A Note of a Personal Sort

I've resolved to take off the hijab, and just go about with my bushy, frizzy hair on show.

POURQUOI, you say?

I'm tired. (Je swee fatty gay).

I'm tired of plodding around, minding my own business, subject to nasty stares from Staunchly Mozlem-Hatin' Canadians (usually of ze French variety...more's le pity). The negative stuff is proportionately minuscule, but I feel it more.

 I'm tired of always feeling hesitant to plunge into anything outside of what I know, because by looking 'overtly Mozlem' I'm having to shove past that mountain of strangers' perceptions, misconceptions, and political/philosophical stance.

 Even if people are nice and normal to me, I'm aware that it can go either way, that I represent an entire religious group, and they can project whatever prejudices or hatred they have, onto me, without even speaking to me.

Some people get offended by what's on your head. That, or they feel sorry for you, assuming you were held at knife-point on your twelfth birthday, by a vicious, bearded Mozlem man, who demanded you succumb to the Oppression System! 

"Okay, alright!" I wept (they think), "I'll...don the...cloth! For the rest of my days! I'll scrub your kitchen floor with my ragged self-esteem! I'll sweep the floor of my prospects and opportunities and meekly bow down before your misogynist tendencies!"

"Promise?" he snarled (he: probably my father, although a brother, l'oncle, and husband are suspected too)

"Oui! Oui! Just, mind the jugular! Please! It's my only one!"

"Prove yourself!" he threw a heavy, black cloak at me. It reeked of gloom. Of tyranny.

Hands trembling, gulping back a sob, I draped the cloth on my head, suffocating my wild, Hermione-like mane forevermore. Somewhere, a fairy died.

Having thus initiated me, the Mozlem man growled his approval, and cut me a slice of cake. 

Recently a guy started 'chatting me up' so I quickly tossed in the word 'husband' and tried to get away. After which he looked at me with great pity and said, "Happily married?" as if Muslim women are all condemned to demonic husbands straight from al-Qaeda.

 I'm also tired of having people like non-hijabi aunties and stupid people in general, act like I've committed a crime if I laugh too loudly, or have too much of a personality. These people are Muslims, but they have a tendency to treat hijabis like a lower form of life. It's like the caste system but dumber. Especially happens at auntie-oriented parties where they wish I would just sit silently, occasionally offering to wash the dishes, or say "Ji, auntie. Aap bohut zyada Aishwarya se milti hain." 

 They want me to be mute, a maasi (maid) away from home (Pakistan)! Just to sit there like the fool I am (low IQ denoted by scarf), while they scuttle about, tossing samosas, gossiping, and being generally nauseating.

"Aray?!? A hijabi girl?!!" they think "Having fun? The gall! I don't wear hijab and even I am not having as much fun as she! After her!" And in their minds, they have unleashed a fantasy, chappal-bearing infantry, to teach me to keep to my place.

 Putting on the hijab was a big deal itself, because:

 1. my dad was bluntly against it (surprise surprise)..

 "Why do you need props to be a decent person?"

 "You'll become an old lady before your time."

 "You're going to get into trouble with that, in Canada." etc.

 He's charismatic and wise, so I sought his approval more than my mother's (who was for it, but has less vivacity).

 2. I got little support among 'my own.' Muslims often tried to convince me to take it off and be 'normal.' Of the latter, all I need to say is, they were all traditional desi aunties, and it's understandable....

3. 'Twas a spiritual move on my part, but I was still erratic in my daily prayers.

4. I'm really self-conscious and shy as it is. 

I dunno. 

I've also had a pretty bad childhood in Canada, at public schools, where a bunch of stupid girls would make up lies about me, and Kiran (another Muslim girl). 

We had other friends but they couldn't really be around to protect us all day. 

Once these girls (they called themselves the Pixie Club) threw pebbles and twigs at Kiran, on the playground. When I came running, they pretended that WE were the ones throwing stones at them.. and told the playground monitors so... (they used to throw twigs at the hijabi auntie Muslim playground monitor, btw, never got in trouble either).

Or they'd lie to teachers that Kiran (Kiran was their no 1 target because she could barely speak enough English to defend herself) had been screaming racial slurs ("black cat") at one of their black friends, Alanna. 

This was ridiculous because 

1. Kiran and I had two black friends in that class. They weren't assh@ts like Alanna.

2. Kiran had no idea what saying 'black cat' would accomplish. She could barely speak English. She had said "blackboard" to me, and they knew it.

