Coffee Break: Reese Pumps

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1. You know, I have accepted stray chin hairs. They’re irritating when they’re too short to pluck, but it’s not the worst. I’ve even began accepting those long, wispy hairs that grow on my cheeks, the kind I can see out the corner of my eye but struggle to actually locate in a mirror, because I’m usually the only one who even knows it’s there. And of course, upper lip hair is annoying, but bleach is an easy fix and I haven’t really fretted over that noise since high school.

   But you know what the worst kind of face hair is? Nose hairs that grow just outside the nostril, and hurt like a bee-yotch to pluck. Seriously, fork these things. Why can’t my face just be normal?

   1. Why not use a nose hair trimmer? I use my husband’s on my pesky nose hairs when I need to. Far less painful than plucking!

      1. Sorry let me rephrase, these are hairs that are rooted in the sensitive skin just outside my nose, so trimming them back isn’t really gonna cut it.

   2. I feel you…

   3. Face shaving with little eyebrow razors has changed my life!! Seriously, I love it so much. I takes me maybe 3 minutes about 1 time a week (but not a big deal if I miss a few weeks) and I get a super smooth face. And I use one of the razors specifically for nose hair (although a nose hair trimmer would probably be better!)

      1. I am curious about these. I have a LOT of peach fuzz which becomes whiskers in my chin area. Does a single shave really last for a week? I’ve been afraid to start because I didn’t want to lock myself into a daily thing.

         1. 2-3 times a week to stay smooth…I use the Wahl trimmer which is $15 at Walmart – DH got it for me and I love my smooth face:)

      2. Ladies, I recently ordered the Silk’n BellaGlide Hair Removal Kit and it’s changed my life. It’s a home laser hair remover tool. It gets rid of hair permanently. At first I didn’t like that I had to shave the hair, b/c the laser kills the exposed root. But I’ve seen that it works! You use it every 2 weeks, and increase the power each time. I’ve used it on my upper lip, chin and sideburns for about 4 weeks and I’m noticing a lot less hair growing. I bought it at Costco on a whim b/c it was $180 and then they had a special for $50 off. So I got it for about $130. I thought if it didn’t work, I’d just return it b/c Costco will let you return things years later, w/o a packaging or anything! I can’t recommend this enough.

   4. I have PCOS and yup, this is my life. I’m finally doing laser hair removal for my upper lip. It really doesn’t hurt that much AND they do the bottom of my nose hairs as well as the dark hairs that like to grow on my nose too. Can I tell you how much grief this caused for teenage me? Ugh.

   5. I think your face IS normal. We are mammals and we have hair!

2. These are gorgeous and I love a 2″ heel. Now I’m waiting for an Ann Taylor sale.

   1. I love these shoes apart from the heel. I can rock a four inch heel no problem but these short kitten-type seriously hurt my feet.

      1. This is a great shoe. I find that nude-with-a-slight-peach/pink in suede with a slightly thicker heel is like the updated version of nude patent peep toe heels. I just got a Tahari pair at DSW for $69 – great price and comfy too.

3. I’ve never rented a SFH before. We’ve been in the home for 3 years now and DH is pretty friendly with the landlord (I’ve spoken to the guy once). (There’s no property mgmt company, it’s just the landlord.)

   Would you be insistent that the landlord fix any of these things?

   – Peeling paint and mildew on bathroom ceiling (from inadequate fan?)
   – Rusty metal floor vent (the vent is white and it’s right in front of the toilet, so the rust is noticeable) in the bath (ditto?)
   – Consistently slow drain in the guest shower and master sink (we’ve dumped as many bottles of Draino down them as we feel comfortable)
   – Peeling stain/paint on the back deck
   – Peeling stain on the front door
   – Rusted hand rails on the front steps
   – Wobbly mailbox that doesn’t stand up straight and whose flag is held on with a zip tie
   – Extraordinarily slow dryer (generally takes 90-120 minutes for a single load of laundry to dry – clogged vent? which, yeah, fire hazard – and yes, we empty the lint trap with every load)

   The house just feels…shabby. These are things that drive me nuts that we would have of course fixed if it were our own home. FWIW, the lease says the landlord has no obligation to repair anything and that we’re liable for all maintenance at our own expense, but we didn’t cause any of this and it seems a little nuts for tenants to have to restain the deck and front door because whatever stain the landlord used last time didn’t last. Thoughts?

   1. I would contact the landlord about the mildew, the slow drain, and the dryer. Those are the issues that seem more like repairs vs maintenance issues to me. This is all with the caveat that I have never rented a home for a long time (my area has low property values, so most people seem to for a shorter time and then buy at some point).

