Baggu
By now, everyone and their mother has heard of Baggu, but I never really caught on to the trend until recently. Don’t get me wrong, we try to use as many recyclable bags as possible for groceries and other stuff, but we’ve usually gotten ours for free and they’re not anything to write home about (though Trader Joe’s has a really cute selection). Baggu come in a variety of sizes, are under $10, and are made with ecologically friendly dyes and materials; the bag is one continuous piece of nylon (less waste) that can hold up to 50lbs each. They also come in about a million different fun colors, and (my dad would have loved this part) they fold up into their own carrying pouches. You can even turn your old bags in to be recycled and receive a discount off a new order. Want!
(Note: this post is not sponsored in any way, I just really like that striped bag).
New Specs?
I made an eye doctor appointment for tonight after work. It’s been about a year and a half since my last one, and recently my eyes have been feeling, how should I say it, like they are burning out of my skull. I’m using moisturizing eye drops two or three times a day, and my eyes still end up blood shot and burn-y at the end of the day. Now, admittedly I haven’t been wearing my glasses consistently, and I did spend a good chunk of the last week ugly-crying all over the place, but I’m thinking it has less to do with those factors and more to do with my current prescription. My eye doctor said my eyes could adjust to this prescription after a while.
I realized while looking back through my blog archives that I’ve had my glasses (the Huxley style from Warby Parker) since September of 2011! What?! And then I went all Gary Oldman and got the same style in clear frames. Obviously. Depending on the results of tonight’s appointment, I might be ordering a new shape frame. The Sims (above) look great, but I know what you’re thinking: they’re virtually indistinguishable from the Huxleys. Except they’re thinner and less aggressively hipster-y. I don’t need new glasses, I could easily send my current frames back to Warby Parker and have them update the lenses if my prescription changes, but where is the fun in that?
I’m putting it to a vote. Sims: yea or nay?
Gifts from Friends
I’ve said it before but it deserves repeating: the friends I’ve made through blogging are some of the most generous and incredibly kind people I can imagine having in my life. And not just because they send me stuff in the mail (see here and here). But that’s what this post is about, so who am I kidding.
A week or two ago I came home to an Amazon package from Lauren. No occasion, she just figured I needed this book, and had set a calendar reminder for herself to send it to me when it came out. In true Lauren fashion, it was the week of her birthday, and here she is, sending other people presents. That girl…
It combines all things French with gorgeously styled interiors. Come on.
It’s basically book porn, but I’ve been trying to savor it in small doses so it’s still new and I can discover new delights within its pages. Lauren and I had one of our good-for-the-soul phone chats after I opened the package. Have you had one of those with her? They’re the best. Thank you, Lauren!
Nina has already proven she’s my personal Uniqlo delivery system once before, and she would’ve been off the hook for a while but that store has some amazing collaborations. They’re currently working with Ladurée (!!!) and selling t-shirts with their iconic macarons and logo on them, the proceeds of which go to charity. When she Instagrammed a picture of the line I knew I had to have one. Thankfully, Nina doesn’t mind playing personal shopper for me, and she graciously sent me this wonderfulness:
It’s this shirt, in white. Macarons, the Eiffel Tower, and the Ladurée logo on one shirt?? Are you kidding? It arrived yesterday and I’m wearing it today. Thank you so much, Nina! I promise to stop bugging you for a while :)
Did you know Theresa and I started a postal service book club? A few weeks ago I mailed her “Bird by Bird” with a note saying to send it back whenever she was finished. She did this week, and she included a book of her own for me to read. It’s “Writing Down the Bones” by Natalie Goldberg and I can’t wait to read it.
How cute is the bird-themed card she sent with it? She has seriously amazing handwriting, too. I’m already planning what book to send back with this one when I finish it. Thank you, Theresa! Happy reading!
I love getting things in the mail, but I’m feeling very spoiled and one-sided recently. I need to start paying it forward and mailing you guys some goodies!
My Inner French Girl
She’s back! And she’s as fashionable as ever.
1. Camisole / 2. Pants / 3. Sweater / 4. Bag / 5. Pen / 6. Notebook / 7. Glasses / 8. Lip Balm / 9. Book / 10. Beauty Elixir / 11. Flats / 12. Lingerie
The problem with my Inner French girl is that she makes me want to spend all my money. Not that I could really pull off such a skimpy camisole (she can, because she’s French and works in an art gallery), but those trousers and leopard flats? I think I could make those work. She’s actually taking a page out of my book, seeing as I have that Astier de Vilatte notebook, that lip balm, the Caudalie beauty elixir, and that book (the French translation of “Seven Days in the Art World,” which by the way I’m almost finished and am enjoying every second of). Maybe I’m more chic than I thought.
