It's freezing cold weeks like these that make me wonder why humans can't hibernate through the winter like bears. All I want to do is drink hot chocolate and sleep! Maybe the funny/cool/interesting things in this week's links will keep me warm.
– I didn't think I could love Ladurée more than I do now, but these new limited-edition candles have made me even more crazy about them.
– National Peanut Butter Day was this past Thursday. Best Friends with Frosting has a ton of yummy recipes to help you celebrate.
– I was quite the New Kids on the Block fan when I was a young'un so I got a kick out of seeing them come back on a "boy band" tour.
– More '90s nostalgia with Animals Talking in All Caps. The bigger elephant really hit the nail on the head!
– YES! Someone finally pointed out that Pret a Manger in the States just doesn't compare to the ones in London.
– Finally, I've been very inspired lately by both The Typologist and the "stash pics" I see at Makeupalley. This week, I will be featuring pictures of some of the Museum's collection by brand, which I'm calling "group portraits". I think this will be particularly appealing to those of you who want to see makeup collectibles all together rather than in a more formal, spaced out exhibition format.
– The Beauty Shortlist gives us their predictions for 2013's beauty trends.
– Currently trending in Asia? Fake braces, apparently. Unlike BB creams, that's one trend that I guarantee will NOT be making its way to the Western world.
– Estée Lauder is collaborating with Lilly Pulitzer to create eight (!) limited-edition makeup bags available as gifts-with-purchase. All will have a beachy theme to them, so I sense at least a few of them will be making their way into the Museum's collection – good stuff for summer exhibitions.
– The New York Times published an online discussion debating whether wearing makeup is bad for self-esteem. Sigh. I'd write a counterpoint to it but many bloggers already have posted excellent responses to it, the one I agree with most being from Wild Beauty.
– Season 3 of Portlandia premiered last night. While I've been a fan since the show started (and even titled a blog post after one of their skits), I have to say I was disappointed by last night's episode. First, they managed to ruin The Wire for me. I had finally started watching the series on Netflix and had just started the third season, and I really didn't need to know that my favorite character eventually gets killed. Um, thanks. More disturbingly, they made a fat joke, which I thought was pretty low and completely weird. What I like about Portlandia is the gentle fun it pokes at kooky Portland stereotypes – it's never offensive or upsetting. And Carrie has been my idol for well over a decade so for her to allow something crappy like making fun of a heavyset woman in her show was really surprising and such a bummer! Of course, I can't find a clip online but it was the pedicab bit. Not cool.
– Don't want to end on a bad note, so I'll leave you with this: remember how earlier this week I was lamenting the fact that I couldn't buy the supposedly Japan-exclusive Tsuyoshi Hirano for Shu Uemura cleansing oils? Guess what, they're available for sale at the Shu website! Well, the Seoul one isn't being offered, but the other two (Tokyo and Shanghai) are, along with the palettes. I will post pics as soon as they get here.
I haven't done a Curator's Corner in a few weeks, but I was still gathering links along the way. I can't believe this is the last one for the year!
– Beautiful with Brains presented some interesting vintage ads that actually encouraged women NOT to be skinny. Imagine that.
– Still more NARS/Andy Warhol awesomeness with this video.
– Just in time for a sparkly, shiny New Year's, Threaded brings us a great history of sequins.
– In other fashion news, archaeologists have unearthed what they believe is the world's oldest bra.
– Pulp Fiction remains the Curator's favorite movie, so I was thrilled to see this take on its representation of gender at Bitch Flicks.
– On the local front, I finally found a place to get the tattoo I've been wanting for over a decade!! And there's a new pizza place opening in Hampden. Pizza fiend that I am, I'm excited to try it out.
– Finally, the year's best memes. I'm pretty sure my top two are Grumpy Cat and What I Think I Do (although the latter wasn't included in this slideshow – not sure why, as it's hilarious).
This week's links.
– I thought this pin was so inspiring, I want to get a tattoo of it. Best advice ever.
– If you're not following You're Welcome, now's the time. Definitely check out the 12 days of Christmas gift guides – not only hilarious but useful too!
– This new Murakami exhibition featuring flowers and skulls got me wondering why he's never collaborated with a cosmetics company. I'd love to see a Murakami makeup collection.
– See you later, Tangerine Tango. Emerald is the new Pantone color of the year.
- I love to smell like desserts in addition to baking them, so you'd think I'd also like to smell like pizza since that's my favorite food. But this new Pizza Hut perfume just grosses me out.
– Finally, Happy Hanukkah! I've been spotting lots of good stuff for this holiday, including the best modern menorahs and hipster yarmulkes. But the thing I like to check out most is the stationery. Here are some of my favorite cards, plus latke wrapping paper!
– Oof. Australia-based beauty brand Illamasqua misses the mark with their latest ad campaign featuring a model in blackface. Why, why?
