The Cave--er, Desk--of Wonders and the End of Red Lipstick Week

My desk horrifies me. I'm pretty sure that any desk I own gets taken over by a messy tween doppelganger who's still sleeping less than 2 hours a night, because now that my naturally tidy self gets a full night's sleep, there's no excuse for this clutter! ...then again, I use my 5 square feet of dining room space for just about everything. I put on my makeup and half of my skincare while watching movies or YouTube videos. I apply nail polish and flip through magazines or books while waiting for my video games to load. And when blogging or prepping for my new short-term writing gig (woot!) gets too serious, I flip over to some of my favorite makeup porn sites (hullo, Drivel About Frivol!) or text one of the besties.

Here, then, is a tour of my catch-all station, my vanity, office, storage closet, and playroom all in one plywood piece of Heaven.

My computer tower hangs out on a little shelf attached to the left side of the desk. I stack my oodles of unread magazines underneath it. (If you're wondering how I got so many mags: MagsForMiles.com is a nerdy jetsetter's haven!) And of course, the edge of my blanket--my dad keeps it so cold in the house!

This is what I sometimes refer to as the "not today, maybe tomorrow" pile, or stuff that I like to keep on my desk, but rarely ever "use." Of course, you can see the picture of my boyfriend and me and the cute stuffed fox my friend Jessica bought me guarding the pile. The contents of the pile? Job applications, notepads, recipes and articles of interest, my kindle, and a book I plan to read. To the right of that is my "daily beauty" stuff: the nastiest hair tie you'll ever see (hence why I use it for my sleepy-time braid), a broken hairbrush, and makeup that I'm either keeping out for the day's touch-ups or use so often I rarely feel the urge to put it away. Bad habit, I know, but considering I do my makeup at my desk and have to drag it downstairs without waking up my sister, it's kind of a necessity. There's also a metal bookmark that my cousin made me and a small manicure kit, which I use surprisingly often.

The center of my desk is the "this needs your attention" center. I have notes for current projects (or, um, in this case, my current round of Neverwinter Nights), coupons I want to give to my sister, cameras and chargers, and music paraphernalia, namely two pairs of headphones and a "mix tape" from Laurel and Nick's wedding (congrats again!). I only keep a few things here because they generally get moved by the end of the day; the coupons are actually going up to my sister as soon as I finish typing this. :)

This is probably the cluster o' stuff that will be of most interest to my readers! It's my mini-skincare bar with items that I may "need" throughout the day or right before I put on my makeup, including Elizabeth Arden skincare, zit cream, and lip balm. I also bring down my current perfume-of-interest and a few of the polishes I plan on using, plus base and topcoats. (Zoya Colbie is what I plan on putting on my nails tonight or tomorrow.) Now that fall is coming and my skin has started to freak out, forcing me to use uber-drying anti-acne treatments, I've specifically replaced my SPF50 face sunscreen with Elizabeth Arden Let There Be Light Radiant Skin Lotion in SPF15.

Here you can see the small mirror I stole from my mom to do my makeup. You can also see pens, hair pins, dental floss, head scarves, needles, packaging tape, stacks of video games, sweet cards from my man, compressed air, and maybe a few other things. It's essentially a catch-all pile: I may only use this stuff once a week, but when I need it, I usually need it fast, so I keep it on hand. I also always have a beverage nearby, and since I'm trying to lose 10 pounds and get back to my pre-grad school weight, I've been sticking with water.

And now, the last 2 pictures from red lipstick week! The first is actually a Chanel Dragon FOTD that I did a while back for a trip to the movies, but for some reason never posted on the interwebz. The second is my FOTD from yesterday and is probably the derpiest picture I'll ever post of myself. Still, you can see the lipstick (Revlon Red Velvet lip butter) and the eyeshadow (Chanel Emmerville IdO topped with MAC Melon pigment).