Recently in Girly Stuff Category

Then…
Roll in from a night out on the town as the sun came up at 5:30 am, reeking of cigarette smoke and 3 am pizza and booze.

Now…
Go to bed at 11 so we can all get up at 5:30 am to go run a 5k together. According to Julie’s watch timer, we ran it in 35:11. Our official time was 36 something because we started 40 seconds after the people in the very front, and then had to moo our way through a cattle-pen-like traffic jam at the finish line. Still, I’d like to say, Go us! We rock!

Then…
Sleep until 12:50, then run down to the dining hall to get brunch before they closed the doors at 1.

Now…
Eat lunch at 12:50, having run 3.1 miles, eaten free breakfast, hung out downtown, made our way back to the hotel and had time for all three of us to shower and change and walk 27 gazillion blocks to a restaurant.

Then…
Lie around, smoke more cigarettes, chatter at each other and possibly take an afternoon nap.

Now…
Shop, yak at each other, then take an afternoon nap.

Then…
Subsist on Twix bars and Ruffles Sour Cream and Cheddar potato chips and Coca Cola.

Now…
Snack on Fiji water, lattes, chai and other goodies from Starbucks.

Then…
Play games like Otello and Egyptian Rat Screw in the common room until 1 am.

Now…
Play Totally ‘80’s Trivial Pursuit until dinner time. Start giving each other outrageous hints so we can end the game before it gets too late.

Then…
A fancy dinner out meant Pizzeria Uno or Friday’s, followed by a visit to a bar or a party or something, which then lead (again) to rolling in at dawn. Or sleeping on someone’s couch/bed/floor so we didn’t have to drive back to school, followed by the early morning stumble out to wherever we had left the car, hoping it would still be there.

Now…
Pick out a decidedly non-chain tapas restaurant in Old Town, devour tapas like wolverines, knock back a couple of margaritas each, enjoy the live Spanish music, and then take a leisurely walk back to the hotel. Off to bed by midnight.

Then…
Hour upon hour of laughter and discussion and analysis and argument and fun and some of the best times in my life with the greatest friends in the world.

Now…
Ditto. A lot has changed since we all met back in 1989 (which Jules just loves to point out was almost 20 years ago) but the important pieces have all stayed the same.

Here are the "Babes for Boobs" after their triumphant finish (me, Julie, Jules, Sarah and Jules's son Malcolm.)Yes, my face is glowing bright red, and yes, I really am that short:

And out at dinner:

I can be extraordinarily lazy when it comes to girl stuff. This wasn’t always the case – my mom is one of those women who does not leave the house unless she is perfectly dressed, made up and accessorized, which meant that I was raised to not leave the house unless I was perfectly dressed, made up and accessorized. My mom and I had different ideas about how I should dress and look, but in my way I was very well put together. Then I got to college and after a couple of weeks of showing up to class all dressed up, I realized everyone else was in jeans and sweats. The realization that I could knock a bunch of time off my morning routine and sleep later hit like a lightning bolt, and the less fancy Hillary was born. Wearing makeup and my contacts became more of a going out occurrence. Of course, I went out a lot in college, so really I just shifted to being well groomed at night, I guess. In a baby doll dress, black tights and Doc Martens kind of way. Usually with a lot of black eyeliner.

Anyway, I generally take a more minimalist approach these days. I’m perfectly presentable, but I got into the habit of skimping on the details. Now I find that as I’m getting in shape and losing weight, I’m becoming more interested clothes and makeup again. This weekend I reconnected with my girlie side in a big way. On Saturday I made my semi-annual trip to get my hair cut and highlighted. As a bonus, I now have so much grey hair that I have to have dye added in between the highlights. Stupid grey hair. It’s nice to go to the salon to get fussed over. Expensive, but totally worth it – curly hair is tricky to cut, and I’m picky about who does my color. Plus I really like my hair stylist. She’s fun.

After the salon I headed over to Nordstrom where I bought what may be the most beautiful pair of pumps I have ever owned. As I was trying them on, complete strangers commented on how great they are. Even John, who wouldn’t care if I strapped actual shoe boxes to my feet instead of shoes, recognized how gorgeous these shoes are. Don’t you just love them? Thank you, Michael Kors.

Then I went and made the girl at the Smashbox counter’s day by getting color correcting primer (I’m so tired of the red undertone from my rosacea), foundation, a foundation brush, eyeliner, eye shadow and lip gloss.

It was an enjoyable and satisfying day and I’m looking forward to doing it again. I’m not saying that I’ll completely abandon my minimalist side, but I’m going to have fun embracing my girlie side too.

As I may have mentioned, my friend Jules is moving back to DC at the end of April. I am beside myself with joy. It is going to be so great to have her close by again.

Jules has her own company, Girlz Nite Out (although she’s working on a new name) which I wrote about here, and here. Now that she’s relocating, she needs to start building business in this area. It works just like Tupperware or Pampered Chef, where you have a party and invite people over, but instead of selling cooking and storage products, she sells sexy stuff. She’s got lotions and potions and creams….stuff to make you smell good, and powders and gels to make your skin taste good….products that can make sex more playful and fun…and, of course toys. The toys are always the big attraction, but there’s a whole lot more to it than that. Like my favorite product, this great moisturizing shaving cream she sells that is the only thing that saves my legs from being dry and irritated in the winter.

Jules makes the parties that she throws a lot of fun. I’ll admit to being biased in her favor, but at the same time, I’ve been to two of her parties, and if little introverted me can have a good time in a room full of girls I (mostly) don’t know who are talking about sex, anyone can have fun at one of them. There are usually drinks and snacks, and generally a lot of chatter and laughter and good times.

