Friday favorites + Blogtober14 catch-ups

well this was inevitable. so much blogging, so little time. i fell behind on the #Blogtober14 prompts. again. but lucky for me (and you!), i think i can wrap up yesterday’s, today’s (since they’re both kind of about favorite things) and my semi-usual Friday favorites in one neat little package here. so overachieving of me, huh? don’t get used to it. enjoy this week’s favorites and have a beautiful fall weekend, everyone!

glossing up (today’s Blogtober)
technically, the prompt is “the 1 beauty product you can’t live without.” i’m not sure there’s any beauty product i really can’t live without. i’m pretty minimal (and generally drugstore) when it comes to product. but the prospect of not having some L’Oreal Colour Riche in Mica (#620) around actually is just a weensy bit panic inducing. it is the absolute perfect everyday/year-round lipstick. a shimmery plum that isn’t too light and too dark, and and somehow works both when i’m tan in the summer and pale in the winter. it’s good as both an everyday color and a night-out color with more done-up eyes for contrast. it’s totally moisturizing and never gets cakey and crappy. (great review and this photo from makeupandbeauty.com) i’ve been wearing it for, gosh, maybe at least 10 years now . . . or more. and i’m constantly terrified it’s going to get discontinued. i can’t always find it in stores, which always makes me nervous. but i can still find it plenty of places online and order at least 2 at a time . . . just in case.

editing to perfection (yesterday’s Blogtober)
yup. technically, the prompt on that one is “photo editing/blog tools/apps you love.” or something like that. again, i’m pretty basic here, but i do have a few go-to moves. i usually just use the Instagram filters, but once in a while will pull out Photoshop Express if i need a little something more. LVL CAM is another awesome tool i’ve kind of toyed with, but don’t use that often. i know a couple of the guys who helped create it, so i figure a shout out is in order. i rarely (maybe never) blog from my phone. but, hey i’m new and it could happen! i do religiously check in to my WordPress and Bloglovin’ apps to see who’s doing what and get any messages. on the old MacBook Pro, i’m even more boring and basic. straight-up iPhoto for any photo editing, and occasionally Preview for some cropping and stuff. i briefly used CollageIt for a few collages. until i recently realized the WordPress gallery feature for my theme is awesome. if i need to do something more graphic (like a call-out or caption on a pic, chalkboard quote, etc.), i’ll throw it together in Keynote and save it out as an image. i used to know enough Photoshop to be dangerous, but at this point, i’m not sure the learning curve (and price) is worth it for how often i’d use it.

well-spoken young ladies

okay, i’m kind of torn about this one. i just quickly closed it down so Miss Girl wouldn’t watch/hear it. but the point is, it’s not for her. it’s about her. and all the other girls and women out there who should have the same standards of judgement, opportunities and freedoms as their male counterparts. not gonna get on a soapbox, but watch and see what you think. and let me know. or just don’t worry your pretty little heads about it too much.

a good ol’ fashioned pig pickin’

so excited to go over to a girlfriend’s home tomorrow for the ultimate Southern backyard culinary event. best food, best people to meet and between the flowing cocktails and a big, giant porcine carcass prominently displayed, y’all never run out of anything to talk about. nobody ever really did these in Richmond, but wayback in my younger history in Louisiana, they were kind of a staple. love that they’re making a comeback in my life in Atlanta.

a pig ain’t nothin’ without some pimento cheese
also looking forward to the “pimento cheese bar” tomorrow. wuuuut?? sounds divine. this Southern delicacy is one i’ve never tried my hand at. and i frankly didn’t realize there were so many variations, until i checked into a few things today. thankfully, we’re not asked to bring an offering in this realm. but, after reading up on Southern Living’s top 5 pimento cheese spread recipes, i feel hungry. but also fully equipped to pull out a version of my own on short notice. any of these look great for fall football parties. do you have a recipe you like?