Things I’m Loving 10.29.24

I can’t believe October is almost over! I’m normally not very into Halloween, but I’m very excited to take the boys trick or treating this year - keeping my fingers crossed for no sicknesses because so far Camden has ended up sick for both Halloweens he’s been here for. I’ve only skipped one week of “Things I’m Loving,” but it feels like it’s been longer. Last week I wrote about my experience on transitioning from 1-2 kids vs. 0-1.

Tower 28 OneLiner in ‘Paint My Number’ | I think at this point it’s impossible for me to do one of these posts without mentioning a lip product. I absolutely love the formulas of these liners from Tower 28 - they can be used on the eyes, lips, and cheeks (although I primarily use them as lip liners). It’s creamy enough to glide on easily, but waxy enough to stay put throughout the day without fading or smudging. They recently expanded their shades and my new favorite is Paint My Number, a true brown-mauve. It’s a great everyday fall lip - it’s a little deep and moody.

Madewell French Hair Pin | I’m always looking for ways to get my hair out of my face both at work and at home (Carter will grab a handful of my hair and not let go if it’s down) and lately my favorite is using this French Pin from Madewell. It looks so chic and is super sturdy - I’ve tried other French pins like this but they feel flimsy and just slip out of my hair. This holds my hair in place for hours without slowly sliding out or giving me a headache.

Stratia Velvet Cleansing Milk | I recently ordered a couple things from Stratia and while I was waiting for them to be delivered, it reminded me to pull out some other products from the brand I already had. I had forgotten what a nice cleanser this is. It’s a simple cream cleanser that is able to remove makeup and also gets my skin feeling really clean but not stripped. This has been living next to my sink for a few weeks now and I can’t stop reaching for it both morning and night. I just love everything I’ve tried from Stratia - the products are so effective yet affordable!

Universal Thread Betsy Clogs | I love my Birkenstock Boston Clogs, but this year I haven’t been a huge fan of the color I have anymore (it’s a really warm, almost yellow-brown - I think the shade was called Mink). As much as I love how comfortable the Birkenstocks are, I couldn’t justify the price of another pair in the taupe shade I was eyeing this year when I have a perfectly good pair, so I decided to try out these dupes/knockoffs from Target’s Universal Thread brand. They’re a good enough copy for me! They’re really comfortable and feel like they have memory foam in them, and they fit my feet really well - I have quite narrow feet and these feel perfectly snug (so if you have wider feet I’d consider sizing up!). Wearing them side by side with the Birkenstocks they’re a little bulkier, but I don’t mind. They’re the perfect taupe shade I was looking for, too.

Kulfi Beauty Zari Eyes Cream Eyeshadow in ‘Sitara Sparkles’ | I don’t really wear eyeshadow on a daily basis anymore, but I went to my friend’s wedding last weekend and wore this and was absolutely obsessed. I had gotten this eyeshadow a while ago but I don’t think I ever actually got around to wearing it until now! The Sitara Sparkles shade is a unique rose gold with silver sparkles. Rather than looking glittery, it gives a glossy look to the eyes that I really love. It is really easy to apply - it has a wet formula that spreads and blends easily on the eyelids. I used a primer underneath when I wore it to the wedding, and it lasted all night with no creasing.

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Things I'm Loving 10.15.24

We had such a fun weekend, despite what I’m thinking is a painful bout of teething for my younger son. We had family photos taken on Saturday, and then we visited family and went to a pumpkin patch on Sunday! The boys also got their “school pictures” done at daycare last week, so between that and the family photos I’m just excitedly waiting by my email inbox to see how both sets came out. I’m usually not big into fall and Halloween, but I’m really trying to lean into it this year to make special memories for my kids!

Commodity Velvet Expressive Eau de Parfum | I’ve still been rotating through my perfumes almost daily, but I’ve been reaching for this one again and again. I love the Commodity fragrances and how they evoke a specific place or feeling. Velvet is my favorite that I’ve tried - on me it smells so similar to Maison Margiela Replica By the Fireplace, but it has much better lasting power. It smells sweet and smoky, almost like being at a campfire, and it’s just the perfect cool-weather scent. The top note is coconut water, middle notes are roasted almonds and rose petals, and the base notes are vanilla, amber, and smoky musk. I’m hooked.

Olive & June Long-Lasting Nail Polish in ‘Garnet Glass’ | My nails are still a little sad and broken, but the cuticle serum I mentioned last week is helping a lot. I finally painted my nails for the first time since the summer since they’re not feeling so weak and brittle lately and chose this new Olive & June shade - their nail polishes are my favorite. They have a great brush and the polishes hold up really well for me with minimal chipping, despite me being really hard on my hands at work. Garnet Glass is such a good fall shade, a deep berry-toned red, and it’s one of their jelly polishes so if your nails are less beat-up than mine you can wear it for a sheer wash of color that would be really pretty! I built mine up with an extra coat to be more opaque though, and I love how it looks.

