I am bored, and not writing. Technically I'm watching S1 Gossip Girl and primping, but that requires long periods of doing nothing, so ... I'm bored.

Let's talk beauty.

I'm using...

- I am allergic to most beauty products out there. One of the few names I am not allergic to is Origins. I am particularly fond of their A Perfect World range, I use the face wash, moisturiser, skin serum, and have just started using their eye cream. I used to use their checks and balances face wash, but it's a little too dry for my skin; I've found the Perfect World line a really good fit. If you have really oily skin it might be a good try, though.
- I also use the Origins face masks, particularly their charcoal face mask. I'm a great fan of the Modern Friction exfoliator as well, although you have to be careful with it as it's pretty thorough stuff.
- On the body, I opt for whatever shower gel we have in the house, and simply slather on Palmers Cocoa Body Butter (again, I'm allergic to most moisturisers). It's excellent for skin firmness, and will also reduce scars, stretch marks, blemishes, etc - which is really important for me, as I managed to fall down an escalator a few years ago and had scars all down my left leg. After much usage of this wonderful cream they're completely gone now.
- I still have a pot of Pout's bustier bust-enhancing cream left, although don't bother trying to find this anywhere: Pout went bankrupt and all their products are no longer available. Sob. Palmers will fill the firming & lifting gap once my final stash runs out.
- In terms of make-up, I'm veering between tinted moisturisers and foundations at the moment, quite wildly in fact. I've got the following on my mantlepiece: Lancome Colour ID, Lancome tinted moisturiser, and Laura Mercier tinted moisturiser. The latter seems to be the best compromise, although it's a little trickier to apply than the Lancome products. I often have to blend in a little Benefit high beam, which also does instead of eye-shadow just blended in around the lash area to brighten up tired eyes. I use Christian Dior mascara and skinflash concealer, although I have found it too similar to the YSL touche eclat that I use for specific touch-ups. On my cheeks I use Benefit's dandelion blusher and for powder I opt for Christian Dior's loose powder. I use Body Shop make-up brushes, which I have found generally soft enough and flexible enough for most purposes.
- Favourite and most flexible item? My limited edition 1950s 'classic' packaging pot of Elizabeth Arden's 8 hour cream - perfect for anything. My mother managed to get her hands on this particular pot, long now sold out, and I love it with a fierce passion. Not quite sure why, other than I've always thought that make-up should be a glamorous, indulgent activity, and definitely not something you do while on the train. So my mirror and mantlepiece are surrounded by beribboned headbands, a mask from Venice, earrings, postcards and beautiful pots and bottles of every size. I think I tend to choose my products as much on the packaging as on everything else - given that it's going to be in front of me every day for the better part of the year, I need it to be lovely. And the classic glass pot for the requisite 8 hour cream - a must for everyone - is also refillable - so it's eco-friendly, too.
- Perfume: I almost always wear Dior's La Dolce Vita, although I do have Flower by Kenzo (which is fresher, and which I tend to wear on beach holiday), Angel, by Thierry Mugler (much sweeter, almost chocolate-like, which was a gift), and I have also recently been given JPG's Classique summer fragrance, which I have yet to try out. I have to say, I mostly use La Dolce Vita - and that's about it. I've read some amusing reviews that try to restrict its use to the evenings, or to a particular age group, which I find hilarious. If a scent works for you for a particular event or part of the day, great. I find this one makes me happy, so I wear it all the time.
- You'll notice I haven't talked about my hair. Woe. My hair currently refuses to behave, no matter what I do to it. I shall be getting up half an hour early to attempt curls with a curling iron for the next week, and see how I get on. I tend to use the TG smoothing serum after washing it, and I'm currently using the cheap wonder of Tresomme shampoo and conditioner. Almost as good as TiGi's Honey & Oatmeal... but it doesn't smell as nice.

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I'm wearing...

I would exceed the post limit if I tried to talk through my wardrobe! And yet I never seem to have anything to wear, it's most distressing.

A few years ago I discovered that I was allergic to most man-made fibres (and lanolin, hence my issue with most beauty products). I therefore slowly but surely converted my wardrobe into cotton and silk. Now, I can wear some synthetics, but my wardrobe is till mostly natural fibres. As they tend to be more expensive, I've had to focus on investment buys rather than simply buying disposable clothing (which I tend to purchase when travelling, so I don't need to worry about it getting ruined).

