With less than 2 weeks left until Google Reader is no more, it’s time to get serious about a new feed reader. If you’re not already in the know, a feed reader is a way to follow a number of blogs all in one place, which magically updates when there’s a new post. It’s super convenient and saves a ton of time (and also makes it possible to follow 100+ blogs). Since Google is pulling the rug from their reader on July 1 (which I have been using for years, sob), finding a new reader is the most important thing in my life. One option is Bloglovin’, which has the added bonus of being much prettier than Google Reader ever was. You can even import your feed from Google Reader here. And if you’re feeling friendly, follow Estate!
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Make The Switch from Google Reader
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Girl Secrets: Mix & Match Mascara
How many times have you purchased a new product and ended up not liking it? It doesn’t happen to me often because I read reviews like a madwoman, but when it does, I hate it. I cannot waste anything, and have been known to eat the food off other people’s plates so it doesn’t get thrown away (crazy much?).So when I bought a handful of mascaras on sale one day, I should have known there would be at least one that didn’t work for me. That one was Maybelline Lots of Lashes. I didn’t love it because the wand made my lashes too thick and clumpy, which I know some women love (if you’re going for the spider eyes look, This Is The Mascara For You!). So when my favorite mascara, Maybelline The Falsies ran out, I washed the wand and stuck it in the Lots of Lashes Tube. And… now I use the mascara! It’s not quite the same as The Falsies, due to the formula being a bit different, but it makes applying a mascara I don’t love so much easier, and now I’m actually able to get my money’s worth out of it! Mascara tubes are generally all the same width where the wand screws into the tube, which means mixing and matching options are endless!
Which two mascaras would you put together?
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Really Good Advice
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Poets and Their Cats
A Cartoon Tribute To Cats, And The Poets Who Loved Them on NPR.orgThere are some great poems and quotes in the comments, too. Cat people are my people.
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Another Step Towards Financial Freedom
Just wanted to give a little heads up that Skillshare (my favorite place for taking online classes – I’ve done one on fashion illustration and one on hand lettering) is giving away $5,000 towards paying off student debt and $10,000 in free classes. I’m only a little over 5k away from paying off my student loans, so you know my fingers are crossed!
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My Favorite Monthly Pick-Me-Up
ipsy glam bag june 2013A couple of months ago, I joined Ipsy, which is a monthly subscription service that sends various makeup/hair/beauty products for $10. Usually it’s 5 products, either full size or a healthy sample-size. The photo above shows what I received this month – a glitter palette (will probably save for Halloween or extreme costuming), a highlighter pencil, a gel eyeliner in handy packaging for travel, blush, and a lipliner. The products always come in a little makeup bag too, which is super convenient to have a stock of. The bag always arrives in a pink metallic package (tweeted here), and it totally makes my day. I highly recommend it if you like trying new beauty products! I don’t often go out and buy new makeup, so this is the perfect little treat for me. 🙂
Signup here, if you’d like.
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Dream Getaway: French Countryside
It’s been awhile since I’ve done a dream getaway, and today I’m feeling like the french countryside is the vacation destination for me. I would completely disconnect myself from the internet, bring a stack of books for reading marathons, and take daily bike rides down dirt roads. Here’s what else I would do:- Get intoxicated on fields of lavender
- Rent a charming little house with resident farm life
- Buy a bright-colored scarf for feeling chic on an otherwise uneventful day
- Spend hours in a local bookstore
- Write pretty letters to family
- Have refreshments and good conversation on a long afternoon
- Rent a vintage Maserati and pretend to be in a James Bond film
- Invite myself into the neighbors’ incredible garden and make new french friends
- Wander around cobblestone streets in the nearby town
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Invert Your Computer Screen to Save Tired Eyes
When you spend a zillion hours a day being a web designer, your eyes start to ache with alarming regularity. My secret tip is that when I’m working late at night on the computer, I’ll invert the colors on my screen. You can’t use it while doing anything color sensitive (the photos will be negatives), but for answering emails and catching up on Facebook status’, it’s amazing.Control Option Command + 8 = et voila! No more eye strain.
Note: The above shortcut is for Mac users. If you’re on a PC, try this.
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Pretending It’s Still the Weekend
Would it be possible to squeeze a secret extra day in between Saturday and Sunday? One that doesn’t require being anywhere or doing anything, and time is actually stopped for the entire day so nobody expects you to call or email. It would be used solely for sleeping in late and reading magazines in between binge viewing entire television seasons. Resident critters would snuggle in too, and food and drink would be magically pre-prepared for consumption. The night would end with a few chapters of a really great book, which would leave you gripped by the story but not entice you to stay up reading more until it’s suddenly 3am. You’d go to sleep early and when waking up fully rested the next morning, there would still be another day ahead of you.photo via Carrousel
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Vintage Seed Packet Stamps
I’m obsessed with these Vintage Seed Packet stamps. They make me want to send a lot of mail and hoard them all at once.
