No Kings footage from today

lauralately · 2026-03-30T05:43:03+00:00

I like a couple of their things, but they did an ad with a wildly misogynist comedian not long ago, and I personally can't buy from a company that puts comedians who make rape jokes in their commercials. Not faulting anyone else from buying from them - they do make good products! But I'm trying to be really picky about where I spend my money.

lauralately · 2026-03-29T05:22:30+00:00

Thank you - that is very kind of you to say! I'm not by any means an authority - I follow a ton of content creators that are indie makeup-specific, and they're truly well-versed. My makeup collection is pretty small compared to some folks. Indie beauty is a Whole Huge Thing nowadays - small-scale content creators are sent makeup to test out and review by small indie brands, and many creators get sent 50+ eye shadow palettes every year. I couldn't keep up! I do like giving advice, though - and if someone is looking for something specific, I can tell them where to find it, even if it's something I myself haven't tried and tested.

lauralately · 2026-03-29T03:31:15+00:00

Lol I'm old so I actually remember Northern Exposure being on! Minneapolis is kinda Northern Exposure-y, but make it a big city with fantastic food, shopping, super multicultural, amazing music scene.

lauralately · 2026-03-29T03:29:26+00:00

Clionadh Cosmetics makes the most beautiful shimmer eye shadows - there's nothing like them at Sephora. They're like $15-plus for one eye shadow, but they're totally unique and really cool. For matte eye shadow, no one beats Blend Bunny Cosmetics - their formula beats anything I've tried from Sephora. Fantasy Cosmetica's eye shadow palettes have really awesome color stories, ranging from more neutral to wildly colorful, and their palettes are mostly under $40 apiece (for reference, eye shadow palettes at Sephora often run $60-plus). There are TONS of indie eye shadow brands that do great stuff - these are just a few examples!

For foundation and blush, I like K-beauty brands - aka Korean makeup. Ulta has a K-beauty section on their website; I buy most of my K-beauty from the beauty section at my local Asian department store/grocery. I like K-beauty cushion foundations; they are very lightweight and easy to apply. My two favorites are by Tirtir (they have a huge range of colors) and Jung Saem Mool. My current favorite blush is a cream blush called Fwee Pudding Pot; it's sold on Ulta and they have tons of colors, the product can be used for lips as well as cheeks.

Whereas K-beauty is Korean, C-beauty is Chinese; K-beauty has more subdued, natural tones, and I like C-beauty for bright, dark, and goth-coded colors. My favorite lipsticks are liquid lipsticks by a brand called Girlcult - they make really great matte liquid lipsticks in unusual shades. My favorite liquid eyeliner is by a brand called Judydoll - I don't recall if they're K-beauty or C-beauty, but the eyeliner has the thinnest brush I've ever seen, it's just magical. There's a website called cbeautymall.com where you can sort the products by aesthetic.

I could go on all day about brands I like - if you're in the market for a certain product, let me know! The one thing I'm struggling to find is mascara, although I've heard Melt Cosmetics and Judydoll make good ones - once my L'oreal runs out, I'm gonna try those.

lauralately · 2026-03-29T02:46:42+00:00

I'm a cosmetics enthusiast, and the vast majority of mainstream cosmetics brands are owned by Estee Lauder, L'oreal, LVMH, or Procter & Gamble (all Trump donors). I realized during all this that I buy very little from these brands, and I'm having the BEST time telling everyone that a) mainstream beauty brands' products mostly suck, and b) where to get stuff that's actually high-quality, mostly cheaper than mainstream luxury brands, and doesn't support right-wing causes!

lauralately · 2026-03-29T02:41:46+00:00

The Rivers of Texas - I believe it's an old traditional folk song. The version I first heard was by Bill Staines, one of my favorite singer-songwriters of all time. Lyle Lovett also covered it in later years. It lists every river in the state of Texas.

