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Coffee Break: London Pointy Toe Pump

I've always liked a low, somewhat strappy pump, and these lovely suede ones from Coach are getting great reviews over at Nordstrom.

I've always thought a 2.5″ heel is one of the most walkable options, but that's me — how high do you prefer your heels, readers?

The pictured pump is $165. COACH London Pointy Toe Pump

Oooh: this $119 heel is on sale at the Coach site and is also 2.5″ — lovely.

Check out our Guide to Comfortable Heels for other reader favorite brands!

(L-all)

Sales of note for 12.5

Sales of note for 12.5

And some of our latest threadjacks here at Corporette (reader questions and commentary) — see more here!

Some of our latest threadjacks include:

146 Comments

  2. Any advice for getting more protein into my diet? According to my trainer, I need more protein during the day. I’ve been eating eggs in the morning and have had chicken at dinner so I think it’s mainly just lunch. I don’t tend to eat a ton of meat although I guess I can add more if that’s my best option.

    I guess I’m looking for super easy lunch options. I can add a can of tuna on a salad but I don’t know how often I can do that before I can bored.

    Thanks all!

      1. I tend to eat a lot of soups, grain bowls with roasted veggies or stews in the winter – I try to throw in chickpeas or beans or lentils but I don’t know if it’s enough.

        Thanks for all the responses so far!

        1. Your grain bowls are probably enough — both legumes and whole grains are good sources of protein. You could add some nuts or a hardboiled egg, or eat a protein bar as a snack if you really want more. Or when you do soup, do a lentil soup or similar option.

          You might find it helpful to track the protein in things that you eat for a few days – in everything, not just foods that your trainer thinks of as high protein – to see how much you actually consume. It’s probably higher than you think and you don’t need to start eating a ton of meat to get enough. I would take your trainer’s opinion with a grain of salt.

          1. I agree with taking the opinion with a grain of salt — if you aren’t tracking your protein intake, then you don’t know precisely what it is and it’s therefore impossible to know whether it needs to increase.

    2. Greek yogurt is a good one. Black beans work well in a salad. I love tofu.

      Or ignore your trainer. It’s really unlikely you actually need more protein.

      1. Well, it is likely – a lot of women don’t eat enough protein to support building muscle. If I ate two eggs for breakfast and a 4-5 ounce chicken breast at dinner, I’d be at barely half the protein I need to feel good, have energy, and make the muscle gains I want to. But unless the trainer’s suggestion was based on an analysis of an accurate food diary, I would certainly wait to change my diet until that type of information was available.

      2. Greek yogurt is my go to for adding protein when I just can’t see eating any more meat.

        You might also consider trying some of those baked egg cup things. You can add chicken or something in those really easily without feeling like you are eating a lot of meat.

    3. Baked beans, lentils, daal, moong daal, chickpeas (hummus), chickpea mint salad, etc.

    4. In addition to the suggestions above, string cheese has a surprising amount of protein and is very portable.

    5. You could buy the Kirkland (Costco) protein drinks and down one after each work-out. That’s the time to take the protein anyway for muscle building.

      1. Eh, not necessarily true. To build and recover muscle you want a constant stream of protein available and being broken down to BCAAs. Which is why it’s not ideal to only have it at one meal, etc. and why some diets recommend casein/yogurt/etc. at night (to reduce the overnight fast and spare muscle.)

    7. I always have peanut butter with anything that goes well (apples, bananas, celery).
      You could leave a jar in your deck at work to have with snacks or buy the individual serving packs.
      Same thing with leaving nuts in your desk for snacks at work.

    8. I had this issue too, and I also didn’t want to do too many calories. That cancels out most bars and drinks.

      Honestly, I think the best option is just tons of dairy – yogurt, milk, eggs, cheese etc. They are by far the most protein dense for the calorie count. Packaged cheese is great, but most hard cheeses will also be fine without a fridge until lunch. (Oh and beans gave me umm…GI issues :))

      1. +1 for dairy – greek yogurt and Cottage cheese are really high in protein. A glass of milk has as much as a string cheese. I also enjoy turkey pepperoni. Sometimes I make mini omelets in a muffin tin and eat 1 or 2 as a snack – Skinnytaste has some good recipes.

        Making some soups/stews with meat in them will also help, like meatball soup, or chili.