Some of my favourite summer constant-use pieces are:
- several light summer dresses, mostly silk or silk-blends in neutral or bright summer colours.
- a white cashmere cardigan, and a pink light light wool cover-up.
- the requisite pairs of jeans: normal, and cropped.
- t-shirts of every description and variety, mostly light colours with scoop or V-necks.
- a few summer skirts in light summer colours, lightly lined. I dislike unlined skirts, I think they hang badly. Even if it is a summer skirt, there should be a lining, however light.
- two coats: a taupe single-breasted mac that goes in at the waist (for spring and early autumn), and a royal blue Milly wool coat with gorgeous swirly print lining and 3/4 sleeves.
- formal wear: an organza silk navy blue polka dot dress, a taupe asymmetric hem dress with black net overlay, a chocolate brown silk "red carpet" dress (my pride and joy, currently being repaired), and a teal 60s low-back silk dress that does equally well for winter evenings. I found that my past life in corporate whoredom means that I am well prepared for any eventuality.

Shoes! Oh, I spent today reorganising my shoe closet, yay. I am currently in love with the following:
- my metallic block wood wedges. They are currently on their way back to Kurt Geiger to be reheeled, as I am concerned about the wood splintering. Woe.
- My new Carvela sky-high sandals, brown leather with a purple suede flower... and a 5-inch heel.
- my Merrell walking boots i.e. my trainers - realistically, the shoes I wear most often, whatever the weather. Hey, they're comfy!

I'd talk about my recent underwear acquisitions, but I would be tempted to post pictures, and that way badness lies. So tell me, flist, what are you wearing and using on your gorgeous bods this summer? Inquiring and vicarious minds want to know.

I'm frustrated with the amount of novella-length WIPs in my 'writing' file, just sitting there and pissing me off. (You can tell I woke up hungover this morning.) Also with the amount of 'FIC TO WRITE' in my inbox, which is a list of all the stories I have ever owed people, ever, that I have thus far failed to write. Bollocks.

I might go sit in a cafe today and bring out ye olde pen and paper and see what can be done. Now if you excuse me, I have to go and be sick, and curse all alcohol everywhere.

athena25 has the new iPhone 3Gs. I am covetous. And, having just found out that my contract is ending this month, contemplating a splurge that will make my life better (tm).

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Headed to queenspanky's in a little bit, for party purposes. It's tipping it down, so I suspect that it will not be a garden party.

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In other news, it's my birthday on 1st August! If you loved me you'd send me glitter pens write me fic. Yes. /shameless

Back at work, and it feels like rocks are falling on my head. Half the department is missing for various reasons, this does not make for an easy workload. If you stop hearing from me it's because I'm trapped under a giant pile of paper.

Anyway, in the meantime I got some fic beta-ed and ready for posting. I wrote this before Zambia, actually, but you know how skittish I am about RPF. *shrug*

Title: the universal wolf
Author: kangeiko
Fandom: RPF - Sweeney Todd (2006)
Recipient/ficathon: written for brand_new_name for yuletide's NYR 2009 challenge.
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Maybe it's just him getting older. Maybe man wasn't meant to film musicals at this age.
Thanks to: hadeschild, for a fab beta job and much-needed hand-holding.

Follow the fake cut.

I guess I'm going to have to pick up X-Factor again. (Spoilers for X-Factor #45) Although given that I am missing almost all canon between House of M and, oooh, say, Antarctica(!!!), trying to pick up years of backstory might be difficult. Hmmm. To wiki!

I had a lovely time on Thursday, finally having that long-delayed dinner with mizzykitty. After far too much sushi, we went back to mine to mainline B5 (she hasn't seen it! A possible new convert, hallelujah!) and geek out. It was ever so much fun, and it got me thinking.

( B5 S1 waffling )

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I also gave in to the inevitable and purchased S1 of the newer, brighter, more CGI'd remastered ST:TOS S1 boxset. It is, in a word, lush. ( ST:TOS squeeing )

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I'm headed to bed now, to try to reset my body clock. Got to bed far too late last night, after a truly smashing party at mossman's. But it's work again on Monday, so needs must...

For those who celebrate it, have a wonderful 4th July!

Got my writing groove back. (Sorta.) Spent the day working on not being too hot by sitting in a variety of air-conditioned venues, including the local Starbucks, which is apparently where my writing-fu resides. At any rate, I put text to paper (or screen), so I am happy. Results may vary, do not shake, do not consume underwater.

Title: Zero Sum
Author: kangeiko
Summary/Fandoms: this is for darlas_mom, who is certifiable and requested Adrian Veidt (Watchmen) & Jed Bartlet (The West Wing). Some strange sort of fusion then occurred.

