A Working Girl's Guide to Not Looking Like Shit: Josie Maran Argan Oil

via Sephora

Sometimes the key to looking good is all about getting to a point where you don’t feel the need to wear as much makeup. Isn’t that the end goal anyways? Nobody wants to keep up the “zit spackling routine” they developed in high school, and since we’re evolving our habits should too, right?

 So apart from the obvious requirements of actually washing your face before bed and taking your iron supplements, you can add one more non-committal step to your daily routine: Josie Maran Argan Oil. Beauty oil has been the talk of the town for some time now, and the cool thing about it is you can use the product literally anywhere you want. Why the eff have we been buying lotion SPECIFICALLY for our face when we could’ve been buying oil and putting it EVERYWHERE. Your face! Your nails! Your hair! Argan oil’s multi-purpose applications are truly a dream. I’ve also started to notice a big difference in how I look sans make-up, way more fresh faced in the mornings, which means I can take it easy on the foundation. Once applied, argan oil doesn't feel greasy in the least bit. It's actually known for it's anti-aging properties. If you need more proof, just look at Josie Maran's face (HANDSOME!).

Of course, the only issue here is price. A small .5 oz bottle will come up to $14, which is fine because you are just trying it out, and you’re too young to commit. Unfortunately, if you find yourself falling in love with the product and want to bulk barn it, going up a scale in size to the 1.7 oz comes up to $48. Major bleh, but thank goodness for Sephora travel size samples.

By Navi Lamba

Did you miss Navi's last Working Girl's Guide? Do not fear—you can read it here.

Around These Parts

Just a few snaps from life lately.

I brought this little aloe vera plant home unexpectedly on a neighbourhood walk with my mutt, Charlie. I don't have the best luck at keeping plants alive, but surely hanging out in my sunny bay window is a better fate than languishing inside a crammed convenience store. Any green thumbs out there have any tips for me?

I had a really nice Saturday – brunch at the Marche with friends from out of town, an afternoon trying on makeup at Sephora with Laura, a sunny walk to a dumpling joint, a relaxing evening watching Freaks and Geeks. All in all, pretty much perfect. And I picked up my ideal watch while I was at it – an ol' reliable Timex, with a stretchy gold band and big, plain face (plus it's got Indiglo! A practical delight since 1992!) I've needed a watch replacement ever since the numbers on my old rose-gold fave flaked off and this one, with its 10-year battery and old-man seal of approval, is sure to last me a while.

The pan-fried dumplings from Dumpling House, my new favourite Chinese place in the city. These were crazy good – the fillings are deliciously savoury, the outsides the right amount of chewy, and the lace-like pan crispiness adds a nice textural difference. Dipped in soy sauce with a dab of Chinese mustard? Consider my mind blown. I went on Friday at lunch, and couldn't stop myself from bringing Laura the next day. Their noodles are those amazing, thick Shanghai-style ones, so don't miss those either. Plus it's super cheap – an order of noodles and a pan of dumplings is enough to generously feed two, and comes in well under $20 with tip.

Perhaps my favourite mani to date. Both colours are American Apparel – the grey is Echo Park, the yellow is Neon Yellow – with a coat of Seche Vite on top. I just did two coats of the base colour then thickly dabbed the yellow along the edge (I find you need to go really thick with neon colours, or have a white base underneath).

A Month's Worth of Nails

Left Field

I suppose if anything could unite the list of things that are inspiring me lately, it's getting the details right: pairing the right colours, the right little flourishes, achieving a harmonious balance.

This bathroom popped up on my Pinterest a couple days ago and I've been dreaming of it ever since. The seafoam and rust colour combo, the standalone soaker tub (siiiiiiigh), and the massive stag head pretty much tickle all my homey bones. And guys! Guess what! It's a real place in Ireland that you can stay! Ballyvolane House of Cork, you're pretty alright.

I've been curious to try these Ballet Beautiful videos as a supplement to my ballet classes – my favourite upper body stretch is great for loosening my shoulders but I'd like to start strengthening all my parts more regularly. Has anyone tried these? Are they as good as they look?

I know, I'm cruel. But how's a gal supposed to focus on getting in shape for her short shorts when Smitten Kitchen goes around posting things like this fried egg sandwich with bacon and blue cheese, huh? Completely unfair, that's what it is. At least it's got veggies in it, I GUESS (but, oh yeah, they're tossed in bacon fat, uh huh).

