laylalex

She's gorgeous! 🥰 That's a creature that doesn't need any sunblock (unlike me).

As one of the 90 Day podcasts I listen to puts it about Nicole, "something happened on the way to heaven." As in, there is something very dark in her past, above and beyond the bizarre relationship she's in. Mahmoud is not the greatest human being, and a terrible husband, but at the same time she is actively trying to make him miserable, as if in payback for how traumatized she was in Egypt. (And if you watch that season, she looks like she's in shock half the time.) Her home is full of items seemingly calculated to rile him up, like pictures of naked women with luxurious downstairs hair, and Hieronymus Bosch's "Garden of Earthly Delights" as a shower curtain. (I actually kind of want that too, but all of my bathroom showers have doors, lol.) And then she wears clothing that is cropped -- but only slightly -- or has a small amount of exposed skin, knowing that Mahmoud will lose his mind. Yes, he needs to get used to her wearing clothing he doesn't approve of, but she is being needlessly provocative. TL:dr -- they both suck.

Makeup/hair is fun stuff about being a lady. Experimenting with your appearance on a temporary basis, getting to play around with color and lines on your very own body is cool. Then you get to erase it and try on a new persona, just for a while. Other lady stuff isn't always fun, but I'll take beauty any day.

I actually have the old version of the Amika brush, which does not have the red beam tech. So I can't report first hand, sadly. The description says:

I find Olaplex just takes too long and the results are usually disappointing. I have gotten something close to "glass" hair even with all the frizz with a combo of Dae Signature shampoo, Elvive 8 Second Wonder Water, Elizavecca treatment, and Oribe Gold Lust hair oil. Blow completely dry with my Dyson, and then finish with the Amika Polished Perfection straightening brush. Sounds complicated I'm sure to the menfolk but it really isn't!

On a colleague's recommendation, I bought a tube of this the other month -- she said it was better than Olaplex No. 3 as a hair treatment: https://elizavecca.us/elizavecca-milky-piggy-cer-100-collagen-ceramide-coating-protein-treatment/ She wasn't lying! My hair is silkier and shinier than ever, with almost NO frizz (yes!) and the effects last me through 3 or 4 washes so I usually only use a dollop twice a month. It's also more than half the price of Olaplex. Be aware that it has pig collagen in the ingredients list, in case that's a no go for you for religious/ethical/health reasons.

It's an educated guess. 🤓

Better than nylabones. 😊

I used dried Colman's last night, making a rub for the tri-tip I roasted. I mixed equal parts good quality flour (I like King Arthur) and Colman's, then pat it all over the roast, really working it into the flap of fat on top. Some salt and pepper, and roast it in a cast iron skillet on top of a large onion, cut in half. Afterwards, the onion makes for excellent gravy right there in the skillet. It was sensational (as always). I am a big fan of wholegrain mustard, but I also like a good Dijon.

Bristol Farms, usually, sometimes Gelson's. Not crazy about the selection at Whole Foods, tbh. Speaking of Whole Foods, I went to the one near my office the other day to get prepared horseradish and they had only one kind! Bananas, since even my local Vons has 6 or 7 different varieties. We ate it anyway, even though what I really wanted was the super hot one, the kind that temporarily makes your vision go dark when you take slightly too big of a bite.

Count me in as another ketchup hater. 🤮 Too sweet and it masks the flavor of the food. I agree with Dashinka -- mustard is a superior condiment. With french fries, I prefer mayo or aioli. We have had husband training school here over the past few years, and I have to say he has really improved. He 100% used to do things like smear greasy stuff all over the counters with a paper towel, because he honestly didn't know better. There was always some woman (mother, wife, cleaner) taking care of things for him, and when he didn't have one of those he kind of just... lived in semi-squalor? (I do not like thinking about the "divorce flat" he was living in before he and I were in a relationship.) But now while he still doesn't see how the sink is dirty where I do, he's pretty decent about keeping the kitchen counters and the cooktop clean. I did have to point out how filthy his bathroom vanity was the other day (I was hoping he'd notice) but I will give him his due -- he grabbed a roll of paper towels and the bathroom spray and took care of it with no moaning. Why? Because he's an adult and because he wants to keep his wife happy. I still can't fathom how the ketchup challenge qualifies as news.

Those women need sunblock! Everyone needs sunblock, honestly.

NO!!! I've been a repeat customer for more years than I can remember -- through 2 husbands even! Awful awful awful. I just got my last delivery from them a few weeks ago....

I do use AdBlocker+, but I leave it off on VJ even though the ads are super annoying because the site needs to pay for itself somehow! Mostly I don't mind the ads (currently this page is showing me a relatively new Lexus for sale) but I always wonder how so many dating ads get on here. I'm laughing because I was complaining about it back a few years ago when some ads for Ashley Madison showed up on here, and I was like: huh?