Teacher didn't do anything even though a bunch of kids spoke up and said they were lying about Kiran...who had dissolved into tears..

Those girls were terrible. They'd walk by and kick us and act like it was a mistake... They would whisper to us how ugly we were. (We never told on them, because once Kiran had, and they literally followed her all the way home--Kiran's house was walking distance--shouting insults).

And then one day one of these girls--Ashley--aka the unofficial 'leader' of the Pixie Club--came up to me. It was after class, and I was the last one out as usual, being extremely disorganized... 

She basically said Muslims were all trash, animals, ugly (I guess that's when my obsession with makeup/looks started)... That her parents were always telling her about things on the news (a man had murdered his daughter that year, it was in all the newspapers) to show her what animals we were...

That her parents had told her to bully/torment me and Kiran whenever she could, because we were Muslims...other weird stuff. 

She also said our homeroom teacher was REALLY good friends with her mom, so complaining about Ashley wouldn't do anything to her...

Basically she was telling me that I was just going to have to suck it up, the way the Pixie Club treated me and Kiran, because I was Muslim, and deserved it.

So over the years I just internalized that I deserved the worst, because of my identity. 

I'm now at a point in my life where I can look back on all this.... I realize I need to start from scratch.... The hijab is 'cramping my style' and adding to my crippling shyness....

because I feel as I used to back in grades 4-5-6, when I was bullied/taunted for my religion, when I go out with it and receive some kind of negative response...

Of course, in those grades I didn't wear hijab, and actually grades 5-6 were at a different school with a different Mozlem-hating bully (a French Canadian girl, incidentally), but I guess those experiences had kind of beaten into me, that I sucked, and I 'attracted' bullies, who just further drove it into me that I was scum of the earth!

I'll just keep working on 'inner me,' and work my way out.

Long stream-of-consciousness ramble and high-five to all the RockStArzZ who read through... (crickets)

Review: Bad & Beautiful by Ian Halperin

I am interested in the world of Glam Wham Bam as much as the next moderately overweight housewife. Nothing has given me greater thrills than skimming the cover of Vogue magazine at the checkout aisle. Nothing--until now!

I wish I could start this review of with these words, as indeed, I have. But scratch that! Instead, I have to begin like so, perched atop this wobbly stool that creaks every time I lean in for effect...with dim light shed from a solitary, dying bulb.

In a grim, preferably baritone, voice, I speak: This book isn't worth anyone's time. It is trash, copy-pasted umpteen times, disguised as ground-breaking, investigative journalism. That about covers it.

The introduction is quite confusing, hinting at noble intentions but then quickly swerving. Coward. Stick to your guns, have some sort of a point! But sensationalists never do. 'So uh..I'm gonna, at the risk of...of a great many unidentified risks, expose the dark side of modeling! This is for all you aspiring models out there, so that...so that you are inspired to further your careers in modeling! Yeah! That's right! Keep it up! You go girlfriend! May the Red Bull be with you!' etc.

In the beginning, Mr. Halperin resolves to go 'undercover' as a model; that part made me giggle. As he described how a flamboyant French hairdresser (except he was an American photographer) snapped picture after dazzling picture of his ravishing self, I sniggered.
It's funny when men preen, thasall.

There's a picture generously included, of the author's modeling efforts. There he is in all his glory, reeking of 'ishtyle,' sneering with the confidence of Napoleon. Only the cheap plastic of toy sunglasses stand between us and total annihilation from his piercing, Dumbledore-esque gaze. (The Indian cricket team undoubtedly come to this photo, time and time again, for inspiration.)

"Wut is your style number?"

"Wut is mobile number?"

Also snigger-worthy were the bits in which he describes how various almost-supermodels come onto him. Poor guy! He has to let them down ever so gently. Still, they weep on his manly shoulder, pound on his chest with emaciated fists, screech like scorned banshees, and rage, rage, against their plight.

The rest is filled with a gajillion anecdotes, scant on solid fact. References go like this: "a top model of a very well-known agency told me, over a lot of cocaine, all the sordid details of her sorry life, and I was like wow." "A movie critic from a province I must not name, lest the modeling mafia come after me, ratted on his dirty clubbing pals." "Milan is a very, very bad place to be an unchaperoned girl, because this unknown model said so!"

This vagueness was meant to inspire awe. It's so secretive what this man's doing, so risky, he can't give much away, but even through such strain! He managed! He tried! Or...he made it up? Surely?

