July Talk
Vaxxed to the max
Well, kids, it happened: I received my second shot of Moderna, therefore fully vaccinating me against Covid-19! I wore the special Fashion Brand Company mask I purchased just for the occasion––on which I received many compliments at the abandoned The Brick furniture store where they’d set up a vaccination site––and which I had hanging on a hook waiting for its intended appointment, which was September 8! All the appointments here were pushed ahead, and now all my family and friends are doubly vaxxed (if not booked for appointments in the coming week).
No longer Tiny
You may have noticed the newsletter has a new look, and that’s because I’ve migrated from TinyLetter to Substack! I just like what it does, and most of the newsletters I get in my own inbox are done with Substack, so I know it reads well. It also feels more intuitive and, frankly, idiot-proof. (I’m no dummy, but guess how much time I want to spend on formatting this newsletter? I have a shockingly short amount of patience when it comes to tech problems!) So, enjoy the new digs! There’s also more opportunity for engagement, so you can comment on posts and such! I always love it when a friend emails me about something I wrote in a post, so go off!
The #DecadeDivasChallenge on Instagram
I have been participating in a series of makeup challenges ever since I started a dedicated makeup Instagram, which I mentioned in the previous newsletter, but I’ve got to say that my favourite is the Decade Divas Challenge. This is a challenge wherein two fabulous makeup artists and friends, Lea and Chastity, assign a decade for a week, and people can create looks based on that decade. So far I’ve been Anne Shirley from the 1900s, Carrie Bradshaw from the 2000s, and Françoise Dorléac in the 1960s, just to name a few. It’s so fun and the history dork in me loves the research I get to do for each look, it’s open to anyone to submit a look, and the community is so supportive and lovely that I’ve made a little group of friends from it. How great is that?
Recommendations
Tatcha Camellia Cleansing Oil
If I had only one beauty product to recommend to makeup wearers, it would be this one. I first received it years ago in an Ipsy bag, and scoffed at the idea of putting an oil on my combination-oily skin, but out of desperation one day, used it to remove some waterproof eye makeup, and it was like magic. A couple of pumps of this magical oil massaged onto the face will remove everything from waterproof eyeliner to a full face of drag makeup, glitter and all. It turns into a cleansing milk when wet, and rinses everything away. It can technically be used as the only cleansing step, but I’ll often cleanse with Mario Badescu’s Enzyme gel or Glycolic cleanser and then moisturize as usual.
This ADDITION ELLE Smocked Jumpsuit
I’m not typically one for jumpsuits––this is only the second one I’ve ever bought, after a cheap knockoff of the “Fleabag jumpsuit” for Halloween two years ago––but this one is so comfortable and cool and also stylish that I believe it to be the perfect garment for summer weather. In fact, I love it so much I ordered a second one. And it doesn’t even come in another colour, I just wanted another of the same!
Brat: An '80s Story by Andrew McCarthy
When you think about an actor writing a book about his heyday, you think of frothy, celeb tell-alls written by ghostwriters, reliving the hazy glory days of youth and fame. This book is not that. Andrew McCarthy became a writer after he left Hollywood for a bit in the ‘90s––he’s since returned as a sometime-actor and mostly director for shows like Orange is the New Black and his old pal, James Spader’s show, The Blacklist––and wrote features for National Geographic. This isn’t even his first book, or his first memoir, he wrote one a few years ago about his travel writing, and the struggle to settle down in middle age. He says this is a book he was always asked to write and always avoided it. But while the book he has written has some fascinating details, including the fact that he and Jon Cryer actually didn’t like each other on the set of Pretty In Pink, or that he lived with Jacqueline Bisset after the making of Class, and they once shared a kiss, but also delves into his difficult relationship with his father, and how his even more difficult relationship with alcohol rendered many of his experiences on sets of films either forgotten or fraught. And all of this is captured in beautiful language; no ghostwriter needed. In fact, the writing is beautiful. It’s a better book than I ever could have hoped for from someone I have loved for a long, long time. (You don’t want to know how many times I’ve seen St. Elmo’s Fire, it’s truly out of hand.)
