Weekend Window Shopping: Digging in At Nordstrom Rack

I used to spend hours at Nordstrom Rack, digging around and hoping to find something amazing. I have better luck online than in store these days - you just never know what you'll find:

Review: Quince Mongolian Cashmere Fisherman Sweater.

Hi! Now it's my turn to beat you over the head with this Quince sweater. Yesterday I posted a reader review comparing this sweater with one by Jenni Kayne (unfair! Stop making me want expensive things!) and today I'm showing you my Quince cashmere Fisherman sweater with which I'm quite pleased:

First of all, I don't have a Jenni Kayne sweater as a comparison but this Quince sweater feels light and soft like a cloud. I was delighted when I first saw it. I sized up to a large because I wanted it to be slouchy and over-sized and that's what I got. It looks 800% better if you do a little half tuck:

So slouchy and soft and comfy! The sleeves are extra long but the body is kind of boxy and hits me at the hip (I'm 5'5") so if you're tall, this one might not work for you. As for the knit, I'm a delicate flower who finds all versions of wool/cashmere/alpaca itchy but I wore this one for a good half an hour without a tee underneath and wasn't bothered. This has never happened! (I'm still probably going to wear a tee underneath though, so if you have any liner tee suggestions, please let me know.)

I'm wearing the sweater with an older pair of Madewell Boyjeans that I completely love. This current version is probably the most similar. I'm also wearing my new M.Gemi shearling and suede clogs which I bought recently on Poshmark. They are A DELIGHT. M.Gemi is currently only stocking the back strap version but Madewell has a shearling lined clog and if you're feeling spending, there's a really nice pair by Rag & Bone. (Is anyone else weirded out by the clogs with shearling on the outside? I mean, yes, SO CUTE but how do you clean them?) On to details:

Hello, I need a bang trim. This is just to show you the sweater knit up a bit closer. I'm wearing my Gorjana Compass Coin necklace all simple-like. Now, this crossbody bag of mine:

It's by Elliott Lucca and I thrifted it to sell on Poshmark but now I'm wavering. Do I keep it or sell it? It's kind of cute and the color is interesting, right? For something similar I like this Frye crossbody but I'm also kind of into this MZ Wallace quilted bag and ugh, how cute is this Hammitt crossbody? Yes, I know it has a face. Anyway, I have the Elliott Lucca bag listed but I'm wavering. Anyway, aren't my clogs cute? They bring me stompy, shearling-lined joy. 

PS. If you're new to Quince and want $20 off your first purchase, please use my link. (Full disclosure: for each purchase through my link I receive credits to spend which allows me to try and review more stuff!) 

Reader Review: Quince Cashmere vs Jenni Kayne Cashmere

Hi all! Blog reader Robyn was kind enough to update me on her recent sweater purchases and review them for us. She bought the Jenni Kayne Cashmere Fisherman Sweater and the Quince Mongolian Cashmere Fisherman sweater that's supposed to be a very good dupe. Here's what she has to say:

Ok so I got both sweaters and I’ll get right to the punchline: the Jenni Kayne is far superior, DAMMIT. It’s lofty and exquisitely soft and the color is rich and beautiful:

Here's a closeup shot of the knit:

The Quince sweater *looks* identical in terms of knit and cut, but it’s thinner, a bit itchy (though I have super sensitive skin so YMMV), and just looks cheaper in general. I got the cream color and I could see my bra through it:

And a closeup shot of the knit:

Still, if you’re on a budget it’s not a bad choice, particularly, I’d suspect, in the darker colors. I got a small in both brands and the Quince was maybe a smidge bigger, but just a smidge.

I also ordered the baby alpaca cardigan from Quince and it is DELICIOUS. So soft, not itchy. Recommend 💯 

Thanks, Robyn! She's got a great recipe blog for high altitude cooks and you can also find her on Instagram @butterandair and @robyn_nicoli

Just FYI, I also ordered the Quince cashmere fisherman sweater and I'll be posting an outfit tomorrow with my thoughts! If you've never shopped Quince before and want $20 off your first purchase, please use my link (full disclosure: for each purchase I get credits to spend.) 

