Comfort and Joy
Absolutely nobody asked me for a design-centric guest-bloggers "Gift List" this year. Nobody. No matter, (this being the beauty of a blog), you are going to hear all about it anyway. Next week....
Todays post isn't so much a gift list as it is a holiday survival list. I can personally vouch for the effectiveness of each and every product here, without these items I would not be heading into the high hectic holiday season with such a brave face. In fact, I am wearing two of these things as I type this. Three, if you count the under-eye concealer. Four if you count the new bit of tummy that has arrived since finishing off the dark chocolate covered peppermint yoyos. Wow. How about that.
From top left:
It's just so important to eat seasonally. Trader Joes has these amazing dark chocolate covered peppermint JoeJoes (like Oreos, but I suspect with slightly more opiates) for a very limited time. Buy more than one box. Just do it. You can freeze them, if they even make it home with you. The ever diligent Candy Blog has even reviewed these as they compare to the Oreo competitor (please.) for you here.
Hitachino Nest Beer, made with rice instead of wheat, is adorable and tasty. Its nice and light and looks lovely on the table, and leaves you slightly less puffy in the morning for some reason. Especially good with spicy foods, dresses up take-out beautifully.
Lovely Glimmering Super Long Thigh Highs Because its only December 9th and I'm already sick of pulling up my $%#! tights. You can pull these on under your nightie in the morning and delay the putting on of pants by at least one additional blissful hour.
The DROID that TC bought me because even he was relieved when I finally lost (rather than just misplacing it underneath the cat) my cheap little phone that turned itself off for no good reason. Now I am QUITE up to date. Of course, if I haven't called you in a week and a half its because I don't have your phone number anymore. But I intend to be up and running and using more than the alarm clock app very soon. I love this thing, even though I am hardly a tech savvy girl. For example my main goal this week is to record my cat snoring and set it as my ring tone. Now where did I put that rebate form...
YSL Touche Eclat Radiant Touch: overpriced and worth every penny. Will conceal late nights, early mornings, snoring cats, husbands who have suddenly and inexplicably learned to sleep with their pointy little elbows sticking out, long nights wrapping gifts followed by early mornings full of candid photos, too much beer, too much eggnog, too much take-out, and not enough money. Really, all of it.
Ojon Rub Out Dry Cleanser, because its not that I'm too lazy to wash my hair more than once a week, its that the instant that the heaters go on in NYC, I become a chia pet. This stuff instantly fixes the greasy bits up top, the frizzy bits at the end, and the dullness in between. And don't tell that woman with the perfect skin at New London Pharmacy who sold it to me, but I also tried it on my sheepskin rugs, which are such a lot of work to shampoo. Worked pretty well.
JCrew Cashmere Turtleneck Sweater JCrew is really working for me lately. It might be because they let me shop in my neighborhood store with Lobo, but I think they are doing a lot right these days. This year they made their cashmere turtleneck sweater a few inches longer than its been in past seasons, just in time for Dark chocolate covered peppermint JoeJoe season. Now it is simple cozy perfection.
Headphones The kind that stick so far into your ear that you are hoping not to bump into anything important. Really tuning out is the only way I can get any work done this time of year. I'm pretty sure I am becoming that person who sings along without knowing it, just based on the way the cat has been running out of the room suddenly.
Sweatpants I know, JCrew again. But honestly, I can't say enough about this pair of sweatpants. I'm going to buy another pair tomorrow. Really. All these years wearing those overly revealing if not somewhat humiliating tight stretchy yoga pants to the gym, trying to avoid catching a glimpse of my rear self in the mirror. What was i thinking? All along I could have been in these loose-fitting wonders, with the legs pulled up on my calves just so, looking sporty circa 1985, before MC Hammer came along and ruined everything soft and baggy.
My new favorite shoes. I tried them on at one of my favorite little stores in Soho and almost bought them there even thought they were a size too small. It took me a week to find them elsewhere, a day of agonizing over the cost, and then a husband and a birthday all intervened and there they were. I can't even bring myself to get rid of the box they came in. I know, extremely expensive. Also extremely comfortable, made for dancing, soft stretchy leather, a bit of a platform for extra height. I admit, I didn't really get the ankle boot thing at first, but when it got too cold to leave the house in ballet flats and facing another winter in tall black boots just made me feel sad: I understood.
There you have it: a bit of comfort and joy, and also some very good chocolate.
Happy Holidays,
Heather