Wear, Watch, Want #39: The 70s Makeup Society Edition
Wear: MAC 217 Blending Brush
The MAC 217 blending brush is the holy grail of eyeshadow brushes. There are a million dupes out there, and I have tried quite a few of them. Then I realized that with all the money I'd spent on knockoff 217 brushes I could have bought at least two or three of the real deal. I decided to bite the bullet and spend the $25 (the most I'd ever spent on a single makeup brush to date) to see what all the fuss was about. I bought my brush at Nordstrom, which has the greatest return policy (Sephora, similarly, has one of the best return policies on Earth), just in case I didn't like the brush and wanted a refund. But the hype is entirely justified. In fact, I completely understand why some people have multiple 217's in their brush stash. Its' the perfect brush for smoothing out your eyeshadow and making sure all the colors blend together for a seamless look. It's the perfect size for a wide range of eye shapes. It's super soft. It's all you've heard about and more. Stop being a dumdum like me and wasting your hard earned cash on shoddy wannabe 217s because "they're probably just as good." They're fine, they'll do, but they're not as good as the real deal.
Watch: Love & Friendship
Last weekend I went to see Love & Friendship with my friend Peter, who is a leading authority on Jane Austen. Really - he was once the youngest member of the Jane Austen Society of North America. Peter texted and asked if I wanted to see Love & Friendship since seeing Jane Austen adaptations is kind of our thing, and I said, "I didn't know that was Jane Austen!" to which Peter answered, "DUH." Actually, Peter would never say that, I would. He actually told me about how Love & Friendship is based on an unfinished novella of Austen's called Lady Susan, and a collection of her unfinished works are published together as Love & Friendship. So now I know and if you didn't already, so do you!
I know Love & Friendship is in limited release, but it is expanding slowly, so if you get a chance to see it I highly suggest that you do. It's short, sweet, and very funny. I have a habit of, when I find things very funny, or am surprised by a joke, cackling. I cackled my way through large sections of Love & Friendship. The theater we were in was almost sold out, and I'm sure I was a real hit with everyone around me, just cacklin' away. But I couldn't help it - Love & Friendship brings punchline after punchline. Kate Beckinsale is amazing in her role as Lady Susan, and Peter and I both agreed we couldn't think of a role we liked her in more than this one. We were also very impressed by Tom Bennett, who plays Sir James Martin and absolutely kills in every scene he's in.
If Love & Friendship doesn't make it to a theater near you, it is distributed by Amazon Studios, so I'd imagine it will make its way to Prime within the year. I know I'll probably be adding it to my regular period film rotation as soon as possible.
Want: Closed-Toe Clogs
I love a 70s inspired clog. I have two pairs of these Danskos that I wear almost every day, and I'm constantly on the lookout for more pairs of clogs to add to my collection. They're completely my style, but also comfortable, which is key for someone like me who struggles with chronic pain. I'm now interested in getting some closed toe clogs. The ones in the image are from Dansko, but I also like this pair from Swedish Hasbeens. The only complaint I have is with the colors available. But! This was solved when my mom (and fellow clog enthusiast) found a woman who makes custom clogs that look like they could be real winners. I've already picked out my style (it's this one, still hemming and hawing over colors), but I'm waiting for my mom to get her order and be the guinea pig before I decide to get a pair of my own. That's what moms are for!
