I took this picture in Vejer de la Frontera, Cádiz, Spain in early spring 2007. (Has it really been that long?!) I was staying with a friend-of-a-friend in Puerto de Santa María, so that I could attend some performances at the annual Festival de Jerez (a flamenco aficionado's paradise) before sitting the ordeal known as First Public Examinations. And four years later, this remains my favorite image from that trip. Being able to escape the Oxford pressure-cooker was hugely helpful. So I'm posting it as a reminder to myself to stop and smell the flowers, even when under ridiculous amounts of stress. (Hellooo, dissertation that is not yet writtten! And paleography exam tomorrow! Gahhh!) Just breathe. Inhale, exhale, repeat.

And maybe put on some good music. (Currently: "Una tormenta en mi paraíso" by Sergio Contreras)

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I'll try to finish up my review of the Vichy Normaderm skincare tomorrow after my exam and dance class. Including a makeup-free picture. (Which is a pretty scary notion for a makeup junkie, let's be honest!) Spoiler: I'm pretty pleased. I think it's made a difference in a good way. Details forthcoming! Thanks for reading/looking.

What I was doing a year ago:

Dancing in the Fellows' Garden at Merton College after formal hall with some friends. Then we played duck-duck-goose. It was a much-needed break from revising for my final exams. Now I'm mid-dissertation, and sadly do not have anyone to dance with in the garden. It's a real shame.

I may have mentioned this before, but one of my favorite pastimes when I'm not smearing makeup on my face is watching football. I'm a big Real Madrid fan, and they won the Spanish Copa del Rey (King's Cup) yesterday. So I'll just leave this here with my favorite player, one Sergio Ramos, celebrating the victory. (He was playing at being a bullfighter. Video here.)

Of course, he's now more famous for dropping aforementioned King's Cup from on top of the team bus, which promptly rolled over it, but that is beside the point! I still love him anyway.

Hi there, remember me? Bailaoragaditana? No? Ah, well, I can't say that I blame you! It's been quite some time since I've updated this thing.

Personally, I blame grad school. And other stuff. Like... no, it's mainly grad school. But also my burgeoning obsession with football... I seem to spend a lot of time watching the stuff, and thinking about it, and translating things...

Oh, and in the grand Oxford tradition of bizarre ritual, I graduated in March for a degree I finished last June. No lie.

My ribbon-tie is crooked, sorry. A degree is not proof I know how to dress myself. The ivy's not looking too healthy behind me, either.

I've also been doing lots and lots of boring makeup. I can pretty much sleepwalk through my routine in the mornings, which means I get to the library when it opens, but also means there is 0 creativity involved. (And not much color, either.) I whack on Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer in Porcelain, BB Natural Finish Foundation in Alabaster (or sometimes Estee Lauder Double Wear in Bone), BB Blush in Pale Pink, mascara, brow gel, UD Primer Potion, powder, something on my lips, and stumble down the stairs. It ain't fancy, but it keeps me looking presentable!

Anyway, in a stress-induced fit of retail therapy last month (after I handed in the absolute worst paleography portfolio in the history of the university), I acquired a Chanel eyeshadow duo and a pair of stupidly high red stilettos and I thought - maybe I should take up beauty blogging again!

(View from my bedroom window. I also live out of the city center now, so I spend a lot of time commuting!)

I've acquired other new makeup in fits and starts over the past few months, so I might try to work my way through that backlog before I start getting creative (and at that rate it will be summer and I'll have lots more free time to play!). Plus my mother sent me two tubes of CoverGirl NatureLuxe in my latest care package, which I requested at the recommendation of my good friend and makeup buddy khorshid_khanoom, who raved about it. I'm thinking I might give that a go in the next few days, because my BB foundations are running low! I might, possibly for the first time in my makeup-wearing life, finish a foundation. (Okay, that's not true, I finished a lot of drugstore foundations back in the day, but it's been a long time. Like 5+ years.)

