Lifestyles of the niche & shameless [Like You Know Whatever]

Hi friends!

How the heck are ya? I’m doing quite well, considering… all of…this… *gestures wildly, almost falls over*. For whatever reason, I have not found myself bogged down in the latest crises and catastrophes in the news. Maybe it’s the fact that Cancer season has finally turned into Leo season. Can I talk about some astrology nonsense for a minute? I’m a Cancer rising, so you’d think that would mean I thrive in Cancer season, but every year, it’s a mess for me. Nothing but big bummer summer feelings. I am so ready to leave that behind for the narcissism, superficiality, glitz and glam and “here I am” of Leo season. I bought some big gold hoop earrings, a leopard print clutch, and some fiery red lipstick which I think are simply going to be the perfect accessories for the season. A few months ago, a friend of mine (a Leo!) made fun of me for wearing so much leopard print, and I’ll be honest, since then I have only leaned into it harder. Leopard print everything!! After all, what am I but a simple girl from New Jersey?

I’ll admit, I have been doing a fair amount of shopping lately (more on that later). I used to have a wonderful history teacher in high school who, anytime she got close to criticizing capitalism in her lectures, would say, “Don’t get me wrong, I love capitalism! Just ask Ann Taylor!” She was an older woman who always looked fabulous with platinum blonde hair and silky blouses and flawless jewelry and makeup. I remember her telling us that Marie Antoinette was a stupid child. As the kids say, she was a vibe.

I don’t like capitalism, but as we all know, I do like to shop. I have been buying a lot of makeup lately, which is a goddamn rabbit hole. No, actually, you know what? Shopping for makeup is like that carnival game where you try to hit the groundhogs as they pop out of the holes (it sounds rather cruel now that I’m describing it, actually). As soon as I purchase one product, another hole in my makeup collection is revealed that I absolutely must remedy right away. Buying eyeshadow? Where on Earth is my eyeshadow primer? And isn’t my mascara a year and a half old? I better replace that. And I like my brow gel, but I really do need a brow pencil now to fill in the gaps. And speaking of pencils, how can I be expected to wear lipstick without lip liner? Preposterous!

You see? It goes on and on. Now I have so much makeup, I have to totally revamp my storage system for it. In my dream life, I would have a fully loaded SlayStation (don’t click on that link unless you want to drool over a ridiculously expensive vanity). In my real life, I have a discontinued desk from Ikea that I stuck a mirror on and an old shoe box where I put my nail polish. I have to keep one third of the desk surface clear though, because my cat likes to flop around on it. I am truly the people’s princess.

Speaking of being down to earth: my husband and I participated in the great American pastime of playing the lottery this week. Usually I think that buying lottery tickets is throwing your money down the toilet, because I have a basic grasp on how statistics work. Once in a while I’ll do a scratch-off, because at least those provide a few seconds of entertainment. But when the jackpot gets to a ridiculously high amount, sometimes I’ll cave, and so we went to the liquor store around the corner on our lunchtime walk and bought a couple of tickets.

I have to say, I find it so much fun to fantasize about how to spend money we don’t have. We would donate a lot of it, obviously, because we don’t believe in hoarding wealth, but omg, maybe we could actually afford a house in Los Angeles?! I think my ideal house would be in Los Feliz, not too far up in the hills or anything. I hate driving through those windy little streets in the hills, and would Pizza Hut even deliver up there? Honey. I’ve gotta have my Hut! And while I love Highland Park, the homes are more modest here, and none of them come with pools. (I mean, obviously I would die to own a home in this or ANY neighborhood in L.A., but we’re pretending to be fabulously wealthy here.) It would have to have a pool, slightly more outdoor space than our current 6’ x 6’ patio, and a great kitchen. I like Spanish style and mid-century modern houses. Anything too modern feels cold to me. Oh, goodness. Now you’ve got me on Zillow, looking at houses I can’t afford. Siiiiigh.

