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For years (we're talking 15+ years ago), I was very loyal to Smashbox mascara (possibly this one, now $28), but I eventually realized there are some drugstore brands that are just as good, or better. My most recent mascara was Maybelline's Lash Discovery, which I used for a long time, but I recently saw a recommendation (on Reddit, perhaps?) for Maybelline's The Falsies Lash Lift.
I tried it out, and now I'm a big fan (though the name reminds me of women in the '40s stuffing their bras with these). No, it doesn't exactly live up to its name (and I do think false lashes have gotten out of control lately), but it makes my lashes thicker and a lot longer, without clumping or flaking. My lashes look longer than ever with this mascara.
{related: what is your favorite drugstore makeup?}
The Falsies Lash Lift is also available in a waterproof version. (Note that neither is vegan, as they contain beeswax and carmine.)
This mascara is around $8–$12 at Amazon and Ulta, as well as drugstores / grocery stores.
Sales of note for 11.5.24
- Nordstrom – Fall sale, up to 50% off!
- Ann Taylor – 11/5 only – 60% off sale
- Banana Republic Factory – 50% off everything + extra 25% off with your GAP Inc. credit card
- Bloomingdales is offering gift cards ($20-$1200) when you spend between $100-$4000+. The promotion ends 11/10, and the gift cards expire 12/24.
- Boden – 10% off new styles with code; free shipping over $75
- Eloquii – Fall clearance event, up to 85% off
- J.Crew – 40% off fall favorites; prices as marked
- J.Crew Factory – Up to 60% off everything + 60% off clearance
- Lo & Sons – Fall Sale, up to 35% off
- M.M.LaFleur – Save 25% sitewide
- Neiman Marcus – Up to 30% off on new arrivals
- Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
- Talbots – Buy one, get one – 50% off everything!
- White House Black Market – Holiday style event, take 25% off your entire purchase
Anon
Good lord. Person A should handle a task and hasn’t for months. A is first among equals B, C, D, and E. E does the thing after waiting for A. A promptly reams out E and copies B-D (one of which is me). I told E I’m sorry A exploded. I’m just done with people some Mondays. A wants to be seen as in charge but needs to step back or be proactive (other than on the b*tchy front). Nature and work abhor a vacuum.
Anon
Good lord is right…
Anon
My plate is too full right now, so I am trying to let A lead or fail and definitely not do A’s job for A. It is a relief that E will step up (E is most impacted by A’s delay, so I get why E just went ahead, but with notice to everyone). A isn’t disadvantaged, as A’s responsibility is now done by E, but just doesn’t like to look bad (but IMO is now rightly known as a slacker who is also an ass).
Anon
I couldn’t follow this but exploding at work is never ok. Are you the manager? Instead of apologizing to the explodees you need to deal with the exploder.
Anonymous
E should have said something like if x isn’t done by (date), I’m doing it because you’re slowing me down. The time to find out isn’t after it’s done. Both A and E look wrong to me here. And throwing in support off chain only fuels the disagreement, Either go to A or stay out of it.
Vicky Austin
This. ESH, as Redd!t would say.
No Face
A is definitely worse in my opinion.
I use the “I will do X at this date/time” strategy in emails frequently because 1 of 3 things happens: 1) the person does it by the deadline, 2) I do it with the knowledge that I gave them time to weigh in, 3) the person gives me the reason why it actually shouldn’t be done yet. All are good.
Cat
The OP is D in the example so this is a group of people at roughly equal level, and indicated her support for the explodee.
Ellen
Frankly, I am to tired to figure out this poor woman’s issues. All I know is that in my office, I do virtually all of the substantive legal work, and the others are happy that I do and I am too b/c I am very well compensated for my work, thanks to my Dad, who negotieated my compensation package with the manageing partner. I am first in line to become the next manageing partner b/c the manageing partner is now approaching 80 years old and he wants to stop working, even though he rarely comes into the office even tho the pandemic is pretty much over. He enjoys the Hamptons with Margie, and I can’t say that I blame him, since I am now more then 1/2 of his age! When I came here, I was the young and eager associate. Now, with the retirements and natural aging, I am well over 40 now and I am preparing to be the next manageing partner. The manageing partner has NOT announced anything about his departure, but he has told me alone that Margie wants him to stay on the payroll as an active partner, b/c his retirement pay will only be 45% of his current draw, and she wants to continue to live the lifestyle of a Hamton’s wife of a law firm partner bringing home an annual draw in the mid 7 figures! I wonder if that will be my destiny, but he says it is based on seniority, and he has been there about 50 years! I can’t imagine what I would do with that kind of money, other than buying a place in the Hamtons for my family! Oh well, I see alot of work ahead of me today, so Happy Tuesday to the entire HIVE! YAY!!!
