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Updated: Dec 31, 2020 143 Comments · by

Coffee Break: Johnny Was Masks

Coffee Break |

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Readers have been singing the praises of Johnny Was masks for weeks now. (They're so popular among commenters that someone even jokingly called these masks the new “Skirt“.)

I got my order last week (of the cotton, “neutral” order) and really like them. Ours are a pleasing combo of pinstripes, camo, and the top pattern with diamond shapes (pictured in black and blue).

Having seen a lot of single masks on Etsy costing $15 (plus shipping), the 5-for-$25 combo seemed like a great deal. I would have gone for the silk ones (5 for $40), but I have heard readers doubting if their entire order was silk, so your mileage may vary.

The ear straps are OK, but probably best for short jaunts as opposed to all-day wearing, unless you get a mask-clip like this one or this one.

(And! Do not attempt to wear long dangly earrings with your mask! At least, I was very confused for a few minutes.)

What masks have you found that you'd buy again? (Big thanks to this reader for posting a really helpful review of lots of workwear stores' masks!)

Psst: The WSJ answered 10 somewhat funny questions about masks, including how to prevent your giant sunglasses from fogging up and whether matching them to your outfit is acceptable/required. Science Daily reported on recent studies that found masks are essential for stopping the spread of COVID. (Also, the pee meme is pretty funny if you haven't seen it.)

Psst 2: If you've been waiting for Amazon's Kindle Paperwhite to go on sale (like I have), now is a pretty decent price — down to $99 from $130. 

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Sales of note for 9.30.24

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Kat Griffin is the founder, publisher, and editor-in-chief of Corporette. You can read more about her here.

Comments

  1. Anon

    Repeat comment from the tail end of the mornign thread, I’d like to put in a plug for buying masks on Etsy instead of from corporate chains (idk if Johnny Was is a chain – I’m just making a general comment). It’s a good opportunity to support small businesses, especially businesses that are women and/or minority-owned. I’ve been pleased with the quality of masks from CENBoutique.

    • Anon

      I ordered some from umerdesignstudio on Etsy that are made using Rifle Paper Co. fabric in a strawberry pattern and have ties instead of ear loops. Generally agree about using Etsy, but there’s so many options. 8CreativeStudio is another good Etsy seller but the masks are super basic. So far, what I’ve found is that adjustable ear loops/straps are key. Summersalt are the only ones I’ve kept so far out of all the ones I’ve ordered & crossing my fingers that Athleta’s are decent.

    • Anon

      I was very lucky in that one of my local woman-owned boutiques carries Johnny Was (including the masks)! I think they are really pretty and have no issues with the fit, and I got to walk down the street and pick them up.

    • Never too many shoes...

      I ordered several Liberty cotton masks from an Etsy shop in Montreal. They are two very thin layers so good for heat BUT they absolutely stank of patchouli when they arrived.

  2. Anonymous

    The consensus seems to be that these fit poorly and the fabric received doesn’t match the product description. Perhaps people feel that attractive prints outweigh these issues, but I’d rather be comfortable in my chosen fabric.

    • Anon 2.0

      Yes! I lucked out with nice fabric for 4 out of the 5 but they are not all the same size. My favorite one is huge and swallows up my whole face. There is a good 1 to 1.5 inch difference all around in the order I received.

    • Anon

      I disagree that is the consensus! Most of the posts I’ve read have been overwhelmingly positive. I actually ordered mine based on those recommendations, and I agree with them – I love my new masks.

      • Cat

        I had a great experience – ordered and received silk, they feel lovely and the patterns are beautiful and vibrant. Dimensions accurate.

        I think a handful of people received a mix of silk and cotton despite ordering silk, and a few found the masks to gap at the sides. On the fit point, it’s probably a face shape thing — like for me, the masks that have a seam down the middle but no pleats don’t tend to hit my chin correctly, but the pleated masks like those featured are much better.

      • AFT

        Ditto – I feel like I’ve mostly seen very positive responses!
        Mine are pretty and good quality. They are ample sized and bordering on a little big for my face, but the seams make it easy to adjust. The fabrics are very pretty – you won’t know what fabric you’re getting, but I think that’s pretty clear on the website?

    • Senior Attorney

      I’m very happy with mine (fit well, comfortable) and have re-ordered three times for myself and my husband.

    • Anonymous

      I did not receive the print I was hoping for, which was what the model is wearing on the website, but I think the website is clear that its kind of random. The masks do seem high quality and comfortable though. I have a smaller head though and the masks are absolutely giant. I am wearing them until I can get suitable replacements, then I will give them away. Too bad, I felt they looked pretty good for court.

    • Anon

      I’m happy with mine. I ordered the cotton floral patterns. I don’t love one of them, but the others are great.