So, I’m asking, if you’re in the Maryland, DC or Virginia area and you think you might be interested in hosting one of her parties, leave a comment, and I’ll tell you how to get in touch with her. Hostesses do get discounts and free stuff, and you’ll have a blast.

I don't wear makeup very often. For one thing, I'm not a morning person, so bothering with makeup is very low on my list when I'm trying to get ready for work in the morning. And on the weekend I'm more likely to be hanging out with John and Seamus, who don't care whether I wear makeup or not. Hell, they probably don't even care if I wash my hair -- as long as it isn't gross or anything.

Anyway, I was putting makeup on over the weekend, and realized that everyhing I have is very old. Years old. And it is time to replace it. Pretty much all of it, except for the lipsticks.

And I need your suggestions. What are your favorite makeup products?

Please keep in mind that I do not need blush, as my rosacea gives me a rosy glow.

Also, I am not willing to spend $47 on a Chanel lipstick. I am willing to pay a premium for products that are not tested on animals however.

So, what've you got for me?

Thursday night was awesome. I was up way past my bed time with two of my best friends in the whole world – Jules and Laila. There was flinging of food, singing, wrestling, nudity, and someone peed in a corner. Were we partying with rock stars? Nope. We were hanging out with toddlers. Replace peeing in the corner with puking and you’ve got a description of many a night from our college years …but times have changed.

Jules was passing through town on her way back up the coast, so we all gathered at Laila’s for the evening. The toddlers were Jules’ little boy Malcolm and Laila’s son Noah. We got the kids fed, and then they ran around the kitchen while we ate. And then we played hide & seek, toddler style, ran around the island in the kitchen a bunch of times, took all of the toys out of the cabinet and then put them all back in, had little tiny ice cream sandwiches, and climbed on chairs. I refereed a fight over a toy. The kids enjoyed running around naked. I learned that toddlers are very fond of the words “no!” and “mine!” Plus they are very dramatic, but luckily, also easily distracted.

After the kids went to bed, the three of us sat around and gabbed. It was a wonderful night. They only way it could have been better would have been if I had a kid of my own running around with Malcolm and Noah. Well, that, and if it could be a regularly occurring kind of evening. But Jules lives in New Hampshire now, and I’m pretty sure Laila is going to go back to California. I miss my friends when they are far away. And it makes me sad that I’m not going to be a part of Malcolm and Noah’s lives except on an occasional basis. But at least we got in one more wild night together.

My friend Jules’ party was a huge success, even with me falling down on the guest-supplying front. While I knew I would have a good time – it goes against the laws of physics for me to be with Laila, Jules and Melissa and not have a good time – I didn’t realize how much fun everyone else would have. But there were a couple of things I hadn’t taken into account. First of all, Jules is good at this. Really good. She’s working on a plan to buy the company from the current owner, and I’m positive she’s going to make it even more successful than it already is. Her presentation was fun and informative and she really made it a party.

Second, the women who came treated it like it really was a party, and not just a sales pitch. They were there with their best friends just like I was. They scooped up hors d’oeuvres and free booze (featuring the debut of the Girlz Nite Out signature martini served in the most gorgeous glasses ever) and delicious desserts. They played the games, and participated in Jules’ “tricks and tips” challenges, laughed and made rowdy jokes. Everyone had a blast.

And then they went in and bought a whole lot of stuff! I was astounded when Jules told me the grand total. And yes, I bought a couple of items. I had carefully put my list together, including one piece which really only made the list because I was trying to be a good friend. And then it turns out that because I helped throw the party, I get a merchandise credit! So I guess I didn’t have to worry about my revenue contribution after all. Not that Jules would have cared if whether or not I spent a dime.

So, if you ever get the chance to go to one of these parties, I can assure you it will be a good time. Now I must get off the internet before I go order those martini glasses from Crate & Barrel. I hate martinis, so I really, really don't need them. Even though I am in love with their prettiness.

My friend Jules is in town, visiting from New Hampshire. Yay! Now, Jules has a day job with a company here in DC, which she is about to give up to return to graduate school. And she also has one of those jobs where she has parties and sells things and gets a percentage of the profits. She’s having a party here on Saturday, and she’s asked if I want to invite anyone from work.

Which brings us to my problem. I want to be a supportive friend and bring guests to buy stuff from her. But I work for a very conservative company, and Jules, being Jules doesn’t sell plain ol' ordinary Pampered Chef products. At her parties she sells, hmm, let’s call them sex accessories. Don’t get me wrong – I have no problems with people purchasing and using said accessories. And I know the party will be a lot of fun. But a) people can be weird about sex and might get offended and b) I’m not sure I want to see any of my co-workers waving “the dolphin” around. There are some mental images you just don’t want. I think inviting people from work is out.

Jules and I know all of the same people, so there’s no other pool of potential customers for me to tap. One of my friends may come for the entertainment value, but she doesn’t want to buy anything. I have promised not to yell “Oh my God it’s a zombie penis!” like I did when Jules practiced her spiel on me, but that’s pretty much all I can do to help sales at this point.

So, how much do you think I have to purchase to be a good friend and make up for not contributing any guests to the party?

So today was Chocolate Day at my office. We have it once a year, and everyone bakes or buys chocolate dishes and brings them in. I love Chocolate Day!

First of all, I like to bake, so that part is fun for me. I made my delicious Fudgy Turtle Pie. And then I get to eat lots of chocolate, and who doesn't like that? I had:

a) a piece of my pie
b) 1/2 of a chocolate donut
c) a chocolate covered strawberry
d) a little tiny brownie cup
e) two pieces of the best Texas Sheet cake ever

And that was plenty. If you want to see a photo of all the chocolate day booty, Amalah posted a photo. I was too slow to get any of her Fake Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, but I heard they were amazing.

Now I must go eat some broccoli or spinach or whatever the biological opposite of chocolate is.