozen baby blankets, this is the only one I’ve used consistently.
+This blouse is marked WAY down (and an extra 40% off)! It’s SO hard to buy out of season, but sometimes the deals are just too good to pass up…this shirt ends up being $29, marked down from $149!!! Also out of season, but I am contemplating this boho dress. I’d wear it with my Hermes Oran sandals!
+A wonderful gift for a new mom, marked WAY DOWN!
+Love this as a gift.
+Obsessed with these for a nursery!