Plus I might also inflict my taste in clothes and pretty men on you, once I get back into the swing of things, but we'll start off with makeup first :-D

But in the meantime, thanks for reading!

Hello, lovelies, and a very happy Easter weekend to you all!

As I mentioned, I spent last week in Barcelona. The weather was a bit rubbish, and I am occasionally intolerant of the big city life (I like my cities more medium-sized for anything longer than a few days!), but we still managed to have lots of fun, not least because there is a GIANT Sephora at the top of the Ramblas (right underneath my other weakness, FNAC, and across the street from everyone's favorite place to spend money in Spain, El Corte Inglés... let's just say my wallet was screaming in pain as I mercilessly gutted it...).

I managed to sneak a photo before some woman came up and was all "está prohibido tomar fotos!" And I wanted to be like, lady, it's "sacar fotos, and I'm here to spend lots of money, just let me take a damn picture!" But no. Anyway. I decided that, since I've been a good girl all term and bought no makeup, I would treat myself to two products that I've been seriously drooling over for months now...

Meet Guerlain Rouge G Le Brillant in Bridget, and Chanel Rouge Allure Laque in Dynastie!

(My failed attempt at being artsy - I managed to get my vintage romance novel covers in the mirror shot, but also the fire alarm. Whoops!)

I haven't done a look with Dynastie yet, but I do have some thoughts on Rouge G - this has to be the most luxurious-feeling lipstick I've ever held, or worn! The weight of the case, and the utter smoothness the formula, the weightless feeling and moisture... plus the shade is my new holy grail MLBB lipstick! It's very sheer, and slightly shimmery, but I didn't want to spend 40 euros on a lipstick that I'd only wear a few times, you know? I feel like I'll wear this on a regular basis, and it looks very natural and professional. And have I mentioned that it FEELS like a million bucks? The mirror and the case just... ohhhh, it is a complete makeupgasm.

I whacked together a quick look yesterday to go out - stopped by MAC to try and get Viva Glam Gaga & Cyndi, but they were sold out! Already! I'll be staking out the local counter next week, because they're supposed to be getting more in, and hopefully I can get my hands on them, because I want!

I used the Bobbi Brown Chocolates palette on my eyes, BuxomLash mascara, Sugarbomb on my cheeks, MUFE High-Def foundation and Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer in Porcelain; all set with MAC Select Sheer loose powder in NC5.

Paired with basic black and a pair of heels - ironic that, in a town full of cobblestones, I put on heels when it's raining just to keep my feet dry!

That's all for now, but I shall try to do a look with Dynastie sometime soon. Now that I've broken the barrier of what I consider to be "super high-end" brands - more pricey than MAC or NARS or other brands sold at Sephora, brands that also tend to be associated with a fashion house (although, strangely, my brain doesn't put Dior in this category), I have a few more conquests in mind - Chanel Rouge Coco in Perle, a few more Rouge Allure Laques (Santal and Dragon), and maybe another Rouge G or two... hmmm... Ahem. Right. I'll stop mentally spending money I haven't got. Thanks for reading!

In the past few weeks, I've become obsessed with this sweaterdress from Victoria's Secret. I have tons of their clothing, but I'm normally not at all impressed with their seasonal lookbooks - the stuff tends to be expensive, impractical, or just plain ugly (I'm not big on "trends" most of the time, can you tell?). But this fall's lookbook is a whole other story... the stuff is *beautiful* and this dress is the most beautiful of all! It's made of Italian Merino wool (I'm a fan of Merino, because I'm a lifelong fiber snob and it's one of the few wools that doesn't make me itch) and it has boning and ruching at the waist to give a nicely structured hourglass shape - very vintage, or very Mad Men, as you prefer.