Senior Attorney
The post about the husband with personality changes that turned out to be a brain tumor (more hugs to the wife!) prompted me to post a PSA of my own:
A week ago on Friday I came home from work and my husband remarked off-handedly, “oh, I ate a lot of the black licorice we got in Sweden and it made my mouth numb!’ And I said “hmmm” and that was that. We went out to dinner with friends shortly afterwards, and I noticed his speech was quite slurred — way too much for the couple of glasses of wine he’d had to drink. On the way home I said “Dear, this is not right. I am taking you to the ER.” Which I did, over his objections.
Long story short, he’d had a small stroke and spend the weekend in the hospital and now will be on blood thinners, I guess for life. Fortunately he’s completely fine now, and the doctors say it was small and there shouldn’t be any lasting effects.
BUT… it turns out that any symptoms of a stroke are a 911 emergency! There are drugs they can give in the first few hours that can reverse the effects, but we missed that window because, as they say, De Nile isn’t just a river in Egypt. More info here: https://www.stroke.org/en/about-stroke/stroke-symptoms
Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.
Anonymous
Oh SA, so glad he is doing okay! My husband had a mild stroke a week after he turned 50, which we had a hell of a time getting diagnosed. (He did go to the hospital right away but it didn’t show up on an MRI, then he got a lot worse a few days later, after which a second MRI was diagnostic. I think it is possible he had a TIA and then an ischemic stroke a few days later. He was later diagnosed with an autoimmune blood clotting disorder). He made pretty much a full recovery, but it did take about 6 months for him to fully get his energy back, and when his brain was tired his symptoms would return more.
My PSA – To the more common stroke symptoms, add extreme vertigo and vomiting (described in the link Sr Attorney posted as symptoms of posterior circulation strokes). Those were basically my husband’s only symptoms after some initial numbness on one side of his face that was very, very subtle. If you think you may have facial numbness, it can also be easier to discern if you try to feel different temperatures (hot/cold) rather than just touch.
NYNY
SA, I’m so glad he’s okay! He’s lucky you dragged him to the ER. Did the licorice have anything to do with it? I swear I’ve read about health problems from eating too much licorice…
Anon
I know that licorice (the true, black kind, not most of what is sold as “licorice”) raises blood pressure.
Senior Attorney
Yes, there are blood pressure issues with licorice. I guess we’ll never know if it was a cause or a coincidence.
Anon
I’m so sorry. How scary!
Anon
Oh, how scary. Thank you for sharing this. I am relieved that he is doing well. It sounds like they know the cause of his stroke, so that is good.
And now you know how critical it is to go to the ER as soon as possible when there is any chance a stroke is happening so you can get the clot busting medicines. In fact, you should call an ambulance and not drive yourselves, and when you call 911 you should tell them you are worried about a stroke. In my city, there is a special ambulance/emergency service that gets activated when they think an acute stroke happens. They send the ambulance that has an expert nurse and team on board, and they start examining you immediately and communicating by video with a neurologist and can give the clot busting drug even faster. Sometimes even in the ambulance! It is totally amazing. The sooner you get the drug the better you do. Time = brain. The more time your take, the more brain you lose.
FYI – blood thinners are no joke. hey can help prevent another stroke from happening in some instances (like if you have atrial fibrillation – a heart rhythm abnormality). But they put you at risk for bleeding – in particular, bleeding into your brain, which is a different kind of “stroke” or brain injury. I am going to share a story with you because you and others can appreciate learning this.
Once you are put on a blood thinner for life, if you bump/fall/cut yourself…. you bleed longer, you bruise more, and sometimes…. bleeding starts happening inside your body and you don’t even know it is happening. So after every fall/bump and even a near fall/stumble, you have to check the body for bruises and changes and take note for any new headaches/thinking changes/stroke like symptoms …. not just today, but for a few weeks after.
My Dad was on blood thinners. He has a small fall walking up stairs when the railing broke off (!). He seemed totally fine afterwards. No big deal. But two weeks later, his thigh started swelling and became huge. Went to the ER. He was bleeding into his leg/back and had been probably slowly bleeding for days/weeks.