These are EVERYWHERE on this site for me at the moment: I don't mean the Newport Fun Tours...

Happy New Year! We're being homebodies tonight -- he is getting over a cold, so we passed on a party. We're making black eyed peas and collard greens to eat at midnight for good luck, and right now we are drinking this: https://www.pressthenpress.com/products/eric-bordelet-corme Really interesting -- I'd never heard of Corme before. Kind of funky and very aromatic. We're following up with some Sea Smoke sparkling wine and leftover Christmas crackers when we get closer to the midnight hour.

I got a beautiful photography/art book with the photos of Lillian Bassman, who was a fashion photographer for Harper's Bazaar in the 40's and 50's, and worked beyond there. Absolutely gorgeous. I also got a big bottle of a perfume called Escapade Gourmande, which according to my husband makes me smell like dessert, and therefore in danger of being devoured as such around him and his sweet tooth. He received a wool Pendleton blanket long enough to cover his toes, a wool commando sweater, a popcorn machine (which he mentioned ages ago he wanted) and a crystal pipette for his whisky, which is a silly thing but apparently it hit the mark.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twiglets Much nicer than small twigs.

I was munching on some Twiglets tonight, standing in the kitchen while he was in the living room watching TV. Like any self-respecting man, as soon the show got a little quiet and he could hear the rustle of a snack bag, he came scurrying in to see what I was snacking on. Practically slid in the room in his stocking feet, only to discover it was Twiglets (alas) and not the very nice Walkers Cheese & Onion crisps. He called me a heartless tease.

Vegemite and Marmite are definitely not the same. Not a delicacy, but I just want to take the opportunity to complain about my lack of an This is our first Xmas in our new house, and we didn't have a full size tree before in the old place. This year we have a proper one, so it is what I am calling the foundational year for the tree. Think basic baubles and lighting, some ribbon garlands, and in years to follow we will acquire more ornaments of a less basic nature. Anyway, and crucially, we do not have a star to top the tree! Why? Because all the stars out there weigh so much they cause the top of the tree to bend over. They all have battery packs because they light up, or project light shows on the ceiling (!) or whatever. I just want a plain, lightweight star but I have given up for the year. In its place I have a large red bow, which looks festive but... not what I want. I am in the grip of Xmas rage!

No almond cakes were available! Trust me, I looked.... I had to go back for the second order because (apparently) Xmas is not Xmas without Xmas crackers. The lack of cordials is a regular topic of discussion at home. I can find Ribena in the supermarket, but that's about it. The other delicacies needed (Irn Bru, Scotch eggs) must be acquired in a specialty shop in Santa Monica. And no, just a jar of Branston pickle. The Twiglets and Marmite are for me, because (I am told) I have no taste buds.

We put in our order with British Corner Shop just before Thanksgiving. I started this annual tradition when I was married to my ex, also a Brit, who taught me that it is Very Important to have proper Xmas things to eat for a proper Xmas. So this year we got: Umm, somehow we also put in another order which is arriving on Friday. I will stress that the first order was not solely for us -- I ordered a few things for others who have gotten hooked on certain UK food stuffs. I have never seen anything disappear as quickly before my eyes as that bag of prawn crackers in my husband's hands. I looked away to mess with my phone and when I looked back poof! Gone. Magic.

Sarper and Shakinah are now running a concierge service for people who want to get cosmetic surgery/dentistry done in Turkey. I mean... look. They are not exactly the best ambassadors for plastic surgery, but it's not a bad business idea. There are always going to be people who want to get work done there but feel overwhelmed or confused about how to do that, and having two people familiar with the process and all the various hoops lead the way seems like a useful service. I mean, at least it's not OnlyFans!

She said in the Last Resort that it really had been her father leaning on her to stay in the marriage. I wonder what Papa Kalani/Kolini will say about his son-in-law now. There have been some real winners on 90 Day: Geoffrey, now in prison for assault and kidnapping; Paul, whose depravity seems to know no bottom (p0rn with your brother-in-law??), and Karine hardly better; gross gross gross Mike who acted like he bought Ximena (who was not a winner either) and showed up with poop on his shoes, basically demanding sex from her; Pao, who has emotionally bullied Russ from day one; that Russian little person who turned out to be a racist and had her story ended early, leading to her being known online as "the littlest Klansman"... and those are just the most egregious ones. And I can't stop watching. Just super excited for Closet Mom to finally show up tomorrow.

Late edit -- "sez" was supposed to be "sex" -- I should not post before my first cup of coffee is finished.