Happy December (!) Links

I changed my desktop background (finally!). I was feeling the need for something pink and fluffy with unrealistic eyelashes.

• A brilliant deconstruction of the “woman are possible to understand” trope. Why women might have to be good dissemblers.
• The Lion King on a budget. I hope this is what the live action remake looks like.
• On discovering your story: “Obstacles you face come back to your belief system. They wouldn’t be obstacles if they weren’t challenging something within us.”
• “If you find yourself having to regularly indulge in consumer self-care, it’s because you are disconnected from actual self-care, which has very little to do with “treating yourself” and a whole lot do with parenting yourself and making choices for your long-term wellness.” What ‘self-care’ really means.
• Turning towards instead of away: the secret to an enduring marriage?
  Skip the first four intro paragraphs.
• Meet Liu Yifei, the new Mulan.
• I’m a sucker for Miss Piggy. What will she wear?
• Three Christmas markets in Paris! A vegan one?

Favorite Fashion and Style Books

I’ve read a lot of style books over my time- they’re good for kicking back and relaxing when you’re trying to put off reading Henry James’ The Golden Bowl (which I’m currently happily but slowly wading through right now). At some point they all seem to blend together (the fashion book, not the Henry James’), but there remain some special ones that stand out- and a lot of other ones that are fun and worth reading, even if they’re not listed here.

Because I had to limit my number of French style books- there are so many that are worthwhile reads but differ from each other only slightly.

I also cut out my favorite minimalism books, because they deal with wardrobes an top of many other lifestyle changes.

And then there are books more based on images- which I’m not going to talk about. But style coffee table books are beautiful too.

Friday Links: First of September

As always, on the first of the month I like to share my new desktop background. As always, it is tiled.
Also- under two weeks until I arrive in France. GAH.

So what’s been happening this week on the interwebs?

Late For Links: The Last of August

Having missed my scheduled Friday links post yesterday, today’s post will be your belated links installment.

Featuring a lot of politics and a studious neglect of any Taylor Swift-related news.

Friday Links 7/14

It’s been a nice week- I hope on your end as well!

Friday Fun Links 4/28

A Friday off, it’s just like last semester! Except this time it’s because I’m essentially done with my classes (except for an optional Music History session on Monday (at which I will be) and a mini English conference on Wednesday).  It’s really just reading period and exams from here on out.
This is the first time I’m finishing up a year of classes with no guarantee of further classes ahead of me.  School has always been a kind of constant expectation, and it’s very weird to, for the first time, not necessarily expect it to continue.

In short, I can feel the encroaching existential dread.
But, with every new milestone (last ballroom show, last day of classes, etc.) I’ve been buying myself a little present, usually about $10 or under.  So now I have a new rosewater facial toner which is quite lovely, and a few mL of Tubereuse by Mona di Orio awaiting me at home.
And yes, I know that my rampant consumerism is just a distraction, a search for a false sense of security to stave off my anxiety about my future.  But hey, at least, when the breakdown comes, I will smell good and have glowing skin. 😛

Current Trends v. Practicality

This is a topic that’s been on my ‘Blog Ideas’ list for a little while, and I realized that as the seasons change, tackling it is becoming a now or never sort of thing. Time waits for no one. Soon enough, the trends I don’t like now will fade out and be replaced with other styles I find similarly distasteful.

Not that there aren’t trends I don’t like- I simply find a bemused feeling of fond irritation to be my natural element. And that’s how I feel about the obsession with hygge, so let’s begin.

How Old Are You Now?

Yesterday was my birthday, in case you didn’t know (I turned 21) so today I’m planning a brief list of the gifts I opened/received/bought for myself.

Featuring Miss Minerva Peaches desperately trying to beat the heat.  It’s a losing battle.