2.23.19 11

Weekend Reading | 2.23.19.

This was a busy but fun week! Becca and I got to planning for our April live show, I participated in a really fantastic charity beauty sale with Chinae (we raised over $1800 for Girls Inc!) and I got a LOT of work done! Feb + March are usually slower months with advertisers on the blog and instagram but I have a lot of really big partnerships coming up with brands I love so am (despite being a bit stressed) really thankful for the work. This is a busy weekend as well… last night we recorded for the pod with Ashley Spivey (over margaritas of course – love her!), tonight I have a fun dinner with my friend at Polo Bar (my FAV as you know), and tomorrow I am going to see Network on Broadway… can.not.wait. for that. In between all that: yoga and definitely some gravity blanket + book time!

Before we get into this week’s links, something FUN! I’ve teamed up with a few favorite brands on a truly EPIC giveaway – one lucky reader will win a $4000+ trip to Miami (+ $250 in beauty products AND $500 in cashmere!!) Enter here.

Crushing hard on this clear bag. If I didn’t already have the Staud one I would be all over it. One does not need more than one clear bag, sadly.

I really enjoyed the Instagram Anxiety episode of Call Your Girlfriend (one of my fav podcasts).

Did you see the Moncler genius project? My jaw dropped.

OMG omg omg – I related to this so hard – people always tell me I’m photogenic and I hate it! (Sent it to my best friend; she hated the article but I loved it.)

I got this easy dress for Costa Rica next week (!!!) and can’t wait to wear it – it’s so pretty IRL.

The truth about firming creams.

We talked a lot about beauty on Instagram stories this week – here’s my favorite anti-puffer for eyes. It works WONDERS.

Holy cow – I loved these photos of Krystal and the story behind her amazing ($300!) Carolina Herrera dress. What an epic photo shoot!

Loved this look on Anna. Have the jeans and now maybe gotta get that top?

Very into this satin slip dress. The rose is perfect. Just need an occasion?

How to wash your hair like a french girl. (You’re probably doing it all wrong).

We all probably “need” this rainbow colorblock sweater. Too good.

Ugh this article about Tulum makes me the saddest. I was lucky to go there a bunch before things changed.

I invested in this boar’s hair bristle brush after Blair raved about it on the podcast this week.

Honestly these slippers just make coming home the coziest.

Allllll the barrettes, please!

Don’t forget that you can take 20% off Dudley-Stephens’ cozy fleeces with code BOP20. My personal favorite is this slightly cropped one.

How to be healthy without thinking so much about it.

Speaking of Blair – this outfit. I WANT THAT COAT.

The dreamiest maxi ever.

So much good beauty advice in this post.

I bought this swimsuit for my upcoming trip to Costa Rica and couldn’t love it more.  It’s so flattering. Runs small though; I sized up to a large.

This week’s MUST READ: an amazing essay about female friendship.

A really interesting article about money and the myth of self made success.

If loving the Amazon coat is wrong, I don’t want to be right.

Holy moly – Krystal’s sample sale find (these pics!!!) is an absolute dream.

Definitely thought these mules were designer. (They’re not!)

Inexpensive home decor upgrades – loved so many of these!

photo of me by Carter Fish.

2.22.19 36

10 Things I Learned From Getting My Makeup Done by a Pro.

Even though I prefer a more natural look, getting my makeup done by a pro is one of my favorite things to do. Anytime I have a big event, I’ll get my makeup done and every time someone does it for me, I learn something new! As a part of my partnership with Bluemercury (and their Perfect Your Complexion event, going on now through the 24th!) I popped into their midtown location for a thirty minute consultation with Jackie Hugg (highly recommend paying her a visit if you are based in New York or Brooklyn – she was a WEALTH of information) and am excited to share the results + what I learned. Bluemercury gave me a $250 credit to spend in store but I ended up going way over buying several products with my own money and had a few of the things she used at home.

Note: There’s an event this weekend. f you head to their event page you can find all participating stores. Be sure to call to book an appointment or pop in! I highly recommend stopping in, getting a consultation like I did, and a special gift with purchase of $125 or more!

one // The biggest lesson was that (eek) I was wearing the wrong shade of foundation. Honestly it’s a little bit crazy how many shades you actually need – one for every season. The last time I was matched was the beginning of summer and I needed a new shade. I’m really pale (for me) right now as I haven’t been in the sun since summer. I ended up buying two foundations. For something more natural I got the new NARS Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation. This looks just like my skin but more even. It’s sheer and buildable and a little bit dewy. My shade is “Punjab.” But as I have a lot of events and longer days where I’ll be in the city for meetings and stay for a date or dinner, I wanted something a little bit more full coverage and matte. For this, I got Laura Mercier Flawless Fusion Ultra-Longwear Foundation. I was already a big fan of her tinted moisturizer so it’s nice to have something a little more full coverage from her!