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( Read more... )

queenspanky, wingsmith, rifle and I went to see Waiting for Godot last night. To be more accurate, we went to see the first half, then went for dinner.

Now we're not really Beckett fans at the best of times, but still we persevered, determined to see Stewart in a production that wasn't awful (nightmares of Macbeth, the last thing we saw him in, loomed. queenspanky had the good fortune to see him in Hamlet, but unfortunately I missed out on that one. So Beckett it was, then.) Now, there is a slight hitch with this plan, in that Beckett is... ok, let's face it, the only Beckett performance I have ever enjoyed was done by a troupe of French clowns. Now they could deliver futility like no-one's business. And I'm not really familiar with Waiting for Godot, so I thought that even if I hated the play, it's unfamiliarity would keep me watching.

Which were we hit the second snag, and that's the Theatre Royal itself. As we weren't convinced, we got cheap seats up in the Gallery. It turns out that they're not only cheap, but also hideously uncomfortable. There was no leg room, they were angled oddly, and there was no back support whatsoever. Plus, they were tiny tiny tiny, so you ended up pressed arm-to-arm with those around you. Yesterday was 32C in London, which also didn't help. Finally, the acoustics of the Theatre Royal when it comes to the Gallery... well, there aren't any. You could hardly hear a thing.

So, halfway through, we walked. I enjoyed Stewart and McKellen's performance, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if 1) I didn't hate the play quite so much, and 2) the theatre was marginally better. I think if the theatre had been better I would have sat through it diligently, but as it is, I was working hard on staying conscious and also not having a panic attack at being so pressed up against other people for two hours. So let's call that a bust all 'round, shall we?

Afterwards over dinner wingsmith remarked that he'd give his eyeteeth to see Stewart and McKellen play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. I concur.

IT'S TOO BLOODY HOT.

The person to mention that fact that I'm used to heat much more intense than this gets a stick in the face. I always had an air conditioned hotel room to fall back on in Africa; here I'm suffering with the rest of the population. As well as dreading next week, when the commute starts again, boo hiss.

It was not hot enough to deter my mother and me from shopping, of course. We hit the Harrods sale and came out with heels galore. GALORE, I tells you. A pair of leather strappy sandals with a flower on the side, and a turquoise satin pair with a diagonal tie with ribbon. Gorgeous beyond belief, and also sky-high. One of these days I will promise to stop buying impossible heels and I will actually mean it.

Also some needed make-up and a lovely coral nail lacquer. WHAT? I am doing my bit for the economy. *sniff*

This is all because it's too hot to write, you know. I've been carting around a stack of prompts with me wherever I go on the off-chance that I'll be inspired, but so far there has been nary a sniff of a drabble, let alone full-blown fic. Given that I usually try to use at least part of my holidays to write, this is unacceptable, I tells you. I can't decide if I'm just unmotivated or if I'm blocked. (Maybe it's the same thing?)

So tell me, flist, how do YOU get over writer's block and start scribbling again?

Just sneaked in under the wire:



Now, the question is, which row, column, or diagonal do I go for first? It's multi-fandom, so anything goes...

The the first thing I have written that fits it (although I didn't necessarily think about it, but I guess that doesn't matter?) is:

Unmixy things: weird crossovers: Zero Sum, a Watchmen/West Wing crossover.

I had a wonderful day today wandering about town with my mother. We hung out at the V&A, ate and bought hat-making equipment. Yes, it's summer, I have time off, this means I am now making hats. I have no millinery experience, so this should be interesting. But the raw materials were on sale at the V&A, and I was playing around with them and put together something that I thought looked pretty, put it down and wandered off... only to have someone snatch it and march over to the tills to buy it, as assembled. So clearly I have missed my calling: I should have been sewing silk flowers onto Ascot-wear.

We also spent a great deal of time wandering about the shops, and finished the day off with an early dinner at the Wolseley, where we turned out to be seated next to (and almost in the lap of) that bloke wot plays the new Moneypenny in the Bond movies. I forget his name. Anyway, I would have said hello, but he seemed to be in the middle of getting dumped, or seriously told off, so I decided that it perhaps wasn't the best time. There there was ice cream at Patisserie Valerie, and off home for snacks and Practical Magic with athena25.