NAOMI SMALLS X KIMCHI Mad Maxine, Soot Yourself Eyeshadow Palette
When I was doing an inventory of my makeup recently (which I keep in a spreadsheet, one of the only ways in which I am organized in my life), I realized there were two shades of eyeshadow that I did not possess that I felt I absolutely NEEDED: navy blue and lime green. And I had seen this palette by Kim Chi Chic Beauty, named for the fabulous drag queen who made her name on season eight of RuPaul’s Drag Race, and collaborated with her friend Naomi Smalls, who was also on that season. And in the corner were the two shades I longed for, so I got it. Little did I know it would become the most versatile and well-used palette in my collection. It has everything: warm browns for neutral looks, shimmery pinks and blues for bright looks, and fabulous yellows and greens, which are infamously hard to find in a good formula. I find myself reaching for this palette so often, and it never lets me down. It’s truly fabulous.
That’s Messed Up: An SVU Podcast
If you know me even a little bit, you’ll know that one of my favourite television programs of all time is the original Law & Order (affectionately known within the L&O universe as “the mothership”, because it spawned so many spinoffs.) But since the watershed moment of ACAB last year, the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, who was rightfully yet somewhat astonishingly punished for his crime, it’s been hard to be on the side of those with shields. Brooklyn Nine-Nine has entirely retooled their latest season, and decided to make it their last. Even SVU spinoff, Organized Crime, which has a storyline that intertwines with SVU, addresses Detective Elliot Stabler and his rule-bending, aggro nature; we understand that the things he got away with “back in the day” simply wouldn’t fly now. If Stabler tried some of the antics he used on the regular back then, they would unquestionably fall under the umbrella of excessive force or police brutality.
However! Put all of that aside and let two amazingly funny comedians talk about the real issues of SVU. Literally. Hosts Liza Treyger and Kara Klenk talk about the real cases that inspired the famously “ripped-from-the-headlines” plots of SVU episodes, interview a guest who starred in, or worked on the episode––they got Kate Burton for the “Bully” episode!––and ask the important questions like, “Is Carisi hot?” (The answer is obviously “Duh, of course.”)
Farmhouse Fixer
Okay, I’m the first person to moan about all the home renovation shows that are on TV right now, especially if they feature celebrities. What do they know about restoring houses? When it comes to Jonathan Knight, member of the seminal boyband New Kids On The Block––and this writer’s personal favourite member since I was seven years old––you might say he’s got the right stuff. (I am NOT sorry about that.) There’s a great new article in the New York Times about Knight’s purchasing an old home at the height of NKOTB’s fame, when he was only 22, and he’s been passionate about restoring old homes ever since. The best part about this show is not how amazing the restorations of 200-year-old farmhouses turn out to be, but how passionate Knight is about them. In the first episode he crawls under the foundation and shimmies in the dirt, checking out an old, covered well that’s hundreds of years old. Not only is he not bothered by the cobwebs and the muck, but he’s giddy about finding such an artifact. You’ve got to have respect for someone who loves their work this much; one nerd recognizes another nerd, no matter what it is they nerd out over.
And sure, I have a bit of a bias here: I did, for instance, own the entire set of New Kids on the Block dolls. And bedding. And a beach towel. And t-shirts. And a gold necklace with a red, enamel heart with “Jon” written on it in script. Not to mention the dozens of magazines, comic books, cassettes, videotapes, and other ephemera of the time. (Yes, I had a snap bracelet. No, wait: I had two.) And there is an episode of the show where he says his brother is coming over, and it is Jordan, arguably the lead singer of the group, and yes, I actually squealed when he appeared onscreen. (While not my favourite, you have to admire Jordan’s chops––he’s got a great falsetto still.)
Regardless, I encourage you to watch the show, it’s really good. Even if you don’t normally like this sort of thing. I promise you’ll be charmed by Jon and his love of the little things in the old homes, like details on bannisters or small stained glass windows, and the obvious love he has for his horses and chickens. And yes, he has a lovely husband, because more than anything, I have a type.
Notable Dog of the Month
Last November, I had the pleasure of meeting Willy, a lovely beagle, while hanging out with friends in their backyard. (Willy lives next door with his human.) I think I’ve shared this photo of my meeting with Willy in this space before.
Since then, Willy has become something of a local celebrity: Willy and his owner, Garry, ride around the city on a bike, Willy strapped in a backpack, wearing DOGGLES.
So if you see Garry and Willy out on a ride, give them a wave, ‘cause they’re probably moving pretty fast.
So, until next time, stay safe, get vaccinated, try to stay cool in this heat, and I’ll get back to doing makeup and watching TV so I can discover something I love and tell you all about it.
XO
Julia