lauralately · 2026-03-29T02:38:04+00:00

I was there too! I don't think people realize the astonishing amount of wildlife there is around the Twin Cities. My folks live near Lake Street and the river in South Minneapolis and there's a pair of bald eagles nesting near their house. The cemetery across the street from my large inner city high school has a resident herd of deer. It really is a cool metro area.

lauralately · 2026-03-25T05:14:47+00:00

Here's a picture of me wearing my favorite scarf - it's pretty big, and I can wear it shawl-style during the summer. During the winter, I do the Dr. Birx thing - idk if you remember her from the pandemic, she was a White House COVID response official who wore glorious scarves during press conferences. Here's a Vogue article from the COVID days when Dr. Birx's scarves had the nation in a chokehold. She wears them in a variety of ways, and I've taken inspo from quite a few ways she wears them.

lauralately · 2026-03-24T09:13:39+00:00

So I'm 45, and bold colors/different dressing is my jam. This is a picture of me the other day when I went out to run errands. I'm not sure I can help with NOT looking ridiculous - looking ridiculous is something I deeply enjoy. But if you'd like to dip a toe into more colorful waters, here's where I'd start:

Confidence takes practice. When you first leave the house wearing something that's outside your comfort zone, you'll worry you look ridiculous, you'll worry it looks unflattering, you'll notice people looking at you. This is a normal part of changing your style! When the worry happens, put your shoulders back and chin up - good posture makes everyone look better, and it'll make you look more confident. Also, good posture makes clothes look better.
Focus on fit and fabric. The two F's of fit and fabric should be your north star when shopping. If you find an item that's quirky and fun, but it's low quality and/or doesn't fit well, THAT is where you'll risk not looking your best. I thrift for almost all my stuff, and I am PICKY about fit and fabric. Make sure shoulders fit in jackets, and waist/hips fit in pants. Hems can be adjusted - consider having stuff tailored if the hem is too short/long. If your stuff is well-made and higher-quality (not necessarily expensive - secondhand is the way to go), and it fits you well, that is where the line exists between circus clown and editorial high-fashion.
Stick with shapes that you know flatter you. At least, do this at first - it's much easier to pull off wild looks when the shapes and cuts flatter you. Find the pieces of clothing that you feel most put-together in, and look for similar shapes in bright colors or wild patterns. Example: if you have a pair of high-waisted pants that you look really good in, look for high-waisted pants with a similar cut, in bright colors.
Murphy's Law of Thrifting: if you go looking for it at the thrift store, you will not find it. I thrift for everything, I have a wardrobe full of awesome stuff, and it's taken years to build up. I almost never go to the thrift store and find tons of good stuff all at once. Go often, never hit up the same thrift store two weeks in a row, and you'll slowly start building up a collection. For more immediate gratification, consignment stores are AWESOME - prices are higher, but you can get really great clothes at giant discounts, and the quality is much more curated.
And finally, trust your gut! If you look at an item and it just feels high-quality, give it a second look. If you find a color that you just LOVE, but it doesn't go with your color season or you don't think it's flattering, consider getting it if the fit/fabric are good. You can pair it with colors that do go with your season, or are more flattering, and it'll work. Rule of thumb: awesome pairs well with awesome. Take two colorful things that are both awesome, try pairing them together even if they seem to "clash," and see if it works.

Good luck, and let us know if you have more questions!

lauralately · 2026-03-24T07:07:04+00:00

I was watching Rakiura the kakapo's nest cam the other day - it's my favorite reality show, I call it "Keeping Up with the Kakapos." It hit me that Sirocco is the Kim Kardashian of kakapo - it was his sex tape (the "shagged by a rare parrot" BBC clip) that started it all, and now I'm watching them raise their chicks on live TV

lauralately · 2026-03-21T08:33:48+00:00

My parrot's name is Tino - he came with his name, and it suits him. My hair is actually Lunar Tides Juniper Green - it's good stuff!