    • Anon

      LOL that is not the consensus at all.

      They came way too big for me, but it was a very easy problem to fix and I would never expect that a mass produced product would be perfectly tailored to the size of my tiny ears.

      • Anonymous

        Do you mind if I ask how you fixed it? Any hacks that don’t involve sewing? I don’t have this particular mask but have knotted the elastic in some with okay but not great results.

    • Carmen Sandiego

      I got different fabrics than I ordered (ordered silk, one is silk), but the prints are all really nice and the fit/comfort is good for me! I would say worth it!

  3. Anonymous

    Has anyone left private practice for a military legal job or career? I have started to feel like I’m not patriotic enough. My grandfathers all fought in wars, a couple siblings enlisted. All survived (somehow). I am an American Legion auxliary member and volunteer but can’t seem to stop feeling like I’m not doing enough for the country. I disagree with the current administration’s political positions but I am not sure how much of that influences military positions. I am a petite woman and hate the idea of basic training but I think professional civil positions are exempt from getting yelled at for 6-10 weeks. Is this crazy? Should I just look for a different government job or volunteer opportunities?

    • Anon

      What about representing veterans? Veterans law is a niche area where attorneys are DESPERATELY needed. While places like American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars can help many veterans apply for benefits, many veterans need the assistance and legal training of an attorney, especially with appeals. VFW etc don’t always do great work, although they certainly serve a purpose. There are options to work at private law firms who do veterans appeals work (look at Chisholm Chisholm & Kirkpatrick) or at legal aid organizations (look at National Veterans Legal Services Program). Veterans Law Blog is also run by an attorney who has his own vets law firm. The National Organization of Veterans Advocates is another resource.

      If you leave a burner email, I can reach out- don’t want to out myself, but I’m a veterans law attorney who’s been practicing for 6 years in the area, and would be thrilled to discuss with you more! Vets law is a growing area where attorneys can make a life-changing difference for veterans who otherwise would have to go at it alone.

    • Anon

      The military is designed to break people, I would not join unless I was on the brink of homelessness. Look into other government jobs, there are many amazing opportunities which don’t require psychological damage.

    • Anon

      Idk if this is crazy but I think about it ALL THE TIME! I work in government emergency response so I think if I were in the military I could find a comparable job to what I do now. It’s gnawing on me though …

    • Anon

      Well I call BS on the idea that the only way to be patriotic is to be in the military. Don’t you think there’s so much more to this country than the military?

        • Anon

          I’m the vets attorney above.

          While civil legal aid isn’t an equivalent to military service, I would argue that it truly serves your country- right to counsel doesn’t exist in the civil context in most cases, but in many cases, the challenges for litigants are the same as in the criminal context (aka public defense): people with no legal training who are in desperate need of assistance are going up against a government behemoth with training and resources. From the smallest public benefits case against a state department of health services to the Aimee Stephens case decided today, legal aid and civil rights work serves the most under-represented of our communities, and there are dozens of ways to work in these areas that make a difference and use the skills you’ve developed already as an attorney. If you like litigation, there’s many litigation opportunities- civil rights, eviction defense and landlord-tenant, family law. If you would rather jump off a cliff than be in court, there are opportunities for that- public benefits, veterans law, providing advice over the phone, access to justice policy and research. You’re still protecting peoples’ rights under the Constitution, but not as part of the military.

    • ANON

      I say investigate it if you feel so inclined. I come from a military family and respect and understand your desire to serve.

  4. Sloan Sabbith

    Fun Monday morning question: As a new professional, what’s the most cringeworthy thing you did?

    For me, there were a lot (SO many) but the one that sticks out to me is that the first time my (very formal) boss, who intimidated the hell out of me, asked me what I was doing over the weekend I responded “Why?”

    Still makes me cringe, 6 years later. I ended up working at the same place post-law school and still do, but I was recently told by my colleague that when I started I was “unbearably awkward” which is, unfortunately, probably true.

    • Anonymous

      Confusing “formal” and “fancy”.

      Men’s suits go everywhere. The silk suit that a woman wears to a wedding is not something to wear to an interview. But I did. With hose.

        • Anonymous

          All colors. I bought multiples at a discount chain. My favorite was red damask. It was like GWTE or SOM repurposed curtains /tablecloth / upholstery.

      • Anon

        I remember being 18 and truly not knowing the difference between women’s formal party attire and women’s formal business attire.

      • Anon

        Omg you’re giving me secondhand embarrassment syndrome. My first professional job in the early 90s was suits for men and women. I am from a rural town and had worked at JCPenney throughout high school and college, so I used my last employee discount and bought some suits there. One was petal pink.

        It was only once I started working that I noticed other professional women’s suits were different than mine. One of the receptionists had the same suit as me.