It comes in sizes XS-XL, and is available in Sugar Cookie (the beige shade) and black. I find VS sizing to be pretty generous (an XL will fit sizes 16-18-20 with no problem), especially in the chest area (which I need/appreciate!). I bought the black dress, obviously, because the beige will just maximize my boobs in an unflattering way :-( It's backordered until the end of November, but when I get it I will definitely post a few pics (and probably ramble about how fabulous it is) and make a look to go with it. I'm already thinking of the possibilities! :-p

In real life and actually-happening things, I've been packing, packing, packing in preparation to go back to England - I'm leaving Saturday night and landing in the seventh circle of Hell, also known as Heathrow Terminal 5, on Sunday. I have *way* too much stuff - books, clothes, bedding, makeup, toiletries,  and a few pairs of shoes - so I'm quickly growing to appreciate British Airways' relatively reasonable excess baggage rates. This is my excuse, really, for not posting very much in the past week. I probably won't be able to do any more looks until I get to Oxford, because I've packed 75% of the makeup I'm taking (I've got a TEN POUND makeup bag, and that's just the stuff in my carry-on!) and am working on the remaining 25%! But I'll definitely try to get a look or two in next week, to make up for being such a sluggardly beauty blogger! In the meantime, thanks for reading, have a great weekend, and stay fabulous!

Still no internet Chez Bailaoragaditana, even though Verizon people were supposed to come today! Argh! The neighbor's internet is just not cutting it anymore! I did go out for some tapas and churros this afternoon in DC, so... I had an excuse to put on makeup! Yay! This particular look was inspired by the colors of the Moroccan city of Marrakesh, using products called Marrakesh, which were in turn inspired by Marrakesh! It's very meta, no? :-p

Base: Bobbi Brown Vitamin-Enriched Face Base, Bobbi Brown Hydrating Eye Cream, MAC Oil-Control Lotion (t-zone only)

Face: Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer in Porcelain (under eyes); Bare Minerals Mineral Veil (as base layer and finishing powder); Bare Minerals foundation in Fair (as foundation and spot concealer)

Brows: Bobbi Brown matte shadow in Mahogany

Lids: Too Faced Shadow Insurance; Stila shadow quad in Marrakech: darker pink on inner third of lid, gold on outer two-thirds of lid, dark brown in the crease, light shimmery pink as highlight up to the browbone

Liner: MAC Fluidline in Blitz & Glitz on upper lashline and upper waterline, applied with a MAC 209 brush

Lashes: Bare Escentuals Buxom Lash mascara (black)

Cheeks: Bare Minerals blush in Lovely

Lips: Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge for Lips & Cheeks in Velvet Plum; Global Goddess Moroccan Mystique Lip Veil in Marrakech

I'm quite pleased with how well this turned out, to be honest, because I was worried about the darker pink shadow - pink isn't the best color for me (since my skin is pretty naturally pinkish to start with), plus it has these flecks of silver glitter (I hate glitter with the fire of a thousand suns!) which I was afraid would get everywhere, but they didn't! The lips are a little more plum-wine-y than they look here (a bit more brown, maybe?) but overall it was a good intro-to-fall-in-DC look, I think.

Now, in totally unrelated but really adorable news, my two Siamese cats have trained *themselves* to use the toilet! It's quite amazing, really, and they've been doing it for a few months but I've never been quick enough with my camera... until today! So, behold: Empress the amazing self-toilet-trained cat!

She hasn't learned to wipe yet, but I'm guessing it's only a matter of time! She even sniffs around to make sure she hasn't left a mess, which is certainly more than you can say for some *human* toilet-users!

Anyway, thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed, and hopefully I will have real internet access soon (damn you Verizon!).

