When you get into a place that you can’t see out of, it’s easy to give up.  The task of building back to where you were seems monumental, and the energy to take you there is often nonexistent.  But it’s important to take a deep breath, look around and find something to be grateful for.  Then, you can start to figure out a way to come back, even if it will take months or years to get there.

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1) The New York Times has written several good articles this year about gender politics, both inside the board room and the family room.  This article about women who work on Wall Street and have stay-at-home husbands is particularly fascinating.

2) I have been obsessed with the Nicholas Kirkwood toe-cap pumps for years.  So when I spotted these similarly chic Ivanka Trump heels in a versatile black, white and gold color combination, I knew I would regret not snapping them up.

3) Looking for gifts for the little girl on your Xmas list?  Apartment Therapy has a list of ‘un-princess” books with titles like  ‘Do Princesses Scrape Their Knees?’ and ‘Grace for President’.

4) One of my favorite places to look when I’m in the market for a new dress is Neiman Marcus Last Call.  From party dresses to work attire, they always have a great selection.  I adore this dark green ruched dress from BCBG, this knot-front dress from Three Dots and this cobalt blue cap sleeve Tahari dress.  (Did I mention all of those dresses are under-$100?)  But my favorite dress is this Lafayette 148 peplum dress in brilliant jade.

5) Tada.com has an interesting post about what motivates people to purchase a particular item.  The infographic also illustrates who women truly love to go shopping with.  And if you like infographics, don’t miss Daily Infographic.com.

6) Like many olive-skinned people by skin color varies widely from summer to winter.  I usually mix a little of my summer foundation with my winter one to get the right mix, but this season I decided to try something different.  I was fairly impressed with this Almay Smartshade CC Cream.  The consistency was good and the color match was spot on.

The color spectrum is on the light side, so darker skinned people won’t be as pleased.  I did find this Boots No. 7 color match foundation that runs a bit darker, but if anyone has other suggestions please leave them in the comments.

7) ‘Affluenza’ is when people who grew up in wealthy families believe that their money will insulate them from the consequences of their actions.  A defense attorney in Texas used this as an explanation for why his 16-year-old client, who killed four people in a drunk driving accident, didn’t comprehend the totality of his actions and couldn’t be held fully responsible.

The kid got 10 years of probation.  I’m fairly certain this is ironic, but I am damn certain that it’s a tragic miscarriage of justice for the families of the deceased.

8)  Looking for lingerie to make it a very Merry Christmas?  Anthropologie has some great choices.  I love this embroidered balonette bra and this drapey Snowblossom baby doll.  But my favorite lacy and racy item is this black and midnight navy set from Underella.

9) D.C. has a penchant for overreacting to the presence of snow, the threat of snow or the mere sight of a Frosty the Snowman cartoon.  Buzzfeed has a satirical look at our recent ‘Storm of the Century’.

10) For all my Clarisonic lovers out there, Nordstrom is selling a special four-pack of brush heads for $75.  Since they usually cost $25 a piece, it’s like getting one for free.  I linked to the acne brush heads, but they have all the varieties for sale.  Sephora is also selling a Luxe Brush Collection that has longer, tapered bristles for better cleaning.  It also contains my favorite thing, the body brush (your chest or shoulder acne doesn’t stand a chance against this thing.)  And if you still don’t have a Clarisonic, allow me to recommend the Amethyst Radiance Mia 2 set that comes with a bunch of great Philip Thomas Roth products.

11) The holidays always inspire a lot of fun Internet posts.  Don’t miss this info graphic detailing the rising costs of fulfilling the ’12 Days of Christmas’ wish list.  I also loved this tongue-in-cheek letter that 10-month old wrote to Santa.  And while I love the Williams-Sonoma holiday catalog (peppermint bark cookies!), this Deadspin take down of some of their stranger items had me in stitches.

But my favorite Christmas-related post has to be this document on the best way to revamp the Santa brand, including its ‘brand promise’ XMAS: excellence, measurability, accountability, snow.  Clever.