        I realized I’d bought going-to-church suits rather than professional suits. Crinnnnge.

        (And then I tried to remedy it by buying men’s suit jackets at thrift stores and wearing them as oversized blazers – not an improvement )

    • Anon

      I was so intimidated at my first job that whenever my supervisor said, “hmm, I don’t know, go ask Joe,” I woudl respond with something like, “I would hate to bother him.”

      But I’m 55 now and IDGAF, and I have been told most people find me intimidating (which honestly mystifies me because I still think of myself as a giant goofball.)

      • Sloan Sabbith

        My colleague recently told me that I have an “assertive walk” and that it intimidates people. I am 5’3″ and frequently get mistaken for a high schooler, so it was very confusing.

        • Anon

          My last boss, SVP of a F50 company, sat me down and said

          “The feedback on you is that people find you intimidating”

          Me: “oh, that’s disappointing. I try to be a really friendly person.”

          Him: “you are. You are friendly. That’s not the issue. It’s that in meetings, you are obviously so intelligent and know your stuff….”

          Me: “so are you advising me to appear less intelligent?”

          Long pause.

          He changed the subject.

          100% guarantee he wasn’t counseling any of his male direct reports to be less intimidating.

          • PolyD

            I hope somewhere on the internet that boss is relating this as one of his most cringe-worthy moments.

        • Anonymous

          On my first performance review at my current job, I got dinged for “walking too fast because it stresses people out.”

        • Anon

          I just got told I have a “tone” for raising safety concerns re: coronavirus, but then a younger colleague texted me and said she really looks up to me and admires how I don’t settle for the garbage they throw at us. That made it worth it.

    • American Girl

      Oh I love this post. When I was a summer associate, I addressed the partners as “Mr.” or “Ms.”

        • Anon

          Hahaha I asked a guy to stop calling me ma’am three times and he finally just started avoiding me.

    • Anonymous

      General counsel publicly chastised me for asking questions at the first legal annual meeting, telling me that people needed to pay their dues before making changes. That smarted.

      One year later, GC told me I needed to speak up more at meetings. I shot back “I have been told not to speak up here until I pay my dues.” and then said 3-5 more sentences about how I won XYZ speaking/arguing awards in law school and no one at the company knew I had ever done any of that… The next day, I realized in the context of our talk, he meant that I needed to talk LOUDER, not more often. I was too quiet, so when I did talk, people had to lean in or wouldn’t ask me to repeat ideas.

    • Anonymous

      I drafted a contract template that was regularly used at my employer. I trained the main managers who were in charge of the details and signing process. A new VP was hired and I was asked to train him. I met with him in his office. He was 40, newly divorced, and I was 25 and single. After a few minutes of pleasantries, we sat at a small table next to each other so I could go over the contract. I gave this presentation ALL the time so I mentally checked out. My leg was leaning against the table so I had one hand under the table, resting on my leg/the table leg and I absentmindedly moved my hand back and forth under the table while I talked.

      After 15-20 minutes, he shifted his weight so he was leaning pretty close to me. I don’t know how it hit me, but I suddenly realized that I was not, in fact, leaning against the table leg – I was resting my leg against HIS leg and I had been rubbing his leg the entire time. I was mortified, apologized with a quick “excuse me”, and quickly put both hands on top of the table for the last page of the contract. And skedaddled out of there after he had no questions.

      An innocent mistake but every time I think about it, I turn bright red and want to crawl under (a different) table.

      • Anon

        of all the stories, I find yours the most painful! if that’s any consolation….

    • Vicky Austin

      My first day of work happened to coincide with an auditor field visit. On the one hand, it was great, because they had to interview someone from each department of the hospital, and I sat there just taking it all in, what they did, how it worked, etc.

      On the other hand, the introduction speech to all the department heads was the first thing we did that day, and I was so lost amid all the technical jargon and so nervous and tense, I nodded off for a few minutes. I was mortified. Fortunately I was in the back row, but I’ve never stopped wondering if someone noticed.

      • Sloan Sabbith

        During law school, my chronic illness was pretty much constantly causing issues. I had a port in my chest and it wouldn’t flush (with saline) one night while doing IVs at home- for my 11 PM dose, of course. I had to have the home nurse come out to deal with it and didn’t get to bed until almost 3:30. Had to be up by 5. Had to be at my boss’s house at 7:30 (an hour away) to go to an offsite meeting (there was some sort of one-car daycare drop off issue or something, so we didn’t meet at work). I knew he’d understand if I canceled but I REALLY wanted to go.

        Showed up and his wife was trying to get ready to go to work, dog was losing his mind, and he was at daycare drop off. Had to stand on his porch in the rain, trying not to fall asleep standing up. Got in the car, told him I’d slept for 3 hours, he felt guilty and then promptly fell asleep for the entire 3 hour drive, until we pulled into Starbucks near the meeting site. Also fell asleep on the way back. He was super cool about it but I was mortified.