Before I go too off the deep end here, let’s get into Some Things:

- Snacking cheese. I was first introduced to the concept of “snacking cheese” when Imperfect Foods was offering little packages of BelGioioso fontina bites labeled as such. (I know y’all are probably tired of me talking about Imperfect Foods, but they really are lit as hell when it comes to the snack game.) Come to find out, BelGioioso actually offers a variety of different types of “snacking cheeses” including fresh mozzarella balls and parmesan. I have also been getting pretty into Babybels, string cheese, and these Olli Salumeria snack trays that come with cheese, cured meats, and crackers, all for 210 calories. Yum yum! I have an inside joke with myself that I am on the same diet as Emily Blunt in The Devil Wears Prada, where when she’s so hungry she’s about to pass out, she eats a cube of cheese. Except that I’m not starving myself to go to Paris, I’m just whining about how I don’t know what to eat for lunch from 12-3pm until I’m fully ravenous and have to go to a meeting and everyone else already ate lunch at a reasonable time and my stomach is growling the whole time, inappropriately. Anyway, I think “snacking cheese” is such a civilized way to think about shoving a small portion of fat into your face, don’t you?

- Cooking. I have been doing pretty boring stuff for dinner since I’ve gotten back from vacation, like fajitas, and have actually been eating out at some cool restaurants in L.A. (like Pocha, Cabra, and Otoño – actually, I just realize those are all female-owned! Rad!), so I don’t have that much to report to you. One new thing that I did make was this crunchy ramen and cabbage salad. One time, years ago, I was at a barbecue and had this chopped salad with “raw” ramen in it that one of my mother-in-law’s friends had made, and it was so damn good that I’ve never forgotten it. Well, I finally made a version of that salad last week, and it was delicious! Modifications made to that recipe: 1) I used a bottled sesame ginger dressing instead of the dressing in the recipe, which sounded frankly horrible (white vinegar, sugar, and ramen seasoning? Count me tf out!). 2) I used pre-packaged honey roasted almond slivers instead of roasting my own almonds because… c’mon 3) I added one thinly sliced red bell pepper to the salad for color and sweetness, but it could’ve gone without. I served the salad as a side for some sausages, but it was really the main star. I know that eating uncooked ramen noodles is a mental hurdle, but once you try it, you won’t go back, I swear. The leftovers also kept very well, so don’t be afraid to make extra.

Then, this week, I made kimchi grilled cheeses with sourdough bread, spicy kimchi, this beer-infused cheddar I got from Imperfect Foods, and gruyere. They were yeasty and fermenty cheesy gooey deliciousness! The cheese definitely balanced out the heat of the kimchi. My secret to an excellent grilled cheese is shredding the cheese myself and using a LOT of butter. I don’t make them very often though – usually only late at night when we’ve had a few drinks. Sandwiches are definitely an underappreciated and underexplored medium for me… unless you count hot dogs and tacos as sandwiches, which is a whole can of worms we don’t have time for in this newsletter. We’re on a tight schedule here, people!!

- Yacht rock. If I had to classify this summer as one thing, it is the summer when I got really into yacht rock. Steely Dan, Hall & Oates, frickin’ The Doobie Brothers?! I can’t get enough of their smooth jams! They are perfect for summer in my opinion, and for transporting yourself in your mind from wherever you are (stuck in traffic, deep in a spreadsheet, in the McDonald’s drive-thru getting an Egg McMuffin) to vacation on a boat. I like to pretend I’m on the yacht from Overboard (1987) – Goldie Hawn was turning out some LEWKS in that movie, honey! I don’t always love the playlists that Spotify puts together, but I’ve been vibing on their Yacht Rock playlist a lot lately. Give it a whirl and I guarantee it will put you in a better mood, or at least give you an idea for a new karaoke song. I am even debating going to see The Doobie Brothers with Michael McDonald live in October, although it’s at an indoor venue, and the last time I went to an indoor concert, I got Covid. 😬 Then again… Michael McDonald… who can resist those pipes??

