Kaboom Goes My Life, but Heather Graham Will Make It Better

So this is an extra-long, tell-all post....

It's all much more than boohoo. This time, my boyfriend will have a new name. I call him ex-boyfriend, and no amount of waterproof mascara or chocolate will hide the sorrow in my heart.

There are the obvious solutions to breaking up, so probably some combination of Steps 1 through 5 will work.

1. I am considering joining a nunnery. Couvent des Minimes is a new product line, and Couvent literally means convent. The company mailed me their honey-scented body wash which has me convinced becoming a nun will give me the opportunity to become a beekeeper and brush up on my French. I think life as a nun could be good.



2. Kissing as many boys as possible. My problem here is that boys are yucky and stupid. (Can you be any less mature, Charlotte?)

3. Writing a novel in which my boyfriend, I mean ex-boyfriend (sob!!!!), appears as a villain. Or a puppy? That would be so sad....

4. Wallowing in sadness, while watching the film Cake and eating cookies. In the film, Heather Graham becomes editor-in-chief of a women's magazine, and her best friend is Sandra Oh. Her life is so awesome and cool. And then, I think she falls in love....Shoot!



5. Which brings me to ye olde fallback: Wearing a ton of blush and shopping. It's sick, but blush makes you look happy. I wear Revlon Cream Blush to cover the tracks of my tears. What's your style?



If you see my non-boyfriend, tell him I miss him.

What else?

With the advent of Lipstick Jungle, trying not to see Brooke Shields or Sarah Jessica Parker in their underwear is going to be a full-time occupation.
Sheesh! Can't a girl get some peace and quiet in this town? Before casting any more stones at vaguely unhappy Manhattan women who are fictional, unlike me, I will wait until this show airs....

Buy it:Couvent Des Minimes Honey Shower Gel ($16), Belk, BonTon and Dillard’s; Revlon Cream Blush in Flirtatious ($9.50), Walgreens.

Inspiration: Martha Wainwright Singing "Adieu, Mon Coeur"

This is a very special post because I saw the folk singer Martha Wainwright perform this beautiful song by chanteuse Edith Piaf this week. When Wainwright stepped onto the stage to a packed house, she filled the room with the scent of roses, and then, her songs.

A young man behind me shot this video:



To read the original lyrics to this song written by Henri Contet, you can amble this way.

Bises (That's kisses in French),
Charlotte

No Fuss Party Hair from The Girls at WhoWhatWear Daily!

It's hard to find fashionable videos worth watching, but I just found this from WhoWhatWear Daily. Eyeshadow Government is also featured in WhoWhatWear's little black book. Bon appetit!

Difficult Quandaries All Lead to Cashmere and Bubbles

Just when I'm supposed to put my nose to the grindstone, sale season strikes, causing my wallet to tremble and then veritably twinge with desire for new presents (all for me!). Ooops...

I bought a ridiculously pink and fluffy cashmere sweater on sale from Old Navy, and although it seems they only have a few colors left, this yellow one does seem equally Legally Blonde. (All things Legally Blonde are good.) Also, the weave is very thick for the price, under $40. And yet...there are so many other beautiful objects to buy.

To scratch a shopping itch, it's good to first try to calm down and appreciate one's inner life. Bubbles help too. For this purpose, Kiss My Face's Anti-Stress Shower Gel with natural fir and lavender oils is very grounding. Love it!



This bubbly bath stuff worked for about an hour. Then, I found a beautiful silk dress by Alice Ritter (79% off, but only in a size 2) on Bluefly.com and a super-cute Victoria's Secret lip balm that beckoned...Should a girl bite the bullet? Especially if she's in agony?





One really should avoid suffering, when at all possible....

Buy it, merely a recommendation: Scoop Neck Cashmere Sweater ($37), Old Navy, Kiss My Face Anti-Stress Shower Gel ($6), Whole Foods; Alice Ritter Size 2 Cognac Dress ($120), Bluefly; Kiss Me Now! Lip Balm ($12), Victoria's Secret currently in-store only.

Cleaning Spree: St. Ives Apricot Scrub

Oh apricot-toned puppets! Oh apricot products!

This St. Ives Scrub is one of the best drugstore facial cleansers in the world, so it seemed high time to nod approvingly at the snow-covered peaks and magical apricots. When you're in a beauty fix, it super-rescues blemishes and stressed out skin.







Buy it: St. Ives Apricot Scrub ($4), Longs and Walgreens drugstores.

Paint It Brown

Something about the long hours for graduate school has turned me about as a glamorous as Oliver Twist. I'm hoping to ring in the new year with a cuter interpretation of Dickens--"chic" oversized cashmere sweaters, playful brown pieces like this See by Chloe brown tweed dress, and neutral makeup.

Also, if you feel too much like a librarian wearing browns, everything can be spiced up with smoky fragrance, great lipstick, and a few knuckles worth of estate jewelry. Jewelry doesn't have to cost $79,000 from Tiffany's and be encrusted in diamonds, though that would be nice too.

More, please?

Happy New Year's: Why Not Muffins?

Yesterday, I was tempted to spend New Year's Eve inside, eating tiramisu and drinking red wine. I woke up early though and realized that getting dressed up in satin or sequins was just an easy way of communicating, 'By the way, Now We're Having Fun.' Men are especially slow in understanding this concept, so I figured what the heck...

I got happy about New Year's Eve!

Next, I girded myself for festivities. I applied a hot compress and washed my face with Dr. Hauschka Cleansing Milk. I even exfoliated my lips with BeFine Lip Exfoliator. It's vegan with sesame oil, so I figured it wouldn't hurt. I brushed my teeth and flossed (Uh OMG, TMI Charlotte!) for the new year.



My Wizard of Oz couch made me fall into a long slumber for two hours, until I awoke to the dulcet tones of Lifetime TV. Beautiful Girls, an early Natalie Portman movie, was on. Natalie plays a 13-year old tomboy named Marty, but she didn't make the spots on my face go away--too much caffeine lately--so I headed to Sephora, which was being ransacked by anxious New York girlies eager to pucker up tonight. Yikes!

Sephora being Sephora on NYE, I elbowed my way to one of the makeup helpers, who led me to Cargo's OneBase #2. Cargo OneBase is a concealer and a foundation, i.e. just what the New Year's Nurse ordered. Whew! They even gave me a free sample of my foundation since it was sold out. Double whew!




On my trip, I discovered Free People had opened up a store on 5th Avenue, and it felt exactly like I was in Venice Beach, California. It was decorated with strings of fake flowers and loads of funky stockings, like these pointelle pixie tights. I wanted everything, but resisted.




When I got home, life was easy. I just washed my hair, threw on all the foundation and concealer, and took advantage of all the lovely brushes in Sephora's splendid gun metal Smokey Eye Kit. You can use some of the smaller brushes for applying concealer too, and sweep a light, shimmery shadow underneath the brow. It really opens up the eyes in a second.

Well, gotta run to my party down the hill and drink champagne. Wishing all of you a Happy New Year's and I really wish for (don't laugh!) Peace on Earth. Be good or bad, but make sure to have fun.

Lots of Love,
Charlotte