Two foundations feels a little bit excessive but I got over my fear of using foundation on this visit – if you have the right shade on, it doesn’t look like you’re wearing makeup.

two // The next thing I learned is the importance of primer. This may be a bit JV of me but I’m not a makeup expert. Jackie RAVED about Lune & Aster’s Realglow Primer and I am obsessed with it too. It’s packed with light diffusing particles to give you that lit from within glow. Apply prior to foundation and it won’t settle into lines or large pores. (Back at home, I tried applying foundation with and without this and can tell you that it makes such a big difference.) Primer is magic and now it’s the first step anytime I am wearing foundation.

(You can also use the primer in lieu of foundation if you just want a really fresh, glowy look.)

The photo of me on the right is after Jackie had done just my skin (before eyes/lips/blush/etc.) I am obsessed with how fresh-faced my skin looks. For this, she used the primer, the Laura Mercier foundation, and this highlighter, which brings me to the third lesson.

three // Highlighter goes all the way up to the hairline. I was stopping at my temple but she dotted it all along my cheekbone, up the temple, and to my hairline. This is such a small tip but I’ve noticed a big difference since doing this at home. She used NARS’ Super Radiant Booster (which is a limited edition product so would recommend stocking up!) I was delighted as she said it was my perfect match for a highlighter AND I already owned it. I love this product. You only need a tiny bit and the tube is pretty big (a full ounce) so this one will last a long time.

The photo on the left is my full look, bringing us to our fourth lesson!

four // Don’t be afraid to try a lip pencil. IDK I think of bad high school makeup when I think of lip pencil. But lip liner is your friend, especially a good neutral lip pencil. On me, she used Chantecaille’s lip defining pencil in “Tone.” All the girls at Bluemercury RAVED about this one – saying that it’s their best selling lip pencil and the perfect nude. So I gave it a try. In the photo above I’m wearing it under the Chantecaille lip veil in “Honeypot.” It makes whatever you put on it more defined, and helps to anchor your lip color so that it lasts longer. You can also use just lip pencil all by itself or with a little lip balm. It’s really versatile!

five // NARS Orgasm blush will always be a classic. This is my most favorite blush (already had it at home) and was so happy when Jackie reached for it. She reaffirmed what I already knew. It looks amazing on everyone and just makes you look perfectly glowy and happy.

 

six // This is not really a lesson but I got my favorite new lip color. Everyone is all about that pigmented, matte lip right now and while I like that for special occasions, what I really wanted was a great everyday lip color that would hydrate my lips (they were so chapped the day I went in!!! Enter Chantecaille’s lip veil. These are amazing. I want to collect them all. They’re ultra hydrating and moisturizing, and Honeypot is the absolute perfect nude… they have trouble keeping it in stock! I’m wearing it in the photos above and below (without lip pencil) and in the selfie up top with the lip pencil. Ob-sessed.

seven // Lock in that perfect complexion with this literal IRL instagram filter. Know the “pretty filter” on Snapchat? If that could be distilled into a beauty product; it would be Chantecaille’s HD Perfecting Loose Powder (which comes in it’s own brush). Swipe this everywhere after foundation/blush/bronzer/etc. to set your makeup and add a real life filter of sorts. This stuff is magic and the neat-freak in me loves that it’s all self contained as powders can be so messy.

eight // This is more of a discovery than a lesson BUT guys. Serum pads are a thing, and a very smart thing at that! I’d already tried and loved m-61’s PowerGlow peel pads (perfect for when you need a little glow and you need it fast) but they’ve also got serum pads! These are so genius for travel, for after the gym, for anything. Prior to primer, she ran one all over my face for extra hydration and I thought it was just such a clever invention.

nine // The Chantecaille Mascara is worth the hype. Admittedly, I’ve featured a LOT of Chantecaille products here and it’s because I’d never tried any of their products. Yep, not a single one. I told Jackie this and she showed me all of her favorites. The mascara was at the top of her list. Two of my girlfriends swear by it and I’ve gotten a few DM’s asking me if I’ve tried it and if it’s worth the money. It’s the most expensive mascara I’ve ever tried but I can confirm: it’s the best mascara I’ve ever tried. It lengthens and thickens without any clumping AND the peptide technology helps your lashes to grow longer. I can’t make any claims about my lashes growing as I’ve only been using it for a week, but I love how it makes my lashes look.

