to watch

to shop / sales & read/watch

Sales

Costco Beauty: These are member-only items with extra discount that brings them to ~50% off. Ending today.
- Sisley Black Rose Cream Mask. I like using this as an overnight mask or on planes. It smells divine if you like rose.
- Colorescience Sunforgettable Brush-on Sunscreen with SPF50. Powdered SPF.
Lo and Sons is 40% off everything and additional 15% off with code SUPPORTSMALLBUSINESS. Small businesses are really hurting now. See my review of their Hanover Deluxe 2 backpack.
Ulta has been doing their 21 days of beauty. I’ve stayed away, because I don’t really need anything. I missed this morning’s 50% off Lancome Genifique serum. I also missed yesterday’s Nordstrom Genifique mask set. (Please let me know if you’ve tried the mask.) If you really want anything, check after midnight or first thing in the morning, because things do sell out. There is one more week left.
- Highlights for daily Beauty Steals, which is usually 50% off. Expect Sephora to price match if they carry the item.
  - Wednesday – 50% off on some Kbeauty brands, including COSRX.
  - Saturday – 50% off Peach and Lily Glass Skin Refining Serum. Peach and Lily never discounts this. I like this as a versatile hydrating serum.
- There are also weekly Hot Buys.
Nordstrom – another sale after their large, unplanned sale. It’s best to have a wishlist and check on it. Also check your recent purchases. If the price dropped <14 days, you can ask for a price adjustment on the chat.
- Most of Longchamp is 40%!
- Most of Zelle is 40%! I like their 7/8 or ankle length bottoms.
- Select APC bags are 40% off. I like the Italian pebbled calfskin leather on this half moon bag.
- Select Clare V bags are 25-40% off.
- Coach has more classic styles these days, also 25-40% off. The Eme reminds me of the Hermes Evelyne.
- Select Alex Mill is 40% – they have a 25% off section on their own site.
- Everlane’s winter collection (which was a Nordstrom pop-in) is 40% off. Even the recashmere turtleneck sweater I blogged about.
- Bloomingdales 25% off Friends and Family is less restrictive than usual (or there is a separate discount):
  - Longchamp
  - Ferragamo
  - Chilewich
  - Royal Copenhagen. Really tempted by the mega line.
  - Yamazaki
  - Instant Pot. I ordered an air fryer lid and would’ve gone with Bloomingdales if it wasn’t on order.

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to watch / spy dramas and more

Spies and Assassins

The Americans series finale aired in 2018. Watch it if you like spy drama, Keri Russell, or slower character development. It’s set in the 80s towards the end of the cold war and focuses on two illegals. It’s not as action packed as Homeland. Stream all 6 seasons on Amazon Prime. I like it enough that I may rewatch it when I have time.

Deutschland 83 is another cold war spy drama set in 1983 on the East vs West Germany front. It’s in German and subtitled. If you like The Americans, you’d like this. I found it very addicting. Great soundtrack. The season is shorter and easy to get through. Anxiously waiting for the release of the second season, Deutschland 86! Stream on Hulu.

TURN: Washington’s Spies is based on a Revolutionary War Long Island spy ring. I thought season one was a little slow but perhaps it picked up after it knew it was getting renewed. It’s beautifully filmed and you see a lot of colonial homes and fashion. Washington, Hamilton, etc. all make appearances. Stream all 4 seasons on Netflix.

Killing Eve is a heavy yet lighthearted drama with two female leads playing a very well dressed assassin and a MI5 agent. I liken it to an airy cake donut (it exists, check out the Underwest dark chocolate donut). This was the best new series I saw in 2018 and if you didn’t notice, Sandra Oh won a Golden Globes for Best Actress – Television Series Drama. Stream on Hulu.

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to watch / turkish dramas, man in the high castle, and pbs

Everything I liked lately wasn’t set in modern times.

Victoria on PBS. Season 1 just started with Queen Victoria’s ascension to the throne. If you liked Netflix’s The Crown, you will like this. Stream for free online (although it won’t last forever).

I found Kurt Seyit ve Sura on Netflix. It’s a 40+ episode Turkish drama in Turkish or Spanish and English subtitles. It starts with Tsarist Russia and takes you through the end of the British occupation of Istanbul. Did Seyit and Sura’s love for each other survive? The two leads had great chemistry. It was quite dramatic and I was glad when I was done with it. (Warning: Turkish dramas are time consuming, especially since it’s hard to multi-task with subtitles!)

Amazon’s Man in the High Castle Season 2 dropped not too long ago. This show is set in the 1960s and takes you down the path of alternate history — what if the Axis Powers won WWII instead of the Allies. I like being able to binge through it but am sad that I need to wait a while for Season 3. Not enough to read the book though.

