Review: Calpak Luka Belt Bag and Luka Duffel.

Last month I posted that I'd been influenced into buying (with my own money) the Calpak Luka Belt Bag and matching Luka Duffel bag. Marianne bought both for a trip and liked them so I felt the need to copy her like the total creeper I am. But y'all, Marianne has a great instinct for the good stuff and she's rarely led me wrong. Here is my review of both with the caveat that I haven't actually traveled with either item as yet*:

Hi! HERE IS THE LUKA BELT BAG IT IS A BIG BABY. I've only had tiny belt bags so this one has taken a little adjustment. It has interior pockets and a large external zippered pocket. I really love the idea of having everything I need strapped to my body where I can access it, both in the airport and on the plane. Here's what fits in the Luka Belt Bag:

"But Adrien, I can't seeeeeeee everything." Okay, fine. Here is literally all my crap spread out for your amusement: 

In my Luka Belt Bag I have my Kindle (sans case), my cell phone, my little Liberty pouch for chapstick, tissues, tiny hand lotion, bits of lint, etc, Liberty card case, my passport, AirPods, AirFly, Advil, Mentos, and a Purell wipe because you just never know. Now, here's my Luka Duffel, which will be my carry-on (I am checking my suitcase, which is also by Calpak):

Now, I could've been a reasonable person and gone with one of the neutral colors but I love this bag in merlot  (Marianne bought both in dijon yellow!) and the colors they have are great, so why not get a fun color? This duffel is a perfect medium-sized bag and surprisingly light. It fits a lot and you can still shove it under the airplane seat. I love that it has shoulder straps and a longer crossbody option, and it also has a million pockets and a suitcase sleeve. I also like the optional shoe compartment (you can strap up the inner pouch part to get it out of the way if you're not using it), and it has a good, deep water bottle pocket. I don't love that the interior is black because it makes it harder to find stuff, but that's a minor quibble. Here's what I have in my carry-on bag: 

A big scarf, sleep mask, lightweight sneakers, Trtl wrap thingy, large Liberty pouch for all my charge cords, earbud case, and a baggie of essentials (hand cream, Shout wipes, contact solution, etc). I also bring extra contacts, my glasses, medication, and a change of underwear in case something goes wrong with my checked bag. I still have a ton of room left in the tote so I can do a little shopping on my trip without worry.

Here I am wearing the belt bag in a more hangy purse-like manner and holding the duffel so you can see how big it is. This is an experiment for me because I usually carry a backpack (and was tempted by the Calpak backpack!) but wanted something a bit bigger for my carry-on. Both the belt bag and the duffel are on sale right now and if you're new to Calpak you can use my link for $25 off your first qualifying CALPAK order of $150+. (I'm not sure if this works on sale items or not? Give it a try.) Full disclosure, I will also get $25 credit.

*We're going back to Ireland! I've written about our travels to Ireland here and here and here if you're curious.

OOTD Review: Quince Cashmere Batwing Sweater.

 Hello! I recently bought a Quince cashmere batwing sweater and here I am, ready to talk about it:

First, I had to dither over the sizing. Initially this sweater came in one size which made most of the reviews pointless. Now it's S/M or L/XL and after some consideration (and asking a friend), I went with the S/M which was the right way to go. I have narrow shoulders so I think the larger size would've driven me crazy. It should be noted that this sweater is slightly cropped, so unless you're wearing it with super high rise pants, you'll want to wear a t-shirt under it (I always do anyway.) 

It's definitely got a batwing! The more I wear it, the more I like it. It's the same nice cashmere I've experienced from Quince - not super heavy but soft and warm. I am wearing it over an Everlane ribbed cotton turtleneck that I thrifted. I don't generally love a turtleneck but I thought it worked well here and its fitted enough to be a good under-sweater layer. 

And oooh, I love this burgundy color. I kind of want this sweater in black too because I want everything in black. If you've never shopped Quince and want $20 off your first purchase, please use my link! (full disclosure: for each purchase I get credits to spend.) 