    • Anonymous

      Worked at a small law firm with one single occupancy bathroom. I was alone in the office and went to the bathroom and ummm clogged the toilet. No plunger. I already have deep-seated anxiety about going #2 outside the home so this was worst case scenario. I called my then-bf (Now DH) crying and he grabbed our plunger from home, got in an uber, and unclogged the toilet. To my knowledge no one found out. Is this even cringe or just pure schadenfreude lol?

    • SC

      I ran into my boss and his family in the Superdome after LSU lost the national championship game in 2012. I hugged him. In front of his wife. I was . . . not sober. They don’t drink.

    • so cringeworthy

      Oh man, this my thread, y’all!
      Harmless but sooooo tone-deaf: While interning at a marketing agency, I had to moderate videos by clicking a checkbox to approve or remove the video. So boring, the system crashed every hour or so, and I could just mentally zone out and still do the job of ticking those stupid boxes. I decided it was just fine to have a phone call with my mom about drama with my now-husband (boyfriend at the time) and whether he was ever going to propose. My poor supervisor had to tell me that it was fine if I needed to take a short personal call during the workday, but I should probably do so in the lobby vs. in the cube farm.

      Harmless-ish: First actual job out of college and I was in charge of ordering everything for a tradeshow booth. I saw that you had to order carpet on the form, but I didn’t know you also had to order the carpet pad as well. We showed up to the booth and had to stand on the thinnest piece of carpet over concrete for three days. It was terrible and all the older male staff made fun of me for weeks afterward (I added it as a checklist item for the next young marketer to take over that task).

      Damaging but turned out ok: Same first job out of college, more tradeshow nonsense. I got scammed by a hotel provider that claimed to be associated with the conference for a discounted block fo rooms. To be fair, I did check with my manager, and he said go ahead and book it. So I spent ~$10k booking rooms for everyone on my company card, but leading up to the conference, only received half the confirmation numbers. Long story short, I had to re-book some people to a different hotel, and a bunch of my colleagues had to pay for the rooms on their own cards and get reimbursed. They were rightly very upset at the surprise charge. Fortunately, we were able to dispute it with the credit card company and we got the original payment refunded, but all the tradeshow attendees had to wait for their reimbursement checks for the hotel and all their travel expenses.

      • pugsnbourbon

        That tradeshow scam is still happening! At least it was in 2018. Thankfully the person who called me with the “great deal” sounded REAL sketchy on the details when I asked.
        In an opposite version of your second scenario – the folks next to us at one show splurged on the extra thick carpet padding … and on day one someone tripped and fell, hard, on the edge. They were okay but oof.

    • Anon

      Assumed that Ally McBeal was an appropriate style barometer for what a professional woman should wear to the office. I blush just thinking about what I wore to back then … who knew there could be so many mini skirt / block heel combinations?

    • anon

      First day of my new job right out of college I showed up in super tight khaki pants, a button front shirt with one too many buttons unbuttoned, untucked, and scuffed up shoes. But hey, my shirt had a collar and I wasn’t wearing jeans, so I was professional! I was in a customer facing role and my new boss immediately took me into the back and had me button one more button and tuck in my shirt. She was nice about it, but oh man, I was just so clueless.

    • Anonymous

      First trip to court, as a summer, big national case, trailing a big deal partner. I forgot I had a Swiss Army knife in my bag and had to check it at security. Partner from a White Shoe firm waiting in line behind us said “at least our associates don’t bring knives to Court.”

    • Anonymous

      At my 1L summer internship somebody I really wanted to work for called me just as I was leaving for the day with a question. I asked what the timing was and if I could get back to her the next morning. She said that was fine but then called me the next morning and said she had already figured it out. She also never tried to give me any work ever again. In retrospect, I should’ve just stayed and done the work. I didn’t realize it was a test.

    • Anonymous

      Oh man so many things from my first full time job as a customer service rep.
      1. A customer called and gave a super vague complaint. I was confused and intended to ask “what can I do to help” but somehow what came out was “so what is your problem?” (In a very nice tone of voice but still!).

      2. I always drove to work and wasn’t familiar with the area around the office. One day, my then-BF insisted on taking our only car and made me take the bus to work. The bus lines were not intended for commuters and didn’t run anywhere close to on time, which was particularly awful for me because I needed to change buses like 5 times. By the final (missed) connection, I was in tears and begged strangers to let me use their phone so I could call work and ask someone to come get me (cell phones weren’t super common yet). I reached my manager – by then I was in hysterics – and she asked where I was… it turns out I was less than two blocks away from the office.

      3. The piece de resistance – two coworkers were giggling in their office. I asked what was so funny, they didn’t want to show me, but eventually relented and showed me the ummm pictures of tattoos in private places that they were ogling online on their work computers. I didn’t know that such a thing existed and exclaimed something like, OMG!, right as my boss walked into the office next door. He heard me and walked into our office, saw what we were looking at, pulled up a chair and insisted on looking at the entire website with us. He gave very detailed commentary on every picture.

      Honestly looking back on it, I have no clue how I kept my job!

    • Lana Del Raygun

      I wore a spirit jersey and “leggings” (actually sweater tights) to work for casual Friday.

  5. BB

    Re-plugging the Brooks Brothers masks! Thin, non-woven material, supposed to be “N85” protection level. Really comfy soft ear loops. Unfortunately only comes in boring white (although I thought it was funny that one of the reviews points out that they’d really like it in a nice argyle or houndstooth :))

    • Sloan Sabbith

      I’m high-risk, and my doctor recommended looking for KN95 masks. I bought some from Wyze (which usually makes home cameras) and they just arrived. Haven’t tried them yet, but if anyone is looking for KN95 masks, they have them. Not cheap and they absolutely should not be reused ($2 a mask) but if they’ll let me go grocery shopping without feeling anxious, I’m a-OK with that.

      • Anon

        Why should they not be reused? We reuse ours after leaving unused for 72 hours. I also heard direct sunlight for a few hours disinfects them.

        • Anon

          I’m not Sloan but N95 masks are meant to stop particles from being aspirated, so the little filters eventually fill up with and are blocked by particles.

        • LaurenB

          If my spouse can re-use his N-95 masks when he’s wearing them to perform operations and get exposed to body fluids, I think you can re-use yours after 20 minutes in the grocery store. Let’s not get too precious about these things.

          • Curious

            Lauren B I’m sure this is scary for your spouse but was the precious comment necessary? We all know Sloan has a chronic illness and they were just trying to share facts.

          • Sloan Sabbith

            Yeah, can you f-ing not, for once? I said that regular N95s are still being reused and that it’s not ideal for ANY non redials mask to be reused, which we all know, but KN95 are different and there are problems with reuse that normal N95s don’t have. Wasn’t saying anything about your ~precious~ husband, so back off, for God’s sake.

    • HW

      I respect the fact that Brooks Brothers focused their efforts on function over fashion, but I’ll admit I too was expecting some nice menswear-inspired patterns!

  6. Marie

    Paging Sloan:

    Just finished Beach Read over the weekend. Couldn’t put it down. You are absolutely spot on with how cute it was! Thanks for the recc. :)

    • Sloan Sabbith

      Welcome! If you want another one, I read My Favorite Half Night Stand by Christina Lauren and laughed until I cried at one point. I like all of their stuff, actually. The Unhoneymooners is my favorite.

      And a new book by Jasmine Guillory comes out tomorrow!

      • Marie

        I have read both of those and definitely loved them!

        Already have Jasmine Guillory on preorder. So looking forward to that one!

  7. Gail the Goldfish

    My mask reviews so far–
    I originally ordered a 3 pack from the Etsy seller thedaughterwhosews (https://www.etsy.com/shop/thedaughterwhosews?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=778220582)–These are basic, but fairly breathable and fit me well. Two layers, straps behind ears. No nose wire.
    -Groceries Apparel (LA-based company) organic cotton facemask–two layers, straps go over head instead of behind your ears. These were initially my husband’s favorite, but they have shrunk a bit as we have washed them and are now a bit too small for him, but now fit me well (they were a bit too big originally. I think I must have a small face/head). These are comfortable and not too hot. Downside: the white cotton ones do look a bit like a pair of underwear. Looks like they now have a cotton/hemp option with adjustable straps that looks less underwear-ish.
    -LA Apparel–Not a fan. These are made out of a heavier terrycloth-type fabric and hot. On the plus side, they do have an adjust nose wire. Straps over head.

    I ordered masks last week from Linen Salvage et Cie and Printmakers Collective based on recs on here, and also threw in a pair from Sand Cloud in a recent order, and will report back when those arrive. Also waiting on my Disney Star Wars masks, because I’m a nerd.

    Now if everyone in my town would just wear masks… (It’s usually men not wearing them. I want to tell them the more they wear a mask, the sooner we can get back to college sports)

  8. Anonymous

    One of my best childhood friends and I started dating 5 years ago and broke up last year. It needed to happen – we have a great time together but have different values on all the Important Things like whether to have kids, where to live/whether women should stay at home (that was a surprise – I’m a junior partner and he’s been there for every step of my legal education and career), etc. I saw him last weekend and am surprisingly sad about knowing we’re just bound to grow apart the rest of our lives. He’s back in grad school at 33 and has no plan beyond each week’s lab (he might go to med school, get a PhD, etc…). Just venting about getting we have mismatched priorities and yet how sad it can feel to I guess learn that someone I care about deeply has such different values.