Stories about models being relentlessly abused are balanced with old news about models who went psycho and shot errrrrrybody! Or became 'exotic dancers'...or rebuilt their lives with accounting! Whoo hoo!

It's all badly written. He tries to come across as compassionate, but obviously he wants to exploit these survivors for their stories. By the way, the word "rape" gets old, fast. It's safe to presume, if this book is to be believed, that every single model is degraded to shreds within moments of being signed on. To speak out would mean that everyone, from her agency to any prospective clients, abandon her, so most play along. This book could be condensed into half its size if he'd left it at that.

Incidentally, Carre Otis' book Beauty, Disrupted, might be a good read for those who would like more on this subject. I'm not interested, having come across an excerpt, and feeling depressed afterwards. It's better written than Ian Halperin's book, though.

Reading between the lines, it sounds as though Mr. Halpe--scratch that--Mr. Dude, we'll say, had a good time with a lot of  beautiful women, at nightclubs/beautifulwomens'apartments, where drugs were passed all around, and he DEFINITELY had some (despite staunch claims to the contrary).

A lot of women admired his...his....um...side-burns, probably, and tried to get naughty. (Perhaps, in that time, he also cultivated a lush handlebar moustache--give 'em more to swoon over, eh?)
Anyway, with sensitivity, tact and decency that many a diplomat would do well to emulate, Mr Dude lets these women down, whilst plying them, slyly, with drinks. They inevitably reveal to him all the tragic stories of their lives. (Hint: rape, rape, more rape). Every now and then, a drug-dealer conveniently passes by, to add to the plethora of dull characters that Mr Dude can populate the book with. Oh, lest we forget, there are homosexual escapades detailed, too. It's really, uh, ground-breaking, and stuff. Revo...revo...revlutionary. Hic.

In between booze and sleaze, and Godknowswhat, he scribbled it all down on some napkins. These were subsequently mailed to Mr. Dude's mother, who, bless her, pieced it all together, as, indeed, she used to piece together scraps of his old garments into prizewinning quilts. With the dove-grey typewriter Mr Dude had gifted her for Mother's Day, she wrote the bulk of the ex-po-zay.

Meanwhile, Mr. Dude recovered from his hangover(s), read up on Versace and the Supernova Models. ("Facts. I haz").

He then strained his wits over two VERY random chapters to prove he listened VERY CAREFULLY in Grade 5 when they were learning about research papers. These two chapters are tossed into the book, in a way that makes little sense. The Versace tribute ("he wasn't a model, but his story is CHOCK-FULLA sensationalist slobber, SHOCKING revelations, so WHY THE EFF NOT!" -Mr Dude) is the final chapter, the Naomi/Christy/Linda/Cindy/Claudia one is somewhere in the middle. Oh, I forgot, Kate Moss also gets a chapter all to herself, because, why not? She's iconic. She SURVIVED HERSELF. Dude.

Moral of the story: Don't let your daughters become models (said Jenny Shcimiziuuszui, who, incidentally, sums everything up in a few interesting paras near the end, commanding eloquence that Mr. Dude would kill for, if he realized he lacked it). But wait--Mr Dude interrupts--do! Because...uh...Versace...uh...artistry....uh...*hic hic*...all that jazz....

Guerlain Liquid Eyeliner

I love this! It does not irritate my sensitive eyes, a first for any liquid liner, and is intensely, glossy black. The Kryolan cake/aquacolour is the other one that I love. Five star to both, but the Kryolan is a mellow black, this one is rich and deep.

The packaging is so beautiful to have.

N'est-ce pas?

 If a particular item of makeup is crucial for you, as eyeliner is for me, why not have it in beautiful packaging? Guerlain never spares on packaging, even if it cuts back on efficiency in some cases (e.g. Meteorites). I love it because it makes applying makeup a pleasant, elegant ritual.


The brush, c'est magnifique. Makes it easy to get precise, detailed pointed eyeliner looks. It's flexible so it won't poke and scratch your lids as others may.

I learned a good trick from watching the makeup artist Ahmad Koubeissy on youtube; he always uses this liquid liner at the edge (outer v) or in the outer edge where lower and upper lashline connect by making many mini strokes. 

He then blends these strokes out with a precise brush, and so, it creates a smokey haze exactly where you want it, along with the defined line. You get more control this way, for a tidy result. 

