The Girl Stuff Thread

It's a road trip. We fly into Vegas but aren't spending any time there, probably. Unless we need to sleep. We have to get up at 3:30 in the morning to make our flight, so we expect to arrive pretty wiped out. That first night, we're playing it by ear.

Maryn, not into Vegas kinds of things

I am just returned from a fairly physical vacation, with much hiking and little beauty stuff. Most days I never got anywhere near makeup, and I certainly didn't do my nails.

To my own amusement, last night, our first night home, I filed my nails to a shape short enough for the keyboard (which I barely touched during our travels and wish I had not lugged everywhere), then considered the polishes within reach. I had a dark blue, a sky blue, a shimmery copper, a purple, a dark red like drying blood, a sheer pink, an opaque darker pink, and a silver-gray. What cracked me up is that it was just too big a decision and I ended up not painting them at all.

Maryn, unadorned

I now have vaguely coppery, overly pearly nails. Maybe that's why this polish was on sale. It came out far lighter and beige-er than in the bottle. Oh well, it's still pretty enough, just not what I thought I was getting. And I do see my hands all day every day, so a manicure is nice.

On eyeliner and smudging, I find that not only is what product I use a big factor, but what moisturizer or eye creme is under it matters, too. I have a few super-moisturizing products, because I'm old, and the mere act of blinking (which I can't seem to train myself not to do!) makes my liner vanish in about an hour. It's not smudged, it's just gone. On occasion I'll put on liner with little or no product under it, and it lasts all day--but it's way harder to apply in the first place.

Fruitbat, I know what you mean about a brave day. That's how I am with submitting.

Maryn, mostly cowardly

Pfft, dieticians, what could they possibly know about food?

Despite my physically active trip recently, I managed to gain weight, which is kind of the opposite of my intention since I was around 11 or 12. (Oh, to again weigh the 121 pounds which put me on my first-ever diet!) I talked with a pro who suggested I keep my calories about the same but increase how much of that is protein until I'm eating about as many grams of protein per day as half my body weight. (So if I weighed 121, I'd aim for 60g of protein daily.) It's surprisingly difficult to do, but when I get close, the feeling of satiation lasts longer. This is a big deal for someone who struggles with weight. Gimme more fish!

Maryn, who made swordfish kebabs in orange sauce for dinner