I'm obsessed with the details of the new Scout & Catalogue Rorschach scarves – all those little hidden skeletons and kitten heads and butterflies captured in a silky, silvery neutral. To top it off, the duo behind Fieldguided did a beautiful job photographing S&C's boho, beachy vibe for the lookbook. (You can see the process to create the scarves here, and more shots from the lookbook here.)

As usual, the Purl Bee knocks one out of the park with this two-tone crocheted cowl. Once I finish the shawl that shall not end, this'll likely be the next thing I cast on. (Is it still called casting on when it's crochet? "Playing hooky?")

Being known as someone who's fairly fearless about wearing crazy nails means you get lots of nail tutorials passed your way. My favourite of late is this one from Refinery 29, based on a print from Rag & Bone 'cause it looks like knitting (thanks for the tip-off, Kim!) But dear lord, is it ever hard to do! I tried it, then ended up starting over and doing this beach blanket/licorice allsorts mani instead, because I was watching Khloe & Lamar and why complicate life further, you know? And then I animated it. Why? Seche Vite fumes, that's why.

As always, you can see what I'm digging in realtime on Pinterest.

New Neutrals

There have been a few additions to my daily routine that have just given me a smidgen more pretty every day.

West Elm carries air plants now! I stop in this store so rarely, so it was pure dumb luck that I popped in to kill some time and saw this little beauty just waiting for me to take him home. I've been wanting one of these since they started cropping up everywhere online, and now, this bit of soilless freedom greets me every time I brush my teeth. Fingers crossed he lasts more than a week.

This vase was on clearance at Indigo, and I couldn't resist. A creamy matte porcelain in a knit stitch? How could I have been expected to? Now my knitting needles have a fitting place to hang out when not in a project.

This week's fancy-lady manicure, and it's about as demure as I get. I just sponged the tip on, so it's not very precise. The nude creme is Unclear from the FACE Stockholm X J.Crew collaboration (thanks Stevie!), and the rosy sparkle is First Class from a massive Quo X Orly holiday gift pack (thanks Steph!).

I took the plunge and finally upgraded to an iPhone 4S. And when I was picking out a case, I decided to get something I like looking at everyday, so I ordered this one from Society6. You can choose any of their artwork to be case-ified (mine is from design house RoAndCo, and was used as a textile in Arnsdorf's SS 2011 collection), or you can order them directly through manufacturer Case-Mate and print your own design. I'm in good company too!

My ballet slippers and new tights from Joe Fresh. The slippers still look new, but I promise! I've been going faithfully! I'm in total love with these Joe tights – they are the perfect balance between sheer and opaque and are almost too long, a rarity for my limbs.

These showed up as I was writing this, so I had to include them. These are my first LL Bean Signature purchases and they are AWESOME – thick leather, padded cushion at the heel, ladylike toe shape. These stretchy topped shoes look so weird off-foot, but for wear, I GET them – they hug, so you get no blister-causing slippage. Plus, spending more than $50 on flats means I'm totally an adult now, right? These come in lots of colours and finishes, m'dears, so browse away.

On inspiration

I've been thinking a lot about inspiration—where it comes from, what it means, and why a particular idea or act can cause such a knee jerk reaction of "I've got to get in on that!"

Here is the original post I was going to share with you today. It's called "Things I've done and made that I love"

NAILS:

I am notoriously bad at painting my nails, but I've been practicing this whole nail art thing and getting a lot better. I like to think of these as like part of a Grace Hartigan painting. 

EYES:

Now I know she didn't make it up herself, but I've been learning so much from FASHION's Paige Dzenis about how to apply makeup, including my new favourite style—the kitten flick. I always feel self-conscious about wearing my regular heavy eye makeup in the morning, but, as you can see, this style is pretty understated when your eyes are open, and just a little retro. 

ACCESSORIES:

After reading a hundred and one DIY collar tutorials, I finally got around to making my own. The collar's from an old thrifted shirt that I was never going to wear, and I got these round studs a few years ago. I always feel silly when a project I've been meaning to do for months takes me about five minutes to complete. 

As I was putting these pics and captions together, I was reading this NYTimes article called "The Joy of Quiet." I'm a sucker for anything that toutes the idea of a simpler life, so I dropped everything to read about what I thought would be the benefits of having some quiet time. And it was about that, but it also touched on a more important idea, about the "urgency of slowing down" and unplugging.