He also does another thing which is SO SO GENIUS. He takes two cotton buds, and moves them quickly, rotating them, scraping off any liquid liner that may have blobbed onto your lashes. Even experts make mistakes, after all. 

One thing I don't like: it is very washable. This is good, in case you make a mistake and want a quick clean-up, or in case it touches false lashes. On the other hand, I have to be very careful with facial mists and such, by shielding the eye area. Otherwise I will get a little splatter mark where this liner dissolved. 

Disconcerting, and means mirror check-ups are a necessity. A bit of a committment, much like red lipstick. 
So keep that in mind before purchasing. 

BUT WAIT! ZERE'S MORE! Mais oui!
Une vidéo CHARMANTE!

A fool-proof look that can work in any setting.

2013 Beauty Favourites

Trumpets! Unfurl the flags! Confetti! Parading horses! It's time...

Following are some beauty favourites from the past year. Not necessarily the most used items, just ones that make my heart flutter.

Hopefully, it is useful. In any case I had fun compiling it.

 L-R: Elizabeth Arden Poppy Cream Color Intrigue lipstick, Anna Sui 701, Elizabeth Arden Cassis Ceramide lipstick, Anna Sui 303, Elizabeth Arden Neoclassical Coral - Center: Cargo 'South Beach' lipgloss quad/wheel/thingamajigger

Poppy Cream: The red to surpass all reds. The formula was creamy, superb.
It has been replaced with "Power Red" in the Beautiful Colour line. Out of sheer obstinacy, I will not be purchasing that one, although I have swatched it to compare, it has NOTHING on Poppy Cream.

Anna Sui 701: My perfect nude lips. More on the honey side of nudes, than pinky/beige. Formula: feels sheer, but opaque. I use Lizzy Arden's Sugared Kiss lipliner beneath it, if I can be arsed.

Cassis: I love berries, I love plums, and this is the best one of my collection. The ceramide lipsticks have an amazing formula, smooth, not too creamy, it actually imparts a lot of moisture and colour to dry lips. Fine shimmer, nothing frosty. Understated compared to other berries/plums that I have, but not in a boring way. Luxurious, slightly weighty, golden packaging.

Anna Sui 303: A fun pink, the closest to "bubblegum pink" I can pull off on my skintone.

Cargo South beach lipgloss quad: I can't stand gloopy gloss, this is an extremely soft, like, softer than butter, formula. It is also quite moisturizing, like a soft, creamy balm. Doesn't feel heavy/sticky/gloopy andn gloppy.
Pigmented enough to be stand-alone lip colours.

Lypsyl, Dior Rose balm

Lypsyl: Cherry flavour reeks, plan to get the basic, unscented one, once this is fini. Dunno what's so special about it. The ingredients seem straightforward enough. Still, it's a little miracle. Weightless feeling on the lips, sinks in well, just need to apply a couple of times a day. It isn't one of those "addictive" balms which do more harm than good, and dry out lips over time so that you have to constantly reapply.

Dior balm: Feels very thick and "protective." Imparts the slightest bit of pale pink colour. Need very little, but still, as you can see, I've hit pan.

TOP L-R: Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy, MAC Typographic, Annabelle Smudgepot gel liner, LUSH Sophisticated cream shadow, Pupa Luminys Silk 701
MIDDLE: Revlon Naturally Glamourous palette, Fyrinnae Snow Leopard, Electric Stardust (discontinued), Immortality, Estee Lauder Cream Shadow Mochachino, Benefit Strut cream shadow.
LAST: Lise Watier Eye Shine in Fauve, Anna Sui pen eyeliner in 500, Elizabeth Arden Smoky Eyes Powder pencil, Artist of Makeup 9-pan eyeshadow palette, Benefit Big Beautiful eyes palette.

Fyrinnae Stuffffs: Pixie Epoxy-great little base to help glittery eyeshadows stay on instead of scattering onto your cheek (the cheek!). I use it as an eyeshadow primer, too. It works well with loose e/s. Snow leopard eyeshadow is a gleaming taupe. Electric Stardust is a colour-changing mint-green. Immortality is a basic black with multi-coloured glitter.

