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“Bad Sleeper”

Sleep and I do not have a good relationship. We have never been friends. I am constantly chasing sleep and then pushing it away. A good night's sleep is my white whale. Like Ahab, I am also a total drama queen about it. I love to talk about how little sleep I get. I brag about it, as if it is a true indication of how hard I work. But I truly suffer at night. Bedtime is fraught with fear and disappointment. When it is just me alone with my restless body and mind, I feel like the whole world is asleep and gone. It's very lonely. I am tired of being tired and talking about how tired I am. The...

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Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Fluid Foundation Review: My New HG Foundation!!!

Can it be? Have I finally discovered a new foundation to replace my beloved "complexion perfector," the Giorgio Armani Maestro Fusion Foundation?The Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Fluid Foundation was released late last year to rave reviews. It is the latest in the liquid-to-powder foundation trend that began with the launch of GA Maestro two years ago. (You can read my thoughts on some of the other liquid-to-powder foundations here.)So what made me want to try the Sensual Skin Fluid Foundation? It was an article in Refinery29, "Foundation Just Got Way More Amazing" — which talks about the liquid-to-powder foundation trend and reviews 6 of the most popular ones — that first sparked my interest. And the more I researched the Sensual Skin Fluid Foundation, the more I realized...

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100 Years of “The Perfect Body”

One of my favorite sections from Tina Fey’s 2009 bestseller Bossypants deals with body image:

I think the first real change in women’s body image came when JLo turned it butt-style. That was the first time that having a large-scale situation in the back was part of mainstream American beauty. Girls wanted butts now. Men were free to admit that they had always enjoyed them. And then, what felt like moments later, boom — Beyoncé brought the leg meat. A back porch and thick muscular legs were now widely admired. And from that day forward, women embraced their diversity and realized that all shapes and sizes are beautiful.

Ah ha ha. No. I’m totally messing with you. All Beyoncé and JLo have done is add to the laundry list of attributes women must have to qualify as beautiful. Now every girl is expected to have Caucasian blue eyes, full Spanish lips, a classic button nose, hairless Asian skin with a California tan, a Jamaican dance hall ass, long Swedish legs, small Japanese feet, the abs of a lesbian gym owner, the hips of a nine-year-old boy, the arms of Michelle Obama, and doll tits. The person closest to actually achieving this look is Kim Kardashian, who, as we know, was made by Russian scientists to sabotage our athletes.

I know that in this day and age, we women are taught that true beauty shines from within, that our happiness, health, and confidence are far more important than our physical attributes. But let’s face it — I have not come across a single woman in my life who was 100% satisfied with her body, all the time.

And how can we, when our society’s perception of an ideal body is every-changing as well?

To illustrate this point, The Greatist has put together a series of images that outline just how much the American standard for the “perfect body” has evolved over the past 100 years. Take a look!

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I’ve Been a Bad, Bad Blogger

Harro there! Remember me? I've decided to ease back to this blogging thing with a contrived post that crams my life within the last month through pictures (many which my Facebook friends and/or Instagram followers have already seen) and captions. Can you believe it's already been 3 weeks since Christmas? We kept it low-key again this year with a casual dinner at my parents'. My mother asked me to cook my famous 갈비찜 (kalbijiim, or braised short ribs) and while I was a bit nervous because I hadn't made it in over a year, it still turned out delish and I was proud of myself for not losing my touch. The day after Christmas found me at King Spa. My mother had insisted on treating my...

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My Holiday Sales-Slash-Birthday Beauty Haul [Food Poisoning Edition]

I'm on day 4 of (what I believe to be) a bad case of food poisoning. My poor tummy. My poor plumbing system. My poor family. Anyway, because today is the first day since last week where I felt semi-human yet still suffering a bit (and out of blogspiration) — and because so many of you seem to like my beauty recommendations, I wanted to share with you my holiday sales (all the Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and numerous F&F sales) - slash - birthday present to myself haul! 1.  Banila Co It Radiant CC Melting Foundation, $36 I've been using the Laneige BB Cushion Pore Control ever since I ran out of the Innisfree Long Wear Cushion. (My thoughts after trying both? The Laneige cushion provides a marvelous...

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