Wear, Watch, Want #37: The Fragrant Bejeweled Spy Edition
Wear: Clean Skin and Clean Cashmere Eau de Toilette Rollerballs
I've written previously about my love of Clean Skin fragrance (it was three years ago, whoa. Also, I reread the post and I stand by all that I said then, and I'm still obsessed with the fragrance now, so I think that's a pretty good endorsement), so I'll try not to go on and on about how it's the perfect scent for those who don't like to smell too perfumed. It really is what it says on the bottle: Clean Skin. It has this wonderful mixture of light flowery scents and musk that I just can't get enough of. For Black Friday, Sephora released a set of three mini rollerballs of Clean fragrances - Skin, Cashmere, and Warm Cotton - for $10. I snatched it up, if only because a mini rollerball of Clean Skin would be very handy. The idea is to layer the scents, which is a little too advanced for someone as fragrance shy as me, but I figured with the subtle scents that Clean offers, it was worth a try. I soon discovered that Clean Skin layered over Clean Cashmere was heavenly. Because I was already a Clean Skin addict I have the Eau de Parfum as well, and sometimes I'll roll with Cashmere and spritz with Skin. Sometimes I double up on the rollerball action. However it shakes out, I feel like a real chic adult lady for layering fragrances, and I truly can't get enough of the scent.
Watch: The Night Manager
Guys. Are you watching The Night Manager? Because if not, you need to fix that, PRONTO. Remember how I used to spend all week waiting for the next episode of The People v. OJ Simpson? Well that hole in my life has been replaced by The Night Manager. Seriously: How many days till the next episode?
The Night Manager is based on the novel of the same name by John le Carré. A few plot points have been changed, because the novel is set in 1993 and the miniseries is set in the present day. Plus, the tough as nails intelligence agent that organizes the operation is a man in the novel, but in the miniseries the role is played by Olivia Colman, who I adore. I'm going to have to stop myself from expounding on the sheer wonder and delight that is Olivia Colman, but rest assured, I WANT TO.
Our story starts with former soldier Tom Hiddleston working as the night manager in a luxury hotel. He witnesses some bad stuff and learns that Hugh Laurie is into some serious arms trading. Tom eventually gets recruited by Olivia Colman (who is taking down the world's worst villains while also gestating a human like it's no biggie) to infiltrate Hugh Laurie's operation and finally take him down. It's an incredibly complicated process, and once Tom Hiddleston is in with the bad guys, he's basically on his own and has a free pass to do whatever he needs to do to ruin Hugh Laurie's villainous plans.
The Night Manager is so suspenseful, it's like that feeling you get right before you get on a rollercoaster, all jittery and excited and nervous, but for an hour. You have no idea what's coming next (I mean, I guess you do if you read the novel, although they did change some things), and there are so many high stakes situations happening at the same time you don't even know where to aim your suspense. I'm always caught off guard at the end of the episodes, because I get so sucked in I completely lose track of how much time has passed. If you're interested in a gripping spy story that features every British actor you've ever seen in anything, plus gorgeous locations (the baddies hang out in Mallorca), and potentially Tom Hiddleston's tush (the BBC version had tush, although I kind of doubt the AMC version will treat us to that), look no further than The Night Manager.
Want: Giant Rhinestone Stud Earrings
I used to have a pair of enormous rhinestone stud earrings that I loved. I bought them in high school, so this was a long time ago, but I still think about these earrings all the time. I remember wearing them to an interview for an editorial position in college, and after I got the job and had worked there awhile, the editor-in-chief told me that she wanted me for the job not only because I was qualified, but because she was impressed that I was gutsy enough to go to an interview wearing gigantic rhinestone earrings. The point is, these earrings were magic. Then, tragedy struck. I was in Las Vegas and suddenly I realized I didn't have one of my earrings. My absolute favorite earrings! And there's no way you're finding a lost earring that you don't remember losing, especially in on The Strip. I came back to school and told my friend Peter about this sad tale, and he said, "Oh no! Were they very valuable?" And I replied, "No, they were from H&M and cost $3, but they were glorious."
Anyway, that was a decade ago, and I'm still on the hunt for some earrings to replace the ones that got away. I probably think about them a little too much, but whatever, you can't always choose what your mind obsesses over. These Kate Spade studs are pretty close to what I had, although I think a bit smaller, so maybe I'll give them a try. They're a heck of a lot more than $3 though, so that's a hard pill to swallow. But hey, it's not 2005 anymore. Those $3 H&M earrings would probably cost like, $7 now.