- I have been getting my dark brown hair highlighted every three to four months or so, depending on how crazy the Covid rates are at the time and what my immunity level is. One thing that my stylist recommended to keep the color from getting brassy in between salon visits was blue shampoo. Have you ever heard of that? When I was a platinum blonde, I used purple shampoo, but apparently blue is best for highlighted brown hair. I went online and bought the John Frieda blue shampoo and conditioner, although once it runs out I will probably try another brand, because they’re not cruelty-free and sulfite-free. (What even is a sulfite? I don’t know, but it sounds bad.) I like the conditioner a lot, but the shampoo is… wow. If you want to feel like Tobias in Arrested Development when he’s trying to join the Blue Man Group, this is the product for you! It is SO very blue, and it gets EVERYWHERE. I also don’t think it cleans my hair very well… I usually follow up with another shampoo after using it, to be honest. But it keeps the brass away quite well, so here we are!

- Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops. Apparently these are TikTok famous now?? I have long been using Glow Recipe’s Watermelon Glow Pink Juice moisturizer because it is super lightweight for the warm L.A. weather, perfect for my oily skin, smells AMAZING, and, as Jessica Simpson once said, a little bit goes a long way. Maybe one day I’ll do a recommendations corner that’s just all of my holy grail products that I use every day. Would you all be interested in that?

So anyway, having loved Glow Recipe’s watermelon moisturizer, about a year ago, on a whim, I bought the Dew Drops from the same line. I don’t know how to explain this product except to say that it is somewhere between a moisturizing serum and a liquid highlighter, but without any glitter or pigment. It makes your skin look sooo good, both when you first apply it, and the next day if you choose to sleep in it. It could be a nice way to zhuzh up a no-makeup day. It actually would be a great product for men who don’t wear makeup, if you can get past the pink packaging. I will say that as a product, this is one that I often forget that I have – it doesn’t feel like a desert island product to me, personally. The price point ($34) is kind of mid-range when it comes to serums – if you want a less fun but still effective niacinamide serum at a much cheaper price point, I like The Ordinary’s a lot, too.

- The Natasha Denona Bronze eyeshadow palette. I know, I know: really, another palette? But: yes! Let me tell you why. While I was doing my makeup before my friend’s wedding in New York, I realized that there was a hole in my makeup collection (remember how I said it never ends?). I was wearing a black halter jumpsuit and these earrings and really could’ve used some warm neutral shimmers to accent my eyes. I ended up using one of the shimmers in my ColourPop x Malibu Barbie palette (which is still perfection, btw, and only $16 now!), but I wished I had more options to actually build a look rather than just use one color. 

Once I got back to Los Angeles, I started researching, and that’s when I fell in love with the Bronze palette. I was initially hesitant to try a Natasha Denona palette, because my introduction to her was that weird mini-palette she did exclusively for BoxyCharm, which had THE ugliest color story I’ve ever seen in an eyeshadow palette (it’s all Easter colors and then these deep blue and clay shades come out of freakin’ nowhere! Plus, there’s a frosted light blue that is just bizarre for 2022). I was also slightly sick over the price, which is more than I’ve ever paid for a palette ($69) (😭nice😭). But everyone raves about their incredible quality, and the looks I saw people making with the Bronze palette were STUNNING, so I bit the bullet.

Honestly… I’m so glad I did. These shadows are GORGEOUS. They blend out so beautifully, and they build really gently. I love a pigmented product on, say, my lips, but when it comes to eye makeup, I need a lot of room for error. As long as you’re applying these shadows with brushes and not with fingers, they will not make you go “oh FUCK I put way too much on.” I was playing with this palette last Sunday and then I lost track of time and suddenly it was time to go hang out with my friends at the beach, so, yep, I rolled up to the beach in full glam. I’m a ridiculous person, didn’t you know? But here’s the thing: when I got home from the beach several hours later – after sitting in the sun and wind and sweating and getting sand everywhere – my eyeshadow still looked fabulous. I swear! My biggest eyeshadow pet peeve is creasing, and these did not crease AT ALL!!! It’s honestly wild. I did use the Too Faced eyeshadow primer with it, so that may have helped, but I still think this is just a great product. I only hate that it’s sooo expensive, because I know these are tough times. Honestly… I’ve heard the Alter Egos Canyon palette is a very good dupe, and that’s only $16. Go on and get your beauty, y’all.