    9. I track my macros and it can be really difficult to reach protein goals without supplementing. Since I am trying to build muscle, my protein goal is 1g per 1 lb of body weight. Unless you are thoughtful at every meal about adding significant amounts of protein, it is hard to reach that.

      Long story short, I eat a lot of egg whites, chicken, and healthy greens, but almost always make myself a protein shake to help meet my goal.

    10. Once I’ve had tuna in a can or pouch once in a week, I feel like that option is out for the rest of the week.

      My current go-to protein is flavored chicken sausage to be sliced, sautéed, and added to a salad or grain bowl or bean/ rice dish or even eggs. Delicious, economical enough, quick and easy, convenient to keep on hand….

    11. I used to be a PT and worked mostly with women. “Eat more protein, eat less carbs, eat more veggies/fruits, and do more resistance training” was generally my advice because it just seemed like this was always the advice needed!

      On the protein, do you not like meat? Or do you just not eat it out of habit? I think the suggestions for nuts, legumes, and yogurt are good (I’ll add cottage cheese!!), but adding some lean meat at lunch and something else besides chicken and fish in your diet is good unless you are opposed. For example, Most Americans don’t eat lamb, and aside from being delicious and able to be prepared in so many ways, it has tons of B12, B3, zinc, phosphorus, and iron. Yes, it is higher in calories than chicken per ounce, but it has many other benefits. And pork seems to be an overlooked meat. Pork tenderloin and chops are very lean but delicious if prepped well, and a slow-cooked pork shoulder is amazing (and makes tons of meals). Same with brisket.

  3. I think she’s terrible and I called my senators to ask them not to vote for her. BUT. I really like the blue suit and white blouse she wore to her confirmation hearing and I think that every time I see a picture of it.

        1. Completely true, but now I know that I too can be president, secretary of education & maybe secretary of defense . Seems like experience is over rated these days. Sigh.

      2. Ooh I had to search to find an image of the entire jacket and yeah, I really don’t like the pockets.

    2. eh, you have enough money to buy 50 or so senators, you can certainly afford a nice suit.

    3. Its a pretty shade of blue. I think the white top is an interesting choice though because I always thought that kind of neckline didn’t work with suit jackets. I think it looks ok on her, but just a little off somehow. I have a top with that neckline and wear it with cardigans but I’m always a little hesitant about how it looks but I need to wear another layer on top with it.

      1. that neckline was invented to go with suit jackets! It’s from the late 80s LA Law era.

  4. What would you wear on your first day at a new job?

    It’s a high-end boutique law firm in a major east coast city. I interviewed with three partners: the men wore khakis and a button-down and the woman wore pants with a knit jacket. My second interviews were with two associates (one wore a suit, one wore khakis with a blazer) and one emeritus partner (jeans and a button-down). My partner’s admin was wearing casual, Target-type dresses with booties both times I saw her.

    Classic formal suit, but be prepared to remove the jacket? A suit with a more fun blouse? A dress with a blazer? I don’t quite want to be that new hire walking around in business formal when this is obviously not a business formal place, but first impressions and all…

    1. I would wear a suit. In the boutique firms I’ve worked in, that is the standard “first day” outfit. Some of the partners might say “you don’t need to wear a suit!” but they will appreciate the first impression. And wear a shirt/blouse with it that allows you to take off the jacket mid-morning.

      1. I agree. I would say maybe you have more latitude on this if you are a lateral hire or you are older, but to some extent I see dressing up as a sign of respect to your “elders.”

    2. To be fair, I wear dresses with blazers as a uniform, but I think it sounds like a great outfit for this occasion.

      Today, I’m wearing an MM Lafleur etsuko in dark, dark green and the jcrew lady jacket in quilted stewart plaid, opaque black tights, and knee-high leather kitten heel boots. And I feel damn fabulous.

      1. Thinking about law though- maybe a more suiting matrial dress and jacket (matching, even) would be more appropriate

      3. You just prompted me to buy another MM LaFleur dress. Love their stuff, especially the fitted dresses.

    3. I worked in a firm with a dress code similar to what you describe. 95%+ of attorneys wore a pretty traditional suit on their first day. I think everyone expects new hires to be overdressed on their first day.

