Darphynia's Diary

Image courtesy of thebroad.org & Diller Scofidio + Renfro The Broad and Walt Disney Concert Hall Not the best angle. My dad and I have always enjoyed museums and art galleries.  My other family members, not so much.  When he said he was able to get tickets I was quite excited.  The Broad houses one of my favorite Jasper Johns paintings, some Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Pablo Picasso, and other famous works.  When we first approached the building, it was like it had a life of its own.  The eye (oculus meeting room) and outer design have this fluidity about it that reminds me of some sort of futuristic living building.  Some might find the building cold and industrial, but I thought it was a great juxtaposition of modern and primitive design.  The inside concrete walls resemble a cave.  I suppose if I were to stay with my "living building" theory, it is much like the arteries and veins.  The second floor is a magni...

It seems like this month has been the worst in terms of how I have been feeling.  I'm pretty sure that I have been under the weather for most of the month (off and on).  That being said, I have been trying my best to be productive, though things rarely go the way that is expected.  Between feeling like "Death, warmed up", making phone calls because others aren't doing their jobs, and continuing work on my dissertation, things are much more hectic than they need to be.  But I guess that's life, right?  And speaking of, I think we have it all wrong.  At least here, we are so focused on work and other stressful things that we are not taking the time to really appreciate everything Earth has to offer.  When was the last time you went outside, and just took a moment to appreciate it?  The other evening, the sunset was particularly nice.  It reminded me of when I was in Paris with my friend.  My mind started to wander, and I kept thinking that...

I love Ursa Major skincare.  They were kind enough to send me some product samples to test out, and the brand is going on my Top 5 list.  Image courtesy of ursamajorvt.com  Generally I use whatever body wash I have when I shave.  I find that shaving creams leave an odd film on my skin.  The product never seems to stay as long as I need it to either, but this shave cream is awesome!  It stayed until I was done shaving, and did not leave my skin dry and filmy.  This product made me re-think my opinion of shave creams.  If you're curious and don't want to purchase an entire product, try out the Happy Camper set (I've listed it below as well). Image courtesy of ursamajorvt.com After trying several brands of face wipes, these have been my favorite by far.  First, I love that they are individually wrapped.  I can take them anywhere without the worry of having them dry out.  You know how it happens:  Wipes are in one p...

I have heard of Kiehl's, and of course I have started to see the brand pretty much everywhere.  At first I thought, "Oh great, another skincare company offering empty promises at ungodly costs," but I was a bit wrong.  I was able to sample a few things that were okay, but not favorites (my first go-to is always Mario Badescu).  The products I am LOVING right now are the day and night serums, and the scalp exfoliator.  My skin has some dry and oily patches, which are made worse when the weather changes. Image courtesy of kiehls.com Image courtesy of kiehls.com I received a sample of the (new) Daily Reviving Concentrate ($46.00) and the Midnight Recovery Concentrate ($46.00+).  After washing my face (I always use my Clarisonic) I patted a couple of drops of the Midnight Recovery on my skin.  I followed that up with my moisturizer, and my skin hadn't felt that great in years.  When I woke up, there were no significant dry patches,...

So I thought I would be productive and get a head-start on Christmas shopping.  Since Halloween and fall have been taking over stores since August, you know the holiday items will soon follow.  I try to get most of my shopping done over summer, unless there are holiday sets I can't pass up.  ULTA had some good promotions, a couple of which may still be available, and BOOM, half my Christmas list is complete (okay, not half, but nearly).  Anyway, here is what I purchased: Sorry!  The picture isn't the greatest. 1.  ULTA Brand Eyeshadow Palette:  Gilded Gold Image courtesy of ulta.com For a store brand, ULTA has good-quality pigments.  Both this and the Gilded Rose palette are great for anyone who is looking for something to travel with, or someone who is just starting to wear eyeshadow.  There are several finishes (i.e matte, shimmer, etc.) and colors from across the more neutral spectrum.  You can go from a fresh, no-makeup...