Different story. My Aunt had a tiny stroke…. just like Senior Attorney’s husband. She was a little off/slurring words for a few minutes, ambulance came, she was back to normal even before she got to the hospital. Didn’t even spend a night in the hospital. She was put on blood thinners.
My aunt was older (70’s) and a social butterfly. Always going out for dinner with her husband, enjoyed her wine with most meals, and was very active and healthy. I warned her family that once you have a stroke you are never quite the same….. later in the day, you often become more tired/less steady. And if you are at all a little sick, it makes you a bit more tired/weaker than usual too. And if you drink alcohol, alcohol always makes everything worse – judgement a little more impaired… /more fatigue/weakness/unsteadiness.
So the inevitable happened. One night she was out to dinner with friends, had her usual few glasses of wine, and stood up to leave. Night time + alcohol + old stroke = a little more unsteady. So she had a stumble. Didn’t even hit the floor, but tripped, someone caught her. When I talked to them later, they minimized it. But even a near fall can cause your head to quickly snap back and forth. And just that rubber band sudden movement can injure blood vessels that surround the brain, and bleeding can start.
So, sure enough…. a couple weeks later they were away from home, on vacation, and Uncle calls me and says something is not quite right… Aunt is just a little off, more tired etc.. I tell him he has to get her to an ER and she needs a CT scan of her head as soon as possible. Sure enough, she had been bleeding into her head for weeks and it was pushing on her brain.
So now she has a new ‘bleeding” injury to the brain – you can call it a traumatic brain injury or a bleeding stroke. And two injuries to a brain causes cumulative damage… and now her baseline function dropped down more…. and brain surgery followed…. and she recently died from “dementia” several years later. The cumulative effects of all of these things.
So…. call 911 whenever you are worried about a stroke or any sudden immediate change in behavior/strength. And if you are on a blood thinner, you have to be very very vigilant. No falls/near falls. Stay fit so you are less likely to fall. Minimize alcohol. Careful when out at night. Remove fall hazards in the home.
Anonymous
When you call 911 in my city usually no one answers the phone.
Anon
That’s terrible. I’m so sorry. Where is this? Are you in a rural location or an overburdened urban area?
Senior Attorney
Yikes! Thanks for sharing! We now have a Double Serious Pinky Swear Pact that both of us will Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect $200, Call 911 Immediately if we even SUSPECT a stroke going forward.
And yes about the blood thinners being no joke. When they were discharging Hubby from the hospital, they removed the IV port and put the usual cotton ball and bandaid over the needle hole. Well. He bled right through that and all over his hospital gown and basically looked like the victim in a slasher movie! Good grief!!
anon
Wow, I had no idea blood thinners posed risks like this, but I am so glad to know! (I’m young and luckily am not yet in the phase of life where I or my parents have had to deal with these sorts of health issues.) I appreciate your taking the time to write this out.
Anon
Blood thinners are not necessarily a stage of life thing. I’ve been on them since I was 40 (pulmonary embolisms), and there are many, many, many patients in the anti cogulation clinic I use who are the ages of my children (mid-20s), as well as older folks. It is not extremely uncommon to be on them post partum.
anon
So sorry to hear that! I’m glad your husband is doing okay, but that’s sounds like a scary situation. I’m glad you listened to your intuition!
anon
I have unfortunately known two young women (ages 39 and 41) who have had strokes. Both were healthy and extremely athletic and active. One happened to be a stroke nurse and recognized what was happening. Called 911 immediately for herself. The second was not as lucky. The stroke was more severe and she didn’t get medical care until a couple of hours after symptoms started. She survived, but her life has forever changed. And it scares the heck out of me because if it can happen to them, it can happen to any of us!
Anon
Oh wow! So glad you got him treatment and thanks for sharing with the group.
Josie P
Best wishes, SA!
Vicky Austin
Oh my goodness! I’m so happy he’s okay!
Really heartened by the stories I’m hearing today about how this community has helped people, even as I hope for the best for everyone whose family members have had diagnoses over the last few weeks.
texasanon
I’m 35 and I have had 3-4 minor strokes. For me it is related to a very rare genetic blood disorder that was not even diagnosed until after the second stroke. The first one happened before I was 22 and I don’t know when. My doctor diagnosed it when I went in for LASIK and asked me when it happened and I knew nothing about it. The second when I was 31.
