1.  Makeup as Art

Images via We See Beauty

I’m not a makeup person.  I wear it but I don’t find it to be the most exciting topic.  When makeup is photographed this artfully, however, I find it captivating.  This makeup is from the We See Beauty’s makeup line, MAKE, which I first spotted on The Atelier.  The We See Beauty Foundation describes itself as a “non-profit organization dedicated to incubate and accelerate women-led, worker-owned cooperatives to drive large scale change.”  1/3 of sales from the We See Beauty shop, including MAKE products, go to support the We See Beauty Foundation.  Check out the We See shop, which offers a carefully curated selection of beauty items, accessories, print materials, films, and home goods.  We See Beauty is a fascinating organization with great aesthetic sensibility.

2.  Old School Ski and Lodge Vacations

Amanda Brooks wrote about her skiing getaway to Samoens in the French Alps on I Love Your Style this week.  I adored the European ski lodge photos and the tales of igloo building.  The above photo from her blog reminds me of a Massimo Vitali photograph.  Speaking of Massimo Vitali, I also enjoyed his photographs of Brazil in the New York Times magazine this week.

Elements of Style posted on another relaxing getaway, The Point at Lake Saranac.  The photos below are from her blog.

Images via Elements of Style.

The Point is a destination that combines a love of the outdoors with gracious accomodations and traditions; Wednesday and Sunday night dinners at The Point require a tuxedo.  This sounds like my kind of place!

3.  Elsa Peretti

Image via Time.

I enjoyed reading about the career of Tiffany’s most famous jewelry designer, Elsa Peretti, in Time Style & Design.  For more photos of Elsa Peretti, including a few from her modeling career, visit Habitually Chic.

4.  Styling with Marble and Fresh flowers

Image via notetoself.

This vignette is just delicious.  I love the combination of the orange peonies and succulents with marble, a simple framed sketch by notetoself, and just a simple votive and some nail polish.  Sometimes elegance lies in the corners of a room.

After viewing this beautiful photograph by Alice Gao on notetoself, I stumbled upon the photographer’s visually compelling blog, Lingered Upon.  I love her tagline:  “Photos and Accumulations of Small Realities.”

5.  Neighborhood shopping & services

Image via Travel Managers.

I love my neighborhood.  When one lives in a city of over 8 million, most of the people one encounters are strangers, but NYC still manages to impart a neighborhood feel.  After all, the city is a collection of neighborhoods.  One night last week, I ran a few errands after work (card shop, bakery, dry cleaner, and wine store, all within less than a few blocks of our apartment).  The man behind the counter at the bakery smiled like he knew me (this probably isn’t a good thing), the man at the dry cleaner did in fact call me by my first name (again, maybe not a good thing), and the owner of the wine store offered me and my husband tickets to a performance that evening (once again, this indicates that I might frequent the business too much; in truth, it was a rare, perhaps twice a year, stop for me).  Humor aside, my point is that even in a large city, we are not strangers in our neighborhood.  And, I appreciate that I can frequent small businesses that are not part of a larger chain and be recognized and valued as a customer.

6.  Perservering through Personal Challenges

Image via The Bronx High School of Science

I read about this boy, named Santiago, a few days ago in the free daily paper that I read on the subway each morning.  His story is part of a new photo exhibit at the UN that documents the journeys that children around the world take to school.  I was inspired by Santiago’s perserverance in the face of his personal challenges, especially how he takes his 2 hour commute to school in such stride, and recognizes that, compared to others, he is quite lucky.