I love being on holiday. *beams*

Title: Three Fates, Watching
Author: kangeiko
Fandoms: Star Trek: The Original Series / Blake's 7
Characters: mirror!Kirk, Blake
Rating: PG13
Timelines: Pre-series (mirror!TOS), The Way Back (Blake's 7).
Summary: When Jim Kirk is six years old, his parents make a deal on his behalf.
Author's Note: Written for multiverse5000, this was ridiculously hard to write, and is possibly version 8 or 9 of attempt 6 to write this story. Many thanks to queenspanky and mizzykitty for their invaluable assistance; if it makes any sense, it is entirely up to their efforts.


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Anyone free to do an emergency beta tonight? I've left it late, I know. I have someone who may be able to look at it, but in case they can't, I'm currently unhappy to post this with my name attached!! Star Trek fic, TOS.

I am stuck at home waiting for several people to turn up. I am ostensibly still working on the Multiverse fic still sitting in pieces on my hard-drive (I am up to version 5, now, and I still hate it. It's due by the end of today, bollocks.), but actually I want to be outside, cavorting in the sunshine or whatever it is the cool kids are doing these days.

Yesterday my daddy got discharged from hospital super-early, which is great. I went to see him, and he's doing well, resting at home. My brother and I then went to see Terminator, which was Not Bad (tm). Don't think about it too hard or the entire timeline collapses in a big limp pile, but other than that...

I am currently reading "Flood" by Stephen Baxter, which I picked up yesterday and am already 1/4 of the way through. I'm really enjoying it. It's a 'what if climate change causes huge amounts of flooding in low-lying places such as, say, London' type of book, much like Robinson's 'Science in the Capitol' series but with more emergencies. I guess I'm in an apocalyptic mood right now. (Also, horror short stories, but I don't know of any good anthologies. I've already read all of Stephen King's short stories. Recs, pls?)

From yahtzee63, meme time!

List 10 platonic male/female relationships in fiction that you enjoy. Rules:

1. They interact in canon, preferably in a significant (apply your own interpretation of such) way.
2. They are not related. They can, however, view each other as surrogate family.
3. Neither has confessed or implied romantic love for the other in canon.
4. They have not dated, been married, had sex, or made out in canon, on purpose, and of their own free will.
5. A popular fanon ship is ok (though preferably not your ship) but a canon pairing you wish were just friends is out.
6. Try to avoid using the same character or series twice.

( Hmmm, ok! )

I should be working on my Multiverse fic. I have three different versions of the same thing, and I hate them all. All of them, I tell you. They feel limp and unconvincing.

In the meantime:

( 4x07 Reunion )

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( 4x08 Future Imperfect )

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( 4x09 Final Mission )

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( 4x10 The Loss )

7 man-made substances that laugh in the face of physics.

I am still diligently working my way through 'the fabric of the cosmos'. This upsets my worldview. I require a refund and a replacement universe.

I had a very relaxed day today. Haircut, facial, watching DSN with queenspanky and drooling over Bareil. You know, the usual.

My daddy is in hospital at the moment, having a routine op. It went fine, he's awake and I'm going to see him tomorrow. He still doesn't like hospitals much, but I think the whole thing gets less traumatic as it goes on. Also, better routine op now than emergency op later, which he had to agree with.

Am seeing a whole bunch of friends this week, it's quite strange how full my diary looks. Also Cute Handyman called for no apparent reason to arrange a time to fit the new shower that athena25 has been asking for. Why he's calling me rather than her, I am not sure about.

I had a nice surprise today. I was in Aldo, trying on shoes and lamenting the fate of my brown leather slingback wedges (the thin elastic on the buckle snapped), and the manager heard me and asked me to bring them in for a refund/replacement. Which is lovely, really, as they are from last year and I totally wasn't expecting it. I guess people can really surprise you.

Tomorrow I'm visiting my daddy and writing my multiverse fic (I have an idea, and some stuff hand-written, but it's still too crowbar-y for my tastes) and then seeing Terminator with my brother. I have been warned that there are Terminator motorcycles, and... really, there's just no excuse for that sort of behaviour.

Oh, yes, I almost forgot - I picked up my Arabic certificate today, I passed Level 1. :) Now I just have to make sure I don't forget it all before classes start up again in November...

I've been watching I, Claudius, courtesy of selenak, and it makes me happy in a variety of ways. My joy, let me show it to you... or, rather, let me warn you that I shall be frothing about this when I finish the run. Am currently on Episode 4, and I have to say, while I am loving everyone I loved in the book, I also have a remarkable amount of sympathy for Tiberius, which I was definitely not expecting. I hated him in the book, I couldn't understand what Livia saw in him. But here I do, sort of.

...

And I want to write Livia fic, don't hurt or poison me, pls.

So. Where are all the Livia icons, then??