    • Anonymous

      So sorry that you have to go through this. It’s really hard when we are excited about life working out a certain way and we get thrown all the curveballs.

      Simultaneously so happy for you that you found this out before you had kids with him. That would have been a nightmare and likely ended in an acrimonious divorce.

    • Anonymous

      I feel you… had a similar break up after dating my HS best friend for 5 years. We tried to stay friends but after 3 weeks we just stopped talking and havent communicated in 6 years. I still feel sad about it everyday. I miss his friendship, but it’s the friendship of 10+ years ago and he’s not that person anymore (and neither am I).

    • Monday

      I’m sorry for the pain, but as you said, it evidently needed to happen. These are very solid reasons for breaking up. (Even one of them would have been enough.) Also FWIW, one of my close friends is married to an older grad student with no plan, and it’s been really hard.

    • Anon

      Did you post about this guy a year or two or three ago?

      “He’s back in grad school at 33 and has no plan beyond each week’s lab (he might go to med school, get a PhD, etc…).”

      Good grief. He’s 33. If he wants a stay-at-home wife, he needed to have made that decision a decade ago and been solidly into his career by now, not wanting to magically one day figure out what completes him that also magically provides enough money to support an entire family.

      • Anonymous

        No, but I’m going to go hunt around for my twin who also dated a guy without much direction/different goals!! Thanks for the support, all

      • Marie

        I also thought this sounded so familiar! OP may really have another person to commiserate with.

      • Anon

        I remember that post. That guy wanted to get a masters degree. I’d love to hear from that OP if her boyfriend was open to thinking about his future differently (like, had just never considered other options before) or if he was really set on having his wife stay at home.

  9. Anon

    I posted probably too late on the morning thread so I’ll put it here. My least favorite part of mask wearing has been having my glasses or sunglasses fog up. Someone here recommended a strip of kleenex over the bridge of the nose, so I did that this weekend on a trip to the hardware store and it worked like a charm.

    I felt very stylish in my Johnny Was mask! Hopefully the kleenex didn’t show. :)

    • Anon

      I find if I tuck the top of the mask under my glasses they don’t fog up. I’m loving my Johnny Was silk masks in the floral print. I also have a tie dye paw print one from etsy that’s fun.

    • Anonymous

      I use a piece of two-sided fashion tape across the bridge of my nose ant is does the trick too. Added bonus, it ensures the mask doesn’t slip our of place when I speak.

    • Jules

      I have been told by a union health and safety rep that the best spray to put on glasses to keep them from fogging up with a mask is the one charmingly named Cat Crap. It is being used in a factories to prevent safety glasses from fogging up when masks are being worn.

  10. Faux flowers/plants

    Any recommendations for faux/plastic plants that can survive the outdoors? Sprucing up my small apartment balcony – it is uncovered so will need to withstand rain and direct sun for a few hours in the morning.
    I’m searching and finding a lot of options… challenged sifting through all of the options.

    • Anonymous

      No real plants? Tell us your climate and maybe we can recommend easy care options?

      • OP

        OP here
        Last summer I spent a lot of money on real plants. Everything died. DH laughed, but it was really demoralizing. Nothing worked. I re-potted, stopped watering, watered more, purchased fertilizer, read countless articles about the specific plants I purchased. It felt like a waste of time.
        Jersey City, NJ (other side of the Hudson River), and the balcony receives direct sunlight until about 11:30am.
        My apartment looks out to the courtyard of the building and a few neighbors have beautiful plants on their balconies. They clearly know what they’re doing. I just want something that looks like “oasis of calm” without having to spent a lot of money and get nothing in return (and time sink). If not faux plants, what would you do? Space is 7×7 feet or so. We strung up lights.

        • HW

          You probably already do this, but I learned late in life to carefully study those little plastic tags in the plant that tell you what conditions (sun/shade) are best. I like to buy hanging baskets and just dump them into clay pots. This year, I got a hanging basket from Home Depot that was labeled something like “full sun to full shade.” It’s super hardy and just I water it when the leaves start to wilt.

    • Jane

      Gently, in a world where poor people are not able to carry out food in plastic bags… plastic plants are almost oxymoronic. Please consider hardy real plants (zillion options).

    • mascot

      Dealing with rain and sunlight is a specialty of real plants…You can call/visit a local nursery and find something?

      • Anonymous

        +1 Full morning sun and afternoon shade sounds like something a lot of plants really like. I’d go to a local greenhouse, describe the conditions and what you’re looking for, and buy what they point you to.

