friday favourites 03.06.11

my feet hurt. and that's a good thing, because it means that i've had a lot of time to go walking. walking is kind of a year-round favourite with me and it's more than a little frustrating that i live in a climate where walking can be impossible or highly unpleasant for so much of the year. not this week, though! i have taken advantage of this week's sunny days [and the fact that i have a lot of time on my hands and frustrations to work out] to pound the pavement, mostly in ndg and westmount and feel content that i'm keeping myself at least a little bit active.

although i really want to avoid repetitiveness, i feel like i would be remiss if i didn't point out that the segment of last night's episode of "the daily show", where jon stewart responded to eric cantor's position on tornado relief is quite possibly the best thing they've ever done. you can watch the full episode on the show's web site, unless you're in canada, in which case you go through comedy central. the segment goes right to the heat of what i think infuriates most people about cantor's statements- not that they are ludicrous on their own, but that they are so completely hypocritical. jon's definitely on top of my "men i would chase down the street if i weren't already spoken for" list this week. it's not a big list, but it's constantly evolving.

so what about some things i haven't talked about yet?

ONLY ONE WAY TO FIND OUT... AND HEY, THERE'S AN ADORABLE KITTEH AT THE END



a sense of responsibility :: mac cosmetics have long been associated with causes, particularly their phenomenally successful mac aids fund. now they're adding to that by collaborating with the u.s. government and other organisations to help fight gender-based violence. you can check out more from mac, parent company estée lauder and secretary of state hilary rodham clinton.

in addition, rumour has it that lush cosmetics, themselves no strangers to causes, will be launching a campaign in favour of legalising gay marriage. this won't mark the first time the company has taken on a controversial political topic- they campaigned against extracting oil from canada's tar sands, helping to spread awareness of the environmental risks associated with the project before the oil industry had even started hyping it in their ad campaigns. it's nice to see that someone at lush hq evidently has testicles the size of those ubiquitous bath bombs.

the mad monkette :: this is the sartorial equivalent of comfort food.

soft kill :: this is the phoenix risen from the flames of blessure grave. their new album "an open door" isn't exactly going to shake the foundations of music, but it's still a lot of fun [in a mopey kind of way]. perfect summer listening.

more fun with mac & guerlain [& nars & chanel & my new friend stila] :: what's the point in having a great paint set if you don't use your paints? i may have been forced by blogger to abandon my "by the letters" makeup experiment, but here are a few things i've been doing with some of the lovely things i've raved about... you can also check out my wicked tan. seriously. that's a tan.

products used ::
nars sheer glow foundation mont blanc
dior hydrating concealer 001

mac manila paper e/s
mac surf usa e/s
mac grey range e/s
nars night clubbing e/s
mac blacktrack fluidline eye liner
ysl faux cils mascara

mac my paradise blush

mac lollipop loving l/s

lush colour supplement jackie oates
dior hydrating concealer 001

guerlain terre indigo e/s palette [all 4!]
diorshow mascara

guerlain terra inca sublime radiant powder

nars mayflower l/s

lush colour supplement jackie oates
dior hydrating concealer 001

mac sun blonde e/s
mac cobalt e/s
guerlain terre indigo e/s [blue only]
stila sparkle waterproof liquid liner curacao
ysl faux cils mascara

mac my paradise blush

chanel antigone rouge coco shine l/s










but really... there's no doubt as to who is the real beauty queen on these premises...

photo by dominic f. marceau- fsquaredmediapixels.blogspot.com

thanks to everyone who took the time to read & comment. please feel free to share your thoughts and suggestions.

friday favourites 20.05.11

i believe it's friday, but since i actually haven't slept in anything more than a 45-minute increment since the day you call "wednesday", i'm just guessing. i'm not going to do much of an intro this week because, frankly, if i can make it through typing this without hallucinating or having a seizure, i'll consider myself lucky.

i would like to send out just a little bad karma to my upstairs neighbours, who apparently thought last night would be a great time to host an all-night "check out our new rolling chair on the hardwood floor" party in the room directly above our bedroom. may you spend some time in a particularly loud circle of hell this week.

luckily, there have been more things that have made me smile in the last seven days...

