Latest Posts

Everyday Necklaces

Published by

A few months ago, I wrote a post called “Statement Necklaces Confuse Me,” and frankly, they still do. Fortunately for me, I’ve shaken off my tendency to be attracted to them and have been switching around necklaces—one of my accessories of choice—to wear everyday.

Here are some of my favorites:

Sofie Lunøe — This is a random necklace I found at the ICA in Boston. Sofie Lunøe is a Danish goldsmith and I can’t, for the life of me, figure out how to get a hold of her stuff online. I was hooked on the stunning geometrical shape at play here that it didn’t even matter that I rarely wear silver jewelry. (I do now.)

Double Arrow Necklace by BRVTVS (Of a Kind) — Made in just a batch of 50, this necklace by BRVTVS in collaboration with Of a Kind is still a firm favorite. The pair of open ‘v’s juts out of the circle and sits on top of your collarbones, which adds a lovely effect. Read More

My Picks from BITE Beauty

Published by

BITE was always one of the brands that I had been itching to try out since finding out about them. What sets them apart from all the other lipsticks out there is that they use food-grade ingredients, which means that, technically, these lip products are safe for you to actually ingest. Their tagline is “Lip color that’s good enough to eat.”

Sometimes, a range or a brand can be a tad bit overwhelming that you don’t really know where to start, so you don’t even begin the exploration. Luckily, my trip happened, although I am also a little disappointed that I didn’t get to decide on everything I wanted and ended up getting just three things.

What I really, really wanted to try was the BITE Agave Lip Mask, which is a lip treatment that is supposedly a godsend. I mentioned it in an earlier haul as well as a favorites post, and truthfully, this stuff is amazing. I’m not a fan of the scent, but that’s not a deal-breaker, as I just need for it to work on my lips! Read More

Softly Sometimes just turned 2!

Published by

I don’t really celebrate blog birthdays, mostly because I don’t remember to, but I’ve had this date saved on my calendar for a while now. Softly Sometimes just turned two years old a few days ago (October 21, to be precise). What was a seemingly innocent hobby accidentally turned into quite a big part of me—not to be dramatic~ or anything like that; it’s just the truth.

I kind of still feel awkward about this because my interest in makeup and all that comes with it is the purely dorky kind—the kind that cares about textures and nuances in hue and shade, undertones and pigmentation, and the complexity of shimmers. I mean, what? All this talk sounds insane, but I love it. I love all of it.

So, thank you for being a part of it, o reader of this post. It has truly been a blast. Now that that sentimental stuff is out of the way, please stay tuned for a giveaway I’m planning—the first on Softly Sometimes! I’m still in the process of putting things together as I hadn’t been able to while I was away, but it should be ready in two or three weeks.

I know—it’s like an eternity! LOL. I just want to make it good, you guys, geez. Anyway! Thank you, truly, from the bottom of this stupid heart.

Love,
Carina

Cle de Peau Beauté Eye Color Quad in 307 Stellar Gaze

Published by

As far as high-end, truly luxury makeup goes, Cle de Peau has always been off the table for me. I don’t think I can live with myself if I spent $60 on a single sheer lipstick. As it happened… I was at Barneys one day and made heart eyes at the new eye color quad display for Fall 2014. And then, I blacked out and ended up with one of the quads.

cle de peau - eyeshadow quad - 307 - pans

Or, I guess I should say, one of the refills. Like I said, CdP is very much “up there” when it comes to pricing. After I came to terms with spending $50 (plus tax!!!) on an eyeshadow quad, the lady asked me if I was interested in the $25 case. Ex-squeeze me?? I don’t think so, pushy SA who shall remain nameless.

cle de peau - eyeshadow quad - 307 - back

The mechanism of the refill is a “pop in” instead of magnetism. Which means that these aren’t going to stick to your Z-palettes by themselves. So, I’ve been keeping the quad in its plastic shell and box… like someone who has no time to pay $25 extra for a friggin’ case! shu uemura has a similar system (their pans aren’t magnetic either), but their cases don’t go for extortionate prices. Read More

Wes Anderson Week: 5 Things Friday x Lazy Girl Makeup

Published by

Although the idea of a Wes Anderson week was fun in my head, it started to dawn on me that I may not have enough material to last the entire week. You see, the makeup on Wes Anderson’s heroines and female misfits kind of… recur. And are simple. So I thought of doing a post with 5 easy makeup looks inspired by Wes’s dames, as a 5 Things Friday and Lazy Girl Makeup cross-over.

margot-bus

First, the thick black liner popularized by Gwyneth Paltrow’s character in The Royal Tenenbaums, Margot Tenenbaum. The same look can be seen sported by Anjelica Houston in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. Read More

Quickie: NARS Audacious Lipstick

Published by

Another Wes Week interlude: a quick look at the NARS Audacious Lipstick, of which I got two shades. (The other one pictured here, Janet, is my sister’s!) The ones I got, Dominique and Julie are Barneys exclusives (dunno what that means, as the shades are described as permanent in the range).

NARS - Audacious Lipsticks - Janet, Dominique, Julie
Janet, Julie, Dominique

These new lipsticks are slightly more expensive than the regular NARS lipsticks ($32 compared to $26) but they also have a bit more product (0.14 oz. compared to 0.12 oz.), but I don’t think a lot of us actually compute when we buy makeup… Hehe. When I extended the bullet all the way, I was surprised to see how small the bullet was, so I’m a bit pleased to learn that it actually contains more than the standard NARS lipstick. Read More

Made-Up History: Johannes Van Hoytl the Younger’s “Boy with Apple,” 1669

Published by

Yay, a new Made-Up History—finally!—and one for Wes Anderson Week. This painting played a prominent role in his recent feature, The Grand Budapest Hotel. Called “Boy with Apple,” this painting was credited in the film as being created by Johannes van Hotyl the Younger, but it’s actually a fictional painting made specifically for the film by present-day artist, Michael Taylor. (Read more here.)

grand-budapest-hotel-viral-image-2

Not to give too much away, this painting (modeled by Ed Munro) kind of pushes the story along its trajectory after everything is set into motion. Anyway, this was the first thing I thought of to do when I thought of doing Wes Anderson Week! Read More