Three For Thursday

Style blogger Susan B. wearing burgundy cashmere gloves from Black UK. Details at une femme d'un certain age.

Winter Accessories

Don’t hate me, but we’ve been having a very mild winter here in Southern California. Many of you have been slogging through a severe season, and I don’t envy you.

Usually this is our coldest month, and it wouldn’t be unheard of to be wearing a hat and gloves in the mornings and evenings. I haven’t needed either yet this winter. But we are planning a Colorado ski trip in about 3 weeks, so I’ve been pulling together and updating my winter accessories.

I’ll definitely be including those burgundy cashmere gloves (gifted) shown above. They’re made in Scotland, and are incredibly soft and warm.

Two Thumbs Up

Cailyn O! round makeup brush. Details at une femme d'un certain age.

I promised to report back on this makeup brush that my friend Karen recommended, and yes, it’s everything she promised! It really does give my foundation an airbrushed finish. (How I use it: dab on a bit of foundation then blend with the brush.) I also purchased the smaller two-sided brush, which I use below my eyes and corners of my nose to blend. There are no animal products in the brushes, and Cailyn is included on the Leaping Bunny list of approved brands.

Home Accents

Wire counter stool. Details at une femme d'un certain age.

As part of our kitchen renovation, we added a counter for eating/working. Our kitchen aesthetic is what I call “rustic modern” and these counter stools should fit in perfectly with that. I saw them in person over the weekend, and have two on order, as well as some seat cushions. The contractor is promising that we should have a fully functioning kitchen and bathroom by the end of the week, but to my untrained eye it still seems there’s an awful lot to do.

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16 Comments

  1. I cracked up that you have to “buy” gloves…I have more than 10 pair of gloves: “snow shoveling gloves” which are my warmest and strongest, “gas-pumping gloves” which are left on the back seat for that specific task, insulated mittens for playing in the snow, and then the myriad of different colored gloves that coordinate with specific coats…oh, and a few pair of “$5.00 Old Navy” fleece gloves, for when someone shows up without gloves! Mid-Atlantic living!

  2. Yes, Thea, I have a “Basket o’ Gloves” and a “Basket o’ Hats” , accessories for every task and social occasion! The real serious gloves are sheepskin lined Ugg gloves. The serious hat is a faux fur trapper hat that covers my head, forehead, ears and neck. Add a scarf over my mouth and sunglasses for eye protection and I am only exposing my nose. But when the temps drop sub zero F, the nose gets covered up also.
    The Cute gloves are a magenta leather 3 button length with cashmere lining. They really pop with my black dress coat. The Cute Hat is a rollable wool beret, keeps my head warm but does not crush the ‘do.

    1. Bérets are wonderful for that. I think I have about 10, including 3 or 4 red ones (of various shades of red, from red pepper to burgundy) and ranging in material from cotton (these are made by the longstanding Toronto firm Parkhurst) through wool to angora. I also have a cherry red tuque knitted by my (now late) mother.

      Pseu, the Parkhurst cotton ones are brilliant when it is just a bit chilly. They are also excellent for sun protection. And many pretty colours. There are online shops carrying them in the US as well, so you don’t have to worry about duties and currency conversions. They are made in a factory in Toronto where the workers (mostly ladies of Chinese and other East and Southeast Asian origins) are reportedly treated fairly and earn decent wages.

      Your gloves are beautiful, and high-quality cashmere seems warm almost as a living furry creature is (and doesn’t kill the creatures that provide the wool).

      I certainly don’t begrudge you pleasant weather after the ‘plagues” that have hit California! But fortunately for the moment the extreme cold seems to have abated. It was an utterly huge system. Oh dear, I see chilly temps in Florida, reported by Lyn below. At first 28 seems pleasantly warm because I think in Celsius.

  3. It was 28º yesterday in Florida!! The panhandle. I hadn’t packed gloves and was longing for the pair that that were nestled in the pockets of my other coat at home. Every warm coat should have a pair of gloves that lives in the pockets. They are on my international travel packing list, but I didn’t think about them for a car trip from Orlando. Besides, who thought I’d need them to scrape ice off a windshield with a credit card.in Florida!

  4. Hmm. Mountains, or the Denver area? The cashmere will be warm and be ok if you don’t plan to be outside much, but it’s no antidote to melting snow, or the CO winds, or mountain nights. If you plan to be in a ski area they might be too dressy, and you’d need more sporty, seriously warm one’s. Also consider gloves with the conductive tips that allow you to use your devices outside without taking the gloves off. Isotoner has a bunch of them. The pair that I bought for my daughter was quite (unusually for them) stylish. As soon as the sun goes down (or you’re in mountain shadow) the temps drop, a lot, the Isotoner fits so close to the skin you can put mittens on top of them for extra warmth, pulling the mitten off to use a key, or your device. However much I like fashion, I’m practical and I like to be warm. My late mother in law, on the other hand, always said she’d “rather be chic than warm.” : )

    1. I agree! They need to be waterproof and warm. Thinsulate is a great product.
      Like many, I have a basket of different gloves, even mitts. For driving around town, I usually wear leather.
      I also, have a selection of hats. I find the best for really cold, blustery weather is a toque. But, I also have a couple of cute ones that have a hidden flap to pull down when you need that extra protection.
      I’m looking towards spring already.

  5. After reading the praises you sang about the Cailyn Makeup Brush in one of your recent blogs, I decided to take a chance and make this somewhat pricey purchase. For a long time I have been dealing with blotchy skin on my face due to sun damage as well as constantly battling the oily t-zone area. I have been using this brush for several days now and can honestly say that it takes care of my skin imperfections and, as you said, leaves a beautiful air-brushed look. It is amazing! I use it with Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Powder but can tell that one of the beauties of this brush is that it can be used with multiple types of coverage products–compact powder, loose powder, and liquid make-up. Thank you for this marvelous recommendation and thank you for your wonderful blog!

  6. Thanks for the update on the brush – it’s “spendy” and seems worth the price! I love the kitchen counter stools; they are going to look great. And what did you finally decide for your overhead lighting? Best wishes for the job to be done soon; renos quickly get old!

  7. Love your stools, our home style is somewhat similar. Do consider thin cushions for the winter mornings as you may get a cool shock on your derriere from the metal. We discovered this when researching bar stools during our northern New Zealand winter. It’s a temperate climate except early mornings i.e. breakfast time!

  8. -5 degree temperatures for three weeks–Wisconsin winters are/can be frigidly brutal. Gloves, mittens, hats, scraves, boots, long johns…one wears some or all of these items at the same time. Snow shoveling/blowing requires an Eddie Bauer long-down coat with hood. Fashion is non existent when venturing out in -5 degree temperatures in Madison, Wisconsin..

    1. I have that long, hooded, Eddie Bauer down coat, too, here in mid coast Maine. Most unflattering but cozy as a sleeping bag on the coldest days.

  9. I am that rare weirdo who adores winter; the colder the better! I lived in SoCal for years and hated the endless sunshine and lack in change of weather.

    I agree that taking an extra pair of warmer, dryer gloves might be a good idea, and knowing how good you are at packing, you probably are!

  10. We aggies in central CA are finding this winter distressing dry, just when we were hoping our wretched drought was over. I’ve got a similar pair of cashmere gloves my parents brought home from New Zealand a few years back. So warm and deliciously soft. Glad your kitchen is almost done. It looks great, and I love those stools.