Eyeliners:
Annabelle smudgepot gel liner: I find it better than Bobbi Brown, etc. Also better than the more inexpensive Maybelline/Essence/WetnWild gel liners. It is very creamy, but a tiny bit spreads out across the whole eye, so it's not as cakey as some others can be, esp if they are built up. Easy to manouvre or build up, dries perfectly opaque, crisp blackest of blacks, and doesn't hurt when used in the waterline.
Lise Watier Fauve: Lavender taupe. Smooth, no tugging necessary. Je use it for the lower lashline, it gives the perfect amount of defining shadow, but the subtle shine/shimmer also makes the eyes look a bit bigger and shinier than if it were an opaque colour. Stays on all day, but you have a little window to smudge it out across the lid if you please.
Anna Sui pen eyeliner in 500: This is amazingggggg. It's a rich brown with a golden sheen running through it, soooo pretty. It is a great liquid eyeliner formula, in a felt tip pen form. The felt tip is fine, precise, but flexible, and can be turned on its side, so you can get a thinner line inwards, and thicken it outwards in ONE FELL SWOOP! You turn the end once, and you get enough 'liquid' for both eyes (unlike other twisty-pen liners where you have to turn again and again).
Elizabeth Arden Smoky Eyes powder pencil in black: You get a hazy line, so it looks instantly smokey. It is a sophisticated, smudged-out sort of look, and it lasts all day for me. It is pigmented, but not overly so (not like those overly-creamy, newfangled 'gel liners' which I don't like).

Eyeshadows:
MAC Typographic: Tis the divine Matte2 formula, smooth, rich pigment, blends well. A basic almost-black. You can build it up to black. Very versatile. It gives that powder kohl look, without hassle of fallout. I love it for outer V or to soften the edge of eyeliner... Everyone should have this.
LUSH Sophisticated: Gleaming lavender taupe, exact match for Lise Watier's Fauve. Cream shadow that you apply with a sponge applicator, great formula. it works well as a base for any taupe looks, or alone blended at the crease.
Pupa Luminys Silk 401: MY VERY FIRST TAUPE. Baked eyeshadow, it is actually more massive than in the pic (I have used it so much that the round dome shape has flattened, and I've hit pan). Shimmery pale brownish taupe. Lasts allllll day without primer.
Estee Lauder Mochachino: A cream shadow which never creases, yet not too thick and annoyingly paint-like. My fave cream shadow formula, better than Shiseido, etc, imo. Colour is a taupe with a bluish shimmer, builds up to a darkish cool brown.
Benefit Strut: Stands alone (although I have used it with other colours) as an all-over lid colour, with black liner (in waterline too).. A bluish-greyish, shimmery, Young Hollywood, smokey eye look for the masses! ( Caveat: needs some sort of eye primer.

Palettes:
Revlon Naturally Glamourous: Inexpensive, assortment of brown eyeshadows with a taupe thrown in for good measure. Good quality, except for the white-ish shadow (comes out as a dirty muddy pale...something. Not pigmented).
Artist of Makeup palette: Good formula! Addictively beautiful colours! The 9-palette is very useful! Magnetized! Have used it nonstop since acquisition! A closer look:

L-R: St Tropez, Hush, Espresso, Hollywood, Marrakech, Bare Canvas, Cocoa, Brazen, Nutmeg

Benefit Big Beautiful Eyes: A no-brainer, basic neutral look, the concealer isn't bad (I use it to clean up edges or define the eyebrow half the time). Comes with useful little brushes.

Skincare:
Neostrata Toning Solution Level 2: Keeps my skin smooth, clear (not this week though as I've been too lazy to use it), and seems to brighten it a bit. AHA, BHA? Am covered.
Saeed Ghani Rosewater mist: I use it every day, under moisturizer, over makeup, last thing at night... Was misting it in Little Love's face yesterday, to his delight... Here is his testimonial: "gah goo ba ba da mmm mmm." I like it very much, it's a hoot and a half!
Bioderma Hydrabio Riche moisturizer: Perfect for sensitive, dry skin. Superbly moisturizing, yet light texture, sinks in. Gives a nice boing to the skin, or maybe I imagine it. Has niacinamide not too far down the ingredients list, so here's hoping it's contributing some brightening effect.
Burt's Bees Radiance Night Cream: Just a good night cream, that, of the many ones I've tried, doesn't irritate or break out my skin. Rich and moisturizing, absorbs well on top of freshly misted skin, so long as I am cognizant of using only the teensiest amount. Downside: scent isn't the best,, but JE NE GIVE A DAMN PAS!

Didn't photograph: my fave body skincare, perfume, bronzer, blush, foundation. You need something to anticipate, don't you?

