Gift Guide: Gifts For Menfolk.

Men are, to me, notoriously hard to shop for but this list includes some things that seem like they'd make good gifts for pretty much anyone, as well as some things I've actually given as gifts that were well-received. Here we go:

Do you have a dude in your life who buys all his clothes in bulk from Amazon? Just me? Okay, listen. I have it on good authority that Outdoor Voices makes excellent athleisure/comfy clothes for men and this lightweight hoodie made from their CloudKnit fabric looks like something nearly every guy would wear and appreciate. It comes in a bunch of colors and it's also on sale right now! 

This is a such normcore guy gift but it was one I gave to my dude when he was deeply into grilling but didn't have good tools. It was a hit! I am personally VERY into having the right cooking tools for the job and you can never have enough tongs, right? There's also this fancy set which looks good but I'm into those big flat skewers because they seem so much more stable than the usual skinny kind. 

For the music and/or vinyl buff, this would be a really cool gift. Hell, I kind of want it for myself even though my knowledge of punk music is medium-to-low. I just really love the art of album cover art and feel like it was a big loss when everything went digital. 

Is a toothbrush a good gift? It is when it's a Philips Sonicare. This thing is kind of amazing and life-changing and I would actually like a new one myself because I dropped mine and it broke and now I am SAD WITHOUT IT. So yeah, this might the be romantic gift equivalent of a vacuum cleaner but who cares. It's a nice gift, it comes in several levels of fancy (I mean, what) and it makes brushing your teeth a pleasure.

Okay, hear me out: LEGO for adults. Did you know this was a thing? There are also excellently cool art sets but I am quite taken with this freaking awesome pyramid of Giza set and want it for myself. This would be a really fun gift because who doesn't still want toys for Christmas? (Caveat: this might not a great gift for someone with young-ish kids because I guarantee they already have 800,000 tiny hard bits of Lego in their house and will probably murder you for introducing more.)

Honestly, socks are kind of a boring gift but hiking socks from Bombas? They are really good and kind of fun. I have a pair and I've definitely given a pair as a gift so there you have it. ALSO, Bombas x Cotopaxi Merino wool hiking socks are also a thing! They are really pretty nice looking and if you know someone who's a Cotopaxi fan that's a win-win, right? This is starting to feel desperate. 

A few honorable mentions: This Field Notes National Parks set of little notebooks, This elastic band wallet makes a great stocking stuffer, and if all else fails, Bacon of the Month club. 

Gift Guide: Under $100 Gifts For Your Bestie.

First, my apologies for gendering these guides so hard - you know your people, so grain of salt, please! 

This is a list of under-$100 gifts geared towards your best friend, sister, mom, work wife, etc. Also, these would make great gifts for ME JUST SAYING. Okay:

Marianne keeps telling me about the Nécessaire samples she's gotten and how good they are and I'm like, LALALAALAA I CAN'T HEAR YOU because I don't need another expensive bodycare brand in my life but I also kind of do? SO. This brand is supposed to be amazing and the body wash (which comes in some amazing scents and also unscented) seems like the kind of special thing that you might not buy for yourself, but it would be a great gift. Throw in one of my favorite shower scrubber thingies and you'll be a legend. Ooh, there's also a set with the body serum and lotion! That looks good too. 

I know I bang on about Quince a lot but do not sleep on Quince jewelry, y'all. They have such nice things at amazing price points! For an easy under-$50 gift, this gold vermeil eternity necklace gets rave reviews. For something in the 14K gold range, these cabochon opal studs are SO pretty and still under $100! Also, I now have two of these little 14K gold solo mini hoops and I love them. 

Okay, real talk. I want this Simplehuman travel mirror for myself but haven't pulled the trigger yet. My old light-up travel mirror just died and it was kind of a space hog anyway, so this seems like a good solution, right? And it's also just a nice thing to have when you want to inspect your pores at the molecular level. Just me? Anyway, if your bestie travels a lot, I'll bet this would make a great gift. 