      1. I also wouldn’t make any of the other fixes myself because I do agree that I wouldn’t’ want to be a tenant making improvements (even something like deck staining) to someone else’s investment.

      2. Honestly, with the dryer, I might get one of those lint brushes from a home improvement store for $5 and clean it myself. Could it be the LL’s duty? I mean, sure. But it doesn’t sound like upkeep is their strong suit and the impact of this is immediate.

         1. Yep, the dryer’s an easy fix. The other easy fix is the rusty floor vent. That’s $10 at any Lowes, WalMart or Home Depot. While you’re at one of those places, it might be worth getting a drain zipper (like a small, one time use snake that’s good for yanking out hair that’s slowing a drain down) and having one last go at the drain.

            I’d do these three myself before even emailing the landlord, as coordinating repairs is such a PITA.

         2. Yes, good point. I would try to get the lint out myself, first. I meant I’d contact about the dryer if it’s something I couldn’t repair myself like that.

   2. That’s a weird clause in your lease. And I’d say that since your rent is probably cheaper than it would be if you could call your landlord for everything, including inevitable wear and tear maintenance, you should fix those things yourself. I mean, I get the part about it being an investment that might ultimately benefit somebody else financially, but if they’re bothering you now, why not fix them so you don’t have to deal with them anymore? At least the easy ones, like paint or a wobbly mailbox.

      1. Agree — is your rent relatively low for the area/square footage? In the case, it’s probably something that if you care about, you fund. But LL doesn’t care to prove it, so either don’t care also or factor that in to why your rent is (probably) on the low side.

         1. OP here. No, our rent is not low – it’s lockstep with everything else around.

            1. Then I’d move to a house that won’t bother you.

      2. Depends on the state. I seem to think that Arkansas, which has horrible laws on this, allows landlords to require tenants to repair the premises.

         1. That is correct, unfortunately. Not the OP (and I have no idea where she lives), but there’s definitely no duty to fix anything here. The landlords I’ve had will fix stuff that’s a real repair issue because they want to keep getting good tenants in nice areas. But I’ve never had a landlord that would do something like restain the deck.

   3. My point of view:
      Have the landlord fix: dryer, mildew, slow drain as all three relate to house mechanics and could potentially impact home’s value.
      The dryer concerns me most due to fire risk. Please don’t take this lightly.
      Everything else is relatively minor and I would go ahead and do yourself since it is “driving you nuts”

   4. Wow, I would look up tenant laws in your city because I’m pretty sure it’s bs for a landlord to say the tenant is responsible for all maintenance.

   5. What’s an SFH? I think the key here is going to be your tone in addressing this with your landlord. I was a renter for a decade in a state where renters have basically no rights, so making demands for repairs never got me anywhere. I rented a property for several years in a HCOL where my rent was barely covering the property taxes. The landlords were nice, but had zero interest in doing any repairs or property maintenance beyond basic safety provisions. We would ask if we could make a repair (snake the drain, paint the bathroom) and then possibly get a discount on our rent if we provided receipts. Sometimes they gave us one. Sometimes I painted and just ate it out of pocket because the place needed new paint. It cost a couple hundred dollars. The dryer seems like the only thing you could really push the landlord to repair or replace. That also sounds like a mechanical issue, not lint collection. The rest of the stuff you should just do yourself if it’s bothering you that much.

      1. Dad says, in this context, that SFH means Single Family Home. The Urban Dictionary has another definition, which is NOT printeable here. FOOEY!

      2. SFH = single family home

   6. Have you cleaned out the trap in the sink drain? Also, take out the stopper and clean the top part of the drain (wire coat hanger works). It’s usually a gross combination of hair/sludge, but an easy fix. Buying a replacement floor vent/cover shouldn’t be too expensive or hard to install.
      Dryer could also be a heating element has gone bad.
      Paint and stain sound easy enough, assuming you have the right tools to do it well. I would work with the landlord to prioritize the bathroom paint and fans because mold and mildew go beyond ugly paint. If he ever wants to re-market the property, he will probably have to put in the work then. If you are good tenants and looking to stay, that may be motivation to have him take action sooner rather than later.

   7. Get one of these snake thingies with hooks to clean out the drain (remove the plugs first) – we had this problem in our new house and pulled out an ungodly amount of hair (blech).

      If the dryer is on the ground floor, check where the vent is outside and remove all the lint there. Also get a cheap dryer cleaner kit and clean it – it’s a fire hazard!

