Gettin' in the trenches

Follow up from my craving a trench coat post...

Alas! The Burberry Brit trench is sold out in all the smaller sizes! Probably for the best, given how much it is. (... "But it's an investment piece that will last me 10 or 15 years!")

Here are two more alternatives that I've found and love.

Three-in one version from DKNY for $695.00.

Image source: DKNY

Collarless version from H&M for $69.95

Image source: H&M

Out of these four (two above, and two from my last post), which do you like best?

Craving...

One of my fave blogs Cupcakes & Cashmere has a series of posts called "crave or save."

I immediate thought of it when I came across these two different coats, as I've been browsing trench coats lately...

Here is the ULTIMATE "crave or save":

(Click on the images to go to the product listings.)

Burberry Brit trench ...

 

or Zara knock-off (but a pretty good one)?

Image sources: Saks.com and Zara.com

The Burberry one is definitely much cuter!

And 30% off for $696.50, currently, on Saks website!

Ah, decisions decisions... and I may have to act quickly for the Burberry one...

Brow-y nice to meet you

Sorry for the hiatus.

Lately, I'm really into... brows.

Image source: Teen Vogue

I've got decently thick brows (with hairs that can grow long if I don't keep them trimmmed) - with some sparse areas, so I've recently been exploring brow-inspiration online and experimenting with what works with me versus what looks good on models in photos.

Sometimes I forget what looks good on Cara Delevingne does not equal what will look good on me, heh...

I might need long hair to pull off this look. Or wear a beanie all the time...

Image source: ? Zimbio ?

Here's some more inspiration...

Image source: Fashionising.com - Bigger, thicker, better: the ultimate guide on how to rock strong eyebrows

Also, I love Liu Wen...

Image Source: Vogue China

Shape:

I've been experimenting to get the right shade of darkness & shape, but currently, I'm achieving an upside down C -- the first row of brows below! Bad bad bad! It looks ridiculous!

Too round and not enough angle, arch & tail!

Image source: stylecraze.com

Please don't laugh - This is me. It needs work, I know, I know. TOO ROUND, I KNOW! Also, not quite dark enough.

Products:

I'm not a fan of how expensive all the brow-specific make-up is, so I've been trying out lower-end solutions for now, since my brows don't need too much.

This is what I'm currently using:

Charcoal eye shadow powder - Sephora N° 52 5th Avenue - Dark Gray Matte

Taupe and dark brown in this e.l.f. eye shadow palette "hazy hazel". The exact palette isn't sold anymore on the e.l.f. website... but here it is for reference. I use the top left and top right sections on my brows.

I also highly recommend this specific palette for eye shadow. I find mixing all 4 creates an excellent eye shadow color for my eyes, plus black or brown eyeliner of course. Note - I have NOT had good experiences with the other palettes, though - I mean, they are just $1.00 so of course, hit or miss...

Also, I recently bought this NYX brow wax to use (a less expensive version of that Anastasia stuff!), which I like so far.

  

This Benefit Gimme Brow stuff is on my TO TRY list.

Kate! If you're reading, THIS is the stuff that I think would work on you! ❤

Image source: Benefit

Lastly, when I was doing my brow-search (sorry, sorry, can't help it - I know it doesn't even make sense!) - I discovered two Asian brow trends currently popular that I wanted to share:

1. Korean straight brow trend, which gives a youthful, sweet bubblegum look (?!?). See model Sora Park below.

Blog that explains the trend: xovain.com

Image source: Unknown

2. BLEACHED BROWS. Read the article link below. Thanks, runway shows. Thanks.

Image source: trendystyle.asia

Can't sleep, so I'll post

Image Source: A Pair of Pairs

Describes exactly how I feel!

A quick post to say, sorry for the hiatus and I'm trying to generate ideas for new posts! (You know, more ideas other than just "Here's what I'm eyeing to buy lately...")

My sleep schedule is off tonight, after a cat nap on the couch this afternoon... into the evening.

But actually, my body has been off for a few days now. Here's what happened:

- Week before last, I went to Miami, FL for work: Wednesday, March 26 through Friday, March 28.

- The following Monday, I went to Boston for one day! (March 31)

- On Wednesday, April 2, I flew to Austin, TX in the morning, spent the afternoon there, stayed up a wee bit late (to see my dear friend Caroline), and then flew back the very next morning on an 8 AM flight. Translation: I woke up at 5:30 AM, after only going to sleep at 1:00 AM.

- After a very rough flight that morning and cab ride, on Thursday, April 3, I was in the office in NYC by 2:00 PM.

Needless to say, I was exhausted. That afternoon, my entire body was incredibly sore - and I was so, so tired.

I went home that evening (why did I stay in the office so long!?) and climbed into bed. The only comfortable position was lying straight as a board. Then, I proceeded to have a horrible fever! I managed to break the fever in cold sweat, covering my side of the bed in sweat! Nick was so concerned! Who has fever these days as an adult?

I woke up the next morning feeling better - and decided to head into the office.

In the last stretch of my commute, as I climbed the stairs out of the subway next to Bryant Park, I realized, I wasn't doing so hot. My vision was going away out, my ears were clogged, and I couldn't stand up anymore - I was actually blacking out on my way to work?!

I immediately squatted down on the sidewalk and put my head between my legs - and NO ONE STOPPED TO HELP ME OR ASK ME IF I WAS OK! Stupid New Yorkers trying to get to work!

I got up and clutched the iron bars next to Bryant Park, trying to get keep myself up... 

Image Source: etsy: JenHanlonAshPhoto

...but I couldn't do it! I had to squat again! Finally, a kind woman (stranger) stopped and helped me to the stairs, where I sat until a coworker came to help me to the office.

After telling friends/coworkers what happened, it must have been the combination of low blood sugar (no food since 3:00 PM the previous afternoon), low blood pressure, and dehydration.

Lesson learned. Listen to your body.

Time for bed.