Blog - The Stripe

8.18.18 2

Weekend Reading

happy weekend from Cape Cod! I am home with my parents and it is just the best. So nice to be home and so good to spend some time with my family. We’ve mostly just been staying and cooking, going to the beach, and lounging around reading – three of my most favorite activities. I had a work project on Thursday night with Puritan Cape Cod (a popular department store here) and Eileen Fisher. There was a panel discussion and fashion show (I was on the panel) and it was really fun because my mom and dad came and also rounded up a bunch of their friends to come and cheer me on! Aren’t parents just the best? Anyway, it’s great to be here… I head home tomorrow afternoon!

Really loved this essay on Cup of Jo: Single woman seeks role model!

Uh oh – these healthy habits can actually make you bloated.

Remember the gorgeous pearl bag in Friday’s post? Reader Roxanne sent me a $70 lookalike! Thanks Roxanne!

Loooved this tropical look on Blair.

The dreamiest pearl drop earrings – adore.

Ewww – just how gross is it to bring your phone into the bathroom?

How to get motivated when you really don’t want to.

The best rainbow earrings ever? I’m in love.

Some great professional resources for women.

very very into this tasseled cardigan!

How to use your friends to improve your finances.

Gillian Flynn’s favorite things.

Love these mod orange (of all colors!!!) statement earrings.

Such a gorgeous monochromatic look on Helena.

I definitely need this cropped sweater – how cool is the back?

I always love Lauryn’s beauty recommendations. She is the third person to mention Algenist recently which makes me think I have to try it.

Some cute fashion girls to follow on Instagram.

I almost squealed when I saw these emerald green tassel earrings -they are FAB!

Vowing to follow this decluttering advice before the end of summer.

I didn’t know “Gen Z Yellow” was a thing but I’m totally on board.

Oh hello! I definitely need this leopard wrap dress, no?

Some of the best Aretha Franklin quotes. (RIP)

And some of her best looks.

I definitely don’t need another red wrap dress, but I LOVE this ruffled one.

How working in fashion shaped one editor’s style.

I love the polka dots on this simple slip dress.

What Myers-Briggs says you need from your friendships. Mine was scary true!

Would you try a sheet mask for your butt? Ha!

the absolute COOLEST $13 resin earrings.

Something to think about: why do we always think we have to look good?

This midi dress looks so comfortable / perfect for layering.

The best supplements for your period/PMS.

Breathing tricks for anxiety.

Loving Rachel Zoe’s new collection at Macy’s, especially this midi dress!

Loved this wellness reset (from one of my favorite yoga teachers).

After my event with Eileen Fisher I bought a LOT of her pieces – a new coat, some pants, and this satin camisole.

8.17.18 19

A Little Hodge Podge of Things I Love.

TGIF! Today I thought it would be fun to just do a little roundup of some things I am absolutely LOVING right now. None of this is sponsored; it’s just a little round-up of recent discoveries and things from around the web that I’m enjoying and think you will too!

one // my clarisonic facial massager.

okay it does other things too (it also comes with attachments for both face and body exfoliation, which I LOVE) but I bought this gadget (also available here) because of the facial massage feature. It is amazing. Facial massage is so good for you, especially during times where you are feeling a little bloated or puffy. I use it all over my face and décolletage but I really concentrate on my jaw line (especially just under it, at the top of my neck). It DRAINS out any bloat. I know it’s expensive; I don’t have a relationship with the brand (yet – hiiii Clarisonic I love you!!) and paid for this with my own money. It was worth every penny and I use it every day – multiple times (I only do a facial massage once a day but I also use it in the shower – the body brush is amazing 1-2x a week and I try to remember to exfoliate my face with the brush every other day.

two // chic handmade earrings with a vintage vibe.

you KNOW I love a good statement earring and how fab are these? My friend julia wore a pair of these earrings and I immediately clicked over to the site to learn more. So, so pretty! Not all of them are my style, but I love all the green (especially that first pair above – emerald green is my favorite color but so few designers do it well), and I love the vintage vibe that a lot of them have. My favorites from left to right: emerald green // yellow + coral // mint green

three // this kerastase mask and this wander beauty mascara.

these are two products I kinda just forgot about until more recently. The hair mask is the best hair mask I’ve ever used. It leaves hair SO soft. I like to put it on before a bath (I wash my hair in the shower, not the tub – I like to get clean before taking a bath if that makes any sense). I leave it in my hair and then rinse it out after my bath for hair that is ultra soft, frizz free, and doesn’t show that I’ve put it through hell this summer (sun! salt! chlorine!) It’s a wonderful thing.

the mascara, I just sort of forgot about. Whoops. I had been very enamored by Glossier Lash Slick (still am, read my review of it here), which is the perfect natural looking mascara for everyday, BUT sometimes a girl wants a little bit of drama. For dates or going out or a big event, nothing is better than Wander’s Volume & Curl. I’ve tried every mascara and this is the best.