One thing I wanted to note, the damage to my brain caused by the strokes is in effect a TBI and now I have a seizure disorder. May be something to ask a neurologist about if/when he sees one.
Anon
I’ve had a TIA and wonder what disorder? Maybe something was missed for me. Do you mean factor V Leiden?
texasanon
No, antiphospholipid syndrome
texasanon
No, antiphospholipid syndrome
Explorette
Oh wow, I am so glad he’s okay! That is very scary!
Anon
I’m so sorry to hear about the stroke but also am so grateful you took action and your husband will likely be okay. Take care of yourself and him in the days to come!
anon
Am I the only one who is finding this year’s Nordstrom Anniversary Sale really underwhelming? (I’m still only in the preview; I can’t actually shop it until the 15th). It’s going to be helpful for replenishing my skincare since I use Kiehl’s products, but there’s not much else that I’m excited about.
Anon
I can’t think of one thing I’d like to buy, and I’m usually very into it.
I don’t think the deals are that good either, at least on the skincare and makeup I’d usually buy. Usually it’s a discount but now it seems to be full price but you get a freebie you didn’t want and wouldn’t buy.
NYNY
I haven’t been wowed by NAS in years, but I’m right there with you. I know I’m shopping differently than I did 5-10 years ago, so maybe it’s me? But there’s too much polyester, too many raw-hem jeans, and just not a whole lot that I actually want.
Anon
Totally agree. But I’ve felt this way for many years.
I restock my bras, and occasionally get a few staples.
anon
Eh, I stopped being interested about five years ago. I’m not a cardholder, so by the time the savings get to me, anything I like is usually gone, or the savings aren’t that great.
Cat
The offerings have looked the same since like 2017. I like to restock my fave undies, socks, and skincare and otherwise refuse to be sucked in.
Anon
I remember being so eager to look at the print catalog so I would know what was trending for fall. This was back in the 90s. But now I feel like Nordstrom stays far, far behind whatever is current. I’m not sure why, but since they’re failing in several locations, they should probably take a look.
anon
There is also no curation (at least online) so you’re just buried in stuff that ranges from the actually pretty awesome to the ultra dowdy.
Vicky Austin
This! This is why I miss catalogs. Can we make e-catalogs a thing?
Anon
I received a print preview catalog, presumably curated, and nothing new or exciting or even what I would consider trendy.
anon
Agreed. I get that prices have risen on everything but let’s not pretend that $110 for a birkenstock sandal is some kind of life changing deal.
Anon
After years of slogging through runs, I think I’ve finally been bitten by the running bug! I’m planning on a 50km trail run in May (and several other, shorter races of varying distances including 2 half marathons and perhaps a full). I’m still only running a few times a week right now (I have other workouts I do on other days), but I definitely spend a lot of time thinking about running. As a result I have two requests:
– Going from a half marathon (I’ve done 3 before this year, signed up for 1 this fall and planning on a March one as well) to an ultra is obviously a jump. What should I be thinking about? How is training different? Thoughts on gear? Any insight or tips or anything would be appreciated!
– All I think about right now is running (I have a bit of an addictive personality when it comes to hobbies). Any books, websites, articles, podcasts, or other media I can consume that’s about running? I’ll take anything but am specifically interested in ultras and trail running.
Anon
The mental factor and getting in time on your feet.
A half marathon takes less than 2 hours. It’s over quick. An ultra, and particularly a trail ultra if it’s technical, will take a LOT longer. Mentally it’s a different animal. Get used to being alone in your head.
Time on your feet. This is tough for people who have sedentary office jobs. Workouts aside, you need to be spending as much time as you can on your feet. For your first marathon and/or ultra, don’t worry about speed, just finish and finish happy. For that, you need all the time on your feet walking and running that you can. Walk or jog as much of your commute and errands as possible. Cycling can be good cross training, but for longer distances, you really do need to spend a lot of time walking and running.
You don’t need gear. Just shoes and comfortable clothes, which may or, more likely may not, be the trendy expensive clothes.
If you’re targeting a particular race, find out what they will have at the aid stations and train with that.
Anon
Since OP already runs she’s probably set on clothes, but a few things may change for trail vs road.
– if you’re on technical trails, I recommend trail shoes as the tread will help.
– if you’re in an area with ticks, consider wearing a hat while you run (if you don’t already).
– for longer training runs, you’ll probably want a hydration vest.
Explorette
If you haven’t yet read Born to Run, run out and get it (haha).
