Author: Mstldelano

Digital curator, art enthusiast, creator of daily luxurious experiences.
art · culture

Return of the Drawing Salon at The National Gallery of Art

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(image courtesy of ClipArtPanda)

Recently, I shared that the National Gallery of Art hosts Writing Salons, to assist all interested in getting in touch with their inner author. However, the Writing Salons have a counterpart that is equally as, if not more, popular: the Drawing Salons. NGA has finally began accepting reservations for the Drawing Salons, and I’m here to tell you all about it, both as an art enthusiast and as a former salon attendee.

Similar to the Writing Salons, the Drawing Salons are hosted monthly and the salon topics vary for each session. The Drawing Salons also run from now into the springtime, though they end one month after the last Writing Salon session. There are also only 5 Drawing Salon themes, as opposed to the 6 Writing Salon themes available this season.

The topics being explored during this season of the Drawing Salon are as follows:

American Impressionism

Cézanne’s Landscapes

Picasso’s Palette

Rodin’s Sculptures

Matisse’s Cut-Outs

I attended one of the Drawing Salons in 2015, and thoroughly enjoyed it. NGA provides supplies and is well equipped for each group of budding artists. I found that the art instruction was solid and appropriate for any skill level. I liked that the groups were small enough that the art instructor could provide each attendee a measure of one-on-one attention. But the most impressive part of the session was the art history lesson provided to attendees: the historical context deeply informs the sketch that attendees create during the session.

So, much like the Writing Salons, if you have a chance, GO! You won’t be disappointed!

beauty

Review: BAABS Beauty

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When I did my makeup haul several weeks ago, I ordered from multiple vendors. I reviewed Kimberly New York (both here and here), Glow by Melodye, Nicolet Beauty, and KoyVoca. The review to follow is of BAABS Beauty, another indie brand with a wide variety of offerings at great prices.

BAABS Beauty has a full range of cosmetics, from foundations, to eye color, to lip color, and tools to apply just about anything you could want. I loved that the foundations are in multiple rich shades of brown, accommodating many different undertones. I was also pleased by the fact that the company offered foundation samples, so that you could attempt to match to your correct shade with only a minimal investment.

My order consisted of a felt tip eyeliner,  lip vinyl, and a set of foundation samples. The eyeliner was in the shade Chocolate Brown, the liquid lipstick was in the shade Safe Bet, and the foundation samples were from the Rich Hot Chocolate collection (the deepest shades that the company offers).

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Isn’t this bag adorable?

Promotional materials and coupons enclosed in the order; my products.

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I found the felt tip liner wasn’t as nice as I’d hoped. I compared it to Mary Kay’s Liquid Eyeliner Pen (also has a felt tip) which glides on intensely and easily. Unfortunately, the MK eyeliner pen only comes in black. The BAABS liner took quite a bit of pressing to express the product into the felt tip, and the resulting color was faint (the color payoff was similar to dragging a partially-dried marker on the back of your hand). I don’t recommend it in its current formulation.

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The liner gets a thumbs-down from me.

 

Now, about the foundation shades. I wasn’t totally clear how many containers I’d get, but, as it turns out, I received four small jars of color cosmetics, and one oil mattifier sample. The shades enclosed were N95, N10, N11, and Dark BB Cream.

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The swatches are shown below.

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(Shades from top to bottom: N95, N10, N11, Dark BB Cream)

As it turns out, the BB cream was the only product close to the skin tone on my face. Fortunately, the BB cream is AMAZING and applies beautifully. It has a light feel but gives quite a bit of coverage. I found that the coverage and dewiness were perfect for me; I used a little powder to set and the product lasted all day. Since the other shades were too dark, I didn’t wear them on my face.

Finally, I tried the lip vinyl in the shade Safe Bet. The website describes the product this way:

Applies as a medium rosy brown nude

Our liquid vinyl has high impact pigments, more coverage and shine than lipgloss, longwear lip-hybrid formula, similar to liquid lipstick with insane high watt shine, fade proof, infused with maximum staining pigments, non-drying stay put finish.

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Lip Vinyl in Safe Bet, a happy medium between brown and rose

I found the description to be spot on. The product didn’t dry down matte or chalky: it remained smooth and creamy. I paired it with a dark brown liner and I loved the overall effect.

Overall, I enjoyed the products, but the order wasn’t without a few issues.

I placed my order on August 27th. I found out that the package was on its way on September 11th (I received an email confirming this). Then, on September 14th, I received another message: my shipping fees had been refunded due to the delay. I finally received my products on September 20th. It took nearly a month to receive products shipped from a neighboring state (the products were shipped from North Carolina to Virginia).