   8. When I lived in DC and Chicago in SFHs, I had the same clause in my lease. I understood it to mean I had to do routine maintenance like mow the lawn, shovel the snow, change lightbulbs, unclog toilets, and snake drains. But my landlord was responsive when fixtures like the dryer broke and the dish disposal died. When the landlord wanted to raise the rent, I pointed out how we were excellent tenants, so we negotiated a pretty minimal raise.

      Of your list, only the dryer sounds like a serious issue where the landlord should intervene for safety reasons. I think it’s reasonable to ask for the rest, but I wouldn’t expect much.

4. Have any of you successfully treated red acne scars (not ice pick scars, but larger reddish ones)? Or managed to find a makeup that will cover them up on pale skin?

   Help!

5. Happy impeachment day to all! Wouldn’t it be great if Pence were implicated too?

   1. No.

      1. ????

      2. Of course it would be great, Anon at 3:42. Who seriously wants a Bible-thumper with retrograde social policies as president?

   2. I like to think it was my email to Pelosi that did it. No donations until they impeach him.

   3. I think we all ought to stick to the mission of the website, namely, to have intelligent discourse on fashion, and here in particular, nice pumps for the office. I could not care less about politics, and even if I did, I would NOT discuss it on a fashion websight, where we are all expected to contribute ideas and suggestions to help us get ahead in the male-dominated busness world we live in. Morover, I do not even know anything about Pence other than he dresses well and has white hair. So why should I care? I don’t.

      But as to the topic at hand, I also love 2″ kitten heels, but need to go at least 3″ b/c I am to short to get away with 2″ heels. If I am doing a lot of walking, then I can wear them, but prefer my Nike Air’s. Kat, I am so happy you are posting regularly again. For a few weeks, it looked like you were phaseing out to Elizabeth, who is also excellent, but still a bit young and she I think would benefit with you takeing her under your wing to glean from your vast experience in the fashion and marketing world’s. Kind of like the Anna Wintour movie, tho you Dad thinks are clearly a very personable and affable personality! Dad told me I can learn a lot from your posts as you have both fashion sense as well as a busness head about you. He wishes I would learn busness, which I will have to do once I am the manageing partner. In the meanwhile, congratulations! Dad has become a big fan, as am I! YAY!!

   4. Yes.

   5. On the one hand, I’m thinking: FINALLY. But we know the senate won’t do anything. So where does that lead us? I don’t know that it will sway anyone to change their opinion, their vote or their decision/ability to actually even vote.

      1. Crazy how times have changed so much that the possibility of impeachment 10 or 20 years ago would have been this massive, career-ending deal and now it will probably drive more Trump voters to vote for him.

      2. Televised hearings changed a lot of minds during the Nixon impeachment investigation. Public opinion very well could change.

         1. +1

   6. This is overdue, but welcome. Impeachment is an incredibly serious matter that has to rise above politics. Trump is a crooked snake who has done nothing but commit crimes and attempt to cover them up. That cannot stand.

   7. I think Trump’s awful, but I fail to see how they can impeach when they haven’t seen the whistleblower’s allegations or a transcript of the call. They’re impeaching because they *heard* something bad happened? I don’t think that’s the way this works. Don’t they need evidence? Without it, it seems like playing into R hands about “witch hunts” and other nonsense.

      1. They aren’t impeaching without evidence. They want to open an investigation (which could result in impeachment), because there the administration is withholding the evidence that you mention even though the law compels them to share it with the legislature.

      2. If what Trump is saying is true, the Bidens belong in jail.

         1. How much has Trump ever said that is factually accurate?

         2. No evidence of corruption involving the Bidens have been presented. If what he said were true, Hillary would run a child-p0rn-business out of a pizzaria’s nonexistent basement. Norwegians would rake all their forests. Mexico would be happy to pay for a wall. The trade-war with China would be quick and easily won and not hurt American consumers. Clean coal jobs would come back. The Dollar would have been the strongest in all history this past August. He would have had a bigger inauguration crowd than his predecessor. Ilhan Omar would have praised Al-Quaida. The California governor would execute newborns. All democratic senators would be sponsoring an open-border bill.
            I don’t know if he is so stupid, or senile, or removed from reality to not understand that claims that he makes can be checked. My guess is that the establishment of rich, smarmy swindlers can line their pockets better with a weakened government that a diminishing percentage of the population trusts, and the GOP is doing his bidding because they want more freedom from regulation, and they are too shortsighted to realize that he is yodeling away the constitutional principles and fundamental values of the nation.