ten // Not a lesson but a fun treat: If you go to Bluemercury now (or order online) and spend $125, they’ve got a great gift for you! (pictured above right). The five piece gift contains all sorts of goodness including a travel size version of that amazing primer! It contains 5 free deluxe samples including a REN Evercalm Ultra Comforting Rescue Mask, Bobbi Brown Hydrating Eye Cream, Lune+Aster RealGlow Primer, Laura Mercier Flawless Lumiere Foundation or Nars Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation, and a Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer. So if you’re looking to refresh your makeup for spring or need advice on what foundation shade is best for you I highly recommend that you go to a Bluemercury store this weekend to get a consultation from one of their experts. Head to their event page to find a store nearest you

A big thank you to Bluemercury for partnering on this post. Photos at home by Carter Fish; photos from the store by me!

2.21.19 26

Amazon Faves, No. 4.

I love putting these recaps together as Amazon is the best and you can find absolutely everything!

There’s a lot of beauty + personal care here. After a bad dentist appointment (no cavities, just a lot of plaque buildup), my dentist told me to toss my Quip brush and buy this one. I have been using it for about a month and love it so far. And this scalp massager is the best thing ever. It’s such a small (and inexpensive!) thing but really helps to get that perfect shampoo. I get a lot of dry shampoo so using that + this shampoo every few weeks (I don’t like to use it too much as it does contain sulfates and I have a keratin treatment) really gets it perfectly clean.

I will have a review of my ice roller coming soon but it’s so perfect when your face is puffy… AND I splurged on this fancy hairbrush (and the infamous “Amazon coat“) after Blair Eadie’s episode of our podcast. More on all of those to come, but they are all FAB!

From the top: Scalp Massager // Ski Sweater // Anti-Residue Shampoo // Fabric Shaver // Fluffy Slides // Beatles Sweatshirt // Mason Pearson Hairbrush // Black Parka Coat // Oral B Electric Toothbrush // Ice Roller

PS – Check out last month’s Amazon favorites, my very important gravity blanket review, and tips + tricks for buying clothes on Amazon.

trending 2.20.19 75

Losing a Friend.

(Warning –  this is a sad post.)

A couple weeks ago, my friend died. This is probably the hardest sentence I’ve written – at least in this space.

I am still processing it and it doesn’t feel real. He was in Thailand snorkeling and he drowned. It was a freak thing and I still can’t comprehend how it happened. He hated the ocean so I honestly don’t even know how it happened/why he was even snorkeling.

He was (it still feels weird saying WAS) one of the nicest friends I’ve ever had. The sort of person who always made you happy even just because you were thinking about them – if I looked at my phone and saw that I had a text from him I would immediately smile. Just seeing his name light up my phone made me light up inside. I picture his face in my head and smile just thinking of his smile.

Anytime I saw him I was just so happy. In this particular social circle I am more of the friend of the friend, the “new” one to the group. He always went out of my way to make me feel so welcome and included. He wasn’t a best friend or even one of my closest friends, but I loved him and I never got to tell him how much I loved him. How infectious his smile was; how he made me (but also anyone he talked to) feel like the most important person in the room; how happy I was anytime I got a text from him or he RSVP’d yes to a party I was throwing. He was snarky and witty and clever but also just so good at making anyone in his orbit feel great.

I processed it so strangely and it was such a horrible ride from high to low. The night before our friends had celebrated my best friend’s 40th birthday. My other best friend was visiting from Charleston. We had the greatest night and were all so happy.

It’s hard to share this here. I know I’m going to get a lot of “sorry for your loss,” this and that, which honestly only makes it harder, probably because it makes it more real. I am finally at a point where I haven’t cried about it in a few days (scratch that, I cried again writing this!) and felt comfortable writing about it. And for me, writing is cathartic – always has been. Writing is how I process things, whether or not I actually share the writing.

When someone says “sorry for your loss,” I feel guilty for feeling so sad. Guilt over sadness is a new and weird one. But I do (strangely) feel so guilty about my sadness. It isn’t as if he was my best friend or my sibling. He was a good friend who I loved and someone I would have liked to be closer with. But I think about what his BEST friends are going through and then I just cry even harder. It’s hard to process and I tell myself I am being stupid for being so sad. Still, I don’t remember the last time I felt so sad. I think the guilt is a trick my brain is playing. Perhaps it’s a coping mechanism, telling me I shouldn’t be this sad, like it isn’t a big deal (when in fact it is a huge deal). Does that make sense? So I’ll start to cry and then the little voice in my head will tell me to stop, that I’m being dumb. Maybe that’s a part of the process – it’s all still very hard to even comprehend.