    4. I agree with the “it’s ok to be too formal on your first day” advice. I would probably wear a dark (navy? charcoal?) skirt suit with a “fun” (patterned? colorful?) top, so if you really feel overdressed you can lose the jacket and look like you’re just in a skirt and top.

    5. You may have a picture on your first day too. So I’d only wear the ‘fun blouse’ if you’re ok with it being immortalized.

    6. I wore a nice wrap dress on my first day as a (fairly senior associate) lateral at a similar type law firm in NYC. There were two other female laterals in different departments who started the same day, as well as a (male) partner, and no one had a full suit on.

  6. Re-posting here because I think I was too late for the last post:

    I am currently trying to decide whether I want to apply to grad school programs this fall (to start next fall) or wait another year. Part of the uncertainty in timeline is because I’m not sure whether I want to go for an MBA, MPP, or possibly do a dual degree. These are expensive degrees, so I don’t want to make the decision lightly. In the meantime while I figure that out, I’m trying to determine the best way to save up for that. I have already saved enough to take the GRE/GMAT and pay for applications fees, so I’m referring to living costs/tuition costs. Of course, the majority of those expenses will be sustained by loan money, but I’m trying to mitigate the amount as much as possible by saving up now, even if it’s only $10-20K.

    Since I have at least a year, maybe 2, until I will start to draw on that money, where should I be putting it? I currently have it earmarked in my general savings account, but have heard of things like high yield savings account (are fully online banks legitimate?) and 529 accounts? Do I need to ask my parents what they did with any leftover money from the 529 they had in my name from undergrad?

    Lastly, should I continue to fund my 401(k) and Roth IRA while I do this? I’ve heard that grad schools consider retirement accounts assets when determining aid for students so it seems pointless. I know that each school may have a different aid package consistent of scholarships/loans/etc. but I don’t know exactly which programs I’ll be applying to yet, so I want to figure out what financial moves I should be making now to set myself up for financial success when the time comes. Many thanks for your advice!

    1. I mean this kindly, but you sound like you aren’t sure which degree you want or why you want it/what you intend to do with it. That, coupled with the fact that you seem pretty nonchalant about taking out loans for it, means you’re setting yourself up for financial heartache.

      Determine your goal first, and THEN figure out the steps you need to take to get there.

      1. +1 What job do you want to do? What degree is required to get that job? (And will that job be attainable, sufficiently financially rewarding to pay off the degree in a reasonable period of time, and intellectually/spiritually rewarding to stick with?) Please please don’t apply for grad school until you have good answers to these questions.

        1. Yes. DO NOT go to grad school unless you are 100% clear on the answers to all of these things.

          1. +1. The MBA and MPP are completely different degrees and not interchangeable. Are you sure you don’t mean MPA, not MPP? The MPA is a management degree; the MPP is a degree in policy analysis and applied social science research. Understand exactly what degree you are pursuing, why you are pursuing it, and how you will actually be able to use it before applying to grad school.

      3. I disagree. It does sound like OP knows what she wants. And there are plenty of dual MBA/MPP programs. They are not antithetical. And if OP is on a career path she knows she does not want to be on, go for it! Even if you need to take out loans. If I hadn’t taken out loans to get my MPP I’d still be a barista.

    2. I think it is too short a timeline to put the money in the market, so I’d look at online banks to see what the best interest rate you can find is. My guess is you’ll find something around 1%. Look at Capital One 360 (formerly ING Direct), Ally, and Tiaa-CREF.

      If I had it all to do over again, I’d do whatever I could to avoid taking any loans or at least taking the least amount possible. So in your shoes (taking into account the advice from the 2 anons above, which I agree with) I’d throw as much money as possible into my savings, including stopping contributions to my 401(k) and Roth IRA. I’d have to be super specific to put at least the exact amount that I was putting into retirement into savings because otherwise it is too easy to get budget creep and it would be painful to realize how much I wasted that I’d otherwise have saved for retirement.

    3. With all due respect, that’s exactly why I’m asking this question – I don’t want to spend money on an advanced degree that’s not worth it.

      I am not being cavalier about this decision, which is why I decided I most likely wouldn’t apply this fall after realizing that I was beginning to get more interested in the MPP degree rather than an MBA, which is what I initially planned on pursuing. With that said, my career path almost certainly requires some sort of graduate degree if I want to advance at all. While interviewing, I have been turned down for the position multiple times and told that if I had an MBA or MPP, I would be a much stronger candidate.

