The Weekly Gimme: Massimo Dutti Blue Leather Jacket

£225, Massimo Dutti

Sorry for the ghetto picture, I couldn't find a better one online. I saw this in store today when I was out shopping with a friend (King's Road is SO much better than Oxford Circus on the weekend, although nothing beats Canary Wharf). Anyway, the leather is buttery soft and a gorgeous true navy color. I've been in the market for a non-brown leather jacket (I have a super cute biker jacket in a rusty brown that I wear a lot and got for super cheap from Wilson's Leather). I had been looking at solely black jackets, but now I'm thinking that a navy or even a dark gray would be a wonderful choice (black leather frequently looks fake or cheap to me).

But, even though I actually got paid today (first real paycheck!) I exercised true self-control (but maybe not in the dessert department) and spent less than twenty quid. I got a comfy shirt from Brandy Melville and a bun-maker from Accessorize. 

Being Lonely and Growing Up

The first week in a new country/city is always the worst. It is a fucking roller coaster of emotion. You have the peaks of excitement and newness and discovering Boot's has like a million scents in your favorite dry shampoo. Then, you have the valleys of crushing loneliness and creeping depressing, where you're not quite sad enough to stay in bed all day but you also go a little crazy when you can't find the exact floss you want (who uses tape?!) and the only American TV you can find is CSI: NY. (When I was in America, all I watched were BBC shows and now all I want is Amurrica).

On top of all this, it's time to grow up. Having a big girl job is also the worst. These two things added together just makes a person want to go back to grad school . . . But then I think about how I don't want to do that and that working is better than lying around all day watching syndicated episodes of Big Bang Theory.

Well, in times of need, the ENTJs turn to list-making. (Also, I just finished reading Mindy Kaling's book which is phenomenal by the way, and she really defrumps list-making).

Things in London which are better than things in America:

• the prepared foods: the M&S Food Hall is fantastic. Right now, I'm eating some Persian duck dish with saffron rice, roasted butternut squash and some lemony-oniony ragout. This is way beyond a Stouffer's lasagna, guys.
• the cell phone situation: my UNLIMITED data plan, with 1000 texts and 200 minutes costs only £12.80 per month. That's less than $20!! Craycray.
• the shopping: so many good stores . . . And, they're opening more and more American stores every day. If they add an Ann Taylor, I would be completely satisfied.
• the coffee choices: this is actually kind of funny, because London doesn't make great coffee. But, the choices are so varied. In the States, you get Starbucks, Dunkies, and maybe Caribou Coffee if you're in a weird part of town that still has a bookstore. Here, there's Caffe Nero, Starbucks, Pret, Paul, Costa, and all sorts of little patisseries. You don't have to be held hostage by Starbucks here.

Things in America which are better than things in London

• television: what kind of flat that has heated floors (seriously amazing) only offers freeview television? Especially when freeview television is meh. Newsflash London, there are more shows than How I Met Your Mother and Scrubs.
• prices: I guess this is kind of a lame category, but it's legit. Things in London are just outrageously expensive. It's basically taking Boston prices (argh) and switching out the dollar sign for a pound sign.
• sandwiches: okay, look, this isn't elementary school anymore. You can't just put some butter and cheese on some Wonder Bread and call it a day. More meat! More cheese! More salt! 
• Hulu: so, you get some weird version of Netflix in the UK where all the movies/shows available for streaming are different. There's actually a pretty decent selection. But you can't get access to Hulu without maybe doing something shady (I might get desperate enough for this very soon). I need my stories!!
• football: the real kind. 

Review: Ole Henriksen Invigorating Night Gel

$45, Sephora

You guys, Sephora already has Christmas Secular Sparkly Holiday gift sets out. Already! It's not even Halloween yet! But anyway, you should get on it, because Sephora offers some really awesome gift sets--they're perfect for keeping and using, and not so much for gifting (because really, who wants to receive a dozen tubes of mascara for Christmas?)