Training: were your half marathons road or trail? If you have only done road, trail running is very different. Is the race at elevation? That will slow you down considerably if it is in an area that you don’t also live at. I try to do my long runs on trails that are going to be similar to the course, so if my 20 mile course has 4,000 feet of elevation, my 10 mile training run should have 2,000, etc.
Gear: get a hydration vest and start training with it to work out any fit issues, rubbing, etc.
anon
You should do a full marathon before the trail ultra. Running gets really hard around 20 miles. I think you need to train for a full on roads and do a really well organized normal marathon to get your body used to that kind of mileage. A lot of things come into play that just don’t at 13 miles. Chafing, food, hydration, etc. I’m not saying running a half is easy, but it’s much less hard on your body. You aren’t losing toenails, bonking, etc. The training is also much more intense. Not necessarily in terms of the amount of workouts per week. But you will be spent after a 20 plus mile training run whilst after a 10 mile training run for the half you can then just shower and go about your day. The biggest advice I can give you is to find a running group. Those long runs are way easier to do with people. Also, upgrade your socks and bra if you haven’t.
out of style
The previous post about dated fashion is timely for me because I’m stuck! I’m late 20s, 5’2″ with a larger chest and tummy and have no idea how to dress myself. I like the idea of following a few influencers online of my body type so that I don’t have to spend as much time sifting through massive websites myself. I’ve found a few with similar builds, but they’re all moms with a family life and their styles reflect that (they look great! in 10 years, I will want to dress like them, but I don’t want to look like a stylish mom in her 30s/40s just yet… I want to look like a stylish late-20s single woman, albeit one who doesn’t show quite as much skin as my peers). Even if I find cute clothes, I struggle with determining the right fit and often end up looking frumpy. Any other women here in my age range/body type with advice for how to dress and how to determine where to shop?
Anon
I feel like you’re luck because there are more influencers now with breasts and a tummy than there would have been a decade ago (though the term influencer is newer, I’m just talking about fashion icons really.)
I think you’re going to have to embrace crop tops or tops that end at your waist, even if you’re worried about covering your tummy. Nothing long to try to hide your body – that’s what ends up looking frumpy. That’s just one example.
No Face
You might be a good candidate for those personal stylists at Nordstrom.
Veronica Mars
If you’re looking for work clothes, I’m built similarly and like WHBM’s personal stylists. You can book an appointment and they’ll pull looks for you. I found the salespeople to be really knowledgeable about what was well-fitting, what went together, and tailored it to my size. I did it during a sale where everything was 30%. Once you reach a certain “tier” they also send out emails (and annoyingly, calls) to see if you want to come in during their events.
out of style
Don’t know how I forgot about the stylist option! I know I’ve seen the Nordstrom option mentioned here before and I’ll look into WHBM. Thanks!
Anonymous
This is not my age group but someone who I follow on Instagram who has fabulous style is diana.dares. She has a series of posts where she’ll take an outfit and style it for someone who is a size 20. She definitely has a fun and feminine vibe and I definitely have been inspired by her.
Lydia
oh yeah I love Diana Dares. such cute style! I also like fromsarahsleeve (Sarah Morales) and curvyinvienna (account run by two sisters).
Anon
I’ll be traveling through Seattle for a cruise, and will have some time to kill there – an afternoon/evening, a morning, and close to a full day on the way back. Will be with my husband and 2 kids (8 & 10), and we’re staying with an easy walk to the Soave Needle or Fish Market. What should we do while we’re there? Any suggestions for breakfast and dinner? Looking for things that are interesting/can’t get at home but not too spendy or complicated.
Anon
Breakfast – Biscuit B-tch. Soooo good! Their pike place store is usually busier, so I’d recommend belltown.
Fun thing – take the train down to Uwajimaya (Japanese grocery store + bookshop) for some snacks and wander Chinatown.
eertmeert
We call it the International District, and it is not a great place to wander around anymore. A lot of drug traffic on the streets. Ymmv, but unless there is a festival or something going on in the area it isn’t a great spot for walking about these days.
Uwajimaya is amazing.
Anon
Oh no! I’m the Anon at 3:21 and very sad as Int’l district was always my favorite part.
Anonymous
The CID is getting worse partly because white Seattleites are staying away and then warning everyone else to stay away. The Asian shops and restaurants are not getting the much needed tourist traffic / not able to recover.
