Desk to date-night: Stowaway

My version of that “desk to date-night” is a little different from the classic office scenario. I had a few of those in New York, but now mine tend to be more about waiting for the babysitter to arrive, kissing everyone goodbye, and then hurrying out the door with the keys and makeup I fished out of the diaper bag before the transition.

And now I’ve started including some makeup from Stowaway into that routine. Their concept is brilliant: “makeup you love in sizes you can carry and actually finish.”

You might recall that Stowaway first sent over some samples last July. I quickly declared their peony cheek & lip rouge to be my new favorite beauty product, and I still love it and use it all the time. Plus, it fits flat in my pocket and has a mirror.

You can buy everything in their line à la carte or a few different arrangements but their basic kit, which you create with your own colors—radiant complexion BB cream, creaseless concealer, eyeliner, mascara, creme lipstick, and a cheek & lip rouge—is a good place to start (and can all fit into the palm of your hand).

Their cream lipsticks are also just right-sized (about the length of my pinky) and they’ve been adding colors to their selection. In fact, they just released a new trio of colors today.

I think fig may be my current favorite because I can swipe it on without even looking; but I’ve been trying to be more bold and occasionally wear a bright red lip, and have been slipping their Scarlet into my clutch.

I’ve been on the lookout for tips on wearing red and helping it stay put, and here are some things I’ve been told:

Prep: Keep your lips soft by moisturizing and occasionally exfoliating.

Define: You can use a bit of concealer around your mouth to keep the color from bleeding instead of using a liner.

Apply twice: Blot or remove the first application, essentially staining your lips, before reapplying.

Keep it off your teeth: Place your finger in your mouth, purse your lips around it, then pull it out to remove excess color.

Keep it off your glass: Give the rim of your glass a little lick when no one is looking to avoid marks.

Some experts also recommend placing a tissue over your red lips and dusting with translucent powder, but I haven’t tried it. Have you? Any tips?

If you’ve already got the basic kit for yourself, check out their suggestions for gifting others, as well as the the new seasonal lipstick trio, just released today.

And then, great news, Stowaway is giving away three kits to three lucky readers! Visit Stowaway and enter your email to be entered to win.

Thank you to my friend, Susan Yee of En Pointe Photography for the lovely photos! And for her added encouragement to go with the red lipstick that night.

Any lipstick tips to share? 

This post is sponsored by Stowaway. Thank you for your support! 

Enter to win: Giveaway ends at midnight PST, November 30th. Three winners will each win a Stowaway kit worth $75, with her choice of colors.

[Update: my top is from Boden]

Swiss Chard Slab Galette with Eggs

People sometimes talk about Thanksgiving in terms of pacing and endurance: “it’s a marathon and not a sprint.” You need to plan accordingly.

Those hours of prep-time are crucial—and so is the time between when everyone arrives and start reaching to snack off your prep-station and the carving of the Turkey. Here’s a pre-dinner dish suggestion that can keep hungry hands at bay and provide just enough sustenance to power some casual ball-tossing—or cool tempers through political banter—without spoiling everyone’s appetite: a savory galette.

While it looks complicated, it can take on elements of side dishes already in the works. Double up your pie dough recipe and set some aside. Pull some greens from your side-dishes. (I used Swiss Chard, but you could go with collards or leeks or something un-green like mushrooms, if you like.) Place it in the oven on a rack below the turkey—before you need the space for those sweet potatoes. Add some protein: put an egg on it! Then, move the whole shebang away from the kitchen, on a cutting board with a pizza wheel, remind everyone to pace herself.

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48 Hours in Yosemite

A weekend in Yosemite is never a bad idea, but can be particularly lovely in the fall. I’ve already posted at length about some of our favorite ways to pass a couple of days in the valley this time of year—we tend to time visits to Aron’s birthday in October—and we didn’t do very much differently this time around.

Here are some highlights, and a few tips if you’re planning a trip…

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