Michelle's Melange: Edition 6

The internet discoveries that captured my attention last month: the brand Motoguo, Polly Pocket celebrity makeup, oddly satisfying skincare devices and the bartering economy in my local community.

February 8, 2021

Let’s kick it off with some fashion inspo!

The brand Motoguo, from a Malaysian designer by the same name, has really piqued my interest with the over-the-top girliness (think big present bows and pom poms) and colorful prints of its collections. I love that it at times veers into clown-y 80s executive territory-- it aligns with my recent thinking that dressing up should be more adventurous, daring, playful and generally weird. Buying pieces from brands like this may mean you won’t be able to find a matching shirt, pant, and jacket combo to save your life on a given day, but that’s kind of always been my problem tbh.

The looks are soooo good:

Pastel Easter waffle confidence in a 3 piece set

In case you want be a weekend cycler but also have a shirt that layers well under sweaters

And I’m honestly intrigued by the outlandish, oversized ring-as-necklace look-- not opposed!:

It’s a lewk; the question of the necklace weight remains

Though I’m a bit late to the January edition, we won’t spend more time belaboring my missed deadlines. I don’t know how you felt during that particularly long month, but I personally had my consumerist tendencies jump out at me.

I thought I had made it through the holiday season’s tempting sales relatively unscathed, but I found myself suddenly in a state of mind very easily persuaded to buy from the measliest YouTube recommendation or influencer name-drop.

I partly blame my shift to YouTube as my main social media “entertainment” for this side effect. I go too deep on Insta looking at the cousins of famous people so I’ve gotten off of it lately-- a quick look at the # of accounts I follow:

and the urgency behind making this shift will make sense. Well, this video alone had me off to Sephora’s virtual hub to buy from Selena Gomez’s makeup line Rare Beauty (surprisingly cute, with Polly Pocket-like packaging):

This is the “Stay Vulnerable Melting Cream Blush” for the beauty heads out there

I also got some contouring products that I suppose will make me look like a 10% more angular woman in video calls. Honestly, it’s been the cliche realization that doing a full face of fun makeup actually does improve one’s mood and attitude, that it feels nice to look good just for the sake of it. Isn’t that half of the reason for working in an office in usual times-- the excuse for makeup and stylin outfits!? As my readers know, the job is always secondary. 

I’m also experiencing a real fever for next-level beauty technology. This includes a high frequency zit zapper to kill bacteria, an overpriced Nurse Jamie facial massager, and a “skin perfecter” aka a metal spatula that pushes everything out of your pores in a really satisfying way. Who knows if I’ll actually pull the trigger on any of this paraphernalia, but it is interesting to see just how deep one could go down a beauty hole (extremely deep) of devices that may or may not be effective. I also love reading reviews of a product like a “blackhead remover pore vacuum,” one that is totally scary and likely damaging to skin. 

I dig YouTubers like this girl chrissstttiiine who doesn’t claim to be an extreme minimalist or something along those lines, which, as discussed in the 1st ed of this newsletter, is v trendy on YouTube and I think generally popular in the broader design/decor convo. Instead, she’s a beauty and fashion curator who recommends products with an eye to their sustainability.

Items like the Leaf razor are appealing to me for the idea that stuff we’ve become so accustomed to existing in a disposable form, an uninspiring part of our routines, could actually be something functional & kinda cute that you’d keep for the long-term. 

I’ll end with sharing a recent interest of mine that feels related to all my consumerist tendencies. Ok-- Buy Nothing groups? Have you ever heard of them? As with anyone who does *on rare, very rare occasions* bring new things into her life, one has to consider where the clutter of the past is going. I’ve always struggled with what to do with the in-between stuff-- maybe a shampoo you didn’t like, or a lamp that isn’t working for some reason but that probably someone else could fix. I can’t in good conscience throw it all away. Let me tell you, people in your community are currently clamoring for that stuff and they’ll literally pick it up in t-minus 60 mins from your doorstep. And, besides that, monitoring the Facebook group has been oddly entertaining:

Hot item going in my local Buy Nothing Oceanside Inland South group

I like that people also proactively ask for things that others might have sitting unused in their garages and save money and prevent waste that way. It’s a cute community moment that I’ve so far only used in a transactional way (going against the actual mission of the group, yikes) to get rid of still-decent items quickly, but it’s worth a mention!

Thank you for reading me! Let me know what you think of this edition. Feel free to share with friends who would enjoy my writing and maybe even throw this post a lil heart.

Michelle