Someone told me that grief feels like a dump truck at first and then becomes more of a clutch. It mauls you at first and then you sort of carry it around.

I’m very lucky in that I’ve never lost someone I’m close to besides a grandparent. I didn’t cope very well with it at all. Grief is so sneaky; and this was pretty terrible especially as it was so sudden and unexpected.

With every blog post I try to think, what’s the lesson, what’s the takeaway? There isn’t really one. How do you distill the death of such an incredible person into a simple soundbite? UGH. You can’t, and it would be disgusting to even try. All I can do is share my experience with grief and hope that maybe it helps someone going through something similar (because someone always is going through something similar). But I did have two realizations that I want to share.

– In my own life, I want to be more like Khiem. That was his name. Khiem. I am shy and like to stick to just the people I know but I would like to be the person who takes a genuine interest in everyone in the room, who makes every person at the party or dinner or whatever feel loved and important. I want to bring more light and happiness to wherever I am – even if I am feeling insecure or nervous, I want to bring out the best in people. That was what Khiem did… and that is how we will all be remembered in the end. People say this all the time but people aren’t going to remember how good you are at your job, how you stayed up late answering every email… they’ll remember how you made them feel. That’s the thing that really matters.

–  The more obvious one and what I hope that you, the reader, takes away is this: Never worry about being too effusive. Always hug your friends and tell them how much you love them. Because you never know when they will be gone and you won’t have the chance. People asay this all the time too, and I’ve always tried to make the people I feel closest with feel loved and important. But you really just never know what will happen. So hug your people tight and do it frequently and don’t hold back.

2.19.19 8

Spring (Vacation) Cravings.

I have a few exciting trips planned this Spring. In two weeks I’m going to Santa Theresa (Costa Rica) for a yoga retreat (and surf lessons!!!) with my favorite teacher and now friend Christopher and in April I am going to Holbox with two of my girlfriends. Becca and I had both been following Punta Caliza on Instagram for a months and months and were excited to see that rooms were pretty reasonable. We booked a room, told our friend Kate, and she booked her room immediately on the spot. (She became my instant hero – don’t even think about it!!!!) And I think I’m going to go back to Cuba – just need to sort out the dates. My friend Emma and I are going to visit our good friends Joey and Lauren who just opened up their new concept store!

Of course, fun plans have me wanting to shop. I should say that I have NO BUSINESS shopping for a yoga retreat. Most yoga retreats tend to be super casual. In Cuba we did get dressed every day as we had activities but in Sweden we didn’t change out of our yoga clothes most days and in Sag Harbor we were in yoga clothes or swimsuits. This will probably be like that. Still, I did some damage. This roundup is a mix of things I’ve bought or have in my cart.

On the beauty front, I got new sunscreen from Beautycounter. I really like their sunscreens. They’re the best “clean” sunscreen I’ve found. The truly natural ones are all zinc and turn me white which can be a disaster – one brand in particular had me scrubbing my skin for days – I couldn’t get it off! I got the mist for body and the cream for face. I will get a spray tan before I go (Sweetheart Tan in Williamsburg is my favorite!) and just do minimal makeup while I’m there: a little mascara, lots of cream highlighter, my favorite blush, and lip balm. I can’t deal with my frizzy tropical hair so I will probably stick to lots of low buns paired with fun earrings and/or headbands!

Outfit-wise, I am really into the idea of a fun one piece with a cute pareo. This green one is fab (and will look great over the new Marysia suit I just bought). I live in cutoffs (my favs are always Rag & Bone) and this Ganni top is a cute alternative to the ratty tees I usually like to wear. I’m really intrigued by this brand. I had never bought anything from them but I ordered two dresses (orange and blue) and am excited to see how they work out. I love the smocking up top; dresses like that are usually very flattering on me.

I also bought this rainbow bikini (top + bottoms) because rainbows are obviously important. And my favorite Rhode Resort dress (I have it in pink and black and was excited to add a print!)

Collage Details: Rhode Resort Ella Dress (yellow) // Ganni Blue Gingham Top // Oversized Button Down Coverup // Orange Dress // NARS Orgasm Blush (my favorite; there’s nothing better) // Espadrilles // Beautycounter Sunscreen (mist) // Floral Midi Dress // Blue Velvet Headband // Straw Tote (only $35!) // Blue Heart Earrings // Green Headband // RMS Highlighter (I like peach; the white one is too white on me!) // NARS Lip Balm // Pink Acrylic Hoop Earrings // Red Polka Dot Top // Beautycounter Face Suncreen // Rainbow Bikini (Top + Bottom) // Green Pareo // Black One Piece