      What I’m trying to do is set myself up for financial success once I’ve had more time to come to a more intentional decision. I don’t want to find myself in the position of deciding that I’m ready to apply to grad school and realizing that I haven’t saved any money for it. I have a few friends who decided they wanted to go to law school or medical school or business school and realized that they had maybe $5000 saved to put toward that. I’m trying to avoid that.

      1. Without knowing your industry or career path, I’d advise that you look around for schools that would allow you to work on your degree while continuing to work. It’s a much more economical way of pursuing grad school if you can make that work.

        I work in a field (higher ed) where having a master’s degree makes you a stronger candidate for higher level positions, regardless of their content. I obviously work with people who have a masters in Higher Ed Admin but there are plenty of MAs and other master’s degrees. If your industry doesn’t require a certain degree, I’d advise looking for a degree you’re strongly interested in, rather than one that checks the box.

        1. Just a caution on going at night – while I don’t have an MBA I work with a lot of people who do and have interviewed some MBA students etc (can’t speak to the MPP). A huge part of an MBA degree is the network and access to jobs through on campus recruiting. Often times your access to this is severely limited if you go at night if not completely shut off.

          Additionally, the full time MBA prepares people well for certain occupations that are looking for that credential (banking, consulting, F500 training programs). The employers who care you have an MBA will also care where you got it / the circumstances around it (ie did you go full time and participate in all the networking / hoop jumping that goes along with it). In terms of actual coursework people learn in an MBA it isn’t anything you couldn’t pick up using Macabacus / BIWs / other free or cheaper resources – I speak from a finance perspective as that is my work experience. The value of an MBA is all in the strategy around where / how you go that marks you to certain employers as a desirable candidate and gives you a bit of a network.

          The only exception I have personally seen to this is with people who are looking to get promoted / stay in their current company or career track and have been told they need an MBA to go to the next level up.

          1. I don’t have an MBA either, but this has been true for many of my friends. They mostly went to top 10 schools full-time and took out tons of loans, but the jobs they got afterward pay very well, so it doesn’t matter. The networking aspect was way more important than what they learned in class.

            Another friend is getting her MBA part-time at a less prestigious school because she was told that she could get promoted if she had an advanced degree.

    4. I think that you might be overthinking this. Save as much as you can afford to right now; I am not a financial expert, but my rather substantial savings for grad school are just in a normal account. Don’t stop funding your retirement accounts; out of the 6 MPP programs that I just applied to (for fall 2017 admission), only one asked about how much I had saved for retirement.

      Based on conversations I’ve had with people who have MPPs, the best thing you can do to set yourself up for financial success grad school-wise is do whatever you can to not pay full sticker price. Ace the GRE or GMAT; a lot of merit scholarship decisions hinge on those, I’ve been told. Beef up your resume with activities outside of work (volunteering, nonprofit boards, etc). Apply to multiple schools and then, if one school gives you a good offer, negotiate for higher aid at other schools.

      1. I paid cash for grad school using savings I saved by not funding my retirement accounts fully. 10 years later, I REALLY wish I had that $50K in a retirement account. It would be 100K now and so much more when I retire. Schools may look at your retirement accounts for aid purposes, and maybe you need to figure that out for sure in order to make an educated decision on this, but even if they do, I would seriously think about taking the loans.

        1. I wonder if we all feel like we’d do it differently if we could go back. I feel like I’m drowning in student loan debt because I had to borrow so much and the interest rates are so high, which is why I recommended hitting pause on contributing to retirement. Interesting to hear the other viewpooint.

    5. Is there any chance that there is a reputable MBA or MPP program locally that will allow you to pursue the degree part time in the evening? Further, does your current employer offer tuition reimbursement? My career prospects and ambitions did not demand an elite degree, so my local state university was sufficient for what I wanted. I was able to take courses over a three year period and my employer picked up a significant chunk of the bill.