Magnificent Century was the first Turkish drama I watched on Netflix. It’s similar to the Chinese Empresses in the Palace (甄嬛傳/Zhen Huan Zhuan) which is also on Netflix in a few condensed episodes (watch it all on Youtube). It takes place inside the sultan’s harem of the Turkish palace circa 16th century. I only watched the first season — the rest are scattered on Youtube and to my relief, hard to find with English subtitles. Women in Turkish dramas like to faint.

Another PBS show – Secrets of the Six Wives – is based on the wives of Henry VIII. Historian Lucy Worsley steps in to narrate some scenes so it’s like a hybrid documentary. (If you like historical British documentaries, you may have seen her before.) Stream for free online (although it won’t last forever).

to watch / mr. selfridge

I have loved PBS since I was young – They brought C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia and Anne of Green Gables to life for me.

Mr. Selfridge is on air every Sunday through May 19. As someone who loved Selfridges in London and can’t resist a good period drama, I’m eating up the premiere episode. You can watch it online.

Images: PBS

to watch / wild china

While I was in Beijing, a few girlfriends and I booked a private room for massages at a nice, non-Westernized joint after dinner. My girlfriends snoozed off while I was captivated by the documentary on the television screens, showing the far regions of the Great Wall and the Silk Road. I did some research after that — this documentary series, Wild China, was produced by the BBC and China’s state-owned CCTV and debuted in 2008 (right before the Olympics). It covers off-the-beaten-track parts of China. Wild China is available on Amazon (free for Amazon Prime members) and Netflix. I’m assuming it’s only available in Chinese in China. BBC has a pretty good narrative on the series here.

If you’re into natural beauty and sweeping landscapes, this series is not to be missed! I’m looking forward to when I have time to head out to Western China. The Yunnan restaurants in Beijing and Shanghai piqued my interest. I visited Guilin in the 90s and I was too young to appreciate it.

Image credit

to watch / if you like downton abbey…

I cut the cable television cord in mid-2012. Then, I got a Roku and it changed my life. I already had Amazon Prime and have been supplementing with Netflix, Hulu Plus, and Aereo. There is some slight overlap with these and I watch Amazon Prime the least. I used to watch a lot of reality television and I can’t say I miss it. On the other hand, it’s so easy to binge on any single show and I’ve been catching up on some TV shows including some British period dramas and other bad ones that are not worth mentioning. If you like Downtown Abbey, check these out:

Upstairs, Downstairs (2011, 2012)

I never watched the original and this is supposed to be a continuation of the original. You don’t need it for background. It is a bit glitzy and is set around the World Wars. Watch both seasons for free with Amazon Prime.

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to watch / petit bateau x tsumori chisato, les mis, & great gatsby

VPN is a great thing — those in China cannot watch Youtube videos without it!

My calendar reminded me that the new Petit Bateau x Tsumori Chisato collection was out, so I googled and found this video. It is whimsically chic and set in Tokyo. However, the collection doesn’t pique my interest in the least. The quality of the last one wasn’t that great (think flakey/stretched prints).

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQTiMrhuT1I]

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to watch / woody allen’s to rome with love

Woody Allen’s next film is set in Rome, a charming, crazy place perfect for a random, crazy host of characters. To Rome with Love will be released in theaters on June 22.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7iaXqWXoZY?rel=0]

to watch / downton abbey season 2

Season 2 of Downton Abbey has come to an end. I can’t wait for Season 3! The closing to Season 2 was the two hour Christmas special and they didn’t actually air it until Christmas. I will resist from posting any spoilers…

In case you haven’t found Season 2 online yet (it was released in the UK during the fall), PBS will start broadcasting Season 2 on January 8, 2012. Catch up on Season 1 here.

Image source: ITV.

I’m not sure how long it will stay on Youtube, but watch the Christmas special here:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyuR_AkBMAY?rel=0]

to watch / downton abbey

Lately my attention has been shifting from reality TV to period dramas. Downton Abbey to be exact. I had a strict upbringing in that the Simpsons and 90210 weren’t approved entertainment. There were plenty of movies you would find on TCM’s 100 and PBS.

Downton Abbey is set in the early twentieth century and balances between the “upstairs” family of the Earl and “downstairs” servants. The first episode kicked off with the sinking of the Titanic and closed with England entering WWI. I read about Downton Abbey on Apartment Therapy, an interior decor blog, of all places, but for good reason. The series is chock full of amazing sets – the interiors, immaculate English gardens, architecture, and fashion! The quality of acting doesn’t hurt either.

If you’re an Amazon Prime member, you can stream Season One for free. Season Two is in progress in the UK and won’t hit stateside until February 2012. If you’re impatient like I am, I’ve been streaming Season Two episodes at mopvideo.com. They’re timely with updating after every Sunday evening broadcast.

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