Latest Shopping Haul

I have an upcoming wedding (as a bridesmaid) in April so obviously this warranted a shopping trip. I'm fairly sure I justified my purchases because I will "need it for the wedding".

This grey pencil skirt will actually be part of our bridesmaids' outfits (yay for things I can wear again!). I bought this over the weekend from the White House Black Market, which has some pretty cute stuff. I've never stepped foot in one before, let alone purchase something. The bride wants us to pair this with a white ruffle-y or tie neck blouse. She hasn't found one yet so let me know if you find a white top that would go great with the skirt (The theme is an antique brunch. Hello eggs benedict and mimosas!).

I randomly found this conditioner in the sale bin at my local Target today. The sale sticker said it was marked down to $4 but when I checked out it was actually $2. *Insert high five* I've never tried the Burt's Bees conditioner before but I won't complain about $2.


I happened to be in the market for an exfoliator and thought I'd try this from Sephora. I plan on updating my skincare routine so I'll let you know whether or not I'm pleased with this one.

I also needed a body scrub and, lo and behold, this happened to be in the same area as my new exfoliator. I haven't tried it yet, but I will let you know what I think about it also.

I got the Mineralize Concealer in NW20. I really needed a new under-eye concealer for the wedding. It will be on a Sunday at 11 a.m. so add that to a boozy rehearsal dinner the night before and no sleep = high odds of looking like a hot mess in the a.m. (No worries, I already made plans to pack my Vita Coco). I had to choose from this, the Laura Mercier Secret Concealer, and the Laura Mercia Undercover Pot, but I mainly chose Mac since it was the least expensive. When the makeup artist applied it on me I wasn't really fond of it in the beginning, thinking it looked funny but as the day wore on I liked it more. It's still on fairly well without any creasing after about 7 hours so I'm quite pleased with it.

So there's my latest shopping haul for anybody who is interested in seeing what I bought. I will update soon about my new skincare routine so *crossing fingers* that I will love my new Soap and Glory products. At the very least they smell yummy.

Life Update

So, I haven't posted in a very long time--sorry about that--but I am posting now!

I think that I've grown up a little the past couple of months since moving for my AmeriCorps position. I spend a LOT of time with children and this has definitely given me a crash course in Patience 101. For AmeriCorps, you have to reach a certain number of hours (1700) in 11 months of service. These hours count my daily 9-5 routine, but it pretty much calls for a lot of service project weekends. For example, this weekend, I organized a project at a local homeless shelter--so I am waking up at the crack of dawn tomorrow to go and help serve breakfast. Now, in the past, I would have agreed to this opportunity, just because serving in a soup kitchen is something I've never experienced before. However, now I feel that as a fairly productive member of society, it should be a part of me to want to give back to my community in some shape or form. Trust me, I'm not brainwashed--I'd never let that happen--but what I am trying to say is that I feel like everyone should have this feeling. Maybe you don't have the best job or maybe you are down in the dumps about something, but honestly, something you can ALWAYS feel good about is helping others.

Okay, so I shared that little life tidbit. The next thing I'd like to write about is my workout update. I wrote a while ago about going to my first spinning class ever. Now, I have been spinning for a couple of months and it has completely transformed my normal workouts. Every class is such a challenge, but the reward is being finished and feeling completely accomplished. Only one hour of sometimes pain and sometimes suffering, but then BAM, you're done and you feel AWESOME.

I can officially say today that since I've signed up for spinning and have been a regular at my gym, I have now lost 11 lbs! I still have a lot of work to do after a lot of cheesing and boozing in Vermont, but I am on my way!

*As a disclaimer, I don't regret the cheesing and boozing*

Just Some Words for Cheering Up

The grass isn't greener on the other side, it's greener where you water it. Don't lust after something that isn't yours and invest in what is. -Unknown

Been feeling a little discouraged today after some job searching. I like to look at staff profiles of different companies, and I ran across a couple today that practically employed only graduates from Ivy schools. It made me feel a little depressed that I didn't graduate from Yale where I cured cancer while writing a senior thesis on the environmental impacts of nuclear energy on the health of babies, dolphins, and socioeconomic tourism (I accept credit in the form of cash for your new thesis topic).

On a side note, I want to go to there.

Revlon Lip Butter, Obvi

So I am jumping on the bandwagon and talking about how OBSESSED I am with the Revlon Lip Butter line. To be honest, I didn't care much for Revlon until they decided to make our girl Emma Stone a brand ambassador (Revlon 1, Cristina 0; their marketing worked on me). Revlon came out with this lip butter line, which has been described as a tinted lip balm. Again, I'm jumping on the bandwagon when I say it is so much more than that! It really has a great way of making your lips feel all smooth and buttery, and the color can be so much more pigmented than your basic average lip balm. If you want a good review on the different swatches, you can watch here:



I currently only have the Strawberry Shortcake. It's a lovely color but I didn't love it on me because I thought it looked a bit frosty against my tan skin. However, I used it as a base and then put a light coat of the True Blood for Tarte lip stain, and it gave the most gorgeous pink color. I was so in love with finding that combo last night that I went to bed with it still on my lips. I woke up this morning with my lips still feeling soft and with a touch of color due to the stain. I definitely plan on buying Peach Parfait and Lollipop on my next outing to the store. I definitely highly recommend these as they are incredibly lovely and great for everyday use!

Couch Approved.