don't call it a comeback :: even before the 2008 u.s. election [a black day for political comedians in general, i think], there was evidence that the one-two punch of the daily show and the colbert report was losing its, well, punch. politicians and the journalists who follow them just weren't as entertaining as they once were. perhaps it just seemed like they'd made their points as best they could and it was time to move on.

however, despite no longer having the world's easiest target at the helm, something has happened in the comedy central sweet spot between 11 and midnight monday to thursday. the laughs are back. in fact, i'd venture to say that the writing on the shows over the last few months has been as strong as its ever been, despite the removal of bush, cheney, rumsfeld and the rest of the wild bunch. of course, the shows' other perennial easy target have been stepping up their game, offering more and more and more material that begs to be satirised as well as offering possible republican candidates from their roster of hosts and commentators [ok, one down, but you-know-who hasn't said anything yet]. or perhaps it's because, as much as we might have hoped for "change", the fact is that a lot of the same people are in charge of things and they're prone to making the same stupid mistakes.

in the end, it doesn't really interest me why things with stewart and colbert have gotten so good again, i'm just happy to once again have their a-game to look forward to four days a week.

THERE'S MORE THAT MADE ME HAPPY, PLUS THIS WEEK'S KITTY PIC AFTER THE BREAK...




a good guy :: this week was not kind to the standing of men. [it also wasn't a good week for maids, but that's another story.] arnold aside, you had the leader of the french socialist party- supposedly the home of progressiveness- arrested on sexual assault charges. in the arts, you had one of the world's most lauded [although often most controversial] directors playing footsie with the legacy of the nazi party in what looks like a pretty desperate publicity stunt [and, i might add, a recycled publicity stunt].

but there are still good guys, if you get over the idea that they're supposed to come from areas known as bastions of liberalism or free thought. take, for example, professional wrestler, lauded author and all-around good guy mick foley, who has been putting his long-battered back into raising money for the prevention of sexual assault. heck, huffington post even made him their "greatest person of the day". in all seriousness, foley should rate as one of the most fascinating characters currently living for his mix of intelligence, humanitarianism and, um, testicular fortitude and it's not terribly surprising to see that he's doing his best to see that the battered image of men doesn't fall completely beyond hope.

arm & hammer multi-cat clumping kitty litter :: given the number of cats in our household, i'm assuming that this one doesn't require a lot of explanation. as i'm fond of saying, sometimes it's the little things that make your life a whole lot easier.








the sweet sounds of... :: long-time favourite of mine galakthorroe managed to surprise me twice with their latest catalogue update.

first up, hot on the heels of their last release "you", label heads haus arafna will be releasing another full-length album called "new york rhapsody". what's remarkable about this album is that it's actually music they wrote for designer katie gallagher for her show at new york fashion week 2009. even the idea that haus arafna was featured at a show in new york fashion week seems so implausible that i have to wonder if i didn't take a blow to the head without noticing. truly amazing is that the sound samples available on the label web site make it sound like there was no compromise whatsoever in the music, despite the more mainstream venue.

second, out of the proverbial blue, amon radek [aka maska genetik], who graced galakthorroe with two tracks on their "kosmoloko" compilation and a stunning [and long sold-out] 7" before disappearing completely from sight shortly afterward, has returned with a full length album. once again, the available samples sound exceptionally promising, full of tension and restrained menace, much in keeping with his earlier material.

both releases are scheduled to be out on june 1st on both cd [unlimited version] and the customary limited edition heavyweight vinyl galathorroe does for virtually all its full-length releases. both vinyl editions are already pre-sold out at source, meaning that they've had enough commitments from distributors that there won't be a single copy available for order from the label itself. [don't worry, it's often easier to order from distributors if you're outside europe, so it doesn't mean you won't be able to get it.]

hey... i made it through. there are a lot of things i'm looking forward to in the coming week, including a play date at my local guerlain counter and a chance to review mac's new summer collection "surf baby". but i have to say that the thing i'm looking forward to most at the moment is a nice, relaxing sleep and a few swats at the voodoo doll i've made of the neighbour.

considering that simon and hecubus had their manhood trimmed today, things are a little fractious this evening. [cats do not like things that smell like hospital and cats who've returned from the hospital do not like having their tender areas investigated by their siblings.] but i know that eventually things will calm down and return to a more peaceful rhythm. here's this week's cat photo in honour of that...