    6. As someone who went halfway through an advanced (academic-type) degree before realizing she made a terrible mistake, I agree 100% with the other comments on this thread that suggest caution. Unless you are a well established business person with a very clear idea of the terminal position, potential connections, and full ROI of an MBA or MPP, I would heavily suggest against it. Having now invested the 3 years it would have taken to complete my degree in my career I have tripled my salary, made progress on the long corporate ladder climb, and found a path that is much better for me. I was lucky enough to avoid any debt, but many in my cohort who took out loans will be burdened with them for the rest of their lives. I absolutely love school, but I think our society has a way of tricking people into thinking they need these extra degrees when they do not. Also, school choice makes a huge difference in final salary. Unless you are able to get into an elite university on a scholarship, beware.

  7. I need a new eye cream for fine lines and wrinkles. Ideally something without retinoids as my husband and I are TTC.

    2. I’ve never understood the need for a separate eye cream. I usually just stick to a thick, creamy moisturizer. Right now I am using Lumene Bright Now Vitamin C Sleeping Cream. If you are looking specifically for an eye cream, it looks like Lumene has several you could try. (Not a Lumene salesperson, I have just been pleasantly surprised by everything I have tried from them recently.)

      If you are looking for specific product reviews, I am a fan of makeupalley.

      1. If you are dry all over and have minimal specific complaints about your under eye skin, you probably don’t need something separate. But if you have oilier skin, whatever you put on your face won’t be nearly enough. Also, under eye skin is very delicate, so if you use something with active ingredients on the rest of your face, it might be far too much for the eye area.

        I personally love Clinique’s All About Eyes Rich.

        1. Yup this is me, I use different products on different parts of my face (sometimes) because they are sometimes doing different things! I used to be oily everywhere but as I have gotten a bit older my skin has gotten drier in some places. I like the clinique and also ole henrickson eye gel.

  8. Just as an FYI – the youngest people in the workforce right now are members of Generation Z. These people are not Millennials. Millennials are largely in their 30s now and are no longer new to the workforce. I know that when many of you think “young person I do not like” you automatically think Millennial, but if you are going to buy in to generational theory, you owe it to the rest of us to at least get with the times and start complaining about the right generation.

    1. Most definitions of millennial go until 1995, so the youngest millennials are 22. Gen Z starts after that. Gen Z is really in high school/college now, not in the workforce.

      1. And fwiw, I’m a 33-year-old millennial. I do find it weird being lumped in with people in their early 20s, but generations are large.

        1. According to Wikipedia, that’s one Canadian source and Canada doesn’t have a millennials category, so it makes sense that they start Z earlier.

          Other definitions:

          In their 2011 book How Cool Brands Stay Hot, authors Joeri van den Bergh and Mattias Behrer define Generation Z as those born after 1996.[29] In Japan, generations are defined by a ten-year span with “Neo-Digital natives” beginning after 1996.[19][20]

          The Futures Company,[16][17] marketing agency Frank N. Magid Associates,[12] Ernst and Young,[30] Turner Broadcasting,[31] and The Shand Group[32] use 1997 as the first year of birth for this cohort, with Frank N. Magid considering the cohort to extend to at least 2014.[12]

          A 2016 report from multinational banking firm Goldman Sachs describes Generation Z as those born since 1998.[33]

          MTV described Generation Z as those born after December 2000, for a survey conducted by the network regarding possible names for the cohort.[15]

          Author Neil Howe defines the cohort as people born from approximately 2005–2025, but describes the dividing line between Generation Z and Millennials as “tentative” saying, “you can’t be sure where history will someday draw a cohort dividing line until a generation fully comes of age”. He said that the Millennials’ range beginning in 1982 points to the next generation’s window starting between 2000 and 2006.[3][4]

          1. Everything I have ever read indicates Millennials were born roughly between 1976 and 1993.

          2. That’s one definition – there are many ranges for millennials that go from ~1980-1996 or ~1982-2000. This is all very subjective, and I have not seen anything that proves that 1976-1993 is the best or most widely accepted definition of millennial. See, e.g, all the people arguing here that people born in the late 1970s and early 80s are not millennials.

          4. I’m with Mpls on this. I know it isn’t the technical meaning, but in my opinion, there is a huge difference between those of us born in the late 70s/early 80s who have vivid memories of getting our first computers and those who have always had one.