Ode to a Face Scrub
I know I’ve talked about my skincare routine ad nauseum already, but I can’t resist raving about my newest obsession: Body Shop’s Seaweed Exfoliator. I received a sample a few weeks ago and finally purchased a full-size bottle. I am in love. It smells great and isn’t too finely gritty, but really sloughs away all of the dead skin and makes my face glow. I only use it every three days or so, at night in conjunction with the Tea Tree Oil Face Wash, otherwise my skin gets too clean (and as a consequence starts overproducing oil to compensate for being scrubbed and dried to oblivion). I only use both of those at night, to take the day off, and I’m still sticking to Cetaphil’s Gentle Skin Cleanser in the mornings. My skin has never looked better.
My other secret weapon? CVS brand Benzoyl Peroxide 2.5% cream. I slather a thin layer on before bed and it completely stops breakouts from developing. I accidentally gave myself a mini chemical peel by using too much of it once, oops. They make Benzoyl Peroxide in strengths from 2.5-10%, but I won’t even touch anything higher than 2.5% unless I had an interest in burning a hole in my face. It’s probably terrible for me, but it is effective. I’m also spritzing my face with Caudalie Eau de Beauté, which I picked up in Paris, to off-set some of the drying from the Benzoyl Peroxide.
Any skin care regimen secrets you guys have?
Paris Street Fashion
I doubt any of you need an introduction to The Sartorialist, so I’ll just skip the formalities and present you with these amazing shots from Paris. Fashion Week will have ended the day before we take off this week, but that doesn’t mean the incredible sense of style ends with it. I’ve been packed for weeks for the trip, but browsing the Paris street fashion section of The Sartorialist is making me rethink everything I’m bringing. How gorgeous is the first girl? I can’t stop staring at her, she’s stunning. In my head she’s the daughter of the old man with the moustache (how dapper is he?) and they’re both writers. Or something.
Friday Five
I am so, so happy January is over, I can’t even begin to describe it. The relief is palpable. January was a shitty month, and I know it wasn’t its fault entirely, but I’m ready to move on from this month and leave it behind. 2013 can only go up from here, right? Right.
February was supposed to be the month I didn’t spend any money, per my 26 in 26 list, but I’m thinking that’s going to have to wait until later in the year. Not only because it’s the last few weeks leading up to my Paris trip, but also because, and you might have heard me shrieking about this all the way where you are, but the New Kids on the Block are going back on tour and tickets go on sale tomorrow. I AM SO PUMPED. You might remember previous references to them, but rest assured that my obsession has only spiraled wildly out of control in the intervening months, doubling in insanity the past few weeks after I found out about this new tour.
So yeah, not buying anything? Not gonna work. Especially since this week’s Friday Five kicks off the month of February, and I want everything in it:
1. Pillowcases / 2. Towels / 3. Agate Trivet / 4. Shelf / 5. Ring
This might be one of my favorite round-ups ever. Everything is so bright and colorful and do we need to talk about those pillowcases? Non, we do not. I’m thinking about buying a set of those towels and that little metal shelf for the powder room, only both are too cute to actually use. And I know agate is having a comeback, but that beautiful blue coaster needs to make an appearance in my house soon. Both the coaster and the (gorgeous) ring are from the delightful Leif Shop.
What are you up to this weekend? I’m spending Sunday morning with my nieces and am really looking forward to it. Tomorrow I have a hot date with my sweatpants and that book I’m writing. Remember that? Me neither, it’s been so long since I’ve devoted any real stretch of time to it. Have a great one, kiddos!
Friday Five
Everyone and their mother is complaining about the cold weather here on the east coast, with good reason, so let me add my name to the list: IT’S COLD. The high the last few days has been in the teens, which I know will garner absolutely no sympathy from Süsk, who’s currently holed up in the negative temps of Helsinki and still managing to look fabulous in spite of it. Not all of us are so lucky, and I end up looking like a burrito of sadness most of the time.
This week’s Friday Five is looking ahead a few months to, what else, my next trip to Paris!