I'm going to do a whole big gift guide of just books, but couldn't resist including this Andy Warhol Polaroids book for your modern art/pop culture lover because oh my God, I love everything about this. In general, I love getting art books as gifts because they seem like such a luxury purchase but I also love anything in the pop culture/art realm and this covers a lot of bases. 

A few years ago Marianne and I gave each other Stackers jewelry boxes (review here) and they were a hit. Starter sets are just under $100, but it's kind of a hard thing to buy for someone when you don't know what their jewelry box situation might be. Marianne also gave me a little travel jewelry box that isn't on the site anymore but the current version is more compact and zips around and seems like the perfect travel accessory! Buy your lady friend a piece of Quince jewelry and stick it in this travel box with a bow on it. Congrats, you are done. Yay. Oh, also, they have a very nifty tech cable organizer that would honestly be a great gift for anyone who travels. 

Okay, I'm just going to say it. If you give someone a pair of Vuori Performance Joggers and they don't like them? That person is a monster. I'm totally kidding, but listen, these are still my #1 favorite around-the-house-but-still-cute lounge pants and they are soft as kittens. (I do wish they had extended and tall sizing but they don't listen to me.) These would be an outstanding gift for a dude as well. Just saying. 

I talked about this amazing stuff last year but here it is again. Marianne gave me this Dior Creme Abricot nail cream which is definitely something I wouldn't have bought myself but I love it. I get very dry, brittle nails and terrible sad cuticles in the winter months and this weird, slightly sticky but very effective potion helps a ton! Plus, the packing is very fancy and rich-lady minimalist and looks very nice on my bedside table. 

I recently got a new phone and immediately ordered a new Burga phone case because they are not only very, very good cases, they are also freaking gorgeous. So many patterns and colors to choose from! I personally love the ones that look like slabs of stone (I went with this one) but they also have a new zodiac collection that's really cool. This would make a great gift (they come beautifully packaged) and I also suggest a matching ring holder. Bonus: you can get $20 off your first purchase through my link (full disclosure: I get credits with each purchase.)

Weekend Window Shopping: Anthropologie Holiday Sale!

Anthropologie has a decent sale going on right now with lots of gift-able things since I guess we need to start thinking about that. I mean, you could technically call this a gift guide, but you can also just buy yourself these things and I would never judge you because I do that ALL THE TIME. I am just saying. 

(Real quick: do you guys want gift guides? Y/N. Let me know in the comments. I can go either way.) 

Anyway! Here's what I like from the Anthro sale:

Outfit of the Day: Completely Accidental.

I'm still feeling pretty crummy but managed to fully dressed myself yesterday to go run some errands and ended up liking my outfit enough to take a few quick pics. It wasn't an outfit meant for the blog but here we are:

Part of why it wasn't meant for the blog is because my new Madewell jeans are nearly sold out. That's right, The Worst Blogger Ever is again showing you something you can't actually buy. The WORST. But, I feel confident they'll restock soon! I'll keep you posted. 

These are a high-rise Perfect Vintage style in resin rinse which is a really good, dark denim with no distressing of any kind. They're so dark they almost look black, so you could just get these in black and call it done.  I am wearing my usual size and they fit perfectly. Despite my joy that mid-rise styles are back, I'm still kind of into the look of a higher rise because I think it makes me look taller. (I will change my mind about this the minute I sit down in them but whatever.) I just really love Madewell's Magic Pockets aka denim shapewear. 

Here's a weird side view with the jeans un-cuffed, which doesn't work with my new Blundstones but would look cute with flats or sneakers. My sweater is the Quince Mongolian Cashmere Fisherman and it continues to be a soft oversized cloud of warmth and joy. I can't recommend it enough. 

Here's a close-up of my sweater and also of my Dean Davidson necklace which is another thing you can't buy. However, I did find this absolutely beautiful labradorite tassel necklace that's similar. 

I completely forgot to get my bag for the photos but Y'ALL. I was browsing Quince's new arrivals section and look what I found. That's right, they just shamelessly knocked off the medium Hammitt VIP. It doesn't have the stud detailing or contrast zipper but it otherwise looks identical and is under $100. I truly love my Hammitt but they are expensive, so if you dig the style but not the price, get the Quince version! I would if I didn't already have one. (I'm the worst, but we already confirmed that.) 