- Olive & June nail polish in “Into the Trees.” I recently finally stopped biting my nails (hurray!!!) and this is my new favorite color of nail polish. I know that a blue-green this dark is not exactly a fun summer shade, probably better suited for fall or winter, but I am not really a person who cares about things like that? I also don’t think it’s the most flattering color on my warm-toned olive skin, but again: I don’t care? I just kind of wear whatever I want when I want because life is short and who really gives a fuck? Joan Rivers is dead, the Fashion Police are never going to arrest me.

- Drag Race. I may get into some spoilers here if you haven’t seen the episode that aired last Friday, 7/22, so beware! It has been such an incredible joy this season to watch the utter domination of Jinkx Monsoon. I’ve been a Jinkx fan ever since her season, but the thing about Jinkx is that when you first meet her, you don’t immediately go to “star power.” She doesn’t have the confidence of someone like a Monet X Change, the presence of a Raja, the easily identifiable uniqueness of an Yvie Oddly. She is, simply, so quietly, undeniably talented that before you even know what’s happening you’re crying laughing or getting goosebumps during one of her performances. I’m going to say something controversial: even though Jinkx already had four stars last week and was definitely going to the finale, I think she deserved to win the talent show challenge, too. I love Shea and am excited to see her compete, but I think it should’ve been Jinkx and Monet up there. Sorryyyyy! And I think that Jinkx deserves to win the season. I know that that’s boring and predictable, but it’s so well-earned, I don’t care.

- The Brooklyn Museum. When I was telling you about my New York adventures in my last newsletter, I totally forgot to recap my visit to the Brooklyn Museum! I had one free afternoon/evening the entire week and a half that I was out there, and, on the advice of my husband, instead of rushing to cram in another social event, I decided to take the time for myself. I was staying at an AirBNB right by the Brooklyn Museum, and I wanted to check out their new Virgil Abloh exhibit, so off I went.

I have always loved the Brooklyn Museum for how incredibly thoughtful they are about how and what they present as art. They showcase artists as diverse as the city itself. Some people like audio tours at museums; I’m a big placard-reader (please, don’t get too turned on, everyone!). The Brooklyn Museum’s placards always teach me something new and make me think differently about the art and artists involved. There are always some meta moments when I go there where they’re questioning their own complicity in what they present. I love it!

All that said, I do not think the Virgil Abloh exhibit is their best work. Mr. Abloh was a young Black fashion designer from Chicago who sadly passed away in 2021 at the age of 41. He had a really impressive career in a tragically short period of time that included collaborating with Kanye and Takashi Murakami, being the artistic director of Louis Vuitton’s menswear line, and founding his own tremendously successful fashion house, Off-White. He was an artist who worked across many mediums, from architecture to high fashion to fine art. I can’t imagine the challenge it must have been to A) honor the legacy of someone who passed so recently and B) present a full survey of his work across multiple mediums. 

Let’s be honest, I was mostly there for the fashion, and I wasn’t in love with how it was presented. They had maybe 8-10 racks of his designs, just all hung together like it was a Zara or something. I felt a little cheated, because I wanted a closer look at a lot of the pieces, but there were too many items too close together on the racks. It was kind of dark in there, too, so it was hard to get a good look at some of the detail that is so incredible about really high-end clothing. I think they went for quantity over quality. There was also a store inside the exhibit that had exclusive merch which had a loooong line at the register. It honestly felt like most people paid the $25 exhibit fee just to shop? Which is stupid, because you can buy all the merch online anyway. But regardless, I greatly enjoyed my time at the museum, and really liked a lot of the other exhibits, especially the Duke Riley one. If you’ve been to the museum recently, what do you think?

Alright friends, that’s plenty outta me this week!

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Until next time—find your yacht rock state of mind. 🛥

Love,

Liz

XOXO