Two Good Sales (and what I bought.)

I am absolutely not shopping! I am not buying things, nope no way. And then came the Really Good Sales:

First: BlueMercury is having an anniversary event - 20% off a purchase of $150 for BlueRewards members. This is the promotion for you if you're a fan of SkinCeuticals, Augustinus Bader, R+Co, diptyque and LAFCO. Now is the time to stock up on that expensive shit that you feel guilty buying but don't want to live without. I mean, listen. I really like a Target candle but I freaking LOVE a Lafco candle. I gave into this promotion because they had my favorite fall/winter candle in stock:

It's warm, spicy but not sharp at all. It's just winter-y and comforting without being outright seasonal. I just love it. I'm curious about the Spiced Pomander candle as well, but I think I'll wait until closer to the holidays for that one. I also bought my usual SkinCeuticals Phyto serum and an R+Co travel sized tube of the blow-out balm, which I've been wanting to try. 

Just a note: the discount code doesn't work on the Dyson Airwrap but it DOES work on the Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer which I have and love and use every single day. (I, um, traded my Airwrap for the Supersonic hairdryer because I'm far too lazy to bother curling my hair. It was a solid decision.) 

Next up, Madewell! They're offering 25% off everything for Insiders (this is the time to buy a leather jacket, just FYI. Usually they're excluded.) I'd just been texting with Marianne about how I don't feel like Madewell's denim this fall is very interesting or tempting but half an hour later I was ordering this pair of Perfect Vintage jeans: 

While they aren't the bootcut or barrel jeans of my fall vision, they are: mid-rise, a dark wash, and straight leg. I mean, these are the jeans I will be wearing every single day if they work for me. We shall see! I was also quite tempted by these boots and this shirt-jacket and oh my god this leather jacket, but I resisted. For now. We'll see. 

Weekend Window Shopping: Banana Republic For Fall.

I'm not sure how I feel about Banana Republic's recent upscale rebranding but I have to admit, price points aside, the fall collection is pretty tempting. Marianne just ordered this blazer because they're offering 40% off a full-priced purchase with their friends & family sale. Here's what I really like: 

Beauty: Recent Purchases.

 I've been pretty boring with my makeup lately but I have managed to buy a couple of new things I'm happy with, after doing a thorough makeup bag clean-out in which I tossed a lot of old crap. Marianne would be proud of me! She's always horrified at my using makeup that's more than, like, four days old. ANYWAY. I wanted a new cream blush and had heard great things about Rare Beauty Soft Pinch so I trotted over to Sephora and checked it out. I wanted a color that would give me a really natural flush and ended up with this:

This stuff is kind of amazing, y'all. The color is super natural, little goes a long way and it STAYS PUT. I am really impressed! It's also not crazy expensive, which I appreciate. I'll definitely be checking out more from this brand. (What can't Selena Gomez do?)

I should also mention that I got a deluxe sample of the Farmacy Green Clean Makeup Removing Cleansing Balm and I really like it. It does an amazing job of removing makeup and sunscreen and felt really good. I don't know that I'll rush to replace the balm I'm currently using, but this one is a contender. 

I threw away my old makeup sponge and bought a new one by Real Techniques, a brand Marianne told me about. They're way less expensive than Beauty Blender and they work exactly the same. Before this I'd been using a sponge from Wander Beauty, maker of my favorite mascara, and it's quite good too. I mean, they're all just lil sponges. I do find that Dr. Bronner's Peppermint soap works wonderfully when cleaning makeup brushes and sponges, which I think I've mentioned before. 

I recently impulse-purchased this set of metal face thingies and I am not sure this was something I truly needed in my life, but they're kind of fun? The big ball roller thing feels really nice and I use the smaller one to apply eye cream - it feels soothing and seem to help de-puff a bit. It was mostly a stupid purchase for things I didn't really need, but if you want a frivolous treat, you could do worse. Oh, also! I use the spoony ends to scoop out products that come in tub form - my eye cream and Jones Road foundation, specifically. It's much nicer than dipping my fingers in and getting crap under my fingernails. Bleh.