    • GC

      In my experience, most plastic plants do well outside, but it’s easier if you can see them in person at a well-stocked Michael’s/Home Goods/maybe Ikea. I’d go for the thicker, more realistic ones over the fabric-looking leaves on plastic stems, and expect to pay $6-15 per plant item. They also look better if you can intersperse them among real plants – I use them to fill in sad spots where nothing will grow, or while waiting for plants to grow into their spaces in the yard.

  11. Irises

    Any iris experts on?

    I am dividing iris. Say I have a clump of 10-12 rhizomes, but the blooms came from two of those. Are those the ones I would keep, or in theory any of them can produce flowers next time around?

    • Anon

      I think any can produce flowers once they aren’t crowded. When I divide something like this (just did Clivia) I usually divide it all and then see which parts look like they are healthiest. Not all of the pieces seem to survive the cutting as well. So any pieces that didn’t get much of the root ball or don’t have a strong-looking stalk tend to get composted, and then I plant the rest. Sometimes some of the ones I plant don’t look like they’ll make a week or so later, it so I pluck those out and compost them as well.

  12. Anonymous

    Any other Canadians following the Jessica Mulrooney saga? Dying to know what other stories are out there. Based on laineygossip’s post today, there must be a lot.

        • Anon

          I would guess not, as JM seems savvy enough to avoid saying anything that could damage that golden egg of a relationship. I thought Lainey laid out well in her post the idea that JM kept her mouth shut regarding MM so that the relationship could be wielded to JM’s, and only JM’s, advantage. Someone posted on the GFY royals roundup on Friday that they have friends who work at GMA and have tons of stories about how horrible JM was. I’m dying to know more and I do hope people start to come out publicly like they did with Lea Michele.

          • Anonymous

            So interesting! I assumed any bad behaviour would be limited to Canadian situations where she has more influence and better family connections. If she was difficult at GMA, I can only imagine how much worse she was in Canadian situations.

    • Anonymous

      Oh, my. I feel like there are STORIES out there. And I’m not surprised — people aren’t that horrid just once that well. This is horridness perfected, over years of practice with the assurance that no one would ever dare cry out.

  13. NY CPA

    I have these masks and like them a lot–just ordered some more! I have to do physical therapy so need to wear a mask while exercising, and I find them much easier to exercise in than my cotton masks (which kind of get sucked into my mouth/nose when I breathe). They don’t bother my ears at all, unlike my cotton masks with ear elastics. They come in a few colors and sizes. I bought both the L and XL sizes and L fits me perfectly.
    https://www.etsy.com/listing/791334699/light-weight-washable-face-mask-4-size?ref=yr_purchases

  14. Anonymous

    Does anyone know of a virtual tae kwon do practice (for a 10-year-old) or other online martial arts/ninja/fitness kind of app? like downdog but with kicking? my guy is anxious AF and trying to give him a way to blow off steam that seems vaguely cool.

    • Ms B

      The Kid loves The Body Coach for fitness workouts. He’s a very upbeat Aussie and he wears costumes on Fridays for the kid’s workouts, so all around entertaining.

      Most of our local marital arts studios are doing virtual classes on an “all you can take for a month” pricing system.

  15. Dinner time

    Had a chat with a mom friend over lunch and I am not getting a read on why I think it is really rude not to come to dinner when summoned (in a family meal setting where someone has cooked). Like it just is rude? Or disrespectful to the efforts of the cook and also saying that the company of your fellow eating companions aren’t worth breaking away from whatever it is you can get back to later? [Or profusely beg off: I’m being interviewed on CNN! Eat my dinner and don’t worry about saving any cake for me.] It seems so fundamental that words are failing me. Like dinner is what separates us from lesser creatures? Like why is the Last Supper so iconic? Meals are Important! But help me do more than shake my fist and rant. I eat all many meals alone now, so a meal cooked at home seems too special to waste and people should count themselves lucky. And you should model this for kids.

    • Anon

      As the cook in my house, it’s a sign of appreciation and respect for the effort the cook has made to cook a nice meal for you. And if you can’t be bothered to show up on time to eat it, you’re saying you respect whatever you’re doing (likely watching Fox News) more than you respect the efforts of the cook.

      Cooking for family is an act of love. Not being appreciated feels a lot like rejection.

      ALSO, don’t critique someone’s cooking unless they ask. Yes, son, I get that you watch Master Chef Junior. But I’m not competing on a reality show, I’m feeding you, so eat the food and appreciate it for what it is.

        • Anon

          yeah, no one in my house does, but the person I know who did this the most in my extended family was indeed a Fox news watcher

    • Anon

      Traditional etiquette is that no one starts eating until all have sat down at the table. By not coming promptly, you are asking other people to eat cold dinners.