When I opened my products, I also noticed that the jar of N11 was nearly empty. See for yourself:

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The jar looked like this fresh out of the package. I literally had enough to do a swatch or two. I swatched it for the photos and threw the empty jar in the trash.

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To the company’s credit, I did not have to initiate the shipping fee refund. The company get an “A” for proactivity. When it comes to small businesses, it’s important to remember that sometimes they don’t have the inventory or staff to quickly prepare and ship orders. Along with returning the fee, the company enclosed a free jar of lemon vanilla bean body cream, and a handwritten note expressing that they appreciated my patience. Since the N11 shade was too dark for my skin, I decided against contacting the company for an adequate sample size: it would have been a waste of resources, since I already knew that the shade wasn’t a fit for me. Another key point to note: the company offers FREE foundation samples for first time buyers, so the N11 container wasn’t wasted money for me, since it was free on this order.

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The complimentary body cream enclosed in my package.

Now the big question: would I order again?

YES, absolutely. I wouldn’t chance ordering when I’m experiencing a time crunch, but if I’m not in a rush, sure, I’d order from BAABS Beauty again. I really enjoyed the BB cream so I’ll probably reorder that. I’d also like to purchase the sample set with a few of those lighter foundation shades, to see if one of those works better on my skin tone.

That’s my not-so-short review of BAABS Beauty! Do you see any products that you would want to try? Let me know in the comments below!

life curation · style

Clothing Solutions 101

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(Photo courtesy of ClipArtPanda)

Recently, one of my friends came to me with a dilemma. She dripped a bit of salad dressing on one of her favorite tops. She lamented over how the oil in the dressing had practically “ruined” her top. I’ll admit: I was genuinely confused. I had spilled salad dressing, coconut oil, frying grease, and a host of other oils onto different outfits and I never considered them “ruined”. Then it occurred to me: I didn’t think those items were ruined because I knew how to get the oil stain out of them. I told her my trick, she tried it, and she raved about how well it worked. I’ll tell you all about my trick in a moment.

That conversation inspired me to write this post. So many of us invest in beautiful, long-lasting pieces, and we want those items to look as stellar as possible for a long time. So when we encounter clothing issues, like awful stains, it can be a bit frustrating. But I’m going to share some of my household go-tos, which I’ve used consistently to preserve and retain the appearance of my clothing.

My first recommendation is Dryel. This at-home dry cleaning system not only leaves your clothing look like they just came from your favorite cleaners, but the concentrated stain removal solution enclosed in the kit is amazing. I’ve used that stain remover so many times, and you only need a little bit. One bottle tends to last me quite a while, even when I find myself using it regularly.

Lingerie bags are my next favorite laundry item. I used to buy them on a nearly monthly basis, until I purchased the ones made by ATopDay. These are the most durable lingerie bags I’ve ever owned. They are made of fine mesh, so they seem to protect your clothing better than the wide mesh that is usually found in lingerie bags. The price on these have doubled since I last purchased them but, given the number of lingerie bags I’ve purchased over the years, even the doubled priced still seems to be a good value. However, there’s a good chance that you can find these at a lower price, so feel free to shop around for the best value.

About that oil stain I mentioned in the first paragraph . . . Baby powder is the cure. The trick is to apply the baby powder to the oil stain, and pat it a bit. Allow it to sit for at least an hour, though I usually let mine sit overnight, or until I wash it (which could be two or three days later). After letting it sit for a period of time, launder the item and check to see if the stain is completely gone. Sometimes, the oil is pretty persistent; in those cases, I do the baby powder treatment again. No oil stains seem to last through that second powder treatment.

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(photo courtesy of StockUnlimited)

Baby wipes are another fantastic item to have around (I don’t know what it is with the baby products, but they are fabulous for laundry!). I use these to remove stains from clothing as soon as the spills occur, but I also use these to quickly remove and pretreat stains before laundering. These are good to keep in your glove compartment and in your laundry room.

My handheld steamer is my last favorite laundry item. This is great for knocking out the wrinkles that the dryer may have missed. I love using this on scarves and delicate lingerie as well: it gently removes wrinkles without too much direct heat.

The steamer I own is the Crazo Garment Steamer, pictured above.

 

Do you have any laundry tricks you’d like to share? Tell me in the comments below!

festivals · relaxation

Weekend Shenanigans

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Happy Friday, sweethearts! Yes, another weekend is upon us, and I, for one, am ecstatic! It’s been a hectic week and I’m ready to leap headfirst into the weekend! Also, Monday is a holiday (Columbus Day), so I’ll have an extended weekend. Let’s all do a dance for having an extra day off!

As it turns out, this weekend is extremely popular for Virginia festivals: I counted six festivals in Richmond and the surrounding areas. I have so many options: I don’t know where to start! If you’re in the area, the Richmond Times Dispatch has a list of all of the October festivals going on this weekend.

Saturday evening, I’ll be checking into a hotel and enjoying a change of scenery. I won’t be venturing far, but it will be nice to relax in a space that isn’t so stimulating. As much as I love my loaded-down bookshelves, I enjoy taking a break from looking at them LOL!

Aside from this weekend’s festivals, I should have enough time to get deep into the October book selection and work on the next post in the Preparing for 2018 series. I may even have enough time to squeeze in another vintage movie. The last time I watched an old movie, I saw “Gang Smashers” (I can’t wait to tell you all about that one! It’ll be in another post, pinkie swear!). But I still have to watch “Sepia Cinderella” and “Hell’s Angels“, so maybe this weekend will be a good time to squeeze in another movie.

For now, enjoy a couple of screenshots of the gorgeous Nina Mae McKinney in “Gang Smashers“. And be sure to get out and ENJOY YOUR WEEKEND! These are the perfect fall weekends that we’ll be longing for when winter comes. So SAVOR them, and have some fun!

 

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Nina Mae McKinney in “Gang Smashers”

 

 

 

 

 

food · relaxation

Vegan Pea Soup Recipe

Mstldelano2 Comments

As the seasons change, I find myself reaching for more comfort: less light and airy experiences, more warm, full-bodied pleasures. This desire for comfort comes in all forms, from clothing I wear, to conversations with friends, to foods I choose to eat.

It occurred to me that I was reaching my “comfort” period when I stumbled across a bag of frozen peas and decided to whip up a batch of pea soup. I love how light yet filling this soup is: it really is a perfect meal for the fall. I ate it with garlic knots and a small glass of white wine on the side. To me, the lightness of peas – a summer vegetable – contrasts well with the heartier feel of this soup. Some people add mint to their version but I choose to omit mint: that herb feels very “summery” to me, and that wasn’t the feel I was going for.

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I don’t frequently post recipes, but I think this one is worth the share. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Pea Soup Recipe

  • 1 bag of frozen peas
  • Top of one leek, washed and chopped
  • 1/2 cup yellow onions, chopped
  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable spread (I use Earth Balance)
  • 1 cup water
  • Salt, pepper and dried chives to taste
  • Vegan sour cream (as garnish)

Melt vegetable spread in a medium pot, then add leek tops and onions. Saute for five minutes until translucent and fragrant. Add vegetable broth and water, and bring to a boil. Add bag of peas, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Turn off heat and allow soup to cool for at least 15 – 20 minutes.

Pour cooked peas and broth into a blender, and blend on low until smooth. If the soup has cooled down too much, return to pot and reheat over low heat. Pour soup into serving bowls and sprinkle black pepper, salt and dried chives onto each serving. If desired, put a dollop of vegan sour cream on top of each bowl.

Serves 4

beauty · luxury

Review: Kimberly New York “Indigo Love” Perfume

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Hello friends! I previously reviewed Kimberly New York’s Dimple fragrance (as well as the others available through the perfumier). But in late August, Kimberly New York released a new fragrance, Indigo Love, and I had to try it. It just arrived last week, after a bit of a shipping delay (the product was mailed out of Florida, and it seems that it got caught up in the Hurricane Irma delays). But it’s here now, so it’s time to review!

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The product describes “Indigo Love” this way:

FREE-SPIRITED. EASY. FLORAL.

“Indigo Love” is an easy-going, bright floral. Sweet tangerine adds a bit of zest to mildly floral honeysuckle blossom. Warm cedarwood anchors this whimsical scent in grown-and-sexy sophistication.

Eau de parfum

Notes: 
top – sweet tangerine 
middle – honeysuckle blossom 
base – cedarwood

It starts off bright and citrusy, but there is a sweet mellowness that settles in after the first few whiffs (must be that honeysuckle essence). After that, the cedarwood whispers softly and smells warm; it gives me the feeling of lazy, faintly humid summer days.

Just like “Dimple”, this one has to be reapplied frequently to retain its power. But the fragrance is beautiful and the name – “Indigo Love” – is fitting. This would be just as perfect with a pretty sundress as it would be with a t-shirt and jeans.

My final thoughts? I really like it! I would purchase it again.

Have any of you had the chance to try some of the Kimberly New York fragrances? Let me know in the comments below!

 

 

life curation · relaxation

My Desk Altar

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Happy Tuesday, dear friends! I wanted to share the space that has helped refresh and restore me, even when I’m hard at work.

When I transitioned into my dream job last year, I was determined to make the best of it (one of these days, I’ll tell the story of how I landed this job). I was really maintaining my positivity and wanted nothing more than to create a much healthier environment than what I’d experienced in previous positions.

So I brainstormed how to best create my ideal workspace. And thus, my desk altar was born.

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No, I don’t actually worship at this altar. In fact, it’s mainly trinkets from my travels and memorabilia from previous positions. It’s a tribute to where I’ve been, and all of the magnificent experiences that have made me the woman that I am. I wanted a sacred space that was infused with positive energy: indeed, even the items from previous jobs were items that brought back good memories.

I started a practice to help set my day on a positive note. I would think about someone that inspired me and I’d search on Google for quotes that were attributed to him or her. Then, I’d write the quotes on small, ornate notepaper, and place it on the altar. Whenever I’d hit a low point during my week, I’d look through the quotes and it would be an instant mood lifter. I’d also flip through my “Joy in Every Moment” book and find a passage or two that spoke to me.

Admittedly, I didn’t need this mood lifting practice often. In fact, the only thing that I can recall making me feel less-than-delighted with my new position was the fact that I missed my old teammates and felt kind of isolated. Other than that, my position was interesting enough and fulfilling enough to keep me happy most of the time.

Since I believe that our spaces should reflect our ever-changing selves, I’ll be updating my desk altar soon. When I’ve finished adding/removing/rearranging items, I’ll be sure to post an updated photo.

Do you all have altars or sacred spaces? Or do you have practices that help you get into a positive headspace? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below!

life curation

Preparing for 2018

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Happy Monday, beloveds!

Can you all believe that we are THREE short months away from 2018? I’m blown away by how quickly 2017 has passed! This has been a monumental year for me: so many milestones, so much growth!

I had to take some time to think of the little things that made my 2017 spectacular, and I’ve already started setting myself up for an incredible 2018. As it turns out, you CAN pave the way for a spectacular year to come, and paving that way doesn’t require, nor does it have to involve:

-getting major cash windfalls

-meeting “the one”

-dropping tons of weight/getting to your ideal body

-landing in your dream career

Yes, all of those things are wonderful and can greatly enhance your enjoyment of the following year. But these shouldn’t be prerequisites for living well. Living well is about establishing a day-to-day (even a moment-to-moment) cultivation and appreciation of everything that gives you joy, fulfillment, peace and delight.

I know for a fact that everything doesn’t have to be “perfect” in order to create a wonderful life. For that reason, I’ll periodically share what I’m doing to pave the way to a spectacular 2018. I’ll try to make this a weekly series and I’ll aim for consistency. These weeks leading up to the end of the year will give you all a behind-the-scenes peek into how I am setting myself up for a fabulous year to come.

I hope you all will try some of these exercises with me and see the difference that preparing for the next year can make! I’d love to have some company on this journey. If you’re interested in practicing some techniques for a fabulous year to come, let me know in the comments below.

luxury

Another Vintage Car

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I mentioned my love of the Sunbeam Tiger in a previous post. But now I want to introduce you to another car that I love: the Shelby Cobra.

I first learned about Carroll Shelby from one of my friends that was a Mustang fanatic. I found out later that I’d seen Shelby’s designs before, on one of my favorite TV shows, “Get Smart”.

Just for your viewing pleasure, here’s a photo of a 1965 Shelby Cobra 289 Dragonsnake.hemmings1965shelbycobra289dragonsnake(Photo courtesy of Hemmings.com)

 

I’m currently researching some classic car shows that I can attend over the next few months. I’d love to see one of these beauties in person!

 

art · culture

Return of The Writing Salon at The National Gallery of Art

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One of my favorite museums in Washington DC is the National Gallery of Art. It’s technically not part of the Smithsonian Institute, but the museum has an awesome art collection and lots of superb activities and events.

Each year, the museum hosts Writing Salons, which use art as a focal point when discussing different writing techniques. I am excited to see the lineup of Writing Salon topics for this upcoming season! 
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The topics that will be explored during this Writing Salon season are:

  • Memoir: The Power of Metaphor
  • Historical Fiction: Reimagining the Past
  • Point of View: Narrative Choices
  • Poetry: The Rhythm of Color
  • Character: Exploring Identity
  • Flash Fiction: Building Tension

 

The events occur monthly, from September to April (except during the month of December). The event page lists when the tickets are available (usually one week before the event starts). This is a great opportunity to received specialized writing instruction in an intimate setting. The tickets are free of charge but they go fast, so you must quickly register if you’d like to attend.

I’m thinking about taking a few of these courses: I love writing and can always use more instruction and experience. Have any of you attended a National Gallery of Art event? Let me know in the comments below!