Author / Lexine

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Posts by Lexine

Published poet, short story writer, and now novelist! My 1st eBook The Playgirl is out now!
by Lexine

40 Of My Favorite Things: #5

State/Regional Parks! 

I’ve always had appreciation for state and regional parks, and that appreciation grew ten-fold during the pandemic lockdown four years ago. Stores that were not essential business were closed for a while, and parks were the one place where I didn’t have to entirely worry about crowds and masking. (Although I always had my face mask on me just in case.) I’m lucky to live within driving distance of plenty of regional parks and beaches, and I hope to return to that park in the header pics soon (that’s Mt. Tamalpais State Park and the amazing views from there, taken from July 2022). 

by Lexine

40 Of My Favorite Things: #7

Low Carb Food!!

Three of my favorite low-carb foods (that I’ve also made): fried chicken, cinnamon rolls, and turtle pecan clusters.

Probably one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life was going low-carb almost three years ago. Excess weight was lost, old clothes started to shrink, and starches and sugar became easy to pass up. The latter would’ve been unthinkable for me five years ago, but maybe that could be proof that there is such thing as a sugar addiction. I still have my sweets; it’s all made with faux sweeteners now (allulose, erythritol, monk fruit, etc.). And I’ve gone so long without having a potato or rice that I kind of forgotten how they taste like. Sugar? I hardly know her.

(A note: this diet/lifestyle happened to work for me, and I’ve tried all sorts of diets in the past. I’m no nutritionist, so if you want to do low-carb to lose some weight, give it a try, but YMMV. And if you’re addicted to sugar/starches like I was, it will be very tough in the beginning, but worth it in the end!)

by Lexine

40 Of My Favorite Things: #8

TJ Maxx/Marshalls/Home Goods stores!

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(They’re all under the same company, so they’re listed as one favorite. 😉)

Lately, TJ Maxx and Marshalls have been giving Savers and other thrift stores serious competition. Case in point: those recent finds from Marshalls that costed me a whopping $10. (If you’re wondering, it’s a House of Harlow skirt, and Cushionaire sandals.) That I can make returns to either of those stores if I change my mind gives them the big advantage over thrift stores, most of which have Final Sale policies. Even Savers’ exchange policy can’t compare. As for Home Goods, their Gourmet section is my weakness. They actually have some low-carb selections and my favorite pumpkin-flavored coffee is also sold there, and for a lot cheaper than at Amazon.

Now when it comes to makeup and skincare at TJ Maxx and Marshalls…🥴(Count yourself lucky if you ever found a makeup/skincare product that was never touched or opened at all!)

by Lexine

40 Of My Favorite Things: #9

Thrift stores!

Is that supposed to be a Big Bird cookie jar? 

How did I go a month into this list and not yet mention thrift stores? But anyway, it is the place where most of my wardrobe and even some of my bedding originated from. (Don’t worry–all my keepers get washed and cleaned before I wear them/place them on my bed.) The place that sold me a legit Kate Spade bag “as-is” for $8. The place where I found original editions of The Babysitters Club books for $2 each. The place of colored tag sales, exchanges only (keep your receipt), final sales, and no public restrooms. (Except at Savers stores.) And the place I wish would bring back dressing rooms! (ACS Discovery Shops and Salvation Army stores are the lone exceptions.)

by Lexine

40 Of My Favorite Things: #10

Lip Makeup!

(Man, I LOVED the old school Sephora Favorites sets! Cheap and you got a lot of stuff for your buck. And RIP to the OG Bite Beauty.)

When I had more free time, if I was feeling for some glam in my life, I’d wear a full face of makeup. Being busy with my day job took away those full-face days, but no amount of work can never take me away from my lippies! And, to keep my pout smooth, I like to use a lip scrub every other day and I apply unscented Lanolips balm as an overnight mask.

by Lexine

40 Of My Favorite Things: #11

Sparkly nail polish!

If you follow me on my socials and noticed a common thread with my manicure posts, yep, I like my nails to sparkle sparkle sparkle. The last time I wore a polish sans glitter was almost a year ago, as the nail spa I go to has this solid deep berry color (think Chanel’s Vamp) I like to wear during November. Old habits die hard, however, as they recently got a glittery version of that shade. 😏💅✨

by Lexine

40 Of My Favorite Things: #12

90s Fashion!

(For women, to be specific. Like I follow men’s fashion.)

Those who think 90s women’s fashion was all crop tops, wide-legged jeans, butterfly hair clips, and Spice Girl-style platform shoes probably got their 90s fashion history from a Tumblr on vintage Delia’s catalogs and that’s it. As someone who owns many issues of Vogue, Elle, W, and Bazaar from 1990 to the December 1999 issues, I can safely say there’s way more to 90s fashion than that. There were traces of the 80s from the early 90s (top left pic), peak grunge and dowdy realness from 1992-1993 (top right pic), a short but memorable shot of disco glam to get rid of the grunge in 1994 (bottom left pic), hip-hop influences and retro comebacks in the mid-90s, and minimalism and nightclub-inspired attire in the late 90s (bottom right pic).

Fashion in the 90s truly had it ALL, but, more remarkably, designers placed more quality and creativity into their collections. That decade also gave us landmarks collections, such as John Galliano’s Spring 1995 (I know JG is a dubious mofo but his clothes for that season were just wow), or Tom Ford for Gucci’s Fall 1995. What happened to moments like that? Nowadays, a fashion moment involves an overpriced plain t-shirt from some fast fashion label that went viral on TikTok because some celeb wore that shirt. Yawn.

by Lexine

40 Of My Favorite Things: #13

20th Century Fashion Photography!

(Top to bottom: fashion served by Richard Avedon (from the 90s and 50s), Herb Ritts, and Ellen Von Unwerth.)

The creativity and quality of the top fashion photographers of the 20th century has yet to be matched by their modern-day equivalents. Pick up an issue of Vogue or Bazaar from 30 years ago and compare the imagery in the editorials then to the ones from today, and the contrast is clear. I do have my favorites within this favorite: Avedon, Penn, Newton, Ritts, Meisel (probably the only OG still shooting quality work today), Von Unwerth, Demarchelier, Lindbergh…All masters at their craft!