the bow & arrow

Big Arrow, Little Arrow

A couple weeks ago, I started a secondary blog called Big Arrow, Little Arrow. Since I’ve been keeping it updated consistently, I think it’s ready to be formally introduced over here (and maybe other accounts of mine, if I’m brave enough!). Go ahead and follow, if you’d like — I’d like everyone to know my dad, even just a little bit. 

From the “About” section:

“I created this area to harbor my stories of and with my father, and to develop my own thoughts as I grapple with the idea that my dad is actually mortal. As our days are increasingly numbered and my mind scrambles to grasp disjointed memories of us together, I will jot down all that I remember and find — both in pictures and in words. 

This tumblr is a little sidecar to  The Bow & Arrow.”

I bought a nail dotting tool kit and used it for the first time the other night. OPI “Road House Blues” and Sally Hansen Salon’s “Honey Whip.”

My first couple weeks in the Bay Area have made my skin act funny (in a very bad way), so I decided to use this as an opportunity to have a major skincare regimen overhaul. I’ve had a very lengthy history with skin moisturizers — my mom always emphasized good skincare, so by the eighth grade, I had already cycled through a couple Lancomes and developed a nightly habit of washing my face and applying the cream. Initially, I started out with some expensive creams ranging from $40-60 a pop. I bought and tried whatever was most appealing while we walked around the makeup counters, but a couple years ago, I started noticing that no matter what I did, I’d consistently get a pimple or two every couple weeks, so I went to Sephora for a couple testers. Up until recently, I had been using Dr. Murad’s pomegranate “T-Zone” line. It cleared it up when I was having issues, but seemed to lose its effect in the couple years, which isn’t its fault — I still recommend that line over any other alternative. A long time ago, I read that your skin grows accustomed to the ingredients in your facial scrub and moisturizer, so you are supposed to change it up every year or so, so that the ingredients in your new scrub and moisturizer can be effective. 

Anyway, my new ritual involves Aveeno Naturals Smart Essentials (the Aveeno has a really warm, soothing scent that I’ve never smelled before, and I haven’t had any breakouts since I started using it), scrubbed with a facial exfoliant sponge, patted dry with a towel, and then generously covered with Nip+Fab’s moisturizer, which I stumbled upon at Target and picked up merely because the packaging was so beautiful. 

And thank god I did because it has been amazing. The consistency of the Nip+Fab is a little oilier than I am used to, but surprisingly, it doesn’t dry that way at all! It absorbs it with this very slight, tingly sensation, and blends in to your skin in about 5 minutes. My face feels soft and supple and just really, really clean. I did a little bit of research with Nip+Fab and discovered that they are a kind-of new UK brand that is a much more affordable alternative to its parent skincare company, Rodial. Rodial products seem to run in the triple digits, which is insane to me, and the Nip+Fab was just a little over $17. I’m honestly just amazed at these new products and my new dedication to taking care of my skin again — a habit which I do admit had become a little lackluster. 

Betty came to visit for Mother’s Day weekend. Her belly is starting to show! In a few months, I’ll be an aunt. 

I pined over this J.Crew leopard sweater for a few months now, always checking the stores and website, hoping it would fall into the sale section. It never did — it just skipped all that and disappeared from the stores, so imagine how delighted I was when I found one on Ebay! For 33% of the retail price! The best part is that I paid immediately, asked the seller if she received the funds 2 days later (because she hadn’t done anything), and she explained that she had given me the wrong e-mail to send money to, so to acknowledge my patience, she’d waive the shipping fee. The rest of my week: MADE.

The super moon from the house wasn’t as big as I imagined, but it was very, very bright and luminous. Here it is above the neighbor’s roof. Dave was on the phone talking to me as “The Moon” from The Mighty Boosh.

I took Richard and Sunny to the Monterey Bay Aquarium — my mother signed up for membership so our whole family can go whenever. I am not joking when I say I can watch otters and jellies forever. It was cold and windy, a very broody type of day, but the skies were still deceptively blue. 

Richard bought me a pretty little vintage Coach bag for my 23rd birthday.

Dave bought me a little stuffed fox when we went to the Austin Zoo & Sanctuary. We video chatted the other day. Here he is, waving.

Since I only trust my mom with a pair of scissors near my head, I whined for a quick haircut and got it early morning. I sat in a tangerine lawn chair in our backyard and a tin bucket in my hand to catch my hair trimmings. We used the garden hose to dampen my hair. It was extra windy, so it came out a little uneven and choppy, but that was quickly fixed once we stepped inside. As always, perfect haircut: I haven’t paid for one after I turned 18.

Also, I like westies. Just look at their little faces.

Like everyone else with an iPad, I discovered and have fallen in love with Paper. We bought the watercolor and thin-writing tips and I practiced drawing some airplanes and foxes and a picture of Richard yawning. Here’s a small sketch for Baby Aviators. 

As the app gets more popular, I hope they’ll provide a bigger color selection and a wider variety of brush tips. Despite all that, they must have done a really good job with this app, as I am already itching for a stylus.