My jeans are my recently purchased Mother Weekender flares and I have no regrets. So soft, so comfy! (But, they're expensive and all the Madewell jeans are 40% off right now, just FYI.) I also pulled out my old Marc by Marc Jacobs hobo because it's just been sitting in my closet collecting dust. I've held onto it because it was a long-time favorite of mine and apparently they've re-issued the original Hillier! (I got my first Hillier back in 2010 and I wish I'd kept it.) Details: 

My soft soft sweater and my old Dean Davidson tassel necklace. There's not much like it but this tassel pendant at Target is pretty! 

Another look at my old MJ hobo - it's the Too Hot To Handle style and can definitely be found secondhand for not much money. My boots are an old pair by Madewell - this pair is similar (and on sale!) That's it for today! Just more jeans and sweater action, really. 

Weekend Window Shopping: 30% Off at Madewell.

It's me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me. 

In this case "me" stands for MADEWELL who I have been actively avoiding except now there's an extra 30% off sale (and 50% off some other stuff) and I cannot resist. I CAN NOT RESIST AND IT IS MAKING ME YELL. The jeans I want are not on sale which is fine but I found a bunch of other good stuff and I am just going to make you want it instead because that's how it works. Okay? Okay:

Stuff I Like: Travel Hacks!

I have two big trips coming up and they're both international with long-ass flights. (Flying to Europe from the West Coast instead of the East Coast has been quite an adjustment.) I'm a pretty good flyer but I'm always looking for ways to make my economy-seat flight more comfortable. Here are a couple of things I have that make long flights easier and a couple of new purchases I'll be trying out on the next trip:

Airfly Bluetooth Wireless Adapter
I love two things on an airplane: Noise-canceling AirPods and in-flight movies. My AirPods Pro are a game-changer on flights! Just by reducing the amount of noise around me, it's helps to make for a more relaxing experience. However, I've had to use wired earbuds to watch in-flight movies which is a drag. Not anymore! Marianne told me about this gadget that plugs into the earphone jack and connects to your wireless earphones! SO HAPPY. I haven't had a chance to use it yet but I can't wait. Technology is amazing.

Compression Socks
I am old and I'm excited about compression socks. On long-haul flights, I sometimes get this weird buzzy sensation in my body/legs that makes it really hard to get comfortable. (There might be a medical explanation/term for this? I'm not sure how else to describe it.) I'm hoping that wearing compression socks will help tamp down the buzz and y'all know I love Bombas, so I recently bought a pair of their fancy compression socks. Who's a sexy lady in her compression knee socks? That would be me. 

And a couple of fully tested items:

Sleep Eye Mask
I bought this eye mask back in August and got to try it out when I flew to Knoxville. 10/10 it's a good one! It doesn't put pressure on your eyeballs and it truly blocks out all light. It also makes you look slightly insane. I'm still bad at sleeping on a plane but this definitely made it easier to pretend. 

Trtl Wrap Pillow
I hate most travel neck pillows - they're always too thick in the back and they're bulky and ugh. I bought this Trtl wrap thingy back in 2018 and I'm still using it! I like that it packs down pretty flat and it is mostly pretty comfortable? It's weird and takes some practice but I still like it and use it so there's that. 

What are your travel hacks? What items or strategies make flying easier for you? Please leave a comment and let me know. 

PS. I also need to report back on my new Calpak Luka duffel and belt bag! I'm planning a pre-review/packing post for next week but the real test will be my upcoming trip. We shall see! 

Outfit of the Day: New and Old Favorites.

Hello! Go vote. I'll wait. Now that's done, here's the Lucky Brand Bowie tee that is my new favorite thing in my closet:

Obviously my closet is not getting any more work-appropriate any time soon, but I really love this tee! It's got a great broken-in feel and is really fun to layer under jackets because it gives you a little bit of shine and interest without being too blingy. Plus, Bowie. 