 "I read an interview with the perennially cutting-edge designer Philippe Starck. What allowed him to remain so consistently ahead of the curve? 'I never read any magazines or watch TV,' he said, perhaps a little hyperbolically. 'Nor do I go to cocktail parties, dinners or anything like that.' He lived outside conventional ideas, he implied, because 'I live alone mostly, in the middle of nowhere.'

I often find myself wondering when the last time was that I had an original thought or idea. I feel inspired a lot (I'm feeling inspired by this article, even!). As a blogger, copyeditor, editor, writer, and avid Google Reader user, I am constantly on top of news in the worlds of fashion, food, and literature. I'm inundated with great ideas coming from smart, creative people—so much so that perhaps it's a detriment to my own creativity.

It's arguable, I've heard it said many times, that there are no new ideas, and that everything has been done before. And being inspired by people is a way to open your mind to new thoughts and experiences, which is, obviously, invaluable. But what can happen if you aren't following anyone else's rules? Is being outside the influence of others a way to push to envelope and create new and exciting content? Or do you have to be plugged in in order to see what direction media is headed?

I've got no answers here, only more questions, which—if you get drunk with me anytime in the near future—will be a major topic of conversation. I'll be doing a lot more thinking about this, and I promise that us Burgundy Girls will keep our content as creative as our busy schedules permit. 

Do you have any thoughts about all this stuff? Inspire me! 

Sayonara 2011

Sorry things have been a bit quiet over here at Burgundy HQ for the past week. Laura had her birthday on Tuesday (happy birthday, doll!) and has left our fair northern soil for a trip to Stateside, while I have been alternating between playing the busy bee catch-up and lazing with my dog in bed watching the Kardashians. We were both in need of a thorough break, so we'll be back with lots of fresh jazz for y'all in 2012.

But I just wanted to pop in and say, have a really wonderful new year's eve, guys. Don't get too wild and crazy, or do, and take lots of messy photos. Don't forget to celebrate National Mic Check Day either (1/2/12 – snicker). I hope you're out using up the last of your benefits for the year, and get your party nails on, for god's sake.

I'm wearing three coats of American Apparel's "Supernova",
which is a pretty dope dupe* for that Deborah Lippman Birthday shit everyone lost their minds over.

I love you guys, and I can't wait to grow a little bit older with you.

*Is it an actual dupe? Pfft, beats me.

5 Beauty Products We Can't Live Without

Laura Kathleen's beauty faves:

via makeupforever

1. I'll wash my face with anything (handoffs from work or friends, Luxe Box samples, oil and water, Ivory bar soap) but I won't leave the house without tinted moisturizer (with SPF 15, totally essential). I've been wearing the lightest shade from Boots (at Shoppers) for years now. It's never let me down. And I'm lucky—this and some powder is all the coverage I need.

via greenbeautyguide

2. MoroccanOil is probably the priciest beauty product I own, but seriously, once you try it you can never go back. There are surely cheaper alternatives—I haven't tried them, and I'm okay with that. I used to use coconut oil on my hair (after some great advise from my fave Youtube hair sensation Loepsie) but I am addicted to the smell of MoroccanOil and I'll never give it up, ever. You can buy it for me though.

via sephora

3. Tarte blush. I've got it in "Blushing Bride" and it smells like raspberry-flavoured Crystal Lite. I've tried the rest, this is the best. And I don't care how gross this makes me sound, but I've been using the same stick for like 4 years. Whatever, this stuff never goes bad.

via shutterstock

4. Black eyeliner and mascara is like an everyday, no matter what kind of thing. I'm blonde, with really light lashes and brows, so if I don't wear something dark around my eyes I can look washed out. I rarely take off my eye makeup at night (tsk tsk! seriously, it's so bad) so I'm usually racoon-eyed in the morning. If I'm trying to dress it up I'll use liquid liner, otherwise any pencil will do. Same with mascara: the blacker the better, but I'll use whatever's around.

via temptalia

5. They'll often be chipped, but I don't remember the last time that I wasn't wearing some kind of nail polish. It started when I was a kid—a woman who worked with my mom used to wear different shades of Hard Candy nail polish everyday (remember those jelly rings?) and would hand them down to me when they were close to empty. I was hooked. I rarely do any fun designs, that is totally Amanda's forte, and I usually rotate my favourite colours of the moment—which right now is Chanel's "Peridot," American Apparel's "Mount Royal," and Essie's "Lady Godiva."