UPDATE: So I just went out and bought Peach Parfait and Lollipop. Oh Em Gee! So amazeballs! Peach Parfait is a great light peach-y color that I think would look great on everybody. It looks good on Emma Stone and on me (who is considerably much darker than Emma Stone).

I've also been looking for a color like Lollipop for the longest time, by which I mean about 2 days. Lollipop is a great bright berry pink color, and I have feeling I will require multiple tubes of this. I'm now a Lip Butter junkie and cannot rave enough about this stuff.

Guest Post: Rob with Adventures in Awkwardness and E Harmony

I thought it'd be interesting to have a guy's opinion on internet dating.  Remember here when I gave up online dating? And here when I went back to it? While Rob is not a member of Couch, he is very Couch friendly. Welcome!

So today I took the plunge, I signed up for an Eharmony account.

Background, after living the single life long enough and realizing I have no single, attractive, sane female friends, I decided this might be a good life choice. At least after haggling down to a manageable cost I figured it couldn’t be too bad. I even had two female friends suggest I do this. I tried it once before, went on two dates, and dated the second girl for 5 months. Not bad. I thought she was neat so I quit paying for it and now I have to sign up again. So it goes.

Anyway, yes. I suppose I will be documenting my foray into internet dating part deux. I think I should address a few possible concerns here before we get started.

1.       Am I qualified for this?

I have a degree in Sociology from Emory University. This means I can string a sentence together and I have a cursory knowledge of how to write about people doing wacky shit in a systematic, analytical, observational fashion. In addition, I am 25 years old with a promising career path, am physically fit, and have no STDs or significant personality disorders. Let’s do this.

2.       Who cares?

Beats the fuck out of me, you’re the one reading this.

3.       Isn’t internet dating sketchy?

Statistics I looked up on Google in 5 minutes indicate that 31% Americans either have used online dating or know someone who has. That seems fishy, but who cares. I’m a big strong American He-man and I can take care of myself.

4.       What if you don’t get any dates?

Then this will brief.

5.       What if you get loads of dates?!

I’ll be poor, but confident.

6.       What is your goal in all this?

I’d like to find a nice lady who is athletic, intelligent, sane, and I get along super well with. I know, right?

So anyway, that’s what I’ve got so far. I’m filling out my profile and all that, and putting up photos of myself that make me look like a well-adjusted human being.  This will be a process, and I will write more later.

So it begins.

Girl Seeks Friends Update

I've been implementing my MWF Seeks BFF plan by emailing friends to set up friend dates, but also attending various events around town. 

I've joined the World Affairs Council and have attended two events this week.  I have hope for the WAC book club that meets in a week.  

And I stumbled upon the Lomography Gallery across the street from WAC which has a ton of photography events and the people working there were very excellent (a long conversation about microfiche was had). 

But here's the problem...

It seems to be a lot easier to meet and talk to guys than it does to talk to girls.  Why is that? I'm becoming paranoid about guys being flirty versus just friendly...when I randomly start talking to guys I'm always friendly but also don't mention my dating status.  I would have assumed that it's easier for marrieds (who doesn't look for a ring at this age?) but it's difficult for all of us. I also lead with "I'm new in town..."

Let's discuss!!

Dance Party of One

Somebody on Twitter alerted me of this mash-up of Like a Virgin/Believe/I Wanna Dance with Somebody/Din Daa Daa:



RIP Whitney Houston.

Girl seeks Friends

I just started reading this book and I completely identify.  I had never thought about asking my friends to set me up on friend dates before but today I sent out an email: 

Dear Friends

As most of you know, I have (recently) decided to stay in the San Francisco area (and I start a job as a Research Associate later this month in the city).  But this email is not about that.  I'm reading this book called MWF Seeks BFF and I'm finding it oddly compelling...and I totally identify.  Basically, it's about how tough it is to make friends in your mid to late 20s in a new city without school to bring you together...so I'm following the writer's advice. Who better to help you make new friends than old friends?

"Indian girl with cat lady tendencies seeks friends in Bay Area for day drinking, book store visiting, movie theater hopping.  Must be excited about beer fests and exploring San Francisco. Preferably enjoys looking at pictures of baby animals on the internet. Must love sloths, grilled cheese, and coffee. Preferably in the San Francisco or Berkeley areas"

ok that's not a very good fake ad. But you guys get the picture...wanna set me up on some friend dates?

http://chzmemebase.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/memes-sheen-sloth.jpg

Here is the officiall MWF seeking BFF blog, and I recommend the book 

Change the Funk

I've been in a bit of a funk today so here are my suggestions that helped me cheer up a bit.

1. Walk around Target aimlessly. Purchases not necessary.
2. Read the current issue of Glamour with Amanda Seyfried on the cover. I'm so looking forward to spring clothing and bright colors.
   
3. Listen to music. Tonight I paid a visit to Judy Garland and Adele. And it was perfect.
   
   
   
   
4. Look at pretty things. Stumpz notified us of a Kate Spade sale and I picked out a few things for myself to look. Le sigh.
5. Make a list of all the trips I want to take categorized by country, of course.
   
   
6. Read childhood favorite Anne of Green Gables. It was either Anne or Lucille Ball who began my love for gingers. Maybe it was both.

I'm feeling loads better now so, hopefully, I'll be able to get a good night's sleep with some lovely dreams.

Official mascot

Pride and Prejudice

due to a 20% off coupon to Out of Print Clothing, I have finally purchased the much coveted Pride and Prejudice sweatshirt!!! I'm declaring this shirt appropriate for all occasions.