            And the Oregon Trail game is the greatest computer game of all time so I’m on board with the name as well :-)

          6. Yes! Carmen Sandiego! For me, Carmen Sandiego came before Oregon Trail, if I remember correctly. Is that right?

            – someone who technically fits in the older millennial age group but generally does not identify there

      3. I am confused. Millenials were called Generation Z before the term Millenial caught on.

        I’m an older Gen X and I don’t feel like a Gen Xer, but I definitely do not feel like a Baby Boomer either. I came of age in the early to mid 80s. Like, I identify WAY more with Madonna than any of the Baby Boomer classic rock. But Gen Xers were supposed to be these hip skateboarding never wanna get married cool ’90s people, basically the cast of Friends, and that wasn’t me either.

        Generations are way too generalized! And I don’t think all Millenials are alike either.

    2. Uhhh Idk what you’re smoking but people who are 33 and older are not millennial.

      2. Isn’t the technical definition of Millennial go all the way back to people born in 1980? I’m 34 and I know I’m considered one.

      3. Millennial is people who were 18-34 in 2015, so 20-36 now. I’m 34 and have always considered myself a millennial.

    3. +1. I was really put off by the “entitled millennial” comment this morning.

      I own a home. I work hard. I pay my bills. I save. I know I’m relatively early in my career, and I don’t mind doing less interesting work that is commensurate with that. I come early, stay late.

      And the idea that “these young people are awful” isn’t new.

      1. You whippersnappers don’t remember all the b*tching about the entitled Generation X. Putting up with that (plus our aging knees) gives us a right to whine about you kids. In return, you get to complain about Generation AA.

          1. +1. I’m always ranting to my husband that they are the real problem these days.

            Didn’t plan for retirement, have crazy entitlement issues, often credit/debt issues and now I’m starting to wonder if they are nostalgic for their segregated childhoods. I know, I’m being extreme and projecting my parents onto a larger group…

          3. I think the worst thing we Boomers did was raise a bunch of pampered snowflakes…

          5. The worst thing y’all did was give out so many participation trophies. What’s up with that?

          6. I don’t even know, man. I think we were all traumatized because back in the day most people did NOT win trophies or prizes! You competed and most people lost, by definition!

          7. Psst, we all understood the participation trophies signified losing when you gave them to us. 20-30 years later we’re like, “Well now what am I going to do with this junk? Throwing it into a landfill would be terrible for the environment but why on earth would I want to keep something so meaningless?”

          8. not a boomer but by husband is. The Boomers were so self-reflective (the Me generation) and ego driven that since they were the greatest, their kids must be the greatest too. Hence the trophies and helicopter parenting etc.

            I’m an Xer with teenagers. Helicopter parenting has not gone away, no.

          9. I would have preferred NOT to get the trophy in the first place, honestly.

      2. I am a millenieal, but a good one, dad says. Many peeople think that ALL milleneal’s are bad/lazy/entitled, but that is NOT true. It is BAD to stereotype a whole generation, just b/c we are not a baby boomer or a GEN X or whatever. I am probably one of the older milleneals, but so what? I am still hard working, accomplished and am hanging on as best I can to my look’s, which probably won’t last another 10 years. So I say go for it, milleanieals, and do NOT worry what peeople say about us!!!! YAY!!!

    4. I’m not sure this is accurate. I’m considered at the old end of the millennial generation at 35 years old. I think it would definitely cover young people just entering the workforce. It is supposed to refer to people coming of age at the beginning of the century and who are “digital native,” both of which someone my age would be among the first to experience.

      p.s. There’s nothing wrong with being identified as a millennial.

      1. Yeah, and what’s going to be next?? Generation AA? Or, I guess given the state of the world, they really might be the last generation.

      2. Strauss-Howe came up with this generational theory crap back in the 90s. It is all simple, over generalized BS, but it is quaint BS that makes people feel better about ageism, which is why so many people have adopted it.

        1. But there is a reason for it. Obviously generalizations are generalizations, but there are very real demographic and values changes between different generations, and it is valuable to identify these trends, for both long-range civic planning purposes and general for-profit marketing purposes. And obviously to some extent the cutoffs are arbitrary, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t real differences on average between the two groups.