I put this on before a date and was like “whoa, I look good.” Hence, I remembered how much I love this stuff. Magic. It makes your lashes long, voluminous, and curled… never tangled or too gloppy though.

four // goop’s new body products.

holy moly, these are amazing. Anytime I get a PR mailer from goop I tear into it as I just know it’s going to be good. goop just unveiled several new hair + body products and they RULE. My favorite of everything is the glacial marine clay body wash which basically feels like washing yourself in glacial clay (as one does, DUH) in the best sort of get dirty to get clean kind of way. It smells amazing, and just feels so good on your skin.

Next is the scalp scrub which MAN I really needed after a summer of just traveling and roaming and swimming in the ocean, being as dirty and salty as possible. Between the blowouts in the city and the salt from the beach I NEED this product. You use it as you would shampoo, except you scrub your scalp. It’s like a deep cleanse/detox for your scalp. It smells – and feels – SO GOOD on your scalp. Instant obsession (remember my obsession with deep cleaning your scalp? This is like a one stop shop for that.) The body scrub is a nice body scrub but I’m not obsessed with it, and the dry brush is amazing. I dry brush every day and was in need of an upgrade… I love this brush.

five // chic chic sunglasses for way less.

while in Sayulita, our very chic friend Jackie had the best sunglasses on. From Sonix! Becca and I both were obsessed and kept borrowing them. Of course, when Becca and I went on to the Sonix site to play copycat, they were sold out. But somehow they are back in stock (and for way less – $48) on Amazon. Becca texted me the news, I immediately ordered a pair, and you should too. They are FAB. I actually ordered two pairs… nude (which Jackie has; see them on her here), and black as I needed a new pair of black sunglasses. So basically we are bestie triplets with the same sunglasses but they are amazing and we don’t care.

six // shrimps antonia pearl bag

zomg. This bag. I can’t. It’s so expensive but it’s so cute! It’s also available here. I first spotted it on a cute UK blogger that I follow, and it’s spiraled into an obsession. I really, really want it. The boxy shape, the beautiful lining… it’s just beyond. If you’ve seen something similar but less expensive please let me know as I think a pearl handbag needs to be in my life for Fall.

what are you obsessed with right now? tell me your latest find!

8.16.18 20

How to Pack for Cape Cod (Like a Local).

I have wanted to write a post about packing for Cape Cod for awhile as I feel like there is a lot of bad information out there. I see a lot of people visiting Cape Cod; packing really dressy outfits, high heels, and so on and so forth. OR at the other end of the spectrum, people get so preppy (when in fact, people who live on the Cape aren’t very preppy at all! You might see a little Lilly, a little VV, but overall, Cape Cod style is pretty laid back and not very preppy.)

I get it – if you are a blogger/influencer and visiting Cape Cod to create content, do your thing! Have fun, make it editorial, etc etc. But for the rest of us: Cape Cod is actually SUPER casual. For the everyday person visiting Cape Cod (aka me visiting my parents), you don’t need much. No one is really wearing seersucker or bows, it’s more of a t-shirt and cut-offs kind of place. It’s stylish, but in a casual and laid back sort of way. When I go home to Cape Cod, I leave all my designer stuff at home, I live in denim + tees + cotton coverups, and sometimes I don’t even pack makeup as I know I’m just going to be hanging out… beach during the day, BBQing at night… the best part about visiting (or going home to) Cape Cod is how low key it is!

Without further ado, here’s what you should pack if you are visiting Cape Cod.

Something warm.

I find that this is the thing people are most often to forget. Your hot in the city and you can’t even think about wearing a sweater! But it cools off at night in a big way and you’ll be so happy you packed something warm. Honestly you could get away with a simple sweatshirt or hoodie, but a nice sweater will also work.

I personally live in my Barefoot Dreams Cardigan – it’s so so soft and cozy! As an added bonus, it doesn’t wrinkle in your suitcase which is of course an advantage. My other favorite is this cozy Vince cardigan. LOVE. It’s long and lean and basically a socially-acceptable bathrobe.

A classic striped tee

(Preferably a size or two too big so that it’s nice and slouchy.) There’s nothing better than a big cozy breton stripe tee. I have this classic tee from Saint James in a large (I’m usually a small or medium) and love it in a larger size. It’s super comfy and classic but since it’s bigger it’s relaxed and casual. So cute tucked into cutoffs or white jeans.

White Jeans

These are always classic and great as it cools down at night!!! My favs are from 7 for all mankind but Vineyard Vines also makes a great pair.

A panama hat

Okay please don’t be that blogger that shows up decked to the nines with 100 hats on the Cape. The locals will look at you like an alien. But if you must bring a hat, a classic panama hat is perfection and helpful in preventing sun damage.

Lots of t-shirts

Cape Cod is land of jeans and tees. Keep it classic, keep it simple. My fav are these from Madewell and these from x Karla.