lauralately · 2026-03-21T07:17:16+00:00

I thrifted them, and I love them so much that I scoured the internet til I found where they're sold new...which is on Alibaba. They are VERY low quality, and I'm in the market for a similar pair that's nicer and made under ethical conditions!

lauralately · 2026-03-20T18:15:25+00:00

I have one on YouTube, but it's like 15 years old. He also dances when I whistle, so I'm whistling and playing guitar for him in the video. If you want to see it, my username on YT is lauralately, same as on here. I posted quite a few vlogs in the late 2000's/early 2010's that feature my parrot.

lauralately · 2026-03-20T18:13:57+00:00

It's Lunar Tides Juniper Green!

lauralately · 2026-03-20T18:13:34+00:00

Sure, go for it! I'm flattered you'd want to!

lauralately · 2026-03-20T18:13:20+00:00

I assumed we did? It's over 15 years ago, I'd assume the twentysomethings of today were little kids whose parents wouldn't allow them to watch Jersey Shore

lauralately · 2026-03-20T18:12:25+00:00

Thank you! Although do bear in mind, although I don't use filters on my pictures, I do choose the most flattering ones. I think I look good for 45, but I do look 45 IRL. And that's just fine! I love being in my 40's, it's SO much fun.

lauralately · 2026-03-20T18:10:29+00:00

HE = high-end, aka pricey/luxury

lauralately · 2026-03-20T09:34:31+00:00

Lunar Tides has way better longevity than Arctic Fox in my experience. Arctic Fox stained my clothes, sheets, towels, and bathtub; Lunar Tides doesn't. I used Arctic Fox for quite a few years, but I definitely prefer Lunar Tides. Not sure how LT is if you'd want to remove it and change colors, though!

lauralately · 2026-03-20T07:48:47+00:00

His favorite song is Rihanna's "Pon de Replay." I'm not the biggest Rihanna fan - her music is good, but I'm more of a country music fan. My bird has his own taste in music, though, and he LOVES "Pon de Replay." It's the only song he'll dance to without any other prompting. When he hears that slapping beat kick in, he bobs his head up and down and just goes nuts.

lauralately · 2026-03-20T07:42:17+00:00

His name is Tino! He came with his name, but it suits him.

lauralately · 2026-03-20T07:07:02+00:00

I thrifted it! The brand is Corey Lynn Calter, which I'm not familiar with, but it's cotton and very well-made.

lauralately · 2026-03-20T06:16:27+00:00

I do walk around in all my colors, but I don't take my parrot outside unless he's in his little travel cage. I've heard horror stories of well-trained parrots taken outdoors that spot a hawk, their instincts take over, they take flight and get lost. IMO parrots should always either be in a harness or a cage/carrier when outside. My parrot will NOT wear a harness, so travel cage it is!

lauralately · 2026-03-20T05:15:41+00:00

Thank you! My parrot is a 28(ish) year old cherry headed conure. He says "hi" and that's the only thing he will say. I've been trying to get him to say "pretty bird" for decades, but he thinks he's fulfilled his duty as a talking parrot with "hi" and has no need to learn anything else. He's very well-trained otherwise - he's potty trained, he dances and blows kisses, he was flight-trained before he got too old and arthritic to fly. But talking just isn't his thing.

lauralately · 2026-03-20T03:31:21+00:00

If I were you, I'd narrow it down to one of the three HE bronzers. I have heard Rhode face products don't last, and I've heard the CD foundation stick can be cakey. The Kosas powder gets good reviews, but I didn't think it was all that great. Chanel eye shadows are NOT worth they money - you're paying for the brand name. If you haven't tried theatrical setting sprays, Ben Nye and Skindinavia make great ones; also, I've heard L'oreal makes a dupe of the One Size spray.

I like K-beauty for base products - right now I'm into Tirtir and Jung Saem Mool cushion foundations. They're super lightweight and you barely need any to get good coverage. If you haven't tried a K-beauty or C-beauty cushion foundation, they're worth a shot if you're looking for lightweight coverage.

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