Hot Cocoa Lip Balms - Glossier Balm Dotcom & Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm | Two of my favorite balm formulas have come out with Hot Cocoa scents recently, and I’ve really been loving both! They smell quite similar, but the colors and formulas are different: Glossier has a slippy-er, petroleum jelly texture, while Summer Fridays is a thicker, plush balm. I find that I can feel the Glossier hanging around on my lips for longer than the Summer Fridays, and it leaves more of a glossy sheen. I really do love them both though, though I prefer the shade of the Glossier - it’s a little more of a cool, red-brown, while the Summer Fridays balm is more of a true, neutral-leaning-warm brown.

Madewell Perfect Vintage Wide-Leg Crop Jeans | I wore my favorite pair of Madewell jeans for our family photos, and while they no longer offer the exact style I had (mine are at least three years old), these are almost identical. I think Madewell’s Perfect Vintage line just fit me the best of any jeans I’ve tried, and though they’re pricey, they really are much better quality than cheaper brands I’ve worn before.

ILIA Lip Sketch in ‘Rhyme’ | I haven’t mentioned this yet in one of these posts, but I’ve been going back to it time and again since I got it over the summer. I think all of ILIA’s products are brilliant, and I’ve been really impressed by these lip crayons. They have a a natural matte finish and feel super comfortable on the lips - they don’t feel dry at all. Rhyme is such a good shade, a cool pink-mauve. I probably sound like a broken record at this point, but that’s my favorite kind of shade!

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Things I'm Loving 10.08.24

How was everyone’s weekend? Mine was great - I went away to Maine with my mom and my sister and had so much fun. It was the longest I’ve been away from both of my kids, two nights. I missed them so much, but it was nice to get some time to recharge (and to wake up on my own)! We spent most of Saturday in Ogunquit going on a boat tour and also hit the outlets in Kittery.

Olive & June Cuticle Serum | My nails have been so bad lately - I got them done with gel back in July, and they’ve been weak and breaking ever since. They’ve almost grown out past where the gel was, so I’m hoping they stop breaking so much soon. In the meantime, I’ve been applying the Olive & June Cuticle Serum like a maniac - I love this stuff. It’s not greasy and sinks in quickly so I can apply and get right back to what I was doing, but I notice such a difference in the health of my nails when I’m using it. I’ve definitely started seeing an improvement, although I think there’s just no making my nails look nice right now!

Glossier Ultralip in ‘Pony’ | I rediscovered this recently, and I think it may just be my favorite lipstick in my collection. It’s in the top 3 at least. The Ultralips are so comfortable and beautiful on the lips - they feel like a lovely, emollient lip balm. I’m not crazy about the shade selection, but Pony is one of my favorite everyday shades. It’s a beautiful rosy brown that’s on the cooler side, so I love it.

Old Navy SoSoft Crop Cardigan Sweater | Any time I’ve been browsing Pinterest, I’ve been getting photos of fall outfits with crew neck cardigans with a crew neck white tee peeking out at the neckline, and I just loved the look so much. I didn’t have any crew neck cardigans, so I picked up this one from Old Navy when it was on sale. I got the Cordovan color, which is a slightly “out there” choice for me, but I’ve been trying to branch out from wearing only neutrals. It’s such a beautiful color, and I know I’ll get lots of wear out of it this fall. I love this material for sweaters - it’s super comfortable, soft, plush, and stretchy. I decided I wanted to add another to my closet and got the light blue color. I know I probably don’t need three shades of the same sweater, but if I get another, it’ll probably be the ‘Sedimentary’ color. I’m usually a size small at Old Navy, but I didn’t want it to be too tight on my arms, especially if I would be wearing a shirt underneath, so I got a medium, and it’s perfect.

Kaxi Midi Hold Everything Claw Clip | I wear my hair in some kind of clip every single day, and I got sucked into an Instagram ad for this one. It caught my eye because of how slim and low-profile it was. You actually put this in your hair slightly differently than a normal claw clip - you’re supposed to do a French twist and use this clip to secure it on the side. It feels super secure, and I usually can keep it in my hair all day without having to adjust anything. It comes in so many pretty colors too - I of course had to get the Dusty Blue shade. I have the “midi” size and it’s perfect for my medium length and medium thickness hair..

Old Navy High-Waisted Pulla Utility Pants | I got these this weekend in Kittery, and I immediately loved them so much that I wore them on our trip home and ordered another color while in the car. They’re pull-on pants and are super comfortable. I’ve been wanting to add something to my closet that I can wear instead of jeans and these fit the bill perfectly. They’re very casual but so far have paired well with everything I’ve tried them on with. I’m usually around a size 6, sometimes an 8, and a small fits me perfectly in these (so they run slightly large). I’m 5’3” and they come right down to the bottom of my ankles, which is exactly what I wanted - they look more cropped on the model. I can’t wait to put together some cozy outfits with these and some sweatshirts/sweaters and clogs! I’ve really been embodying that tweet that says, “are Gap and Old Navy actually ‘really making some super cute things these days’ or am I just old now?”

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