And finally! I ordered a sample kit from Riddle Oil and I've been having a great time with it. You get a little rollerball bottle of all seven of their scents in a very fancy little box and I honestly like most of them a lot. The Original and the Sphinx are a little confusing because they're only base notes - this means they don't smell like anything until you put them on your skin and wait a bit for them to activate. (They explain it with too many words here.) Anyway, they're all very subtle and wearable. Also, you can get $10 off your first order through my link! (full disclosure: I also get $10 credit.) I can't test to see if this discount works on the sample sets, so let me know if you try it! 

Outfit of The Day: Grayson Changemaker Dress Review.

There's nothing that quite says "worst blogger ever" like reviewing a dress that's nearly sold out forever, am I right? But even though I'm bummed to discover Grayson too late, I have to show you this dress anyway:

This is the Changemaker dress in liquid flannel and I absolutely love it. I've had it less than a week and I've already worn it out twice. It's not, like, figure flattering but sometimes you just want a dress you can throw on without thought and out the door you go, looking pretty damn good. Sadly, because Grayson is shutting down everything is final sale, so please take note of that. The Changemaker is still available in tissue cotton in a bunch of colors and in the liquid flannel  in a few colors including a very cute gray plaid. I was a bit worried about "liquid flannel" but it's Lyocell and not at all flannel-y, just heavier than cotton with a good drape and weight. 

I'm wearing the size 3 which is a medium and it's perfect. I probably could've even gone with a 2, but I wanted it to be loose and easy and it was final sale, so I didn't want to chance it. Because I know final sale is a risk, I feel it's my duty to let you know that LOFT has a fairly similar drop waist dress in two colors. I'm wearing the Grayson dress with my new-to-me M.Gemi Greta clogs though I think this pair at Madewell would totally fit the bill (and they're on sale if you're an Insider!) However...

I was feeling fancy so I tried it on with my new Loeffler Randall Emilia sandals (that are technically my wedding shoes but they're also just really cute dressy sandals that I hope to wear a lot.) They were a splurge but they are so freaking fun and pretty! Nordstrom has some of the other colors on sale, just FYI. Everyone needs one pair of really fun shoes! My bag is, of course, my Clare V. Midi Sac and woof, do I like this green one. On to details: 

I'm wearing my Gorjana herringbone chain with my vintage turquoise bead necklace because I think a black dress needs some color! For something similar, I think this chunky baby would be so striking against black and this cheap-and-cheerful option from H&M is basically exactly my vibe. 

And one final look at my Emilia sandals because they are so fun and the heel is perfect. (Marianne calls her pair "my tamales.")

Weekend Window Shopping: Autumnal AF.

 I am a summer person who LOVES fall clothes. I have started looking to see what I might want for fall and winter and everything is so tempting! Here's a roundup of what I love so far:

Stuff I Bought: Not-Quite-Fall Edition.

I have a mental list of things I'd like to buy for fall/winter and have recently knocked a few of those items out with my usual brand of idiotic impulse shopping. It's great to be me.  First up, I received my Grayson dress and it's great:

I'll post an outfit soon! Unfortunately it's true that Grayson is shutting down so this dress is sold out in black but still available in a few colors and in cotton. I took a size 3/M in this and it's generous. My linen dress is also still in stock but everything is final sale. That said, I'm tempted to order a button up shirt before they're gone because people seem to love them! 

In truly fall-like news, I was recently influenced by a blog reader (hi, Robyn!) who told me she'd heard that the Quince cashmere fisherman sweater is similar to the Jenni Kayne version so I ordered one for Blog Science:

This is Very Important Sweater Research, yes? She also ordered the Quince sweater and the Jenni Kayne version to compare. (I consider this to be dangerous behavior but she promised to let me know her findings.) I can't do much about the wonders of Jenni Kayne cashmere but if you you're tempted by the Quince version, you can get $20 off your first order through my link. (Full disclosure: I get Quince credit with each sale.) 