1. Beauty Elixir / 2. Flats / 3. Candle / 4. Pouch / 5. Foot stool
In addition to having a list of things I need to wear/bring to Paris already planned out, I also have a list of things I want to buy while I’m there. That’s not weird. A new Diptyque from the flagship store (or maybe that macaron scented candle? Best of both worlds!), as well as an arsenal of beauty products from one of the incredible pharmacies around the city. I’ll be stocking up on Bioderma make-up remover, Roger & Gallet Rose body lotion, and this facial elixir magic spray by Caudalie. Sure, it’s available in the states now, but I’m still going to wait until I get there to buy it, because obviously. It’s inspired by the Queen of Hungary’s elixir of youth, or something, but I’m just excited to make my face smell pretty. Sorry, jolie.
And while it might be too cold in March to wear them, I’ve been eyeing a new pair of ballet flats in nude ever since seeing this photo from Paris in Four Months. Also, can we talk about that blog for a second? I have to limit my exposure to it for fear of passing out from joy. I love ballet flats, and Bloch really does them best. I can see myself putting my feet up on that adorable little footstool in my guest room. I just got a $10 off coupon for it, so that means I have to buy it, right?
Is it insane to spend $70 on a pouch to carry around your chapstick and cell phone? Perhaps, right? What if it was printed in my favorite Marc Jacobs pattern? Still no? SHUT UP, let me do what I want. I probably won’t buy it, because it’s insane, even for me. That little 5″ nylon pouch costs more than the ottoman, and only a little less than the shoes. Good grief.
Boyfriend is leaving for India tomorrow night (BOOOO), so we’ll be making the most of our short weekend and having dinner at our favorite Italian place tonight and going to the Academy of Natural Sciences tomorrow. I’m looking forward to giant, ugly sweatpants, cereal for dinner, and lots of trashy tv in his absence. And that’s where the list ends. Have a great weekend, kiddos! What are you up to?
Two Of A Kind
Remember all of my amazing plans from yesterday? Never get too cocky about how awesome your day is going to be; the day turned into the ultimate comedy of errors. First, our French teacher was 45 minutes late for our class because she forgot we moved it up 9 hours (totally legit), but she’s promised to add on the missing hour to our next two classes in half-hour chunks. Then, I got a text from Herbie at around 12:30, saying he was outside the pho restaurant, which was confusing because he was 45 minutes early. Only I went back through our texts and realized I had our lunch time wrong by an hour (we had agreed to meet at 12:15 but somehow my brain registered 1:15. How this made sense with the movie at 1:50, I don’t know). Herbie ate lunch alone (I AM THE WORST FRIEND EVER) and Boyfriend and I took a cab to the theater, thinking we would save seats and hang out. Only the movie started at 1:15, not 1:50, so we ended up missing the first 10 minutes. It was insane. Herbie ran in right after we did, after I called him frantically. Oy.
“Lincoln” was great, though. It was well acted and Daniel Day Lewis deserves every award he’s won and will win for that role. Unless you’re a total history-nerd, the two and half hour running time will feel like a really long time. Your butt might even fall asleep. And you might or might not expect Daniel Day Lewis to burst out an, “I DRINK YOUR MILKSHAKE” on more than one occasion.
Oh well. The best laid plans, right? The rest of the afternoon was spent lounging on the sofa watching Inauguration coverage and compiling today’s Two of a Kind post. CB2 has an impressive (and easily match-able) rug collection.
1. Rug / 2. Blouse / 3. Clutch / 4. Rug
I am in love with that blouse from H&M. While the rugs really aren’t my style (color! patterns! bah!) they do work fabulously for the purposes of this post, no? I better calm down, don’t want to get too confident lest the Blog Gods decide to put me back in my place. Have you ever had a day like yesterday? Commiserate with me, tell me your biggest cluster-eff days.
January Wish List
I needed something to cheer me up today, so I pulled together a January wish list, even though it’s already the middle of January. Admittedly, I could have saved all of these things and used them in this week’s Friday Five (and next week’s, too) but I want to try something different on Friday. Also I’m greedy enough that I could probably still come up with a Five in two days if I had to.
1. Shirt / 2. Boxes / 3. Push Pins / 4. Tea Press / 5. Mat / 6. Glasses / 7. Candle / 8. Lip balm
The colors coordinate so well together, lots of earth tones and monochrome, which was a totally unintended side effect, I promise. Apparently that’s just my aesthetic this month. I’m desperate for a polka dot blouse and a new pair (my third!?) of glasses, but the show stealers here are the Byredo candle that smells like a library (or not, but the name still gets me) and a new kitchen mat that looks like a French café menu board. A Ballard Designs catalog appeared in my mailbox yesterday and I instantly fell in love with the mat and those Eiffel Tower push pins.
If you had to pick one item, which would you choose?