            1. Exactly.

         3. What? There has been no evidence that Beau or Joe Biden did anything. Trump just assumes that all people are shady, as is he.

            1. 100% agree with your point, but did want to correct that it was Hunter Biden who had dealings with a Ukrainian oil company, not Beau (who passed away in 2015).

               But yes, there is absolutely positively no evidence at all that either one of them did anything improper, much less illegal.

      3. That’s why it’s an investigation

      4. What was announced was an impeachment inquiry, not a vote on impeachment. The impeachment inquiry is the process by which the House will receive and evaluate evidence. The vote on impeachment follows the inquiry.

      5. They’re not impeaching, they’re opening an investigation to see if they should impeach.

   8. She did it!

   9. I’m (very cautiously) optimistic. My dad didn’t vote for Trump, but is a conservative who has so far been anti-impeachment and has been parroting some more conservative commentators saying it would be a distraction, would shoot Dems in the foot, etc. He’s absolutely horrified by this latest turn of events and has been bombarding me with messages for days about how THIS is impeachment worthy, Pelosi has to act, etc. I hope there are others like him who don’t support Democrats in general but feel this is a breaking point as far as allowing Trump to remain in office. Who knows though. He’s intelligent and doesn’t get his news from Fox and I feel like most Trump supporters live in an alternate universe.

6. So for the first time ever I needed to buy something and didn’t hit the free shipping minimum and instead of filling the cart with stuff like socks and underwear that I will need someday I just paid the $8 for shipping. That’s pretty crazy for me (I lead a boring life).

   1. Good job on only buying what you need!
      I always feel odd paying for shipping when, per the advertising on the site or shipping policy, if I *just* bought some dollar amount more of stuff I’d get free shipping! It’s an incredibly effective tactic to get you to buy a little more in my experience. And most of the time I don’t need more anyway. I just need that one item.

   2. You might like the subreddit /r/aboringdystopia

   3. Feeling this.

   4. I will only add stuff to meet the minimum if I will actually need those items in the near future, and only if I can hit the minimum or go over by a dollar amount less than the shipping fees. Most of the time, I tell myself to just eat the shipping costs, as it’s usually cheaper than trying to meet the free shipping minimum, and if it’s around $5, that feels like a fair convenience fee.

7. I’m trying to find a women’s blazer with deep exterior pockets. I have a vintage one that is just amazing but can’t seem to find the right search terms. Any help or recommendations?

   1. no help on search terms but there’s one that a friend recently bought from Banana that was navy and had deep pockets.

   2. The term for exterior pockets is “patch pockets,” if that helps.

      1. +1

8. A law school classmate of mine took a staff attorney (as opposed to associate) job at a biglaw firm right after the bar. No judgment from me, biglaw was not in the cards for me and the job search was HARD. Several years later and according to linkedin, she has lateraled to an bonafide associate attorney position at another biglaw firm. I want to be happy for her but I noticed she changed the title of her previous job so as to be very unclear that she wasn’t an associate, and can’t help but wonder if she misrepresented? It’s none of my business, but it grinds my gears because I know someone else who did this. My former boss, who singlehandedly the most incompetent attorney I have ever encountered, held himself out as having “7 years experience as a biglaw attorney” to clients, etc. It turns out he too was a staff attorney. Again nothing against staff attorneys, just misrepresentation.

   1. Seriously none of your business. You’re feeling competitive with her, not concerned.

   2. A staff attorney is an attorney in Big Law. There is absolutely nothing wrong with your boss’s statement. You really shouldn’t accuse people of misrepresentation just because you’re a snob.

      1. Is that true? Senior associate in AM10 and never heard of a staff attorney at my firm or peer firms

         1. My point was not that all Big Law firms have staff attorneys, but that if he worked as a staff attorney at a Big Law firm it’s perfectly fair to say he has experience “as an attorney in Big Law.” I don’t consider that statement false or even misleading. Saying his title was “associate” would be a lie, but he didn’t say that.

   3. you hate her huh?

   4. Assuming this is actually a “bona fide” post…it sure doesn’t sound to me like you “want to be happy for her.” Staff attorney vs “bona fide attorney”? Come on.

      Also, how is this ANY of your business? To quote Taylor Swift “you just need to take several seats.” Enjoy your own life and “MYOB” as I would have said in junior high – at which time I hope I would have had a more mature response to another woman’s success than you seem to.

      I’m actually hoping you’re just a troll and my outrage is just the entertainment you were hoping for this evening.

   5. Example #235 about how no one in the real world cares about the differences that those of you in biglaw hold so dear. (Autocorrect changed it to bigly, which works too.)

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