Cotton Coverups and Caftans

A dramatic (long) caftan will be totally out of place here. But a cute short caftan or coverup will do you well, taking you from the beach to lunch back to the beach and then to drinks afterwards. It’s all about easy, effortless style. I personally love ANYTHING from Mirth Caftans, something like this or this from J.Crew, or a long beachy shirt like this (which is equally cute knotted with shorts).

Birkenstocks

You want a pair of casual sandals that are great for walking, but are still cute. For that reason, I’m obsessed with my gold birks. I take them everywhere but they’re particularly at home on Cape Cod!

Rubber Flip Flops

My mom pointed this out – and this is a fail on both my sister + my part: we only packed our birks! If you go to the beach and go swimming, your shoes are going to get wet – you need flip flops! No need to complicate this; we like Havaianas.

Pretty Slides

For going out at night, when you don’t want to wear your birks, reach for fun slides. These Steve Madden slides are perfection.

A great pair of cutoffs.

Cutoffs are essential. Honestly, cut-offs and a tee could be your only outfit for all occasions (except maybe a fancy dinner) and you’d be fine. I live in my Rag & Bone boy shorts but also love this pair from GRLFRND (a new fav for denim!!)

A good pair of (inexpensive) sunglasses

If you do Cape Cod right you will be at beaches and dive bars and on boats and in the ocean. Don’t bring the Celine or the Gucci. I personally LOVE these Polaroid sunglasses. They look like Celine but are way less expensive; my mom even got a pair too! They’ve become my go-to but I make sure I always pack them when I travel; you just don’t want to bring the fancy shades out when you have any chance of losing or ruining them.

A great beach bag

My favs are from Pamela Munson (this!) or Poolside (this!).

Lots of lots of sunscreen

A given. This is my current favorite sunscreen. It isn’t organic or natural but it is effective and won’t make me break out or get a rash so I love it.

Leave in Conditioner

This is another thing my mom and I were talking about. The Cape is (sorry) generally conducive to frizz and bad hair. Leave in conditioner is a must. We love this one from Fekkai. It sprays on – just comb it through after your shower and you will feel so much better – soft, frizz free hair.

Lip Balm with SPF

I always forget my lips when I put on sunscreen… ack. I got this one from Aesop (with SPF 30) and I love it.

A Natural Looking Mascara

You really don’t need much makeup on the Cape but I still always wear mascara, at least at night. Glossier Lash Slick is my fave (read my review of it here) because it doesn’t flake off and it’s really natural looking.

8.15.18 21

My New Favorite Dress.

dress / / bag / / shoes / / sunglasses

If you follow me on Instagram, you are probably sick of it but this is my most favorite dress I own right now. I cannot stop wearing it and it’s just so great. It’s flattering, it’s striped, and it’s my favorite color. Doesn’t get better than that!

There is a little hook at the top so that you can make it a little more conservative (I did it when I spoke at TBScon, see how it looks more “buttoned up” here.) I just love this dress so much, it’s one of my best purchases of summer and it will be one of your best purchases, too! Thank me later. 😉 I’m wearing a medium which is a 6 and fits pretty true to size.

Outfit Details: Faithfull the Brand Dress (also available here, here, and here) / / Staud Bag / / Krewe Sunglasses / / Marion Park Heels // Rachel Comey Earrings

Photography by Carter Fish.

8.14.18 308

Book Lover // A Day in the Life (+ Amazon Giveaway!)

Unless this is your first time visiting the blog, you know how much I love to read. It’s my absolute most favorite pastime.

I’ve always been a paper books kind of girl… e-readers just don’t do it for me. I know some people find them to be more convenient but I’m a stickler, even for a longer trip like Asia, where I packed 5 books in my suitcase. I just love paper books. I like to hold a book as I read. And in a way it’s a bit of a ritual and sensory experience. I really like the actual feeling of the paper between my fingers as I turn the pages, and I love the way new books (and bookstores!) smell.

How Life Unfolds is running a “15 pages a day” reading challenge (read more about that here!) and asked me to film a little “day in the life” style video which shows my day to day (and probably answers the question of how I manage to read so much!!!) I hope you enjoy! AND, to maybe further incentivize you to get those pages in, we are giving one lucky reader a $500 gift card to Amazon (so that you can stock up on alllll the books!)

Scroll to the end of the post to enter via the widget, and comment below with your favorite time of day to read..

Reading 15 pages a day (on paper) has so many benefits. Increased language skills and mental development, a better memory, and increased focus! It can also help with stress and anxiety as it’s proven to lower your heart rate. This article has a lot of good information about the benefits of reading on paper.

Anyone can do this challenge – no matter your age or literacy level. I encourage you all to pledge to read at least 15 pages a day in print to discover the benefits of consistently reading on paper. And if you do, share that you took the pledge on social media using #15PagesADay! And head over to the How Life Unfolds website… I did a little interview with them with more on how I find the time to read, my picks for the best summer books to read, getting over the hangover that comes after reading a really good book, and more!

Video + Photos by Carter Fish // Created in partnership with The Paper & Packaging – How Life Unfolds^® campaign – thank you for supporting the brands that keep this blog running!