      3. Am I the only one to hear “Generation Z” and immediately think “OMG. Zombies!!”

  9. A big thank you for everyone who has recommended Blinc mascara on this s*te. I have been using it for a few weeks now, and it’s absolutely amazing – for the first time I am not wiping makeup smudges all day, and the Blinc washes off so much more easily than my old waterproof mascara. Thank you, thank you!!

    1. I recently started using it too, based on recommendations here. Do you find it difficult to get onto your lower lashes without smudges? I can’t figure out what I am doing wrong.

      1. I have trouble with Blinc, too. Not sure why – there seems to be more liquid or perhaps it’s runnier. I prefer a different (but similar) brand, Fiberwig.

      2. I like Trish McEvoy’s tube mascara. You might try that one. I think getting it on your lower lashes is all about having the right want. the Mcevoy High Volume mascara wand is very skinny

        That said, I neither line under my eyes nor do I regularly wear mascara on my lower lashes. I do occasionally mascara lower lashes, but I find it too much hassle and I don’t think it really looks good on most people – it creates kind of a shadow down there that can look like saggy or dark undereye skin.

        Like the first lady – I think she would look SO much better and more modern if she’d knock off lining all the way around her eyes.

        1. I recently got some trish mcevoy tube mascara but it clumps on my eyelashes in a weird way. Maybe I got the wrong kind?

  10. Is it a known thing that hotels in Rome are stupidly expensive or am I going during some major event I don’t know about? I’m trying to plan a trip for mid-May and am having trouble finding anything that looks clean, comfortable and centrally located under $250. Is this normal?

    2. I can highly recommend the Made in Rome B&B. It has a bananas rooftop terrace that overlooks the Forum, Palatine Hill, and the Colosseum, and was very reasonably priced when we stayed there.

  11. any recommendations? Sacramento area more specifically

  12. How can I be louder? I recently started coaching CrossFit a handful of times a month (which I love, I’ve been at my current gym for a few years.) By and large my biggest issue is being loud enough. All our other current coaches are men, so it doesn’t help that the people in my class are used to their bigger voices to begin with, and it’s a warehouse with sometimes multiple classes going on that I don’t have control over.

    I know I need to talk/yell out of my diaphragm more, but while I start doing this, I forget and/or “burn out” and end up hoarse. I try to compensate by bringing my class in close, but I know one of my biggest pet peeves with an instructor in any class is not being able to hear them and I know that’s me now. There has to be some way to work on this, right? I’m sure there are other disciplines and hobbies that require people to be loud – any tips/tricks/ideas/best practices/essential oils I can use here to get better?

    (….and a microphone isn’t an option. not that I didn’t think of it.)

    2. I wonder if voice/singing lessons would help with this? (Being more aware of projection and breathing)

  13. My office loves charity causes. I get at least one if not more emails a week to donate to a run, or a drive, or a casual day etc. from all levels of employees. I know I’m on the higher end of the office pay scale and I always feel guilty when the 2nd and 3rd notice emails about not meeting a “goal” go out. But a few dollars here and there starts to add up after a while. And a lot of times the donation is made on behalf of the whole office and, correct me if I’m wrong, I can’t then list this as a deduction come tax time to offset a bit. I also have my own places that I regularly donate to that I don’t want to reallocate money from. I don’t know what I’m looking for here, permission to say no sometimes? This is the first office I’ve been in with such frequent requests and it makes me feel like a horrible person.

    1. Are they sending group emails? I would ignore them. If they’re sent directly to you, it’s okay to respond, “I have a charity budget for the year which has already been allocated, but thank you for thinking of me.”

      Alternatively, can you budget some amount per year for office-only related charities, and then commit to supporting one charity per quarter (or something similar)?

    2. You shouldn’t be made to be feel bad over this. If you don’t want to donate, you can say “I’ve already donated to a few organizations recently” or “My family has its own giving plan” or something along those lines

    3. Permission to say no granted!

      FWIW, knowing that I have a specific set of funds allocated for giving and that I give it where I care the most really helps me to say no to these things. But making that allocation only became possible once I started earning US 60K+ /yr.

    4. +1 don’t feel bad about this. You aren’t required to give to others’ pet charities.

      Would agree with what anon at 5:41 and Saving for Grad School said re succinct replies. I would not offer more explanation than their suggestions.