      You model good behaviour for children by doing it yourself. You show them that when dinner is served, all come promptly to the table and eat with something resembling good manners. You remain at the table until the meal is concluded. Children do not learn that by magic; they learn it by watching their parents.

      • Anon

        Your last sentence x1000. I remember there was a conversation here years ago about whether you should “force” your kids to write thank-you notes. How else are they going to learn manners other than you teaching them?

      • Senior Attorney

        This. It drives me nuts to see food cooling on the table while somebody dallies.

        • Anon

          As the cook in the house, it actually hurts my feelings on nights when I go to special effort to prepare a meal and my husband dallies messing around with his phone or laptop. I explained it to him and he made the effort to stop, but I think people just don’t get how hurtful it can be to make a special meal and have it sit there and grow cold because someone else was in the middle of something unimportant. Sure, if there’s an emergency or on nights when we agree to do our own thing, whatever, but if we agreed that I’m making a meal for us tonight, the other members of the household need to be ready to eat it on time and together as a family.

        • Anonymous

          This is not the reason I got divorced – but it didn’t help matters.

    • Anonymous

      I really appreciate the validation on this point. One of my worst public fights with my ex was about this. We stayed with a bunch of his friends out of town one weekend. Everyone took turns making meals, so I offered to make breakfast one morning. While I was cooking, ex and friends decided to walk across the street to get coffee. I told them breakfast was almost ready and they said they’d be back before I finished. They weren’t; I texted and called ex but he didn’t answer. After 30 minutes, one of the GFs and I ate. An hour later, ex and his friends returned with another friend in tow and all expected to be fed. I told them they were welcome to whatever was left. Everyone acted like it was nbd and teased me about being “salty” for no reason. So incredibly rude.

      • Anon

        When I was in college, I once made a full Easter dinner for five or six people (family plus one or two SOs). I did the whole thing by myself. I told everyone “dinner’s ready.” Nothing. “DINNER’S READY.” Nope. I left, went to the beach.

        Another time I made Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner. Similar group of relations and SOs. Told the other person’s SO what time we were sitting down to eat. She was THREE HOURS LATE. For some stupid reason I wasn’t “allowed” to serve the meal without her, so it was all over cooked and cold. Like she was more important than I was or my efforts were.

    • anon

      I agree more or less with everyone, and I hope my point was not made before because it goes without saying: unless your household is very organized (ie. dinner is on the table each night at the same time), it is useful that the cook gives a little heads up when expecting people to be ready for the meal. When I start making dinner, it can be between 5 and 60 minutes, and DH is no mind reader.

  18. pugsnbourbon

    Wanted to give a quick review on the LipBar lipsticks that were featured last week – mine just arrived! I got the matte in Bawse Lady. It’s a true blue-based red, probably a little darker than it looks on your monitor. I’m very pale with brown/red/gray hair and it looks nice and bold on me.
    The formula is a little thin so you can’t just whack it on, but it feels great once you’re wearing it – not sticky or drying at all.
    I also got their liquid eyeshadow in It Girl (sparkly pink-gold). I’ve only swatched it on my hand, so I’ll report back after I’ve worn it for a day.

    • Anon

      I also got mine. I ordered the pictured color, Curl Friend, and another neutral color, Unimpressed. They’re great colors. I am not used to the texture – it’s a dry stain rather than a moisturizing gloss, but it has great staying power and the colors are gorgeous. I’m also impressed with the pretty case – the open/scrollwork on the lid is really unusual and attractive.

      I should try that liquid eyeshadow – I will wait for your report.

      • Anonymous

        No doubt and that helps in all situations (leaving the house, screen time being up, calling great aunt Rita on her birthday). But it is a favor of a person already doing the lifting (it should happen ideally that others ask the cook her timing so as not to miss or be late for dinner).

  19. small town girl

    Anyone have thoughts on the GloPro and the multitudes of accessories that potentially come with it?

  20. surprise something wholesome

    Hi everyone! I posted like a month looking for a gift idea and ended up upon recommendations here getting husband a subscription to bon appettite. It was really cheap and showed up last week (I know the’re in hot water for racism issues and I wouldn’t have subscribed before if I knew what I do now).

    Anyway husband is super obsessed with it and has read it like four times and made multiple recipes from there already. He basically immediately tried the watermelon margarita recipe. So thanks for the awesome idea. It’s cool seeing him try new things and he is very happy.

    • Anon

      I love Bon Appetit. I was also sad to hear of their racism issues. I hope that continuing to subscribe in some way rewards their current efforts to deal with it and be better.

      And if he’s making multiple recipes from it, it sounds like you got a gift too!

    • Senior Attorney

      Oh, man. I JUST found the Bon Appetit videos, like, two days before this news hit and I was obsessed. And I’m so sad about all the horrible racism behind them.

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