Stuff I Like: Winter I Guess.

I just got back from our Thanksgiving week trip (Edinburgh and London!) and I'm having a BAD case of the Sunday Scaries. Wheee. I wanted to squeeze in a November post but I've just been too busy to pull it together and now it's nearly December. What happened? How is this possible? Anyway, I pulled it together here's some stuff I've really been liking lately:

This Yearly Thing Where I Get Excited About Socks
Y'all know I'm a sock fiend and I've been a big Bombas fan forever but I recently bought some Smartwool socks and dang, they are a game changer. Socks are not exactly exciting but once you start upgrading your sock drawer it's hard to go back. I got a few pairs of this style and they are delightful. Warm without being bulky, not at all itchy and this pair, my striped favorite, is very cute worn with Birkenstock clogs or peeking out of boots.

A Gift Idea For The Summer Person In Your Life
I've written before about my love of the Verilux light to combat season affective disorder but there are other options, like this cute moon light that's both useful and attractive and this one that's an alarm clock that wakes you up with a sunrise. The SAD lamp is one of those things you don't realize you need until you start using it regularly and then you're like..."Wait. You mean I don't have to live with a sad doom cloud hanging over me all winter? Cool." 

This Skincare Tip That's A Real DUH Moment
I read a skincare tip recent that was so stupidly obvious that I couldn't believe I hadn't thought of it. I mean, it's free, simple and really effective. Are you ready? Here it is: Wash your face for a full 60 Seconds. What? How was I not already doing this? But of course I tried it immediately. I double cleanse, starting with my favorite oil cleanser* and set a timer on my phone because a minute is actually a good chunk of time. I really get in there and massage the cleanser gently around my face so it has time to work. I started doing this every night last month and was legit surprised at how much better my skin looks. Amazing. *I bought this balm cleanser on vacation and it's really good, inexpensive and also works well as a first cleanse. Bonus tip: buy a couple of sets of inexpensive cotton washcloths and use a fresh one every day. 

This Movie That's a Pure Delight.
It's been a few weeks since I watched it but Quiz Lady on Hulu is still making me laugh. It's the goofiest movie I've seen in a long time and I loved it. It's got everything: Sandra Oh in a goofy role, Awkwafina in a straight role, Jason Schwartzman at his smarmy best and a real surprise - Will Ferrell playing a sweet, sincere game show host. Just go watch the trailer and add it to your list. It's not life changing or anything but it is a low-stakes fun watch. 

This Long List of Reading Recs (I'm on a roll!)
After a long run of DNFs and disappointing reads, I have found bunch of good books. Hits include: Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan a sequel to The Christmas Bookshop which I wrote about a couple of years ago. I like the first one best but the sequel was really fun to read while I was in Edinburgh! Last month I read The Quiet Tenant by Clémence Michallon which was creepy and dark but very satisfying. I also re-read In the Woods by Tana French, my favorite of all her books. I’ve read probably three or four times now and I get something new out of each time. If you read it and was mad about the ending, consider a re-read. She subtly gives some real hints about the older mystery. Just saying. Currently I’m reading The Guest by Emma Cline (did one of you recommend it?) and so far I’m into it. 

That's it for now! As always, please let me know in the comments what stuff you're liking - books, candles, socks, whatever. I'm here for it. 

Review: Quince Mongolian Cashmere Oversized Boyfriend Cardigan Sweater.

OhhhhKAY. I am seriously sorry it's taken me a million blog years to actually review this dang Quince cardigan but I've been busy taking really terrible photos. Like, this first pic was just to show my friends how f'ing crazy oversized the size medium was and clearly was not meant for public consumption but I already sent the sweater back so here we are: 

This is the Quince Mongolian Cashmere Oversized Boyfriend Cardigan Sweater in size medium. It's weighty and ridiculously soft but oversized to a point of being ridiculous. I look like I'm being eaten alive by cashmere: 

But, it was so soft and cozy and such a good cold-weather WFH piece that I exchanged it for the small (in the charcoal grey because...reasons. I don't know.). I'm way happier with this one:

It's still perfectly oversized and delightfully unflattering but it doesn't feel overwhelming and the sleeves are the perfect length for me. If you have long arms, the sleeves might be short if you size down too much, just FYI. Also, it's holding up fine and isn't pilling much so far. (I maintain that all cashmere pills, it's just a matter of time.) If you're curious about the rest, I'm wearing my cardigan with these Madewell jeans and this Quince top. My boots are Pikolinos Granada and they're from my favorite local comfort shoe store because that's my life now. They're cute, though, right?  