Amanda's beauty faves:

via kimwhite

1. Rose water. My new holy grail. I use it daily to wipe off the flakes from yesterday's mascara (oops), and just give my face a gentle wake up. It makes my skin feel baby soft, plus I can imagine it'll be really refreshing once the weather warms up. Rose water 4 life, homes.

via sephora

2. Conceal FX in X-light. I recently bought this for about $30 at Shoppers Drug Mart, and I love it. I just use it under my eyes and on any redness I'm sporting. It builds up sheer levels of coverage and actually sets, unlike Benefit's Erase Paste, which I was using before. I also really like that you get squeeze out a little product at a time, rather than dip your finger in a pot—way more hygienic. The cosmetician who helps me find it said it was developed in the Sunnybrook Burn Care unit, and I was going to make a joke about this stuff being on fire, but that would be in pretty poor taste so I held myself back (you're welcome).

via savvymom

3. Glysomed hand cream. It's so soft and absorbs quickly, and makes my hands feel like I'm wearing velvet gloves. It's very protecting, but not in a gross way, and was developed for sensitive skin. It comes in little bottles too, which is very convenient for purses. I usually use fragrance free, but the fragranced version isn't bad, so try that too.

via hairboutique

4. OPI Nail Envy. I've been using this stuff since May, and I have to say it's worth the $30. I use this as my base coat each time I paint my nails. It's a magical nail bandaid, and stops my nails from splitting or peeling.

via parfumslolitapicka

5.  L de Lolita Lempicka. I love this scent SO MUCH. It smells like grown-up cupcakes with spicy vanilla, bergamot, and bitter orange notes. Supposedly the scent is based on a mermaid, but it is very warm and gourmand, and not aquatic at all. The packaging and branding seem very misleading in this sense, but they're pretty, so I don't mind. I recently started wearing the embarrassingly named Loverdose, but every now and then, I have to wear L and it feels like coming home.

What are your beauty favourites? Any of ours on your list?

Life of Late, the Second

Alas, I am busy as a bee today, so I've got a few recommends to tide you over.

Rebecca Coriam: Lost at Sea is the story of how one young woman (and over 171 people like her) have disappeared off cruise ships in the past eleven years. Coriam was a crew member on a Disney ship, and details about her probable death have been obscured by the company, the lack of investigation and the nature of international waters. Food for thought – especially those statistics on the higher instance of sexual assault aboard cruise ships. Thanks to Karen for the tipoff.

via Vanessa Jackman

I've been wearing my hair like these backstage Tory Burch SS 2012 models for the past few days. Perfect for hair that's a day or two dirty – you just use a bit of hairspray and backteasing just near the middle of your head, smooth the strands overtop and tighten your hair elastic at the sides. Easy peasy and perfectly polished. Many more photos available at Vanessa Jackman's ever lovely website.

via Rebecca Like Nails

One of my goals for this weekend is to try this pretty watercolour nail tutorial. I can see it being very lovely with a palette akin to Starry Night or maybe one of these beautiful paintings by Michael Cina. Plus it looks way easier than the marbling technique that I never had enough patience to try.

via Closet Cooking

Speaking of plans for this weekend, I'm about to eat my face off. Tomorrow I have plans to make these mexican baked eggs, and later I'm probably going to indulge in a pot of this french onion soup and this roasted beet salad. It's going to be a magnificent symphony of food.

via Smitten Kitchen

I've had to take a break from knitting as my tendonitis has flared up again, and it couldn't be more poorly timed. It's the holiday season! The time to be making cozy, soft, cushiony, knit-with-love goodies! So, aside from babying my arm in alternating hot and ice baths, I've been planning what's next on my needles. In my dream world, that includes these goodies (all with patterns!)

Gina's Brioche Cowl via The Purl Bee

Marian via Ravelry

Short Row Sweater via The Purl Bee

Crocheted Chunky Circle Scarf via People Webs

Love Socks via Ravelry

Laura and I are going to see Melancholia and I'm megapsyched. Sure, it's going to be depressing, but it's also supposed to be sumptuous and gorgeous. We can soothe our rattled nerves at the Grace Kelly exhibit we're also checking out. Baby's first Lars Von Trier!

I'm about to start an extra long weekend, and I just can't wait for it (tomorrow!).

Have a great weekend guys, and I hope it's filled with lots of the good stuff.