Lastly, this isn't really a "fall" purchase but I wanted a truly comfortable pair of lightweight, packable sneakers for travel that are also not completely hideous. I love my Madewell Sidewalk sneakers but they're leather and more for fashion than serious walking. Marianne suggested I check out the Aertrex Carly which are super-sexy arch support sneakers. This is where we are, I guess. But they come in good colors and they are SO lightweight, so they'll pack well:

I tried them on and they seem great? They didn't have the white in my size in-store so I ordered them (though now I'm eyeing the leopard print and having mild regret.) I'll report back! 

(Early) Weekend Window Shopping: Labor Day Sales!

So many good sales this weekend! (Okay, I know it's only Thursday but you gotta start early with these or all the good stuff is gone.) Here's what I have so far, with links to the sale and also one item from each that I'd personally love to own:

Anthropologie
Extra 50% off all sale items

Athleta
Extra 30% off Sale Styles

Banana Republic Factory
Extra 15% off at checkout

Bloomingdales
Extra 30% off select items

COS
20% off sale

J.Crew
30% off your purchase, plus an extra 50% off sale with code LONGWKND

J.Crew Factory
50% off entire site & storewide, no exclusions

Kate Spade
30% off sale styles with code MORE30

Lo & Sons
Up to 50% off select items

Madewell
Extra 40% off sale, 30% off fall faves with code LONGWEEKEND

Nordstrom Rack

Extra 40% off clearance (this is a good one!)

Outfit of the Day: A Week in WFH Style.

The title is not entirely accurate as I only have four days of outfits to show you. I've been trying to get in the habit of taking a photo of what I'm wearing every day even if it's not particularly good or interesting. I mostly dress for comfort at home but it definitely makes me feel better and more productive if wearing an actual outfit rather than just my lounge clothes. Here are my outfit from the past four workdays:

I had meetings yesterday so I decided to dress like a damn adult. I'm wearing my Madewell eyelet top (similar here) with a very, very old J.Crew locket necklace (sorta similar!) My pants are Lululemon On The Fly and I thrifted them (I also have a pair in black) because those jerks stopped making them. They are SO GOOD. I wear a size up from my normal size in these, just FYI. I think the Athleta Brooklyn pant is very similar and also very good! My sandals are the Madewell Maggie in leopard from last summer and they don't get enough love, so I've been trying to wear them more. 

No meetings this day so my favorite Bowie tee with an older pair of Madewell Cali Demi Boot jeans. I'd just gotten another (I know) pair of M.Gemi clogs in the mail, a total steal from Poshmark. This pair is shearling-lined and they are amazing. I literally wore them around the house all day because they were so comfy. Obviously I don't need fleece-lined clogs in August but November Me is going to be very grateful. 

This is my business-on-top look, which means I have a meeting but my loft office gets hot, so shorts were necessary. I'm wearing a Treasure & Bond blouse from Nordstrom and my AGolde Parker Long shorts, which were expensive but I really love them and wear them a ton. They're made from non-stretch denim and after you wear them a few times they relax a little and just fit perfectly to your body. I'm also wearing my Birkenstock Arizona Split which are getting harder to find but this version is really cute and on sale. 

Annnnd, then there's this. This is what I wear when I don't have meetings and might go to the gym later. I'm wearing my (truly great) Athleta Ultimate Stash Pocket shorts (updated version here, weird color on sale here) and my favorite Wilt high-low tee. I'm wearing my white Birkenstock Arizona which are probably the pair I wear most often. 

That's it! Not quite a week's worth of work-from-home outfits.

Monday Mood: A Few Dumb Things I Bought Last Week.