One last look at the cardigan, which even in the size small buttons up with plenty of room to spare:

I doubt I'd ever wear it like this but it's nice that I can if I feel like it. Finally, I wanted to share my best recent Etsy purchase:

This labradorite beaded necklace is my most-worn piece of jewelry right now! It's beautiful and subtle from afar, but the stones have nice fire to them. Plus, it's really well-made and came with the nicest note from the artist, MyszkaJewelleryLdn.

That's it! A full review, a terrible pic with no makeup, and a mini outfit post to boot. I really give it my all, don't I? Honestly, though, this Quince cardigan is such a nice piece - good quality cashmere at a great price. If you’re new to Quince and want $20 off a purchase of $50 or more, please feel free to use my referral link! (Full disclosure: I also get $20 in credit and then use the credits to buy more stuff to review!) 

Stuff I Like: Leaning Into Autumn

Hello! It’s autumn and it has been feeling SUPER autumn-y around here. Portland does fall beautifully... until the rain comes and all the pretty leaves fall at once with a distinct and singular whump. Right now it's still being beautiful and I'm trying to lean into the coziness of the season because what else can you do. Here's what I've been liking in October: 

This John Derian Thanksgiving Collection is Insane.
I am still mad that I missed out on most of the John Derian for Target Halloween collection a few years ago but now there’s a whole new Thanksgiving themed collection! I am not a huge fan of Thanksgiving but I can still appreciate the ever loving shit out of this amazing sequined TURKEY PILLOW. (Seriously, I saw it in person and it is incredible.) I touched everything but settled for this really beautiful set of coasters because I’ve never quite gotten over missing out on the Halloween set. It’s in stores now, quietly sandwiched between Halloween dregs and the onslaught of Christmas.

This Book I Can’t Stop Thinking About.
I recently read The Rachel Incident by Caroline O'Donoghue and I think it’s my favorite book so far this year. It’s not quite like anything I’ve read but it uniquely captures those weird, confusing years in your early 20s when you’re not quite an adult, you don’t have any money, and your friends are everything. The characters are all flawed but sympathetic and I love that I’ve been to the exact neighborhood in Cork where the main characters live. (I feel like one of you might have recommended it? If so, thank you!) Also, Caroline O’Donoghue has a delightful podcast called Sentimental Garbage that’s been getting me through my hellish commute. Enjoy. 

This Oversized Cardigan That’s Delightfully Unflattering.
Not everything in your closet needs to be flattering, okay? Sometimes it just needs to be cozy and soft as kittens and ridiculously oversized. I ordered this Quince oversized cashmere boyfriend cardigan in my usual medium and it was ENORMOUS. I exchanged it for a small which is also enormous but looks like it’s meant to be like that. It’s not a flattering piece but I sincerely love it. (A real review is coming soon!) It’s just the thing to throw over a fitted tee and jeans on a chilly day. Did I mention it's soft? SO soft and warm. 100% recommend but definitely size down unless you have really long arms. (Also, just to prove that I don’t love everything from Quince, I also ordered this mock neck cashmere sweater and it’s the actual worst. Just boxy and weird and too short. Do not like.) 

The Time Has Come For Sensible Shoes.
My foot injury has improved a lot in the past few months but I still deal with daily pain and stiffness and my shoes have to be supportive and not too flex-y or I’m limping with pain. Yay! Getting old is SO FUN y’all. Anyway, we have an upcoming trip that will involve rain, cobblestones and walking and I just cannot fathom wearing my ugly Hokas all day every day. Yes, I am that vain but I’m also not a complete idiot, so I went to the comfort shoe store and tried on everything I could stand to look at. I ended up with a weird pair of Dankso sneakers that kind of look like hiking shoes? They are not Fashion but when worn with jeans they just look like shoes and my sad foot really loves them. They have great arch support, Vibram soles and they are waterproof, which is a nice bonus when you live in the PNW. I highly recommend if you’re looking for a truly boring, sensible shoe that will keep your feet dry. 

Review: Madewell The Perfect Vintage Wide-Leg Jean

Madewell is currently having their Insider event which means 25% or 30% off everything. (Including leather jackets, just FYI!) I needed absolutely nothing so I immediately bought the Perfect Vintage Wide-Leg Jean in two sizes because the reviews seem to think they're both true to size and also run small. Cool. I posted a quick photo in an IG story and y'all loved them so I thought I'd do a proper review. 