The area by Uwajimaya and along King Street are fine. Please go check them out yourself before condemning the entire already-neglected neighborhood. And go buy something while you’re there.
Anon
Oh, and I’ve heard good things about the aquarium, but never been. My kids liked the Seattle Children’s Museum by the needle, but they were significantly younger than yours when we went.
eertmeert
Pike (not Pike’s!) Place Market is a fun walkabout. That’s the fish market you are thinking of.
There’s also a cool outdoor sculpture garden that might be a quick uber if you don’t want to walk to it. The aquarium is fun, and close to that is Ye Olde Curiosity Shop https://www.yeoldecuriosityshop.com/ which is super fun to browse as a kid. Doesn’t look like it has changed much in 30 years.
Anon in Arlington
I really enjoyed the Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum, which is in the same venue as the Space Needle.
NY CPA
+1 definitely the highlight of my Seattle trip. I went alone, but would think there’s enough bright colors and weird shapes to keep kids interested (at least for awhile).
anon
I would do the Underground Tour. I lived in Seattle for 5 years and met lots of local people who’d never done it or even heard about it. Your kids should be the perfect age for it (although if they are scared of the dark, maybe not a great idea).
Anonymous
My 10 year old enjoyed the Space Needle and Chihuly museum last summer.
Anon
Pike Place and Space Needle for sure. The aquarium is pretty fun for both adults and kids. You might look into getting a city pass for admissions. Chihuly and the SAM are both good options for arty stuff. The MoPop is near the space needle and Chihuly, might also be fun with kids depending on how into movies/pop culture they are.
anon
I like having short hair. I’ve grown it out before and never felt fully like myself. I’ve had short haircuts in various iterations since my late 20s. But. I realize this puts me at risk of being dated at some point. My current cut is on the longer side (jaw length) and I get lots of compliments on it. However, I have had this same style for three years now and I probably should switch it up. I’ve had pixie cuts before, but unfortunately, I’ve had some weight gain in my face and I’m no longer as confident with super short hair. I’m going gray, so all coloring decisions revolve around keeping the grays covered up while staying away from the stark overdyed look.
What should my next haircut move be?
Anon
How gray are you? Gray hair with a bold lip is such a great look! (Says the woman wearing Revlon Cherries in the Snow for today’s Zooms.)
Minnie Beebe
Why do you need to change up your hairstyle? 3 years is not a long time, and many women keep the same hairstyle for years/a lifetime (see: Anna Wintour). If you like your style and are comfortable with upkeep and styling, I say don’t change a thing!
Anon
+1
I feel like changing hairstyle a lot is something I did when I was in college/20’s, but once I found what was flattering and easier to manage I mostly stuck with it. It is true that you don’t want a really trendy/dated look when we are reaching midlife, so I’d be careful about that. But honestly, most of us don’t have the perfect hair/face shape/time to mix up hairstyles that much anyway. I mean, I’d love cascading wild curls, but nature gave me the opposite and my long face just looks weighed down without the right length cuts. So now I just nuture what nature gave me.
Anon
I get bored with the same hairstyle. I honestly don’t understand how someone could keep the same one for more than a few years. I like to play with color, length, and even curly/straight.
OP, do you regularly see the same hair stylist? I have one I trust and I ask him for ideas when I want to switch things up.
Dee 2
if you like and trust your hair stylist, just ask for the updated version of your look. “the new bob” or “the new bangs” or “the new chin-length”. you can poke around online and find so many looks “hot new short hairstyles for women in their 30s” or “2023 fall chin-length hairstyle” pick one you like and go for it why not? it grows back
Anon
I did sort of an informal poll here not too long ago about favorite drugstore mascaras because I wanted to give up my $30 mascara habit and try some. My favorite of the bunch ended up being Maybelline Stiletto Lash. I’m wearing it today.
My favorite non-drugstore is Tower 28 tubing mascara, which is only $20. You can get it at Sephora.
Anon
Thanks for reporting! Sounds like none of the drugstore tube mascaras made the cut, but I’ve been looking to upgrade, so I will check out Tower 28!
Anon
yes I didn’t like the brush on any of the drugstore tubing mascaras, and I found that they flaked. The tower 28 has a nice narrow, curved brush. I had a learning curve with it, but it’s a good mascara on both upper and lower lashes.
Anon
I feel like the drugstore tubing mascaras may have a really short shelf life or otherwise quality control issues when it comes to whether the same product will flake or not? But since my last one flaked, even though the one before that was better, I don’t want to give it another try! And I am kind of impressed with the ingredients of Tower 28 (still has microplastics, but doesn’t look likely to irritate my sensitive eyes).
