Idle Curiosities

This week, I’m kicking off a new series on this shiny new blog. Well, technically, I’m revamping an old favorite and giving it a glow-up—kind of like this blog itself. Your girl lives for a good theme, so here we are.

Back in the day, I called it “This and That.” A charming little round-up of all the things that made me go, “Ooooh!” over the past week or so.

Think of it as a grab bag of stuff that made me swoon, flummoxed me (fancy word for “Wait, WHAT?”), got my brain buzzing, mysteriously emptied my bank account (thanks, cart), or was just plain cool or pretty.

And so, dear reader, I present to you: Idle Curiosities—a whimsical little series where I gather all the delightful, curious, and occasionally baffling things that catch my eye, make my brain hum, or inspire a spontaneous “Add to Cart.” (even if I don’t check out right away-it’s window-shopping but like, on the internet.)

Idle curiosity, is a desire to learn or know something for personal interest, without a specific reason. It is often characterized by a sense of wonder and a desire to explore new ideas or information.

So here goes this week’s Idle Curiosities.

This year, I’m all about simplifying—fewer things to stress over, more time to focus on what I actually enjoy. One of my first steps? Embracing my natural hair. It’s been exactly a week since I decided to let my strawberry blonde, frizzy waves do their thing. And listen, this is groundbreaking for me. Normally, my ventures into “going natural” last a day or two at best before I’m back to my trusty blow dryer. This pattern started way back in 1996 when I cut my hair into The Rachel (because, of course, I did).

High School me. Before I cut my hair, never needed a blowdryer.

The thing is - I don’t remember my hair ever being this wavy. I mean, sure after the beach, but no. Not like this. I remember washing it and tying it up in a Scrunchies until it dried. It would take hours and I usually went to sleep with it wet - so I don’t know if that had anything to do with it. The point is. High school me, never needed a blow dryer. Until I cut my hair and it would just CURL! Which is why I needed to dry it. OH MY GOSH!

Sorry - for the ADH fueled rant, What was I talking about - yes, going with my natural waves…

Last week, someone hit me with the wildest compliment: A girl at Costco stopped me and said, “You look like Blake Lively in This Is Us.” First of all, WHAT?! I don’t see it, but I’m flattered. Apparently, it’s the hair and the color. I had to Google Blake, and yep—she’s rocking those effortless waves I aspire to.

Naturally, this compliment was the final push I needed to actually watch the film (because -of-course-I-had-to) and then I proceeded to Google Blake Lively like it was my full-time job.

My search ended with me clicking “Add to Cart” on three Colleen Hoover books: It Ends with Us, It Starts with Us, and Ugly Love. I haven’t started them yet, but I’m bracing myself for some late-night binge reading and the inevitable emotional devastation.

Does this mean I’m in my Blake Lively Hair Era? Lol, no. I’m in my This Is My Actual Hair Era, embracing the frizz, the waves, and everything in between. Maybe. Jury is still out. Ask me next week.

While I was Googling, I stumbled across this fascinating New York Times article about Hollywood smear campaigns involving Blake Lively and It Ends with Us. Let me tell you—it’s like Mean Girls’ burn book, but taken to a corporate level. Scathing doesn’t even begin to describe it.

Back to my hair, though. Inspired by my Blake moment, I decided to invest in some products to help me keep these waves looking less “I live in a wind tunnel” and more “effortlessly chic.” I splurged on Olaplex No. 10 Curl Defining Hair Gel and Ouidad Botanical Boost Curl Energizing & Refreshing Spray, and I’m on day two and loving my hair a lot more. I’ve been using the Olaplex No. 7 Bonding Oil for a while now and when my hair is mostly air dried I finish my hair off with that. I like how it adds shine without weighing things down, and the Ouidad spray is a miracle worker for reviving second-day waves, which is giving me lots of hope that I may be able to stick to this natural hair-don’t care thing for a while.

And while we’re talking beauty, let me just say: I will forever be loyal to Clinique’s Almost Lipstick in Black Honey and Pink Honey. They’re the ultimate your-lips-but-better shades and never make my lips dry. I wish I could say the same for the Sheer Matte Lipstick in Bisou Balm that TikTok convinced me to buy on Black Friday. The shades are gorgeous, I have Amour Fou and Rose Latte but this lipstick is drier than the Sahara. Even so, I have been religiously wearing them for a month. If you try it, make sure you layer it over a moisturizing lip oil or balm. I am a fan of Aquaphor Lip Repair but at night I use the regular stuff in the tube as a mask. I’ve got this lip mask by Laniege in my Amazon shopping cart. If you’ve tried it, I would love to hear your thoughts.

I promise I was not obessing over my hair every spare moment I had.

One of things that grabbed my attention this week—is this new podcast I discovered called In the Dark. It’s an investigative series that digs into some truly gripping and thought-provoking cases. If you’re into true crime or just love a good deep dive into the human experience, this is your next listen. It’s the kind of storytelling that makes you want to cancel plans just to keep listening.

This article about Wal-Mart making it’s communities poorer has me nodding my head.

So there you have it—my week of beauty experiments, Costco compliments, Blake Lively spirals, and a new podcast obsession.

What’s been inspiring you lately? Tell me all about it.

Full disclosure: some links in this post may be affiliate links. If you click and purchase, I might score a small commission—like finding spare change in my couch. No worries though, I only hype what I actually dig. Transparency is key, and I’m all about keeping it real.