OH HI

Hello sad blog people, who must be missing the glamorous musings that typically pour forth from my loving mind and hands (admittedly, at strange and irregular intervals).  Now that the Christmas rush is over, I can begin demonstrating for you all the wonderful goodies I accumulated throughout the holiday season.

NEW OBSESSION, THY NAME IS "GIRL ABOUT TOWN."

You see, when I first started my love affair with makeup, it was a little friend called MAC Cosmetics that drew my attention, since my darling best friend's mother took me to a fun makeup counter to get my unhealthy habit started.  But in the intervening years, my attention has wandered, which is only to be expected from someone whose behavior could easily be mistaken for that of a 40 year old, I kid you not, but I digress.   BUT LO, I was inspired by the fabulous stylings of Vivianna of Vivianna Does Makeup, and upon her recommendation in a video that I can't find right now because her site is having some growing pains, I sought out the delicious glory of a hot pink lipstick even more tantalizing than the colorful fun found in this post (why don't you go ahead an click on that, take a look at my pretty face, get an idea of what I'm talking about).  So here are my new obsession goodies.  Click on 'em, why don't you.

The "Embrace Me" Lip Pencil, which the site unfortunately says is sold out right now, comes from the Tour de Fabulous collection of new Lipglass lip glosses with coordinating lip pencils.  I would say the above swatch is a fairly accurate rendering.  Their depiction of Girl About Town is, however, woefully inaccurate, as the real color of it is something much closer, albeit a richer version, of the pencil.  Hey, if you're lucky, maybe I'll add a picture of me wearing it later DREAM BIG, KIDS, DREAM BIG.

A word to the wise: if you were thinking about not having pink lipstick on at any point in the day you decide to wear this, forget about it.  That Amplified Creme formula isn't going anywhere.  Seriously, I had Starbucks the first day I wore, and it looked like it came off all over my cup, but it turns out that was just the extra that I should have blotted because I didn't need to touch up AT ALL.  Woah.

The Pale-Skin-and-It-Isn't-Even-the-Dead-of-Winter-Yet Blues

The nice thing about being half-Hispanic is that I get a really bitchin' tan in the summer months.  The nice thing about being half-Irish is that I get that cute spray of freckles on my nose during those same summer months (they're real subtle, pretty much perfectly done, if you ask me).  The bad thing about the combination of those two halves is that, in non-friendly-weather months, I start to look like I have some kind of wasting disease, what with the sallowness and the underlying yellow color and my hereditary dark circles.

Having realized that I have, once again, slipped into the clutches of this stage in the year, I put on ridiculous pink lip gloss (Illamasqua's Intense Lipgloss in Petulant) and took some Photo Booth photos.  These fit the bill of me being unable to post a normal picture of myself.  Enjoy.

I was also inspired by the lip color worn in this video over at Vivianna Does Makeup.  Check it out!

Change of Plans

I did just paint my nails, but because my room is so disorganized that I can't find my camera, a style-related post will have to wait until another day.

In other news, I was supposed to do something the other day, but instead I got an idea in my head about doing something else, so I took myself to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the beautiful city of New York.   And boy, am I glad I did.  You see, in addition to a million other cool things that have been added and revamped since the last time I paid the Met a visit, the Galleries for the Art of the Arab Lands, Turkey, Iran, Central Asia, and Later South Asia (and yes, the Met does use the Oxford comma, bitch) were finally opened in November after 8 years.

It's not like I was waiting for this moment with bated breath, but upon learning of something new and exciting to see, I took myself and my extremely poor footwear choice for the day up to the second floor, where I was greeted by objects and artworks that made me feel really positive about geometry.  If only my math teachers could have been so inspirational. 

Because this was an impromptu activity, and my room was in much the same state of cleanliness as it is right now, I didn't have my camera, but I did have my cell phone, so some quick snapshots will have to suffice.

I'll take two.

Prayer niche

This is a ceiling.  That someone made.

This rug might be literally a thousand years old (Can't say I read the placard too closely, but it was a damn fine rug.).

So if you have the opportunity, I would highly encourage you to go check out the collections.  There's so much to see, I could have stayed until closing and not gotten to everything, which is kind of part of the fun.  I find that accepting that fact helps me enjoy what I do get to see even more.  The coolest thing is that you're looking at things that someone had a relationship to hundreds of years before anyone could have guess that "#mixedgirlproblems" has a meaning.  Or that I would be blogging about prayer niches.

It's a crazy world.

I'm pretty sure I just ate something that wasn't food.

Shall we ignore the fact that I've been gone for months?  Yes, let's.