Josie P
Question: how upset is ‘normal’ to be upset about administrative PITAs? (Yes everyone is different and there is no such thing as normal, etc. etc.). My DH gets really upset over things that I see as hoops you have to jump through that are there no matter what so don’t bother changing them. Examples: website not working for a last-minute family trip, so we had to go on a 3rd party website to book flights and try like 5x before it went through, budget airline charging people $50 for any change to their booking at the counter, etc. To me these are just things that you have to deal with but he gets really upset over it and I’m not sure whether it’s disproportionate, etc.
Anon
Yeah, I’m with you. Those are the kinds of punches one needs to roll with. Not to mention, getting upset doesn’t help solve any of those problems.
Cat
I get annoyed with myself if I have to throw money at something because of my own poor planning, but “really upset” in this kind of thing? No, not normal.
Anon
The healthcare system has been like this for me lately. Annoying for me, to the point of life-threatening for a family member.
Anon
Oh yes….. insurance errors, struggling to get into medical clinics etc can drive me to the brink.
Anonymous
I think we all have our hot buttons— for example, I’m in awe of people who seem unphased by traffic and cannot STAND when delivery services don’t try ringing my bell and leave a “we missed you” note. If he’s like this in all areas, I’d say he’s not “normal,” but if he gets particularly worked up by travel stuff but can stay relaxed about other inconveniences maybe that’s his hot button.
anon
I really dislike dealing with things like this — I find them tedious, boring, and frustrating. Because they are. But I recognize that they’re parts of life. My partner on the other hand simply doesn’t mind this sort of thing as much as I do and is a champ at dealing with them.
I used to get extremely worked up with frustrations/difficulties that would arise when doing tasks like this — websites not working, getting redirected a billion times, computer issues, until I went through a pretty tough time in my life. After that, I lightened up and these things roll off my back much more. (I was an angry young adult with undiagnosed ADHD and limited ability to regulate my emotions.) Sometimes, if I’m really, really tired, really, really stressed, really, really hungry, or if my bandwidth is about gone, my frustration tolerance will plummet and I’ll get upset about this sort of stuff. (Now, I know just to stop, walk away from it, and come back to it later.).
I’m sure your husband realizes on an intellectual level that these things are unavoidable and not a personal albatross that only he must bear. This sounds like an emotional response to me, which isn’t driven by a rational assessment of what’s going on.
Anonie
I saw a TikTok with a phrase that I think might resonate here: “Put down the knife.” Don’t go into every situation where you COULD be annoyed or offended or angry seeking to be so and indulging those feelings. Just, put down the knife. Yeah, it sucks, but there’s no justice to be had. It is what it is.
Dee 2
a thing I do lately with Husband is just remind him there are annoyances and these are facts.
him: want to do X?
me: yes but just so you know it costs three times as expensive as it used to and we hate that, that’s a fact, so let’s just accept that and move on and have fun doing X
it doesn’t always help buy I think it combines empathy with pre-emption?
Smokey
Any D.C. restaurant recommendations near the White House and Mall? Thank you in advance.
Anon
Clubby classic: Old Ebbitt (15th and G, east side of the WH)
Delicious middle finger to the Cheeto Administration: Immigrant Food (Penn and 17th, west side of the WH)
Expense account go-to: Joe’s Seafood (15th and H, NE of WH)
Anon100
Any preferred cuisines or price ranges? Or even maximum walking distance from a metro stop? My main recommendations for food near the Mall are Teaism (bento inspired lunch for reasonable prices right off the Archives metro), Rasika for Indian, and Jaleo for Spanish tapas (although Jose Andres the founder runs a pile of other restaurants in DC which are all good too). Rice Bar for Korean food in a Chipotle style serving line. District Taco (caveat: if you’re coming from somewhere with really good tacos, you can ignore this rec, but I find DT does decent tacos in a city where it’s hard to find good affordable ones esp near the tourist centers).
I’m sure someone will come in with the Old Ebbitt Grill, but I’ve never eaten there.
Nesprin
Zatinya
DC Pandas
What do you like to eat, who will be attending, and how large is your budget?
Some favs of mine:
-Cranes (Penn Quarter)- Michelin Star Japanese-Spanish for the adventurous eaters.