I love it when I impulse purchase something from Amazon and then forget about it and when it arrives I'm like WTF. In this case, why would someone with my hair buy a set of large claw clips:

WHY. Now, in my defense, I though they were the small kind (which I can sort of use) but I still didn't need EIGHT OF THEM. The colors are really good? I don't know. I'm giving them to Marianne when I see her... this weekend! Which is why I also bought this:

It arrived and I haven't really tested it fully, but I'm dead set on my goal of actually sleeping on a redeye flight and this mask is very comfortable and block out all the light. Also, it looks like the world's worst ski mask, which is amusing. I will report back. I also ordered a new brand of dermaplaning razors:

And ooh, these are really good. I don't know that they're better than the Shiseido kind I'd been getting but I definitely accidentally shaved off a bit of my eyebrow without even trying (not actually happy about that) so you know they're wicked sharp. Luckily I just re-purchased my favorite eyebrow pencil, so I can draw it back on. *sob*

And finally, it appears that Grayson is shutting down, which sucks. (They are being super weird about it, though. They apparently sent out an email last week about closing and then posted about a closeout sale on IG and then edited the post, all, nothing to see here! They're no closeout sale or any mention of closing on the website, so maybe they announced it too early?) Anyway I had some credits to use, so I ordered another dress:

This is not going to be a "oh, that's so flattering on you dress!" but more of a "Oooh, I love a pretty sack" kind of dress. I can see wearing this with Birkenstocks now and boots and tights later in the fall, right? Right. My other favorite linen sack dress is also still available in pink, just FYI. Anyway, I'm sad they're closing, if indeed they are closing, but if this blouse gets marked down further, I'll probably buy it as well. The exhilaration of a final sale purchase! You can't beat it.

Weekend Window Shopping: 40% Off Sale at Madewell.

 I most definitely was going to lay off Madewell for a while because even I get tired of it but they keep having such good sales and I CAN'T HELP IT. I'm not made of stone, people. Anyway, they have an extra 40% off sale and I had to poke through it all and find the stuff I most want for myself:

Outfit of the Day: How To Button Up.

Before I get started with another underwhelming outfit, I just want to thank you all for your comments yesterday! I love that you all are invested in my non-wedding dress and will keep you posted. (The Shoshanna is definitely a front-runner.)  Now, I have another thrifting find, an item that everyone else in the world seems to wear without issue but I struggle with:

THE SILK BUTTON UP. So lovely! So sleek! So f'ing gape-y. This particular beautiful silk blouse is by Equipment and I love everything about it except that it's a button up because I hate the boob gape. I do have dress tape (magical stuff as long as you remember to remove it before washing) but for a blouse this nice, I wish they'd design it to fit actual human bodies. I'm just holding real still in these photos. 

Here I am fully tucking it in because I"m not sure I'm pulling off that half-tuck. Also, I'm going to stop complaining because I paid $7 for this blouse. If you want something similarly fancy, this is a gorgeous green Equipment blouse. For something similar but much less expensive, you know I'm going to recommend this Quince blouse and of course there's Everlane. For a non-silk option, I love this one at J.Crew! 

I'm wearing a pair of Madewell Perfect Vintage jeans in a good black wash from a few years ago. The current version in Lunar wash is probably the most similar! I'm also wearing my new M.Gemi Greta Clogs even though it's still too hot for them. They just looked so perfect with this, I couldn't resist. For something similar, this pair by Dolce Vita look very promising and of course, Madewell has a beautiful pair. Details:

I just piled on a bunch of Gorjana necklaces - my Parker wrap, Compass Coin and my herringbone chain. I am getting the most I can out of this layering trend! 

My little quilted Marc Jacobs Single bag is still one of my favorite Poshmark steals of all time. It's just a perfect, classic thing and, honestly, I'm just never going to spend the cash on a Chanel bag. For something similar, you have so many options! I always recommend Rebecca Minkoff for a quality, fashionable quilted bag but there is also this affordable option at TJ Maxx or have some fun and get a crazy Kurt Geiger bag. 

That's it for today! TL;DR working title: Blogger Confounded By Button Up Shirt.