That Books and Beauty Girl

by Stephanie McCarthy Anonymous lady jumping in ocean from pier by Ben Mack Attribution link: https://www.pexels.com/photo/anonymous-lady-jumping-in-ocean-from-pier-6775398/ At the beginning of summer, the power went out in my apartment building for about five hours. Normally, my overachieving self would’ve freaked out over this. However, I decided to use the time to catch up on some of my reading. So, I pulled up Krishan Coupland ’s short story, “The Sea in Me , ” on my computer. I originally came across this British writer when I was researching literary magazines to send out my short stories to. He runs Neon , one of the longest-running independent literary magazines in the UK. It’s also a small press that publishes chapbooks, which are collections of poems, short stories, or other literary works. You wonder if the guy ever sleeps. His short fiction has won a couple of awards, including “The Sea in Me,” which appeared in the esteemed collection, Best British Stories 2017 .  T...

by Stephanie McCarthy Closing down sign by the blowup, Narain  Jashanmal Attribution link:  https://unsplash.com/photos/a-close-up-of-a-sign-on-a-building-5OfPf3_u_2c One of my favorite bands is The Go-Betweens. In the original (and superior) music video for their song, “Streets of Your Town” (the sepia one that follows the kid around Australia), there’s a point where the boy is all excited to hang out at the rec center. But, to his dismay, it has shuttered. That’s how I felt when Airshop shut down in late May. It’s going to be difficult to find someone to fill their very big shoes.  This Chicago-based company sold samples of fancy brands at affordable prices. From perfume, to body wash, to eye cream, to makeup, you name it, they carried it. They also had these black rectangular mesh bags that are put to good use in my household. I keep my beauty products that are sold in my store in them and my husband puts his medication and charging devices in his. So, what do you do w...

by Stephanie McCarthy Heart-shaped sunglasses and a cream puff on top of a heart-patterned napkin by  kaboompics.com Attribution link:  https://www.pexels.com/photo/cream-dessert-and-heart- sunglasses- on- pink -studio -background-5713789/   I’m rereading Alisson Wood’s coming-of-age memoir, Being Lolita , because I plan on reviewing the book and discussing how it resonates with me on a personal level. While I usually don’t get caught up in the content of the pictures I post on this blog, the above photo captured what was going on in the author’s book so well that it was unnerving and I knew I had found the perfect photo for this post. It has the red heart-shaped glasses that are on the cover of Wood’s 2020 edition of her book. Here’s some fun trivia for you: In Vladimir Nabokov’s book, Lolita , Dolores Haze (aka Lolita) never wore these glasses. They wouldn’t be donned until 1962 by Sue Lyons for the promotional poster for director Stanley Kubrick’s screen adaptation of ...

by Stephanie McCarthy Selfie of me with Wet n Wild, Wander Beauty & CoverGirl on eyes & Revlon & Manasi 7 on face & neck & the same brand on lips I had a focus group in early May and, because I was so pleased with the results of my makeup that day, I decided to take a selfie of it and discuss the look.   Wet n Wild Color Icon Comfort Zone Eyeshadow Palette , 0.35 oz  Wet n Wild Color Icon Comfort Zone Eyeshadow Palette , 0.35 oz, $8.98  at ebay (aka evilbay) Comfort Zone is the perfect name to describe the warm and cozy earth-toned shades in this sleek black plastic rectangular-shaped palette. With prices being sky-high on almost everything nowadays, you can rely on Wet n Wild’s makeup to remain affordable. I used the transition shade at the bottom of the case. It’s basically a gorgeous terracotta shade with less pink and more hints of orange, red, and brown in it. I took my time applying it, as well as blending and building it up, with a Q-tip on the ...

by Stephanie McCarthy A person’s left hand under water by Ron Lach Attribution link: https://www.pexels.com/photo/persons-left-hand-on-water-9155214/ Writing is frickin’ stressful, especially when you’re preparing your manuscript for literary publications. Not only does your short story need to be in the William Shunn Proper Manuscript Format, but it needs to be tailored to fit the guidelines of each publication as well. This leaves you with far too many versions of the same story.  “How do you keep track of all these?” my husband once asked me with an overwhelmed expression on his face. “Ummm…” I started out, not very articulately for a writer. “That’s a good question. I label the literary publications in some of the file names of each story.” “Yeah, but how do you know which one to use for future publications?” “I…uh…er…ah, the hell with it. I don’t know.” His sympathetic gaze stayed fixed on me. I swear I’m not being melodramatic when I say this process is the stuff that ulcer...

by Stephanie McCarthy Arete and Athene Sweet Cherry Bomb Body Wash, 33.8 oz Arete and Athene Sweet Cherry Bomb Body Wash , 33.8 oz, $29.99 at ebay (aka evilbay) The formulation is moisturizing, but in a good way, almost as if a little bit of body lotion was put in it. There’ s something in it that makes it very pleasant smelling in a clean and soapy way that resembles Philosophy ’ s scent, Amazing Grace. It ’ s what you get upon the first whiff of using it. Then, the scent settles into an underlying sweetness of a maraschino cherry and a pomegranate, as well as a tanginess from the seeds of the fruit. Arete and Athene Peachy Beachy Body Wash, 33.8 oz Arete and Athene Peachy Beachy Body Wash , 33.8 oz, $14.98 at Marshalls There are a couple of reasons why this makes me feel warm and fuzzy on the inside. The scent of it reminds me of my favorite gum from childhood, Trident Tropical Twist, with flavors of oranges and kiwis. The sweet juiciness of it also takes me back to the nectarines in...