The Perfect Mug

Size: Large enough to hold enough coffee to get through the morning — ensuring I can interact with coworkers and answer emails from 9:00-11:00 without being a total dick.

Handle: Has enough room for my fingers, so that when I walk from the kitchenette to my desk, my knuckles do not accidentally graze the hot hot body of the mug and get burned. In the absence of a handle, a heatproof band is an acceptable substitute.

Colour: One that either hides or compliments any shade of lipstick that might find its way on the rim of the mug.

Shape: Cylindrical, all the way around. Novelty mugs are okay in certain situations (e.g. thematic tea parties) but are not for every day. The mug may exude personality by way of hilarious saying, house insignia, fanart, etc. printed on the side of the mug only.

This is the criteria for my perfect mug. I have yet to find it, but am content in using my KeepCup Brew — for now. What is your perfect mug?

Coffee Sadnesses

The first time I started drinking coffee as a regular, everyday morning thing was while completing my first internship, and the situation has only escalated from there. Whether it be a strong, black morning jolt, or a sugary, milky, venti mid-afternoon treat, coffee has long been a comfort close to an actual friend. Especially when accompanied with a paperback and a lazy Sunday afternoon at my favourite Starbucks. Stop judging me.

But, as with any relationship, there has been highs and lows. In our storied history, I have since discovered the number of ways in which coffee can disappoint me. It’s been frustrating at times, sure, but as with any relationship worth a damn, the highs are totally worth the lows.

i.

Coffee machine takes too long to ready itself for use in the morning. How long does a self-cleaning usually take anyway? You grip the kitchen bench to stop from collapsing into sleep.

ii.

Coffee machine at work has run out of beans, but the bag of extra beans is on a shelf that you are too short to reach — probably due to stunted growth from drinking too much coffee as a pre-teen. There are no step ladders or taller people around to come to your aid. You drink terrible instant coffee instead.

iii.

Coffee machine at work says it needs more water, so you fill its water tank with filtered water (as the machine specified). Coffee machine still insists there is no water in its tank and refuses to work. You stare angrily at the machine, and drink terrible instant coffee instead. It tastes like plastic. Why do you continue to drink it down to the last drop? Think about how you may have a problem.

iv.

You decide to be indulgent, and order a flat white from your favourite café. This makes you a little late, so it’s only as you’re in the lift that you take your first sip of coffee and notice you forgot to order soy. Your bowels do not thank you later.

v.

You come into the office, and are hit with drowsiness so powerful and ongoing that you drink cup after cup of coffee throughout the day. It does no good, and you trudge through your workday lethargically. At 5pm, caffeine finally kicks in, and you stay up all night.

Red Lip Classic

Let it be known that I love a bold coloured lip. Let it also be known that I love eating, and talking, and kissing, which are all inconducive to the staying power of said bright lips. More often than not, I apply my lipstick in the morning, only to have it wasted all over my first cup of coffee, or smeared about my face by mid-morning — and I can't be the only one.

So after much trial and error, as well as — let's face it — my penchant for buying far too many lipsticks, I have consolidated my go-to collection of lip products when I want the colour to last all (work) day. 

I’m sticking to red lip products, because red is bold, powerful and classic, and you should have at least one great red lipstick in your make up arsenal, because you never know, right? All of the lower-end variety, because that is my jam (and price range).

NYX Matte Lipstick - Perfect Red

Matte lipsticks are generally more long-lasting than their high shine companions, but since they are lack moisturising agents, they also get pretty uncomfortable to wear, fast. However, NYX’s Matte Lipstick magically skips that gross feeling and goes straight to being extremely pigmented and long-lasting. Also, it’s hella cheap, so you can’t go wrong.

Special mention: NYX Retractable Lipliner - RED 

Because it's a pencil, NYX's lipliner is super easy to put on. It’s also waterproof, stays on the lips, and is retractable, so you don't need to fuss with a pencil sharpener. It's a lazy person's dream. Though you might want to pair it with a little gloss, or even your favourite moisturising red lipstick (this is a lip pencil, after all) because it does tend to get a little dry after a while.

Rimmel Provocalips - Play with Fire

While I am not a huge fan of the two step colour/gloss combo, I decided to give Provocalips a try — it was on sale after all, and I had heard good things. Play with Fire is the darker of the reds, blue-based and super flattering for my skin tone. I recommend applying the colour onto a clean lip canvas: wipe off any balm or gloss you may have on, because the product is going to slide right off. It dries kind of uncomfortably sticky, but that’s when the gloss swoops in and makes your lips feel like normal again. Also it makes everything shiny.

Special mention: Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer - Apocaliptic

The predecessor to Provocalips, this is Rimmel’s version of the lipstick/lipgloss hybrid that was so popular a few years ago. The Apocalips line is crazy pigmented and similarly, it transfers like crazy. But I’ve noticed that even though I’ve left a trail of lip stains all over my coffee cups, spoons, and tissues, there’s still enough product on my lips to say “nope, haven’t eaten a goddamn thing”. So it’s obviously magic.

Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm - Standout

Again with the matte! But I’m slightly addicted to the Revlon chubby stick rip-offs, so I have them in several colours and finishes, and I’ve found that they all have quite good staying power. Some of the glossier original balms fade to a nice stain, which is really all I could ask for. Once though, I wore a combination of Romantic and Crush, then proceeded to eat my way through a fancy degustation menu. Right before dessert, I got up to use the bathroom and noticed that the colour had lasted all the food and wine. I was amazed. I was also possibly food-drunk (and regular drunk). But still, that’s how good the Revlon Colorburst balms are. 

I heard that Standout is a dupe for Revlon's Strawberry Suede lipstick, which is sadly now discontinued. So I highly recommend this particular colour, if you're into that.

Obviously, the trend in long-lasting lip products is a little bit of matte action. Everybody says you can extend the staying power of any lipstick by blotting, applying powder, reapplying, and continuing until you get the desired effect — 

but who even has the time? 

Nobody.

NEW IN 2014

The new year is coming up, and that's when I start to think about how much things have changed for me, and also how they've stayed the same. Right before I graduated university, one of my supervisors told me that it is always important to evaluate where you are in life every 12-18 months, to make sure that you are active and present and achieving your goals, rather than just going through the motions. So I like to use the marker of a new year to think about what the hell I'm doing with my life and try to put things in perspective.

My written reflections often include charts and graphs and long, emotional essays, but here I have kept it light and positive. I present to you a list of things that I first experienced and/or enjoyed in 2014.

SNAPCHAT
I signed up for snapchat this year, and really got into it. By that I mean I started following a bunch of people who use their Stories feed to record their day. It's like a non-commital daily vlog and I am totally into that. I am so into Stories that I watch them in bulk every day. Usually in the car after work. Often ignoring my partner, who is driving me home in said car. I'M A GREAT PERSON.

(If you know anyone who regularly uses their Snapchat Stories feed for interesting things, let me know!)

TELEVISION IRL

it's glamorous

I was an extra for a television show that will air sometime next year on ABC2. This mostly involved me standing around and yelling a bunch, but the important part was, I got to see how a proper set with a real budget and a professional crew works. Days were long, craft service was delicious, and I discovered the magic that is prop glass.

TRAVEL — JAPAN
I visited a new country! Japan! Specifically Tokyo, and only for a week — but still! There was a little bit of culture shock, and a language barrier to overcome, but it was still a fun and interesting time. We stayed in a small apartment in Shibuya, where I discovered how much I LOVE heated toilet seats. In theory warm toilet seats seemed kinda gross, but when you wake up in the middle of a winter's night to pee, the warmth is appreciated.

I also went to Disneyland for the first time ever, and learned that FastPass isn't a thing at Tokyo Disneyland¹, so long, snaking queues make up at least 50% of the crowds. If this is the case at other Disneylands, I'm not sure that it is the theme park for me. FASTPASS 4EVA.

TRAVEL — NEW ZEALAND
I also went to New Zealand for a couple of weeks. While I have visited Auckland before, Wellington and Rotorua were both new to me. It was a blur of Maori culture, sulphuric hot springs (as well as a curiously large number of Japanese tourists) and HOBBITON!

picturesque as fuck

ITUNES
I bought my first TV series on iTunes, the first step to my building a legitimate digital library. I bought The O.C. and have been watching it on my iPad. Now, I am fairly sure The O.C. was never popular amongst my friends when it was on air in 2003, and I am absolutely sure that no one I know is watching it now, but there are several reasons why I chose to buy The O.C.:

1. It was on sale in the 'Under $20' section of the iTunes store².
2. The whole show only ran for four seasons³, and if I am going to buy a television show, I am going to buy ALL of the television show⁴.
3. The O.C. is a great show! It is nostalgic for me, and still as watchable as it was ten years ago. Who dares deny Christmukkah?!

Some people I know have made fun of me for watching, let alone paying money to own The O.C., even ON MY BIRTHDAY, so I found out that my friends can sometimes be very cruel. But also I found out that I enjoy watching pretty much everything on my iPad. Youtube videos, TV shows, entire movies — I feel more comfortable if I can watch it on a tiny portable screen. Is this how people who bought portable DVD players felt?

TWENTY-FIVE
I turned twenty five. I have never done that before. Feels pretty similar to twenty-four, but I can no longer check the 18-24 age bracket when filling in questionnaires. I'm now 25-30, which is terrifying to think about.

the traditional birthday wine-and-knife

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¹ Technically, there is a FastPass system, but only for a selection of rides, and it is so complicated that it would be even more confusing if I attempted to explain it here.
² A section which I frequent, because while I want to pay for my digital media, I don't want to pay that much for my digital media. Also, they tend to include older shows/movies that I have forgotten about — case in point.
³ The first in a long line of shows I loved that were cancelled too early.
⁴ Even if the third season was terrible. I still need all of it!