– Add this to the list of ridiculously expensive luxury beauty items: Karl Lagerfeld for Shu Uemura ruby-encrusted false eyelashes, which retail for approximately $1,500. And the lash glue isn't even included!
– On the local front, today is Holiday Heap, the Charm City Craft Mafia's annual holiday show. I was sad to miss it as I was visiting my parents for the weekend, but I took along Zeke, one of our Cotton Monster staff members (Cotton Monster is a favorite Craft Mafia vendor of mine). Speaking of which, I was pleased to see this shout-out to Cotton Monster.
– While he was visiting the parents, Zeke and a couple of Museum advisory committee members managed to suss out a pan of my dad's famous "junk squares", so named because they're filled with sugary junk (graham cracker crumbs, shredded coconut, raisins, chocolate chips, almonds, all held together with a can of sweetened condensed milk).
As you can imagine the entire pan was gone within 2 minutes. They love sweets so!
How was your week?
Hello! Is everyone sufficiently stuffed and overspent from the one-two punch of Thanksgiving and Black Friday shopping? I know I am. Nevertheless I'm excited the holiday season is officially here.
– MAC introduced a super exclusive Grey Friday lipstick and nail polish for Black Friday. I was intrigued by the stock photos, and after seeing real-life pictures of the lipstick I knew I had to have it. I also knew I'd have to be very quick to order online, with MAC's tendency to sell out. So I told my dear husband to remind me at midnight on Thanksgiving to place the order. Well, come midnight we both forgot and I was completely passed out in a food/prosecco coma, but around 1:30am the husband remembered! He apparently tried to wake me up, but I was unresponsive so he went ahead and placed the order himself. Now that's love. :D Can't wait to get it! It's a good thing he ordered too, because by 8am on Friday it was sold out.
– In other beauty news, Makeup Minute provided a very interesting history of an old beauty implement known as a strigil.
– Design Crush brought my attention to Much-Loved, a photo series capturing well-worn plushies! I wish I had known about it – I have two that are so old and falling apart they can only be honorary Museum staff members. I would have loved to have them photographed.
– Now that it's the holiday season, I went a little crazy ordering stationery from Hello! Lucky, but in my defense they were offering 20% off and free shipping. Here are a few highlights from my order.
I simply can't resist those sock monkeys!
I love how the little fish next to the penguin on the card on the right is just sitting there chilling out with his hot cocoa.
Here's a pretty holiday scene and another one of my favorite things – anthropomorphic food. Awesome.
(images from hellolucky.com)
– It seems everyone is getting into the holiday spirit. You may know the Museum has a Domo who is one of the security guards. He was very jealous when he saw this picture of some of his buddies at local store Atomic Books.
(image from atomicbooks.tumblr.com)
Now he wants a reindeer/Santa costume too!
What was your favorite Thanksgiving dish this year? Have you started your holiday shopping? Did you have any Black Friday mishaps?
I hope everyone had a nice pre-Thanksgiving week! Here are some links.
– In local food news, Sofi's Crepes will be expanding to Fells Point, along with locations in New Jersey and Delaware. If you haven't been to Sofi's yet you really must go. Get the Kevin Bacon, it's amazing!!
– A gallery in NYC is presenting a retrospective of Wayne Thiebaud's work. I love Thiebaud, mostly because he painted pictures of cakes, which makes me happy (and hungry).
– You know what else makes me happy? Celebrating my birthday (even though I don't like getting older). I love mermaids and I love Babos, and my husband combined the two into one of the best birthday cards I've ever received.
Look, it's a Mer-Babo!!
And on the back, among the many things he drew was Sailor Babo admiring a Mer-Babina (Babina is a female Babo which has not yet been produced but that we dream of):
Too cute!
And if your birthday did not take place this week, don't worry – you can still get some delightful NARS Andy Warhol presents by entering the Makeup Museum's giveaway. 🙂
This week's links.
– Some great new-to-me blogs I've started following: Wild Beauty and Deep Glamour (the latter is local – hi neighbor!)
– Did you always have a yearning to see 330 pounds of Yves Saint Laurent lipstick in a huge rectangular sculpture? Well, your wish has been granted.
– Chantecaille doesn't quite have the market cornered on elephant-themed beauty items this fall, as British Beauty Blogger shows us tweezers with an elephant charm.
– The Institute for Art and Olfaction, "a new organization devoted to the art and science of perfumery" will open in Los Angeles in March 2013.
– In other West Coast news, Fruity Lashes shares some pictures of the fabulous, brand spankin' new NARS boutique in L.A. I just happen to be going out there later this week to visit some friends, so I'm really hoping I make it there!
– Speaking of being away, I'm taking this week off from blogging. But I will be back next week with some Halloween fun. 😉
It's freezing cold weeks like these that make me wonder why humans can't hibernate through the winter like bears. All I want to do is drink hot chocolate and sleep! Maybe the funny/cool/interesting things in this week's links will keep me warm. 