Tuesday Mood: Give It Up.

It's Giving Tuesday, so here are a few organizations that we like and support:

First, The Brigid Alliance supports people who must travel long distances across the U.S. for abortion care, especially later in pregnancy. They provide travel expenses, child care, meals, lodging, practical support, etc. 

The Center for Reproductive Rights and Planned Parenthood are also great places to throw some money. And, consider supporting Equality Now. Their goal is to “Achieve legal and systemic change that addresses violence and discrimination against women and girls around the world.” 

Marianne suggests donating to the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a volunteer and donor-powered charity committed to supporting the most promising research to find cures for childhood cancers. She also suggests donating to your local children's hospital - specifically$10 gift cards for gas or food for the families of children with cancer. (Many families have to travel long distances to their regional hospital.) 

If you love animals, I've long been a supporter of the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee which provides captive elephants a safe haven dedicated to their well-being.

I also love supporting the Richmond Animal League, the shelter back home where I adopted both my kitties. 

+++

Now that you've given all your money to good causes, I'm going to be a total ass and tell you about a couple of lingering good sales:

R+Co has extended their 30% off sale with code CYBER30. I really love their Cactus shampoo, Television conditioner, Rodeo Star thickening style foam and most recently I've been digging the Park Ave blow out balm. Popular items tend to sell out fast but they do restock! 

Bombas, makers of my very favorite socks, are offering 20% off sitewide. I love the Performance Ankle for the gym and the Running Calf are my favorite boot socks.  Also, the compression socks are legit! 

LAFCO, makers of my favorite fancy candles, are offering 25% off sidewide with code CYBER2022. These candles come in gorgeous (and reusable) hand-blown glass containers and are beautifully boxed, so easy to give as gifts! My favorites are Amber, Rosemary Eucalyptus, and Woodland Spruce.

Monday Mood: It's Crummy.

I'm back! I'm also sick because when you fling yourself out into the world of people you risk the chance of catching something, so of course I did. it's just a head cold but I am feeling crummy. I will definitely post about my trip later in the week, as well as some updates about the travel stuff I bought. (Spoiler: The AirFly is THE BEST.) 

In the meantime, I basically missed most of the good Black Friday deals though they seem to be leaking well into Cyber Monday, right? Before I left for my trip I did buy these Madewell jeans 50% off:

They were waiting for me when I got back and I tried them on briefly and I think they might be really good? I love a really dark-dark denim and the cut seems good. They're completely sold out but I bet you anything they magically come back into stock when the sale is over. Hmph. Madewell also has 60% off some specific items today. My pick is this beautiful flap bag. 

I will also probably take advantage of the 25% off Tatcha sale to buy a full-sized container of this mineral sunscreen:

My friend Kate recommended it and it's basically magic. Very expensive magic. It's the best mineral formulation I've tried so far! It sinks in, has a slight tint, and doubles as a primer if you wear makeup on top of it. It's just very, very good. 

I was also considering buying this (56% off Cyber Monday deal) cocoon coat from J.Crew which is, rudely, final sale, but it's sold out in my size so I guess not:

It's damn cute though, and comes in a bunch of colors, so I'm going to keep an eye on it. I mean, if it's such a best seller, why is it final sale, J.Crew? You're a bad boyfriend and I'm grumpy. 

One last thing, the Vuori raincoat I covet is most definitely NOT on sale but my excellent jacket has been marked down again! Go get it. 

Weekend Window Shopping: BR Factory Is Giving It Away.

I am going to be on vacation next week so you're on your own for the Black Friday deals (though I will say, now would be a really good time to buy an AllSaints leather jacket) but I feel that I should talk about Banana Republic Factory because they have an early deal going - 60% off everything (prices already adjusted) plus an extra 15% off with code BRREWARDS. In short, they are giving away clothes! Here's what I like: