Monday Mood: Beach Weekend.

It's January. Still. I know. But, if the stars align I'll be joining Marianne on a beach in a few weeks and I cannot WAIT. Here's my little outfit mood board to keep me motivated:

Weekend Window Shopping: Let's Take A Walk.

Marianne and I both have embraced the pandemic winter walk. This is not a casual stroll, this is an existential need for movement-based endorphins. Go outside, get some sunlight in your eyeballs, break a sweat. I promise it makes everything feel less bleak. If you need inspiration, here's my ultimate urban hike collection:

Review: That Perfect Striped COS Tee.

This wasn't really meant to be an official outfit post but I got a few questions about this COS tee I bought recently and I wanted to show you how it fits. I have a lot of striped t-shirts and I'm always looking for the next one. I want a comfortable-but-not-unflattering fit and a cool detail doesn't hurt either. COS is a European company with a minimalist, androgynous look that appeals but doesn't always work on me. Anyway, this tee is a winner and I am delighted with it:

I'm wearing a size medium and it's perfect. It's a pretty long tee so harder to do a French tuck but I still managed. Oh, I also bought a short sleeved version in black, but I'll save that for another post. I'm wearing my striped tee with my old Madewell skinny jeans which unfortunately aren't available anymore but this pair looks really similar and this pair is on sale. 

I think I like it best untucked and might try it with leggings and a heeled boot or sneakers next time. I I love that the sleeves aren't very fitted so it has just the right hang. But my favorite thing is the contrast color neckline: 

Such a great detail! I'm wearing it with my Gorjana Parker necklace and my little bird skull pendant from Paxton Gate. It's still freaking January, so I can't just go out like this. I threw on a very old Athleta long hoodie:

Sadly, they don't sell this style anymore (whhhyyy) but this Cozy Karma style looks appropriately butt-covering and cozy. I'm carrying my Clare V Midi Sac (so many on sale at NR!) and wearing my beloved Blunstones that I reviewed here. 

Monday Mood: Weekend Shopping Report.

I shopped this weekend! In a store! Okay, it was REI which barely counts but I had a gift card and a Vuori obsession and I wanted to try things on. I tried on every single style of Vuori leggings and jogger they had in store:

Daily Legging:  I love the drawstring and they were really comfy but I like a bit more compression in my leggings. They were soft and comfortable though. I would wear these for lounging purposes but probably not for the gym. 

Clean Elevation legging:  These felt more like gym leggings and were very nice, with a bit of compression but felt too similar to my Beyond Yoga leggings. Also, they run small (at least they did on me.) 

Daily Jogger:  I was excited to try these - a jogger that fits like a legging. However, these were not good on me. Tight at the top and looser at the bottom might look cute on some people but on me they were tight in all the wrong places. I kind of wanted them to be leggings with jogger details, I guess.

Performance Jogger: This is what I came for and this is what I bought! They are SO comfy and soft and definitely cute enough to wear out of the house. I got the dark camo because they were the best. I wore them for the rest of the weekend. 

I also tried on this Energy Top which was cute and made of that nice Vuori material and it had the higher neck that I like for working out, but I don't know that I loved it enough to pay full price.  

Now, because the Athleta rack was right there, I tried on these Salutation camo joggers for comparisons. Y'all. I was straight horrified. They are SO unflattering! The pockets do weird things to your hips and they don't even look good on the model. Nope. It's a shame because I super-love the Salutation Stash Pocket leggings. I also found this Uptempo tank which is on sale and it was lovely:

Silky and light and hangs perfectly. The amount of restraint I had in putting this tank back on the rack should be commended. But, I did not need it so back it went. Boo. Honestly, I was more tempted by this Athleta tank than the Vuori version and not just because of the price difference. It just seemed more flattering. 

That's it for my weekend shopping! Not super exciting but I'm very pleased with my softy-soft new Vuori joggers. 

Weekend Window Shopping: Stuff I Want, Stuff I Bought.

How are short weeks somehow the longest weeks? Anyway, it's Friday now and here are some things I'd love to buy and also a few things I already bought:

I bought this striped COS tee in Santa Barbara and wore it immediately. It's basically perfect.

Speaking of striped things, Marianne told me about this Target swimsuit that's $35! 

You might ask: Why do we need swimsuits in January? Stay tuned.

I need another bag like a hole in the head but this Clare V is on sale and it's hurting my feelings. 

The labradorite version of my little blue Gorjana necklace has been taunting me. Hmm. 

Why don't I have grey boots? WHY DON'T I INDEED.

I have a gift card burning a Vuori camo jogger hole in my pocket. These will be mine. 

I bought this retinol eye cream from Quince a while back and it's quite nice and not expensive. I find the pump to be aggressive so I use the extra on the back of my aged crone hands. Win-win.

Finally, this beautiful AllSaints leather jacket is 30% off. Why. WHY. Why do I do this to myself. 