Mena Suvari's Makeup

This is a "requested" post, which seems all high-fi, proper-blogger-y, hurrah....but it's just Sassiest of Sisters who wanted it. So, I shall restrain the celebratory binge-drinking and road-racing urges, for now. Seriously, thanks, Sisterly. Je needed un kick, to return to ze writing. (How do you say 'return' in French?)

"J'ai the, 'ow you say, down-turned eyes!" she wept. " 'ow to do my maquiallage, so eet weel bear une petite resemblance to this Mena's? C'est impossible!" She punctuated her plea by throwing a china plate across the room.

Just in time, I dove and caught it, in one elegant swoop. Dusting off my robe of russet velvet, placing the decorative plate on its stand, I returned to her side, as she blew into a hanky.

"Never fear, Prettily Precocious," I murmured, patting her shoulder. "I shall see to it that your frustration is replaced with jubilation. And a candy."

"Un bon-bon?" Immediately, she looked up, with hopeful eyes, though they glistened, still, with tears.

"Oui, cherie. Un bon-bon." I reached into my pocket for it, and handed her the treat.

"Ah!" She cried. "Merci!" It was eaten. "Le bon-bon, c'est bon!" she exclaimed. "Do you have more? Not to be greedy, or anything."

I tossed her another which was finished with just as much speed and glee.

A third. 

A fourth. After which my pockets were empty.

And now we come to the makeup.

These are mere suggestions, in an undulating sea of possibilities, etc.

-An eyeshadow pencil/crayon. The one used here looks coppery-bronze. You can dab a gold/copper pigment over the top to add vibrancy.  Suggestions: GOSH Love That Copper, Essence Cute Copper, Milani Golden Bronze, Rimmel Bad Girl Bronze, NYX French Fries. For pigment, Milani Lux Eye Dust.

-Soft lavender-grey eyeshadow. Very lightly defining the lashline and softly blended in the lower outer-third of the eye. Suggestions:  I know my sister has the Guerlain Rue de Passy palette, and it would be perfect for this. NYX Dark Grey for a cheapie.

-Cake or soft pencil eyeliner. Suggestions: I love Elizabeth Arden Smokey Eyes pencil, because it is pigmented but not dark or too melt-y. There is a soft haze to it, rather than a hard edge. It smokes out effortlessly. It's so easy to keep it subtle. Plus it has a sponge on the other side to smudge with!

 For cake eyeliner, which, I think, is more fun to use than normal liner (the process is more tedious, in a luxuriously old-fashioned way), Kryolan cake liner, Chanel cake liner or Laura Mercier Tightline are good.

-Mascara. Go for whichever you want. I love L'Oreal Telescopic Carbon Black.

-Had to ask others for help on the lips, and was told Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupte in Nude-in-Private is a good match.

-As for blush/bronzer/concealer/foundation, go with what suits you, Squeakiest of Sisters.
It depends on your colouring and preferences, and, as you know, your colouring is very different from La Suvari's. Go for light textures, only because it seems fresher, like Mena's look here.

Better than anything on TV...

For those fond of classic films, but with no TCM channel...unwilling to rent, but even more unwilling to watch gritty things like Sons of Anarchy....this is a fun watch for a winter's night: easy, breezy, light comedy. Here is a great review of it.

 

Canadian Problems

It's not like I buy nothing in between, but ordering from the internet is always a hassle because:
1. Customs take their time, processing and checking and making sure there's no anthrax embedded in the eyeshadows.
2. Canada Post delivery people have the endearing habit of  "attempting delivery" (but never ringing on the doorbell, knocking, or even risking a trip to this charming ghetto). They then leave a notice in the mailbox, dropping the item off at local post office, at their convenience.

I am so excited because my second Artist of Makeup parcel has arrived. Albeit, the whole "attempted delivery" shenanigans were pulled. Yet again.
 Trudging in the 15 cm of snow, I tried to unlock the mailbox. Uh uh. It was frozen and jammed shut due to the cold.

So now I'll have to go out tomorrow, with a portable hairdryer (don't own one, note to self: buy one first) and try to defrost it a bit. Or perhaps the sun will kindly pay us a visit.

THEN I'll have the notice card, THEN trudge to the post office in my boots (no boots, note to self: purchase those too), and THEN...FINALLY...the banality of the situation will dissolve as I unpack NEW SHINY EYESHADOWS!  Hurrah for glamour! Hurrah for global warming!