My jeans are my usual pair of Madewell Perfect Vintage and I love the higher rise for tucking in a fun t-shirt. I was pretty excited to see that Madewell now has a Perfect Vintage flair jean and will definitely be trying those on the next time I'm in the store. I also have my eye on this pair of boyjeans. I'm also wearing my M.Gemi shearling clogs because now is the time! They're currently sold out of my exact style but this pair at Madewell also look quite cozy. Quick detail shot of my Bowie tee: 

The little studs on it aren't too shiny, just a little bit. I think it's really a cool effect and I hope it holds up after washing. (For delicate stuff: lingerie bag, always cool water, never in the dryer! Be nice to your things.) Now, it's time for a jacket: 

I impulse-bought this Vuori military jacket last fall because once I tried it on I couldn't not have it. It's the perfect lightweight layer: it has a hood, the fit is structured but comfortable, and I love the color. It's still available and on sale to boot! I'm wearing a medium and would say it's true-to-size. Also, in exploring the Vuori site I found this excellent raincoat and I want it so badly it's hurting my feelings. Sigh. Anyway, here's a closer look: 

 Such a good jacket! My bag is of course my quilted Rebecca Minkoff love bag which I'm still enjoying. The updated chevron version is on sale at Zappos. That's all I've got for today but my next outfit will feature my Quince batwing sweater which is quite a thing. Stay tuned. 

PS. Did you vote yet? Make that happen! Let's do this. 

Weekend Window Shopping: Sephora Sale!

 I am still bitter about my sad little 10% discount at Sephora but I still ordered a bunch of stuff and so did Marianne. Here's some of what we bought and some things I wish I could buy. (I mean, who doesn't want every single adorable beauty advent calendar?) My order bumped me up to VIB status so I might order some more stuff, who knows. Anyway:

Midweek Update.

 Hi! Sorry to be MIA, but things have been busy in my non-blog life (in a good way) and honestly, I'm just out of good ideas. I did want to give a few quick updates. FIRST:

I bought this tee after influencing myself and it's SO GOOD. It's also really on sale. I gasped when I pulled it out of the packaging and can't wait to wear it in a blog outfit. It's just everything I wanted it to be. I love that it's already got a worn-in look and isn't super obviously a band tee, plus it's got some cool studs and whatnot. It's just really cool and so good with jeans. It's also available without embellishment (the men's version) for even less. Lucky has really great graphic tees and a lot of them are 40% off right now! 

Next, thank you ALL for your help/suggestions/comments on my sunscreen allergy post. Things are going much better with my skin now that I've figured it out! I'm using mineral-only sunscreen right now, specifically MDSolarSciences Mineral Crème which is a little heavy on the silicone but otherwise is doing the trick. I have both the tinted and untinted versions, and I like the untinted better. I also have  It Cosmetics CC cream, which is VERY tinted so I use it as foundation. A little goes a long was which doesn't really work when you're trying to sunscreen yourself so I usually layer it over regular sunscreen.

A lot of you recommended EltaMD Clear, but it turns out that's a mineral/chemical combo. It's pretty much the same combo (Zinc Oxide/Octinoxate) as my beloved Skin Aqua Super Moisture Shower Milk sunscreen which I don't seem to be reactive to, but for now, I'm sticking with mineral-only formulations. My friend Kate recommended Tatcha The Silk Sunscreen which she loves but warns that the packaging is terrible. (They're apparently fixing it.) I have the mini size in my Sephora cart right now as I wait for my sad little 10% Insider discount tomorrow. 

Finally, I finished my re-read of The Witch Elm and I can confirm it's much better on the second read. The whole first 200 pages is the sub-plot which seems crazy (and really didn't need to be so long) but it's really an interesting look at "luck" and privilege with an unreliable narrator to boot. It's not Tana French's best, but it's beautifully written and worth another shot if you didn't get into it the first time. Now I'm reading Book Lovers by Emily Henry because I needed a light palate cleanser. So far, it's good but not great, which is fine. I am enjoying it but don't need it to change my life. 

That's it for today! I hope to be back tomorrow with an outfit post.