Short version: I love them. They're a great entry level wide-leg jean if you're still struggling with how to handle the newer denim silhouettes. Here you go:

As for the sizing, I got the Perfect Vintage Wide-Leg jeans in size 29 (my usual Madewell size) and size 30 for size comparison. Now, the 29 I could get on and get buttoned but whooo boy they were really tight in the waist. Now, they might stretch out a bit but these jeans are 99% cotton/1% stretch and have some weight so it's a risk to assume they'll stretch out enough. The size 30 (which I'm wearing in the pic) fit perfectly and they fall just right:

 It's a bit of adjustment to get used to all that leg but they're cool as hell, right? And on sale! Highly recommend if you need a denim refresh. 

PS. I'm also wearing an AYR tee, a great Lauren Ralph Lauren belt, and my new Birkenstock Boston clogs. 

Stuff I Like: So Much Stuff

I've been super busy lately but I keep a running list of things I want to talk about on the blog. The list, it's getting long, so time to do something about this. Here we go:

This Candle That's Not Expensive For Once.
I can't remember where online I read about it, but the Salt candle at Target got such raves I had to check it out and it's a good one. It's not a seasonal fragrance (because no thank you pumpkin spice nonsense) it's just kind of fresh and soft and ocean-salty in a very non-offensive way. It's maaaaybe a touch sweeter than I usually go for, but it's mostly just nice and it comes in a bunch of sizes and decorative options. Plus, the biggest one is less than $20! Yay.

This Lip Oil I Really Love.
I had a mini-spree at Sephora recently because I just really wanted to try a few new things and found this Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Tinted Lip Oil to be intriguing. I have a Rare Beauty blush that I really like (reviewed here), so I thought this might also be worth trying. Y'all, I freaking love it. It starts out as a non-sticky but very pigmented gloss and dries down to a lip stain. I have the berry shade called Affection and have been wearing it a lot lately. So pretty and it's easy to apply, smudgeable, layerable, etc. 

My (end of) Summer Reading List.
Okay, first of all, my apologies if anyone tried to read The Secret Book of Flora Lea because woof, it was not for me and I DNF'ed it hard. (Sorry, Leandra!) I did read and enjoy I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai and Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson and liked both of them, but I also feel like they both could've been more and also less? I had minor issues with both but also enjoyed reading them. (I'm happy to expand in the comments if you want to discuss!) Finally, I just started The Breakaway by Jennifer Weiner who is reliably good and yay, bikes. 

Definitely Not a Stanley Cup.
I didn't need the new bkr insulated cup but I love my old bkr water bottle so much that when they came out with an insulated cup I basically broke my brain trying to talk myself out of it and then I bought it anyway. No regerts! It's double-walled glass and keeps your ice from melting for quite a while. It's not, like, Stanley-level insulated, but it's also not huge and heavy and tiresome either. And it's pretty! I have the January Demi and it's just perfection. I use it for iced coffee for my commute days and it fits nicely in my cup holder and doesn't leak. I do worry about the little stopper button but so far I've managed to not lose it. We shall see! (PEE ESS they're doing a F&F sale right now - 25% off everything with code BKRFAM2023.)

This TV Show That Is The CUTEST.
OMG ARE YOU WATCHING HEARTSTOPPER BECAUSE IF NOT YOU MUST. I am not the target audience for this show but I needed something sweet and kind and adorable to watch on my lunch breaks and this is definitely it. It's based on the graphic novel series by Alice Oseman and uniquely captures exactly what it feels like to have a crush when you're young. Plus, Olivia Coleman! Just go! Enjoy! Weep a little! 

Another Good Quince Purchase.
I’ve been using my Quince credits for good stuff, lately! Mostly bedding, which is reliable but not exciting to talk about. My new favorite though is the Apple Watch leather band I bought. I got a taupe-y grey color that somehow goes with everything and it looks expensive. I am seriously impressed by the quality. I’m usually too lazy to switch out my band, but on the days I’m going into the office, I like to switch it up to the leather band. (They also have an Hermès Cape Cod band knockoff which I was tempted by, but I thought the wrap design might drive me crazy.) If you’re new to Quince and want $20 off a purchase of $50 or more, please feel free to use my referral link! (Full disclosure: I also get $20 in credit.) 

That's it for now! I'm very easily influenced, so please tell me what I should try/buy/read/listen to next!

Shopping: Two Dresses.

I used to be a Dress Girl. I had a whole closet full of cute, inexpensive dresses that I’d wear every day and it was my thing, you know? My style started to shift away from that several years ago but I still love a dress. The problem is, I can’t fucking find a dress anymore. For the past few years it seems like everything is floofy and tiered or has giant sleeves or cut-outs or is a straight up prairie/cottagecore nightmare. Some of these dresses are very pretty and very tempting but they are very much not my style. It doesn’t stop me from trying though. Exhibit A: this Anthropologie dress that comes in some really fun patterns and is pretty universally loved, so I was like, I WILL TRY THIS. Okay, y’all? It’s so cute in theory but on me it looks like an oversized night gown:

I am…not pulling this off. I’m wearing the medium petite and it’s eating me alive. I know this style runs a bit big but it felt like A LOT of dress on me and just isn't quite my style. Did I learn from this? I did not. Instead I doubled down and bought this pretty dress from Apiece Apart on final sale. It arrived, I tried it on and immediately listed it for sale. The sleeves were enormous. So pretty, so not for me.

In the middle of all of this madness I found this Nic + Zoe dress which was more money than I wanted to spend on something that didn’t look particularly special. It arrived and I was like, "this is fine." Then I tried it on and upgraded “this is fine” to “this is good.” 

Then! I added accessories and loved it. This dress is not romantic or fancy but it is basically a perfect everyday thing. It hits just above the knee but is slightly longer in the back which gives it a caftan flutter when you walk. 

It’s got buttons halfway down the front so you don’t have to worry about gaping when you sit. It’s cut really nicely so it’s flattering even though it’s technically a sack. And it’s washable! I don’t know but this might be the perfect everyday dress. Great with my red Birkenstocks and Clare V bag, future-great with tights and boots. I’ve already worn it twice and I’ve only had it for two weeks, so even though it’s expensive, the cost-per-wear will hopefully end up being pretty low. (Also, I used the Neiman Marcus 15% off code you get when you sign up for emails and texts which helped.) Honestly, this is a great little dress and and Nic + Zoe is a new brand for me, so I will definitely be keeping an eye out for their fall/winter offerings. 

How about you? Any good dress finds lately?

Stuff I Like: Skincare!

I've changed up some of my skincare lately and here's what I've been really happy with:

This Oil Cleanser That’s a Steal
I typically double cleanse every evening and for a while I was using balm cleansers for my first step, but now I’m back on oil. I do still really like the one by DHC but I found an online rec for this one by Hada Labo that’s the same amount for less than half the price and it’s great. Its made with olive oil, is unscented, and it gets all my eye make off without much effort. Under $12! Just FYI, I'm still using and loving Acure cleansing cream for my second cleansing step. 

This Vitamin C Serum That Better Change My Life.
I've been using Skinceuticals 10 AOX+ vitamin C serum to help with my melasma. It's a starter version for sensitive skin and it's been good but the bottle is almost empty and I'm not sure my face can handle the C E Ferulic (or similar dupe) that everyone raves over. I recently read a rave review on a women's FB group I belong to that Hydropeptide Firma-Bright works like gangbusters on melasma so I was immediately influenced and bought the travel size. A few weeks later I bought the full size because, hey, my face doesn't hate it. I'm now more than a month in and this product in the morning (and Differin at night) seems to really be helping. I'll report back! 

This Fancy Serum Sunscreen That Gives Good Glow
Ugh, rms, you win. I am such a sucker for Rose Marie’s videos and when this new SuperNatural SPF serum came out I was like, nope. Not falling for it. And then of course I ordered it and it’s so freaking nice. It’s a mineral sunscreen with some other stuff and it gives you a nice glow and works well under makeup. It would be nice if the SPF was higher, but this isn’t my everyday spackle (that would be the CoTZ sunscreen) it’s my “I need to look nice today” sunscreen. I’m also still a fan of this one by Tatcha, but it’s SO freaking expensive that I wish I could quit it. 

PS. I also repurchased this little rms palette (I originally posted about it here) because it had her nice champagne luminizer in it and I also needed the Beloved Lip2Cheek back in my life after being influenced by this video. That Rose Marie is CONVINCING. Anyway, as I remembered, it’s all really lovely and dewy. Also, they FINALLY put a mirror in the palette! It’s about time.

This Eye Cream That's a Pleasant Surprise.
Listen, I tend to think that eye cream is a bit of a scam. Like, here’s a tiny container of concentrated moisturizer that somehow costs MORE than your moisturizer! And it does things, we swear!  Hmph. I’m convinced nothing on earth can permanently fix my dark circles, but it’s nice when a product successfully deflects them and this one does. I bought the Sunday Riley Auto Correct and it’s not disappointing! It's got caffeine for de-puffing and a bit of a glow to brighten and it works nicely under my favorite concealer, so we’ll call it a win.

Last minute inclusion: I just got a sample of the new Kosas DreamBeam mineral sunscreen serum and it’s also pretty great! I am just so pleased at all these lovely mineral sunscreen serum formulations that are coming out.)