-Tatte Bakery and Cafe (Mass Ave or NY Ave NW) chain of cute bistros. Yummy brunch/lunch options.
-Old Ebbit Grill (a block from the White House)- classic American fare, rumored to be the birthplace of lobbying.
-Joe’s Seafood (2 blocks from the White House)- sit at the bar if you’re with adults. Better pricing for lunch/HH.
-Cafe Berlin (Union Station/Capitol Hill) traditional German food. Love their specials and reasonable pricing for DC.
-Western Market (Foggy Bottom) upscale food hall with a wide variety. Highly recommend Fallafel Inc for lunch!
Anonymous
The Mall is very long, so it depends on what part of it you’re talking about. On the western side, Western Market has lots of options including Bindaas. Right by the White House there’s another Teaism, Bombay Club, and a bunch of fast casual places. On the Eastern side, you’ve got all of the Penn Quarter and Metro Center restaurants, and that’s some of the best variety in the city: Zaytinya, Jaleo, China Chilcano, Oyamel, Rasika, Fiola, MXDC, The Smith, Succotash, Pi Pizzeria, Central Michel Richard, Daikaya, Tonari, and so much more! There’s nothing south of the Mall; your only option would be the cafeteria in the Native American museum, which is actually quite decent.
You should also check out the Washington Post food critic, Tom Sietsema, who has great recommendations in his live chats. His chats are Tuesdays at 11 so you could actually ask there tomorrow, especially if you provide more detail on number of people/how fancy you want.
Anon longing to send a gift to my grandmama
I’ve reached 40 years of age and have never had to mail a package internationally from my home in the USA to my relatives in Greece. Letters yes, package no.
What is the fastest and cheapest way to accomplish this? DHL is out (too expensive), UPS website is a black hole, USPS seems to good to be true, FedEx pricing is astronomical…
Any tips?
Anonymous
I see lots of people in my neighborhood using USPS to mail packages to family in other countries. Seems to work for them.
Anon
There is no good way to do this, but depending on how essential/replaceable the package is, I’d go with USPS. FedEx/DHL, you’re looking at hundreds $ for even small weight packages.
Anon
USPS works fine for me when I mail packages to Europe… as long as I get a clerk who knows what she’s doing and/or is willing to learn.
Anon
You said a mouthful. I had to mail something to Canada and I think it would have been quicker to drive there and deliver it personally.
Anon
Back in the day when we mailed packages to Poland we always used USPS.
Cat
Post office for sure. I see people mailing packages overseas routinely when I’m waiting my turn in line!
Anon
Post office. There are flat rate boxes, you can even ship them to yourself. Pick the smallest box you need, fill it up, fill out the customs declaration. Unfortunately, you may need to actually wait at the counter to drop it off if you want tracking.
Anon
Has anyone not tested positive for Covid until they were basically recovered? Finally caught it for the first time. My husband got a faint positive the first day he felt sick when he had it last year, but I’ve heard it can take a lot longer. I had what I thought was strep throat last week, although the antibiotics I was given didn’t seem to do much. After about five or six days of negative Covid tests (I had one yesterday that didn’t have even the faintest hint of a line), today the line was immediately and brilliantly dark red. I feel about 80% back to normal right now…is there any hope I’m at the end of this and not the beginning?
Anon
I think it’s more likely you had something else and now have Covid. Great that you’re feeling 80% though, means you might have a short and mild go of it!
Anon
No, but it took until the evening of my third day of symptoms to actually test positive. I wasn’t at the end of feeling symptomatic, though. I continued to feel sick for several more days.
Anon
PCR testing is a lot more sensitive than a thome rapid tests. Hopefully you’re still at the end of this.
Anon
(However you probably are pretty contagious if testing positive on an at home rapid test, so I would count any precautions you take to avoid spreading it from today unfortunately if I understand the guidelines.)
Cat
Having symptoms before testing + is more common post-vax since your body recognizes the intruder early on, before it’s detectable on the home tests. That said, I’ve now had it 2x and got the obvious + on about day 3 of symptoms both times – fortunately back to feeling like my normal self within a few days after that.
anon
Yes, that happened to me last September. Husband got sick and tested positive, I felt okay until about 3 days into his illness, then I started to feel sick with classic covid symptoms, but didn’t test negative until day 3 or 4(?) of feeling sick. Like your test, the line was immediately bright red. The worst days were behind me when I tested positive. I quarantined as soon as he tested positive anyways and operated under the assumption that I had it.