On Friday, I celebrated my 23rd birthday.  I feel ambivalent about this.  Edit: It was also Nina's birthday, for those of you who are unfamiliar with how being a twin works.  BUT, I did get new clothes, so there is actually some hope for my return.  Speaking of internet presence, quick question: if I were to get a twitter, what should my handle be?  Is that what it's called?  A "handle"?  The kids these days, with their newfangled hashtags and whatnot.

I leave you all with this.  Stay fresh.

W(h)ine

Okay, so I have this problem where I love Rachel Zoe.  I say it's a problem because the similarities between our lives are non-existent.  I challenge you to name one (other than that we are both women, because that is stupid, cheaters).  I love her show, I love her sass, and I love the clothes she designed, as did everybody else, as you may have noticed.

Am I politely overlooking the fact that she's thinner than I can possibly comprehend?  Yes, yes I am.  And you might be asking yourself, "Why, Harris, why are you looking past such a thing, even as you sit getting popcorn butter all over your keyboard while you're typing this?"  Well, I'll tell you, friends...


Rachel Zoe is making me want to wear my fingernails shorter.

I KNOW.  It's hard to fathom.  We all know, at this point, that I love painting my nails more than is healthy for someone who (allegedly) has friends.  But it is precisely because of nail polish that I want to wear them shorter.  Watching her show, I see her short, but still elegant, nails, covered in the most beautiful red wine nail polish and I WANT THAT FOR ME.

Seriously, does anybody know what polish it is?  Or can anyone recommend some colors that could help me approximate my burning desire to emulate Rachel in this one small facet of my life?

Photo via

PLEASE.  HELP.

Also, popcorn is a delicious treat, you should really all go have some right now.

Go Wild(cats)

Y'all, I got to go to the Bronx Zoo on Saturday!  My best friend came down from Boston for the weekend and I went with her and her family to see all the wonderful animals.  I even got to see feeding time for the sea lions!  They are my favorite and I always miss feeding time and it was magical that I finally got to see it.  I felt like I was 10 years old again (except in a good, nostalgic way, not like how I actually felt when I was ten).

This is what I wore:

Because it was a Saturday and Northwestern was going to play Michigan and I rep my school hard (even though I don't go there any more :/).  But also, how cute is that shirt!  I love the way it fits, and it's just the right cross between sweatshirt and t-shirt material.  Perfect for a sunny fall day!  I try not to congratulate a company led by someone so skeevy, but good work American Apparel.  Good work.

Custom American Apparel shirt

Gap skirt

Banana Republic necklace

Louis Vuitton bag

I used that picture because it was the only one I took.  Apparently, I still don't have my blogging priorities in order.  You can find the shirt here, but I'm telling you right now, I don't know if I would go for it at that price.  Or rather, it would pain me that I couldn't go for it, since I can barely afford to wash my clothes, let alone buy new ones.  We're not going to talk about the football game, because it did not go well.  Instead, creatures!

Lemur!

HE WAS SO GREAT.  Just soaking up the sun.

I know, bad picture, but it's called a fossa, look it up.

Last, but certainly not least, (former) Roommate Sammy was featured on a Chicago street style blog called Layers on Friday!  Check out the post here.  Doesn't she look totally chic?  Way to soak in those last few rays of sun before the terrifying winter sets in, girl.

Look forward to a post about Rachel Zoe, I been keeping up with that crazy lady and her style is relentlessly working its way into every crevice of my brain!

Devotedly (ha!),
Harris

I'm a grown-ass woman.

Well, ladies (and gentlemen?), I have to say, the reason for my extended absence this time is slightly more exciting than all those times this summer when I would disappear for long stretches of time.  This time, it's because (drumroll please)...

I GOT A JOB.  I'm part of a touring company that does educational shows in elementary schools around New Jersey.  It's been really crazy trying to learn all the material and going out to schools at the same time, all while finishing up a show at home that has me commuting back and forth, but it's been super exciting, and they've given me free housing, so I'm now Stranded in Chicago Little Silver Beach Haven.

I just wanted to let y'all know about that, and know that my schedule is going to be a little crazy, but I really am hoping to get back into the swing of things with my blog.  I really do miss it, and I hope I can find a way to make a little more time for it.  In the meantime, I'd like to share some pictures I snagged with my phone as my life became progressively more hectic, so here you go!

Real life.

Essie "Tart Deco"

Count Basie Theatre, Red Bank, NJ

Count Basie Theatre

You love that wig, right?  Also, Brielle is going to be upset I posted this picture.

Inexplicably, I ended up seeing a number of horse drawn coaches.

See you soon!
Harris