Recent content by Candied violets

I became an Austen fan more as an adult but I too like Mr. Darcy, Mr. Tilney, and Captain Wentworth. As a teenager I fell for the narrator of The Great Gatsby, Nick Carraway; Mac from Rose in Bloom by Louisa May Alcott; and Hitoshi from Moonlight Shadow by Banana Yoshimoto.

I have begged the members of my family to tell me their stories and at last they are! Recently my great-aunt recalled that in her teenage years my grandmother used to go up to her bedroom and literally spit when she was angry. This was due to a scene she had seen in a movie with an actress she...

It's funny the variety of emotional reactions people have to glasses. I know there are sayings about them being unflattering and I've seen reference to the idea in many sitcoms and movies but I have always wanted to wear reading glasses. I guess it's how you were first exposed to the idea...

I just updated my computer to a cherry blossom theme and what with it being very, very pink; I was suddenly put in mind of the Japanese label Jesus Diamante. I never could fit into anything they made and the prices are quite steep but, if nothing else, I thought it might provide some...

The Au Revoir page lists only the vanity case in dark but the vanity case page lets you choose dark or light. Is it that only the dark is on sale or rather that if you order the light off the page it will tell you, once you fill out all the forms, that it is sold out? Has anyone tried?

Neither of these books are strictly about entertaining but they offer a wealth of general information. The first is "Finishing Touches" by Anne Oliver. It was written in 1990 but Mrs. Oliver ran "L'Ecole des Ing?©nues" in Atlanta and thus it reads like something from another era. She'll tell...

Thanks Pina Bridgette! I can't find any modern mentions so I guess Max Factor hss moved on in the past 80 years or so. ^_^ However, now that I have some idea of what I'm looking for I think I can find some sort of modern equivalent.

I came through the goth-loli scene in part, does that count? I got into it while living in Japan. I loved the sweet styles, the full “cupcake” skirts and the fun prints but as I was past 25 and getting out of my cutesy stage, I never really went full-on goth-loli. I tended toward...

I agree. There is a pitiful selection of teas at most restaurants and most of them are flavoured. It's not even that I dislike flavoured teas, they have their place, but most of the flavours go horribly with milk and sugar. If I wanted mint or lavender I'd order a tisane, not a tea. I don't...

I know this was posted back in 2006 but has anyone discovered just what this pink powder is? I would really like to try this style.

I figured I'd give OCM the ol' college try and I've purchased my oils but now I'm wondering about the cloths. I'm a tree-hugger and would prefer not to use disposable products but I also live in a tiny apartment. The laundry room is down several flights of stairs and it's costly and a pain. I...

I use a Venus and Burt's Bees Bay Rum Shaving Soap. I just always envied men their badger's hair brushes and shaving mugs so I figured I'd buy one for myself. The soap's lasted for several years so far but then again I don't shave all that often, especially in the winter. It works well and...

Oh, they objected to the presentation, the wishy-washiness. I was actually speaking of myself in the "presenting evidence" example -- the non-confrontational phrasing has stuck with me even now. I don't think I ever got into an argument with Japanese friends or co-workers, so I didn't get to...

Perhaps it's a cultural question of sorts. After coming back from living in Japan I found most Americans sounded very didactic and strident to me. It seemed everyone was making proclamations, even about the smallest matters. "No one does X." "I can't believe you'd think Y isn't the best."...

Re: the J. Peterman's 1930s Playsuit Skirt I had this piece for a time but I didn't get much wear out of it. The skirt didn't button up. It was always open showing the shorts and they were short shorts. I felt pretty uncomfortable wearing it let me tell you, and it looked so cute in the...