Belle’s Weekly Reading: June 3
Jun 3, 2014
Lot’s of good articles this weekend, so let’s do a double of the weekly reading.
image c/o Catharine Masi
1) Crocs is now making boat shoes. Because nightmares really do come true.
2) It’s graduation speech time. Admiral McRaven has a moving speech extolling how the lessons he learned as a SEAL can be applied to every day life. Mindy Kaling spoke to the graduation class at Harvard Law School. And if that doesn’t do it for you, NPR has the 300 Best Commencement Speeches, Ever.
3) Who doesn’t love a great looking bag for under-$50? This Street Level tote is absurdly good. It’s also reversible–two bags in one. I also love this $35 studded flap crossbody, satchel.
4) I don’t like to glorify weight loss stories because women are more than a number on a scale, but this piece on Kelly Krause is more about how you can change something that is making you unhappy without having to shame yourself. I really appreciated her advice about being kind to yourself.
5) Oh, Donna Karan, you get me every time.
6) Apartment Therapy is running their “Small Cool Contest” and I love the clean lines and modern look of this 210 sq ft house in D.C..
7) ABC News has a story on the $2 nail polish that works better than Chanel. It’s called Sinful Colors, and you can find it on Amazon. I still swear by my Deborah Lippmann Gel Lab base and top coat, I paint my nails more often now that I know the polish will last longer.
8) Jezebel is hosting the search for the Ugliest Wedding Dress. This Vera Wang dress, featuring a special pocket on the train so that the bride could pull her newborn daughter down the aisle behind her, is a strong contender. I was unaware Vera Wang offered this alteration.
9) I bought this French Connection dress in pale pink for a friend’s wedding. It’s sublime. (Runs a little small though.) Like French Connection? Their dresses are 25-percent-off with code S14Dress.
10) Finally, are you annoyed by Facebook “friends” who are always “grateful” and “blessed”, especially when it’s for shallow things like cheesecake ice cream or a husband who cooks dinner once in awhile? Then this NYT style piece is for you. #blessed
A lot of people I know have been blessed lately, because I have been blessing their hearts right and left.
Oh my gosh my girlfriends and I were OBSESSED with Sinful from maybe 3rd-6th grade. We collected all sorts of colors, and shared/traded when we got bored. I’m pretty sure you can still get it at drug stores, because I have a couple bottles that are very similar to some of OPI colors. I should give it another shot, apparently!
I’ve gotten it at Wal Mart. The colors are all really bright but fun.
Also that Kelly Krause link makes me want to do a triathlon someday.
I got a free sample of the Sinful Colors, thinking it was going to be another cheap-o polish – I was so very pleasantly surprised! It was a lighter color and it was completely opaque – even after just one coat! I would definitely recommend them.
You can get Sinful nail polish at Walgreens too, FYI.
Sinful is also available at Target! I am actually wearing it on my toes and fingers right now. Far better than any OPI shade I have ever purchased!
Sinful is also at the downtown Bed Bath and Beyond. It’s great stuff!
That #blessed article is so spot on with so many people I know. I’m generally not a hater and I’m happy people are happy, but if I had a dollar for every time I roll my eyes when I see some of these bs blessed/grateful (or even better, “grateful”) posts, I wouldn’t be sitting at this desk right now . . .
+1 on Sinful Colors. I’ve only recently seriously revisited nail polish after 10 years of really rare application. My first task was finding the brand that had the right balance of price/ease/longwear. SC hit it right on the head. I’m currently wearing RubyRuby on both finger & toenails (Timbleberry is my #2). Some (but not all) colors are thick enough that no second coat is needed. And I like the way the bottle holds in my hand. LOVE Sinful Colors and preach it anytime nail polish comes up in convo (which is rare).
I love these weekly reading posts, even better 2x a week!
Love the teeny house link. I’d point out that the article about the wedding dress mentions that Vera Wang says that the dress was not designed by her brand.
Yeah, the initial one I saw didn’t have the correction. I’m glad to see that VW isn’t altering her dresses to carry babies down a carpet like a pet rock.
Chanel nail polishes are horrible. I did see this brand at Target last week and was tempted to buy but leery since I’ve been burned so many times by nail polish brands. I swear by Butter London but after reading this post and some of the other comments I may have to try.
My only “designer” polish that I think is worth the money is NARS. Other than that, I use mostly OPI or Essie.
I completely agree that people must not understand what blessed means. It is ridiculously incorrectly overused. And grateful is almost always used to humblebrag, but it’s less annoying to me because at least it’s being used correctly.
I will vouch for sinful colors as well. Base + 2 color coats + top = completely opaque for 4+ day wear. I can’t keep essie or opi on my nails for more than 18 hours.
1.) I had to lie down for a while after seeing the Crocs Boat Shoes. 2) Then I had to lie down again after reading about the bride who dragged her newborn down the aisle at her wedding. You know her pictures are going to show up on the Awkward Family Photos website. 3) Finally, I feel “blessed” that I will never have to wear Crocs (boat shoes or otherwise) or feel the need to alter my wedding dress to fit small children in the train. Thanks as always for the humor Belle!