Stuff I Like: Is It STILL Winter. Why.

Winter is not my season at all. I am pretty over it and my recent trip to Southern California reminded me that, oh yeah, the sun is SO GOOD YOU GUYS. I really miss it. Anyway, here are a few things I like that have been getting me through it:

I Am Still Into These Vitamin Packs.
I've written about my love of Care/Of vitamin packs before and I am still at it. Sometimes my "stuff" love is fleeting but not with this. You take a quiz, pick your vitamins/supplements and they package them into nifty little daily packets with your name on them. I mean. I have never been so good at being good at taking my vitamins. They're also great for travel or easy to stick in a lunch box or whatever. I have been very pleased overall. I am about to re-up my choices and might add some fish oil in there because these creaky joints of mine are not cute. Anyway, if you're interested, use my link for 50% off your first order! (full disclosure: I get discount credits when you purchase through my link.) 

This Lip Mask That Actually Does Something.
I got the Ilia Lip Wrap Treatment Mask for Christmas in this little kit and thought it was a lovely lip balm but then read up on it and realized it's actually a treatment! Most lip "masks" are just fancy balm but this is a fancy balm that exfoliates while you sleep. No more cracked, chapped lips for meeeee. It has a very faint lavender-chamomile scent which I find very soothing. I will definitely re-purchase in the full size when the mini is gone. 

This Re-Read That Was Even Better Than I Remembered.
Some folks don't like to re-read books, even if they love them. Not me! I like to wait a while and re-read a book a love because I feel like I get more out of it each time. I first read The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield back in 2009 and completely loved it. It has everything! It's a darkish, gothic tale that takes place in Yorkshire. It's a story-within-a story and also a book about the love of books and reading. I'd waited long enough to forget the details so re-reading it was familiar but still had an element of mystery. My review: It's SO GOOD. (Also, I didn't know there was a movie version! With Olivia Coleman! WHAT.) 

These Socks I Do Not Wear For Running.
I know I've talked about my love for Bombas before but these calf-length performance running socks are THE BEST for wearing with boots in the winter. They look cute scrunched, have no poke-y seams and will hug your foot without sliding around. They are worth every penny. For actual fitness, I love these for the gym and these are cute for around the house and very fashion when worn with Birk clogs. Ooh, also, I got a pair of the gripper slippers as a gift and they are so cozy! Perfect for keeping your toes warm while watching TV on the couch. Yay for socks. (Hush, Marianne.) If you've never tried Bombas, my link will get you 25% off your first order! (full disclosure: I get sock credits if you purchase through my link. My feet thank you!) 

That's all I have for today, except I want to thank you all for your sweet birthday wishes on Monday. Thank you so much for reading this dumb blog we've been writing for way too long. We truly have the best readers. *heart eyes emoji*

Outfit of the Day: Age is Just a Number.

So, when I turned 40 I started feeling like I had to start worrying about dressing too young or trendy or or whatever. Is this trend too young for me? Am I too old for that? What does 40-something even look like anymore? Well, I will tell you that yesterday I turned 50 and over the past ten years have realized none of that shit matters AT ALL. Wear what you like. Buy what makes you happy (within reason or we'd all have ponies named Cupcake.) Have the best time mixing your nice stuff with that Stones tee you bought at Target.  Don't worry about dressing for your age! What even is age?  Here's an example:

Pretty typical jeans and a t-shirt and an awesome new pair of Vans Checkerboard slip-ons because I went to the Vans store with my boyfriend and accidentally tried them on. Aren't they GOOD? Such excellent retro Spicoli vibes, right? I regret nothing! I love these shoes so much. My t-shirt is fancy by way of the thrift store. It's this one by ATM and it's a nice t-shirt, but even nicer when it's $4. 

My jeans are an older pair of Madewell Cali Demi Boot, bought on Poshmark. This pair is probably the most similar in cut, but the wash here is better. I also want to try the pair with Tencel! This style is so fun and feels really fresh, especially with my rad new slip-ons. 

The jacket I'm wearing is my latest good thrift find - an American Giant Moto Full Zip. I've checked out the American Giant website before but never owned anything from them until now. Y'all. This jacket is nice. It has all the comfort and softness of a zip up hoodie but with the structure and construction of a really nice little jacket. It reminds me a bit of the Scuba hoodie from Lululemon - good, heavy quality cotton and such a flattering cut.

Just in case things were getting TOO casual, I pulled out an old friend. This Miu Miu bag is such a favorite but I just haven't been carrying it much in the past few years and I missed it. I can't find anything super similar but I love this cool black hobo from Rebecca Minkoff and this Marc Jacobs bag has a similar feel. I love the mix of something really nice worn with my best thrift finds, you know? 

Quick details! I'm wearing my usual array of jewelry - moonstone earrings from Three Flames Silverworks, and old Madewell horn pendant (similar) and my Gorjana Parker. Nothing super fancy, but it all feels like me. This is 50 and it feels great.