Belle’s Weekly Reading: May 1, 2014
May 1, 2014
Sometimes all you need to fight your way forward is one person telling you that you can’t make it.
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1) In case you haven’t heard, America’s Most Eligible Bachelor, George Clooney, is engaged to be married. As a result, he owes several of his friends huge amounts of money. His fiancee is a well-respected attorney with incredible credentials, which prompted this funny Slate headline. But my favorite article on the engagement came from the NY Post–it’s definitely worth a read.
2) Bring on the simple, casual dresses! Start with this striped, 3/4 sleeve dress from Target and this Henley-style mini-dress.
Prefer a dress neither simple, nor casual? This Zimmerman dress has loads of style and price tag to match.
3) I thought hipster fashions were tough to take. Then, I heard about Normcore, the people who brought you the return of Birkenstocks.
4) If you love the moisturizing effects of Argan Oil, don’t miss Josie Maran’s Lip and Cheek Creamy Oil.
5) This week, it was revealed that Chase has closed the personal banking accounts of several adult film actors. Some are speculating that these closures are the latest front in the Administration’s Operation Choke Point, which attempts to slowly strangle businesses and industries it finds objectionable by cutting of their access to banking services. Other targeted industries include payday lenders, ammunition and tobacco sellers and online gambling.
6) Bloomingdale’s has some great new arrivals in the shoe department. I die for these Sam Edelman snakeskin, high-heeled sandals. Also, these cute Ralph Lauren flat sandals that would go with everything in your casual wardrobe.
7) I read this article several weeks ago, but I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. It’s called, “Being Raped in a Bankrupt City,” and it details the work that several dedicated public servants are doing to clear Detroit’s backlog of rape kits even though the city is cash poor and crime rich.
8) Iris & Ink is one of my favorite brands, but this skirt is just beyond. It looks much more expensive than its $120 tag.
9) How much makeup do you think is attractive? That question is at the heart of a study covered in The Atlantic, which found that women (and men) think men prefer when women wear lots of makeup. The opposite is actually true.
10) Kate Moss for Topshop has landed, and the pieces are selling out quick. So if you’re a fan, don’t wait.
11) Take a tour of Grace Coddington’s NYC apartment (hint: she’s a cat person).
12) Storage containers that are also decorative are a nice gift. I picked up these metallic containers from West Elm for a friend’s birthday. I also grabbed these cheeky pebble boxes (they’re shaped like rocks) for my bedside table.
13) And one more this week because this click-bait is too ridiculous to ignore: Someone complained to the Toronto library, asking that the book “Hop on Pop” by Dr. Seuss be removed from the collection because it encouraged violence against fathers.
For the makeup study I think men may not realize how much makeup it takes to look “natural” as well.
To get even skin tone, blemish-free skin and bright eyes (but no colour due to makeup), takes .. MAKEUP to look that “natural”.
I’d agree that I prefer a medium amount of makeup, just a little, not caked on and no smoky eyes during the day..
Also in regards to that study, it is utter nonsense. Yes, it is true that over or incorrectly applied make up does more damage than good most times, but who cares if a woman feels good wearing make up! I personally do not wear much on a day to day basis but that is mostly because I am a student and don’t have the time. However, when I do go out for an evening, or have something I need to be dressed up for if I want to wear a bold lip and do some major contouring then I will. I could care less what any man or woman thinks about it. It is about doing what makes me feel good and confident in my own skin and it has taken me a long time to accept that.
Also, that study was clearly not a blind study and the fact that “44 subjects from Bangor in Wales,” were chosen is clearly not an unbiased and representative study of the opinions of men and women in a majority of the world.
I also feel like those women didn’t really apply the makeup very well. Black eyeliner all around the eyes? No thank you.
Belle, I can’t help but think you also have to agree the makeup in those photos was pretty horrifically applied. Those women genuinely are prettier without what they applied! But take something like the Makeover Mondays on the blog Maskcara (or any other skillful application), and I bet 9 out of 10 men and women would agree the subjects look more attractive when she’s done with them. Makeup can be beautiful, even a substantial amount of it, when skillfully applied.
Re: normcore…you shouldn’t have to try so hard to prove you don’t care.
Co-sign.
Belle, thank you for the eye-opening article on the Detroit rape kit crisis. Kym Worthy and her team are doing the work that needs to be done for marginalized victims. I just donated to the Detroit Crime Commission’s rape kit fund, which I would not have known about otherwise.
Everyone has their burden to bear. For us Torontonians, its our ridiculous mayor Rob Ford, the gift to late night comedy that keeps giving, and the idiot in #13 who complained about Hop on Pop, we Torontonians.
Thank you for posting the article about Detroit. The city has its faults, but there are also a lot of good people there trying to make a life for themselves and make others lives better. It is nice to see a story about the good people once in a while.