The Weekly Gimme: lemlem Bathsheba Dress

$248, lemlem

This is a gorgeous dress, no? I don't know what's wrong with me. For the entirety of summer, I'm just shopping for cashmere and boots, but a week before October hits, I want to buy a white, pleated dress. 

I actually saw this dress in Harper's like months ago. Serious, I think I started Googling this dress in April. Well, it's finally hit the interwebs. It's beautiful. It's also made in Ethiopia (it definitely has a slightly African feel to it). 

I actually want a lot of things on lemlem's website . . . If only their prices didn't seem so outrageous . . . (Although Gwyneth Paltrow doesn't think the prices are too bad.)

Review: Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Glow Pad

$18 for 10, Sephora

I don't remember which subscription box I received these self-tanning wipes in (that's a bad sign, right?). I don't really use self-tanner, since I'm naturally pretty tan and if I really need a tan I can just sit outside for an hour. 

But, free is free and bored is bored so I used one of these. They really work! I only used one wipe and it was very subtle and natural looking. Not orange-y at all. I used it on my face, and I didn't find any streaks, even without using an exfoliate first. 

I didn't suffer any adverse effects. The tan washed off in about half a week. If I had wanted a deeper tan, I would have used a wipe every day until I reached the color I wanted. I would also suggest to make sure you wipe all over your chest, in case you want to wear a low-cut shirt.

tl;dr: Great tanning wipe, if you're into that kind of thing.

Review: Korres Quercetin & Oak Eye Cream

$42, Sephora

Have you guys seen that new Kia commercial with the hamsters getting in shape? I love that commercial. It's unfortunate that the car is so ugly and stupid looking, because they really have some brilliant admen. 

Anyway, this Korres product could use some brilliant admen, because it sure as shit doesn't work. To be fair, I don't know why I keep trying these antiageing/antiwrinkle (although a shadow fell on my face the other day that made me panic because I thought I was getting a wrinkle).

This will be a short post, because this product did nothing for me. It didn't really smell like anything (I don't know what quercetin even is), and the consistency was just blah. 

Tieks: An Endorsement

$175, Tieks

I have been looking for comfortable black flats (that aren't Toms) ever since I realized that I was going to work in London. I needed some good, classic, COMFORTABLE flats for commuting. I have other flats (here and here) that I really like, and that are fairly comfortable, but they weren't plain enough to be good commuting shoes. 

Tieks are Oprah's favorite shoe, and even though I'm not a huge Oprah fan, she usually has okay taste. Not to mention, these shoes have been featured on a lot of blogs. So I ordered a pair. Shipping was easy and fast, and my shoes got here in excellent quality. 

The shoes themselves came in a little box, along with a fake flower elastic thing, a reusable bag that can be stuffed in a little sac, and a little pouch to store the Tieks. Honestly, I wish they would knock $10 off the hefty price tag and just do away with these little extras. 

The shoes are excellent quality. The leather is great, and the rubber soles are very sturdy. The insoles are cushioned and comfortable. The first time I tried them on, I felt it was too tight in the toe-box and too long as a shoe. (The only have whole sizes which can also be difficult for some people). There is a bit more toe cleavage than I like, but just a bit.

After wearing them around the apartment for a few days, they leather molded to my feet more, so that they're more comfortable. One thing that sold me on these shoes is the fact that the back of the shoes don't rub against my heels. I always, always have that problem with cheap flats and these did not give me any blisters at all. 

Although I haven't worn them out for an extended period yet, they feel very comfortable. I think they're just as comfortable as my Toms for walking for hours. I don't think I would really travel in these shoes though, since I wear my Rainbows in the spring/summer and my boots in the fall/winter. They will definitely serve their purpose in being commuting flats.

Finally, I was at first hesitant to buy these shoes because of the blue soles and the little blue stripe on the heel, but when I saw them in person, I liked it a lot. It was a lot more subtle than in the photos and it's hard to see much blue when you're actually wearing them and walking in them. I'm going to wear these shoes for a few months and see how they hold up. Meanwhile, I've got my eye on this shiny patent red crocodile pair and this hot pink pair.