Another very quick look - I actually did most of this (including the pictures) in a moving vehicle on the way to the family farm! So some of the pics are a teensy bit blurry, but hey - I'm catching up on my laxness, no? It's a pretty basic neutral look, as I figured I didn't need to impress/scare any relatives with crazy purple eyeshadow, and I didn't want to have to worry about it all falling on my face during a hay ride or something... So, without further ado:

Base: Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base; Bobbi Brown Hydrating Eye Cream; MAC Oil Control Lotion

Face: MAC Studio Sculpt foundation in NC15; Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer Kit in Porcelain/White (eye area only); MUFE Hi-Def finishing powder

Brows: Urban Decay Brow Box in Brown Sugar (darker shade)

Lids: Too Faced Shadow Insurance; Stila pan shadow in Wheat (all over lid), Stila pan shadow in Golightly (along upper lashline), Bobbi Brown matte shadow in Navajo (browbone)

Lashes: Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes! mascara (black)

Cheeks: Bobbi Brown matte blush in Desert Rose

Lips: Stila Cherry Crush Lip & Cheek Stain; MAC Suntints lip balm in Full of Grace (small amount, dabbed on lightly)

And bonus photos of two of my cousins (one of whom bears an uncanny resemblance to Enrique Iglesias...) learning to spin on my mom's spinning wheel:

(He's adorable, but he's not the one who looks like Enrique...)

He, however, does.

Anyway, five-minute posting time is over (yes, I've given myself a time limit for these things, or else I'd never sleep!), so I'm off again. Thanks for reading, and continue to enjoy your (long or not) weekend!

So this morning I was playing with the Bobbi Brown Ivy League Collection for fall (LOVE, by the way - absolutely madly in love with the whole damn thing!), instead of doing my actual work...

This is what resulted:

Base: Bobbi Brown Vitamin-Enriched Face Base (all over); Bobbi Brown Hydrating Eye Cream (eye area); MAC Oil Control Lotion (t-zone areas)

Face: MAC Studio Sculpt concealer in NW15 (under eyes); Bobbi Brown Sheer Finish pressed powder in White (under eyes); MUFE Mat Velvet+ foundation in 15 Alabaster; MUFE Hi-Def finishing powder (all over)

Brows: Urban Decay Brow Box in Brown Sugar (darker shade)

Lids: Too Faced Shadow Insurance; Bobbi Brown Shimmer Wash shadow in Golden Leaf (inner half of lid); BB Metallic shadow in Bash (outer half of lid); BB Matte shadow in Ivy (crease); BB Metallic shadow in Maple Sugar (from Nude palette) as blend/highlight

Liner: Bobbi Brown longwear gel liner in Forest Shimmer Ink (applied with MAC 209 brush)

Lashes: Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes! mascara (black)

Cheeks: BB blush in Desert Rose

Lips: MAC lipstick in Lovin' It

With the ultimate Ivy League accessory, for added realness:

I'm starting to get used to my glasses now. It's nice to be able to see things :-p so I'm starting to feel face-naked without them. Also, my sister chopped off about six inches of my hair yesterday (I just wanted a trim, but... she was "evening things out" and it just went badly, gahh!), so my hair is considerably shorter than I usually wear it. It's still long by most standards, but I'm kind of confused by the short swingy-ness of it!

And finally, a pretty picture of a place that I really want to be right now:

Anyone want to guess where this was taken? (People who know me in real life, and therefore know *exactly* where this is, are disqualified from answering.) Bonus points if you can tell me which part of the structure this is...

Anyway, thanks for reading/looking! Hopefully I should have new stuff to share with you soon :-)

If they're members of Trinity College Boat Club (read: crew/rowing team), anyway. For the past three years, the men's First VIII at the winter boat race (called Torpids) has produced a fantastically cheesy, blatantly lip-synced boy-band pop video. The result is pure... something. Gold, cheese, drool-worthy goodness... take your pick! I couldn't, in good conscience, keep them all to myself anymore - this is one secret that's gotta be shared! Enjoy responsibly, and make sure to drool-proof your keyboard before watching :-)

Torpids 2009: "Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Westlife

Torpids 2008: "I Want It That Way" by Backstreet Boys

Torpids 2007: "Back for Good" by Take That

You're welcome. Thanks for reading.