    5. First, you can claim the donation, you just have to keep track. My office collects donations for a different charity each week for “casual day” and the accountant gives us a spreadsheet at the end of the year telling us what/where we donated. I claim it all. But these nominal donations do so little to affect my taxes so this, alone, I don’t think is a reason to give.

      Second, you do you. Guaranteed you are not the only one who chooses not to participate. If you are going to feel guilty, consider some nominal donation so you can put your mind at ease. $5 a week is only $260/year if you are in the office every week. Maybe just factor that in to your annual charity budget.

    6. Here’s where I draw the line:

      I will do anything to help little kids. You want me to buy some cookies or candy bars or wrapping paper for your elementary school band trip? Absolutely. Sign me up. I’ll take them all. Unicef? Take my money.

      I will do nothing to help people take a nice trip to run their marathon. Zero. I will not give you money for your bike trip in Alaska. I have looked into the expense ratios for these things and they’re ridiculous. And let’s be honest, you’re not doing this for charity. You’re doing this for a personal fitness goal, which is great, but I’m not paying you for it.

  14. Recommendations for a slip? I need one that will lay flat under unlined dresses, and preferably one that comes to about my knees (so ~35″) so the dress doesn’t cling to my tights.

    1. I have both Jockey and Jones New York–the JNY one is less sticky than the jockey one so it lies flatter. It’s probably shorter than you’re looking for. I’m about 5′ and it comes just to my knees. I got it at The Bay, in Canada, but also get them at Winners/TJ Maxx.

  15. Thanks to whomever posted this morning about their recent customer service experience with another company, I emailed Dagne Dover about how my bag’s handles are cracking where they naturally bend. I’ve had it about 5 months.

    DD was GREAT about it. They had me send some pictures and they are shipping me a new one although in a different color as mine was a limited run. I think I might be able to get mine repaired by a cobbler somehow but I appreciate that they are sending me a new one.

    As an aside, they are clearing out all of their totes because they have revamped them and the new ones are coming soon. They’re all on discount right now.

    1. I read the thread about Lo and Sons this morning, and now Dagne Dover, having excellent customer service when the leather handles cracked.

      But I dunno. Shouldn’t the leather handles NOT crack? Am I being grumpy? In both cases, hearing about it turned me off the brand, great service or not.

      1. My Radley handbag is starting to crack there – I bought it in 2010. I think that’s reasonable. Six months, not so much.

        (I love Radley, by the way.)

      2. I don’t believe the inside of the Lo & Sons handles are leather. And anyway, it would appear the both their customers and their customer service people agree that the handles shouldn’t be cracking. Which is why they replace them no questions asked.

  16. I have a task of giving a sort of informal presentation on “legal issues” (I am in-house, this is for a meeting of all senior staff). With the exception of a brief update on some pending litigation, there’s nothing much to say. Any thoughts on general topics in the news that might be of interest to corporate senior staff?

    I’m partially hamstrung because HR is giving an update separately, and it seems like all the interesting, generally applicable stuff is employment related!

    1. developments in privacy laws? Browse through the client alert sections on a few law firm websites and see if anything jumps out?

    2. Depending on how broad HR’s update is, maybe you could discuss the NLRB and section 7 of the NLRA? Or an update on the current state of uncertainty about the ACA and employer compliance requirements with things like the form 1095? Ooh, the new Philadelphia ordinance that limits employers’ ability to obtain salary history info from prospective employees? The DOL rule about disability claim reviews? The status of the DOL fiduciary rule?

      Sorry – I work in HR, so all of my thoughts are about HR-related things…

  17. I work at a nonprofit. Our office manager/the person who kept our heads on straight and is honestly one of the nicest people I have ever met is leaving, apparently. She’s been out sick for about two months now, and I’m worried and sad. No one really knows what’s going on. She allowed her mailing address to be distributed to people who ask. What would you send her? She’s been there 12 years; I’ve been there about 2.5 years (including interning) and she was a pretty critical part of my experience at the org being so good that I applied to stay on after law school. Budget in the $25-30 range. She loves Dr Who, Star Wars, zombies, and movies. None of those things are really my area, but if there’s some cool zombie survival kit someone knows of….

    1. A doctor who tardis teapot? (since she’s out sick tea may fit with the theme). Thinkgeek.com has a lot of little gifts in your prince range that fit her interests

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